It’s been a bloody couple of weeks for service-based games, and we suspect the murderer is still on the loose. Also: IT’S EARNINGS SEASON, BAYBEEE! We’ve got a meaty plate of all your favorite cold cuts: EA, Capcom, Sony, Nintendo, Square Enix, Take-Two, Capcom, Sega, Embracer Group, Starbreeze, and more.
2022’s Biggest Trends and Where We’re Heading in 2023
- January 4, 2023
- Tagged as: Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Inflation, Labor, Microsoft, Nintendo, Proletariat, Steam, Trends, Zenimax
With 2022 behind us, it’s time for our annual look back and look ahead at the biggest trends shaping the video game industry. While we might have new jobs, Virtual Economy and our trends analysis aren’t going anywhere. So sit back, grab a cup of your favorite holiday beverage, and join us for our annual review!
We’re SO close to the end of earnings season. This week: Square Enix, Nintendo, Take-Two, Unity (and a discussion about that brutal Bloomberg expose about CEO John Riccitiello). Also: Strange happenings at Studio ZA/UM, Remedy details Control 2 publishing deal, the EU gets prickly about Microsoft’s proposed Activision acquisition, and more.
After two years, it seems like new-generation console supply is starting to meet demand. We discuss in our coverage of the September NPD report. Also: the latest Activision Blizzard shenanigans (including two big Ls for the publisher), more on the Bayonetta 3 story, and more.
Bayonetta voice actor Helenna Taylor shared troubling details of her treatment during negotiations. We discuss voice acting rates and what the $4,000 offer means for SAG-AFTRA union members. Also: Microsoft and Sony continue their war in the UK over the Activision acquisition, more troubling layoffs for games media, and Meta acquires a trio of studios while announcing absurd pricing for its next headset.
E3 lives, Stadia dies, and Twitch continues to make bad moves that alienate its community. Also: Saudi Arabia and Tencent look to step up investments, and a beefy labor report.
Embracer Group’s latest spending spree nets them one of the world’s most recognizable IPs (and much more). Also: Unity slumps amid hostile takeover, Take-Two posts losses on Zynga acquisition, Nintendo is in the hot seat again, Activision commits to the union-busting bit, and NPD for July 2022 as spending continues its slide back to pre-pandemic levels.
Call of Duty is in a slump, and Activision is waiting out the clock until the acquisition having reportedly canceled a long in-development mobile World of Warcraft game. Also: Earnings, GameStop’s terrible NFT marketplace, Square Enix’s bananas comments about its former Western teams, and more.
No really. They’ve sold 165 million copies. Do you really need more? It’s a busy earnings show, but we coast through it smooth as Strauss Zelnick’s haircut. On this episode: Zynga, Nintendo, Sony, EA, Roblox,…
QA workers at Activision-owned Raven Software have been given the go-ahead from the NLRB to unionize. Also: Hardware supply continues to be challenging according to latest NPD report, Nintendo is facing its own labor issues, and Sony scores a partial victory in court.