In The News
Despite a lack of evidence of any harm caused, a Rhode Island state representative is pushing legislation against “violent video games with a ESRB rating of ‘Mature’ or higher,” Glixel’s Blake Hester reports. He wants an additional tax to be levied on them.
Esports revenue “is expected to reach $905.6 million in 2018, with further growth to $1.65 billion by 2021,” GamesIndustry.biz’s Haydn Taylor reports.
Sales news:
Hardware sales did alright last month, being up 119% over last year in January. “‘Hardware spending in January 2018 grew 119 percent when compared to year ago, to $278 million,’ NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said,” according to VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb.
GamesIndustry.biz’s Matthew Handrahan reports “Kingdom Come: Deliverance has sold one million units less than two weeks on from its release.”
Monster Hunter: World was the real winner, according to Grubb. “It was the No. 1 selling game of the month overall as well as on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems.”
International news:
Norway is not happy with Nintendo, Tech Crunch’s Natasha Lomas writes. “Nintendo has been accused of breaking European law by not allowing consumers to obtain refunds on pre-ordered games.”
GameSpot’s Eddie Makuch writes that Australians “spent more than $3 billion on video game software and hardware in 2017.”
Find Your Grind and ReKTGlobal are partnering for a $450,000-per-year scholarship program “for students and others who want to pursue esports,” VentureBeat’s Stephanie Chan reports.
Interested in telling stories? If you are, GamesIndustry.biz’s James Batchelor reports that “a new course on interactive storytelling will soon be available, overseen by a former lead from famed narrative studio Quantic Dream.”
Misfits Gaming and Alienware’s partnership will include “activations alongside” the Miami Heat, The Esports Observer’s Ian Thomas writes. “The deal covers several key endemic esports categories, giving the company exclusivity with Misfits across desktops, laptops, monitors, mice, keyboard and mousepads, as well as serving as its official training and analytics partner.”
The Polish Esports League and STS, “the largest bookmaker in Poland … signed a sponsorship deal,” Esports Insider’s Sam Cooke reports.
Death Stranding has 2 new actors: Troy Baker and Emily O’Brien.