Tag: Industry - Page 9
News Sony Must Share Details of Exclusivity Deals with Microsoft in FTC's Court Hearing
The saga continues
We hope you're not bored of this yet, but it's time once again to talk about Microsoft's industry-shaking attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard. The deal, worth a ridiculous $69 billion, would see the company absorb ActiBlizz and all its intellectual property. The convergence of two such large publishers has caused concerns about...
News Sony Wants to Make PlayStation the Best Place to Play Third-Party Games
For both PS5 and PSVR2
Third-party exclusives are becoming less common these days, which means platform holders like Sony need to find savvy ways to entice players into their ecosystem. This can be done, one exec says, by making PlayStation the best place to play. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, head of third-party portfolio and...
News Riding High on PS5 Success, Sony Was AMD's Biggest Customer Last Year
Making money moves
Sony was AMD's biggest customer in 2022, accounting for a whopping 16% of the semiconductor-producing company's revenue, perhaps best known in the video game space for its graphics cards. Both Sony and Microsoft use AMD hardware in their current-gen consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. AMD sold Sony some $3.776...
News EA Reportedly Lays Off More Than 200 Apex Legends QA Testers in Unscheduled Zoom Call
Out of the blue
During a surprise Zoom call, EA reportedly laid off more than 200 quality assurance testers. The employees affected worked primarily at Electronic Arts' Baton Rouge, Louisiana office on the mega-popular battle royale Apex Legends, developed by Respawn Entertainment. As reported by Kotaku, sources familiar with the meeting said that...
News Analysts Expect PS5 to Extend Lead on Xbox Series X|S in 2023
Well, yeah
In arguably the safest prediction since “the sun will rise tomorrow”, analysts are predicting that the PS5 will increase its lead on Xbox Series X|S in 2023. According to data analysis group Ampere, Sony commanded about 45 per cent of the console market last year, but shortages of its new-gen console caused it to cede some ground to...
News Forspoken Dev Luminous Productions Will Soon Be No More as It's Folded into Square Enix
Forspoken support still coming
Luminous Productions, the development team behind Forspoken, will merge with publisher Square Enix on the 1st May. The Japanese outfit was already a subsidiary of Square Enix, so this essentially means that it'll no longer exist as its own studio. Instead, we assume that most of its employees will be moved to various...
News Beyond Good & Evil 2 Reportedly Loses Studio Head, French Labor Investigation Begins
Not a great sign, honestly
In the latest twist in the ongoing Beyond Good & Evil 2 development debacle, managing director and studio head Guillaume Carmona has reportedly left Ubisoft Montpellier, and the studio itself is being investigated by French government labour authorities. As reported by Kotaku, the staff a
News Dragon Age: Origins Writer Thinks It's Time For 'PS5-Era Bells and Whistles' Remaster
So two thousand and late
Dragon Age: Origins writer David Gaider thinks it's time for a "PS5-era bells and whistles" remaster, presumably with 4K visuals running at 60fps, with haptic integration, and we can't help but agree. Gaider was musing on Twitter that, given the current appetite for high-quality remasters and remakes from the 2000s (such as...
News Legendary Game Designer Shinji Mikami Leaving Tango Gameworks
You know when you've been Tango'd
Update: Bethesda has confirmed Shinji Mikami's exit from Tango Gameworks in a short statement on social media: Original Story: Shinji Mikami, founder and CEO of Tango Gameworks, is set to leave the studio "in the coming months". That's according to a new report from TrueAchievements, citing a company-wide email...
News Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Gets Real in Behind the Scenes Like a Dragon Doco
Rise, like a dragon
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is out in the wild now, and we loved it. But, if you are anything like us, you always need a little more Ryu Ga Gotoku in your life, so why not whet your whistle with the first of a three-part documentary looking at life at the studio itself? This first episode, entitled A Dragon Reborn, takes a look at...
News Get Out, M3gan Production Company Blumhouse Announces Indie Horror Gaming Division
Good news for fans of scary things
Blumhouse Productions is a multimedia company responsible for some of the biggest horror movies of the last two decades, including M3gan, Get Out, Paranormal Activity, Sinister, Insidious and The Purge. It was announced today that the company would establish a new gaming division called Blumhouse Games. Blumhouse...
News Xbox on Charm Offensive to Push $69 Billion Activision Acquisition Through
Squeaky bum time
Microsoft is in Brussels today, trying to convince the European Commission that it should be allowed to acquire Activision Blizzard for an eye-watering $69 billion sum. Both the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and the United States’ Federal
News Developer Don't Nod Has a Large-Scale RPG Currently in Production
Known as Project 12
French developer Don't Nod has quite a few pies in the oven, a half dozen of them, in fact. We recently got a look at one of them, the Byzantine-sounding Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, and have seen
News E3 2023 Organisers Insist Full Speed Ahead with News in the Next Few Weeks
Ubisoft insinuated there may not be an event to go to
Update: Following the comments from Ubisoft, E3 2023 organisers Reed Pop have released the following statement: "E3 is full speed ahead and we are pleased with the progress and engagement from the community. As we have confirmed exhibitors we are eager to share more as details get cemented and...
News Key Members at Firaxis Depart in Big Studio Overhaul
New Civilization game in the works
Marvel's Midnight Suns and XCOM director Jake Solomon and studio head Steve Martin have both announced they will be leaving Firaxis as the studio undergoes an overhaul. The shakeup sees Heather Hazen promoted to studio head, who joined the developer in 2020. All revealed in a 2K press release, a new Civilization...
News Some Fans Are So Invested in Xbox's Activision Acquisition They're Tracking a Sony Plane
Ryan air
The obsessive interest in Microsoft’s eye-watering $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard has hit new highs – or lows, depending on your perspective – as fans have taken to tracking the flights of a private Sony jet. A strangely engaged fanbase has discovered that a plane from London to Seattle was charted on 6th February,...
News Saints Row Sales Flop Forces Parent Company to Change Its Policy on New Games
"Each project has to earn its right to exist"
Embracer Group, the company that ultimately funded last year's Saints Row reboot, has had to re-evaluate its approach to greenlighting new games. In the firm's latest financial report, it essentially admits that the new Saints Row didn't meet sales expectations, while assuring investors that it's...
News Microsoft Can't Deny Xbox Game Pass Cannibalises Software Sales
Redmond firm releases statement
Update: Following a wave of reporting based on documentation from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority which suggested what we all suspected, that Xbox Game Pass is harming full-price software sales, the Redmond firm has released a statement to Kotaku which fails to deny the claims: "Xbox Game Pass offers...
News Sony May Have Added Another First-Party Studio to Its Roster
That's the rumour, anyway
Sony may have purchased UK-based developer Ballistic Moon, a team rumoured to be working on an Unreal Engine 5-powered AAA narrative-based single player adventure for the PS5. It’s strongly speculated that the Japanese giant is publishing this game, and therefore if progress is impressing executives, an acquisition...
News Bobby Kotick Says Sony Is 'Trying to Sabotage' Microsoft's Activision Bid
War of words
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has accused Sony of "trying to sabotage" Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of the company and claims that PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has "stopped talking" to both parties involved. In an interview with the Financial Times, Kotick stated that 'Sony’s entire leadership team stopped talking to...
News The Last of Us' Insane Popularity Leads to Illegal Scams
Don't Clicker the link
Cybercriminals are capitalising on the explosion of interest in The Last of Us, following the release of HBO’s critically acclaimed show. Naughty Dog’s survival horror is one of the biggest brands around right now, and it’s proving fertile ground for felons looking to phish personal information from unsuspecting fans...
News UK Determines Xbox's $69 Billion Activision Buyout Could Harm Gamers
May result in "higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation"
Microsoft’s eye-watering $69 billion proposal to purchase Activision Blizzard has been the source of intense scrutiny from global governments for nearly a year now, but the UK’s regulator has released a provisional report today which says it “could harm gamers” and potentially...
News PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass Aren't Big Enough to Impact Business, Says Take-Two Boss
Not yet, anyway
Gaming subscription services like PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass have almost certainly had an impact on how we in the hardcore sphere perceive the value of video games — but they're yet to have a truly significant impact on how big publishers do business. At least, that's what Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has to say on the matter. The...
News PS2's Best-Selling Console Crown in Jeopardy As Nintendo Switch Passes PS4
Only a matter of time
PS4 was a big success, right? Sure, but the Nintendo Switch is shaping up to be something else entirely. As part of its quarterly results, the House of Mario announced overnight that its hybrid console has now surpassed over 122.5 units sold worldwide, which actually puts it ahead of Sony’s previous platform. While the PS4 is...
Talking Point Should Sony Be Worried by Live Service Implosion?
Boom or bust
Last week, several live service games announced they are shutting down. These titles included critically acclaimed games like Knockout City and Rumbleverse, releases which had been well-received by both players and the media, but had seemingly failed to attract a large enough playerbase to make sustaining them worth the ongoing outlay.
Random The Last of Us' Pedro Pascal Stars in Gritty Super Mario Kart Skit
Magic mushrooms
Here’s the star of HBO’s hit The Last of Us adaptation Pedro Pascal like you’ve never seen him before: playing Super Mario in a gritty SNL skit inspired by Nintendo’s hit kart racing franchise. The spoof – which aired overnight, on 4th February – sees The Last of Us hero kitted out in a red hat and dungarees, as he hits...
News Sony Shakes Up Corporate Ladder by Promoting Exec Obsessed with Growth
On the up
A barnstorming quarter – which generated a record-breaking $9.6 billion in revenue for the PlayStation division alone – has prompted some shake ups within Sony’s upper-management hierarchy. CFO Hiroki Totoki has been promoted to president, active from 1st April, which marks the beginning of the next financial year. Potentially with...
News Original Director Glen Schofield Thanks Motive for Faithful PS5 Dead Space Remake
Taking the high road
Motive's PS5 Dead Space remake has been out for a week now, and we thought it was pretty darn good. The creator of the original Dead Space, Glen Schofield, thinks so too and has congratulated the development team on their efforts. Replying to a post on LinkedIn (thanks
News PS5 Powers PlayStation to Record Breaking Financial Results
How high can you go?
Sony is only just steadying the PS5’s stock situation, so it’ll be incredibly buoyed by the brand’s overall performance in the quarter ending 31st December. In addition to shipping 7.1 million new-gen systems, the firm enjoyed an eye-watering 53.3 per cent increase in revenue year-over-year, raking in a whopping ¥1,246.5...
Rumour Amazon Buys Tomb Raider for Twice the Price of Embracer's Square Enix Buyout
Property to become big multi-media franchise
Is Tomb Raider now owned by Amazon? Well, nobody really knows for sure, but one website has run a report saying so. According to The Lord of the Rings fansite, Fellowship of Fans, Embracer Group is in the process of selling the iconic IP to the juggernaut company. As part of a wider report about the...
News Activision Blizzard Exec Says Last of Us HBO Proves Microsoft Acquisition Should Go Ahead
Sony is "the first of us"
Well, that's a new tact. Lulu Cheng Meservey, Activision Blizzard’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer, thinks that HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us is great. Like, REALLY good. So good, in fact, that she believes it is proof that Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of...
News Xbox, Nintendo Reportedly Join Sony in Skipping E3
No shows all-round
Platform holders Microsoft and Nintendo will not bother with a presence on the E3 2023 show floor according to a new report from IGN. Joining Sony — who hasn't attended the convention since 2018 — it raises more questions about what the expo will look like as Reedpop takes over manag
News Life Is Strange Dev Will Take You on a Trip to the 90s in New Game
First screenshot is pure vibes
If you lived through the 90s like this particular author, you’ll be familiar with back ache and beer bellies. It turns out the 90s were actually an eternity ago – 30 years! – and certainly old enough to be nostalgic. They’ll also be the backdrop to the next game from the original Life Is Strange team, with...
News XCOM Director Breaks Hearts, Confirms No New Titles Currently in Development
Thats XCOM, baby!
Jake Solomon, creative director of the rebooted XCOM franchise and the recently released Marvel's Midnight Suns, has admitted something that we all knew in our hearts but still stings regardless: the legendary strategy game developer is not currently working on a new XCOM game. Speaking to VGC, Solomon was asked if there were any...
News Actress Annie Wersching, Who Played Tess in The Last of Us, Has Passed Away
Aged just 45
Actress Annie Wersching, who played Tess in the original The Last of Us game, has passed away at the age of 45. The star – known for a variety of television roles, including most famously 24 – had been battling cancer since 2020, but continued to work, and featured most recently as the Borg Queen in Star Trek: Picard. Wershing’s...
News Hogwarts Legacy Co-Developer Studio Gobo Joins Guerrilla Games on Horizon Series
New horizons
Studio Gobo, a UK-based team with co-development credits on Hogwarts Legacy, Redfall, and many others, is partnering with Guerrilla Games to work on future Horizon titles. The company shared this news on social media, where it's also advertising its various open positions: Following the launch of Horizon Forbidden West last year,...
News Microsoft Summons Sony to FTC's Activision Blizzard Court Hearing
Sony requests more time to prepare
Here we go, then. It's been roughly a year since Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard for a huge $69 billion. In terms of major industry news, it doesn't get much bigger than that, and the result is a story that's lasted a full 12 months. The saga isn't likely to end any time soon,...
News Ubisoft Boss Apologises for 'Ball Is in Your Court' Comment During Company-Wide Q&A
"I'm sorry this was perceived that way"
Yesterday we brought you the news that a strike might be in the offing at Ubisoft Paris, following head-honcho Yves Guillemot's ill-received "the ball is in your court" comment. Guillemot has since apologised, stating that “I heard your feedback, and I’m sorry this was perceived that way,” while fronting...
News Bruce Straley Wasn't Credited in HBO's The Last of Us, Calls for Unionization
Credit where credit is due
Bruce Straley, one of the veteran game directors responsible for The Last of Us and its Left Behind expansion (not to mention much of the Uncharted series), has called for unionization in the video games industry. Straley was not credited for his role in shaping the setting and characters featured in HBO's hugely popular...
News Destruction AllStars Dev Now Helping Out on Sea of Thieves
From the track to the sea
Destruction AllStars team Lucid Games has today confirmed it's helping first-party Xbox studio Rare with the making of content for Sea of Thieves. According to a tweet, it sounds like the developer has been aiding development for a little while, but now the UK studio has made its support public as it produces more updates...
News French Trade Union Calls on Ubisoft Paris Workers to Strike Following CEO's Comments
"The ball is in their court"
Following the surprise announcement of Skull and Bones' delay and the cancellation of three unannounced games last week, it looks like publisher Ubisoft has once again found itself in troubled waters. French trade union Solidaires Informatique has called on employees of Ubisoft Paris (which serves as the company's...
News New AAA Studio Formed Out of Forza Horizon 5, EA Talent
Maverick Games is its name
Talent from Forza Horizon 5 developer Playground Games, EA, and Sumo Digital has come together to form a new AAA team based in Leamington Spa, England. It's called Maverick Games, and the studio is already making "a new, premium open-world game for consoles and PC". It is probably safe to assume PS5 is one of the systems...
News PlayStation's Jim Ryan Named Among 500 Most Influential Global Media Business Leaders
PS Studios boss Hermen Hulst also honoured
Jim Ryan, the CEO of PlayStation, has been named by Variety as one of the top 500 “most influential business leaders shaping the global media industry”. The British born executive – who also featured in the 2020 and 2021 incarnations of the same list – is credited for completing the acquisition of...
News Square Enix Commits to Business Consolidation in 2023 as Sony Buyout Rumours Start Again
We've heard this one before
Square Enix is placing a heavy focus on the consolidation of its business in 2023, according to a newsletter from president Yosuke Matsuda. The Japanese publisher has a busy year ahead, with a lot riding on the likes of Final Fantasy XVI, the continued evolution of Final Fantasy XIV, and maybe even Final Fantasy VII...
News Motorsport Legend Ken Block Dies in Tragic Accident
Star of many DIRT games has passed away
Ken Block, the legendary American rally driver, has died. His team, Hoonigan Racing, confirmed the news on social media this morning. Block died from injuries sustained during a snowmobile accident. He was aged 55. "Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband,"...
Soapbox More Publishers, Including PlayStation, Should Celebrate Their Catalogues Like Atari 50
Rose tinted glasses
I’ve always enjoyed retro games, but I don’t think I ever considered myself a Retro Gamer™ until this year. At just 34-years-old, I’m certainly not old – but I am getting older, and I’m beginning to appreciate how this shapes my perspective. For example, I was around for the entirety of the PS1 era – I even attended...
News Infamous Internet Leaker Retires from Snitching on Major Games
Game over
Infamous video game leaker The Snitch is giving up the riddles and retiring from rumourmonging. The notorious whistle blower unleashed a slew of cryptic clues for a variety of games, spanning everything from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion’s remaster through to Monster Hunter Rise’s impending conversion to PS5 and PS4. His...
News Tencent Acquires Stake in Dev of Korean PS5 Console Exclusive Stellar Blade
Shift up
SHIFT UP, the Korean company behind PS5 console exclusive Stellar Blade, has been partly acquired by Tencent. The Chinese juggernaut announced a 20 per cent stake in the studio today, and will become the second-largest shareholder in the firm, behind founder Kim Hyung Tae. Tencent already has ties to the team, as it’s the worldwide...
News Horizon Online Multiplayer to Feature New Characters and Unique Stylised Look
Guerrilla confirms project with recruitment push
There have been many rumours circulating about the Horizon franchise. Apparently, Guerrilla has partnered with another studio to make a mobile spin-off, and of course there's the scuttlebutt about a potential Horizon Zero Dawn PS5 remaster. One rumour that's persisted for a while, though, is an online...
News Industrious Horror Dev Bloober Team Signs with Private Division for New Project
Bloober trap
You may be forgiven for thinking Polish developer Bloober Team has a lot on its plate, what with its Silent Hill 2 remake and soft reboot Layers of Fears. But no, apparently the developer is up to its neck in jump scares, as it’s signed a third project with publisher Private Division. This will be a brand new survival horror property,...