Sony made 900 layoffs across PlayStation Studios to ensure it had room for future growth.That's according to Hideaki Nishino, SVP of platform experience at SIE and future Platform Business Group CEO, who was asked whether investors should be concerned about the relentless spate of layoffs and studio closures during a recent business segment meeting.In response, Nishino said the job cuts were a reaction to a "dynamically changing" industry and claimed Sony had to make some layoffs so it can reinvest in an "appropriate way.""We are observing the industry is dynamically changing. Technology, innovation, and also the dynamics of customer behavior. We look forward to investing in the future as well," said Nishino."We want to grow and invest in an appropri…
Fallout 76 has reached a new milestone in the form of 20 million players. The shared world shooter's success comes after it grew to 17 million players back last December.As with other games in the series, its success can be owed to renewed interest thanks to Prime Video's Fallout show. In mid-April, basically every game in the series had a big surge of players; for 76, the show gave it its highest-ever peak of Steam players.Even before the show, though, Fallout 76 had turned itself around significantly from its crunch-heavy, tumultuous launch in 2018. As it stands, it's done a significant job in keeping the series around until an eventual new game comes around.
Come September 3, development on Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem will be officially over. The dungeon crawler first released on PC in early 2020, and came to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2023.Wolcen Studio confirmed the news on its website, adding that the game will lose multiplayer functionality on that same day. The single-player mode will still be playable, sold at a "permanently reduced price" to accommodate for what's being lost.The developer explained that "foundational hurdles" prevent future improvements to the action-RPG, which it says can't happen without a "complete technology overhaul." As such, it'll apply what it's learned toward new projects guided by its first game."We've learned a lot from developing and supporting…
Come September 3, development on Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem will be officially over. The dungeon crawler first released on PC in early 2020, and came to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2023.Wolcen Studio confirmed the news on its website, adding that the game will lose multiplayer functionality on that same day. The single-player mode will still be playable, sold at a "permanently reduced price" to accommodate for what's being lost.The developer explained that "foundational hurdles" prevent future improvements to the action-RPG, which it says can't happen without a "complete technology overhaul." As such, it'll apply what it's learned toward new projects guided by its first game."We've learned a lot from developing and supporting…
Over a year after launch, the PlayStation VR2 is finally getting PC support. Sony's releasing an adapter on August 7 that players can use to buy and play Steam games (like Fallout 4 VR or Half-Life Alyx) using the VR device.Along with the $60 adapter, players will need a separate DisplayPort cable compatible with DisplayPort 1.4, plus a Steam account and PC that meets Sony's minimum requirements.Because the PSVR2 was tailor made for the PlayStation 5, Sony noted key features will be absent on PC, like headset and haptic feedback and eye tracking. But other "high-fidelity and sensory immersion features" made the cut, such as finger touch detection and see-through view.The PSVR2's PC support was first reported back in February, with Sony saying it was testing ways fo…
Dead by Daylight creator Behaviour Interactive revealed it'll be reducing 95 jobs, 70 of which will be from the mothership Montreal studio. These layoffs come months after reductions in mid-January.The developer explained its reductions were brought on by the growing headcount over the past five years. Daylight's current headcount of 60 million players has led to the Behaviour team growing from 575 to 1,300 employees.
Behaviour's "historic strengths"
Citing the "challenging context" of the current industry, Behaviour has elected to focus on its "historical strengths." To the studio, that means &…
Little Kitty, Big City has attracted over 1 million players through Xbox Game Pass alone. The news comes straight from developer Double Dagger, which shared the milestone on X.Xbox Game Pass players don't translate to copies sold, but it's interesting to hear just how many people have been accessing the indie adventure through Microsoft's subscription service.Little Kitty, Big City debuted on May 9, 2024, meaning it amassed over 1 million players in under two weeks. It also sold 100,000 copies within 48 hours of launching on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox.
Next steps for Little Kitty
Double Dagger is currently working through a number of bugs to ensure i…
Rolling Stone is expanding its coverage of the video game industry with the launch of a dedicated gaming vertical.The new section has been launched in partnership with ESL FACEIT Group and will be helmed by senior gaming editor Christopher Cruz. The media company said it will report on the world of video games with a "hyperfocus on art, technology, and cultural impact.""Gaming isn't informed by pop culture; it is pop culture," said Cruz in a press release. "As video games have evolved to meet movies, television, and literature on their own ground, it's important for us to explore how everyone is experiencing gaming culture."Rolling Stone CEO Gus Wenner added that "expanding into gaming is a thrill that allows us to embrace a vibrant cultural fro…
Sony's reportedly making big steps toward mobile games in the form of a PlayStation platform for phones.TweakTown spotted a new job listing for a mobile platform architect. The description mentions designing the architecture and backend for a PlayStation-specific ecosystem that can be used to "develop, publish, and operate free-to-play mobile games."Other than Fate/Grand Order, PlayStation's mobile presence is basically nonexistent. But since it's making more of an effort to get in on the PC market, it only makes sense to do the same with mobile.Further duties include working with internal PlayStation teams and "ensuring that all mobile games meet PlayStation’s quality standards."Interestingly, the job description calls for connecting mobile titles to P…
Swedish corporate group Fragbite Group has declared bankruptcy for Alara Prime developer Fall Damage.While a publishing for the game is still being determined, the process has created "an unsustainable financial situation" for its creator. The apparently "not temporary" bankruptcy was further determined by an inability to pay off debts by their due date.Impact-wise, the bankruptcy is said to be valued at SEK 39.0 million (or $3.63 million) for Fragbite. Both it and subsidiaries under its umbrella are said to "continue operations without interruption."Fall Damage was formed in 2017 by DICE alums Markus Nyström, Dan Vaderlind, Mikael Kalms, Anders Gyllenberg. Fragbite acquired the studio last year as it was working toward completing its free-to-play shooter.The…
You won't find many video game industry executives defending Embracer Group or its CEO Lars Wingefors. After a massive business deal (allegedly with Saudi-owned Savvy Game Group) fell through in 2023, the company executed a brutal string of cuts and studio closures that resulted in 4,500 cut jobs and 80 cancelled projects.Whatever you think of Embracer's business moves, there's no denying the amount of pain it's inflicted on former employees, and the economic impact on the game industry as a whole. But while even many friends of Embracer keep quiet, one former chief operating officer and board member hasn't: Saber Interactive chief executive officer Matthew Karch.In April, Karch jumped on LinkedIn to defend Lars from the spree of critical comments that dominated th…