Today, we explore what lies ahead for Square Enix in the face of fluctuating financial performance, discuss the history and AI-led future of QA in our podcast, and bring you a curated list of this week’s top industry news.
In this week’s Roundtable, the squad kicks off with a deep dive into the Game Awards’ staggering 118 million viewers, surpassing even the Super Bowl, and what this means for gaming’s place in mainstream culture. We then shift gears to a recent Omdia report revealing VR’s struggles, debating why it’s floundering and what could turn…
In this issue, we’re reviewing Square Enix’s Q1 FY2024 earnings and discussing to what extent PlayStation exclusivity for Final Fantasy XVI hurt both the game’s initial launch sales and potentially its long-term prospects, too.
In this week’s Roundtable, the crew discusses whether Sony may open up its PlayStation audience to Roblox, Unity’s new AI tools Sentis and Muse alongside its new AI marketplace, and Scopely’s acquisition of Tag Games. We also touch on why Niantic laid off a quarter of its staff after announcing multiple new games and what…
In this issue, we’re taking stock of Square Enix at a pivotal time in the Japanese game publisher’s history following major leadership changes and an ambitious plan for the fiscal year.
Why are NetEase and Tencent diversifying into Western AAA game development? How could EU regulations affect Meta’s performance as a UA channel? We dive into the latest game business news with Aaron Bush, Matt Dion, and your host Maria Gillies
EA and Square Enix both had a mixed earnings season, teasing various new strategies and having some success with others. In this edition, we examine both companies and tease a new game deconstruction on Zen Match.
Minecraft and Square Enix have two widely different approaches and stances on NFTs / web3 gaming. Obviously, support for blockchain in gaming exists on a spectrum but what does this mean for the industry writ large? We also tease our latest game deconstruction of Apex Mobile.
Embracer’s acquisition of Square Enix’s Western studios signals a doubling-down on each company’s new priorities: Square Enix in new tech like blockchain and Embracer for AAA. We also preview a premium piece on Sports NFTs.
In this week’s Metacast episode, David Amor, Matej Lancaric and Miikka Ahonen, join your host Maria Gillies to discuss Embracer’s recent acquisition of Square’s Western Studios and what could be behind the $300M price tag. The team also discusses Bored Ape’s recent virtual land sale and the key difference between user acquisition in Web3 versus Web3. Finally, the team also touches on the recent Warcraft Arclight Rumble announcement and what may be in store for Blizzard’s newest mobile game.
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