In The News
Revenue for the games industry last year hit “$108.4bn,” GamesIndustry.biz’s James Batchelor writes. “Mobile games remain the biggest sector, generating $59.2bn, followed by PC at $33bn and consoles at $8.3bn.”
To get another idea of just how successful the Nintendo Switch has been, VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi reports it “sold 14.86 million units during 2017 … The Japanese company reported nine-month profit of $1.26 billion on revenues of $7.88 billion for the period ended December 31.”
Game Developers Conference is apparently second-guessing its pioneer award for Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. “A GDC spokesperson” told Glixel’s Stefanie Fogel it’s due to “concerns raised over Bushnell’s alleged history of sexist behavior.”
Star Wars: Battlefront II news:
VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb reports that microtransactions are coming back soon. “It has plans to bring back the microtransactions ‘in the next few months.’”
Polygon’s Samit Sarkar writes that “sales of Star Wars Battlefront 2 fell short of Electronic Arts’ expectations.” It sold roughly 9 million copies “during the three-month period from October-December 2017.”
Takahashi reports that EA CEO Andrew Wilson called the controversy “a ‘learning opportunity’ in a conference call.”
Konami’s profits were up “30.2 per cent to ¥38.5 billion ($354.2m) in the nine months ending December 31st 2017,” GamesIndustry.biz’s Ben Parfitt reports.
Capcom sales were down but profits were up, GameSpot’s Tamoor Hussain writes. “Sales for the nine months were reported as $439 million, which is an 11% decrease … Profits, meanwhile, were $65 million in 2017, which is a 38% increase.”
EA news:
Engadget’s David Lumb reports EA confirmed last week’s rumors that Anthem is being delayed until 2019, but said it isn’t a “delay.” EA will push out another “Battlefield game in October 2018” during the wait.
Battlefield I “has reached 25 million players,” VentureBeat’s Mike Minotti writes. “The first-person shooter launched in October 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.”
The Call of Duty Endowment handed out $60,000 to two United Kingdom charities, GamesIndustry.biz’s Christopher Dring reports.
AMD is attempting to fight back against the cryptocurrency graphics card price surge. It’s “manufacturing more units when possible,” Sarkar reports.
Meet Mattel163, the joint studio venture by NetEase and Mattel, GamesIndustry.biz’s Matthew Handrahan reports.
SK Gaming and FC Köln are partnering, The Esports Observer’s Graham Ashton writes. “SK Gaming’s players will have access to specific FC Köln facilities, as well as fitness and nutrition experts on the soccer club’s staff.”