Valve formally revealed Deadlock over the last weekend, and its closed beta hit a new peak of concurrent players not long after.The surprise MOBA shooter has 89,203 players at time of writing. It's just over double the original peak of 44,512 players in August 16.Deadlock's existence has been known for some time, but Valve was insistent on keeping it secret up to this point. That move drew controversy after The Verge wrote about its time with the beta, and banned writer Sean Hollister after bypassing the prompt to not speak on the beta and talking about it.For those curious, the current Deadlock peak is just above the 24-hour peak for Valve's older multiplayer titles like Team Fortess 2 (71,863 players) and Left 4 Dead 2 (27,904 players), plus the all-time peak for the first Left 4 Dead (30,616 players).Notably, it's also the first wholly new project from Valve in some time, and its newest title after last year's Counter-Strike 2 and Half-Life Alyx in 2020.At time of writing, Deadlock is limited to playtesters and whoever they invite. It's unclear when Valve will release a wider, more open beta, or what other platforms the eventual, no-longer-secretive…
Month: October 2024
A new video from Did You Know Gaming's Liam Robertson details how Crash and Spyro developer Toys for Bob has been extensively mismanaged by ex-parent company Activision Blizzard.Much of the studio's woes stem from Activision's reaction to specific games underperforming. After Crash 4: It's About Time had initial weak sales compared to 2017's Crash N. Sane Trilogy, the publisher changed its handling of TfB projects.…
Video game commerce platform Xsolla has partnered with the Savvy Games Group to create a game development academy in Saudi Arabia to "create economic opportunities" for Middle Eastern developers.By extension, this deal puts Xsolla in the bed with the country's state-owned Public Investment Fund, whose crown prince and prime minister Mohammad bin Salman was linked to the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Under the Savvy deal, Xsolla promises to help create 3,600 new jobs by the end of 2030. Several "key" initiatives will be launched, including incubator and accelerator programs, industry events, and funding for development projects.Additionally, Xsolla will create a regional office in Riyadh with services focused on business, product, and technology development "to help developers and publishers scale and grow their games in the Middle East and the Kingdom."Savvy CEO Brian Ward called this Xsolla partnership "a significant step forward in our mission to elevate Saudi Arabia’s games and esports ecosystem. […] We're creating jobs and building a vibrant, sustainable industry that will drive opportunity and creativity for years to come.…
Sony is increasing the price of the PlayStation 5 and certain accessories in Japan.Breaking the news in a blog post, the company explained the standard PlayStation 5 (complete with disc drive) will now retail for 79,980 yen ($551) in the region. As noted by Reuters, that's an increase of around 20 percent on the previous price of 66,980 yen ($462).The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will cost 72,980 yen ($504), which again represents a 20 percent increase on the old 59,980 yen ($414) price tag.
PlayStation accessories will also see a price bump
The updated RRPs will take effect on September 2, 2024, and will also result in consumers paying more for accessories including DualSense controllers, Pulse headsets and earphones, and the PlayStation VR2–the latter of which will soon cost 89,980 yen ($621).PlayStation 5 hardware has now received multiple price bumps in select markets since launching in 2020, with Sony previously blaming supply issues and inflation rates.Sony's latest fiscal report indicated PlayStation 5 hardwa…
The status of Warner Bros. Discovery's video game division is once again in flux, and the company is hoping to license out its big properties.During its earnings call for the second quarter of the 2024-2025 fiscal year (thanks, IGN), CEO David Zaslav said outside studios could "take advantage" of franchises like Harry Potter and DC. "We have 11 studios here, and a lot of IP. […] We need to get bigger."In the past, WB licensed out its games to third-party developers. But many of these, like Rocksteady and TT Games (along with Player First more recently) were later acquired to continue making WB titles.To WB's streaming/games global head Jamie Perette, licensing will help balance out its games business. MultiVersus is doing fine in free-to-play, but he acknowledged the "lumpiness" of full-priced games that take three or four years (or more) and millions of dollars to make.Put another way, WB is still feeling the hurt from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Rocksteady's troubled live-service shooter has been repeatedly cited as a failure for WB Games, both on its own merits and in relation to Hogwarts Legacy.Whereas the 2023 game was…
A new studio by the name of Chamo Games has formed over in Sweden. Founded by ex-IO Interactive COO Zoher Toutanji and Plarium creative director Roberto Schiavulli, the team is spread out remotely across Europe, Brazil, Canada, and North and South Korea.Financially, Chamo has backing from major firms such as Griffin Gaming Partners, Sisu Ventures, and Lakestar.In addition to its founders, fellow staff include CTO David Lind, executive producer Stephanie Pecaoco, designer Bastian Wendzinski, and art director Sylvia Dybiec. The former three worked at Massive Entertainment, and Dybiec at Crytek and Square Enix.The studio is already at work on its first project, a "non-lethal" first-person shooter. Its overall mission statement is to make games that focus on fostering a "supportive and positive environment" for developers and players alike.Schiavulli further underlined this in the press release, affirming the team would "make games that prioritize player enjoyment and team well-being."Currently, Chamo Games is not hiring for specific roles, but encouraged interested parties to apply.…
Effectively immediately, Roblox has been banned in Turkey for the forseeable future.As spotted by GamesIndustry, the creation platform was banned for "content that could lead to the exploitation of children," said the country's Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç. "It is everyone's duty to look out for, protect and support the best interests of our children, the guarantor of our future." No specific instances of exploitation were given, but questions about safety on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite have been raised for several years.Turkey marks the first country to take a stand over
Roblox's alleged child safety issues. In late July, a Bloomberg report claimed the platform was a haven for child predators, and that possible ways to reduce their presence were shot down.While Roblox Corp. initially denied the report's claims, CEO David Baszucki later acknowledged the company needed better saftey methods.In response to the ban, Roblox Corp. told Eurogamer it would "respects the laws and regulations in countries where we operate. We look forward to working together to ensure Roblox is back online in Turkey as soon as possible."…
Even after laying off over a thousand employees at the start of the year, game engine and monetization solutions developer Unity has yet to see the 'profitable growth' it sought. Today the company reported a 16 percent decline in revenue year-over-year (down from $533 million to $426 million), contributing to a net loss of $126 million for the time period ending July 31, 2024.Unity's losses are nothing new, but their persistent presence was what drove an ill-advised "Runtime Fee" policy introduced in late 2023 that was altered for Unity 6 users after a mass uproar from developers. The good news is it is losing less money; net losses declined about 35 percent, decreasing from $193 million in 2023 to $126 million.
Unity's Grow Solutions did not in fact, grow
Some of Unity's revenue dip was expected given the company announced it would be winding down strategic partnerships and professional services that proven vestigial to its operations. What's surprising is that revenue from Grow Solutions …
Take-Two posted its financials for the first quarter of 2024-2025, and the publisher is "steady" as its bigger games loom on the horizon.Both net bookings and net revenue saw slight increases for the quarter ending June 30, 2024. Bookings came to $1.22 billion (up 1 percent from the same period last fiscal year) and revenue grew by 4 percent to $1.34 billion.Primary drivers for both metrics include NBA 2K24, Grand Theft Auto V and Online, and Words With Friends. However, consumer spending for both 2K24 and GTA Online were down compared to previous years.More substantially, Take-Two reported a net loss of $262 million, an increase on the $206 million loss reported this time last year. More losses are anticipated, but CEO Strauss Zelnick expects "sequential" net booking increases for the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years.Looking forward, Zelnick said the company "remains confident in our path forward. […] Our core franchises remain vibrant, and our teams are hard at work on the most ambitious development pipeline in our history."Discussing its upcoming release slate, Take-Two said Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to launch in fall 2025. It was previously repor…
Cypriot game studio Eschatology Entertainment has secured $11.3 million in funding to develop an upcoming Souls-like shooter.The investment round was led by PUBG maker Krafton, which made headlines earlier this week after purchasing Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks.The Korean company was joined by other investors including GEM Capital and The Games Fund, both of which co-led a $4 million investment into Eschatology when it broke cover in 2022.Eschatology is currently a 65-person studio that operates remotely. Its development team includes veterans from Valve, Wargaming, 4A Games, Bluehole Studio and more.The company is pitching its debut project as a triple-A narrative first-person shooter set in an apocalyptic wild west. The unnamed title is currently in active production with a finished vertical slice. Eschatology claims the latest cash injection will ensure a "timely release" while also enabling it to establish a publishing team.Studio co-founder Fuad Kuliev said the deal represents more than straightforward "financial investment."