Square Enix released Final Fantasy XIV's new Dawntrail expansion this week, and the new adventure is doing big numbers. In a new blog, director/producer Naoki Yoshida claimed the MMO hit a new record of concurrent players.Hard numbers weren't posted, but Yoshida noted the concurrents were its biggest since the soft reboot A Realm Reborn launched back in 2013. He considered it even more impressive given the game's launch issues."It has been a joy to watch you all play, each in your own unique way," he said. "But we’ve become aware of several issues that may have proven a hinderance to your overall experience. For that, I sincerely apologize."Charting Final Fantasy XIV's numbers is a little tricky, given its multiplatform status. On SteamDB, it had a recent 24-hour peak of 71,208 players, which puts it not that far behind the peak of 95,150 players back when Endwalker launched in 2021.So big was Endwalker that Square Enix had to stop selling the game ahead of launch because it'd gotten too popular. Even with that expansion's issues, it went on to become a big revenue driver for Square Enix at the time.Dawntrail's importance was…
Year: 2024
British publisher Kwalee has acquired a 3.58 percent stake in Devolver Digital.The company said the equity investment is part of a "broader strategy for balanced growth" and described Devolver as a "fantastic brand" with "category defining games.""The investment in Devolver fits with Kwalee's broader growth strategy to expand beyond its heritage in hyper casual mobile gaming to achieve more balanced growth. The minority investment in Devolver increases Kwalee's exposure to the PC/console segment, one of its four target verticals," reads a press release."Kwalee's own entry into the PC/console market is relatively new, with its latest launch Robobeat rated 'overwhelmingly positive' on Steam, receiving 97 percent positive reviews. Kwalee has over ten promising PC/console games in the pipeline including The Precinct, The Spirit of the Samurai and In Sink."Kwalee was able to make the investment after Devolver undertook an equity placing of £7.9 million ($10 million) through the issue of 23.9 million new shares of common stock. Those shares represented 5.4 percent of the issued and outstanding share capital of De…
Kotaku Australia is being shut down by publisher Pedestrian Group so the company can focus on its own brands.The Guardian broke the news after obtaining an email sent from Pedestrian Group CEO, Matt Rowley, to a number of employees across the company.Pedestrian Group currently licenses the Kotaku brand and others including Gizmodo, Vice, Refinery29 and Lifehacker (which are also being axed) so it can deploy them in Australia.Rowley described Pedestrian Group–which is owned by media conglomerate Nine–as a "highly successful business" in that email, but indicated the company has decided to move away from licensed brands."We've made the tough decision to focus on our wholly owned Pedestrian brands where we control the strategy, the content, the product, the sales and the outcome–the entire business," he said."This will have an impact on roles within the group and I appreciate the uncertainty this change creates, so we will be in contact immediately with those people."
Kotaku Australia i…
Piranha Bytes veterans Jennifer Pankratz and Bjorn Pankratz have left the Embracer-owned Risen developer to establish Pithead Studio.The news comes after a report from CD-Action indicated that Piranha Bytes has been shut down by Embracer. Those rumblings haven't been confirmed by the studio or its parent company, but come months after Piranha Bytes admitted to being in a "difficult situation."In January, the German studio indicated it was in trouble with Embracer looking to cut jobs, torch projects, and divest assets in a bid to reduce debt after an era of free-wheeling mergers and acquisitions.At the time, it was reported the studio was in danger of being shuttered, but despite acknowledging the situation Piranha Bytes also seemed defiant. "There are a lot of news [stories] about us circulating right now and this is our answer: Don't write us off yet," it wrote on X.Game Developer has reached out to Embracer for more information, but it's evident that key talent has departed Piranha Bytes.Between them, both Jennifer and Bjorn Pankratz spent almost four decades at the Gothic and Elex developer, with the former joining in 2008 and the latter in 199…
MiHoYo's newest action-RPG Zenless Zone Zero has garnered 50 million downloads worldwide since its launch on July 4.The game released on PlayStation 5, Windows, and mobile, and builds on the developer's ongoing success in recent years. Last year's Honkai Star Rail opened with 20 million players at launch, which itself built on the 17 million players for Genshin Impact."A city that once only existed in the hopes and dreams of the dev team has never been as buzzing with life as it is now," wrote MiHoYo.
MiHoYo's reputation as a hit maker stays intact
The developer's clout helped Zenless, as did going viral over the weekend and being free-to-play. The latter market can make almost any game explode into popularity at launch, particularly if there's been strong marketing behind it.Like Genshin and Honkai, Zenless has received fairly solid reviews, with the studio's gacha mechanics being the main point of contention. MiHoYo noted that the game has "lots of improvements to be made,&qu…
Microsoft is raising the price of Xbox Game Pass and introducing a new subscription plan that ditches day one access to first-party titles.As reported by The Verge, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will retail for $19.99 a month from September 12, 2024, an increase of $3 on the current $16.99 a month pricing.PC Game Pass will also receive a price bump in September, with the price of a monthly subscription increasing to $11.99 from $9.99.
A new tier for Game Pass
Notably, the company isn't just tweaking existing subscriptions but rolling out a brand new plan. The addition of a new Xbox Game Pass Standard option will enable users to access the Netflix-like service for $14.99 a month, but won't include first-party titles on day one.It's an interesting move for the company, which has frequently marketed Xbox Game Pass as the place to "play day one." Although Ultimate and PC subscribers will still have that option, it won't be offered as standard.Xbox Game Pass Standard plan will eventually supplant Xbox Game Pass for Console, which curre…
Palworld developer Pocketpair has partnered with Sony Music and Aniplex to form joint venture Palworld Entertainment.The trio hope to "expand and develop new businesses associated with the hit game," which attracted over 25 million players worldwide within one month of its early access launch."The joint venture will be responsible for developing the reach of the intellectual property and for expanding commercial business endeavors, including the global licensing and merchandising activities associated with Palworld, outside of the interactive game," reads a press release."[Our] efforts will begin with the development of exclusive merchandise based on the game—which will debut and sell at the Pocketpair booth during Bilibili World 2024."Aniplex is a Japanese entertainment and media company known for producing and distributing anime movies and shows, selling merchandise, and even publishing video games. It is also asubsidiary of the Sony Group.
More Palworld in more places
Palworld Entertainment hopes its various domestic and licensing operati…
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Our list of upcoming PSVR 2 games is steadily growing. From a zombie shooter to Alien VR games, and PSVR 2 exclusives, there’s a lot to look forward to in 2024 and beyond.Whether you’re new to PlayStation’s homegrown VR headset or are upgrading your PSVR with the latest model, there’s plenty here to enhance your PS5 experience. Some titles are receiving a free VR upgrade for owners of the first model, and we can expect new releases to abound on top of these. With internal eye-tracking cameras, haptic feedback, and a greater field of view, the PSVR 2 takes everything we love about immersive gaming and supercharges it.A whole host of titles are already available on the device (read our list of the best PSVR 2 games for more on those), but let’s take a look at what to expect from these upcoming PSVR 2 games. New PSVR 2 games in 2024 Arizona Sunshine Remake Developer: Vertigo Games
Release date: October 17, 2024
Ever wanted to play one of the best zombie games in VR? Well, the upcoming Arizona Sunshine remake is here to answer your prayers. Coming out on October 17, you’ll get to experience the award-winning game like ne…
Monster Hunter Wilds has a few now-standard deluxe editions that chuck in some extra goodies for anyone willing to dish out more cash, but none of them hold a candle to the Japan-exclusive collector’s edition that also includes a whole, literal bike. Monster Hunter Wild’s massive beasties, exciting trouser-making potential, and new fishing minigame were the highlights of last night’s September State of Play trailer, but Capcom quietly announced an extravagant Ultra Collector’s Edition that’s perhaps the most bonkers limited-time package that I’ve ever seen.The regular Monster Hunter Wilds Collector’s Edition comes with a gorgeous steelbook case containing a PS5 copy of the game, a fluffy baby seikret plush, and a small pouch styled after the game’s weapon bags – alongside in-game bonuses from the digital deluxe versions.「イーカプコン」にて、オフィシャルショップ限定版『モンスターハンターワイルズ ウルトラコレク&#…
Fortnite Birthday Cakes have returned to maintain the annual tradition, and this time they’re marking the 7th anniversary of the battle royale – can you believe that it has been running for seven whole years now?! That means it’s time to track down these giant bakes and help yourself to some slices, in order to tick off an entry in the Birthday Fortnite quests that are available for one week only. This means you’ll have to act fast, as once October 1 rolls around the caterers will be packing up for another year. If you’re ready to eat slices of birthday cake in Fortnite, then here’s where to find them.Where to find Birthday Cakes in Fortnite For the 7th anniversary celebration you’ll find Birthday Cakes in Fortnite have been delivered to ten different named locations, which means that you’ll find them at many but not all of the main places of interest. Look out for the large cakes surrounded by smaller slices, with brightly colored bunches of balloons surrounding them. For reference, the following are Fortnite Birthday Cakes locations for the 2024 event:Castle DoomDoomstadtGrand GlacierGrim GateMount OlympusThe RaftReckless RailwaysRedline RigRestored ReelsThe UnderworldHow …