I decided to leave the company and forge my own path, to continue making games that reflect the developers who made them – Hideki Kamiya, director, Bayonetta

Hey there!

🎉 But we have so much more:

Team Kaiju seems to be shut down. Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of Erdtree, could come in February and Netflix is developing a video game based on Squid Games series – a Squid Game game! 😂

Oh, and Valve asks you not to inhale the fumes from the Steam Deck’s vents. It’s not good for you!

Now let’s hit the play button:

Welcome to The Power-Up #52

Biz-Up

📈 China's video game market revenue rose 13% to $42.6 billion in 2023, with domestic earnings at $36 billion and international revenue dipping 6% to $16.3 billion due to national security concerns.

💰 Activision Blizzard will pay $46.75 million to women employees for inequitable pay and an additional $9.125 million in attorney's fees, settling a discrimination case with the California Civil Rights Department without finding systemic harassment or executive wrongdoing.

🤝 Keywords Studios acquired The Multiplayer Group, a division of Improbable, for $97.1 million, to enhance its multiplayer game development capabilities and expand its Create division.

Industry Level-Up (or Down)

👋 Hideki Kamiya, co-founder of Platinum Games, left the studio because he felt its direction diverged from his beliefs as a developer, prioritizing artistic vision over seeing games as mere products. 

😔 The Astra venture fund, dedicated to developing thinking games, unexpectedly laid off several employees just before the holiday season, with the exact number unspecified. This philanthropic fund has been involved in funding projects like Zach Gage's Puzzmo.

🔒 Tencent has reportedly shut down Team Kaiju, a subsidiary of TiMi Studio Group, with the studio's website and LinkedIn page no longer accessible and no formal announcement made.

Round-Up

💨 Valve has issued a warning to Steam Deck owners, advising against inhaling fumes from the device's vents, a practice that has become a popular meme on the Steam Deck subreddit.

💵 Larian Studios has confirmed that Baldur's Gate 3 will not be available on Xbox Game Pass, believing the successful RPG has nothing to gain from such a launch. Swen Vincke, founder of Larian Studios, highlighted Baldur's Gate 3's substantial, microtransaction-free nature to justify not joining Xbox Game Pass, despite a prior $5 million offer from Microsoft. 

⏭️ Rumors suggest that Microsoft may release its next-generation Xbox console as early as 2026, two years ahead of the initially anticipated 2028 launch.

🚀 The Persona 5 series has reached over 10 million global sales, leading ATLUS to celebrate by offering Persona 5 Royal at a 50% discount in Japan across multiple platforms including Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, and Steam.

⛑️ Sony's new patent describes technology to adaptively adjust game difficulty in real-time, tailored to individual player performance, impacting elements like character strength and enemy behavior for a personalized gaming experience.

Game-Up

🤞 NetherRealm Studios will add cross-play to Mortal Kombat 1 in February for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, alongside improved online play and an upcoming story-based DLC with a surprise post-release.

💍 A retailer leak suggests that Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion may release in February 2024. Additionally, promotional material hints at another major Elden Ring event or new game expansion planned for 2025.

🦑 Netflix is developing a video game based on the Squid Game series, allowing players to compete in games featured in the show. The development studio and release date are currently unknown, but the success of the series has significantly heightened anticipation for the game.

Some of the games launching this week:

• December 20: Rough Justice: '84 (PS5, Xbox S/X, Switch, PC)

• December 22: Jinshin (PS4/5, Xbox One/S/X, Switch, PC), Railbreak (PS5, Xbox S/X, PC)

The Power-Up Chronicles

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

Bobby & Andrei