Sherbytes: Industry News Megathread, v.1

Law Talkin’ Guy said:
So EA has their own version of the “COD mines” and now the Dead Space remake team has been relegated to working as a support studio for the Battlefield franchise? Damn shame.
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If i remember correctly they had Criterion helping out on 2042 along side EA Gothenburg and they ended up having to delay the Need For Speed title they were working on at the time due to the amount of work they were putting in on 2042 helping Dice out
 
KaNesDeath said:
Some research firm did a study on the most popular games in 2023 on each platform by MAU. Here are the Pc results:
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That’s crazy to me that the top ten played PC games in 2023 are games that are on average ten years old. That’s so different than in my heyday of PC gaming (1994 - 2006). Like in 2006 that would be the equivalent of the top ten played games of the year being something like Warcraft 2, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake, Doom 2, Tie Fighter, Sim City 2000, X-Com, Full Throttle, Crusader: No Remorse and Myst.

Maybe with the hard plateauing of video game graphics over the last 15 years the tastes of PC gamers is no longer one of “latest and greatest” where few people were playing any games that were older than like two years old.
 
KaNesDeath said:
Some research firm did a study on the most popular games in 2023 on each platform by MAU. Here are the Pc results:
C5zNKhjo_udpyeFPoZdwYO.png
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60% Of All Playtime In 2023 Was Spent On Live-Service Games More Than Six Years Old​

Gamespot said:
New market data shows that 60% of playtime across consoles and PC was spent on live-service games that are over six years old, such as Fortnite, Minecraft, Counter-Strike and others. The report, from market researcher Newzoo (via Kotaku), claims that the PC and console markets generated $93.5 billion in revenue during 2023. Most of this revenue and most of the total playtime was spent on heavyweight, established titles...

A grand total of 66 games accounted for over 80% of playtime in 2023. 60% of that was spent with games that are six years or older.

As for other games, 23% of the total playtime was spent on new releases. However, most of that time was spent on annual franchises like Madden or NBA2K. Only 8% was spent on new, non-annual games like Baldur's Gate III or Tears of the Kingdom, and even those are part of well-established franchises.
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And it mentions Tears of the Kingdom was the 2nd most popular game on the Nintendo Switch. That raises in eyebrow. How does the Switch with so many units in circulation have its second most popular titled subsumed by an 8% overall playtime share? It almost sounds like people don't play their Switches all that much. I never would have thought of them as dust-collecting devices, but it sure sounds like it from that.
 
Law Talkin’ Guy said:
Maybe with the hard plateauing of video game graphics over the last 15 years the tastes of PC gamers is no longer one of “latest and greatest” where few people were playing any games that were older than like two years old.
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I believe it has more to do with player time invested, staying modern, not becoming bloated and transcending initial craze.
 
GearSolidMetal said:


<WhitmanDefeat>
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Yeah I expressed my disappointment a few posts up when Val shared a Tweet about it. A talented team relegated to working on Battlefield, just the same as how Activision would redeploy great teams (Raven software for example) to the Call of Duty mines. Bummer is an understatement.
 
Looks like Ascendant Studios has furloughed the majority of its staff after Immortals Of Avenum flopped

www.videogameschronicle.com

Immortals of Aveum studio has reportedly furloughed the majority of its staff | VGC

Ascendant Studios laid off almost half of its employees last year…
www.videogameschronicle.com www.videogameschronicle.com

That's according to a LinkedIn post by former employee Kris Morness, which has been corroborated by Polygon reporter Nicole Carpenter.

"Ascendant Studios has furloughed the majority of their staff," said Morness, who left the studio last summer to join Phoenix Labs. "I can't imagine what that would be like as that is worse than getting laid off."
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Welcome to esports Moist Critical. Esports players have had visa issues all over the world for the past decade plus:

 
KaNesDeath said:
Welcome to esports Moist Critical. Esports players have had visa issues all over the world for the past decade plus:

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This was for his Apex Legends team, right?
 
Valhoven said:
This was for his Apex Legends team, right?
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Yeah.

He made an odd claim in this video which was glanced over. That his team org was the reason these players couldnt get a P1 visa.
 
After Arena bombing in sales. Battlestate Games have done a 180 by introducing micro-transactions into Escape from Tarkov:
m88ledvxbmuc1.png
 
Wizards Of The Coast are talking to numerous partners about the next Baldur's Gate title

www.eurogamer.net

Wizards of the Coast "now talking to lots of partners" about next Baldur's Gate

Larian Studios didn't so much smash last year's Baldur's Gate 3 out of the park as launch it straight into orbit, colle…
www.eurogamer.net www.eurogamer.net

That's according to Eugene Evans, senior vice president of digital strategy and licensing for Wizards of the Coast and parent company Hasbro, who spoke with PC Gamer following Baldur's Gate 3's recent BAFTA wins. Evans confirmed the company is keen to continue the series, and has started having conversations to that effect, although it sounds like it'll be some time before anything specific is revealed. "We're now talking to lots of partners," Evans explains, "and being approached by a lot of partners who are embracing the challenge of, what does the future of the Baldur's Gate franchise look like?"

"So we certainly hope that it's not another 25 years, as it was from Baldur's Gate 2 to 3, before we answer that," Evan continued. "But we're going to take our time and find the right partner, the right approach, and the right product that could represent the future of Baldur's Gate."
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"We take that very, very seriously, as we do with all of our decisions around our portfolio. We don't rush into decisions as to who to partner with on products or what products we should be considering." As Evans noted later, "The bar has been set very high, and it's our job to reach and surpass that bar."

And while it's "too early" to start talking specifics, when asked if we might ever see some of Baldur's Gate 3's beloved characters return, Evans suggested it's certainly a possibility. "They are now essentially part of D&D canon," he explained. "I would like to think that all of those characters, for the sake of the fans, could potentially appear in future products."
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Take Two are laying off 5% of their workforce


April 16 (Reuters) - Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO.O), opens new tab will lay off about 5% of its workforce, the publisher of the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise said on Tuesday, as the gaming industry extends its job cuts from the past two years into 2024.
The company said it would also scrap several projects that are in development as part of a cost-reduction plan, which is expected to lead to total charges of $160 million to $200 million.

The plan is expected to be largely complete by Dec. 31, 2024, it added.
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Golden Axe is getting an animated series at Comedy Central

variety.com

‘Golden Axe’ Animated Series From Mike McMahan Set at Comedy Central; Matthew Rhys and Danny Pudi Among Voice Cast

A "Golden Axe" animated series has been greenlit at Comedy Central, Variety has learned.
variety.com variety.com

Based on the beloved Sega games of the same name, the show hails from co-creators Mike McMahan and Joe Chandler. Matthew Rhys ("The Americans," "Perry Mason"), Danny Pudi ("Community," "Mythic Quest"), Lisa Gilroy ("Jury Duty," "Interior Chinatown"), Liam McIntyre ("Spartacus," "The Flash"), and Carl Tart ("Grand Crew," "Star Trek: Lower Decks") will lead the voice cast.
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Comedy Central has ordered 10 episodes. The official description of the series states the show "follows veteran warriors Ax Battler (McIntyre), Tyris Flare (Gilroy), and Gilius Thunderhead (Rhys) as they once again battle to save Yuria from the evil giant Death Adder who just won't seem to stay dead. Fortunately, this time they have the inexperienced and underprepared Hampton Squib (Pudi) on their side."
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Character Descriptions

–Matthew Rhys will play Gilius Thunderhead, a grumpy battle dwarf with exceptionally poor hygiene and a chip on his shoulder.

–Danny Pudi will play Hampton Squib, a naive, inexperienced first time adventurer who has dreamt of questing his entire life. He hopes his can-do attitude can make up for his inability to actually do stuff.

–Lisa Gilroy will play Tyris Flare, a fearsome battle sorceress, deadly in a fight and even deadlier with her sharp wit.

–Liam McIntyre will play Ax Battler, a barbarian warrior with a strict code of honor and sweet golden retriever demeanor. His brawn outweighs his brains, but his heart outweighs his brawn.

–Carl Tart will play Chronos "Evil" Lait, originally from "Golden Axe III", is a 100% badass humanoid panther. At least that's how Chronos describes himself. In reality he's uncomfortably cheesy and can't read a room.
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As per an update on Steam, Lariain are working on two projects based on thier own IP's they are developing

store.steampowered.com

Baldur's Gate 3 - Community Update #26 Evil Endings, New Beginnings - Steam News

Hey gang, It’s been a whirlwind few months here at the Larian castle, attending some of the biggest awards ceremonies in our industry, and we are absolutely humbled by the recognition we’ve received from our players and our peers. As you might have seen, last week we attended the BAFTA Games...
store.steampowered.com store.steampowered.com

As an independent studio since 1996, we value the freedom to follow our creativity wherever it leads. In this case, after six years in the Forgotten Realms and much discussion and rumination, we've decided to seize this opportunity to develop our own IPs. We're currently working on two new projects and we couldn't be more excited about what the future has in store.



It's still early days - we'll tell you more about those later down the line. But know that even as our focus turns to these new games, the sensibilities that brought you Baldur's Gate 3 are alive and well here at the Larian castle. We're fueled by the very same fire in our bellies, one that drives us to create immersive experiences shaped by your choices, and we can't wait for you to join us on this next adventure.



If you have any worries about our change in direction, then perhaps this'll help:



"I don't know if we're going to pull it off, but looking at our narrative, visual and gameplay plans, I think what we're working on now will be our best work ever. I get excited like a kid watching the key imagery, want to show it to everyone now and grumble in frustration at having to wait until it's actually all working. Yes, it's hype but it's hype because it really looks and feels good." - Excited Swen, April 17th 2024.
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Blizzard banning players for thirty days for typing curse words like "fuck" and "shit" in chat:
www.dexerto.com

Overwatch 2 pro banned just for typing curse word despite game’s Teen rating - Dexerto

An Overwatch 2 pro player has been banned for typing a curse word in chat, with Blizzard doubling down on all profanity being bannable.
www.dexerto.com www.dexerto.com

Blizzard Customer Support said, “No, the filter is for those who wish to use it, but profanity has never been allowed in our games. If reported, absolutely actionable.”
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