Gaming - Page 359

Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor alleges that PlatinumGames and/or Nintendo only offered to pay her $4,000 to voice the witch heroine in the third game, and is now standing up against big business.

Following the significant failure of Babylon's Fall, PlatinumGames is embroiled in another big gaming controversy. Nintendo too is also involved, fresh off the heels of a controversy surrounding a fired game tester.

Hellena Taylor says that Nintendo and PlatinumGames offered an "insulting" $4,000 to do the entirety of voice acting in Bayonetta 3. Taylor has issued two videos on Twitter claiming that she suffered from depression and anxiety because the offer was so low that she worried about becoming homeless, and at one point became suicidal from the depression.

Gotham Knights is locked to just 30FPS on both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles...two systems that are technically capable of 120FPS gaming.

Warner Bros. Montreal is facing a big controversy ahead of its new game launch. The studio has confirmed that Gotham Knights, its new open-city Batman brawler game, will not perform above 30 frames-per-second even when leveraging the upgraded power of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles.

So why is Gotham Knights locked to just 30FPS on systems that can output at 120FPS? It appears the two-player co-op is to blame, but exact technical reasons were not touched upon.

Data suggests that the addition of Call of Duty into Xbox Game Pass could indeed be a so-called "tipping point" that pushes Microsoft into the market leader position for multi-game subscriptions by revenues.

Microsoft recently published a response to the concerns raised by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) regarding its merger with Activision. The trillion-dollar corporation makes an interesting claim as part of the response, saying that acquiring Call of Duty won't "'tip subscription services in Xbox's favor." Data suggests otherwise, however.

We'll be focusing just on Call of Duty, however other series like Diablo and Overwatch (both of which are billion-dollar franchises) will add further compounded value to the Game Pass subscription.

How much are gaming's big 3 platform holders making from subscriptions? Quite a bit.

Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony are all making considerable revenue streams from their respective subscription services. Thanks to figures made public by Brazil's CADE competition authority, we're now able to compare the Big 3's subscription revenues for calendar year 2021.

According to the data, PlayStation's subscription lead over Xbox is not as substantial as many had thought. PlayStation's subscription duo--PS Plus and PS Now--only beat Xbox subscriptions by some $700 million throughout 2021. Those numbers do not include the full extent of Xbox Game Pass revenues and are only limited to consoles, not including PC earnings.

Brazilian's economic competition regulators note that Sony would be materially impacted from the loss of Call of Duty, but at a catastrophic level for the company.

A bit ago, Brazil's CADE regulatory body had approved the Microsoft-Activision merger without restrictions. The branch had published a 76-page document (now 75 pages after a very important redaction) outlining their reasoning behind the decision.

Included in the document is discussion on Call of Duty exclusivity and what would happen to Sony if the franchise were made exclusive to Xbox. Microsoft has doubled-down on assertions that Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation, but for the sake of argument let's take a look at what CADE has to say about this situation.

Brazil's economic regulators just approved the Microsoft-Activision merger without restrictions, but its determination document is decided myopic on one of Microsoft's strongest points: Video game subscriptions.

Following its approval of Activision-Blizzard's merger with Microsoft, Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) regulatory body put out a massive 76-page document that outlines how it came to its decision. The missive is incredibly thorough and has turned out to be a treasure trove of data while providing an in-depth look at how the market is read and interpreted by anti-competitive watchdogs.

The document in itself goes through painstaking detail on key points of $196 billion video games industry, discussing market share, downstream and upstream markets, and delivers illuminating data on just how big Sony's position really is. There's just one aspect that CADE was short-sighted on, and it happens to be the core of the Xbox business: Subscriptions.

New Vegas-era dialog skill checks are back, and Starfield will have a unique persuasion system befit of a "classic" Bethesda game.

Starfield is shaping up for its impending 2023 launch, and no epic Bethesda RPG would be complete without an innovative dialog system. We've already reported that Starfield wouldn't recreate one of Fallout 4's biggest mistakes, but now Bethesda's Todd Howard discusses more info on the game's dialog mechanics.

"We've a lot of different dialog systems, we've gone back to a kind of classic Bethesda style dialog system. You're looking at the character and how they emote and there's a series of choices there," Howard said in a new Starfield video.

Bethesda has done everything from consulting with Elon Musk to studying quantum physics research papers to inject more reality into Starfield.

In a new Starfield promo video, Todd Howard talks about developments the team is making in the massive epic space RPG. Bethesda originally wanted a fair amount of realism in the game, but Howard says that some of these mechanics just didn't fly.

"We were really into fuel and how the gravity drive works...I'm reading papers on quantum physics, you know, bending space in front of you, you don't actually work, you bend the space forward, you bring the space toward you," Howard said in the video.

UPDATE: CADE has released a new revised document that removes the revenue values from the tables listed below.

Nintendo Switch Online (launched in 2018) has generated nearly $1 billion in revenues throughout 2021, new documents from Brazilian regulator CADE have revealed.

Brazil's government competition watchdog CADE recently approved the Microsoft-Activision merger. The regulator published a sizable 76-page document detailing how it made its determination, revealing valuable data points in the process. CADE's report revealed how much Xbox Game Pass made in 2021, for instance, showing that the service is a meaningful contributor to Xbox revenues.

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick makes interesting comments about entertainment streaming subscriptions that could in theory be applied to the current multi-game subscription market.

Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive, has always been skeptical of new technologies and business models. Zelnick typically delivers level-headed responses to emerging entertainment industry trends and has made some interesting comments about streaming subscriptions that could be applied to other media subscriptions on a macro level.

In a recent interview with The Wrap, Zelnick outlines why overspending on production can lead to mediocre content. These comments are in regards to entertainment streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Peacock, and Paramount+, however they could be applied to game subscriptions--to a degree at least. Zelnick further pontificates that the current exclusionary media streaming market will eventually fold back into itself out of necessity and that big networks will once again start cross-streaming content on competing services as a back-end solution--which is something the games industry actually has a head start on.

Take-Two Interactive has no plans to adapt all of its hit IPs into mobile games following its $12.7 billion buyout of Zynga.

A bit ago, Grand Theft Auto and NBA 2K publisher Take-Two merged with Zynga in the second-largest video games acquisition in history. Up until now, Take-Two has only had a fledgling presence in mobile, but Zynga's multi-billion games and adtech empire ensures boarder market expansion for the publisher.

It's a match made in heaven. Take-Two has a huge library of IP, and Zynga has the mobile know-how. So which games are getting adapted as mobile ports? We know the GTA Definitive Edition trilogy is coming to mobile, and that mobile games will make up 44% or Take-Two's upcoming slate of video game projects (38 mobile games out of 87 projects total).

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick comments on the possibility of the Grand Theft Auto publisher being acquired by another company.

Consolidation is running rampant in the $198 billion gaming sector. Microsoft wants to buy out Activision-Blizzard shares for nearly $70 billion, and Take-Two themselves just acquired Zynga in a huge $12.7 billion deal. There's reports Tencent is on the hunt for majority stakes, too. High-stakes Western games publishers are in the potential crosshair, including EA and GTA giant Take-Two Interactive.

Interestingly enough, Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick gives a rather level-headed answer on a possible buyout. "Not really [I don't worry about being acquired.] We're a public company and all public companies are potentially available and if someone shows up with up with a meaningful cash offer at a meaningful premium, every public company has to engage," Zelnick said in a recent interview with TheWrap.

Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of games titan Take-Two Interactive, supports the incoming merger of Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard.

Sony is firmly opposed to Microsoft's $68.7 billion merger with Activision-Blizzard, but other industry players aren't up in arms. Take-Two Interactive, one of the most powerful forces in the games industry, actually welcomes the merger and encourages the competition.

The reality is that Take-Two Interactive doesn't have a whole lot of reasons to oppose the merger. The publisher has made billions of dollars through the Xbox ecosystem, whether it be full game sales on the Xbox store, big-budget deals for providing its games on Game Pass, or in-game purchases through its microtransaction-driven live games. Heavy-hitters like Grand Theft Auto V, a bevy of annualized NBA 2K games, and titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 have all leveraged the reach and spending power of the Xbox platform.

German automaker BMW wants to bring casual gaming into its vehicles beginning next year, after announcing a partnership with AirConsole. The games are powered using the vehicle's entertainment system, with passengers able to use their smartphones as controls.

People excited will have to keep in mind that AirConsole specializes in casual games, so you're not going to be able to magically boot up Call of Duty while riding in the car. To connect a smartphone to the entertainment system, interested players will scan a QR code that pops up on the screen.

As said by Stephan Durach, SVP of the BMW Group Connected Company Development: "With AirConsole we will leverage innovative technologies combined with a broad variety of fun and multiplayer games. This will make every waiting situation inside the vehicle, such as charging, an enjoyable moment."

Google pulls a very Google move with its latest product announcement.

Today Google announced the "ultimate cloud gaming laptop," a quizzical claim for a nascent market. The new Google Chromebooks are optimized specifically for cloud gaming on every platform except, well, Google's own cloud gaming service.

These Chromebooks couldn't have come at a worse time. Google recently announced it would shut down Stadia, its game streaming service, in 2023. Google promptly closed all access to the Stadia storefront so no one can buy games. The new Chromebooks have no mention of Stadia whatsoever and instead advertise competing services like NVIDIA's GeForce Now, Microsoft's xCloud streaming, and even Amazon Luna.

Microsoft's cloud gaming plan is accelerating and will help the nascent market mature on a mass market level.

Xbox's cloud gaming platform is evolving. Today Microsoft revealed two key developments that will help push cloud adoption, reach, and access to new levels. One announcement was actually a tease--Xbox boss Phil Spencer showed what appears to be an unannounced Xbox device, which is believed to be the often-rumored Xbox streaming box aimed at delivering console-free gaming through cloud gaming.

The other development seems small but is actually pretty big. Microsoft has added the ability to launch cloud games from its search engine Bing. If a game is offered on Xbox cloud streaming, searching for the game will bring up a dedicated play button that opens up a streaming link on the Xbox mainsite. Within two clicks, Game Pass Ultimate can jump right into a game via the browser.

Phil Spencer might be teasing a new unannounced Xbox device aimed at cloud gaming.

Phil Spencer's shelf is something of a celebrity in itself. At first glance, the shelf looks innocuous enough with gaming curios--there's a controller, a sword, other mementos--award plaques, and various devices. There's often secrets in the pictures, though. If the Xbox gaming boss shares a picture of the shelf then it's worth a second glance.

A closer look at the shelf shows what appears to be new Xbox system of some sort. It's too small to be a Series S, which is also pictured on the shelf. Speculation says that the device is the often-rumored Xbox streaming-only device that would allow gamers to access Xbox games entirely through the cloud, delivering instant console-free access.

Twitch streamers are getting seriously injured after jumping into a foam pit at TwitchCon San Diego

Multiple people have been harmed after jumping into a foam pit at the latest TwitchCon. One streamer, former adult film star Adriana Chechik, was severely injured after performing a high split jump into the foam pit. Chechik broke her back in two places and the injury is so severe that it requires surgery to implant a metal rod into her back.

"Well, I broke my back in two places and am getting surgery to put a metal rod in for support today. Send your support. When it rains it pours and I am definitely feeling the rain right now," Chechik said on Twitter.

UPDATE: CADE has released a new revised document that removes the revenue values from the tables listed below.

Microsoft reveals just how much money it makes from Xbox Game Pass on consoles, and it's quite a bit.

Right now multiple worldwide regulators are sifting through tons of games industry data. The massive Microsoft-Activision merger is looming and regulators have collected libraries of data, figures, testimonials, and expert opinions as they try to determine if the mega-merger is good for consumers and the $198 billion video games market as a whole.

Sony is tackling its live service games the proper way by releasing them across multiple platforms at once.

Sony wants to release 12 live games on the market by the year 2025. It's a big undertaking that will require experimentation, growing pains, and probably failure and eventual adaptation. Despite the risks, Sony wants to try and capture the lucrative live gaming market that generated over $7.5 billion for PlayStation last year.

A big part of this live games plan is releasing the titles across multiple platforms. Sony confirms that it will release its live games simultaneously on both PC and PlayStation consoles, which is a requirement in order to reach as many players as possible. Live service games live and die based on playerbase numbers and it is critical that they are made available on multiple storefronts, platforms, and mediums whenever possible.