Tag: Industry - Page 31
News Sony: We See PS4 and Nintendo Switch Sitting Side-by-Side
Manufacturer thinks console's a “great success for Nintendo”
Sony’s been running a lot of interviews ahead of E3 2017 this week, and PlayStation America boss Shawn Layden’s been chatting a little bit about the Nintendo Switch, which has gotten off to a strong start since its release in early March. Speaking with TIME, the suit said that the...
News PS4 Is Still Crushing the Competition, Especially in Europe
Sony shares new numbers
The PlayStation 4 is still well on track to being one of the most successful consoles that Sony has ever launched. Over the last few years, the current-gen machine has shown now signs of slowing down, and fresh comments from PlayStation bosses Shawn Layden and Jim Ryan only nail that point home. In an interview...
News Ubisoft Has a New Logo and a Pretentious Explanation for It
French swirl
Ubisoft’s got a new logo that’s… Virtually identical to the old one. The purple swirl that you may have become accustomed to seeing at the start of Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs, or Far Cry is now a transparent white swirl. The font’s different, too, so there’s that. But why all this change? Here’s what the publisher had...
News PlayStation Chief Shawn Layden Doesn't Enjoy Gaming Exec Fame
Meme streak
They get turned into superheroes in GIFs and some even idolise them, but it’s important to remember that gaming executives are exactly that: gaming executives. They’re hired to make difficult (and, honestly, often boring) business decisions – not act like rock stars. And in a wide-ranging interview with Polygon, current PlayStation...
News Microsoft's Mixer Could End Up Being Beamed to PlayStation
Twitch must be twitching in its boots
Microsoft wants to switch Twitch users to its own Mixer platform, and it’s open to bringing the app to PlayStation if that will help its cause. For those of you who don’t know, the streaming site formerly known as Beam is basically an alternative to more popular games broadcasting destinations – it’s the...
Soapbox Why Did Sony Ditch Two of the Best Games of the Year?
Sammy's worried about Sony's portfolio
PlayStation’s enjoying one of the most prolific periods in its history. The start to 2017 has seen the release of several high-profile first-party games, like Gravity Rush 2 and Horizon: Zero Dawn. But being a glass half-empty kinda guy, I feel it could have been even better: what the heck happened with What...
News PSN Surges to 70 Million Monthly Active Users
Have some MAU
Sales numbers are important, but engagement metrics are just as meaningful in this social media age. Sony has revealed, then, that the PlayStation Network currently has 70 million monthly active users. To be clear, this statistic is not restricted to paying PlayStation Plus subscribers – it accounts for anyone who’s logged in to...
News Ubisoft Hints at New IP for 2018-2019 Release
Four AAA titles to release next financial year
Ubisoft has published its earnings report for the last financial year and outlined its plans for the near future, revealing that – in the financial year starting on 1st April 2018 and ending on 30th April 2019 – the French giant will publish four new AAA games. Three of those will be from...
News Square Enix Makes Shock Decision to Sell Hitman Developer
Wacked
Well, this is a bolt from the blue: Square Enix has announced its intention to sell Hitman developer IO Interactive. The studio – behind one of the best games of the previous year – was believed to be working on a second season of stealth missions, but now the much-loved brand’s future has been put in jeopardy. In a note to investors,...
News Job Simulator Studio Snapped Up by Google
Will continue to support PlayStation VR
Google has bought Owlchemy Labs, the developer behind the excellent PlayStation VR launch title Job Simulator. The news comes shortly after Sony teamed up with the American company to release its tongue-in-cheek virtual reality title at retail. Fortunately, the acquisition will not prevent the developer from...
News EA Axes Mass Effect as BioWare Montreal Is Scaled Down
Reaper what you sow
You should know the saying by now: release a sub-par game and EA’s going to make you pay the price. Not heard that one before? No, us neither, but it sounds like Mass Effect: Andromeda’s mixed reception may have temporarily put a nail in the coffin of the once excellent sci-fi series. The ever-reliable Jason Schreier of...
News Ex-Fable Chief Joins Sony to Lead AAA PlayStation VR Projects
From Lionhead Studios to London Studio
The former chief of Microsoft’s shuttered Lionhead Studios has been headhunted by Sony’s own London Studio to lead the development of AAA PlayStation VR projects. Stuart Whyte, who’ll begin work this coming Monday, has a long and storied history in the industry, having held positions at legendary UK...
News EA Expects Digital to Account for Almost Half of Game Sales Soon
The digital future is coming
You may not like it, but the digital future is coming. While physical still very much has its place – and publishers are doing pretty cool things with their retail products these days – the reality is that purchases on the PlayStation Store are on the rise, and it’s only a matter of time before digital transactions...
Poll Should Sony Allow Early Access Games on PS4?
Pay now, finish later
The terribly named multiplayer phenomenon PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was announced for the PlayStation 4 this week, but the reveal was met with real scepticism. Sony’s policy on Early Access is a bit confused: in 2014 it said it was looking into ways of su
News Ubisoft May Be Taken Over by Vivendi Before the Year Is Out
Money talks
For quite a while now, mega media company Vivendi has slowly but surely been buying up shares in Ubisoft - the French publisher behind the likes of Assassin's Creed and Ghost Recon. Once Vivendi owns 30 per cent of Ubisoft's shares - it currently holds 25 per cent - it'll be required by French law to make the publisher an offer,...
News Sony Shares Surge Ahead of Predicted Best Profit in 20 Years
Holding out for a Hirai
Sony is expected to record its best profit in two decades this week, which has caused the company's shares to surge. The firm's stock closed 3.84 per cent higher in Japan amid chatter that the organisation may be on the verge of reporting its strongest profit since 1998. The organisation recently indicated that its upcoming...
News Square Enix Running Life Is Strange Focus Groups in London and New York
We're totally cereal
It looks like the sun hasn't set on Life Is Strange, as Square Enix has invited fans to focus groups in London and New York next month. Scheduled to take place on 3rd May and 5th May respectively, the sessions will presumably be used to pitch fans on potential sequel ideas – or at least get some feedback on where followers see...
News Days Gone Dev Sony Bend Moving to New Digs After Rapid Expansion
Studio has more than doubled in size
As work on Days Gone continues, Sony Bend is growing at a rapid pace. A report published by Oregon newspaper The Bulletin notes that the infamously low-profile firm is to occupy a new office this fall, as it begins to outgrow its current digs. Apparently, the studio has expanded from 45 to 103 employees recently,...
News Sony Set to Smash Forecasts as Kaz Hirai's Recovery Mission Continues
Back on track
Sony may not be the giant that it used to be, but former PlayStation president and current CEO Kaz Hirai's recovery mission cannot be understated. There was a time not too long ago where the company was making loss after loss after loss; now preliminary reports suggest that it's about to smash its fiscal year forecasts by a significant...
Soapbox Sony Should Pinch the Nintendo Direct Format
Sammy reckons there's mileage in Nintendo's marketing
I did something I rarely do this week: I watched a Nintendo Direct. To be honest, I have a weird relationship with the Big N's pre-recorded events: I've watched the E3 ones before and I've always felt that, for everything they gain in pacing and structure, they lack the kind of energy that you...
News Watch As Two of PlayStation's Most Prominent Names Chat Candidly
Neil Druckmann and Hermen Hulst get together
This is actually a brilliant little video: Sony put Guerrilla Games' managing director Hermen Hulst and Naughty Dog's creative director Neil Druckmann in an up-market coffee shop and filmed them chatting for 25 minutes. The conversation mostly centres around Horizon: Zero Dawn, but it does deviate to...
News Quantum Break Maker Adds PS4 Support to Game Engine
Will release next game on Sony's system
After a prolonged period of Xbox exclusivity, Max Payne maker Remedy Entertainment has revealed its intent to release its next game on the PlayStation 4. The developer – most recently behind slow seller Quantum Break – has said that it's adding support for Sony's system to its proprietary Northlight...
News Unlike Atlus, Square Enix Sees the Value in Streams
Imagine being outsmarted by Square Enix
Square Enix may act like the stupidest organisation on Earth sometimes, but it's not quite as dumb as Atlus when it comes to gameplay videos and streams. You may remember the latter causing something of a stir recently when it decided to block the share button in Persona 5 on the premise of spoilers. It then...
News Peripherals Manufacturer Mad Catz Has Used Up Its Nine Lives
Company files for bankruptcy
Peripherals maker Mad Catz has been bagged up and tossed in the river of bureaucracy like a litter of new-born kittens: the struggling company has filed for bankruptcy and all of its directors have resigned. The firm's been in dire financial trouble for a while after it threw all of its eggs in the Rock Band 4 basket –...
News JonTron's Yooka-Laylee Cameo to Be Patched Out by Playtonic
In the aftermath of controversial comments
Playtonic has announced that it will patch out popular YouTube personality Jon 'JonTron' Jafari's cameo from platformer Yooka-Laylee as part of an update. The game – which recently went gold ahead of its 11th April launch date – has presumably already been submitted to platform holders for printing and...
News Telltale Chief Kevin Bruner Reportedly Steps Down
Telltale will remember that
Telltale gaffer Kevin Bruner has reportedly stepped down from his position of CEO this week, according to sources close to Kotaku scribe Jason Schreier. This is big news because Bruner actually helped found the company which has gone on to become a major household name, following its success primarily on The Walking Dead...
Talking Point Could 2017 Be Gaming's Greatest Ever Year?
GoaT mad
So here's the thing: we've never known a start to the year quite as strong as what 2017 is turning out to be. Last year was a fine year for games, but it was by-the-numbers – few games exceeded expectations and even fewer will live long in the memory. The past two and a bit months have been the opposite, though: exciting, fresh, and so...
News 40% of UK's Game Industry Consider Relocation After Brexit
UKIE looks into the impact of the referendum
Britain remains in flux following last year's European Union referendum, and that impacts all industries – including the video games sector. Already challenged due to rising costs and attractive international tax breaks, we've seen many UK developers shut up shop in recent years, with Sony's own...
News Naughty Dog Co-President Christophe Balestra Retires
Leaving the kennel
When Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra replaced founders Jason Rubin and Andy Gavin as the co-presidents of Naughty Dog, many commentated that they had big shoes to fill – but they still managed to turn the Californian studio into one of the greatest in the industry today. It's with sadness, then, that we can reveal that...
News Hideo Kojima Won't Stop Fultoning Konami Staff
Poached
We thought everyone hated Konami, so consider our surprise when we spotted £50 Bomberman smirking at us among the UK sales charts top ten today. Whatever. It seems that Hideo Kojima is still busy poaching staff from his ex-employer, as Horizon: Zero Dawn's credits list a number of names from the new Kojima Productions. Included in the...
News PlayStation's Still Patting Nintendo on the Back
Corporate congrats
Sony congratulated Nintendo on the success of Zelda's reviews yesterday, and it's returned to acknowledge the release of the Switch today. Writing on its official Twitter account to over 13 million followers, it shared the following message: "Today's a big day for Nintendo! Congratulations on launch, we can't wa
News PlayStation Congratulates Nintendo on Zelda Success
Claims it's an "amazing time for gaming"
In the latest edition of advertising disguised as a pat on the back, PlayStation UK has publicly congratulated Nintendo on the success of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game, which has frankly set a Metacritic benchmark which will never be beaten in this editor's opinion, received a raft of...
News Horizon: Zero Dawn Cost a Reported €45 Million to Make
That seems kinda cheap these days
Development budgets have soared so much over the past decade or so that we're sitting here surprised at the price tag that's been placed on Horizon: Zero Dawn's head. A report in a Dutch national newspaper claims that the PlayStation 4 exclusive cost over €45 million (~$47 million) to make, and while the exact...
News Liverpool FC Signs EA's Peter Moore For an Undisclosed Fee
Signing of the summer
In a rather bizarre turn of events, EA boss and all-round entertaining industry figure Peter Moore will be taking on the role of CEO at Liverpool Football Club. The talkative gaming veteran, who was born in Liverpool, is a lifelong supporter of the team - so this is basically the 61-year-old's dream job. We suppose...
News BioShock Creator Ken Levine's New Studio Is Named Ghost Story, Sci-Fi RPG in the Works
Levine la vida loca
Ken Levine and the folk behind BioShock have revealed the name of their new studio: Ghost Story. Essentially, this is BioShock developer Irrational Games rebranded, and although the team has been hanging around since Irrational shut down in 2014, it's only just decided to formally introduce itself. Well, when we say 'hanging...
News Tomb Raider Dev Crystal Dynamics Moves to New Studio
Avengers assemble
Having focused on Tomb Raider for the past ten years or so, Crystal Dynamics is about to embark on a new adventure with The Avengers – and it'll be making the journey in a new studio. The developer has announced that it moved into a fresh office last week, and it sounds like it's kitted out with some cool features. "We have some...
News Stolen PS4 Story At Least Has a Happy Ending
Children's cancer ward gets consoles back
Whenever you think humanity has reached its lowest ebb, always remember that there are more good people out there than there are bad. You may recall last week we reported on the theft of a PlayStation 4 from the children's cancer ward at Wellington Hospital. The console was used by nine-year-old Angus Little...
Talking Point Are 'Live Games' Really What You Want on PS4?
The future
Ubisoft insinuated this week that it cancelled production on a more "traditional" game in order to bolster the content pipeline for its suite of "live games" – titles like The Crew, Rainbow Six: Siege, and The Division which are being iterated upon with regularity. But while this is clearly the future that publishers see for the PlayS
News Ubisoft to Release Fewer Games as Focus Shifts to Long-Term Support
Publisher apparently 'happy' with Watch Dogs 2
Ubisoft has admitted that Watch Dogs 2 didn't get off to the best start in life, but proving yet again that a (watch) dog is for life and not just for Christmas, the title's fortunes have improved of late thanks to positive word of mouth. The hack happy outing is now trending better than Assassin's...
News E3 2017 Will Be Open to the Public for the First Time Ever
Times are changing
For the first time in its storied history, E3 2017 will be open to the public. Previously only open to those in the industry, the Entertainment Software Association – which organises the event every year – has announced that an initial allocation of 15,000 tickets will be made available to the public starting Monday, 13th...
News Sony to Stick with Movie Division Despite Billion Dollar Loss
Will look to better leverage PlayStation properties
Sony will stand by its embattled movie division despite the group registering a near-billion dollar loss in its latest financial report. The firm revealed that the subsidiary would register a $913 million loss prior to its latest financial report, attributing the sum to a reduction in the value of...
News GameStop May Be Lying to You About New Games
Bonkers initiative puts staff in impossible position
A new program established by GameStop management may be forcing humble store clerks to lie to you about the availability of brand new games – and it's kinda crazy. Reddit has been bubbling over with reports of the retailer's 'Circle of Life' initiative for a few days now, but Kotaku's...
News Namco Founder Masaya Nakamura Passes Away at 91
Rest in peace
Namco's founder Masaya Nakamura passed away on Sunday, 22nd January, publisher Bandai Namco has announced. The executive was 91-years-old at the time of his death. A private wake and funeral with close family and relatives has already been held, with the deceased requesting that the news of his passing be kept private until after the...
News Take a Look Inside Kojima Productions' Sci-Fi Studio
Seeing is believing
Hideo Kojima has opened the doors to the new Kojima Productions for the first time, revealing the futuristic studio space where Death Stranding will be made. The company, which the auteur founded in late 2015 following his departure from Konami, is almost ready to begin full production on its PlayStation 4 exclusive project –...
News Ex-Witcher, Hitman, Dying Light Devs Form a Fresh Studio Named Strange New Things
Face the strange
We don't usually write about the opening of a new studio until we know that it's working on something PlayStation related, but the newly formed Strange New Things already sounds too promising not to mention. Made up of developers who have worked on The Witcher series, the most recent Hitman game, Dying Light, and more, the outfit is...
News Ubisoft Acquires DJ Hero Developer from Activision
FreeStyleGames becomes Ubisoft Leamington
Here's a surprise: Ubisoft has acquired DJ Hero developer FreeStyleGames from Activision. The UK-based team – which most recently made Guitar Hero Live – will be renamed Ubisoft Leamington, and will be headed up by Ubisoft Reflections chief Richard Blenkinsop. Presumably the developer will be integrated...
News Kojima Productions Is Quietly Poaching the Top Talent from Konami
Brain drain
Hideo Kojima has departed Konami – and he's bringing all of the top talent with him. The new Kojima Productions, which will launch Death Stranding exclusively on the PlayStation 4 as its first project, has quietly been fultoning high-ranked employees and adding them to its office. We already know that art director Yoji Shinkawa,...
News Sony Set to Close Guerrilla Cambridge Studio
MediEvil developer shut down after 19 years
It's always sad when we have to report on a studio closure, but it's even worse when it's a developer that, over the last 19 years, has clearly shown it has real talent. Game Industry reports that Sony is going to shutter Guerrilla Cambridge, the UK branch of Killzone and Horizon: Zero Dawn developer...
Talking Point Has Holiday 2016 Devalued New Games?
Cheap as chips
Booting up a £19.99 copy of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare over the Christmas break, we couldn't help but ponder whether this holiday gone has seriously devalued new games. All games get price drops eventually, of course – some sooner than others – but this feels different. On the European PlayStation Store right now you can nab...
News PS4 Physical Game Sales Increase As UK Industry Suffers Blow
Overall sales down 13.4 per cent
Worryingly, the PlayStation 4 was the only home console to see sales of physical software in the UK increase year-over-year in 2016. The Nintendo 3DS also built upon its previous year's tally, but every other platform shrunk. That's resulted in a 13.4 per cent decline in game sales compared to 2015 in Britain, with...
