Tag: Industry - Page 12
News Capcom's Crazy Win Streak Continues as Publisher Confirms Record-High Profit
And record-high game sales
There's simply no stopping Capcom. The Japanese publisher has just revealed its financial results for the fiscal year, and it's basically doing the best it's ever done. This is the company's sixth consecutive year of record-high profit, which is crazy to think about. It's gone from strength to strength to strength ever...
News Sony Will Help Fund Indie Games in India as Hero Project Expands
Submissions open now
Sony has announced its indie-focused Hero Project is expanding to India following its successes in China. Teams in the country can submit their projects now, and if chosen, they shall receive mentorship, access to Sony's internal resources, recoupable development funding, marketing opportunities, and the chance for PlayStation...
News Former PlayStation Boss Saddened by PixelOpus Studio Closure
Shawn Layden shares his disappointment
Former Sony Worldwide Studios head Shawn Layden has voiced his disappointment over the closure of Concrete Genie developer PixelOpus. The first-party developer will be shuttered on 2nd June 2023, to which Layden responded: "This is a deep cut. So loved working with this team and watching them level up to...
News Publisher PLAION Plans to Voltron Deep Silver, Prime Matter, Ravenscourt into Single Entity
Plans proceed apace
PLAION, the publisher formerly known as Koch Media, is restructuring, or as they put it, "simplifying our publishing operations". This will result in subsidiary publisher Deep Silver and developers Prime Matter and Ravenscourt merging, with the aim being to produce fewer titles at a higher quality. The move will result in...
News Concrete Genie Developer PixelOpus Is Shutting Down
First-party dev gone
Concrete Genie team PixelOpus, which is a first-party developer part of PlayStation Studios, has put out a tweet saying it's being closed down. The post reads: "Dear friends, our PixelOpus adventure has come to an end. As we look to new futures, we wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to the millions of passionate players who...
News Horizon Forbidden West Dev to Reveal Studio's Future at UK Event
Eyes on the horizon
Fresh off the release of Horizon Forbidden West's excellent Burning Shores expansion, the future is looking bright for the Amsterdam-based Guerrilla Games. A spokesperson for the company has been selected to give the keynote at this year's Develop: Brighton conference. Representatives from PlayStation Studios, Sumo Digital,...
News Xbox Boss Admits Microsoft Can't 'Outconsole' PS5
Phil Spencer chimes in on current trends
In a rather eye-opening interview with Kinda Funny Games, Xbox boss Phil Spencer basically admits that Microsoft's gaming arm can't directly compete with Sony and Nintendo. It's fairly common knowledge that in the current generation of consoles, the PS5 is comfortably outselling the Xbox Series X|S, but it's...
News Returnal Dev Has Expanded Workforce for Next PS5 Project
Game is King
Housemarque, the Finnish developer behind titles like Returnal and Resogun, is PlayStation Studio's resident arcade expert. Since joining the first-party family, it seems the company has grown to 110 people, with that number likely to increase as it gears up for whatever comes next (though they aren't in the habit of making sequels)...
News $70 Games Could Be Hurting PS5, PS4 Sales, But There's More to the Story
Pony up
As we approach the PS5's third birthday, it seems like Sony's console has been going from strength to strength lately. There are reports that conflict with that assessment, however, and as an unbiased pillar of PlayStation coverage, we thought it only fair to present a different side of the s
News UK's Activision Buyout Block Forbids Microsoft from Trying Again for 10 Years
Time-out
Microsoft's effort to acquire Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard was already starting to look quite dire, but an appeals process is currently underway, we're told. If unsuccessful, however, Microsoft will apparently need to wait a full decade before it will be able to try again. Over on
News PlayStation Beats Nintendo, Xbox to Another Sales Milestone
500 million home consoles sold
Already enjoying a particularly lucrative financial quarter, Sony has crossed another sales milestone, becoming the first console manufacturer to sell 500 million home consoles. Obviously, that removes handhelds from the equation (sorry, Nintendo, that means most of your 833 million isn't eligible), so PSP and PS Vita...
News Activision Poised to Pocket a Cool $3 Billion if Xbox Buyout Breaks Down
Must be funny
Microsoft’s unfathomable $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard is hanging by a thread after the deal was blocked by UK regulators earlier this week. In the aftermath of the decision, the trillion dollar tech titan immediately went on a rampage, piling pressure on the government by
Soapbox I No Longer Think Subscriptions Like PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass Are the Future of Gaming
Sammy weighs in on the subscription debate
In this job, there are clear and obvious trends that dominate the discussion, sometimes for years at a time. I’ve been running Push Square for well over a decade now, and I’m lucky enough to have reported on many of the defining moments that have engaged enthusiasts: there was the battle for motion...
News Granblue Fantasy Juggernaut Cygames Opens US, EU Arms Ahead of Big Game Releases
Sky's the limit
Cygames, the hugely successful Japanese company behind runaway mobile hit Granblue Fantasy and its various spinoffs, is expanding. It's been clear for a while now that Cygames wants to become a more globally recognised outfit, and to help it realise its ambitions outside of Japan, it's now established Cygames America and Cygames...
News 38.4 Million PS5 Systems Sold as Sony Records Its Best Q4 Results
6.3 million PS5 consoles shipped
Sony has managed to beat its own lofty PS5 sales estimations to record a total of 6.3 million PS5 console shipments in the Q4 period of fiscal year 2022. In terms of revenue, this makes it Sony's best-ever fourth quarter earnings, beating out the same period recorded last year. The company was always bullish with...
News Activision Blizzard's Player Numbers Have Taken a Tumble
Numbers, like hips, don't lie
Monthly active users for Activision and Blizzard games have taken a tumble, dropping to levels last seen before the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 or Warzone 2.0. A still-monstrous 98 million players logged on in March 2023 (mostly playing COD), which is down from some 111 million in December 2022. It was...
News Elden Ring's FromSoftware Wants to Release New and Exciting Games More Frequently
Now cometh the age of the stars
In what is undoubtedly the story of the day, developer FromSoftware has revealed its intention to release exciting new games more frequently. Now that sounds like something we can all get behind! The Japanese studio, renowned for the complexity and depth of the worlds it creates, is currently hard at work on multiple...
News Microsoft Goes Scorched Earth Over UK's Activision Buyout Block
"Darkest day in our four decades in Britain"
Microsoft already tried the charm offensive to get its unfathomable $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard past regulators – and now the deal has been blocked by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), it’s just plain gone on the offensive. In an eye-popping interview with the BBC,
News Activision Blizzard Boss Bobby Kotick Warns Billion Dollar Buyout Saga Ain't Over
"This is far from the final word"
After a shock upset at the eleventh hour, the UK's CMA has blocked Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard, stunning pundits and analysts alike as the deal was generally expected to be given the go-ahead. An internal email from Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick
News Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
Didn't see that one coming
In a dramatic twist that we frankly never saw coming, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has blocked Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard after months of investigations and deliberations. Microsoft's industry-shaking $69 billion buyout of the colossal publisher has, predictably, been the subject of...
News AI Can Be a Tool for More Efficient Game Development, Says Sony Veteran
Shuhei Yoshida is positive on AI
There's a big old debate going on around artificial intelligence right now, and it won't be going away any time soon. AI technology is advancing so quickly that it's becoming difficult to imagine a future where it doesn't play an important role in creative processes — and that could be especially true of game...
Let it end
The bell tolls for Call of Duty on PlayStation, as a (pay-walled) Financial Times report indicates the CMA's long-awaited decision regarding Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard could come down as soon as tomorrow, and in the Xbox parent company's favour. There really isn't too much more to say;
News A Future Dominated by Service Games Would Be 'Boring', Says PlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida
A legend speaks
In a new interview with The Guardian, living PlayStation legend Shuhei Yoshida has spoken about the importance of creative diversity in games. At 59 years old, the Japanese veteran has seen it all over the life of Sony's gaming brand, but still finds himself saying "the games industry will never cease to be a fun place". Yoshida,...
News Sounds Like PlayStation Has Grand Plans for Guerrilla's 'Ambitious' Decima Engine
More PS Studios games to use it?
One of the main reasons Horizon Zero Dawn took so long to make is because Guerrilla Games created a brand new engine with which to build it. Known as the Decima Engine, it's only been put to use on a few games so far (that we know of), but the results speak for themselves. In addition to Aloy's debut and the sequel,...
News Guerrilla Games' Top Talent Continues Takeover of PS Studios
Moving on up
It's all change at the top of Guerrilla Games. Having just shipped Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, a handful of the studio's top brass are taking on new positions. Perhaps most notably, Angie Smets has been promoted to Head of Development Strategy for PlayStation Studios.
News Can You Put a Price on a Quality RPG? Yes, and It's Rising All the Time
"We are just running at a f*cking wall"
PC Gamer recently organised an RPG roundtable where veterans like CD Projekt Red's Pawel Sasko (quest director on Cyberpunk 2077) and Mike Laidlaw (lead designer on the Dragon Age series) took aim at some of the biggest issues currently afflicting the genre. The ever-increasing arms race in the AAA space,...
News One of PS5, PS4's Best Exclusive Devs Has Grown to Over 500 Staff
Insomniac firing on all cylinders
Insomniac Games, the first-party studio responsible for iconic PS5 titles like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, has reportedly grown to employ over 500 developers. The increased headcount was spotted on the company's LinkedIn page by
News PlayStation Is No Longer Officially Verified on Twitter
Musketeers
PlayStation has one of the biggest gaming accounts on Twitter, with an eye-watering 30.1 million followers – but as the fallout from Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform continues, the juggernaut is no longer verified. The Japanese giant did previously have a gold checkmark to denote that it’s an official corporation,...
News Horizon Chase Turbo Dev Purchased by Epic Games to Flesh Out Fortnite
Aquiris now named Epic Games Brasil
Oh no! Horizon Chase Turbo is a true gem of an arcade racer, but its developer has been bought by Epic Games to feed the unstoppable Fortnite machine. The Brazilian-based Aquiris will now become Epic Games Brasil, and the Unreal Engine maker says it will “leverage experience to contribute to the future of...
News Sony Acquires Firewalk Studios, New Team Behind Innovative Multiplayer IP
And another one
Sony has added another team to its PS Studios portfolio, although as has become a consistent theme from the manufacturer, this is a new and independent studio – and not a household name that’s published multiformat titles in the past. The platform holder announced a publishing partnership with the firm a few years ago, and its...
News French Publisher Focus Entertainment Buys Train Sim World 3 Dev
Next destination: corporate consolidation
Focus Entertainment has acquired Railsimulator.com, the parent company of Dovetail Games which makes titles such as Train Sim World 3. The fee is not mentioned, and the news comes courtesy of the French firm’s financial report. The organisation used to publish the Farming Simulator series, before GIANTS...
News Sony Quietly Raises the Price of PlayStation Games on Steam in Select Regions
$$$
Sony has quietly hiked the prices of PlayStation games on Steam in seven countries worldwide, with titles like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Days Gone, God of War, Returnal, and more affected. First spotted by Chairmanchuck over on ResetEra, and
News Media Molecule Co-Founder Exits Following Dreams' Live Support Stoppage
Mark Healey moving on
One of Media Molecule's founders, Mark Healey, has announced his departure from the studio. Sharing his news on social media, he says today will be his last day at the PS Studios developer. "So, after years of co-birthing and building Media Molecule, I have decided it is time for me to fly the nest today is my last day at...
News SEGA Buys Angry Birds Maker for $775 Million
Angry bids
Update: And just like that, SEGA has purchased Rovio, the mobile developer behind Angry Birds. The final bid is slightly less than had originally been reported: $775 million. Considering the Finnish firm’s turnover totals about $300 million a year, this deal looks like a snip for the Sonic the Hedgehog publisher. As we’re all...
News Kingdom Come: Deliverance Dev Warhorse Studios Mustering Creative Host for New Project
Must be willing to travel
The excellent open-world RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance was a surprise hit, considering its real-world, 15th-century Bohemian setting and foregoing the fantastical elements common to games of its ilk, such as Skyrim or Fallout 4. Now, developer Warhorse Studios, based out of Prague, has put out a call to arms (or keyboards)...
News American Senators Continue to Target Sony Over PS5, PS4 Timed Exclusives
PlayStation alleged of engaging in "anticompetitive conduct"
More and more American senators are calling out Sony over its timed exclusivity deals, as the fallout from Xbox’s unfathomable $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues to rumble. North Dakota’s Kevin Cramer is the latest to throw his hat into the ring, sending a letter...
Elden Lord
Hidetaka Miyazaki is the president of FromSoftware and one of the all-time great game directors, helming Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring (which has sold a surreal 20 million copies), to name a few. In recognition of this, the auteur creator has been named one of Time Magazi
News A Year After Stadia's Death, PlayStation Appears Poised for Cloud Gaming Push
Is a better home awaiting in the sky?
It's beginning to look like this PS5 Remote Play handheld is going to be a thing whether we, the PlayStation faithful, like it or not. Further, Sony appears poised to once more dive headlong into the cloud gaming breach now that Stadia is cold in the gr
News Konami Employee Charged with Attempted Murder After Attacking Boss with Fire Extinguisher
Publisher yet to comment
There’s never a dull day at Konami it seems – but this story isn’t really a laughing matter. According to Japanese publication Asahi Shimbun Digital, an employee has been charged with attempted murder after attacking his boss with a fire extinguisher, and allegedly hitting him “with the intention of killing him”...
News Capcom Opens Huge Motion Capture Facility to 'Further Strengthen' Its Games
It's all in motion
You know Capcom must be doing well for itself when it's just revealed a brand new, state-of-the-art development facility. Made up of not one, but two large motion capture studios, the so-called Capcom Creative Studio has opened in Osaka, Japan. Osaka is also where you'll find the company's head office. Capcom wants to "bolster...
News Sony Claps Back at UK Regulator's 'Irrational' Reversal on Microsoft Activision Deal
Down, but not out
Sony has hit back at the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over its revised stance regarding Microsoft's proposed $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard, which has softened significantly in recent days. The CMA published Sony's response, which calls out the organisation's abrupt about-face, stating: "The CMA’s...
News Ex-Sony Director Phil Harrison Quietly Departed Google When Stadia Died
Slipped out the back
Former Sony director Phil Harrison is apparently a former Google employee as well, reportedly departing the company at around the time the ill-fated Stadia was shut down in January. Neither Google nor Harrison has officially announced the departure in the months since. The Stadia was supposed to revolutionise the way players...
News With All Eyes on Activision Blizzard, EA Is Actually Driving Most Console User Engagement
Ubisoft bringing up the rear
Despite what Sony and Microsoft both want you to believe, EA, not Activision Blizzard, is the publisher driving the majority of user engagement on consoles these days. That's according to research done by Ampere Analysis, and they've put out a lovely graph from which much can be gleaned. EA has been consistently...
News US Justice Department, Activision Blizzard Settle Following Esport Wage Suppression Accusations
Still in the spotlight
On Monday, the U.S. Justice Department filed a complaint in the district of Columbia accusing embattled publisher Activision Blizzard of suppressing the wages and compensations of esports players, a matter which has reportedly already been settled. The Justice Department alleged that Activision Blizzard limited competition...
News Konami's Return to Games Continues with New Studio Opening
Another building planned for 2025
Konami's plans to return to releasing big and proper games took another step forward today as the firm has announced its relocated to a new studio in Osaka. Under the slogan of "Creators First", it's designed to help the company achieve "sustainable growth in the next 50 years". The building is kitted out with...
News Capcom Just Can't Stop Winning as Stock Hits All-Time High
Capgod
Capcom's growth over the last console generation or so has been frankly outstanding. The company has gone from strength to strength for close to a decade now, making everyone forget just how hard the PS3 era was for the Japanese gaming industry in general. Capcom's come so far, in fact, that its stock actually hit a new all-time high earlier...
News Shuhei Yoshida Wants to Change the Way Indie Developers Perceive PlayStation
Hearts and minds
Shuhei Yoshida is a decades-long video game industry veteran, serving as president of SIE Worldwide Studios through a crucial era in PlayStation history and occupying a special place of affection in the hearts of legions of fans. He was honoured with a BAFTA fellowship for his many achievements within and promotion of the gaming...
News ESA Director Explains Why E3 2023 Was Cancelled
"Ultimately, there were challenges that proved too large to surmount"
The news that E3 2023 has been cancelled is only a few hours old, and we are honestly kind of still reeling. Sure, we knew that the venerable industry event had an uphill battle ahead of it, with publishers pulling out left and right, but it still seems kind of surreal, you know?
News EA Is 'Restructuring', Laying Off Around 6% of Total Workforce
Around 775 employees affected
EA has announced it will be "restructuring", which is the corporate-approved way of saying it will be laying off as many as 775 employees. CEO Andrew Wilson, in a letter to staff that was later made public on the company’s website, describes EA as "operating from a position of strength" but wants to move away from...
News Activision Boss Disappointed by Sony, But Commits to Best Games Possible on PS5, PS4
Assuming any releases remain, of course
Microsoft’s unprecedented $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard has brought out the worst in everyone, as the trillion dollar Team in Green has pleaded poverty to the press while PlayStation has embarrassingly undermined its entire catalogue in front of regulators. However, it now looks like the deal...
