Latest news with #VGC
Newsweek
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
PS5 Finally Has More Players Than PS4, Almost Five Years After Launch
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors The current console generation has been a bit different than those that came before. While previous generations have seen releases for older consoles gradually discontinued, the current generation still sees a lot of high-profile games get PS4 versions, despite PS5 being far more powerful. A PS5 on display A PS5 on display Photo byWe finally have a sense of why that is, as in a new business report from Sony, it has been revealed that the PS5 has more monthly players for the first time since the console's launch in November 2020, as reported by VGC. This is a step up from last year, where a similar report showed that the PS5 to PS4 monthly player ratio was an almost perfect 50/50 split at 49 million players each. A slide from Sony showing a graph of PS5 vs PS4 monthly players and their spend per console. A slide from Sony showing a graph of PS5 vs PS4 monthly players and their spend per console. Sony There are a lot of possible reasons behind this. Some critics say that Sony's lineup of PS5 exclusive titles has been weaker than previous generations, with plenty of PS4 versions of games, meaning older players don't feel the need to make the upgrade. Price is also a potential issue, as both games and consoles are getting more expensive as time goes on, with Sony most recently releasing the PS5 Pro at an eye-watering price point of $699.99, and prices are only expected to go up as we approach the PS6 in the next few years. Either way, Sony is viewing a multi-generational player base as a positive, as CEO and SIE president Hideaki Nishino explained during the presentation, "We now have a large ecosystem of highly engaged players across both the PlayStation 5 and the PlayStation 4 generations, so naturally, therfore, there's a huge interest in our next generation console strategy." This gives the impression that even when the PS6 does get revealed, Sony still has every intention of continuing to invest in the PS5, and possibly even the PS4 as well.
Forbes
03-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Nintendo Switch 2 Reviews Won't Drop Before Launch — Here's Why
Mario is pictured at a Nintendo display ahead of the launch of the company's Switch 2 console, an ... More electronics store in the city of Nagoya, Aichi prefecture, Japan on June 2, 2025. Are you waiting impatiently for Nintendo Switch 2 reviews to start popping up? You'll need to be a little patient for those, as well as reviews of Mario Kart World and other Switch 2 launch games. In fact, you might have your very own Switch 2 in your hands before you're able to read a review of the console or its launch titles. The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on June 5. However, Nintendo did not provide Switch 2 units to reviewers ahead of the release date. A company spokesperson told VGC this was because "important features and updates" will be unlocked via a system update that will only be available on launch day. That's despite reviewers being used to games and products getting new features and updates over time and accounting for that in their coverage. Many publishers now only grant reviewers access to review copies once their games are live, especially in cases of live-service games or when there are major day-one patches. But some publishers simply ask reviewers to bear in mind issues that will be resolved with day-one patches or updates that will be soon be available. (Certain companies also sometimes set review embargoes for a game's release date if they're pretty sure their product stinks, but I doubt that's the case for the Switch 2.) Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo may also have valid technical reasons for not offering reviewers early access to Switch 2 units, as VGC rightfully points out. It could very well be that the company needed as much time as possible to make sure core features like GameChat are working optimally. Reviews are pretty important in the grand scheme of things. Before you spend $450 on a new product, you probably want to know if the thing you're buying works as advertised out of the box. That takes time for reviewers to fully assess. It's a process that requires days, not hours. Having sufficient time to properly analyze new features, and critical factors like battery life without relying on Nintendo's claims of how many hours you'll get on a single charge, is key. Reviews don't inherently exist to tell you what to buy or use your valuable time on. That's up to you. The whole idea of reviews is to help you make more informed decisions on how to spend your time and money. But that's going to be a tough needle for Switch 2 reviews to thread. Many reviewers will feel compelled to rush out coverage as quickly as possible after the Switch 2 launches to ensure they get enough attention from readers and viewers to make their efforts worthwhile. That's not ideal, for either reviewers or their audiences. Switch 2 review scores are unlikely to end up mattering much for Nintendo in any case. The Switch 2 is going to do huge numbers right out of the gate. Many, many people are already clamoring to get their hands on one as soon as possible – including me, for both professional and personal reasons. Lots of people aren't going to wait for reviews to snap up a Switch 2 especially not those who are already lining up for retailers to open on June 5 so they can pick up the console. It's likely that you already have a decent idea of whether you want a Switch 2 now, you're happy to wait until more first-party games and other exclusives are available for the device, or you don't feel the rush to get the console anytime soon. Still, having in-depth Switch 2 reviews available from trusted critics at launch would have been helpful for both consumers and media outlets (many of which are battling to keep the lights on and would have greatly benefited from pre-launch review traffic and views). It stinks for fans and reviewers alike that that won't be an option on launch day. Follow my blog for coverage of video games and word games (though I can't promise I'll have Switch 2 reviews to share). It helps me out a lot! Follow me on Bluesky too! It's fun there. And make sure to subscribe to my newsletter, Pastimes!
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Death Stranding Anime Is Coming
Hideo Kojima is one of the greatest video game designers ever, but he always has his sights set beyond consoles. Less than two years after announcing an A24-produced film adaptation of his 2020 game Death Stranding, Kojima has revealed that the Death Stranding visual universe will also include an anime. Speaking with Vogue Japan (thanks VGC), Kojima said that video games are just one storytelling medium through which he wants to channel his creativity. The man known as one of the most succinct movie buffs, with his one sentence film reviews of everything from the terrible Madame Web to the sensational Sinners, is ready to transform his beloved game in ways only film and animation can do. The way he explains it, the upcoming Death Stranding adaptations will be more inspired by the game, rather than a faithful retelling. 'When it comes to film adaptations of games,' Kojima told Vogue (via machine translation), 'there have been recent [shows] like The Last of Us that keep the plot of the original intact, and films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie that are more like a service to game fans. Each of these works has its own merits, but as a film lover, I want to pursue the expressive potential of cinema.' It's at this point in the interview that Kojima makes the first mention of this anime project. 'I am aiming to make Death Stranding in a way that can only be done as a film, and that will win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. In fact, we are also currently working on an anime adaptation.' This isn't the first time Kojima has brought one his video game properties into the world of anime. Zone of the Enders: Dolores, I was an anime series released from the world of his gorgeous multi-console third-person shooter Zone of the Enders back in 2001. An anime prequel film, Zone of the Enders: 2167 Idolo,was released six months prior. No release date or timeline has been announced. Still, it's exhilarating to know that one of the most innovative visual storytellers of our time is continuing to expand his creative horizons. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Engadget
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
A Death Stranding anime is in the works
How much Death Stranding are you willing to fire into your eyes? The game's sequel arrives in just a few weeks, A Quiet Place: Day One director Michael Sarnoski is leading up a live-action film adaptation, and now Hideo Kojima has confirmed that an anime is in production. Kojima teased the adaptation while discussing the more concrete live-action project in an interview with Vogue Japan . As picked up by VGC , the Metal Gear creator was talking about his cross-media ambitions for the Death Stranding , and comparing the planned film to other successful video game adaptations from recent years. "When it comes to adapting games into visual media, there are works like The Last of Us , which stays true to the original storyline, and films like The Super Mario Bros Movie which are more of a service to fans of the game," Kojima said, according to VGC 's translation. "While these works have their own merits, as a film enthusiast, I want to pursue the expressive potential of cinema. I aim to create a Death Stranding that can only be realised through film, one that could win awards at festivals like the Cannes Film Festival or the Venice Film Festival. In fact, we are also currently working on an anime adaptation." Kojima didn't offer any more information, so we don't know how far along the anime project is, who is making it, when we can actually expect it to come out, or whether it will tie in with the upcoming live-action movie. In the meantime, Norman Reedus' Sam Porter Bridges will return in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach , which is coming to PS5 on June 22. Kojima Productions dropped its second trailer for the game in March, which clocked in at 10 minutes and gave us a closer look at what we'll be getting up to in the sequel. (Spoiler alert: lots more walking.)
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kojima is leaving behind a USB stick with game ideas for after he dies
Iconic video game maker Hideo Kojima has left behind a USB stick filled with game ideas in the case of his death, as indicated in an interview with Edge Magazine that VGC reported on. Kojima says it's "kind of like a will" and that he hopes that his staff will continue to make games after he passes. Don't worry. He isn't going anywhere anytime soon. This was spurred on by the pandemic. "Until then, I didn't think I was old, you know? I just didn't feel my age, and I assumed I would be able to create for as long as I live," he told the magazine. Kojima is 61 years old, which is a spring chicken when compared to luminaries like Shigeru Miyamoto (72) and Sid Meier (71.) While Kojima isn't planning on leaving this mortal coil in the near future, he does say that he only has so much time left for active game development. He gives himself around ten years before he reaches an age in which his creative energy could be depleted. So, the idea of a USB stick was born. He hopes it will allow Kojima Productions to carry on as an entity after he passes or retires. "This is a fear for me: what happens to Kojima Productions after I'm gone? I don't want them to just manage our existing IP." While we don't know what type of ideas are on the USB stick, Kojima did recently introduce a few off-the-wall game concepts regarding the passage of time. He discussed a concept involving memory, in which the main character gradually forgets important information and abilities if someone takes too long of a break from playing. Kojima also discussed a game that encompassed an entire life and another one that would involve the real-time creation of wine or cheese. The designer also planned on a mechanic that made Sam's beard grow over time in the forthcoming Death Stranding 2. However, he scrapped it because "Norman Reedus is a big star" and he didn't "want to make him look uncool."
