Tag: Industry - Page 32
News Shawn Layden Shares the Highs and Lows of a 30 Year PlayStation Career
Ups and downs
Shawn Layden may be the “suit” you see on stage at E3, but the executive has a 30 year history with PlayStation, spanning multiple roles across various different continents. The current Worldwide Studios chairman previously spent time as the head of SIEJ, and also worked in London for a while as well. It means that the...
News We're Making a Huge Bet Every Time We Start a New Project, Reveals Sony
Each title feels too big to fail
Big-budget blockbuster games are a massive risk these days. With development budgets soaring and expectations rising ever higher, it’s amazing that games like God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn see the light of day at all. And as part of an interview with MCV, Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has revealed...
News Amy Hennig Leaves EA, Goes Independent
"Ragtag" Star Wars game now open world
With EA closing Visceral Games last year and its Amy Hennig-fronted Star Wars game, codenamed "Ragtag", being handed over to EA Vancouver, it appeared that the future of the project was in doubt. Now, in an interview with Eurogamer at this year's Gamelab conference, Hennig has announced that she left EA in...
News PUBG Corp Withdraws Copyright Lawsuit Against Epic Games and Fortnite
Victory royale
About a month ago, we reported that PUBG Corp, the company behind PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, had issued a copyright violation lawsuit against the creators of Fortnite, Epic Games. Well, the studio now seems to have suddenly dropped all legal action. PUBG Corp has been making a case against Epic since January 2018, and planned to...
News Friday the 13th: The Game Slashes All Future Content
Ongoing lawsuit means no content can be added
A few weeks ago, Friday the 13th: The Game developer Gun Media announced that it was involved in a copyright lawsuit between the director of the original Friday the 13th movie, Sean Cunningham, and the film's writer, Victor Miller. Since the lawsuit is ongoing, no new Friday the 13th products can be...
Talking Point How Much Does Cross-Play Matter to You?
Your say
Okay, let’s do it. The games industry is completely dead in the aftermath of E3 2018, with everyone except us apparently gorging on Turkey Twizzlers at all-inclusive holiday resorts. In fact, it would appear the only people left over are those running the Nintendo and Xbox social media accounts, who are so gleefully fellating each...
Soapbox Games Are Allowing Players to Be More Expressive, And It's Ace
You're in control
What was the story of E3 2018 apart from cross-play and an abundance of amazing late-generation games? For me, it was player choice. This is nothing new, of course – the promise that you can “play your own way” has been a buzzword espoused by developers for eons, and it was a particularly prevalent selling-point in last...
News Check Out The Swanky Offices of Sucker Punch Productions
Fetching
It's always fun to get a peek behind the curtain when it comes to game studios. With much of game development still shrouded in mystery, it's very interesting when a company opens its doors to give us a glimpse inside. A corporate focused website named 425 Business had the chance to venture inside Sucker Punch Productions, which we know is...
News Why Ninja Theory's Leaving PlayStation
In its own words
If there was one thing at Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference that stung most for PlayStation fans, it was the announcement that Ninja Theory – the cult favourite developer of Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, and Hellblade – had become part of Microsoft Studios. Despite over a decade of games on Sony hardware, this...
News There's Only 362 Days Until E3 2019 Gets Underway
Mark your calendars
Would the Push Square team please look away now? The Electronic Software Association has announced that E3 will return on 11th June, 2019. This means that there are 362 days until next year’s show gets underway. It sounds like a long way away, but you know how the old adage goes: time flies when you’re having fun. So what...
Soapbox Why Don't We Hear from Sony Executives Anymore?
Off limits
You can brand me a big fat nerd if you want to, but I genuinely look forward to the executive interviews you get around E3 time. I used to anticipate Jack Tretton joining Geoff Keighley, his Hollywood smile only eclipsed by the sweltering Los Angeles sun. And then for a while it was Shuhei Yoshida’s turn to take the spotlight, the...
Soapbox E3 2018 Demonstrates the Disconnect Between Gamer Demands and Development Realities
You can't flip a switch
Depending on where you look, Hideo Kojima is getting ripped today. Death Stranding got its first gameplay demonstration during Sony’s E3 2018 press conference, and it looked early – I agree. Now you can criticise the platform holder for announcing the game too early if you like – clearly the ex-Konami man was desperate...
E3 2018 Ninja Theory Will No Longer Make PS4 Games
Microsoft acquires Hellblade developer
Microsoft’s always indicated that it wants its own Naughty Dog, and so after Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice launched first on PlayStation 4 – it’s just bought developer Ninja Theory. The acquisition does make sense: it’ll presumably allow the Cambridge developer to work on much bigger games, without...
Talking Point Do We Really Need E3?
Industry celebration, or shouting contest?
E3 is widely considered to be the biggest week in the gaming calendar, but is that actually true anymore? In just over ten days, publishers and platform holders will descend upon Los Angeles to reveal to the world their biggest wares – well, assuming they haven’t already leaked on Walmart’s website...
News Ex-Naughty Dog Dev is Now Senior Game Designer on a Secret Sony PS4 Project
Mysterious
Last year, Quentin Cobb left Naughty Dog to work on Just Survive, a PC-only zombie survival shooter, in the role of Senior Game Designer. 12 months later, and he's now back under the Sony umbrella under the same job title, but where he's working - and what he's working on - remains unknown. When asked which studio Cobb is now working...
News PUBG Corporation is Taking Epic Games to Court for Copyright Infringement
The real battle royale
Uh oh. PUBG Corporation, the developer of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Epic Games for the similarities between its game and the explosively popular Fortnite. This can only end well. PUBG Corp. is a subsidiary of the Korean games company Bluehole Studio. A representative...
News Sony Improving and Increasing First-Party Production
Exclusives for everyone
Sony’s first-party games are doing extraordinarily well both critically and commercially at the moment, and that’s convinced the company to double down on exclusives. Speaking as part of a recent investors relations day, president John Kodera said that the company is planning to enhance its exclusive output, and added...
News Sony: We're Exploring What Our Customers Want from Portable Gaming
Good luck with that
The last time Sony talked about handheld gaming, former PlayStation president Andrew House ruled out the possibility of a PS Vita successor, while Worldwide Studios bigwig said that the “climate was not healthy” for portable gaming. While we still believe that statement to be generally accurate – the Nintendo Switch is a...
News Sony Is Thinking About a PSone Classic Console
Yes please
SNK announced recently that it would be producing a NeoGeo Classic Edition to celebrate its 40th anniversary, and rumours are rife regarding a potential Nintendo 64 Classic Mini. These micro-consoles have proven to be vastly popular, and naturally, we've pondered whether Sony would ever produce an equivalent for the PSone. According to...
News Sony Commits Support to PS4 Through 2021
And probably beyond
While the PlayStation 4 may be entering the final phase of its lifecycle, Sony intends to support the system through 2021 and potentially beyond. The platform holder pledged support to the platform as part of a mid-term corporate strategy report, which spans now through 31st March, 2021. Realistically, the console will probably...
News PS4 'Entering Final Phase of Its Life' Says Sony CEO
Beginning of the end
The PlayStation 4 is nearing the end of its life cycle, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO John Kodera. Speaking at the company's latest investor meeting, Kodera's statement comes as no real surprise. After all, the PS4 will turn five years old this November. The question, then, is how long will this "final phase"...
News PlayStation VR Is Growing, But Virtual Reality Is Stumbling
Company keeping expectations realistic
PlayStation VR is doing well, but virtual reality as a whole is stumbling. Former PlayStation president Andrew House talked about this prior to his departure; Sony is absolutely dominating the fledgling medium, but the company needs growth across the entire sector for it to properly take off. In other words,...
News Sony Promises More First-Party PlayStation Exclusives
Doubling down
Sony is having a huge amount of success with its first-party exclusives this generation, and in promising news for us PlayStation fans, the company’s hinted that it will be doubling down on this area of the business. Speaking at an investors relations day overnight, CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said that the company aims to strengthen its...
News Best Buy Locks Up Popular Gamers Club Initiative
No more deep discounts on new games
All good things must come to an end, and for fans of Best Buy’s popular Gamers Club Unlocked, this particular news will be tough to swallow. Many enjoyed the annual subscription for the 20 per cent discounts it offered on brand new games, but it was clearly putting the company out of pocket, because it’s been...
News Sony Will Still Make Physical PS Vita Games in Japan
Vita means life
Earlier this week, it was reported that Sony will stop manufacturing PlayStation Vita game cartridges in the future. However, a new story originating from Japanese site GameSpark indicates that not all territories will be following suit -- SIE Japan will continue to produce physical games for the handheld. Translated by
News The Division 2 Due Before April 2019, Alongside The Crew 2 and Unannounced Ubisoft Title
All of them 'AAA'
In the latest earnings report from Ubisoft, the French publisher lets slip some of its plans for the relatively near future. For starters, the report states that The Division 2 -- announced but not shown back in March -- is due out this fiscal year. In other words, it'll launch at some point between now and April 2019. The shooter...
News Sony to Cease Production of Physical PS Vita Games
The end is near
In a message to developers, Sony has stated that it plans to stop producing PS Vita game cartridges, according to a report from Kotaku. The company says that this will happen by the end of the fiscal year 2018, which translates to 31st March 2019. Sony also stipulates that all requests for Vita product codes be presented by...
News Horizon Developer Guerrilla Games Recruiting for New Game
A new Horizon
Gee, wonder what this could be? Dutch developer Guerrilla Games has started a hiring spree, suggesting that its next project is decided and is about to enter full production. We wonder if it could be a sequel to the studio’s massively popular breakout hit, Horizon: Zero Dawn? The mind truly boggles. Perhaps a more interesting...
News LawBreakers Developer Boss Key Productions Shuts Down
Cliffy B releases statement
Boss Key Productions "is effectively no more" according to Cliff Bleszinski, who co-founded the studio in 2014. The developer's only PlayStation title, LawBreakers, launched in August of last year, and although the team-based shooter was quite well received, it struggled to retain a sizeable player count. In what...
News PS4 Is Way Ahead of Xbox One in Total Console Sales, Says New Data
EA spills the beans
As we've known for some time now, Microsoft no longer publicly shares Xbox One sales figures. Meanwhile, Sony's been more than happy to spread word of the PlayStation 4's success on numerous occasions, with the company's most recent statement claiming that the current-gen console has moved close to 80 million units. It's always...
News Dragon Ball FighterZ Hits 2.5 Million Copies, Closing In on Tekken 7 Already
Super
According to Bandai Namco's latest financial presentation, Dragon Ball FighterZ has done rather well for itself since it launched back in January of this year. The superb brawler has shifted 2.5 million copies in under four months, making it one of the fastest selling fighting games of this generation. The publisher also notes that...
News EA 'Pushing Forward' with Loot Boxes, Working to Protect Revenue Stream
Wilson weighs in
The various Ultimate Team modes in EA’s sports games now generate more income than brands like The Sims and Battlefield, so it’s no surprise to see the publisher double-down on lucrative loot boxes – despite the threat of government regulation. Both Belgium and the Netherlands recently declared the divisive “card...
News Capcom Looking to Release Two 'Major' Games By April 2019
But what could they be?
According to the company's latest financial report, Capcom has plans to release not one, but two "major" titles before the end of this fiscal year. That's by the 31st March, 2019, for those out of the loop. Of course, this news has already led to plenty of speculation across the 'net. With E3 2018 fast approaching, it...
Game changer
Christopher Judge is the man who took over from Terrence C. Carson as Kratos for the latest God of War, but when he received the script for the first time, he thought it was for a blockbuster movie. Speaking with BBC Newsbeat, the actor, also famous for his role in Stargate SG-1, had "no clue" the script was for a game when it was first...
News Sony Data Shows Digital Sales Continue to Grow on PS4
PlayStation Store taking over
The transition to digital storefronts like the PlayStation Store on consoles is gradually growing every year, and it won’t be long now before its sales eclipse physical ones. New data from Sony’s latest financial report shows that in the quarter that ended 31st March, 2018, an impressive 43 per cent of the...
News PS4 Closes in on PS3 with 79 Million Units Shipped Worldwide
Sony targets 95 million by this time next year
The PlayStation 4 will soon surpass the PlayStation 3’s install base just over four years into its lifespan, as Sony’s latest financial report has revealed that it’s shipped 79 million units of its current console worldwide. The number is accurate as of 31st March, with the platform holder...
Report Quantic Dream Suing French Media Over Work Condition Reports
Round two?
Detroit: Become Human launches next month, but developer Quantic Dream is in the eye of a storm. Reports from French media earlier in the year documented the purported “toxic” culture at the company, which the studio has since denied. Bosses David Cage and Guillaume de Fondaumière had threatened to sue the likes of Le Monde
News Valve Acquires Firewatch Developer Campo Santo
In the valley of Gaben
Valve has acquired acclaimed indie developer Campo Santo, the team behind vibrant walking simulator Firewatch and the upcoming In the Valley of Gods. While the studio will relocate to Bellevue, it’ll continue to operate autonomously, meaning that it will still be making its own games on its own terms. Presumably it’ll just...
News Housemarque Teases New Game Reveal Ahead of Industry Talk
What could it be?
You may recall that, a little while back, Housemarque declared it was done with arcade games following poor sales. This is a massive shame, as the Finnish developer has delivered some absolutely stellar shoot-em-ups -- Resogun and Nex Machina, take a bow -- over the years. This news left us wondering what it could possibly be...
News PlayStation's Relationship with Amazon Worsens As PSN Codes Are Dropped
Update: PSN codes back in USA
What started with God of War going out of stock on Amazon UK seems to have escalated over the past few days, as now it’s impossible to purchase PlayStation Network vouchers from the popular retailer in the USA as well. The cards – which are delivered instantly via email – are available in various monetary...
News Sony Is Creating a New Game Development Team in San Diego
And it could be working on Uncharted
Sony insinuated recently that it intends to “concentrate” on first-party production moving forwards, strengthening its output of PlayStation exclusives. And it sounds like the first stages of those plans have been put into motion, as job listings suggest that it’s creating a new development team in...
News PS5 Is a Long Way Away, Or So Sources Say
Developers weigh in on recent rumours
The next PlayStation will release later this year, one ambitious rumour claimed recently. But according to a Kotaku report penned by the ever-reliable Jason Schreier, that’s extremely unlikely to be the case – in fact, we may be waiting until at least 2020 for the so-called PlayStation 5, just like
News NIS America Apologises for Comments About PlayStation
President had insinuated Sony doesn't care about company
NIS America president Takuro Yamashita probably said a touch too much in his interview with MCV, where he claimed that Sony isn’t “friendly with small publishers like us”. The suit has issued a public apology to both SNK and PlayStation, retracting the comments in a hasty attempt to...
Soapbox A Love Letter to Video Game Developers and Artists
Gabriella puts forward her argument for games as art
I’m an hour into replaying Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a game that captivated me in 2017. I meander through the streets, enthralled by its ridiculous attention to detail and bask in its marvellous colours. I put my controller down for a minute, and I’m suddenly struck by the realisation...
News Grand Theft Auto V Has Made More Money Than any Other Entertainment Product Ever
Crime does pay
We already know that Rockstar's mega-hit crime-'em-up, Grand Theft Auto V, is the best selling game of all time, but a new report from MarketWatch reveals that it's comfortably the most profitable game ever. In fact, it's made more cash than any film, album, or other entertainment product in history. Across all p
News NIS America: Sony Isn't Friendly with Small Publishers Like Us
"They just care about big Japanese companies"
NIS America, the publisher of franchises such as Disgaea and Danganronpa, does not appear to be all that happy with Sony at the moment. Speaking with MCV about a range of subjects – including its partnership with Nintendo on SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy – president Takuro Yamashita...
News Legendary Sony E3 2015 Press Conference Could Have Been Even Better, Says Adam Boyes
Woah!
We're all in agreement that Sony's E3 2015 press conference was the company's best, at least in recent years, right? The golden trifecta of The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Shenmue III absolutely brought the house down, and it's a feat that we're not sure the Japanese giant will ever be able to top. Interestingly, however, it...
News Hajime Tabata's Luminous Productions Is Monkeying Around on More Than Just Games
Evolution
Remember a few days ago when we reported that Square Enix has a new studio headed by Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata? Well, it appears this new studio, Luminous Productions, is working on more than just games. On the NHK website, as spotted by Kotaku,
News Final Fantasy XV Director Hajime Tabata to Lead New Studio within Square Enix
Luminous Productions
In a news release published today, Square Enix has announced the formation of a new studio based in Tokyo, Japan, with Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata tasked with leading it. Tabata is famous for having come in and steered what was then called Final Fantasy Versus XIII to safety after a tumultuous development...
News After Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red Plans to Release Another 'AAA RPG' By 2021
Big time
It feels like we've waited an age to see something more of Cyberpunk 2077, but developer CD Projekt Red is already looking past its upcoming project and into the unknown future beyond. Obviously this is the kind of long term planning that companies need to consider, but it still makes for some interesting reading. Indeed, the studio's...
