Tag: Industry - Page 3
News BioShock Infinite Executive Returns to Rescue BioShock 4 from Dev Hell
Rod Fergusson the new studio head at Cloud Chamber
Rod Fergusson, formerly of Blizzard Entertainment, where he led the Diablo franchise for five years, has joined BioShock 4 team Cloud Chamber as the new studio head. This is coupled with an "unspecified" number of layoffs at the studio. Reported by Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, the move s
News 'They Don't Know What They're Doing': Analyst Sticks the Boot in Sony's 'Clueless' Management
"PlayStation's lost its way"
Veteran industry analyst Michael Pachter believes Sony has “lost its way” due to executives who “don’t know what they’re doing”. In a brutal video – where he mistakenly spoke about Haven Studios’ Fairgames, and has since clarified his comments – he went to town on the current PlayStation management...
News Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
"I'm not a fan of the Netflix of gaming"
A sprawling – and quite insightful – article about the current state of the games industry has been published by GamesIndustry.biz, featuring interviews with the likes of Circana’s Mat Piscatella. But it’s former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden’s thoughts that are going viral, as he’s chimed...
News EA's Stock Reaches a Record High on the Back of Explosive Battlefield 6 Open Beta
Respawn
EA is riding high right now after an explosive Battlefield 6 beta which looks like it’s going to be one of the biggest games of the year. The publisher, which recently suffered some difficult times due to lower than expected sales of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and EA Spo
News Sony Likens Its Fledgling Anime Business to the PS1 Era
On the cusp of an explosion
Sony’s investing big time into anime, as it watches the medium grow worldwide and looks to capitalise. The company-wide initiative – which aims to unify its three entertainment divisions – has seen it acquire Crunchyroll and invest in organisations like K
News A Quote from a Sony Exec Is Causing a Hubbub Among PS5 Fans Again
"We're moving away from a hardware-centric business"
An out of context quote from Sony Senior Vice President Sadahiko Hayakawa has sent shockwaves through the PS5 fan base yet again. In the aftermath of the Japanese giant’s latest earnings report, Hayakawa answered a question from newspaper Nikkei involving the company’s recent investment in
Astonishing earnings plot growth in every metric
In every conceivable measure, the PlayStation business is absolutely thriving. While there’s been a huge amount of chatter about the trajectory of consoles in 2025, Sony’s latest financial report paints a completely different picture. Over the last few years, one criticism that’s been levelled...
News Sony Controlling More of Marathon Dev Bungie, Will Be Integrated into PS Studios
Marathon to launch by April 2026
Sony has reiterated its intentions to take more ownership and control of Bungie as it looks to fully integrate the Destiny 2, Marathon developer into PS Studios. Following a string of controversies and failures, the studio update was shared by Sony CFO Lin Tao in the Q&A section of the company's latest financial...
News BioShock PS5 Sequel in Dev Hell, Remake of Original Scrapped
There's always a lighthouse
The next BioShock game – first announced in 2019 and allegedly in production for over a decade – has hit the skids. Uber-reliable Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier reports that the project is being overhauled after it failed a publisher review. Now it’s shaking up the management at developer Cloud Chamber, and...
News Microsoft Reiterates It's the Top Publisher on PS5 in Earnings Call
No real surprises
As we reported earlier this week, six of the top ten PS5 games sold in Q2 2025 were published by Microsoft. With the exception of Forza Horizon 5, however – which has sold remarkably well on Sony’s system – the remaining five titles that topped the list were made by Bethesda or Activision – two historically multiformat fir
News EA Still Resisting $80 PS5 Games, Not Raising Prices 'at This Stage'
"We're not looking to make any changes"
EA has reiterated that it does not plan on raising the price of its upcoming games to $80, despite some other publishers in the industry already doing so. Nintendo was the first to put out an $80 game in the Nintendo Switch 2 launch effort Mario Kart World, and Microsoft was going to follow suit with The...
News Atari Picks Up SteamWorld Publisher in €4.5 Million Investment
Buys 82% of Thunderful shares
Atari has announced it's investing €4.5 million into SteamWorld publisher Thunderful, which sees it now own 82% of the company's shares. The acquisition sees Atari take ownership of five video game development studios and more than 20 IPs, which include Lost in Random and ISLANDERS alongside the aforementioned...
News Sony Sues Tencent Over 'Shameless' Horizon Copycat Coming to PS5
Chinese firm allegedly tried to license Guerrilla's IP
There’s paying homage and then there’s just outright copying. It looks like Sony’s legal team think Light of Motiram has crossed a line, and it’s suing Chinese giant Tencent over the “slavish” Horizon clone. According to Reuters, the platform holder filed a lawsuit against the...
Brave new world
Is the age of console exclusivity truly coming to an end? Perhaps not for Nintendo, but Sony is searching for an executive to lead its rapidly evolving multiformat strategy. A new job opening at its head office in San Mateo is looking for a director to lead PlayStation’s exploration of systems beyond PS5. The post explicitly...
"The line's pointing up and to the right"
Earlier this month, Microsoft cut an astronomical 9,000 jobs across its entire business, with its Xbox division struck particularly hard. This led to the cancellation of multiple in-development projects, including The Initiative’s Perfect Dark and Rare’s Everwild, all of which would have likely released...
Talking Point Sony's Investing in Anime, But Why Isn't PlayStation Leading the Charge?
Rogue synergy
Sony saw the anime boom before many of its rivals – and to its credit it’s been investing accordingly. Back in 2021 it acquired streaming service Crunchyroll for $1.1 billion, and it’s since invested in multimedia conglomerates like Kadokawa and Bandai Namco
News Sony Invests in Elden Ring Publisher Bandai Namco, Signs Strategic Partnership
Sony now owns 2.5% of Bandai Namco shares
Sony has today announced it's investing 68 billion yen (~$464 million) into Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco, which will see it acquire 2.5% of the overall business. As a result of the investment, the two companies have signed a "strategic partnership" that will see them collaborate on "expanding the fan...
News Xbox U-Turn the First Step Towards Gamers Rejecting $80 Games
Sorry, try again
Microsoft was the first publisher to bullishly follow in Nintendo’s footsteps and announce an increase to $80 for its upcoming games. But with The Outer Worlds 2 caught up in the controversy – and
News 'Increasingly Selective Consumers' to Blame for Underperformance of Blades of Fire
It got good reviews
An “oversupply of new releases and increasingly selective consumers” are to blame for PS5 action game Blades of Fire’s underperformance. That’s according to Italian organisation Digital Bros, which owns publisher 505 Games. The firm has warned that its earnings will be lower than the previous year as a result of the...
News Ex Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Dragon's Dogma Producer to Reveal New Action RPG This Year
That's some CV
For the past couple of years or so, ex-Capcom producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi has made a habit of mentioning his new project — and we may finally be on the cusp of actually seeing it. Having left the company in 2022, Kobayashi had worked at Capcom for close to 30 years, overseeing the original Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma games as...
News Ubisoft Reckons Microtransactions Make Games 'More Fun'
Calls them a "monetization offer"
Ubisoft has suggested the microtransactions it includes in premium titles like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry make those games "more fun" for the players. Buried in a financial report from the French publisher, it's claimed the "golden rule" at Ubisoft is to "allow players to enjoy the game in full without having to...
News Worried About AI in Game Development? It's Here, and It's Only Getting Worse
¡AI, caramba!
More and more developers are turning to generative AI models when making their games — and it's a trend that's practically exploded over the last year or so. This story isn't strictly to do with PlayStation right now, but it's almost guaranteed to become a major talking point in the near future. A fascinating new study from...
Rumour Oblivion Remastered, Metal Gear Solid Delta Dev Hit with Hundreds of Layoffs
Apparently overspent on Oblivion
Virtuos, the development company behind Oblivion Remastered and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta, is reportedly in the process of laying off around 300 employees. This is according to French reporter Gauthier Andres, who says that 7% of Virtuos' workforce will be let go. At this point you may be thinking, "wait,...
News Looks Like There's Going to Be a New Lollipop Chainsaw Game
Multiple new projects in the pipeline
A sequel to cult PS3 character action game Lollipop Chainsaw looks likely. Dragami Games, the developer behind the original’s RePop remaster on PS5, has signed a deal with Taiwan-based investment firm Nada Holdings to jointly develop “multiple new projects” in the franchise. Shohei Sato, the dev’s...
News Sublime Murder Mystery The Invisible Hours Hopes to Get a Remaster
Original writer acquires rights
People don’t talk about the phenomenal murder mystery game The Invisible Hours anywhere near enough. Originally released for PSVR, the title is all about observation, as a story unfolds linearly in a mansion, and you decide who to follow and what to see. The game requires multiple playthroughs, as you gradually...
News Stolen PS1 WipEout Games Axed from the Xbox Store
Wiped out
A new release on the Xbox Series X|S consoles this week has been yanked from sale, after it appeared to infringe on Sony’s software. The shameless Anti-Gravity Racing WipEout seemed to include slightly edited emulated versions of the original WipEout and its successor WipEout 3: Special Edition, with minor texture changes and button...
News Director of The Last of Us' Axed PS5 Multiplayer to Start New Studio in Japan
Pastures new
The wounds from The Last of Us Online’s cancellation still cut deep, but we suppose we’re all going to have to move on eventually. Vinit Agarwal, who was the director of the highly anticipated standalone multiplayer spin-off, has announced that he’s moving to Japan to start a new studio. His time at Naughty Dog also included game...
News Capcom Nixes Tone Deaf Conference on Monster Hunter Wilds Optimisation
But fan harassment crossed a line
Monster Hunter Wilds is not what we’d describe as the smoothest PS5 game, so Capcom’s decision to hold a seminar on video game optimisation doesn’t strike us as the best idea. To be clear, the Japanese publisher has made some outstandingly slick software over the years, so we’re sure it has valuable...
News Tokyo Game Show 2025 Set to Be Biggest Ever, Confirms Sony, Square Enix, SEGA, More
Show time
This year's Tokyo Game Show is set to be the largest in the event's history, with a huge total of 772 exhibitors currently listed for participation across a whopping 4,083 booths. The likes of Sony, Square Enix, SEGA, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Koei Tecmo, and Konami are just some of the biggest Japanese names amongst them. But so much of the...
News 'I Much Prefer PS Plus' Lifecycle Management Strategy': Devs Chime in on Xbox Game Pass Impact
Debate over whether service is profitable rages
Microsoft laid off over 9,000 employees this week, with Xbox hit particularly hard. Various games were cancelled, one studio was closed, and too many now find themselves out of work. In the aftermath of the chaos, people have been looking for answers. In one report by the Seattle Times, it’s claimed...
"We welcome the opportunity to discuss our position"
Stop Killing Games, the consumer campaign designed to put a stop to publishers rendering their software unplayable once support has been terminated, has really picked up pace over the past week. You may recall we reported on the campaign surpassing one million signatures, which if legitimate...
News Publishers Pitch Sony on Adding Retro Classics to PS Plus
That's how Battle Engine Aquila got released
Exactly how do new retro titles get selected for PS Plus Premium? It’s a question we’ve been pondering for a while, as the rollout has been mixed since the service started a few years ago. While we’ve seen obvious first-party titles like Sly Cooper and Ape Escape added to the service, there’s so...
News Romero Games Allegedly Met with Microsoft a Day Before Funding Was Pulled
"There was no mention of it"
An upcoming project from the legendary DOOM designer John Romero and his team has been cancelled as part of the wider Xbox cuts which have rocked the industry this week. The removal of funding – which Insider Gaming reports would have been published by Microsoft subsidiary Bethesda, presumably on PS5 as well as other...
News Gran Turismo's Primary Console Competitor May Be No More
Rear view mirror
When it comes to the console wars, the skirmish between sim racers Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport was once a key battleground. PlayStation’s flagship franchise has obviously always enjoyed enormous attention due to its legacy on the PS1 and PS2, but there was a period on the PS3 where it started to lose its edge. Many...
News Stop Killing Games Campaign Surpasses One Million Signatures, But There Are Issues
Sign it properly, folks
There have been a few instances recently of publishers rendering full-price games obsolete. The Crew is perhaps the most famous example: a game designed to be played online, which had its servers shutdown in 2023. This means if you own a copy of the release on Blu-ray, it’s utterly worthless these days, as you can’t...
Rumour PS5 Disaster MindsEye Wants 'Redemption Arc' Despite Hundreds of Jobs Being 'At Risk'
MindsEyefulness
Some kind of comeback attempt for MindsEye could be on the cards, following the game's dismal launch on PS5 and other platforms last month. This is according to a new report from IGN, which paints a bleak picture of what's going behind the scenes at developer Build A Rocket Boy. Sources say that around 300 employees at the studio...
News Dying Light Team Reportedly Cancels Two Games
One might be its fantasy RPG
Dying Light franchise developer Techland has reportedly cancelled two unannounced games, resulting in a loss of 130 million Polish złoty (~£26.3 million / $36 million). The claim comes from Polish outlet Puls Biznesu, where it's said the monetary losses are attributed to "our decision to discontinue further work on...
News Mass Xbox Layoffs Begin, Everwild and Perfect Dark Both Cancelled
Perfect Dark developer The Initiative shut down
The significant layoffs affecting the Xbox division — first reported earlier this week — have now begun, says Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier. In a fresh ar
"This is not proprietary technology"
Sony is working closely with AMD on the PS6, and specifically on a technology currently codenamed Project Amethyst. This is a true collaboration between the two companies which has already borne fruit: the FSR4 upscaling tech in the latest line of Radeon graphics cards was create
News Mass Layoffs at Xbox Expected to Be Confirmed on 2nd July
Entire studios could be axed
Industry whispers suggest Microsoft could be poised to layoff up to 2,000 employees across Xbox as soon as next week. Bloomberg’s extremely reliable Jason Schreier first reported on the “major job cuts” earlier this week, when he cited sources familiar with the company’s plans. According to his write-up...
News You Can Now Launch First-Party PlayStation Games Through the Xbox PC App
And everyone's talking about it
In a social media environment which encourages being as antagonistic as possible, we suppose it was only a matter of time before a video of a first-party PlayStation game launching directly from Xbox’s new PC app went viral. For those of you who haven’t been following the news, Microsoft has been worked on an...
News Sony Sued for 'Abusing Its Dominant Position in the Console Market'
Netherlands-based non-profit launches class action lawsuit
A Dutch class action lawsuit has accused Sony of “abusing its dominant position in the console market” and artificially inflating prices of software on the PS Store. The case filed in the Netherlands by non-profit firm Stichting Massaschade & Consument claims it’s acting on the behalf...
"We've stayed true to our strategy"
Sony will stick to its tried and trusted strategy, and will not devalue its first-party content by adding it to its subscription service PS Plus upon launch. The manufacturer was under intense pressure at the start of this generation to follow Microsoft’s splashy Xbox Game Pass model, which includes mammoth...
News PS5's AI Slop Shovelware Has Hit a New Low
ASMR meets... survival horror?
Tetyana Vysochanska, purveyors of garbage PS Store shovelware like Anime Girls Basketball, seem intent on swamping Sony’s digital storefront with AI atrocities. But its latest effort, allegedly due out in 2026, may be its absolute worst yet. Anime Girls: Whispering Fear describes itself as “a slow, seductive...
News Microsoft Rivals PSVR2 with Meta Quest 3S Xbox Headset
Out today for £380 / $400
Microsoft has announced that it's dipping its toes into the VR space by teaming up with Meta to create an Xbox-branded Meta Quest 3S headset. This is a limited edition offered by the two companies and is said to be in very short supply, but the idea is that you shall have access to both the Meta Quest storefront and Xbox...
News MindsEye Studio Confirms Its Layoff Process Has Started
100+ workers potentially affected
MindsEye studio Build a Rocket Boy has started a redundancy process that could see more than 100 of its UK workers lose their jobs over the coming weeks, a new IGN report claims. Sources within the team tell the outlet that management has begun a 45-day consultation process, which starts when a company in the UK...
News SEGA's Accidentally Outed Sales Numbers Put a Lot into Context
To sell this good takes AGES
It’s so rare we get meaningful sales data from publishers, unless a title has performed exceptionally well. But we found this accidentally uploaded information from SEGA fascinating, because it actually clues us in to the real-world performance of a number of titles. Here’s all of the data, as archived by
Rumour Sony Wants Warner Bros' Gaming Assets, Like Mortal Kombat
As management upheaval continues
Warner Bros is going through a period upheaval, and apparently that’s got Sony sniffing. To be honest, website SEScoops may not be the most recognisable website, but it’s citing sources which claim the Japanese manufacturer is interested in scooping up its new WB Streaming and Studios business, which is being...
News The Next Xbox Is a PC, So What Does That Mean for PS6?
The times they are-a changin'
In a strange, out of nowhere announcement today, Xbox has effectively announced its next-gen console. The confirmation comes courtesy of a video hosted by boss Sarah Bond, in which she announced a “strategic, multi-year agreement” with computer chip manufacturer AMD. Amusingly, Sony is also collaborating with the...
News Ex-PlayStation Boss Says Sony Has Never Really Seen Nintendo As a Rival
"They don't even show up in business analysis"
Shuhei Yoshida knows a thing or two about PlayStation: until his departure earlier this year, he’d been with the company since its inception. As he continues to chat about his career with different corners of the Internet, he’s popped up on the Nintendo-focused Kit & Krysta podcast, and he’s...
