Articles

Crash Team Rumble, the 4v4 competitive multiplayer game, is getting its final content update next week, less than a year after its launch. However, the game will still be available to play.  Players who boot up the game have been greeted with a message, posted below, announcing that on March 4, Crash Team Rumble will get its last content drop. The game is not shutting down, though. The base experience will remain live and players will have access to a free 500-tier battle pass. This includes 104 new items from all content across Seasons 1 through 3 and all available event rewards. Developer Toys for Bob has also disabled Crash Coin purchases, and players can use any remaining coins to buy battle pass tier skips. Click to enlarge Crash Team Rumble launched last year on June 20,...

We explain what's going on in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's huge ending, with answers and theories about its biggest questions....

Embracer Group, the company behind the closure of Saints Row studio Volition Games and layoffs at companies like Eidos-Montréal and Black Forest Games, is set to sell Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake developer Saber Interactive, according to a new Bloomberg report. Embracer is selling the developer to a group of private investors in a deal worth $500 million, a source told the publication.  Once the deal goes through, Saber Interactive will be a privately owned company and free from Embracer, which is behind layoffs spread throughout the past couple of years. Following the transaction, the studio will continue work on its Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, which it took over as the developer after Aspyr Media was removed from it in 2022.  Bloomberg reports this sale is another effort of Embracer to cut costs alongside studio closures and...

Toys for Bob, the studio behind games like Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, has announced it is splitting from its owner Activision Blizzard to go independent. It is also exploring a partnership with Microsoft.  Toys for Bob announced this in a statement released today, which explains why now is "the time to take the studio and our future games to the next level."  Here's Toys for Bob's statement, in full:  "We're thrilled to announce that Toys for Bob is spinning off as an independent game development studio.  Over the years, we've inspired love, joy, and laughter for the inner child in all gamers. We pioneered new IP and hardware technologies in Skylanders. We raised the bar for best-in-class remasters in Spyro Reignited Trilogy. We've taken Crash Bandicoot to innovative,...

Electronic Arts is laying off 5 percent of its workforce, which accounts for roughly 670 employees. CEO Andrew Wilson issued a company-wide letter informing staff of the publisher's restructuring, which will mean sunsetting some live service titles and ceasing the development of certain projects. In his letter, Wilson states that EA is restructuring to become more streamlined in order to deliver "deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere that build community, shape culture, and grow fandom." To that end, the company will be moving away from licensed IPs and shutting down certain titles to shift its development resources.  "We are also sunsetting games and moving away from the development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry," says Wilson in the letter. "This greater focus allows us to drive creativity, accelerate innovation,...

Remedy Entertainment, which released Alan Wake 2 to critical acclaim in October, has acquired the full rights to the Control franchise from publisher 505 Games. Released in 2019, Remedy developed Control but it was published by 505 Games, which also had a stake in the franchise's rights at the time. Now, after a roughly $18.4 million purchase, the entirety of the Control franchise belongs to Remedy.  This includes the original Control game, its in-development sequel Control 2, the multiplayer spin-off Project Condor, and all future Control products.  "The Control franchise is in the core of Remedy," the studio writes in a statement released today. "Having acquired the full rights to Control, Condor, and Control 2, Remedy is now in a position to make the right product and business decisions focusing on long-term franchise growth."  With this deal, all publishing...

Remedy Entertainment has acquired full rights to the Control series for 17 million euros and will focus on its long-term growth....

Life is Strange: True Colors developer Deck Nine has announced it is laying off 20 percent of its staff. In the statement announcing this news, Deck Nine didn't name a specific reason for the layoffs, instead stating the studio has been affected by the industry's worsening conditions. Twenty percent of Deck Nine's staff is equal to roughly 30 employees, according to a report from Eurogamer.  Here's Deck Nine's statement, in full:  "Like many others in the games industry right now, Deck Nine has been affected by the games industry's worsening market conditions. Today we made the difficult decision to lay off 20% of our staff. These people are amazing, talented, and awesome developers. They have made a huge impact during their time at Deck Nine Games and we did not take this decision lightly. Please hire these people if you can,...

NetEase Games has pulled back the curtains on its newest studio, BulletFarm. Led by David Vonderhaar, whose experience includes leading the teams behind the Call of Duty: Black Ops series, BulletFarm aims to develop a new triple-A game that utilizes first-person gameplay with an emphasis on co-op in Unreal Engine 5. It will be set in an original universe.  This unannounced and untitled game will "craft a more intimate and relatable experience while offering a fresh take on first-person gameplay," according to a press release.  BulletFarm is taking a remote-first approach to game development but considers itself a triple-A studio headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Joining Vonderhaar is the studio's creative director Chris Cowell. The studio is currently looking to hire in various roles to fill out the founding team.    "Starting this new studio has given me...

A massive sweep of layoffs has rocked various Sony first-party studios today, including Naughty Dog, Guerilla Games, and Insomniac. Another victim is Firesprite Games, the UK studio behind The Playroom games and The Persistence, and an additional casualty from that studio is reportedly a new Twisted Metal title. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Firesprite had a Twisted Metal game in the works that has now been canceled. He reports that the game was a live-service title was very early in development, so it was not yet officially greenlit. You can read his full report here.  NEW: As part of today's mass layoff, Sony has canceled a Twisted Metal live-service game that was in development at UK-based studio Firesprite, Bloomberg has learned. Firesprite will also lay off an unspecified number of people. https://t.co/pvCDsS7yxe — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 27, 2024 Twisted Metal was...