This week, the layoffs at Bungie’s “Destiny” makers were the subject of much discussion. Our weekly review tells you what else happened this week.
This week, too, the layoffs in the video game industry continued seamlessly. For example, GameInformer ceased operations after around 33 years. However, the developments surrounding Bungie have generated most of the headlines and discussions in recent days.
It started with the announcement that the “Destiny” makers were cutting another 220 jobs. In addition, 155 of the developer’s remaining jobs are to be integrated into Sony Interactive Entertainment in the coming quarters. Shortly after the layoffs, accusations arose that Bungie had deliberately exaggerated its own financial prospects before the $3.6 billion takeover by Sony.
After criticism of the layoffs was voiced within the industry, Bungie veterans Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy also announced their departure. There was also talk of a canceled spin-off in the “Destiny” universe. Players of “Destiny 2” can at least rest assured. As Bungie promised, the current events will not have any impact on the roadmap of the multiplayer shooter.
Announcements, presentations and a demo
But let’s get to the more positive aspects: the games. This week, publisher THQ Nordic held a showcase at which several hotly anticipated sequels were announced. Firstly, the publisher confirmed that work is underway on a new “Darksiders” adventure. Fans of action-packed racing games also got their money’s worth and were delighted with the announcement of “Wreckfest 2”.
There were also presentations of the “Gothic” remake as well as fresh impressions of “Titan Quest 2” and “Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed”. But THQ Nordic wasn’t the only one to make announcements this week. 2K Games, for example, announced that we will be treated to the official gameplay reveal of “Sid Meier’s Civilization 7” as part of Opening Night Live on August 20, 2024.
“Directive 8020”, the latest offshoot of the “The Dark Pictures” series, will also probably be presented at the event moderated by Geoff Keighley. The New Zealand studio Grinding Gear Games, on the other hand, said a few words about the PS5 port of the action role-playing game “Path of Exile” and assured that the PS5 release will take place in the next few weeks.
Other announcements this week included the fifth season of “Diablo 4,” the release of the console version of “Valorant,” and confirmation of when BioWare will announce the release date of the role-playing game “Dragon Age: The Veilguard.”
Finally, this week Creepy Jar announced a PS5 version of the survival title “Green Hell,” while Square Enix released a free demo of the upcoming fantasy RPG “Visions of Mana.”
Xbox hardware struggles with weak numbers
This week, Microsoft presented its annual report for the past quarter and at the same time for the 2023/2024 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2024. While the last quarter and the fiscal year ended with strong results for the company as a whole, the gaming division continues to cause Microsoft headaches.
For example, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard was the only thing that ensured that the gaming division posted an increase in sales in the last quarter. The problems with Xbox hardware are even more evident. Here, the sales generated fell by a whopping 42 percent compared to the same period last year. So it’s no wonder that Microsoft is increasingly considering a strategic realignment in the gaming division.
We also received interesting figures from the German market. While digital distribution now accounts for the lion’s share of games sold in other countries, local console gamers continue to rely on physical versions. In 2023, retail versions accounted for around 60 percent of console games sold in Germany.
But the proportion of games sold digitally on consoles is also continuing to rise here. However, it is growing more slowly than in the USA or Great Britain, for example.
Here are some more reports that didn’t make it into our weekly review this week.
More news on topics of the week.
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