News Mash-Up - Week # 25

• • Microsoft announced its new operating system (O/S), Windows 11, with a 45-minute pre-recorded video. In the last third of the presentation, video games took center stage. Auto HDR (high dynamic range) was highlighted. This will improve standard definition games to automatically upscale to HDR, a highly praised feature currently present on the Xbox Series consoles. This will apply to mainly catalogue games, of which Microsoft claims up to 1000 games will benefit from. DirectStorage will also make the move to PC, enabling games to load faster as data from SSD will flow directly into GPUs without first being processed by the CPU. GamePass will be integrated into the operating system. The O/S is expected to release later this year.

  • GameStop has issued a new sale of its stock, raising an additional $1.1 billion on top of the half a billion it raised back in April. GameStop share price rocketed in January where Reddit driven retail investors “squeezed” the stock.

  • Shareholders for Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts have approved the compensation packages for their respective CEOs with a small majority. Stockholders have implemented new restrictions and targets on CEO pay for future fiscal.

  • Last week marked the 30th anniversary of Sonic The Hedgehog. The original game released for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan on 23rd June 1991.

  • Blaston, which would have been the first game on the Oculus Quest 2 to partake with in-game advertising has now reversed its decision to participate, citing negative press and review bombing of its game.

  • PAX West in September at the Washington State Convention Centre, Seattle, will be a physical event with no vaccine passport required for attendees.

  • Focus Home Interactive fiscal year 2021 (ending March) was evidently released. Revenues increased +20% to €171 million. Operating income increased +29% to €25 million. Back catalogue game spending increased by two-thirds fueling the growth in revenue.

  • Overwolf (an online platform for game developers to create extensions to games) announced it will pay its existing 30,000 creative designers from a pool of $29 million, similar to the amount Roblox paid in 2020. In March, Overwolf raised over $50 million in financing.
    

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Week commencing Monday 28 June 2021