Tag: Industry - Page 8
Rumour Ubisoft Turmoil Continues as Shareholders Consider Buyout
Chinese giant Tencent in talks
Ubisoft's tumultuous 2024 continues. Word of a potential buyout is starting to spread (again), as the publisher struggles to right itself following a series of poor decisions, layoffs, and general mismanagement. Back in October, it was reported that shareholders — including Chinese conglomerate Tencent — were...
News Ex-PlayStation Boss Thinks the Days of Consoles Are Numbered
Shawn Layden predicts proprietary hardware is on the way out
Shawn Layden, who formerly headed up PlayStation's first-party studios, reckons game consoles as we know them will eventually become "irrelevant". Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer, the ex-Sony suit talked at length about where consoles are heading, pointing to the plateauing power...
News Gamers Are Reportedly More Interested in Watching Games Than Actually Playing Them
Play has limits
You're statistically more likely to be watching a video about games than you are playing one yourself, according to a newly published report. MIDiA Research, which crunches the numbers on various aspects of entertainment, has recently claimed that gamers are spending more of their week watching gaming-related videos on YouTube and...
News PlayStation Boss Hermen Hulst: AI Won't Replace the 'Human Touch' in Game Development
Will be about finding a "balance"
Hermen Hulst, co-CEO of PlayStation, has commented on the rise of AI technology and how it might affect game development in the future. Hulst, who primarily looks after the platform holder's software business, spoke to the BBC, saying that AI could "revolutionise" gaming, but that it will never replace the "human...
News Visions of Mana Director Snapped Up by Square Enix Following Studio Cuts
A new vision
Visions of Mana director Ryosuke Yoshida has announced that he left the NetEase-owned Ouka Studios on the 31st October, and that he's now working at Square Enix. Of course, Square Enix published Visions of Mana to begin with, so the move makes sense. Previously, Yoshida was a designer at Capcom, helping develop titles like Devil May...
News Helldivers 2 Wins Game of the Year at UK Industry Awards
Go get 'em, TIGA
Helldivers 2 was the big winner at the 2024 TIGA Awards, scooping Game of the Year, Best Visual Design, and Best Technical Innovation. The chaotic co-op shooter set the world on fire when it launched back in February (god, that feels like so long ago), but its popularity steadily declined as the months wore on, to the point where...
News Shuhei Yoshida's Resignation Prompts Massive Outpouring of Love for PlayStation Legend
Everybody loves Shuhei
In case you missed the news, Shuhei Yoshida, a legendary PlayStation executive, is leaving the company after 31 years. It's unclear what his next steps will be when he leaves in January, but what's absolutely clear is that everyone adores the man. With the announcement came a tidal wave of love and support for Shu, with...
News Live-Action Cyberpunk Still in Conceptual Phase, CDPR to Peruse Partners in 2025
Full circle
While we had hoped to hear more about CD Projekt Red's teased live-action Cyberpunk 2077 project in early 2025, it seems it's still quite a ways off. CDPR says the project is still in the conceptual phase and won't be ready to shop to potential publishing partners for at least another year. We still don't know whether this live-action...
News Another Former Mass Effect Dev's New Studio Is Facing Financial Woes
World's Untold is "pausing operations"
In a strange bookend to the week, it seems another former Mass Effect senior developer's new undertaking is feeling the current industry pressure. Worlds Untold, established by NetEase Games and led by ME trilogy writer Mac Walters, is "pausing operations" until sufficient funding can be found. Walters re
News Kadokawa Wants Sony's Full Commitment with Buyout of Entire Company
Or not at all
One of the biggest stories in games right now is Sony's potential acquisition of Kadokawa Corporation. In a new report from Bloomberg, it's claimed that the two companies have been in talks about a buyout for years. According to the report, the pair has been back and forth on a deal for a long time, with the main issue relating to the...
News Infinity Ward's Turn in 2026, Sledgehammer Games in 2027, Says Call of Duty Insider
2025 remains a mystery
As everyone is still glued to Black Ops 6, it might seem too soon to start looking ahead to future releases, but the voracious Call of Duty beast never rests. According to a known series insider, Sledgehammer Games will reportedly lead development on 2027's inevitable Call of Duty release. This same leaker expects that 2
News Devolver's Delayed Awards May or May Not Go Ahead Later Today
Devolver Digital reserves the right to delay the show until the very last moment
Chaotic video game publisher Devolver Digital is allegedly holding its 15th Annual Devolver Delayed Awards 2024 today, 27th November. If the show does go ahead, viewers can look forward to "the only awards show recognizing those heroic developers with the courage and...
News PlayStation Exec Shuhei Yoshida Will Leave the Company in January
After 31 years of service at PlayStation
PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida has announced he will be leaving Sony, effective from 15th January 2025. He has spent 31 years with the company, helping to bring multiple systems to market and put fan-favourite games on them, like Bloodborne. Once the president of SIE Worldwide Studios, Yoshida has more...
News Naughty Dog Casts Troy Baker to Star in Untitled Next PS5 Game
What year is it?!
In news that might at first sound like a parody, developer Naughty Dog has cast The Last of Us lead, Troy Baker, in its untitled next PS5 game. Baker, who famously played grizzled dad Joel Miller in PlayStation's premiere series, was a natural pick, says Naughty Dog chief Neil Druckmann: "In a heartbeat, I would always work with...
News Former Mass Effect Lead's New Sci-Fi Game Cancelled, Developer Shuts Down
Humanoid Origin announces closure
In another sad piece of news for the industry, developer Humanoid Origin has announced its closure. The Canadian studio was formed in 2021 by former BioWare veteran Casey Hudson, and it was working on a "character-driven" AAA sci-fi title. Previously, Hudson had been the director of the original Mass Effect trilogy...
News Kratos Voice Actor Denies Multiple God of War Announcements
Update: Allegedly not "our" God of War
Despite God of War Ragnarok's 2022 release and subsequent Valhalla DLC arriving in December 2023, it still seems too soon to hear about what the future holds for Kratos and Atreus. Kratos actor Chris Judge has seemingly teased several imminent reveals in a recent TikTok livestream before later clarifying, and...
News Amid Turbulent Times for the Games Industry, Koei Tecmo Is Doubling Down on Consoles Like PS5
Plans to double workforce
All we’ve heard about for what feels like an eternity are layoffs and job losses, so it’s a little unusual to see Koei Tecmo talking about doubling down on AAA titles and growing its workforce from 2,500 employees to 5,000. Still, the Japanese publisher – which will release Dynasty Warriors: Origins early next year...
News PlayStation Preservation Expert Has Safely Stored Over Half a Petabyte of Sony's Gaming History
An important job
Game preservation is more important than ever. As our industry matures, the thought of losing valuable source code, design documents, and artwork feels unthinkable – but it happens all the time. Sony has taken steps to prevent that, assigning preservation expert Garret Fredley and a few of his colleagues the task of creating a...
News Australia's Planned Social Media Ban Won't Include PSN After All
Yeah, nah, don't worry about it, mate
Last week, we brought you troubling news from Down Under, where in the far-off land of Australia, an unfortunate precedent is coming to pass: the banning of "social media" (which has since been legally defined) for under 16s. This revolutionary concept is quickly catching on and is apparently "already on the...
News Shenmue 3 Publishing Rights Passed to ININ on Fifth Anniversary
Starts a "new chapter" for threequel
Long-time readers will know this author is a huge Shenmue nut to the extent where he actually left a message inside long-awaited threequel, Shenmue 3. Now, a day after the title’s fifth anniversary, an interesting development has occurred: publishing rights have been passed from Deep Silver to ININ. A...
News Bandai Namco Basically Shutters Online Arm Following Live Service Failures
Blue Protocol company "absorbed"
Bandai Namco Online, as its name suggests, is essentially Bandai Namco's online games arm; in recent years it's been responsible for the publisher's live service push in the form of Gundam Evolution and Blue Protocol. And now, the plan is for Bandai Namco Online to be absorbed into Bandai Namco Entertainment in...
News PlayStation Has Had More Heads of Mobile Than Mobile Games Since 2021
What exactly is Sony's mobile strategy?
Sony has promoted Olivier Courtemarche to head of mobile at PlayStation. He was previously made co-head of mobile alongside Kris Davis in June 2023, but has now taken on the role solo. The announcement came via an update from Courtemarche on LinkedIn (thanks, Mobilegamer.biz). In addition,
News Kadokawa Confirms Sony Acquisition Interest
Sony sends "letter of intent" to Kadokawa
Kadokawa Corp has responded to yesterday's reports of interest from Sony regarding a potential takeover by confirming it has received an "initial letter of intent" from the company. In a newly issued statement, Kadokawa added "no decision" has been made as to whether it'll go through with the acquisition or...
News Remedy Offers Control 2 Insight, AAA Action RPG on €50 Million Budget
Looking at 3-4 million units for 100% ROI
Remedy has shared an inside look at the budgeting and lifetime goals of creating Control 2, as it states the future game is working on a roughly €50 million budget and will need to sell between three and four million copies to improve on its investment costs. The game is a AAA action RPG, which going by...
Feature Why Would Sony Want to Buy Kadokawa?
We explore why alleged talks may be taking place
Sony is in talks to acquire media conglomerate Kadokawa, an enormous corporation made up of many subsidiaries across gaming, manga, and anime. The buyout – which, according to Reuters, could be completed in a matter of weeks – would significantly bolster the Japanese giant’s entertainment...
News Sony Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Elden Ring Dev's Parent Company Kadokawa Corp
Includes FromSoftware and more manga control
Sony has reportedly entered talks with Elden Ring maker Kadokawa Corporation with a view to acquiring the company, Reuters claims via two sources. Discussions are said to be ongoing, and if they're successful, a finalised deal could be signed within the coming weeks. The firm's stocks are estimated to be...
News Sony's Had a First-Party PS5, PS4 Game Nominated for Game of the Year Ten Times in a Row
Do not underestimate the power of PlayStation
Sony has had a first-party Game of the Year nomination at The Game Awards ten years in a row. In fact, the streak would be even longer if 2014 hadn’t been such a lean year for the industry as a whole. Here are the titles that have been nominated: 2015: Bloodborne 2016: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s...
News Do You Really Want Devs to Make Lower Budget, More Original Games for PS5?
Slitterhead studio in the eye of storm
As we wrote in our review this month, Slitterhead is an inventive and original game. It’s one we thoroughly enjoyed, but it currently commands a Metacritic rating of 62. It’s one of the rare occasions where our 7/10 is actually higher than the critical mean. And it’s started an interesting discussion on...
News Remedy's Sam Lake Honoured with Andrew Yoon Legend Award
Kojima, Schafer, Druckmann, Lake
Charismatic Remedy Entertainment boss Sam Lake has been honoured with the Andrew Yoon Legend Award, named the recipient by the New York Videogame Critics Circle. Lake has spent over two decades at Remedy, serving as creative director on both the Alan Wake and Control franchises. He's also a wonderful dancer. The...
News Embracer Still Struggling, Despite Cutting Thousands of Jobs
Net sales down 23% year-on-year
It's been a little while since we checked in on Embracer Group, and with the publishing giant having posted its Q2 financial results, now seems as good a time as any. Despite cutting thousands of jobs and attempting to right the ship, Embracer reports significant declines across the board, with the all-important...
Interesting timing
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, or any other DLC add-on, will be eligible to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards. An update to the FAQ on the event’s official website notes: “The Game Awards aims to recognise the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content’s release...
News DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Fallout Devs Strike in Protest of Parent Company, Microsoft
Xbox boss says business "has never been more healthy"
Hundreds of unionised ZeniMax staff have walked off the job and are striking today, fed up with parent company Microsoft dragging its feet. Developers from Bethesda's various studios are downing tools due to Microsoft's alleged refusal to act in good faith at the bargaining table. The one-day...
News Six Months After Closing Tango Gameworks, Xbox 'In the Market' for Asian Studios
Phil Spencer talks possible acquisitions
Phil Spencer, Xbox's top dog, has made it clear that it remains interested in acquisitions, with one eye on the Asian games industry. Microsoft made history when it concluded its enormous $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard King. Though this took a long time to close, it followed on from the...
News Game Size Not as Important as It Used to Be, Says Yakuza Creator
Rather, it's about how you use the content
Yakuza/Like a Dragon creator Toshihiro Nagoshi says the era of games needing to be as big as possible is fast coming to an end. With the nonstop onslaught of game releases fighting for players' limited free time, Nagoshi says it's only natural that games will be judged less harshly on their size as the...
News Square Enix's New AAA Games Are Being Trounced by Final Fantasy 14
Profitable MMO segment still winning
The venerable MMO Final Fantasy XIV, once considered an abject failure, is now pointed to as an example of a video game redemption arc. Over the years, Square Enix has come to rely on the regular, predictable profits it draws from the title's vast player base, and the massively multiplayer game has become one of...
News Single Player Western RPG from Lies of P Pub Will Be One to Watch on PS5
Neowiz sheriff-a
Korean publisher Neowiz demonstrated its commitment to interesting ideas with the excellent Lies of P, and it’s just signed a deal with Polish start-up Zakazane to publish its new single player western RPG. The game’s said to take place in a remote mining town, where you’ll assume the role of a sheriff tasked with solving a...
News Australia's Planned Social Media Ban to Include PSN
Albo, you've got to be joking, mate
Australia's current Labor government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, plans to impose strict rules on teenagers' use of social media. With broad support from the states and both major parties in agreement, the Online Safety Act could pass before the end of the year, likely being introduced in 2025. It...
News NetEase Execs, Employees Arrested on Alleged Money Laundering and Bribery Charges
Marvel Rivals, Destiny: Rising developer embroiled
Nine staff members from the Chinese conglomerate NetEase have been arrested on charges of money laundering and bribery. Those detained include two of the company's executives: NetEase Games' general manager Xiang Lang and esports lead Jin Yuchen. Picked up by Chinese language outlet Leifeng and...
News PlayStation Has Swiftly Solved Its Profitability Problem
The graphs are going up
You may remember over the past year there’s been a lot of handwringing over PlayStation’s profitability. As is so often the case, this all got bundled up with Xbox’s issues, and numerous thinkpieces were written about the console market as a whole. Well, Sony’s largely already solved the issue. In its latest earnings...
News PS5 Pro Could Cost Almost $1,000 if Proposed Tariffs Are Imposed
Price hike
If you already think PS5 Pro is overpriced, then it could be about to get even more expensive in the US – and potentially through no fault of Sony’s own. Gizmodo reports that, following Donald Trump’s election victory earlier this week, he could impose tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese exports once he assumes office in January next...
News Nintendo and The Pokémon Company Want to Stop the Sale of Palworld
Claims the game infringes on its patents
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are seeking an injunction which will block the sale of Palworld, it’s been revealed. Earlier this year, just days prior to the indie game’s PS5 release, the Mario maker filed a patent lawsuit against developer Pocketpair – and now we have more details about what it...
News Sony Comments on Concord Disaster, Says Game Should Have Been Tested Earlier
User testing and internal evaluation needed to be sooner
Sony has claimed it should have been performing internal tests of Concord earlier than it was to spot the mistakes that led to its disastrous launch. Speaking during a Q&A session part of its latest Q2 financial earnings call, Sony president Hiroki Totoki said the firm is still going...
Random Super Smash Bros Maker Masahiro Sakurai Says He Bought a PS5 Pro Today
Super spend bros
Industry icon Masahiro Sakurai – the eternally young creator of the Super Smash Bros franchise and founder of Sora Ltd – plunged deep into his wallet today to purchase a PS5 Pro console. “I bought it,” he wrote on social media, next to an image of the supercharged system’s box. While the new system has sparked global...
News Take-Two CEO Says Borderlands Movie Bombing 'Didn't Hurt at All'
Like water off a duck's back
When the Borderlands movie bombed on the world stage, it barely managed to scrape back its marketing budget, let alone what was spent securing the likes of Cate Blanchett and Jack Black. But Take-Two Interactive ZEO, Strauss Zelnick, doesn't think it did lasting damage to the video game franchise from which it was...
News Don't Nod Staff to Strike in Paris, Workers Demand Redundancy Plan Be Abandoned
French revolution
Last month, Parisian developer/publisher Don't Nod announced it would cancel multiple projects, reorganise the company, and eliminate a strangely specific 69 positions in the process. Our favourite French union, Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV), fresh off of causing headaches for Ubisoft, has a...
News Take-Two Has Sold Its Private Division Subsidiary to an Unnamed Buyer
New owner to be announced in due course
Indie games publisher Private Division is no longer part of Take-Two, as it’s been sold to an undisclosed buyer. Strauss Zelnick, the firm’s head honcho, told GamesIndustry.biz that the new owner will be disclosed soon. The sale, according to the exec, will allow the firm to focus on larger projects...
News Netflix's Recent AAA Studio Closure Part of Planned AI Pivot
Team "Blue" boasted veterans of God of War, Halo, and Overwatch
Last month, Game File reported that Netflix had unceremoniously shuttered one of its internal development studios, "Team Blue". Likely having spent vast sums on securing splashy talents like longtime Halo creative lead Joseph Staten and God of War art director Raffael Grassetti, those...
News Survey Finds 21% of European Games Industry Professionals Were Laid Off in Last Year
Brain drain
According to the annual Big Games Industry Employment Survey, run in conjunction with the Values Value recruitment agency and career platform InGame Job, a sobering almost 21% of European games industry professionals have been laid off in the last year; some found new jobs, others found work outside of the industry, and still more are...
News Labour Union Blasts Sony for Looking to Further Monopoly with Studio Closures
Eh?
Labour union the Communication Workers of America (CWA) claim that Sony’s recent closures of Concord developer Firewalk and mobile studio Neon Koi are evidence of it looking to further its “monopoly position in the video game industry”. It’s also warned that it’ll be sharing its concerns with regulators and policymakers. Firewalk was...
News PlayStation's Dual CEO Setup Has 'Opportunities and Risks'
"It's a balance"
Sony took the bold decision of replacing ex-CEO Jim Ryan with two executives. Hermen Hulst is in charge of PS Studios and first-party software, while Hideaki Nishino runs the hardware business. It’s an ambitious structure, and one that could easily lead to conflict: after all, you could argue a way to grow PS Studios is to release...
