$1 Billion/year for Game Pass 3rd Party

Game Pass will NOT come to every screen, Activision Blizzard abandons own store for Google deal and Fortnite had 100 million players.

To succeed as a lead, you have to be central to your team, not above it - Sitara Shefta, Studio Head, No Brakes Games

Hey there!

๐Ÿ“ฃ If you only read one piece of news today ๐Ÿ“ฃ

๐Ÿšซ Last week, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said Microsoft wants Xbox Game Pass on "every screen that can play games", including Nintendo and PlayStation. But the very next day, Phil Spencer took it away. He said Xbox has no plans to bring Game Pass to PlayStation or Nintendo. 

๐Ÿค‘ He also said that Xbox invests over $1 billion annually on third-party content for Xbox Game Pass, which is a profitable service.

๐ŸŽ‰ But we have so much more:

Almost 1700 PS5 consoles were sold every hour in 2023.

A new round of layoffs hits Phoenix Labs and Stardew Valley 1.6 update will bring a ton of progress.

Oh, and the first trailer of the next GTA game will be released tomorrow!

Donโ€™t miss The Power-Up Chronicles section at the end of this newsletter. It has stories about

  • How to be a great leader at a games company โ€“ without going bananas

  • Why good legacy mobile games deserve a new lease of life

  • The initial stage of creating a computer game

Play on:

Welcome to The Power-Up #46

Biz-Up

๐Ÿช Activision Blizzard planned to launch its own Android game store, "Project Boston," to bypass Google Play and reduce transaction fees, but abandoned this plan after signing a lucrative deal with Google.

โš–๏ธ CD Projekt has resolved a class action lawsuit filed by investors over the misleading launch quality of Cyberpunk 2077, with the US court granting final approval of a $1.85 million settlement without the company admitting to the allegations.

๐Ÿ† Games for Change, in collaboration with Google and HP, has launched the Diverse Voices, New Stories Challenge to support underrepresented creators in the mobile gaming industry, offering a $10,000 prize, mentorship, marketing, and promotional support on Google Play.

Industry Level-Up (or Down)

๐Ÿค Blumhouse Games has strengthened its team by hiring industry veterans Jo Lammert and Clint Brewer, with Lammert as production lead and Brewer as technical director, to support the development of original indie horror titles.

๐Ÿ˜” Phoenix Labs has conducted its second round of layoffs this year, affecting 34 employees from various support teams, while their games teams remain unaffected with ongoing projects.

Round-Up

๐Ÿšจ After oh!, so many years of waiting, the next Grand Theft Autoโ€™s trailer will be revealed tomorrow, December 5, at 9 a.m. ET. Canโ€™t wait for it!

๐Ÿ”ซ Fortnite attracted 100 million players in November, largely due to the reintroduction of the original map in 'OG' Fortnite, a nostalgic move that led to a record-breaking 44.7 million players in a single day.

๐Ÿšซ Last week, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said Microsoft wants Xbox Game Pass on "every screen that can play games", including Nintendo and PlayStation. But the very next day, Phil Spencer took it away. He said Xbox has no plans to bring Game Pass to PlayStation or Nintendo. 

๐Ÿค‘ He also said that Xbox invests over $1 billion annually on third-party content for Xbox Game Pass, which is a profitable service.

๐ŸŽฎ Sony is reportedly developing a new version of the DualSense controller, featuring enhanced accessibility with buttons, shoulder triggers, and analog sticks that light up to provide gameplay hints, alongside a touchscreen that replaces the touchpad.

โœจ Starfield has reached over 12 million players since its launch in September, a significant increase from 10 million on September 19 and 6 million on September 7.

๐Ÿ•น๏ธ In 2023, over 40,000 PlayStation 5 consoles were sold each day on average, with monthly sales averaging 1,238,109 units. This equates to around 1,696 consoles sold every hour and is expected to increase further during the holiday season.

Game-Up

๐ŸงŸ Capcom has confirmed plans for more Resident Evil remakes following the success of the remakes for Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, though the next title to be remade is yet to be announced.

๐Ÿฆพ The upcoming 2.1 update for Cyberpunk 2077, scheduled for release on December 5, will introduce a range of new features including a fully operational metro system, radioport, repeatable car races, enhancements to boss fights, accessibility options, and additional content.

๐Ÿš€ Gearbox Publishing and Blackbird Interactive have set the release date for Homeworld 3 on PC for March 8, 2024, available on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Fans can pre-order the long-awaited sequel in four editions, with early access starting March 5, 2024. 

๐Ÿ“ The Stardew Valley 1.6 update will introduce Big Chests for increased storage capacity and feature new festivals, items, crafting recipes, outfits, a new farm type, and possible upgrades to the Scythe to iridium.

Some of the games launching this week:

  • December 4: Make Way (PC)

  • December 5: Arms Race 2 (PC), Disney Dreamlight Valley (PS4/5, Xbox One/S/X, Switch, PC), Kingpin Reloaded (PS5, Xbox S/X, Switch, PC), Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (PC, PS5, Xbox S/X)

  • December 6: Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter (PC)

  • December 7: Arizona Sunshine 2 (PSVR 2, PC VR, Quest), Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (PS5, Xbox S/X, PC), The Day Before (PC early access), Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (PC, PS5, Xbox S/X)

The Power-Up Chronicles

No Brake Games' Sitara Shefta emphasized the importance of creating a positive work environment and setting clear values for effective leadership in game development.

She advocated for hiring a diverse team, prioritizing people for talent retention, leading with empathy, engaging with every team member, and maintaining transparency. Shefta stressed the importance of avoiding crunch, handling mistakes responsibly, and ensuring self-care to manage the pressures of leadership. 

โžก๏ธ Read the article on GamesIndustry.biz

Ivan Trancik of SuperScale discusses the potential of revitalizing legacy mobile games, suggesting that developers often prematurely end support for games that could still be profitable.

He highlights the importance of legacy game management, which involves reassessing older games with modern monetization, user acquisition, and game design innovations. 

โžก๏ธ Read the comment on PocketGamer.biz

Creating a computer game begins with formulating an idea and detailed planning, including design documentation covering game concept, mechanics, plot, and timelines.

The process involves standardizing documentation, defining gameplay rules, and using tools like SwifDoo PDF for effective management and collaboration in the complex game development process.

โžก๏ธ Read the article on PSU.

Thatโ€™s it for today. Thanks for reading. Stay powered-up until next time.

Bobby & Andrei

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Did you know?

Stardew Valley is a farm life simulation game developed by Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone.

The game was released for Windows in February 2016 before being ported to other platforms.

Barone developed Stardew Valley by himself over four and a half years. He used it as an exercise to improve his own programming and game design skills.

Stardew Valley has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time and was a commercial success, selling over 20 million copies by 2022