Tag: Industry
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...
News Sony Adopting 'Show Don't Tell' Strategy with PS5
"The product should be the forward-facing thing"
For a site like ours, which lives and breathes PlayStation, we’d be lying if we said it hadn’t been a frustrating generation. The reality is our daily schtick has always hinged on Sony being vocal and fan facing, but since the release of the PS5, the platform holder has become quiet and secretive...
News Wolverine PS5 Lead Dev Leaves for Xbox's Perfect Dark Team
Reportedly due to "creative decisions"
Marvel's Wolverine has lost its original creative director Brian Horton to Xbox's upcoming Perfect Dark title, a Game File report has revealed. As confirmed by both Sony and Microsoft representatives, Horton made the switch in the summer and Marcus Smith has taken his place, who has served in directorial roles...
Random Suda51 Claims to Have Met Mysterious Sales Maestro, Wario64
"I told him, 'Yeah, of course I know about Wario64. Wait a second - are you him?!'"
Eccentric developer Goichi "Suda51" Suda, the founder of Grasshopper Manufacture and creator of No More Heroes, claims to have met the person (or one of the persons) behind the beloved Wario64 X (formerly Twitter) account. If you've been a gamer in the age of social...
News Concord Cost Sony Over $200 Million, And Didn't Make a Single Cent
A price to pay
There’s been much discussion about how much money Sony wasted on gigaflop Concord, and now we have a ballpark estimate. It had previously been reported that the company had spent $400 million on the game, although this number always seemed a little high. Now Kotaku is citing two sources as saying the initial development deal for the...
News After a Tough Few Months, Sony Says It'll Keep Making PS5 Live Service Games
Searching for ways to evolve revenue streams
In a devastating statement issued today, Sony announced the closure of two studios it acquired under co-CEO Hermen Hulst’s tenure – but it’s not deterred it from chasing the live service gravy train. The
News Sony Shuts PS Studio Neon Koi without Ever Releasing a Game
Swimming with the fishes
In addition to shutting down Concord developer Firewalk Studios, the Japanese giant has also closed German developer Neon Koi. This lesser known team was originally purchased as Savage Game Studios in 2022, with the intention of making mobile games.
News PS5, PC Flop Concord Never Returning, Studio Closed Down
Crash landing
In a devastating PS Studios update, bigwig Hermen Hulst has confirmed that following a period of consultation, PS5 and PC gigaflop Concord will never be returning and developer Firewalk Studios has been closed down. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, around 172 people will lose their jobs, although Sony does say it’s trying...
Project Latitude continues
The ongoing will-they-won't-they story surrounding Xbox and its plans to release some of its games on rival platforms continues apace. After some dubious online scuttlebutt, Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, appears to have inadvertently nullified rumours that this strategy is slowing down. A leaker who goes by eXtas1s...
News Sony's Japan Studio 'Forgot What It Feels Like to Have a Hit'
Shawn Layden wasn't surprised by closure
Sony’s shuttered Japan Studio, a much-loved team by PlayStation enthusiasts, was not a hit factory when it closed. The developer worked on numerous fan-favourite franchises – like Gravity Rush and Ape Escape – but many of these failed to resonate commercially, and the department was infamously chaotic...
News The Day Before Dev Cancels Kickstarter Bid, Brazenly Announces Another Game
Try, try, try again
Developer Fntastic, whose exploits we've long chronicled as they once threatened to bring The Day Before to PS5, is back again. Having laid low for a while, the studio emerged last month, attempting to raise funds for a new "project". That didn't work, so the persistent t
News PlayStation, Bungie Still Going Ahead with Internal Live Service Team
Will support all of Sony's live-service titles
There's been little mention of the "SIE Live Service Centre of Excellence" since Sony acquired Destiny 2 team Bungie a few years ago, but it still sounds like the initiative is going ahead in some form. Bridget O'Neill, a lead figure at Bungie Creative Studios, has shared her team will be joining...
News Naughty Dog's Next Game Will Reportedly Put More of a Focus on 'Player Freedom'
Spoiled for choice
In huge news for fans tired of its cinematic schtick, developer Naughty Dog's next game will reportedly feature "a lot of player freedom". That's according to a tantalising tidbit from MinnMax founder Ben Hanson and "somebody very in the know, who worked on the game". Transcribed by VGC, Hanson relayed word of one of the several...
News Ubisoft Labour Woes Spread, Milan Office Strikes in Solidarity
European conflict
In solidarity with the 700 French Ubisoft employees who walked off the job across its Paris, Lyon, Montpellier, and Annecy offices last week, Ubisoft's Milan office downed tools as the unhappy company sentiment spread to Italy. The dispute began over a return-to-work mandate for French employees, with Milanese staff taking...
News Outersloth Indie Fund Partners with Slay the Spire Dev and Mysterious Moneyed Benefactor
Who is [MYSTERY FRIEND]?
Outersloth, the recently-revealed publishing arm of developer Innersloth, the studio behind indie mega-hit Among Us, has partnered with Slay the Spire developer Casey Yano and a mysterious "indie friend" to right at least some industry wrongs. In an era of cancellations and closures, Outersloth has reportedly signed 13...
News Ex-PlayStation Exec Shawn Layden Says There's Been a 'Collapse' in Gaming Creativity
Do you agree?
Shawn Layden, the ex-PlayStation executive who held a number of high-profile roles across Sony Interactive Entertainment, believes there’s been a “collapse” in creativity across the industry due to “studio consolidation and the high cost of production”. Speaking in Singapore at Gamescom Asia, as reported by...
News Don't Nod Financials Result in Reorganisation and Layoffs, Cancelled Projects
French union calls workers to action
More industry pain is coming, with Paris-based publisher/developer Don't Nod announcing a round of layoffs and the cancellation of two indefinitely delayed projects. This news comes alongside the company's latest financial report, which shows an 11% year-over-year drop in operating revenue. Much of the blame, at...
News As Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Explodes, Bandai Namco Is Reportedly Cutting Staff and Projects
Apparently pressuring employees to resign
Video games publisher Bandai Namco has been culling both projects and staff due to "lackluster demand". That's according to a new report from Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources "familiar with the matter". According to the report, Bandai Namco's approach to reducing staff is not to make them redundant, but...
Random Hideo Kojima's Chronic Back Pain Symptom of Carrying Video Game Industry, Fans Say
Back Hurtman's done his back again
Beloved video game designer and industry icon Hideo Kojima has hurt his back again. For those of you who are not closely monitoring the situation, Kojima first publicly reported back pain on 24th September. While we are not medical doctors, in our opinion, this could be a flareup of that original injury, but the...
News Lawsuit Alleges Ubisoft Illegally Shared Users' Data with Meta
Sharing is caring
Another day, another fire for the folks over at Ubisoft to put out. The French firm is now facing a class action lawsuit that alleges it illegally shared personally identifiable information harvested from users of the Ubisoft Store with Meta, formerly Facebook. As
