Tag: Industry - Page 8
News Yuji Naka Erases Former Co-Worker And Sonic Creator Naoto Ohshima From Team Photo
Update: Naka adds more detail
Update: Naka has posted some tweets which appear to give a little more insight into the altered photo: It would seem that Naka is referring to the fallout surrounding the release of the much-derided Balan Wonderworld, which was created alongside Ohshima. Original Story [Tue 5th Jul, 2022 21:30 BST]: Things are...
News Bandai Namco Forms New Studio With Pokémon Developer ILCA
Will deliver "high-quality content" including Ace Combat
The Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl developer ILCA is working on the next entry in the long-running Ace Combat series, and as part of this, it's established a new company with Bandai Namco known as Bandai Namco Aces. It's headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Bandai Namco owns...
News Developers Don't Take Kindly To EA's Single-Player Gag On Twitter
Joining in on a meme
The new meme on the block has been making the rounds on Twitter recently, with everyone weighing in and joining in on the tag. Born out of a game on Tiktok, They're a 10 but is meant to be a lighthearted joke where you bring up one flaw about someone who is otherwise perfect. All in good faith of course — no one real! Gaming...
News Slay The Spire Team MegaCrit Games "Working On Next Game"
👀👀👀
As spotted by an eagle-eyed Redditor, the MegaCrit Twitter account has edited their bio to add the message "Working on our next game!" It's hardly surprising, given that Slay The Spire came out in early access in 2017, and then as an official release in 2019, but it's always nice to get confirmation. Before now, the most information we...
News Here's How Much Nintendo's Directors Made This Year
It's modest, but still a lot
Nintendo's executives are known for taken home fairly modest sums of money in comparison to their western counterparts. We reported last year that the top three directors at Nintendo - Shuntaro Furukawa, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Shinya Takahashi - between $1.75 - 3 million each when converted from yen to dollars. Compared...
News Nintendo Appears To Be Stockpiling Raw Materials, Doubles Its 2019 Spending On Supplies
Making hay, or something else?
In the 2021/22 financial year, Nintendo spent more than double its previous highest Switch-era annual expenditure on raw materials and supplies, according to figures from shareholder disclosure documents. While the company hosted its 82nd AGM of shareholders on 29th June (and will soon publish translated notes on the...
News Pokémon GO Dev Niantic Axes Four Projects, Cuts 8% Of Workforce
Company is facing "a time of economic turmoil"
Pokémon GO has been an incredible success for developer Niantic, but the American company appears to be facing some struggles - with the cancellation of four projects and staff cuts of 85 to 90 people. In an email to employees (reviewed by Bloomberg), the company's CEO John Hanke revealed Niantic was...
News Blizzard Entertainment Acquires Spellbreak Developer Proletariat
To help with World of Warcraft development
Less than a day after the shock announcement that magic-based battle royale Spellbreak will be shutting down early next year, it's been announced that Blizzard Entertainment has snapped up the game's developer, Proletariat. VentureBeat reports that the 100-strong team at Proletariat wil
News Bobby Kotick Has Been Re-Elected To Activision Blizzard's Board Of Directors
Investigations into company misconduct are ongoing
Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, has been successfully re-elected to the company's board of directors for another year. The decision was made as a result of the company's annual shareholder meeting on June 21st, the outcome of which you can read in full right here. Activision Blizzard has...
News Cities: Skylines Has Reached An Incredible 12 Million Sales
The sky's the limit
Publisher Paradox Interactive has announced that Cities: Skylines has now sold 12 million copies across all platforms, doubling its previous milestone of 6 million toward the start of 2019. Originally released in 2015, the game eventually made its way to the Switch three years later. Although it retained a lot of the same...
News Sega Is Teasing A New Game, Reveal Happening Soon
It's a "special Sega game"
Update [Thu 23rd Jun, 2022 02:55 BST]: IGN's 'Summer of Gaming' event has revealed the new Sega published title is Hyenas. It's a new multiplayer sci-fi FPS by Creative Assembly and is coming to Xbox, PlayStation and PC. Original article [Wed 22nd Jun, 2022 03:00 BST]: IGN's 'Summer of Gaming' continues tomorrow and...
News Treasure Is Apparently Working On A "Highly Requested" Title
What has the iconic Japanese developer got planned?
Treasure — the famous Japanese developer known for titles like Gunstar Heroes, Sin and Punishment and Ikaruga — has just celebrated its 30th anniversary this week. Yes, although we haven't seen a new game from the company since 2014, it's still alive and well. Apparently, it's even got plans...
News Devolver Digital Shares Plummet After Company Downgrades Sales Expectations
Lowest share price since joining AIM
Devolver Digital saw its share price plummet in the wake of revised sales expectations after a slower than predicted start to the year. First reported by GameIndustry,biz, the company's share price currently sits at 59.90 GBX at the time of writing. Although Devolver's share price has been steadily decreasing...
News Streets Of Rage 4 Developer Lizardcube Is Hiring For A New Action Game
#ThirdGame
Lizardcube — one of the developers behind the excellent revival beat 'em up Streets of Rage 4 — has revealed that it's hiring for a brand new project. Sharing the job listing on Twitter, the company is looking for a senior game/level designer to join its little team of seven in Paris to create a "new action game". Exciting!...
News Pokémon Sword & Shield's Art Director Announces New Game Studio
Called 'All Possible Futures'
Pokémon artist James Turner — art director for Pokémon Sword & Shield and designer of fan favourites such as Gigantamax Gengar, Shadow Lugia (from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness), and Sinistea/Polteageist — has announced that he's left Game Freak and is opening up a brand new game studio. Turner has already...
News Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund Acquires $1 Billion Stake In Embracer Group
Becomes the second largest owner with 8.1% of the company's shares
Following a series of video game company acquisitions made by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund recently, the state-run wealth fund has now spent $1.05 billion to purchase an 8.1% stake in Embracer Group. That stake will make the PIF's Savvy Gaming Group the second-largest...
News EA Has "Some Surprises" You Apparently Won't Want To Miss
Stay tuned
Electronic Arts, one of the game publishers partnered with Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest event, has shared an interesting message on social media ahead of the opening showcase on 9th June. In the tweet, EA says it has "some surprises" that fans of the company - known for series like Need for Speed and Battlefield - apparently won't...
News E3 Will Return In 2023, Assures ESA President
"We're excited about coming back"
It's June, which means we should be celebrating E3 right now. But we're not, as it was cancelled for the second time in three years back in February. That doesn't mean we're not getting any video game news though, as we're being fed a glutton of gaming presentations, spearheaded by Geoff Keighley's Summer Game...
News LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Holds The Top Spot For May's Charts
It's been a quiet one, folks
May was a quiet month for the video game industry. With no major game releases (Nintendo Switch Sports just got ahead on April 29th - yeah, we thought that was a May title, too!), overall sales were down by 22%. In terms of hard figures, 100,000 games consoles were sold, 1.63 million games (both digital and physical),...
News Capcom's Next Street Fighter Game Won't Be A PlayStation Console Exclusive
It's a win for gamers
Nintendo systems and Street Fighter games have a long-running history, but the last time we actually got a proper mainline game was Street Fighter IV 3D Edition for the 3DS. The situation hasn't just been tough for Nintendo fans, either. Xbox players missed out on Street Fighter 5 last generation due to Capcom doing a deal with...
News Ubisoft Won't Be Hosting An E3-Style Presentation This Month
Mario + Rabbids update when?
It appears Ubisoft won't be hosting its usual E3-style presentation this year. A story over on Axios reveals the publisher likely won't host another event until later on in 2022. Ubisoft had held E3-timed showcases annually in June for years, but a company rep tells Axios the publisher won't have another until "later...
News Take-Two CEO Urges Caution Against Betting On The Metaverse
"There will be failures"
The metaverse is a concept that seems to be gaining ground with each passing day. With multiple companies betting big on the idea of a persistent and evolving metaverse, along with the likes of Reggie Fils-Aimé stating that the concept is something "we're all marching to", it seems almost inevitable that it will eventually...
News Junichi Masuda Leaves Game Freak For New Role At The Pokémon Company
"I appreciate your continued support in my new role"
Junichi Masuda, one of the founders of Game Freak, current Managing Director, and long-time composer of the Pokémon series — among many, many other roles at the company — is stepping down from his role for pastures new. Masuda has been with Game Freak since it was formed in 1989, and has...
News Life Is Strange Devs DONTNOD Announce Rebrand, Plus A Peek At Their New Games
We've been saying it wrong this whole time
French video game developer DONTNOD — who you may know from games like Life is Strange, Tell Me Why, and Life is Strange 2 — have officially changed their name as of today, May 31st. Except it's less of a name change, and more of a "you people have been saying it wrong" change. As part of a massive...
News New Indie Game Funding Initiative, 'Bright Gambit', Introduces Its First Five Recipients
Including our fave, Lonesome Village!
A new indie funding initiative is on the rise: Bright Gambit, a collective of industry veterans that have come together to provide financial and industry support to indies that need it. Their announcement today covers the first five indie games to receive funding, and here's what Bright Gambit had to say about...
News Geoff Keighley Shares Hype Message Ahead Of Summer Game Fest
"I'm getting psyched"
June is always a busy time of year in terms of video game announcements, and even without E3, it's expected to be a big one. Sony, Xbox, and (probably) Nintendo will all be hosting something, and in addition to this is the Summer Game Fest - run by game journalist and presenter, Geoff Keighley. Ahead of the "big live showcase...
News Dark Dungeon-Crawler 'Mistover' Being Removed From Sale At End Of June
Misty eyed
KRAFTON's 2019 roguelike dungeon crawler Mistover is being removed from sale, the developer has announced. This news has come from both the developer of the game and renowned fighting game developer Arc System Works, who has published the game in some territories. Arc System Works revealed in a press release that revealed the company's...
News Reggie Fils-Aimé Says We're All "Marching To" The Metaverse, With Games In The Lead
The metaverse singularity
The metaverse discourse is back, and now Reggie's in on it. Former COO and President of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aimé, thinks the metaverse — the network of 3D worlds that is purported to eventually replace or enhance real-life socialisation — is the future of gaming, and maybe even just the future in general,...
News Reggie Shares Thoughts On How Nintendo Can Prepare For The Switch's Successor
"The content pipeline needs to be there"
The Reggie Fils-Aimé book tour train just keeps on chugging away! Last week, the former president of Nintendo of America sat down with GamesIndustry.biz's James Batchelor for a chat following the release of his book, Disrupting the Game, to talk about not just the book but various industry issues and the...
News Masahiro Sakurai Recently Had A Meeting With HAL Laboratory
New game when?
Although Masahiro Sakurai is now done with Smash Bros. Ultimate, it seems like he may not be slowing down any time soon. In a bit of an update on social media, the director of Nintendo's all-star Smash Bros. series revealed how he recently had an online meeting with his former employer, HAL Laboratory. He had no need to necessarily...
News Geoff Keighley Hypes Upcoming Showcase, Says There'll Be Fewer Third-Party Shows This Summer
Certain companies will likely feature at bigger shows
According to journalist and presenter Geoff Keighley, this year there'll be fewer third-party video game showcases. In a Twitter Spaces audio session, Geoff explained how these publishers and developers have apparently reconsidered their approach after a somewhat negative response last year to...
News Ex-NoA President Reggie Fils-Aimé Addresses Reports Of Worker Mistreatment At Nintendo
"I do believe it is the role of company leadership to set a culture"
Early in April 2022, reports of poor working conditions at Nintendo of America surfaced, accusing the company and a third-party hiring firm of “concerted activities” and “coercive actions” to prevent unionisation, and the struggles of part-time workers and contractors to...
News Ubisoft Reportedly Wants Its Share Price To Improve Before It Sells
At least €60 a share is its target
With ongoing consolidation occurring within the gaming industry, rumours of a potential Ubisoft sale continue to persist. Although the most recent reports suggest that the company is looking to block potential takeovers with a partnership of their own, the latest report suggests that Ubisoft may in fact be...
News Reggie Talks About Nintendo's Slow Adoption Of Online Play
"Culturally, the company didn’t see a huge opportunity in online."
Reggie has been doing the rounds lately, hasn't he? The former president of Nintendo of America has been promoting his new book, Disrupting the Game, since its release in North America earlier this month. And along the promotional trail, Reggie Fils-Aimé has been dropping tons of...
News Suda51 Teases New Grasshopper Manufacture Game Reveal, Possibly Before The End Of 2022
"I want to hurry up and show everyone"
Towards the end of 2021, the famous video game creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda announced his development studio had joined the Chinese video game group NetEase. With No More Heroes 3 now complete, Suda 51's team is focused on creating new and original IP projects over the next decade. In a recent interview...
News EA Reportedly Pursuing Sale Or Merger
Has apparently spoken to Comcast, Disney, Apple and Amazon
Microsoft's recent acquisitions of video game companies like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard has sent the entire industry into a frenzy - with companies like Sony pulling out its wallet to acquire the Halo and Destiny developer Bungie. Now, in the latest development, a report by news...
News Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund Acquires 5% Stake In Nintendo
One of the fund's biggest moves to date
It's been a disruptive period in the game industry, with an increasing number of major takeovers and notable investments, ranging from Tencent continuing to expand its reach, Sony in the process of purchasing Bungie and Microsoft in a similar stage of its Activision Blizzard acquisition. In terms of financial...
News April NPD: Switch Has Overtaken PS4 Sales In The US
Now fourth best selling console
The Nintendo Switch continues to sell like hot cakes, despite reports of a 20% decrease YoY from Nintendo's own financial report. Now, the hybrid console has reached another remarkable milestone by surpassing the total sales of the PS4 in the US. This means that the Switch is now the fourth best selling console in...
News Sega Plans To Leverage More Past IP With 'Remasters, Remakes, Reboots'
Along with planned 'Super Games'
As part of its financial earnings report, SEGA Sammy Group announced that it will leverage existing and past IP by means of "remasters, remakes, reboots, etc", aiming to strengthen its core properties by FY2024. The company also makes reference to the so-called 'Super Games' which, if you cast your mind back, may...
News Square Enix Declines To Comment On Yuji Naka's Balan Wonderworld Lawsuit
Update: Square Enix's response
Update #2 [Fri 13th May, 2022 11:45 BST] As part of Square Enix's earnings briefings today, the company has confirmed it had a lawsuit case with Yuji Naka, but has declined to comment further. The only response the prominent Japanese developer gave was to say that Balan Wonderworld "is a game that we recommend with...
News Nintendo 8th Place In "Top 10" Game Revenues For 2021
Tencent takes out the top spot
Although Nintendo is forecasting a drop in profits and sales for the current financial year, its hardware and software are still selling like there's no tomorrow. The Switch has now sold more than 107 million units and software has surpassed 822 million units, as of March 31, 2022. It should come as no surprise then...
News NoA President Responds To Alleged Working Conditions At Nintendo, Finds Reports "Troubling"
Internal message to staff reveals Bowser's thoughts
Nintendo of America was last month named alongside hiring firm Aston Carter in a workers' rights complaint, when an individual worker claimed their legally protected right to unionise was violated. Nintendo issued a response to this, stating how the worker was "a contractor previously terminated...
News Nintendo Says The Ratio Of Switch Online Expansion Pack Users Is "Especially High" In The US
And the service will continue to expand
Update: Nintendo's official translation of the Q&A has now been released and differs subtly from VGC's earlier translation, specifically with regards to the proportion of Nintendo Switch Online users in the US who have upgraded to the Expansion Pack tier. Nintendo's translation specifically highlights...
News Takashi Hamamura, Veteran At HAL Laboratory, Has Resigned
Onto greener pastures
Takashi Hamamura, game designer for HAL Laboratory, has announced that he has resigned from the company. In a tweet posted on April 28th, the veteran stated (via a rough translation) "Today was the last day of work at HAL Laboratory. I would like to finally do game design research activities from next month. If you are...
News Konami Just Recorded Its Most Profitable Year Ever
Staggering results!
Konami Holdings Corporation (soon to be Konami Group Corporation, by the way) has recorded its most profitable year ever in its financial results for FY2022. Its operating income has risen from 36.6 billion yen in FY2021 to 74.4 billion yen, marking a 103.6% increase. The overall profit increase after taxes yielded a 69.9%...
News EA's Live Service Battle Royale Game Has Now Generated $2 Billion In Earnings
"Full games" can't compete
If you had any doubts about the live service model in video games, you might want to check out EA's latest earnings report. The third-party video game giant responsible for series like Battlefield, The Sims and Need for Speed has revealed Respawn Entertainment's battle roya
News Capcom Releasing "Multiple Major New Titles" By March 31, 2023
Here's what you can expect
Capcom also released its earnings report yesterday - recording another year of record sales and profits. Along with this sales update, it also mentioned how it planned to release "multiple major new titles" by March 31, 2023. While only a small amount of these games are currently locked in for the Nintendo Switch, at the...
News Bandai Namco Reports A Near 50% Rise In Profits For FY2022
A roaring success
Bandai Namco has released its financial results for FY2022 and its looking mighty promising for the publisher. With a total of ¥125 billion ($963 million) in profits, this marks a staggering 48.2% rise from the previous year. Net sales rose 20% to a total of ¥889 billion ($6.8 billion), due largely in part to the monumental...
News EA Reveals It's Working On An Unannounced Remake For 2023
Plus a major IP
Electronic Arts (EA) shared its investor presentation this Tuesday, which is used to tantalise investors and make sure they stay on board for the next financial year. And this year's presentation has a few juicy morsels, one of which reveals that EA is working on a Remake for the end of 2023. We already know EA is publishing the...
News Nintendo Reports That More 3DS Games Launched Last Year Than In 2020
Eight games to two!
If you thought it was all over for the 3DS, think again. Nintendo's marvellous handheld is still hanging in there, despite the fact that production of the console ceased in 2020, and that the eShop will be closing next year. That hasn't dampened developers' spirits, however, as Nintendo has reported that the console got eight...