Gaming News - Page 141

All the latest gaming news, with everything related to PlayStation releases (PS4 & PS5), Xbox, PC Games, Nintendo Switch & plenty more - Page 141.

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PlayStation 5 still the best-selling console in U.S. but Switch tops April sales

Derek Strickland | May 17, 2023 6:39 PM CDT

Sony's PlayStation 5 continues its reign as the best-selling and top-earning console of 2023 in the United States, but Nintendo beat PS5 unit sales in April.

PlayStation 5 still the best-selling console in U.S. but Switch tops April sales

New data from Circana (formerly known as the NPD Group) highlights video game industry sales trends in the United States for April and the full-year 2023 period. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, gaming earned $4.123 billion total in the United States, down 5% year-over-year. The results are driven mostly by game sales, microtransactions, subscriptions, and mobile, which amounted to $3.598 billion, or about 87% of the total. Consumers spent $367 million on hardware in April 2023, an increase of 7% year-over-year, and hardware made up about 9% of total spending. Accessories made up $158 million, or nearly 4% of the total, and the PS5's DualSense Edge led the charge.

On a year-to-date basis (January - April 2023), consumers in the United States spent $17.7 billion on games, down 2% year-over-year. Games, content, and services generated $15.107 billion, down 4%, and comprising 85% of total spending. Hardware is up 18% year-over-year to $1.822 billion, driven primarily by strong PlayStation 5 and Switch sales. Accessories generated $779 million during the period and is up 1% year-over-year.

Continue reading: PlayStation 5 still the best-selling console in U.S. but Switch tops April sales (full post)

Here's how Activision Blizzard King could fuel Xbox's next-gen ad platform

Derek Strickland | May 17, 2023 5:43 PM CDT

Microsoft has ambitions of creating a grand gaming ecosystem that connects consoles, PCs, and mobile devices together. Apart from games and content delivery, this kind of multi-level service framework could facilitate a new era of advertising for Xbox gaming in particular, and the acquisition of Activision Blizzard King could catalyze Microsoft's plans.

Here's how Activision Blizzard King could fuel Xbox's next-gen ad platform

We've long speculated that advertisements could find their way into console gaming. Ads are an important part of gaming, and make up billions of earnings for the mobile and browser gaming market, but ads are typically have a smaller presence on console and PC gaming. The Xbox dashboard, for example, has advertisements for games and consumer products. There's also been product placement in some games like Alan Wake (Energizer batteries) and Final Fantasy XV (Cup Noodles), and Bidstack directly injects ads into games.

Overall, though, advertising doesn't yet have a large presence in dedicated gaming...at least not in the same way as mobile. There's been strong evidence that Microsoft (and Sony) may find a way to incorporate ads into games or services. In 2022, reports said that Microsoft had plans to bring in-game ads to free-to-play Xbox games.

Continue reading: Here's how Activision Blizzard King could fuel Xbox's next-gen ad platform (full post)

GTA 6 could release in 2024 or 2025, Rockstar Games parent company indicates

Derek Strickland | May 17, 2023 5:13 PM CDT

New forecasts from Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive suggests Grand Theft Auto 6's possible release window.

GTA 6 could release in 2024 or 2025, Rockstar Games parent company indicates

GTA 6 could release in 2024, 2025, or even 2026, Take-Two Interactive management today indicated. The company says it plans to make a record-breaking $8 billion in net bookings in Fiscal Year 2025, which runs from April 2024 through March 2025. This new forecast is up over $2.46 billion over the previous FY25 estimate of $5.539 billion.

"We believe that we will enter our next phase of growth in Fiscal 2025, as we plan to deliver several groundbreaking titles that we anticipate will set new standards of quality and success and enable us to deliver over $8 billion in Net Bookings and over $1 billion in Adjusted Unrestricted Operating Cash Flow. We expect to sustain this momentum with additional growth in operating performance in Fiscal 2026."

Continue reading: GTA 6 could release in 2024 or 2025, Rockstar Games parent company indicates (full post)

Saudi Arabia now holds $3.1 billion in EA stock

Derek Strickland | May 17, 2023 2:31 PM CDT

Saudi Arabia has significantly increased its share ownership in American games publisher Electronic Arts.

Saudi Arabia now holds $3.1 billion in EA stock

Saudi Arabia has invested over $38 billion in the global video games industry as part of its Public Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund that strategically invests money into specific economic markets. The Saudi PIF has purchased shares in major games companies like Capcom (5%), Nexon (5%), Nintendo (5%, $3 billion worth of shares), Embracer Group ($1 billion worth of shares), Activision Blizzard King (3.5%, $1.3 billion worth of shares), and other publishers.

Now the PIF has increased its investment in games publisher Electronic Arts. According to recent reports, Saudi Arabia now owns 24.81 million shares of EA, which represents about $3.11 billion worth of stock and 9% of total EA shares. The PIF had previously owned 16.01 million shares of EA, representing a purchase increase of 8.8 million shares.

Continue reading: Saudi Arabia now holds $3.1 billion in EA stock (full post)

PlayStation E3 summer show debuts May 24, will show off new PS5 games and new IP

Derek Strickland | May 17, 2023 1:32 PM CDT

The rumors were right: Sony's PlayStation showcase is just around the corner.

PlayStation E3 summer show debuts May 24, will show off new PS5 games and new IP

Sony's not-E3 but E3-timed summer extravaganza is approaching fast. Today Sony announced that its next PlayStation Showcase will debut on Wednesday, May 24 at 4PM EST/1PM PST, with the event being streamed on YouTube and Twitch.

So what will Sony reveal? Official details are light (as they almost always are), but the PlayStation Showcase will be a 1-hour stream that highlights new PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2 games. We don't know which games will be shown, but it's fair to say we'll get some big surprises...maybe even official reveals of PlayStation's new live games like the upcoming Last of Us multiplayer title. We should also see the new Mortal Kombat at the show as well.

Continue reading: PlayStation E3 summer show debuts May 24, will show off new PS5 games and new IP (full post)

Tears of the Kingdom sells 10 million in 3 days, fastest-selling Zelda game ever

Derek Strickland | May 17, 2023 9:21 AM CDT

It's official: The new Zelda Tears of the Kingdom game is a smash hit for Nintendo.

Tears of the Kingdom sells 10 million in 3 days, fastest-selling Zelda game ever

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has sold 10 million copies in its first 3 days on the market, Nintendo today announced, making it the fastest-selling Zelda game of all time. The company also confirmed that 4 million of the game's sales, or 40% of total initial launch sales, were made in North and South America. Tears of the Kingdom is now the fastest-selling Nintendo game in this region.

To put these numbers into perspective, Tears of the Kingdom managed to sell 1/3rd of Breath of the Wild's total sales in just 3 days' time. The latest figures from Nintendo put Breath of the Wild's sales at just under 30 million.

Continue reading: Tears of the Kingdom sells 10 million in 3 days, fastest-selling Zelda game ever (full post)

Amazon's New World studio is making a Lord of the Rings MMORPG

Derek Strickland | May 16, 2023 5:34 PM CDT

Amazon Games is now developing a huge new MMORPG set in The Lord of the Rings universe.

Amazon's New World studio is making a Lord of the Rings MMORPG

The developers that brought Amazon's New World game are now working on a new Lord of the Rings MMORPG that could deliver seamless, wide-scale battle sequences. This isn't the first time Amazon had signed up to make a Lord of the Rings MMO alongside developer Athlon games, but this project ultimate fell through.

Now with the help of Embracer Group, who purchased Lord of the Rings rights holder Middle-Earth Enterprises last year, Amazon gets to try again and helm development of the MMORPG.

Continue reading: Amazon's New World studio is making a Lord of the Rings MMORPG (full post)

Final Fantasy XI turns 21, Square Enix says 'Vana'diel's not going anywhere'

Derek Strickland | May 16, 2023 3:43 PM CDT

Final Fantasy XI might be one of the longest-running MMORPGs on the market, but Square Enix apparently isn't going to shut the game down any time soon.

Final Fantasy XI turns 21, Square Enix says 'Vana'diel's not going anywhere'

While Final Fantasy XIV remains one of Square Enix's most important games, its predecessor is still alive and well. Today marks the 21st anniversary of Final Fantasy XI, and I remember buying this game many years ago on Xbox 360 and hooking up a wireless mouse and keyboard combo for some couch MMO action.

Square Enix saved the largest celebration for the game's 20th anniversary last year, but in a recent developer post, the team says that Final Fantasy XI isn't going anywhere. That being said, the developers are indeed winding down the overall content plans for the MMORPG.

Continue reading: Final Fantasy XI turns 21, Square Enix says 'Vana'diel's not going anywhere' (full post)

Ubisoft wants 2,800 people working on Assassin's Creed, six new titles in dev

Derek Strickland | May 16, 2023 2:17 PM CDT

Ubisoft management plans to significantly increase the amount of developers working on the Assassin's Creed franchise as it pivots towards an accelerated multi-game pipeline.

Ubisoft wants 2,800 people working on Assassin's Creed, six new titles in dev

Ubisoft currently has six Assassin's Creed projects in the works, including Assassin's Creed Mirage, the ambitious games-as-a-platform framework entitled Assassin's Creed Infinity, the Japan-themed Assassin's Creed Red, the multiplayer Assassin's Creed Invictus, the witchcraft-focused Assassin's Creed Hexe, and a mobile-based game set in China called Assassin's Creed Jade. There's also reports of a VR experience, too.

To ensure these games get the support they need, Ubisoft is prepared to increase the amount of developers that are working on the franchise. Ubisoft says there are currently around 2,000 people on the franchise right now, and that it plans to boost this number by 40% in the coming years. This means Assassin's Creed could eventually have 2,800 people working on it. For reference, Activision had over 3,000 people working on Call of Duty in 2022.

Continue reading: Ubisoft wants 2,800 people working on Assassin's Creed, six new titles in dev (full post)

Activision made over $91 billion in 17 years, Call of Duty made 1/3rd of total

Derek Strickland | May 16, 2023 1:35 PM CDT

Microsoft does not seek to acquire a simple games publisher or a series of studios with its $68.7 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard King, but a veritable games empire.

Activision made over $91 billion in 17 years, Call of Duty made 1/3rd of total

In an effort to show how substantial Activision Blizzard King really is, and how the gaming giant could help supercharge the Xbox business, TweakTown has collected and analyzed key financial and performance metrics. We've discussed how the inclusion of King will instantly boost Xbox's total monthly active users by hundreds of millions of people, and also discussed how the inclusion of Activision Blizzard King's 8 separate billion-dollar franchises could represent a tipping point for Xbox Game Pass.

Now we'll take a closer look at Activision Blizzard King's historical revenues across a 17-year span from 2005 to 2023, which coincides with the release of Call of Duty 2 onwards. Based on publicly-available data, Activision Blizzard King has generated over $91 billion in net revenues across this 17-year period.

Continue reading: Activision made over $91 billion in 17 years, Call of Duty made 1/3rd of total (full post)