Gaming News - Page 278

Online platform and gaming veteran Jerry Hook is leaving Microsoft after 18 years of industry-defining work.

Xbox LIVE storefront creator and Halo Infinite head of design Jerry Hook is leaving 343 Industries and Microsoft after nearly two decades of online services creation, the developer has announced. Hook has spent 18 years total with Microsoft's games division, helping establish the Xbox LIVE marketplace way back in the Xbox 360 days and being a part of the service for many more years.

Hook then moved to become an executive producer on various Halo releases, then jumped on to Destiny where he helped create the Eververse digital monetization storefront while also formulating the game's live team. Following a 3-year run with Bungie, Hook returned to Microsoft to serve three principal roles on Halo Infinite's development: first as online design director, then live director, and finally head of design from 2019 - present.

SEGA will reveal a new game during a special Japanese live stream on June 3, 2022, the company has announced.

A new SEGA title will be announced next Friday live on YouTube and Nico Nico. Company executive manager Hiroyuki Miyazaki and creative director Yosuke Okunari will showcase the new game, which could either be a new mainline title or a remaster/collection similar to Sonic Origins.

SEGA expects FY23 to be a massive year for both game sales and game releases with plans to nearly double both sales and releases throughout this fiscal year. It plans to release 13 new titles and expects to make 18 million sales throughout FY23 including new games and remaster sales, compared to 7 new game titles and 10 million total sales in FY22. This year's lineup includes announced games like Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Origins, and Soul Hackers 2.

Sony expects to make $300 million from first-party PlayStation games on PC this year, the company has announced.

PlayStation consoles are no longer the exclusive venue for Sony's first-party games. Sony is making a big effort to expand onto PC, starting with Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, and the more recent God of War. Sony has had middling success with its PC ports but earnings from the platform are expected to spike by 275% across the next year.

A recent PlayStation presentation shows that Sony will recognize $300 million in PC game revenues throughout FY22. It's unclear whether or not Destiny 2 is included in this amount, but it also suggests Sony could release multiple new first-party PS4 and/or PS5 games onto Steam this year.

The upcoming Horizon, God of War, and Gran Turismo TV shows do not have finalized deals with streaming services, Sony has today clarified.

In a recent business presentation, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra confirmed that 10 new shows and films based on PlayStation games were in production. Vinciquerra revealed three new projects during the Q&A portion: shows based on Horizon, God of War, and Gran Turismo are in active development.

"We have roughly 10 projects in development right now. God of War at Prime Video and Apple TV, and we have Twisted Metal at Peacock. We're also working on another one, a game called Gran Turismo. So we have lots of IP coming and many other projects we're thinking about putting into production," Vinciquerra said.

Sony is holding a new State of Play event on June 2, 2022 at 3PM PST / 6PM EST.

On the heels of a massive briefing on the PlayStation games business, Sony today announced a new State of Play showcase that will highlight upcoming PS4 and PS5 games. There's a caveat, though: The event may not include hotly anticipated PS5 games including God of War Ragnarok.

Sony officially says the State of Play will include 30 minutes of "trailers and announcements" but first-party games may not be shown. "We'll have some exciting reveals from our third-party partners, plus a sneak peek at several games in development for PlayStation VR2," SIE Senior Manager, Content Communications Brett Elston said on the PlayStation Blog.

If you've been waiting for Microsoft Flight Simulator and its big -- and much-anticipated -- Top Gun: Maverick expansion, then it's finally here. FINALLY!

In a post on the official Microsoft Flight Simulator website, the team beams: "We are thrilled to announce that, today Microsoft Flight Simulator released the long-awaited "Top Gun: Maverick" expansion. Develop the skills required and navigate the complexities encountered by actual Top Gun pilots in authentic locations including the most challenging landing - on an aircraft carrier. This offering will push your piloting abilities to the limits-and beyond".

Once you've completed three training missions for the Super Hornet, you'll receive your Top Gun: Maverick Edition livery for the F/A-18E Super Hornet.

Sony has 11 TV shows and films based on key PlayStation IPs in development, the company has announced.

Sony plans to adapt most of its video games IP into film and TV show productions. Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra confirms that there are nearly a dozen

"Right now there are currently 10 additional film and projects with PlayStation [not including Uncharted] in various stages of production and development, including The Last of Us, Twisted Metal, Ghost of Tsushima," Vinciquerra said.

Microsoft is developing a small dongle/puck that will bring Xbox gaming to all TVs, sources tell Windows Central.

Microsoft's new Project Keystone device is essentially a Chromecast that plugs into your TV and allows Xbox Game Pass streaming. The hardware is described as a dongle, or a puck, similar to a Google Chromecast, that acts as a receiver for streamed content. It's kind of like a Roku, only instead of streaming Netflix, you'll be streaming Xbox games.

"Xbox Keystone" originally appeared in a Windows OS list as an Xbox product.

Sony is chasing Fortnite and Apex's billion-dollar revenues and wants to have a dozen live service games up and running in the next 3 years. Bungie will help, but don't expect all of these games to be Destiny-likes.

Sony is doubling-down on live service games and plans to release 12 live titles on the market by 2025. Earnings projections show that Sony has massive confidence these games will be successful. The company expects add-on revenues (microtransactions) to reach $24 billion by 2025, which suggests a few things.

We know that Bungie is guiding Sony's live service plans. But this level of revenue growth strongly indicates a diversified slate of games that could be outside of the types of games Bungie is known for. The sheer volume of games coupled with the significant jump to $24 billion earnings (a 7.5% CAGR growth rate) suggests that Sony's live games will deliver a broad spectrum of experiences that appeal to different demographics/age groups and types of gamers across different platforms.

PlayStation is moving towards online-driven live service games across consoles, PC, and mobile, and its latest strategic acquisitions reflect its new plans.

Sony is going all-in on two of gaming's biggest money-makers: Live services, led by billion-dollar titans like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Minecraft, and mobile, who is dominated by the likes of Honor of Kings and Candy Crush. To successfully break into these markets, Sony will need lots of expertise and know-how. The company has been building its foundation with solid acquisitions, but it may need more teams to make its plans come to fruition.

Sony's latest 2022 Business Strategy Meeting details its grand ambitions to make at least 12 live games by 2025, and to make sure mobile accounts for 20% of its first-party releases by the same year. This is no small feat for a company that has primarily released big-budget singleplayer system-sellers like Horizon, God of War, and Spider-Man.