Gaming News - Page 140

All the latest gaming news, with everything related to PlayStation releases (PS4 & PS5), Xbox, PC Games, Nintendo Switch & plenty more - Page 140.

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Take-Two CEO says consumers are limiting game purchases and spending

Derek Strickland | May 20, 2023 2:19 PM CDT

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick comments on the new $70 price point for current-gen games in today's inflation-driven macroeconomic environment.

Take-Two CEO says consumers are limiting game purchases and spending

Our findings indicate that the new $70 price of games has led to a reduction in unit sales. The current inflation market has forced consumers to more carefully weigh spending on nice-to-have entertainment products like video games as they struggle to make ends meet. As a result, gaming's top platform-holder (Sony) has sold less titles but generated record revenues on the games sold, indicating that consumers are responding to the new $70 price for games by buying fewer titles but spending more on the games they buy.

We've seen publishers like SEGA, Capcom, and Nintendo talk about the new $70 price point during this tough market, with Capcom indicating it may not raise prices, SEGA saying that it's not yet sure on the price hike, and Nintendo confirming that $70 wouldn't be the base price for its new games. But what about other games companies like Take-Two Interactive, who publishes breakout hits like Grand Theft Auto?

Continue reading: Take-Two CEO says consumers are limiting game purchases and spending (full post)

Overwatch devs always considered themselves as an MMO dev team

Derek Strickland | May 20, 2023 1:16 PM CDT

Overwatch game director Aaron Keller gives more insight into the decision to cancel parts of Overwatch 2's PVE mode, and how the original team's ambition blinded their present day responsibilities.

Overwatch devs always considered themselves as an MMO dev team

Blizzard recently decided to cancel Overwatch 2's anticipated Hero Mode, which would have been a significant part of the game's promised PVE content. The move was extremely controversial and has caused mountains of bad press and heated responses from fans.

Now in a recent blog post, Blizzard's Aaron Keller talks more about what happened with Overwatch 2's phase shift. According to Keller, the Overwatch team had always considered itself an MMO team from the onset. This makes sense considering the original hero shooter released in 2016 was a kind of phoenix resurrection of a cancelled MMO-FPS hybrid called Project Titan.

Continue reading: Overwatch devs always considered themselves as an MMO dev team (full post)

Red Dead Redemption 2 breaks 53 million sales, Take-Two 'pleased' by performance

Derek Strickland | May 20, 2023 12:36 PM CDT

Red Dead Redemption 2 has now sold-in more than 53 million copies, and Take-Two Interactive management says they are pleased with the game's continued strong sales performance.

Red Dead Redemption 2 breaks 53 million sales, Take-Two 'pleased' by performance

Rockstar's tragic outlaw sim Red Dead Redemption 2 has broken new sales milestones with 53 million shipments worldwide. The company's latest FY23 report confirms RDR2 managed to sell 3 million copies in the fourth quarter period from Jan - March 2023. This pushed total Red Dead franchise sales past 75 million, and Arthur Morgan's gunslinger adventure makes up 70% of total series sales.

In a Q4 earnings call, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said that Red Dead Redemption 2 helped the company deliver earnings beyond its projections, with Red Dead Online also seeing a nice increase in new players.

Continue reading: Red Dead Redemption 2 breaks 53 million sales, Take-Two 'pleased' by performance (full post)

GTA trilogy remaster sold less than 1 million copies last quarter

Derek Strickland | May 19, 2023 11:34 PM CDT

New updated figures from Take-Two Interactive indicate that GTA trilogy remaster sales are slowing down.

GTA trilogy remaster sold less than 1 million copies last quarter

Take-Two Interactive just published its Fiscal Year 2023 earnings report that outlines total sales of major franchises like Grand Theft Auto. The numbers show that the GTA series has now sold-in 400 million copies worldwide, up 5 million units from last quarter. GTA V is also up about 5 million shipments from Q3 as well, and this indicates that the controversial GTA remaster trilogy may have sold less than 1 million copies.

That's not to say the trilogy has delivered lackluster sales by any means. According to our figures, the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition collection has sold-in at least 19 million copies since launching in November 2021, and could have sold as many as 21 million units across digital and physical channels.

Continue reading: GTA trilogy remaster sold less than 1 million copies last quarter (full post)

GTA V has now sold 180 million copies, makes up 45% of total GTA franchise sales

Derek Strickland | May 19, 2023 9:18 PM CDT

10 years after release and multiple re-releases, Grand Theft Auto V is still selling strong.

GTA V has now sold 180 million copies, makes up 45% of total GTA franchise sales

In its Fiscal Year 2023 report, Take-Two Interactive recently updated total Grand Theft Auto franchise worldwide shipments. As of March 2023, the GTA series has shipped 400 million copies, and Grand Theft Auto V has sold-in 45% of total shipments. This puts GTA V sell-in figures at 180 million.

It certainly helps that Grand Theft Auto V is the longest-running single game in the franchise, with releases across multiple console generations (Xbox 360/PS3, Xbox One/PS4, Xbox Series X/S and PS5) alongside PC releases on multiple storefronts like Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Rockstar launcher.

Continue reading: GTA V has now sold 180 million copies, makes up 45% of total GTA franchise sales (full post)

NetherRealm spent more time on Mortal Kombat 1 than any other Mortal Kombat game

Derek Strickland | May 19, 2023 7:27 PM CDT

Mortal Kombat 1 could be the biggest MK game yet.

NetherRealm spent more time on Mortal Kombat 1 than any other Mortal Kombat game

Just a bit ago, NetherRealm and WB Games announced Mortal Kombat 1, a new soft reboot that basically resets everything we know about the franchise. MK1 promises to deliver "reimagined versions of iconic characters as they've never been seen before," as well as "unexpected twists on classic rivalries and original backstories."

Now in a recent Mortal Kombat 1 live stream, NetherRealm's Ed Boon revealed some interesting new details about the game. Boon didn't showcase any of MK1's modes, like the Kameo mode, but he did say that the team spent more time on Mortal Kombat 1 than any other game in the franchise.

Continue reading: NetherRealm spent more time on Mortal Kombat 1 than any other Mortal Kombat game (full post)

China approves Microsoft-Activision merger

Derek Strickland | May 19, 2023 12:29 PM CDT

The People's Republic of China is the latest regulator to have approved the Microsoft-Activision merger.

China approves Microsoft-Activision merger

Chinese regulators at the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) have cleared and approved the $68.7 billion combination of Microsoft and Activision. The report comes from private analysis firm Dealreporter (via Seeking Alpha), a group who had previously indicated the merger had received support from Tencent, the largest video games company in the world.

Microsoft has confirmed the news with a statement:

Continue reading: China approves Microsoft-Activision merger (full post)

Microsoft offered 'several iterations' of its cloud remedy to the CMA

Derek Strickland | May 18, 2023 11:20 PM CDT

Agency CEO Sarah Cardell says that the Competition and Markets Authority's independent panel group analyzed multiple versions of Microsoft's proposed Cloud Remedy, but none of them convinced the group that a significant lessening of competition would not occur.

Microsoft offered 'several iterations' of its cloud remedy to the CMA

At a recent hearing with the UK's Business and Trade Committee, the CEO of the Competition and Markets Authority Sarah Cardell outlined more specific details as to why regulators decided to block the Microsoft-Activision merger.

According to Cardell, Microsoft created multiple remedy proposals in the effort of addressing key concerns in the cloud gaming market. These remedies include 10-year licensing deals to offer both Xbox and Activision games to competing cloud streaming service providers like NVIDIA's GeForce Now. While Microsoft's remedy was enough to win over the European Commission, who approved the Microsoft-Activision merger, the concessions did not persuade the CMA.

Continue reading: Microsoft offered 'several iterations' of its cloud remedy to the CMA (full post)

CMA on Microsoft-Activision merger: 'We're not doing bidding of other agencies'

Derek Strickland | May 18, 2023 10:23 PM CDT

Competition and Markets Authority CEO Sarah Cardell refutes claims that the UK agency is somehow colluding with overseas regulators like the FTC in the United States as it relates to the Microsoft-Activision merger.

CMA on Microsoft-Activision merger: 'We're not doing bidding of other agencies'

UK merger control agency CMA chose to block the $68.7 billion merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King on the grounds of anti-competitive effects arising in the cloud gaming segment. The FTC has also chosen to sue to attempt to block the merger from happening on similar grounds, adding in potential harmful effects on the multi-game subscription and console market. While the European Commission also identified these concerns, the EC cleared and approved the merger because Microsoft's expansive cloud remedies satisfied anti-competitive worries.

Following both the FTC's and the CMA's decisions to block the merger on similar grounds, there have been reports that both agencies had affected and influenced their individual decisions. The FTC has refuted these claims on multiple occasions, with FTC Chair Lina Khan refuting claims that the FTC "outsourced policy" to overseas regulators, and FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar denying claims from Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick that the FTC and CMA had met specifically so that the FTC could convince the CMA to block the deal.

Continue reading: CMA on Microsoft-Activision merger: 'We're not doing bidding of other agencies' (full post)

Mortal Kombat hits 80 million sales, here's how it stacks up against competition

Derek Strickland | May 18, 2023 2:16 PM CDT

In a press release for Mortal Kombat 1's official announcement, NetherReal and WB Games confirm that the legendary ultra-violent fighting franchise has surpassed 80 million sales worldwide.

Mortal Kombat hits 80 million sales, here's how it stacks up against competition

Today NetherRealm revealed Mortal Kombat 1, a soft reboot that promises a new beginning for the decades' long series. Nestled in the press materials was confirmation of total sales for the beloved brutal brawler: "Mortal Kombat videogame franchise that has sold more than 80 million units since its debut over 30 years ago."

So how does Mortal Kombat stack up against the top fighting game competitors? The enthusiast fighting scene is typically dominated by three big names: Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Street Fighter, but Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series is actually the second best-selling fighting franchise of all time. While we don't have perfect figures or updated sales data for each franchise, including older ones like Soul Calibur or Virtua Fighter, it does look like Mortal Kombat is on the top spot.

Continue reading: Mortal Kombat hits 80 million sales, here's how it stacks up against competition (full post)