Tag: Industry - Page 43
News THQ Shelves Guillermo Del Toro's inSANE
Not exactly crazy
In arguably the most unsurprising turn of events, THQ has ceased development on Guillermo Del Toro's inSANE and returned the rights to the Mexican director. The information was announced during THQ’s quarterly financial call overnight, in which the troubled publisher actually exceeded expectations. It recorded a net income of...
News UK Retail Software Sales Slump to Lowest Ever Tally
Gulp
Retail software sales in the UK smashed records last week – by sinking lower than they’ve ever sunk before. MCV reports that 394,688 games were sold during the seven day period, generating just £8.4 million. It’s not entirely surprising that the figures dipped so dramatically – the games industry is essentially on holiday, and...
News E3 Staying in Los Angeles Until 2015
Looks like another perfect day
In an announcement that will mean very little to the majority of you, the Electronic Software Association has announced that E3 will remain in Los Angeles until 2015. A sojourn to Vegas had been rumoured while the West Hall of the LA Convention Center is reconstructed into an epic new Farmer’s Field stadium – but...
News Konami Opens New PES Studio in London
Cultural excursion
Pro Evolution Soccer is locked in a fierce battle with FIFA. Despite dominating the PS2 era, Konami’s once-world beating soccer sim has struggled against the new-found enthusiasm of EA’s franchise. But the Japanese publisher is eager to topple its closest competitor – and one way it hopes to achieve that is by opening a new...
News Ubisoft Isn't Too Happy About the PS3's Protracted Lifespan
Brain drain
Assassin’s Creed III may be poised to become one of the biggest games of the year, but Ubisoft gaffer Yves Guillemot still isn’t particularly happy about the length of the current console generation. Chatting with Gamasutra, the company executive claimed that publishers are being “penalised” by the lack of new consoles, and...
News Murky Outlook for Silent Hill: Downpour Developer
It's raining, it's pouring
If, like us, you totally forgot Silent Hill: Downpour was even coming out (it’s available now apparently), then you’re probably partially to blame for the unclear future of Czech developer Vatra Games. The studio’s future has been plunged into doubt following a management reshuffle at parent company Kuju...
News Gaikai's David Perry: 'I Have to Start Thinking Differently Now'
Opening doors with Sony
Sony's acquisition of Gaikai, the cloud gaming service, for $380 million was a major statement of intent. It may not necessarily bring dividends in the imminent future, but the potential for cloud gaming under the Sony banner is clearly an exciting prospect. Speculation has ranged from Gaikai featuring prominently on PS4, to...
News David Perry Pushing for Core Focus with PlayStation 4
Lip service
When Sony acquired cloud gaming service Gaikai for $380 million earlier this month, it also picked up a rather valuable asset in the form of the company’s founder David Perry. The industry legend (who had a hand in creating the original Earthworm Jim) is now a PlayStation employee – and he’s already looking to making an impact on...
News Rockstar Vancouver Studio Shuttered, Toronto Expanded
Out with the old
Rockstar has shut down its Vancouver studio in favour of a new facility in Toronto. The company announced overnight that it has opened a new office in Oakville, Ontario at the expense of the Max Payne 3 developer. The move comes with full support from the local government, though financing details were kept unsurprisingly quiet...
News Sony Stresses the Importance of Retail Despite Gaikai Purchase
Brick and mortar
If you’re worried that PlayStation is going to exist exclusively in the cloud from now on, then Sony has a silver lining for you. Chatting with industry website MCV, Sony UK’s Fergal Gara explained that while the high street is going through a “readjustment” period, it’s still massively important to the platform holder's...
News Radical Entertainment Reduced to "Support" Role at Activision
Staff cuts
Radical Entertainment is the latest developer to fall foul to Activision’s high expectations. The developer – which recently released the middling Prototype 2 – has been dropped to a support role after a significant reduction in staff. Activision explained that it had explored “various options for the studio, including a...
News Andrew House Stresses the Importance of United Sony
Sticking together
Sony is not in a good position. While core elements of its business – including the PlayStation division – are ticking over nicely, the company as a whole is bleeding money. The worry for Sony is that it’s been struggling for a while. But while the company's situation is becoming all too familiar from the outside, key...
News Media Molecule Recruiting for New "AAA Title"
The next big thing
LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule is staffing up for a new “AAA title". The UK-based studio has been alarmingly quiet ever since the release of LittleBigPlanet 2 last year, but it looks like the inventive team is starting to seriously consider the future. There’s some conflicting information amongst the multiple job...
News Kaz Hirai Drops Sony Computer Entertainment Chairman Role
Bigger fish to fry
New Sony president Kaz Hirai is a busy man. The former Sony Computer Entertainment gaffer has been handed the daunting task of turning the troubled Japanese manufacturer’s fortunes around. As such, the likable executive has decided to step away from his role as chairman on the SCE board. He will still serve in a part time...
News James Mielke Departs Lumines Developer for PixelJunk Studio
All change
Former 1UP writer James Mielke has departed Lumines developer Q Entertainment, and, in a twist that you almost certainly couldn’t make up, has announced his arrival at PixelJunk studio Q Games. He’ll serve as a producer on an unannounced project. Speaking with CVG, Mielke paid tribute to his former employer Tetsuya Mizuguchi:...
News Crystal Dynamics Staffing Up for Next Generation Project
Thinking ahead
Crystal Dynamics is recruiting for a “cutting edge, original IP for future platforms”. The mysterious title is described as a “third-person action adventure”. Previous rumours had hinted that the Californian studio was a working on a Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver reboot, but that doesn’t quite line up with the scant details...
News EA Admits That Its Syndicate Reboot "Didn't Pay Off"
Performance review
If the real world of business was as ruthless as the fictional one in Syndicate, then EA’s Frank Gibeau wouldn’t have time to lament the poor performance of Starbreeze’s series reboot. Thankfully, it’s not, and the executive can openly acknowledge the fact that the first-person shooter didn’t quite live up to...
News thatgamecompany Raises $5.5 Million, Goes Fully Independent
Travelling alone
Journey developer thatgamecompany has announced that it has raised $5.5 million in funding – allowing it to cut its ties with Sony, and go fully independent for the first time since its formation. Earlier in the year, we revealed that the creative studio was looking to move beyond PlayStation. Speaking specifically about the...
News Ubisoft Bullish About PlayStation Vita's Prospects
True believer
Ubisoft was one of the few third-party publishers to deliver the goods for Vita at this year’s E3. The company announced a full-blown spin-off in Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation – a title that’s been getting a lot of buzz in the aftermath of the show. That support shows serious belief in the platform’s future prospects,...
News Sony Executives Take Pay Cuts, Return Bonuses
Trying times
While the PlayStation business is doing reasonably well for Sony, the Japanese giant is not in great shape overall. New CEO Kaz Hirai has promised to return the company to profitability over the next 12 months, but on the back of four straight losses, the executive has been forced to take a pay cut. The cut will affect the...
News Slant Six Slashes Workforce By 25%
Rotten news
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City developer Slant Six has been forced to cull its workforce by about 25%. However, the studio hopes to rehire those affected employees in the coming months. Speaking with GameInformer magazine, a company spokesperson said: Regretfully, we can confirm that there have been some temporary layoffs at...
News Don't Worry, Sony Is Going to GamesCom After All
Snap decisions
Seems like Sony’s comments yesterday managed to panic GamesCom's management team into giving the platform holder better terms. The organiser hurriedly announced this morning that PlayStation will have a presence at the show. Yesterday, a German spokesperson for SCE said the company was still undecided about whether it would attend...
News 505 Games Snaps Up Payday: The Heist 2
Taking candy from a baby
505 Games has picked up the sequel to Payday: The Heist, developer Overkill Software has announced. The studio – which itself was snagged by Starbreeze earlier in the year – revealed the news on its official website this afternoon. The company said that the deal will allow the studio to “pull off heists on a scale...
News Sony Might Not Be Going to GamesCom This Year
Missing out
Sony loves GamesCom. At least, that’s what we thought. In previous years the platform holder has had a big presence at the European show, announcing titles such as inFamous: Festival of Blood and even revealing the PS3 Slim to the world. But the Japanese company is unsure whether it’s going to show up at the German event this year...
News Sony Reiterates Vita's 10 Million Sales Target
Shooting for the stars
Sony expects to sell 10 million PlayStation Vitas by March 2013, president Andrew House has revealed. Chatting with Reuters Japan, the executive explained that the firm anticipates the majority of handhelds to be sold during the holiday season, once more content has been released. He said: The end-of-year holiday season is...
News Square Enix Reveals the Future of Final Fantasy
Treat your senses
If Square Enix’s real-time Luminous Technology demonstration is representative of the visual fidelity we can expect from PlayStation 4, then wake us up when the next console comes around. The Japanese company revealed the breath-taking demo below during a press demonstration at E3 in Los Angeles. Even more incredibly, chief...
Rumour Sony Close to Acquiring Cloud Gaming Firm
Megaton
Sony is not simply looking to partner with a major cloud gaming firm – it is poised to buy one. That’s according to a report on MCV, which claims the move could “rock the next generation of console gaming”. We reported earlier this week that Sony was set to announce a deal with a major c
News Danny Bilson Departs THQ, Rubin Steps In
All change
THQ has confirmed that Danny Bilson, the vice president of core games, has departed the troubled publisher. He will be replaced by Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin in a slightly different role, which will see him oversee development, marketing and publishing. Bilson will be joined by senior vice president of core games Dave Davis out...
News Infinity Ward Targeting New Consoles with Next Project
Modern Warfare, er, 4?
Excuse us while we continue to scrape the figuratively parched barrel for marginally interesting stories. Infinity Ward has posted a new job opening, advertising for a social network engineer. The employee will supposedly be responsible for “high level network code for an exciting unannounced title for next generation...
Rumour Kingdoms of Amalur 2 Was in Pre-Production
Bitter pill
Those that have been paying close to attention to the video game industry over the past couple of weeks will no doubt be familiar with the closure of Big Huge Games. The developer behind the likeable Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was forced to shut down last week following the emerging financial troubles of its parent company 38 Studios...
News Just Cause Developer Working on Open World Action Game
Thinking caps, everyone
Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios is working on a “ground breaking” open world action game for Square Enix. For the record, Square Enix published the last two Just Cause titles. What could it possibly all mean? Well, here’s a hint: Square Enix recently registered domain names for Just Cause 4. Perhaps Avalanche’s...
News Silent Hill HD Collection Ported from Incomplete Code
Terrifying
Want to know something scary? No, it doesn’t involve Pyramid Head – in fact, it’s much scarier. See, Konami has confirmed that the recently released Silent Hill HD Collection was ported from incomplete code. Yeah, that’s pretty messed up, isn’t it? Senior producer Tomm Hulett revealed in an interview with 1UP that the Japanese...
News Sony Engineer References PlayStation 4 in CV
Whoops
Update: Umminger claims it was "just a typo". Original story: It’s about time employees of major video game companies learned that they can’t talk about unannounced products on their CV. The harsh reality is: someone will find it. SCEA software engineer Frederick Umminger is the latest to fall foul of the common quandary,...
News Beyond Good & Evil 2 is in "Active Creation"
Rejoice
Rayman creator Michel Ancel has confirmed that development on the hotly anticipated Beyond Good & Evil 2 has continued – albeit not on PlayStation 3. The industry legend said in a video interview with the Toulouse Game Show [via NeoGAF] that the project is at an “active creation stage” and that the developer is focusing on...
News thatgamecompany Negotiating with New Partners
The long and winding road
It seems like an age since thatgamecompany's Journey released on the PlayStation Store and subsequently blew us away. A lot has changed since then, with a number of key staff exiting the developer. Now, with its three game relationship with Sony expired, the influential studio is looking to the future – and according to a...
News PlayStation 3 Leads European Hardware Market
Through the keyhole
There’s a myth on various forums and websites that the PlayStation 3 is unpopular and the poorest performer of the current generation consoles. It stems from years of disappointing NPD reports, where Sony’s home console has spent the generation lagging behind the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 in North America. But overseas,...
Rumour Contract Negotiations Halted Prey 2's Development
Pray tell
Bethesda announced yesterday that the promising looking Prey 2 had been delayed beyond its original 2012 release window due to development on the title not progressing at a “satisfactory” rate. Turns out the game hasn’t been worked on since November 2011, due to developer Human Head Studios trying to negotiate better contract terms...
News Starbreeze to Acquire Payday: The Heist Developer
Hostile takeover?
The real world of business is nothing like Starbreeze’s Syndicate – if it was, Overkill Software would probably find itself six-feet under by now. But thankfully for the Payday: The Heist developer, that’s not quite how takeovers work in 2012. Instead, Starbreeze has announced its intention to acquire the Stockholm-based...
News Analyst: PS4 Must Launch First to "Remain Competitive"
Timing is everything
With the next generation of consoles supposedly looming, Sony finds itself in an interesting place. The PlayStation 3 has only really recently hit its stride, with its life-cycle likely to be extended later this year when it inevitably reaches $199. As such, the Japanese giant could do with holding off the next generation for...
News Kaz Hirai Reveals "One Sony" Rescue Strategy
Promises change
As promised, former PlayStation president and new Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has revealed his rescue strategy designed to resurrect the ailing Japanese giant. The likable executive’s speech hinged on the idea of change and unification – something Sony has been striving towards with little success for years. In his presentation, Hirai...
News Sony Preparing for Biggest Annual Loss in a Decade
The numbers aren't red enough
We find it hard to believe there’s been a smile on new Sony CEO Kaz Hirai’s face since he started his new high-power role just over a week ago. One look at the company’s balance sheet would be enough to plant a permanent frown on even the most jubilant of personalities. Indeed, Sony has warned investors today...
Rumour Sony to Cut 10,000 Jobs Before Year's End
Hirai making his mark
Sony’s financial troubles are well documented. If you’re not up to speed, then know this: the company is expected to report a whopping £2.1billion loss in its latest financial report. That’s not particularly healthy. Of course, that’s also the reason that former SCE president – and lifetime Ridge Racer fanboy – Kaz...
News Take-Two: "THQ Won't Be Around in Six Months"
Laying it bare
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick doesn’t foresee much longevity for troubled publisher THQ – the gaffer told an audience at the MIT Business in Gaming Conference that he believes the firm will be fully shuttered in six months time. Zelnick expanded that he believes the publisher’s biggest mistake was working with licensed...
News Kaz Hirai to Reveal Sony Rescue Strategy This Month
No time for jokes
Expect to see the hairs on newly appointed Sony CEO Kaz Hirai’s head gently transition to a subtle shade of silver over the coming months. The fresh faced executive has announced a conference for 12th April where he’s expected to reveal his strategy to turn the troubled Japanese manufacturer around. With Sony predicted to lose...
News Idol Minds Feels the Pain of Sony's Shutdowns
Slippery slope
Idol Minds, the developer behind PSN’s well-supported arcade ache ‘em up Pain, has had a whopping four titles cancelled by long-term partner Sony over the past couple of years. While the studio is currently working on the Ratchet & Clank HD Collection, cyber snoop Superannuation reports that the developer has had multiple...
News Sony Stumps Up £1.5 Million for Easter Vita Push
Sadly not hiring the Easter bunny, though
With the PlayStation Vita now firmly established on retail store shelves, Sony is turning its attention to ensuring there is long-term enthusiasm in the platform. In the UK it intends to achieve that by pumping a whopping £1.5 million into a fresh Easter promotional push. The new campaign will see the PS...
News GAME Exits Administration, Stores to Remain Open
Good news, everyone
GAME Group's out of administration less than a week after it entered. Investment group OpCapita and Baker Acquisitions Limited negotiated a deal that will see all remaining stores continue to trade, securing the jobs of some 3,200 staff. Here's hoping this signals the start of an upswing for the chain.
News Sony Confirms Zipper Interactive Has Closed
Zipped up
SOCOM developer Zipper Interactive has closed, Sony has confirmed. Speculation about the studio’s imminent demise began last weekend, but the firm remained tight-lipped for the majority of the week. However, Sony confirmed the sad news in a statement to Game Informer over night: Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm the closure of...
News Robin Hunicke Latest to Leave thatgamecompany
Fond farewell
Journey developer thatgamecompany is a small studio, so it’s surprising when key members of the team announce their departure for pastures new. Yesterday co-founder Kellee Santiago revealed her intention to move on, and since producer Robin Hunicke has also shut the door behind her. Hunicke – who joined thatgamecompany at the...
News SEGA Cans Games, Focuses on Big Name IPs
Blue sky gaming
SEGA has revealed it will cancel games and focus on sales-proven IP in the future. The company's report cites Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and Aliens as examples of the strong series it'll support in the next period and beyond. SEGA didn't reveal which titles would be canned, with a look through our list of
