Tag: Industry - Page 6
News Sony's London Studio, Media Molecule Were Reportedly 'Highest on the List' for Closure
The latter remains open after layoffs
In case you missed the big news last week, PlayStation joined the rest of the industry in cutting hundreds of jobs across its business. What's more, the platform holder is closing one of its longest-standing developers, London Studio — but it seems another UK team may have been at risk, too. In the wake of...
News Borderlands Dev Set to Join Saber in Leaving Embracer Group
Reportedly in the late stages of a sale
Borderlands maker Gearbox Entertainment is on the verge of joining Saber Interactive in being bought out of the sinking ship that is the Embracer Group, a new Kotaku report claims. It's stated that CEO Randy Pitchford shared the news with employees during a town hall meeting earlier this week, with more...
News Sony Studio Firesprite Accused of Alleged Toxic Culture in Exposé
"Death by a thousand cuts"
It sounds like all is not well at Sony studio Firesprite, which the platform holder acquired in 2021. Despite moving into expensive new digs in its home city of Liverpool, a Eurogamer report paints an extremely grim picture of the outfit, which is allegedly bleeding staff and lost its managing director Graeme Ankers...
News Publisher 505 Games Closes Offices in France, Germany, Spain
Part of the company's planned business review
Italian publisher 505 Games has shuttered several of its European offices in France, Germany, and Spain, the result of a business review conducted in September. Just yesterday, we told you that Remedy Entertainment had acquired full publishing rights for Control back from 505 Games.
News Crash Bandicoot, Spyro Dev Toys for Bob Becomes Independent Studio, May Partner with Microsoft
"We're going indie!"
Toys for Bob, the developer behind titles like Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time and Spyro: Reignited Trilogy, has announced that it's becoming an independent studio. Previously, the Californian outfit had operated under Activision, but it was hit with layoffs after Microsoft's acquisition of the publisher. Toys for Bob also...
News Embracer Group to Sell KOTOR Remake Studio in Deal Worth $500 Million
Saber Interactive will become privately owned
Saber Interactive, one of Embracer Group's largest development houses, will reportedly be sold off in a transaction worth $500 million. The company, which itself comprises more than 20 studios, will be sold to private investors after the deal closes. This will be the latest action from Embracer in its...
News Naughty Dog Boss Neil Druckmann Doesn't Want to Make Games Forever
"I’ve started thinking about how many more of these games do I have in me"
Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann doesn't think he will be in the business of making video games forever, at least not at the scale we would expect from the storied creative. He is best known for his work on both Uncharted and The Last of Us; in fact, it was the...
News EA Cuts Roughly 700 Jobs in Another Round of Industry Layoffs
Around 5% of the firm's workforce gone
Just a day after Sony confirmed it's laying off 900 PlayStation employees across its first-party studios, publisher EA has announced it's doing the same. In the region of 670 workers — or around five per cent of the company's workforce — will lose their jobs as the EA Sports FC, Battlefield distributor...
News Horizon Dev Reportedly Loses 10% of Staff After PlayStation Layoffs
Around 40 employees lose their jobs
Of the 900 PlayStation employees that lost their jobs during yesterday's layoffs, it's reported that roughly 40 of them — or 10 per cent of the developer's workforce — belonged to Horizon Forbidden West team Guerrilla Games. Dutch outlet AD shared the news that the layoffs at Guerrilla Games concerned "ten...
Reaction The Problem with PlayStation Right Now
AAA troubles
PlayStation is in a precarious position. It’s imperative we don’t overreact: the global economy is, for want of a better word, in the gutter right now – and it’s sad to see layoffs occurring across a spectrum of industries, not just gaming. But in the aftermath of a disappointing earnings report and an enormous downsizing...
News Unannounced Games from PlayStation Studios Have Been Cancelled
Some projects won't be moving fowards
Sony has confirmed that "some" unannounced games in development within PlayStation Studios have been cancelled as a result of the decision to lay off around 900 employees. In a separate article from Hermen Hulst, it's explained: "We looked at our studios and our portfolio, evaluating projects in various stages...
News 900 PlayStation Employees Laid Off, London Studio Closed
Naughty Dog, Insomniac, and Guerrilla all affected
Sony has today confirmed around 900 PlayStation employees — or around eight per cent of its workforce — are being laid off in order to "future ready ourselves to set the business up for what lies ahead". As a result of the downsizing, PlayStation's own London Studio is being closed completely...
News Final Fantasy Composer Nobuo Uematsu Unlikely to Score Another Full Game
"I don't think I have the physical and mental strength to do it anymore"
Legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu says he probably won't compose the score for another complete game; instead, he prefers to spend his time on compositions or his band Uematsu Nobuo conTIKI. Amongst his long list of notable achievements, in addition to being the...
News Layoffs Hit Until Dawn, Dark Pictures Dev Supermassive Games, 90 People Affected
Enters a "period of consultation"
Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology team Supermassive Games will be laying off 90 workers in the near future, it's been confirmed. The studio employs more than 300 people in Guildford, UK, and has informed 150 of them that they are "at risk" of being the 90 people who will soon lose their job. The developer...
Random Tipsy The Last of Us HBO Star Pedro Pascal Secures SAG Award
"I'm a little drunk!"
Pedro Pascal might have had one too many Dark 'n' Stormy's before 2024's SAG awards, where the actor secured the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Joel Miller in the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us. Somewhat sloshed, the Joel actor took to the stage, declaring: "This is wrong...
News 'High Possibility' Miyazaki Delegates Direction of Future FromSoftware Souls Games
"Souls-ish" is canon now
Of FromSoftware's impressive lineup of recent games (Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Dark Souls III, Déraciné, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Elden Ring), Dark Souls II is the only title not directed by the sadistic master of Souls-Like gameplay, Hidetaka Miyazaki (but he did serve as superv
News Connecting Worlds, the Hideo Kojima Documentary, Is Out Now on Disney+
From studio launch to Death Stranding release
The documentary charting Hideo Kojima and his efforts to go from establishing Kojima Productions after Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to releasing Death Stranding is now available to stream on Disney+. Clocking in at just shy of an hour in length, the documentary "unveils the visionary mind of...
Feature Indie Publisher Neon Doctrine on the Importance of Culture and Improvements to the PS Store
“It’s every platform holder’s responsibility to create a path for success”
Neon Doctrine’s so-called “ghost computers” immediately caught our attention. Entering the indie publisher’s Neihu-based office in Taipei, we were taken aback by the flurry of activity occurring on its rows of unmanned monitors – especially considering the...
News Despite Recent Success, Bandai Namco Reveals It Cancelled at Least Five In-Development Games
Didn't make the cut
Bandai Namco has revealed that it cancelled at least five in-development games, and will change its internal development structure moving forward. Stricter rules will make it more difficult for future games to proceed past specific development milestones, as increasing costs make games even more expensive, risky propositions...
News 700 Ubisoft Workers Strike in France Following Failed Salary Negotiations
Getting things done
Some 700 unionised Ubisoft employees downed (development) tools in France, walking off the job in a day of organised strike action. Following the collapse of annual salary negotiations, on Valentine's Day, workers from Ubisoft Paris, Montpellier, Lyon, Annecy, and Bordeaux took part, taking to the streets in the time-honoured...
News Xbox's 'Everywhere' Future Outlined in Company Memo from Phil Spencer
Read the message now
In case you missed it, Xbox's top dogs set live a podcast yesterday, publicly announcing the company's long-rumoured intention to bring a selection of first-party games to rival consoles. After so much noise around the subject, it hardly came as a surprise, but it's still a noteworthy shift in how the platform holder will handle...
Reaction Xbox Is Bringing Some Great Games to PS5, But Rumours Will Remain Rampant About What's Next
Redmond firm fails to set out its strategy
More great games are coming to the PS5, and that’s never a bad thing. Microsoft announced during a highly massaged corporate message that it’ll bring four first-party titles to rival systems, although it wouldn’t name any names. Fortunately, the rumours have been so strong that we can surmise...
News Sony Shares Drop Sharply After Prediction PS5 Growth Has Peaked
Expected "gradual decline" has investors dumping shares
Sony shares plummeted by some 8.4% on Thursday, their sharpest drop in almost two years, following publishing the firm's latest quarterly financial results. The proclamation that PS5 has reached its peak and the prediction that it expects growth to decline gradually from here seems to have...
News Xbox Is Bringing Four Exclusives to PS5, But It Won't Say Which
It's not Starfield or Indiana Jones... Yet
Microsoft has officially confirmed it’ll bring four formerly exclusive games to rival platforms like PS5, but it won’t say which ones. As part of a bizarre podcast featuring executives Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty, the trillion-dollar tech titan danced around the rumours which have been...
News Microsoft Allegedly Told Employees 'Every Screen Is an Xbox' Ahead of PS5 Port Speculation
All will be revealed imminently
More information on Microsoft’s previously reported employee town hall has emerged on Inverse, where it’s claimed by staff that leadership declared “every screen is an Xbox”. There’s been rampant speculation recently that the Redmond firm will bring formerly exclusive titles, like Hi-Fi Rush and
News Embracer Layoffs Total Nearly 1,400 So Far, 29 Unannounced Games Cancelled
Downsizing will continue
Embracer Group, the holdings company that spent years scooping up as many gaming properties and development teams as possible, has had to reduce its unsustainable size, cutting jobs, closing studios, and shelving projects. Last summer, the company announced its restructuring plan, and has now confirmed the figures pertaining...
News Sony Plans to Improve Profit Margins with 'Aggressive' PC Release Strategy
Way of the future
Sony president and PlayStation chairman Hiroki Totoki was asked in a Q&A session following Sony's latest financial results briefing why the game division is seeing an increase in gross income but not profits and what the company could do to improve its bottom line. Totoki said that there are two key areas he wants to focus on...
News PlayStation Chairman: There's Room for Improvement When It Comes to Business
Praises "highly motivated" studios
Hiroki Totoki has a lot of titles at Sony; in addition to being president, COO, and CFO of the corporation, he's more recently stepped into the role of PlayStation chairman as Jim Ryan winds down his time at the company. He's among the company's top dogs, then — but what does he make of Sony Interactive...
News Sony Predicts Slide in PS5 Sales with No Major Existing IPs Planned Before March 2025
"Focused on producing high-quality works"
Sony will not release any sequels or updates to “major existing franchise titles” before March 2025. The wording is exceptionally important here: this does not eliminate the likelihood of PS5 exclusives entirely, it just means you’re unlikely to see a new Ghost of Tsushima or The Last of Us in the next...
News Sony Slashes PS5 Forecast to 21 Million for Fiscal Year
A decrease of four million units
As reported earlier today, Sony shipped 8.2 million PS5 consoles during the three-month period ending 31st December, 2023 – a very good number which contributed to record-breaking revenue, but not enough to help it reach its forecast of 25 million units for the current financial year. Thus far, it?
News PS5 Sales Touch 55 Million As Sony Breaks Revenue Records
But fiscal year target is off
You may not be fully satisfied with how PlayStation is running its business right now, but Sony’s bringing home the big bucks all the same. The firm’s gaming division is printing cash, as it shipped a sturdy 8.2 million PS5 units throughout the three-month period ending 31st December, 2023. That’s an increase of...
News Xbox's Multiplatform Plans to Be Revealed on Thursday
Feeling green
Microsoft has confirmed that it will "share updates on the Xbox business" this Thursday, the 15th February, at 12PM PT / 3PM ET / 8PM GMT / 9PM CET. In other words, this is when the beans will finally be spilled on Xbox's all-but-official multiplatform plans. The news will be delivered through the Official Xbox Podcast — which...
News SEGA Issues Financial Warning After 'Sluggish' Sales Over Holiday Period
But we wanted to go fast
SEGA has issued a financial warning after what it described as "sluggish" and "weak" sales over the crucial holiday 2023 period, traditionally when sales peak. The venerable publisher and developer has revised its sales and profit forecast appropriately downward to compensate. Games released by the company during Q3 include...
News PS5 Outsold Xbox Series X|S Nearly Two to One, According to Take-Two Sales Data
The hits keep on coming
According to recently revealed sales data from publisher Take-Two, it looks like Sony's PS5 has outsold Microsoft's Xbox Series X|S by a factor of roughly 2:1. Microsoft stopped trumpeting console sales a while back, so getting to a concrete number requires taking a slightly circuitous route. As reported by GameSpot,...
News Xbox Has Allegedly Insisted It Won't Stop Making Consoles, As PS5 Port Rumours Mount
Will apparently support "multiple kinds of devices"
No one really expects Microsoft to suddenly step out of the hardware race, but it’s been a hellish week for the Redmond firm, where rumours have swirled with reckless abandon. All the way back on Monday – which feels like an eternity ago now – boss Phil Spencer announced it’d share news...
News Microsoft's Recent Layoffs Contradict Activision Blizzard Buyout Pledges, Says FTC
When can we stop writing about this
In case you missed it, Microsoft made an industry-shaking acquisition at the tail end of last year, buying up Activision Blizzard King for an eye-watering $69 billion. It took a long time to close, though, because of intense scrutiny from a handful of different sources — one of those being the USA's Federal...
News Microsoft Employee Inadvertently Adds More Fuel to the Xbox Multiplatform Fire
Oopsie daisy
The Internet is extremely unforgiving. Whatever you put on it will be preserved in some fashion, for better or worse, and it's a lesson still being learned in the year 2024. Case in point: the LinkedIn page of a Microsoft employee, who may have added yet more evidence to the heavily rumoured move from Xbox to publish its games on other...
News NBA 2K, LEGO 2K Drive Studio Visual Concepts Austin Suffers Job Cuts
Number affected undisclosed
The unrelenting tidal wave of layoffs across the industry claims another victim. It's come to light that Visual Concepts Austin, a division of Take-Two's studio responsible for the NBA 2K series as well as LEGO 2K Drive, has had some staff let go. The news comes via Game Developer, which spotted a Linked
News PS5, PS4 First-Party Devs Won't Get Complacent Even if Competition Degrades
"We're driven by an internal desire to create the best work possible"
One of the big talking points emerging as part of Microsoft’s rumoured switch in strategy is that a reduction in competition could result in complacency from PlayStation and its army of first-party developers. The issue, according to some, is that if Xbox were to abandon its own...
News Square Enix President Orders Development Review to Improve Quality of Future Games
A job for the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department
Square Enix has ordered a complete review of its developmental pipeline to increase the quality of future games and streamline, optimise, and synergise its way into increased profit margins. That's under the direction of Square Enix Holdings president Takashi Kiryu, responsible for...
News Microsoft Has Apparently Been Stocking Up on PS5 Devkits as Xbox Pivots
Further fuel to the fire
While an enormous amount of attention has been placed on the games Microsoft is potentially bringing to PlayStation, reports also suggest the tech titan has been quietly stocking up on PS5 devkits to support its plans. Speculation comes courtesy of fan site Xbox Era, which broke the news Starfield may be coming to Sony’s...
News Xbox Set to Announce Multi-Platform Plans Next Week
A "vision for the future of Xbox" is coming
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has announced Microsoft plans to share its "vision for the future of Xbox" in a business update event next week. While neither confirming nor denying rampant reports that multiple Xbox exclusives shall be ported to PS5 and PS4, you'd assume the speculation would be denied if it...
News Square Enix to Absorb Subsidiary Tokyo RPG Factory and All Its Assets
Closing the production line
Tokyo RPG Factory was established by Square Enix approximately a decade ago in order to recapture the magic of the “golden age” of role-playing releases. However, following the launch of three titles – I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear, and Oninaki – the subsidiary has been absorbed into its parent company, and will...
News Call of Duty Boss Takes the Top Job at Blizzard
Former NFL exec is in
Blizzard, now a Microsoft subsidiary of course, has gone through something of a shake up in the last couple of weeks. And now the company has confirmed ex-Call of Duty boss Johanna Faries as its next head honcho, following the unexpected departure of Mike Ybarra last week. Faries, who previously spent 12 years working for the...
News Acclaimed Platformer Celeste Celebrates Sixth Anniversary with Free 3D Spin-Off
Celeste 64 the players
If you loved acclaimed side-scrolling indie Celeste, then you may be eager to celebrate its sixth anniversary with this free 3D spin-off. Inspired by the Nintendo 64 and PS1 collectathon platformers of old, Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain is a free, 30-minute romp you can download from itch.io right now. The team says...
News Following Embracer Shutdown, Volition Veterans Form New Outfit Shapeshifter Games
Every cloud has a silver lining
Volition Games, best known for its (now defunct) Saint's Row series, was shuttered by publisher Embracer Group following the release of a reboot of the franchise in 2022. Embracer's slow-motion implosion is something we've been chronicling for what feels like an age (in reality, it's been six months), so it's nice to...
News Deus Ex Game Reportedly Cancelled, Almost 100 Devs Laid Off
Another project cut by the Embracer Group
A new report from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier suggests an unannounced Deus Ex game at Eidos Montreal has now been cancelled by the Embracer Group. The RP
News PlayStation Pours Investment into Africa as It Looks to Grow Globally
Around the world in 80 investments
PlayStation is already investing in countries like China, South Korea, and India, as it looks to expand its market globally – and now it appears to be turning its attention to the entire continent of Africa. An exclusive article on CNBC reveals that the Japanese giant has invested in Cape Town-based mobile...
Soapbox This Is Why Physical Games Are Still Important to Me
Material guy
I’ve got a confession to make: most of my PS5 and PS4 library is digital these days. I understand why the industry is increasingly transitioning away from physical media, and I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t address that right from the off. However, I still purchase plenty of cartridges and discs, and I believe boxed games still...
News Microsoft, Activision Cut 1,900 Jobs in More Video Game Layoffs
Bethesda employees also affected
Microsoft will be laying off 1,900 workers across its gaming divisions, an IGN report reveals. Divisions affected include internal teams at Microsoft, Bethesda, and the recently acquired Activision Blizzard. In a message sent to staff, Xbox head Phil Spencer said those affected will receive "severance benefits...
