Gaming – Page 4

Netflix to expand into cloud gaming, opens new studio in Southern California • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Disrupt, Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Netflix, TechCrunch Disrupt 2022No Comments

At ZebethMedia Disrupt, Netflix VP of Gaming Mike Verdu dropped two bits of news about the streaming giant’s foray into games. Verdu said that Netflix is “seriously exploring a cloud gaming offering.” The company will also open a new gaming studio in Southern California. “It’s a value add. We’re not asking you to subscribe as a console replacement,” Verdu said on stage. “It’s a completely different business model. The hope is over time that it just becomes this very natural way to play games where wherever you are.” Google’s Stadia and Amazon’s Luna have made the same play, attempting to peddle video games that people can play even if they don’t have an expensive gaming computer or coveted console. But these services have struggled to attain mainstream user adoption. Google recently said that it will shut down Stadia in January. “While Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service,” Stadia VP and GM Phil Harrison wrote in a blog post. Verdu thinks these products struggled due to their business models, not the technology itself. Mike Verdu, VP of Games at Netflix speaks about “whether game streaming can go mainstream” at ZebethMedia Disrupt in San Francisco on October 18, 2022. Image Credit: Haje Kamps / ZebethMedia “Stadia was a technical success. It was fun to play games on Stadia,” Verdu said. “It had some issues with the business model, sure.” Both Stadia and Luna have dedicated controllers — but Verdu was reticent to say whether or not we can expect a Netflix gaming controller in the future. He did reveal, though, that Netflix is stepping up its game development by opening an internal studio in Southern California. This is the company’s fifth studio — just last month, Netflix set up shop in Helsinki, Finland, with a former Zynga GM at the helm. Others include Boss Fight Entertainment, Night School Studio and Finland’s Next Games, which are each designed to develop games catering to different tastes. The new California studio will be led by Chako Sonny, the former executive producer on “Overwatch.” At Blizzard Entertainment, “Overwatch” was a massive success, netting billions of dollars. Sonny announced his departure from Blizzard last year in the wake of an SEC probe regarding sexual harassment and discrimination at the dominant gaming company. “He could have done anything, but he chose to come here,” said Verdu. “You don’t get people like that coming to your organization to build the next big thing in gaming unless there’s a sense that we’re really in it for the long haul and in it for the right reasons.” Since it announced its foray into gaming, Netflix has developed 14 games in its own studios and has 35 games on the service now. In total, Verdu said it has 55 games “in flight” at present. These games include experiences based on original IP like “Stranger Things,” as well as licensed IP like “Spongebob Squarepants.” Netflix is also developing original games. “We hope over time that the balance is like, 50% Netflix IP,” Verdu said. The company still considers itself in the very early stages of its gaming initiative but hasn’t ruled out expansions beyond mobile — though we understand it won’t be heading to the console or VR at this point. The news of the gaming studio launch and cloud gaming plans arrives as Netflix is announcing its Q3 earnings, which sees the streamer beating expectations with the addition of 2.41 million subscribers, bringing the total to 223.09 million. Netflix had forecast a net gain of only 1 million subs in the third quarter. The company also reported earning $7.93 in revenue in Q3 2022, whereas analysts predicted $7.85 billion.

Sony’s $200 DualSense Edge wireless controller will release on January 26 • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Gaming, Hardware, playstation, SonyNo Comments

Sony’s DualSense Edge wireless controller for the PS5 is launching globally on January 26, the company announced on Tuesday. The new wireless controller will be priced at $199.99. Pre-orders for the controller will be available starting on October 25 at select retailers. You’ll also be able to purchase replaceable stick modules for $19.99. The new controller includes several personalization options, including button remapping, the ability to fine-tune stick sensitivity and triggers, options to swap between multiple control profiles and an on-controller user interface. The DualSense Edge also includes the signature features of the DualSense wireless controller, such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. “You can make the DualSense Edge wireless controller uniquely yours with the included three changeable sets of stick caps and two changeable sets of back buttons,” Sony said in a blog post. “Everything will come bundled in the included carrying case, and you can even charge the controller via USB connection while it’s stored in the case to make sure you’re always ready for your next play session.” The purchase will include a USB braided cable, two standard caps, two high dome caps, two low dome caps, two half dome back buttons, two lever back buttons, connector housing and a carrying case.

Activision Blizzard is once again being sued for sexual harassment • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 13, 2022Posted in Activision Blizzard, bobby kotick, GamingNo Comments

For over a year, Activision Blizzard employees have protested against the company’s poor handling of ongoing sexual harassment allegations. Now, an anonymous Jane Doe has filed yet another lawsuit against the gaming giant for sexual harassment, gender discrimination and sexual battery, among other complaints. “For years, Activision Blizzard’s open ‘frat boy’ environment fostered rampant sexism, harassment and discrimination with 700 reported incidents occurring under CEO Robert Kotick’s watch,” the lawsuit explains. “The sexual misconduct was often committed by executives and in the presence of HR.” A report from the Wall Street Journal last year found that the CEO knew for years about rampant sexual harassment at the company, but failed to act. In this case, the plaintiff alleges that a former product manager Miguel Vega sexually harassed her in the workplace for years; she says that he non-consensually groped and tried to kiss her at work, verbally abused her and insinuated that if she gave in to his sexual advances, she would get a raise. Doe first met Vega at a game night in 2009 or 2010. “They soon formed a virtual friendship and she regrettably sent him compromising photos of herself,” the lawsuit says. By 2011, Doe met her future husband and her relationship with Vega ceased, but she reconnected with him upon seeking work at Activision Blizzard in 2016. The plaintiff told a manager about Vega’s behavior in 2017, but he didn’t face consequences. Later, he began threatening to leak the intimate photos that she sent him over a decade earlier. By August 2021 — a month after California regulators sued the company for gender-based harassment and discrimination — the plaintiff brought her concerns to HR once again. “On August 23, 2021, despite Mr. Vega’s threat of revenge pornography, Ms. Doe mustered the courage to report Mr. Vega’s sexual harassment to manager Christopher Bruens. Mr. Bruens relayed her report to HR. Very shortly after, Mr. Vega left a voicemail for Ms. Doe in a poor attempt to mitigate the harm he caused her. On September 1, 2021, Activision Blizzard terminated Mr. Vega,” the lawsuit says. Now, Doe is attempting to hold Activision Blizzard accountable for cultivating a hostile work environment and failing to protect her from sexual harassment. She is requesting a jury trial, seeking compensation for damages, medical expenses, legal fees and lost earnings. Lisa Bloom, the lawyer defending the plaintiff, tweeted that her firm represents eight women who claim that they experienced sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard. We filed another sexual harassment lawsuit against Activision Blizzard on Friday.We currently represent 8 women with sexual harassment claims against this company. If you or someone you know was a victim of its rampant frat boy culture, please contact me. — Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) October 11, 2022 Activision Blizzard has not responded to ZebethMedia’s request for comment. In a statement to Kotaku, spokesperson Rich George said, “We take all employee concerns seriously. When the plaintiff reported her concerns, we immediately opened an investigation, and Mr. Vega was terminated within 10 days. We have no tolerance for this kind of misconduct.” Microsoft plans to purchase the gaming giant for $68.7 billion, pending regulatory approval. If the deal goes through, Kotick is expected to step down as CEO.

An ‘ambitious’ new D&D game is on the way from Invoke Studios, formerly Tuque Games • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 13, 2022Posted in Gaming, video games, Wizards of the CoastNo Comments

There’s a new D&D video game on the way from the Montreal studio formerly known as Tuque Games. Wizards of the Coast, which publishes Dungeons & Dragons, has relaunched the Canadian game developer as Invoke Studios — a revamped company with a focus on crafting big games out of the considerable source material that comes with the territory. Invoke and Wizards aren’t revealing much about the new game’s setting or genre, teasing only that it will be “built inside of the Dungeons & Dragons brand” and that the game will run on Unreal Engine 5. Invoke is led by Dominic Guay, a veteran producer from Ubisoft who worked as a senior producer on the Watch Dogs franchise. “First, we have a new mission: make ambitious, high quality AAA games,” Guay told ZebethMedia. “Who joins the studio, how we work and the means we have at Invoke are all defined and focused on our mission.” He notes that the studio formed a new “core team” over the last year comprised of committed veteran developers in order to steer toward its new goals. “We have the largest and most popular brand of fantasy role-playing games in Dungeons & Dragons,” Guay said in a press release. “Such a brand, with 50 years of history behind it, inspires developers and gives us enormous creative freedom.” The Invoke team currently boasts around 80 people, but plans to scale up to more than 200 within the next three years. Wizards, itself a division within game giant Hasbro, purchased Tuque Games in 2019 for an undisclosed amount to build out its roster of digital games. The studio released Dark Alliance, an action RPG set in D&D’s Forgotten Realms, last year. While reviews didn’t suggest that Dark Alliance broke much new ground, the relaunched studio’s aims for adapting the D&D source material at its fingertips sound loftier. Invoke is just one piece of the emerging digital game strategy within Wizards. The D&D publisher now boasts six different video game studios, including Austin-based Archetype Entertainment, which is working on a sci-fi RPG, Atomic Arcade, and Skeleton Key, a studio focused on suspense and horror games that’s helmed by a producer from Dragon Age. While Wizards is cranking up the intensity on its internal video game efforts, the most anticipated D&D game right now is Baldur’s Gate III, which is being developed through a licensing partnership with Larian, developer of the critical hit Divinity: Original Sin II. “We are proud to have a collection of first-class game developers heading up new studios around the world, including Invoke in Montreal led by Dom,” a Wizards of the Coast spokesperson told ZebethMedia in an emailed statement.

‘Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’ has a VTuber gym leader • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 12, 2022Posted in Gaming, Nintendo, pokemonNo Comments

I didn’t know we needed a VTuber Gym Leader in the Pokémon universe. Then, we met Iono. Last week, Pokémon released a 14-minute trailer about the upcoming “Pokémon Scarlet & Violet” games, which will mark the ninth generation of the iconic franchise’s main series installments. So this morning, when Pokémon unveiled another teaser for the upcoming games, some fans expected that they’d learn about more new Pokémon species as exciting as Wiglett or Farigiraf. Eager trainers woke up in the wee hours of the morning, waiting for the big reveal. Instead, they got a three minute video of a bubbly, electric-type trainer jumping around her set, asking her legions of fans at home to guess her partner Pokémon. The Pokémon Company describes her as an “influencer, streamer, and Gym Leader.” We stan a multi-hyphenate queen! If Iono is as powerful as she is fashionable, then we’ll have a tricky gym battle on our hands. Unfortunately, these games are made for children, so you’ll probably be able to take her out with a solid ground Pokémon… just know even if you beat her in combat, she will likely destroy you with her runway walk, so who’s the real winner here? Iono’s characterization screams “VTuber,” or “virtual YouTuber,” the Japanese streaming genre in which creators inhabit a virtual persona, who they animate by using AR face-tracking or motion capture suits. Since Iono already exists within an animated Japanese video game, it might be a misnomer to call her a VTuber — is she really a pink-and-blue-haired goddess with Magnemite clipped into her hair, rocking the oversized sweatshirt à la Ariana Grande or Billie Eilish? Or is she a different animated Pokémon character who is inhabiting the persona of virtual streamer within a game that is already virtual? Of course, the influencer gym leader has click baited us into waiting until “next time” to find out who her partner Pokémon is, but I’m more curious about whether she’s a virtual character within a virtual game or not. This also begs the question of what video games Iono is streaming, and what games even exist in the Pokémon universe. In main series games, we usually find the latest Nintendo console in our character’s bedroom — we even encounter kids playing the GameBoy and using link cables to trade Pokémon. So, could Iono be as strong a Pokémon video game player as she is a Pokémon trainer? We know that Pokémon exists within the universes of other Nintendo franchises, like Splatoon and Animal Crossing. Is the reverse true, too? Hopefully, our existential questions about the extent of the Nintendo universe will be answered when “Pokémon Scarlet & Violet” come out on November 18. For now, nope, we did not learn any new information about the Paldea region, except that there’s a town called Levincia where Iono intimidates her challengers with her shining, purple eyes and impeccable fashion sense. Deal with it.

Homa raises another $100 million for its data-driven mobile gaming tools • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 12, 2022Posted in Gaming, Homa, Homa Games, mobile game, StartupsNo Comments

French startup Homa has raised a $100 million Series B funding round. Quadrille Capital and Headline are leading the round. Homa partners with indie mobile game studios so that their games are perfectly optimized to become a hit game on the App Store and Google Play. In other words, Homa builds tools that help third-party developers build games. The reason for that is that it has become incredibly challenging to stand out when you build a hypercasual, casual or board game with a small dev team. Other investors in the Series B include Northzone, Fabric Ventures, Bpifrance, Eurazeo and Singular. With Voodoo, Homa is one of the companies that have turned mobile gaming development into a methodical, data-driven process. Homa’s software development kit (SDK) helps you track various metrics thanks to built-in analytics features. It can be important if you want to improve session times, retention after one day, seven days or 28 days. Homa also fosters A/B testing at scale to optimize user engagement. After that, Homa helps you monetize with ads. The SDK gives you tools to track monetization metrics, such as the cost per install compared to the eCPM. This way, Homa can run predictable ad campaigns that will grow a game’s user base and eventually generate more revenue. The company’s metrics are mind boggling. Since 2018, Homa has published 80 games and attracted one billion downloads. Overall, the company has raised $165 million and now works with 160 people. Up next, Homa wants to explore web3 and the world of NFTs. It has started collaborating with Sorare and it has ambitious plans for its collection of games going forward. The startup wants to build a universe of interconnected games with virtual worlds and characters owned by creators and players — a sort of Homa metaverse. Even if that plan doesn’t pan out, it seems that Homa is on the right track with its game publishing tools — and it now has more money to invest to improve its tech stack.

Meta partners with Microsoft to bring Teams, Windows apps and games to Quest devices • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 12, 2022Posted in Apps, Gaming, meta, Meta Connect 2022, Microsoft, Quest, Quest Pro, xboxNo Comments

Meta today announced a partnership with Microsoft to bring new content, including Windows apps and Teams tie-ins, to Meta’s metaverse hardware efforts. During Meta’s Connect conference this morning, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that Microsoft Teams will integrate with Quest devices and that Microsoft will provide a way to stream Windows apps to Meta’s headsets. Nadella also revealed that Microsoft’s streaming game service, Xbox Cloud Gaming, will arrive on Quest devices sometime within the coming months. Image Credits: Meta “We’re bringing the Microsoft Teams immersive meeting experience to Meta Quest in order to give people new ways to connect with each other,” Nadella said, noting that custom avatars will eventually come to the experience. Horizon Workrooms, Meta’s VR space for collaboration, will connect with Teams, he added — allowing people to join a Teams meeting directly from Workrooms. “Now, you can connect, share and collaborate as though you are together in person,” Nadella added. On the Windows end, Nadella said that Microsoft 365 will come to Quest in a way that lets users interact with content from productivity apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. The Verge’s Tom Warren notes that these aren’t full-blown versions of apps designed for VR, importantly; They’re Progressive Web Apps, rather. “You [will] have a new way to securely stream the entire Windows experience, including all the personalized app content settings to your VR device with the full power [of Windows,]” Nadella said. “We’ve been thinking about how to bring the power of Microsoft 365 and Windows 365 to 3D spaces to really help drive productivity and enable you to create, communicate and collaborate in completely new ways.” Image Credits: Meta As for Xbox Cloud Gaming, on the Quest, it’ll stream games to a 2D VR screen, supporting existing Xbox controllers. But Nadella hinted that additional features might arrive down the line. Microsoft’s team-up with Meta comes as the former dials back its internal VR and AR hardware projects, including HoloLens. Windows Mixed Reality platform, Microsoft’s software foundation built into Windows 10 to support VR headsets, never quite took off in the way the company hoped. Early this year, Business Insider reported that Microsoft scrapped plans for the third generation of HoloLens in favor of partnering with Samsung on a new “mixed-reality” device. Microsoft pushed back on the HoloLens assertions. But then, one of the executives leading HoloLens’ development, Alex Kipman, resigned after allegations of misconduct including inappropriate sexual behavior, leaving the division in flux. That being said, Microsoft has shown a keen interest in investing in creating software for the metaverse — whatever form it might take. At its Ignite conference last year, the company announced Mesh for Teams, which combines the company’s Mesh platform for powering shared experiences in virtual reality, augmented reality and elsewhere with Teams and its built-in productivity tools.

Meta announces legs • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 12, 2022Posted in Facebook, Gaming, meta, Meta Connect 2022No Comments

Meta didn’t hold back with their announcements at Meta Connect this year. As Facebook has done every year or so, the company is shaking up their avatar products. This year as Meta focuses more heavily on the metaverse, the company made a big addition to their updated higher-detail avatars: legs. The announcement that the avatars, which were previously floating torsos with arms and heads, now have evolved to walk was something Zuckerberg was very excited about with his avatar jumping for joy during the keynote. Alongside announcements around the appearance and movements of the new full body avatars, Meta also announced that there will soon be an avatar store where people will be able to spend real money to buy accessories for their Meta avatar. There was notably no mention of NFTs.

Among Us is coming to the Meta Quest 2 on November 10 • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 11, 2022Posted in Gaming, meta, Meta Connect 2022, SocialNo Comments

Among Us may have had its heyday two full years ago, but Meta isn’t counting out 2020’s hottest multiplayer whodunnit. Today during its big VR developer event, Meta announced that the indie game will hit the Meta Quest 2 on November 10. Meta first announced Among Us back in April, promising that the game would hit the VR platform by the end of the year for players age 13 and up. It’s not likely that we’re going to see AOC playing Among Us in VR these days — that ship has sailed — but Meta can still use all the help it can get pushing adoption for its VR hardware with hit titles that might lure people away from traditional gaming consoles and PCs. Still, it’s pretty late for a viral multiplayer Twitch-powered title like Among Us, which even felt late to the Nintendo Switch and that version hit all the way back in December 2020.

Meta’s Quest Store hits $1.5 billion in total revenue to date • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 11, 2022Posted in Gaming, HardwareNo Comments

While outside research data suggests that the number of VR headsets being shipped over the past couple years has surged, the release of new VR titles hasn’t always kept pace. Today at its Connect event, Meta showcased some new data on the performance of the titles in its Quest Store. Meta shared that over $1.5 billion has been spent on games and apps in the Quest Store. The company notes that more than one-third of the company’s 400 Quest titles have grossed more than $1 million in sales, with 33 titles having surpassed $10 million in gross revenue. A couple bright spots that Meta noted among individual titles include The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners surpassing $50M in revenue on Quest and Resident Evil making $2 million in its first 24 hours in the store. These are all obviously cherrypicked metrics meant to showcase how VR is doing in the best possible light. Meta has had plenty of challenges on the content front this year as regulators have taken aim at their M&A efforts and venture investment in VR content has mostly dried up.