Armored Core 6’s debut pushed Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to the second overall spot in news that video game journalists have been covering extensively.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Bandai Namco believes that ‘Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon’ is a “big step up in the franchise’ and communicated their hopes that it would surpass previous Armored Core games following the increased popularity in the game developers work on Elden Ring.

The United Kingdom charts also saw The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom move back to the 3rd spot, and FIFA 23 holding the 4th spot.

The biggest rise was from Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which jumped back in the top top from it’s previous 24th spot to land in 6th with a 146% increase in sales. That game, along with Hogwarts Legacy, is currently a part of a Playstation 5 bundle.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year edition entered the Top Ten this week with an appearance in the 9th spot.

The news wasn’t so good for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre which saw a debut in the 13th spot last week but has now dropped to 37th following a 43% decrease in sales week-on-week, despite it’s initial push on every video game streaming platform following it’s heavily hyped arrival.

Here is a breakdown from the United Kingdom Boxed Top Ten for the week ending on August 26th, via GamesIndustry.biz.

The post Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon Winning in United Kingdom appeared first on Sudairy.

The funding will be deployed to continue going towards the expansion of its mobile narrative offerings, and the studio aims to provide its generative AI developer tools to more writers and storytellers.

“It’s a huge honor to have Sony Innovation Fund join our roster of stellar investors, and we’re thrilled that they share our vision for the future of interactive media and storytelling,” Scriptic CEO Nihal Tharoor said, according to GamesIndustry.biz.

This marks another example of  studios who find Angel Investors and find VC investors to fund their initiatives, and those deals making waves in the gaming industry.

The post Scriptic Raises $6 Million in Additional Seed Funding appeared first on Sudairy.

Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke officially announced the update on social media following a meeting with Xbox head Phil Spencer.

“We’ve found a solution that allows us to bring Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox players this year still, something we’ve been working towards for quite some time,” Vincke said in the announcement. “All improvements will be there, with split-screen coop on Series X.”

The Xbox Series S console version of the RPG will not feature split-screen coop, a disappointing part of the update, but Baldur’s Gate 3 will have cross-save progression functionality between Steam and Xbox Series consoles.

Stay tuned here or other prominent video game journalists for more information on Baldur’s Gate heading to Xbox in 2023.

The post Xbox Scheduled to Release Baldur’s Gate 3 Later This Year appeared first on Sudairy.

SIE is aiming to expand the audio technology of Playstation games and with this deal, not only will Audeze help them in that mission but Audeze will continue to operate as a separate entity and develop its audio products, per a number of video game journalists covering the story.

“Audeze is a premier brand for headphones, and this acquisition highlights Sony Interactive’s focus on innovation and providing the best audio experience to PlayStation players,” SIE senior vice president of platform experience Hideaki Nishino said.

Stay tuned for more updates regarding this story.

The post Sony Acquiring Audeze appeared first on Sudairy.

To compare to Gamescom 2022, last year’s event saw more than 265,00 people visiting.

Cologne’s Koelnmesse saw 1,227 exhibitors from 63 countries, 76% of them were from aboard while trade visitors attendees numbered 31,000; 50% of them were foreign exhibitors which was on par with numbers from 2022.

The event saw impressive digital numbers, including on video game streaming platform, which saw a total of 180 million viewers that included around 20 million for the Opening Night Live hosted by Geoff Keighley.

“As anticipated by the impressive records for exhibitor count, floor space, and international participation, it has now been confirmed at the end of the event – Gamescom is and remains the world’s biggest gaming event” Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse said, according to GamesIndustry.biz.

“…And for the first time, companies like NetEase were represented in our entertainment area with a stand. All of this underscores the international significance of Gamescom and the attractiveness of Cologne as a location.”

Gamescom 2024 is scheduled for August 21st, 2024 and will run through August 25th, 2024.

The post Gamescom 2023 Sees Impressive Turnout appeared first on Sudairy.

Riot Games’ senior director of esports operations Raul Fernandez spoke about those challenges during the League Championship Series Summer finals last weekend stating that Riot Games were “trying to find their footing” and “a way to refresh our league” in light of declining viewership numbers, according to Axios.

“It’s been an interesting year for esports across the globe, but despite the hardships at Riot, we’re very much excited for the future and potential of esports, especially for the LCS,” Fernandez said, per Dot Esports.

“I just wanted to make it very loud and clear that the LCS is in a very healthy position financially because of this sustained and continued support from both external partners, the team side, from sponsors, as well as internally.”

The rise of live-streaming and an esports streaming platform hasn’t turned the tide as the LCS Summer finals saw a 21.8% drop in peak viewership compared to the LCS Spring finals, according to Esports Charts.

The troubling trends have been a focus for esports journalists covering the industry and Fernandez said one of the biggest challenges is the “complexity” of League of Legends. The report goes on to note that continuous updates and an expanded roster of characters “has made it hard for Riot games to sell in-game items themed to top players or teams” pointing to the choice for fans of the competition.

The post Riot Games Discusses League of Legends Esports appeared first on Sudairy.

The Xbox Developer Sustainability ToolKit includes resources that include:

• Power Monitor tools
• Certification reports
• Power consumption dashboards
• Best practices

Ubisoft and 343 Industries were named as early users of the Xbox Developer Sustainability ToolKit with 343 Industries able to reduce energy use by 15% without impacting the player experience at all.

Ubisoft and Xbox are co-developing an energy-efficient eco-mode for users.

You can check out the full report right here.

The post Microsoft Unveils Xbox Developer Sustainability Toolkit appeared first on Sudairy.

According to the data:

The numbers

• Total users of Epic Games Store PC: 230 million (up 19% year-on-year)
• Epic cross-platform accounts: 732 million
• Daily active users peak: 34.3 million
• Monthly active users: 68 million (up 10%)

• Total spending, incl. Epic’s games: $820 million (down 2%)
• Spending on third-party games: $355 million (up 18%)
• Free games claimed: 700 million
• Number of new PC releases: 626
• Total library of PC games: 1,548 (up 68%)

Epic Games stated on it’s blog that more PC games launched during the 2022 year than in any year prior.

Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5, Rocket League, Genshin Impact, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands were among the most popular titles related to player engagement and player spending, and Epic Games looks to deepen their focus in 2023 as they aim to improve the store launcher’s performance.

Epic Games also aims to add support for subscription services from third-party publishers and live service products by the end of the 2023 year, adding that they are also working on ‘content hubs’ which will be separate from product pages and will enable publishers to “share information with users in a robust editorial format.”

The post Epic Games Store Hits $820 Million in Player Spending During 2022 appeared first on Sudairy.

While US District Judge Jacqueline Corley dismissed the case, she also gave the plaintiffs 20 days to refine their lawsuit and resubmit it, and the group’s lawyer, Joseph Saveri, said that there are plans to officially submit an amended lawsuit with “additional factual detail” that will address the judge’s concerns.

It marks a victory for Microsoft, but their battles are far from over as they still face a hearing over the Federal Trade Commission’s legal complaint, which is currently slated to take place in August of this year.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard originally expected the transaction to be complete by June 30, 2023.

The post California Judge Dismisses Gamers Lawsuit Filed Against Microsoft appeared first on Sudairy.

These are some of the appointments:

• Tim Hume – lead gameplay tech engineer
• JC Simbulan – lead animator
• Steven Goodwin – senior technical engineer
• Jurie Horneman – lead narrative engineer
• Cassandre Beaumier – production director
• Milo Casali – senior level designer

Netflix’s vice president and head of external games Leanne Loombe commented on the new title in the works for Netflix.

“It’s a big bet for us and we’re very much focused on creating an ecosystem around the streaming content and the game,” Loombe said. “It’s really a transmedia play for us in this brand new IP.”

The post Super Evil Megacorp Expanding Team for Netflix Project appeared first on Sudairy.

According to the company (via GamesIndustry.biz), “Team17 games label has initiated a re-alignment of elements within its studio operating business model in order to better meet the needs of our development partners and growth of our owned IP.

“This could result in a small number of redundancies; however, we have a number of roles open across the group and will be encouraging and supporting any colleagues that wish to apply.”

This continues a trend of layoffs within the tech industry that has taken place over the last several months and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

The post Team17 Cutting Jobs to Restructure Business Operations appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the report, the lawsuit will proceed based on the accusation that loot boxes in EA games may have adopted “deceptive acts or practices”.

In the lawsuit, Mark Sutherland, the plaintiff, has accused Electronic Arts (EA) of “deceptive and unconscionable acts or practices” under British Columbia’s Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act and brought the claim on behalf of all residents in British Columbia who have paid for loot boxes in over 70 EA games since 2008.

Part of the suit alleges that by selling loot boxes, Electronic Arts (EA) has ‘engaged in unlawful gaming or gambling’ which is in breach of ‘multiple offences in Part Seven of the Criminal Code’, and while Fleming decided that Sutherland’s claim around ‘deceptive acts and practices’ may proceed, the part of the suit centered on gambling would not proceed.

Now, Sutherland has leave to amend his notice against Electronic Arts (EA), but can not “as it relates to allegations of unlawful gaming”.

“Consequently, there is no prospect of gaining, or losing, anything with a real-world value through the defendants’ in-house auctions,” Judge Fleming said. “Unlike a casino chip, virtual currency and virtual items in loot boxes can never be ‘cashed out’ to gain money.

“Given that wagering or a bet must involve the chance of winning or losing real money or money’s worth, in my view, only the allegation of purchasing and selling virtual items through third-party marketplaces could support this element” the judge continued.

“However, this allegation is unrelated to the pleading that identifies the game as the loot box and the bet or wagering as the purchase and opening of a loot box. In other words, the transaction that grounds the unlawful gaming allegation and the wagering element is the initial loot box purchase and opening.

“In any event, as the defendants emphasize, the allegation of purchasing and selling loot box items through third-party marketplaces is entirely disconnected from the class members. The same is true of the defendants. There is no pleading that class members purchased the defendants’ loot boxes for the purpose of purchasing and selling virtual items through third-party marketplaces, let alone participated in third-party marketplaces. Nor is it suggested that the defendants published, promoted, distributed or sold them for any purpose related to these marketplaces. Of course it is the defendants, not class members, who are alleged to have engaged in unlawful gaming.”

Judge Fleming concludes that the argument has “no reasonable prospect of success” but added that “A central focus of Mr Sutherland’s pleading from the outset and yet fundamentally defective both factually and legally, I would not grant leave to amend this aspect of the claim. Recognizing my gate-keeping function at this stage of the proceedings, I view striking this aspect of the claim as in the interests of effective and fair litigation.”

Electronic Arts (EA) has since responded in an official statement: “We’re pleased that the trial court rejected, as a matter of law, the allegations of unlawful gaming. The court’s decision reaffirms our position that nothing in our games constitutes gambling.”

The post Canada Judge Rejects Unlawful Gambling Accusation Against EA in Class Action Lawsuit appeared first on Sudairy.

The Xbox Game Pass subscription business has reported a record number of active players, reporting a record 120 million monthly active users across its gaming ecosystem.

• Revenue: $52.7 billion (up 2% year-on-year)
• Net income: $16.4 billion (down 12%)
• Operating income: $20.4 billion (down 8%)

• More Personal Computing (incl. Xbox) revenue: $14.2 million (down 19%)
• Gaming revenue: Down 13%
• Xbox content and services revenue: Down 12%
• Xbox hardware revenue: Down 13%
• Monthly active users (gaming): 120 million

The company said that a number of the declines were in line with expectations.

The post Xbox Q2 Revenue Dips 13%, Game Pass Continues Growth appeared first on Sudairy.

“Needless to say, we won’t pay,” Riot said in the statement.  “While this attack disrupted our build environment and could cause issues in the future, most importantly we remain confident that no player data or player personal information was compromised.”

Riot Games continued by saying that it’s been working to assess the leak’s impact on anticheat as “any exposure of source code can increase the likelihood of new cheats emerging.” The company added that “experimental features” were also exposed, saying that “most of this content is in prototype and there’s no guarantee it will ever be released.”

Riot Games first announced the hack back on January 20th, saying it was a “social engineering attack.”

The post Riot Games Victims of Cyberattack appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the company, Roiland’s resignation was received on January 16th, and the company added that it will continue to support High on Life, which released on December 13, 2022, and “keep developing games we know our fans will love.”

Roiland, who is the studio’s co-founder, was charged with felony domestic battery with corporal injury and false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit earlier this month.

“Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” Adult Swim/Cartoon Network/Boomerang senior vp communications Marie Moore said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, ‘Rick & Morty’ will continue, but with new voice actors cast in the iconic roles voiced by Roiland.

The post Squanch Games CEO Justin Roiland Resigns appeared first on Sudairy.

According to the report, Washington Post executive editor Sally Buzbee sent a memo to staff today informing them of the upcoming changes, explaining that the media brand will be laying off 20 people from the newsroom.

While the memo does not make a mention of Launcher, the report cited two sources with saying that the Washington Post plans on axing Launcher.

When the Washington Post initially brought Launcher live back in 2019, they hyped it as “a dedicated section that aims to recalibrate the conversation with classically trained journalists who were raised on games.”

Unfortunately, the Washington Post is just the latest video game news media brand to impost layoffs, much like IGN, GameInformer, Vice, G4 (which was shut down entirely), and Polygon, among others.

The post Washington Post Set to Shut Down Gaming Section appeared first on Sudairy.

“Unfortunately, Proletariat CEO Seth Sivak said. “Like many founders, he took the workers’ concerns as a personal attack and held a series of meetings that demoralized and disempowered the group, making a free and fair election impossible.

“As we have seen at Microsoft’s Zenimax studio, there is another path forward, one that empowers workers through a free and fair process, without intimidation or manipulation by the employer. We will continue to advocate alongside workers in the video game industry for better working conditions, higher standards and a union voice.”

Activision Blizzard made the following statement, according to GamesIndustry.biz: “We appreciate that the CWA has unilaterally decided to withdraw its petition in response to employee feedback. As we’ve stated, we welcomed the opportunity for each employee to safely express their preferences through a confidential vote. Our team at Proletariat does extraordinary work every day. They remain focused on working with their teams to continue to make Proletariat a place where all can grow, thrive, and be part of an amazing team and culture.”

“That is totally false. The Proletariat CEO was responding to concerns from employees who felt pressured or intimidated by CWA and wanted more information about what joining a union could mean. He was defending his employees’ right to express their true preferences in a private vote, so they couldn’t be targeted for their perspectives – like he himself is being targeted by the CWA right now.”

The post Proletariat Unionization Vote Request Withdrawn appeared first on Sudairy.

The preliminary hearing for the suit will proceed on March 23rd.

The suit, which was filed back in December 2022 by Alioto Law Firm and the Joseph Saveri Law Firm on behalf of their plaintiffs claimed: “Activision Blizzard is thus a massive and vigorous competitor in the industry, already demonstrating its willingness to compete in new markets”

Furthermore, the suit stated “That competition may be irreparably lost if the acquisition is allowed to proceed.”

You can stay tuned here or over at the Law Firm news outlet Legalchk.

The post Judge Blocks Microsoft Request to Pause Gamer-Led Lawsuit appeared first on Sudairy.

Furthermore, Microsoft says they’re “[not] asking the FTC to ignore competition concern”, according to The Verge.

“As we enter a new year, we remain committed to creating the best workplaces we can for people who make a living in the tech sector,” the beginning of the ad states. “When both labor and management bring their voices to the bargaining table, employees, shareholders and customers alike benefit.”

The ad states that Microsoft’s union formation is “in keeping with new groundbreaking labor neutrality principles that the Communications Workers of America and Microsoft established last year.”

“During 2023, we hope to bring the same agreement and principles to Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft has proposed to acquire,” it continues.

The post Microsoft Launches Pre-Union Advertisement appeared first on Sudairy.

Following the acquisition, SkyBox Labs will continue to operate independently under the supervision of its founders Shyang Kong, Derek MacNeil, and Steven Silvester, and will continue to co-create games alongside existing and new partners.

“We have built a team of talented individuals who are passionate and creative, and by joining NetEase Games, we will also be able to accelerate our plans to pursue new creative opportunities and enjoy access to world-class operational resources and the full breadth and depth of NetEase’s services so we can scale faster in Canada,” said Kong in an official statement.

The post NetEase Acquires SkyBox Labs appeared first on Sudairy.

“We aim to be a beloved game studio with a diverse team, doing our best work and creating innovative experiences at the frontier of game development. We are unionizing to protect this mission and to set the studio up for success as we enter Proletariat’s next chapter joining forces with Activision Blizzard King,” the group said.

The also pointed out that Blizzard should follow Microsoft and commit to a labor neutrality agreement as well.

Some of the listed reasons for the unionization efforts:

• A flexible PTO policy, remote work as a permanent option
• Open and transparent communication regarding compensation
• Overtime is never mandatory
• Policies prioritizing DEI at every level of decision making

The post Blizzard’s Proletariat Seeking to Unionize appeared first on Sudairy.

According to their official announcement:

Thank you for playing “Chocobo GP”.

Season 5 will be the last season where prize pass levels are used in the Chocobo GP mode. Operating policies for after Season 5 ends are detailed below.
>Rankings will continue without the use of prize pass levels, in the same way as the current season off period.
>There will be no further large scale updates (e.g. new characters or new maps) to the game after the Season 5 update on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.
*It will remain possible to play the Chocobo GP mode itself.”

Additionally, sales of Mythril on the Nintendo e-shop have been discontinued per the announcement.

The post Square Enix No Longer Providing Large Content Updates for Chocobo GP appeared first on Sudairy.

The suit was filed by 10 plaintiffs from California, New Mexico and New Jersey, and they seek to obtain an order to block the acquisition deal from moving forward due to antitrust concerns regarding it.

According to Reuters, the filings claim Microsoft would gain “far-outsized market power in the video game industry, with the ability to foreclose rivals, limit output, reduce consumer choice, raise prices and further inhibit competition.”

Additionally, Joseph Saveri, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, stated: “As the video game industry continues to grow and evolve, it’s critical that we protect the market from monopolistic mergers that will harm consumers in the long run.”

The post Gamers Sue Microsoft Over Activision Merger appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the announcement, Epic Games will pay $275 million for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and another $245 million for design relying on dark patterns “to dupe millions of players into making unintentional purchases”.

Some of the privacy violations included collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent or notification, as well as enabling voice and text chat for children and teens by default.

The FTC stated that employees at Epic Games had pushed for the company to make voice and text chat an opt-in feature as early as 2017, however Epic Games slowed on making changes despite reports of online harassment and sexual harassment towards children while playing Fortnite.

FTC also added that when Epic Games did add a button to turn off voice chat, they made it hard to find for users.

Additionally, the FTC (dark patterns complaint) referenced “counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration” and single-button purchases that meant users could accidentally buy something when trying to wake the game from sleep mode or while on a loading screen. Epic Games also put the button to preview an item in Fortnite adjacent to the purchase button, and Fortnite allowed children to purchase the V-Bucks virtual currency without parental consent or card holder action until 2018, and it locked the accounts of users who disputed unauthorized charges through their credit card companies. resulting in accidental purchases.

The FTC also determined that Epic Games ignored millions of user complaints about the wrongful charges and then used internal testing that made the cancel and refund features far more difficult for users to locate.

Epic Games said it would be “moving beyond long-standing industry practices.”

“No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here,” the company said in an official statement. “The video game industry is a place of fast-moving innovation, where player expectations are high and new ideas are paramount. Statutes written decades ago don’t specify how gaming ecosystems should operate. The laws have not changed, but their application has evolved and long-standing industry practices are no longer enough. We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.

“Over the past few years, we’ve been making changes to ensure our ecosystem meets the expectations of our players and regulators, which we hope will be a helpful guide for others in our industry.”

The post Epic Games Paying $520 Million to Settle FTC Charges on Fortnite appeared first on Sudairy.

According to Windows Central, the survey suggested that a potential $3 subscription tier offering come with features, such as allowing users to play new first-party Xbox titles six months after launch, and would include Xbox’s slate of exclusive titles as well.

Multiplayer and EA Access games would also be accessible in this new potential tier offering.

With Game Pass reportedly falling short of it’s target in growth, back in October, it makes sense that they are exploring new tier offerings.

The post Microsoft Gauging Interest in Xbox Game Pass Ad-Supported Tier appeared first on Sudairy.

According to researcher Molly White via Twitter, the company attributed the decision to FTX’s filing for bankruptcy.

“There is simply no way for FTX to cure the reputational harm already caused to Riot as a result of the highly public disrepute wrought by the debacle preceding FTX’s bankruptcy filing. FTX cannot turn back the clock and undo the damage inflicted on Riot in the wake of its collapse,” Riot Games said, reportedly.

The two sides initially partnered up via an advertising deal in 2021 which would see Riot Games promote FTX’s brand in connection with its esports circuit, the League of Legends Championship series.

FTX owed Riot $12.5 million but so far has only covered $6.2 million of that balance during 2022, and in 2023 FTX would need to pay $12,875,000, with payments continuing to grow until the year 2028.

Riot Games also noted their criticism of the fall of FTX and arrest of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried as among the reasons that they decided to end the deal.

The post Riot Games Files Motion to End Deal with FTX appeared first on Sudairy.

Since then, Carmack has posted the full message to his profile page on Facebook.

It reads: “This is the end of my decade in VR. I have mixed feelings.

The post John Carmack Resigns from Meta appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the report,  over £500,000 worth of hardware was taken, as the units were en route to a Funstock warehouse in the United Kingdom where the limited edition Evercade consoles were being sold.

“We at Blaze are hugely frustrated and angry that this has occurred, and with these products so close to release the timing could not be worse,” Andrew Byatt, CEO of Blaze Entertainment said in an official statement. “We have shared all the information, including evidence of theft, with the UK Police and we await news of their investigations.”

Byatt said that the company is “hopeful of recovering the stock” and said that the company had already started production on replacements to be sent out as soon as possible.

The post Blaze Entertainment Says Evercade Units Stolen in Robbery appeared first on Sudairy.

The numbers demonstrate the financials for the three month period that ended on October 29th, 2022.

The numbers:

• Net sales: $1.2 billion, down 8% year-over-year
• Net loss: $94.7 million, down 10% year-on-year
• Hardware and accessories: $627 million, down 6% year-over-year
• Software: $352 million, down 19% year-over-year
• GameStop’s net loss was down 10% compared to the same period last year, but still hit $94.7 million
• Sales decreased across the board

In an earnings call (as transcribed via Seeking Alpha), Gamestop CEO Matt Furlong stated that the company would not provide “formal guidance at this time.”

“It is worth reiterating, however, that our goal is to achieve profitability in the near term,” he said.

“I want to finish by reiterating what we’ve said in the past. We’re attempting to accomplish something unprecedented in the retail sector. We’re seeking to transform a legacy brick-and-mortar business that was on the brink of bankruptcy into a retailer that meets customers’ needs through our stores, e-commerce properties and emerging sales channels. This path carries risk and is taking time, but it is the path we are on. With that said, GameStop is a stronger business today than at any time in the recent past.”

The post GameStop Continues Troubling Trend in Q3 appeared first on Sudairy.

Embracer was previously trading on Nasdaq First North Growth Market, where they have been listed since November 2016 under the name THQ Nordic AB, and its last day there will be December 21.

“The rationale for the listing in 2016, and the related capital raise was, among other things, to finance growth, facilitate the possibility of using the company’s shares as a means of payment in acquisitions, and strengthen the company’s profile and brand among investors, customers and within the sector in general,” the company said in an official announcement.

“The listing of the company’s class B shares on Nasdaq Stockholm is an important step in [its] continued development and has been a long-standing ambition of the company’s board of directors and management,” it continued.

“In addition to the fact that the listing on Nasdaq Stockholm provides a quality stamp for the company, the listing is also expected to make the company’s class B shares even more attractive as a means of payment, which may facilitate future acquisition discussions. Furthermore, the listing on Nasdaq Stockholm is expected to better reflect the maturity of the company from a capital market perspective and enable more institutional investors to invest in the Company’s class B shares.”

The post Embracer Approved to Trade on Nasdaq Stockholm appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the release: “Metal: Hellsinger, the award-winning rhythm shooter from developer The Outsiders and publisher Funcom, cranks the volume to max with a brand-new update. The 1.5 patch adds a new top difficulty — Archdevil — and gives players weapon skins to unlock and combos to master. Additionally, Funcom and The Outsiders are excited to announce that Metal: Hellsinger is now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, making the Eight Hells more accessible than ever.”

The game boasts a 98% positive Steam score, a Golden Joystick Award for Best Audio, a Best Music and Score nomination from The Game Awards.

The post Metal: Hellsinger Surpasses One Million Player Milestone appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the report, women and non-binary individuals make up 26% of its staff. In 2021, women represented 24% of Activision Blizzard (via GamesIndustry.biz).

In 2022, under-represented ethnic groups represented 38% of the publisher, and in 2021 that number was 36%. Additionally, employee ethnicity data represents staff who identify as multi-racial or non-white within the United States only.

While the company said that their goal is to increase roles for women and non-binary staff by 50%, Activision Blizzard hasn’t announced a target for increasing the number of under-represented ethnic groups.

The post Activision Blizzard Representation Data Report for 2022 appeared first on Sudairy.

The focus of the new office will be facilitating media streaming opportunities for the North American team.

“The opening of the new Sega of America headquarters in Irvine represents a new era for one of the gaming world’s most esteemed brands,” said Sega global CEO, Shuji Utsumi in an official statement. “This new space helps to foster a genial and team-oriented culture to reinforce that purpose and create new stories and worlds that will entertain gamers for generations.”

The post Sega of America Launches New Office in California appeared first on Sudairy.

“We want to contribute to the development of the industry in Romania, offering people the opportunity to lend a hand in the development of some of the most popular games in the world,” said head of studio Vlad Alexandru in an official statement.

“This studio will also further contribute to the growth of Keywords’ global talent pool which stands at 12,000+ and is increasing by the day.”

The post Keywords Studios Opens Office in Romania appeared first on Sudairy.

The mobile version of PUBG experienced 104.4 million installs globally between January and September 2022, which represents a 27% decline year-over-year from the same period in 2021, additionally,  PUBG Mobile made $1.6 billion between January and September of this year, also a 27% decrease from the $2.2 million generated from Q1 to Q3 last year.

Looking at another popular title, MiHoYo’s RPG Genshin Impact, they generated $1.4 billion in consumer spending between Q1 and Q3 2022. The game celebrated it’s second anniversary in style, hitting $3.7 million in lifetime revenue around the time, according to Sensor Tower.

MiHoYo’s RPG has amassed 126.4 million installs on mobile to this date.

The post PUBG Mobile Surpasses $9 Billion in Lifetime Revenue appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the report, Tencent is accused of infringing on the rights of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, one of the biggest mobile titles in Southeast Asia and faces allegations that include rights to authorship, reproduction and communications regarding the game.

The post Tencent Facing Allegations of Infringing on Mobile Legends: Bang Bang appeared first on Sudairy.

According to the Estonian Ekspress (via PC Gamer):

“the problems began when Margus Linnamäe, who largely financed Disco Elysium and was ZA/UM’s largest shareholder, decided to sell his stake in 2021. There was an expectation that Linnamäe would split his shareholding among the partners, but he allegedly sold it all to Kompus.

Kurvitz and Rostov did not know about this at the time. Their suspicions were raised when they were apparently demoted internally and, after checking the Estonian registration of companies, realised that control of ZA/UM now belonged to Kompus. The pair allegedly began demanding answers, shortly after which they were sacked. Both still own minor shareholdings in ZA/UM.

At the hearing, Kurvitz and Rostov argued that Kompus had used money that should have gone to the studio and shareholders, and funded Disco Elysium’s sequel, in order to buy those $4.8 million sketches. This was the alleged sleight-of-hand.

The shell company Tütreke, controlled by Kompus, somehow acquired these four sketches (described as being for a game called Pioneer One), and allegedly paid exactly one pound sterling for them before re-selling to ZA/UM for €4.8 million. This amount is what was apparently used to buy Linnamäe’s large stake, and put it in the hands of Kompus.”

The post Disco Elysium Lawsuit Alleges ZA/UM CEO Illegally Took Majority Share appeared first on Sudairy.

Furthermore, the lawsuit may seek to block the record-breaking deal, according to sources in the report who also said that the FTC’s four commissioners are yet to vote on a complaint or meet with lawyers, but the bulk of the investigation has been completed.

A lawsuit is not guaranteed and the FTC has not made any formal announcements at this time.

The post FTC Reportedly Considering Lawsuit Over Microsoft Activision Deal appeared first on Sudairy.

Ubisoft has confirmed, via a release, that the Hungry Shark franchise has hit one billion downloads globally across mobile platforms, making it Ubisoft’s most-downloaded mobile franchise.

“We’re really proud to reach this incredible milestone and I’d like to thank the teams involved for their hard work as we look ahead to some exciting announcements in early 2023 on the future direction of the studio and to share more on Hungry Shark brand” Ian Harper, Managing Director of Ubisoft Future Games of London said in an official press release.

The post Ubisoft’s Hungry Shark Reaches 1 Billion Downloads appeared first on Sudairy.

Despite technical issues that has garnered criticism, the games are among the trend of AAA game launching during the third quarter and their incredible successes, such as Sony’s God of War Ragnarok and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Additionally, the game has found success in the United Kingdom market as well, generating more revenue in it’s first two days since launch than any other Pokemon release in the United Kingdom has in the past.

The post Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Become Fastest Selling Games in Nintendo History appeared first on Sudairy.

Playstation officially celebrated the milestone on their official Twitter account.

“Congratulations to @SonySantaMonica for making God of War Ragnarök the fastest-selling first party launch game in PlayStation history!”

The post God of War Ragnarok Surpasses 5 Million Units Sold appeared first on Sudairy.

The PlayStation China Hero Project will invest over 1 million yen, or $140,000, into individual projects made within China.

Sony director of China game production Bao Bo said that the incubator will benefit teams of varying sizes, from smaller, independent studios to those with “a dozen engineers or more.”

“The scale of the third season will far exceed the previous two,” Bao said.

“We want gamers around the world to better understand the creativity that comes from China. I have always had a dream which is for console gaming to become a regular part of daily entertainment for Chinese people,” Tatsuo Eguchi, president of SIE Shanghai said.

The post Sony Planning to Expand Incubator for Chinese Games appeared first on Sudairy.

Furthermore, the court determined that the game release was unauthorized and unfair competition. The game was released back in 2020 for platforms such as the Nintendo Switch and the Playstation 4.

Office Create is now in the process of removing both digital and physical Cookstar units from the market and it cannot be found in either the Nintendo eShop or the Playstation Store.

Per the statement:

“Office Create commenced arbitration before the International Chamber of Commerce International Court of Arbitration (“ICC”) against Planet and its CEO, Mr. Steve Grossman, to enforce its rights and enjoin further infringement from, inter alia, the manufacture, distribution and sale of the unauthorized “Cooking Mama: Cookstar” video games. By way of a Final Award dated October 3, 2022, the ICC Arbitral Tribunal has found, among other things, that Planet and Mr. Grossman were not authorized to release the Cooking Mama: Cookstar Switch and PS4 games in 2020 and 2021 respectively, that the license agreement had been validly terminated, that the unlicensed “Cooking Mama: Cookstar” products infringe Office Create’s trademarks under 15 U.S.C. § 1114 and common law and registered copyrights under 17 U.S.C. § 501, that they had engaged in unfair competition, that the packaging, labeling and games themselves falsely identify the origin of goods as “Office Create” in violation of 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), and that they are financially liable for their conduct.”

The post Court Rules That Cooking Mama: Cookstar Infringed On Office Create’s IP appeared first on Sudairy.

Additionally, their research finds  that for the year 2022, consumer spending among the group will reach $36 billion, while Japan’s and Korea’s markets make up 77% of the Asia-10’s gaming revenue.

The Asia-10 relates to Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, and India.

Furthermore, their 2022 India Games Market report projects that the country will amass $704.5 million in player spending and $1.4 billion by 2026.

The post Niko Partners Releases 2022 Asia-10 Games Market Report appeared first on Sudairy.

PlayPulse’s fitness bikes start at around $1,600 for those who pre-order and pay upfront, and will include a built-in touchscreen monitor and game controls in the handlebars so users can play customized games with mechanics synced with the bike pedals. The merging of gaming and fitness will likely see some traction in fitness streams on popular platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, and more.

“We are extremely excited to have NetEase Games as an investor and partner in the years to come,” said PlayPulse CEO Erling Magnus Solheim.

“They bring vast experience from the gaming industry and have built an active network of the most experienced creators in the market, and together we can bring PlayPulse to a larger audience.”

The post NetEase Invests in PlayPulse appeared first on Sudairy.

China-based NetEase has handled publishing for some of Blizzard’s biggest titles, including World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Overwatch, however the two sides were unable to agree to terms on a new deal to keep the relationship alive.

The current deal will officially expire on January 23rd, at which point the following titles will be suspended in China:

• Diablo 3
• Hearthstone
• Heroes of the Storm
• Overwatch
• StarCraft (all titles)
• Warcraft 3: Reforged
• World of Warcraft

Additionally, Blizzard has said it will cease new sales of these titles “in the coming days” but the upcoming releases for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Hearthstone: March of the Lich King, and season two of Overwatch 2 will move forward as planned.

Furthermore, Diablo Immortal, which is co-developed by NetEase and Blizzard, is covered by a separate agreement.

“We have put in a great deal of effort and tried with our utmost sincerity to negotiate with Activision Blizzard so that we could continue our collaboration and serve the many dedicated players in China” NetEase CEO William Ding said in an official statement.

“However, there were material differences on key terms and we could not reach an agreement.

“We hold high regard in our product and operational standards and abide by our commitments to Chinese players.”

Blizzard released a statement of their own stating that the two companies could not agree on a deal that was “consistent with Blizzard’s operating principles and commitments to players and employees.”

The post Blizzard, Netease End 14-Year Partnership appeared first on Sudairy.

“Currently, an investigation by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is underway, and we will fully cooperate with the investigation to clarify the facts” the company said in an official statement (via Google Translate)

“We sincerely regret that this situation has caused great concern to everyone involved. We are taking strict measures against this incident, including disciplinary action against the former employee.”

The post Former Square Enix Employees Arrested On Insider Trading Accusations appeared first on Sudairy.

AimJunkies owner Phoenix Digital Group then argued that Bungie broke Destiny 2’s Limited Software License Agreement and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention provisions by hacking into May’s laptop between 2019 and 2021.

Per the report:

“May has failed to sufficiently allege that Bungie accessed his personal computer and files without authorisation,” the ruling said. “To support his allegation that Bungie accessed his personal computer, May relies on a document that Bungie purportedly produced during discovery in this matter.

“May, however, does not explain what this document is or how it evidences instances in which Bungie allegedly accessed his computer without authorisation and downloaded his personal information.”

“Importantly, neither May nor Phoenix Digital allege that Bungie accessed any copyrighted work. Further, Phoenix Digital has not pleaded any facts to support that its ‘loader software’ was protected by a technological measure.”

While the dismissal is certainly a blow to AimJunkies, they could still re-file the countersuit with some amendments.

The post AimJunkies Countersuit Against Bungie Dismissed appeared first on Sudairy.

The company took to Twitter to address the claims, which includes Gordon alleging that Stratton and Zenimax Lawyers offered him a six-figure settlement to take the blame for the soundtrack fallout (via GamesIndustry.biz).

“We reject the distortion of the truth and selective presentation of incomplete ‘facts'” the company wrote.

“We stand ready with full and complete documented evidence to disclose in an appropriate venue as needed.”

“Any threats of harassment directed towards members of our teams will be met with swift and appropriate action to protect their health and safety,” the statement concluded.

The post Bethesda Speaks On Mick Gordon’s Doom Eternal Soundtrack appeared first on Sudairy.

The project, known as Keystone, as the topic of conversation as Spencer was interviewed on an episode of The Verge’s Decoder podcast.

“The console we built that now people have seen, Keystone, was more expensive than we wanted it to be when we actually built it out with the hardware that we had inside, and we decided to focus that team’s efforts on delivering the smart TV streaming app” Spencer explained.

Microsoft announced a partnership with Samsung earlier this year to bring an Xbox Cloud Gaming app to Samsung’s Smart TVs and Spencer said that the company is “really happy with the results there” thus far.

Spencer added that Xbox is “still focused” on the project but that pricing has proven to be difficult as they try to align it appropriately within the market.

“I don’t want to announce pricing specifically, but I think you’ve got to be $129, $99, like somewhere in there for [Keystone] to make sense in my view, that we just weren’t there,” Spencer said. “We weren’t there with the controller. And I love the effort. The reason it’s on my shelf is the team rolled up their sleeves and in nine months they built that thing. And a bunch of us took it home and it worked. It worked really, really well.”

The post Xbox Explains Decision to Abandon Plans for Keystone Streaming Console appeared first on Sudairy.

The funding round was led by Makers Fund, with participation from 1Up Ventures and Epyllion

The studio was co-founded by Epic Games veterans such as former Epic lead systems designer David Hunt, former Epic principal programmer Michael Noland, and former Epic head of publishing Ed Zobrist, who will fill the roles of CEO, CTO, and business advisor, respectively, at Noodle Cat.

Their team is also composed of former talent from EA, Bioware, Popcap, and Flying Lab Software.

“Our industry is notorious for demanding immense personal sacrifices in order to get a game to the finish line,” CEO David Hunt said, according to an official statement issued on the Noodle Cat website.

“Usually, it’s not malicious. The time pressure and fleeting nature of financial success make it easy to stack one seemingly minor sacrifice on top of another. I’ve seen this grind too many coworkers to dust. In one heartbreaking case, I lost a friend and mentor to heart failure far too early in his life, due to overwork.”

The post Noodle Cat Raises $4.1 Million in Funding appeared first on Sudairy.

Furthermore, Activision claims Modern Warfare 2 is the “highest grossing entertainment opening of 2022”, according to the report.

The newest records build on Modern Warfare II’s momentum:

• Modern Warfare II is the highest grossing entertainment opening of 2022.
• Modern Warfare II is the #1 top selling opening in franchise history topping $800 million in sell-through following its first three days of release.
• On November 16, the run continues with the release of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.

“Our developers, along with our entire Activision Blizzard team, are the backbone of our unwavering commitment to serve our hundreds of millions of players around the world. I am so proud of the extraordinary efforts from our Call of Duty teams and the records they have achieved with Modern Warfare II. Connecting the world through joy, fun and the thrill of competition is the key to our success. Modern Warfare II has provided this to millions of players faster and with greater satisfaction than ever before,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard.

“The incredible momentum driving Modern Warfare II is a direct reflection of the energy and passion of the Call of Duty community,” said Johanna Faries, General Manager, Call of Duty. “As we look ahead to an unprecedented level of support for Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0’s launch next week, we are motivated to deliver again for the best player community in the world.”

The post Activision Says Modern Warfare 2 Hits Record Sales Numbers appeared first on Sudairy.

Overall results

• Net sales: ¥163.4 billion ($1.1 billion, down 3.3% year-on-year)
• Operating income: ¥26 billion ($177.6 million, down 10.6%)
• Ordinary income: ¥45.1 billion ($308.1 million, up 43.5%)
• Profit attributable to owners of parent: ¥39.5 billion ($269.9 million, up 71.7%)

Digital Entertainment

• Net Sales: ¥117.1 billion ($800 million, down 9.5%)
• HD games: ¥29.4 billion ($200.8 million, down 29.6%)
• Mobile/PC: ¥59 billion ($403 million, down 5%)
• MMO: ¥28.6 billion ($195.4 million, down 3.1%)
• Operating income: ¥24.5 ($167.4 million, down 16.7%)

The post Square Enix Releases Financial Report appeared first on Sudairy.

“Today we announced internally an update to our racing portfolio” EA said in a statement (via GamesIndustry.biz). “Following an evaluation of the next Project CARS title and its longer-term growth potential, we have made the decision to stop further development and investment for the franchise.

“Decisions like these are very hard, but allow us to prioritise our focus in areas where we believe we have the strongest opportunity to create experiences that fans will love. We are focusing on our strengths in our racing portfolio, particularly licensed IP and open-world experiences, and expanding our franchises to be more socially-led with long-term live services that will engage global communities. Games are at the heart of sports and racing entertainment, and with shifting fan expectations, we recognise the need to evolve our games beyond pure play, providing experiences for fans to also watch, create and connect with their friends.

“We are working with everyone impacted by this decision to place them into suitable roles across our EA Sports and racing portfolio, as well as other parts of EA, wherever we can. Our priority now is on providing as much support as possible to our people through this transition.”

The post EA Dropping Project CARS appeared first on Sudairy.

Nintendo Systems remit will be research and development, as well as “the creation of value-added services.”

The company with be based in Tokyo, Japan and will be a subsidiary of the platform holder, focus on R&D for digital services. Nintendo is providing 80% of the capital required so they will operate as a subsidiary of Nintendo.

The new company will be led by director and president Tetsuya Sasaki.

The post Nintendo, DeNA Forming Nintendo Systems Joint Venture Company appeared first on Sudairy.

Remedy highlighted that development fees accounted for 95% of revenues, while royalties made up the 5% remaining. This is despite the development costs of projects such as Alan Wake 2 and the remakes for Max Payne 1 and Max Pane 2, which they report were “key positive contributors”.

The company went on the state that Alan Wake Remastered and Xbox exclusive Crossfire did not generate royalties. Alan Wake 2 is still on track to arrive in 2023. [source investors.remedygames.com]

“In the third quarter of 2022, revenue grew by 7% to EUR 7.9 million. Development fees made up 95% and royalties 5% of the revenue. Key positive contributors were the development fees from Alan Wake 2 and Max Payne 1&2 Remake.

At the same time, development fees from Codename Condor and Alan Wake Remastered and game royalties from Control decreased from the comparison period. Alan Wake Remastered and Crossfire did not generate royalties.”

Per the report:

HIGHLIGHTS FROM JULY–SEPTEMBER 2022

• Revenue grew by 6.8% to EUR 7.9 (7.4) million.
• EBITDA decreased to EUR -2.4 (0.4) million, mainly due to increased external development costs.
• Operating profit (EBIT) was EUR -3.0 (-0.2) million, and operating profit margin was -38.4% (-2.9%) of revenue.
• Cash flow from operations was EUR 4.7 (4.8) million.
• In August, Remedy lowered its revenue and operating result outlook for 2022.
• In September, Remedy’s Board of Directors decided on a new option plan.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM JANUARY–September 2022

• Revenue grew by 20.2% to EUR 30.0 (24.9) million.
• EBITDA was EUR -0.9 (3.6) million.
• Operating profit (EBIT) was EUR -2.7 (1.1) million, and operating profit margin was -9.0% (4.3%) of revenue.
• Cash flow from operations was EUR 14.2 (8.2) million.

The post Remedy Entertainment Shows 7% Increase in Revenue appeared first on Sudairy.

“The combination of Unity and ironSource is transformational in that it will give mobile game developers the tools they need at each stage of their development journey: from building, publishing, and operating mobile games to monetizing them, if they choose to, and growing their player base across multiple channels.”

The deal was initially announced back in July of this year and was yet another acquisition for Unity, who also absorbed the likes of Ziva Dynamics, Pixyz Software, SpeedTree, Parsec, SyncSketch and visual effects company Weta Digital.

Riccitiello says that the company “remains committed to developing features for PC, consoles and XR” (via GamesIndustry.biz). “The benefits from the merger with ironSource are, indeed, particularly strong for mobile game developers who choose advertising as their business mode,” he acknowledged, adding that most mobile developers using advertising and in-app purchases to monetise their games and claiming most players “welcome ads as a way to discover new games to play.”

“We know you will have a lot of questions about how Unity will integrate and introduce these products,” he continued.

“We are committed to moving quickly and transparently to integrate our technologies to deliver the best tools and services and over the course of the next week will share more about the short-term benefits for mobile game developers in particular.”

The post Unity Completes Merger with IronSource appeared first on Sudairy.

The company will be absorbed into ÜberStrategist and expand its business operations. Crummey has been named as the chief marketing officer. Additionally, Kimberly Massi, who previously served as VirTasktic’s director of client services, has been appointed to director of operations and Jessica Timms was also promoted to director of public relations services.

“VirTasktic is a passionate and highly creative expert in content and email marketing, services that many of our clients have expressed an interest in,” UberStrategist founder and president Mario R. Kroll said.

“Acquiring their staff and client roster not only bolsters our revenue but adds a tremendous depth of knowledge and operational excellence to our newly combined team.”

It will be interesting to see how the new iteration unfolds, and how the marketing will evolve, especially with video game SEO becoming a more viable component of game marketing strategies moving forward.

The post ÜberStrategist Acquires VirTasktic appeared first on Sudairy.

“NetEase Games has been exceptionally supportive from the very get-go, believing in our high ambitions and quality-focused approach to game development,” Sundberg said in an official statement. “We are very pleased to have them as our partners on this adventure and with their support, we can begin to realize the vision for our studio.”

“We believe in the creativity of Liquid Swords and share their passion for building open-world games and experiences” Simon Zhu, NetEase Games president of global partnerships and investments added. “They have built a strong, experienced team and we are very excited to partner with them as they begin their journey of creating something amazing for gamers worldwide.”

The post NetEase Takes Minority Stake in Liquid Swords appeared first on Sudairy.

Activision Blizzard filed a motion on Wednesday to impound ballots with the NLRB, saying that the count should be postponed until its appeal of a previous NLRB decision in the case can be formally heard.

Their appeal was filed alongside the motion to impound ballots.

Activision Blizzard is arguing that the review should be granted because the decision lacks precedent as “no [NLRB] decision addresses the appropriate scope of a bargaining unit in a video game studio.”

The Raven QA team voted to unionize by a count of 19 to 3.

“We deeply respect our employees’ right to choose whether to be represented by a union and to make an informed decision for themselves in a process where every voice is heard,” a spokesperson for the publisher said.

“Given the significant impact this decision could have for everyone on the Albany-based Diablo team and the tight integration of our operations there, we believe strongly that each of the 107 eligible employees deserves to have their votes counted, not just the 18 quality assurance testers who are important employees but make up a small fraction of the team. We are pursuing an appeal to the NLRB regarding its proposed bargaining unit, because companies as well as union organizers have the right to make their case.”

Communications Workers of America Secretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens responded to Activision Blizzard’s motion with an official statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz, which stated:

“Sadly, it’s no surprise that a company that has repeatedly tried to silence its employees, including by hiding reports of sexual violence, would want to muzzle workers’ voices once again by trying to stop them from voting in a union election. Workers have concluded that they need to protect themselves from this abusive employer by joining together into a strong union.

“Instead of staying neutral, Activision’s management continues to present the same failing arguments in a desperate attempt to interfere with workers’ legal right to make their own decisions about forming a union and negotiating a collective bargaining agreement. It’s clear the company’s executives feel threatened by workers organizing in New York, Wisconsin and across the country.

“We are confident in the NLRB’s response to these frivolous requests, and we will continue to push for Activision Blizzard employees’ right to organize without delay.”

The post Activision Blizzard Files Motion to Impound Albany Union Vote Ballots appeared first on Sudairy.

Frontier stated that they will “continue to explore opportunities to grow Frontier’s resources.”

“When we launched our third-party publishing strategy in 2019 we were excited by the potential to align our Frontier Foundry development partners more formally with Frontier through acquisition,” Frontier Developments CEO Jonny Watts said.

“Our experience with Complex Games on Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters has been terrific, and I am delighted to welcome Noah [Decter-Jackson, CEO] and the team to Frontier, with a view to growing and evolving our development team in Manitoba, Canada.”

The post Frontier Acquires Complex Games appeared first on Sudairy.

The Seattle based indie game devs also commented on the acquisition, with vice president of game studios Amir Rahimi stating that Spry Fox will “help accelerate our creative development in another beloved genre and add to the growing variety of Netflix’s games catalog that will have something for everyone”, via their official website.

Spry Fox CEO David Edery posted on his blog stating that the studio will retain its focus on ‘cozy games’, with the team already working on Cozy Grove 2 and a “larger, non-violent MMO” that has yet to be announced.

Edery added that there will be “no change in our current development efforts” and assured that all previous games will remain downloadable on their current platforms. He also elaborated on how Spry Fox will benefit from Netflix’s ownership.

“We can continue making the games that we were already making and wanted to make, but with more support and resources to make those games better and bring them to more people around the world,” he wrote.

“We can stop stressing about how our games generate profit on our games and instead focus exclusively on making them as enjoyable and fulfilling to our players as possible. We can collaborate with other creative people within Netflix to hopefully get better at what we do and how we do it.”

The post Netflix Acquires Spry Fox appeared first on Sudairy.

The report notes that in comparison,  the PlayStation 4 reached 2 million units sold after 90 weeks, adding that the majority of the Playstation 5 units that we sold, were the disc-based consoles, which sold 1.75 million compared to the digital only model that sold 278,046 consoles.

Furthermore, in Japan the PlayStation 5 model increased to ¥54,980 ($370) for the disc model and ¥44,980 ($302) for the digital console.

The post Playstation 5 Reaches 2 Million Units Sold in Japan appeared first on Sudairy.

Kobayashi officially joined NetEase back in August of this year.

“With the support and respect from NetEase in understanding me and my team’s development achievements and values, I will build a stronger team with the goal of creating more original quality contents that will satisfy users around the world,” he said.

The post NetEase Introduces New Studio GPTRACK50 appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the report, live streaming game content hours watched on Youtube saw numbers jumping 42% to 434 million for September. Additionally, Youtube’s non-gaming related content saw total live content hours watched on the site reaching 2.7 billion.

It’s important to note that StreamElements switched its analytics partner for the September report from Rainmaker.gg to Streams Charts.

StreamElements commented, via GamesIndustry.biz, stating – “Analytic sites track hours watched at different times during any given minute so peaks and valleys can make results vary,” the representative said. “Even with these variances, most results are consistent when it comes to whether or not a platform rose or dropped in overall hours watched.”

The post YouTube Game Streaming Sees Spike in Viewership appeared first on Sudairy.

Magic Games was founded by former Peak Games executives Çağrı Öztürk, Rüya Çelikcan and Mert Kasar.

The funds will be utilized to build it’s team, open a European based office, and help bring it’s debut title to life. Their debut title has yet to be announced, but is reportedly a match-3 game.

“Our company builds around the belief that social interactions are the key to deepening and enriching our shared gameplay experience,” Öztürk said in a statement. “Social features are integral to our development cycle as we work to build multiplayer games that anyone can enjoy.”

The post Magic Games Raises $5 Million appeared first on Sudairy.

“London’s thriving games industry is a real success story, bringing significant investment and jobs to our capital,” Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said in an official statement. “We are home to the largest group of games studios in Europe and I’m proud to be providing more than £1 million to open up more opportunities for growth, talent development and skills for young Londoners.

“I am also delighted that London Games Festival will return in 2023, shining a spotlight on innovative start-ups and promoting opportunities for Black, Asian and minority ethnic talent, showcasing yet again how we are building a better London for everyone through creativity, business and innovation.”

The next London Games Festival takes place starting on March 29th, 2023 and will run through April 8th, 2023, with the following events:

• Games Finance Market (Thursday, March 30 – Friday, March 31)
• WASD (Thursday, March 30 – Saturday, April 1)
• BAFTA Games Awards (Thursday, March 30)
• Now Play This

The post London Mayor Renews Investment in London Games Festival appeared first on Sudairy.

Additionally, Wargaming will still own and develop the BigWorld server technology.

Molly Mason-Boule, Riot’s head of development studios, will oversee the newly renamed developer.

“We are really excited to bring these talented developers and teams to Riot,” said co-founder and president of games Marc Merrill.

“The Rioters that have had the opportunity to work with members of the Sydney team are confident not only in the tech they’ve built over the years but, more importantly, in the people who’ve built it.”

The post Riot Games Acquires Wargaming Sydney Studio appeared first on Sudairy.

Google is offering full refunds to anyone who bought Stadia hardware, namely the service’s optional controller, or games on the service (but not for its Pro subscription plan). Google is also cancelling pre-orders, zeroing out any future subscription fees and taking its gaming library offline after Jan. 18, 2023.

Stadia launched back in 2019, with Google intending to disrupt the industry with it’s introduction of a platform that was centered on streaming. However, with very few exclusives and an unattractive subscription model as it’s main offering, traction was slow with Stadia.

Coupled with Microsoft’s moves into the industry, becoming a bigger threat and competitor thanks to it’s Xbox Game Pass system, Stadia was dealt a rough road to travel.

“While Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected, so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service,” Stadia’s GM Phil Harrison wrote in a blog post.

The post Google Shutting Down Stadia appeared first on Sudairy.

Hines joined Bethesda Softworks in 1999.

Furthermore, Erin Losi, vice president of global marketing and communications is now tasked with leading all of Bethesda’s global marketing and communication efforts.

“It’s a privilege to lead global publishing for Bethesda, a place that’s been my home for 23 years,” Hines said in an official statement. “It’s humbling to think about how far we’ve come in that time, and I’m excited to work in this new role to help our world class teams make great games.”

“When I started at Bethesda, there were just a few of us, working on campaigns for Skyrim, Fallout 3, and more,” Losi said. “Since then, we’ve grown into a world-class marketing and communications team, and it’s been my great joy to be a part of that growth alongside Pete.”

“It’s an honour to join Bethesda’s senior leadership and now lead an award-winning global team of creatives into the future, and to empower them to continue their great work on our upcoming lineup.”

“Pete has been key to the success of Bethesda over the last two decades” Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming added. “His industry leadership and strong relationship with the community has extended Bethesda to millions of players. Erin has been instrumental in shaping the Bethesda brand and the teams behind it and I am incredibly excited to see them both bring Bethesda’s games to even more players around the world.”

The post Bethesda Promotes Pete Hines to Head of Global Publishing appeared first on Sudairy.

“Considering the huge popularity of Call of Duty, it is reasonable to infer that if Activision Blizzard games were no longer available on Sony consoles, PlayStation users could decide to migrate to Xbox, or even a PC, to continue having access to franchise games,” CADE said in an official statement. “On the other hand, it’s also reasonable to assume that if upcoming Call of Duty games became exclusive to the Microsoft ecosystem, players loyal to the PlayStation brand could simply abandon the series, migrating their demand to other games available on their favourite console.”

Brazil is the latest to approve Microsoft’s proposed acquisition and it comes on the heels of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Competition’s decision back in August that it had “no objections” to the deal.

The post Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Acquisition Approved by Brazilian Regulator appeared first on Sudairy.

Layden said he is to “advise, assist, and support the team at Tencent as they deepen their activities and commitments within the industry” in an official announcement he made on his LinkedIn page.

“We are at an epoch defining moment in gaming and interactive entertainment. There are many possible roads ahead but only a few are profound, broadening, inclusive, edifying, inspiring, and/or sustainable. I am thrilled to continue this journey of discovery and thank Tencent for the opportunity.”

The post Tencent Adds Former Sony Executive Shawn Layden appeared first on Sudairy.

Rodriguez accompanied the 8-second video that featured Tate and himself with: “Yesterday we celebrated G2’s world championship.” The video prompted immediate backlash which has marred G2 Esports’ 2022 League of Legends European Championship spring season and summer season successes.

Rodriguez fired back at the criticism the video received: “Nobody will ever be able to police my friendships. I draw my line here. I party with whoever the fuck I want.”

G2 Esports issued the following on Sunday: “Last night we failed you. The actions of our CEO spoke a language in stark contrast with the value and the culture G2 lives by and strives for. And for that we apologize.

“Since our creation, we have worked hard to build a safe and inclusive environment to enjoy esports. These are just small steps in the right direction we need to take as a company. We’ll continue to do our best each and every day to improve ourselves and the industry at large.”

The post G2 Esports CEO On Unpaid Leave Following Sharing of Video with Andrew Tate appeared first on Sudairy.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, editor-in-chief Danielle Riendeau, head of media/editor-at-large John Warren, and features editor Elise Favis were among those laid off, with Riendeau announcing her departure on Twitter.

“Hi friends. I just want to say it’s been a true honor and pleasure to be the editor in chief of Fanbyte. I think we did some special things there! I am…currently looking for work,” she wrote on her page.

Favis also tweeted: “I’ve been laid off from Fanbyte”

“Incredibly proud of everything I got to do there, and with everyone I have worked with — these are the most talented folks in games media, and I’m honored I got to be there while I could.”

The post Tencent’s Fanbyte Lays Off Staff appeared first on Sudairy.

G4TV was originally launched in 2002, but shut down in 2014 during the surge of online video content. However, it rose from the dead back in November 2021 with a new format, a mix of cbale TV programming and content from Twitch channels sprinkled in.

The report states that G4TV has been struggling financially, with managers told to find ways to cut costs.

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Editorial staff across brands such as TechRadar Gaming, Android Central, Windows Central and iMore are affected, although how extensive the layoffs will be has yet to be determined.

“It is with regret that a very small number of colleagues were affected, following a structure change to one vertical of our extensive brands,” Future said on their official Twitter page. “With the current climate and addressing these challenges, it was a very difficult decision for us to make.”

Earlier this year, an article from the Press Gazette reported that Future has the largest pay discrepancy between average employees and executive, with CEO salaries reaching around 240 times higher than the average employee salary.

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Berger joined 343 Industries from another position within Microsoft in 2008 and lead engineering efforts for Halo 4, Halo 5, and the latest edition, Halo Infinite.

Microsoft has not commented to confirm or deny the report at this time.

The post 343 Industries Reportedly Loses David Berger Following Bonnie Ross’ Exit appeared first on Sudairy.

The team was comprised of engineers, ethicists and others who were tasked with discovering potential long-term problems with products, including the Facebook social platform as well as their virtual reality headsets.

They were responsible for then taking that information and taking action to keep any potential harm from progressing into actual damage/harm.

Meta’s former Chief Technology Officer Michael Schroepfer, who announced his departure last year, was one who supported the Responsible Innovation.

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“We’re continuing to invest in the future of the franchise by bringing in new talent and perspectives,” Respawn founder and head of the Battlefield franchise Vince Zampella said in an official announcement.

“With Marcus and his team at Ridgeline Games joining the world-class global team we have already in place, Battlefield is in the strongest position to succeed.”

The post EA Announces New Studio Ridgeline Games appeared first on Sudairy.

The video game stocks news report showed that GameStop is continuing a troubling trend of quarterly losses, which is now at six consecutive quarters, but also shows the first year-over-year decline in sales since RC Ventures’ Ryan Cohen and two of his associates were added to the board of directors back in January 2021.

Net sales: Down 4% to $1.14 billion

Net losses: $109 million, compared to $62 million in the year-ago quarter

“I want to begin by reiterating the deep appreciation we have for our stockholders’ unrivaled enthusiasm, passion, and support,” CEO Matt Furlong said. “As we work to transform GameStop, these remain unique tailwinds for us, ones we always recognize and value.”

“When we think about the GameStop of the future, we expect our stores to help us maintain connectivity to customers and sustain localized order fulfillment capabilities across more geographies,” he said. “This is why, even as we continue evolving our ecommerce and digital asset offerings, stores will remain a critical piece of the company’s value proposition.”

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A number of Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring will get to check out the proposed changes as the Xbox team explores different strategies. Some of the new changes include a “Jump back in” row which will give users quick access to most recently played games and apps.

The Xbox Team is also exploring new game channels and collections , and the ability for users system apps like Settings, Store, Search, and My Games & Apps as they will have dedicated tiles on Xbox Home.

The new Xbox Home experience is slated to launch sometime in 2023.

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Microsoft has a deal in place to buy Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind Call of Duty, for around $69 billion, but the deal has been scrutinized by competitions regulators, including the UKs Competition and Market Authority, with concerns that Microsoft could end up “withholding or degrading” Activision Blizzard works from other consoles or even subscription services.

Ryan spoke out about the offer.

“I hadn’t intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum,” Ryan said, according to Gamesindustry.biz.

“Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends. After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”

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Makers Fund, CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, Jagex CEO Phil Mansell and Kepler Interactive investment director Catherine Chew were also contributors.

Netspeak Games, which was founded in 2019 and has built a team of former employees of some major games companies, has raised $16 million in funding to date and the Series A round brings them to new heights.

“I’m thrilled on behalf of my whole team that I get to share this funding news today,” said CEO Callum Brighting (h/t GamesIndustry.biz)

“Building a company during a pandemic has been a challenge – but I’m pleased to say that by being supportive, kind and continuing to prioritise our studio culture above everything else, we are now a world-class team backed by industry leading investors.”

The post Netspeak Games Receives $12 Million Funding appeared first on Sudairy.

“I’m so grateful for the work I get to be a part of in service to Team Xbox and our fans,” Greenberg said in a tweet. “Excited for the future ahead too!”

Greenberg began his career as a senior planner for software in Latin America and then moved on to serve in a number of senior roles inside Xbox’s sales and marketing teams.

The post Aaron Greenberg Promoted to VP of Xbox Games Marketing appeared first on Sudairy.

Tencent already held a 4.5% stake in Ubisoft, but now moves to obtain more control as Ubisoft prepares it’s next slate of game releases. The deal stats that Tencent can reportedly raise its stake in Ubisoft up to 9.99%.

Ubisoft released the following statement:

“The expansion of the concert with Tencent further reinforces Ubisoft’s core shareholding around its founders and provides the company with the stability essential for its long-term development.” said Yves Guillemot, CEO and Co-Founder, Ubisoft.

“In a context where platforms and business models are converging, this transaction, which validates our strategy and highlights the strong intrinsic value of the assets we have built over the long term, is excellent news for our teams, gamers and shareholders. Tencent is a key shareholder partner for many of the industry’s leaders, who have created some of the most outstanding video games. This transaction reinforces our ability to create strong value over the coming years.”

“The team at Ubisoft has shown an impressive ability to consistently create world-class entertainment along with a diverse portfolio of brands that include some of the most successful franchises in the industry,” said Martin Lau, President of Tencent. “We are excited to expand our engagement with the founders, the Guillemot family, as Ubisoft continues to develop immersive game experiences, and to bring some of Ubisoft’s most well-known AAA franchises to mobile. This agreement also aligns with our philosophy to invest alongside creative founders with full confidence that they will lead their companies to new heights.”

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Per the report (citing sources) “the downsizing movement started in February 2022. Garena began attempting to reform streaming platform BOOYAH! to change its focus. As a result, this shift resulted in BOOYAH! team members being laid off.”

Esports Insider goes on to claim that they contacted Garena back in June to learn about the situation regarding BOOYAK!, and received the following response: “BOOYAH!’s team is focused on delivering new community-focused features and services while evolving our strategies to adapt to new trends in the gaming industry. Some new features will aim to improve how we engage our audiences, and may have some impact on our partnerships with some streamers.”

Garena also had to face challenges related to COVID-19 related to staff hires during the pandemic to handle the significant growth of the Free Fire audience, but as Brazil saw some stabilization from the pandemic, the user base dropped.

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Super.com was originally formed back in 2018 and has been behind titles such as Raji: An Ancient Epic from Nodding Head Games, Retro Machina by Orgbit Studio, and Alchemist Adventure by Bad Minions.

Super Good Games said that it is “empowered by new owners,” and that the rebrand is “putting a title to the new step of our growth and ambition” while adding that it has merged its funding and publishing entities, becoming a fully remote-based company that last few years.

“We are truly blessed to be able to meet new people, share their perspective and help cultures transcend their geographical boundaries,” the company said in an official statement. “Hand-in-hand with immensely talented partners and colleagues, we are looking forward to forming new bonds and embracing new opportunities in the future.”

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According to an official announcement, the WBD Access x Rocksteady Studios Games Academy is aimed for those who want to turn their love for games into a career as game devs, with an opportunity to “to learn by doing and hone your skills in  a fully immersive experience.”

Per the announcement:

On this course you will:

– Be led through a bespoke curriculum which covers a variety of disciplines –  Audio, Art, Games Design or Quality Assurance – and is all led by industry professionals.

– Learn about how to build your network; what good communication looks like in a Games Studio setting; how to put together a portfolio of work to help you progress in your career

– Get insight into a real work environment and attend masterclasses and sessions with professionals at all different levels of their careers

– Work on a live brief and get feedback from the team at Rocksteady Studios

– Get feedback, support and advice on your career progression

The course will cover Art, Audio, Games Design and Quality Assurance Testing areas.

You must be of 18 years or older on 31 October 2022
You must be a permanent resident of the United Kingdom
You must be interested in entering the games industry at a professional level

Check out all the details on their official posting page.

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Sharma has not announced his new role yet and comes a month following the FTC objecting to Meta’s purchase of Within, which is a hurdle in Meta’s M&A’s activity of VR companies. Sharma previously served as vice president of of Facebook Gaming.

With the recent announcement that Meta was scrapping the Facebook Gaming mobile app effective in late October.

The post VP of Meta’s VR Social Platform Exits Company appeared first on Sudairy.

EA had been seeking an acquisition from a bigger, and the likes of Disney, Apple, Comcast, and Amazon were linked to EA, but it appears that Amazon has the winning bid. The deal marks another major acquisition as Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard.

It will be interesting to see how Amazon manages EA, and it there are significant plans for integrations with their other properties, such as Twitch.

The post Amazon Acquiring EA appeared first on Sudairy.

The two made a joint statement with the following:

“The diversity fund was a grant fund intended to help underrepresented developers, especially during the pandemic,” the two developers wrote in a statement. “However, instead of giving those funds to the developers as the grant was intended, PQube Games intentionally withheld information about the grant and used it as leverage for their own commercial gain.

“Rather than paying the grant money to us, PQube Games hid the facts about the grant’s award and added it as a recoupable minimum guarantee and then used it to negotiate the increase of their revenue share.”

The post PQube Games Facing Accusations of Exploiting Developers appeared first on Sudairy.

Wyrdsong is apparently an RPG what features a dark, historical fantasy world-like setting where each and every decision a player makes will come with consequences both within the world, and within others to be discovered.

“Our goal with Something Wicked Games is to utilize our independence and creative autonomy to create the next evolution of open world RPGs,” said co-founder Jeff Gardiner. “Our first project, Wyrdsong, has been my dream game for some time now, and I’m thrilled to finally share it today.”

There is currently no release date for the game.

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The team was also behind the acclaimed Astro Bot: Rescue Mission for PlayStation VR, and now they aim to move outside the world of virtual reality to do something different.

“Of course [Astro’s Playroom] was a showcase of the DualSense, and a love letter to PlayStation, but one of the goals was: can we live up to making a TV game? A classic non-VR game? And do character controls and all that? Are our skills sufficient?” Team Asobi creative and studio director Nicolas Doucet said, according to GamesIndustry.biz.

“Making a VR game for PS4 means doing PS3 quality-levels in terms of assets, because you’re on a tight [technical] budget. But when you jump to PS5… are we able to go to that level? So we got some confidence out of this.

“It’s very nice to know that whenever a PS5 is bought, Astro is going to get played. It was a big responsibility, because if you make something that’s a little bit without flavour, then you run the risk of making the console feel that way.”

The company is growing, and the expectation is that they will reach around 100 people in the near future.

“We have a current production, and that’s going fine,” Doucet said. “But we want to have another group for R&D, and we want enough in this group to explore as many areas that are interesting. And to potentially start other projects.

“But we’re not giving ourselves any limits. If good people want to join Team Asobi, then we will be willing to talk to them. There is always stuff to do. There is always new projects to begin. We are not limited by any money or time. If we could double the studio just like that, we would find work for everybody.”

Read the entire interview over at GamesIndustry.biz

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It’s clear that Instagram is worried about their hold on the top spot, as TikTok continues to climb the ranks, and given the amount of updates Instagram has implemented to make it’s app feel more like TikTok (more on that), the brands are digging in their heels to collide for supremacy atop the influencer marketing mountain.

The report cites a new data study from analysts at Insider Intelligence (previously eMarketer) that indicates that TikTok is set to overtake Facebook in influencer marketing spend within 2022, and will take over YouTube, who currently sits in the second spot, by the year 2024.

Currently within the United States, YouTube is seeing $948.0 million in influencer marketing dollars spent on its platform which is ahead of Facebook’s $739.0 million, but TikTok has already topped YouTube based on marketer usage for influencer centric marketing campaigns.

Also noted were Instagram’s recent rolling back of some recent updates to replicate TikTok, but some kickback, which included a complaint from celebrities like the Kardashians, forced a change in approach.

Instagram could be planning for larger scale changes in the future, so it can slide more fluidly into an influencer marketing centric focus. Whether or not TikTok SEO will force Instagram to embrace search engine optimization style marketing remains to be seen, but change is coming.

Smaller influencers are set to see some growth in opportunities as well, as Instagram’s feed adjustments would allow smaller “micro” and “nano” influencers to get a bigger cut of the revenue cake. To clarify, Nano-influencers are considered to be those with 1,000-4,999 followers, with micro-influencers clocking between 5,000-19,999 followers, and with TikTok content creators who would fit in those categories already generating benefits, it’s vital for Instagram to also point focus in those directions.

The report predicts that “nano” influencer spending will rise 220.5%, and spending on “mega” influencers will grow only 8.0%.

There is also data to show that marketers may prefer to work with smaller creators, for a number of reasons that include cheaper rates and higher engagement rate potential.

“TikTok is surging in popularity for influencer marketing, but it’s still nowhere near Instagram in terms of spending or marketer adoption,” Insider Intelligence principal analyst Jasmine Enberg said. “That’s in part due to the higher prices Instagram creators charge for content, but also because of its wide array of content formats, most of which are now shoppable. Still, Instagram is trying to be more like TikTok so that it can attract smaller creators, which TikTok is known for. That’s key for Instagram to retain its lead in the influencer marketing space, especially as many creators on TikTok now boast follower counts that rival or surpass those on Instagram and YouTube.”

The report closes by predicting that 74.5% of U.S. marketers will use influencer marketing in 2022 and influencer marketing spend will rise by 27.8% to $4.99 billion this year alone.

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Sperlumen, which was founded back i 2015, specializes in virtual reality development, and is the team behind the point-and-click game Desolatium, which is set to make it’s official arrival later this year.

“We strongly believe the acquisition of Superlumen to be a great long-term strategic decision,” Soedesco Ibericá general manager Barnando Hernandez said in an official statement. “The studio has a talented and passionate development team, a strong brand identity and a lot of creative potential which we intend to leave uncompromised as we move forward. We’re looking forward to bringing new IPs and games to our audience in the coming years.”

“After 6 years of developing virtual experiences for prominent Spanish brands, we have decided to focus more on developing our own IP” Superlumen CEO Juan Cassinello commented. “We are eager to work and learn alongside our new colleagues and create the best possible video games for our audience.”

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As part of a document sent to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) to justify its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company claimed that Sony actively attempts to “inhibit growth” of Game Pass by trying to prevent content from landing on Game Pass.

“Microsoft’s ability to continue expanding Game Pass has been obstructed by Sony’s desire to inhibit such growth,” the company said in the documents. “Sony pays for ‘blocking rights’ to prevent developers from adding content to Game Pass and other competing subscription services.”

Additionally, Microsoft called Sony’s concern regarding the potential that Call of Duty could become an exclusive Xbox title “incoherent”, pointing to Sony’s own exclusivity strategies related to Playstation.

“It only reveals, once again, a fear about an innovative business model that offers high-quality content at low costs to gamers, threatening a leadership that has been forged from a device-centric and exclusivity-focused strategy over the years,” Microsoft said.

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Founder in 2019, Nørdlight is behind the tower defense game Jotunheim: 1965 and is currently working on a new mobile game based on the Rubik’s cube.

“For us, the indie feeling in studio construction is crucial, which is why we have chosen to do this with Spin Master who shares so many of our values and really sees the possibility of building a modern studio with the employees’ creativity in focus,” Nørdlight CEO Olle Bäck said in an official statement.

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Square Enix’s Digital Entertainment division is comprised of HD Game, MMO, and Mobile/PC browser sub segments as well.

In summary:

• Net sales: $553 million, down 15.5% year-on-year
• Profit: $136 million, up 45% year-on-year
• Digital Entertainment net sales: $397 million, down 23% year-on-year
• Amusement segment net sales: $89 million, up 27% year-over-year
• The HD Games subsection generated $89 million, a decrease of 52.2% from the same period last year
• Mobile/PC Browser games saw a 17% drop year-over-year, clocking $202 million
• MMOs clocked $104 million, a 20.7% growth year-over-year

Square Enix attributed the decline of HD Games to the lack of game releases for the quarter, while also adding that its MMO Final Fantasy XIV continued to see an increase in its monthly subscribers.

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This year marked the very first time that video game soundtracks have been included in the lineup, and there was even a special concert ‘From 8-Bit To Infinity’ that took place last week, showing just how far video game music has come.

“It is a really welcome move to hear video games music brought to life in one of the most prestigious classical festivals in the world, highlighting the multi-faceted, extraordinary output of this powerhouse industry and its exceptional talents,” BAFTA’s head of games Luke Hebblethwaite said, during an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

“It’s brilliant to see games composers joining the BBC Proms line-up for the first time, cementing their deserved place alongside those working in film, classical music and wider established art forms.”

“It was only a matter of time before the BBC recognised the cultural significance of not only the gaming industry, but some of the incredible music that is an integral part of the gaming experience,” Richard Jacques, composer of last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy game said. “As an industry we have proven that we are no longer the poor relation of Hollywood, or are inexperienced in the classical genre. Indeed, an event such as this is often the first time a fan of the genre has actually seen a live orchestral performance, which often leads the way for them to discover other symphonic works, from Stravinsky to Scriabin to Schubert and beyond. Video game soundtracks can be enjoyed equally by gamers and non-gamers alike, since music is for everyone, music is universal. The BBC Prom clearly has demonstrated this and long may it continue.”

David Wise, composer of Donkey Kong Country and Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair also chimed in on the development.

“The cultural significance of video game music scores is a phenomenon on a global scale. Gamers have listened to these themes since their childhood, and nothing evokes nostalgia more than listening to a full orchestra and choir playing your favourite score which formed the backdrop to so many childhoods.

“Pokémon, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Chronos from so many more great video games, with the soundtrack from Journey, composed by the incredible Austin Wintory, being the highlight of this year’s event for me.

“With so many internationally acclaimed video game composers emanating from the UK, I look forward to this event highlighting the incredible talent we have closer to home for future shows. History in the making for the Proms, with a tiny slice of video game music history to set the stage for so many more epic video game future proms.”

You can read the entire article over at GamesIndustry.biz.

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The NFT boom has permeated throughout a number of industries, including gaming and even marketing in NFT SEO, throughout 2022 after a meteoric boom in 2021 that saw financial numbers rocket to incredible milestone numbers.

Hey @wario64 a special PlayStation quest at EVO is asking players about what gaming NFTs they want to see from PlayStation. pic.twitter.com/Vwd5Q3cHn1

— Snorlax Ownz (@snorlaxownz) August 5, 2022

This coincides with an announcement last month regarding the Playstation Stars loyalty program, which immediately caused chatter as there was a mention of digital collectibles, with many connecting that with NFTs, but it wasn’t the case.

Time will tell what the purpose of this survey is.

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