Gaming

Several studios in Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox gaming division, including Montreal-based Compulsion Games and San Francisco-based Double Fine, are in active negotiations to spin off as they try to thwart closure, according to people familiar with the company’s plans.

Cambridge, England-based Ninja Theory, the maker of Hellblade, is also in conversations with Xbox, as are several other studios across the portfolio that are at risk of being shuttered.

The studios may still have the opportunity to buy themselves back from Xbox and go independent, although many employees will likely lose their jobs as a result, said the people, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Employees at several studios have been informed of the situation and given permission to seek new work but were told that the status of the studios is still in flux.

Microsoft has spent years subsidizing Xbox rather than profiting from it, CEO Satya Nadella acknowledged this week, as he addressed the gaming division’s need for a new approach.

His comments came during a Wednesday evening taping of The New York Times’ “Hard Fork” podcast, released Friday. Hosts Kevin Roose and Casey Newton pressed Nadella on the future of Xbox a few hours after the division’s leadership signaled an upcoming reset.

“No one can accuse Microsoft of not having invested for the last 25 years,” Nadella said of the Xbox and games business. “And now we have to turn this into a sustainable business.”

When I talk to other journalists and random bus stop strangers about the idea of divesting from Microsoft and Xbox - worth doing for many reasons besides the company's dealings with the Israeli military - there is often an air of learned helplessness, a kind of deer-in-headlights mentality. Microsoft's gaming biz is too huge to ignore. They own so much. They own a lot of the malarkey that gets eyeballs. Which I can confirm, based on day-to-day experience of traffic stats. Still, I would argue that they do not have any momentum with the things they own, and to be frank, a fair whack of their stuff does sod-all traffic for us. Microsoft today are institutionally incapable of being intriguing. As such, an extremely indulgent way of thinking about the BDS boycott is to treat it as positive encouragement to seek intrigue elsewhere.

Last week's Xbox showcase was a banner day for advocates of the idea that Microsoft's gaming business is a zombie, after thousands of layoffs in the face of a landscape transformed by fever dreams about productivity gains and the 'democratisation of art' under ChatGPT - a brave new world of acute component shortages in which the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard starts to feel like buying up horse stables in 1908. Admittedly, a more basic reason for the show being so short of excitement is that Microsoft are keeping the powder dry for their next Xbox console, which isn't far away from a proper reveal. But still, what a crock of diminishing returns.

The Standalone release is Windows only, but I can confirm it works just fine with Proton in steam after adding it as a non-steam game.

Alternatively, you can download the .Pk3 version, which allows you to run it natively through the Linux version of GZDoom.

Really recommend giving it a try, it's a fantastic little game with a lot of effort put into it. The gunplay feels great, the environments and art are awesome, and the level design is solid.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/53470043

Agdayne sure knows how to dress in his Crypt!

Set to the left: hunter's hat + wanderer coat + black leather gloves and boots + claymore + light crossbow

Set to the right: thief mask + Agdayne's black robe and kilt + black leather boots + uchigatana + Avelyn

Every analyst I spoke to said that gaming hardware costs were only going to keep rising, with most analysts giving an estimate of somewhere between 2027 and 2029 before prices began to ease, if they eased at all. As Rhys Elliott, head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics, explains, "The increases happening now are lagging indicators, not the peak. Platform holders and manufacturers run on long-term supply contracts and inventory buffers that initially shielded retail pricing. As those contracts expire, companies are renegotiating component costs at today's inflated rate, and that pressure is industry-wide."

And there doesn't seem to be a definitive ceiling for these prices. Elliott continues, saying that pricier hardware is only an issue for platform holders "when it chokes off a pipeline of new, spending users. And right now, that pipeline is still healthy. [PlayStation and Steam's] ecosystems are still growing, and the PS5 generation will also be extended by a long cycle of cross-generation games."

It's a little different for handheld gaming, though, especially with Nintendo just having entered a new console cycle. "While console manufacturers can and will continue to subsidize the cost of their hardware, components costs continue to rise faster than the rate by which they are subsidizing – this is especially true for Nintendo," says James McWhirter, senior analyst at Omdia. "We expect further increases to the price of Switch 2 in 2027."

Mat Piscatella, senior director at Circana, says there is a price ceiling. It's just that no one will really know what it is until someone hits it. "Some very tough choices with long-ranging impact will have to be made by all hardware manufacturers both now and in the coming months when it comes to pricing and production," he says. "Yes, at some point there is a viable price cap. What that cap is, however, is still a bit of a mystery, and dependent upon numerous factors, both quantifiable and not so much. This market has never before been in this position, and we're learning many things about it as we go."

Hello my name is Daniel Hanrahan and I am proud to announce that 3 of my video games can now run on pinball or pachinko tables like the p3/p^3 pinball table, they are only backbone ports though so some assembly (not the language) may be required, here are the 3 games: Bowling_Mega_Mix, Guide_The_Marble and Bug_Invasion. Here is the link: https://daniel-hanrahan-tools-and-games.github.io/

My most anticipated game of 2026. Looking forward to lots of chill exploration and puzzle-solving with friends!

Game is coming out in August 4th on Steam, Switch 2, and PS5.

The same thing happens every summer—the jaded, cynical monster inside me mopes around and pretends he's not going to get excited about SGF (and before it, E3) announcements. There are too many of them, and I've been around too long to become a victim of hype.

And every summer, the hype starts bubbling away anyway, more and more, until it engulfs the jaded, cynical monster. There's usually one announcement that does it for me. This year, that honour went to Guild Wars 3.

I've been a fiend for MMOs as far back as my addled brain allows me to remember, but it was Guild Wars 1 that really turned me into an MMO guy, staying up until 4 am, the glow from my screen emphasising my beautiful, pallid—some might say "corpse-like"—complexion. I expect Guild Wars 3 might spell doom for my social life next year.

I’m going back and playing older games (and some newer ones). Games I played as I was younger, games I never played but saw on shelves or heard referenced over the years, and games from franchises I’ve heard about for a long time. A long and fun road ahead. For the most part I have original hardware but I have used FPGA and Software emulation too. I’d like to just post some thoughts as I go through with no regular cadence. Not a review.

Just finished Prince of Persia Sands of Time on PS2. I have to say, a bit buggier than I recall. I had originally played it on a different system. Camera controls are jank and the audio seemed tricky. Often lines were delivered really quietly and someone else would be super loud.

All that said, what a great game! Gameplay usually felt solid, characters were all interestingly designed, and the sound design overall was fantastic. Loved it and glad I replayed it.

Short ish (7hrs at 98% complete). Felt like it had great pacing, good mix of action and story, great voice acting, and fun writing. Has a bit of fan service which was annoying but overall, loved it.

Directly following it up with Prince of Persia Warrior within. What a tone shift lol.

Anyone play it back in the day or revisit it recently?

geteilt von: https://feddit.org/post/30521857

Yesterday, the Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921) has passed on the California State Assembly floor with a 43–16 vote! Now it heads to the California State Senate, and this is where it needs your help!

If you live in California, or know someone who does:

Find your State Senator here, then go to their 'Contact Me' page and submit your support for AB 1921 - the Protect Our Games Act. Please include a short explanation as to why you support games preservation.

If you live in another state, or know someone who does:

Send your support to the Chair of the Senate Privacy Committee here.

Everyone around the world can also help!

Help exposure by reposting / sharing one of these links in your circles:

• Reddit
• X / Twitter
• YouTube - Broadcast Yourself
• Instagram
• Tik Tok

You can e-mail the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Agency at SPDTCP.Committee@sen.ca.gov and express your interest and support for this bill internationally.

French volunteer needed in Paris...

SKG is in urgent need of a French gamer that can meet us in Paris on June 8th. This is for a brief television interview - for a story that is being prepared. Beyond the SKG representative, they also wish to interview a local / French gamer and film some seconds of gaming. If you fit the profile and availability, please contact us urgently! You can open an 'inquiries' ticket on the unofficial community server at: (https://discord.gg/TCE6uXwsBe).

Supplementary...

We would like to thank our supporters from all over the world for their continued efforts. It is with you that we have together paved the way for a tomorrow where we have a choice to keep the things we buy and play the games we love when we want to play them. Please remember that your strength is our strength and now we need it more than ever. This is your movement. We are here to give you - the gamer, the consumer - a voice that can be heard by those who we have elected globally to make a difference. Let us call on them together and make sure that the industry with whom we are petitioning against will stop killing games once and for all.

SKG Forever!!!

Update from the SKG Discord

cross-posted from: https://poptalk.scrubbles.tech/post/4180150

Shitter link: https://x.com/thewitcher/status/2059560461872373812

Medallion's humming... that can only mean one thing! It's time to announce The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past! ⚔️

This brand new expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will take you to the Path with Geralt of Rivia once more. It’s being co-developed with @Fools_Theory and is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 in 2027. Stay tuned for more information in late summer. ⏰

I like the oppressive atmosphere, tension and the use of stealth. Interesting to see what kind of reviews the game will get, at least there is lots of hype.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/43119841

Hello, i was wondering if there are any good indie games on steam to try out. Can be free or paid, i don't mind if there's no native linux build either (i play stuff with wine/proton anyways lol) and i don't mind the genre. I've been thinking of trying something new as of recent so i thought i might ask it here.

Thanks!

Bungie have announced that they are putting together the final update for Destiny 2, bringing to an end the live service shooters 12-year run. The game itself will continue to exist for players to replay the content that already exists but nothing new will be added.

Behind the announcement, as told to Bloomberg by their sources, is the news that Bungie face "significant" layoffs as soon as the update is out the door.

Hello my name is Daniel Hanrahan and I am proud to announce that my free and open source video games now have versions written in scratch so anyone can clearly understand how my games work. Link to games: https://daniel-hanrahan-tools-and-games.github.io/ , also I have to ask and I know it is like comparing apples to oranges here, do you think I am providing a good service better than valve provides a good service for their games and other people's games.

Most transportation games are super shallow:

• trains simply turn around on the platform
• there is not enough road traffic to actually necessitate advanced traffic planning, or then the driver AI is too stupid to make use of more complicated traffic solutions
• airplanes simply clip through each other
• pedestrians are just decoration that is randomly generated when the player is looking
• people are not individual agents

In factorio, trains are done quite well, except that the trains can drive curves with arbitrary small radii at arbitrary high speeds.

In cities skylines, road traffic is done relatively well, but vehicles are not simulated at any depth, and behave dumber than human drivers.

In workers and resources soviet republic, there seems to be a nice people simulation, but the traffic and train simulation is super basic.

In transport fever, laying rail tracks at low curvature and inclination and creating roads with low inclination is interesting, but the rest of the simulation is super basic.

Is there any game that simulates the different modes of transportation and their interaction well?

• pedestrians should halt traffic when crossing a crosswalk
• road traffic should be smart about choosing lanes
• trains should be forward only, unless there is locomotives or drivers stands at both ends
• planes should follow reasonable holding patterns over airports and have vertical separation on routes

And many many more things. Designing a good transportation network is challenging in the real world. Why can't we bring that real challenge into games?

I made this short video clip to send to my roommate, but I figured I'd share it here as well because I think it's pretty funny.