Tag: Industry - Page 15
News PS5 Console Sales Reach 13.4 Million After Strong Q2 Period
3.3 million units sold during quarter
Sony has recorded its strongest ever Q2 revenue stream as part of a new quarterly fiscal report, generating $5.86 billion in revenue and $0.751 billion of profit from July to September of this year. As for how this translates to PlayStation 5, the system sold 3.3 million units during Q2, bringing total sales up...
News Halo Co-Creator Building New EA Studio to Make First-Person Games
Taking aim
Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto has announced that he's joined publishing giant EA as a game director. Lehto will be part of a new Seattle-based studio, which will focus on creating first-person games. Said studio doesn't have a name yet, but we're sure that it'll be officially branded in the relatively near future. Most recently, Lehto...
News Sony Pictures Offloads Game Studio for $1 Billion
Jackpot
Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired the Game Show Network in 2019, and part of the purchase included a subsidiary called GSN Games. This division was assigned the task of developing online and mobile gambling games, including slots inspired by Wheel of Fortune. But, perhaps recognising the studio no longer fits its portfolio, the Japanese...
News Sony Plotting Investment into Billion Dollar Chip Factory in Japan
Got a chip on its shoulder
Sony is allegedly mulling investment into a Japanese chip factory, which will see it partner with Taiwan’s TSMC to build a plant in Kumamoto. The workshop – expected to produce parts for automobiles, camera image sensors, and more – will allegedly cost billions to setup, with the Japanese government on deck to foot...
News Bloodborne Producer Masaaki Yamagiwa Teams Up with Team Ninja
A stranger of paradise
A top producer from Japan Studio – who left Sony when the team was disbanded earlier in the year – has joined Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin developer Team Ninja. Masaaki Yamagiwa – whose credits include Bloodborne, Déraciné, and Tokyo Jungle to name just a few – was
News Sony Pimps Perfect for PS5 Bravia XR TVs
Cognizant of your console
Sony has talked about the synergy between its divisions for well over a decade, but it’s finally delivering. You’ll no doubt be aware of the various collaborations between PlayStation and Sony Pictures, which will see the likes of The Last of Us adapted into a live action series. But point your peepers at the...
News Sony: The Pipeline of Games for PS5 Is Just Fantastic
"By far the strongest we've ever had"
Speaking as part of a candid interview with GamesIndustry.biz, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said that the business is defined by three key attributes: games, community, and the brand. According to the bigwig, Sony’s gaming division has always been “cool”, and when prompted to describe what makes the...
News PlayStation Boss Wants a Future Where Sony Games Aren't Gated from a Wider Audience
"To gate the audience frustrates me"
While we’re all very familiar with the console market as it is, we can comfortably assume that one day it will change. Brands like PlayStation and Xbox are, slowly but surely, becoming hardware agnostic – we’ve already seen a handful of first-party Sony exclusives release on PC, and the manufacturer has...
News Bandai Namco Reveals New Logo, Everyone Hates It
Welcome to the internet
Whenever a company reveals a new logo, it's common practice to then hate on that new logo until everyone gets tired and moves onto something else. The latest victim of this fruitless cycle is Bandai Namco, a games publisher that has had the same red/orange/yellow blob of a logo since the two entities merged in 2005. Now, the...
News Bluepoint Games Developing a Brand New Title, Not a Remake
"We're working on original content"
Bluepoint Games is now officially part of PlayStation Studios following today's announcement of Sony's acquisition, but the developer's next title won't be a remake like it has come to be known for. In fact, Bluepoint Games is now developing a brand new, original title. Talking during a new interview with IGN,...
News Sony Finally Confirms Acquisition of Demon's Souls PS5 Dev Bluepoint Games
Texas-based team joins PlayStation Studios
A little while back, Sony announced its acquisition of Housemarque, the studio behind the excellent PlayStation 5 exclusive, Returnal. However, on the same day, an image was inadvertently shared that appeared to confirm a second high-profile buyout — that of Bluepoint Games. Ever since, there's been no...
News Haven Studios' Jade Raymond to Discuss Setting Up Sony-Backed Developer During a Pandemic
Joins Jim Ryan at the event
Haven Studios, one of the developers Sony is collaborating with on a PlayStation exclusive title, will be in attendance at GI: Live London next weekend. Co-founder Jade Raymond will join Jim Ryan at the event, where she will discuss setting up a studio during a pandemic. She's also expected to touch on how PlayStation...
News Sony's Biggest UK Studio, Firesprite, Has Just Made an Acquisition of Its Own
Fabrik Games folded into Sony's largest UK team
PlayStation Studios has grown quite a lot this year, with some notable acquisitions bolstering Sony's first-party lineup of developers. The most recent of these is Firesprite, a Liverpool-based studio that's already bigger than Sony's other UK teams combined. It's set to get even bigger, though; the...
News Netflix Buys Oxenfree Developer Night School Studio
War never changes
A new challenger has entered the ring: Netflix has acquired Oxenfree developer Night School Studio. Don’t worry, though, work will continue on the sequel, set to release on the PlayStation 5 and PS4 next year. “Netflix gives film, TV, and now game makers an unprecedented canvas to create and deliver excellent entertainment to...
News PS5 Has Reached 1 Million UK Sales Faster Than Any Other PlayStation Console
Milestone reached in record time
The PlayStation 5 is now Sony's fastest selling console ever in the UK. That's according to GfK (thanks, GamesIndustry), the organisation that tracks game industry sales data in the country. It states that PS5 reached 1 million units sold in 39 weeks, three weeks faster than the previous record holder, PS4. The UK...
News Tomb Raider, Marvel's Avengers Maker Now Co-Developer on Xbox Exclusive
Really
Well, this is a bizarre and frankly unexpected announcement: Crystal Dynamics – one of the most prolific third-party developers, responsible for games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Marvel’s Avengers – has been announced as a co-develop
News New Sony Team Firesprite Continues Hiring for 'Dark, Narrative Adventure' Game
Project has "genre-defining goals"
Prior to Sony's acquisition of The Persistence and The Playroom developer Firesprite Games, the English studio was advertising open positions on two different projects: a "game-changing huge multiplayer shooter" and an "ambitious dark narrative blockbuster adventure". When Sony scooped the team up just recently,...
News Project EVE Dev Celebrates PS Showcase Trailer by Buying Entire Team a PS5
Found some stock
Hyung-Tae Kim, the boss of Shift Up – the Korean developer behind PlayStation 5 console exclusive Project EVE – celebrated the game’s successful PlayStation Showcase trailer by ordering his entire team a next-gen console. All 260 employees at the studio received a spangly new Sony system, so that they’ll be able to play the...
News What Is Going on with Sony's Supposed Acquisition of Bluepoint?
Blue balls
Since an employee at PlayStation Japan mistakenly “welcomed” Bluepoint to the platform holder’s first-party family, Sony has acquired two teams that very few expected: Nixxes and Firesprite. And yet, we’re still waiting for conf
News Spider-Man 2, God of War: Ragnarok Trailers Pull Enormous Numbers
Trending
Sony skipped all of the major conventions so far this year, deciding to host PlayStation Showcase 2021 on its own time – but did it make a difference to overall interest? Not a chance: the platform holder’s YouTube channel has been on fire since last night, with the livestream peaking at well over 600,000 concurrents and already...
News New Sony Team Firesprite Is Bigger Than Media Molecule, London Studio Combined
Liverpool studio is bigger than you think
Sony’s acquisition of The Persistence developer Firesprite this week certainly came as a surprise, but perhaps the even bigger shocker is the sheer scale of the team: totalling 250 employees, it’s actually larger in headcount than the platform holder’s two other UK-based first-party studios, Media...
News Sony Acquires Firesprite Games, Dev Behind The Persistence, Playroom
PlayStation's 14th first-party studio
Sony has announced its acquisition of Firesprite Games, the developer behind PlayStation 4 titles The Persistence, The Playroom, and The Playroom VR. It becomes the 14th developer part of PlayStation Studios, with many who work at the studio previously part of SIE Studio Liverpool. Speaking on the PlayStation...
News Focus Home Interactive, the Publisher of A Plague Tale, Is Now Focus Entertainment
A new Focus
Focus Home Interactive, the publisher of a variety of high-profile PlayStation titles – including A Plague Tale: Innocence and SnowRunner – is now Focus Entertainment. The rebranding solidifies a series of acquisitions from the firm, which saw it nab the likes of Deck 13 Interactive and DotEmu. “From now on, the Focus...
News Ex-PlayStation Exec Shawn Layden Is Concerned About the Rising Cost of AAA Games
The price is right?
During the latter stages of his tenure at PlayStation, former executive Shawn Layden oversaw some of the biggest first-party projects in his organisation’s history, including Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War. But the suit’s history in the gaming industry, as he’s eager to point out frequently, stretches back decades, to the...
News Shawn Layden Reveals Why He Left Sony PlayStation
Became burnt out
It's been almost two years since former Sony Worldwide Studios head Shawn Layden suddenly left the company, announced to the world with nothing more than a tweet. Fans have speculated the reasoning since time and time again, but now the man himself has broken his silence. Speaking to Bloomberg, Layden explains he was becoming bur
News Yakuza Creator Toshihiro Nagoshi on the Cusp of SEGA Exit
Head hunted by Chinese firm NetEase
SEGA’s tanned industry icon, Toshihiro Nagoshi, is about to be poached by Chinese company NetEase. That’s according to Bloomberg, who are reporting that the Yakuza creator is in “final negotiations” to join the giant, following a 32-year career at the Japanese publisher. It’s speculated that Nagoshi will...
News Such Is Sony's Secrecy, Fans Hope New PlayStation Banners Mean Impending News
They probably don't
It’s been almost a year since the last major PlayStation press conference, and the company’s communication has come in waves over the past few months. There’ll be periods where we get plenty of updates from the organisation; there’ll also be periods where the firm disappears into the shadows, and leaves us with very...
News Typhoon Studios Reforms as Raccoon Logic, Regains Journey to the Savage Planet IP
Rise from the ashes
Earlier this year, you may recall that Google Stadia shuttered its development studios and ceased work on game projects. One victim of this mass closure was Typhoon Studios, the team perhaps best known for Journey to the Savage Planet. The well-received sci-fi shooter was thought to be lost in all the legalities that followed,...
News Focus Home Interactive Acquires Streets of Rage 4 Publisher Dotemu
Retro specialist has a new (Focus) home
Dotemu, especially recently, has been knocking it out of the park with its retro releases. The company is a publisher and development studio, and has helped bring about old-school titles such as Streets of Rage 4, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, and Windjammers, among many others. The awesome-looking Teenage...
Random New Team ASOBI Recruits Get a Rad Custom PS5 Controller
New hire 🔥
Team ASOBI has transitioned from small Japan Studio division to fully-fledged first-party studio, and it’s marking the occasion with a new website and a recruitment drive. There’s a novelty for successful applicants, however: a lovely welcome pack for all new employees. The set includes a t-shirt, postcard, and steel water bottle.
News Sony Is Absolutely Flying Financially Right Now
Bumps profit forecast
Ex-PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai has long since retired from his role as Sony CEO, but every quarter his work comes into focus a little bit more. For a man who has been memed for the last decade or so, he completely transformed the Japanese firm’s fortunes, and has set it on the positive path it’s currently on. No, it can’t...
News Former Sony Boss Fearful of Industry Consolidation
Studio buyouts not the right way to do things
It's been almost two years since former Sony worldwide studios chairman Shawn Layden very hurriedly left PlayStation, with nothing but a tweet marking his departure. There have always been questions asked about what happened in the time since, but today the businessman announces he has taken up a...
News Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Accuses Publisher of Harassment within Workplace
Alleges "toxic frat boy workplace culture"
Content Warning: Please note that the following article and the sources linked within detail topics such as discrimination, sexual harassment, and suicide. Activision Blizzard, the publisher of franchises like Call of Duty and Overwatch, is being sued over incidents of discrimination and misconduct in the...
News Netflix to Offer Mobile Games As Part of Subscription
No evidence of a partnership with PlayStation
It doesn’t sound like there’s much to those PlayStation assets discovered within the Netflix app’s source code: the streaming giant has announced plans to offer smartphone games as part of its existing subscription. This content will be provided at no extra cost, as the company attempts to retain...
News Tencent Tables $1.3 Billion Takeover of Sackboy Dev Sumo Digital
Offer acccepted
Chinese juggernaut Tencent has tabled a $1.27 billion bid for British developer Sumo Digital, which has been accepted. It means, assuming there are no unforeseen complications, the Sackboy: A Big Adventure maker will become a subsidiary of the WeChat app owner. This isn’t the conglomerate’s first foray into video games: it also...
News Police Raid Ukraine Warehouse Filled with 3,800 PS4 Consoles
It was a FIFA Ultimate Team bot farm
The police in Ukraine have raided a warehouse filled with 3,800 PlayStation 4 consoles, which it originally believed to be a cryptocurrency mining farm. It turns out, the undercover operation was instead grinding FIFA Ultimate Team, and selling accounts loaded with virtual currency and rare player cards. The...
News Netflix Allegedly Plotting Gaming Service, and PlayStation Could Be a Partner
Sony assets discovered in service's source code
Netflix appears poised to enter the gaming arena, after it announced earlier this week that it had hired ex-EA executive Mike Verdu to lead its expansion into the lucrative sector. While this could, potentially, be considered yet another headache for market leader PlayStation, it’s possible the...
News Sony 'Closely Monitoring' Nintendo Switch OLED as Industry May Look to Increase Prices
Costs going up
Nintendo Switch is a runaway freight train, seeing impressive success several years into its cycle. As you may be aware, the company recently announced a revised hardware model, the Nintendo Switch OLED, but despite including a better screen – similar to that employed by the PS Vita almost a decade ago – it’s leveraging the same...
News EA Renames DICE LA to Ripple Effect Studios, Expanding to Establish Own Identity
Cool logo
DICE LA, the developer of an as-of-yet-unannounced experience in Battlefield 2042, has been officially rebranded Ripple Effect Studios, as it expands and seeks to establish its own “identity”. In a press release, boss Christian Grass explained: “We’re so proud of our work as DICE LA and the DICE team will forever be a part of our...
News Sony Snapped Up Housemarque Before Someone Else Could
There were other interested companies
Every company is talking to other businesses at one stage or another about acquisitions, so it's no real surprise to learn that Sony wasn't the only firm sniffing around Returnal developer Housemarque. The PlayStation buyout is set in stone now, but it could easily have gone another way as an interview with...
News Japan Studio Has Officially Been Removed from Sony's Website
End of an era
Well, we knew Japan Studio had been disbanded, but here’s closure: the team has been removed from Sony’s official website – consider this the divorce papers at the end of a messy separation, perhaps. Astro’s Playroom developer Team Asobi has ta
News Bluepoint Stresses It's Fully Independent as Sony Acquisition Speculation Swirls
Developer updates profile in response to rumours
Earlier this week, when Sony officially announced its acquisition of Housemarque, an image mistakenly uploaded by PlayStation Japan seemingly confirmed Demon’s Souls developer Bluepoint as well. The picture – utilising the same style as the one for the aforementioned buyout – included Returnal
News Newly Minted PS Studio Nixxes Helped Guerrilla on Killzone: Shadow Fall
A history together
Dutch developer Nixxes is the latest team to join the PlayStation Studios family, where it’ll serve as a support group for first-party firms like Insomniac, Santa Monica Studio, and Naughty Dog. But despite having a close relationship with Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics, it’s also helped out Sony in the past – namely...
Random Hideo Kojima Uses a Hermen Hulst Mousepad
PlayStation Studios boss always on director's mind
In headlines we didn’t expect to ever type, Hideo Kojima has shared a photo of his office desk, which includes a Hermen Hulst mousepad. The PlayStation Studios boss famously handed the esteemed Metal Gear Solid director the source code to the Decima Engine when he worked as managing director of...
News Sony Acquires Dutch Developer Nixxes to Beef Up First-Party Tech Support
Long-time Crystal Dynamics collaborator joins PlayStation Studios
Sony has acquired Dutch developer Nixxes, a long-time Crystal Dynamics collaborator. Effective immediately, the Utrecht-based tech specialists will join the PlayStation Studios Technology, Creative & Services Group to “provide high quality in-house technical and development...
News Konami Confirms Partnership with Bloober Team, Fuelling Silent Hill Rumours
Teams will share "development of contents"
Konami has officially begun a partnership with Layers of Fear, Observer, and The Medium developer Bloober Team that will see the two companies share "development of contents and the exchange of know-how". Of course, this news only further fuels heavy
News Mass Effect Director Casey Hudson Announces New Studio
Humanoid Studios to work on all-new IP
Ex-BioWare bigwig and Mass Effect director Casey Hudson has founded a brand-new developer. Humanoid Studios – led by the aforementioned veteran – will maintain offices in Alberta and British Columbia, where it will work on an “all-new intellectual property”. Development will be conducted using the...
News Sony: We're Not Going Around Making Random Acquisitions
"We're very selective"
Sony’s overdue acquisition of Housemarque today has opened speculation of an imminent “arms race” between industry titans, but PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst doesn’t see things that way. Despite Microsoft’s relatively recent buyout of Bethesda, the Japanese giant believes today’s news is the natural...
News Sony Confirms Acquisition of Returnal Dev Housemarque
"We are so excited to finally join the PlayStation Studios family"
Sony has today announced the acquisition of Returnal developer Housemarque. Confirmed in a PlayStation Blog post, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst explains how the studio is capable of making titles that resonate with the PlayStation community. "This addition enhances the...
News Insomniac Games Now Hiring for PS5 Multiplayer Project
A sequel to Fuse, anyone?
Insomniac Games truly stops for absolutely no one. After putting out Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in the first eight months of the PlayStation 5's lifespan, the Burbank-based developer is now actively advertising job positions for one of its next projects: a multiplayer game. The...