Feel the need to escape the pandemic for a while? Here’s a round-up of recent news and features focusing on the gaming industry:
- The rollout of CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 in December was such a disaster that Sony removed the game from the PlayStation Store and offered refunds. Based on interviews with current and former CD Projekt staff, Bloomberg tells the story of a development process marred by unchecked ambition, poor planning and technical shortcomings. And the saga continues (see video below) …
- Nintendo earlier this month raised its annual forecasts a second time after continued momentum for the Switch console helped the company to its best quarterly earnings since 2008. Not to be outdone, Sony hiked its annual operating income outlook by 34%, banking on continued robust PlayStation 5 console sales during the pandemic, sending its shares to a 20-year high.
- Resistance to the idea of using esports in school club activities is crumbling in Japan, Jiji reports: The number of respondents who accept the idea now exceeds the number against, according to a survey last year, although there is still considerable resistance to establishing school clubs devoted to esports, particularly for students in elementary and junior high schools.
- Can you believe it’s been 35 years since the heroic plumber came into our lives? In his On Games column, Brian Ashcraft presents a double dose of Mario: The Switch gets a red-and-blue makeover, while Super Mario 3D World is resurrected. Oh, and Nioh, loosely based on the exploits of English sailor-cum-samurai William Adams, gets a similar update.
- Fancy something a bit more constructive — like planting a garden, solving puzzles or saving the world? In his January column, Ashcraft previewed three well-known franchises — PixelJunk, Puyo Puyo Tetris and Earth Defense Force — that have spawned sequels. Thankfully for gamers, none of them messes unnecessarily with its winning formula.