Tag: Industry
News The Game Awards Is Getting Ripped for Urging Award Winners to Wrap It Up
"I'mma let you finish but..."
The Game Awards 2023 largely delivered on its promise of celebrating the games industry, with a veritable smorgasbord of game announcements and trailers. However, one thing that was obvious to anyone watching is that award winners were not given much time on the stage to speak, following Kratos voice actor Christopher...
News Sony Reversing PSN Account Bans, Still Hasn't Offered an Explanation
No answers, just more questions
On Tuesday, we brought word of a widespread spate of seemingly permanent PSN bans hitting PlayStation users, preventing them from logging in and leaving them with seemingly no recourse. The good news is the firm appears to be correcting the mistake, the bad is it has yet to address the issue, which doesn't inspire...
News Lead Bungie Staff Fear 'Total Sony Takeover' After Layoffs, Delays
IGN report claims
Developers at Destiny 2 studio Bungie are said to be fearful of a "total Sony takeover" following missed revenue targets, layoffs, and product delays, a new IGN report claims. According to sources speaking to the outlet, higher-ups within the studio have hinted the shared power it enjoys with Sony following last year's acquisition...
News Sony: It's Important People Who Don't Play Games Access Our Content
Breaking the traditional console business boundaries
Sony wants to reach beyond the traditional boundaries of its PlayStation walled garden, and is eager to ensure non-console owners have access to its content. We’ve slowly started to see this strategy in motion: the company has commissioned television and movie adaptations of its biggest...
News Armello Developer League of Geeks Reduces Studio Headcount by Half
Jumplight Odyssey delayed indefinitely
"Triple-i" developer League of Geeks is one of Australia's most renowned, best known for its excellent tabletop-inspired strategy game, Armello, through which the award-winning studio found success. Today, it was announced that more than half of the studio's headcount had been made redundant, and development on...
News Layoffs Confirmed at F1 Developer Codemasters
The extent remains unknown
In more unfortunate layoff news, UK-based developer Codemasters has confirmed an unknown number of redundancies. The veteran studio is best known for its high-quality racing series, F1 and WRC, and was purchased by EA back in 2021. An EA spokesperson provided a statement to IGN, which attributes the "small-scale organiz
News Players Reporting PSN Account Bans in Seemingly Widespread Issue
Asleep at the wheel
Something strange seems to be happening with PSN, with widespread reports of players suddenly being suspended from their PSN accounts in the last few hours, handed harsh and permanent suspensions with little explanation. Occam's Razor suggests this is just some account glitch rather than an overt malicious act from Sony...
News Just One Day Later, Microsoft Has 'No Plans to Bring Game Pass' to PS5, PS4
Conflicting comments from Xbox higher-ups
Yesterday, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said Microsoft wants Xbox Game Pass on "every screen that can play games", including "what we would have thought of as competitors in the past like PlayStation and Nintendo". One day later, Xbox boss Phil Spencer told Windows Central: "We have no plans to bring Game Pass to...
Talking Point Is Bungie Really the Right Developer to Aid Sony's Live-Service Push?
A live-service centre of excellence, apparently
When was the last time you read a news story about Bungie and Destiny 2 that was genuinely positive about the game? If you only get your gaming news here at Push Square, it would be last week: the new armour set themed around The Witcher 3 looked pretty cool. It was then pointed out you could actually...
News Microsoft Still Wants to Put Xbox Game Pass on PS5, PS4
Play Microsoft first-party games on Sony hardware
Xbox Series X|S maker Microsoft has once again expressed a desire to release its membership service Game Pass on to PS5, PS4, allowing first-party titles like Starfield and Forza Motorsport to become available to a wider audience. Xbox CFO Tim Stuart made the comments during the Wells Fargo TMT...
News Sony's Probably Not Done Partnering with Korean Devs
More alliances were hinted earlier in the year
Around six months ago, Korean media reported that Sony was sniffing around the region’s local talent in order to shore up content from emerging studios. In the past few weeks, it’s signed deals with Stellar Blade developer Shift Up and MMO make
Random Yes, Netflix Really Is Getting GTA for Christmas
The most wonderful time of the year
We reported earlier in the year that Netflix had big-brain ideas for the oft-overlooked gaming arm of its business, and here’s the bombshell: the streaming subscription will add all three entries from Rockstar’s remastered GTA Trilogy on 14th December. While not strictly PlayStation news in the purest sense,...
Reaction PlayStation's Finally Poised to Penetrate the Mobile Market in the Right Way
Phone stars
You may not like playing mobile games, but millions upon millions do. Estimates indicate approximately three billion people enjoy some kind of interactive experience on their smartphone, which is almost half the entire planet’s population. That’s a staggering statistic, and it’s not hard to understand why Sony would want to...
News Embracer CEO Confirms TimeSplitters Dev Could Close Before Christmas
Consultation continues
Following reports in November that Free Radical Design, the UK-based developer tasked with resurrecting TimeSplitters, would be next on the Embracer chopping block, CEO Lars Wingford has acknowledged the studio's precarious position. While the company has said nothing publicly yet, VGC reports that employees recei
News Sony Confirms Strategic Partnership with South Korean Publisher NCSOFT
A mobile phone focus
Sony has today announced it's signed a new "strategic partnership" with South Korean publisher NCSOFT, which has put out games like Guild Wars and Blade & Soul. The deal allows the two firms to "collaborate in various global business fields, including mobile", with NCSOFT employing more than 5,000 people worldwide. A press...
News GTA Stage Invader Prompts The Game Awards to Shore Up Security
Busted
Both at The Game Awards last year and at Gamescom Opening Night Live earlier this year, there have been stage invaders interrupting the Geoff Keighley hosted events. While these can be eyebrow raising moments at the best of times, they genuinely raise legitimate questions about the safety of those people on stage. Obviously, it’s something...
Reaction You Really Shouldn't Be Surprised Kids Want PS5, PS4 Game Currencies for Xmas
Sign of the times
Gaming is changing, and there’s probably no going back to the “good old days” at this point. For many of you reading this article, Christmas was very likely defined by the carefully wrapped boxes nestled preciously under your tree. You’ll all have your own memories, of course, but for this author it’s The Legend of Zelda:...
News US Children Want Subscriptions and Currencies for Christmas, Not Games
Fewer than one in four will ask for a game
Parents in the USA are more likely to find Roblox subscriptions or Call of Duty points at the top of their child's Christmas wishlist than any physical video games this year, an ESA survey says. Having polled 501 children aged between 10 and 17, video game-related presents returned the most responses at 72...
News Embracer Exec Says Headcount Reduction Process Has Been 'Agonizing', but 'Necessary'
"It's something that Embracer really feels for"
Embattled publisher Embracer Group announced back in June that layoffs, cancellations and closures would be required in order to continue operations after apparently vastly overextending. Estimated, then, to employ 17,000 staff across dozens of studios, with ambitions to release some 234 games before...
News Rockstar OGs Compel Former GTA Developer to Pull Insightful Blog
"Something about ruining the Rockstar mystique"
Yesterday, we brought you word of a wonderfully insightful blog penned by former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij, which reflected on his time at the studio as well as revealing delicious gamer tidbits to a ravenous audience. For example, we learned the fate of long-lost PS3 exclusive...
News PlayStation's Mobile Games Studio Rebrands Following Multiple Departures
Savage
It's often forgotten about, but part of Sony's long-term plan is to establish itself in the mobile gaming space. a PlayStation Mobile Studios division exists, and back in 2022, the company acquired Savage Game Studios as its first sizeable, dedicated mobile developer. The team has been making a "new unannounced AAA mobile live service action...
News Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake Reportedly Deader than Alderaan
Too soon?
Hopes of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake returning balance to the Force have been thoroughly dashed, with Giant Bomb journalist Jeff Grub reporting that "full stop, this game is not being worked on in any way at any studio." Grub's comments come in response to those of Embracer Group boss Lars Wingford, who refused to...
News Returnal Director Is Leaving Housemarque After 14 Years
Harry Krueger out
Housemarque, Sony's Finnish studio that brought us PS5's excellent Returnal, has announced the departure of a long-serving member of the team. Harry Krueger, director of the aforementioned game, will be leaving the studio after 14 years. Krueger joined Housemarque in 2009 as a gameplay programmer, and quickly made his way up the...
News One of PSVR2's Biggest Developers, nDreams, Has Been Bought Up for $110 Million
Mo money less problems?
Virtual reality has a few major players, and the development house named nDreams is one of them. Having released many well-regarded VR games across various platforms, the studio has just been acquired for about $110 million. The buyer is Aonic, a "diversified video gaming group" which previously invested $35 million into...
News Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann to Receive NYVGCC Legend Award
Past recipents include Hideo Kojima, Phil Spencer, Reggie Fils-Aimé
Naughty Dog co-president and lead creative Neil Druckmann is being honoured with a prestigious Andrew Yoon Legend Award, which will be presented by the New York Video Game Critics Circle at the 13th annual New York Game Awards, airing on 23rd January, 2024. The award, which...
News 900 People Laid Off from Embracer Group During Its Second Quarter of 2023
Company confirms impact
As has already been reported, Embracer Group is among the many businesses in the industry cutting back its workforce in 2023. However, we now have a figure; during its second quarter, ending with September, the holding company has let go of 900 employees. To put that in perspective, this number represents just five per cent...
News Sony Says PS Portal Wasn't Designed to Make a Profit
It's all about engagement
The PlayStation Portal is Sony's popular new handheld remote-play machine, which is currently dividing enthusiast opinion. Apparently, the device was never designed as a profit-making product. Instead, the firm says, the goal of the brave little device is to increase PS5 engagement. Speaking to Japanese outlet
News SEGA Isn't Surprised That Companies Want to Acquire It
"We have attractive IPs and potentials"
SEGA is a company that comes up all the time when PlayStation and Xbox fans try and fantasy book the gaming firms they want their console of choice to purchase, but the Japanese company has gone on record to say it's not interested in an acquisition. It can understand why it's being targeted, though, as a new...
News 505 Games Parent Company Digital Bros Cuts 30% of Global Workforce
"With the predominant portion concentrated within the studios"
Digital Bros, which publishes games under its subsidiary brand, 505 Games, is laying off roughly 30% of its global workforce. The company has 442 employees and offices in Italy, the United States, the UK, France, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, China, Japan, Australia, and Canada...
News GTA Publisher Lays Out Complex Entertainment Per-Hour Pricing Algorithm
How much is your hype worth?
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has expressed his stance on how entertainment, specifically video games, should be priced, a contentious topic at the best of times. According to the executive's philosophy, this can be calculated by a seemingly simple algorithm, though its nebulous nature makes its efficacy...
News Naughty Dog Head of Technology Leaving Kennel After 17-Year Career
One of the pack
Naughty Dog has announced that head of technology Christian Gyrling is leaving the Kennel after an impressive 17-year career. Gyrling began work at the studio as a programmer on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, eventually serving as studio vice president in 2020 and being appointed head of technology earlier this year. The studio,...
News Konami Is Creating a New Silent Hill Production Team
The rebirth of Team Silent?
Konami appears to be laying the foundations for a successor to its former internal studio Team Silent, which developed the first four Silent Hill games. A recruitment page is advertising roles for a newly formed Silent Production Team, and is giving those picked the "chance to be involved in game production in a...
News AI Could Make Grand Theft Auto NPCs 'Really Interesting and Fun', Says Take-Two CEO
Traditional scripted NPCs "not very interesting"
Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has apparently sided with the machines in the ongoing AI debate currently consuming the entertainment industry. He thinks the innovative new technology could improve the next Grand Theft Auto by adding more variety to dialogue trees to entice lapsed players back...
News Baldur's Gate 3 Dominates Golden Joystick Awards, Wins Game of the Year
The first of many
This year's Golden Joystick Awards are over, and Baldur's Gate 3 has walked away the big winner. The superb RPG snagged the all-encompassing 'Ultimate Game of the Year', beating out the likes of Alan Wake 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy 16, and many more. Larian's universally acclaimed title also scooped the win in six...
News Suicide Squad Backlash Doesn't Stop Warner Bros from Doubling Down on Live-Service Games
Wants more players spending more money
The backlash aimed at the live-service elements featured in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League forced Rocksteady into a near-year-long delay, but that's not stopping Warner Bros from investing heavily in the space. In the firm's latest earnings call, CEO David Zaslav explained the focus is to transform its...
News Sony Delays Six Live Service PS5 Games, But Company Remains Committed to Model
Wants the games to be enjoyed for a long time
Sony’s slashed its live service plans, announcing that six of its 12 in-production projects will not release by March 2026, as previously planned. The platform holder was plotting to launch the dozen or so titles by the end of its 2025 Fiscal Year, but in an earnings call, Sony bigwig Hiroki Totoki...
News The Marvels Director Was Inspired by 'Amazing' Final Fantasy Movie
PlayStation exclusives also helped shaped vision
By all accounts, The Marvels ain’t bad. Okay, so it’s currently a commanding a 59 on Rotten Tomatoes which isn’t exactly glowing, but it’s better than other recent Marvel joints like Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Disney+ TV series Secret Invasion. Perhaps that has a little something to...
News Embracer Collapse Continues, with TimeSplitters Dev Allegedly Next on the Chopping Block
Free Radical allegedly under threat
Embracer’s well-documented collapse looks poised to claim another casualty, with VGC reporting the re-established TimeSplitters dev Free Radical could be next on the chopping block. As you may already know, the Swedish firm went on a massive acquisition spree for several years, but a collapsed contract has...
News Embracer COO Announces Departure Following 'Rough' Year for Company
"Embracer will come out stronger and with a long, bright future ahead of them"
Embattled IP hoarder Embracer Group has announced the departure of Chief Operations Officer Egil Strunke, who leaves the company amidst a larger restructuring comprised of layoffs, cancellations, and studio closures. In a statement, Strunke confirmed the news of his...
News Sony Reveals iSIZE Acquisition, Not a Games Developer
A UK-based video delivery firm
Sony has today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire UK-based company iSIZE, which specialises "in deep learning for video delivery. iSIZE builds AI-powered solutions to deliver bitrate savings and quality improvements for the media and entertainment industry," the firm explained. The cost of the buyout...
News Bungie Layoffs Reportedly Impacted Around 100 Staff, Revenue 45% Below 2023 Projection
Decision came from Bungie management, not Sony
New reporting suggests this week's layoffs at Bungie, the Sony-owned developer behind Destiny 2, have impacted around 100 staff members, or roughly 8% of the studio's headcount. Bloomberg reports that executives at Bungie told employees two weeks ago that Destiny 2 was running some 45% below revenue...
News Atari Ramps Up Retro Ambitions with Digital Eclipse Acquisition
Another feather to its bow
Update: In a FAQ post detailing the acquisition, Digital Eclipse has confirmed it’ll continue to work on other games outside the Atari catalogue. “While we're certainly happy to have greater access to Atari's fantastic library, we still have the freedom to seek out projects with other parties,” a statement notes. It...
News Bungie CEO Laments 'Sad Day' for Sony Studio Following Layoffs
"These are truly talented people"
Bungie – like a number of other Sony first-party studios recently – has been hit by a wave of layoffs, as the Japanese giant seeks to streamline its business. Despite registering record revenues, the platform holder has been aggressively cutting jobs this year – a trend, which, to be fair, has been consistent...
News Expect a 'Major' Unannounced Title from Capcom Before March 2024
Anticipation levels rising
A "major" unannounced title from resurgent developer/publisher Capcom could be creeping up on us, releasing before the end of its fiscal year. That's March 2024 for those more accustomed to the ever-reliable Gregorian calendar. This news comes to us through a Japanese Q&A segment published alongside Capcom's latest...
News Bungie the Next PlayStation-Owned Dev to Suffer Layoffs
Undisclosed number of employees lose their job
A new report from Bloomberg, which has been confirmed by posts from employees on Twitter, has revealed Destiny 2 developer Bungie has been hit with an u
News It Sounds Like PS5 Is Handily Outselling Its New-Gen Rival in France
Ratio nearing 90 per cent against Xbox now
Many would argue that PS5 has been up against tough competition in 2023, with releases like Starfield and the popularity of Xbox Game Pass giving Microsoft substantial momentum. But despite the discussions you may see on Twitter, Sony’s stranglehold on the new-gen video game market is only getting tighter...
News Elden Ring, Dark Souls Dev FromSoftware Beefing Up for Multiple New PS5 Games
Webinars to introduce roles in December
FromSoftware may have a long history dating all the way back to 1994’s King’s Field on the PS1, but it’s become an industry darling in more recent years. The veteran developer has unexpectedly discovered mainstream success with titles like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, and even the sixth instalment in its...
News Remedy Director Wants to Make 'Crazy, Huge-Budget, Dark Gothic Fantasy' Game Next
Sam Lake on life post-Wake
Creative director and both the literal and figurative face of Remedy Entertainment, Sam Lake, is fresh off the release of Alan Wake 2 and is already looking ahead to what comes next. In typical fashion, it's just about the last thing you'd expect. Capping off an extensive and wide-ranging interview with the impeccably...
"This isn’t throw-away stuff we’re making"
Shawn Layden served as chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment World Studios, now known as PlayStation Studios, for years and was hugely influential in shaping the current PlayStation landscape. He's also a digital soothsayer of sorts who foresaw the industry's dark future with remarkable clarity. He...
News Veteran PlayStation Exec Connie Booth Officially Exits the Firm
"We're thankful for Connie's numerous contributions"
Veteran executive and PlayStation Head of Internal Production Connie Booth has officially parted ways with Sony. And although the reasons and circumstances surrounding the departure remain maddeningly unclear, we at least now have confirmation of the rumours that began swirling last weekend. In a...
