2023 was a shitty year. 2024 will probably be even more shittier.– Hendrik Lesser, President, EGDF

Hey there!

🎉 But we have so much more:

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will have new content and modes.

Rise of the Ronin will have character creator and online co-op. And Battlefield game director leaves EA.

Now let’s hit the play button:

Welcome to The Power-Up #76

Game-Up

🤴 Ubisoft is set to enrich Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown with complimentary new content and gameplay modes, signaling ongoing support despite its mixed commercial performance.

👑 TiMi Studios, known for COD Mobile, unveils Age of Empires Mobile, aiming to translate the iconic strategy series' depth to mobile platforms with a mix of single and multiplayer modes. The game will have a beta test for Apple and Android users.

🛜 Inflexion Games is introducing an offline mode to co-operative survival game Nightingale. This decision comes after the game's early access launch faced criticism for its lack of an offline single-player option.

🥷 Rise of the Ronin will have an elaborate character creator and a four-player online co-op feature for its main story missions. For online play, a PlayStation Plus membership will be required. 

Some of the games launching this week:

• February 28: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake (PS5, Xbox S/X, PC)

• February 29: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (PS5), Welcome to ParadiZe (PS5, Xbox S/X, PC)

• March 1: Ufouria: The Saga 2 (PS5, Xbox X, PC, Switch)

Round-Up

🙅 Microsoft is rumored to be launching a digital-only version of the Xbox Series X in white around mid-2024, featuring design improvements like an enhanced heatsink and upgraded Nexus card.

👎 Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League did not meet Warner Bros. anticipated performance levels, leading to disappointment.. The game's struggle is evident in its declining player count and mediocre reviews.

👎 Aspyr Media, the developer of Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, is facing accusations of using a player-created mod without permission to include previously unreleased bonus content in their game.

📺 Connecting Worlds, a documentary exploring Hideo Kojima's transition from Metal Gear Solid V to the creation of Death Stranding, is now available on Disney+, offering a deep dive into the innovative game designer's creative process. 

👍 Helldivers 2 servers successfully withstood a massive influx of 800,000 concurrent players.

🚀 Baldur's Gate 3 surpasses 10 million copies sold, and Larian Studios continues to focus on mod support and game improvements.

Biz-Up

📈 US game revenue rose by 15% to $5.1 billion in January, with Tekken 8, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Persona 3 Reload among top sellers. PlayStation 5 led console sales, while accessory spending surged by 45%.

💰 Korea fines Twitch $327,000 for exiting the market and violating local laws by undermining user interests. Twitch's withdrawal, meant to cut costs, led to penalties including for blocking VOD access.

Industry Level-Up

👋 Marcus Lehto, the co-creator of Halo and the director at EA's Ridgeline Games for the Battlefield franchise, has left EA, causing speculation about the future direction of Battlefield.

The Power-Up Chronicles

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

Bobby & Andrei