News Mash-Up - Week # 16

• • Rumours have begun to spread that both Microsoft and Sony will add advertising-based elements to free-to-play games. As reported by Business Insider, three people confirmed Sony plans to investigate ways to encourage developers to continue making free-to-play games and advertising was one of the ideas. The initiative, which Sony reportedly began considering 18 months ago - and which it's looking to roll out by the end of the year - may also include options for developers to reward players for watching ads and promotions with in-game items such as avatar skins.

  • Indie developers now have the chance to create new games using the Vampire: The Masquerade IP. The new games, once approved by Paradox Interactive, will be available to buy from indie store itch.io with 1/3 of the proceeds going to Paradox. The initiative is called “Unbound” and will fall under the World of Darkness IP business unit. Any assets that do not directly use elements of the World of Darkness IP will be owned by the developer and can be reused and redistributed as they see fit.

  • The decade old MMORPG Tera will shut down its servers on the 30th June. The game, not to be confused with another MMO called Terra, released in early 2011 and was a hit in South Korea. In 2013 it went free-to-play. The game was developed by Bluehole Studios who later went on to make Players Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG). At its peak in 2018, the game had over 28 million players worldwide.

  • The new PlayStation Plus revamped subscription service will release in the US on the 13th June and in Europe on the 22nd June.

  • Panic, the developers of the mini handheld console (with a handcrank) Playdate have announced that shipments for its first round of pre-orders have begun. Pre-orders for the small device, retailing at $179, sold out.

  • CCP, the makers of Eve Online MMO have blamed global inflation for its decision to raise its subscription prices. Monthly subscriptions will increase by +33% to $20, a six-month subscription by +21% to $87 and an annual subscription by +13% to $149.
    
    
    

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Week commencing Monday 25 April 2022