Palworld needs more developers

XDefiant will come soon, Switch 2 could be backwards compatible and PS5 is outselling Xbox S/X by 2:1

Author

Bobby Voicu
February 12, 2024

We have been a bit disappointed by what we were able to achieve on VR with Assassin's Creed, mainly because Assassin's Creed Nexus VR didn't sell as well as expected.". – Yves Guillemot, CEO, Ubisoft

Hey there!

📣 If you only read one piece of news today 📣

👾 Pocketpair is actively seeking more developers for Palworld, due to being "overwhelmingly short" of personnel, with a particular need for those skilled in project planning and engineering. 

🚀 Palworld took the gaming world by storm when it launched, getting to 19,000,000 players in just 12 days since launching in Early Acces on Steam.

🎉 But we have so much more:

Ubisoft will not pursue further VR development due to the low sales of AC Nexus VR. Switch 2 is rumored to be backwards compatible and Helldivers II had a great launch on Steam.

Don’t miss The Power-Up Chronicles section at the end of this newsletter. It has stories about

  • Evolving a studio from single to multi product

  • The African games industry in numbers

  • What might the ultimate character creator look like?

Play on:

Welcome to The Power-Up

Game-Up

💍 Kadokawa reveals From Software is intensively developing Elden Ring DLC, but without a set release date. Their financial report highlights robust profits from their gaming division, with ongoing efforts to extend the game's value.

😔 Evil Empire concludes its extensive support for Dead Cells, moving its team to undisclosed future projects.

🚀 Ubisoft targets a Q4 release for XDefiant 'Season 0' by March 31, following a series of delays and development challenges. Despite its promising beta phases, the game faces stiff competition in the crowded shooter market.

🎤 Hideo Kojima talks about Physint, an action espionage game developed in response to fan requests for more Metal Gear, inspired by a personal health scare and a desire to fulfill player demands.

Some of the games launching this week:

  • February 12: SpellRogue early access (PC)

  • February 13: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (PS5, Xbox S/X, PC), Dragon Quest Builders (PC), Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior (PC), Islands of Insight (PC), Ultros (PS4/5, PC), Fight Crab 2 early access (PC)

  • February 14: Tomb Raider Remastered (PS4/5, Xbox, Switch, PC), Biomutant (Switch), Solium Infernum (PC)

  • February 15: PlateUp! (PS4/5, Xbox One/S/X, Switch,)

  • February 16: Skull and Bones (PS5, Xbox S/X, PC), Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Switch)

Round-Up

🥽 Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announces the company will not expand its VR investments following underwhelming sales of Assassin's Creed Nexus VR, a Meta Quest exclusive. 

🔫 Helldivers II surpasses God of War as Sony's most successful PC launch with over 81,840 concurrent players on Steam. The game's strong start, despite mixed reviews, suggests a positive trend for Sony's PC port strategy.

🪧 French unions have called for a Ubisoft employee strike on February 14, 2024, citing insufficient wage increases despite the company's financial success. Workers argue that Ubisoft's proposed raises of 2 to 3 percent fall below inflation rates and do not reflect their contributions to the company's achievements.

🏆 The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered topped January 2024's new game sales in Europe, outperforming its predecessor and offering a significant upgrade for PS4 owners. 

🥷 Tekken 8 also made a notable entrance, exceeding Street Fighter 6's debut sales and celebrating the series' 30th anniversary.

🎮 Nintendo Switch 2 is rumored to be backwards compatible, allowing current Switch games to benefit from enhanced processing power.

Biz-Up

📈 In 2023, Nexon reported a significant revenue increase of 19.7%, reaching ¥423 billion ($2.8 billion), attributed to new releases like Dave the Diver and The Finals, despite a 29% drop in net income to ¥71 billion ($475 million). 

📉 Sega Sammy's Entertainment division sees a 52.5% drop in operating income to ¥18.8 billion ($125.9 million) amid restructuring and Rovio acquisition challenges. The company revises full-year forecasts and undertakes portfolio reviews and staff reductions in response.

🎮 New data suggests the PS5 is outselling the Xbox Series X/S by a 2:1 ratio, with an estimated 50 million PS5s sold compared to around 25 million Xbox consoles as of December 2023.

Industry Level-Up

👾 Pocketpair is actively seeking more developers for Palworld, due to being "overwhelmingly short" of personnel, with a particular need for those skilled in project planning and engineering. 

😔 Microsoft contends Activision Blizzard layoffs were planned independently of the merger, citing industry trends. The company emphasizes regulatory compliance and the restructuring's inevitability.

The Power-Up Chronicles

Evolving into a multi-product studio, as experienced by Super Evil Megacorp, presents significant challenges but also opportunities for diversification and growth.

Key lessons include leveraging existing expertise, ensuring internal excitement for new projects, maintaining cultural consistency across teams, avoiding leadership favoritism, and adopting a problem-solving attitude toward inevitable setbacks.

➡️ Read the article on Game Developer

📈 The Africa Games Industry Report by Maliyo Games provides a comprehensive overview of the continent's gaming landscape, highlighting nearly 200 million gamers who collectively spend hundreds of millions of dollars, predominantly on mobile games.

The report, which was shared during Africa Games Week, delves into spending habits, audience demographics, and the development environment across Africa, emphasizing the significant market potential, cultural diversity, and the young, rapidly growing player base.

➡️ Read the article on GamesIndustry.biz

The ultimate character creator in video games is envisioned as a tool that transcends simple aesthetics to offer profound and authentic representation, reflecting the diversity of the real world within the digital realm.

This envisaged system would enable players to craft characters with a broad spectrum of physical appearances, cultural backgrounds, and personal identities, ensuring everyone can see themselves in their digital avatars.

Key to this vision is the inclusion of detailed customization options that cater to various ethnicities, genders, and disabilities, moving beyond stereotypes to embrace the richness of human diversity.

➡️ Read the article on Eurogamer

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

Bobby & Andrei

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Did you know?

The first Tekken game was released for arcades in 1994 and ported to the PlayStation the following year.

Guinness World Records awarded Tekken with multiple records in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008.

These include, "First PlayStation Game to Sell Over One Million Units", "First Fighting Game To Feature Simulated 3D", as well as a record for the entire series as "The Best Selling Fighting Series for PlayStation Consoles."