Tag: Industry
News NHS Wants Devs to Think of the Children as Loot Boxes Prep Kids for Gambling Addiction
Never-ending story
The loot box back-and-forth rumbles on, with British health organisation NHS urging game developers to think more carefully about so-called “surprise mechanics” which could lead children into gambling addictions. A strongly worded statement from mental health director Claire Murdoch called for a crackdown on loot boxes in...
News Even More Sony Bigwigs Spotted in San Francisco as PS5 Reveal Nears
All good in the neighbourhood
Update (18th January): In addition to the executives outlined in the original article, Naughty Dog staffers Arne Meyer and Scott Lowe have also been spotted at PlayStation HQ, as the Japanese giant is clearly holding a summit ahead of the PS5's reveal. Original Article: Excuse us while we go gossip colum
News Ubisoft Wants to Avoid Its PS5 Games Playing Like Copy and Pastes
Shake up at French firm
While you can rarely fault the final products, many criticise the building blocks that go into each Ubisoft release. The French firm’s distinctive approach to open world design may be effective, but it can be difficult to ignore the similarities that its various series share – whether it’s Assassin’s Creed or The...
News Google Stadia Will Pay to Postpone 10 Games on PS4
Searching for subscribers
Google Stadia’s not got off to the greatest of starts, and the search engine giant appears to appreciate that it has its work cut-out. As part of a press release today revealing a roadmap for the platform, the organisation has admitted that it plans to release 10 timed exclusives by July 2020, meaning it’ll pay...
News Sony Scraps Annual Destination PlayStation Trade Event with PS5 Reveal Looming
Distributor will host instead
It sounds like Sony has scrapped plans to host its annual behind-closed-doors trade event Destination PlayStation, with speculation suggesting that its eyes are firmly focused on the PlayStation 5’s reveal event instead. According to journalist Mike Futter, the manufacturer will allow a “major distributor” to take...
News It's Pretty Obvious PlayStation Has Beef with E3's Organisers
Not seeing eye to eye
Sony will not be at E3 2020 in any capacity, but it will still attend hundreds of gaming conventions around the globe. Plans are currently underway for its presence at Taipei Game Show, while you can expect to find the platform holder present in some capacity at the likes of Paris Games Week, EGX,
News Sony Suggests E3 2020 Is Not the Right Venue for PS5
Still has great respect for organisers
Ever since ex-PlayStation boss Shawn Layden went hard on E3 a few years ago, Sony’s seemed to be dead against the convention. Now it’s pulled out of the show entirely for a second year running, the platform holder is beginning to twist the knife on organisers, the ESA. It’s unclear exactly what the issue...
News Death Stranding, Control Dominate DICE Game of the Year Nominations
Days Gone, Concrete Genie also present
For a game that’s apparently quite divisive, Death Stranding sure has been scooping up plenty of awards nominations. The console exclusive Kojima Productions developed transportation simulation has topped the number of nods for the 23rd annual DICE awards, sharing the acclaim with Remedy’s third-person...
News Microsoft Says Sony Is Doing a 'Fantastic Job' with PlayStation
Xbox tries to avoid head-to-head bouts
Microsoft’s public relations has changed significantly from the Xbox 360 generation, and it’s not afraid to compliment its competitor anymore. Chatting with MCV as part of a wide-ranging interview, Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty said that PlayStation’s doing a “fantastic job” and that he tries to...
News Microsoft's Xbox Series X Exclusive Game Strategy May Play Into Sony and PS5 Hands
No "true" exclusives for a year
It's been clear for a while that Microsoft is adopting a different approach when it comes to Xbox. From the rise of Game Pass to the unveiling of the Xbox Series X late last year, the company is keen on forging a fresh path, but this latest story from MCV has got people questioning Microsoft's next-gen strategy...
News Insomniac Games Is Starting 2020 Strong with a Swanky New Office
Moving up
It isn't very often we get an inside look at our favourite video game studios, so it's a fun treat when we do. We've seen glimpses into the premises of Insomniac Games, the latest addition to Sony's fleet of first-party developers, but the California studio has recently moved into a new space. Thankfully, it's not being shy about sharing...
News Random Twitter Account Claims Sony Is About to Reveal a 'Major Studio Acquisition'
Don't believe his lies
The thirst for new information on the PlayStation 5 is at an all-time high, to the point where even a random Twitter account posting complete nonsense can make its way to the top of a Reddit page. A tweet from a user named @foxygames_uk claims that Sony is on the verge of revealing "a major studio acquisition" to the world,...
News Platinum Games Receives Investment from Chinese Tech Giant Tencent
Partnership will aid self-publishing
The ever-busy Platinum Games always seems to be spinning lots of plates. Right now it's working on Babylon's Fall as well as the Switch exclusive Bayonetta 3, and it's also releasing remasters of both the original Bayonetta and Vanquish next month. It's partnering with various publishers for all these titles,...
Soapbox We Need to Talk About Font Sizes in Games
See here
Considering I’ve spent roughly half my life in dark rooms staring at blisteringly bright screens, my eyesight is decent. Do you know what’s making me feel like I’m going blind, though? Video games. This isn’t a case of my peepers slowly withering away and losing their clarity – all other aspects of my life remain unaffected and...
News Sony's 'Target Microsoft from Day One' Strategy Will 'Probably' Work for PS5
Former Sony boss weighs in
At this point we could probably guess at Sony's PlayStation 5 strategy and not be too far from reality, but in an interesting new GamesIndustry article, former boss of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Chris Deering, provides some insight into how the company handles the PlayStation brand from behind the scenes. Said...
News Respawn Boss Vice Zampella to Take Control of DICE LA
Developer will be rebranded
DICE LA, the studio formerly known as Danger Close Games, has a new leader in the form of Respawn boss and former Infinity Ward chief Vince Zampella. The executive – who will continue to "head coach" the Titanfall developer simultaneously – will rebrand his new team, as an attempt to shun the “support” moniker...
Feature The Biggest Trends of the PS4 Generation
How the way we play (and pay) has changed
Six years have passed since the PlayStation 4 launched, and even the most optimistic PlayStation fan may not have anticipated how good the generation was going to be. The PS4 has been home to an incredible array of console exclusives, and while there have been some stumbles along the way with things like...
News As The Witcher Rules Netflix, CD Projekt RED Signs New Deal with Author
Bewitching business
CD Projekt RED has signed a new deal with The Witcher creator Andrzej Sapkowski, which will no doubt see the author get paid. The announcement follows the release of the Netflix show, which is taking the world by storm right now. As it stands, the Polish developer will now maintain full control of the intellectual property as it...
News Some European Developers Feel Like PlayStation Is Leaving Them Behind
US contact is much better
A few months back, it was reported that numerous European PlayStation employees had been laid off as part of a company-wide restructuring in an effort to centralise the business in the US. We've heard conflicting reports of whether this is actually true or not in the time since then, but for some developers and publishers...
Green with envy
One of the big points of forum discussion in recent years is how Microsoft plans to improve its first-party output. The organisation has responded by purchasing a bunch of previously independent teams, such as Ninja Theory and Obsidian. Many of these studios seemed on the precipice of financial ruin, so the Redmond firm’s...
News Job Listings Suggest a Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Sequel Is Already In Development
Another trilogy?
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has been out on PlayStation 4 for just over a month now, and it's done pretty well for itself. Not only is it one of the best Star Wars games around, it's been breaking sales records and garnering a lot of love from players and critics alike. It's still early days, but what are its chances at a sequel?...
Random Guerrilla Gives Kojima Productions the Cheesiest Gift of All Time
Gouda vibes
If there was ever any doubt as to where Guerrilla Games is based, look no further than its gift to Kojima Productions. The Death Stranding studio is celebrating its fourth anniversary, and Guerrilla has given the team a huge wheel of cheese. This is maybe the most Dutch thing the studio has ever done. Even better? The 30-pound chunk of...
News Double Fine Alumnus Greg Rice Will Be Looking After Indies with Shuhei Yoshida at PlayStation
PS <3 Indies
Greg Rice, former vice president of business development at Double Fine, has announced his new role at Sony Interactive Entertainment. The industry veteran left Tim Schafer's studio in the months following Microsoft's acquisition, but he's now formally said what he'll be up to next. In a tweet, Rice states that he'll be joining...
News Sony to Develop Critically Acclaimed MLB The Show Series for Other Consoles
No, really
Looks like Major League Baseball was not satisfied with the best sports game on the market being exclusive to one platform, as from the 2021 instalment, MLB The Show will no longer be exclusive to PlayStation consoles. The bizarre twist here is that Sony San Diego will continue to be the series’ developer, meaning that the first-party...
News Remedy Satisfied with Control's Sales Despite the Lack of Chart Topping Success
All under Control
Control is performing just fine for Finnish developer Remedy – despite the title failing to top the charts. According to the studio’s CEO Tero Virtala, the PlayStation 4 project was developed over the course of three years and utilised a budget of €30 million. This, incredibly, is fairly small for a AAA title these days,...
News Google Stadia Terrified Sony Before Streaming Service's Tepid Launch
Impact was overstated
It looks like streaming could be a part of the future of video games, and with Google showing its hand with the recent Stadia launch, the moment we leave behind downloads could be closer than ever. That is if Google Stadia had been a success upon its release last month. Disappointing sales and alarmingly low player numbers have...
News Sony Worldwide Studios Boss Shares His Philosophy on Game Development
"Our challenge is to be meaningful"
It’s no longer Shuhei Yoshida you need to beg for Bloodborne 2, because the role of Worldwide Studios president has been handed to ex-Guerrilla Games managing director Hermen Hulst. The Dutchman hasn’t been in the role long, and so we’re hearing from him for the first time as part of a feature on...
News Sony Appears to Officially Confirm It Won't Make Another Portable PlayStation
Viva la Vita
Will Sony ever make another portable PlayStation? The outlook, according to the company’s Magic 8 Ball, looks increasingly unlikely. While the Nintendo Switch is enjoying enormous success primarily due its handheld functionality, boss Jim Ryan told Game Informer that “clearly it’s a business we’re no longer in now”. The...
News PlayStation's 25th Anniversary Marked with Game Informer Cover Story
Cover star
Update: You can read Game Informer's full story, The First 25 Years, through here. Game Informer’s cover is perhaps best associated with jaw-dropping game reveals, but this month it’s serving up some celebrations, as PlayStation celebrates its 25th anniversary. The latest issue promises “a massive chronicle of the PlayStation’s...
News Sony to Celebrate PlayStation's 25th Anniversary All This Week
Happy birthday
Tomorrow will mark the 25th anniversary of the PlayStation brand, as the PSone first launched in Japan on 3rd December, 1994. And the company has confirmed that it will be commemorating the occasion all this week on the PlayStation Blog and social media, although it’s yet to outline exactly what we can expect. Jim Ryan, the...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Walks Back Critical Comments on VR
"I've played some great VR games"
Xbox head Phil Spencer was in the news earlier this week for being a little bit too critical of VR in a recent interview with Stevivor. Stating that "nobody’s asking for VR" and commenting on how isolating the experience can be, he drew some flack from the virtual reality community and even PlayStation executive...
News Codemasters Acquires Project CARS Developer Slightly Mad Studios
Fast & Furious game incoming
Racing aficionado Codemasters has today announced that it has acquired the developer behind the Project CARS franchise -- Slightly Mad Studios. The British publisher now owns the rights to what is one of the PlayStation 4's most hardcore racers and "an unannounced Hollywood blockbuster title". This description fits the...
News Ex-Ghostwire Tokyo Director Ikumi Nakamura Seems Primed to Join Sony
More evidence uncovered
Former Ghostwire Tokyo director Ikumi Nakamura is most certainly taking her time deciding where she'll develop video games next, isn't she? After leaving Tango Gameworks, she has been on a bit of a world tour visiting numerous studios far and wide, but the destination she seems to keep coming back to is Sony. The PlayStation...
News This Time Next Year, We'll Be Playing PS5
Sony's next-gen system is months away
Here’s a quick thought exercise for you: imagine where you’ll be this time next year. While you’re potentially fantasising about tropical islands, may we propose something a little more realistic: you’ll be playing the PlayStation 5. While we don’t have a date for Sony’s next-gen system just yet, the...
News Kojima Productions Veteran Ken Imaizumi Exits After 20 Years
Last man Stranding
One of Hideo Kojima’s primary accomplices, Ken-Ichiro Imaizumi (pictured far left), has departed Kojima Productions after 20 years. The veteran, who worked alongside the Metal Gear auteur at Konami before helping to co-found his new independent studio of the same name, most recently oversaw all production on PlayStation 4...
News Beat Saber Developer Beat Games Acquired by Facebook
PSVR version still supported
If you were hoping that a potential sequel to Beat Saber would make its way to a PlayStation VR platform at some point in the future, we're afraid you're probably out of luck. The game's developer has just been acquired by Facebook, meaning its focus will shift to the Oculus range of VR platforms on PC. Announced on the...
News Shuhei Yoshida Shuts Down Xbox Boss' Comments on VR
Phil Spencer said "nobody's" asking for virtual reality
Update: Shuhei Yoshida, one of Sony's best known executives, has lowkey responded to comments from Xbox boss Phil Spencer regarding virtual reality. The suit seemed to take issue with the Microsoft man's insinuation that "no one" is asking for VR: Are you with Yoshida or Spencer in this...
News Arkane Founder Opens New Studio WolfEye, Debut Title to Be Shown at The Game Awards
Interaction, physics, and AI prioritised
Arkane Studios quickly made a name for itself with the Dishonored series, and it's now well established as part of ZeniMax Media. But for the developer's founder, Raphael Colantonio, the games industry is far too focused on using cutting edge technology to push high-end graphics. A while ago, he left Arkane,...
News BioWare Rebrand Underway Following ANTHEM and Mass Effect Rumours
New and improved, hopefully
Adding more weight to the recent rumours that BioWare plans on rebooting ANTHEM and is currently in the early stages of developing a brand new Mass Effect title, the veteran developer appears to be rebranding itself. The company's official Twitter account is adorned
News Uncharted Creator Amy Hennig Joins Skydance Media to Form New Game Studio
Movie maker branching out into gaming
Amy Hennig is best known for spearheading the creation of Uncharted at Naughty Dog, but her career seemed unclear after her Star Wars project at Visceral Games was cancelled. However, it's now been announced the writer/director has been scooped up by Skydance Media, an entertainment company most famous for its...
News PS Now Competitor Google Stadia Nearly Doubles Its Launch Line-Up of Old Games
Final Fantasy XV! Farming Simulator 2019!
Last week, Google announced that its Stadia streaming service would launch tomorrow with just 12 old games -- all but one of which you've already played. It was a rather dire line-up, but overnight the company has gone and nearly doubled the number of titles you'll be able to purchase on launch day. Now...
News PlayStation and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Will Cross Paths in Upcoming Tournament
Wait, what?
It seems even PlayStation can't resist the allure of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Japanese gaming mag Famitsu has arranged a corporate tournament for a bunch of the country's top businesses, and among the competitors will be a team from Sony's gaming platform. As you can see in the above video, PlayStation joins seven other companies...
News No, Microsoft Has Just Revived the Studio Acquisition Wars
Top Trumps
Update: The studio acquisition wars are over? Far from it, as contrary to the comments in the original iteration of this article, Xbox chief Phil Spencer has admitted that Microsoft is still actively seeking out new studios to purchase. Fortunately, the suit pointed out that this isn’t a game of Top Trumps, like some fans seem to...
News Insomniac's Last Ever Non-PlayStation Game Is Getting Rave Reviews
Stormland is a success
Insomniac Games is owned by PlayStation now, but the Burbank-based developer still has unfinished business with partner Oculus to conclude. Stormland – it’s last ever non-Sony published project – is gaining rave reviews, attaining an average score of 83 on aggregate website Metacritic. While much of the excitement...
News Google Stadia's Weak Launch Lineup Won't Have PS Now Sweating Yet
Just 12 games day one
PlayStation Now is getting its first proper competitor in the form of Google Stadia next week, but the service’s launch lineup leaves a lot to be desired. While we’d anticipated an enormous selection of software would be available day one with the initiative, the search engine giant has instead confirmed that there’ll be...
Opinion Maligned PlayStation Chief Jim Ryan Is Silencing His Critics
Pipe down
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan is not a pantomime villain, but that’s what he’s been portrayed to be. The executive – guilty of toeing the company line on cross-play, for example – has long been the butt of enthusiast gamers’ jokes. His biggest slip-up? An off-the-cuff remark about the original PSone Gran Turismo playable next to the...
News PlayStation Needs to Evolve to Keep Pace with How People Play, Says Sony
Change is an opportunity
“It’s human nature to view change as a risk, but change is every bit an opportunity,” PlayStation boss Jim Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz. He’s referring to stories regarding upheaval at Sony, which has most recently seen the departure of Shawn Layden and role changes for
News Sony: Our Exclusives Are Too Special and Valuable to Giveaway Day One with PS Now
On another level to Xbox
No one is going to argue against the value of Xbox’s Game Pass service, but Sony and Microsoft are in different places with their first-party games. While the former has been breaking long-standing records all generation long with releases like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, God of War, and Marvel’s Spider-Man, the Team...
News Worldwide Studios Expanding Again with New Development Team in Malaysia
New studio to focus on art and animation
Sony is establishing a new development studio in Malaysia. As reported by GamesIndustry, this latest addition to Worldwide Studios will act as a support team to other PlayStation developers, helping to produce art and animation for upcoming exclusive titles. It will also be of benefit to the country's growth...
News Jim Ryan: PlayStation's Brand, Content, and Community Mean It Has the Edge Over Stadia
CEO confident about new competition
Not only are we on the precipice of a new console generation, with PlayStation 5 now about a year away, we're seeing a newcomer arriving in a matter of days. Google is about to launch its cloud-based gaming platform Stadia, and it's going to be fascinating to see what impact it has on the industry moving forward...
