What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation. – Sarah Bond, President, Xbox

Hey there!

🎉 But we have so much more:

Some Xbox games will come to PlayStation and Nintendo, but Starfield and Indiana Jones are not included. No Man Sky’s Omega update can be played for free this weekend. And Arrowhead Game Studios is looking to expand its team, following the successful launch of Helldivers 2. 

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Now let’s play:

Welcome to The Power-Up #72

Game-Up

💀 Dead Island 2 gears up for an April Steam launch following a year of exclusivity on the Epic Games Store. Alongside its debut, Steam users can enjoy significant discounts and a free giveaway of Dead Island: Riptide - Definitive Edition.

🎮 Microsoft reveals plans to bring four previously exclusive Xbox and PC titles to other consoles, while confirming that Starfield and Indiana Jones will remain exclusive. The games may be Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. 

💰 In response to lower-than-expected sales and player engagement, Payday 3 will introduce an offline mode as part of its Operation Medic Bag initiative.

🛸 No Man's Sky's Omega update revamps Expeditions and introduces a new, free-to-play Expedition available until February 18. The update integrates Expeditions into the main game, adds new quests, and introduces the challenge of conquering a pirate dreadnought.

Round-Up

🎮 PlayStation's president, Hiroki Totoki, outlines an "aggressive" growth strategy that includes expanding first-party game releases to PC platforms. 

🎮 Sony has announced a pause in releasing "major franchise" games for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is the next major PS5 exclusive,  slated for 2025.

🕸️ Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has reached a milestone of over 10 million sales since its October release, contributing to the franchise's total of 50 million copies sold across three titles.

🎮 Sony reached a significant engagement milestone, with 123 million monthly active users on PS5 and PS4 as of December 31, 2023, marking an 11 million increase from the previous year.

🚊 Metro Exodus celebrates its 5th anniversary with over 10 million copies sold. 4A Games teases a new mainline Metro project and continues to expand the franchise, including a VR title, Metro Awakening.

🚀 Microsoft hints at a groundbreaking next-gen Xbox console on the Official Xbox Podcast, promising the "largest technical leap" in console hardware to date, aiming to transform player and creator experiences

🛑 Embracer Group has canceled 29 unannounced games in six months, amidst a broader strategy of acquisitions, layoffs, and studio closures aimed at maximizing shareholder value.

🔦 Alan Wake 2 becomes Remedy Entertainment's quickest-selling game with 1.3 million digital copies, despite calls for a physical release. The game's success has fueled the acceleration of upcoming projects like Condor, Control 2, and Max Payne remakes.

Biz-Up

💰 Innovate UK has granted £215,000 to five women-led UK game studios, offering financial support and a year of business assistance to foster growth and innovation in the industry. 

📉 Supercell experienced a 4% revenue decline to $1.82 billion in 2023, with profits also falling by 8%, yet remained resilient due to popular titles like Clash of Clans. 

📈 Sony's financials show a 20% increase to ¥9.54 trillion ($63.3 billion) in sales, with PlayStation sales up 23% to ¥3.2 trillion ($21.2 billion), for the nine months ended December 31, 2023.

🚀 Game Pass has reached 34 million "fully paid" subscribers, marking a 9 million increase since January 2022.

🔒 Maximum Entertainment consolidates its game publishing and development divisions, including Maximum Games and Modus Studios, aiming to boost IP ownership and transmedia projects. Despite a slight dip in sales, the company reports over 100 games in development.

⚖️ Activision faces a $680 million lawsuit from OpTic Gaming leaders for monopolizing the Call of Duty esports scene, with allegations of restrictive practices and exorbitant league entry fees.

Industry Level-Up

😔 Scopely is considering layoffs for about 15 employees from its Kingdom Maker team following the end of a publishing partnership with developer Global Worldwide, despite efforts to reassign most within the company.

🙌 Following the successful launch of Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Game Studios is expanding its team to enhance the game's content. The game's popularity, evidenced by over 200,000 concurrent Steam users, marks it as the most successful PlayStation Studios title on PC.

😔 Embracer Group emphasizes its focus on maximizing shareholder value following the layoff of almost 1,400 employees. The company reported a 4% increase in Q3 net sales.

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

Bobby & Andrei