➀ T-Minus Zero Entertainment, a new studio co-founded by Rich Vogel and alumni from Bethesda and Bioware, was shut down by NetEase before they could release their first game; ➁ The studio was working on a third-person online multiplayer action game based on a new sci-fi IP; ➂ Despite support from NetEase, market conditions prevented the studio from securing the necessary funding.
Recent #game development news in the semiconductor industry
➀ Ubisoft has officially confirmed the leaks of Assassin's Creed Shadows and advised players to avoid spoilers as the leaked footage does not reflect the final game.
➁ The game, delayed past the holiday season, is crucial for Ubisoft's financial recovery.
➂ Preorders are promising, tracking similarly to Assassin's Creed Odyssey, indicating potential success.
➀ EA announced the launch of Battlefield Labs, a community testing platform for the upcoming Battlefield game.
➁ The game is being developed by several EA studios, including DICE and Criterion Games.
➂ Criterion's focus on Battlefield has temporarily halted the development of the next Need for Speed game.
➀ GTA 6 is expected to be a massive release, potentially generating billions in revenue; ➁ The anticipation is causing other game publishers to delay their releases to avoid competition; ➂ Rockstar is still working on GTA 6, and some publishers are waiting as long as possible before committing release dates for their games in 2025.
➀ SEGA cancelled its FPS game Hyenas to focus on more viable titles like an Alien Isolation sequel; ➁ The cancellation was due to high costs associated with live games and the need to prioritize profitability; ➂ SEGA's decision was based on quantitative information and a review of the title portfolio.
➀ Valve celebrates the 20th anniversary of Half-Life 2 with an update and a documentary; ➁ Gabe Newell discusses the cancellation of Half-Life 2: Episode 3; ➂ Newell emphasizes the need for innovation in Half-Life 3 beyond just continuing the story.
➀ Valve showcases gameplay from the canceled Half-Life 2: Episode 3 in a documentary celebrating the game's 20th anniversary; ➁ The gameplay reveals an Arctic setting with a new Ice Gun and Alyx as a key character; ➂ The documentary discusses the game's development and the reasons for its cancellation.
➀ Ubisoft plans to realign the Assassin's Creed franchise, focusing on meaningful connections from earlier titles; ➁ The shift away from Desmond Miles' story has been challenging since his arc ended in Assassin's Creed 3; ➂ Assassin's Creed Shadows will be the foundation for the new direction of the franchise.
➀ An Xbox insider has confirmed that the rumored Xbox version of Helldivers 2 is not happening; ➁ The success of Helldivers 2 on PlayStation has sparked theories about Sony releasing games on all platforms, including Xbox; ➂ Sony's focus on exclusive titles to boost hardware sales contrasts with Xbox's strategy of releasing games on multiple platforms.
➀ Nintendo is developing a new Minecraft-style MMO; ➁ The game is being tested on the Switch with 10,000 participants; ➂ Players collaborate to build and develop a planet.
➀ Squadron 42's release date is pushed back to 2026; ➁ A new gameplay demo over an hour long is teased at CitizenCon 2024; ➂ The game features a star-studded cast including Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, and more.
➀ Game Freak confirms a hack exposing internal codenames and details about the Nintendo Switch 2; ➁ The leak, known as 'Teraleak', reveals 2TB of data including employee information and game source code; ➂ The Nintendo Switch successor is codenamed 'Ounce'.
➀ Bandai Namco cancels multiple game projects; ➁ The company is becoming more selective in its production spending; ➂ The decision is part of a strategy to improve margins and reduce costs.
➀ 343 Industries rebrands as Halo Studios; ➁ The Halo series transitions to Unreal Engine 5; ➂ The move aims to enhance game development efficiency and creativity.
➀ NVIDIA ACE technology is now available as an Unreal Engine 5 plugin for developers; ➁ The plugin includes tools like Audio2Face-3D for accurate lip-synching and facial animation; ➂ It allows developers to create digital humans with AI-driven interactions and animations.
➀ Ubisoft had planned to release 10 new Assassin's Creed games in the next 5 years; ➁ Recent events may have disrupted this pipeline goal; ➂ The company's share value has tanked by over 50% in the last 2 months.
1. Obsidian Entertainment cancelled the co-op mode for Avowed early in development. 2. The decision was made due to technical and creative challenges that would divert focus from the core game. 3. Avowed's creative director, Carrie Patel, explained that maintaining a solid single-player experience was prioritized over adding a multiplayer component.