Tag: Industry - Page 23
News Ubisoft Cancelled a Co-Op King Arthur Action RPG Because Ex-Exec Didn't Like the Setting
Not much of a round table
On paper it sounds amazing: a co-op action role-playing game -- not too dissimilar from Monster Hunter -- set in the knightly times of King Arthur. Codenamed 'Avalon', the project was spearheaded by former Dragon Age designer Mike Laidlaw over at Ubisoft Quebec, but when Laidlaw left the developer back in 2019, 'Avalon' was...
News PlayStation Documentary Resurfaces with New Trailer, Finally Arrives in September
From Bedrooms to Billions
Well, this has certainly been a long time coming. From Bedrooms to Billions: The PlayStation Revolution, a documentary all about Sony's impact on the games industry, is very nearly here. We reported on it four years ago, when it was
News PS5 Games Published by Ubisoft Won't Cost More for Now
But no comment beyond Christmas
Ubisoft will not hike the price of its PlayStation 5 games this year, although it’s refrained from commenting on its plans post-2020. 2K Sports recently sent shockwaves through the industry by announcing that it will increase the cost of NBA 2K21 on next-gen consoles, charging $69.99 instead of the established...
News Leyou Technologies Halts Trading Ahead of Possible Sony Takeover
Tencent already in talks
Less than 24 hours after announcing a $250 million cash injection into Fortnite developer Epic Games, Sony may be due another round of business talks. Leyou Technologies, the Hong Kong company that has been linked to a potential acquisition by the Japanese giant,
News Sony Pumps $250 Million into Fortnite Maker Epic Games
Now owns a minority stake in Unreal Engine creator
Sony has invested an eye-watering $250 million into Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite and the Unreal Engine. The transaction makes the Japanese giant a minority shareholder, alongside organisations such as Chinese juggernaut Tencent which purchased a 40 per cent stake in the firm back in 2012...
News God of War Director Prefers PS5 Price Increases Over Microtransaction Hellscape
Cory Barlog weighs in on next-gen costs
PlayStation 5 games could cost more than the PlayStation 4 if NBA 2K21 is anything to go by. The basketball simulation will cost $69.99 on Sony’s next-gen console, compared to the more traditional $59.99 on the company’s current-gen device. And God of War director Cory Barlog believes this is the correct...
News As Microsoft Looks Poised to Discontinue Xbox One, Sony Has a Huge Opportunity with PS4
Entry levels
This year is all about the PlayStation 5 in enthusiast circles, but Sony’s real Top Trump could yet prove the existing PlayStation 4. Despite comments to the contrary from the manufacturer, rumours are rife tha
News PlayStation Fans Are Worried Microsoft Could Buy Warner Bros' Gaming Division
Take Two, EA, and Activision Blizzard also interested
Warner Bros’ gaming division is still very much up for sale, and a new report from The Information reveals that Microsoft has expressed an interest. The Xbox business has been on an acquisition charge for a few years now, gobbling up both close partners and independently owned studios on the...
News Naughty Dog Condemns Hate Speech As The Last of Us 2 Cast, Developers Receive Death Threats
Content warning
Update: Naughty Dog has spoken out against the tidal wave of hate speech that has surrounded The Last of Us: Part II since launch. On its official Twitter account, the studio said that it encourages critical discussion but that it condemns harassment and threats. Here's the studio's statement in full: Director Neil Druckmann has...
News PlayStation Temporarily Pulls the Plug on Facebook, Instagram Advertising
Organisations ally to put pressure on social network
PlayStation has added its name to a growing number of brands that have temporarily ceased advertising on Facebook, as firms put pressure on the social network to reduce the amount of hate speech appearing on the platform. Juggernauts such as Coca-Cola, Ford, Starbucks, Unilever, and Honda have...
News Sony Considering Bid for Warframe, Brink Developers
Could buy Hong Kong-based holding company
According to Bloomberg, Sony is considering a bid for Hong Kong-based holding company Leyou Technologies, which owns Warframe developer Digital Extremes. The group also lists Brink creator Splash Damage among its subsidiaries, and has a significant stake in support studio Certain Affinity. The multiplayer...
News Sony's Not-So Secret New First-Party Studio Adds More Naughty Dog Talent
Uncharted endeavour
It’s probably the worst kept secret in the industry at the moment, but Sony has a new first-party team based in San Diego, and it’s expected to be working on the Uncharted franchise. As a reminder that the studio continues to recruit talent, Naughty Dog environment artist Zak Oliver – who most recently worked on The Last of...
News Sony Commits to Smaller Games on PS5 and PS4 with PlayStation Indies Initiative
Headed by Shu
Today, Sony has formally announced PlayStation Indies. It's what Shuhei Yoshida has been working on since he left his previous post as president of Worldwide Studios. In his new role as Head of Indies Initiative for PlayStation, everyone's favourite executive has been looking after the industry's little guys, culminating in this new...
"Just being honest," says Spencer
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has given a backhanded compliment to Sony, saying that he thinks the Japanese giant did a “good job” with its recent PlayStation 5 showcase, but believes Microsoft will be able to demonstrate the Xbox Series X’s “hardware advantages” with its speculated July livestream. He added:...
Poll What Is Your Preferred Game Length?
Finding the sweet spot
What is your preferred game length? Obviously, it’s hard to pin a uniform number on this question as it depends on the context; RPGs generally take longer to complete than your average character action game, but at what point do you feel like you’re getting value for money? Do you like your titles to clock in with 50 hour...
News The Order 1886 Dev Ready At Dawn Bought by Facebook
Will become part of Oculus Studios
Ready At Dawn, the developer behind PlayStation 4 exclusive The Order: 1886, has been snapped up by Facebook. As the company explains, the newly acquired group will be "joining the Oculus Studios team". In other words, Ready At Dawn will continue working with the VR platform -- it's already shipped four titles on...
Poll Did You Miss E3 2020 Last Week?
The world turns without convention
Believe it or not, last week should have been E3 2020. The show was cancelled due to coronavirus, of course, but incredibly the global pandemic was the least of its problems. News of a new direction – a so-called “influencer festival” – emerged last year, before PlayStation once again decided to pull out...
News Timed PS5 Exclusives Range from a Few Months to Years
Moneyhats
Sony’s been hinting in interviews for a while that it’s going to go hard with the PlayStation 5, and we saw the first signs of that during the next-gen system’s reveal presentation this week. Perhaps drowned out by the announcements of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Gran Turismo 7 was confirmation that two Bethesda titles,...
News Warner Bros' Gaming Division Appears to Be Up for Sale
Price is $4 billion if you're interested
Warner Bros’ gaming division is more exciting than it’s ever been, with Mortal Kombat at its strongest, a long-awaited Harry Potter game on the horizon, and an unannounced project from Rocksteady in the works. But it seems that parent company AT&T is eager to get out of the business, and has put the...
News Dead Space Writer Teases His Next Game for PS5 Reveal Event
But it's not Dead Space
Things are really starting to heat up, aren't they? A day before Sony's PlayStation 5 game reveal event, rumours and teases are starting to pop up all over the place. Overnight, speculation surrounding Housemarque's next title pointed it towards becoming a PS5 launch game and now the writer behind Dead Space has all but...
News Australia Fines PlayStation $3.5 Million for Refusing Refunds on Digital Purchases
Breaking Australian Consumer Law rights
Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe has been fined $3.5 million AUD after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) charged the company with misleading PlayStation Store customers. The Federal Court of Australia ordered the penalty "for making false and misleading representations on its...
News Codemasters Signs On to Make Official WRC Rally Games on PS5
Will run alongside DIRT series
We've all thought it at some point -- why isn't Codemasters making officially licensed WRC rally games? If the DIRT series proves anything, it's that the team knows off-road racing better than any other. It's been making unofficial and brilliant rally games since 1998, after all. What better studio is there to take on...
News Life Is Strange Dev DONTNOD Expands with New Canadian Studio
Working on a new game
DONTNOD Entertainment really made a name for itself with Life Is Strange a couple of years back, and that success along with proceeding projects appears to have been enough to trigger an expansion. The developer has announced that it will be opening a new studio in Montreal, Canada with the intentions of creating an entirely...
News EA Sports to Extend Madden Partnership with NFL
Roughing the passer
EA Sports is on the cusp of extending its partnership with the National Football League, securing its position as the sole creator of “NFL-themed realistic action simulation video games” through the 2025 season. It’ll also have an option to further that deal through the 2026 season, taking the series up to Madden NFL 27 at...
News Sony's Change in Approach to E3 Showcases Is 'What the Fans Want'
Thank the TikTok era
Sony may not host a PlayStation press conference ever again at E3 after splitting off from the show in 2019 and confirming it wouldn't be attending this year if the expo had gone ahead. However, in the handful of years leading up to that exit, fans routinely questioned Sony's change in approach to the showcase as it all but...
News Incredibly, CD Projekt Is Now the Most Valuable Video Game Company in Europe
Worth more than even Ubisoft
CD Projekt, the firm behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077, is reportedly the most valuable video game company in Europe. The Polish organisation has apparently overtaken Ubisoft in terms of market capitalisation, and is now worth a whopping $8.13 billion. The aforementioned French publisher...
News THQ Nordic, Koch Media Owner Has a Ludicrous 118 Games in Development
69 are unannounced
We've reported time and time again about how ridiculously huge Embracer Group is getting, but this takes the biscuit. The company which owns publishers including THQ Nordic and Koch Media alongside devs such as Deep Silver, Saber Interactive, and Milestone has more than 118 games in development right now. Yes, Embracer Group has...
News PlayStation Features Prominently in Sony's Purpose Puff Piece
To fill the world with emotion
Sony’s released a new commercial revealing its corporate purpose. The 90-second advertisement features an orchestral score and slow-motion footage of people interacting with the tech giant’s products. It concludes with the message: “Sony’s purpose is to fill the world with emotion, through the power of...
News Ubisoft Is Suing Google, Apple Over Rainbow Six Siege Mobile Clone
Tactical approach
Ubisoft certainly isn't happy about a mobile game called Area F2. The French publisher calls it a "near carbon copy" of its incredibly popular team-based shooter, Rainbow Six Siege. As such, the company's looking to sue Google and Apple for continuing to sell Area F2 on their digital storefronts, despite requests to remove it...
News PS5 Will Drive the Future of PC, Sony's System Is Remarkably Balanced
Epic Games boss chimes in
Epic Games just showcased the first real-time gameplay footage of PlayStation 5, and it looks extraordinary. While the company’s upcoming Unreal Engine 5 will naturally be compatible with multiple formats – including, of course, PlayStation 4 – the firm has been really talking up the design of Sony’s next-gen...
News Games Industry Will Feel Real Impact of Coronavirus Next Year
Expect a next-gen software drought
The gaming industry is booming right now, as coronavirus is providing people with more opportunity to play than ever before. However, while the immediate slate of upcoming software seems largely unaffected, it’s next year where we’ll see the affects of the global pandemic. That’s according to Xbox boss Phil...
Random Sony's PlayStation Studios Ident Actually Debuted Years Ago
Looks familiar
Sony’s created a new logo and ident to brand its first-party titles under the PlayStation Studios umbrella. The intro video in particular has become a source of much discussion, as many have pointed out its similarities to an Xbox ident introduced last year. But did you know that the Japanese giant actually introduced an alarmingly...
News PlayStation Studios Branding to Adorn PS5 Box Art, Game Trailers, and More
A cohesive message
Sony has just unveiled PlayStation Studios, the new branding it will affix to all its first party games going forward. Launching alongside PS5 at the end of this year, the new ident is purpose built to mark all the output of SIE's Worldwide Studios as a way of unifying the platform holder's software. You'd best get used to it, as...
News Capcom Plans to Release Multiple 'Major' Games Before April 2021
Fiscal year reveals
Capcom has been going from strength to strength across the PlayStation 4 generation, boasting record sales with Monster Hunter: World and revitalising the Resident Evil franchise with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil 2. It's a feel-good story, and it doesn't look like the Japanese publisher has any plans to stop the...
News Gravity Well Is a New AAA Studio From Former Titanfall Developers
The team is anti-crunch
We're on the brink of a new console generation, which means alongside renewed optimism and excitement, more and more people are trying to break into the industry than ever before. Gravity Well is a perfect example of that, a brand new developer set up by members of the industry who have worked on the likes of Titanfall 2,...
News Ubisoft Forward Takes Place This July, Digital Event with Reveals and News
Expect next-gen games
Publishers are finally starting to reveal their plans for replacements to E3 2020, and French publisher Ubisoft is the next to share its hand with the world. Ubisoft Forward is an entirely digital showcase event taking place on 12th July that promises "exclusive game news, reveals and more". So, what can we expect Ubisoft to...
News Horizon Zero Dawn Sequel Targeting 'Industry-Benchmark Graphics' on PS5
Don't doubt it
As far as we’re concerned, The Last of Us: Part II looks better than any of the next-gen games announced thus far. And while great graphics don’t always make for a great experience, they’re unquestionably one of the biggest selling-points of new systems. It may be down to Guerrilla Games to showcase exactly what PlayStation 5 is...
News Tokyo Games Show 2020 Goes Digital Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Online presence instead
It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, but this year's Tokyo Games Show will not take the form of a physical event this year. The expo scheduled for late September will now follow in the footsteps of other industry conventions by taking the digital route to deliver news and information on upcoming games. The Computer...
News The Medium, Scorn to Skip PS5 for Now
Scarlet Nexus' exclusivity status unknown
Microsoft showcased several previously unannounced Xbox Series X games during its third-party showcase earlier today, and we’ve been trying to get clarification on whether they’ll come to PlayStation 5 in the future. There’s already been some confusion over Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which
News Soedesco Rebrands As It Confirms PS5 Projects Are Underway
It's in your hands
Dutch publisher Soedesco may not be a household name, but it’s readying itself for the impending next generation with a rebranding effort. The company – which most recently released Truck Driver on the PlayStation 4 – has reimagined its logo and incorporated the slogan ‘It’s in Your Hands’. The organisation explained:...
News Dying Light 2 Dev Dismisses Rumours of Buyout, Workplace Problems
Inaccurate translations
We initially chose not to report on it due to some dodgy translations, but earlier today you may have picked up on some speculation that developer Techland has been having development issues with Dying Light 2. The game was delayed indefinitely earlier this year, and Polish website PolskiGameDev appeared to have the scoop
News Instead of Buying IPs, THQ Nordic Is Now Swapping Them
Red Faction departs
Well, this is a bit of a strange situation. THQ Nordic, a publisher who over the past couple of years has been buying up the rights to gaming IPs left, right, and centre has now decided to start swapping them with another company. Koch Media is the other party in question, with the two agreeing on terms that will see the transfer...
News DOOM Developer Ditches Composer Amid Public Spat
Gordon grief
DOOM developer id Software has confirmed that it’s parted ways with composer Mick Gordon, amid a very public social media spat. The fallout came to the fore when an audio engineer posted an image of the waveforms from one of the songs on DOOM Eternal’s soundtrack. It showed a heavily compressed profile, with a less dynamic sound...
News Summer Game Fest Announced, Will Host Sony and Other Major Publishers
May to August 2020
With the cancellation of E3 2020, it feels like everyone's trying to replace the annual event. IGN, GameSpot, and GamesRadar ar
News Don't Believe Everything You Read About Naughty Dog Right Now
A lot of it is nonsense
It’s not been the best couple of months for Naughty Dog, has it? The developer was forced to delay The Last of Us: Part II due to the escalating coronavirus situation, and then moments before it stamped a new date on the anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive,
News PS5 Games Will Be Cross-Gen for Some Time, Reckons Frogwares Dev
But the improvements will be noticeable
It’ll be some time before we see third-parties push the PlayStation 5 to its limits, according to Frogwares’ Sergey Oganesyan. Speaking with WCCFTech, the developer behind The Sinking City suggested that most studios will be prioritising cross-gen releases for “some time”, meaning games will release on...
News The Last of Us 2 Leak Leaves Director 'Heartbroken'
Naughty Dog urges against spoilers
By now you’ll no doubt be aware that extremely sensitive material from anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive The Last of Us: Part II has leaked online. While the title has received a new release date today, the news has been overshadowed by the tidal wave of spoilers being shared on social media. It’s made...
News Next-Gen Game Reveals Are Imminent, But Sony Silent on PS5 Plans
Microsoft says game reveals are coming
We’ve already got a glimpse of a couple of PlayStation 5 games courtesy of Godfall and Quantum Error, but with coronavirus scuppering its plans, Sony has been largely tight-lipped about its next-gen plans. Despite not showing much more than the Japanese giant, Microsoft has built up a reputation of being more...
Feature Which Studios Could Sony Realistically Acquire?
Expanding the exclusive output
While it’s never made quite the same song and dance about it as Microsoft has in recent years, Sony’s history is peppered with developer acquisitions designed to strengthen its first-party portfolio. It purchased Dutch developer Guerrilla Games in 2004 and long-time partner Sucker Punch in 2011. In the same general...
News Halo Co-Creator Hyped About PS5's Super-Fast SSD Technology
Seamless, fluid experiences
Sony’s super-fast SSD in the PlayStation 5 has game designers salivating over the improvements it will bring to next-gen software, and Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto has added his voice to the chorus of praise. Speaking about the speedy tech in general, he told
