Tag: Industry - Page 36
News PS4 Is Closing in on 100 Million Units Sold, and It's Inline with the All-Conquering PS2
It's at 96.8 million, Sony says
The PlayStation 4 has been a beast since its launch in 2013, and it's still pretty much flying off the shelves. The now five-year-old console just had a great quarter (January to March 2019) and its total sales are now edging extremely close to the hallowed 100 million mark. This info comes from Sony's latest...
News Sony Wants to Give Devs Time to Adjust to PS5's Capabilities
Studios already have devkits
Sony surprisingly announced the official existence of the PlayStation 5 today, outlining various details about the next-gen console. And tucked away in Wired’s article is confirmation that developers already have access to the device – and that the company is ramping up the deployment of devkits in order to ensure...
News Sony's Censorship Guidelines Tackle Sexually Explicit Depictions of Underage Characters
Company concerned about global reputation
As has been obvious for some time, Sony is cracking down on sexually explicit material as it pertains to questionably aged characters. While the specifics of its regulations remain underwraps, a Wall Street Journal report on the recently introduced policy reveals that the Japanese company has become...
News Sony Has Been Building PS5 for Four Years Already
Much more than a "mere upgrade"
Sony has been working on the PlayStation 5 for the past four years, meaning that work got underway at some point in 2015 – little over a year after the PlayStation 4 launched. According to a new Wired article, the system is not being built as a “mere upgrade” like, say, the PS4 Pro before it. Instead, the...
News People Are Panicking Over Ghost of Tsushima's Progress
Job listing leaves fans in a frenzy
Sucker Punch is looking for a narrative writer to help flesh out Ghost of Tsushima’s open world, and it’s got some fans in a frenzy. The Seattle-based studio is after a scribe who can write “high quality dialogue under tight deadlines for a diverse cast of characters who live in the world of 13th century...
News Guerrilla Appears to Be Making a Multiplayer Game
Studio spearheading Sony's online push?
Guerrilla Games may have etched its name into the top game developer stage with single player role-playing title Horizon: Zero Dawn, but its back catalogue is packed with online multiplayer experiences. And with Sony suggesting that it’d like to do a little more in the online space, it looks like Dutch...
News DONTNOD and Focus Home to Join Forces Again Following Vampyr's One Million Sales Milestone
Let's go again
It feels like DONTNOD's vampiric adventure game Vampyr flew way under the radar last year, but in a new press release, it seems like it did pretty well for itself. One million sales is certainly nothing to sniff at, and it's a huge success for publisher Focus Home Interactive. No wonder the two companies are partnering once again on...
News Bluepoint's Next Project a Re-Envisioning Beyond Shadow of the Colossus
Will it touch our Souls?
Bluepoint’s sublime Shadow of the Colossus remake is one of the finest games you can play on the PlayStation 4, but with its next project, the Austin-based outfit is looking to push itself even further. Speaking as part of a GDC presentation, the studio shed a little more light on what it’s up to, describing its new...
News Half of Video Game Software Bought in the UK Last Year was Digital
UK games market now worth nearly £6 billion
UKIE, the trade body that provides us with sales and chart information for the UK games industry, has conducted extensive research into the value of the country's games market. It's produced some pretty interesting results, showing that digital accounted for about 50 per cent of gaming software spending...
Soapbox Sony's Server Shutdown Strategy Is Making the Publisher a Laughing Stock
Sammy's dismayed by the DriveClub debacle
If our gaming future is to exist largely online, then I’m becoming increasingly sceptical of whether Sony deserves my money. The company has built the PlayStation Store into an unparalleled empire, but it’s about to gut popular racing game DriveClub and wipe it from its servers. If you already happen to...
News Saviour of Sony and King of Memes, PlayStation Legend Kaz Hirai Announces Retirement
End of an era
Kazuo Hirai is retiring. The 58-year-old has been the director and chairman of Sony for roughly a year, after he stepped down as CEO back in April 2018. Perhaps most commonly known for all the internet memes -- something that Hirai himself acknowledged during a press conference in 2016 -- it's very likely that Sony wouldn't be the...
News Senran Kagura Producer Quits, Largely Blames Rise in Gaming Censorship
A bum note
Although he'll continue to finish up titles still in development, Senran Kagura producer Kenichiro Takaki has left Japanese developer Marvelous. Takai was a veteran at the company, with his career there lasting a lengthy 13 years. However, Takai didn't just quit because he fancied a crack at something else -- he was apparently growing...
News Sony Renews Patent That Hints at Digital Game Trading for PlayStation Users
That growing digital maket
What's all this, then? A US patent that Sony first filed back in 2015 has been renewed, and it's already sparked a load of speculation across the web. The patent's wording is rather technical, but the gist of it is that Sony has been investigating the possibility of digital game trading. Supposedly, this could even work...
News EA Makes 350 Redundant As It Aims to Be World's Greatest Games Company
"We're not there right now"
EA is laying off an eye-watering 350 people in its marketing, publishing, and analytics departments. Kotaku managed to obtain an internal email from marketing chief Chris Bruzzo, in which he said that the staffing adjustments were designed to improve the publisher’s customer support, and optimise its global strategies...
News Sony to Cease Selling Full Game Digital Download Codes at Retail
PSN credit going no where, though
Sony will pull full game digital download codes from retail beginning 1st April, a leaked GameStop memo has revealed. This means that you’ll no longer be able to purchase the digital versions of full games from brick and mortar stores, although shops will continue to sell PlayStation Network credit in various...
Poll Do You Think Google Stadia and Streaming Are the Future of Video Games?
Check that connection
Is streaming the future of video games? Google certainly wants you to think so. Earlier this week, the company revealed its plans for Stadia, a streaming platform that, in theory, allows for the instantaneous streaming of big, AAA, modern video games through any device supported by Google. On paper it's an impressive concept...
News Ex-PlayStation Executive: Google Stadia Starts Inevitable Shift Away from Consoles
Phil Harrison believes the end is near
There was some speculation prior to Google Stadia’s announcement this week that the tech giant was preparing a console that would compete directly with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. As it happens, it revealed a product potentially more threatening: a cloud-based service running on top of YouTube, which will...
News Quantic Dream's Detroit: Become Human Heading to PC
Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls also lined up for Epic Games Store
Humanity has a price, and Epic Games is willing to pay it. Quantic Dream’s trilogy of ex-PlayStation exclusives are coming to the PC, which means that Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human will no longer be tethered solely to Sony’s systems. Controversially, the...
News PlayStation Could Have Fresh Competition in Stadia, Google's New Game Streaming Platform
The power of the cloud
Google just announced Stadia, its new streaming platform for playing video games. In a lot of ways, this could be our first real look at a next-gen console -- except it's not actually a console. The gist of it is that with Stadia, you'll be able to play full games, like Assassin's Creed Odyssey, immediately through the power...
Talking Point PS Now's Delivering Our Streaming Future, So Why Is Sony the Underdog?
Every cloud and all that
PlayStation’s history is pocked with missed opportunities. Sony was first to the casual game boom with PlayStation 2 party games like SingStar and Buzz, but it allowed Nintendo to waltz in with the Wii and take that audience away. It was doing controller-less gaming long before anyone at Xbox had even uttered the words...
News Google Poised to Announce Potential PlayStation Competitor
A new challenger approaches
Google will make a gaming announcement at the Game Developers Conference tomorrow which could rock the industry to its core. Of course, it could also turn out to be another footnote in the tech giant’s list of failed experiments, but there’s no doubt that the top brass at Sony will be tuning into the organisation’s...
News Sony Says There's No Truth in Take Two Acquisition Rumours
Hostile takeover out of the equation
Sony was apparently in advanced board level discussions to acquire Take Two this week, which would grant it ownership of blockbuster franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, and BioShock. Of course,
Rumour Sony in Advanced Board Level Discussions to Acquire Take Two
Push square to doubt
There’s eff all happening in the games industry at the minute, so how about a hot rumour to rustle your jimmies this evening. Market Watch is reporting that stock in Take Two interactive is up following speculation that Sony is in “advanced board level discussions to acquire [the publisher] in a mostly cash deal”. This...
News Ex-Uncharted Movie Writer Joe Carnahan Calls Neil Druckmann a 'Jerkoff'
Says he "stole credit" for Naughty Dog series
The history of the Uncharted film is a long, rocky road. The adaptation has been in the works for such a long time, and various people have come and gone from the project. One such person was Joe Carnahan, a Hollywood writer on action flicks like Smokin' Aces and The A-Team. He hopped aboard the...
News Guerrilla Games Has Doubled Its Women Workforce in a Year
Aloy's influence
Guerrilla Games has doubled the number of women under its employment since last year’s International Women’s Day, meaning that there are more talented ladies within the Amsterdam studio’s ranks than ever before. Managing Director Hermen Hulst revealed the tidbit on Twitter, alongside a photograph of some of its team members...
News Sony Spotlights Some of Its Top Talent on International Women's Day
A look behind the curtain at Worldwide Studios
As part of International Women’s Day, Sony has released a pretty cool trailer peeking behind the curtain at several of its first-party teams. The inspirational clip, which naturally focuses on ladies, spotlights employees from a variety of different disciplines, including programmers, artists,...
News God of War Was Almost Called Something Totally Different, Says Creator David Jaffe
Title was luck of the draw
Say what you want about outspoken game designer David Jaffe, but he was one of the key creators behind what is now a series synonymous with PlayStation. God of War was a hit from the very start, with gorgeous visuals, a larger than life story, and blood-soaked gameplay. The latest game in the series, the PS4 exclusive...
News THQ Nordic Issues Apology for Asinine AMA with 8chan
Publisher regrets ridiculous incident
It’s been almost a week since THQ Nordic bafflingly hosted an AMA on ethically questionable website 8chan, prompting an unprecedented backlash due to the forum's connections with racism, hate speech, and, unthinkably, child pornography. The organisation apologised at the time, claiming that it was unaware of...
News THQ Nordic Did Something Crazy, And It Didn't Involve an Acquisition
Publisher hosts AMA on site banned from Google
Just when you thought the games industry couldn’t possibly get any dumber, THQ Nordic hosted an AMA (or Ask Me Anything) on infamous website 8chan. For those of you who don’t know, the site’s “infamous” because it’s been delisted by Google due to its suspected inclusion of child pornography...
The game... Is fun
Reggie Fils-Aimé, one of the most well known figures in modern gaming, has announced his retirement. Reggie has been at Nintendo since 2003, working his way up to the position of President of Nintendo of America. He may be leaving, but we'll always remember the memes. Jokes aside, Reggie has long been an inspiration to just...
News Former EA Boss Details New Studio, Gives Early Look at Co-Op, Free-to-Play Sci-Fi Title
Embark on something new
Patrick Söderlund, former EA executive who left the publisher last year, has dropped some details on what he's doing right now -- and they make for quite an interesting read. Upon leaving his position at EA, Söderlund created a new studio based in Stockholm, Sweden. The developer is named Embark, and since its inception...
News THQ Nordic's Studio and IP Buying Spree Won't Be Slowing Down any Time Soon
Publisher raises huge money for future acquisitions
Nordic Games merged with THQ in 2013 as a result of a mass buyout of the deceased publisher and its games, and the company has gone from strength to strength ever since. Over the years, it's slowly been amassing an enormous catalogue of intellectual properties and development teams, but the...
News Sony: Nintendo's Doing Wonderful Things with the Switch
Platform holder doesn't subscribe to the console war
Shawn Layden may be underfire in the media for his comments on console cross-play this week, but he’s got nothing but good things to say about PlayStation’s competition. Asked about both Microsoft and Nintendo during his DICE keynote, the Worldwide Studios chairman was refreshingly...
News THQ Nordic's Spending Spree Continues with Kingdom Come: Deliverance Dev
Also acquires Australian publishing partner
THQ Nordic’s making Xbox boss Phil Spencer look like a cheapskate, as it continues to flash its chequebook in the general direction of, well, anyone it sets its eyes on. A bit like Unicron from Transformers: The Movie, the publisher has been gobbling up independent developers like there’s no tomorrow...
News Enormous Lay Offs Leave Hundreds at Activision Blizzard Out of Work
Entire organisation struck
Activision Blizzard has notified hundreds of employees that their services will no longer be required today. The cull is rumoured to affect around eight per cent of the organisation’s enormous 9,600 workforce, so will render hundreds of staffers redundant. The cuts span the entire organisation, including Activision,...
News Sony Says Devs Only Have to Ask for Console Cross-Play, Studios Say It's Lying
This is getting spicy
A couple of studios, including Gaijin Entertainment and Hi-Rez Studios, recently suggested that Sony was blocking it from joining the PlayStation 4’s ongoing console cross-play beta – but speaking with Game Informer this week, Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden said that’s absol
News Sonic Mania Developers Form New Game Studio, Evening Star
Star light zone
After the success of Sonic Mania, many have been wondering what the team behind the game would do next. Using Christian Whitehead's Retro Engine technology and years of cumulative experience with the character, the fellows who brought 2D Sonic back are surely making a follow up, right? Well, there's still a question mark over that,...
All change at the top
He’s best known for a
News German Retailers Continue Purge of Fallout 76 Stock, Giving It Away with PS4 Hard Drives
Please take it
You may recall the recent discovery that GameStop Germany is giving away copies of botched online shooter Fallout 76 with purchases of second-hand controllers. Well, it seems that's not the only way the country's retailers are ridding themselves of unwanted stock. A new Reddit post shows a copy of Bethesda'
News More Studios Call Out Sony's Console Cross-Play Beta
"Stop playing favourites"
Sony may have thought that its console cross-play beta – which currently supports Fortnite and Rocket League – would buy it some time, but it looks like that’s running out. Hot on the heels of War Thunder developer Gaijin Entertainment – who says it’s in regular contact with the Japanese giant about adding console...
News Insomniac Games Celebrates 25 Years of Great Games
Still awake
If we asked you to list your five favourite game developers, we suspect Insomniac would pop up a lot. The studio launched Marvel’s Spider-Man to critical acclaim last year, but we think everyone expected it to be good the moment it was announced – that’s what past pedigree does for a team. Whether it’s Ratchet & Clank,...
News CD Projekt Red Set to Compensate The Witcher Author Following Legal Dispute
He's not getting $16 million, though
Back in October of last year, we reported on a bit of a kerfuffle between The Witcher video game developer CD Projekt Red and author of The Witcher books Andrzej Sapkowski. Basically, Sapkowski wasn't happy with how much money he'd received from the studio in order to use his work as the basis for its games. A...
News Disney Happy with EA's Work on Star Wars
Companies have a good relationship
If we’re all honest with ourselves, EA’s done a terrible job with Star Wars to date. The first game in its mammoth contract with Disney, the multiplayer-only Star Wars Battlefront, was perfectly adequate but felt undercooked. Its successor, though, Star Wars Battlefront 2, prompted one of the biggest backlashes...
News Microsoft Plans to Bring Xbox Live Support to All Other Platforms Except PlayStation
Sony missing from new Xbox initiative
This is an interesting story. As reported by GamesIndustry, Microsoft has scheduled in a talk at GDC 2019, set to take place next month, and it highlights the corporation's plans to spread Xbox Live beyond its own platforms. The talk is titled 'Xbox Live: Growing & Engaging Your Gaming Comm
News There Are 36.3 Million PlayStation Plus Subscribers
You do the maths
Sony’s making more revenue from the PlayStation Network than Nintendo is in its entirety, which demonstrates the scale of the juggernaut that the Japanese giant has created. Of course, a huge hunk of change can be attributed to PlayStation Plus, the subscription service which allows PlayStation 4 owners to download a selection of...
News Sony Doesn't Believe Cloud-Based Gaming Will Render Consoles Obsolete Yet
Not in the near-future anyway
There’s a lot of talk about cloud gaming at the moment, and despite Sony being the only platform holder to offer an online-based streaming service in the form of PlayStation Now, the perennial underdog is commonly considered to be behind the curve. But speaking during a financial call about threats to the immediate...
News PSN Alone Generated More Revenue Than the Entirety of Nintendo in 2018
Online network also bigger than Microsoft's entire gaming division
How big is the PlayStation Network these days? The answer: very big. Sony’s online storefront generated an eye-watering ¥1,373 billion yen (~$12.5 billion) of revenue in 2018, which is more than the entirety of Nintendo during the same period. To put this in perspective: the...
News PS4 Was the World's Best-Selling Console in 2018
Sony edges out Switch in fifth year
Contrary to common opinion, the PlayStation 4 was once again the world’s best-selling console in 2018 – despite it celebrating its fifth anniversary in November. Sony shipped 8.1 million consoles globally during the three month period ending 31st December, bringing its overall total for the calendar year up to...
News Sony Enjoys Record Quarter As Entertainment Divisions Boom
The only way is up
Sony, best known for its electronics, is gradually becoming an entertainment organisation – and its record third quarter results, spanning the three month period ending 31st December, reflect that. The company registered operating income of ¥377 billion (~$3.5 billion), with PlayStation once again leading the charge – despite...
News Metacritic Dubs Capcom the Best Publisher of 2018
Sony at number 6
Aggregate site Metacritic doesn't just average out review scores -- it holds a lot of interesting information across various types of media. Each year, the site crunches the numbers to determine which game publisher performed the best in terms of the number of games released and how they fared critically. For 2018, it's Capcom that...
