Armored Core 6’s debut pushed Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to the second overall spot in news that video game journalists have been covering extensively.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Bandai Namco believes that ‘Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon’ is a “big step up in the franchise’ and communicated their hopes that it would surpass previous Armored Core games following the increased popularity in the game developers work on Elden Ring.

The United Kingdom charts also saw The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom move back to the 3rd spot, and FIFA 23 holding the 4th spot.

The biggest rise was from Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which jumped back in the top top from it’s previous 24th spot to land in 6th with a 146% increase in sales. That game, along with Hogwarts Legacy, is currently a part of a Playstation 5 bundle.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year edition entered the Top Ten this week with an appearance in the 9th spot.

The news wasn’t so good for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre which saw a debut in the 13th spot last week but has now dropped to 37th following a 43% decrease in sales week-on-week, despite it’s initial push on every video game streaming platform following it’s heavily hyped arrival.

Here is a breakdown from the United Kingdom Boxed Top Ten for the week ending on August 26th, via GamesIndustry.biz.

The post Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon Winning in United Kingdom appeared first on Sudairy.

The funding will be deployed to continue going towards the expansion of its mobile narrative offerings, and the studio aims to provide its generative AI developer tools to more writers and storytellers.

“It’s a huge honor to have Sony Innovation Fund join our roster of stellar investors, and we’re thrilled that they share our vision for the future of interactive media and storytelling,” Scriptic CEO Nihal Tharoor said, according to GamesIndustry.biz.

This marks another example of  studios who find Angel Investors and find VC investors to fund their initiatives, and those deals making waves in the gaming industry.

The post Scriptic Raises $6 Million in Additional Seed Funding appeared first on Sudairy.

SIE is aiming to expand the audio technology of Playstation games and with this deal, not only will Audeze help them in that mission but Audeze will continue to operate as a separate entity and develop its audio products, per a number of video game journalists covering the story.

“Audeze is a premier brand for headphones, and this acquisition highlights Sony Interactive’s focus on innovation and providing the best audio experience to PlayStation players,” SIE senior vice president of platform experience Hideaki Nishino said.

Stay tuned for more updates regarding this story.

The post Sony Acquiring Audeze appeared first on Sudairy.

To compare to Gamescom 2022, last year’s event saw more than 265,00 people visiting.

Cologne’s Koelnmesse saw 1,227 exhibitors from 63 countries, 76% of them were from aboard while trade visitors attendees numbered 31,000; 50% of them were foreign exhibitors which was on par with numbers from 2022.

The event saw impressive digital numbers, including on video game streaming platform, which saw a total of 180 million viewers that included around 20 million for the Opening Night Live hosted by Geoff Keighley.

“As anticipated by the impressive records for exhibitor count, floor space, and international participation, it has now been confirmed at the end of the event – Gamescom is and remains the world’s biggest gaming event” Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse said, according to GamesIndustry.biz.

“…And for the first time, companies like NetEase were represented in our entertainment area with a stand. All of this underscores the international significance of Gamescom and the attractiveness of Cologne as a location.”

Gamescom 2024 is scheduled for August 21st, 2024 and will run through August 25th, 2024.

The post Gamescom 2023 Sees Impressive Turnout appeared first on Sudairy.

Riot Games’ senior director of esports operations Raul Fernandez spoke about those challenges during the League Championship Series Summer finals last weekend stating that Riot Games were “trying to find their footing” and “a way to refresh our league” in light of declining viewership numbers, according to Axios.

“It’s been an interesting year for esports across the globe, but despite the hardships at Riot, we’re very much excited for the future and potential of esports, especially for the LCS,” Fernandez said, per Dot Esports.

“I just wanted to make it very loud and clear that the LCS is in a very healthy position financially because of this sustained and continued support from both external partners, the team side, from sponsors, as well as internally.”

The rise of live-streaming and an esports streaming platform hasn’t turned the tide as the LCS Summer finals saw a 21.8% drop in peak viewership compared to the LCS Spring finals, according to Esports Charts.

The troubling trends have been a focus for esports journalists covering the industry and Fernandez said one of the biggest challenges is the “complexity” of League of Legends. The report goes on to note that continuous updates and an expanded roster of characters “has made it hard for Riot games to sell in-game items themed to top players or teams” pointing to the choice for fans of the competition.

The post Riot Games Discusses League of Legends Esports appeared first on Sudairy.

According to the data:

The numbers

• Total users of Epic Games Store PC: 230 million (up 19% year-on-year)
• Epic cross-platform accounts: 732 million
• Daily active users peak: 34.3 million
• Monthly active users: 68 million (up 10%)

• Total spending, incl. Epic’s games: $820 million (down 2%)
• Spending on third-party games: $355 million (up 18%)
• Free games claimed: 700 million
• Number of new PC releases: 626
• Total library of PC games: 1,548 (up 68%)

Epic Games stated on it’s blog that more PC games launched during the 2022 year than in any year prior.

Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5, Rocket League, Genshin Impact, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands were among the most popular titles related to player engagement and player spending, and Epic Games looks to deepen their focus in 2023 as they aim to improve the store launcher’s performance.

Epic Games also aims to add support for subscription services from third-party publishers and live service products by the end of the 2023 year, adding that they are also working on ‘content hubs’ which will be separate from product pages and will enable publishers to “share information with users in a robust editorial format.”

The post Epic Games Store Hits $820 Million in Player Spending During 2022 appeared first on Sudairy.

While US District Judge Jacqueline Corley dismissed the case, she also gave the plaintiffs 20 days to refine their lawsuit and resubmit it, and the group’s lawyer, Joseph Saveri, said that there are plans to officially submit an amended lawsuit with “additional factual detail” that will address the judge’s concerns.

It marks a victory for Microsoft, but their battles are far from over as they still face a hearing over the Federal Trade Commission’s legal complaint, which is currently slated to take place in August of this year.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard originally expected the transaction to be complete by June 30, 2023.

The post California Judge Dismisses Gamers Lawsuit Filed Against Microsoft appeared first on Sudairy.

These are some of the appointments:

• Tim Hume – lead gameplay tech engineer
• JC Simbulan – lead animator
• Steven Goodwin – senior technical engineer
• Jurie Horneman – lead narrative engineer
• Cassandre Beaumier – production director
• Milo Casali – senior level designer

Netflix’s vice president and head of external games Leanne Loombe commented on the new title in the works for Netflix.

“It’s a big bet for us and we’re very much focused on creating an ecosystem around the streaming content and the game,” Loombe said. “It’s really a transmedia play for us in this brand new IP.”

The post Super Evil Megacorp Expanding Team for Netflix Project appeared first on Sudairy.

According to the company (via GamesIndustry.biz), “Team17 games label has initiated a re-alignment of elements within its studio operating business model in order to better meet the needs of our development partners and growth of our owned IP.

“This could result in a small number of redundancies; however, we have a number of roles open across the group and will be encouraging and supporting any colleagues that wish to apply.”

This continues a trend of layoffs within the tech industry that has taken place over the last several months and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

The post Team17 Cutting Jobs to Restructure Business Operations appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the report, the lawsuit will proceed based on the accusation that loot boxes in EA games may have adopted “deceptive acts or practices”.

In the lawsuit, Mark Sutherland, the plaintiff, has accused Electronic Arts (EA) of “deceptive and unconscionable acts or practices” under British Columbia’s Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act and brought the claim on behalf of all residents in British Columbia who have paid for loot boxes in over 70 EA games since 2008.

Part of the suit alleges that by selling loot boxes, Electronic Arts (EA) has ‘engaged in unlawful gaming or gambling’ which is in breach of ‘multiple offences in Part Seven of the Criminal Code’, and while Fleming decided that Sutherland’s claim around ‘deceptive acts and practices’ may proceed, the part of the suit centered on gambling would not proceed.

Now, Sutherland has leave to amend his notice against Electronic Arts (EA), but can not “as it relates to allegations of unlawful gaming”.

“Consequently, there is no prospect of gaining, or losing, anything with a real-world value through the defendants’ in-house auctions,” Judge Fleming said. “Unlike a casino chip, virtual currency and virtual items in loot boxes can never be ‘cashed out’ to gain money.

“Given that wagering or a bet must involve the chance of winning or losing real money or money’s worth, in my view, only the allegation of purchasing and selling virtual items through third-party marketplaces could support this element” the judge continued.

“However, this allegation is unrelated to the pleading that identifies the game as the loot box and the bet or wagering as the purchase and opening of a loot box. In other words, the transaction that grounds the unlawful gaming allegation and the wagering element is the initial loot box purchase and opening.

“In any event, as the defendants emphasize, the allegation of purchasing and selling loot box items through third-party marketplaces is entirely disconnected from the class members. The same is true of the defendants. There is no pleading that class members purchased the defendants’ loot boxes for the purpose of purchasing and selling virtual items through third-party marketplaces, let alone participated in third-party marketplaces. Nor is it suggested that the defendants published, promoted, distributed or sold them for any purpose related to these marketplaces. Of course it is the defendants, not class members, who are alleged to have engaged in unlawful gaming.”

Judge Fleming concludes that the argument has “no reasonable prospect of success” but added that “A central focus of Mr Sutherland’s pleading from the outset and yet fundamentally defective both factually and legally, I would not grant leave to amend this aspect of the claim. Recognizing my gate-keeping function at this stage of the proceedings, I view striking this aspect of the claim as in the interests of effective and fair litigation.”

Electronic Arts (EA) has since responded in an official statement: “We’re pleased that the trial court rejected, as a matter of law, the allegations of unlawful gaming. The court’s decision reaffirms our position that nothing in our games constitutes gambling.”

The post Canada Judge Rejects Unlawful Gambling Accusation Against EA in Class Action Lawsuit appeared first on Sudairy.

“Needless to say, we won’t pay,” Riot said in the statement.  “While this attack disrupted our build environment and could cause issues in the future, most importantly we remain confident that no player data or player personal information was compromised.”

Riot Games continued by saying that it’s been working to assess the leak’s impact on anticheat as “any exposure of source code can increase the likelihood of new cheats emerging.” The company added that “experimental features” were also exposed, saying that “most of this content is in prototype and there’s no guarantee it will ever be released.”

Riot Games first announced the hack back on January 20th, saying it was a “social engineering attack.”

The post Riot Games Victims of Cyberattack appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the company, Roiland’s resignation was received on January 16th, and the company added that it will continue to support High on Life, which released on December 13, 2022, and “keep developing games we know our fans will love.”

Roiland, who is the studio’s co-founder, was charged with felony domestic battery with corporal injury and false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit earlier this month.

“Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” Adult Swim/Cartoon Network/Boomerang senior vp communications Marie Moore said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, ‘Rick & Morty’ will continue, but with new voice actors cast in the iconic roles voiced by Roiland.

The post Squanch Games CEO Justin Roiland Resigns appeared first on Sudairy.

According to the report, Washington Post executive editor Sally Buzbee sent a memo to staff today informing them of the upcoming changes, explaining that the media brand will be laying off 20 people from the newsroom.

While the memo does not make a mention of Launcher, the report cited two sources with saying that the Washington Post plans on axing Launcher.

When the Washington Post initially brought Launcher live back in 2019, they hyped it as “a dedicated section that aims to recalibrate the conversation with classically trained journalists who were raised on games.”

Unfortunately, the Washington Post is just the latest video game news media brand to impost layoffs, much like IGN, GameInformer, Vice, G4 (which was shut down entirely), and Polygon, among others.

The post Washington Post Set to Shut Down Gaming Section appeared first on Sudairy.

“Unfortunately, Proletariat CEO Seth Sivak said. “Like many founders, he took the workers’ concerns as a personal attack and held a series of meetings that demoralized and disempowered the group, making a free and fair election impossible.

“As we have seen at Microsoft’s Zenimax studio, there is another path forward, one that empowers workers through a free and fair process, without intimidation or manipulation by the employer. We will continue to advocate alongside workers in the video game industry for better working conditions, higher standards and a union voice.”

Activision Blizzard made the following statement, according to GamesIndustry.biz: “We appreciate that the CWA has unilaterally decided to withdraw its petition in response to employee feedback. As we’ve stated, we welcomed the opportunity for each employee to safely express their preferences through a confidential vote. Our team at Proletariat does extraordinary work every day. They remain focused on working with their teams to continue to make Proletariat a place where all can grow, thrive, and be part of an amazing team and culture.”

“That is totally false. The Proletariat CEO was responding to concerns from employees who felt pressured or intimidated by CWA and wanted more information about what joining a union could mean. He was defending his employees’ right to express their true preferences in a private vote, so they couldn’t be targeted for their perspectives – like he himself is being targeted by the CWA right now.”

The post Proletariat Unionization Vote Request Withdrawn appeared first on Sudairy.

The preliminary hearing for the suit will proceed on March 23rd.

The suit, which was filed back in December 2022 by Alioto Law Firm and the Joseph Saveri Law Firm on behalf of their plaintiffs claimed: “Activision Blizzard is thus a massive and vigorous competitor in the industry, already demonstrating its willingness to compete in new markets”

Furthermore, the suit stated “That competition may be irreparably lost if the acquisition is allowed to proceed.”

You can stay tuned here or over at the Law Firm news outlet Legalchk.

The post Judge Blocks Microsoft Request to Pause Gamer-Led Lawsuit appeared first on Sudairy.

Furthermore, Microsoft says they’re “[not] asking the FTC to ignore competition concern”, according to The Verge.

“As we enter a new year, we remain committed to creating the best workplaces we can for people who make a living in the tech sector,” the beginning of the ad states. “When both labor and management bring their voices to the bargaining table, employees, shareholders and customers alike benefit.”

The ad states that Microsoft’s union formation is “in keeping with new groundbreaking labor neutrality principles that the Communications Workers of America and Microsoft established last year.”

“During 2023, we hope to bring the same agreement and principles to Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft has proposed to acquire,” it continues.

The post Microsoft Launches Pre-Union Advertisement appeared first on Sudairy.

Following the acquisition, SkyBox Labs will continue to operate independently under the supervision of its founders Shyang Kong, Derek MacNeil, and Steven Silvester, and will continue to co-create games alongside existing and new partners.

“We have built a team of talented individuals who are passionate and creative, and by joining NetEase Games, we will also be able to accelerate our plans to pursue new creative opportunities and enjoy access to world-class operational resources and the full breadth and depth of NetEase’s services so we can scale faster in Canada,” said Kong in an official statement.

The post NetEase Acquires SkyBox Labs appeared first on Sudairy.

“We aim to be a beloved game studio with a diverse team, doing our best work and creating innovative experiences at the frontier of game development. We are unionizing to protect this mission and to set the studio up for success as we enter Proletariat’s next chapter joining forces with Activision Blizzard King,” the group said.

The also pointed out that Blizzard should follow Microsoft and commit to a labor neutrality agreement as well.

Some of the listed reasons for the unionization efforts:

• A flexible PTO policy, remote work as a permanent option
• Open and transparent communication regarding compensation
• Overtime is never mandatory
• Policies prioritizing DEI at every level of decision making

The post Blizzard’s Proletariat Seeking to Unionize appeared first on Sudairy.

According to their official announcement:

Thank you for playing “Chocobo GP”.

Season 5 will be the last season where prize pass levels are used in the Chocobo GP mode. Operating policies for after Season 5 ends are detailed below.
>Rankings will continue without the use of prize pass levels, in the same way as the current season off period.
>There will be no further large scale updates (e.g. new characters or new maps) to the game after the Season 5 update on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.
*It will remain possible to play the Chocobo GP mode itself.”

Additionally, sales of Mythril on the Nintendo e-shop have been discontinued per the announcement.

The post Square Enix No Longer Providing Large Content Updates for Chocobo GP appeared first on Sudairy.

The suit was filed by 10 plaintiffs from California, New Mexico and New Jersey, and they seek to obtain an order to block the acquisition deal from moving forward due to antitrust concerns regarding it.

According to Reuters, the filings claim Microsoft would gain “far-outsized market power in the video game industry, with the ability to foreclose rivals, limit output, reduce consumer choice, raise prices and further inhibit competition.”

Additionally, Joseph Saveri, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, stated: “As the video game industry continues to grow and evolve, it’s critical that we protect the market from monopolistic mergers that will harm consumers in the long run.”

The post Gamers Sue Microsoft Over Activision Merger appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the announcement, Epic Games will pay $275 million for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and another $245 million for design relying on dark patterns “to dupe millions of players into making unintentional purchases”.

Some of the privacy violations included collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent or notification, as well as enabling voice and text chat for children and teens by default.

The FTC stated that employees at Epic Games had pushed for the company to make voice and text chat an opt-in feature as early as 2017, however Epic Games slowed on making changes despite reports of online harassment and sexual harassment towards children while playing Fortnite.

FTC also added that when Epic Games did add a button to turn off voice chat, they made it hard to find for users.

Additionally, the FTC (dark patterns complaint) referenced “counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration” and single-button purchases that meant users could accidentally buy something when trying to wake the game from sleep mode or while on a loading screen. Epic Games also put the button to preview an item in Fortnite adjacent to the purchase button, and Fortnite allowed children to purchase the V-Bucks virtual currency without parental consent or card holder action until 2018, and it locked the accounts of users who disputed unauthorized charges through their credit card companies. resulting in accidental purchases.

The FTC also determined that Epic Games ignored millions of user complaints about the wrongful charges and then used internal testing that made the cancel and refund features far more difficult for users to locate.

Epic Games said it would be “moving beyond long-standing industry practices.”

“No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here,” the company said in an official statement. “The video game industry is a place of fast-moving innovation, where player expectations are high and new ideas are paramount. Statutes written decades ago don’t specify how gaming ecosystems should operate. The laws have not changed, but their application has evolved and long-standing industry practices are no longer enough. We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.

“Over the past few years, we’ve been making changes to ensure our ecosystem meets the expectations of our players and regulators, which we hope will be a helpful guide for others in our industry.”

The post Epic Games Paying $520 Million to Settle FTC Charges on Fortnite appeared first on Sudairy.

According to researcher Molly White via Twitter, the company attributed the decision to FTX’s filing for bankruptcy.

“There is simply no way for FTX to cure the reputational harm already caused to Riot as a result of the highly public disrepute wrought by the debacle preceding FTX’s bankruptcy filing. FTX cannot turn back the clock and undo the damage inflicted on Riot in the wake of its collapse,” Riot Games said, reportedly.

The two sides initially partnered up via an advertising deal in 2021 which would see Riot Games promote FTX’s brand in connection with its esports circuit, the League of Legends Championship series.

FTX owed Riot $12.5 million but so far has only covered $6.2 million of that balance during 2022, and in 2023 FTX would need to pay $12,875,000, with payments continuing to grow until the year 2028.

Riot Games also noted their criticism of the fall of FTX and arrest of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried as among the reasons that they decided to end the deal.

The post Riot Games Files Motion to End Deal with FTX appeared first on Sudairy.

Since then, Carmack has posted the full message to his profile page on Facebook.

It reads: “This is the end of my decade in VR. I have mixed feelings.

The post John Carmack Resigns from Meta appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the report, women and non-binary individuals make up 26% of its staff. In 2021, women represented 24% of Activision Blizzard (via GamesIndustry.biz).

In 2022, under-represented ethnic groups represented 38% of the publisher, and in 2021 that number was 36%. Additionally, employee ethnicity data represents staff who identify as multi-racial or non-white within the United States only.

While the company said that their goal is to increase roles for women and non-binary staff by 50%, Activision Blizzard hasn’t announced a target for increasing the number of under-represented ethnic groups.

The post Activision Blizzard Representation Data Report for 2022 appeared first on Sudairy.

The focus of the new office will be facilitating media streaming opportunities for the North American team.

“The opening of the new Sega of America headquarters in Irvine represents a new era for one of the gaming world’s most esteemed brands,” said Sega global CEO, Shuji Utsumi in an official statement. “This new space helps to foster a genial and team-oriented culture to reinforce that purpose and create new stories and worlds that will entertain gamers for generations.”

The post Sega of America Launches New Office in California appeared first on Sudairy.

“We want to contribute to the development of the industry in Romania, offering people the opportunity to lend a hand in the development of some of the most popular games in the world,” said head of studio Vlad Alexandru in an official statement.

“This studio will also further contribute to the growth of Keywords’ global talent pool which stands at 12,000+ and is increasing by the day.”

The post Keywords Studios Opens Office in Romania appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the report, Tencent is accused of infringing on the rights of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, one of the biggest mobile titles in Southeast Asia and faces allegations that include rights to authorship, reproduction and communications regarding the game.

The post Tencent Facing Allegations of Infringing on Mobile Legends: Bang Bang appeared first on Sudairy.

According to the Estonian Ekspress (via PC Gamer):

“the problems began when Margus Linnamäe, who largely financed Disco Elysium and was ZA/UM’s largest shareholder, decided to sell his stake in 2021. There was an expectation that Linnamäe would split his shareholding among the partners, but he allegedly sold it all to Kompus.

Kurvitz and Rostov did not know about this at the time. Their suspicions were raised when they were apparently demoted internally and, after checking the Estonian registration of companies, realised that control of ZA/UM now belonged to Kompus. The pair allegedly began demanding answers, shortly after which they were sacked. Both still own minor shareholdings in ZA/UM.

At the hearing, Kurvitz and Rostov argued that Kompus had used money that should have gone to the studio and shareholders, and funded Disco Elysium’s sequel, in order to buy those $4.8 million sketches. This was the alleged sleight-of-hand.

The shell company Tütreke, controlled by Kompus, somehow acquired these four sketches (described as being for a game called Pioneer One), and allegedly paid exactly one pound sterling for them before re-selling to ZA/UM for €4.8 million. This amount is what was apparently used to buy Linnamäe’s large stake, and put it in the hands of Kompus.”

The post Disco Elysium Lawsuit Alleges ZA/UM CEO Illegally Took Majority Share appeared first on Sudairy.

Furthermore, the lawsuit may seek to block the record-breaking deal, according to sources in the report who also said that the FTC’s four commissioners are yet to vote on a complaint or meet with lawyers, but the bulk of the investigation has been completed.

A lawsuit is not guaranteed and the FTC has not made any formal announcements at this time.

The post FTC Reportedly Considering Lawsuit Over Microsoft Activision Deal appeared first on Sudairy.

Additionally, their research finds  that for the year 2022, consumer spending among the group will reach $36 billion, while Japan’s and Korea’s markets make up 77% of the Asia-10’s gaming revenue.

The Asia-10 relates to Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, and India.

Furthermore, their 2022 India Games Market report projects that the country will amass $704.5 million in player spending and $1.4 billion by 2026.

The post Niko Partners Releases 2022 Asia-10 Games Market Report appeared first on Sudairy.

PlayPulse’s fitness bikes start at around $1,600 for those who pre-order and pay upfront, and will include a built-in touchscreen monitor and game controls in the handlebars so users can play customized games with mechanics synced with the bike pedals. The merging of gaming and fitness will likely see some traction in fitness streams on popular platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, and more.

“We are extremely excited to have NetEase Games as an investor and partner in the years to come,” said PlayPulse CEO Erling Magnus Solheim.

“They bring vast experience from the gaming industry and have built an active network of the most experienced creators in the market, and together we can bring PlayPulse to a larger audience.”

The post NetEase Invests in PlayPulse appeared first on Sudairy.

China-based NetEase has handled publishing for some of Blizzard’s biggest titles, including World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Overwatch, however the two sides were unable to agree to terms on a new deal to keep the relationship alive.

The current deal will officially expire on January 23rd, at which point the following titles will be suspended in China:

• Diablo 3
• Hearthstone
• Heroes of the Storm
• Overwatch
• StarCraft (all titles)
• Warcraft 3: Reforged
• World of Warcraft

Additionally, Blizzard has said it will cease new sales of these titles “in the coming days” but the upcoming releases for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Hearthstone: March of the Lich King, and season two of Overwatch 2 will move forward as planned.

Furthermore, Diablo Immortal, which is co-developed by NetEase and Blizzard, is covered by a separate agreement.

“We have put in a great deal of effort and tried with our utmost sincerity to negotiate with Activision Blizzard so that we could continue our collaboration and serve the many dedicated players in China” NetEase CEO William Ding said in an official statement.

“However, there were material differences on key terms and we could not reach an agreement.

“We hold high regard in our product and operational standards and abide by our commitments to Chinese players.”

Blizzard released a statement of their own stating that the two companies could not agree on a deal that was “consistent with Blizzard’s operating principles and commitments to players and employees.”

The post Blizzard, Netease End 14-Year Partnership appeared first on Sudairy.

“Currently, an investigation by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is underway, and we will fully cooperate with the investigation to clarify the facts” the company said in an official statement (via Google Translate)

“We sincerely regret that this situation has caused great concern to everyone involved. We are taking strict measures against this incident, including disciplinary action against the former employee.”

The post Former Square Enix Employees Arrested On Insider Trading Accusations appeared first on Sudairy.

The company took to Twitter to address the claims, which includes Gordon alleging that Stratton and Zenimax Lawyers offered him a six-figure settlement to take the blame for the soundtrack fallout (via GamesIndustry.biz).

“We reject the distortion of the truth and selective presentation of incomplete ‘facts'” the company wrote.

“We stand ready with full and complete documented evidence to disclose in an appropriate venue as needed.”

“Any threats of harassment directed towards members of our teams will be met with swift and appropriate action to protect their health and safety,” the statement concluded.

The post Bethesda Speaks On Mick Gordon’s Doom Eternal Soundtrack appeared first on Sudairy.

Overall results

• Net sales: ¥163.4 billion ($1.1 billion, down 3.3% year-on-year)
• Operating income: ¥26 billion ($177.6 million, down 10.6%)
• Ordinary income: ¥45.1 billion ($308.1 million, up 43.5%)
• Profit attributable to owners of parent: ¥39.5 billion ($269.9 million, up 71.7%)

Digital Entertainment

• Net Sales: ¥117.1 billion ($800 million, down 9.5%)
• HD games: ¥29.4 billion ($200.8 million, down 29.6%)
• Mobile/PC: ¥59 billion ($403 million, down 5%)
• MMO: ¥28.6 billion ($195.4 million, down 3.1%)
• Operating income: ¥24.5 ($167.4 million, down 16.7%)

The post Square Enix Releases Financial Report appeared first on Sudairy.

“Today we announced internally an update to our racing portfolio” EA said in a statement (via GamesIndustry.biz). “Following an evaluation of the next Project CARS title and its longer-term growth potential, we have made the decision to stop further development and investment for the franchise.

“Decisions like these are very hard, but allow us to prioritise our focus in areas where we believe we have the strongest opportunity to create experiences that fans will love. We are focusing on our strengths in our racing portfolio, particularly licensed IP and open-world experiences, and expanding our franchises to be more socially-led with long-term live services that will engage global communities. Games are at the heart of sports and racing entertainment, and with shifting fan expectations, we recognise the need to evolve our games beyond pure play, providing experiences for fans to also watch, create and connect with their friends.

“We are working with everyone impacted by this decision to place them into suitable roles across our EA Sports and racing portfolio, as well as other parts of EA, wherever we can. Our priority now is on providing as much support as possible to our people through this transition.”

The post EA Dropping Project CARS appeared first on Sudairy.

Remedy highlighted that development fees accounted for 95% of revenues, while royalties made up the 5% remaining. This is despite the development costs of projects such as Alan Wake 2 and the remakes for Max Payne 1 and Max Pane 2, which they report were “key positive contributors”.

The company went on the state that Alan Wake Remastered and Xbox exclusive Crossfire did not generate royalties. Alan Wake 2 is still on track to arrive in 2023. [source investors.remedygames.com]

“In the third quarter of 2022, revenue grew by 7% to EUR 7.9 million. Development fees made up 95% and royalties 5% of the revenue. Key positive contributors were the development fees from Alan Wake 2 and Max Payne 1&2 Remake.

At the same time, development fees from Codename Condor and Alan Wake Remastered and game royalties from Control decreased from the comparison period. Alan Wake Remastered and Crossfire did not generate royalties.”

Per the report:

HIGHLIGHTS FROM JULY–SEPTEMBER 2022

• Revenue grew by 6.8% to EUR 7.9 (7.4) million.
• EBITDA decreased to EUR -2.4 (0.4) million, mainly due to increased external development costs.
• Operating profit (EBIT) was EUR -3.0 (-0.2) million, and operating profit margin was -38.4% (-2.9%) of revenue.
• Cash flow from operations was EUR 4.7 (4.8) million.
• In August, Remedy lowered its revenue and operating result outlook for 2022.
• In September, Remedy’s Board of Directors decided on a new option plan.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM JANUARY–September 2022

• Revenue grew by 20.2% to EUR 30.0 (24.9) million.
• EBITDA was EUR -0.9 (3.6) million.
• Operating profit (EBIT) was EUR -2.7 (1.1) million, and operating profit margin was -9.0% (4.3%) of revenue.
• Cash flow from operations was EUR 14.2 (8.2) million.

The post Remedy Entertainment Shows 7% Increase in Revenue appeared first on Sudairy.

“The combination of Unity and ironSource is transformational in that it will give mobile game developers the tools they need at each stage of their development journey: from building, publishing, and operating mobile games to monetizing them, if they choose to, and growing their player base across multiple channels.”

The deal was initially announced back in July of this year and was yet another acquisition for Unity, who also absorbed the likes of Ziva Dynamics, Pixyz Software, SpeedTree, Parsec, SyncSketch and visual effects company Weta Digital.

Riccitiello says that the company “remains committed to developing features for PC, consoles and XR” (via GamesIndustry.biz). “The benefits from the merger with ironSource are, indeed, particularly strong for mobile game developers who choose advertising as their business mode,” he acknowledged, adding that most mobile developers using advertising and in-app purchases to monetise their games and claiming most players “welcome ads as a way to discover new games to play.”

“We know you will have a lot of questions about how Unity will integrate and introduce these products,” he continued.

“We are committed to moving quickly and transparently to integrate our technologies to deliver the best tools and services and over the course of the next week will share more about the short-term benefits for mobile game developers in particular.”

The post Unity Completes Merger with IronSource appeared first on Sudairy.

“NetEase Games has been exceptionally supportive from the very get-go, believing in our high ambitions and quality-focused approach to game development,” Sundberg said in an official statement. “We are very pleased to have them as our partners on this adventure and with their support, we can begin to realize the vision for our studio.”

“We believe in the creativity of Liquid Swords and share their passion for building open-world games and experiences” Simon Zhu, NetEase Games president of global partnerships and investments added. “They have built a strong, experienced team and we are very excited to partner with them as they begin their journey of creating something amazing for gamers worldwide.”

The post NetEase Takes Minority Stake in Liquid Swords appeared first on Sudairy.

Activision Blizzard filed a motion on Wednesday to impound ballots with the NLRB, saying that the count should be postponed until its appeal of a previous NLRB decision in the case can be formally heard.

Their appeal was filed alongside the motion to impound ballots.

Activision Blizzard is arguing that the review should be granted because the decision lacks precedent as “no [NLRB] decision addresses the appropriate scope of a bargaining unit in a video game studio.”

The Raven QA team voted to unionize by a count of 19 to 3.

“We deeply respect our employees’ right to choose whether to be represented by a union and to make an informed decision for themselves in a process where every voice is heard,” a spokesperson for the publisher said.

“Given the significant impact this decision could have for everyone on the Albany-based Diablo team and the tight integration of our operations there, we believe strongly that each of the 107 eligible employees deserves to have their votes counted, not just the 18 quality assurance testers who are important employees but make up a small fraction of the team. We are pursuing an appeal to the NLRB regarding its proposed bargaining unit, because companies as well as union organizers have the right to make their case.”

Communications Workers of America Secretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens responded to Activision Blizzard’s motion with an official statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz, which stated:

“Sadly, it’s no surprise that a company that has repeatedly tried to silence its employees, including by hiding reports of sexual violence, would want to muzzle workers’ voices once again by trying to stop them from voting in a union election. Workers have concluded that they need to protect themselves from this abusive employer by joining together into a strong union.

“Instead of staying neutral, Activision’s management continues to present the same failing arguments in a desperate attempt to interfere with workers’ legal right to make their own decisions about forming a union and negotiating a collective bargaining agreement. It’s clear the company’s executives feel threatened by workers organizing in New York, Wisconsin and across the country.

“We are confident in the NLRB’s response to these frivolous requests, and we will continue to push for Activision Blizzard employees’ right to organize without delay.”

The post Activision Blizzard Files Motion to Impound Albany Union Vote Ballots appeared first on Sudairy.

The Seattle based indie game devs also commented on the acquisition, with vice president of game studios Amir Rahimi stating that Spry Fox will “help accelerate our creative development in another beloved genre and add to the growing variety of Netflix’s games catalog that will have something for everyone”, via their official website.

Spry Fox CEO David Edery posted on his blog stating that the studio will retain its focus on ‘cozy games’, with the team already working on Cozy Grove 2 and a “larger, non-violent MMO” that has yet to be announced.

Edery added that there will be “no change in our current development efforts” and assured that all previous games will remain downloadable on their current platforms. He also elaborated on how Spry Fox will benefit from Netflix’s ownership.

“We can continue making the games that we were already making and wanted to make, but with more support and resources to make those games better and bring them to more people around the world,” he wrote.

“We can stop stressing about how our games generate profit on our games and instead focus exclusively on making them as enjoyable and fulfilling to our players as possible. We can collaborate with other creative people within Netflix to hopefully get better at what we do and how we do it.”

The post Netflix Acquires Spry Fox appeared first on Sudairy.

The report notes that in comparison,  the PlayStation 4 reached 2 million units sold after 90 weeks, adding that the majority of the Playstation 5 units that we sold, were the disc-based consoles, which sold 1.75 million compared to the digital only model that sold 278,046 consoles.

Furthermore, in Japan the PlayStation 5 model increased to ¥54,980 ($370) for the disc model and ¥44,980 ($302) for the digital console.

The post Playstation 5 Reaches 2 Million Units Sold in Japan appeared first on Sudairy.

Kobayashi officially joined NetEase back in August of this year.

“With the support and respect from NetEase in understanding me and my team’s development achievements and values, I will build a stronger team with the goal of creating more original quality contents that will satisfy users around the world,” he said.

The post NetEase Introduces New Studio GPTRACK50 appeared first on Sudairy.

“London’s thriving games industry is a real success story, bringing significant investment and jobs to our capital,” Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said in an official statement. “We are home to the largest group of games studios in Europe and I’m proud to be providing more than £1 million to open up more opportunities for growth, talent development and skills for young Londoners.

“I am also delighted that London Games Festival will return in 2023, shining a spotlight on innovative start-ups and promoting opportunities for Black, Asian and minority ethnic talent, showcasing yet again how we are building a better London for everyone through creativity, business and innovation.”

The next London Games Festival takes place starting on March 29th, 2023 and will run through April 8th, 2023, with the following events:

• Games Finance Market (Thursday, March 30 – Friday, March 31)
• WASD (Thursday, March 30 – Saturday, April 1)
• BAFTA Games Awards (Thursday, March 30)
• Now Play This

The post London Mayor Renews Investment in London Games Festival appeared first on Sudairy.

Additionally, Wargaming will still own and develop the BigWorld server technology.

Molly Mason-Boule, Riot’s head of development studios, will oversee the newly renamed developer.

“We are really excited to bring these talented developers and teams to Riot,” said co-founder and president of games Marc Merrill.

“The Rioters that have had the opportunity to work with members of the Sydney team are confident not only in the tech they’ve built over the years but, more importantly, in the people who’ve built it.”

The post Riot Games Acquires Wargaming Sydney Studio appeared first on Sudairy.

Hines joined Bethesda Softworks in 1999.

Furthermore, Erin Losi, vice president of global marketing and communications is now tasked with leading all of Bethesda’s global marketing and communication efforts.

“It’s a privilege to lead global publishing for Bethesda, a place that’s been my home for 23 years,” Hines said in an official statement. “It’s humbling to think about how far we’ve come in that time, and I’m excited to work in this new role to help our world class teams make great games.”

“When I started at Bethesda, there were just a few of us, working on campaigns for Skyrim, Fallout 3, and more,” Losi said. “Since then, we’ve grown into a world-class marketing and communications team, and it’s been my great joy to be a part of that growth alongside Pete.”

“It’s an honour to join Bethesda’s senior leadership and now lead an award-winning global team of creatives into the future, and to empower them to continue their great work on our upcoming lineup.”

“Pete has been key to the success of Bethesda over the last two decades” Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming added. “His industry leadership and strong relationship with the community has extended Bethesda to millions of players. Erin has been instrumental in shaping the Bethesda brand and the teams behind it and I am incredibly excited to see them both bring Bethesda’s games to even more players around the world.”

The post Bethesda Promotes Pete Hines to Head of Global Publishing appeared first on Sudairy.

Layden said he is to “advise, assist, and support the team at Tencent as they deepen their activities and commitments within the industry” in an official announcement he made on his LinkedIn page.

“We are at an epoch defining moment in gaming and interactive entertainment. There are many possible roads ahead but only a few are profound, broadening, inclusive, edifying, inspiring, and/or sustainable. I am thrilled to continue this journey of discovery and thank Tencent for the opportunity.”

The post Tencent Adds Former Sony Executive Shawn Layden appeared first on Sudairy.

Rodriguez accompanied the 8-second video that featured Tate and himself with: “Yesterday we celebrated G2’s world championship.” The video prompted immediate backlash which has marred G2 Esports’ 2022 League of Legends European Championship spring season and summer season successes.

Rodriguez fired back at the criticism the video received: “Nobody will ever be able to police my friendships. I draw my line here. I party with whoever the fuck I want.”

G2 Esports issued the following on Sunday: “Last night we failed you. The actions of our CEO spoke a language in stark contrast with the value and the culture G2 lives by and strives for. And for that we apologize.

“Since our creation, we have worked hard to build a safe and inclusive environment to enjoy esports. These are just small steps in the right direction we need to take as a company. We’ll continue to do our best each and every day to improve ourselves and the industry at large.”

The post G2 Esports CEO On Unpaid Leave Following Sharing of Video with Andrew Tate appeared first on Sudairy.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, editor-in-chief Danielle Riendeau, head of media/editor-at-large John Warren, and features editor Elise Favis were among those laid off, with Riendeau announcing her departure on Twitter.

“Hi friends. I just want to say it’s been a true honor and pleasure to be the editor in chief of Fanbyte. I think we did some special things there! I am…currently looking for work,” she wrote on her page.

Favis also tweeted: “I’ve been laid off from Fanbyte”

“Incredibly proud of everything I got to do there, and with everyone I have worked with — these are the most talented folks in games media, and I’m honored I got to be there while I could.”

The post Tencent’s Fanbyte Lays Off Staff appeared first on Sudairy.

G4TV was originally launched in 2002, but shut down in 2014 during the surge of online video content. However, it rose from the dead back in November 2021 with a new format, a mix of cbale TV programming and content from Twitch channels sprinkled in.

The report states that G4TV has been struggling financially, with managers told to find ways to cut costs.

The post G4TV Reportedly Laying Off Staff appeared first on Sudairy.

Editorial staff across brands such as TechRadar Gaming, Android Central, Windows Central and iMore are affected, although how extensive the layoffs will be has yet to be determined.

“It is with regret that a very small number of colleagues were affected, following a structure change to one vertical of our extensive brands,” Future said on their official Twitter page. “With the current climate and addressing these challenges, it was a very difficult decision for us to make.”

Earlier this year, an article from the Press Gazette reported that Future has the largest pay discrepancy between average employees and executive, with CEO salaries reaching around 240 times higher than the average employee salary.

The post Despite Positive Revenue Projections, ‘Future’ Making Layoffs appeared first on Sudairy.

Berger joined 343 Industries from another position within Microsoft in 2008 and lead engineering efforts for Halo 4, Halo 5, and the latest edition, Halo Infinite.

Microsoft has not commented to confirm or deny the report at this time.

The post 343 Industries Reportedly Loses David Berger Following Bonnie Ross’ Exit appeared first on Sudairy.

The team was comprised of engineers, ethicists and others who were tasked with discovering potential long-term problems with products, including the Facebook social platform as well as their virtual reality headsets.

They were responsible for then taking that information and taking action to keep any potential harm from progressing into actual damage/harm.

Meta’s former Chief Technology Officer Michael Schroepfer, who announced his departure last year, was one who supported the Responsible Innovation.

The post Meta Cuts Responsible Innovation Team appeared first on Sudairy.

Microsoft has a deal in place to buy Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind Call of Duty, for around $69 billion, but the deal has been scrutinized by competitions regulators, including the UKs Competition and Market Authority, with concerns that Microsoft could end up “withholding or degrading” Activision Blizzard works from other consoles or even subscription services.

Ryan spoke out about the offer.

“I hadn’t intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum,” Ryan said, according to Gamesindustry.biz.

“Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends. After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”

The post Playstation Calls Xbox’s Call of Duty Offer “inadequate on many levels” appeared first on Sudairy.

“I’m so grateful for the work I get to be a part of in service to Team Xbox and our fans,” Greenberg said in a tweet. “Excited for the future ahead too!”

Greenberg began his career as a senior planner for software in Latin America and then moved on to serve in a number of senior roles inside Xbox’s sales and marketing teams.

The post Aaron Greenberg Promoted to VP of Xbox Games Marketing appeared first on Sudairy.

Per the report (citing sources) “the downsizing movement started in February 2022. Garena began attempting to reform streaming platform BOOYAH! to change its focus. As a result, this shift resulted in BOOYAH! team members being laid off.”

Esports Insider goes on to claim that they contacted Garena back in June to learn about the situation regarding BOOYAK!, and received the following response: “BOOYAH!’s team is focused on delivering new community-focused features and services while evolving our strategies to adapt to new trends in the gaming industry. Some new features will aim to improve how we engage our audiences, and may have some impact on our partnerships with some streamers.”

Garena also had to face challenges related to COVID-19 related to staff hires during the pandemic to handle the significant growth of the Free Fire audience, but as Brazil saw some stabilization from the pandemic, the user base dropped.

The post Garena Lays Off Staff appeared first on Sudairy.

Super.com was originally formed back in 2018 and has been behind titles such as Raji: An Ancient Epic from Nodding Head Games, Retro Machina by Orgbit Studio, and Alchemist Adventure by Bad Minions.

Super Good Games said that it is “empowered by new owners,” and that the rebrand is “putting a title to the new step of our growth and ambition” while adding that it has merged its funding and publishing entities, becoming a fully remote-based company that last few years.

“We are truly blessed to be able to meet new people, share their perspective and help cultures transcend their geographical boundaries,” the company said in an official statement. “Hand-in-hand with immensely talented partners and colleagues, we are looking forward to forming new bonds and embracing new opportunities in the future.”

The post Super.com Rebrands as Super Good Games appeared first on Sudairy.

According to an official announcement, the WBD Access x Rocksteady Studios Games Academy is aimed for those who want to turn their love for games into a career as game devs, with an opportunity to “to learn by doing and hone your skills in  a fully immersive experience.”

Per the announcement:

On this course you will:

– Be led through a bespoke curriculum which covers a variety of disciplines –  Audio, Art, Games Design or Quality Assurance – and is all led by industry professionals.

– Learn about how to build your network; what good communication looks like in a Games Studio setting; how to put together a portfolio of work to help you progress in your career

– Get insight into a real work environment and attend masterclasses and sessions with professionals at all different levels of their careers

– Work on a live brief and get feedback from the team at Rocksteady Studios

– Get feedback, support and advice on your career progression

The course will cover Art, Audio, Games Design and Quality Assurance Testing areas.

You must be of 18 years or older on 31 October 2022
You must be a permanent resident of the United Kingdom
You must be interested in entering the games industry at a professional level

Check out all the details on their official posting page.

The post Warner Bros, Rocksteady Studios Launch Training Program for Underrepresented Devs appeared first on Sudairy.

Sharma has not announced his new role yet and comes a month following the FTC objecting to Meta’s purchase of Within, which is a hurdle in Meta’s M&A’s activity of VR companies. Sharma previously served as vice president of of Facebook Gaming.

With the recent announcement that Meta was scrapping the Facebook Gaming mobile app effective in late October.

The post VP of Meta’s VR Social Platform Exits Company appeared first on Sudairy.

The two made a joint statement with the following:

“The diversity fund was a grant fund intended to help underrepresented developers, especially during the pandemic,” the two developers wrote in a statement. “However, instead of giving those funds to the developers as the grant was intended, PQube Games intentionally withheld information about the grant and used it as leverage for their own commercial gain.

“Rather than paying the grant money to us, PQube Games hid the facts about the grant’s award and added it as a recoupable minimum guarantee and then used it to negotiate the increase of their revenue share.”

The post PQube Games Facing Accusations of Exploiting Developers appeared first on Sudairy.

Wyrdsong is apparently an RPG what features a dark, historical fantasy world-like setting where each and every decision a player makes will come with consequences both within the world, and within others to be discovered.

“Our goal with Something Wicked Games is to utilize our independence and creative autonomy to create the next evolution of open world RPGs,” said co-founder Jeff Gardiner. “Our first project, Wyrdsong, has been my dream game for some time now, and I’m thrilled to finally share it today.”

There is currently no release date for the game.

The post Something Wicked Games Launches with New Game Announcement appeared first on Sudairy.

The team was also behind the acclaimed Astro Bot: Rescue Mission for PlayStation VR, and now they aim to move outside the world of virtual reality to do something different.

“Of course [Astro’s Playroom] was a showcase of the DualSense, and a love letter to PlayStation, but one of the goals was: can we live up to making a TV game? A classic non-VR game? And do character controls and all that? Are our skills sufficient?” Team Asobi creative and studio director Nicolas Doucet said, according to GamesIndustry.biz.

“Making a VR game for PS4 means doing PS3 quality-levels in terms of assets, because you’re on a tight [technical] budget. But when you jump to PS5… are we able to go to that level? So we got some confidence out of this.

“It’s very nice to know that whenever a PS5 is bought, Astro is going to get played. It was a big responsibility, because if you make something that’s a little bit without flavour, then you run the risk of making the console feel that way.”

The company is growing, and the expectation is that they will reach around 100 people in the near future.

“We have a current production, and that’s going fine,” Doucet said. “But we want to have another group for R&D, and we want enough in this group to explore as many areas that are interesting. And to potentially start other projects.

“But we’re not giving ourselves any limits. If good people want to join Team Asobi, then we will be willing to talk to them. There is always stuff to do. There is always new projects to begin. We are not limited by any money or time. If we could double the studio just like that, we would find work for everybody.”

Read the entire interview over at GamesIndustry.biz

The post Team Asobi Striving For Unique Game Experience appeared first on Sudairy.

It’s clear that Instagram is worried about their hold on the top spot, as TikTok continues to climb the ranks, and given the amount of updates Instagram has implemented to make it’s app feel more like TikTok (more on that), the brands are digging in their heels to collide for supremacy atop the influencer marketing mountain.

The report cites a new data study from analysts at Insider Intelligence (previously eMarketer) that indicates that TikTok is set to overtake Facebook in influencer marketing spend within 2022, and will take over YouTube, who currently sits in the second spot, by the year 2024.

Currently within the United States, YouTube is seeing $948.0 million in influencer marketing dollars spent on its platform which is ahead of Facebook’s $739.0 million, but TikTok has already topped YouTube based on marketer usage for influencer centric marketing campaigns.

Also noted were Instagram’s recent rolling back of some recent updates to replicate TikTok, but some kickback, which included a complaint from celebrities like the Kardashians, forced a change in approach.

Instagram could be planning for larger scale changes in the future, so it can slide more fluidly into an influencer marketing centric focus. Whether or not TikTok SEO will force Instagram to embrace search engine optimization style marketing remains to be seen, but change is coming.

Smaller influencers are set to see some growth in opportunities as well, as Instagram’s feed adjustments would allow smaller “micro” and “nano” influencers to get a bigger cut of the revenue cake. To clarify, Nano-influencers are considered to be those with 1,000-4,999 followers, with micro-influencers clocking between 5,000-19,999 followers, and with TikTok content creators who would fit in those categories already generating benefits, it’s vital for Instagram to also point focus in those directions.

The report predicts that “nano” influencer spending will rise 220.5%, and spending on “mega” influencers will grow only 8.0%.

There is also data to show that marketers may prefer to work with smaller creators, for a number of reasons that include cheaper rates and higher engagement rate potential.

“TikTok is surging in popularity for influencer marketing, but it’s still nowhere near Instagram in terms of spending or marketer adoption,” Insider Intelligence principal analyst Jasmine Enberg said. “That’s in part due to the higher prices Instagram creators charge for content, but also because of its wide array of content formats, most of which are now shoppable. Still, Instagram is trying to be more like TikTok so that it can attract smaller creators, which TikTok is known for. That’s key for Instagram to retain its lead in the influencer marketing space, especially as many creators on TikTok now boast follower counts that rival or surpass those on Instagram and YouTube.”

The report closes by predicting that 74.5% of U.S. marketers will use influencer marketing in 2022 and influencer marketing spend will rise by 27.8% to $4.99 billion this year alone.

The post TikTok Surpassing Facebook in Influencer Marketing Spend in 2022, YouTube by 2024 appeared first on Sudairy.

As part of a document sent to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) to justify its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company claimed that Sony actively attempts to “inhibit growth” of Game Pass by trying to prevent content from landing on Game Pass.

“Microsoft’s ability to continue expanding Game Pass has been obstructed by Sony’s desire to inhibit such growth,” the company said in the documents. “Sony pays for ‘blocking rights’ to prevent developers from adding content to Game Pass and other competing subscription services.”

Additionally, Microsoft called Sony’s concern regarding the potential that Call of Duty could become an exclusive Xbox title “incoherent”, pointing to Sony’s own exclusivity strategies related to Playstation.

“It only reveals, once again, a fear about an innovative business model that offers high-quality content at low costs to gamers, threatening a leadership that has been forged from a device-centric and exclusivity-focused strategy over the years,” Microsoft said.

The post Microsoft Accuses Sony of Paying Game Devs to Stay Off Game Pass appeared first on Sudairy.

This year marked the very first time that video game soundtracks have been included in the lineup, and there was even a special concert ‘From 8-Bit To Infinity’ that took place last week, showing just how far video game music has come.

“It is a really welcome move to hear video games music brought to life in one of the most prestigious classical festivals in the world, highlighting the multi-faceted, extraordinary output of this powerhouse industry and its exceptional talents,” BAFTA’s head of games Luke Hebblethwaite said, during an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

“It’s brilliant to see games composers joining the BBC Proms line-up for the first time, cementing their deserved place alongside those working in film, classical music and wider established art forms.”

“It was only a matter of time before the BBC recognised the cultural significance of not only the gaming industry, but some of the incredible music that is an integral part of the gaming experience,” Richard Jacques, composer of last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy game said. “As an industry we have proven that we are no longer the poor relation of Hollywood, or are inexperienced in the classical genre. Indeed, an event such as this is often the first time a fan of the genre has actually seen a live orchestral performance, which often leads the way for them to discover other symphonic works, from Stravinsky to Scriabin to Schubert and beyond. Video game soundtracks can be enjoyed equally by gamers and non-gamers alike, since music is for everyone, music is universal. The BBC Prom clearly has demonstrated this and long may it continue.”

David Wise, composer of Donkey Kong Country and Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair also chimed in on the development.

“The cultural significance of video game music scores is a phenomenon on a global scale. Gamers have listened to these themes since their childhood, and nothing evokes nostalgia more than listening to a full orchestra and choir playing your favourite score which formed the backdrop to so many childhoods.

“Pokémon, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Chronos from so many more great video games, with the soundtrack from Journey, composed by the incredible Austin Wintory, being the highlight of this year’s event for me.

“With so many internationally acclaimed video game composers emanating from the UK, I look forward to this event highlighting the incredible talent we have closer to home for future shows. History in the making for the Proms, with a tiny slice of video game music history to set the stage for so many more epic video game future proms.”

You can read the entire article over at GamesIndustry.biz.

The post BBC Proms Features Video Game Music appeared first on Sudairy.

“The Tyrus Transaction offers tremendous opportunity for X1 to partake in the growing global creator economy which is an industry of over 50 million individual content creators¹ where Tyrus is extremely well-positioned,” said Mark Elfenbein, CEO of X1, in an official statement. “The video game category has been a top category of the creator economy and has largely benefited the growth of the video game industry recently.”

Tyrus’ Manager, Amanda Solomon, will also join the X1 Advisory board as part of the move.

“Becoming part of the X1 family will allow Tyrus to extend its reach and engage with new and exciting talent in the gaming and esports community,” said Amanda Solomon, CEO of Tyrus. “The talent and diversity of our influencer roster is something we take great pride in. I look forward to growing our presence in this space and providing unique access for global brands to a highly influential GenZ audience”.

The post X1Esports Acquires Tyrus LLC appeared first on Sudairy.

Things to know about this preview:

• The people you share your membership with do not have to be Insiders but must reside in the same country as you. Enrollment is limited and will remain open while the offer is available.
• Joining the Game Pass – Insider Preview will convert the time remaining on your membership to time in the new plan, based upon the monetary value of the old membership. For example, a full month of Ultimate will be converted to 18 days of membership for this plan. This way you won’t lose any of the remaining value on your existing subscription upon conversion. Conversion is final, and users must wait for their new membership to expire before returning to a previous membership.
• Conversion is not available for invited group members. Before joining a group, a group member can cancel their existing subscription or wait for it to expire. If they do not have a Microsoft account, invited friends and family will have to create a new Microsoft account and sign in with it to participate.
• Members with Xbox All Access won’t be able to participate in this preview.
• In Colombia, parts of the copy for the preview have not been localized and might be displayed in English.

Known issues:

• Invited members with an existing subscription may encounter an error when accepting an invite. We’re working on enabling these members to cancel immediately to accept the invitation.
• Attempts to upgrade twice within 24 hours will be blocked. For example, upgrading from Xbox Live Gold to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will work, but attempts to then upgrade from Ultimate to Xbox Game Pass – Insider Preview will be blocked for 24 hours. There is currently a generic error code shown when this is attempted.
• Microsoft account family members will not receive an email when automatically added to a group. Primary account holders can share benefits with Microsoft account family members automatically. We’re working on sending a confirmation email, and family members do not need to explicitly accept an invite to get access.
• A Primary account holder may see a “Something went wrong” error when trying to share directly to two or more Microsoft account family members at once after purchase. Please wait a short time and try again. Alternatively, try sharing via email or link.
• Error while trying to purchase Xbox Game Pass – Insider Preview plan. If you’re blocked from purchase with this error code: PEX-CatalogAvailabilityDataNotFound, please report a problem following the steps outlined in the Insider subreddit here. You may be able to work around this by restarting the Microsoft Store and trying to purchase again.
• Subscription sharing “Get help” link on account.microsoft.com links to the support.xbox.com home page instead of a specific support article with sharing help.
• Invitation and group management related emails are currently only in English.  We are working on additional languages for these emails.

The post Ireland, Colombia Xbox Insiders Can Preview New Game Pass Offer appeared first on Sudairy.

The primary impact of the layoffs was felt within subsidiary studio Ludia, who were behind Jurassic World Alive. Jam City is also behind the blockchain game Champions Ascension.

Jam City said, in an official statement, that the decision to lay off between 150 to 200 people across the firm was a “necessary move to enhance our flexibility and increase operating efficiencies, better positioning Jam City for long-term growth.”

“This also follows a broader restructuring we recently completed to realign our development teams under genre divisions focused on subject-matter expertise to optimize performance,” the statement continued. “We thank those who are leaving us for their many contributions and are providing severance packages and benefits to help with the transition.”

Furthermore: “In light of the challenging global economy and its impact on the gaming industry, Jam City has made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our team by about 17%. In recent years, we have made a number of strategic acquisitions, and this move represents a right sizing of our work force to address redundancies associated with those transactions.

“While Jam City remains profitable, we believe that in the current operating environment, this is a necessary move to enhance our financial flexibility and increase operating efficiencies, better positioning Jam City for long-term growth. This also follows a broader restructuring we recently completed to realign our development teams under genre divisions focused on subject-matter expertise to optimize performance. We thank those who are leaving us for their many contributions and are providing severance packages and benefits to help with the transition.”

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Per the study, among the 100 highest-grossing Belgian iPhone games during May 2021, 82% had loot box features, going on to say that the policy has given consumers, parents, and policymakers “a false sense of security.”

The report states that the law isn’t working and needs to be readdressed.

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According to Albany Game Workers Alliance, which leading the efforts to improve working conditions at the studio, the publisher as re-hired Reed Smith, which is an organization that offers union-avoidance services.

“Instead of following Microsoft’s lead and committing to a labor neutrality agreement, Activision has made the clear and conscious decision to deny us our basic labour rights while once again spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a union-busting firm,” they said on Wednesday. They added that Activision Blizzard has “chosen to delay recognition of our union in a futile effort to disband it,” but the group remains “willing to engage with management productively if ABK leadership will commit to high road labour standards.”

Activision Blizzard has responded.

“Given the significant impact this change could have for roughly 150 people in Albany, we believe every employee in Albany who works on Diablo should have a direct say in this decision,” Spokesman Rich George said in a statement issued to Kotaku. “It should not be made by fewer than 15% of employees.”

Activision Blizzard is facing a lot of issues, and this is just the latest drama at Activision Blizzard.

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playBLOCKS will leverage Forte’s technical infrastructure, blockchain technologies, and economic models to create rich and engaging experiences built specifically for token economies, and to manage digital assets in a secure marketplace where players are connected with world-class brands and their rewards programs, per the press release.

“Forte offers a complete and unmatched solution to power token economies with tools that prioritize the player experience,” said Andrew Pascal, founder and CEO of PLAYSTUDIOS. “We are very excited to work with the experienced team at Forte and to leverage their sophisticated technology to power our innovative playBLOCKS loyalty and rewards model which will benefit our players, games, and reward partners.”

“PLAYSTUDIOS has been a visionary in the games space for over a decade, pioneering both rewarded play for millions of players with playAWARDS and continually embracing and developing a leading position in new technology platforms from social to mobile,” said Josh Williams, CEO, Forte. “We are incredibly excited that playBLOCKS represents the combination of great, fun games with Web3 digital assets and rewards in the physical world. Web3 will continue to unlock a massive shift in how entertainment is built and consumed with economics that benefit players, creators and publishers. We are so happy to be building towards that future with PLAYSTUDIOS.”

Both Forte and PLAYSTUDIOS share a vision about the transformational opportunity of blockchain gaming, one that creates massive new creative and economic opportunities centered around utility, trust, and authenticity.

“Since our inception, Forte’s goal has been to build and connect the blockchain technology that makes it possible for anyone in the world to gain true digital property rights. This goal merges online and physical-world experiences, creating truly immersive economies that reward and benefit more participants. Our partnership with PLAYSTUDIOS and playBLOCKS is a significant step towards that vision,” continued Williams.

It will be interesting to see if NFT SEO and/or Blockchain SEO will be leveraged to increased the visibility, or if Influencer Marketing will play a role in their growth.

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According to Bloomberg, the title had been in development for three years and noted that a number of business disagreements were what eventually put the brakes on any more progress in that respect.

Additionally, over 100 developers assigned to the game, which was codenamed ‘Neptune’ according to the report, were let go from NetEase and an unknown number of devs were offered internal transfers.

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Managing managing director Klemens Kundratitz spoke at length about the changes, while emphasizing that the games publisher will remain “first and foremost a games company” while adding that the rebrand will “acknowledge who we truly are”.

“But the more we thought about it, the more we wanted to go all the way,” Kundratitz said, during an interview with GamesIndustry.Biz. “It’s more impactful, it’s got an external statement but it’s also an internal statement to our people. We’re opening this new chapter, they’re part of this, we’re a modern, growing, ambitious, global company, and it’s energising people internally.

“Obviously, we want to avoid people seeing this as window dressing. The signal we’re sending is that we’re on a journey and it’s good to give this journey a new name, new visual appearance. New is always exciting.”

“We have made such an enormous transformation since we joined the Embracer Group,” he continued. “Our name for so many years was associated with physical distribution, perhaps with us being more of a central European company – although including the UK because that was among the first three countries where we launched. But we’re perhaps not seen as a global company. And it’s sometimes difficult for some people to pronounce.”

“We’re not mutating into a different company, we’re just following a path that we’ve already been on since becoming part of Embracer Group. We’re growing in all areas. It’s certainly not a departure from physical distribution. Our mantra is we want to offer games wherever and however people want to play them: physical, digital, collector’s editions. Whatever way people want to consume our content, we’re there. We’re long-term committed in the physical space, but equally we need to reinvent ourselves all the time.”

“We’re a very transformed company and we have an ambition on a global scale to continue to grow, both on the content creation side and the sales side, as well as diversifying into different forms of entertainment. We’re ready to give ourselves a new look, a new style, and open a new chapter.”

The re-branding also applies to Koch Film, which will now be known as Plaion Pictures, which is a fresh approach for the world of film content creators, such as horror content creators and others within the film industry.

“Koch has always been a B2B brand and it will continue to be,” Kundratitz said. “All our consumer-facing publishing labels – Deep Silver, Prime Matter, Ravenscourt, Milestone and Vertigo Games – will stay the same. I think it’s easier to transition from Koch to Plaion in a B2B environment.”

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