Tag: Industry - Page 2
News PS5 Fans Panic Over 'Lost Games' Clause, But There's More to the Story
Never a dull day
A clause in the European version of PlayStation’s Terms of Service has caused confusion and chaos this weekend, as fans rally against the company’s decision to cease manufacturing physical games in January 2028. As can be the case with social media, though, a lot of the reactions don’t take into account the greater context of...
News Sony Will Have Capacity to Continue Manufacturing Some Game Discs Beyond 2028 Cut-Off Date
Re-orders will be available for existing games
Call it copium, but a small window of opportunity for Sony to reverse its decision on physical discs has opened. A letter to publishers from the platform holder reveals they “will still be able to place re-orders for existing PlayStation disc games” after the January 2028 cut-off date. The tidbit,...
News Sony Rewarded with Soaring Stocks After Revealing All-Digital Future
Us vs them
Fans are furious with PlayStation for announcing its intent to kill physical games, but shareholders are not. Sony’s stocks have risen since 1st July, when the manufacturer confirmed its intent to cease manufacturing disc-based games in January 2028. The Japan
News Even Politicians Are Commenting on Sony's Decision to Stop Making Physical Games
"Games are not mere merchandise"
As news of Sony’s decision to stop making physical games starts to circulate, even politicians are beginning to weigh in on the topic. French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has been particularly vocal about the transition to an all-digital future, and unsurprisingly he’s come out swinging against...
News 'It's a Fairly Dramatic Decision': Shawn Layden Reacts to PlayStation's All-Digital Plan
Former Sony suit weighs in
Shawn Layden, former head of PlayStation Studios, has provided his view on Sony's shocking announcement that it'll cease producing game discs starting in 2028. The industry veteran, still beloved by PlayStation fans long after his departure in 2019, has spoken about the matter in an interview with Eurogamer. "I had no...
News Sony Already Retraining Staff at PS5 Game Disc Manufacturing Facility
Has been planning this for "some time"
If you’d hoped the backlash to Sony’s boneheaded decision to cease manufacturing game discs in 2028 could be reversed, a new report coming out of Austria makes it incredibly unlikely. The write-up claims the company’s facility in Thalgau has been preparing for this transi
News The Outer Worlds Dev Obsidian Not at Risk of Closure, It's Now Claimed
Conflicting reports do the rounds
The Outer Worlds and Avowed developer Obsidian has been named as yet another team within Xbox Games Studios at risk of closure. The Game Business lists the RPG specialist alongside the other publicly named studios fighting for their futures: Ninja Theory (Hellblade), Compulsion (South of Midnight), Double Fine (
News Indie Physical Game Publishers 'Deeply Saddened' by PlayStation's All-Digital Gambit
"Long live physical media"
Sony has said it plans to cease production of physical discs for all games coming to PlayStation starting in 2028. As well as upsetting many fans, the decision has caused a stir among small, specialist companies producing physical games for PS5 and PS4, among others. For example, iam8bit, which produces physical editions...
News PS6 May Not Be the Only Fully Digital Console Next-Gen
Reports say Xbox Helix won't have a disc drive
Sony hasn't officially said it, but we now practically know the PS6 won't ship with a disc drive, as the firm has decided to stop supporting disc-based physical games entirely from 2028. It looks like it won't be the only company taking this route, though, as
News Everyone's Clowning on Sony's Decision to Go All-Digital, and Rightly So
You've done goofed
When you’re the market leader and you mess up, there’s often hell to pay. We’ve seen online backlashes to Sony’s bone-headed announcements before, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an emotional outpouring quite
News Just 15% of All PS5 Software Was Purchased Physically Last Quarter
Trending the wrong way
Sony has made the decision to cease selling physical PlayStation games starting January 2028, and it’s triggered an emotional outpouring from the fanbase. This move effectively confirms the PS6 will be a digital-only device, and the organisation is yet to confirm how it will support fans’ large retail collections. In its
We'll be watching closely
With today’s news that Sony will cease manufacturing physical PlayStation games starting January 2028, the platform holder has inadvertently confirmed that the PS6 will be a digital-only device. Even if the machine miraculously makes it out in November 2027, as is apparently the platform holder’s plan
News PlayStation Consoles to Stop Getting Disc-Based Physical Releases in 2028
Sony goes fully digital
Sony has announced plans to stop supporting disc-based physical releases for its PlayStation systems from the start of January 2028. On the PlayStation Blog, it said: "As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production
News Layoffs at IO Interactive as Project Fantasy Ends 'Relationship with External Partner'
Guess who?
It’s been a good couple of months for Danish dev IO Interactive following the successful release of 007 First Light, but bad news is never far away in this industry. In a statement on social media, the Hitman maker confirmed some “downbeat news” regarding its Project Fantasy game, long rumoured to be published by Microsoft. It...
News Xbox Wants to Cancel Marvel's Blade, Close Arkane Studios
This one will hurt
It’s been years since we heard word of Marvel’s Blade, the next game from French dev Arkane Studios. Unfortunately, our next update could be a cancellation and the closure of the Dishonored dev. The Verge (paywalled) reports that Microsoft “wants” to cancel the action-adventure game as part of a wave of cuts, which could...
News Atari's Rise Continues as It Acquires SteamWorld Maker Thunderful
Thunderful news
Publisher Atari has really bounced back over the last few years, making acquisitions and gradually building up a strong portfolio of software. Now, it seems its latest addition is Thunderful, a company best known for its SteamWorld series of games. Thunderful has been posting on its socials about now being part of Atari: The...
"The devastation is going to reverberate"
It’s a rough time for the video game industry at large – but especially so if you’re a developer working for a studio owned by Microsoft. Rumblings about layoffs have been swirling for several weeks now, and the full picture is set to emerge as the Redmond firm’s financial year comes to a close...
News Sony Tiptoes Over PS6 Release Date, But Insists It Won't Just Follow Xbox
Keep on guessing
When's the PS6 going to launch? Outside of asking how ridiculously expensive the next-gen console's (probably) going to be, that's the all-important question right now. There's quite a lot of conflicting information floating around, as analysts seem torn on whether Sony is prepared to hold the PS6 back for any extended amount of...
News Sony Can't Stop Hinting at the Portable Nature of PS6
Meeting players' evolving needs
It’s becoming increasingly obvious at this point that the PS6 will have a portable element. Exactly how Sony is going to deliver this remains to be seen, but if you read between the lines of everything it’s saying, it keeps reiterating that one of its goals with the next generation is to expand out of the living...
"We prioritise our creators"
There's simply no escaping the influence of AI these days, and although Sony hasn't been quite as bullish about the technology as some of its industry peers, it was only a matter of time until the Japanese giant started banging on about its potential. As part of a new Q&A summary taken from a recent business meeting,...
News PS5 Dominates Xbox for Single Player Games, New Data Suggests
PlayStation gamers prefer playing with themselves
According to Chris Dring, the editor of The Game Business, AAA single player games sell about 75%-80% of their copies on the PS5 compared to Xbox Series X|S at launch, based on global sales data. It’s not a massively shocking statistic, considering the install base for Sony’s console is over 93...
News Sony Will Continue to Chase Live Service Dream, Despite Mostly Disastrous Execution to Date
"It's what attracts users on a global level"
Sony has had some success with live service, but in a week where it gutted Bungie, the team it bought for $3.7 billion with the intention of establishing a ‘Live Service Centre of Excellence’, it’s hard to sa
News Bungie Loses 292 Full-Time Staff in Heavy Round of Layoffs
Destiny 2 "fell short of expectations"
Destiny 2 developer and PlayStation first-party studio Bungie has today confirmed news that it is to undergo yet another round of layoffs as it reorganises the team, having finished working on content for the looter shooter. In a social media statement, the developer shared there'll be a "reduction in force"...
News Bungie Boss Gone After 'Significant' Layoffs at Sony Studio
Ex-Guerrilla veteran steps up
Bungie boss Justin Truman is out, after the Washington studio confirmed it’s laying off a “significant” number of staff earlier today. The total number of job losses hasn’t been disclosed, but scuttlebutt pegs it at anywhere up to 400 employees, which is roughly half of the team. [Update: The
News Worrying News for PS6, as Memory Prices Tipped to Double by End of 2027
It's over
There’s a sobering statement in Microsoft’s post about today’s Xbox Series X|S price increases: “Console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027.” This concerning news comes on a day when even Apple has been forced to raise the price of various MacBook and...
News 'Above $1,000 Is the Floor': Analysts Predict PS6 Price, and It's Not Good
Good luck
There's a now rapidly growing belief that next-gen consoles, including the PS6, will cost an absolute fortune. This sentiment gained serious traction when Sony itself jacked up the price of its PS5 models back in April — an unprecedented move so late in a system's life. But it's really the official pricing announcement of Valve's Steam...
News Redout Dev Now Fully Independent, Teases 'Major Title' Based on 'Revered' IP
34BigThings no longer Embraced
34BigThings, the development studio behind the Redout series as well as Carmageddon: Rogue Shift, has announced it has once again become fully independent. The Italian team was acquired by Embracer Group back in 2020, but its co-founder, Valerio Di Donato, has now bought back shares from the holdings company. This...
News The Studio Behind This Acclaimed PS5 Metroidvania Is Closing Its Doors
MIO: Memories in Orbit dev shutting down
Douze Dizièmes, the French game studio behind MIO: Memories in Orbit, is closing down. The team was a subsidiary of Focus Entertainment, which published the aforementioned Metroidvania action game in January of this year. Now, just months after the game's release, Douze Dizièmes bought back its own shares...
News Tencent Looking to Offload Game Dev Investments, Even at a Loss
Mission abort from Chinese company
Chinese firm Tencent is attempting to exit many of its investments in Japanese game companies, and it's willing to take a loss in the process, according to a new Bloomberg
News 'They Said I'm Crazy': Kojima's New Single Player Horror Like Nothing Seen Before
PT 2
It’s still not clear whether Hideo Kojima’s upcoming horror OD, starring Hunter Schafer among others, will release on the PS5 – it’s published by Xbox Game Studios at a time when the firm is once again revisiting console exclusivity, of course. But if it does, we can expect something truly groundbreaking, according to an exclusive...
News 'There Are Other Xbox Studios in Trouble': Ominous Reports as Microsoft 'Bloodbath' Looms
Messed up
We’ve all read the rumours regarding Xbox’s incoming exodus, but things sound worse than initially imagined behind-the-scenes. In a revelatory recap video, Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier says there are more studios than just Ninja Theory, Double Fine, and Compulsion Games in trouble. All three developers, who’ve made multiple...
News Just Weeks After Launching Highly Rated PS5 Game Luna Abyss, the Team Has Been Laid Off
Kwalee Labs is gone
Kwalee Labs, the development team behind the recently released Luna Abyss, has just been made redundant. The team was only made up of nine people, but all of them suddenly find themselves out of work despite launching the aforementioned game, which has been received very well by critics and players. The news comes from...
News New Senua Game Reveal Used as a Way to Sell Ninja Theory to Suitors
Xbox had decided to sell the studio before reveal
Microsoft allowed Ninja Theory to announce a new title in Senua while preparing to either shut it down or sell it off, and according to Game File journalist Stephen Totilo, that was all part of its plan. As part of a deep dive article covering the news of Xbox plans to rid itself of Ninja Theory,...
News Housemarque Hints Its Next PS5 Game Could Be Smaller Than Saros
"There are interesting opportunities we'd like to look at"
Sony studio Housemarque says it fully feels like a PlayStation first-party now it’s shipped its first game since being acquired in 2021. Fans will know the Finnish outfit has been a long-time PS Studios partner, but it wasn’t officially added to the Japanese giant’s roster until after...
News UK Gamers Question Hobby's Future as Government Bans Kids from Social Media
Impacts everyone 16 and under
It's highly likely that a social media ban for anyone aged 16 or under will soon be implemented in the UK, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer is confident of new legislation being passed before the end of this year. So why the heck am I writing about this on a PlayStation-specific website? Well, it's because the proposed...
Rumour Gaming Industry 'Bloodbath' Imminent, as Sony, Microsoft, and More Brace for Mass Layoffs
Bethesda, BioWare, and more named
A summer of utter carnage reportedly awaits the games industry, as mega publishers like Sony, Microsoft, and others look to cut entire studios loose. This is according to reputable French journalist Sylvain Trinel, who took to social media overnight in response to the ongoing chaos over at Xbox. Trinel comments...
News Hellblade Studio Hunting for Buyer, Days After Announcing New Game for PS5
It's barely been a week
A little over a week ago, Hellblade dev Ninja Theory announced Senua for the PS5 – but now it’s on the cusp of being closed down. The Cambridge-based developer – which previously worked with Sony on the PS3 game Heavenly Sword – was reportedly told by Microsoft that it will be shut down earlier today. But
News Several Xbox Studios at Risk of Closure, in Talks to Become Independent
Update: Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Compulsion named
This weekend has been awash with rumours about incoming Xbox studio closures, as new leadership wrestles with an almighty mess. While the speculation about the layoffs has been awful to witness on social media, Kotaku is now reporting that South of Midnight maker Compulsion Games will be among...
News Even with PS5 Ports, Many of Xbox's Games Have Been Underperfoming
Tough times
There’s been a spate of stories coming out of Xbox this week – an overwhelming amount, if you will. While not all of it is relevant, the Redmond firm finds itself tangled up in the PS5 ecosystem; even with the return of two console exclusives, the company announced several new PlayStation games during its Xbox Showcase last week,...
News We Finally Know Why Korea 'Leaks' So Many Unannounced Games
Goodness GRAC-ious
Ah, the good old GRAC, South Korea's video game ratings board. It's short for Game Rating and Administration Committee. For years now, this organisation has been "leaking" unannounced games of all shapes and sizes. Basically, when the GRAC lists something, you know it's real — and it's probably only a matter of time until it's...
News Ubisoft Shutting Multiple Studios, as the News Just Keeps Getting Worse
Winnipeg, Belgrade gone
There’s no way around it, folks: these are tough times for the industry – and, honestly, the world. Reports claim Ubisoft is shutting its Winnipeg and Belgrade studios, while restructuring its Barcelona unit to focus on Rainbow Six. VGC says as many as 380 jobs could be lost. There’ll also be internal changes to the...
News Sony Steps Up Fraud Prevention After Major PS5 Security Vulnerabilities Exposed
Taking things seriously
A few weeks ago I reported on major PS5 security vulnerabilities which have been causing loyal PlayStation customers to lose access to their accounts. As exposed by Sacred Symbols podcaster Colin Moriarty, lax customer service has resulted in bad actors hijacking various PSN accounts using just a couple of pieces of publicly...
More questions raised than answered
In an interview with Gamertag Radio, Xbox boss Matt Booty has shed a little more light on Microsoft’s ever-changing approach to exclusivity. In case you missed the news earlier today, the Redmond firm said both Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will be
The plan is the plan, etc
Xbox has released a statement clarifying that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution, announced as console exclusives earlier today, are not timed exclusives. They will be available only on Xbox Series X|S and PC. In a statement on
News PS5 First-Party Sales Have Fallen Sharply, But It Doesn't Tell the Full Story
Putting things in context
A paywalled report published by journalist Stephen Totilo’s GameFile has sparked great debate about the fortunes of Sony’s first-party during the PS5 generation. Totilo has aggregated data from the platform holder’s annual financial reports, which shows declining sales of first-party games. However, having looked at...
New bill proposes stricter rules
Stop Killing Games, the consumer movement which has hit headlines several times over the past year, has landed its biggest win yet. Last week, the California State Assembly passed the ‘Protect Our Games’ act, bringing the campaign a step closer to its goal. But it still faces stiff resistance from industry b
News 'Have Fun in the Festering Slop Pit': Hideo Kojima Underfire for Generative AI Short
"Not my Kojima"
Hideo Kojima will stop at nothing to cosy up with his celebrity pals, but this generative AI short starring the Death Stranding maker alongside longtime collaborator Nicolas Winding Refn is proving a bridge too far for many. The six-minute film debuted at the 79th Cannes Film Festival by Prada this week, promoting an upcoming event...
News 'Absurd': Social Media Misquotes Journalist, Erroneously Claims Sony Is Angry at Naughty Dog
Another day at the office
A fairly tame exchange between reliable Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier and a reader has resulted in a bunch of bad actors on social media saying Sony is “angry” with Naughty Dog. It all somehow started on Bluesky a few days ago, when Schreier shared his exclusive report on B
News LittleBigPlanet Dev's Next PS5 Game Could Have Open World Aspects
A tease of what's to come
UK dev Media Molecule’s next game is expected to be more of a traditional adventure, as opposed to a creation engine like the innovative but ultimately ill-fated Dreams. We have absolutely no idea what the first-party team’s working on, however, so this is an interesting nugget dug up by MP1st. It’s spott
News 'It's Nuts': Major PS5 Security Vulnerability Exposed, and We're All at Risk
Social engineering scam uncovered
A major PSN security vulnerability has been exposed, and any one of us could become a victim unless Sony tightens up its processes. Earlier this week, I wrote a story about Sacred Symbols host Colin Moriarty, who was the victim of a social engineering scam which almost resulted in his PSN account
