It will be created using cutting-edge technology and the best talents from around the world, both from film and video games – Hideo Kojima about Physint

Hey there!

🎉 But we have so much more:

There’s a new State of Play next week, focusing on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Hideo Kojima has announced a new IP.

And Pocketpair warns about the fake mobile versions of Palworld. 

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League if launching today, have fun!

Now let’s play:

Welcome to The Power-Up #66

Game-Up

🎮 Two days ago, we had the first PlayStation State of Play of the year. It brought a lot of exciting news, including announcements about Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, accompanied by a very bizarre 10-minute trailer, Rise of the Ronin, Stellar Blade, a new free Silent Hill game (Silent Hill The Short Message, already available on PS5) and many more. You can check out all the announcements here.

🤩 PS Plus Essential monthly games for February: Foamstars, Rollerdrome, Steelrising. Starting Tuesday, February 6. 

🎮 The next State of Play is set for February 6, bringing fans a focused look at Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The game will launch on February 29 and will need 150GB of space on PS5. 

🏎️ Stellar Entertainment hints at a Burnout series revival with teasing language and "take downs." It could involve a remaster or remake, as the studio previously worked on Burnout Paradise Remastered.

🎶 Hi-Fi Rush may be coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch based on a data mine revealing new t-shirt textures. The game originally shadow dropped on Xbox Series S/X and PC and received widespread acclaim.

🎮 Sony partners with Kojima Productions on Physint, described as a next-gen action espionage game and a potential successor to Metal Gear. Production will start after Death Stranding 2.

🚀 Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is launching today. Here’s the trailer:

Round-Up

🚀 Palworld reaches 19 million players on Xbox Series S/X and PC in under two weeks since its early access launch, making it the largest third-party Game Pass debut. It has sold 12 million copies on Steam (and the other 7 million on Xbox)

🚨 And speaking of Palworld: beware of fake mobile versions on Apple's App Store and Google Play; the developer, Pocketpair, warns that they may steal your personal data.

🎮 Sony is reportedly working on a new PlayStation handheld console that supports native game playback, with a custom AMD APU in the early design phase. The device may offer backward compatibility with PlayStation 4 games and receive a pro-like patch for PlayStation 5 titles

Biz-Up

📈 Capcom's strong 2023 was fueled by Resident Evil 4 (6.48 million copies sold) and Street Fighter 6 (3 million copies sold), resulting in net sales of 106.18 billion yen ($725.57 million). The Digital Contents business saw 81.4 billion ($555,84 million) in sales.

🤑 Mountaintop raises $30 million in funding for its debut tactical shooter. This funding comes after a $30 million Series A round and $5.5 million in seed funding secured in 2021. Zack Zaharis from Anthos Capital will join the studio's board of directors.

🎮 Analysts believe the upcoming Switch 2 won't surpass the success of the original Nintendo Switch, citing uncertainty about its hardware and potential limitations.

💰 Genshin Impact hit $5 billion in consumer spending in just 40 months since its September 2020 launch, faster than any other mobile game. China leads with $1.5 billion (30% of revenue), followed by Japan at $1.06 billion (21%), and the US with $903 million (18%). 

📈 Konami reports robust financials: 11% revenue growth, 53% profit increase in nine months. Key drivers: Switch hits like Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1. Amusement division doubles profits, 55% revenue growth.

🤑 Pixelmon raises $8 million for a series of web3 games, seeking redemption this way, after the botched NFT launch.

🥽 Social gaming might soon come to your headset: Eggscape Entertainment raises $4.25M just for that.

Industry Level-Up

😔 Sega of America plans to lay off 61 staff in March, affecting QA and localization. Sega has not officially confirmed these layoffs, and it's uncertain if other offices will be impacted.

👋 Destiny 2 game director Joe Blackburn is leaving Bungie next month, with Tyson Green taking over as the new game director. 

🤝 Mike McCain has returned to Harebrained Schemes as executive producer, taking over from co-founder Mitch Gitelman, who transitioned into an advisory role in late 2023. McCain, known for directing BattleTech and Shadowrun: Dragonfall at the studio, rejoins after working in TV and animation.

😔 Square Enix has dissolved Tokyo RPG Factory, a subsidiary studio known for titles like I am Setsuna and Lost Sphear. The publisher has absorbed the studio, which focused on console RPG projects, and will take over its assets and liabilities. 

👋 Supermassive Games co-founders Joe Samuels and Pete Samuels have left the company. Robert Henrysson, a partner at Nordisk Games, is the new CEO, aiming to develop the studio's position as a leading one after its recent acquisition by Nordisk Games.

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

Bobby & Andrei