Gaming - Page 314

Xbox console sales are down 30% year-over-year, hitting the lowest revenue mark since the Xbox Series X/S consoles released in November 2020.

Microsoft just announced its Q3 Fiscal Year 2023 earnings report and the results aren't so good for Xbox hardware.

According to the data provided by Microsoft, total Xbox console sales revenues are down a staggering 30% from last year. Our records indicate that Xbox consoles generated around $508 million throughout the Q3 period (January - March 2023). This is the lowest point since the launch of the Xbox Series line of consoles during Microsoft's Q2 FY21 period.

Dead Island 2 has managed to sell 1 million copies in 3 days' time, making it one of the Embracer Group's most successful new games.

Gamers have been waiting 10 years for Dead Island 2, and it looks like people are showing up en masse for the horrifyingly violent zombie slasher. Deep Silver recently announced that Dead Island 2 has sold over 1 million copies since release, but we have to wonder...how many of those were old pre-orders?

Even still, Dead Island 2 remains one of (if not the) best zombie games of all time. We'll have a review up on TweakTown shortly as I've been taking my time with the game, but I can honestly say that it's rip-roaringly fun and shockingly grotesque. In short, it's a horror movie fan's dream.

ZeniMax Workers United, the second-ever video games labor union in the United States, has started collective bargaining discussions with Microsoft.

Back in January 2023, over 300 Quality Assurance (QA) workers at ZeniMax Media voted to form a union. Allied with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) labor group, Microsoft formally recognized the union shortly after the vote. Now the union has opened up talks with Microsoft regarding key issues that QA workers face in the industry, including low pay and long hours.

"Today, we are excited to announce that ZeniMax Workers United of CWA have started our first day of bargaining for our first ever contract with ZeniMax and Microsoft! IN SOLIDARITY!" the union wrote on its Twitter page.

SEGA of America employees are collecting with the intent to unionize and become the video games industry's third major worker's union, following other unions like those at Activision-Blizzard and ZeniMax.

Workers at SEGA of America's Irvine, California branch have grouped together to form a union known as AEGIS, or the Allied Employees Guild Improving SEGA. The collective includes some 144 workers from SEGA's North American branch across all job types, from QA to development.

Employees voted to unionize due to "wages that are below the industry average, weak benefits, and lack of paths to promotion" at SEGA of America. What's most interesting about this particular union is that SEGA is a Japanese company and the American branch is just a subsidiary, so there may be significant cultural gaps. SEGA has yet to comment on the matter, and according to integrated reports, the entirety of SEGA Sammy employs over 7,000 workers.

If you want to run Diablo IV at 4K resolution on the highest settings, you'll need quite the gaming PC - but the good news is that the system requirements are far more forgiving lower down the resolution food chain.

The headline spec for 4K at Ultra graphics details running at a fluid 60 frames per second (fps) demands 32GB of system RAM and an NVIDIA RTX 3080 on the graphics card front, or an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. (Of course, if you want DLSS 3 to speed up those frame rates, you'll need an RTX 4000 GPU).

That's a pretty steep hill to climb, particularly as not all that many folks have pushed out the boat to 32GB of RAM just yet. (Granted, the percentage is climbing going by the latest Steam hardware survey, but still, only 23.5% of gamers have 32GB of system memory or more, with most still on 16GB).

NVIDIA's DLSS 3 and Frame Generation technology has been one of the most talked about features of the new GeForce RTX 40 Series line-up. The technology uses AI hardware to generate new frames to boost the performance of visually intensive games.

And it looks like two of the most visually intensive DLSS 3-enabled PC games feature stuttering issues on systems with AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPUs. Stuttering when playing PC games is never ideal and can ruin the experience due to inconsistent performance.

The stuttering looks limited to DLSS 3 in CD Projekt RED's The Witcher 3 remaster and Cyberpunk 2077, titles that feature real-time ray-tracing and run on the studio's internal RED Engine.

Anime Tokyo is a new art project by Yan Ru created in Unreal Engine 5 that lets you explore and wander around in a 3D Tokyo. With several city blocks of the iconic Shibuya district recreated using an anime style, it's a visually impressive tech demo with an avatar that offers different visual filters ranging from cherry-blossom pink to sunny and overcast.

The city itself isn't exactly bustling with people or vehicles though it is realistic because it features several known brands and storefronts like Starbucks Coffee.

It's an impressive slice of virtual tourism and captures Tokyo in a way reminiscent of games like the Yakuza series from SEGA and Tango Gameworks' Ghostwire: Tokyo.

Nintendo is unlikely to receive even a portion of the court-ordered $10 million restitution award that it received in a recent piracy lawsuit.

Back in 2021, Nintendo sued key members of Team Xecuter, a collective that sold "circumvention" hardware that allowed consumers to jailbreak Nintendo hardware and load pirated games onto the devices for free. Part of Team Xecuter included 53-year-old Gary Bowser, a Canadian citizen who was extradited to the United States to face the charges. Courts found Bowser guilty and ordered that Bowser pay Nintendo damages in the tune of $10 million.

Two years later, Bowser has spoken on the matter with YouTuber NickMoses05, who called the incarcerated Bowser for a video talk. In the interview, Bowser reveals that he signed an agreement with Nintendo that would allow the company to garnish his monthly wages by 25-30%.

The Federal Trade Commission has taken interest in the 10-year licensing deals that Microsoft signed with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to the Switch, but Nintendo may not have to provide specific details.

Nintendo is fast becoming more involved with the FTC's antitrust lawsuit against the Microsoft-Activision merger. A bit ago we reported that Nintendo has asked an FTC law judge to toss out a subpoena summoning a very particular Nintendo of America executive to deliver sworn testimony before the FTC's team of lawyers.

Now we have a better idea on the FTC's overall aim with this subpoena. Closer investigation of the motion to quash the subpoena indicates that the Federal Trade Commission wants more information on the 10-year Call of Duty licensing deal that Microsoft and Nintendo have signed, however there isn't much detail on the scope of these interests.

South Africa may soon become the sixth worldwide regulator to approve the Microsoft-Activision merger, but the country apparently has yet to do so.

Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion merger with Activision Blizzard King has been cleared in five countries, and South Africa may soon be the sixth. On April 17, the South Africa Competition Commission (SACC) published a list of mergers that it recommends for approval, and the Microsoft-Activision was one of these recommended mergers.

In the announcement, the SACC recommends approval of the merger without conditions and notes that the combination of Microsoft and Activision "is unlikely to result in a substantial prevention or lessening of competition in any relevant market." You'll recognize this vernacular if you've been paying close attention to merger talks; it's the kind of terminology that's used by other worldwide regulators like the European Commission and the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK. The FTC has also defined its own relevant market with the controversial "High-Performance Console" market, a designation that has confused key members of Congress.

Nintendo wants to avoid testifying in the Microsoft-Activision merger case, and has asked FTC law judge to dismiss a subpoena that would require a Nintendo executive to testify before the FTC.

While the CMA prepares its final decision on the Microsoft-Activision merger, FTC regulators in the United States are still collecting information in an attempt to sue to block the $68.7 billion merger. The FTC's antitrust lawsuit is currently still in discovery phases and regulators are looking to major players in the video games industry to provide documents, data, and testimony in regards to pertinent areas of interest, including Sony Interactive Entertainment, Take-Two Interactive, Valve, and Nintendo of America.

However, the FTC may not get its way in regards to Nintendo. Legal counsel for Nintendo of America has submitted a motion to quash--or cancel--the FTC's "untimely" subpoena that would have required Nintendo of America's Steve Singer, who serves as senior vice president for publisher and developer relations, to deliver sworn testimony before the FTC's Complaint Counsel (a group of lawyers representing the FTC that bring forth the anti-competition charges against the merger).

Would-be nephalem have a chance to enter Sanctuary once more in the second and final Diablo IV test build.

Can't wait to slay more demons and snap up awesome loot? Or maybe just blast enemies with the Necro's OP skills? We're right there with you. Luckily Blizzard has announced the Diablo IV server slam event from May 12-14, which will offer access to both console and PC players over the 3-day period. The event is free, and does not require players to have pre-ordered Diablo IV.

All progress from the previous closed and open beta tests will not carry over. The server slam wipes the slate clean and you start from scratch, but you can access all five classes. There's an added bonus that neither Xbox LIVE nor PlayStation Plus is required to play the server slam on consoles.

Statements made by Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb embroiled Xbox in another controversy...but this time the info appears to be wrong.

Gamers are pretty frustrated with the Xbox brand right now. There's just not enough new games to keep fans happy, despite the release of Hi-Fi Rush and Goldeneye in the same month, followed up by Minecraft Legends' launch just days ago. Xbox fans want more.

With this existing ire in check, gamers are typically more quick to latch on to certain reports in an effort to force change at Microsoft, including specific games meeting expectations. That was the case with Hi-Fi Rush, Tango Gameworks' stylish new rhythm game. Hi-Fi rush actually drew tons of acclaim and managed to amass 2 million players, but reports surfaced that the game simply didn't make much money. After all, how much could a direct-to-Game Pass title make in terms of sales?

Meta has laid off multiple game developers at Ready at Dawn as part of a significant multi-thousand layoff spree.

As Meta's Reality Labs division is hemmorhaging money to the tune of $26 billion in losses, the company has enacted two massive layoff rounds that will see 21,000 people without jobs. All of Meta's divisions are to be affected by the layoffs, including its Reality Labs VR gaming division that is home to multiple game developers including Ready At Dawn.

Meta originally acquired Ready At Dawn in 2020 to help bolster the Oculus VR games lineup. At that time, Ready At Dawn had released multiple VR games set in its Lone Echo series. Now fast-forwarding to three years later, the studio has been hit with multiple layoffs. According to recent reports, Meta has let go of nearly 1/3rd of Ready At Dawn's staff, including the studio head.

Xbox users have lost a key social feature that helped spread gaming clips and screenshots.

Microsoft has announced that Xbox gamers can no longer share game captures on Twitter, likely due to a new fee structure imposed by Elon Musk's controversial Twitter regime. Under the new rules, companies have to pay at least $42,000 a month (and at most $210,000 a month) to access Twitter's API, which is required to enable features like Xbox's direct-to-feed Game DVR capture sharing.

"We have had to disable the ability to share game uploads to Twitter directly from the console and Game Bar on Windows. You can still share your favorite moments to Twitter via the Xbox app for Android and iOS," the official Xbox Twitter account said yesterday.

Unreal and Gears of War developer Cliff Bleszinski is hopeful for a Lawbreakers revival, but he'll have to get approval of the rights holder before anything happens.

Remember Lawbreakers? The 5v5 hero shooter released back in 2017, but ultimately failed to gain traction in the market due to steep competition from games like Overwatch. Lawbreakers was pulled offline in 2018 and eventually faded away to the live service graveyard, but its ghost is apparently still alive.

Now it looks like fans are clamoring for a Lawbreakers revival. There's just one potential issue: Cliff Bleszinski doesn't own rights to Lawbreakers. Nexon, who published the game at launch, actually owns the rights to the franchise. Cliffy B recently shared this tidbit on Twitter: "Well, turns out Nexon does own the rights to LawBreakers. Owen Mahoney, how about sliding into my DMs so we can talk about a resurrection?"

Atari has purchased the rights to more classic video game franchises as it gears up for expansion.

As most video game publishers and developers experiment with new big-budget IPs, Atari has taken a different approach. Atari is looking to use the past to help build its future. Having once dominated the games market in the 1970s, Atari is just a fraction of what it once was, but that hasn't stopped the company from carving out a niche business model that celebrates nostalgia instead of chasing the latest trends.

Atari wants to accelerate this model and release more remakes and re-releases of classic franchises. Like the Embracer Group, who owns the rights to over 700 IPs, Atari is likewise purchasing the rights to a ton of classic games while also setting up studios to help capitalize on the rights and turn them into launchable products.

Sony's PlayStation 5 console firmly secures the lead in one of gaming's most important geographies.

The PlayStation 5 is on a roll and shows no signs of slowing down. According to data provided by Circana (formerly NPD Group) video games analyst Mat Piscatella, the PS5 is in the top spot in the United States, which remains one of Sony's biggest markets.

Sony's PlayStation 5 led March 2023's hardware sales and helped push overall monthly hardware spending to $566 million, Piscatella reports. The PS5 did so well in March that it set a new PlayStation platform unit sales record for the month of March. "Yes, PS5 did set a new March individual PlayStation platform unit record," Piscatella said on Twitter. The previous record-holder was the PSP, which managed to sell 620,000 units in just eight days after launch (March 24 - March 31, 2005).

Netflix is pushing into AAA gaming, and has conscripted a longtime veteran to help lead the charge.

Netflix is no longer just a streaming giant. Having pioneered and subsequently conquered the streaming market, the company has ambitious plans to expand and transform itself into a multimedia titan. Following its billion-dollar entertainment push, Netflix has more recently entered the world's most lucrative medium: Video games.

Up until now, Netflix's gaming push has delivered access to mobile games, not blockbuster titles. The new business model gives Netflix subscribers access to a pool of selected mobile titles, however the company has said from the get-go that it would eventually expand to other game types, platforms, and genres.

Time is running out for regulators to make a decision on the Microsoft-Activision merger.

UK regulators at the Competition and Markets Authority will publish their final decision on the $68.7 billion Microsoft-Activision merger next week on Wednesday, April 26. The final deadline for submissions has already passed and antitrust regulators are currently building an expansive document to explain their final decision on whether or not to block or approve the merger.

Experts and pundits largely expect the deal will be approved by the most impactful worldwide regulatory bodies (CMA, EC, and the FTC), and this is reinforced by the CMA's recent decision to remove one of its key theories of harm regarding the Microsoft-Activision merger.