Tag: Industry - Page 7
News Reassigned BioWare Staff Might Not Get to Go Back to Developer
Now they're permanent moves, says Jason Schreier
The employees from BioWare that EA temporarily moved to other internal teams might not actually be given the chance to go back, a new report claims. Jason Schreier of
News Ex-Sony Boss Says Xbox Can Find Multiplatform Software Success, Just Like SEGA
At the cost of console "FOMO"
Former Sony exec Shawn Layden, who has never been shy about sharing his thoughts on one-time nemesis, Xbox, says Microsoft is incredibly well-positioned to become a multiplatform powerhouse like SEGA, provided the company ditches those pesky consoles. An interview podcast we find ourselves increasingly citing, one that...
News Browse a Colossal Library of Classic US Video Game Magazines Now
Including old-school PlayStation mags
The Video Game History Foundation has opened its digital library, which includes thousands of classic video game magazines, archived in their entirety with full text search support. The project – which also expands to other pieces of ephemera, such as old event guides, tips books, and press materials –...
News Former Rockstar Animator Doubtful GTA 6 Will Run at 60fps on PS5
The future is now
As Rockstar's eagerly anticipated GTA 6 still doesn't even have a release date, we can reasonably assume it will push some bold new video game boundaries, considering its developer and how long it's been in development. Add to that the fact the baseline PS5 is already showing its age; now, it sounds like even the PS5 Pro might...
News BioWare Downsizing as It Focuses on Next Mass Effect, Some Staff Moved to Other EA Teams
Studio is in between "full development cycles"
BioWare has announced it's downsizing and moving "many" staff members over to other teams inside EA as it looks to streamline its workload following the shift in focus to the next Mass Effect instalment. Since the developer is no longer working on two RPGs simultaneously after the release of Dragon Age:...
News Xbox Was December's Biggest Publisher, and 64% of Its Sales Were on PS5, PS4
Your PlayStation is an Xbox
For the month of December, Xbox was the biggest video games publisher in the world — according to a recent number-crunching analysis. The data comes from Ampere, which states that $465 million was spent on games owned and published by Microsoft, making it the largest publisher of them all last month. This shouldn't...
News Sony's Stocks Fly As Market Responds to New Corporate Hierarchy
Company is in good health
Sony’s stocks soared to a record breaking ¥3,527 (~$22) today in the aftermath of its corporate reshuffle announcement. <related ids="177426"> Earlier, the Japanese manufacturer confirmed that celebrated executive Hiroki Totoki will take over as the organisation’s CEO from 1st April. Having already steered...
News Hermen Hulst No Longer PlayStation Co-CEO, Still in Charge of First-Party
Hideaki Nishino takes sole control
A dramatic shake up of the Sony hierarchy has seen PlayStation ditch its dual CEO approach less than a year after it was introduced. Ex-Guerrilla Games managing director Hermen Hulst was appointed co-CEO alongside Platform Business Group bigwig Hideaki Nishino following the departure of Jim
News Legendary 'Father of Final Fantasy' Returns to Make One Last Game
The spiritual "successor to Final Fantasy VI"
Hironubu Sakaguchi, the legendary "father of Final Fantasy", isn't done with game development just yet. While the first-on-mobile JRPG, now on PS5 and PS4, Fantasian Neo Dimension was supposed to be his last game, it seems he's got one more grand adventure in him, and he's shooting for the stars;...
News $100 for GTA 6 Is 'A Bridge Too Far' Even for Rockstar, Says Analyst
You gotta pump those numbers up; those are rookie numbers
Last week, analyst Matthew Ball of the firm Epyllion resurrected the contentious question of AAA video game prices, suggesting that there's "hope" in the industry that the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 will break the "key price barrier" that currently keeps them at around $70 (or your local...
News Xbox Boss Wants to Beat PS6 on Hardware Capabilities, Not Necessarily Games
"Let’s build innovative hardware that people want to use to play"
The gap between the Xbox Series X|S and PS5 is growing dramatically, and there’s a good chance it’ll get even bigger in 2025. Microsoft, in response, has effectively ripped off the band aid and is in the process of rebranding as a third-party publisher. Last week, boss
News Studio Closure, Layoffs at Ubisoft in 'Targeted Restructuring'
185 European employees affected
Whatever the future holds for Ubisoft, significant changes are underway. Around 185 roles have been made redundant, and the company's UK studio in Leamington will be permanently shuttered. The French company confirmed that European teams based in Düsseldorf, Stockholm, and Newcastle will be downsized. A small number...
News Fans Are Buying Fewer Boxed Video Games Than Ever in the US
This is only going one way
Sales of boxed video games in USA slumped to their lowest point in over 25 years in 2024, according to data released by market research organisation Circana. According to the data, revenue generated by physical software has more than halved since 2021, and is a whopping 85% below its peak in 2008. It’s obviously no...
News Capcom Seems Sold on Using AI to Help Out with Game Development
Conceptually speaking
Capcom appears to be pushing forward with plans to implement AI in its game development process. As per a recent interview with Google Cloud Japan (as translated by Automaton), Capcom technical director Kazuki Abe seems pretty positive on the use of AI programs — especially during th
News EA Stock Price Plummets After Dragon Age: The Veilguard, FC 25 Disappointments
Vast hoards of speculative treasure, gone
Following the formal news that, in light of the underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and FC 25 (amongst other things), publisher EA would be forced to lower its expected financial forecast, the real blood-letting happened later on the
News Spyro, Ratchet, Resistance Creator Ted Price to Retire from Insomniac
Replaced by three new studio co-heads
Ted Price, the founder of Sony first-party developer Insomniac Games, has today announced he will be retiring from the studio. Having formed the developer in 1994 (then under the name Xtreme Software), he has helped create the Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, and Resistance franchises. It's announced in a...
News Concern Proposed Tariffs Could Accelerate Downturn in Physical PS5 Games
And potentially push prices higher
On the PS5, there’s still a small market for physical games, which means the vast majority of major titles still release at retail. However, there’s concern that proposed tariffs on imported goods from Mexico could accelerate the rate at which boxed games go away. Speaking at his inauguration earlier this...
News GDC Report Finds Industry Layoffs, Live Service Scepticism Increasing Year-Over-Year
Maybe next year will be better?
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) has again released its annual State of the Games Industry survey ahead of the 2025 conference itself in March, and it paints another bleak picture—or potentially a promising one, depending on your perspective on live service games, which seem to have a stink. An astonishing 41%...
News Damning PlayStation Studios Rumour Debunked After Live Service PS5 Game Cancellations
Devs did know about them
Earlier today, a follow-up story to last week's PlayStation Studios cancellations started doing the rounds online, claiming that the developers of these cancelled projects — Bluepoint Games and Bend Studio — only heard the news at the same time as everyone else. If true, the whispers painted a rather damning picture of...
News Days Gone Dev Says It Still Plans to Create 'Cool Sh*t' for PS5 After Live Service Cancellation
Cruisin' for a bruisin'
PS5 fans have been left bemused by the news that Bend Studio was working on a live service game, which was cancelled as part of an internal review recently. Early last year, a job listing noted that the Oregon-based o
Random Tekken 8 Boss Katsuhiro Harada Is Hashtag Open to Work
He isn't leaving Bandai Namco, just wants to meet new people
Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada has temporarily turned some heads with early indications that he could be back on the job market, a prospect likely to make most interviewees sweat. Updating his LinkedIn profile image with the hashtag #opentowork, Harada really just wants to meet new...
News Games Workshop Reportedly Cancels Mysterious Fantasy Warhammer RPG
Double-edged sword
Like 40,000's God-Emperor of Mankind, fantasy's Elector-Count of Reikland, Karl Franz, gives with one hand and takes with the other. Following the success of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and news that IP holder Games Workshop was looking for the next big hit, it seems an in-development RPG set in the grimdark fantasy version...
News Would You Pay $100 for GTA 6?
Some of the games industry hopes so
There is apparently "hope" within the games industry that Rockstar Games will increase the price of Grand Theft Auto 6 to as much as $100 so that other developers can feel justified in raising the cost of their own games. Documented in a report from analyst Matthew Ball of Epyllion (via VGC), it's claimed that GTA...
News Dragon Age: The Veilguard Director Is Leaving BioWare
Having served an 18-year career at EA
Dragon Age: The Veilguard game director Corinne Busche is leaving BioWare after an 18-year career at EA, with two of them in the position on the RPG project, Eurogamer reports. It is understood the developer hasn't been affected by any layoffs elsewhere; this is simply Busche moving on in the coming weeks...
News Now Sadly Passed, the Legendary David Lynch Directed One of PlayStation's Strangest Adverts
Rest in peace
David Lynch, the renowned film director and writer, has passed away aged 78. Known for his influential works like Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man, and so many more, Lynch leaves behind an extraordinary, inimitable legacy that has had an enormous impact on movies, TV, and games. Notably, he also wrote and directed one...
News Ubisoft Might Relinquish Some of Its IP to a New Venture to Boost Publisher's Value
New-bisoft
According to a new report, Ubisoft stakeholders Tencent and the Guillemot family are considering starting up a new venture and migrating some of the publisher's IP across. Word comes from Bloomberg in a paywalled story that cites people familiar with the situation. Apparently, the two entities are weighing up the possibility of starting...
News After 31 Years, the Legendary Shuhei Yoshida Bids Farewell to PlayStation
Big Shus to fill
Shuhei Yoshida, a beloved PlayStation figurehead, has now concluded his time with the company. After a run of 31 years, he's been a part of Sony's video game brand since its very inception, climbing the ladder to become one of the most important and recognisable people in the business. He announced he would be leaving PlayStation...
News Video Game Industry 'Doesn't Want a Game Pass', Says Market Analyst
Subscription services falling short of expectations
Video game subscription services sounded like such a sure thing even just a few years ago that we can't help but feel for the firms that have invested so heavily in them. Sony has PS Plus, but it's meant to supplement the existing order, not supplant it. Speaking of heavily invested, tech economic...
News Sony Patents Predictive AI Button Presses, So You Don't Have To
PlayStation may, someday, Push Square for you
Sony has filed a patent that, as likely as not, will never see the light of day. Known by the wonderfully evocative name, Sony Patent WO2025010132 "TIMED INPUT/ACTION RELEASE", the speculative tech aims to streamline the "timed release of user commands" by using AI to determine your next button press...
News Square Enix Vows to Deny Toxic Fans Its Wonderful Games, Services
"We reserve our right to refrain from providing products and services"
Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix has unveiled a new customer harassment policy and is seemingly intent on taking a no-nonsense stance in the face of rising fan toxicity. Spotted by VGC, the policy comes as various Final Fantasy voice actors have been forced to speak out...
News Godfall Team Counterplay Games Has Seemingly Shut Down
Developer has been "disbanded"
Counterplay Games, the developer behind PS5 launch game Godfall, appears to have closed according to fresh LinkedIn posts reporting on layoffs and closures within the gaming industry. It's reported Counterplay Games has closed along with Toadman Interactive and Freejam, with the former best known for Immortal:...
News Job Listing Confirms Sony Has Established an Internal AAA Studio in LA
Secret studios
A job listing for a senior project producer confirmed an open secret: that Sony has established at least one new AAA studio in LA. There are reportedly several groups that this could ultimately be, but the smart money seems to suggest that this is likely the team led by Jason Blundell (of Call of Duty Zombies fame), who left Deviation...
News Ubisoft 'Deeply Disturbed' by Abuse Allegations at Assassin's Creed Shadows Support Studio
"We strongly condemn all forms of abuse"
Ubisoft has responded to a video report from YouTube channel People Make Games that claims mental and physical abuse has taken place at an Assassin's Creed Shadows support studio in Indonesia, named Brandoville. In the video, it's reported Brandoville commissioner Kwan Cherry Lai abused employee Christa...
News Industry Journalist Says Xbox Game Pass Does Increase Premium Sales, But Mainly on PS5
High tide lifts multi-platform ships
Former GamesIndustry.biz journalist Christopher Dring (now contributing to VGC again, you love to see it) says that one of the unexpected upsides to Xbox's Game Pass subscription service, at least for Sony, is that certain additions to the service can have a "strong impact" on PlayStation sales. In an industry...
News Ex-Annapurna Staff Reportedly Snap Up Private Division's Portfolio
After Take-Two sold label to investment firm
Following its exodus last year, the former staff of Annapurna Interactive have reportedly reassembled as a new company and taken control of indie label Private Division’s entire portfolio. The latter was itself sold by Take-Two last year. If true, the complicated corporate story would effectively see...
News Suicide Squad Dev Rocksteady Suffers More Layoffs as PS5 Game Hits PS Plus
Anything but steady
It's been revealed that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League developer Rocksteady — previously of Batman: Arkham fame — was hit with another round of layoffs just before the end of 2024. The news comes via Eurogamer, who spoke to "half a dozen" anonymous staff affected by these most recent redundancies. As was the case...
News Gaming Colossus Tencent Added to US Blacklist, Accused of Ties to Chinese Military
Tencent says it's a "misunderstanding"
Tencent, the juggernaut Chinese tech and gaming conglomerate, has been placed on a blacklist by the US Department of Defense. Being on said blacklist doesn't impose sanctions or stop companies trading in the US, but it's designed to deter other companies from doing business with the blacklisted entities. The...
News Sony Is Betting Big on the Global Growth of Anime
Giant wants to dominate rapidly expanding industry
Following its substantial investment into Kadokawa late last year, it’s no real surprise to see Sony doubling down on the global growth of anime content. During its CES 2025 press conference, however, it put that ambition on stage. A long presentation saw Aniplex president Atsuhiro Iwakami and...
News GameStop Shutters Large Number of US Stores with Usual Tact
Roaring Kitty waiting in the wings
Doomed to repeat the same cycle, many GameStop stores have been shuttered across the U.S., and the crypto vultures are already circling. Over the past few days, a steady stream of reports of unofficial layoffs have been shared in the GameStop subreddit, with more every hour. The company has yet to make an official...
News Naughty Dog Sold to Sony to Avoid Being 'Crushed' by Cost of Game Dev
Things are much better these days
Acquired by Sony in 2001 for an undisclosed sum, Naughty Dog is today considered the crown jewel among PlayStation's first-party studio family (although Insomniac has certainly been putting in work of late). In a LinkedIn post (thanks, Eurogamer), co-founder A
News Unsurprisingly, GTA 6 Projected to Make a Staggering Amount of Money
Dollar dollar bills, y’all
Rockstar's anticipated next entry in its legendary series, GTA 6, is expected to make an obscene amount of cash. Considering that its predecessor, GTA 5, sold more than 200 million units across its lifespan, it's not surprising that analysts expect the sequel to make $3.2 billion in its first year of sales alone. Add an...
News Consoles Here to Stay, PS5 to Be Supported into Next-Gen, Says PlayStation CEO
The Console Wars will be fought by future generations
If you were concerned that consoles were dying, you may rest easy, at least for the foreseeable future. PlayStation co-CEO Hideaki Nishino says that, despite the bet on cloud gaming finally appearing to pay off, hardware such as consoles, controllers, and screens aren't going away anytime soon...
News Kojima Productions Output Affected By Ongoing Actors Strike
Physint casting will hopefully resume in 2025
Hideo Kojima's apparent fusion of filmmaking and game development, Physint, is just one of the casualties of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes, which, incredibly, began in August 2024 and will continue in 2025. Kojima is hopeful casting can resume this year, and OD, which the auteur is developing for Xbox...
News Ring in the New Year with a Reborn Tango Gameworks Inc
Hi-Fi Rush developer back and better than ever
To avoid becoming jaded, we are choosing to think this year will be different for the video game industry. Never mind that the tens of thousands of layoffs in development and publishing last year are likely to have ongoing and systemic implications for many more to come. We want to focus on a single...
News Unfazed by Concord, Sony Doubles Down on Exploring Service Games
One of these bets has to pay off
Of all the wild stories that crossed our desk in 2024, Concord's chaotic launch and subsequent removal from history after just two weeks stand out. We may never know how much money Firewalk Studios and Sony ultimately sunk into the project (certainly far too much). Still, the days of a first-party multiplayer release...
News SNK's New KOF Studio Will Revolutionise the Legacy of Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, More
"The dream match never ends"
SNK has named an internal development unit KOF Studio, and tasked it with “revolutionising” the legacy of its storied fighting game franchises. Said series include the likes of King of Fighters (of course), Samurai Shodown, and Fatal Fury. “SNK fighting games have thrilled and delighted fans worldwide ever since...
News Sony Promises It Hasn't Abandoned the Famous Franchises from Its Past
"We are continually looking at opportunities"
While the history of PlayStation has always been about its continuous reinvention from generation to generation, some enthusiasts have taken umbridge with the platform holder’s apparent reluctance to revisit franchises from its past. This discourse peaked during around the release of Astro Bot; while...
News SEGA Is Pondering a PS Plus-Esque Subscription of Its Own
Could it include a catalogue of classics?
Between titles like Metaphor ReFantazio and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, to name just two, SEGA has had one helluva year. But the company is not done yet: it’s announced a new Virtua Fighter, is bringing back fan favourites likes Crazy Taxi, and even seems to have Sonic the Hedgehog sprinting in a...
News Industry Analyst Argues Either Sony or Microsoft Will Need to Exit the Console Market
Three's a crowd
One of either Sony or Microsoft must exit the console space, argues analyst group DFC Intelligence. That’s because it believes there isn’t “room for more than two major console systems” and it doesn’t expect Nintendo to go anywhere. “Sony or Microsoft will struggle mightily in a distant third place – largely depending...
Random Former IGN China Editor Refutes Game Science Crying Claim
"In fact, I didn’t even see anyone crying at the event"
On Monday, still coming down from the unexpected high of The Game Awards, we alluded to an emotionally charged event that allegedly occurred in the audience. Former IGN and Sony Santa Monica writer Alanah
