Tag: Industry - Page 3
News Gabe Newell Reflects On Exiting Microsoft To Go Make Half-Life
"On the surface, we should have failed"
Valve is currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of its iconic first-person shooter Half-Life, and as part of this, it's released a lengthy documentary discussing the entire history of the project. It also happens to have a segment touching on the co-founders' departure from Microsoft. This includes both...
News TimeSplitters Studio Free Radical Reportedly At Risk Of Closure
Another Embracer Group shutdown could happen
The first-person shooter series TimeSplitters was meant to be making a comeback after UK developer Free Radical Design was revived in 2021. Unfortunately, in a new update, it seems the studio is now at risk of being closed down by its parent company Embracer Group. According to VGC, Embracer is still...
News Ubisoft Axes 124 Jobs As Part Of Company Restructure
Assassin's Creed dev Ubisoft Montreal impacted
Following the news last week Bungie had cut "an estimated 100 jobs", the French video game publisher Ubisoft has now axed 124 employees to "streamline" its operations and enhance the company's "collective efficiency". This company restructuring will remove 98 positions in Canada, which is reportedly...
News PlayStation Studio Bungie Knows It's 'Lost' A Lot Of The Destiny 2 Community's Trust
"This has been one of the most difficult weeks"
Earlier this week, Bungie confirmed it had to say goodbye to many colleagues after a report revealed the PlayStation-owned studio had axed 8% of its workforce (around 100 jobs). Bungie higher-ups had also revealed just weeks before to staff that the company was running at 45% below its revenue...
News Microsoft Employees Will Reportedly Lose 'Free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate'
Update: Phil Spencer confirms this won't be happening
Update [Sat 4th Nov, 2023 11:00 GMT]: Microsoft is now reportedly "reversing" the decision to remove a free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate employee benefit after complaints (via The Verge). Phil Spencer investigated the situation himself and issued the following update to all employees via the...
News PlayStation Studio & Former Halo Dev Bungie Cuts Staff After Game Delays
Update: 8% of staff reportedly gone
Update [Wed 1st Nov, 2023 00:00 GMT]: Following the initial announcement of layoffs at Bungie, a new report by Bloomberg has now revealed the the decisio
News Here's A Look At Microsoft And Xbox's New Gaming Leadership Structure
See for yourself
It's been another big week for team Xbox with the latest announcement of a Microsoft reshuffle which sees some familiar faces promoted. Perhaps the biggest changes apart from Activision Blizzard, are the promotions of two execs. As noted in the initial announcement, Matt Booty is now 'president of game content and studios'...
News Phil Spencer Thanks PlayStation Boss For His Contribution To The Video Game Industry
Jim Ryan will step down from his role in March 2024
In some industry news today, Sony has announced PlayStation boss Jim Ryan will be retiring from his role in March next year. In response to this news, the head of Xbox Phil Spencer has now issued a message on social media thanking Ryan for his efforts within the video game industry over the past...
News Saints Row Developer Volition Has Been Shut Down By Embracer Group
"Effective immediately"
Following reports of the Saints Row reboot underperforming earlier this year, developer Volition Games has now announced it is shutting down, effective immediately. It shared this update via a post on LinkedIn - mentioning how the closure was part of Embracer Group's "restructuring program". As also noted, the company is p
News Major Nelson Takes A Selfie At Nintendo America's HQ With His Guest Pass
"Just visiting"
Although Major Nelson announced his departure from Xbox and Microsoft last month, he's not entirely done with the industry just yet. He previously mentioned how he would be taking a "step back" to work on the "next chapter" of his career. With this in mind, he's now been spotted taking selfies out of Nintendo's American office. It's...
News Major Nelson Announces His Departure From Xbox After 20 Years
"I have decided to take a step back"
Xbox's Major Nelson has today announced that he is leaving Xbox and Microsoft after over 20 years at the company, telling fans on social media that he intends to "take a step back and work on the next chapter of my career". In his message, Major Nelson (real name "Larry Hryb") thanked the "millions of gamers...
News Microsoft Acquired Hellblade Creator Ninja Theory For Just $117 Million
Chump change
Some more information that was never meant to be made public has been revealed in the Microsoft v FTC court battle. In the same email and documents revealing Xbox had a huge list of companies it was considering acquiring, page 10 reveals Ninja Theory was purchased for the sum of $117 million USD. Again, what's interesting about this...
News Electronic Arts Restructures Its Studios Into Two Organisations
"EA Entertainment" and "EA Sports"
Third-party video game giant Electronic Arts, known for IPs such as Battlefield and Apex Legends, has today announced a massive company restructure. According to CEO Andrew Wilson, EA Games will be split into two organisations - EA Entertainment and EA Sports. This is described as a "next step" in the company's...
News Embracer Likely To Cancel Games And Close Studios As Part Of Major Restructuring Program
Crystal Dynamics issues a statement
Embracer Group has announced today that it's embarking upon a restructuring program that will have a major effect throughout the company, with job losses, cancelled games and studio closures expected. In a statement, Embracer's CEO explained the move will "make us a leaner, stronger and a more focused,...
News Halo Veteran Joseph Staten Has Announced He Is Leaving Microsoft
"I'll have more info to share soon"
We've got some breaking news coming out of Microsoft about Joseph Staten. After recently exiting Halo Infinite and moving back to Xbox Game Studios Publishing, the Halo veteran has now announced he'll be leaving the tech giant. Microsoft didn't reveal where exactly Joe is off to but thanked him for his...
News Paradox Interactive Teases 'Big News' Ahead Of Xbox Sponsored Showcase
The Paradox announcement show airs March 6th
Publisher Paradox Interactive has revealed it will be hosting an "announcement show" next week in partnership with Xbox. It'll air on Monday, March 6th at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT. So, what can we expect? Paradox is teasing "big news" - with 3 new games, 4 new expansions, gameplay reveals and updates...
News Ex-Apex Legends Director Forms New Studio Wildlight Entertainment
Loaded with FPS developer talent
A new game studio called Wildlight Entertainment has been formed. While the name may not immediately grab your attention, some of the people at the studio might! It's led by former Apex Legends game director, Chad Grenier - also known for his work on the Titanfall series and his past development history with Call of...
News Sony Joins Xbox's Accessibility Mission With 'Project Leonardo'
But will it be compatible with other platforms?
Microsoft has been a market leader when it comes to accessibility in gaming, and has often called on other video game companies around the world to help make gaming more accessible to the masses. Well, in a surprise announcement today at Sony's CES 2023 press conference, the creator of PlayStation has...
News Gears Of War Creator On Sale To Xbox: 'Epic Didn't Really Know What To Do With The Franchise'
So Microsoft took charge
Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski recently chatted with IGN about his new book 'Control Freak', and as usual, Gears was a major talking point. In one segment, he touched on the sale of the franchise to Microsoft in 2014 - mentioning how Epic didn't really seem to know what to do with the series after he left alongside...
News Microsoft Invests In Korean Blockchain Game Developer
Wemade makes the MMORPG series 'Legend of Mir'
Xbox's parent Microsoft is always seeking new tech and gaming avenues, and the latest news doing the rounds is that it's invested in the Korean game company Wemade, which specialises in blockchain technology. According to an official PR by Wemade (via a story on VGC), the developer has received an...
News EA Announces 'Multi-Title' Action Adventure Game Deal With Marvel
Iron Man is first up
There's big news coming out of Electronic Arts today with the company announcing it's committing to a "long-term deal" with comicbook giant Marvel (known for Spider-Man, X-Men and more) to develop "at least three" brand new action-adventure games. These games will be available for both "consoles and PC", and each will have an...
News Founders Of Batman Arkham Studio Rocksteady Announce Departure
Suicide Squad is due to arrive in 2023
Well, here's some surprising news, the co-founders of Rocksteady - the British studio behind the Batman: Arkham series - have announced they'll be leaving the company at the end of 2022. In an official message from Jamie Walker and Sefton Hill, the pair said the studio had been their "life and soul" -...
News Take-Two CEO Backs Microsoft's Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard
"It's a good thing for Microsoft and for the industry"
We're hearing a lot of discourse online about Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and whether it's a good or bad thing for the industry. In a recent video interview with The Grill, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked about his own thoughts, and mentioned how he's "in favour" and...
News Electronic Arts And Koei Tecmo Are Working On A Monster Hunter Rival
"The next great hunting game"
The Monster Hunter series has become an absolute goldmine for Capcom over the years, with each game normally shifting millions of units around the globe. It's got plenty of other companies thinking about how they could join the hunt, and with this in mind, EA and Koei Tecmo are teaming up in a new partnership to make...
News Aaron Greenberg Promoted To Xbox's VP Of Games Marketing
Congratulations!
If you're a close follower of the Xbox team, you'll be well aware of Aaron Greenberg. He's a really nice guy who is always busy promoting the latest game and hardware. It seems he's recently been promoted - with his LinkedIn profile revealing how he's gone from Xbox Games Marketing General Manager to Xbox Games Marketing Vice...
Rumour CNBC Suggests Amazon Isn't Planning To Acquire EA
At least not right now
Update (Fri 26th Aug, 2022 17:00 BST): Earlier today, a report began circling on USA Today (with GLHF sources) that Amazon had made a formal bid to acquire EA, but a few hours later, CNBC suggested that Amazon wasn't planning to make a bid for the company. So, which is it?! We don't know for sure, but it appears to be the...
News Microsoft, Xbox & Halo Veteran Opens New Studio Backed By NetEase
Introducing 'Jar of Sparks'
Earlier this year in May, Microsoft, Xbox and Halo veteran Jerry Hook announced his departure from 343 Industries. While it wasn't clear at the time what he was moving onto, he's now revealed his new studio 'Jar of Sparks'. It's a new developer backed by Chinese gaming giant NetEase, with Hook taking up the role of...
News EA Teases 'Some Surprises' You Won't Want To Miss Out On
What could it be for?
Electronic Arts might not be hosting its 'EA Play Live' event this year, but apparently, it's got some surprises up its sleeve. According to the company's official Twitter account, you won't want to miss out on these surprises. It's not specified when exactly they'll be revealed. Here's the tweet in full: "We have some...
News EA Reportedly Keen To Sell Or Merge
Was allegedly in negotiations with Comcast
Mergers and sales of big third-party video game companies have become all the rage in recent years, and according to a new report by the news website Puck, Electronic Arts could be next in line. Following on from Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, EA has reportedly "been persistent in pursuing...
News EA Announces It's Making Lord Of The Rings Games Again
One title has been announced, but it's for mobile
EA has officially renewed its partnership with Middle-Earth Enterprises - the exclusive rights holders of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, created by J.R.R. Tolkien. It's somewhat exciting news, but unfortunately, the only game announced (at least right now) is a new mobile title called The...
News Former Xbox Employee Joins Bungie As 'Project Lead' For Destiny 2 Expansions
Phil Spencer: "Congrats Catarina"
Earlier this year, Sony shared some surprising news - revealing it had acquired the former Halo developer Bungie for $3.6 billion. It seems it's not the only former team Xbox member jumping ship to PlayStation. Former senior program manager at Xbox's research and development division, Catarina Macedo, has now...
News Former Nintendo Boss Applauds Xbox's 'Fantastic' Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard
Phil's the man
Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has been on rather good terms with the team over at Xbox, and during a recent appearance at SXSW 2022 to discuss all things gaming and promote his new book 'Disrupting the Game', he was asked to share his thoughts the acquisitions currently taking place. In terms of the purchase...
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Shares Kind Words About Former Nintendo Boss
"His leadership and guidance have been very valuable"
Head of Xbox and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has taken to Twitter to share his support for former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, who is currently promoting his new book about his life and career. The book is called "Disrupting The Game", and is described as "the ultimate...
News Report Suggests Ubisoft Could Be 'The Next Big Gaming Acquisition'
Are you seeing this, Microsoft?
Ubisoft could potentially be the next big third-party video game company to be bought out. According to a report on Bloomberg, the French publisher and developer known for franchises such as Assassin's Creed and Just Dance could be gearing up for a sale. Private equity firms Blackstone Inc. and KKR & Co are...
News Sony Reportedly Joining Xbox In Creating 'Ad Program' For Free-To-Play Games
But it's a separate plan to Microsoft's
You may recall Business Insider reporting last week that Microsoft was creating an advertising program for free-to-play games on Xbox, and now the same outlet has suggested Sony is doing something very similar for PlayStation as well. According to the report, Sony wants to "encourage developers to keep...
News Xbox's Head Of Research And Design Leaves After 20 Years
"I have loved my time with Xbox"
Xbox's Head of Research and Design, Chris Novak, has announced he's left Microsoft after almost 20 years working at the company, having started on the Xbox team all the way back in November of 2002 as a Design Director. In a message posted on LinkedIn, Novak confirmed he'd resigned from Microsoft, but stated he'd...
News Halo's OG Composers 'Amicably Resolve Differences' With Microsoft
Sounds like a happy ending
It was revealed back in February of this year that original Halo composers Marty O'Donnell and Mike Salvatori were suing Microsoft over 20 years' worth of unpaid royalties, but it seems the two parties have reached an agreement. Taking to Twitter this week, Marty O'Donnell stated that "Microsoft and O’Donnell/Salvatori,...
News Xbox Series X|S UK Sales Have Surpassed The Nintendo GameCube
It happened a few months ago
This next generation of consoles has been defined by stock issues thus far, but even so, Microsoft has reportedly sold more Xbox Series X and S systems in the UK than Nintendo managed with the GameCube throughout its entire lifespan. This is according to GamesIndustry's Chris Dring, who pointed out that the milestone...
News Microsoft Is Giving You A Chance To Join The Xbox Mentoring Program
Kickstart your gaming career
Interested in a career in gaming? Xbox has kickstarted a new mentoring program today in which you can apply to "access valuable 1:1 coaching sessions" with key female leaders throughout Xbox, with eight people to be chosen in all. The leaders include the likes of Everwild Executive Producer Louise O' Connor, The...
Rumour PlayStation Could Have A 'Really Big' Acquisition To Announce Soon
But details are very thin on the ground
You may have heard some rumblings throughout the week about a potentially huge PlayStation announcement that has yet to surface. Even though we haven't seen it yet, there are suggestions from high-profile journalists in the industry that PlayStation could have a "really big" acquisition to announce in the near...
News It's Official, E3 2022 Has Been Cancelled
Showcase will return in 2023
We've got an update on this year's E3, and it appears the entire event has now been cancelled. Following on from the news that the showcase could still potentially go ahead earlier this month, IGN was able to confirm the annual event had been axed. ESA also shared an official statement with IGN, revealing how the show...
News Electronic Arts' EA Play Live Event Won't Be Taking Place This Year
EA is waiting for "when the time is right"
Although a number of live events and streams are set to return this year, one that we won't be seeing is EA Play Live. According to a story on IGN, EA has made the decision to skip this year, and instead reveal its next batch of games when the "time is right". Here's exactly what an EA representative had...
News Xbox Boss Asks Gamers To 'Respect Creators' And Avoid Toxicity
Key words from Phil Spencer
Xbox boss and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer was the recipient of the AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony last week, and he had some key words for gamers in a post-awards interview. As highlighted by IGN, Spencer was asked if he had a message to share to the players, and he used...
News Ex-CDPR Devs Working On 'AAA, Dark Fantasy RPG' At New Studio
Introducing Rebel Wolves
A team of ex-CD Projekt Red developers have formed a brand new studio known as Rebel Wolves. What's perhaps even more exciting is that the team is already working on "AAA, story-driven dark fantasy RPG saga" for both PC and next-generation consoles (aka Xbox Series X|S and PS5). This studio is comprised of seven industry...
News Halo's OG Composers Are Suing Microsoft Over 20 Years Of Unpaid Royalties
It could even block the TV show release
It's being reported by Eurogamer today that the original composers on Halo are suing Microsoft over 20 years' worth of unpaid royalties, and it could even potentially have an effect on the release of the upcoming Halo TV show. Marty O'Donnell and Mike Salvatori filed
News Xbox Veteran Shannon Loftis Retires From Microsoft After 29 Years
"I always told myself I’d leave at a high point..."
There's some major industry news coming out of the Microsoft camp today, as Xbox veteran Shannon Loftis has announced that she's retiring from Microsoft after 29 years of service to the company. Loftis, who most recently has been serving as the head of Age of Empires developer World's Edge,...
News Sony Explains Why Bungie Joined PlayStation Studios
Bungie wants its IP to "grow big", potentially beyond games
Sony's recent announcement that it would be acquiring Destiny 2 developer Bungie has left a lot scratching their heads. The developer moved away from Microsoft and eventually did the same thing with Activision - reclaiming its independence, and yet now it's signed on with Sony. While...
News Sony Acquiring Bungie For $3.6 Billion, Studio Will Remain Multiplatform
Another major acquisition
What is happening this year?! Just weeks after Microsoft announced it was acquiring Activision for a little under $70 billion, Sony has now announced that it is acquiring Destiny (and former Halo) studio Bungie for $3.6 billion. However, it's been confirmed that Bungie will remain a multiplatform studio with the ability...
News Xbox Boss 'Trusts' Nintendo & PlayStation, More Concerned About 'Other Tech Competitors'
"They won't do anything that damages gaming..."
While there's a lot of focus on how certain video game companies like PlayStation will respond to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard (valued at close to $70 billion), it seems Xbox might be focused on much bigger threats. According to The Washington Post, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer...
News E3 2022's 'In Person' Event Has Been Axed
And ESA hasn't confirmed a digital show yet
The ESA has announced this year's E3 will no longer go ahead "in person" due to the pandemic. Here's the full statement via IGN: “Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022. We remain...
