Tag: Industry
News Like It or Loathe It, This Is Why Sony Won't Stop Trying to Make Live Service Games for PS5
Almost 30% of record-breaking revenue from microtransactions
Disruption to the development of Fairgames has inevitably brought live service doubters out of the woodwork once more. It’s ironic, considering this week saw Sony announce its financial results for the fiscal year which finished on 31st March, where the PlayStation division registered...
News Sony to Focus on PS5 Engagement, First-Party Showing Greater Financial Discipline
Monthly active users key to company's ambitions
Sony has gone through a series of leadership changes of late, with hardware bigwig Hideaki Nishino promoted to PlayStation CEO and temporary boss Hiroki Totoki taking the top job at the Japanese giant overall. Ex-SIE exec Lin Tao has also been given a seat at the big table, assuming the role of Chief...
News Assassin's Creed Shadows Can't Stop the Ubisoft Rot of Star Wars Outlaws and XDefiant
Publisher reports big losses
Assassin's Creed Shadows may have ended up being a hit for Ubisoft, but the company's financial report for the previous fiscal year shows it wasn't nearly enough to make up for other losses. This was a largely expected outcome amongst many onlookers (ourselves included), but the figures are still rather damning. The...
Publisher posts another sharp decline
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been a disaster of unprecedented proportions for publisher Warner Bros, and the company's latest financial report reveals that the ill-fated release is still doing damage. The company suffered a sharp 48% decrease in games revenue over the first quarter of 2025. Of...
News Square Enix Demands Bigger Games, Faster Development as Sales Continue to Slump
Hip to beat Square
Square Enix has outlined something of an overhaul to its business, in response to its financial report for the fiscal year. As you might have guessed, said report wasn't overly positive. The publisher's net sales were down 8.9% year-on-year, making for a largely average performance. To be fair, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake was...
News Even More PS5 Price Increases Being Considered by Sony
As a result of Trump's tariffs
Sony has confirmed it is considering more PS5 console price increases and moving manufacturing of the system to the USA, as a result of tariffs implemented by president Donald Trump. As part of its financial forecast for the coming fiscal year, Sony said it expects roughly 100 billion yen (~$680 million) in tariffs...
News PS5 First-Party Game Sales Will Increase Over Next Year, Sony Says
A big year for exclusives
Sony is predicting a big year for first-party PS5 software moving forward, as it forecasts an increase in sales for its own exclusive software. We already know, of course, that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is due out in June and Ghost of Yotei will follow in October. Other announced titles that could contribute to the...
News PS5 Takes Another Giant Stride Towards 100 Million Units Milestone
Getting closer
PS5 added another 18.5 million units to its overall hardware total in the fiscal year ending 31st March, 2025. Of that total, 2.8 million units were tacked on throughout the company’s fourth quarter. That takes the worldwide total of current-gen system’s sales up to 77.7 million units lifetime. Launch aligned, the PS5 is still...
News Capcom Is Unstoppable, Confirms Eighth Consecutive Year of Record Financial Results
No Cap
We're running out of words to describe how well Capcom has been doing over the last decade or so. The Japanese publisher has just announced its financial results for fiscal year 2024, and yet again, it's managed to rack up record-breaking figures. Across net sales and profit "at all levels", this is the company's eighth consecutive year of...
Reaction Game Key PS5 Discs Are a Disgrace, and Sony Should Put a Stop to Them
DOOMed
There’s been a lot of chatter about Game Key Cards on the Switch 2, but we’ll say two things in their favour: physical cartridges are expensive and at least manufacturer Nintendo has been upfront about the whole thing. You can’t say the same about the latest round of Bethesda releases on the PS5, which are available physically but may...
News Ori, No Rest for the Wicked CEO Says Studio Could Close, Then Backtracks
A result of accused "review bombing" on Steam
The CEO of Moon Studios has suggested the developer is at risk of shutting down due to "review bombing" directed at its current early access game No Rest for the Wicked, but then immediately retracted the claim to say that it's not in any "immediate financial danger" at all. In a Discord post on the No...
News PS5's Share of Active US Players Is Slowly Beginning to Pummel Xbox
Well on top
While those of you who live in Europe and Asia will know Xbox has been little more than a footnote for quite some time, USA has remained somewhat of a battleground for Sony. We know from Circana data that PS5 tends to sell the most units on a monthly basis, but it’s still been somewhat competitive, with Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo...
News Elden Ring and Dragon Ball Propel Bandai Namco to Almost 1,000% Profit Growth
Your wish is granted
Having endured a rough fiscal year 2024, Bandai Namco is back on top thanks to an almost 1000% increase to profits. There are two big factors to this growth, and both of them are video games. Firstly, Elden Ring's all-conquering expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, was received extremely well. Not only did it rack up sales in its...
News The FTC Is Still Fighting Microsoft's Activision Buyout, and It's Not Going Well
Not very appealing
Microsoft acquired mega-publisher Activision Blizzard for an industry-changing $70 billion, with the deal closing about 18 months ago following an extensive legal grilling. While many governing bodies around the world approved of the deal, the USA's Federal Trade Commission was
News Good Guy EA Resists Temptation to Raise PS5 Game Prices to $80
For now
Wow! EA may be on the right side of history for once! While it had seemed inevitable that all publishers would adopt $80 software prices now both Microsoft and Nintendo have pulled the trigger, EA says it has no plans to increase the cost of its titles, which includes juggernaut franchises like EA Sports FC, Battlefield, and EA Sports...
News Physical Game Sales See Dramatic Drop-Off in UK as Console Market Struggles
Let's get digital
According to a new report, it's been a bit of a rough year for the UK's video game market. As per a detailed breakdown from UK trade body UKIE, the market's overall valuation has decreased for the first time in five years. At a glance, the damage isn't too bad — a drop from £7.82 billion in 2023 to £7.63 billion in 2024 —...
News Plenty of People Are Playing Expedition 33 on PS5, Despite Having to Actually Buy It
PlayStation players engaging for longer
Whenever a game is included as part of a subscription, you’re always going to see it get a boost in players. That much is true of PS Plus, and it’s also the case with Xbox Game Pass. But despite Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launching as part of Microsoft’s service, plenty of players are paying for the...
News PS5 Pro Is No Longer the Most Expensive Console You Can Buy
For now, anyway
PS5 Pro is no longer the most expensive console you can buy. It’s unclear how long we’ll be able to say that, because Sony has been no stranger to bumping the price of its products this generation. But as we publish this, the supercharged system has been usurped by the 2TB Xbox Series X Galaxy Black. In the
News Dynasty Warriors: Origins Helps Push Koei Tecmo Profit to Record High
Atelier Yumia, too
It's apparently been a really strong year for Koei Tecmo, as the Japanese publisher's latest financial results reveal record profits. By and large, it sounds like the company's self-published video games have played a huge part in boosting the numbers. While sales were actually down 1.7% year-on-year, the strength of Koei Tecmo's...
News Top Final Fantasy 16, NieR: Automata Talent Leaves PlatinumGames to Start Own Studio
Action man
One of PlatinumGames' most influential employees has confirmed that he's left the company — and has now formed his own studio. Takahisa Taura was a designer on beloved action RPG NieR: Automata, and following that project's success, he stepped up as director on Nintendo Switch exclusive Astral Chain. It's fair to say that Taura's a...
News Xbox Now Selling PS5 Games for $80, Joins Switch 2 in Price Increase
Consoles, accessories also go up in cost
Microsoft has announced it's raising the prices of all its Xbox Series X|S consoles, accessories, and games, effective as of today. Most importantly for PS5 owners, the Xbox games Microsoft ports to Sony's current-gen console will now cost $80 going forward. Previously ported games, like Indiana Jones and...
News EA Confirms Heavy Layoffs, Titanfall Game Cancelled
300-400 employees lose their job
EA has confirmed a round of layoffs across its development studios, with Star Wars Jedi team Respawn Entertainment seemingly the hardest hit. According to
News Despite Babylon's Fall Failure, More Online Games Could Be Coming from PlatinumGames
Dev seeking hires with experience of online titles
The monumental flop that was Babylon's Fall doesn't appear to have deterred PlatinumGames from making more online games, as newly spotted job listings suggest the developer is still experimenting with the crowded space. Tech4Gamers has uncovered a job listing for a Game Designer at PlatinumGames,...
News PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass Are Not the Future of Gaming, Says US Analyst
Growth completely stagnant
For the first few years of this generation, a number of industry analysts argued Sony may need to add first-party games to PS Plus at launch in order to maintain pace with Xbox Game Pass. The Japanese giant, to its credit, always maintained its position that this was unsustainable. It later added tiers to its subscription...
News Not Everyone Loved Oblivion Remastered's Shadow Drop
Indie games lose attention and mindshare
Shadow drops (when a game is revealed and released on the same day) are generally pretty exciting for the developer in question and the fans. However, what if you're a smaller studio that's put months of work into a release date you end up sharing with Oblivion Remastered? That's the fate Post Trauma...
News PCs and Smartphones May Be Exempt from Trump's Tariffs, But Consoles Like PS5 May Not
As things stand, anyway
Writing about US president Donald Trump’s tariffs is a bit like trying to fire an arrow at a moving target: they’re changing every day – and sometimes multiple times per day. But as the levies threaten to have a dramatic impact on the video game industry, it’s important we share the situation as it currently stands,...
News RiME Dev Tequila Works Forced to Auction Off Assets After Bankruptcy
A bummer
In an incredibly sad indictment of the industry as we know it, Madrid-based dev Tequila Works is auctioning off all of its intellectual property and assets. The studio, which went bankrupt last year, is selling the rights to major releases like RiME and GYLT to the highest bidder. You may recall, Sony was actually signed on as the origin
News RPGs Reportedly on the Rise as the Live Service, Battle Royale Trend Falters
Fortnite has a stranglehold
Remember when PUBG came around and every multiplayer project seemed to shift towards the live service battle royale model? Well, that trend's been ongoing for almost a decade at this point, but a new report suggests that the obsession may finally be dying out. Meanwhile, RPGs are apparently on the rise — but that's...
News Ex-PlayStation, Bloodborne Producer Opens New Studio for 'High-End Console' Games
The old blood
Teruyuki Toriyama, formerly of PlayStation's Japan Studio, has announced the opening of Sirius Studio — a new Tokyo-based development outfit that'll focus on "high-end console and VR" games. Toriyama's track record is what makes this move interesting. Before leaving Japan Studio in 2020, he was producer on FromSoftware classic...
News Switch 2's Performance Best Compared to PS4, According to Tech Experts
Makes sense
When it comes to the Nintendo Switch 2’s tech specs, PlayStation has remained the primary reference point for the vast majority of pundits. Pertinently: where does the hybrid hardware sit on the scale of PS4 through PS5? Does it have the grunt to offer peak PS4 Pro performance – or is it perhaps closer to Sony’s current flagship...
News Nintendo Is Displaying Hubris Which Would Make Even PS3 Era Sony Blush
"Can't afford Switch 2? Other Switch platforms are available"
PlayStation infamously reached peak hubris when creator Ken Kutaragi implied consumers will want to work longer hours to afford a PS3. The system, which launched at $599, was considered extortionately expensive at the time. The firm was ultimately humbled by the market, and while it’s...
News Trump's Tariffs Cause Stocks in Japanese Video Game Companies to Collapse
As recession estimates rise
Stocks in practically all major Japanese video game companies have been torpedoed by US president Donald Trump’s tariffs. At the time of writing, Sony is down by as much as 13% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, but Nintendo is following a similar trajectory. As we publish this, Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark is down 6%...
News Microsoft's AI Obsession Continues with Atrocious Copilot Version of Quake 2
It's bad
We’re not sure we understand why Microsoft has made this atrocious AI-powered version of Quake 2 available to the public. Look, we’re not ones to stand in the way of progress but this version of id Software’s late 90s classic is unplayable. It’s flabbergasting that a demo this bad would be showcased to the world in such a state...
News PS5 Shielded from Trump Tariffs for the Time Being
But could be affected if chaos continues
Forward thinking from Sony will shield the PS5 from US president Donald Trump’s tariffs, but only temporarily. The manufacturer took a series of preventative measures to protect itself from any impending moves by the US government, doubling supply chains and stockpiling hardware in order to give itself a...
News Switch 2 Pre-Order Freeze Underscores Potential Impact of US Tariffs on PS5
And everything else, of course
The United States is on the verge of imposing significantly higher tariffs on all imported goods, and onlookers are concerned about the immense impact this will likely have on the price of PS5. From 5th April 2025, a blanket 10 per cent will be applied to all goods coming into the US, and in addition, greater levies...
News Almost All PS5 Fans Are Against $80 Games
Must be funny
Only 5% of PS5 fans “don’t have a problem” with $80 games. The remaining 95% are against a hypothetical price increase, as could become a reality due to Nintendo’s pricing of Mario Kart World. But of the 1,500 gamers polled, 30% said they would “grudgingly” cough up the increased fee for “select titles”. It’d be...
Talking Point What Are Your Thoughts on Potential $80 PS5 Games?
"I'll buy it at a high price"
Everyone expected it to be Rockstar and GTA 6 to drive up the prices of games yet again, but in an unexpected twist, it’s Nintendo that’s taken the plunge. In case you missed the news, Mario Kart World will retail for $79.99. In fact, so will the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of Super Mario Party Jamboree and
News Nintendo Copies the Astro Bot Concept, Sells You Switch 2's Tutorial
One way to do it
Nintendo has been keeping a close eye on Sony, it seems. Astro’s Playroom, which comes pre-installed on every PS5, is a wonderful introduction to the console, showing off its various features across a bright and breezy four-hour platforming romp. Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour is a similar concept, taking you inside your...
News Nintendo Is Raising the Price of Games with Switch 2
What does that mean for PS5?
Are games too expensive or too cheap? It’s a debate that’s been raging for quite some time. In the case of the Nintendo Switch 2, though, the Japanese manufacturer clearly thinks its software doesn’t cost enough. Mario Kart World, the system’s flagship new excusive, will retail for an eye-watering $79.99 in the...
Feature Nintendo Switch 2 Direct - 5 Things for PS5 Fans to Pay Attention To
Switching it up
After months of waiting – perhaps even years for some – the Nintendo Switch 2 will get its long-awaited blowout today. Alarmingly, as we write this, very little has leaked. We know there’ll be a new Mario Kart game for the console, as it was revealed alongside the system itself. Other than that, though, there’s an air of...
News We've Got the Best in the World at Finding Hidden Gems for PS5, Says Sony
Outgoing exec Phil Rosenborg speaks highly of Content Ventures team
PlayStation executive Phil Rosenborg is leaving the company after 20 years. The suit, who will retain his post until the end of 2025, currently serves as the SVP of Global Partner Development and Relations, meaning he’s a big deal when it comes to signing new titles and making...
News Kids Aren't Dreaming of Owning a PS6, Says Netflix Games Boss
Exec weighs in on changing industry landscape
Netflix has been slowly pushing into the games industry, providing a catalogue of mobile software for subscribers to play. It’s actually assembled an impressive array of titles, with the focus generally on smaller-scale, pick-up-and-play experiences. And speaking with new publication The Game...
Better than nothing
Sony has started licensing some of its dormant intellectual property to third-parties. While its relationship with Bandai Namco is most notable in the aftermath of this week’s Nintendo Direct, it’s a practice the platform holder has been engaging in for a little longer. Cast your mind back to 2023’s FantaVision remake,...
News Ubisoft Spins Off Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six into New Subsidiary with Tencent
"A new chapter in Ubisoft's history"
In a complicated corporate move, Ubisoft has announced it’s creating a new subsidiary to house its most important intellectual properties: Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. The new company, valued at around €4 billion, will receive a €1.16 billion injection of cash from Chinese giant Tencent,...
News New Batman Game Appears to Be Targeting PS6
It begins
With development cycles so long these days, and the PS5 generation already way beyond its half-way point, it’s perhaps not a surprise to see developers beginning to think about next-generation consoles like the PS6. It’s certainly something that’s on the mind of UK studio Rocksteady, as a new job listing for a Senior Core Engine...
News CD Projekt Red Reports Third-Best Year of Net Profit without Releasing Any New Games
Cyberpunk 2077, Phantom Liberty worth the investment
Polish publisher and developer CD Projekt Red has just released its financial results for 2024, and incredibly, it's the outfit's third-best ever in terms of net profit, despite having no major releases. GamesIndustry.biz went over the numbers, and compared to 2023, CDPR saw a 17.9% drop in...
News Japan's Game Industry on Impressive Rise as Western AAA Development Struggles
Sony and others hitting record highs
Five of Japan's biggest video game companies have just posted record-breaking share prices, strongly suggesting that the country's industry is actually strengthening amongst the global unrest that surrounds AAA development. As reported by analyst Dr. Serkan Toto on Kantan Games, Japan hasn't really felt the...
News The Witcher Dev on a Hiring Spree as Various New PS5 Projects Progress
More than 50 devs hired in the last four months
CD Projekt Red has multiple irons in the fire, from various new entries in The Witcher universe to the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 to the studio's first original IP. As such, it needs talent and has brought on more than 50 devs in just the last four months, with the lion's share of these new personnel...
News Disrespectful Foreign Tourists Force Closure of Japanese Shrine Fixed by Ghost of Tsushima Fans
"Those who consider this place a theme park are not worshippers"
This is the kind of story that makes our blood boil. The Watazumi Shrine on Tsushima Island has been closed to all tourists following “a grave and unforgivable act of disrespect by foreigners”. There’s no information on what exactly occurred, but the incident which forced the...
