Remember that your peers are not your competition. They will help you get jobs when you don't have one. - Sinéad Oram, 2D artist, Media Molecule

Hey there!

🎉 But we have so much more:

The PlayStation-exclusive quest for Hogwarts Legacy, Haunted Hogsmeade, will come to all platforms this summer (and that was a great quest!).

Mortal Kombat 1 has achieved a new milestone and a US Senator calls on the FTC to reverse the Activision acquisition. 

Play on:

Welcome to The Power-Up #64

Game-Up

🚜 Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has finished adding major content to Stardew Valley's 1.6 update, now focusing on bug fixes and polishing for a release within the year. The update, more expansive than initially planned, includes new festivals, items, and the whimsical addition of hats for pets.

🪄 Hogwarts Legacy is set to introduce new updates and previously PlayStation-exclusive content to all platforms in Summer 2024, with details on specific features and release dates to be disclosed in the upcoming months.

☠️ The Skull & Bones Open Beta, accessible to all, will run from February 8 to 11 on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S, with all progress transferable to the final game.

🦾 CD Projekt Red is set to release a new patch for Cyberpunk 2077 this week, targeting the resolution of recent minor bugs and improving player-reported issues, including finisher animations.

Some of the games launching this week:

• January 30: Rugby 24 (PS4/5, Xbox One/X/S, PC), Death Stranding Director’s Cut (iOs, Mac)

• January 31: One Punch Man World (iOs, Android, PC), Poppy Playtime – Chapter 3 (PC)

• February 1: Granblue Fantasy: Relink (PS4/5, PC), Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash (PS4/5, Xbox One/S/X, PC, Switch)

• February 2: Persona 3 Reload (PS4/5, Xbox One/S/X, PC), Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (PS5, Xbox S/X, PC)

Round-Up

😔 Krafton Inc., the publisher of PUBG, is facing a lawsuit from a former employee alleging sexual assault by an executive and wrongful termination after reporting the incident. The lawsuit claims Krafton did not adequately address the complaint, leading to the employee's dismissal and causing her significant emotional and financial distress.

🎮 The Sterling Silver DualSense PS5 controller and matching PS5 console covers are now available on PlayStation Direct, marking the completion of the Deep Earth Collection which includes vibrant colors like Volcanic Red and Cobalt Blue.

🥋 Mortal Kombat 1 has achieved the milestone of selling 3 million units, joining the ranks of Warner Bros.' billion-dollar IPs alongside Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and DC.

☁️ Apple’s App Store will start accepting game streaming apps. Before this, you needed to make a weird browser app to be able to play GeForce Now or XBox GamePass games on iOS devices (including Apple TV). I think this is a way to make Netflix and YouTube create Vision Pro native apps (since they stream games now, as well).

Biz-Up

🚀 The games industry saw a record $86 billion in deals in 2023, significantly propelled by Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. With a total of 960 deals and notable transactions like Tencent's takeover of Techland, the industry is poised for a steady rise in mergers and acquisitions in 2024, with a focus on early-stage investments in emerging technologies like AI and VR.

🤑 Animoca Ventures led a $3 million private round funding in mobile developer AOFverse to expand in Web3.

Industry Level-Up

🔙 Senator Elizabeth Warren calls on the FTC to reverse Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard following significant layoffs, arguing that the merger harms workers and competition.

😔 Toys for Bob and Sledgehammer Games have faced significant layoffs, with reports indicating up to 40% and 30% staff reductions respectively, as part of Microsoft's broader job cuts impacting nearly 2,000 employees.

The Power-Up Chronicles

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Stay powered-up until next time.

Bobby & Andrei