Tag: Industry
News Workers at Greedfall, Steelrising Dev Spiders Are Striking, Calling Out Nacon in Public Letter
French devs are taking to the streets
Developers at the Paris-based studio Spiders, known for RPG GreedFall and revolutionary Soulslike Steelrising, have announced they will be going on strike in the coming days, starting 2nd September. A committee representing workers at the Nacon-owned studio has published an open letter alleging a litany of...
News Crash Bandicoot 5 Reportedly Cut in Favour of More Live Service Games
The Crash, Spyro teamup that could have been
In news that will likely come as a gut punch to fans of precocious marsupials, a new report from gaming historian Liam Robertson (thanks, VGC) alleges that Crash Bandicoot 5 was in development at Toys for Bob but was cancelled after Activision pulled funding in favour of live-service multiplayer...
Rumour Sony Paying Close Attention to Handheld Market After PS Portal's Shock Success
"So you're saying there's a chance?"
Sony is allegedly keeping a close eye on the handheld market, following the surprise success of the PS Portal. Despite being panned pre-release in public opinion polls on sites like Push Square, the Remote Play accessory has gone on to become a bit of a sensation,
News Xbox on Bringing Exclusives to PS5: The Industry Is Changing for All of Us
Spencer continues to talk
Xbox boss Phil Spencer never misses an opportunity to speak publicly, and at Gamescom today he’s been chatting as part of an official livestream. Asked specifically about his company’s decision to bring Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to PS5,
News Embracer CEO Says PC, Console Segment the 'Bad Guy', Video Games a 'Volatile' Business
Points to unavoidable "lumpiness"
Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors has always had a way with words and graced us with some choice ones during the company's latest investor Q&A. Wingefors said that the "volatile" PC / Console segment of the company was "the bad guy" and that the "lumpiness" of the video game industry makes the future hard to...
News PS5's Lack of Tentpole Exclusives Isn't Hurting Engagement, Says Sony
Breaking records despite alleged drought
While some enthusiasts would strongly disagree, Sony doesn’t feel like the lack of “tentpole” exclusive titles have impacted engagement with its PS5 console this year. While the platform holder has published titles like Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade, it hasn’t released a major sequel since...
News GTA 6 Won't Be on Subs Like PS Plus at Launch Because Take-Two Makes 'Rational' Decisions
Zelnick doesn't think much to the model
Microsoft has changed consumer’s perceptions on Xbox Series X|S. By committing all first-party games to its Game Pass Ultimate membership, including the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, it’s cultivated an audience less likely to pay full-price for new games. This has affected software sales on its...
News The Order: 1886 Dev Ready at Dawn to Close After VR Stint
Meta shutters studio with immediate effect
Ready at Dawn, the studio best known to PlayStation fans for the divisive PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886, will be closed by Meta effective immediately. Android Central reports the closure is related to ensuring Reality Labs can stay within its budgetary constraints and make a "better long-term impact" in VR...
Reaction PS5 Needs a Price Cut
Sticker shock
Don’t let the discourse tell you otherwise: the PS5 is doing very well. Tagging another 2.4 million units to its total in the quarter concluding 30th June, the system now sits at 61.7 million units sold. That’s a phenomenal feat when you consider all the chaos Sony has had to circumnavigate: the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent...
News Larian Studios' Next Two RPGs Sound Ridiculously Ambitious
"The machine was meant to make large games"
Developer Larian Studios set the new benchmark for ludicrously detailed RPGs with its revolutionary Baldur's Gate 3, which was developed in a somewhat unique situation (given the time and resources to achieve the developer's vision, with input from the community). It should come as no surprise, then, to...
News Sony Subsidiary Aniplex Ignores PS5 for Fate/Stay Night Remastered
Based on the PS Vita version
Sony subsidiary Aniplex is bringing TYPE-MOON’s iconic visual novel Fate/Stay Night outside of Japan for the first time, but it won’t be available on PS5 at all. The sub-division of Sony Music Entertainment is instead releasing the visual novel on Nintendo Switch and PC, and it’ll be available as early as next...
News Bungie Accused of Overselling Itself to Sony, Promising Success It Couldn't Deliver
"Sony overpaid for Bungie"
It seems as though more and more in-the-know people are weighing in on the deeply unfortunate situation at Bungie. Following on from the news that the studio has shed 220 of its employees — with another 155 being integrated into positions at PlayStation — the Destiny developer has now been accused of overselling itself...
News A Big Bungie Project Has Been Cancelled, But It Wasn't Destiny 3
That's Payback
There’s turmoil at developer Bungie following another brutal round of lay offs which saw over 200 employees let go, and a further 150 or so reallocated roles within parent company Sony. Speaking about the drama on his Game Mess Mornings podcast this week, snoopster Jeff Grubb said that a major new project named Payback had been...
Pete Parsons in the firing line
Back when Sony acquired Bungie for $3.6 billion, the deal repeatedly stressed that the Destiny developer would continue to remain independent, and would operate adjacent to PS Studios, rather than underneath it. However, there were apparently performance targets in place which meant if the studio missed them,...
Reaction Sony's Billion Dollar Bungie Buyout Is Looking More and More Like a Blunder
Destiny's wild
Back when Sony announced its $3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie, we didn’t quite understand it. Sony was under intense pressure at the time, as Microsoft was still in the midst of its corporate consolidation storm, and didn’t look likely to stop until it owned most of the industry. Acquiring the legendary Halo creator always...
News Sony to Establish Brand New PS Studios Team for PS5 Sci-Fi Action Game
Born out of Bungie
Update: Journalist Jason Schreier reports that it's around 40 employees moving from Bungie to form Sony's new studio, not the previously reported 75 staff. Original Article: The complicated news coming out of Bungie today confirms that there’ll be a new first-party team established under the PS Studios umbrella, as one of the...
News Bungie to Lay Off 220 Workers, Will Be Further Integrated into Sony
"Today is a difficult and painful day"
Destiny 2 developer Bungie has confirmed it will be letting go of 220 employees "due to rising costs of development and industry shifts as well as enduring economic conditions". As a result, the team will be further integrated into PlayStation Studios as a further 155 workers transition from Bungie to positions...
News Don't Expect Any More Awesome Olympics Games from SEGA on PS5, PS4
Disqualified
The Olympics are underway in Paris, and we bet you’ve seen enough now to be itching for a good video game, eh? While Konami’s iconic International Track & Field on PS1 can never be beaten, SEGA made a bunch of great arcade sports tie-ins in more recent years, like the amazing London 2012 and equally fun Tokyo 2020. We also...
News PSVR2 Sales Explode After Sony's Deep Price Cut, Up More than 2,000%
Big day for escapism
PSVR2 sales are through the roof (relatively speaking), having jumped some 2,350% since Sony announced some fairly drastic discounts, with further savings to be had at select retailers. Who would have imagined carving some $200 off the asking price, going from $550 to $350, would cause such a spike?
News Squint and You Might See Concept Art for Bluepoint's Exclusive PS5 IP
PlayStation Studios' promo showing more than intended
There's an almost palpable hunger amongst the PlayStation faithful for new IP, as evidenced by this latest scrap that has some salivating. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it piece of footage, some fans have connected the dots between concept art briefly shown in an official PlayStation video and...
News GTA 6 Not Affected by Current Union Strike Over AI Issues
Not a struck game according to SAG-AFTRA
Next year's Grand Theft Auto 6 won't be impacted by the decision to call a SAG-AFTRA union strike — effective today — over concerns surrounding AI replacing video game performers, like voice actors. Confirming to Kotaku, a spokesperson for the publishers included in negotiations said GTA 6 "is exempt"...
News Video Game Performers to Strike Due to AI Concerns
USA strike begins tomorrow
Members of the USA actors union SAG-AFTRA have confirmed they'll be going on strike from tomorrow, 26th July 2024, over concerns relating to AI usage in the industry. Video game performers — such as voice actors — have been in talks with some of the biggest game publishers (including Activision, EA, Take-Two, and more)...
News Capcom Endures Some Truly Incredible Monster Hunter Wilds Investor Questions
"Will this game be limited to these non-portable consoles?"
The out-of-touch corporate suit is a popular trope gamers like to imagine: business types who know how to make money but seemingly don't engage in the medium more than is strictly required. While that archetype can and does exist, executives generally know what they are doing. But for our...
News The Humble Games Team Has Reportedly Been Laid Off
All 36 employees from the publisher impacted
The team at publisher Humble Games has reportedly been laid off, with some 36 staff affected by the cuts. To clarify, the layoffs were made to the publishing arm, not the Humble Bundle store, where bundled games are sold to raise money for charitable causes. As reported by PSU, Humble Games has stressed...
News Capcom Says It Won't Give Up on Physical Games, Despite Utter Domination of Digital Sales
No Cap
Capcom has no plans to abandon physical game releases, the company clarified during its latest shareholder meeting. The topic had been spotlighted recently, with the publisher deciding to launch Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess exclusively through digital storefronts. But if you're an enthusiast of physical media, it sounds like Capcom's...
News Publishers Bail on Live-Service Flops Too Quickly, Says Warframe Boss
"They eject too soon"
Steve Sinclair, the CEO of Warframe developer Digital Extremes, has spoken out against the large number of publishers that quickly drop their live-service titles if they don't attract the sales and player engagement numbers they were hoping for. Speaking to VGC in a new interview, Sinclair said: "They think the release is make...
Random Former Beetroot Farmer Currently Senior CDPR Dev on The Witcher Sequel
Bluey, beets, Battlestar Galactica
While many developers enter the gaming industry by going to school to learn how to code, others take a more circuitous route. CD Projekt Red has an eye for talent, and game director Pawel Sasko has recounted the tale of how an Estonian beetroot farmer in Australia became a senior developer on codename Polaris, the...
News Next Ryu Ga Gotoku Game to Be Revealed at Tokyo Game Show 2024
We love surprises
The next game from Yakuza / Like a Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio will be revealed at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show in September. It's currently unknown which franchise or family the title will belong to, so feel free to speculate wildly. That's according to VGC, which reports word from the Essence of Fandom event at Anime...
News Scottish VFX Studio Axis Goes into Administration, 162 Jobs Lost
Responsible for some of gaming's best cinematics
Renowned animation and VFX house Axis Studios is going into administration, affecting 162 employees of the Scottish institution. While involved with work in TV, film, and other media, our readers will be familiar with Axis' work in cinematic cutscenes and trailers, which is of notably high quality...
News The First Olympic Esports Games to Be Held in Saudi Arabia in 2025
IOC plans partnerships with Epic, Capcom, Riot Games
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the first-ever Olympic Esports Games will be held in Saudia Arabia in 2025. Specific details such as date, city, and participating games have yet to be revealed. Spotted by IGN, while specific games have yet to be determined,...
News Sonic Team Boss Would Love to Explore a Sonic RPG Someday
Gotta level up fast
Takashi Iizuka, head of SEGA's Sonic Team, wonders how we've come this far without a proper Sonic RPG. It remains a dream, and he is unwilling to commit to anything concrete, yet the thought remains an intriguing one. In an interview with Good Vibes Gaming (thanks, VGC), Iizuka was asked whether the studio might tackle a...
News Sony Music Japan Is Working to Make Palworld More Popular Than Ever
That's despite the lack of a PS5 port
Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Sony-owned subsidiary Aniplex have announced a joint venture forming Palworld Entertainment, which has become responsible for expanding the Palworld IP and its "commercial business endeavours" beyond the game. That is despite the fact the game itself isn't even available on PS5...
News German Dev Piranha Bytes Latest Studio to Close Under Embracer
Unable to find a partner, the studio was in a "difficult situation"
German developer Piranha Bytes is the latest studio to close under Embracer, and it is best known for RPGs like Gothic, ELEX, and Risen. The closure comes less than six months after the studio took to Twitter to seek a publisher for its next title as it worked through a "difficult...
News 'Unannounced Remake' In Development at 2K Has Fans Clamouring for the Classics
Like BioShock, or Spec Ops: The Line
2K is working on an "unannounced remake", spurring speculation about its identity. That's according to the LinkedIn profile of a motion capture animator currently employed by the studio. Spotted by MP1ST (thanks, Eurogamer), the developer in question cites experience working on a bunch of AAA titles that you'd...
News RoboCop: Rogue City Dev Recruiting for Unannounced Action RPG Project
I'm still scanning three
Polish developer Teyon had something of a hit with its last effort, RoboCop: Rogue City, which became publisher Nacon's best-ever launch. The studio is looking to augment its development team further, with multiple job listings now open for an unannounced new action RPG, currently in development for PC and console. That's...
News Frank West Voice Actor Won't Be Returning for Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
"I simply wasn't called for this mission"
Terence Rotolo, the voice actor who lent his talents to the main playable character, Frank West, in the original Dead Rising, will not return for the recently-revealed Deluxe Remaster. Capcom announced that the enhanced rerelease would boast modernised visuals and run at a crisp 60 frames-per-second, but...
News CDPR Says Boston-Based Dev Studio Will Make Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel More Authentically American
City of dreams
Polish video game developer and publisher CD Projekt Red says its new Boston-based development studio will make the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 (codenamed Orion) more authentically American. While the decaying vision of the Cyberpunk future depicted is a relatively far cry from our reality, some players felt their immersion wasn't helped...
News Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Developer Falls Victim to Layoffs
More than 12 employees lose their job
Surgent Studios, the team behind Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, has announced it's had to let go of "just over a dozen" workers in a round of layoffs. It was spotted by Game Developer that multiple former members of the developer were posting to LinkedIn about being let go, and now the news has been confirmed by the...
News Sunset Overdrive PS5 Port Not Happening, Insomniac's Too 'Busy'
Riding off into the sunset
Insomniac Games has crushed fans' hopes for a port of Sunset Overdrive coming to PlayStation platforms (anytime soon, at least), as the storied studio has its hands full with Marvel's Wolverine. Originally published by Microsoft and developed while Insomniac was still independent, SIE now owns the IP. Unprompted,...
News Surgeon Simulator Series Acquired By the Recently Revived Infogrames
It lives
You may recall that, earlier this year, Atari brought Infogrames back from the dead. The old school brand has been revived as a new publishing label, and while it's yet to release its first game, the company has been busy doing deals behind the scenes. Today, Infogrames has announced its acquisition of the Surgeon Simulator IP. Previously...
News Dr Disrespect Admits Messages to Minor 'Leaned Too Much in the Direction' of Impropriety
"I'm no f***ing predator or pedophile"
Streamer Guy "Dr Disrespect" Beahm has admitted that his 2020 Twitch ban was due to sending inappropriate messages to a minor on the now-defunct Twitch instant messaging service, Whispers. Multiple former Twitch employees have come forward to corroborate the allegations, allowing Beahm to share his side of the...
News Midnight Society Drops Co-Founder, Streamer Dr Disrespect Following Twitch Ban Allegations
The Two-Time is out
Developer Midnight Society has formally cut ties with co-founder Guy "Dr Disrespect" Beahm after allegations surfaced that the popular streamer's split from Twitch in 2020 involved "sexting a minor". As news of this broke, Beahm ended his livestream early by talking about wanting to "move away from the limelight" and potentially...
News UK Video Game Retailer GAME Will Reportedly Stop Stocking Video Games
Update: Report quickly denied by GAME
Update: In a statement provided to Eurogamer, UK video game retailer GAME has quickly denied the report it plans to stop stocking video games in its physical stores. It reads: "This reporting is categorically not true. GAME continues to support the physical gaming market, offering a wide-range of physical games,...
News Embracer Claims Newly Adopted AI Policy Will 'Massively Enhance Game Development'
Send in the machines
Swedish video game and media holding company Embracer Group has adopted a new AI policy, leveraging models to "massively enhance" development. The company hopes this will produce more immersive, engaging games, offering players a "unique, dynamic, and personalised experience". Noted by Game Developer, Embracer announced the new...
News FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki Would Love to Try His Hand at a Traditional JRPG
Patient, methodical combat
FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki has dreams beyond the Souls-like subgenre with which his name is now synonymous. Having pushed the boundaries of what an action RPG can even be, it turns out the one thing he'd like to turn his hand to is a traditional Japanese roleplaying game. Miyazaki sat for an extensive chat with...
News Naughty Dog Vet Back in the Dog House After Years at The Initiative, Deviation Games
Animating your worst nightmares
Melee expert and animator Lee Davis has found his way home to Naughty Dog after a four-year excursion. During that time, he worked at Microsoft's The Initiative (Perfect Dark) and the now-defunct PlayStation-backed studio Deviation Games. Beginning his Naughty Dog career in 2010, Davis worked as an animator on The...
News Sony Skips Gamescom Presence for a Fifth Year in a Row
PlayStation still MIA
It has been confirmed Sony won't be attending Gamescom this year, making it half a decade since the company had any presence at the biggest video game convention in the world. It last showed up in 2019, and has been missing from the showfloor ever since — though, the 2020 and 2021 versions were either cancelled or held online...
News Ex-Sony Boss Shawn Layden Explains How to Make Games Faster, Cheaper
PlayStation prophet has the answers
Former president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Shawn Layden, began foretelling the current, apocalyptic state of the video game industry in 2020. A piece of conventional wisdom industry onlookers will often cite, Layden himself says it was no remarkable feat, gleaned by observing trend lines over...
News Embracer Group Reportedly Closes Alone in the Dark Developer Pieces Interactive
"Thanks for playing with us"
Pieces Interactive, the developer behind the recent PS5 title Alone in the Dark, is no more. Embracer Group has seemingly shuttered the studio, just a few months after the game's launch back in March of this year. Over on the developer's official website, it now features an image and statement on the homepage confirming...
A tremendous loneliness comes over you. Everybody in the world is doing something without you
Disco Elysium was a rare beast, perhaps the most immaculately written video game ever released (in this humble scribe's opinion), but it was too pure for this world. Following its launch, the subsequent messy, public legal spat between the creatives...
