Tag: Industry - Page 3
News Forget Microsoft, Another Company Apparently Wanted To Buy Nintendo Back In The Day
Talk about 'What If...'
We've heard about a few companies with dreams of purchasing Nintendo over the years (*cough* Microsoft *cough*), and it turns out that there was another big ol' American conglomerate looking to snap it up back in the day, too (thanks, Gamespot). That is according to the latest episode of the
News Take-Two's "Longstanding Relationship" With Nintendo Seemingly Set To Continue
Civilization VII is out this month on Switch
Multiple third-party video game giants have commented on the Switch 2 since its official announcement, and now Take-Two Interactive has voiced its support. During a call with investors, the company's CEO Strauss Zelnick referenced Take-Two's "longstanding relationship with Nintendo" and while there's...
News E3's Entertainment Software Association Returns With A New Industry Event
Bringing together a "broad spectrum of sectors"
In some industry news, the Entertainment Software Association (which operated E3) has this week announced it will be returning with a new event known as the Interactive Innovation Conference. This will apparently be a "first-of-its-kind" event taking place in Las Vegas between April 27th - April 30th,...
News Bandai Namco Studios Has Reportedly Reduced Its Staff By Over 100 People
More grim figures emerge
Bandai Namco Studios has reportedly reduced its staff by more than 100 people within the last year, as reported by Automaton. The studio, known for Switch games such as New Pokémon Snap, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!, and the upcoming Pac-Man title Shadow Labyrinth, had stated in a company
News Metroid Prime Remastered Studio 'Iron Galaxy' Confirms Lay Offs
To "enable our long-term survival"
Iron Galaxy, a studio known for its work on titles such as Metroid Prime Remastered, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Diablo III on Switch, has confirmed that it has laid off 66 development and support staff. Confirmed via a post on LinkedIn (thanks,
News Sumo Group Confirms "Impact" On Workforce As It Pivots To Develop Exclusively For Partners
Part of ensuring "long-term stability and success"
Sumo Group, the UK-based games studio behind Snake Pass dev Sumo Digital and publisher Secret Mode, has announced that its development team will transition to work "exclusively on development services for partners" and has warned of "an impact on our studios and people" as a result (thanks to Push...
News Hideki Kamiya Seemingly Confirms More Departures From PlatinumGames
Including Bayonetta 3's director
Following reports that PlatinumGames — the studio behind the Bayonetta series, Astral Chain, and who helped Square Enix on NieR:Automata — had lost several key directors and creators back in December 2024, former vice president Hideki Kamiya appears to have confirmed that at least five directors have left the...
News Nintendo Switch Hardware Sales Pass 150 Million, With PS2's Record Still A Way Off
Something's waiting in the wings
Sales of Nintendo Switch have now passed the 150 million mark, according to Nintendo's latest financial results. The firm released its quarterly results today revealing that it has now sold 150.86 million Switches worldwide since the system launched in March 2017. 4.82 million Switch consoles were sold in the three...
News Takaya Imamura On Nintendo's Future: Talented And Charismatic Devs Are "Crucial"
Relying exclusively on big IP would be a "big mistake"
Former Nintendo artist Takaya Imamura has kicked off the new year with a new blog post titled "Why I Left Nintendo" more than four years after departing from the company's Japanese headquarters. While he goes into all sorts of history about his career, he's also shared his thoughts about...
News Final Fantasy Creator’s Next Script Is Already Done
Update: He's apparently working on "part two" of his farewell note
Following the recent release of Fantasian Neo Dimension for Switch, the Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi is now focused on his future. In the same Famitsu interview with Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, Sakaguchi revealed how he won’t be calling time on his career any time...
News 'Fae Farm' Developer Phoenix Labs Lays Off "The Majority Of The Studio"
Team is also responsible for 2019's Dauntless
Developer Phoenix Labs – known for its work on Fae Farm and Dauntless – has announced that it has laid off "the majority of the studio", citing "unfortunate but necessary changes to our operations". The move follows a previous round of layoffs back in May 2024, during which "about 140" employees...
News Ubisoft Confirms Another Wave Of Layoffs, With 185 Employees Affected
The "restructurings" continue
After a year plagued by layoffs at studios big and small, Ubisoft has today confirmed that its 'restructuring' efforts are continuing into 2025, with a further 185 employees laid off across the company's European studios. As reported by VGC, the layoffs come as a product of "restructurings" at Ubisoft Düsseldorf,...
News US Physical Game Spending Continued To Decline Last Year, Now Sits At Half 2021's Numbers
Bye bye, box
We've known about the decline of physical game sales for quite some time, but according to the latest numbers from Circana's Mat Piscatella, this downward trend accelerated in 2024 (thanks, VGC). Sharing the research firm's latest numbers on BlueSky, Piscatella stated that last year's US physical game spending was "cut in more than...
News Astral Chain Director Seemingly Forms New Studio After Leaving PlatinumGames
NieR, far, wherever you are
Late last year, it was reported that several PlatinumGames veterans had seemingly left the studio. While only Bayonetta Origins' Abebe Tinari confirmed this news, it looks increasingly likely that Astral Chain director Takahisa
News EA's Share Price Plummets After Reports Of Disappointing Financial Performance
A drop of over 16%
EA's share price has taken a bit of a tumble after the publisher announced it woud be revising its financial outlook following disappointing sales of EA Sports FC 25 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. In just a single day, the company's share price dropped by more than 16% from 142.35 USD to 118.58 USD. Things are levelling out...
News Steam Deck Sales Business As Usual For Valve During Week Of Switch 2 Reveal
Update: Sales chart "updated" by Valve
The Steam Deck is very much focused on the PC market, but even it's seemingly been unable to avoid the excitement of the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement last week with a reported slump in sales revenue. As highlighted by Twisted Voxel (via Steam Deck HQ), Valve's portable PC hardware is regularly trending on...
News Team Ninja Kicks Off Anniversary Celebrations With Ninja Gaiden 4
The Bayonetta developer PlatinumGames is back
As we enter 2025, Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja (known for its work on series like Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive) has acknowledged its 30th anniversary. In 4Gamer.net’s round up on Japanese developer’s 2025 ambitions, Team Ninja’s Fumihiko Yasuda mentioned how the team hoped to release titles...
News Team17 Group Is Rebranding, But The Iconic Name Isn't Disappearing
Welcome, everplay
Team17 Group has announced that it is rebranding the company to 'everplay group plc'. The announcement states that the change represents an "evolution" of the group following its addition to the London Stock Exchange in 2018. The name 'everplay' is designed to reflect its purpose to "never stop playing", along with its "creative...
Round Up Video Game Industry Reacts To Nintendo's Switch 2 Announcement
Here's what everyone thought
The Switch 2 announcement and reveal video is now trending across the internet and more industry figures, developers and publishers are beginning to share their reactions. We've rounded up as many as can find here in one post. Enjoy! <toc> Ubisoft After some rumours suggesting it's bringing over a dozen games to...
News Nintendo Is "Very Upset" About The Switch 2 Leaks, It's Claimed
Former employees Kit and Krysta discuss company secrets
We don't know how exactly Nintendo feels about the supposed 'Switch 2' leaks, but former company employees Kit and Krysta - who had over 10 years of first-hand experience at Nintendo of America - have now chimed in with their thoughts and insights. When the pair were at Nintendo, leaks were...
News Guillemot Family And Tencent May Move Select Ubisoft Assets To New Venture
Is Ubisoft in the endgame..?
A new report from Bloomberg reveals that the Guillemot family and Tencent may currently be in talks to move select Ubisoft assets over to a brand-new venture (thanks, VGC). Following a lengthy period in which Ubisoft has struggled in the midst of a rapidly declining share price, the move is supposedl
News Square Enix May Withhold Its Own Products If You Harrass Its Staff
So just don't, y'know?
Square Enix has updated its 'Group Customer Harrassment Policy' to ensure that its employees and partners remain protected against unwelcome nuisance and threats from certain customers. As detailed on its official website (thanks, GamesIndustry), the firm stated that if it deems an individual has indeed harassed its...
News Ex-Annapurna Interactive Staff Reportedly Pick Up Private Division Portfolio Under New Studio
Following last year's walk-out
Last year saw the entire Annapurna Interactive workforce resign following a dispute with owner Megan Ellison. Four months on, Bloomberg has reported that the former staff members have formed a new company and have picked up the entire Private Division portfolio (thanks,
News Physical Game Sales Took A Nosedive In The UK Last Year
Revenue dropped by nearly 35% from 2023
2024 was a fairly turbulent year for the games industry in many ways, but what's clear from the latest data is that physical games sales in the UK are struggling mightily. According to data from the Entertainment Retailers Association, and based on data from Nielsen/GfK, India and GSD (thanks, VGC), physical...
News Surprise Leak Reveals Lenovo Is Making Another Switch-Like Gaming Handheld
Update: Here's a closer look at the prototype
The current Lenovo Legion Go A new leak has revealed Lenovo is seemingly following up its 'Legion Go' handheld gaming device with a "larger" model and it will once again take all sorts of design cues from Nintendo's hybrid system. This new system reportedly keeps the "detachable" Joy-Con-like gamepads...
News Tencent Labelled A "Chinese Military Company" By US Government
Tencent claims there's been a "misunderstanding"
The US Department of Defense has officially added Chinese megacorp Tencent to the federal register of companies deemed to have ties to the Chinese military (thanks, Bloomberg). The addition to the list does not come with any specific sanctions for Tencent, though it may affect the company's ability...
News Bayonetta Veteran Confirms PlatinumGames Departure
He's moved to a PlayStation team
The Bayonetta developer PlatinumGames reportedly said goodbye to multiple veterans (including Hideki Kamiya) last year. Now, in another studio update, it's been confirmed the Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon director Abebe Tinari has also left. According to his LinkedIn, he's moved on to PlayStation's...
News SNK Announces New ‘King Of Fighters’ Studio
"KOF Studio will proudly carry on the 30-year legacy"
As part of The King of Fighters 30th anniversary, SNK Corporation has established a new King of Fighters studio to keep the "legacy" going and also bring forth a new "revolution”. Here’s the official announcement on SNK's website: Revolutionize the legacy Fatal Fury, Samurai...
Feature How Can Switch 2 'Fix' The eShop? Devs Share Their Storefront Stories
"It's feast or famine, really"
If you are the proud owner of a Nintendo Switch (and if you're reading this, we'd wager that you are), then it will come as no surprise when we say that the eShop is a wild place in 2024. While gaming may have never been better, Nintendo's storefront has never been worse. Discoverability is a thing of the past with...
Feature "It's Fun, So It's Okay!" - Celebrating Takashi Tezuka's Astonishing 40-Year Nintendo Career
A look back at a glittering catalogue
Takashi Tezuka seems like a good laugh, the kind of chap who knows how to have fun. Despite all the Master-Sword-waving and PR-related hijinx from fellow Nintendo luminary Shigeru Miyamoto over the years, you still get the impression he's merciless in the workplace — an exacting, intimidating,...
"Tackle life with as much energy as Goku! I'll try to do the same!"
It's impossible to overstate the impact of Akira Toriyama, the legendary manga artist and character designer who has been working in the manga industry since 1978. His death at 68 years old has thousands around the world mourning his loss. Toriyama was, to me, comfort on sick days...
News Nintendo Veteran Don James To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
"My career has truly been a wild and fun ride"
While it's common to associate Nintendo with big names such as Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aimé, there are plenty of other important people who helped make the company and brand what it is today. As part of this legacy, Nintendo veteran and industry visionary Don James - who joined...
News Nintendo Switch Finally Surpasses PlayStation 2's Lifetime Sales In The US
Just the DS to beat
We thought this day might come, and here it is. According to the latest data from Circana (formerly NPD), the Nintendo Switch has finally surpassed the PlayStation 2's lifetime sales in the United States. The latest ranking shake-up comes from Circana executive director and video game industry analyst Mat Piscatella on BlueSky,...
News Several PlatinumGames Veterans Have Seemingly Left The Studio
Hideki and seek
In 2023, PlatinumGames made the surprise announcement that its co-founder and vice president, Hideki Kamiya, had left the company. One year on, it looks like several other veterans may be following suit. As spotted on the r/GamingLeaksAndRumours Reddit forum by user Joseki100 (off the back of an initial post by PlatinumGamesFanboy),...
News Capcom Intends To Continue "Re-Activating Dormant IPs"
Okami and Onimusha are paving the way
Some of the biggest surprises at this year's Game Awards show were provided by Japanese video game giant Capcom with the revival of classic IPs like Okami and Onimusha. In a company press release on its official website, Capcom has now made it clear this is all part of an initiative to focus on "re-activating...
Random PlayStation's Astro Bot Director Pays Tribute To Mario And Nintendo In GOTY Speech
"I didn't plan to say it, but I'm going to say it anyway"
There have been a lot of comparisons this year suggesting the PlayStation hit Astro Bot is more like a Super Mario or Nintendo game than a Sony one. With this in mind, it seems the game's director Nicolas Doucet might have finally put all of this debate to rest. In a surprising moment during...
News The Game Awards GOTY For 2024 Is Astro Bot
Here's the full list of winners
The Game Awards for 2024 is now over and Asobi's Astro Bot has officially won Game of the Year. It was up against Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,
News Nintendo Now Officially Owns 100% Of Monolith Soft
The chronicle continues
The 'Company Profile' section of the Monolith Soft website has been updated and it looks like Nintendo now finally owns 100% of the company (thanks, Automaton West). The Big N first staked its claim in Monolith back in 2007, purchasing 80% of its shares from Namco before increasing its proportion to 96% in 2011. It's unclear...
News Michel Ancel Says Beyond Good & Evil 2 Development Issues Due To "Problems Between Managers"
"I have my share of responsibility"
Former Ubisoft designer and creator of Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil Michel Ancel has lifted the lid on part of Beyond Good & Evil 2's troubled development. In an interview with French outlet Superpouvoir (via
News Ubisoft Reportedly Discussing Buyout Options As Talks Of Going Private Continue
Following yet another wave of staff layoffs
Back in October, it was rumoured that Ubisoft was considering going private after a rough year of releases. Two months on and it appears that the negotiations are still ongoing, with Ubisoft and Tencent apparently engaged in talks about buyout terms. That is according to the latest report from Reuters,...
News Ex-PlayStation Boss Questions Future Of Consoles, But Not Nintendo Hardware
"They live in their Own Private Idaho"
As the video game market continues to evolve there's once again talk about the viability of console gaming. In the same interview with Eurogamer, ex-PlayStation boss Shawn Layden shared his thoughts about this topic. While he has raised alarm about the whole "Xbox versus PlayStation" console market and...
News Ubisoft Closes Two Studios And Will Reportedly Lay Off Hundreds Of Employees
The new free-to-play shooter 'XDefiant' has also been axed
It's been a tough year for the games industry with multiple studio closures and layoffs, and now as we enter December, Ubisoft continues the trend. As highlighted by Game File reporter Stephen Totilo, Ubisoft is shutting down its San Francisco production studio and Osaka, Japan office. It...
News The Game Awards 2024 Players' Voice Nominees Have Been Revealed - Zelda, Sonic And More
Voting is now open
Ahead of The Game Awards next week, the 'players' voice' nominees have now been revealed. This is a "100% fan voted award" that takes place across three rounds. Round one requires players to vote for their 10 favourite games from a list of 30, and ends on 4th December 2024 (aka tomorrow). On the Nintendo front, The Legend of...
News Visions Of Mana Director Joins Square Enix After Leaving NetEase's Ouka Studios
To the other side
Visions of Mana director Ryosuke Yoshida has announced that he left the NetEase-owned Ouka Studios at the end of October and has since taken up a position at Square Enix. Yoshida's formal departure follows a report from earlier this year that NetEase was cutting all but a handful of jobs at the development studio soon after...
News ININ Games Acquires Shenmue 3 Publishing Rights, Teases Announcement
Fans are already calling for a Nintendo release
Nintendo's platforms have hosted all sorts of iconic series over the years, but one we haven't seen just yet is Shenmue. While nothing has admittedly changed on this front, a recent announcement has reignited hopes. ININ Games has revealed it has now "officially acquired" the publishing rights to...
News Nintendo Is Ranked The Third Most Sought-After Employer In Japan
Gee, wonder why?
A new survey conducted by Japanese employment agency Gakujo reveals that Nintendo is the third most sought-after employer in the region. This comes via Otaku Soken (thanks, Automaton) and is based on responses from 5,476 university students across Japan. Nintendo is the highest company from the entertainment sector, and is only...
News Lizardcube Co-Founder Leaves To Start New Game Company
"my vision has been less aligned with the team"
Omar Cornut, one of the co-founders of developer Lizardcube, has announced his departure from the company after his own aspirations and vision became less aligned with the wider team. Lizarcube is known for its work on Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap and Streets of Rage 4, with Cornut and Ben Fiquet...
News Composer Grant Kirkhope Joins Davide Soliani's New Indie Studio
"There’s no way out now."
Davide Soliani, the director of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, recently revealed his new indie studio, Day 4 Night. Focused on delivering "deeply heartfelt and original games that innovate in storytelling and design", its a bold new venture for the creator who had previously spent 25...
News Palworld Dev May Have Found An Unexpected Ally In Nintendo's Lawsuit: An Old GTA 5 Mod
Trevorlution
Earlier this month, Palworld developer PocketPair detailed the patent infringement claims that make up Nintendo's ongoing lawsuit. The case itself is still underway, with both parties building their arguments, but a new prediction from a Japanese patent attorney suggests that PocketPair may be finding support in the most unlikely of...
News Mario & Luigi's Future In Doubt As A Potential Sony Acquisition Emerges
Update: Kadokawa acknowledges Sony's offer
A new report from Reuters has emerged that reveals Sony is potentially in talks to purchase Kadokawa, a Japanese media conglomerate that serves as parent to dozens of entertainment companies. In the gaming space, Kadokawa owns Spike Chunsoft, Acquire, Gotcha Gotcha Games, and FromNetworks, while also...
