Originally Posted by Destructoid

Last month, we reported on how publisher Take-Two Interactive was in the final stages of purchasing developer Codemasters, with the latter having agreed to a non-binding offer from the former which had valued the UK studio at around $6.40-per-share, or roughly $975 million USD.

But, in a sudden and surprising move, Electronic Arts made a last-minute bid this weekend, successfully swooping in and snatching up the studio before the ink has dried on the Take-Two agreement. It is believed that EA put in a late offer at around $7.98-per-share, ultimately valuing Codemasters at around $1.2 billion USD. Codemasters is expected to close the deal in early 2021 ...

Given that Electronic Arts owns franchises such as Need for Speed and Burnout, it seems obvious why the publisher would be interested in bringing Codemasters on board, with the developer having long proven their pedigree with road-rippers such as DIRT, OnRush, and the F1 series.

Originally Posted by drave (Post 5414435)

Open world Star Wars in the works.




https://www.gematsu.com/2021/01/ubis...star-wars-game

Originally Posted by drave (Post 5418181)

And a Diablo II remake is being done by Vicarious Visions (Crash Bandicoot remakes, other stuff too probably).


Good stuff.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

As announced today, the company is moving away from developing games internally ...

Google isn't abandoning the Stadia technology or brand, but it "will not be investing further in bringing exclusive content from our internal development team [Stadia Games and Entertainment], beyond any near-term planned games," according to Stadia VP Phil Harrison. In a blog post, he cited the "exponentially" rising costs involved with "creating best-in-class games from the ground up."

"Over the coming months, most of the SG&E team will be moving on to new roles," he said. "We're committed to working with this talented team to find new roles and support them." At least one high-profile name, Jade Raymond, is out – she "decided to leave Google to pursue other opportunities."

According to reporting from Kotaku, Google's closure of its Montréal and Los Angeles development studios will "impact around 150 developers" ...

As for where Google's cloud-gaming ambitions are headed, Harrison is staying on-board as VP and GM of Stadia, and he's pursuing more partnerships with external game developers and publishers.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

As reported by Video Games Chronicle, plans are forming around a digital-only E3 2021 that would take place over three days in mid-June, similar to the Before Times – but it still needs to gain traction.

The ESA's proposed event is trying to line up support from major publishers, but the idea for a remote E3 would potentially include "multiple two-hour keynote sessions from games partners, an awards show, a June 14 preview night, and other smaller streams from games publishers, influencers, and media partners," as VGC summarizes. Throughout 2020, publishers offered playable previews of upcoming games through streaming apps like Parsec; that would also be the case for this new E3 ...

The cancellation of E3 2020 and lack of a digital-only replacement opened the path for Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest alternative – to say nothing of smaller and mid-tier publishers rallying with their own one-off streams and showcases. We can expect Summer Game Fest to return in 2021.

Thankfully, the next iteration will be shorter – "less than one month," according to Keighley.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

CD Projekt RED has announced that it has become the victim of a serious "targeted cyber attack," with an unknown person or persons having stolen private data from the Polish developer's servers.

CDPR has noted that it has full backups of all of the stolen data, which is believed to include the source code to the studio's recent release Cyberpunk 2077, code for an unreleased edition of Witcher 3, as well as "documents relating to accounting, administration, legal, HR, investor relations and more." CDPR has said that - to the best of its knowledge - no data involving players' personal information is at risk.

In a surprising move, CDPR also released a copy of the "ransom note" it received from the hacker(s), requesting that CDPR contact the individual(s) responsible or face public release of the hacked documents, source code, and other data files. CDPR has said it will "not give in to the demands nor negotiate with the actor, being aware that this may eventually lead to the release of the compromised data."

The studio is currently investigating the security breach with the help of its IT analysts, law enforcement officials, and the President of the Personal Data Protection Office.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

There have been recent reports of a manufacturing fault in regards to Sony's new PlayStation 5 hardware, specifically its sleek DualSense controller. Multiple players have been reporting cases of the notorious "drift" issue - whereby the controller's thumbsticks register movement whilst remaining sat in a neutral position - with some PS5 owners telling Kotaku that the problem arose mere days after purchasing the new console.

U.S. law firm Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith (CSK&D) has stepped into the situation, announcing that it is beginning an investigation of the complaints, with an eye to filing a class action lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment ...

This is not CSK&D's first rodeo, as it is one of a number of firms that has previously launched a class action suit against Nintendo when the troublesome controller fault affected myriad Switch owners. CSK&D's 2019 suit was ultimately compelled to arbitration, (essentially asking the plaintiff and the defendant to come to private resolution), after the presiding judge refused to dismiss the case.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

According to a copy of the lawsuit - acquired by Destructoid from CSK&D - the firm filed against Sony Corporation of America and Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC in a New York court on February 12. The suit claims that the DualSense controller is "defective" and claims Sony offers "slim" options for those owners affected by the fault. "Drifting" refers to a physical defect whereby analogue stick register movement while remaining in a stationary position.

"Sony is - and at all relevant times has been - aware of the Drift Defect through online consumer complaints, complaints made by consumers directly to it, and through its own pre-release testing," accuses CSK&D's suit, later concluding "As a result of Sony's unfair, deceptive, and/or fraudulent business practices, owners of DualSense controllers have suffered an ascertainable loss, injury in fact, and otherwise have been harmed by Sony's conduct."

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Speaking on Twitter, Dusk Golem (who was spot on about multiple RE-related news tidbits) states that "Revelations 3 is coming out within a year of Village's release date, (corrected to) late 2021 or early 2022." They clarify the news by saying that it likely won't be called Revelations 3, but possibly Resident Evil Outrage, as Capcom seemingly is moving away from the Revelations moniker.

It'll be part of the 25th anniversary celebration, "along with Village," and Dusk Golem claims that Revelations 3 (or whatever title it ends up with) is "almost definitely going to be a Switch timed exclusive." All of this will allegedly happen "later this year," as Capcom announces another Resident Evil marketing blitz post-Village launch.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

The latest word, from VGC, suggests Konami has turned to external partners to help revitalize Silent Hill.

The outlet heard from sources that a Supermassive pitch didn't move forward, and that Konami has "outsourced a Silent Hill project to a prominent Japanese developer, with a reveal due this summer."

(The author noted on Twitter that it's not Kojima Productions – a frequent guess – and added that Konami is eying externally-developed Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania projects further out.)

On a separate but (maybe) related note, potentially suggesting that there could be more than one modern interpretation of Silent Hill, speculation has come out of a GamesIndustry.biz interview with Bloober Team CEO Peter Babieno, in which he commented on the studio's next horror game.

Babieno says they've "been working for more than a year on another gaming project, another horror IP, and we're doing this with a very famous gaming publisher. I can't tell you who. I can't tell you what the project is, but I'm pretty sure when people realize we're working on it, they will be very excited."

Originally Posted by Destructoid

The suit, originally filed back in October 2020 and moved to a New York federal court last week, alleges that Google, alongside developers Bungie and id Software, stated that the Stadia service would feature 4K resolution support, but did not walk back or correct this statement once it was openly reported that Stadia was upscaling several titles from resolutions such as 1080p and 1440p, rather than offering "true" 4K resolution.

The Plaintiff alleges that publishers such as id Software "sold access to Doom Eternal, and other games, through the Google Stadia subscription and wrongfully generated millions of dollars in revenue as a result." The suit seeks non-specific monetary compensation for Stadia purchasers, and requests Google accurately and publicly display Stadia's resolution and FPS on all included titles going forward. Like many class-action suits, the case could take years to reach its conclusion.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

GameStop has announced that its Chief Financial Officer is to resign from the company next month. Jim Bell, who also holds the position of Executive Vice President within the video game retailer, will officially resign from both roles on March 26.

The retailer noted that as Bell is resigning with "good reason," the soon-to-be-former CFO will receive severance in the region of $2.8 million - over twice their annual salary. The company's filings do not denote specifically what led to the resignation decision. GameStop has begun interviewing candidates for a suitable replacement.

The news comes following a particularly chaotic financial period for the company. While GameStop, like many retailers, has struggled to adapt to a changing retail market, these efforts were further hampered by the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the recent stock rush drama only served to further complicate matters, with GameStop stock rising to almost $500-per-share before plummeting to around $40-per-share in the space of a fortnight, as online communities such as Wall Street Bets inflated prices in order to cause major losses for market short-sellers.

The U.S. Securities and Exchanges Commission is currently investigating the events of the so-called "Gamestonks" rush, in order to ascertain whether any unlawful conduct was committed by any of the parties involved - including online communities, independent traders, and stock market trading apps.

Originally Posted by Emperor Smeat (Post 5427596)

Konami is currently rumored to be working on a new game in the Silent Hill series, according to VGC.

This new game isn't being developed by Konami themselves and instead by a "prominent Japanese developer" with plans to officially reveal it during this summer.

Same source also claims that Konami is also currently working on plans for a potential new game to be made for both the Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania series.


https://www.videogameschronicle.com/...-the-only-one/
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...l-horror-focus
https://www.destructoid.com/stories/...--620229.phtml

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Following a glut of rumors and reports, Sony Japan has stated that it is currently in the process of "re-organizing" Japan Studio, Sony's oldest and longest-running in-house game developer.

Word of the restructure first came via an in-depth report by VGC, who noted that Sony Japan Studio had released a "vast majority" of its development staff, not renewing their annual contracts as the clock ticks down on a new financial year. It has also been impossible not to notice the growing list of producers who have recently left Sony to seek their fortunes and creative muses elsewhere. Sony has since responded to VGC's report, openly stating that the Japan Studio is currently in a deep process of consolidation and restructure.

"In an effort to further strengthen business operations, SIE can confirm PlayStation Studios Japan Studio will be re-organized into a new organization on April 1," said a Sony spokesperson. "Japan Studio will be re-centered to Team ASOBI, the creative team behind Astro's Playroom, allowing the team to focus on a single vision and build on the popularity of Astro's Playroom. In addition, the roles of external production, software localization, and IP management of JAPAN Studio titles will be concentrated within the global functions of PlayStation Studios" ...

VGC's report suggests that creative differences may be a key factor in the studio's struggles, with Japan Studio wishing to continue its focus on unique and most creatively distinct titles, while Sony Interactive Entertainment at large was hoping for the studio to develop games with a more universal, mainstream appeal. While the former way of thinking is noble and to be celebrated, the fact remains that Japan Studio hasn't been profitable in some time, with many seeing the writing on the wall as far back as a year ago.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Internet sleuths are at it again, and it seems as if Bandai Namco has trademarked a peculiar phrase.

"Bandai Namco Next" was recently approved, and evidently applies to "amusement parks, esports competitions, movies, toys, plays, musical performances, radio programs, computer networks, online publications, animated feature films, and games," according to TheGamer. Given that their prior Bandai Namco event was kind of a bust (consistently mostly of stuff we've already seen, very late at night in the US), I hope they bring it.

Originally Posted by Gamespot

The gamepad has reigned supreme for controlling video games for several decades. But a Sony patent application could change things up by letting you use a simple household object as a controller. In Sony's case, it seems to really want you to use a banana. Just don't let anyone eat your controller before a big game.

In a filing spotted by GamesIndustry.biz, Sony said that it "would be desirable if a user could use an inexpensive, simple, and non-electronic device as a video game peripheral."

Enter the banana.

Presumably, you'd be able to use just about anything with this patent-pending system, as you'd be moving the "non-luminous" object based on the poses you're doing with it. One image also shows X and Triangle buttons mapped out on different parts of the peel. In addition to the banana--or two bananas--Sony mentions objects such as oranges, mugs, or pens.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Microsoft is now one step closer to completing its acquisition of ZeniMax Media, having sought and received approval from both the European Commission and the U.S. Securities & Exchanges Commission (SEC) both of whom offered no opposition to the multi-billion dollar deal from taking place.

By law, Microsoft was obliged to seek approval from the statutory bodies on the basis of Antitrust - essentially global laws that are in place in order to supervise and prevent the formation of monopolies within a given industry. This is a common legal procedure in transactions of this nature, and was also sought by Tencent during the conglomerate's acquisition of mobile giant King in 2016.

Having received approval from both the EU Commission and the SEC, Microsoft is now expected to press forward with the $7.5 billion transaction, which is expected to see completion in late-2021. The deal gives Microsoft ownership of ZeniMax Media and its subsidiary studios and licenses, including those of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks.

Bethesda and Microsoft have previously assured video game fans that the new deal does not automatically designate all future Bethesda releases as Xbox/PC exclusives, suggesting that title exclusivity will be designated on a "case-by-case" basis. Bethesda's next release, Deathloop, will retain its initial PlayStation exclusivity despite the Microsoft purchase.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Earlier this week, Microsoft received approval from both the U.S. Securities & Exchanges Commission and the European Commission regarding its $7.5 billion USD acquisition of ZeniMax Media, essentially making the latter's studios and publishers Xbox-owned studios.

According to sources speaking with VentureBeat, Microsoft is planning to discuss what this industry-shaking transaction means for Xbox going forward, with specific regard to the Xbox Game Pass service. According to VentureBeat's sources, Microsoft is currently preparing a video presentation for broadcast Thursday, March 11, in order to better explain its plans for its newly owned studios such as Bethesda Softworks.

Of course, one of the biggest concerns from a customer standpoint revolves around exclusivity deals, and whether Xbox will now hold firm to titles such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Wolfenstein, and others. At present it remains unclear as to whether Microsoft intends to broach this subject in the presentation, focusing more on its plans to bring the aforementioned franchises to the Game Pass service.

It is also noted that the presentation is not an E3-style "reveal" deal. This isn't going to be a showcase for new and upcoming games. The report states that this is more a matter of business, as Microsoft begins to set out its goals for its soon-to-be-acquired portfolio of new studios and blockbuster brands, boosting its inventory to some 23 development teams.

Originally Posted by Seph (Post 5434117)

Man I still haven't landed a Series X. My XB1 is on its last legs and I really need to get that X as a replacement.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Capcom has become the king of private and public "pre-release" events, so to speak.

They've run a private group for testing out Resident Evil games for years, but they also hold a decent amount of public-facing demos. Resident Evil Village already got one, but if you're getting notifications for another, stop right there. Specifically, for "Early Access Invitations from a "Capcom.com no reply" email.

We've obtained a message directly from Capcom confirming the scam: "We want to inform you that these messages are NOT from Capcom and appear to be phishing attempts by an unauthorized third party. If you have received such a message, please DO NOT download any files or reply, and delete the message immediately."

Originally Posted by Destructoid

The exact time for the first Square Enix Presents stream is 1PM ET on March 18, and it will last "approximately 40 minutes." You can find a full list of everything the publisher intends to showcase below.

• World premiere of the next game in the Life is Strange series
• Outriders, the high-intensity RPG-shooter set in an original dark and desperate sci-fi universe, coming out on April 1
• Balan Wonderworld, which arrives on March 26
• The ongoing celebration for the 25th anniversary of Tomb Raider
• Marvel’s Avengers, the story-driven, third-person action-adventure game from Crystal Dynamics
• Upcoming action shooter Just Cause Mobile
• New mobile game announcements from the award-winning Square Enix Montréal studio
• A look at a few of the whimsical games from Square Enix sister company TAITO

Originally Posted by Destructoid

After a particularly rough 2020, the annual fighting game tournament Evo is still hanging in there, in part, due to Sony Interactive Entertainment. Your eyes aren't playing tricks: Sony has "jointly" acquired Evo in a partnership with RTS, "a new venture born out of Endeavor's esports business."

The surprising news was shared on Twitter to the wider fighting game community this afternoon by PlayStation and Tony and Tom Cannon, the co-founders of Evo, who will stay on as "key advisors."

Originally Posted by Destructoid

The new PS5 PSVR controllers have a spherical design, with the player inserting their hands to take hold of the thumbsticks and buttons within. The controllers will detect the player's fingers, and will support the same technology as the console's standard DualSense controller, such as Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers. Additionally, motion tracking will be recorded by the headset, which would suggest that the new hardware is camera-free.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, among the eight directors retiring from their posts on the board are former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who took the part-time role with GameStop just over a year ago. Also stepping away from GameStop are former PetSmart CEO JK Symancyk and former Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon, both of whom were brought on-board with Fils-Aime in hopes of improving the retailer's fortunes.

GameStop's fortunes did indeed improve in the short-term, thanks to the release of next-gen platforms PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, which brought a serious boost to the retailer's fourth quarter for the year 2020-2021. In the long-term, however, GameStop had a difficult year, with an overall 21% decline in sales, leading to a loss in the region of $215 million USD. The recent "GameStonks" debacle - which saw online traders purposefully drive up GameStop stock cost in order to price out opportunists - no doubt lead to further headaches for the company's accountancy.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Today is the day Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan begins its restructuring process, dialing back on both its production and workforce as it refocuses its resources toward Astro's Playroom developer Team ASOBI. As reported by VGC, and in news that is unlikely to be coincidental, Demon's Souls PS5 director Gavin Moore has confirmed that he has left the studio.

"After 24 years at Sony and 18 of those in Japan, yesterday was my last day at [Sony Japan Studio]," said Moore in an emotional goodbye on Twitter. "I will miss the great creative spirit and camaraderie of the studio that was a huge part of my life. Time to seek out new and exciting opportunities!!"

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Two more veterans from Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan have taken their leave of the company, just one day before the developer/publisher begins its restructure process - which will see the studio shrink its workforce and dial down production, shifting focus to Astro's Playroom developer Team ASOBI.

Shinsuke Saito announced his departure from SIE Japan in a very succinct message on Twitter earlier this morning. Saito is an artist, animator, and character designer, responsible for the creation of popular protagonists such as Kat from the world-bending 2012 Gravity Rush. Saito was also art director for 2017 sequel Gravity Rush 2.

Also leaving SIE Japan is Kentaro Motomura, who has had the prestige and good fortune to be involved with the development of titles such as Bloodborne, Wild Arms, Dark Cloud, and Everybody's Golf. While Motomura did not note any specific plans, he intends on continuing in the field of game development.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

The ESA confirmed to Destructoid this morning that E3 2021 will take place from "June 12 to June 15," with "early commitments from the following publishers: "Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media, and more to come." So there's a few of the usual "press conference" suspects, minus Bethesda. Also note that Sony is again not present on this early list. Gulp!

There's a few takeaways from this seemingly innocuous confirmation, too. The ESA reconfirms that the show will be "available to everyone for free," which is great news as a potential last-minute decision prevented a disaster of paywalling. And there's another thing to note from the ESA's statement this morning, too.

Originally Posted by Destuctoid

Square Enix has released a statement denying that it is in the process of negotiating a sale. Square Enix Japan made the rebuttal in response to a recent Bloomberg report that suggested the developer/publisher was in talks with numerous "interested parties" in regards to a possible purchase.

"Bloomberg has reported today that there is interest from several buyers to acquire Square Enix," addressed the Final Fantasy publisher. "However, this report is not based on any announcement by Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. We do not consider selling off the company or any part of its businesses, nor have we received any offer from any third party to acquire the company or any part of its businesses."

As reported by Kantan Games' Dr. Serkan Toto, the publishing of Bloomberg's story would see Square Enix Japan's stock rise significantly, hitting an almost 14% increase by Japan's midday trading period. But it seems, at least according to Square itself, that it's still business-as-usual for the legendary RPG developer.

Originally Posted by Big Vic (Post 5447375)

Big backlash because Ps3 and PS4 would become bricks on digital content purchased when the CMOS battery died.

Originally Posted by drave (Post 5448251)

Most often happens with stolen of "volume licensed" version of Windows. Nerds getting their first jobs think they can yoink the OS and start applying it to older machines to sell on the side, but after 30 days, it will be invalidated.

Originally Posted by Gamespot

Alex Navarro, Brad Shoemaker, and Vinny Caravella have announced that they are leaving Giant Bomb. The announcement was made during a live recording of Giant Bomb's podcast, where the trio confirmed that May 7 will be their last day at the company.

Giant Bomb was established by former members of GameSpot and, alongside Jeff Gerstmann (who will remain at the site) and Ryan Davis, Brad and Vinny were founding members of the website. Alex, who worked alongside the others at GameSpot, joined sometime later, having initially founded Screened, a website dedicated to movies and TV.

In a statement, Giant Bomb founder Gerstmann said: "I've spent a lot of the last year thinking about what's next for Giant Bomb and most of those roads lead to a full-on rethink of what it means to be a Website About Video Games in 2021. While I certainly would have loved to solve these challenges with my longtime friends and coworkers by my side, it just wasn't meant to be. I wish Vinny, Alex, and Brad the best. Meanwhile, we have a pretty exciting opportunity to broaden our horizons, rethink every facet of our operation, and get to a place where we're truly able to build that bomb all over again... or die trying."

Speaking to the future of the site, the Giant Bomb team as a whole said: "There is a collective vision for what the future of Giant Bomb is and it involves both familiar and new faces. We're already in talks with creators so that we can begin the next chapter. We're fully aware that this marks a big change and we're using this as an opportunity to rethink what this site is. It's a chance to introduce new personalities from different backgrounds and explore categories and topics that we never have before."

The news, unsurprisingly, has sent a ripple around the games industry--Giant Bomb as a website and the team that makes it up is beloved by many. The site was a driving force behind personality-driven content and also, in many ways, led by example when it came to interesting and experimental video content. Of course, the Giant Bombcast is a towering landmark in the world of video game podcasts and continues to be. All three departing members have been mainstays on all Giant Bomb's content, whether on editorial, video, or audio.

Like every member of the Giant Bomb team past and present, the trio lived much of their lives on camera and, as a result, many developed a close connection to them. News of their departure has resulted in an outpouring of support on Twitter from fans, developers, former staff members, and other members of media.

During the podcast where the departures were announced, Jeff said that those who are premium subscribers on Giant Bomb will have their membership extended through May, as the remaining members take the time to rethink some content and implement new ideas. Recently, longtime CNET staff member and Giant Beastcast co-host Jeff Bakalar joined the games team to work closely with Giant Bomb and GameSpot. In his new position, he is leading content strategy and development, as well as partnerships.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

In a private briefing with investors, Sony has reportedly told shareholders that it expects the short supply woes currently bothering its PS5 hardware to continue for the foreseeable future, throughout 2021 and leading into 2022.

While the PS5 has gotten off to an incredibly strong start sales-wise — even beating out the launch numbers of the previous generation's PS4 — a shortage of manufacturing components hangs heavy over the industry, with Sony expect demand to far exceed that of production. According to a report by Bloomberg, Sony Japan has openly addressed this problem in a meeting held not long after the release of its latest financial earnings report ...

The shortage of PS5 consoles is, essentially, a two-pronged attack on customers. At the supply level, a lack of internal components is causing slow production of the physical console itself, while at the retail level, customers have struggled in battles with scalpers and multi-buyers to bag what little hardware hits the market. Add to the mix production delays and distribution issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and it's easy to see why all major publishers — not just Sony — are struggling to get their wares into the hands of the public.