Derek Strickland

TL;DR: NetEase laid off the development team behind the successful game Marvel Rivals, despite its impressive achievements, including 10 million players in 72 hours and $130 million in revenue in its first month. The layoffs are part of a re-evaluation of NetEase’s core business, with no statement on future content plans. UPDATE:Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad, who tracks the Chinese games market, explained that the Marvel Rivals situation is a result of a re-evaluation of

TL;DR: The Xbox ecosystem has generated over $80 billion for Microsoft in the five fiscal years since the Xbox Series consoles released. The entirety of the Xbox ecosystem has generated over $80 billion for Microsoft throughout the Xbox Series console generation. VIEW GALLERY – 3 IMAGES Microsoft has made over $80.8 billion in revenue across the last five fiscal years since the Xbox Series was introduced. The number is based on indirect estimates gleaned from

TL;DR: Microsoft has shipped at least 25 million Xbox Series consoles, but actual sell-in could have been as high as 35.9 million by the end of 2024. Xbox Series X/S console shipments may have hit nearly 36 million by the end of 2024, new analysis indicates. VIEW GALLERY – 6 IMAGES Editor’s Note: The data provided below is based on estimates, not confirmed values. The millions of units are also based on sell-in/shipments and not

TL;DR: The PlayStation Network has been down for 17 hours, affecting game sales, subscriptions, and microtransactions. Sony has not provided a timeline for restoration, causing concern among gamers who recall the 2011 outage. The disruption impacts Sony and third-party partners financially, with services currently non-operational. The PlayStation Network has been down for 17 consecutive hours at the time of publication, and Sony has not given exact updates on when the servers will be back up.

TL;DR: Take-Two is impressed with GTA+’s subscription growth and it’s possible the service could tie into GTA 6’s version of GTA Onilne. Rockstar’s premium subscription service could be a major part of GTA 6’s online component at launch, and could offer some other unique benefits to users. VIEW GALLERY – 2 IMAGES In 2022, Rockstar announced GTA Plus (GTA+), a new subscription service specifically made for Grand Theft Auto Online. The service expanded and Rockstar

TL;DR: Take-Two and Rockstar could make $10 billion in cumulative GTA franchise revenues in between the release of GTA 5 and GTA 6. If sales trends are any indicator, Rockstar Games could finish Grand Theft Auto V’s megaton legacy with $10 billion in cumulative earnings. VIEW GALLERY – 5 IMAGES Grand Theft Auto VI is on the horizon, and when (if) it drops in Fall 2025 as executives have reaffirmed, GTA V’s playerbase could tank.

TL;DR: Sony Interactive Entertainment has laid off its entire UI/UX division as part of cost-cutting measures to improve profit margins. Layoffs continue at Sony Interactive Entertainment, and this time nearly an entire UI/UX division has been let go. Photo credit: Ryosuke VIEW GALLERY – 2 IMAGES Sony is trying to cut costs to improve profit margins and has laid off hundreds of workers in the process. Now the cutting continues as Sony’s gaming segment orders

TL;DR: Nintendo is working to avoid shortages of the upcoming Switch 2 console by ramping up production to meet high demand, especially for the Holiday 2025 sales period. Nintendo wants to avoid shortages of its new Switch 2 console and tells consumers it is working hard to produce enough systems to meet high demand. VIEW GALLERY – 3 IMAGES The Switch is reaching peak market saturation and Nintendo is ramping up a new console successor.

TL;DR: Nintendo plans to continue producing and supporting the original Switch as long as there is consumer demand, even with the upcoming release of the Switch 2. While the Switch 2 is fast approaching, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa confirms that the company will keep supporting and selling the original console as long as consumers buy in. VIEW GALLERY – 3 IMAGES Eight years in, the Switch is finally starting to wind down. The Switch is

TL;DR: Rockstar Games is likely in the bug-squashing phase for Grand Theft Auto 6, aiming for a 2025 release. Former Rockstar animator Mike York suggests the game is playable, with extensive testing underway due to its complex, unpredictable open-world nature, similar to GTA V’s development process. If Rockstar Games is still planning on releasing Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025, then the team is probably squashing as many bugs as possible right now–a massive undertaking