Tag: Industry - Page 4
Random What Happens to Your Digital PSN Library When You Die?
Banished to the void
What happens to gamers' digital games when they inevitably shuffle off this mortal coil? We've pondered this question many times in the dark hours before dawn, and it seems we aren't the only ones. A debate has picked up steam on Steam and other platforms about what happens to these increasingly valuable libraries we all collect...
News Ubisoft Confirms Time, Date, and Featured Games for Upcoming Forward Showcase
Assassin's Creed Shadows, Star Wars Outlaws headlining
Ubisoft has confirmed the time, date, and featured games for its upcoming Forward showcase. Live from sunny LA, and expect better looks at heavy hitters like Assassin's Creed Shadows, Star Wars Outlaws, and XDefiant. Confirmed on Twitter, Ubisoft Forward will take place on 10th June at 12 pm...
News Don't Worry, Sony's Most Recognisable Studios Are Still Focused on Single Player PS5 Games
It ain't all live service
As part of its business segment meeting overnight, Sony categorised all of its first-party studios based on the type of content they’ll be delivering. It divided its teams into four segments: Single Player Narrative Focus, Partner Studios, Evolving and Multi Genre, and Live Service Focus. Here’s how it divided its...
News PS5 Players Are Buying Fewer New Games, But Spending More Than Ever Overall
Microtransactions making the moolah
One difference between the PS5 and PS4 is the rise of live service games. A dirty word among the most engaged enthusiasts, this is not a genre but merely a business model; it means titles are designed to evolve and improve over time, as opposed to offering one-and-done experiences. And it’s changing consumers’...
News PS5 Is Sony's Most Profitable Console Generation to Date
Not-so doom and gloom
There’s a growing sentiment among the gaming enthusiast circles, not necessarily always backed up by fact, that console gaming is collapsing. While it’s true the market is facing issues of spiralling costs and slowing growth, it’s a concern not always rooted in reality. Case in point: Sony’s just announced PS5 is its...
News Discord Remembers Roots, Will Double Down on Gaming
Dance with the one that brought you
Discord has announced that it will roll back its ambitious plans to become a broader communication app after rediscovering its roots as a private place to yell at your friends while gaming. This means an opportunity for a redesign with group messages, voice chats, video calls and more being reworked. In a message...
News Sony Plans to Convert PC Gamers Through the Power of PlayStation
Just one hit and you'll be hooked for life
Soon-to-be PlayStation co-CEO Hermen Hulst says the strategy behind releasing its single-player narrative games on PC is to push future console sales. The thinking goes that getting PC players hooked on some of its marquee tentpole franchises will entice a portion to play future sequels on a PlayStation...
News CD Projekt Red Wants to Release Major Games More Frequently
Acceleration protocols
CD Projekt Red, the publisher and developer of The Witcher and Cyberpunk, wants to release major games more frequently. The rapidly expanding company revealed its ambitious plans during its quarterly earnings call on Tuesday (thanks, VGC), intending to make its release schedule "less lum
News Second Silent Hill Transmission Invites Imminent 'Game Updates, a Deeper Look at the Film'
As well as new merch
Konami has extended an open invitation to the second Silent Hill Transmission, a showcase where the publisher has pledged to provide "game updates, a deeper look at the film, and new merch". The ominous invitation was posted on Twitte
News SEGA 'Flat Out Rejected' Initial Pitches for Yakuza/Like a Dragon
Criminal
SEGA's now legendary Yakuza/Like a Dragon series almost didn't happen, with the Sonic the Hedgehog publisher initially hesitant to produce something so outside of its family-friendly wheelhouse. That's according to series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, who said it was a struggle to get the first game off the ground. In an interview with Weekly...
Random Hideo Kojima Finds His Ideal Live-Action Solid Snake
Prepare to be body scanned
Hideo Kojima, the auteur creator of Metal Gear Solid, appears to have the legendary video game series on his mind. He's also a massive fan of George Miller's Mad Max franchise, and one face amongst the cast of post-apocalyptic characters introduced in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga seems to have struck a chord with the developer...
News AI Helps Push Forward 'Boundaries of Storytelling', Says Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann
But ethical issues must be addressed
Naughty Dog co-studio head Neil Druckmann has weighed in on the debate surrounding the use of AI in game creation, suggesting the tech allows creators "to take on more adventurous projects and push the boundaries of storytelling". His comments come in a fresh interview published alongside Sony's recent Corporate...
News Hideo Kojima Is Mad Max Director George Miller's First Choice for a Video Game Adaption
But he wouldn't dream of asking the auteur creator
The director of the Mad Max franchise, George Miller, thinks the world is ready for another video game adaptation. Still, only a game made at "the highest level" will suffice, made by someone like, say, auteur creator Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding fame. Considering that Kojima...
Random Sony's Vision of Gaming's Future Includes a PS3 Boomerang Pad with a Screen
Concept trailer gives us a glimpse
As part of its Corporate Strategy Meeting earlier today, Sony released a concept trailer designed to reflect its vision of the future. It’s worth noting that none of the hardware or ideas presented in the video represent real, in-development products – it’s more a clip designed to capture a “mood” or...
News Epic Games May Be Sony's Most Important Partner Right Now
An epic alliance
We know that Sony has invested heavily into Epic Games over the years, but it’s clear that the company holds its partnership with the Fortnite maker in extremely high regard. During its Corporate Strategy Meeting, the Japanese giant name dropped the Unreal Engine creator multiple times, across a variety of different mediums...
News Sony Sets Sights on Ruling the Anime World
The next frontier
There’s no doubt about it: Sony is comfortably the biggest fish in the anime ocean these days. The company already owns media company Aniplex, streaming service Crunchyroll, and is involved in the production of many of the most popular series, like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Bocchi the Rock, and the more recent Wind Breaker...
News Bombshell Report Finds Players Becoming Less Interested in Deep Strategy Games
Despite our best efforts
According to a horrifying new report, deep strategy games like those in the Civilization or XCOM franchises are becoming increasingly unappealing to modern gaming audiences. A study from Quantic Foundry collected data using the researcher's gamer motivation profile (GMP) tool over the last nine years and found that,...
Random DOOM Co-Creator John Romero Reveals Hellish Way 'Gib' Is Properly Pronounced
John Romero is going to make you say "gib" correctly
The father of the first-person shooter, John Romero, has settled a debate we didn't even know existed, definitively proving why you should never ask questions you aren't prepared to hear the answers to; we regret to inform you that you have mostly likely been pronouncing "gib" wrong. "Gib" is a...
News New Helldivers 2 CEO Hired So Former Lead Can Focus on Game Development
Shams Jorjani takes the lead
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Studios has revealed the hiring of a new CEO in Shams Jorjani so the former lead Johan Pilestedt — who you've probably seen on Twitter recently — can focus his efforts on game creation again. After the overwhelming success of the PS5, PC title, which currently sits on more than 12...
News PlayStation Mobile Job Listing Reveals New Insight into Sony's Smartphone Strategy
It's still alive
It’s no secret that Sony is desperate for a smartphone success story. Companies like HoYoverse have proven that titles can transcend different devices, with the likes of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail huge on PS5, PC, and mobile. PlayStation has been scrambling to set up a mobile subsidiary within its business for years,...
News PlayStation London Studio Shares a Farewell Message Following Closure
A "wild and wonderful journey"
PlayStation London Studio has posted a farewell message to fans following Sony's decision to close the UK developer amidst 900 job layoffs at the company. Confirmed back in February, the studio was shuttered entirely while there were job losses at other first-party teams such as Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and...
News Baldur's Gate 3 Studio Expands to Poland in Seventh Office Opening
Joins teams in Quebec, Dublin, and more
Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has announced the opening of a seventh office, this time in Poland. Out of the country's capital city Warsaw, the new sister team will join six others in Quebec, Dublin, Guildford, Barcelona, Ghent, and Kuala Lumpur. This is all designed to boost the overall developer's...
News New Game from Dan Houser's Absurd Ventures Reportedly Set in Expanded Sci-Fi Universe
GTA, Red Dead Redemption writer blasts off
Just Friday, we brought you word that Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser's new outfit, Absurd Ventures, was developing an open world action-adventure game. In an intriguing turn, IGN turned up some new information on the in-development title, suggesting that whatever the next game from the
News Microsoft Commits to Next Call of Duty Game on Xbox Game Pass, New Report Says
All or nothing
Following reports of internal debates at Microsoft over whether the next Call of Duty entry should be part of Xbox Game Pass at launch following the firm's acquisition of Activision, a new article from the Wall Street Journal claims it has now settled on going forward with plans to bundle the FPS in with the subscription service...
News Rockstar Co-Founder Dan Houser's Absurd Ventures Developing 'Open World Action-Adventure' Game
An ersatz life
Last year, we brought you word that Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser had started a new studio called Absurd Ventures, promising to create original IP for "all platforms and formats". It seems the new outfit has commenced work on a game that promises "best-in-class combat and third-person action across multiple game modes". That's...
News Square Enix Bestows New Name on Creative Business Unit 3
Please be excited
Square Enix is undergoing a restructuring process, and layoffs are already underway in the US and Europe as the firm "aggressively" prepares for a multiplatform push. Perhaps in response to feedback, the Japanese publisher has taken the opportunity to rename one of its premier development studios, the Naoki Yoshida-led division...
News Activision Tasks New AAA Studio with Crafting Narrative-Based Series
Timing is everything
Activision has reportedly opened a new studio, tasking the nascent, Warsaw-based Elsewhere Entertainment with developing a "narrative-based and genre-defining AAA franchise". The huge entity underwent a massive wave of layoffs following the closure of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard King acquisition earlier this year. As...
News GTA Publisher Claims It 'Didn't Shutter' Roll7, Intercept Games
"We didn't shutter those studios"
Take-Two, the publisher behind Grand Theft Auto and owner of other labels such as Private Division, has denied reports it recently shut down Rollerdrome, OlliOlli developer Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 team Intercept Games. Having been questioned by IGN during a financial call today, CEO Strauss Zelnick...
News Microsoft Leadership Reportedly Want No 'Red Line' Stopping Xbox Games Coming to PS5
Is nothing sacred?
A new report suggests that Microsoft's big boss, Satya Nadella, wants to bring more Xbox games to PlayStation as soon as possible. With the instant success Sea of Thieves found on Sony's platform, considered a "key test," it seems like the writing is on the wall at this point; Microsoft leadership reportedly wants there to be no...
News Sony Shipped 4.5 Million PS5's Last Quarter, Almost Five Times More Than Xbox Series X|S
Estimates indicate enormous gap
As the industry digests the latest deluge of earnings reports, attempting to parse the information and present a clearer picture, one piece of news is likely to fuel more than a few pointless arguments on social media: despite marginally missing its own revised target, Sony shipped 4.5 million PS5s last quarter,...
News Former XCOM, Midnight Suns Devs Form New Studio to Take on The Sims
Making a new "life sim" game
Former developers of XCOM, Marvel's Midnight Suns, and The Sims have come together to form a new studio called Midsummer Games, all in the name of rivalling The Sims in the "life simulation" genre. Jake Solomon and Will Miller, best known for their work on Firaxis titles like Marvel's Midnight Suns and XCOM, founded the...
News Sony: The Future Is Incredibly Bright for PlayStation
Company to outline long-term vision later this month
Sony has replaced outgoing CEO Jim Ryan with an all-star tag-team partnership: Hermen Hulst will lead PS Studios and its intellectual property, while Hideaki Nishino will focus on hardware and services. The pair, together, will be tasked with leading PlayStation into a new era, as PS5 enters the...
News Hermen Hulst, Hideaki Nishino Replace Jim Ryan As PlayStation CEOs
Tag-team time
As the ol’ Spice Girls song goes: two become one. PlayStation has decided to replace Jim Ryan with two executives: Hermen Hulst, the former Guerrilla managing director and current PS Studios chief, will lead a newly named Studio Business Group unit, which will oversee all of the Japanese giant’s first-party studios, as well as its...
News EA Exploring 'Thoughtful Implementations' of In-Game Advertising
Ad-ded value
Electronic Arts, the publisher everyone loves to hate, isn't doing itself many favours among already-jaded onlookers. The company's CEO, Andrew Wilson, has already talked about implementing generative AI into its development processes, but that same earnings call saw him discuss another contentious idea: in-game ads. Asked directly...
News Square Enix to 'Aggressively' Pursue Multiplatform Strategy from Now On
Say goodbye to those PS5 exclusives
Square Enix has confirmed in a new medium-term business plan that it intends to "aggressively" pursue a multiplatform strategy across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and PC platforms. Instead of allowing select AAA games from its biggest series to be locked onto one system, the company will look to "build an...
News Fresh Sony Studio Reportedly Staffed by Former Deviation Games Devs
Jason Blundell back on deck
Following Deviation Games' closure and the mothballing of the high-profile PS5 game it was working on, it was unclear where the studio's storied talent would surface next. According to one former Deviation dev, many of the affected staff have formed a mysterious new studio at Sony, again working on an as-yet-unknown IP...
News Founders, Long-Time Employees Reportedly Say Xbox Now Effectively Microsoft Gaming
Doesn't really hit the same way
It's been a torturous week for Microsoft, but we aren't quite at the weekend yet. New reporting suggests that longtime employees and even some of the brand's founders agree that things have shifted so dramatically at Xbox since the bad old days that, effectively: "It's no longer Xbox, but Microsoft Gaming." That's...
News Capcom Hits Record High Profits for Seventh Year in a Row
Capgod
Japanese games publisher Capcom has been absolutely killing it for many years now, and with its latest annual financial results, it's done it yet again. Thanks to a series of top-selling games in its most popular franchises, the company has reached record high profits for the seventh consecutive year, and the 11th consecutive year of...
News More Xbox Layoffs Reportedly Inbound as Company Attempts to Cut Costs
Microsoft execs aren't quite done yet
In a week that has been something of a bloodbath for longtime rivals Microsoft and Sony, it appears that the dust hasn't quite settled yet for the Xbox platform holder, which just announced the closure of multiple internal studios. New reporting from
News Tipsy Microsoft Exec Once Attempted to Steal LittleBigPlanet from Sony
Media Molecule said the move would have been "morally corrupt"
Media Molecule is best known these days as the developer behind Dreams. Still, the studio rose to prominence from the back of its LittleBigPlanet series, with mascot Sackboy becoming synonymous with PlayStation. According to studio co-founder Mark Healey, in the early days, Microsoft was...
News Founder Shinji Mikami on Microsoft's Surpise Closure of Tango Gameworks
"Sad"
Legendary master of horror, Shinji Mikami, has commented on the surprise closure of the studio he founded, Tango Gameworks, shuttered in the latest round of Microsoft layoffs. Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil series, spent many years at Capcom, co-founded Platinum Games, and seemed intent on training the next generation of creatives at...
News There's a 'Real Hunger' for AI to Make Game Dev More Efficient, Says EA Boss
Andrew Wilson talks up the tech's potential
EA's head honcho, Andrew Wilson, sounds extremely excited about the potential of generative AI tools. Speaking in a Q&A session following its latest financial briefing (thanks, VGC), the Aussie CEO responded to a question about how the publisher is planning to utilise AI in the future, and he thinks...
News Gaming Subs Like PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass Aren't Growing At All
Stagnant for several years now
There was immense pressure on Sony at the beginning of the generation to copy Xbox Game Pass’ model of day one first-party releases, but as time goes by, it’s beginning to look like the Japanese giant dodged a bullet. While it has significantly improved its PS Plus offerings, the platform holder has always argued...
News Arkane Lyon Director Calls Out Xbox Studio Closures: 'It's a F*cking Gut Stab'
Dinga Bakaba's had enough of it
Arkane Lyon studio head Dinga Bakaba has minced precisely zero words in his criticism of Microsoft leadership's decision to shutter multiple Bethesda-owned studios, accusing the firm of turning development environments into "Darwinist jungles". Bakaba made his voice heard on
News Remedy Cancels Premium Co-Op Multiplayer Game Codename Kestrel
Despite the project showing "early promise"
Remedy has revealed that its in-development premium cooperative multiplayer game, Codename Kestrel, has been cancelled. Previously, Kestrel was known as Vanguard, and the monied Chinese holding company Tencent was set to handle publishing. Remedy said that cancelling Kestrel will allow the studio to focus...
News Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, More Closed in Brutal Bethesda Restructure
Microsoft makes significant cuts
Microsoft is making some major changes to Bethesda and its development teams, resulting in job losses and the closure of multiple studios. As reported by IGN, head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty sent a company-wide email detailing the restructure plan. In it, it's confirmed that Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and...
News Review Bombers Were Even Attacking Other Games Made by Helldivers 2 Dev
Collateral damage
This weekend's review bombing of Helldivers 2 over Sony's mandated PSN requirement even affected other games before the Japanese giant walked it back. Sucker Punch at least got out in front of the situation, as Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut was confirmed to only require PSN for i
News Korea Announces Bold Plan to Buff Nation's Nascent Console Market
Lies of P, Stellar Blade kick off Korean console renaissance
Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has announced it intends to boldly grow the country's console market, with significant government investment through 2028, in a bid to revitalise the nation's burgeoning games industry. Shift Up's success with Stellar Blade is no doubt part...
News Family Friendly Level-5 Boss Would Love to Make Violent, Erotic Games
"There’s an abnormal world inside of me"
The boss of Level-5, the Japanese developer best known for family-friendly titles like Professor Layton, Ni no Kuni, and Yokai Watch, apparently has that dog in him, proclaiming his desire to develop both erotic and extremely violent games someday. CEO Akihiro Hino made the surprising admission during an...
News Sony and Apollo Reportedly Make $26 Billion All-Cash Paramount Bid
Prestige Worldwide
A few weeks back, a report from the New York Times suggested that Sony was currently in talks with a monied partner, Apollo Global Management, to buy the legendary picture house Paramount. Well, the twosome has now drawn up terms, reportedly making an all-cash offer of $26 billion, which, if accepted, could open up Paramount's...
