Tag: Industry - Page 10
News Pokémon GO And Pikmin Bloom Downloads Suspended In Russia And Belarus
With gameplay to follow
Niantic has announced that its games will not be downloadable in Russia and Belarus for the foreseeable future. Niantic is the latest video game company to take a stand and pledge its support to Ukraine after Russia's invasion. Niantic, known for creating Pokémon GO and Pikmin Bloom, has also stated that they will be...
"This was one of the most difficult decisions"
Metroid Dread was arguably the standout release on the Nintendo Switch last year. Since then, it's won awards, received updates, and last we checked - was on the cusp of becoming the
News Gamescom Will Be An In-Person And Online Event When It Returns This August
Cologne welcomes back gaming fans
Koelnmesse and the German Games Industry Association (GAME) have announced that their annual Gamescom event will go back to having an in-person expo this year. From 24th to 28th August, fans will be able to explore the Koelnmesse exhibition centre and get their hands on the latest games and upcoming releases. For...
News Nintendo Halts Exports To Russia
Suspending all shipments for "foreseeable future"
Nintendo has announced that it is suspending all exports to Russia for the foreseeable future, joining several major video game companies in exiting the country following Moscow's invasion of neighbour Ukraine. As reported by Aljazeera, Nintendo has stated that its decision is down to the...
Random MercurySteam's Metroid Dread Game Award Finally Arrives At Its Office
"To all Metroid fans...this award is also yours"
During The Game Awards last December, Nintendo's title Metroid Dread won the best "action/adventure" game. It managed to beat Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and
News PlatinumGames' Live Service Title Is Off To A Really Bad Start
Over to you, Bayonetta 3
In the lead-up to the Switch-exclusive Bayonetta 3, fans have been keeping a close eye on its developer PlatinumGames. With this in mind, it's been another eventful week for the Japanese company - with the launch of the PlayStation and PC title, Babylon's Fall. It's a new cooperative action RPG live service game published...
News Co-Founder Of Nintendo-Owned Studio Next Level Games Announces Retirement
"thank you to Nintendo for believing in me"
Next Level Games co-founder, current president and former CEO Douglas Tronsgard has announced he will be retiring after more than 20 years. He shared a brief message over on his LinkedIn thanking everyone at Nintendo and the Canada-based developer for believing in him. Here it is in full: "After over 20...
News Bandai Namco Gives Its Japanese Staff A Nice Pay Rise
Move comes as part of wider 'Connect with Fans' Initiative
We've all heard plenty of stories about poor working conditions for those in the video game industry - perhaps most recently with Team17 - so it's lovely to see companies taking positive actions to improve the lives of the people who create the games we love. Bandai Namco has moved to...
News Tokyo Game Show Will Return To Being An In-Person Event This September
Online programs also available
Tokyo Game Show is a yearly video game convention held in Chiba, Japan, usually focused on Japanese games and releases. It was held virtually in 2020, and a combination of online and in-person (for business only) in 2021, thanks to the ongoing COVID pandemic, but it will return to being a fully in-person event this...
News Mario Golf: Super Rush Wins DICE's Sports Game Of The Year Award
Pokémon Unite wins mobile GOTY
The DICE Awards 2022 has awarded Mario Golf: Super Rush for Nintendo Switch sports game of the year. While the game was arguably a tad underwhelming on release, Nintendo made sure to bolster it throughout the year with plenty of free updates - including both new characters and courses. The competition Nintendo's...
News Nintendo Acquires SRD, A Longtime Partner Studio With Mario And Zelda Game Credits
Studio-us
The season of acquisitions rolls on, although the latest video-game-company-buys-other-video-game-company news isn't quite a bombshell of the likes we've seen from Microsoft and co. recently. In fact, it's more a solidification and strengthening of long-term relationship which dates back to the early NES days. Aww. As spotted by Games...
News Metroid Prime 4 Dev Retro Studios Is Advertising Job Openings On ArtStation
"Your next mission awaits"
Earlier this week, it was discovered Retro Studios had a new Twitter banner, and now there's been another minor development. A Nintendo advertisement over on ArtStation has been spotted promoting the team behind Metroid Prime 4 - informing users of the website that their "next mission awaits" and that "Retro is hiring"...
News Video Game History Foundation Calls Out Nintendo's "Destructive" 3DS & Wii U eShop Closure
Asks Nintendo to "rethink" things when it comes to preservation
Nintendo this week announced the closure of the 3DS and Wii U eShop, and well...it's caused quite an uproar online. So, what now that roughly 2,000 games will no longer be purchasable on the 3DS and Wii U digital storefronts? There's seemingly not much that can be done from
News Sonic's Run On "Non-Sega Hardware" Made Yuji Naka Both Sad And Happy
It's been 20 years since Sonic showed up on GameCube
Following the short-lived lifespan of Dreamcast, Sega made the decision to exit hardware development and become a third-party developer and publisher. While it was somewhat welcome news for fans of other companies at the time, it was no doubt a difficult period for the team at Sega. One person...
News Scathing Report Suggests All Is Not Well At Team17 Following NFT Backtrack
"It's not unheard of for people to go out of those meetings crying"
Veteran publisher Team17 found itself in the spotlight recently due to its aborted plans to create a series of NFTs based on the Worms franchise, and this increased exposure has led to a scathing report on the working environment and business practices at the firm. The thorough and...
News Bandai Namco Has Slightly Changed Its New Logo
The speech bubble is now red
There's a lot to love about Bandai Namco in terms of the games it releases, but one thing that hasn't gone down so well is the company's logo refresh - originally revealed last October and scheduled to come into effect in April this year. While the Japanese publisher responsible for series like PAC-MAN, Tekken and Tales...
News Konami's Metal Gear Video Game Series Has Almost Reached 60 Million Sales
It's been going since 1987
Solid Snake might not seem like he's had much to do with Nintendo over the years, but his original outing in Metal Gear, crafted by Hideo Kojima, actually got ported to the Famicom in 1987. After this, he got a GBC, GameCube and 3DS release and also made an appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series. With this in mind,...
News Nintendo Reconfirms Release Windows For Major Upcoming Switch Games
Breath of the Wild 2 still on for 2022, Metroid Prime still TBA
Nintendo's latest financial report is live and the company has (re)published its upcoming release schedule. Below, we've listed the major Nintendo releases currently on the docket for 2022 — the announced ones, at least. The updated schedule includes January launches, so you'll find...
News Nintendo Says It Won't Compete With Microsoft And Sony In An Acquisitions Arms Race
"Our brand was built upon products crafted with dedication by our employees"
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has stated that the company won't be looking to buy up external publishers and studios in the same way that Microsoft and Sony have. Microsoft caused shockwaves in the industry earlier this year by acquiring the publisher Activision for...
News Reggie Fils-Aimé's Upcoming Book Gets A Cover And A New Release Date
Reggie Files Abook
Reggie Fils-Aimé is possibly one of the best-known names in gaming, and not even because he did anything scandalous. His upcoming book, "Disrupting The Game", is all about how he got there, documenting his rise "from The Bronx to the top of Nintendo". But we already knew that! He told us that last year! What's new is the cover,...
News Video Game Veterans Start New Fully-Remote Studio, 'Gardens', To Make "Online Experiences"
"We believe a team of diverse voices has the most to say"
A new studio has just been founded on the West Coast of the United States, but it's one that's committed to its workers being fully remote, with unlimited paid time off, 35-hour work weeks, and benefits and perks that vary depending on the country in which you work. It's called Gardens —...
News Geoff Keighley Says A Few Other Big Video Game Deals Are In The "Final Stages Of Negotiations"
"It's going to be an interesting year!"
Sony has already mentioned how there'll be more acquisitions from PlayStation in the near future, and that might not be all. According to The Game Awards creator and host, Geoff Keighley - there are a "few other big video game deals" currently in the final stages of negotiations. He's apparently heard this...
News Mortal Kombat Co-Creator Ed Boon To Be Inducted Into AIAS Hall Of Fame
Update: Ed thanks everyone for the support
Update [Tue 1st Feb, 2022 06:45 GMT]: Boon has shared a response on social media. While he was aware he would be receiving the award, he wasn't prepared for so many kind responses: I'd been given a heads up before & had time to process & appreciate this announcement. But I WASN’T prepared for...
News PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan Says "More Acquisitions" Are Coming
It's just getting started...
As you've probably heard by now, Sony is acquiring the Destiny and former Halo studio Bungie for $3.6 billion. This surprise news comes just weeks after Microsoft announced it would acquire Activision Blizzard for close to $70 billion. What else can we expect in the near future then? Even on the Nintendo front, it might...
News Troy Baker Backtracks On NFT Plans And Issues Apology
Update: "I’ve heard you"
Update [Mon 31st Jan, 2022 14:55 GMT]: Troy Baker has announced that he will not "continue the partnership with VoiceVerseNFT" following the negative reaction to his initial announcement. Update [Fri 14th Jan, 2022 18:00 GMT]: Troy Baker has taken to Twitter once again following his endorsement of voice NFTs earlier...
News Yacht Club Games To Share "Groundbreaking Announcement" In Upcoming Twitch Broadcast
"You do not want to miss this historic event!"
Yacht Club Games - the creator of Shovel Knight - has revealed it will be airing its third official broadcast on G4's XPlay show next week (via G4 on Twitch). According to Yacht Club's blog post - the developer and publisher will be focusing on a selection of games that have brand new content currently...
News No More Heroes Creator Suda51 Says He's Had A Few Meetings With Marvel
"we’ve talked about the possibility of working together"
We've heard previously how Goichi 'Suda51' Suda is a Marvel fan and would "love" to work on one of the company's video game projects, and it seems there have been some developments. In a recent interview with Japanese publication Automaton, the director of No More Heroes III was asked about...
News Monkey Ball And Yakuza Creator Toshihiro Nagoshi Has Formed His Very Own Studio
In partnership with Chinese giant, NetEase
As had been suspected following his departure from Sega last year, Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi has teamed up with Chinese gaming giant NetEase to form a brand new development studio. NetEase has today announced the establishment of Nagoshi Studio Inc., where Nagoshi himself will...
News Xbox Boss "Trusts" Nintendo To Not Do Anything That Would Harm The Games Industry
...after Microsoft gobbled up Activision for $70 billion
Unless you're been living under a rock for the past week, you'll be aware that the biggest news in gaming at present surrounds Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard, the publisher of franchises like Call of Duty, Warcraft, Skylanders and Crash Bandicoot. The $68.7 billion acquisition...
News Devs Speak Out Against Crunch Culture At LEGO Star Wars Developer TT Games
“It was a very soft-spoken blackmail"
The upcoming LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga game has just received its release date of April 5th, delighting fans that have been waiting for news for a while now. After all, the game — which includes playable levels and scenarios from all nine films in the mainline Star Wars saga — has been delayed...
News First Activision, Now EA? FIFA Publisher Is Tipped For Takeover
The Financial Times thinks EA is a target
Microsoft has just splashed $70 billion to buy Activision Blizzard following its 2020 acquisition of Bethesda, which seems to suggest that we're entering a period of serious consolidation, the likes of which haven't been seen since the '90s. Given this backdrop,
News Bobby Kotick Considered Buying Game Websites To "Change The Public Narrative" Around Activision
No news is good news?
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick was considering the purchase of gaming sites Kotaku and PC Gamer in order to "change the public narrative" around his company. Activision has been at the centre of allegations regarding workplace cultu
News Activision Blizzard Boss To Leave When Xbox Deal Is Done, Report Claims
Bye bye, Bobby
In case you somehow missed it, Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard for around $70 billion. One question that everyone is still asking though, is what's going to happen to Bobby Kotick, the CEO of the Call of Duty and Warcraft giant? According to a story over on The Wall Street Journal (paywall), Kotick is expected to be shown...
News Prominent Gaming YouTubers' Likenesses Sold As NFTs Without Consent
"Demonstrates everything I've said about how disrespectful and exploitative this market is"
Update: It seems that your favourite Nintendo-focused website has also found its way onto the OpenSea market place in the form of a MarbleCard — a somewhat less obnoxious and troubling form of image theft, but nonetheless unauthorised and unapproved...
News PlatinumGames Appoints New CEO, Aims To Deliver 'Innovative Forms Of Play'
Atsushi Inaba takes the reins as Kenichi Sato steps down
PlatinumGames President and CEO, Kenichi Sato, has stepped down from his position as head of the company after five years and eight months in the role and will be replaced by current studio head and vice-president, Atsushi Inaba, who has been with the Japanese developer since its inception...
News Sega Has Established A New Development Studio In Japan
Will be led by Takaya Segawa
Sega, the video game company behind Sonic the Hedgehog and the Yakuza series, has established a new studio in Sapporo, Japan. It's been set up in response to the rapid expansion of the games industry and will be Sega's second development base in the country. According to the official website, 'Sega Sapporo' is made up...
News Overwatch 2 LEGO Set Gets Shelved Following Activision Blizzard Lawsuit
"We are currently reviewing our partnership," says LEGO
The LEGO Overwatch 2 "Titan" set pictured above was scheduled to come out next month, but The LEGO Group has decided to postpone the release following accusations of harassment, discrimination, and misconduct at the California-based offices of Activision Blizzard. Activision Blizzard, the...
Talking Point As Lifetime Switch Sales Jostle With The Mighty Wii, Can It Possibly Catch DS?
Well, it depends...
The benefit of hindsight makes it easy to declare that the Switch was a masterstroke in design that could not fail. That'd be revisionism, of course, as Nintendo released the system against a rather challenging backdrop in early 2017. The Wii U had been a failure, and that's not hyperbole — it managed lifetime sales of just...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Wants Cross-Platform User Bans
To stop abusive players skipping between systems
It seems normal now, but you don't have to go too far back to get to a time when the concept of cross-play - online multiplayer across different platforms - was fanciful. Each console, PC and mobile platform operated in their own bubble, splitting up userbases and gaming communities. The huge growth...
News GTA Publisher Take-Two Buys Farmville Giant Zynga For $12.7B
A record-breaking acquisition
Take-Two Interactive Software is acquiring Zynga in a $12.7 billion deal, the two companies confirmed on Monday, 10th January. That colossal sum includes Take-Two paying $9.86 per share, plus Zynga's debt, in order for the company to make moves into the mobile market. This deal is now the largest sum of money paid out...
News Analyst Predicts 2024 Release Date For Next-Gen Nintendo Switch Successor
And that Switch Pro is a no go
With all of the rumours regarding the infamous 'Switch Pro' and the eventual release of the Switch OLED model last year, we've hardly had a chance to think about Nintendo's true next generation of hardware. For the past year or two, the Switch has been described on
News The Studio Behind Excite Truck And Excitebots Has Been Acquired By iRacing
Monster Games will "bring another level of expertise" to the company
Monster Games, a studio Nintendo fans will likely know from the Wii days thanks to Excite Truck and Excitebots, has been acquired by iRacing Motorsport Simulations, it's been announced. The developer, which released games exclusively on Nintendo platforms for almost a decade...
Bring it
Video game companies around the globe have been preparing for 2022 for some time now, and it includes Koei Tecmo. In an end-of-year 4Gamer feature, the Japanese company teased what's to come in the new year. Apparently, it intends to reveal a number of projects that have been in development for several years and will pave the way for the...
News Sakurai Thinks It's Probably Best To Forget About Him For A While
If anything is in the pipeline it might take some time
Masahiro Sakurai was able to complete Super Smash Bros. Ultimate this year, but from here on out, it's not clear what's next. Although he's apparently not thinking about a new Smash Bros. entry right now, that doesn't mean he'll rule it out. He's also not even sure about his future in video...
News NFL Coach, Broadcaster And Video Game Icon John Madden Passes Away At 85
Will be remembered as an "absolute legend"
NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden has passed away at the age of 85. He not only had a huge impact on American football but also the video game industry as the voice, name and face of Electronic Arts' Madden NFL series. The sports series originally began life in 1988 as "John Madden Football" and over...
Feature Developers Respond To The Recent Twitter Furore Over The Definition Of 'Game Dev'
A little more context than 280 characters can cope with
Last week, a Twitter debate broke out over the exact definition of a 'game developer' and to whom that term can be ascribed. Should the title be extented to anyone contributing to the development of the game or be reserved solely for those with direct creative input? Are QA staff 'developers'...
News Inti Creates Had A Mega Man ZX3 Game In Development, But It Got Cancelled
The project was well underway
Apparently, there was going to be a third Mega Man ZX game but the project was ultimately cancelled. During an Inti Creates Christmas live stream, company president Takuya Aizu and designer Yoshihisa Tsuda revealed the third entry was code-named "ZXC" and that the title was well into its development cycle. Here's part...
News Global Chip Shortages And Supply Issues To Continue Into 2023, Says Intel Boss
"exploding demand has persisted"
We've already heard how supply and production issues in the tech industry won't be improving anytime soon, and now Intel chief Pat Gelsinger has issued yet another reminder that the shortage of semiconductors will likely continue into 2023. "The overall semiconductor shortage is quite significant and the...
News Ubisoft Staff Are Leaving Their Jobs In Droves, Report Claims
"It's legitimately embarrassing"
A new report by Stephen Totilo of Axios claims that there's currently an exodus of staff at troubled publisher Ubisoft. According to the report, at least five of the top 25-credited people from the company's biggest 2021 game, Far Cry 6, have already left Ubisoft's ranks. Furthermore, 12 of the top 50 staffers on
News Sonic's Co-Creator Yuji Naka Made A New Game, And You Can Play It Right Now
The catch? It's a mobile release
After the release of Balan Wonderworld earlier this year, Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka announced in September he had started developing simple mobile games with Unity. Now, just months later, he's done it - for the "first time" in 37 years, he's made a game all by himself - and he wants everyone to