Games: New console and layoffs should move 2024 – 01/10/2024 – Tech

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Following a short tradition of this newsletter, I start 2024 by highlighting five topics that should dominate gaming news this year.

Is the Switch 2 coming?

Nintendo swears that it will not, but many experts and observers of the gaming market believe that the Japanese company should at least announce the launch of the Switch’s successor console this year.

The signs exist:

• Specialized websites claim that Nintendo presented prototypes of the new device behind closed doors to some developers at last year’s Gamescom – the company denies this.

• Nintendo has not yet announced major games for 2024. Would it be hiding the game (literally) to promote it along with the launch of the new console?

The subject has crossed the border of rumor and some analysts are already counting the new console in their predictions about the growth of the games market in 2024, which brings us to the second topic of the year.

Will the layoffs end?

The year 2023 was not only marked by great games, but also by a series of layoffs at gaming companies, large and small. According to conservative estimates, more than 6,000 employees were affected by the cuts.

Analysts credited the wave of layoffs to a readjustment of companies’ expectations to a level closer to current reality following the accelerated growth of the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are indications that the tide of layoffs will follow. Last year, Embracer Group cut more than 900 employees, is still undergoing restructuring and has warned that it will have to lay off employees.

Another bad news comes from China, which gives contradictory signals regarding its opening to the games market. The government announced a series of restrictions on the monetization of titles released in its territory, but, shortly afterwards, approved the launch of 105 games, indicating that the siege may not be that tough.

Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is gaining ground…

And Netflix, huh?

The streaming platform remains firm and strong in its strategy of growing in the games market. There are already 86 games available (many of them exclusive to mobile devices, such as “Grand Theft Auto Trilogy”), and the company’s vice president of games, Mike Verdu, stated that there are another 90 titles in development for the platform.

The games are only available on tablets and cell phones, but the company has been promoting tests in the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom for access to the games on TVs and computers. If this initiative moves forward, a new and powerful actor will begin to compete in this market.

A new era for Microsoft?

With the acquisition of Activision Blizzard completed — and former CEO Bobby Kotick away from the company —, Microsoft is really beginning to take the lead in the developer of series such as “Call of Duty”, “World of Warcraft” and “Diablo”.

The first and most obvious change should be the entry of games into the Xbox Game Pass catalog, Microsoft’s game subscription service. In addition, we may also have more news about the company’s ambitious initiative to launch an online mobile games store to compete with Apple and Google.

Microsoft, however, is not known for treating the franchises it acquires with care. With such beloved intellectual properties under their umbrella, Phil Spencer and the gang will need to show they are in tune with fans.

Will Gamescom Latam catch on?

With the announcement of Gamescom Latam in Brazil, the country is once again on the world calendar of major gaming events. It arrives, however, shortly after E3, one of the most traditional games fairs in the world, announced the definitive closure of its activities.

There are particular reasons for the American event that explain its closure, but there is also a structural change in the games industry. Brands have changed how they relate to the public, which puts the holding of large events like these in question.

Furthermore, the question remains as to what the new event will be like. Will it continue with the indie spirit of the BIG Festival, absorbed by Gamescom Latam, or will it adopt the air of a mega event and compete with other fairs for the gaming public, such as BGS and CCXP?

Bonus: 2023 Topics

At the beginning of last year, I highlighted in the newsletter some topics that would stand out in the last year. Let’s remember and see what happened:

• Postponed games finally reach the public: Some really arrived and reinforced the 2023 release crop, one of the best in recent years. Others should stay until 2024 (and beyond), but without the same expectations (I’m looking at you “Suicide Squad”).

• Soap opera about the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft comes to an end?: It really has arrived, but twists are not completely ruled out yet.

• The return of E3: The return did not happen and E3, confirming the most pessimistic predictions, ended for good.

• PlayStation VR2 launch: The new device arrived, was highly praised, but, as we expected, it didn’t catch on. Later in the year, it was still overshadowed by the launch of Meta Quest 3 and the announcement of the Apple Vision Pro.

• New ways to monetize games: Initiatives linked to NFTs and blockchain were already showing signs of slowing down and were replaced by artificial intelligence as a buzzword in the games industry. But game subscription services remain firm, strong and expanding.

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Play

game tip, new or old, for you to try

resident Evil 4

(PC, PS 4/5, Xbox X/S, iOS)

One of my failures throughout the last one was not paying due attention to this Capcom remake. The game combines the best of the original with some changes that update and make the experience more attractive for today’s audience. More than that, however, it’s a game that helps explain to a new generation what made “Resident Evil” one of the most successful horror game series today.

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Update

news, launches, business and what matters most

• Insomniac Games, developer of the “Marvel’s Spider-Man” series, was the victim of hackers, who stole confidential information from the company and its employees. Among the information leaked after the developer refused to pay criminals are images of “Wolverine” and plans for X-Men and “Spider-Man 3” games.

• In a note published on social media, Insomniac thanked fans for messages of support and said that everyone is “saddened and angered” by the events “and the emotional toll this has had on the development team.” The company stated, however, that the development schedule for “Wolverine” has not been affected.

• Following Microsoft’s completion of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, who was CEO of the developer of the “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft” series for 32 years, left the company. The executive’s last years leading the company were marked by accusations of sexual harassment and permissiveness with a toxic culture in the workplace.

• The hacker responsible for breaking into Rockstar Games and leaking information about “GTA 6” was sentenced to indefinite hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital in England. With a severe degree of autism, the 18-year-old teenager responsible for the invasion was considered unaccountable and will only be released after approval from a medical team.

• “Baldur’s Gate 3” won Game of the Year and Outstanding Plot at the Steam Awards. Snubbed in other awards, “Starfield” won an award for innovation and “Hogwarts Legacy” won Best Game on Steam Deck. The winners are chosen by voting by users of the PC gaming platform.

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