A few weeks before thirteenth BitSummit opened its doors in Kyoto, a major announcement sent waves through the Japanese games industry: entertainment conglomerate TOEI unveiled grand ambitions for a brand-new gaming subsidiary. In Western media circles, the announcement sparked confusion. This is one of the biggest entertainment companies in Japan, known for producing internationally famous anime like One Piece and Dragon Ball. It's one of the biggest entertainment companies in Japan in terms of success and the IPs they control.
Wizards of the Coast has written to its employees to warn that unionizing could mean staff "end up with more, the same or less than [they] have now," and suggested that "your voice is strongest when it is heard directly."
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is calling for "consistent, enforceable standards" for ensuring video games are playable for visually impaired players.
Remedy's new CEO Jean-Charles Gaudechon has stated that the studio will prioritise its own IP and focus on maximising the potential of its core franchises.
It would be easy to look at this week's headlines and conclude that Europe's game publishing sector is in terminal decline. Results from Ubisoft and Embracer, released within hours of each other on Wednesday, both looked bleak in different ways. Ubisoft's revenue slumped again, while Embracer beat its Q4 estimates – but the focus for both firms was on their years-long restructuring efforts, which have yet to bear much fruit that isn't hard and bitter.
"One of the things I take pride in: every MMO I've ever made is still live today," says Jack Emmert, who rejoined Cryptic Studios as CEO back in January.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says that the firm is still planning for long-gestating and recently rebooted online shooter Project Ethos to be a "massive hit" despite the escalating challenges of the market, which has seen even genre pioneer Bungie run into difficulties.
