Tag: Industry - Page 41
News GAME Exits Administration, Stores to Remain Open
Good news, everyone
GAME Group's out of administration less than a week after it entered. Investment group OpCapita and Baker Acquisitions Limited negotiated a deal that will see all remaining stores continue to trade, securing the jobs of some 3,200 staff. Here's hoping this signals the start of an upswing for the chain.
News Sony Confirms Zipper Interactive Has Closed
Zipped up
SOCOM developer Zipper Interactive has closed, Sony has confirmed. Speculation about the studio’s imminent demise began last weekend, but the firm remained tight-lipped for the majority of the week. However, Sony confirmed the sad news in a statement to Game Informer over night: Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm the closure of...
News Robin Hunicke Latest to Leave thatgamecompany
Fond farewell
Journey developer thatgamecompany is a small studio, so it’s surprising when key members of the team announce their departure for pastures new. Yesterday co-founder Kellee Santiago revealed her intention to move on, and since producer Robin Hunicke has also shut the door behind her. Hunicke – who joined thatgamecompany at the...
News SEGA Cans Games, Focuses on Big Name IPs
Blue sky gaming
SEGA has revealed it will cancel games and focus on sales-proven IP in the future. The company's report cites Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and Aliens as examples of the strong series it'll support in the next period and beyond. SEGA didn't reveal which titles would be canned, with a look through our list of
News Kellee Santiago Departs thatgamecompany
Headed on a new journey
Kellee Santiago has left thatgamecompany. The former co-founder and co-president announced the news in an interview with Gamasutra. The website speculates that more departures might be on the way. Santiago said: After doing these three games, I think it was a really great opportunity for all of us to look at what we’ve...
News Call of Duty Creative Strategist Robert Bowling Exits Activision
Four zero two
Robert Bowling has announced that he has resigned from his current position as creative strategist of Call of Duty. The hype-man – who has become the face of the biggest gaming brand in the world over the past few years – announced his departure on Twitter overnight. He said: Today, I resign from my position as Creative Strategist...
News SCEJ Announces New Corporate Structure
All change
It sounds as though Sony’s really keen to reinvent its Japanese arm. It wasn’t long ago that the company announced it had placed former Sony Santa Monica founder Allan Becker in charge of its domestic studios, and it has now followed up with a corporate restructure. Beginning 1st April, SCEJ will operate under new “First Party...
Rumour Sony to Close Zipper Interactive
So gone
It sounds as though the lights could be dimming on SOCOM developer Zipper Interactive. Kotaku reports that Sony is currently in the process of laying off staff at the American studio, where project cancellations have put its future in doubt. Zipper Interactive recently released the decent Unit 13 on PlayStation Vita and SOCOM 4 on PS3 last...
News Sports Champions Developer Working on Next Generation Title
Next move for motion studio
Zindagi Games – the developer behind the brilliant Sports Champions and the likable Medieval Moves – is readying itself for the next generation. In a job opening advertised on Gamasutra, the proficient PlayStation Move studio notes that it is "moving on and working on the next generation home console"...
News Hydrophobia Prophecy Developer Enters Administration
Drowning in debt
Hydrophobia Prophecy developer Dark Energy Digital has been shut down, according to a report on GamesIndustry.biz. The site reports that the company’s assets have been passed onto the recently founded Dark Energy Publishing, a new upstart created in January by Dark Energy Digital owners Pete and Deborah Jones. GamesIndustry.biz...
Rumour Guerrilla Staffing Up for Next-Gen Title
PlayStation 4?
Last week, Killzone developer Guerrilla Games confirmed that it was working on at least three new projects. It seems one of those titles will be on PlayStation 4, if a job listing filed by a “Netherlands based” studio is to be believed. The ad notes that the studio – almost certain to be Guerrilla Games – is "working...
News Retro City Rampage to Retail for $15
Because it's worth it
Retro City Rampage developer Brian Provinciano refuses to charge less than what he feels his game is worth. In an interview with PocketNext, the indie developer took a dig at the “race to the bottom” pricing model that is sweeping iOS platforms, explaining that his title is worth every penny of the $15 he intends to sell it...
Feature Kara and Sony's Creative Risks
Breaking the mould
Quantic Dream’s Kara may not represent a real development project, but it speaks volumes about Sony’s current position in the video game industry: few other manufacturers are willing to take such creative risks, and that gives the platform an overarching ethos in which innovation can thrive. It’s certainly no coincidence...
News GAME Not Stocking Street Fighter X Tekken
Shop elsewhere
In a short statement released to MCV, Capcom has confirmed that UK retailer GAME (and its various subsidiaries) will not be stocking Street Fighter X Tekken or Asura’s Wrath. The publisher said: Unfortunately Capcom must confirm that Street Fighter x Tekken for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and Asura’s Wrath, both scheduled for...
News Cory Barlog Joins Crystal Dynamics
New horizons
Former God of War director, Cory Barlog, has joined Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics after exiting Just Cause studio Avalanche Games. Barlog, who left Sony Santa Monica after the completion of God of War II, was thought to be fronting a Mad Max title at the studio. It’s unclear whether Barlog will slot into the Tomb Raider team,...
News Yakuza Creator Named Chief Creative Officer at SEGA
No Nagoshiation
Toshihiro Nagoshi’s hard work on the Yakuza franchise has not gone unnoticed: SEGA’s announced this morning that the Yakuza Studio boss has been promoted to the role of Chief Creative Officer at the publisher. The change comes as part of a wider corporate shuffle at the company, caused by the impending retirement of SEGA Chief...
News GAME Not Stocking Mass Effect 3
Finishing the fight
The woes for UK retailer GAME continue, with reports circulating that the publisher will not be carrying Mass Effect 3 or any EA titles beyond this week’s SSX. Eurogamer.net reports that if you have a pre-order placed for Mass Effect 3 at a GAME store, you’ll be able to claim it back as in-store credit. Apparently the store...
News Ready At Dawn Working on Next-Gen Project
Oooh
Resumes and job listings are responsible for 99.9% of the leaks in this industry — it’s only a matter of time before developers learn. Until then, we’ll happily scoop up the stories that emerge from them, like this one: Ready At Dawn is working on a next-generation third-person action title. The handheld God of War developer revealed the...
News Sony Places Santa Monica Founder in Charge of Japan Studios
Western efficiency
Japanese developers have not handled the transition into high-definition particularly well. Development hell and exaggerated cycles have become common-place for many of Japan’s biggest exports. That’s left a lot of the region’s biggest publishers looking for a solution. See, while Japan’s been spending five years rebooting...
News David Jaffe to Exit Twisted Metal Developer Eat Sleep Play
End of an era
It’s the worst time for Twisted Metal developer Eat Sleep Play to be rocking the boat. Excitement for the developer’s latest project has finally hit critical mass on the back of last week’s demo – which is some feat given that the title's been bubbling under the radar since its announcement way back at E3. But rock the boat is...
News Sony Makes Massive $2 Billion Net Loss For Q3 FY2011
We can feel the hairs on new Sony CEO Kaz Hirai's head turning grey already
No sooner than the party for Hirai's promotion has ended has Sony posted a whopping $2 billion net loss for the quarter ending December 31st, 2011. The company brought in $23.37 billion in revenue, a 17.4 percent decrease year over year. Sony laid the blame on "the impact...
News THQ Cuts 240 Jobs, Slashes Salaries
The bad news doesn't stop for troubled publisher THQ
Following a slew of rumours yesterday, and warnings that the company might be delisted from the NASDAQ stock exchange, the company has announced that it has cut a whopping 240 jobs. According to a regulatory filing, the redundancies will go into effect before September, with the vast majority to...
News Kaz Hirai Takes The Big Job At Sony, Officially This Time
Long-time Ridge Racer fan, Kaz Hirai, has been promoted to president and CEO of Sony Corp, the company announced this morning
He'll take over from Sir Howard Stringer — who will stay on as executive chairman until June — when the new roles come into effect on April 1st. Hirai's a long-time Sony employee, having cut his teeth in the...
News US PlayStation Network Executive Leaves Sony
Susan Panico, the former US gaffer of the PlayStation Network, has exited Sony according to reports on Venture Beat
Communications director, Patrick Seybold, has since confirmed the news, wishing his former colleague all the best. No reason was given for the departure. It's unknown who will take over Panico's role. Whoever it is will need a strong...
News Sony Sends A PlayStation Vita To Every GAME And GameStation Store In The UK
Sometimes all it takes to sell a great product is to put it in front of people
Sony seems to understand that: announcing that it will be supplying all 600 GAME and GameStation retail stores across the UK with spangly new PlayStation Vita units to display. The top 150 stores will also net a dedicated Interactive Display Unit. Meanwhile, store...
News THQ To Focus On Core Game Franchises, Saints Row: The Third Ships 3.8 Million Copies
Presumably in response to ongoing rumours about its fate, THQ has released a statement reiterating its decision to exit the "kids' licensed game market" and focus on its upcoming throng of core game franchises
THQ will be a more streamlined organization focused only on our strongest franchises [in the future], said THQ's head gaffer, Brian...
News Jack Buser Talks PlayStation First-Party, Goes On The Offensive
Sometimes it's refreshing when people say exactly what they're thinking
We're not sure it makes sense from a business point-of-view — sometimes you just have to bite your tongue — but it's certainly nice to hear some honesty from time-to-time. It's possible — just possible — that Sony's Jack Buser may have taken that honesty too far, though...
News SEGA's Solihull Studio Named Hardlight, Working On PlayStation Vita Exclusive
Cast your minds back to June 2011
Back then, SEGA's European development gaffer, Gary Dunn, revealed that the publisher had established a brand new development team in Solihull, Birmingham. (That's just up the road from us: hey guys!) That studio now has a name: Hardlight. The identity was revealed by an eagle-eyed NeoGAF poster who spotted a...
News THQ Denies Cancellation Rumours, Looking To The Future
Yesterday, a slew of Tweets by IGDA Mobile SIG chair Kevin Dent alleged that THQ was in grave financial trouble, and that it was cancelling the entirety of its 2014 game line-up while holding out hope for a potential buyer
The rumours were not true. VG247 reached out to THQ's Australian branch — presumably the only one awake at the time — who...
News December NPD: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Dominates, Industry Declines
The video game industry may have pulled in a whopping $3
99 billion for the month of December in North America, but it still suffered a 21 percent decline year-over-year. By comparison, the industry raked in a whopping $5.07 billion during the same period in 2010. "Overall industry results are not entirely surprising given that we are on the...
News Assassin's Creed: Revelations' Creative Director Leaves Ubisoft
Ubisoft must be getting a taste for what it feels like to lose a creative director
Just two years after the departure of series creator Patrice Desilets in 2010, Assassin's Creed: Revelations' creative director Alexandre Amancio has left Ubisoft Montreal in order to pursue a career at Canadian marketing firm, Cossette. Amancio has been an employee...
News Sony Denies Kaz Hirai Promotion Reports, Says 'Nothing Has Been Determined'
Sony's affable executive, Kaz Hirai, might be around for a few more rounds of Ridge Racer just yet
Following reports that the cheery gaffer had been promoted to presidential status, the Japanese company has released a statement refuting the claims — stating that "nothing has been determined at this time". Given the comment's wording —...
News Andrew House Reflects On PlayStation's Tough 2011
Andrew House, Sony Computer Entertainment's new gaffer, has admitted that 2011 was a rough year for the electronics manufacturer
In an interview with The Guardian, House admitted that the hacking incident and Japanese earthquake took its toll on the company — but also resulted in a strong sense of unity between employees. "Yes, it has been a...
News Media Molecule Splashes Out On 'New, Risky Innovations'
Media Molecule spent the best part of last year ploughing cash into new, innovative products, a report has revealed
In an annual director's report, uncovered by Develop, the company indicated that its main business risks came "largely as a result of the company's heavy reliance on the one LittleBigPlanet brand name". As such, the company...
Report Kazuo Hirai To Be Named President Of Sony In April
Ridge Racer's biggest fan set to become the President of Sony
It's claimed that Howard Stringer will maintain his position as the company's CEO and chairman, but that Hirai will take over presidential duties as soon as April. Hirai — who made his name rising through the ranks of the PlayStation business — is currently Executive Deputy President...
News Japanese Games Market Declines In 2011 Despite New Hardware
The Japanese games market declined in 2011, according to reports published by Enterbrain via Famitsu
That was despite a 2.4 percent increase in hardware sales — up to ¥179,740 million ($2.3 billion) — spurred by the releases of the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. Indeed, while the hardware bump was significant, it wasn't enough to stave off...
Report The Sun Sets On EA's Bright Light Studio
EA's Bright Light studio is officially no more
The developer — which was responsible for three of the most recent Harry Potter titles — has been going through a formal consultation process since October. That period is now over, and the developer has closed. Thankfully, many of the employees from the Bright Light studio have been ushered into...
News Hideo Kojima Unsure If Japan Can Compete In Current Gaming Market
One of the saddest thing to emerge this generation has been the decline in diversity
With development budgets spiralling, pushed publishers are stuck to working with what they know in order to avoid facing commercial disaster. That's meant that outside of the emerging download platforms, there's been very little experimentation in the retail space...
News VGA 2011: We Round-Up All The Trailers, All The Awards
Phew
That was a long and exciting night, wasn't it? If you joined us overnight for the VGAs, then it was nice to have your company. But if you were out doing social things or getting a good night's sleep, we've got you covered: included within is every trailer, every award and every shock from the big American awards ceremony. The big news was...
News THQ Lays Off 30 Employees From Its uDraw Team
Following less than stellar sales for uDraw on PlayStation 3 (did you know it had even released?), THQ has announced that it has laid off 30 employees from its Play branch
THQ justified the layoffs by reiterating the "weaker than expected" sales performance of the drawing application, which launched on PS3 last month. Due to weaker than...
News November NPD: Call Of Duty & Skyrim Top The Software Charts
It was a monster month for software releases in November
Unsurprisingly, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out on top. But despite the high profile roster of software releases — and growth in unit sales across the board — NPD analyst Anita Frazier warned that "a decline in average retail price in all...
News Sony Experimenting With Unannounced 'Freemium' Concepts Internally
With social networks and smartphones being a big talking point in the industry at the moment, "freemium" is a term that's starting to emerge more and more frequently
The coining pertains to the idea of "free" and "premium" gameplay models — where players can enjoy a base experience at no cost, but can choose to enhance their...
News Sony: PlayStation 3 To Skew Towards 'Younger Demographic', Core Gamers Won't Be Neglected
The PlayStation 3 still hasn't reached a mass market price-point, but it's getting there
And with the hardcore gaming crowd already well serviced, SCEE boss Jim Ryan believes that the console's next challenge is to appeal to a younger demographic. I think youll see us taking the console more towards a slightly younger demographic. More family...
Rumour Digital PlayStation Vita Releases To Be Discounted By Up To 40% In North America
Take this one with a huge pinch of salt, because we can already sense the inevitable backlash
According to a report on Thrifty Nerd, a Sony representative at a recent PS Vita hands-on event has confirmed that digital releases for the upcoming handheld are set to get a hefty discount. The website claims that retail releases will be capped at $40,...
News Ubisoft: Digital Releases Mitigate The Risk Associated With New IP
Ubisoft believes that it is best to release new ideas through digital outlets, in order to mitigate the risk associated with launching new products at retail
Chatting with MCV, digital publishing manager Thomas Paincon indicated that retail products are more likely to fail if they're not built upon popular franchises. There is less risk releasing...
Report Scott Steinberg And Rob Dyer Leave Sony
Seems like there's some major reshuffling going on at SCEA at the moment
With Peter Dille's office barely cold after his departure earlier in the year, Sony's lost another two executives according a report published by Industry Gamers. The site claims that VP of marketing, Scott Steinberg, and senior VP of public relations, Rob Dyer, are both no...
News 3D Dot Game Heroes Developer Expands Engine For PS Vita Support
Silicon Studio's 3D Dot Game Heroes was a real gem
The Legend Of Zelda parody not only played great, but it also looked the part. So it's exciting to learn that the Japanese developer has expanded its Orochi engine to include support for the PS Vita. For those unclear, Orochi is a native Japanese language game engine originally designed as a means...
News Japanese Sales Charts: PlayStation Platforms Continue Chugging Along
Despite a smattering of new software releases, it was pretty uneventful seven days for PlayStation in Japan this week
Hardware sales were down after the enthusiasm of new colours last week, with the PlayStation 3 shifting 34k units and the PSP just behind with 33k units. After its tremendous debut last week, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 dropped to...
News Sony To Take 'More Tailored Approach' To PlayStation Vita Software Pricing
With the smartphone gaming sector still a hot point of discussion, Sony has said that it intends to offer multiple price-points for PlayStation Vita software in order to counter the burgeoning threat of mobile phones
While the company's still keeping those pricing details close to its chest, SCEE executive Jim Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz: "I...
News Square Enix To Open New Studio In Montreal
Square Enix has announced plans to open a new studio in Montreal
According to reports, the univentively titled Square Enix Montreal will develop a new Hitman title as its first project. The game will supposedly target next generation platforms. The studio is set to open next year and will be headed up by Square Enix London's Lee Singleton, creating...
