I want you all to know that you are talented and that you matter, and that you are the future of this industry. Don't let that flame be extinguished by our collective mistakes – Michael Douse, director of publishing, Larian

Hey there!

🎉 But we have so much more:

Today we will see the first trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree, the long-awaited Elden Ring DLC. And also today, a Nintendo  Direct Partner Showcase is scheduled.

Over 500 games earned more than $3 million each, in 2023. 

And a new Assassin’s Creed Mirage update will bring the permadeath mode, the Full Synchronization Challenge.

Now let’s play:

Welcome to The Power-Up #74

Game-Up

☢️ Bethesda announces the 'Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology' set for release on April 11th, featuring seven games and a mini-nuke case.

🗡️ Stellar Blade will have 3 graphical settings: Performance Mode for 60 FPS, Resolution Mode for 4K visuals, and a Balanced mode combining both. The game is set to release on April 26, 2024 and will have around 25 hours of gameplay. 

🚕 SEGA's Sapporo Studio is developing a Crazy Taxi reboot, described as a triple-A game, alongside revivals of other classic IPs like Golden Axe and Streets of Rage.

💍 From Software is releasing the first gameplay trailer for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree today, at 10am ET/7am PT. You can watch it here when it starts. 

☠️ Assassin's Creed Mirage introduces permadeath mode in update 1.0.7, challenging players with the Full Synchronization Challenge where any fatal mistake results in a complete restart. The update also brings cosmetic enhancements, including a transmog feature and a variety of bug fixes.

Round-Up

🤝 Baldur's Gate 3 developers highlight industry layoffs and stress making game decisions based on player interests, not profit, during their DICE Awards speech.

📺 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase scheduled for today, Noon ET/9am PT, highlighting upcoming Switch games for early 2024.

🏎️ Forza Horizon 5 surpasses 37 million players, since launching in November 2021 and continues receiving updates and expansions on Xbox and PC.

🔫 5 years after "what’s fortnight", Lady Gaga corrects to *fortnite, announcing her collaboration with the game. The event, slated for February 22, is teased as part of the Fortnite Festival, likely featuring musical elements.

🎮 Analysts predict a PS5 Pro release in late 2024 to rejuvenate interest and prepare for GTA 6 in 2025. Despite new hardware, Sony may maintain current PS5 pricing due to margin pressures.

✍️ Nearly 50,000 Xbox players signed a petition for Helldivers 2, urging its release on Xbox. The petition emphasizes the Xbox community's diversity and potential contribution to the game's universe.

🎮 Google engineers hack PS Portal to run emulated PSP games, showcasing Grand Theft Auto: Liberty Stories. Their software-based hack, achieved without hardware exploitation, opens new possibilities for the device.

🥋 Sifu reaches 3 million sales, celebrating with two new outfits, including one inspired by the final boss  from Absolver, the studio’s previous title.

Biz-Up

📉 Nintendo shares fell 5.8% after reports of a Switch 2 delay to 2025, despite remaining near a record high. Analysts suggest the delay may impact Nintendo's financials but see it as an investment opportunity pre-Switch 2 announcement.

📉 Sony's value drops $10 billion after lowering PS5 sales forecast to 21 million units, causing shares to decline by up to 8.4%. 

🤩 In 2023, over 500 games on Steam each earned more than $3 million, setting a new record for the platform. Valve reports Steam reached 33 million concurrent users and saw significant revenue growth during seasonal sales.

🧐 Frost Giant Studios invites players to invest in the company to support Stormgate's marketing, with shares available through a StartEngine campaign.

💰 GameCentric secures $1.5 million from Dubai-based angel investor to expand its gaming platform across the MENA region, aiming to integrate new technologies and form strategic partnerships for a wider footprint.

🚀 PitchBook's analysis of the video game industry predicts that venture capital investments in gaming will continue to grow, reaching $14.2 billion by 2024, driven by factors such as the expansion of mobile gaming, the growth of cloud gaming, and the increasing popularity of esports.

Industry Level-Up

🤝 Monumental is set to acquire mobile developer Game Circus. This will expand Monumental portfolio of mobile games with titles such as Coin Dozer, Merge Zoo, and Prize Claw.

🚀 Former developers from Mass Effect, Doom Eternal, and Horizon Zero Dawn have established Fun Dog Studios. Their debut project is a tactical survival shooter titled The Forever Winter.

😔 Build a Rocket Boy, developer of upcoming game Everywhere, conducted layoffs despite securing a $110 million investment, impacting an unspecified number of employees.

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

Bobby & Andrei