Tag: Industry - Page 9
News Suda51 Teases New Grasshopper Manufacture Game Reveal, Possibly Before The End Of 2022
"I want to hurry up and show everyone"
Towards the end of 2021, the famous video game creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda announced his development studio had joined the Chinese video game group NetEase. With No More Heroes 3 now complete, Suda 51's team is focused on creating new and original IP projects over the next decade. In a recent interview...
News EA Reportedly Pursuing Sale Or Merger
Has apparently spoken to Comcast, Disney, Apple and Amazon
Microsoft's recent acquisitions of video game companies like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard has sent the entire industry into a frenzy - with companies like Sony pulling out its wallet to acquire the Halo and Destiny developer Bungie. Now, in the latest development, a report by news...
News Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund Acquires 5% Stake In Nintendo
One of the fund's biggest moves to date
It's been a disruptive period in the game industry, with an increasing number of major takeovers and notable investments, ranging from Tencent continuing to expand its reach, Sony in the process of purchasing Bungie and Microsoft in a similar stage of its Activision Blizzard acquisition. In terms of financial...
News April NPD: Switch Has Overtaken PS4 Sales In The US
Now fourth best selling console
The Nintendo Switch continues to sell like hot cakes, despite reports of a 20% decrease YoY from Nintendo's own financial report. Now, the hybrid console has reached another remarkable milestone by surpassing the total sales of the PS4 in the US. This means that the Switch is now the fourth best selling console in...
News Sega Plans To Leverage More Past IP With 'Remasters, Remakes, Reboots'
Along with planned 'Super Games'
As part of its financial earnings report, SEGA Sammy Group announced that it will leverage existing and past IP by means of "remasters, remakes, reboots, etc", aiming to strengthen its core properties by FY2024. The company also makes reference to the so-called 'Super Games' which, if you cast your mind back, may...
News Square Enix Declines To Comment On Yuji Naka's Balan Wonderworld Lawsuit
Update: Square Enix's response
Update #2 [Fri 13th May, 2022 11:45 BST] As part of Square Enix's earnings briefings today, the company has confirmed it had a lawsuit case with Yuji Naka, but has declined to comment further. The only response the prominent Japanese developer gave was to say that Balan Wonderworld "is a game that we recommend with...
News Nintendo 8th Place In "Top 10" Game Revenues For 2021
Tencent takes out the top spot
Although Nintendo is forecasting a drop in profits and sales for the current financial year, its hardware and software are still selling like there's no tomorrow. The Switch has now sold more than 107 million units and software has surpassed 822 million units, as of March 31, 2022. It should come as no surprise then...
News NoA President Responds To Alleged Working Conditions At Nintendo, Finds Reports "Troubling"
Internal message to staff reveals Bowser's thoughts
Nintendo of America was last month named alongside hiring firm Aston Carter in a workers' rights complaint, when an individual worker claimed their legally protected right to unionise was violated. Nintendo issued a response to this, stating how the worker was "a contractor previously terminated...
News Nintendo Says The Ratio Of Switch Online Expansion Pack Users Is "Especially High" In The US
And the service will continue to expand
Update: Nintendo's official translation of the Q&A has now been released and differs subtly from VGC's earlier translation, specifically with regards to the proportion of Nintendo Switch Online users in the US who have upgraded to the Expansion Pack tier. Nintendo's translation specifically highlights...
News Takashi Hamamura, Veteran At HAL Laboratory, Has Resigned
Onto greener pastures
Takashi Hamamura, game designer for HAL Laboratory, has announced that he has resigned from the company. In a tweet posted on April 28th, the veteran stated (via a rough translation) "Today was the last day of work at HAL Laboratory. I would like to finally do game design research activities from next month. If you are...
News Konami Just Recorded Its Most Profitable Year Ever
Staggering results!
Konami Holdings Corporation (soon to be Konami Group Corporation, by the way) has recorded its most profitable year ever in its financial results for FY2022. Its operating income has risen from 36.6 billion yen in FY2021 to 74.4 billion yen, marking a 103.6% increase. The overall profit increase after taxes yielded a 69.9%...
News EA's Live Service Battle Royale Game Has Now Generated $2 Billion In Earnings
"Full games" can't compete
If you had any doubts about the live service model in video games, you might want to check out EA's latest earnings report. The third-party video game giant responsible for series like Battlefield, The Sims and Need for Speed has revealed Respawn Entertainment's battle roya
News Capcom Releasing "Multiple Major New Titles" By March 31, 2023
Here's what you can expect
Capcom also released its earnings report yesterday - recording another year of record sales and profits. Along with this sales update, it also mentioned how it planned to release "multiple major new titles" by March 31, 2023. While only a small amount of these games are currently locked in for the Nintendo Switch, at the...
News Bandai Namco Reports A Near 50% Rise In Profits For FY2022
A roaring success
Bandai Namco has released its financial results for FY2022 and its looking mighty promising for the publisher. With a total of ¥125 billion ($963 million) in profits, this marks a staggering 48.2% rise from the previous year. Net sales rose 20% to a total of ¥889 billion ($6.8 billion), due largely in part to the monumental...
News EA Reveals It's Working On An Unannounced Remake For 2023
Plus a major IP
Electronic Arts (EA) shared its investor presentation this Tuesday, which is used to tantalise investors and make sure they stay on board for the next financial year. And this year's presentation has a few juicy morsels, one of which reveals that EA is working on a Remake for the end of 2023. We already know EA is publishing the...
News Nintendo Reports That More 3DS Games Launched Last Year Than In 2020
Eight games to two!
If you thought it was all over for the 3DS, think again. Nintendo's marvellous handheld is still hanging in there, despite the fact that production of the console ceased in 2020, and that the eShop will be closing next year. That hasn't dampened developers' spirits, however, as Nintendo has reported that the console got eight...
News Capcom Reports Another Year Of Record-High Sales And Profits
Monstrous figures
Capcom has had yet another hugely successful year. In a report published by the company today, it has announced that its operating income in the year ending March 2022 is up by 24% and net income is up by 30.6% compared to the 2020-2021 period. That means Capcom has had nine consecutive years of operating income growth. A lot of...
News Nintendo Says It Wants To Avoid A Repeat Of Wii U With Switch's Successor
The generational transition must be "as smooth as possible"
Update: Nintendo's official translation of the Q&A has now been released and differs subtly from VGC's earlier translation, specifically with regards to Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa calling the transition 'a major concern'. Here is the official translation, which highlights the...
News Nintendo Reconfirms Release Windows For Major Upcoming Switch Games
Bayonetta 3 still on for 2022, Metroid Prime 4 and Advance Wars TBA
With Nintendo publishing its latest financial report, the company has reshared and updated its list of upcoming releases. We've had plenty of brand new releases to etch into the calendars over the last period, what with that beefy February Nintendo Direct. The updated schedule...
News EA Has Renewed Its Partnership With Middle-Earth Enterprises
It's already working on a Lord of the Rings mobile game
Electronic Arts is known for creating blockbuster games based on series like Star Wars, but it's also worked with plenty of other famous IPs in the past. One, Nintendo gamers from the 2000s might recall, is Middle-Earth's The Lord of the Rings series. Now, many years later, the games giant has...
News Former Nintendo Manager Joins The Forza Team As Its 'Director Of Quality'
Nintendo's loss, Xbox's gain
A former Nintendo manager has joined Xbox to become 'Director of Quality' for the Forza franchise. Heather Gearreald worked at Nintendo of America for nearly 5 years as its 'Quality Assurance Manager' and 'Software Development Manager', before announcing her move to Turn 10 Studios via LinkedIn. As reported by our...
News Reggie "Hated" Donkey Konga And Was Worried It Would Hurt The DK Brand
"I pushed back hard"
Update [Sat 7th May, 2022 12:30 BST]: G4 has now uploaded the full interview with Reggie - adding some much-needed context to that line about how much he "hated Donkey Konga". It turns out, he was just protective and was worried about the music rhythm series ruining the Donkey Kong brand. In the end, though, he admits it sold...
Random Take A Look At GoldenEye 007 Played Across 4 Separate Screens
The dream multiplayer set-up!
GoldenEye 007 for the N64 is a truly seminal video game. It was one of the first examples of the FPS genre to demonstrate just how viable it could be on consoles, with an excellent single-player campaign backed up by a multiplayer mode that's still enjoyed by many to this day. Times, however, have moved on. Although...
News Ubisoft Reportedly Looking To Block Takeover Bids Via A New Partnership
Company shares jump 10% in light of takeover reports
Ubisoft's founder - the Guillemot family - is reportedly looking into partnering with a private equity firm with a view to acquire the games publisher. In light of the reports, company shares have jumped 10% over the course of the last day or so. As reported by equities news and data service...
News Reggie Talks About NoA Union Issues: "This Isn't The Nintendo That I Left"
"The reports I hear really strike me as just not the company I knew"
As you might have heard over the past few weeks, Nintendo of America has come under fire for its alleged treatment of part-time and contract workers. NoA actually issued a response to one of these complaints, noting how the video game giant was "fully committed" to providing a...
News Former Nintendo Of America Associate Producer Talks Crunch On Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
"You’re putting in some serious time to get it done"
Back in the late '90s, all eyes were on Nintendo and the development of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. After numerous delays, the game launched in November 1998 to rapturous applause and plaudits and is now widely considered one of the best video games ever made. But, with the delays and...
Review Disrupting The Game: From The Bronx To The Top Of Nintendo - Reggie Fils-Aimé
Intriguing insights blended with business can-do tropes
Reggie Fils-Aimé is an iconic figurehead of 21st Century Nintendo, arriving in the public eye at a pivotal moment of the company's history as it underwent a Satoru Iwata-led revolution. After the GameCube's challenging generation in the face of new competition from Microsoft's Xbox and the...
Squeenix deal includes Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and 50+ games
Embracer Group, the Swedish video game holding company and parent of Gearbox, Saber Interactive and THQ Nordic (among many others), has entered into an agreement to acquire several studios and a selection of IP from Square Enix. Included in the deal are three studios — Crystal Dynamics,...
News Reggie Fils-Aimé Is A Big Believer In Blockchain And "Play To Own"
Just as long as it makes sense for the player
At last month's SXSW event in Austin, Texas, Reggie Fils-Aimé took to the stage to discuss various aspects of his career, from the start of his tenure at Nintendo to his post-retirement work with Gamestop and Cornell University. While talking about the future of video games and the innovations driving...
News Next Level Games Is Seeking New Talent For Future Nintendo Projects
"We're hiring"
Ahead of the release of Mario Strikers: Battle League this June on the Switch, Canadian-based developer Next Level Games has put out the call for new team members. In a rare social media update, it's mentioned how it's currently seeking Performance Engineers and Tools Engineers. If you head on over to its official website, you'll...
Rumour Ubisoft Being Eyed Up For A Potential Takeover
Another big company could be acquired
It feels like every single month there's news of a new video game company acquisition. This year alone, we've seen Microsoft absorb Activision Blizzard, Sony buy former-Halo developer Bungie, Take-Two acquire the keys to Farmville developer,
Talking Point WATA And The Grey Areas Of Game Preservation - Is There Any Better Way?
WATAAARGH
The game industry is youthful compared to other areas of entertainment and recorded culture - younger than film and TV, and of course a baby compared to printed works. Yet we're now decades into the history of gaming, especially if you go back to the systems of the 1970s, perhaps even a little earlier. Even if you choose to focus on the...
News Nintendo Of America Criticised Over Treatment Of Part-Time And Contract Workers
"I feel like I hit a glass ceiling where my input no longer mattered"
Earlier this week it emerged that Nintendo of America and recruitment company Aston Carter have been named in a workers' rights complaint; the complaint alleges actions such as 'discharge' from employment and 'coercive statements'. Nintendo of America issued a response saying that...
News Former Joy-Con Drift Repairs Supervisor Says Work Volume Was "Very Stressful"
"Easily thousands of Joy-Cons were coming through each week"
Joy-Con drift sucks. Many of us have had it, and we're sure many of us have had to contact Nintendo to send it off to get repaired. But did you know Nintendo itself doesn't handle the repairs? Kotaku has investigated the process of getting your Joy-Cons repaired if they get the dreaded...
Random Devolver Cheekily Prods Sega Over Sonic Origins Pre-Orders
To promote Trek to Yomi
Ahhh, you can always count on Devolver Digital to take the bull by the horns and have fun with any kind of situation. And this time, Sega is the butt of the joke. Earlier this week, Sega's long-awaiting Sonic compilation, Sonic Origins, got an official release date of 23rd June after a few days of leaks. And while some...
News Capcom Has Revised Its Earnings Forecast Due To Strong Sales Of Series Like Monster Hunter
Up and up
Capcom appears to be on a roll - with news the Japanese publisher and developer has had to revise its earnings forecast simply because its games have been selling so well. Favourable performances from Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin and Resident Evil: Village have been cited as some of the main reasons for the earnings forecast...
News Nintendo Responds To Workers' Rights Complaint
"We take matters of employment very seriously"
Earlier this week, Nintendo of America was named alongside hiring firm Aston Carter in a National Labor Relations Board filing, where an "unnamed worker" claimed their legally protected right to unionise was violated. Nintendo has now officially responded to this with the following statement (via...
News Konami Looks To Change Its Name, Because Why Not
Don't worry, 'Meta' isn't in there
Konami - or to use its current full name, Konami Holdings Corporation - is looking to change its name to coincide with the company's 50th anniversary. So long as shareholder's approve of the move, Konami's board of directors has agreed to change the company's name to Konami Group Corporation. Wild, we know. If the...
News Nintendo Of America Named In Workers' Rights Complaint
NLRB filing names NOA with recruitment firm Aston Carter
Nintendo of America has been named alongside hiring firm Aston Carter in a National Labor Relations Board filing alleging "concerted activities" and "coercive actions" to violate an individual worker's protected right to unionise. As reported by Stephen Totilo at Axios Gaming, the complaint...
News Reggie Fils-Aimé To Talk Memes With Geoff Keighley In Bonus Audiobook Content
Not getting the audiobook? What's wrong with you?
Reggie Fils-Aimé's upcoming book, Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo, is only a few weeks away, and we're excited to read about the story of Nintendo, and gaming's, most well-known President. To say Reggie has inspired thousands is an understatement. He invigorated Nintendo...
News Ex-Rare Devs To Give Talk On The Development Of GoldenEye 007 (UK)
Tickets on sale now at The Centre for Computing History in Cambridge
GoldenEye 007 is one of the most revered video games of all time, known for its move into more realistic shooting mechanics after the likes of DOOM and Wolfenstein, and for proving the validity of FPS games on consoles. If you're based in the UK and are able to pop along to...
News Epic Games Invests In 'Horizon Chase Turbo' Developer Aquiris
A publishing deal is on the dashboard too
Epic Games has snatched up yet another partnership within the industry. This time, the Fortnite developer has shaken hands with Brazilian developer Aquiris, who created the rather brilliant polygonal racer Horizon Chase Turbo. This is the latest deal that the studio has reached, following on from acquiring...
News QuakeCon Will Be An All-Digital Show For The Third Year Running
"Still too much uncertainty to commit"
The long-running Zenimax operated 'QuakeCon' will once again be a digital-only event for 2022. Taking place on August 18-20, it will be the third year in a row that QuakeCon will be opting to go all-digital in the wake of ongoing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, plans are supposedly...
News Nintendo Make Changes To Switch Online's Automatic Renewals
Following a CMA investigation
Okay, how many of us have fallen victim to this: saying we're going to cancel our subscriptions, forgetting, and then being charged a hefty sum of money for a year's more. It's a vicious cycle that, unless you remember to cancel or take your card details off, would leave you with lighter pockets. Auto-renewal has long...
News Bandai Namco Appears To Be Remastering A '3D Action Game' For Nintendo
What could it be?
Bandai Namco - the Japanese company behind series like Tekken and Pac-Man - appears to have a new project in the works, contracted by Nintendo. According to multiple job listings on Bandai Namco's Japanese website (via
News Vicarious Visions Is Seemingly No More After It Merges With Blizzard Entertainment
Developer will work solely on Blizzard games
Vicarious Visions, known for its work on Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, will merge with Blizzard Entertainment and work solely on Blizzard games moving forward. Blizzard Entertainment is known for franchises such as Diablo, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Hea
News New Subnautica Game Is In "Early Development"
And you could dive in and join the team
Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds has revealed that a new game in the underwater survival exploration series is in "early development". (Thanks for the tip, solarwolf!) In a job listing posted last night for the studio, it confirmed the team is looking for a Senior Narrative Designer to "help shape the next...
News Nintendo Acquires Land For New Development Building In Japan
Scheduled to be completed by 2027
This just in: Nintendo has announced it's acquired new land. According to an official PR, it has bought this land next to its Kyoto HQ for around $5 billion Yen (that's close to $40 million USD). This new area will be home to the headquarters' second development building (tentative name). The purpose of the...
News More Switch Owners Would Consider Game Pass If Activision Titles Were Added, Poll Finds
Like and subscribe for skateboarding
Xbox Game Pass is pretty hard to resist, right? A monthly subscription brings you tons of titles that you can download and play whenever you want - as long as they stay on the surface. And with Microsoft acquiring companies like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, the prospect of those games becoming exclusive to...
News Lost In Cult's 'A Handheld History' Is An Unofficial Love Letter To Portable Gaming
Featuring some familiar writers!
Handheld consoles have been instrumental to the growth and popularity of gaming as a whole. Without the likes of Nintendo's own Game Boy, DS, or even the Switch, we frankly dread to think what the industry would look like. Gaming journal publisher 'Lost in Cult' is looking to celebrate the storied history of...