Tag: Industry - Page 10
News Devil May Cry's Hideki Kamiya Says Japanese Devs Should Be 'Proud' of the Term JRPG
A different perspective
Hideki Kamiya, the creator of both Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and CEO of PlatinumGames, says that Japanese developers should be "proud" of the term JRPG and thinks it "should be celebrated moving forward". These comments come in response to those made by Square Enix's Naoki Yoshida earlier in the year, who isn't a fan of the...
News Embracer Starts Shutting Studios as the Downsides of Consolidation Surface
Sadly predicted
The Embracer Group is a Swedish video game media holding that, for years now, has been quietly acquiring smaller studios, and a frankly ludicrous number of them at that. With 131 internal video game studios and 15,000 staff worldwide, it seemed too unwieldy to manage, and sure enough, a mass round of layoffs was announced, with the...
News Kickstarter Demands Proof of Humanity, Requires New Projects to Disclose AI Use
Not today, Skynet
Kickstarter has announced a new policy to preserve humanity (in general) and in art (specifically). In response to feedback from creators and backers, the crowdfunding platform unfurled its new A.I. policy, which will require all new projects to disclose the use of controversial te
News Baldur's Gate 3 Dev Larian Studios Has No Interest in Being Acquired
Fears over losing creative choice
Baldur's Gate 3 team Larian Studios isn't interested in being bought by the likes of Microsoft or Sony, as chief executive officer Swen Vincke feels the developer still has so much more to give. In a new interview with
News The Callisto Protocol Studio Hit with Layoffs
32 employees let go
Striking Distance Studios, the developer behind last year's PS5, PS4 title The Callisto Protocol, has been hit with layoffs. In a statement handed to IGN, it's confirmed 32 employees have been let go so the company can "realign the studio’s priorities to better position its current and future projects for success". Those laid...
News Don't Worry, Activision Totally Has the Source Code for Those Awesome PS3 Transformers Games
"When a company eats a company that eats a company, things get lost"
As reported by our sister site Time Extension earlier in the week, the whereabouts of hard drives containing the all-powerful source code for a number of Transformer games was initially in dispute, with both Activision and Hasbro representatives pointing the finger at the other...
News Veteran FromSoftware Composer Yuka Kitamura Departs to Begin Freelance Adventure
Phone likely ringing off the hook
Yuka Kitamura has an impressive resume (and plenty of fans), having composed music for games noted for having great music, such as Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring, to name a few. The composer made an announcement earlier on
Additional accoutrements
Once rumoured and since formally announced, Sony Interactive Entertainment's take on the Earbud still doesn't have a release date. FCC filings might shed some more light on the device in question, however, and it looks like active noise cancellation is on the cards, as well as a USB transceiver for lossless audio and...
News Sony Seemingly Forces Nintendo to Remove Rubbish The Last of Us Ripoff from Switch's Store
Was it all for nothing?
Nintendo Switch’s shameless – and abhorrently awful – The Last of Us knockoff has been removed from the eShop, as Sony has lodged copyright strikes against the game. The Last Hope attracted mainstream attention
News Microsoft Urges UK Regulator to Renege on ActiBlizz Block, Points to PlayStation Deal
"Industry's most powerful player will have the game it considers most important"
It’s been mercifully quiet on the Microsoft front these past two weeks, and may we underline how beautifully blissful it’s been! But of course, the Redmond firm’s well imbursed legal team hasn’t stopped putting in the overtime, as it seeks to overcome the final...
News 100 Layoffs at CD Projekt RED Amid Organisational Changes
Nearly 10% of its workforce
Polish studio CD Projekt RED has announced it'll be cutting "around 100" jobs in the very near future as part of a structural reshuffle. Adam Kiciński, CEO of the company, has put out a press release that goes over what's happening and why. "To meet our own high expectations and ambitions to create the best role-playing...
News Dying Light Studio Techland Set to Be Acquired by Tencent
Will become majority shareholder
Dying Light 2 developer Techland has announced Chinese firm Tencent is setting itself up to become the studio's main shareholder, effectively acquiring the Polish team. Confirmed by founder Pawel Marchewka in a website post, he says the buyout allows Techland "to move full speed ahead with the execution of the vision...
News Microsoft Extends Deadline of $69 Billion Activision Blizzard Acquisition
"Excited about bringing more games to more players"
We’ve reached the point with Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard where it’s likely only a matter of time before the deal closes, but the trillion dollar tech titan still has some hurdles to overcome with the UK’s regulator. While it’s returned to the...
News Won't Someone Think of the Children? UK Moves to Protect Kids from Loot Boxes
Something had to be done
Children will find it much harder to go on sugar-fueled loot box binges in future, as the UK games industry has agreed to a set of 11 guidelines which should restrict the little tykes' access to in-game loot boxes moving forward. This series of "improved protections for children, young people and adults following concerns...
News If Sony Does Ever Make a PS Vita 2, It'll Probably Need Replaceable Batteries
Party like its 1989
If Sony ever were to release a hypothetical Vita successor (not likely, and yet still we dare to dream), it would need to feature replaceable batteries, at least in order to comply with new regulations laid down by the Council of the Europen Union. The decree aims to "regulate the entire life cycle of batteries" and
News Every Little Helps! UK Giant Tesco Will Stop Stocking Physical Video Games
You won't find PS5, PS4 software on shelves
Colossal UK supermarket chain Tesco has announced plans to stop stocking video games entirely in its 2,800 stores, contributing to the spiralling death of physical software. According to Games Industry.biz, the firm will begin phasing out boxed PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox games immediately, meaning...
News Sony and Microsoft Sign a 'Binding Agreement' to Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation
Update: Deal will last for 10 years
Update: Sony has now confirmed to outlet Axios that the "binding agreement" with Microsoft ensures the Call of Duty series will appear on PlayStation hardware for the next 10 years. Original article: With Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard set to close in the coming days following an
News FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
"Another step closer to the finish line"
In expected news, the Federal Trade Commission has failed in its attempts to delay Microsoft’s eye-watering $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard. Earlier this week, the US regulator lost its court case against the trillion dollar tech titan, meaning it was unable to impose a temporary injunction on the...
News HoYoverse Urges Recording Studio to Resolve Voice Actor Payment Issues
Update: After stars had claimed they'd gone months without pay
Update: Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse has issued a response to reports that some of its voice actors have gone months without being paid for their work. In a statement to Eurogamer.net, a spokesperson said: "We truly regret to learn about the ongoing situation. Genshin Impact...
News Destruction AllStars Dev Gobbled Up by Tencent Subsidiary
Light speed
Lucid Games – the developer of PS5’s well-intentioned but ultimately ill-fated destruction derby-style outing Destruction AllStars – has been gobbled up by LightSpeed Studios, a subsidiary of Chinese behemoth Tencent. The latest in a long, long line of gaming acquisitions, the Liverpool-based outfit says it’ll continue to operate...
News Sony Is Increasing R&D Costs to Fuel Live Service Games, Report Claims
10% increase this financial year
A new report from Nikkei claims Sony will be increasing its monetary investments into Research & Development sectors by around 10 per cent this financial year to aid its push into the live service space. This investment will total around 300 billion yen ($2.13 billion) and represents roughly 40 per cent of the...
News The FTC Officially Files an Appeal Against Microsoft-Activision Court Victory
Not over 'til it's over
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) isn't giving up without a fight, it seems. After losing its courtroom battle for a preliminary injunction against Microsoft's intended purchase of Activision Blizzard, the government body has officially filed an appeal. The court's decision in favour of the Redmond corporation's acquisition...
News UK Regulator 'Still Stands' by Decision to Block Xbox's $69 Billion Activision Blizzard Buyout
Talks with Microsoft in their infancy
It feels like, one way or another, Microsoft will now acquire Activision Blizzard for an eye-watering $69 billion, following the outcome of US regulator the Federal Trade Commission’s failed temporary injunction attempt earlier this week. In the immediate aftermath of this week’s court ruling, the UK’s...
News Sony to Showcase Big PS5, PS4 Indies at Kyoto Convention
BitSummit Let's Go!!
With Sony's most recent Showcase dividing fan opinion, to put things mildly, we could at least see some indie gems out of Kyoto, which would be nice. Japan's largest indie game festival is BitSummit, or "BitSummit Let's Go!!" if you prefer, and it is being held over the weekend, from 14th-16th July. Shuhei Yoshida, as Sony...
News Naughty Dog Co-President Evan Wells Announces His Retirement
Will leave the studio at the end of the year
Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells has announced he will be retiring from the developer after 25 years. Confirmed in a statement, he leaves Neil Druckmann as the sole president of the company along with the Studio Leadership Team, who Wells believes will "steer the studio into a successful future". He'll...
Reaction What Happens to PlayStation if Microsoft Buys Activision Blizzard?
The question we're all pondering
Well, then – here we are. As perhaps even eternal optimists may have anticipated, US regulator the Federal Trade Commission has lost its case against Microsoft, meaning there’ll be no preliminary injunction to prevent its Activision Blizzard acquisition from closing before its 18th July deadline. And in dramatic...
News Microsoft Beats US Regulator FTC in Activision Blizzard Buyout Battle
Update: Xbox maker agrees to "stay of litigation" with UK regulator
Update: In a rapidly developing update in this snowballing story, Microsoft president Brad Smith has revealed that his company have agreed to a “stay of litigation” with UK regulator, the CMA. An appeal hearing with the CAT had been scheduled to get underway on 28th July, but it...
News AI-Generated Audio Row Leads to Persona 5 Voice Actor Deleting Twitter Account
Apathy's a tragedy
Computers are back at it again, easing our lives while creating moral quandaries quicker than we can (ironically) process. 2023, it seems, is the year in which we contend with the rise of AI, as evidenced by the ongoing Writer's Guild of America strike, and now the voice-acting community finds itself at something of a digital...
News SEGA Backtracks on Blockchain, Believes Play-to-Earn Games Are Boring
But never say never
SEGA, once intrigued by the power of the Blockchain, appears to have changed course, with the company's COO Shuji Utsumi declaring that "the action in play-to-earn games is boring. What’s the point if games are no fun?" Speaking to Bloomberg, Utsumi said that SEGA doesn't want to devalue the strength of its biggest IPs, like...
News Yuji Naka Faces $1.2 Million Fine and Suspended Prison Sentence for Insider Trading
Yuji knackered
Reports coming out from Japan contain the final sentence for Yuji Naka, best known for his contributions to the Sonic the Hedgehog series. After pleading guilty to charges of insider trading, Naka has been sentenced to a prison term of two and a half years, suspended for a period of four years. Additionally, he faces two fines...
News James Bond Title Sparks New Studio Opening for IO Interactive
Located in Brighton, UK
Hitman team IO Interactive has opened a fifth studio in Brighton, UK to help create its James Bond game, titled Project 007 right now. A core team is already said to be in place on England's south coast, and along with the developer's other four production houses, it'll "make significant contributions to the ambitious...
News PlayStation and Other Gaming Titans Flock to Twitter Rival Threads
In a flap
Gaming titans like PlayStation are spreading their wings and flocking to Threads, the new Twitter rival launched by Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta. The new text-based social media platform is seeking to swoop in on Twitter’s turf, after a series of controversial changes by new owner Elon Musk have seen the popularity of the...
News Even Microsoft Is Expecting a Revised PS5 Hardware Model This Year
Not like this
The portents appear to be aligning for a PS5 hardware revision coming this year. Earlier, we brought you word that a European price cut suggests that could be the case, and now even Microsoft is getting in on the action, claiming in court filings relating to
News This Year's Tokyo Game Show Will Be Its Largest Ever
Back on track
While Sony's presence at the event will be limited to the Indie Game Area, Tokyo Game Show 2023 will be the event's largest yet, utilising the entirety of the mammoth Makuhari Messe venue in which it takes place for the first time in four years. Last year saw the event return to an in-person occasion, but ongoing coronavirus concerns...
Random NieR Creator Yoko Taro Loses Nightmarish Emil Mask, Replacement Probably Haunted
Impossible to verify
Eccentric auteur Yoko Taro, the creator perhaps best known for philosophical android action game NieR: Automata, has lost his iconic Emil mask. If you live in the L.A. area and come across a freaky, grinning skeleton-like mask, maybe keep it? We're sure he's got plenty of others. As reported by Kotaku, the saga began when Taro...
News Hours of Unseen Video Game Footage Is Being Archived Online
Rescued before being sent to landfill
The video game industry is so focused on the future that it sometimes forgets about the past. Obviously, retro gaming is an increasingly important part of our pastime, but publishers and platform holders don’t always make it easy to archive the best releases of yesteryear. Recently, for example, Sony announced...
News Sony Wants More PS5 Exclusives from South Korea
Top talent
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is reportedly out shopping again, looking to secure PlayStation exclusives and third-party partnerships in the burgeoning developmental hotbed that is South Korea. With Sony's renewed focus on mobile, this makes some synergistic sense, but the news has some potentially interesting implications for...
News Like a Dragon Fandom Divided After Hearing Kiryu's New English Voice
Change can be difficult
It's never easy to fill another's shoes, let alone that of a fan-favourite character of the calibre of Kazuma Kiryu, the long-time protagonist of the Yakuza Like a Dragon franchise. That's precisely the difficult situation in which recently revealed YouTuber and professional voice actor
News Sony's First Smartphone Dev Loses Managing Director As He Looks for 'Equilibrium' in Life
"I'm eager to watch from the side"
A co-founder from Sony’s recently acquired smartphone developer Savage Game Studios has left the Helsinki and Berlin-based company as he looks for “equilibrium” in life. In a refreshingly candid post, Michail Katkoff – who co-founded the studio, having previously worked at developers like Rovio – said...
News Gollum Dev Daedalic Entertainment to Focus on Publishing After Disastrous Launch
Current Lord of the Rings project halted
Daedalic Entertainment will be shutting down its in-house development efforts in the wake of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum's rough launch. The German company, which has been both developing and publishing games since 2007, will be focusing solely on the latter half of its business moving forward. Internal...
News After Initial Concerns, Sony Now in Talks with Roblox for PlayStation Version
Jim Ryan explains why it hasn't happened yet
You can't yet play Roblox on PS5 or PS4, and thanks to some new revelations from the FTC / Microsoft hearing, we're learning why. New comments from PlayStation head Jim Ryan have surfaced, explaining the main reason the incredibly popular platform has yet to reach Sony's consoles, and it boils down to...
News Canada Joins UK, US in Questioning Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Buyout
Another blow
If you've not been keeping up, the FTC — the United States' antitrust regulator — is currently in a major legal battle with Microsoft regarding its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. This has dredged up all kinds of stories, not least of which the ridiculous budget of Sony's biggest games, Microsoft's plans to...
News SEGA Uninterested in Being Acquired by Sony, Microsoft
"No, not now."
SEGA isn't interested in being acquired by the likes of Sony or Microsoft at the moment according to co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi. When asked if the Japanese company is open to the idea of being bought out by another company, Utsumi responded to Bloomberg saying simply: "No, not now." SEGA holds the rights to game...
News Publishers Don't Like 'Value Destructive' Subs Like Xbox Game Pass, Says Sony Boss
"This is a very commonly held view over many years"
Sony has dipped its toe into the hypothetical subscription future with its revamped PS Plus tiers, but it’s resisted the temptation to include tentpole AAA titles in its service on day one, like Xbox Game Pass does. It’s argued since the beginning that this business model is unsustainable, and...
News Microsoft Planned to Conquer Japan with Square Enix Buyout, Eye-Opening Documents Reveal
Final Fantasy a key component
Wow, this just never ends! In its ongoing attempts to sate the FTC — which is currently scrutinising Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard — the tech giant has been forced to disclose internal documents and emails, placing a spotlight on the company's behind-the-scenes planning. Just days ago,...
News The Last of Us 2 Cost $220 Million to Make, Horizon Forbidden West Cost $212 Million
And that's without marketing
The budgets of two of Sony’s biggest ever games have been revealed due to some poorly redacted documents, submitted as part of the FTC’s ongoing lawsuit against Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. The US regulator is attempting to temporarily impede the trillion-dollar tech titan’s unfathomable $69 billion buyout of...
Coolest kids in school
In an apparent attempt to rewrite history, a CD Projekt Red executive has suggested that the famously rocky launch and ensuing debacle of long-in-development, yet
News Over Half of Season Dev Scavengers Studio Laid Off
Game didn't meet "commercial expectations"
More than half of all employees at Season: A Letter to the Future developer Scavengers Studio have been laid off as a result of the PS5, PS4 game not meeting "commercial expectations". A statement given to GamesIndustry.biz confirms the game — which released at the start of the year — has only sold...
News Microsoft's Potential Game Plan in 2020: 'Spend Sony Out of Business'
Money talks
Look, we're sick of hearing about the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard saga as you are, but you've got to admit, some of these details are just too juicy to ignore. In its ongoing attempts to appease the FTC, Microsoft has had to present a number of internal emails before the courts — and boy are they eye-opening. One such email saw...
News SEGA and Bungie Were On Microsoft's Shopping List in 2020, Xbox Emails Show
All to "accelerate" Game Pass
Microsoft's ongoing attempts to buy Activision Blizzard for an absurd $69 billion (we still struggle to comprehend that number) have forced the company to divulge all kinds of weird details on how Xbox operates behind the scenes. Case in point: Microsoft has just been forced to share internal emails, in which Xbox bo
