Gaming - Page 352

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has broken new sales records and the duo now has the biggest launch in franchise history.

Despite ongoing controversy regarding in-game performance and often-hilarious glitches, the new Pokemon duo on Switch is performing extremely well. The game has broken all previous records for any Pokemon series release with 10 million copies sold digitally and physically in the first 3 days of availability.

Nintendo confirms that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet also achieved the highest worldwide launch sales out of any video game in the history of all Nintendo video games. For comparison's sake, the previous Switch record-holder, Animal Crossing New Horizons, managed to sell 11 million copies in 11 days' time during the height of the coronavirus. The previous best-launched Pokemon game was Arceus, which had sold over 6.5 million copies in 7 days.

Sony has revealed when it plans to launch its new next-gen PS6, but when will Microsoft's next Xbox launch?

Microsoft has already confirmed it is working on a new next-gen Xbox console, and now we have some basic idea when the system will launch. In a lengthy 111-page response to UK regulators on the proposed Activision merger, Microsoft has outlined some interesting tidbits about the future of the console market.

According to Microsoft, the next console generation is expected to start in 2028. This would give the current Xbox Series X/S and PS5 generation an eight-year lifecycle that aligns with previous generations. Gen 8, which includes the Xbox One and PS4, has marginally wound down throughout 2021. Gen 9 is expected to last from 2020 - 2028, and give way to Gen 10 in 2028 and beyond.

The PlayStation 5 just turned 2 years old, and the next-generation PlayStation 6 could release in just a couple years' time.

The United Kingdom's Competition Markets Authority regulatory body, who is currently investigating the Microsoft-Activision merger, just published two new sets of documents today that reveal some very interesting information. One of the documents outlines Sony's response and statements to the CMA's concerns about the merger. Included in Sony's comments is a snippet about the next-generation PlayStation console.

According to the document, Sony could expect the PlayStation 6 to release as early as 2027. This would give the PS5 a shorter 7-year life cycle when compared to the PlayStation 4. No details on the new PS6 were confirmed or discussed, just a brief timetable on when consumers could expect the new higher-end PlayStation hardware.

The $31 billion Call of Duty franchise may deliver its best year ever as 2022 numbers continue to soar.

Call of Duty is currently at a watershed moment. In the next few months, the franchise will have five monetized products on the market at once: Modern Warfare 2, Warzone 1.0, Warzone 2.0, Warzone Mobile, and Call of Duty Mobile. Modern Warfare 2 isn't just a game, it's the gateway to new experiences like Warzone Mobile and Warzone 2.0, both of which have been built from the ground up in the MW2 game engine.

Activision's master plan, which combines full games with cross-platform live services, is paying off big time. Call of Duty is so big that it commands all of Activision's development teams and to much success; Modern Warfare 2 made $1 billion from game sales alone in 10 days time, breaking previous franchise records. MW2 was also the #1 best-selling digital Call of Duty game in PlayStation history.

A new Alien game is in development and it could be a spiritual successor to the popular Alien Isolation thriller.

The next Alien game will be a big-budget AAA survival horror game, sources have told Insider Gaming. No details about the new project have been announced, however it's possible this project and Alien Isolation 2 are in simultaneous development (although this seems unlikely given the niche appeal of horror, and that both projects would then technically be AAA games).

The Alien series has seen a modern resurgence over the last two decades, first with the ill-fated Aliens Colonial Marines, then with the well-received fright fest Alien Isolation in 2014. We've also seen Aliens Fireteam Elite, which stands far above Colonial Marines as the best Alien shooter ever made, and a brief foray into mobile games. The next Alien project, Aliens: Dark Descent, will round out the catalog with an isometric squad-based tactics game.

Both Microsoft and Sony are relaying sensitive information about closed-doors deals and discussions on the impending Activision merger, and it probably isn't good for either company.

Pressure is mounting on the $68.7 billion Activision merger. Worldwide regulators are closely scrutinizing the deal, which would bestow upon Microsoft eight separate billion-dollar Activision-Blizzard franchises, including the $31 billion mega-hit Call of Duty, the mobile sensation Candy Crush, and the PC MMORPG World of Warcraft. The pressure has had different effects on Microsoft and Sony.

Microsoft, for one, has responded to the pressure with increased confidence and clarity in its messaging around the merger. Through Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Microsoft has now delivered four separate clear-cut statements on how it intends to continue releasing Call of Duty on PlayStation.

Microsoft has offered Sony a deal that's almost too good to be true--a deal that could assuage regulators as they closely investigate the enormity of Activision merger.

According to new reports from the New York Times, Microsoft has offered Sony a deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for at least 10 years. This deal, which Sony probably won't accept (or publicly admit that it has accepted) during the ongoing regulatory investigations, would effectively guarantee Call of Duty games on the PlayStation platform until 2032. That's a hell of a deal from a company who had originally wanted to only guarantee 3 years of access to Call of Duty.

Why is this such a big deal? It shows Microsoft is willing to offer a long-term, meaningful deal to Sony and address one of the most contentious points of the merger. It also puts Sony in a tight position--do they accept the deal and undermine their position on the merger, which argues that the deal would reduce competition and access for consumers?

Starbreeze is going all out on Payday 3's development, but Payday 2 continues delivering surprisingly high playercounts.

Starbreeze recently announced some impressive Q3 financials and reiterated its progress on Payday 3. The developer says that Payday 3's development is going quite well and that expansion efforts at Overkill have kicked off to help finalize the game for its incoming 2023 release.

"The development of PAYDAY 3 is proceeding according to plan, and together with our co-publishing partner, Plaion (which has changed its name from Koch Media group), we are working hard to ensure a successful launch in 2023. Many people are waiting for more information about the exact release date and to see content from the game, and we will provide updates closer to the launch," said Starbreeze CEO Tobias Sjogren

While Sony just raised the base MSRP of the PlayStation 5 in all worldwide markets except for the United States, Microsoft has discounted its digital-only Xbox Series S by $50 for the holiday season.

Sony is currently prepping to ship 18 million PlayStation 5 consoles by March 2023 with a focus on profitability and big weight reductions that will lead to lower shipment costs. Microsoft, on the other hand, is actually discounting the price of its cheaper Xbox Series console in an effort to build out its console installed base and to engage more users into its online, digital-focused gaming market.

The Xbox Series S is currently on sale for $249 across multiple retailers including the Microsoft Store. This sale is actually quite meaningful for Microsoft's business; Xbox's Phil Spencer has said the company loses $100-200 on every console, and this indicates Microsoft is willing to take even more of a loss in exchange for the potential of selling more systems during an challenging economical period that happens to coincide with the holiday 2022 season.

Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka has been arrested by Japanese authorities on suspicion of insider trading.

Game developer Yuji Naka, who has worked on nearly 20 Sonic games and more recently Balan Wonderworld, has been apprehended by Tokyo police on allegations of insider trading. Naka was one of three individuals who were arrested for allegedly violating Japan's Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, the other two include Taisuke Sasaki and Fumiaki Suzuki.

According to reports, Naka, Sasaki, and Suzuki were arrested for insider trading in regards to the recent Dragon Quest Tact mobile game. All three individuals allegedly purchased stock in Aiming, the developer behind Dragon Quest Tact, before the mobile game was announced with the belief that Aiming's share value would increase following the game's announcement and subsequent release.

Microsoft reiterates that Call of Duty will not only remain on PlayStation, but continue to ship to the platform as a native gaming experience.

In a recent interview with The Verge's Decoder, Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer makes new comments about Microsoft's plans for the $31 billion Call of Duty franchise as worldwide regulators investigate the proposed Microsoft-Activision merger.

Spencer reiterates major points that Microsoft intends to treat Call of Duty like Minecraft and that there's no tricks--just the same mainline, premium Call of Duty that gamers are enjoying now.

Starbreeze is currently working on a new IP outside of Payday, but it could be a licensed series from another publisher.

After an going flirt with disaster, Payday developer Starbreeze is back making new games again. The studio signed a big multi-year deal with Plaion (former Koch Media) to publish Payday 3. That's not the only project the company is working on, though; Starbreeze is also busy crafting its next game that won't be set within the Payday universe.

In a recent Q3 earnings presentation, Starbreeze confirms it is actively developing a new game in a fresh IP. Its next project is due out in or around 2025 and it could be set in either a licensed IP or one that the studio creates themselves.

I've you've been enjoying Overwatch 2 but missing Mei, it's time... Blizzard has announced a new Overwatch 2 update that includes a bunch of changes, including the re-introduction of Mei.

The team has tweaked other heroes in the new Overwatch 2 update -- nerfing Genji and Zarya -- with Blizzard also announcing changes to Overwatch 2's battle pass, amongst other things. Starting with Zarya, her barriers protect herself from harm -- and allies -- while taking in all the damage that amplifies her beam weapon. Blizzard has tweaked the duration of Zarya's abilities, decreasing them from 2.5 seconds to 2 seconds, so you'll have to be careful moving in as hard as you would as Zarya.

Genji has been nerfed, with Blizzard reducing the number of shurikens you have, as well as making them less powerful. Not many changes there, but Genji fans might not (or might) be happy with that. In a new developer blog, the new Executive Producer for Overwatch 2, Jared Neuss, explains that they've changed the rewards up for Season 2 so that each skin you can earn by playing, in addition to the other cosmetic rewards you'd normally get in Overwatch 2.

MAINGEAR has announced a totally new direction for the company, announcing its new customizable MG-1 desktop gaming PC, 3D System Configuration Experience... and oh, game streamer Michael "shroud" Grzesiek is now a co-owner and working with the team on refreshing its new MG-1 and especially, the new MG-1 shroud Edition gaming desktop PCs.

At the same time, MAINGEAR has ushered in a major brand refresh across its entire website and product, and a new era for the company can begin, with shroud at the center of it.

The new MAINGEAR MG-1 has been crafted from the ground up for the best performance, unlimited customization, and understated simplicity. Shroud steps in as a co-owner of MAINGEAR, using his experience in the gaming industry and streaming to ensure that the company fine-tuned its MG-1 desktop gaming PC for the world's best games. Frames win, baby!

Amazon has fired multiple engineers and software developers that are responsible for its Luna game streaming platform.

Amazon Luna may be the next game streaming service on the chopping block. The billion-dollar shipping titan is currently paring back and trimming unsucessful portions of its business in an attempt to maximize profitability, leading to mass layoffs. Reports indicate that Amazon will fire 10,000 people across a number of divisions, including its devices department, which has reportedly lost over $5 billion in a single year. Amazon is following Meta's lead in forcibly shrinking employee headcounts, as well as Twitter, who recently let go of more than half of its staff following Elon Musk taking control of the platform.

Luna, the video game streaming service that Amazon launched in 2020, has also been affected by layoffs. According to the #amazonlayoffs hashtag on LinkedIn, Amazon has let go of multiple software developers and engineers that were part of the Luna service team. In fact, it appears most of the Luna team itself has been fired:

Sony has just published a very interesting patent that would use blockchain ledgers to keep track of in-game items such as cosmetics and user-generated content, which includes screenshots, video, and even user-created items. This system could theoretically be tied to a token economy where users buy and sell digital content.

Note: This existence of this patent does not mean the features described herein will be available in any finalized product or service.

Sony's latest patent, US20220358450 - TRACKING UNIQUE IN-GAME DIGITAL ASSETS USING TOKENS ON A DISTRIBUTED LEDGER, has some far-reaching implications for the future of the PlayStation brand. The core idea is pretty simple: Sony is patenting a way to use blockchain ledgers to keep track of digital content to authenticate and appraise value so that the digital assets can be sold in a marketplace. Assets include cosmetics, in-game items, customized weapons and armor, game save files and loadouts, and even social content created by PlayStation users like screenshots and video. We have to stress that a lot of this is theoretical and there's a good chance that most of the features described in the patent will not be used.

Saints Row developer Volition has been transferred from Deep Silver (aka Plaion) and is now part of Gearbox Entertainment.

Today the Embracer Group made history. For the first time, the decentralized gaming giant moved a studio from one operating group to another. For over a decade Volition has been part of the Deep Silver label. following multiple disappointments, including the ill-fated Agents of Mayhem and the more successful Saints Row reboot, Volition has now been transferred to Gearbox Entertainment.

While it has yet to be confirmed, it is likely that Volition will remain its own core studio and could be the sixth operating unit under the Gearbox Entertainment banner, which includes Gearbox Software (games), Gearbox Publishing (indie games), Gearbox Studios (transmedia) and Gearbox Properties (strategies).

It's been a long, long wait for Dead Island 2...but we'll have to wait a little longer.

Dead Island 2 has received its (hopefully) final delay. The absurd grindhouse bloodfest will not release in February 2023, and will instead launch on April 28, 2023 on last-gen and current-gen consoles and PC. The developers say that this 12-week delay will give them critical extra time to finalize the game into something they can be proud of.

"The release date has been moved for the long-awaited action and horror game, Dead Island 2, developed by internal studio Deep Silver Dambuster (PLAION). The release originally planned for February has been moved to April 28 by internal publisher Deep Silver (PLAION)," Embracer wrote in its recent report.

Sony won't come out and admit that it's working on its next-gen PlayStation 6 console, let alone the probably decades-away PlayStation 7 console, but that hasn't stopped Xbox boss Phil Spencer from pumping out some free marketing for the PS7.

In some new comments during an interview on the Decoder podcast, Spencer talked about the Call of Duty franchise -- now that Microsoft is acquiring Activision-Blizzard in a whopping $69 billion deal -- with Spencer saying that Microsoft will be treating Call of Duty like it does Minecraft: offering Sony to extend their 3-year agreement.

But... PlayStation boss Jim Ryan isn't happy, calling the deal "inadequate on many levels".

A recent interview with Phil Spencer indicates that Candy Crush makes more money than Activision, but more contextual data reveals that this isn't necessarily the case.

Decoder recently published a lengthy interview with Xbox gaming exec Phil Spencer that touches upon many subjects including Call of Duty exclusivity and Microsoft's mobile aspirations. King is a big reason why Microsoft wants to buy Activision for $68.7 billion, and looking at the revenues, we can see why. However it's important to note that King does not make more money than Activision on an annual basis--in fact, it never has since Activision-Blizzard purchased the mobile giant in 2016.

Data published by Activision Blizzard indicates that King makes more revenues on a quarterly basis during the Q1-Q3 period, but Activision conquers segment earnings with significant revenue spikes in the Q4 holiday period.