Call of DutyandBattlefieldmay finally reignite the age-old argument, and Google Stadia sees significant changes, with what’s happened in the gaming industry this week. Game Rant has compiled some of the biggest gaming news stories from this past week together into a concise post for fans and enthusiasts to stay up to date on the most important events in the industry per week. Highlighting the most relevant stories, this list is not inherently and totally objective, and will not contain every news story this week. Rather, this is intended for gaming fans who want a quick rundown on the largest/most impactful stories that occurred in the last week in games.
In this week’s roundup ofgaming news, both EA and Activision have announced sequels toCall of DutyandBattlefieldcoming in 2021. Users and moderators on the r/wallstreetbets subreddit are dealing with drama, while investors continue to sell huge profits on GameStop. Sony’s PS5 meets its short-term sales goal, but may not reach its long-term fiscal year sales goal due to a recurring issue in 2021. Google’s Stadia branch enacts several pretty significant internal changes as the company refocuses its gaming strategy. Here’s a recap of all the biggest news from the video game industry last week.
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Next Call of Duty Entry Coming in 2021, Releasing Alongside Warzone
Likely to the surprise of zero fans, it seems another titleCall of Dutyentry is on the way this year.During a recent investor call with Acitivision,Call of Duty’s publisher has confirmed another entry in the evergreen first-person shooter is coming in 2021. Activision has also not confirmed which developer fromCall of Duty’s rotational development schedule is working on the game.
However, what is confirmed, is 2021’sCall of Dutywill similarly launch/integrate alongsideWarzoneas well. Many have predicted the upcomingCall of Duty2021is being developed by Sledgehammer Games, based on the studio hiring 150 new developers in 2020.
The Next Battlefield Game Confirmed for Holiday 2021, Reveal Coming Soon
From the other side of the first-person shooter pond, EA is planning to make a resurgence withBattlefieldthis year.Battlefield 6, or whatever the nextBattlefieldgame is called, was similarly announced back in early 2020 during an EA investor call. From a more recent EA investor call this week,EA CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed that the nextBattlefieldentryis planned to release this holiday.
As for what the nextBattlefieldgame may look like, it’s tough to say. There’s been a slew of rumors surrounding the upcomingBattlefieldgame, ranging from the destructibility of entire cities, to the game being inspired by the excellentBattlefield 3. Granted, if that’s true,Battlefield 6may serve the comeback the series needs.
Drama Ensues in the r/wallstreetbets Subreddit After GameStop Situation
As GameStop stock crumbles under multiple sellers, it seems all sorts ofdrama is ensuing in the r/wallstreetbets subreddit. Moderators are shifting and taking drastic measures as the formerly obscure subreddit now boasts millions of users. Many users are trying to mislead and attract media attention, while writers and Hollywood directors are already looking into recreating the success of films likeThe Big Short.
Speaking of which, Michael Burry (the central real-life figure at the center ofThe Big Short’s plot) also saw significant gains from GameStop’s surging stock.Burry made over $270 million from the surging stock price, cashing in on millions of shares that the Scion Capital hedge fund had acquired back in 2019.
PS5 On Track for Sony’s Short-Term Sales Goal, Long-Term Goal is Uncertain
After the tumultuous release of the PS5, Sony’s finally unveiled how many consoles actually shipped in 2021 alone. In the month and a half following the console’s release,Sony shipped 4.5 million consoles during the holidays. Despite a continued momentum, finding a PS5 will continue to be difficult moving into 2021.
According to Sony’s quarterly financial results, the PS5 is on track for its 7.6 million sales for March, but may miss its yearly sales goal. Due to ashortage of hardware components necessary to build the PS5, it’s possible that a continued shortage will occur throughout mid-2021.
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Google Shuts Down First-Party Stadia Development, Refocusing Strategy
While it’s certainly no deathblow to Stadia, Google is making some big changes as it restructures its game-streaming strategy. This week, Google announced theshuttering of its in-house Stadia development studios, with all relevant projects cancelled. Instead, Google will be strictly partnering with third-party publishers and game makers to boost its service in the wake of Stadia’s disappointing reception since launch.
Additionally, this also marks the departure of industry veteran Jade Raymond from Stadia Games and Entertainment. Google Stadia still stands firm as a solid option for game streaming, but it’s unclear how the shuttering of its first-party studioswill affect the Stadia platform moving forward.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Confirms Numerous Changes For the Remaster
As the release date forMass Effect: Legendary Editioninches closer, tons of new information what’s changing in the remaster has come out. Some good things, some bad things,Legendary Editionmay end up being the definitive wayto play the original trilogy.
Tons of mechanical/graphical changes are on the way forLegendary Edition, including improvements to AI, combat, player control, weapon balance, visual fidelity, and more. However, due to unfortunate circumstances and corrupted source code,Mass Effect: Legendary Editionwill not include the Pinnacle Station DLC.
RELATED:The First Mass Effect May Be the Weakest Part of Legendary Edition, But That’s Okay
Among Us Twitch Stats Emphasize The Game’s Massive Popularity in 2020
In the wake of the game’s massive success, recent Twitch stats reflect howAmong Usquickly became a cultural zeitgeist during of 2020.Among Usstreamers contributed to 1.2 billion overall views, over 221 million hours watched, and over a million unique broadcasters. The game itself was streamed over 4 million separate times, with 4.32 million hours broadcasted of the game overall.
MLB The Show Makes its Debut on Xbox in 2021
After rumors and leaks, Sony has confirmed that one of its biggest franchise exclusives is now releasing cross-platform.MLB The Show 21will be releasing on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X, as well as PS4/PS5, on April 20th. This will beMLB The Show’s debut title on a Xbox platform, after years of exclusivity with PlayStation. The long-running licensed baseball franchise has been going strong annually since its release in 2006 on PS2.
Warner Bros. Interactive Finally Files Successful Patent for Nemesis System
Lastly, Warner Bros. Entertainment has finallypatented the iconic Nemesis System used in theMiddle Earthseries. The Nemesis System was a gameplay mechanic developed by Monolith Productions for use inMiddle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which contextualized the organization of the Orc army in-game. Initially filing a patent back in 2015, Warner Bros. has struggled to establish the patent due to several rejections, all related to being too similar to other game-related patents.
