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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Take-Two
Even with games like Grand Theft Auto V, the forthcoming GTA 6, and the NBA 2K franchise under its belt, Take-Two Interactive is the latest video game publisher that will reduce its workforce and drop projects.
Spotted on The Verge, Take-Two announced it will lay off “approximately five percent” of its global workforce and scrap several projects already in development.
In an SEC filing published Tuesday, the company said it was “streamlining its organizational structure, which will eliminate headcount and reduce future hiring needs.”
Take-Two says that its “cost reduction program” will see the company be subject to charges up to $200 million, hoping to save $165 million a year.
The website reports that Take-Two’s downsizing efforts should be “largely completed” by December 31st, 2024.
As for the workers, a 5% reduction in the workforce would amount to around 579 out of the company’s 11,580 employees, which Take-Two disclosed in a previous impact report.
There is no word on what departments the layoffs will happen in or what projects Take-Two will be cutting. GTA 6 will feel the sting of these cost-cutting measures.
Of course, the news is not sitting well with gamers who tire of hearing about layoffs in an incredibly profitable industry.
Oh, and we can’t forget that Take-Two Interactive is still working on purchasing Borderlands developer Gearbox from The Embracer Group for $460 million.
“They’re doing this a year out from releasing the sequel to the most commercially successful game of all time,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, said.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Follow his lead
9. It better not
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Source: Momodu Mansaray / Getty / Keanu Reeves
It’s not often that we get perfect castings in films, but according to X, Paramount got this one right.
Multiple sources are telling The Hollywood Reporter that Keanu Reeves and his iconic voice will bring to life fan-favorite character Shadow The Hedgehog in the highly anticipated film Sonic 3.
The news first reported by The John Campea Show comes after Paramount had a strong showing at CinemaCon last week in Las Vegas, where attendees saw some early footage from Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
In the footage, attendees were happy to see that Jim Carrey is back as Dr. Robotnik, who is now depressed and overweight after being defeated by his long-time nemesis, Sonic.
Robotnik regains his mojo after creating Shadow, who is, in every sense, the dark version of the Blue Blur and has similar abilities.
Following a lackluster trailer that first introduced a hideous Sonic The Hedgehog design that Twitter bullied the studio into changing, the first movie raced into theaters in 2020, earning a whopping $319 million at the box office and becoming one of the last theatrical blockbusters right before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down.
Sonic 2 arrived in 2022, introducing more characters like Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba), earning $404 million.
Reeves continues to stay quite busy in Hollywood, most recently starring in John Wick 4, bringing back Neo in The Matrix: Resurrections, reprising his role as John Wick in the upcoming spinoff John Wick Presents: The Ballerina, and a role in Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune.
Social Media Users Chime In On The Casting
Following the announcement, X, formerly Twitter, celebrates Reeves casting in the film.
“THIS IS GONNA BE THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,” one X user wrote.
Another post read, “perfect casting.”
Some fans are disappointed because they wanted Star Wars star Hayden Christensen to voice Shadow.
If you ask us, this sounds like a win to us. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. We will be seated for this epicness.
3. Sonic fans we are eating
4. We would love to see it.
7. Howling
9. Yes, yes they do.
10. Continue to cook
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Source: Future Publishing / Getty / White Xbox Series X
Didn’t care for the black Xbox Series X console? Well, there might be a white option on the way.
Exputer has shared leaked images of a white All-Digital Xbox Series X sporting the “robot white” look of Series S. The Verge reports it has seen documents confirming the photos are genuine.
While there should be excitement for the white All-Digital Xbox Series X, it can also mean that Xbox’s console refresh, the leaked “Brooklin” console, could have its wig pushed back.
The Verge reached out for comment but has not gotten word back.
The Brooklin console was also disc-less, but instead of box-shaped, it sports a new circular design plus a much-needed increased internal storage of 2TB, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, improved efficiency, 15% reduced PSU power, and a $499 price.
Xbox was allegedly gunning for a November release date, but speaking on the leak, Xbox chief Phil Spencer threw some cold water on those expectations.
“It is hard to see our team’s work shared in this way because so much has changed, and there’s so much to be excited about right now and in the future,” Spencer said in a September post on X, formerly Twitter. “We will share the real plans when we are ready.”
Exputer also reports that the All-Digital Xbox’s new coat of white paint and lack of disc drive are not the only upgrades. Some internal components, including the heatsink, which cools the console, will see an upgrade.
As for the price, Exputer reports the console will cost $50-$100 less than the current $499 Xbox Series X console.
Gamers Have Thoughts
The news of the white All-Digital Xbox Series X is sparking reactions. “Charging more while getting less. A tale as old as time. At least the ps5 slim still has a drive for $500, “one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Why wouldn’t you just get a PC at this point? The whole thing about consoles is the physical media with them and their exclusives. And the Xbox won’t have either anymore if this is true,” another post read.
Again, this isn’t confirmed, but if Xbox does verify its existence, we are intrigued to see how it will be received.
Hit the gallery below for more reactions.
1. Damn, flat out no.
2. Well, someone is excited
6. It might be cheaper
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Source: Rockstar Games / GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto 6’s 2025 date release could be in danger.
According to a Kotaku report, Grand Theft Auto 6, the next highly anticipated installment in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, could have its wig pushed back.
GTA 6 is still slated for an “early 2025” release date, but that date is in jeopardy due to “production delays.” The game could be released in late 2025 or sometime in 2026.
Per Kotaku:
As remote workers struggle with an unwanted return-to-office mandate from Rockstar Games, Kotaku has learned from sources with knowledge of the game’s development process that GTA 6 could miss its 2025 release window and slip into 2026.
Kotaku has also learned that it’s becoming more and more likely that the sequel might not land until late 2025. It’s also possible that it could even slip into 2026 as production reportedly falls behind.
While security and quality are reportedly the main reasons Rockstar is instituting the mandate to return to the office, I was told by sources—who wish to remain anonymous to avoid possible retaliation—that development on GTA 6 has started “falling behind.” I’m told this has leadership at Rockstar nervous and worried about the game missing the 2025 window and slipping into 2026, and is another big reason the company is pushing for a return to the office in April.
Is Rockstar Games Pushing Out Remote Workers?
Kotaku’s report comes after Bloomberg’s report that Rockstar Games was ending remote work, ordering employees back to the office following numerous leaks.
The drastic change was met with immediate criticism and caught many by surprise, leading to frustration. According to Aftermath’s reporting, some employees initially hired to work remotely felt like they were being pushed out of the company by not complying and completely upending their lives.
Some workers expressed concern to Aftermath that Rockstar Games was reverting back to its old crunch ways.
“We’re concerned about going back to that,” one Rockstar employee told Aftermath.
“I’ve been through a couple of projects, both of which had crunch. The first one was extremely difficult. I had way less gray hair back then. … We want to continue the strides we’ve made as a company to remove that toxic culture.”
Gamers also react to the news that they may have to wait even longer for GTA 6.
Some want Rockstar Games to take its time with the game, others don’t want the developers to experience crunch, and some are just overwriting; it’s been about 11 years.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. LOL, damn
4. Exactly
5. No, not yet
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Source: Anadolu / Getty / Xbox
Xbox has been in the news A LOT as of late, primarily due to fanboys losing their sh*t about the company’s new direction, but this latest development is something many gamers are on board for.
Spotted on VG247, the Microsoft gaming division is reportedly looking to make a big splash in the handheld gaming department after seeing Sony’s surprising success with its cloud-based/remote-play PS5 companion device, the PlayStation Portal.
On a recent episode of the Xbox Two podcast, Windows Central managing editor Jez Corden claims the Microsoft gaming company already has working prototypes.
Per VG247:
Speaking on the Xbox Two podcast, Jez Corden said that he knows that “[Xbox] have got handheld prototypes right now.” He clarified that they are “new prototypes” and not old ones that were supposedly previously in the works, and he also made sure to point out that it’s “not a cloud handheld” it’s “a fully native Xbox handheld.” This was pointed out on the podcast too, but it should be noted that just because Xbox is working on a handheld prototype, if it is, that doesn’t mean it will ever actually release. Projects like these are cancelled all the time, so don’t go writing any comments complaining it never came out when it was never guaranteed in the first place.
A “Fully Native” Handheld Sounds Clutch
This news isn’t all that surprising because Xbox is pushing the plan to make Xbox Game Pass available on devices other than Xbox Series X, S, or PC.
You can now run the subscription gaming platform on handhelds like Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Logitech G Cloud, the Lenovo-Legion Go, or your smartphones via a cloud gaming app still in beta.
However, a dedicated device would be a clutch, especially if paired with an Xbox Game Pass.
Gamers are reacting positively to the rumor of a “fully native” handheld console.
“I want a Xbox Handheld – its time As much as I like my ROG Ally, portable hardware that plays all my Xbox games with a simplified UI and not having to worry about system settings with improved battery life In other words a pick up and play experience,” Kinda Funny (XCast) and Gamertag Radio host Parris Lilly wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. From your lips to God’s ears.
2. We hear you Parris
3. It would be nice
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Source: Activision / Activision
Activision just dropped Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile and one of the millions of people who downloaded the app and gave it a spin was Memphis rapper NLE Choppa. The “Shotta Flow” rapper has been occupied with the whole rap star thing, so he now considers himself a former gamer.
Source: Activision / Activision
“I don’t have too much time for it now,” Choppa, who participated in Thursday’s (March 21) Warzone Mobile Streamathon, told Hip-Hop Wired. “Once upon a time I was deep. I still do it in my free time, though. I was like 2K, [Grand Theft Auto], Call of Duty, all of those different games.”
Apparently, becoming a star rapper takes up a lot of time (a record deal with Warner Bros., two hit albums and touring will do that) so his hours spent on the sticks had to suffer.
Nevertheless, Choppa stays in tune with CoD (“Every new Call Of Duty I’m copping.”), and he gave Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile a thumbs up even though it seems he’s better on a PS5. “I was just playing it in my green room it’s actually kind of cool with the joystick thing connected to the phone. I don’t know if I’m as sharp with the tapping it on the screen, but the joystick, I could be able to work that for sure.”
Back to the music for a second, he just dropped a song called “AMF” with Flau’jae, the female rapper who happens to currently be a star guard on LSU’s women’s basketball team. “It came together with her, her mom, my mom, and me. Just respecting the relationship they have as a daughter and a mom-a-ger standpoint and it’s the same thing with my mom and my /manager,” said Choppa. “We connected that way and just always supported Flau’jae from basketball and we got the track in.”
Speaking of Flau’jae dropped 14 in LSU’s win over Rice.
Choppa also says he’s seriously retiring his “Shotta Flow,” with the last, “Shotta Flow 7” having been released in February. He’s starting another series but for the sake of Activision, we won’t mention the somewhat NSFW title here. But back to Call Of Duty: Warzone Mobile and gaming in general, he’ll always find time for a good reason.
“Really it’s just a break from the world,” explains Choppa of why plays video games. “It’s just a break from who I am. To just be able to live that inner child feeling again, just to be able to play games is the goal for me, just to feel like a kid.”
Sounds like a plan. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is available right now on iOS and Android mobile devices.
Source: Activision / Activision
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Source: Lightspeed Studios / Undawn / Will Smith
Even Will Smith wasn’t enough to prevent this video game from flopping like his film Wild Wild West.
Undawn, the zombie survival game featuring Will Smith, bombed epically, according to a report from Reuters. The website reported that the game was a “key” in-house project at Tencent and “flopped spectacularly” even with Smith’s involvement and the game’s closet to 1 billion yuan (around $140 million).
We first reported on the game’s existence in May 2023. Before its June launch, 2.3 million people pre-registered to play it. That didn’t matter, as the game didn’t meet expectations.
In the game, which eerily resembles Smith’s film I Am Legend, the actor plays Trey Jones and serves as your guide in the game.
It was billed as a free-to-play mobile and PC game, as well as these other features:
Base construction and survival mechanics
An expansive open-world
Vehicular combat
Customization elements
PvPvE platform
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Per Reuters, through research firm Appmagic reporting, Undawn only brought in $287,000. The game’s poor performance resulted in Tencent shifting strategy in its mobile division, canceling a mobile game based on Square Enix’s Nier franchise and delaying the Assassin’s Creed: Jade mobile game.
News of the game’s flopping has taken many by surprise, with many people saying they didn’t even know it existed.
One person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote, “…there was a Will Smith-fronted zombie survival game called Undawn?”
“I’m not shocked as someone who’s only just hearing about The Will Smith-fronted zombie survival game Undawn,” another X user wrote.
Well, we knew. We just thought people didn’t care.
In the gallery below, you can see more reactions to Will Smith’s game, Undawn, flopping.
3. Apparently you and everyone else
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Source: Marvel / Skydance / 1943: Rise of Hydra
Marvel video game fans, we might have a banger! The first trailer for the Black Panther and Captain America game, now titled 1943: Rise of Hydra, is here and looks absolutely amazing.
We didn’t see what the Amy Hennig-led game looked like until now, as it was first unveiled during the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase during the D23 Convention in 2022 that was until now.
During the State of Unreal keynote, Marvel and Skydance New Media delivered an epic story trailer showcasing the power of Unreal Engine 5, and it’s f***ing awesome.
Per Kotaku via Marvel, the game’s narrative reads as follows:
As the game’s narrative unfolds, players will assume the role of four central characters: a young Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America; Azzuri, T’Challa’s grandfather and the WWII-era Black Panther; Gabriel Jones, a US soldier and member of the Howling Commandos; and Nanali, a Wakandan spy embedded in Occupied Paris.
In the gorgeous cinematic trailer for 1943: Rise of Hydra, we follow both Captain America and Black Panther as they take down Nazis in Paris. At the same time, Captain America is hunting Black Panther, and the two heroes eventually bump heads on a bridge, but we all know they will eventually team up at some point in the game.
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We have no idea how this game will play, but the trailer has already hooked us.
Gamers Are H Y P E D
Gamers on X, formerly Twitter, have been sharing their reactions, specifically showing love to actor Khary Payton (The Walking Dead), who plays T’Challa’s grandfather Azuri, who carries the Black Panther mantle in the game.
We also have to salute the fact that we have not one, not two, but three lead Black protagonists in a AAA video game.
What a time to be alive.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra will be released in 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Sorry, Nintendo Switch owners, you cannot take this ride.
You can see more reactions to the game in the gallery below.
2. SAY LESS!
3. We do too.
4. Yes, yes it is.
5. Video games have come a loooooonnnnnngggggg way.
6. He’s incredible
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Sony / PS5 Pro
The video game section of the internet was talking after specs for the PS5 Pro were “leaked” and then confirmed to be true. Sony is reportedly putting on its detective hat to find out who did it.
According to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, Sony is reportedly launching an internal investigation to determine how leaked documents about “Project Trinity,” aka the PS5 Pro, hit the internet.
The leak occurred over the weekend during a third-party developer rollout. It could lead to more security measures being implemented for additional third-party developer Push Square reports.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Henderson wrote:
As expected, Sony has launched an internal investigation into the leaked documents on Trinity as it leaked during a third-party rollout.
Not sure on the implications yet as I don’t think they can catch one individual, but Sony could reduce its third-party developer pool for new tech as a result.
According to the leaked documents shared by YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead over the weekend, the PS5 Pro boasts some impressive specs that could put it on par with powerful gaming PCs. Some say that on paper, it sounds like the PS5 6.
It could also set Sony up to push out more consoles when Grand Theft Auto 6 finally arrives.
The PS5 Pro Specs:
Rendering 45% faster than PS5
2-3x Ray-tracing (x4 in some cases)
33.5 Teraflops
PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling) upscaling/antialiasing solution
Support for resolutions up to 8K is planned for future SDK version
Custom machine learning architecture
AI Accelerator, supporting 300 TOPS of 8-bit computation / 67 TFLOPS of 16-bit floating point
We will continue to monitor this situation as it develops.
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / PlayStation VR2
According to reports, the PlayStation VR2 is looking like a flop.
Spotted on IGN via Bloomberg’s reporting, Sony has hit the pause button on the production of the PlayStation VR2 headsets.
The website claims the tech giant is trying to clear the backlog of unsold units, signaling what many have been saying about the PSVR2: it’s a flop.
Per IGN:
Bloomberg reported sales of the $550 virtual reality headset have “slowed progressively” since its launch in February 2023, causing a buildup of stock. According to the site, Sony produced “well over” two million PSVR2 units.
The relative success of the PSVR2 was called into question earlier this year when Sony announced a number of upcoming games for the device, none of which were from its first-party studios. Then, as part of a wave of devastating layoffs affecting 900 staff, Sony’s VR-focused London studio was earmarked for closure.
According to Sony, the PSVR2 sold nearly 600,000 units six weeks after its launch, and according to analysts, just over one million units in its first year.
Giving the impression that PlayStation VR2 did not sell well over the holiday season, SIE’s head of global business, Eric Lempel, told The Financial Times that the peripheral was a “bit of a challenging category right now,’ adding he believed “there was a higher expectation generally for what VR would do to gaming.”
Welp.
Meta Is Killing The VR Game
Sales of the PSVR2 were well behind Meta’s Quest 2 and 3 headsets during the holiday season.
The PlayStation VR2’s future is uncertain, but maybe its reported compatibility with PCs, a feature that Sony is currently testing, will help get it in the heads of more gamers.
Until then, the gallery below shows more reactions to the unsurprising news that PSVR2 is not selling well.
1. Fair point
2. More excellent points
3. Sounds about right
5. Sony listen to Nicholas
10. Do they?
