Tag: Industry - Page 15
News Sony Partner Deviation Games Expands with New Canadian Studio
Recruiting at a rapid rate
New studio helmed – ironically – by Call of Duty alumni Deviation Games is expanding at a rapid rate as work begins in earnest on its debut project, which will be published under the PlayStation Studios umbrella. Such is the speed of its growth, in fact, that it’s already opened a second office to complement its Los...
News Analyst Expects PS5 to Seriously Outperform Xbox This Year
Two-to-one
Things may be getting hotter in the boardrooms following Microsoft’s near-$70 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard, but it’s the PlayStation 5 that will keep cash registers alight this year. That’s according to Ampere research director Piers Harding-Rolls, who believes that Sony will sell 18 million new-gen consoles this year to...
News Sony Is Not Making More PS4s to Make Up for PS5 Stock Shortfall
Production was always planned, company says
Sony has responded to reports which suggested it was making more PlayStation 4 consoles to deal with a shortfall of PS5 stock. Speaking with NLab, as reported by Yahoo, a
Little fish
In an interview anecdote published by the Washington Post, chatty Xbox chief Phil Spencer has said that he trusts the likes of Sony, Nintendo, and Valve not to damage the gaming industry – it’s tech giants like Amazon, Apple, and Google that he’s concerned about. The conversation is, of course, shadowed by his company’s...
News EA Is the Next Major Publisher Tipped for a Takeover
A rich man's world
With Microsoft’s near-$70 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard, all bets are basically off the table. While you could explain away Bethesda’s acquisition as an anomaly – it was a struggling publisher that was privately owned – it’s clear that we’re now waist-deep in an industry consolidation era. Other publishers will...
News Sony Responds to Activision Blizzard Buyout, Expects Games to Still Come to PS5, PS4
Wants contracts to be abided by
Sony has this morning issued a statement in response to Microsoft's $69 billion dollar deal to purchase Activision. In a quote shared with The Wall Street Journal via a Sony spokesperson, the firm said: "We expect that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are...
News All These Activision Blizzard Studios Will Likely Cease PlayStation Development
All the teams on the line
Sony’s slate of PlayStation Studios was once regarded as the strongest in the industry, but even with recent additions like Housemarque and Firesprite, it’s now dwarfed by Microsoft following its publisher shopping spree. So, we’ve already looked at the brands and franchises that will almost certainly cease to exist...
News These Are the Franchises PS5, PS4 May Lose to Activision Blizzard Buyout
There's a lot
Until the ink is dry on Microsoft’s colossal Activision Blizzard buyout, the status of franchises like Call of Duty will likely remain unclear. For the time being, it’s business as usual for all involved, and Bloomberg sources have said that Xbox may continue to support PlayStation platforms in the future – although as evidenced...
News Sony Stock Value Loses $20 Billion, But Will Likely Recover
Biggest drop since 2008
Sony shares have fallen by 13 per cent — which equates to roughly $20 billion — since Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Call of Duty publisher Activision for $68 billion. The sharp drop in market value represents Sony's biggest loss since October 2008, removing $20 billion from the company's value in just one day...
News Activision CEO Bobby Kotick Leaving Role Once Microsoft Buyout Is Done, Says Report
WSJ sources claim
Activision boss Bobby Kotick will leave his role as CEO once Microsoft has completed its $70 billion buyout of the Call of Duty company, the Wall Street Journal claims. Sources close to the acquisition plans indicate he will leave the firm after the deal closes, which is expected to take place at some point next
News Will Call of Duty and Other Activision Blizzard Games Come to PS5, PS4?
Outlook not so good
Update #2: Xbox bigwig Phil Spencer has made the following statement to Bloomberg: “I’ll just say to players out there who are playing Activision Blizzard games on Sony’s platform: it’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform and we remained committed to that.” Make of that what you will. Update #1:
News PlayStation's Call of Duty Marketing Deal Almost Certainly Ending
Say goodbye to those small bonuses
Sony's marketing deal with Call of Duty, which promotes the latest game alongside PlayStation 5 and PS4 consoles and gives owners digital goodies on the platforms, will almost certainly come to an end as a result of Microsoft's $70 billion purchase of the company. Sony has been a key partner for the series since...
News Xbox Now Owns Legendary PlayStation Series Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon
Woah
A curious consequence of Microsoft’s earth-shattering $70 billion buyout of Activision is that Xbox now owns legendary PlayStation franchises Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Sony made these games in collaboration with Universal Interactive back in the 90s, but that company was acquired by Vivendi which later merged with Activision to...
News Microsoft Buys Call of Duty Publisher Activision Blizzard
Game over
In news that will once again rock the industry, Microsoft has bought Activision Blizzard, the publisher of franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. The deal is reportedly valued at $70 billion, which is several times the sum that the giant already stumped up for Bethesda. It will presumably mean that franchises like Call of...
News PlayStation Wants Global Game Jam 2022 to Explore VR and Eye-Tracking
As PSVR2 includes feature
Global Game Jam 2022 is right around the corner, encouraging creators from around the world to come together and collaborate on simple software ideas in a short, friendly, competition-based format. Sony, as an industry leader, is backing the event, and has sponsored a “diversifier” – an optional sub-challenge which...
News Sony's Own First-Party Studios Championed PC Ports
"This is a really good idea"
Sony’s transition into the PC market is looking to be a lucrative move for the manufacturer, but it’s the firm’s own first-party studios that championed the move. Following the launch of God of War last week – which registered over 70,000 concurrent players on Steam at one point this past weekend – director...
News Sony Renews Psygnosis Trademark, But Don't Get Too Excited
Just procedure
Sony Interactive Entertainment has just secured a trademark renewal for Psygnosis, the legendary studio that would go on to become Studio Liverpool. However, we wouldn't hold our breath to see the developer reemerge in 2022 — this appears to be a very routine trademark protection move. Analyst Roberto Serrano spotted the renewal,...
News We're Sure Everyone Will Be Calm About SEGA NFT Trademark
Not
Ah, good ol’ non-fungible tokens. They’re the technology no one really understands – not even, we’d argue, the people endorsing them – but you can either hate or you can create. Ain’t that right, Troy Baker? Seriously, though, we’re slowly seeing more games publishers adopt the controversial format, as perhaps best evidenced by...
News Motorstorm Director Joins Firesprite As Twisted Metal PS5 Changes Dev
Tooth ache
Update: As spotted by ResetEra, veteran Motorstorm director Matt Southern has left his job at Lucid Games to join Firesprite. It might be safe to assume that Southern was involved with Sony's new-gen Twisted Metal reboot, which has changed developer from Lucid Games to Firesprite. Of course, it won't change the commute too much for...
News SEGA Adds Sapporo Studio to Japanese Internal Operations
New year, new team
SEGA is beefing up its in-house Japanese operations with the establishment of a new Sapporo studio, to complement its existing slate of Tokyo teams. As the name obviously indicates, this group will work out of the northern Hokkaido prefecture, and will be responsible for “development, design, debugging, sales, and import and...
News Sony Reportedly Planned to Cease PS4 Production at the End of 2021
PS5 shortages mean it'll keep going, though
Picking up a PlayStation 5 is still rather difficult, thanks to part shortages seriously slowing down production. Because of this, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to continue making PS4 consoles throughout 2022. That's according to a new report from Bloomberg, who cite anonymous sources...
News GTA Publisher Acquires Mobile Giant Zynga for $12.7 Billion
To help company's mobile efforts
Take-Two, the publisher of blockbuster titles like Grant Theft Auto, Borderlands, and BioShock, has today announced its acquisition of mobile company Zynga for $12.7 billion. A giant in the business, the California-based developer is known for the likes of FarmVille and
Co-op shooter included with Game Pass on Xbox
Ubisoft+, the French publisher’s answer to subscriptions like EA Play, will launch on Xbox later this year – although despite some misleading wording, it will be a separate subscription to Microsoft’s own Game Pass. We’ve checked with the publisher to clarify this information, and it’s...
News BioShock Creator's Next Game Reportedly 'in Development Hell'
Ken Levine heavily criticised
The BioShock trilogy was perhaps one of the most important series of the PlayStation 3 generation, but fans looking for the next game from creator Ken Levine have been made to wait a lot longer than usual. It's been eight years since the auteur shuttered Irrational Games and set up shop with Ghost Story Games,...
News Sony Partner Deviation Games to Enter Full Production on PS5 Game in 2022
Finding the fun
Sony has acquired a lot of developers in 2021, but it’s also signed partnerships with exciting new teams like Deviation Games and Haven Studios. These aren’t particularly engaging unveilings because the outfits are just finding their feet, but they are led by veteran visionaries, like former Treyarch chief Jason Blundell in the...
News Naughty Dog Shares the Games That Inspired It in 2021
Deathloop! Returnal! It Takes Two!
It can be easy to forget that the people who make games also enjoy playing them – well, when they’re not bunkered down with bugs in their own projects, anyway. As such, this blog post from Naughty Dog makes for a refreshing read, as it shares some of its favourite games from the past year. We should caveat that...
News The Embracer Group Just Bought a Few More Game Studios
And comic book company Dark Horse
The Embracer Group is back yet again doing what it does best: acquiring a load of studios all at once. The new wave of acquisitions sees MMO developer Perfect World Entertainment bought up by the company as well as DIGIC, Spotfilm Networx, and Shiver Entertainment. Embracer Group has also added Dark Horse to its...
News Tencent Buys Back 4 Blood Developer Turtle Rock Studios
Once bitten, twice shy
Chinese juggernaut Tencent has purchased Slamfire, the parent company of Back 4 Blood developer Turtle Rock Studios. This means that the team will become part of the conglomerate, while retaining its “independent operations” in Lake Forest, California. The studio will continue to be fronted by co-founders Phil Robb and...
News Sony Quietly Shaping Up After Indie Backlash Earlier in the Year
You've changed, man
Perhaps one of the biggest takeaways from 2021, at least from a PlayStation persuasion, is that while Sony may not say much publicly, it’s always busy behind-the-scenes. We’ve seen evidence of that all year, whether it’s the announcement of surprise expansions like Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island or the sudden acquisition...
News Sony Acquires Guns Up Team Valkyrie Entertainment
Will make "invaluable contributions" to PS5 games
Sony has today acquired another studio: GUNS UP! developer Valkyrie Entertainment. The Seattle based team has worked as an outsourcing studio for much of its lifespan, lending a helping hand to the likes of God of War, Forza Motorsport, and titles out of Riot Games. Most recently, it was confirmed to...
News Ubisoft Announces In-Game, Playable NFTs Called Digits
Controversial business model coming to Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
… And so it starts. Ubisoft has announced a new program called Quartz which will see it release limited edition in-game items as NFTs called Digits, beginning with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. As the trailer explains, this “is just the beginning” – and make no mistake,...
News Sony Showcases Prototype 4K OLED Microdisplay for Virtual Reality
Seeing clearly
Sony has showcased a 4K OLED microdisplay, which could be used in a future virtual reality headset. The prototype hardware was debuted during the organisation’s internal Technology Day, and was introduced by Sony’s R&D Center – not, it must be stressed, Sony Interactive Entertainment. In the video, engineers Yasuka Ishihara...
News Warzone QA Testers Staging Walkout Over Sudden Layoffs
Previously promised pay rises
The majority of QA testers at Call of Duty: Warzone developer Raven Software will today stage a walkout in protest of sudden layoffs that have hit the studio. Previously promised wage increases as part of a new payment structure, Activision let go of "valuable members of the team" one after another. The protest...
News PlayStation Executive Fired After Unsavoury Allegations Emerge
Sony immediately terminates employment
Sony has “terminated” the employment of a PlayStation executive after he allegedly appeared as part of a paedophile sting operation this weekend. George Cacioppo, a senior vice president working on services like PSN and the PS Store, was reportedly caught on camera by a vigilante group aiming to expose...
News Publisher Take-Two Forces It Takes Two Dev Hazelight to Abandon Title Trademark
You've been tango'd
Hazelight, developer of It Takes Two, has had to abandon ownership of the game's title trademark in a dispute with publisher Take-Two. The studio was hit with a claim by the publisher shortly after the co-op title's release earlier this year, according to a report from Eurogamer. Obviously there are similarities between the two...
News PlayStation Partner Awards 2021 Celebrates Hit Games This Week
Sony's industry event returns
The annual PlayStation Partner Awards are happening this week in Japan, taking place on the 2nd and 3rd December. The event highlights hit games that released this year, with Sony handing out awards to the developers. To be clear, this has never been a consumer-focused show like The Game Awards. It's very much an...
News Rock Band Dev Harmonix to Create 'Musical Journeys' for Fortnite After Epic Games Acquisition
Working on the Metaverse
Rock Band developer Harmonix will “create musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite” after being acquired by Epic Games. The studio, which first made a name for itself with the Sony published PlayStation 2 rhythm games Frequency and Amplitude, became something of a titan in the industry during the PS3 era, owing to the...
News PlayStation Accused of Gender Discrimination in Lawsuit
Security analyst seeks unfair dismissal
A lawsuit filed in California is suing Sony for gender discrimination and unfair dismissal. First reported by newsletter Axios, the legal proceedings have been lobbied by former IT security analyst Emma Majo, who alleges that women at PlayStation were paid less than their male peers and were denied promotions...
News Kojima Productions Expands into TV, Film, and Music
Headed by former PlayStation face
Kojima Productions has today announced it is expanding its reach with a new division focused entirely on film, TV, and music. The new team will be based in Los Angeles and led by Riley Russell, formerly of PlayStation. He spent almost 28 years at the company, occupying positions such as chief legal officer and VP of...
News Tencent Acquires Minority Stake in Yooka-Laylee Dev Playtonic
Team retains IP control
The spending spree of Chinese company Tencent continues as Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic confirms it has sold a minority stake to the technology firm. The investment will be used to expand the studio from a single team to multiple, improve the developer's headquarters, and expand to new locations. Playtonic retains full...
News PlayStation's Jim Ryan Admonishes Activision in Internal Email to Employees
Amid ongoing allegations against juggernaut publisher
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has reportedly criticised Activision in an internal email to employees, according to Bloomberg. The correspondence, read by journalist Jason Schreier, calls out the Call of Duty publisher for its inadequate response to allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment,
News Embracer Group Acquired 37 Studios This Year, and Wants to Match That in 2022
THQ Nordic, Koch Media parent company is still hungry
Embracer Group isn't a name many people are familiar with, but you will have heard of the publishers and developers that fall under its vast umbrella. THQ Nordic, Koch Media, and Deep Silver are all part of it, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. This is the company that pops up every couple...
News OlliOlli Dev Picked Up by Take-Two
In good company
OlliOlli developer Roll7 has been acquired by Take-Two, the company that also owns Rockstar Games and 2K. The team will now fall under the Private Division publishing label, which was already planning to put out its next game OlliOlli World prior to the purchase. That's now slated to launch early next year on PlayStation 5 and PS4 in...
News Japanese Publisher Implies PlayStation Audience Is Transitioning to PC
Gone for good
For decades now, PlayStation has been the home to Japanese games – particularly the countless smaller projects that come out of the country. However, in recent years, software sales have been dwindling domestically – and with the PlayStation 5 continuing to be supply constrained, one unnamed executive has insinuated that Sony’s...
News PS5 Stock Is Not Going to Get Any Easier to Find
Sold out
Sony is selling a lot of PlayStation 5 consoles, but it’s struggling to meet demand. Those of you who are trying to get your hands on the console will know that PS5 stock is sporadic and in short supply, and it sounds like the situation will not be resolved any time soon. In fact,
News EA Believes Blockchain Based Games May Be Industry's Future
Uh-oh
EA boss Andrew Wilson – the Australian executive who pioneered Ultimate Team, for the record – believes that blockchain-based “play-to-earn” games could be the future of the industry. However, he caveated that “it’s still early to figure out how that’s going to work”, so don’t expect this dystopian future to arrive any time...
News Sony Acquires Minority Stake in Publisher Devolver Digital
London Stock Exchange values indie label at nearly $1 billion
Update: Sony's investment in Devolver Digital has been made official. PlayStation tweeted recently to say it's "honored to be an investor" in the publisher: This follows reports earlier today that the deal was on the cards following Devolver's move to a publicly traded company on the...
News Take-Two Scraps Hangar 13 Game, Writes Off $53 Million
Like taking candy from a baby
A new project by Mafia developer Hangar 13 has been shelved by Take-Two, with the organisation writing off $53 million as a result. The release, codenamed Volt, has been in production since 2017, according to Bloomberg, and has apparently gone through “multiple iterations since it was first conceived”. According to...
News Insomniac Scaled Back Marvel's Spider-Man Boss to Cut Down on Crunch
And make it resonate harder
We often hear a lot about the crunch conditions at major developers like Naughty Dog and Rockstar, but we rarely learn about what they’re doing to reduce workload for their teams. Ted Price, the boss of Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac Games, shed a little light on that during a fireside chat at industry event...
News Shuhei Yoshida Shows a PlayStation Game Running on a Portable for the First Time Since PS Vita
Decked
This was the dramatic moment indies evangelist Shuhei Yoshida showed a PlayStation game running on a portable for the first time since the PS Vita. Sony dropped out of the handheld market when its PSP successor failed to find an audience, but Yoshida – formerly the boss of PlayStation Studios – was always a big believer in the device...