Microsoft's previously established Labor Neutrality Agreement for unionized Activision Blizzard workers now includes those at ZeniMax Workers United.Per the CWA, this now means workers at the Fallout publisher can "organize and decide to form unions without interference and intimidation from management." During these efforts, the Xbox maker will stay neutral and not interfere."As our numbers grow at ZeniMax, at Microsoft, and in the video game industry, we will gain the respect we deserve and raise the standards of working conditions for everyone across the video gaming industry."
A short history of Micr…
Shift Up has big plans going forward, including further support for its newest release Stellar Blade.In a recent filing on Korea's Composite Stock Price Index (thanks, KAMI), it claimed the title "exceeded expectations," though it didn't give any hard numbers. Still, it's apparently done so well both a PC port and sequel are being actively considered.Stellar Blade released in late April as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. With solid reviews and weeks spent at the told of sales charts in various countries, the studio aims to continue that alleged success with DLC and different IP crossovers.Citing God of War and Final Fantasy, Shift Up noted "several precedents for triple-A titles evolving into IP franchises by extending their lifespan and maintaining a long-term rev…
Ubisoft's troubled, repeatedly-delayed shooter xDefiant has launched and is said to be doing quite well for itself.Per Insider Gaming, the free-to-play shooter saw 1 million unique players just 2.5 hours after it launched on Tuesday, May 21. If true, it marks the fastest Ubisoft game to hit that milestone.At time of writing, it's said the game reached 3 million players and now has 300,000 concurrent players on PC (via Ubisoft Connect), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.Ubisoft's yet to release any other hard numbers at time of writing. Big free-to-play games tend to launch very strongly, and it helps there's no huge shooter competition at the moment, since Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 isn't coming for another four or five months.Like most big shooters, xDefiant had a…
Remedy posted its financials for the full 2023-2024 fiscal year. Decreases were across the board, but the Finnish studio had a bright spot in locking down two franchises under its belt.Speaking to revenue from October 1, 2023-December 31, 2023, Remedy made €10.3 million ($11.19 million) during the period. In 2022-2023, it made €13.6 million, marking a 24.4 percent decrease between the two quarters.For the whole 2023 year, revenue decreased €33.9 million, down 22.2 percent from 2022's €43.6 million.Despite that, CEO Tero Virtala noted 2023's final quarter was "special and memorable" for Remedy. That's largely owed to Alan Wake II, which released in October to strong reviews and numerous award wins and nominations.He acknowledged the studio's profitabili…