Tag: Industry - Page 18
News Rising Star Games Joins Indie Game Development Supergroup Thunderful
All under one roof
The Thunderful Group, which is already made up of development studios Image & Form and Zoink Games, has announced that it has now acquired publisher Rising Star Games. The Sweden-based group was established in December 2017, by Bergsala Holding (the sole distributor of Nintendo products in the Nordic region),...
"The next big thing"
The idea of playing video games across multiple devices via a stream might still be a bit of a pipedream, but that won’t stop Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemot, from dreaming about what might be in years to come. During a recent YouTube Q&A at this year’s E3, the well-known face of Ubisoft took some time out to answer...
Rumour Google Is Creating A Gaming Platform To Rival Switch, PS4 and Xbox
With a plan to acquire dev studios
While the Switch is still relatively new to the gaming scene, the PS4 and Xbox One have both been around since 2013; if recent console generation trends are anything to go by, this means we could be seeing replacements for those consoles within the next couple of years. Interestingly, though, Sony and Microsoft...
News US Research Analyst Believes Gaming Could Become 100% Digital By 2022
A very bold claim
Research analysts from Piper Jaffray, a US-based investment bank and asset management firm, have revealed that they believe gaming could become an all-digital affair from as early as 2022. With the relatively recent evolution of digital storefronts across all major gaming platforms, a shift from physical purchases to the...
News Nintendo Is Happy That Sony And Microsoft Pay Less Attention To Younger Audiences
"It’s been an incredibly important market"
Sony and Microsoft both offer games that cater to younger audiences, just like Nintendo offers a selection of games aimed at more mature fans, but their focus is very much geared towards older consumers. A quick glance at the content shown during E3 this year provides a clear picture of this, with...
News Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé Hits Back At Analysts After Recent Share Price Drop
"There’s a lot more up our sleeve"
Immediately after Nintendo's E3 Direct earlier this week, the company's share value took quite a hit, dropping over 6% in a single day. The main concerns were reportedly related to a lack of new and exciting content being shown, and worries over how Nintendo will continue to please and surprise gaming fans over...
News Nintendo's Share Price Plummets In Response To E3 Direct
Ups and downs
Nintendo's share value has been all over the place just recently; a large jump in price was seen after the Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! reveals, followed by an equally large drop after rep
News Ubisoft CEO Believes The Next Generation Of Consoles Will Be The Last
Streaming to take over
The future of video games is always an interesting debate to have; the industry is one of the fastest evolving environments in the world today and it's almost impossible to predict where we might be ten or twenty years from now. Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot has one idea on the matter, though, and it's quite the...
News Nintendo Share Drop Due To Concerns Over E3 And Switch Online Services, Claim Analysts
"They’re years and years behind on the network business"
Yesterday, we reported that Nintendo's share value had sunk amid reports that its mooted 'Quality of Life' project had been scrapped. However, we're now hearing reports that the two-day drop - the biggest Nintendo stock has experienced in 18 months - is also related to a lack of confidence...
News Nintendo Is The "Cheapest Game Stock In The World" – But Not For Long
Analysts believe operating profit could more than triple in two years
On Thursday, Nintendo posted their financial results for the fiscal year ending in March 2018 – predictably outlining the Switch’s phenomenal performance, which resulted in an over 500% increase in profits for the videogame giant. However, Nintendo was conservative with its...
Events Birmingham City University To Celebrate The Impact Of Rare And Other Midlands Games Studios
A certain bearded Nintendo Life staffer is going to be there, too
The Midlands might not be the most exciting area in the UK but it has a rich video gaming history; not only is it the birthplace of Rare, one of the most iconic NES, SNES, Game Boy and N64 developers of all time, but it is also home to the likes of Codemasters, US Gold, Core Design,...
Feature A Memorial For Hidenori Shibao
Game historian John Szczepaniak pays tribute to a talent taken too soon
Arcade clerk, translator, book author, game design educator, manga collaborator, magazine journalist, prolific strategy guide writer, movie script writer, and developer of numerous games including Paladin's Quest, its sequel Lennus II, Legend of Legaia, and the FEAR. Hidenori...
News Former Nintendo Of Europe Staffer Ed Valiente Joins Thunderful
Star of the November 2015 Nintendo Direct jumps ship
Thunderful - the new company formed by Swedish studios Image & Form and Zoink! Games - has made a key hire in the shape of Ed Valiente, who joins from Nintendo of Europe. You might remember Ed from the November 2015 Nintendo Direct, where he was brave enough to step in front of...
News The Games Industry Reacts To The White House's Violent Games Showreel
"Everyone associated with those games should be ashamed of themselves"
Last week, U.S. president Donald Trump held a meeting with industry executives to discuss the issue of violence in video games, a meeting which was viewed by many as a way of scapegoating interactive entertainment in relation to the recent spate of school shootings in the...
News White House Meeting With Industry Execs Focuses On Violence In Video Games
"This is violent, isn’t it?"
Yesterday, U.S. president Donald Trump held a meeting with video game executives regarding the issue of violence in video games, an event which was triggered by a recent series of high school shootings in the country. Trump himself has stated the opinion that the shooting in Parkland, Florida could have...
News Switch Is A "Fantastic Platform" For Indie Developers, Says Curve Digital
"The Switch community is absolutely thriving"
The Switch's incredible commercial performance has not only given Nintendo a much-needed boost; it has also created opportunities for publishers and developers of all shapes and sizes, too. The console's eShop is packed with indie titles and we're seeing a number of those getting released in...
News Nintendo Switch Helped UK Games Market Grow More Than 12 Percent In 2017
Market was worth £5.11 billion
The UK games market grew 12.4 percent in 2017 to £5.11 billion, thanks in part to the incredible success of the Nintendo Switch. The introduction of Nintendo's new console saw hardware sales jump 29.9 percent. Sales of physical software rose 3.1 percent, but the pre-owned market fell by 15.1 percent, a...
News THQ Nordic Acquires Deep Silver Owner Koch Media In $150 Million Deal
Former THQ brands all united under one roof
Publisher THQ Nordic is set to acquire Koch Media in a deal understood to be worth €121 million ($149.6 million). The deal is for the entirety of Koch's business, which includes the video game publisher Deep Silver. Deep Silver oversees franchises such as Saints Row, Dead Island and Metro, and is acting...
Previous recipients include Howard Lincoln and Satoru Iwata
Genyo Takeda may not be a household name in quite the same way as Shigeru Miyamoto, but he's been an incredibly important staff member at Nintendo for the past few decades and his contribution to the games industry in general is being recognised by The Academy of Interactive Arts &...
Biggest third quarter operating profit for eight years
Nintendo has released its Third Quarter Results for this financial year, and the big headline is that in less that a year on sale the Switch has managed to surpass the lifetime sales of its forerunner, the Wii U. The figures show a company in rude health, with net sales up 175.5 percent...
News Image & Form And Zoink! Games Join Forces Under New Company Thunderful
Both will continue to create their own games, though
Swedish studios Image & Form and Zoink! Games have joined forced to create Thunderful, a new entity which will wholly own both companies. They're not going away, however; the two Gothenburg-based studios will "continue to develop games with existing and new IPs under their respective...
News THQ Nordic Is Currently Working On Two Nintendo Switch Titles
"We are excited for Nintendo Switch"
THQ Nordic - the company formally known as Nordic Games - has confirmed that it has a pair of Nintendo Switch titles in development. CEO Lars Wingefors revealed the news during an announcement regarding the company's latest IP acquisitions. THQ Nordic now owns the rights to Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, War...
News Capcom Reaffirms Commitment To Resurrecting Its Vast Catalogue Of "Dormant IP"
Looking to "enhance corporate value" via "its library of rich content"
Capcom's library of games is arguably the envy of the industry, thanks in part to the company's prolific coin-op output during the '80s and '90s. During this period the firm pumped out classics like Strider, 1942, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Captain Commando, Street Fighter, Darkstalkers...
News EA Had Plans To Create Its Own Pokémon Competitor
PokEAmon?
Even long before Pokémon GO, rival games companies looked on enviously at the Pokémon franchise and wanted to get a slice of the action for themselves. Who can forget Invizimals on the Sony PSP? OK, bad example! Australian indie developer Nic Watt, from Nnooo which has published multiple Nintendo eShop titles, recently revealed on the...
News Late Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi Inducted Into 2016 Consumer Technology Hall Of Fame
As "Video Game Futurist"
Former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi has been inducted into the 2016 Consumer Technology Hall of Fame. Yamauchi - who relinquished his presidency in 2002 to Satoru Iwata and sadly passed away in 2013 - has been recognised in the "Video Game Futurist" category. He joined Nintendo in 1949 and oversaw the company's...
News SNK Playmore Rebrands As Plain Old SNK
What once was old is new again
SNK Playmore has announced that it is dropping the "Playmore" from its name and will once again be known as SNK. Founded in 1978 as Shin Nihon Kikaku, the company produced arcade hits like Ikari Warriors and Alpha Mission before creating its own coin-op standard in the form of the Neo Geo system. Titles like King of...
News PlatinumGames CEO Tatsuya Minami Has Resigned
Star Fox Zero studio to be helmed by Kenichi Sato
The head of Japanese studio PlatinumGames has stepped down, according to a report by GamesBusiness.jp. CEO Tatsuya Minami resigned at the end of March and has been replaced by Kenichi Sato. As part of the reshuffle, Seigo Tabira and Atsushi Inaba join the management as company directors. Minami...
News Toys-To-Life Newcomer Thinks We're Growing Bored Of Pieces Of Plastic
"When something doesn't change, you just get tired of it"
Nintendo has enjoyed great success with sales of amiibo figures since they first began to appear on store shelves in late November 2014 alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. However, the toys-to-life market has become a bit saturated since that time with amiibo battling in the same...
News Nintendo UK Staffs Up Following High Ranking Departures
Matthias Hempfling and Kalpesh Tailor take on senior roles
Nintendo UK has had a pretty busy period in terms of staff changes. Leading figures such as marketing boss Shelly Pearce, head of PR Jo Bartlett, brand manager Roger Langford, product manager Vanisha Kavia, community manager Jonathan Town and Junior PR manager Emily Wooliscroft have all left...
News Carnegie Mellon Professor Thinks Nintendo Is Working On A Fully-Mobile Virtual Reality Headset
"Imagine if you strapped a DS to your face"
Virtual Reality is set to go big this year, with challengers like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR all entering a market which is predicted to be worth hundreds of millions over the next few years. Despite tentatively dipping a toe into this sector two decades ago with the ill-fated Virtual...
News Ubisoft Battling To Resist Hostile Takeover From Media Giant Vivendi
Boss Yves Guillemot blasts "unsolicited and unwelcome" attempt
Assassin's Creed studio Ubisoft is in danger of being taken over by mass media conglomerate Vivendi, claims boss Yves Guillemot. Vivendi - which has history in the games industry with companies like Activision Blizzard and Sierra - has been aggressively seeking a controlling stake in...
"Nintendo will not be acquired, I think that much is certain"
Nintendo has had something of a rollercoaster year as far as its share price is concerned. Speculation surrounding the NX as well as the expectation (and subsequent delay) of the company's first smartphone app Miitomo have resulted in value of its shares dropping and
News Koei Tecmo's President Seems To Think NX Is A Home Console First And Foremost
"Nintendo announced a new 'machine' called the NX"
2016 is the year that Nintendo reveals more about the NX, which - it has been rumoured - could unify the company's handheld and domestic console markets. Despite the chatter, no one really seems to know what the console is all about let alone have any idea about a potential Nintendo NX release...
"Nintendo has a history of doing things its own way"
Next year we're going to hear a lot more about Nintendo's next console, currently codenamed NX. The system has been shrouded in secrecy since it was first announced earlier this year, but rumours are circulating that it could be a console/handheld hybrid which effectively unites the two markets...
News Code Of Princess And Yumi's Odd Odyssey Studio Agatsuma Is No More
Dissolved as of today, liquidation happening next year
Japanese firm Agatsuma Entertainment has revealed that it is closing its doors. The publisher of Code of Princess and Yumi's Odd Odyssey, Agatsuma has been officially dissolved as of today. Liquidation will occur on March 31st, 2016. The firm was perhaps best known for assisting with...
News DeNA Cuts Staff At Singapore Studio Ahead Of Pivotal 2016
Restructuring ahead of its Nintendo adventure?
Nintendo's smartphone gaming partner DeNA appears to be restructuring its Singapore office ahead of what could be the biggest year in its history. DeNA is working with Nintendo on a host of smartphone games which it hopes will rake in $25 million a month in revenue. The first games will be released in...
"It really depends on third-party support"
Michael Pachter - the industry analyst that all Nintendo fans love to hate - has been sounding off about the company's next console, currently dubbed NX. While Pachter has some harsh words to share, he's also looking on the positive side with his predictions for NX. According to the Wedbush Securities...
News More North American Women Own A Games Console Than Men
Smartphone and tablet use on the rise, too
A new study in the US has revealed that more women own games consoles than men, flying in the face of the common perception that the hobby is dominated by male players. Conducted by the Pew Research Centre, the research indicates that 42 percent of US women own a games console, compared to 37 percent of...
News SNK Playmore Ditches Pachinko Machines To Focus Entirely On Video Games
You know, just like it used to
SNK Playmore has announced that it is abandoning the manufacture of Pachinko machines in favour of focusing totally on video games and smartphone titles. The company began making Pachinko units when it was acquired by Aruze in 2000, a company famous for its Pachinko machines. SNK would file for bankruptcy in 2001 but...
News Nintendo Is Unique, Different And Does Its Own Thing, Says Xbox Marketing Boss
"I guess we'll react to that when we know more"
Nintendo has a reputation of innovation within the games industry which runs all the way back to the '80s, when the company blazed a trail with its Game & Watch series - the first hardware to showcase the now-commonplace D-pad. Since then, we've seen the company embrace cutting-edge tech ahead of...
News Video Game Industry in Scotland 'Could Eclipse Oil Boom'
And then be argued over during Independence referendum
It's widely acknowledged that the broader video game industry, encompassing both dedicated systems and smart devices, is now statistically and definitively one of the most powerful entertainment industries in the world. In recent years its profile has increased a great deal, making gaming...
News Voice Actors Union Authorises Strike Action With Landslide 96.52 Percent Vote
Strike likely to go ahead unless agreement can be reached
Last month we reported that The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA for short) in the US was holding a vote to see if its members would support strike action in order to improve the working conditions of voice actors in the video game sector...
News Climate "Not Healthy" For Dedicated Handheld Games Consoles, Says Sony's Shuhei Yoshida
"People have mobile phones and it's so easy to play games on smartphones"
With the Wii U failing to match the original Wii in terms of commercial success Nintendo has, to a certain extent, relied on its current handheld platform, the 3DS, to balance the books. However, even that system has struggled to replicate the performance of its immediate...
News Analysts Wonder If Super Mario Can Save Nintendo
"I do think that Super Mario will be a driver for mobile revenue"
American business publication Fortune has recently asked the big question 'Can Super Mario save Nintendo from itself?' and to answer that question has consulted the wisdom of several analysts including Nintendo Life reader favourite Michael Pachter. With Super Mario Maker seemingly...
News This Is The Last Real Console Cycle, Proclaims Industry Analyst Michael Pachter
"The console installed base is as big as it's ever going to get"
We could see the end of dedicated games hardware in the near future, states Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter. Speaking at DICE Europe last week, the outspoken industry expert tackled the issue of the end of the console era, and pointed out that in terms of pure sales figures, this...
News 3DS Can Last For Another Two To Three Years In The West, Says NIS America Boss
Takuro Yamashita thinks Nintendo's current handheld still has time left
The next-gen console race is now in full swing, but NIS America president and CEO Takuro Yamashita thinks that the current pair of handheld systems - 3DS and Vita - have some time left before they need replacing. Speaking to MCV at Gamescom, Yamashita said he felt it was the...
Rumour Nintendo NX Shipping This Time Next Year, 20 Million Sales Targeted In First 12 Months
Foxconn rumoured to be manufacturing the system
It is being reported that Nintendo's next games console - currently known as the Nintendo NX - will launch in July 2016. The source of the report is Taiwanese site DigiTimes, which is claiming that manufacturer Foxconn has won the contract to produce the console. However, it is thought that rival firm...
News Former Nintendo "Gamemaster" Howard Phillips Joins Mobile Studio GameDuell
The bow tie is gone, but the magic remains
Howard Phillips - one of the most recognisable figures in Nintendo's history - has a new job. Phillips - who was once given the nickname "Gamemaster" at Nintendo and was responsible for overseeing many of the hit titles that were released for Nintendo's NES console - has joined Berlin-based GameDuell and...
News Nintendo Is A Slave To Its Past Success, Says Gearbox President Randy Pitchford
Japanese company needs to reach new customers
During this year's E3, a whole bunch of industry veterans met at the Lunch with Luminaries event. In this yearly talk Gaikai and Shiny founder Dave Perry invites big names for a in-depth discussion about the games industry, and this time around we had Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford, Boss Key...
News Nintendo of America's Newest Recruit Is Bowser
But not the one you're thinking of
Nintendo of America has a new Vice President of Sales with a name that will be instantly familiar with fans of Mario. Before you get your hopes up, it's not who you think. Doug Bowser - not that Bowser - joins Nintendo from Electronic Arts, where he was employed as Vice President of Global Business Planning. He...