Top of the Chart RSS Feed

Nintendo reportedly planning 20% production increase for Switch 2

DanishScorpio — Tue, 26 May 2026 13:03:52 +0000

Report claims platform holder is raising hardware production to 20 million units following initial forecast of 16.5 million

Nintendo reportedly plans to increase Switch 2 hardware production to 20 million units, a 20% rise, despite previously forecasting a sales decline from 16.9% to 16.5 million units for the next fiscal year.

According to Bloomberg, sources stated that this increase is not final and may be adjusted based on demand.

Before the Switch 2 launch, Nintendo projected 15 million sales but ended the year with 19.9 million units sold.

Toto predicted 18 million units sold for the fiscal year, despite recent price increases that Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa attributed to current market conditions.

Regarding Nintendo's latest forecast of 16.5 million units, Furukawa said this "takes into account current sales momentum and the sales performance in the second year of our past dedicated video game systems."

"The pace of adoption of Switch 2 is extremely fast, even when compared to the Switch, and we do not see any particular concerns about its momentum at this time," he continued.

"Going forward, we have many new titles for Switch 2 prepared, and we will carefully convey the appeal of each title to encourage people to transition to Switch 2 at their own pace.

Nintendo reported significant growth in net sales and profits after its first fiscal year of the Switch 2, with net sales reaching ¥2.3 trillion ($14.6 billion), an increase of 98.6%.

The platform holder also reported a 106.7% increase in dedicated platform sales, totalling ¥2.2 trillion ($14 billion) from hardware, software, and accessories.

Original Doom soundtrack to be inducted into US National Recording Registry

DanishScorpio — Tue, 19 May 2026 10:11:01 +0000

Composed by Bobby Prince, the 1993 score is the third video game soundtrack to join the registry

Composed by Bobby Prince, the 1993 album will be inducted alongside 25 other recordings spanning 70 years. It was selected from more than 3,000 public nominations.

"Key to Doom's popularity was the adrenaline-fueled soundtrack created by Prince," the National Recording Registry said.

"Prince, a lifelong musician and practising lawyer, was fascinated by the MIDI technology that rose to prominence in the mid-1980s as a means for instrument control and composition, an interest that led to his earliest work composing video games."

It continued: "Taking advantage of his knowledge of MIDI, Prince worked to ensure that the sound effects he created could cut through the music by assigning them to different MIDI frequencies.

"The Doom soundtrack would go on to inspire countless remixes and lay the foundation for future generations of game composers."

Doom's soundtrack is the third video game score added to the registry. Last year, Daniel Rosengeld's Minecraft: Volume Alpha and the Microsoft reboot chime were also preserved.

The Super Mario Bros. theme became the first video game soundtrack in the registry in 2023.

Together with co-founder Brenda Romero, they discussed the studio's recent challenges and the broader state of the industry.

Blue Prince and The Darkest Files win top prizes at German Computer Game Awards 2026

DanishScorpio — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:14:46 +0000

"The winning titles are a powerful showcase for the quality of games made in Germany and we want to see even more of that in the years ahead"

Blue Prince won Best International Game at the German Computer Game Awards 2026, with The Darkest Files receiving awards for Best German Game and Best Serious Game.

A total of €800,000 in prize money was distributed across 15 categories, with The Darkest Files receiving €140,000.

Neoludic Games' Tiny Bookshop received the Newcomer Award for Best Debut and was also nominated for Best German Game.

Ubisoft Mainz's Anno 117: Pax Romana won Best Innovation and Technology and was nominated for Best German Game.

Blue Backpack's The Berlin Apartment received awards for Best Graphic Design and Best Story.

The German Computer Game Awards are organized by the German Federal Government, represented by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, in partnership with the German Games Industry Association (Game).

"We warmly congratulate all winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2026 and are delighted by a fantastic evening of outstanding games and gripping stories," said Game managing director Felix Falk.

"The winning titles are a powerful showcase for the quality of games made in Germany – and we want to see even more of that in the years ahead. It is now vital to seize this momentum together with the Federal Government to further strengthen our studios in global competition and put them in the spotlight on the international stage."

PS5 prices to rise in South Korea and Southeast Asia from May 1, 2026

DanishScorpio — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:50:27 +0000

Digital PS5 price to rise 43% in South Korea, while standard console increases 27%

Last April, Sony increased the price of its PS5 consoles in Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

The cost of the PS5 Pro remained unchanged across all regions, while prices for the PS5 digital edition changed in the UK and Europe, and for the base PS5 in Australia and New Zealand.

Last month, reports suggested Sony is considering delaying the rollout of its next-generation console due to the ongoing memory shortage crisis.

This could mean the PS6 may launch in 2028 or 2029, causing "major upset to a carefully orchestrated strategy to sustain user engagement between hardware generations."

In Sony's most recent financial report, it shipped 8 million units of the PS5 during the holiday period, a 15.7% decrease from the 9.5 million units sold at the end of Q3 2024.

The component crisis has also led Valve to delay the launch of its next-gen Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset, and new Steam controller. Steam Deck OLED stock has been affected as well.

Nintendo has not raised the price of its latest console but is not ruling it out as it works to "secure stable supplies of memory components."

"Any decision to change the price will be determined comprehensively, taking into consideration not only profitability, but also other factors like the platform’s installed base, sales trends, and the market environment," said Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa.

"If the rise in memory prices continues for longer than expected, it may start to have an effect on hardware profitability. In this case, we will examine various factors to determine how to handle the situation."

Earlier this week, reports suggested Nintendo is adjusting Switch 2 production following weak holiday sales.

Yesterday, the platform holder announced digital versions of its Switch 2 titles will cost less than their physical counterparts in the US to reflect "the different costs associated with producing and distributing each format."

Nintendo raised prices of the original Switch in the US last August, increasing the console price by up to 15% and the accessories by up to 33%.

Sony begins rolling out age verification for PlayStation in UK and Ireland

DanishScorpio — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:26:12 +0000

Age verification will become mandatory from June 2026 for full access to communication and content sharing features

]If users do not verify their age, they may lose access to PlayStation communication features. These include voice and text chat, messaging, third-party communication tools such as Discord, broadcasting and sharing, streaming to YouTube or Twitch, and in-game user-generated content.

For games with their own communication or UGC tools, features such as in-game chat, messaging, and content sharing or uploading may also become unavailable.

"Because each title is designed differently, the specific features affected may vary by game," Sony stated. "As titles update their implementations over time, additional in-game features may become restricted for users who have not verified their age."

Sony uses Yoti for age verification, which is the same service Microsoft uses for Xbox. Microsoft began implementing age verification in July, soon after the OSA was introduced.

Users can verify their age by showing a government-issued ID, using a facial scan to estimate age, or completing a check with their mobile provider.

"Age verification is a process that helps confirm you're old enough for an adult account for PlayStation in the UK and Ireland," said Sony. "We use an age verification service to help deliver an age-appropriate experience and support online safety."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Dispatch lead at BAFTA Awards 2026

DanishScorpio — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:11:00 +0000

Both titles won three awards each, with Clair Obscur receiving Best Game and Debut Game

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Dispatch were the standout titles at last week's BAFTA Awards, with both taking home three awards.

Sandfall Interactive's RPG won Best Game, Debut Game, and Performer in a Leading Role for Jennifer English. AdHoc Studio's episodic title earned awards for Animation, Audio Achievement, and Performer in a Supporting Role for Jeffrey Wright as Chase.

Sucker Punch Productions' Ghost of Yōtei received awards for Music and Technical Achievement.

Atomfall won British Game, Despelote received Game Beyond Entertainment, and South of Midnight was awarded New Intellectual Property.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Blue Prince won Artistic Achievement and Game Design, respectively. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and No Man's Sky won Narrative and Evolving Game. Arc Raiders and Lego Party were also recognised.

As previously announced, Supercell CEO and co-founder Ilkka Paananen received a BAFTA Fellowship for his contributions to the gaming industry and his work as an investor and mentor through Illusian and the Ilkka Paananen Foundation.

Amazon Luna to phase out support for third-party subscriptions and game stores

DanishScorpio — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:10:09 +0000

From June 10, standard or premium subscriptions will be required to access games in the Luna library

Amazon will discontinue support for third-party game stores, individual purchases, and external subscriptions on Luna starting June 10, 2026.

Amazon stated it is changing its approach to third-party content and is "transitioning away from certain subscription, game store, and à-la-carte purchasing models in favour of approaches we believe work better for our customers long term."

As of June 10, only players with a standard or premium subscription will be able to play games in their Luna library.

The EA, Ubisoft, and GOG stores will no longer be available on Luna. Additionally, Ubisoft+ and Jackbox Games subscriptions through Luna will end.

The 'Bring Your Own Library' feature, which allowed users to play games purchased elsewhere on Luna, will also be removed.

Games acquired through these channels will remain playable on Luna until the shutdown date, after which they will be removed. Players can continue to access these titles through their linked third-party accounts. As a result, Amazon will not issue refunds.

Players can download their game saves for 90 days after June 10. However, Amazon cannot guarantee that these files will be compatible with other gaming services.

Amazon Luna launched in 2020, competing with other cloud gaming offerings from Google, Microsoft, and PlayStation.

Previously, Luna required a separate subscription. The standard service is now included with Amazon Prime, with a premium tier available for a broader game selection.

Netflix launches dedicated app for kids games

DanishScorpio — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:34:23 +0000

Netflix Playground offers a library of exclusive games for children aged eight and under, with no in-app purchases, additional fees, or ads

Netflix Playground features exclusive games for children aged eight and under, including titles from Peppa Pig, Sesame Street, Dr Seuss's Horton, and Bad Dinosaurs.

Netflix Playground is included with a Netflix membership and is available as a separate app in app stores. It does not include in-app purchases, fees, or ads, and games can be played offline.

The app is currently available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and New Zealand, with a global launch scheduled for April 28, 2026.

"A lot of kids games are optimised around paywalls and getting paid subscribers, that first user experience. We're thinking about engagement, which is transformative because developers can focus on making a fun game and a great game rather than the paywall part."

"What's most specific is that when kids get into an IP, they will want to watch it and play it," she explained. "That connection is tighter than it is for adults. With adults, just because you watch something doesn't mean you want to play that style of game. With kids, it often does."

"It's a harder audience. By six, some kids are already on Roblox and Minecraft, and the ecosystem gets more competitive, though not impossible."

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach sales top 2 million

DanishScorpio — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:28:18 +0000

Analytics estimates claims the sequel has sold 425K copies in its first week on PC

Death Stranding 2 launched on Steam on March 19, bringing Kojima’s surreal vision of a fractured Australia to a new audience nine months after its console debut. This marked the fastest PS5-to-Steam port for any single-player PlayStation Studios game, overtaking fellow second-party game Stellar Blade (14 months from PS5 to PC).

The Death Stranding 2 port has boosted the game’s lifecycle, with the Steam version selling 425K copies in its first week. Adding this to the 1.6M copies sold on PS5, the game’s total volume now sits at over 2M.

This means the Steam version of Death Stranding 2 already accounts for 21% of copies. In terms of revenue, Death Stranding 2 has generated over $110M on PS5 and $32.6M on Steam. With Epic included, it’s safe to say Death Stranding 2 has now passed $150M.

Steam can clearly be a timely second act for Sony’s more hardcore, auteur-led projects. Sony is reportedly pulling back from PC single-player releases, adding some tension to Sony’s choice of safeguarding its value proposition (sick single-player exclusives).

Krafton shutters free-to-play PUBG spin-off after two months, in line with policy of using Early Access to "quickly validate a game’s potential"

DanishScorpio — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:26:44 +0000

Company abandons top-down shooter after two months of declining player counts, despite franchise delivering record revenues

Krafton is shutting down PUBG Blindspot, a free-to-play PC spinoff of its hit PUBG Battlegrounds, after only two months in Early Access. The news comes despite the PUBG franchise powering the firm's best-ever annual revenue, but is in line with its previously stated policy of using Early Access releases to validate games before committing development resources.

PUBG Blindspot was a top-town tactical shooter which launched into Early Access in January with a promise of monthly updates and close community engagement. The game peaked at 3,251 players shortly after launch, according to SteamDB, but had dwindled to a few hundred in recent weeks despite broadly positive player reception.

The firm continues to work on PUBG Black Budget, an extraction shooter that was announced in 2022 and completed a closed alpha in December 2025, and 2021 mobile release PUBG New State.

It has previously stated that it plans to expand the PUBG IP "through cultural collaborations and long-term service improvements" alongside new game releases while extending the core PUBG Battlegrounds into a "content platform" with "sandbox-oriented UGC that leverages PUBG’s core gunplay, mechanics, and physics engine, consolidating an ecosystem where players can create and share their own content."

Krafton recently lost a legal battle with the leaders of its studio Unknown Worlds over the release of Subnautica 2. The final judgement stated that the firm fired the studio leadership in an effort to avoid paying bonuses, after its CEO turned to ChatGPT to find a reason to dismiss them. The publisher said it disagreed with the ruling, which restored ousted CEO Ted Gill to his former position.