News Mash-Up - Week # 13

Top News Items

• • The ESA has now confirmed that the replacement digital event for the cancelled physical event for E3 has also been cancelled. This means there will be no E3 event in 2022 in any form, the first time since 1995 (barring the understandable cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic outbreak). In a statement, the ESA claimed the event will return in 2023 with a "reinvigorated showcase”.

  • When the ESA announced the cancellation of E3, Geoff Keighley went straight onto Twitter with the statement “Join us this June for @SummerGameFest - an industry wide celebration of video games, featuring a spectacular live kickoff show hosted by @geoffkeighley”.

  • The new subscription service for the PlayStation, project name Spartacus, was unveiled. The new service will continue with the name PlayStation Plus and includes all existing attributes from the current PlayStation Plus subscription for the cheaper Essential tier plus the inclusion of PlayStation Now games (as well as newer PlayStation games) for the higher tiers, Extra and Premium. Day one first party games from Sony will not be included for Extra or Premium.
    

  • In an interview, Jim Ryan, CEO of PlayStation gave an interesting fact that 75% of PlayStation Now subscribers also subscribe to PlayStation Plus. This means most PlayStation Now subscribers are currently paying $120 per annum to access both subscriptions.
    In Sony’s financials last year, the company disclosed there are 48 million PlayStation Plus subscribers but only 3 million PlayStation Now accounts. At the last count, Microsoft disclosed there are 25 million GamePass subscribers.

  • In the same week Sony announced the new PlayStation Plus subscription, Microsoft presented some facts on GamePass in a GDC presentation called Game Pass: Maximising Your Game's Total Value. The 15-minute presentation pitched to developers, emphasized how content on GamePass can facilitate better discovery opportunities for gamers.

  • Twitter has scrapped its “booster” program aimed at promoting streamers who paid for a premium service. The boost program has been heavily criticized by viewers and streamers alike.

  • The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been delayed until Spring 2023. It was slated for release later this year.

  • A US district court judge has approved Activision Blizzard's $18 million settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year.
    
    
    

•  

New games

Week commencing Monday 4 April 2022