News There's Only 362 Days Until E3 2019 Gets Underway
Mark your calendars
E3 2018 Ninja Theory Will No Longer Make PS4 Games
Microsoft acquires Hellblade developer
Industry - News
June2018
News Check Out The Swanky Offices of Sucker Punch Productions
Fetching
It's always fun to get a peek behind the curtain when it comes to game studios. With much of game development still shrouded in mystery, it's very interesting when a company opens its doors to give us a glimpse inside. A corporate focused website named 425 Business had the chance to venture inside Sucker Punch Productions, which we know is...
News Why Ninja Theory's Leaving PlayStation
In its own words
If there was one thing at Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference that stung most for PlayStation fans, it was the announcement that Ninja Theory – the cult favourite developer of Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, and Hellblade – had become part of Microsoft Studios. Despite over a decade of games on Sony hardware, this...
News There's Only 362 Days Until E3 2019 Gets Underway
Mark your calendars
Would the Push Square team please look away now? The Electronic Software Association has announced that E3 will return on 11th June, 2019. This means that there are 362 days until next year’s show gets underway. It sounds like a long way away, but you know how the old adage goes: time flies when you’re having fun. So what...
Soapbox Why Don't We Hear from Sony Executives Anymore?
Off limits
You can brand me a big fat nerd if you want to, but I genuinely look forward to the executive interviews you get around E3 time. I used to anticipate Jack Tretton joining Geoff Keighley, his Hollywood smile only eclipsed by the sweltering Los Angeles sun. And then for a while it was Shuhei Yoshida’s turn to take the spotlight, the...
Soapbox E3 2018 Demonstrates the Disconnect Between Gamer Demands and Development Realities
You can't flip a switch
Depending on where you look, Hideo Kojima is getting ripped today. Death Stranding got its first gameplay demonstration during Sony’s E3 2018 press conference, and it looked early – I agree. Now you can criticise the platform holder for announcing the game too early if you like – clearly the ex-Konami man was desperate...
E3 2018 Ninja Theory Will No Longer Make PS4 Games
Microsoft acquires Hellblade developer
Microsoft’s always indicated that it wants its own Naughty Dog, and so after Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice launched first on PlayStation 4 – it’s just bought developer Ninja Theory. The acquisition does make sense: it’ll presumably allow the Cambridge developer to work on much bigger games, without...
News PS5 Will Be the Last Console Before Streaming Takes Over, Says Ubisoft Boss
Next-gen, last-gen?
Never one to shy away from reasonably bold claims, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot reckons that the next console generation will be the last of its kind. Once it's done and dusted, Guillemot expects hardware to shift towards streaming services. "I think we will see another generation, but there is a good chance that step-by-step we...
Talking Point Do We Really Need E3?
Industry celebration, or shouting contest?
E3 is widely considered to be the biggest week in the gaming calendar, but is that actually true anymore? In just over ten days, publishers and platform holders will descend upon Los Angeles to reveal to the world their biggest wares – well, assuming they haven’t already leaked on Walmart’s website...
May2018
News Ex-Naughty Dog Dev is Now Senior Game Designer on a Secret Sony PS4 Project
Mysterious
Last year, Quentin Cobb left Naughty Dog to work on Just Survive, a PC-only zombie survival shooter, in the role of Senior Game Designer. 12 months later, and he's now back under the Sony umbrella under the same job title, but where he's working - and what he's working on - remains unknown. When asked which studio Cobb is now working...
News PUBG Corporation is Taking Epic Games to Court for Copyright Infringement
The real battle royale
Uh oh. PUBG Corporation, the developer of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Epic Games for the similarities between its game and the explosively popular Fortnite. This can only end well. PUBG Corp. is a subsidiary of the Korean games company Bluehole Studio. A representative...
News Sony Improving and Increasing First-Party Production
Exclusives for everyone
Sony’s first-party games are doing extraordinarily well both critically and commercially at the moment, and that’s convinced the company to double down on exclusives. Speaking as part of a recent investors relations day, president John Kodera said that the company is planning to enhance its exclusive output, and added...
News Sony: We're Exploring What Our Customers Want from Portable Gaming
Good luck with that
The last time Sony talked about handheld gaming, former PlayStation president Andrew House ruled out the possibility of a PS Vita successor, while Worldwide Studios bigwig said that the “climate was not healthy” for portable gaming. While we still believe that statement to be generally accurate – the Nintendo Switch is a...
News Sony Is Thinking About a PSone Classic Console
Yes please
SNK announced recently that it would be producing a NeoGeo Classic Edition to celebrate its 40th anniversary, and rumours are rife regarding a potential Nintendo 64 Classic Mini. These micro-consoles have proven to be vastly popular, and naturally, we've pondered whether Sony would ever produce an equivalent for the PSone. According to...
News Sony Commits Support to PS4 Through 2021
And probably beyond
While the PlayStation 4 may be entering the final phase of its lifecycle, Sony intends to support the system through 2021 and potentially beyond. The platform holder pledged support to the platform as part of a mid-term corporate strategy report, which spans now through 31st March, 2021. Realistically, the console will probably...
News PS4 'Entering Final Phase of Its Life' Says Sony CEO
Beginning of the end
The PlayStation 4 is nearing the end of its life cycle, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO John Kodera. Speaking at the company's latest investor meeting, Kodera's statement comes as no real surprise. After all, the PS4 will turn five years old this November. The question, then, is how long will this "final phase"...
News PlayStation VR Is Growing, But Virtual Reality Is Stumbling
Company keeping expectations realistic
PlayStation VR is doing well, but virtual reality as a whole is stumbling. Former PlayStation president Andrew House talked about this prior to his departure; Sony is absolutely dominating the fledgling medium, but the company needs growth across the entire sector for it to properly take off. In other words,...
News Sony Promises More First-Party PlayStation Exclusives
Doubling down
Sony is having a huge amount of success with its first-party exclusives this generation, and in promising news for us PlayStation fans, the company’s hinted that it will be doubling down on this area of the business. Speaking at an investors relations day overnight, CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said that the company aims to strengthen its...
News Best Buy Locks Up Popular Gamers Club Initiative
No more deep discounts on new games
All good things must come to an end, and for fans of Best Buy’s popular Gamers Club Unlocked, this particular news will be tough to swallow. Many enjoyed the annual subscription for the 20 per cent discounts it offered on brand new games, but it was clearly putting the company out of pocket, because it’s been...
News Sony Will Still Make Physical PS Vita Games in Japan
Vita means life
Earlier this week, it was reported that Sony will stop manufacturing PlayStation Vita game cartridges in the future. However, a new story originating from Japanese site GameSpark indicates that not all territories will be following suit -- SIE Japan will continue to produce physical games for the handheld. Translated by
News The Division 2 Due Before April 2019, Alongside The Crew 2 and Unannounced Ubisoft Title
All of them 'AAA'
In the latest earnings report from Ubisoft, the French publisher lets slip some of its plans for the relatively near future. For starters, the report states that The Division 2 -- announced but not shown back in March -- is due out this fiscal year. In other words, it'll launch at some point between now and April 2019. The shooter...
News Sony to Cease Production of Physical PS Vita Games
The end is near
In a message to developers, Sony has stated that it plans to stop producing PS Vita game cartridges, according to a report from Kotaku. The company says that this will happen by the end of the fiscal year 2018, which translates to 31st March 2019. Sony also stipulates that all requests for Vita product codes be presented by...
News Horizon Developer Guerrilla Games Recruiting for New Game
A new Horizon
Gee, wonder what this could be? Dutch developer Guerrilla Games has started a hiring spree, suggesting that its next project is decided and is about to enter full production. We wonder if it could be a sequel to the studio’s massively popular breakout hit, Horizon: Zero Dawn? The mind truly boggles. Perhaps a more interesting...
News LawBreakers Developer Boss Key Productions Shuts Down
Cliffy B releases statement
Boss Key Productions "is effectively no more" according to Cliff Bleszinski, who co-founded the studio in 2014. The developer's only PlayStation title, LawBreakers, launched in August of last year, and although the team-based shooter was quite well received, it struggled to retain a sizeable player count. In what...
News PS4 Is Way Ahead of Xbox One in Total Console Sales, Says New Data
EA spills the beans
As we've known for some time now, Microsoft no longer publicly shares Xbox One sales figures. Meanwhile, Sony's been more than happy to spread word of the PlayStation 4's success on numerous occasions, with the company's most recent statement claiming that the current-gen console has moved close to 80 million units. It's always...
News Dragon Ball FighterZ Hits 2.5 Million Copies, Closing In on Tekken 7 Already
Super
According to Bandai Namco's latest financial presentation, Dragon Ball FighterZ has done rather well for itself since it launched back in January of this year. The superb brawler has shifted 2.5 million copies in under four months, making it one of the fastest selling fighting games of this generation. The publisher also notes that...
News EA 'Pushing Forward' with Loot Boxes, Working to Protect Revenue Stream
Wilson weighs in
The various Ultimate Team modes in EA’s sports games now generate more income than brands like The Sims and Battlefield, so it’s no surprise to see the publisher double-down on lucrative loot boxes – despite the threat of government regulation. Both Belgium and the Netherlands recently declared the divisive “card...
News Capcom Looking to Release Two 'Major' Games By April 2019
But what could they be?
According to the company's latest financial report, Capcom has plans to release not one, but two "major" titles before the end of this fiscal year. That's by the 31st March, 2019, for those out of the loop. Of course, this news has already led to plenty of speculation across the 'net. With E3 2018 fast approaching, it...
April2018
Game changer
Christopher Judge is the man who took over from Terrence C. Carson as Kratos for the latest God of War, but when he received the script for the first time, he thought it was for a blockbuster movie. Speaking with BBC Newsbeat, the actor, also famous for his role in Stargate SG-1, had "no clue" the script was for a game when it was first...
News Sony Data Shows Digital Sales Continue to Grow on PS4
PlayStation Store taking over
The transition to digital storefronts like the PlayStation Store on consoles is gradually growing every year, and it won’t be long now before its sales eclipse physical ones. New data from Sony’s latest financial report shows that in the quarter that ended 31st March, 2018, an impressive 43 per cent of the...
News PS4 Closes in on PS3 with 79 Million Units Shipped Worldwide
Sony targets 95 million by this time next year
The PlayStation 4 will soon surpass the PlayStation 3’s install base just over four years into its lifespan, as Sony’s latest financial report has revealed that it’s shipped 79 million units of its current console worldwide. The number is accurate as of 31st March, with the platform holder...
Report Quantic Dream Suing French Media Over Work Condition Reports
Round two?
Detroit: Become Human launches next month, but developer Quantic Dream is in the eye of a storm. Reports from French media earlier in the year documented the purported “toxic” culture at the company, which the studio has since denied. Bosses David Cage and Guillaume de Fondaumière had threatened to sue the likes of Le Monde
News Valve Acquires Firewatch Developer Campo Santo
In the valley of Gaben
Valve has acquired acclaimed indie developer Campo Santo, the team behind vibrant walking simulator Firewatch and the upcoming In the Valley of Gods. While the studio will relocate to Bellevue, it’ll continue to operate autonomously, meaning that it will still be making its own games on its own terms. Presumably it’ll just...
News Housemarque Teases New Game Reveal Ahead of Industry Talk
What could it be?
You may recall that, a little while back, Housemarque declared it was done with arcade games following poor sales. This is a massive shame, as the Finnish developer has delivered some absolutely stellar shoot-em-ups -- Resogun and Nex Machina, take a bow -- over the years. This news left us wondering what it could possibly be...
News PlayStation's Relationship with Amazon Worsens As PSN Codes Are Dropped
Update: PSN codes back in USA
What started with God of War going out of stock on Amazon UK seems to have escalated over the past few days, as now it’s impossible to purchase PlayStation Network vouchers from the popular retailer in the USA as well. The cards – which are delivered instantly via email – are available in various monetary...
News Sony Is Creating a New Game Development Team in San Diego
And it could be working on Uncharted
Sony insinuated recently that it intends to “concentrate” on first-party production moving forwards, strengthening its output of PlayStation exclusives. And it sounds like the first stages of those plans have been put into motion, as job listings suggest that it’s creating a new development team in...
News PS5 Is a Long Way Away, Or So Sources Say
Developers weigh in on recent rumours
The next PlayStation will release later this year, one ambitious rumour claimed recently. But according to a Kotaku report penned by the ever-reliable Jason Schreier, that’s extremely unlikely to be the case – in fact, we may be waiting until at least 2020 for the so-called PlayStation 5, just like
News NIS America Apologises for Comments About PlayStation
President had insinuated Sony doesn't care about company
NIS America president Takuro Yamashita probably said a touch too much in his interview with MCV, where he claimed that Sony isn’t “friendly with small publishers like us”. The suit has issued a public apology to both SNK and PlayStation, retracting the comments in a hasty attempt to...
Soapbox A Love Letter to Video Game Developers and Artists
Gabriella puts forward her argument for games as art
I’m an hour into replaying Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a game that captivated me in 2017. I meander through the streets, enthralled by its ridiculous attention to detail and bask in its marvellous colours. I put my controller down for a minute, and I’m suddenly struck by the realisation...
News Grand Theft Auto V Has Made More Money Than any Other Entertainment Product Ever
Crime does pay
We already know that Rockstar's mega-hit crime-'em-up, Grand Theft Auto V, is the best selling game of all time, but a new report from MarketWatch reveals that it's comfortably the most profitable game ever. In fact, it's made more cash than any film, album, or other entertainment product in history. Across all p
News NIS America: Sony Isn't Friendly with Small Publishers Like Us
"They just care about big Japanese companies"
NIS America, the publisher of franchises such as Disgaea and Danganronpa, does not appear to be all that happy with Sony at the moment. Speaking with MCV about a range of subjects – including its partnership with Nintendo on SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy – president Takuro Yamashita...
News Legendary Sony E3 2015 Press Conference Could Have Been Even Better, Says Adam Boyes
Woah!
We're all in agreement that Sony's E3 2015 press conference was the company's best, at least in recent years, right? The golden trifecta of The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Shenmue III absolutely brought the house down, and it's a feat that we're not sure the Japanese giant will ever be able to top. Interestingly, however, it...
March2018
News Hajime Tabata's Luminous Productions Is Monkeying Around on More Than Just Games
Evolution
Remember a few days ago when we reported that Square Enix has a new studio headed by Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata? Well, it appears this new studio, Luminous Productions, is working on more than just games. On the NHK website, as spotted by Kotaku,
News Final Fantasy XV Director Hajime Tabata to Lead New Studio within Square Enix
Luminous Productions
In a news release published today, Square Enix has announced the formation of a new studio based in Tokyo, Japan, with Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata tasked with leading it. Tabata is famous for having come in and steered what was then called Final Fantasy Versus XIII to safety after a tumultuous development...
News After Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red Plans to Release Another 'AAA RPG' By 2021
Big time
It feels like we've waited an age to see something more of Cyberpunk 2077, but developer CD Projekt Red is already looking past its upcoming project and into the unknown future beyond. Obviously this is the kind of long term planning that companies need to consider, but it still makes for some interesting reading. Indeed, the studio's...
News THQ Nordic and Nickelodeon Join Forces to Revive Old Titles
"I'm ready"
Here's something we bet you weren't expecting to read this afternoon: THQ Nordic has just announced a new partnership with Nickelodeon. Together, the companies aim to bring back a bunch of old games based on Nickelodeon's shows. Here's the full list of game titles as provided by THQ Nordic: Avatar: The Last Airbender Back At The...
News Ubisoft Fights Off Vivendi Vultures Once and for All
Flawless boardroom victory
Ubisoft has countered Vivendi’s attempted hostile takeover with a flawless boardroom victory that will see it buy back a whopping 30,489,300 shares. The move will see Tencent invest in the French publisher, as it attempts to leverage the firm’s intellectual property in its native China. More importantly, Vivendi will...
News CD Projekt Red Opens New Studio to Help with Cyberpunk 2077
Consists of 18 "industry veterans"
The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red has announced that's opened a new studio in south-western Poland. Dubbed CD Projekt Red Wrocław, the team consists of 18 "talented industry veterans" at its core. Previously, the outfit was known as Strange New Things. "Wrocław is one of the biggest and most...
Soapbox Sony Has Become Far Too Quiet
Enjoy the silence?
Actions speak louder than words, but I still can’t help feeling that Sony’s become far too quiet over the past few years. At the start of the PlayStation 4 era, this was a company that was firing on all cylinders when it came to community outreach; Worldwide Studios executive Shuhei Yoshida was one of the biggest names on...
News A Way Out Developer Hazelight to Receive All Profits, EA 'Not Making a Single Dollar'
"All I've got is support from EA"
The man leading development on A Way Out, Josef Fares, is notorious for his outspoken nature. He's certainly an entertaining and charismatic figure, but he clearly isn't shy when it comes to speaking about the business side of things. Fares has been touring A Way Out for previews recently, and an interesting quote...
News Classic FM and PlayStation Join Forces for Live Orchestral Concert
Music to our ears
Classic FM, the UK's specialist classical music radio station, is teaming up with PlayStation to bring to life an orchestral concert in celebration of video game music. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the event, known as PlayStation in Concert, will feature music from across PlayStation's history, including PSone, PS2, PS3, and...
News The Last of Us' Neil Druckmann Promoted to Vice President of Naughty Dog
Game Directors and Lead Designers for The Last of Us 2 announced
Naughty Dog veteran Neil Druckmann has been promoted to the position of Vice President at the Californian developer. According to President Evan Wells, this is in recognition of Neil’s “expanded role, contributing on critical, studio level decisions”. The former programmer will...
News Valve Promises to Start Shipping Games Again
We're GLaDOS to hear it
Valve used to be one of gaming’s most acclaimed developers, shipping series like Half-Life and Portal on PlayStation. However, over the past decade it’s increasingly turned its attention to PC-based digital storefront Steam and its roster of competitive multiplayer titles like DOTA 2. But speaking at a press event...
News Ubisoft Is Breaking Ground with AI That Helps Game Developers Fix Bugs
The future is now
Well this is interesting, isn't it? As reported by Wired, Ubisoft's research and development division has unveiled an artificial intelligence that helps game developers catch bugs. The AI is called Commit Assistant, and it's basically designed to spot potential issues before programmers finalise their work. Apparently,...
News Ubisoft Buys Blue Mammoth Games, Makers of Popular Free-to-Play Fighter Brawlhalla
On the up
Blue Mammoth Games, the relatively small studio behind hit free-to-play fighting game Brawlhalla, has been acquired by mega publisher Ubisoft. According to the press release, Blue Mammoth Games is made up of just 21 team members, so Ubisoft's certainly going for quality over quantity here. It's an interesting story because these days the...
News Sony Doubling Down on PlayStation Exclusives in Corporate Reshuffle
First-party more important than ever
Sony has reiterated its commitment to first-party franchises as part of an organisational reshuffle that will see some of its most forward-facing executives promoted up the corporate ladder. Shawn Layden, who will continue to front Sony Interactive Entertainment America and act as the Chairman of Worldwide...
February2018
News The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency Shuts Up Shop
Drawn to Death developer is done
David Jaffe is in the process of shutting down The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency, which developed the divisive Drawn to Death. You may remember earlier in the year there was a project cancellation which prompted a “vast majority” of the staff to be laid off. Now the organisation is no more. A
News ESRB Adding 'In-Game Purchases' Label to Games Following Loot Box Outcry
Box to box
Microtransactions and loot boxes have become an increasingly hot topic over the last... Well, for what feels like a very, very long time. Governments have had their say, gambling commissions have weighed in on the situation, and the internet's obviously been going ballistic. There's been a lot of noise, then, but has anything...
News Bethesda Softworks Was 2017's Best Publisher, According to Metacritic
Rating by numbers
Media score aggregate site Metacritic has unveiled some new statistics this week, revealing its list of publishers that performed the best in 2017. To calculate this, it's taken all of a publisher's games released last year and averaged their scores, and figured out the percentage of games that have received what Metacritic...
News New Study Suggests Only 6% of People Don't Spend Money on Microtransactions
69% are fine with cosmetic stuff
Well here's a study that makes for some interesting reading. A report entitled Gaming Today, which is based on an online discussion held by figures from across gaming and technology, suggests that the most people really don't care all that much about microtransactions in their video games. Based on one particular...
News CD Projekt Red Wades in on Loot Box Debate
Meanwhile, a U.S. Senator calls for investigation
After Hawaiian politician Chris Lee proposed government action against loot boxes earlier this week, the ongoing debate surrounding them has showed no signs of stopping. Now, CD Projekt Red has voiced its opinions on the subject. Marcin Iwiński, co-founder of the beloved Witcher developer, said in...
News Mafia III Developer Hangar 13 Hit With Job Cuts
2K reduces staff
A new report from Kotaku states that Hangar 13, the studio behind 2016's Mafia III, has suffered a significant number of layoffs. Publisher 2K told Kotaku that staff reductions have been made at Hangar 13 "in order to ensure that the studio’s resources are properly aligned with its long-term development plans". Their statement...
News THQ Nordic Now Owns Metro, Dead Island, Saints Row, More in New Acquisition
Publisher purchases Koch Media
THQ Nordic has felt like a bit of a B-team player for a while, re-releasing a lot of its back catalogue and slowly accumulating more and more IPs. It seemed that no one was really paying them much attention, but that may be about to change; the publisher has just made a serious acquisition in the purchase of Koch Media...
News Hawaii's Government Proposes Action Against Loot Boxes
Loot out
Everyone's probably tired of hearing about it, but it seems like we still haven't seen the end of the Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot box controversy's consequences. In what is a landmark for laws regulating games - something scarce in most countries until now - Representative Chris Lee of Oahu has proposed two bills to the Hawaii State...
News Capcom Chops Back Vancouver Branch as Dead Rising Sequel Is Dialled Down
Unannounced game cancelled
As many as 50 employees have been laid off at Dead Rising 4 developer Capcom Vancouver, according to a Kotaku story citing sources and social media reports. The cutbacks include the cancellation of a project believed to be set in an alternate reality New York, as well as changes to the next Dead Rising title, which had...
News PlayStation Profits Soar as PS4 Reaches 76.5 Million Units
It prints money
Sony has released its financial results from the quarter ending 31st December, and it's showing some impressive numbers once again. PlayStation 4 hardware sales were actually down year-on-year, from 9.7 million to 9 million, but the total number of units is now at 76.5 million. The console enjoyed its best ever calendar year, moving...
News Sony Management Shifts See CEO Kaz Hirai Stepping Down
Will become Chairman
In a recent press release, Sony has announced a few changes to its management structure. CEO Kazuo Hirai, who has been in the top seat for six years, will be replaced by current CFO Kenichiro Yoshida. Kaz will instead adopt the roles of Director and Chairman. These changes are effective from 1st April 2018. Hirai-san led...
January2018
News Ridiculous Rumour Suggests Microsoft Is Eyeing Up EA
Unlikely acquisition seems very unlikely
In arguably the most bizarre rumour we’ve read since Shenmue III and Final Fantasy VII were being touted as potential announcements at E3 2015, there’s bonkers talk of Microsoft lining up an acquisition of Electronic Arts – the publisher of FIFA and Madden. The actual basis for the...
News Hyper Light Drifter Designer Leaves Square Enix Montreal After Game Cancellation
"The business strategy of the studio shifted"
Former Hyper Light Drifter designer Teddy Diefenbach today announced on his personal website that he has voluntarily vacated Square Enix Montreal after the publisher terminated his team's project. He describes in his post that it was a "dream role", but that the "business strategy of the studio shifted"...
News Twisted Metal Maker David Jaffe's Studio Struck with Layoffs
Project cancelled
David Jaffe’s verbose indie studio The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency has been struck with layoffs following the cancellation of an unannounced project. The team is perhaps best known for Drawn to Death which, shall we say, divided public opinion. To be honest, we’re probably the only publication on the planet that...
Talking Point Could Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Model Work on PS4?
Disruptive business strategy could change games forever
At a time where Bethesda is putting out commercials to celebrate single player games, a new business model from Microsoft threatens to disrupt the industry as we know it today. The Redmond firm has announced an update to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, which will see all of its...
News 'People Ask for Story-Based Games, But Don't Necessarily Buy Them'
Uncharted creator Amy Hennig weighs in
The cancellation of Amy Hennig’s single player Star Wars title last year caused controversy regarding the state of story-driven, single player games. Many hardcore gamers argued that they’re starting to feel left behind, as multiplayer releases become increasingly prominent. The climate even prompted...
News Activision Boss to Leave Company After 8 Years in March
He's had a good run
Eric Hirshberg, Activision's talkative CEO, will be leaving the publisher this March following eight years of service. Hirshberg has been in charge of overseeing some of the company's biggest properties, including Call of Duty, Destiny, and Skylanders. Fair to say that he's been an important part of the business for a while...
News Sony's Third-Party Relations Chief Exits After a Year
Revolving door
The replacement for Adam Boyes in one of PlayStation’s most important positions has left the company after just a year, according to a Games Beat report. Ex-Harmonix chief Florian Hunziker was recruited in January 2017 as Head of Third-Party Developer Relations to fill the shoes of the aforementioned charismatic suit, but has...
News A New Alien Shooter Is in Development for PS4
Fox expanding gaming focus
FoxNext Games is the gaming branch of 20th Century Fox, and it's expanding the scope of its game development. The company has acquired developer Cold Iron Studios, and will be putting it to work on an all-new shooter in the Alien universe. Details on the game itself are virtually non-existent, but it's certainly...
News Sony's PhyreEngine Adds Support for Nintendo Switch
Fanning the flames
Sony’s game development toolset PhyreEngine appears to have added support for the Nintendo Switch, judging by documentation in the system’s recently released Dragon Quest Builders demo. It’s not a massive surprise, of course, as the software already supports the Xbox One, iOS, and Android – in addition to the family of...
News Jim Ryan Promoted to Deputy President of Sony Interactive Entertainment
Congratulations
Jim Ryan is one of a few Sony suits you'll recognise from previous press conferences. He's been with the company since 1994, and was made president of SIE Europe in 2011. He was also made head of global sales and marketing in 2016, and helped launch the PS4 Pro and PlayStation VR. His hard work seems to have paid off, as he's...
News Former DriveClub, Motorstorm Devs Working on Sci-Fi Title as Wushu Studios
New frontier
Some potentially exciting news for you here: former DriveClub and Motorstorm leads are heading up a brand new Liverpool-based development team -- and they're working on an all-new sci-fi property. Named Wushu Studios, the outfit's still in the process of hiring talent and expanding, but it probably won't be too long until we hear...
News Quantic Dream 'Surprised' by Allegations About Studio Culture
Update: French developer releases official statement
Quantic Dream once again finds itself in the centre of a whirlwind, as three separate French reports have called into question the culture of the studio and its management. Publications such as Le Monde, Canard PC, and
News Crash Bandicoot Outsells Destiny 2 at UK Retail in 2017
Woah!
A brand new set of figures concerning last year's sales of physical games in the UK has emerged, courtesy of gamesindustry.biz. In a comprehensive breakdown of the UK games market for 2017, it's revealed that physical sales were down by 0.4%, but revenue increased by 2.1% to £792m. Perhaps most interestingly, however, is the list of the top...
News Sony Boss John Kodera's Twitter Account May Have Been Fake
Update: Shuhei Yoshida confirms
A new Twitter account for incoming PlayStation president John Kodera appeared this week, retweeting corporate intel like PlayStation 4 sales figures and such. It was promptly followed by various Sony employees, lending legitimacy to the handle. However, as of this morning it’s been suspended, suggesting it may have...
Weirdness This Is What CES 2018 Looks Like When the Power Goes Out
Lights out
If you’ve ever been to an electronics convention before, you’ll know that they’re filled with loud music and flashing lights. What happens, then, when the power goes out? Well, that’s exactly what occurred at CES 2018 in Las Vegas earlier today, where parts of the South and Central Halls were plunged into darkness. Honestly,...
News SIE CEO John Kodera Says not to Worry About First Party Games Going the Service Route
Phew
Back when Andy House left his role as President of Sony Interactive Entertainment, there were concerns that his replacement, John Kodera, was a little too keen on microtransactions. In a conference call a few months ago, it was discussed that PlayStation would look into the possibility of adding more in-game purchases to future titles, a...
News Insomniac Games Weighs in on the Dangers of the Vocal Minority
Blah blah blah
We all know that the Internet can be an exhausting place to exist. There are opinions everywhere you turn, and it can be difficult to determine your own views as a result. What, then, do you do when you’re a developer and forums are aflame with complaints and criticisms about your latest game? In an interesting interview with Games...
News Gaming Hardware Company Mad Catz Returns
Just a scratch
You may remember that, about 9 months ago, Mad Catz filed for bankruptcy and shut down. The company was a large player in the gaming peripheral world, with arcade sticks, controllers, and much more to its name. Fortunately, it has made a miraculous recovery, and under the name Mad Catz Global Limited, is set to release an all new line...
News Platinum Games' Next Title Could've Been a Princess Clothing Making Game
Studio exploring options going forward
When you think of Platinum Games, you think of fast, fluid action titles and flamboyant style. However, in a recent interview with Game Informer, head of development Atsushi Inaba spoke about the studio's search for new projects, and among them were some unexpected possibilities. When asked about where the...
December2017
News Jet Set Radio Evo Pitched to SEGA, Sony Loved Concept
But project went no further
Would you turn that radio down, we’re trying to tell you about a Jet Set Radio pitch that SEGA passed on. Over the course of the weekend, Austin-based developer Dinosaur Games has revealed a “visual proof of concept” for a title named Jet Set Radio Evo, which it pitched to the Japanese publisher at the Game...
News Deus Ex Developer Eidos Montreal Moving Towards Online Experiences
Marvel-ous
The developer behind the most recent Deus Ex games, Eidos Montreal, has today released a new vision statement outlining the studio’s direction moving forward. Going against the grain of its own recent history, studio head David Anfossi says that “online experiences” will be a key part of the company's future. Here’s what he had to...
News The Game Awards 2017 Watched by a Mind-Boggling 11.5 Million
Wow
Proof that perseverance almost always pays off: Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards 2017 was watched by a mind-boggling 11.5 million people – legitimising the ceremony, and painting a positive future for the event. The best news is that it was actually excellent this year, with a perfect balance of awards, reveals, and industry tributes. Hats...
News Sony: We Can't Ignore the Nintendo Switch
Manufacturer remaining on its toes
It’s going to take a little more time before we’re able to determine just how big the Nintendo Switch is going to be, but one thing’s for sure: it’s no Wii U. The hybrid will likely end up lapping the Big N’s last effort several times over, and that’s got the PlayStation division on its toes. Speaking...
News Geoff Keighley Teases at Least 15 World Premieres for The Game Awards
Hype machine
Geoff Keighley's in full hype train mode as we race towards The Game Awards 2017. The big man has let slip that the production will play host to at least 15 world premieres, across both the pre-show and the main event. During a quick question and answer session, Keighley said that The Game Awards has "three or four things in the...
News Nearly 80,000 People Have Signed a Petition to Revoke EA's Star Wars License
It's a conspiracy
Petitions never, ever work in the video game industry, but with nearly 80,000 people signing a petition to take the Star Wars game license away from Electronic Arts, it's clear that many consumers want to send a message to the controversial company following their antics of the past few weeks. EA's relationship with its customers...
November2017
News Doritos Wanted Geoff Keighley to Host The Game Awards as the Doritos Pope
Seriously
In the lighter days prior to the GamerGate scandal, there was an image of Geoff Keighley that went viral. It showed the journalist-turned-presenter sitting uncomfortably, surrounded by Doritos, Mtn Dew, and various bits of Halo paraphernalia. Fans, as they’re wont to do, had a little fun with the picture, and thus the Doritos Pope was...
News EA: Battlefront 2 Scandal a Great Learning Experience, Not Giving Up on Microtransactions
"You don't want Darth Vader in pink"
The past few weeks have not deterred EA from pursuing the “notion of microtransactions”, although the company’s clearly been humbled by the controversy surrounding Star Wars Battlefront 2 – a scandal which it has described as a “great learning experience”. For those of you who’ve been living under a...
News Sony: We Announced Some PS4 Games Too Early
Company candid about perceived errors
Perhaps one of the most vocal criticisms aimed at Sony is that it announces games too early. While we’re yet to see any real big cancellations from the company since the heady days of The Getaway 3, it has been at the helm of some laughably late projects – the brilliant but embarrassingly overdue The Last...
News UK Gambling Commission Has Its Say on the Loot Box Saga
Not gambling but not necessarily okay
Belgium’s already declared loot boxes to be a form of gambling, and indicated that it wants to take its ruling to Europe in order to prohibit the sale of random in-app purchases. Now the UK Gambling Commission has weighed in on the sticky subject matter, stating that while it doesn’t believe the...
News Retrace the Steps Leading to EA's Star Wars Loot Box Scandal
Andrew Wilson's ultimate dream
Most of the videos about Star Wars Battlefront 2 and loot boxes are basically just ‘Tubers screaming obscenities into Blue Yeti microphones, but this one by Skill Up is ten times more damning: it includes actual research. The 25 minute clip is a little on the long side, but it packs some fascinating info, retracing...
News Creative Assembly Embarks on Its Biggest Ever Multiformat Project
But unlikely to be more Alien
UK developer Creative Assembly, best known for Alien Isolation and a wealth of strategy games, is hiring for what’s being described as the “biggest multiplatform project has ever undertaken”. Word comes way of a “studio insider”, quoted by the reliable PCGamesN. Apparently, the game is a new intellectual...
News Belgium Reckons Loot Boxes Are Gambling, Wants Them Banned in Europe
Declares the mix of gaming and gambling dangerous
Just another reason to pull the plug on Brexit: Belgium’s Gaming Commission has declared loot boxes to be a form of gambling – and it wants to ban them across Europe. News comes courtesy of VTM (via PC Gamer), with the verdict of a recent investigation determining that loot boxes are indeed a...
News Analyst: Gamers Are Overreacting Over Star Wars, Publishers Should Increase Prices
A different perspective
Well, here’s a take you won’t be hearing on next week’s Jimquisition: KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Evan Wingren believes that gamers are overreacting over Star Wars Battlefront 2’s microtransaction saga – and that publishers should increase the price of their software as they’re undercharging. We sure hope he...
News The Story of Kaz Hirai, Sony's Oddball CEO, Is Worth Reading
The suit who saved Sony
Sony was a bruised behemoth when Kaz Hirai took the helm in 2012; the company is now on the verge of recording its best-ever financial performance since all the way back in 1998. The former PlayStation president has completely transformed the juggernaut’s fortunes, then – but what is the secret to his success? A brilliant...
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