The GamesIndustry.biz Microcast

The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast is back, with the team once again gathering around their mics to discuss the biggest stories from the business of video games. This week, we're taking a look at the current wave of financial results, showing each company's performance for the first quarter of the financial year (April to June 2022). Most, but not all, show some form of decline - an inevitable sign as pandemic measures ease and more people venture outside. We discuss the implications for each of the platform holders and two AAA publishers. If you're not familiar with their most recent results, check out our coverage here: Activision Blizzard Electronic Arts Xbox PlayStation Nintendo As always, you can get more news, insight and analayst at www.gamesindustry.biz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics and discuss the biggest news of the past week. Naturally, this episode focuses on the various showcases that filled the void left by the absence of E3. From Starfield to The Plucky Squire and beyond, we dive into the highlights, lowlights and the impressions we got about where games are headed in the next year. From a AAA standpoint, it was a largely underwhelming week, but has that hindered the many indie games shown off over the last two weeks? As always, you can get more news, analysis and insight at www.gamesindustry.biz. And be sure to check out our extensive roundup of everything announced this month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics and discuss the biggest stories from the business of video games. With the wave of livestreams and showcases that would traditionally have been grouped around E3 now upon us, we ponder the week ahead and what we can expect from each of the major events. We also reflect on PlayStation's most recent State of Play, diving into the line-up, the prospects for PlayStation VR2 and the curiously low profile of PlayStation Plus ahead of its revamp. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast, we're joined by former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé. Following the launch of his memoir, Disrupting The Game, we talk to him about his experiences at Nintendo and as one of the industry's few prominent Black gaming executives. He also shares his thoughts on the industry's ongoing diversity issues in general, as well as thoughts on the future of games, including the use of cloud technology and how Nintendo can follow up on the success of the Switch. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz. For the latest and biggest industry news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GamesIndustry.biz team gathers around their mics and discuss the biggest stores from across the business of video games. Well, we say 'team' but this week it's just Brendan and James, and we say 'stories' but there's only one topic we're diving into this time: Square Enix's sale of Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal and Square Enix Montreal for $300 million. We discuss the surprisingly low price tag given that the deal includes major IP such as Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief and Legacy of Kain, as well as the many commercial struggles Square Enix's Western studios have gone through that likely led to this sale. We also talk about the news in context of a wider existential crisis among Japanese publishers, which you can read more about in Brendan's excellent piece from earlier this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics to discuss the biggest news from across the business of video games. For this episode, we start by discussing the news that both Sony and Microsoft are reportedly considering introducing in-game ads into free-to-play titles on their consoles. While both are said to be working on inobtrusive methods, the initial reception to the news has not been positive. We discuss the rise of advertising in games, previous attempts to establish this as a model on consoles, and what limitations remain. We also reflect on the recent news that Apple is requiring developers to update years-old apps, with the threat of removal if they don't, and what impact this will have on game preservation and more. As always, you can get more news, insight and analysts at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GamesIndustry.biz team gathers around their mics to dive deeper into some of the big discussions coursing through the business of video games. First, we explore a recent article written for us by TinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik on why review scores are dead. We share our own thoughts on the relevance of both reviews and the numbers attached to them, as well as the many hurdles that have been thrown at critics as video games have evolved as a medium. Then we discuss this week's comments from Square Enix president and CEO Yosuke Matsuda, who suggests that Japanese studios are likely to struggle if they attempt to emulate Western-developed games. As always, you can get more news, analysis and insight at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics to discuss the biggest news from the world behind video games. This week, we focus on the long-rumoured overhaul of PlayStation Plus, now revealed to be a three-tier system (with a fourth for regions without streaming). The team shares their reactions to Sony's souped-up offering, and our thoughts on how benefits such as a retro library and access to PlayStation Now have been spread across the tiers. We also discuss the (unsurprising) lack of simultaneous launches of new first-party titles, and the broader implications as the games industry expands how it uses the subscription model to engage with consumers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GamesIndustry.biz is hosting a special episode of Video Games Real Talk, featuring former Sony PlayStation Studios chairman Shawn Layden. During the session, Layden shares his insighs of the global video games industry, offers advice to games studios and tells us what it was like working for the founder of Sony, Akio Morita. Hosted by Streamline Media Group CEO Alexander Fernandez and recorded just over a year ago, the session discusses topics such as industry diversity, how the games industry can expand beyond its borders, the increase in the finance industry's involvement in games and the importance of culture, leadership and disrupting your business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we start by discussing the varying responses from games companies of all sizes to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine -- with a particular focus on the many major firms who have halted all sales in the region. We’ve since reported that these platform holders and publishers areturning their back on a $3.4 billion market -- a not insignificant move on their part -- but we also discuss the precedent the industry is setting with this show of support ahead of the next inevitable conflict. If you haven’t already, be sure to also read our interview with a Kyiv-based developer about his experience of living in a city under siege. Elsewhere on the podcast, we ponder the implications of Epic’s surprise acquisition of Bandcamp -- something we have explored in even further depth with music creators here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices