Tag: Industry
News Pokémon Developer Game Freak To Reveal More About 'Beast Of Reincarnation' Later This Month
Xbox's upcoming showcase will visit the "legendary" team
The Pokémon developer Game Freak recently released the DLC Mega Dimension, so what's it up to beyond this? In case you missed it when it was revealed last year, the studio has a new action RPG Beast of Reincarnation in the pipeline. In an update this week,
News Ubisoft Starts The New Year With A Studio Closure, 71 Jobs Affected
Decision apparently unrelated to recent unionisation
Ubisoft has started its new year with the closure of its Canada-based studio Ubisoft Halifax. According to a company spokesperson, more than 70 positions are impacted as part of cost-cutting and restructuring measures. Staff were informed about the closure on Wednesday. Here's the official...
Feature Who Is Devon Pritchard? - Meet The Next NOA President Stepping Into Bowser's Boots
Dougging deep
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in September, and with today being Doug Bowser's final day in the chair, it's the perfect time for a refresher on NOA's new president. Enjoy! Yesterday,
Editorial Gamers, Support The People And Sites You Love, Before It's Too Late
Forever
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in May. We should note that the Giant Bomb story had a happy ending, with the staff buying GB from Fandom and going independent. Yes! Nevertheless, in another turbulent year for...
News Vince Zampella, Call Of Duty Co-Creator And Respawn Head, Has Died
He was 55
Infinity Ward co-founder and Respawn Entertainment head Vince Zampella has died in a fatal car crash, NBC4 Los Angeles reports. He was 55 years old. The crash was reported to have happened yesterday, 21st December 2025, in along Southern California's Angeles Crest Highway, at around 12:45pm local time. Tributes have been pouring in...
News Nintendo Wins $8.2 Million In Damages Over Wii Controller Patent Infringement
15 years leads to big(Ben) payout
Nintendo has been locked in a long-running legal battle with BigBen Interactive — now known as Nacon — over an infringement relating to the patent of the Wii controller for a full 15 years. That's a long time! Now, though, and as reported by The Games Fray (thanks, Games Industry.biz), the J
News Netflix "Didn't Attribute Any Value" To Warner Bros. Games In Acquisition Deal
"We haven't built that into our deal model"
Hm, we're sure that we won't be looking back on this quote with a suspicious eye down the line. Following Netflix's $82.7 billion acquisition agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery (later challenged by a separate offer from Paramount), Netflix co-CEO, president and director Gregory Peters has said WB Games...
News Future Of Tomb Raider To Be Revealed At The Game Awards 2025
"This is one you won't want to miss"
The Game Awards is taking place later this week, and ahead of the big industry event, Lara Croft's return has been teased. As highlighted by the show's creator and host Geoff Keighley and the official Tomb Raider social media account, fans of Lara will be able to tune into the event to find out about the...
Update: Paramount enters the conversation
In a staggering piece of news this Friday, streaming giant Netflix has announced that it has entered an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to acquire Warner Bros. in a deal that's valued at roughly $82.7 billion — an equity value of $72 billion. Netflix is specifically acquiring Warner B
News Katsuhiro Harada Announces Departure From Bandai Namco
Father Tekken hangs up his gloves
Katsuhiro Harada, the executive producer and director of the Tekken franchise — a man often referred to as a father of sorts to all things Tekken — has announced via social media that he'll be stepping down from his role at Bandai Namco, and therefore from involvement in the series, at the end of 2025. The...
News Nintendo To Acquire Bandai Namco Studios Singapore As A Subsidiary
'Nintendo Studios Singapore' will become an internal team
Nintendo has announced that it will acquire a majority stake in Bandai Namco Studios Singapore after reaching an agreement with Bandai Namco for the transfer of shares next year. Described in the press release as being "for the purpose of strengthening its development structure," BNSS will...
News Ongoing MicroSD Shortages Could Have A Knock-On Effect For Switch 2 Storage Availability
Maybe it's time to ask Santa for MicroSD Express cards
Storage-hungry consumers in Japan have been jumping on available stocks of super-fast MicroSD cards as an ongoing memory shortage continues across the computer industry, with no signs of getting better in the immediate future. As reported by Tom's Hardware, a spiralling issue of rising costs...
News "Consumers Generally Do Not Care" About AI In Games, Says Former Square Enix Exec
"Gen Z loves AI slop"
Genvid CEO Jacob Navok, the former Director of Business at Square Enix, has shared his two cents' worth on the ongoing debate surrounding the use of AI in game development. While it's far from a glowing endorsement of the practice, Navok argues that most players "generally do not care" about it (thanks for the heads up,...
Random Do You Miss Metroid Prime: Blast Ball? Don't Worry, PlayStation Has Got You Covered
As it expands into mobile gaming with a major IP
In recent years, Nintendo has been able to grow its brand and expand its IP with mobile game apps. To date, the cumulative number of unique downloads for Nintendo apps has now surpassed 950 million, and it's banked a lot of coin in that time. It's a market that's ripe for the picking, and in some...
News Reggie Is "Surprised" We Haven't Seen More Xbox Titles On Switch 2
"I thought there would be much more"
In the last year or two, Microsoft has been very vocal about its desire to support Switch and Switch 2. We've seen a couple of examples of this on the new hardware with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 and the soon-to-come Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but where's the Gears? Where's the Call o
News "These Shouldn't Be The Only Games Being Made" - Keiji Inafune Critical Of Reliance On Big IPs
"I didn’t dwell on my past hits"
Mega Man artist and Mighty No. 9 creator Keiji Inafune has been a huge name in the industry for nearly four decades, so you could say he's got a fair bit of experience. Recently, the producer gave a talk at South Korea’s Console Game Developer Conference 2025, and has a few strong words for developers and...
News Square Enix Hit By Mass Layoffs As Part Of Global Restructuring
Over 100 jobs in the UK are potentially affected
Reports have emerged that Square Enix is the latest video game company to be hit with layoffs today, with job cuts across "nearly all areas" outside of Japan including roles in sales, marketing, and publishing. VGC broke the news earlier today and reports that Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu held...
News Microsoft On Its Gaming Business Going Forward: "We Want To Be Everywhere"
"Gaming's competition is not other gaming"
Last month, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer reiterated how Xbox would support Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 players going forward, and now the tech giant's Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella has chimed in. Speaking to TBPN recently about this "shifting" business model, Nadella mentioned how the company wants to...
News EA Staff Are Reportedly Less Than Happy With Their Much-Hyped AI "Helpers"
EA's internal chatbot, ReefGPT, is making life harder, not easier
Despite the negative press and questions surrounding the ethical use of training data, Generative AI is making a significant impact on game development, with many of the industry's major players now utilising the technology to help create and enhan
News "Go Tell Nintendo" - Ex-Blizzard President Responds After Xbox Calls Exclusives "Antiquated"
"Nintendo has continually dominated with outstanding games"
Xbox has been making headlines recently with the news that Halo: Campaign Evolved would be making its way to the PS5 in addition to Xbox Series X|S. Halo had always seemed like the last bastion of exclusivity for Microsoft's platform, and now that it's going multi-platform in 2026, it...
News EA Is Diving Headfirst Into Generative AI With New Partnership
"Together, we’re opening new creative frontiers"
Electronic Arts (EA) has already caused some controversy in recent weeks when it announced it had been acquired by the PIF (Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners for a cool $55 billion. Now, the company is back at it again. In a new announcement,
News Nintendo Reportedly Increases Switch 2 Production To 25 Million Units For Year 1
Now that be some Mario magic
Nintendo has apparently requested its global suppliers to pump out as many as 25 million Switch 2 console units by the end of March 2026, Bloomberg reports (paywalled). If the Big N can manage this, it would set the company up for meeting the demands of what's set to be a record-breaking first year of sales for the new...
News Team Ninja Founder And Industry Veteran Tomonobu Itagaki Has Passed Away
"My life has been a series of battles. I kept winning."
Team Ninja founder Tomonobu Itagaki, who was also the creator of the fighting game series Dead or Alive and revived Ninja Gaiden for a new generation, has passed away at the age of 58. A post on his Facebook page originally confirmed this, and we've now got a translation (confirmed by James...
"Whether generative AI is involved or not"
Nintendo has posted a short statement denying that it has lobbied the Japanese government on the subject of generative AI. The post on X was made following a tweet by Japanese politician Satoshi Asano, who originally claimed the company had been lobbying the government on the subject of generative AI...
"We will continue to push the boundaries of entertainment, sports, and technology"
Electronic Arts has announced that it has entered an agreement to be purchased by the PIF (Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners for a staggering USD $55 billion. The deal, which is expected to close in Q1 FY 2027, was confirmed...
News Nintendo Of America Reportedly Cuts Loose Customer Service Contractors As It Looks To Outsource
"A lot of us are feeling betrayed"
A new report states that Nintendo of America is cutting loose around 200 long-time contractor jobs as it has decided to outsource its customer support services ahead of the Switch 2's first holiday season. This report comes from IGN's Rebekah Valentine, who spoke to numerous customer support staff and sources...
News Developers Reportedly Still Struggling To Get Switch 2 Dev Kits
"They would love to do Switch 2 versions. They can’t get the hardware."
We're almost three months on from the Nintendo Switch 2's release, and while we have plenty of third-party games to come on the newer hybrid console, many developers say that they're still having issues getting hold of dev kits. This comes from the folks at Digital Foundry in...
News Former PlayStation Head Praises Nintendo For Being "In Touch With Their Fan Base"
"Even PlayStation was never this in touch with the fan base"
Shawn Layden, formerly the President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America and Executive Vice President and COO of Sony Network Entertainment International, has come out in praise of Nintendo for being the most in-touch with its fan base. In an interview with HipHopGamer (via
News Tron: Catalyst & John Wick Hex Dev 'Bithell Games' Makes "Majority" Of Staff Redundant
"Today we are less"
Bithell Games, the developer behind John Wick Hex, TRON: Identity, and TRON: Catalyst, is sadly making "eleven jobs" at the studio redundant. Studio founder Mike Bithell shared a message on Bluesky earlier today stating that his studio — which he founded in 2013 following the release and critical success behind Thomas Was...
News "We Answer To Nobody But You, The Audience" - Digital Foundry Is Now Fully Independent
Richard Leadbetter's tech channel has separated from IGN owner Ziff Davis
Digital Foundry, a massively popular tech and gaming YouTube channel which we feature regularly on this site, has announced today that it is 100% independent. Founded by industry veteran Richard Leadbetter – who has worked on magazines such as CVG, Mean Machines, Maximum...
News Nintendo Sends Out Second Game-Key Card & Physical Game Survey
Update: The survey has been closed
Nintendo has already been doing a little surveying and gathering of feedback, as we reported a few weeks back, with regards to physical and digital games, including how game-key cards are going down. Spoiler alert: they aren't really going down very well at all. Now, and as reported by Eurogamer, the Big N is back...
But what were they?
Well, we were all quite excited, we think it's fair to say, about Nintendo's Partner Showcase last week and, in the end, it seemed a little light on heavy-hitting or exciting stuff in all honesty. Yep, we expected a little more sugar, a few surprises to whet our appetites on the third-party front, since the initial wave of...
News Switch 2 Has Sold "More Than 6 Million" Units, And Almost As Many Copies Of Mario Kart World
Crazy attach rates
Nintendo's latest financial results are live, and the platform holder has confirmed Switch 2 hardware sales "exceeding 6 million units globally in the seven weeks after launch." Switch 2 launched on 5th June and today's Q1 financial report includes figures up to the end of that month. The stated figure of "more than 6 million"...
News Atari To Acquire 'SteamWorld' Dev Thunderful
Amid studio struggles
Today, gaming giant Atari has announced that it is entering into an agreement to invest in Thunderful Group, the studio responsible for developing the SteamWorld series of games. Confirmed in a press release, Atari will become the majority owner of the company, which was founded in 2017 and was essentially a merger between...
News Sony Acquires 2.5% Stake In Bandai Namco As Part Of New "Strategic Partnership"
Focused on expanding anime IP and more
In some more Sony news, the PlayStation maker has this week acquired a 2.5% stake in Bandai Namco. It's described as a "strategic business alliance agreement" with a focus on "expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world and strengthening engagement". It reportedly sets Sony back...
News Sony Job Listing Suggests More PS5 Games Could Get A Nintendo Release
Going "beyond" PlayStation
Sony surprised the video game community earlier this month when it revealed it would be bringing Arrowhead's multiplayer hit Helldivers 2 to Xbox. Now, in another development, a new job opening has been spotted for PlayStation's head office, and it's apparently searching for a director to lead PlayStation's exploration of...
News Around 1 In 3 Switch 2 Owners Bought New Pro Controller Despite High Price Point (US)
Pro sales
We know the Switch 2 has sold incredibly well worldwide, with the console shifting 1.6 million units in June 2025 in the US alone. Now we have an idea of just how well the pricey, but excellent, new Pro Controller has done, too. Game File's Stephen Totilo has shared Circana's estimated Switch 2 Pro Controller sales, and it's around...
News Julian LeFay, The 'Father Of The Elder Scrolls', Has Passed Away
Former Bethesda dev had battled cancer
Julian LeFay, the man often referred to as "the father of the Elder Scrolls" and co-founder of the indie developer OnceLost Studio, has passed away after a years-long battle with cancer. The announcement was made by his studio earlier today on social media. He was 59 years old. LeFay was instrumental in the...
News Switch 2 Launch Helps Boost US Video Game Spending To Record June High
The new console sold 1.6 million units in June
We already know the Switch 2 has broken sales records in the US — just last month, Nintendo's upgraded hybrid console reportedly hit an "all-time launch week unit sales record for video game hardware". And now, Circana's Mat Piscatella has more data to back up that info. Sharing the stats on Bluesky,...
News Grounded "Is Not Going Anywhere" As Obsidian Gears Up For Survival Sequel
Peer to peer = lessen your fear
We reviewed Obsidian's excellent Grounded back when it released on Switch last year, giving it a 7/10 and remarking that it was really only the game's performance on the console that held it back from a much better score. Indeed, Grounded, when it's running well, is perhaps one of our favourite survival games of the...
News Gender Split & Average Ages Of Japanese Nintendo Players Revealed Via New Survey
180,000 players involved
A brand new survey of 180,000 players aged 15-69 years old in Japan has been conducted by GEM Partners, and there are some interesting stats on gender and age splits across multiple Nintendo franchises. Posted by Nikkei (via Nintendo Patents Watch and MyNintendoNews), the huge survey reveals that, comp
News Switch Port Specialist Virtuos Confirms 270 Layoffs
It released Oblivion Remastered earlier this year
The Switch port specialist Virtuos – known within the Nintendo space for its work on games like The Outer Worlds – has officially laid off 270 employees across its studios worldwide. This is "approximately 7%" of the company's "global workforce", with 200 roles in Asia and 70 roles in Europe...
News Romero Games "Is Not Closed" Following Xbox Layoffs
Update: Reassessing staffing, but the studio is not shutting down
It's been another tough week for the video game industry and the fallout from Microsoft's layoffs led to funding cuts at John and Brenda Romero's studio, Romero Games. Now, following some claims the independent studio had completely shut its doors, Irish publication The Journal has...
"What a colossal waste of talent."
Last week's layoffs at Microsoft and Xbox Games were shocking to say the least, with over 9,000 people losing their jobs, including veterans at Rare, Romero Games, and the cancellation of big projects such as Perfect Dark. This comes despite the fact that the tech giant reportedly made $26 billion in the last...
News Romero Games Hit With Layoffs Following Microsoft Xbox Cuts
Funding for its unannounced FPS has been "cancelled"
Romero Games, the studio co-founded by DOOM co-creator and his wife, John & Brenda Romero, has been hit with layoffs after funding for an unannounced FPS was "cancelled". VideoGamer reports that the upcoming shooter was being funded b
News Microsoft Announces Another Wave Of Layoffs, Over 9,000 Jobs Affected
Update 2: Gregg Mayles, Louise O’Connor, and Wil Overton among departures
Microsoft has begun informing staff of a huge second wave of job cuts this year, and the layoffs are expected to hit over 9,000 employees. In a report published by
*Jurassic Park sunglasses GIF*
EA's CEO, Andrew Wilson, has somehow managed to find himself $5 million richer than usual this year, according to the latest Proxy filing by the company. As reported by Stephen Totilo over at Game File, the extra cash on top of an already very nice annual income, flies directly in the face of how the general...
News Level-5 CEO Sees AI As 'Tool For Communication And Efficiency Improvement'
AI content doesn't make it to the final game
We've been seeing the AI-related opinions a video game creator bandied about a bit already over the past few days, with Smash Bros' director Masahiro Sakurai being ever-so-slightly mistranslated in his thoughts over the use of the new tech in artistic endeavours. Now Level-5's CEO, Akihiro Hino, has been...
News Nintendo Prioritising Switch 2 Dev Kits For Indies Needing "Extra Oomph", Say Devs
"a similar situation to the OG Switch"
As we all know by now, the Switch 2 has been off to a rocket of a start in terms of its hardware sales, however, with regards to its current games lineup — and with a particular eye on its indie offerings — there's cert
News Smash Bros. Director Sakurai Laments 'Unsustainable' AAA Game Dev, Discusses AI And Uncertainty
Mysterious dimension
Over the weekend, a Yahoo Japan interview (geo-locked) with Smash Bros. lead and game dev extraordinaire Masahiro Sakurai has blown up in the West, with reports suggesting that the Kirby creator is advocating for generative AI. However, it seems the nuance of his comments have gotten a little lost in translation. Translated...
