Gaming - Page 335

Final Fantasy XVI launches Summer 2023 on PlayStation 5, and depending on its actual launch date the game could also release on other platforms next year as well.

We know that Square Enix's new mainline Final Fantasy game is exclusive to PlayStation 5, but for how long? Sony revealed the news in a new PlayStation promo reel which confirms Final Fantasy 16 is only exclusive to PS5 consoles for six months after launch.

"Final Fantasy XVI anticipated Summer 2023. PS5 exclusive for six months," the video says.

Ex-BioWare developer and games industry veteran Mark Darrah shares his thoughts on the $68.7 billion Microsoft-Activision buyout deal.

The Microsoft-Activision merger is shaking up the industry and has major implications for the future of the video games market. We've heard Sony, Microsoft, and a number of publishers argue their points on the matter through regulatory filings. We've seen lots of information, including how much Xbox Game Pass and Nintendo Switch Online made in 2021. But we haven't really heard the opinions from developers on the front lines of the industry--especially those that have spent decades at video game studios.

Mark Darrah, who had spent over 20 years at BioWare, recently gave his thoughts on the merger and consolidation in general. Darrah's opinion is noteworthy because he has not only shipped multiple high-profile games, but also gone through consolidations first-hand--Darrah was at the studio when EA purchased BioWare in 2007. Darrah is familiar with the shifts required not only in the games business itself but also the kinds of things that happen post-acquisition.

The Switch may soon be the best-selling console on the market as total lifetime Switch shipments break114 million worldwide.

The Nintendo Switch handheld-console hybrid has now reached 114.33 million shipments worldwide since its launch in March 2017. If Nintendo meets its shipment target, and it's very likely that it will, then the Switch will achieve over 126 million shipments by March 2023 and become the top console in terms of sell-in, beating the PlayStation 4's current 117.2 million figure.

Nintendo actually shipped less Switch units in Q2. Overall Switch shipments were down by some 580,000 units during the quarter, with 3.25 million Switch systems shipped in Q2'23 as compared to 3.83 million in Q2'22. Total Fiscal Year 2023 Switch shipments are at 6.68 and Nintendo needs to ship at least 12.23 million more Switch consoles in order to meet its yearly sales forecast.

Apple Arcade has reportedly conquered the video games subscription charts, beating out other game services like PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass, and Switch Online.

According to figures provided by Football Manager developer Sports Interactive Games, the subscriber numbers behind Apple Arcade dwarf other competing services. SIG's Miles Jaconbson tells website iMore that Apple Arcade could have at least 100 million subscribers: "I'm told nine-figure subscribers, I have no idea if those numbers are right or not."

If accurate, then Apple Arcade is far and away the leader in the video game subscription space. Some critical context is needed here though: Apple Arcade is available on a wide variety of iOS products, all of which have a much larger installed base than the PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Razer has just opened orders for its new Wolverine V2 Pro PlayStation 5 controller that has premium features and a premium price tag to match.

Razer's new Wolverine V2 Pro controller is the latest in the line of enthusiast-grade console peripherals, and packs big upgrades over the stock $69.99 PS5 DualSense controller--and rightly so, given the Wolverine's price tag. Razer's new high-end PS5 controller will set you back a whopping $249.99, which is roughly half the price of the most expensive PlayStation 5 console, the disc-based SKU which retails for $499 in the United States.

So what do you get for that kind of price? The Wolverine V2 Pro is enhanced in practically every way, featuring an Xbox controller-style layout, an upgraded D-Pad that's also like an Xbox controller, remappable buttons, paddles on the bottom of the controller with four separate triggers, more tactile face buttons that allow you to press the buttons faster, and what Razer calls HyperSpeed Wireless that significantly reduces wireless controller latency. There's also magnetic analog sticks that can be swapped out and Chroma RGB lighting, alongside four modes; wireless, wired, PC, or PS5.

EA today announced that Battlefield 2042 is coming to Game Pass, hinting the game is one step closer to some sort of critical free-to-play component.

On top of the myriad of technical issues and missing features, Battlefield 2042's steep price tag is a big barrier to entry. EA is reducing this friction by adding the ailing online-only shooter to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with the release of the game's new season 3 timeline, which starts in a few weeks. It's also coming to EA Access.

EA is also offering another free play weekend for console and Steam gamers, and these events are known for considerably spiking player numbers.

Death Stranding is a big success for PlayStation and Kojima Productions, becoming a best-selling first-party game for Sony's banner.

It's been 3 years since Death Stranding released (yes, really), and Hideo Kojima and his team are currently celebrating by sharing a big sales milestone (there's also cake...and it looks delicious).

The game has sold 10 million copies on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC since releasing in November 2019, putting it up against some of the best-selling first-party PlayStation games including The Last of Us II (this was only available on PS4, though).

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers are growing steadily and have now broken 36 million paid subscribers.

In a recent Q2 earnings Q&A with investors, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa gave updated numbers for the Switch Online service. According to Furukawa, total Switch Online has surpassed 36 million subscribers, up 4 million subscribers in the last three quarters.

"As of the end of September 2022, Nintendo Switch Online has more than 36 million paying members," Furukawa said in the brief.

Back in 2019, I said that backwards compatibility is the most important feature for new consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The same is true for Nintendo's rumored Switch 4K model.

In a recent Q&A with investors, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto delivered an ambiguous answer on whether or not the next Nintendo hardware will be backwards compatible with Switch games. Multiple Japanese-speaking users are having trouble deciphering Miyamoto's comments, but Nintendo's official English translated Q&A will clear things up.

For the time being, we have to stress the importance of backwards compatibility for any kind of new Switch hardware. Rumors of a new 4K-ready next-gen Switch have been circulating for years now. The Switch 4K is expected to utilize a new NVIDIA SoC, likely the new 8-core Tegra239 chip that's been codenamed "Drake," and the new upgraded Switch is also to utilize DLSS to achieve 4K gaming. Nintendo gave credence to these rumors by including a big dock upgrade with the Switch OLED that is capable of outputting to 4K 60FPS.

Sony is taking its new live service games very seriously and is working some of the best talent in the business to bring its billion-dollar plans to reality.

Sony is going all-in on live service games. First Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Bungie for $3.7 billion, sweeping up Destiny while also securing critical expertise in a big power buy. While Bungie will still retain creative independence under Sony, the Halo- and Destiny-maker will advise, consult, and help guide Sony's new fledgling live game ambitions.

More recently there are reports that Sony and Guerrilla Games are working closely with the online game experts at NC Soft on a new MMORPG set in the Horizon universe. Having developed games like the classic Lineage from the late 90s, NC Soft's know-how stretches across decades and the South Korean company's expertise has brought in nearly $14 billion in lifetime revenues across its five biggest games.

The Grand Theft Auto franchise has generated nearly $8 billion in net revenues since GTA V's release way back in 2013, data from Take-Two Interactive confirms.

Every quarter, Take-Two Interactive publishes SEC filings that outline the company's quarterly performance, including revenues, profit, cash flow, debt, risk factors, etc. Hidden in the filings is mention of how much net revenue that Grand Theft Auto products generate for that particular quarter. We've cataloged and charted these numbers to get a better picture of how the franchise is performing.

Based on data published by Take-Two and collected by us, the Grand Theft Auto franchise has made $7.84 billion cumulatively since Grand Theft Auto V's release in September 2013. The franchise made $152 million in Q2'23, aligning with early coronavirus earnings. While this is not the lowest quarter for GTA revenues, it is the lowest period the past 13 quarters (or 52 months).

CD PROJEKT RED has just pushed out a new update for Cyberpunk 2077 which adds something new for both PC gamers and console gamers alike.

Cyberpunk 2077's new v1.61 update has added AMD FSR 2.1 upscaling technology support for PC and "next-gen" which are really current-gen consoles now: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles. CD PROJEKT RED already has NVIDIA DLSS 2.0 support for Cyberpunk 2077, but with the new FSR 2.1 support it means temporal upscaling technology can be used across a bigger range of graphics cards (and consoles).

In the update notes for the v1.61 patch for Cyberpunk 2077, CD PROJEKT RED explains that there's added support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.1 (for "PC and next-gen consoles only") but there are plenty of other changes in the new Cyberpunk 2077 update.

Take-Two Interactive stock is down 18% after yesterday's earnings call, but company CEO Strauss Zelnick is still optimistic about the company's trajectory.

Yesterday Take-Two Interactive upset investors with downward revisions for its Fiscal Year 2023 earnings forecast that shaved off roughly $320 million on both the low and high-end; Take-Two previously forecasted $5.73 - $5.83 billion in net bookings for FY23, and the new revision is at $5.41 - $5.510 billion. This downgrade coupled with lower-than-expected monetization revenues and key statements that in-game purchases are "under pressure" led to a significant drop in stock price.

At the time of writing, Take-Two stock is trading at $93.57 USD, down 18.68% in the past 5 days. Now company CEO Strauss Zelnick gives a response on the share drop:

Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive pledges more support for the Microsoft-Activision merger.

In a recent interview with CNBC, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick gives a frank response to the Microsoft-Activision merger: "We have no concerns."

Zelnick says that Take-Two Interactive was contacted by worldwide regulators concerning the megaton $68.7 billion Microsoft-Activision merger, and that the company itself didn't have any issues with the combination.

Sony is reportedly working with NCSoft to develop a new online game based on the Horizon franchise, sources have told Korean news network MTN.

Sony is shifting its focus to live service games and is currently working alongside some of the best online developers in the business, including Bungie, who it recently acquired for $3.7 billion, and external worldwide partners. One of these partners is reportedly NCSoft, one of the best live operators in the business.

According to Korean news media, Sony has entrusted the development of a new MMORPG set in the world of one if its best-selling PlayStation 4 franchises, Guerrilla Games' Horizon series. The game is codenamed Project H and is currently in active recruitment phases. It is unknown when the game will be ready, but this is likely the co-op project that was previously rumored.

The European Commission today announced that it would not outright approve the Microsoft-Activision merger, and the regulatory body has expressed its concerns about the merger.

Microsoft's proposed $70 billion buyout of Activision-Blizzard is being closely scrutinized by worldwide regulators. The merger has entered in investigation phases across multiple regulators including the FTC in the United States, the CMA in the United Kingdom, and now the European Commission in Europe.

The European Commission is prepared to closely examine the deal, but preliminary findings suggest that the Microsoft-Activision merger could significantly reduce competition across multiple gaming segments including PC and console game distribution, multi-game subscription services, and the nascent cloud streaming market. The EU regulators make similar arguments as the CMA, who has been the most vocal regarding the merger.

Today Nintendo announced that it is forming an official joint venture with DeNA in order to help bolster its network and services integration for its games.

After 7 years of collaboration, Nintendo is entering into a joint venture agreement with DeNA. The two companies will share resources (and more importantly, risk) as they work together to build things like Nintendo Account integration into online titles across mobile devices.

The purpose of the deal is: "Research and development, as well as operations to strengthen the digitalization of Nintendo's business, in addition to the creation of value-added services." Nintendo Systems Co. Limited will retain 80% of the capital structure whereas DeNA will have 20%, and the joint venture is expected to be approved in April 2023.

Activision does plan to release a premium Call of Duty game in 2023, but it won't be a mainline sequel or spin-off.

Today Activision confirmed that Call of Duty's annual release structure will not be interrupted. The publisher says that a premium Call of Duty game is set to launch in 2023, but gave no further details on what it could be.

Sources have told Bloomberg's Jason Schreier that Call of Duty 2023 will actually be a big paid expansion to Modern Warfare 2. The game will be developed by Sledgehammer Games (Advanced Warfare, WWII) and is planned to have a dearth of content.

The humongous popularity of Keanu Reeves' performance in the hit movie series John Wick has sparked ideas for a video game adaptation to be created.

The movie franchise began in 2014, and since the release of the first movie, the former hitman John Wick starring Keanu Reeves, has received massive popularity for its incredible fight scene choreography, a gripping revenge story, and the exponential number of victims that Wick leaves in his wake. The movie franchise has collectively grossed more than $587 million worldwide, and the fourth installment, John Wick: Chapter 4, is currently in post-production with a release date set for March 24, 2023.

With all of the success behind the John Wick franchise and the inherit high levels of action ingrained in each of the movies, it seems like a no-brainer to explore the idea of creating a video game adaption of John Wick. At least that is what Lionsgate's CEO, Jon Feltheimer thinks as he recently confirmed that his team is "fielding proposals" for a "AAA" John Wick game. The Lionsgate CEO said that nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but the company believes that "there is a big AAA game to be made out of John Wick", but isn't prepared to "say anything more" on that topic.

Following its combination with Zynga, Take-Two Interactive is now interested in pursuing subscriptions, game streaming, and even Web 3 technologies as potential growth vectors for its business.

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick is typically conservative in its views, and has expressed lots of skepticism against emerging trends like game subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass and game streaming. Now in a recent Q2 investors briefing, the company has outlined a few interesting pathways to potential future growth, including Web 3 integration.

The emerging growth opportunities include possible exploration in things like: