Tag: Industry - Page 16
News Bethesda Apologises to PS5, PS4 Fans 'P*ssed' at Exclusivity
"There's not a whole lot I can do about it"
Sci-fi role-playing game Starfield, announced last week as an Xbox Series X|S console exclusive, was in development at one point for the PlayStation 5 – heck, there were even rumours that Sony was trying to secure timed exclusivity for the title, similarly to Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo. Now, the game...
Reaction E3 Is a Relic Desperately Clinging to Relevancy
Let it go
E3 has been the event around which the video game industry revolves for nearly three decades now, but it’s time to admit it’s a relic that has long passed its sell-by date. There will be critics of this article that will point to the pandemic as justification for this year’s inept event, but such a response ignores the very real...
News Back 4 Blood, A Plague Tale: Requiem, More Will Be Full-Price on PS5, PS4
No extra cost with Game Pass on Xbox
Another batch of high-profile multiplatform games will be full-price on PlayStation 5 and, where available, PS4 – while Xbox owners will be able to play the releases at no added cost with Game Pass. While, as we’ve caveated in the past, the titles won’t necessarily stick around forever and do still require...
News Sony Bigwigs Congratulate Xbox for E3 2021 Showcase
"A great time to be a gamer"
In a show of corporate camaraderie, PlayStation executives like Hermen Hulst have congratulated Xbox for its E3 2021 showcase. Microsoft suit Phil Spencer is a big fan of social media, recently sending congratulatory messages to Insomniac Games for the stellar Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart reviews. And while we’ve...
News Actually, PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan Doesn't Hate Old Games
"Next time I'll keep my mouth shut"
“Why would anyone play this?” It’s a quote that will cling to Jim Ryan for his entire career – and now he’s actually addressed it. For those in desperate need of context, the PlayStation boss famously told Time about the occasion he attended a Gran Turismo event: “The PS1 and the PS2 games, they looked...
Reaction Partnerships Show PlayStation Empowering Creators, And Avoiding an Acquisition War
Sony's direction
On the eve of a Microsoft press conference, it’s hard not to be wary of the dreaded ‘a’ word if you’re a PlayStation fan: acquisitions. Oh, the dreaded acquisitions. Xbox’s well-publicised buyout of Bethesda changed everything; all bets are off when it comes to the Redmond juggernaut now, and it has the luxury of deep...
News Sony Announces Partnership with Deviation Games to Make New IP
But that's all we know
Sony has announced yet another partnership with a new developer to make a new IP under its wing for PlayStation consoles. Deviation Games is making a "brand-new original IP", and that's just about all we know. As part of a PlayStation Blog post, CEO Dave Anthony said: "While I can confirm development is already underway,...
News Insomniac Devs Say Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Was Made without Crunch
Industry has been under scrutiny
Crunch has become a common point of controversy in the games industry, with titles like The Last of Us: Part II and Cyberpunk 2077 coming under scrutiny for the intense environments in which they’re created. Many developers making high-profile games work long and difficult hours, which can result in health...
News PixelOpus Hiring for PS5 Exclusive in Collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation
Running on Unreal Engine 5
Yesterday's PlayStation Blog post on the future of Sony's first-party studios has sort of opened the floodgates a little for those in the earlier stages of development. Days Gone developer Bend Studio confirmed it's working on a new IP, Team Asobi was
News Almost Half of PlayStation Gamers Are Women
Girl power
Console ownership among females has increased dramatically since the PS1 days, significantly expanding the audience of Sony’s gaming brand. As part of a presentation to investors, the Japanese giant noted that approximately 41 per cent of PlayStation 5 and PS4 owners are women. Compare this to just 18 per cent on PS1, and clearly the...
News Sony's Targeting More Than 50 Per Cent Market Share with PS5
Company feeling bullish
While the competition certainly feels closer than ever – especially if you spend most of your time on enthusiast forums, including Push Square – the PlayStation 5 is actually crushing it right now. It’s selling faster than any format Sony’s ever released, and despite shipments exceeding even the PS4, the company...
News Warner Bros' Gaming Division Will Be Broken Up As Part of Merger
What a Joker
The future of Warner Bros gaming division has been plunged into uncertainty once more, as AT&T is unloading its media business as part of a $43 billion merger with cable company Discovery. The arrangement is complicated – and won’t be completed until mid-2022 should shareholders agree – but it will effectively see the...
News Ubisoft Commits to Full-Priced AAA Games Alongside Free-to-Play Offerings
The French publisher responds
Update: Ubisoft has sought to expand on the comments it made during yesterday's earnings call by committing to the sort of full-priced AAA titles it has produced for many, many years. In a statement shared with Eurogamer, a spokesperson said: "Our intention is to deliver a diverse line-up of games that players will love...
News Sega Wants Persona Dev Atlus to Do Simultaneous Worldwide Launches
Was worth it for Yakuza: Like a Dragon
The western world was made to wait almost seven months to play Persona 5 back in 2017 after it released in Japan in September of the previous year, and then another five months before Persona 5 Royal launched in European and US territories. And while localisation is a very necessary process, that's a long time...
News Sony Reiterates PS5 Stock Shortages Won't Go Away Anytime Soon
Sony predicts problems will persist through 2022
The PlayStation 5 is a hot commodity right now. It's been in high demand and low supply since its launch in November of last year, with complications caused by COVID-19 making it difficult to produce enough consoles. Unfortunately, Sony doesn't expect things to improve all that much in the foreseeable...
News Epic Games Offered Sony $200 Million to Bring PS5, PS4 Exclusives to Its Store
In demand
Epic Games tabled a deal with a minimum guarantee of $200 million for Sony to port four to six of its first-party exclusives to the Epic Games Store. As part of an internal memo dated September 2020 – published on ResetEra as part of the ongoing court battle between the Unreal Engine maker and Apple – the document notes that it was, at...
News EA Sports Acquires Super Mega Baseball Developer
Moneyball
EA Sports has acquired Metalhead Software, the Canadian team behind the Super Mega Baseball series. The publisher said in a press release that it intends to help grow the developer’s popular arcade baseball series, as well as develop new gaming and sports experiences. “We look forward to supporting and investing in the team so they can...
News Crossplay Controversy Shifts to Sony Being Only Company to Enforce Clause
Interesting clause sheds light on Sony's approach
Update: Now that social media has a better understanding of what the crossplay policy implemented by PlayStation actually means, the backlash has shifted to the fact that Sony is the only organisation to enforce it. To be fair, this is at least a better focal point for fans’ frustration – even if...
News Official PlayStation Magazine UK Canned, PLAY Branding Resurrected
The legend continues
The sole remaining official magazine in Britain has turned off the lights, as Official PlayStation Magazine UK is no more. The publication’s latest incarnation tallied 187 issues, with Returnal being the last ever cover star. Future Publishing shuttered Official Xbox Magazine UK in 2020, while Official Nintendo Magazine UK...
News Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Director Shaun Escayg Rejoins Naughty Dog
Old dog, new tricks
Shaun Escayg, the director on the critically acclaimed spin-off Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, has rejoined Naughty Dog. The industry veteran left The Last of Us maker to lead development on Marvel’s Avengers, but has announced on Twitter today that he’s returned to “the kennel” as a creative director and writer...
News Square Enix Categorically Denies Possible Acquisition Rumours
"We do not consider selling off the company"
Update: Publisher Square Enix has now put out a statement reading: "Bloomberg has reported today that there is interest from several buyers to acquire Square Enix. However, this report is not based on any announcement by SQUARE ENIX HOLDINGS CO., LTD. We do not consider selling off the company or any part...
News Sony Invests Another $200 Million into Fortnite, Unreal Engine Creator Epic Games
Unreal
Epic Games has raised a further $1 billion in funding, with Sony signing the cheque on another $200 million investment. You may recall the manufacturer pumping $250 million into the Fortnite maker less than a year ago – but now it’s followed that up with another nine figure sum. “[The investment] builds on the already close relationship...
News Ex-Sony Japan Studio Producer Forms a New Team with a Terrible Name
EPIGRAsm not the best
As the fallout from Sony’s disbanded Japan Studio continues to unfold, another team has been established. This time it’s the turn of long-time executive producer Masami Yamamoto, who’s worked on dozens of PlayStation exclusives, including – but not limited to – Bloodborne, Tokyo Jungle, and Soul Sacrifice. As...
News E3 2021's Digital Event Will Be Free for All After Reports Mooted Paywall
Publishers planning some support, but reportedly reserving main reveals
E3 2021 will be a free to attend virtual event – despite reports suggesting the event’s organisers, the Entertainment Software Association, was planning to put some aspects behind a paywall. According to publishing sources speaking with VGC, the firm was considering charging...
News Gravity Rush Character Designer the Latest Departure from Sony's Japan Studio
Kat's outta the bag
Another Japan Studio staff member is leaving the developer for pastures new. Today, Shunsuke Saito announced his departure from the steadily shrinking team. Saito is best known for his work on the Gravity Rush series, serving as character designer and animator on both games and as art director on Gravity Rush 2. He will have...
News Sony to Continue Investing in Dreams Developer Media Molecule
"Sony is really behind what we’re doing"
When many PlayStation fans lacking a business degree believe that Media Molecule's Dreams should be built into the PS5 user experience to ensure more people get to play around with it and thus generate some profit, it was always going to be the case that the complete opposite has been happening behind the...
News Metacritic Ranks SEGA as the Best Publisher of 2020, Sony in Top 5
Japanese giants
Metacritic has released its annual publisher rankings, and the results are actually quite surprising. These rankings take a number of factors into account, in order to feed a points system that's based on things like average Metascore and whether the publisher has launched any "great" (at least 90 Metascore) titles over the course of...
News Ghostwire Tokyo Alumnus Ikumi Nakamura Opens Own Studio, Developing New Game
Will be "full of dark jokes"
Prior to E3 2018, Ikumi Nakamura was probably a name most people didn't know. However, following her expressive presentation before revealing Ghostwire Tokyo, she quickly became a beloved industry figure. Not long after, she resigned from her post as creative director on the project. The question since that surprising...
News Microsoft Reportedly Opening Its Wallet Once Again for $10 Billion Acquisition of Discord
Company apparently in talks to purchase online chat service
Microsoft has just spent $7.5 billion to bring ZeniMax Media (and thus, Bethesda) into its first party network of game studios. That's an eye-watering sum, and you'd think would leave the corporation's pockets feeling a little lighter than usual. Well, according to a new report from...
News Media Molecule's Siobhan Reddy to Receive BAFTA Fellowship Award
Studio director to receive prestigious accolade
Today, BAFTA has announced that Siobhan Reddy, studio director of Media Molecule, will be awarded the BAFTA Fellowship at this year's Games Awards ceremony. The Fellowship award is the academy's highest honour, given to individuals for their achievements and contributions to the medium. Reddy will...
News Quantic Dream Helping French Indie Team with 'Atmospheric' Narrative Game
David Cage's studio "seduced" by the concept
What's Quantic Dream up to these days? The French studio's last output was Detroit: Become Human in 2018, and we've not really heard much from the developer since. We're sure it's cooking something up that will make PlayStation 5 really sing, but until then, it seems to be focusing on its indie publishing...
News 2K Sports Inks Long-Term Deal with Tiger Woods, Acquires HB Studios
Golf clap
2K Sports had indicated that it was very happy with the performance of PGA Tour 2K21, and so it’s unsurprising that it’s decided to double down on its efforts with the series. The publisher has announced today that it’s signed a long-term deal with Tiger Woods and has acquired The Golf Club
News Bloodborne, Tokyo Jungle Executive Producer Masami Yamamoto Leaves Sony
As expected, unfortunately
It’s no surprise anymore, given the effective closure of Japan Studio, but external production director and executive producer Masami Yamamoto has left Sony after 25 years with the company. The veteran has worked on titles like Bloodborne, Soul Sacrifice, Freedom Wars,
News God of War Maker Recruiting Lead Writer for Unannounced Game
Embarking on a new journey
We know that Sony Santa Monica’s working on the next instalment of the God of War franchise, but it’s also recruiting a lead writer for an “unannounced” project. The developer advertised the role on its Twitter account earlier today, and while there are few details in
News Future Bethesda Games Will Ship 'Where Game Pass Exists'
So not on PS5 or PS4
We don't think it gets much clearer than this. After Xbox head Phil Spencer stated that "some" future Bethesda titles would be exclusive to Xbox Series X|S and PC, the man leading the team in green has now clarified that this essentially means the publisher's entire line-up. Revealed as part of a roundtable discussion between...
News Denuvo Anti-Cheat Technology Available to PS5 Developers
Level playing field
Sony has bolstered its suite of middleware tools available to PlayStation 5 developers with the addition of Denuvo’s anti-cheat technology. As a press release explains, the software is designed to bring “fairness and fun back to gaming”. It cites a survey which concluded that 77 per cent of players “express being repelled...
News Bethesda Says 'Some' Future Games Won't Launch on PS5, PS4
Wording continues to be vague
Microsoft has now officially acquired Bethesda, and the hardware manufacturer has celebrated the occasion with a new post on the Xbox Wire website. After welcoming the eight studios into the Xbox fold, head Phil Spencer then tackles the detail we've all wanted to be clarified for months. Will future Bethesda titles make...
News Disintegration Developer V1 Interactive Calls It a Day
After debut game failed to find an audience
V1 Interactive, the developer of Disintegration – the squad-based tactical shooter which had its servers shutdown after just five months – has closed down. The studio – fronted by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto – launched its aforementioned debut project less than a year ago, but it failed to attract...
News Bethesda Broadcast Could Potentially Lay Out Publisher's Plans This Week
Brace for the Fallout
The ink is dry and the truck of dollar bills has been dumped outside of the office: Bethesda is officially owned by Microsoft now. So, what does this mean for us PlayStation fans? Well, it’s been a lingering question for well over six months, and we may finally get some answers this week, as a broadcast is purportedly planned...
News Famitsu, Dengeki, and Japanese Fans Give Ghost of Tsushima All Kinds of Awards
The Ghost with the most
Ghost of Tsushima's staggering success in Japan is well documented at this point. Not only did the PlayStation 4 exclusive break sales records for Sony, it also inspired the real island of Tsushima to make Sucker Punch studio heads Nate Fox and Jason Connell permanent ambassadors. A huge honour, and it's just got even better...
News Microsoft's Bethesda Bid One Step Closer to Completion as European Union Approves Acquisition
Money money money
Microsoft's 7.5 billion dollar acquisition of ZeniMax Media — of course including Bethesda Softworks — has met the approval of the European Union. As VGC reports, the EU's antitrust regulator has given the green light to the historic merger, which will see Microsoft become the parent company of all Bethesda's development teams...
News Guerrilla's New Amsterdam Office Will Leave You Green with Envy
Wonder work
Remember offices? They were communal spaces that allowed you to collaborate with colleagues in the pre-pandemic era, but they’re mostly abandoned open floors these days. Guerrilla Games, having purchased one of the more famous work spaces in Amsterdam, is sure hoping it’ll be able to occupy its spangly studio soon, as it looks...
News Take-Two Boss Believes Players Were 'Ready' for $70 Games
Wants to ensure "consumers feel like we deliver much more than we ask"
The fierce debate regarding the price of games rumbles on, driven almost exclusively by Returnal right now. Housemarque’s upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive roguelike is bringing a bunch of interesting ideas to the table, but discourse surrounding the game is pointed at its...
News This Sh*t Is Bananas! PlayStation Patents Fruit Peripheral
Probably won't come to fruition
Sony rakes in obscene sums of cash from its range of PlayStation peripherals, but in a new patent, the company has acknowledged that expensive hardware could be considered a barrier to people enjoying its games. While a DualSense pad currently retails for £59.99/$69.99, the platform holder has proposed an...
News Last Year, the UK's Gaming Purchases Were 85 Per Cent Digital
According to new data
Earlier in the year, it was reported that the United Kingdom is spending more and more on digital stores instead of physical shops, with 67 per cent of 2020's total expenditure being digital. Now, new data reveals that percentage is actually much higher. According to a new breakdown from Entertainment Retailers Association, the...
News Fall Guys Developer Mediatonic Acquired By Epic Games
That's epic
Epic Games, the company best known for Fortnite and the Unreal Engine, has acquired Mediatonic, the studio behind Fall Guys. The announcement was made today by both Epic and Mediatonic. Both companies have assured that, as far as Fall Guys goes, nothing will immediately change, and the game is still in development for other platforms...
News The Last of Us 2, Ghost of Tsushima Dominate in 2021 BAFTA Games Awards Nominations
Earning those trophies
It's that time of year again: the BAFTA Games Awards are just around the corner. The prestigious awards show is set to take place later this month, and all the nominees have just been announced. While there's a typically wide range of games represented, two of Sony's first-party titles lead the way. The Last of Us: Part II and...
News E3 2021's Live Event Looks Like It's Been Cancelled
LA no way
Documentation filed by the Board of Los Angeles Convention and Tourism that’s been dug up by gaming forum ResetEra appears to confirm that E3 2021 live event has been axed. While that’s not overly surprising given global circumstances, the annual convention is listed as “cancelled”, although apparently talks are ongo
News Sony Launches Strategic Partnerships to Support Black Communities
Will share more in the future
Sony recently announced a partnership with the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which will see $1 from sales of MLB The Show 21’s upcoming Collector’s Edition donated to the charity to “fund scholarships, with a strong focus on women of colour as they are the most underrepresented group in the gaming industry”.
Reaction Japan Studio's Disbandment Is Disappointing, But Not Surprising
Sammy argues the writing was on the wall
Back in 2013, when Allan Becker – the former head of Sony Santa Monica – was convinced by then-Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida to run Japan Studio, he told Kotaku his ultimate ambition: “For Japan Studio to be relevant globally in two and a half years.” In the seven plus years since that...