Game Control: Nintendo Is In The Headlines And Markiplier Is Making A Movie
Super mario bros.
Console: Nintendo is suing a Discord user for releasing sensitive Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom art book content. A 200-page art book leaked a few months ago. It provided crucial spoilers and details about the game ahead of its planned May release. In response, Nintendo has begun an extensive investigation to determine the source of the leak within the "Tears of the Kingdom Official Discord Server" and has sent a DMCA takedown notice. The corporation is also looking for the identification of a Discord user named Julien#2743, who is suspected of being the source of the leak. This move against the Discord server sends a clear message that leaks will not be tolerated and that Nintendo is determined to preserve its creative assets. Many in the industry believe leaks undercut the hard work and dedication of developers, artists, and other team members.
Deloitte recently released its 17th annual Digital Media Trends report, which suggested interesting conclusions regarding today's gaming audience. According to the report, 45% of customers want more games based on their favorite movies and TV episodes. The survey's overall conclusion appears to hint at a convergence of digital media. Furthermore, 50% of consumers claimed that user-generated videos (such as those created by influencers) assisted them in discovering new items or services to purchase. According to the poll, gaming has also become an essential form of socialization for many players. For example, 62% of "committed gamers" reported that playing video games with their friends is an essential method for them to spend time together, compared to 29% of casual gamers. Furthermore, 40% of millennials and Gen Z respondents indicated they socialize more in video games than in real life.
The Super Mario Bros. franchise is widely regarded as a significant contribution to American cultural history. As a result, this year will see the addition of one of its songs to the National Recording Registry. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, made the announcement on Wednesday, April 12. The Super Mario Bros. theme song will be the first video game music added to the Library of Congress. The Super Mario Bros. theme is officially called "Ground Theme," as in the aboveground music in the game, and was first included in the game when it launched in 1985 on the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System. "Ground Theme" was developed by Koji Kondo, a veteran and current Nintendo composer who also penned several incarnations of the Mario theme. He also created other recognizable tunes from franchises like Punch-Out!! to The Legend of Zelda. He’s also arranged music in the Super Smash Bros. series, Star Fox, and the latest original music in games like Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Maker 2.
Hidetaka Miyazaki - Software
PC: Microsoft is expanding the availability of its PC Game Pass service to 40 new countries. Following a two-month trial period in these areas, PC Game Pass is now officially accessible throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. As part of Microsoft's efforts to expand its subscription service, Game Pass is now available in 86 countries. PC Game Pass gives gamers access to Microsoft's Xbox PC games, hundreds of PC games, Bethesda titles, and an EA Play subscription that allows them to check out new releases for up to ten hours. Microsoft claims that players who sign up for PC Game Pass in the new nations will receive a special discount for the first three months. Furthermore, Insider Program members who assisted in testing the preview of this expansion will receive two months of the service for free.
Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director of Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and the Dark Souls series (except Dark Souls 3), was named to TIME magazine's annual list of the world's top 100 most influential people in the "Innovator" section. For the publication, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann highlighted Miyazaki, stating that the extreme difficulty of Miyazaki's games helped him become such a remarkable designer. According to Druckmann, "Miyazaki's games make the player feel accomplished and smart—and it's all thanks to his and his team's uncompromising approach." Following Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto on TIME's annual list in 2007, Miyazaki is the second game designer on the list. Pedro Pascal, Doja Cat, Lionel Messi, Beyonce, and Brittney Griner are also all on the list for 2023. Elden Ring was one of 2022's best-selling games, and with the release of its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, it's expected to develop even more.
Popular YouTuber Mark "Markiplier" Fischbach has confirmed that he would direct and appear in an adaptation of Iron Lung, a 2022 hit indie horror PC game from Dusk developer David Szymanski. Markiplier has made a teaser trailer of the project available on his YouTube channel. The game has players take control of an unknown convict exploring an ocean of blood on a lonely moon in a rusted submarine dubbed the "Iron Lung." New Blood, the studio behind the film adaption, has also cast fellow YouTuber Seán William McLoughlin, best known as Jacksepticeye, alongside Markiplier. New Blood CEO Dave Oshry confirmed that he and the collective's other developers had no direct involvement in the project, noting that the Iron Lung film is entirely the work of Markiplier and other creatives. This project continues Markiplier's exploration of more narrative, cinematic content. He previously developed and performed in the series In Space with Markiplier, which was nominated for Outstanding Interactive Media at the 2022 Children's and Family Emmys.
Shigeru Miyamoto - Chris Pizzello
Mobile: Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, a Japanese video game designer, producer, and game director, said that the Mario franchise is moving away from mobile gaming platforms. Nintendo is taking Mario away from the mobile market after two modestly popular but diminishing iOS games. The mobile game Super Mario Run made $60 million in its first year, the 2019 Mario Kart Tour made $300 million, and Mario Kart 8 has made $3 billion and is climbing. This decision explains why Nintendo pulled Dr. Mario World from app stores two years after its release in 2019. According to Miyamoto, "Mobile apps will not be the primary path of future Mario games." When Nintendo considered producing Mario games for mobile phones, Miyamoto says it was difficult to decide what that game should be. This was particularly apparent when attempting to convert Nintendo's physical experience into smart devices. Nonetheless, Miyamoto believed that the mobile apps broadened their audience and enhanced the Mario game experience.
Angry Birds publisher Rovio, a game-developing company of Finnish origin, is close to being acquired by Japanese gaming company SEGA. The Wall Street Journal recently published a report stating that Finland’s Rovio is close to being bought by SEGA for nearly $1 billion. This comes as a surprise for many since the Angry Birds franchise is not as popular anymore. In the past, Rovio has attempted to expand the Angry Birds universe with subsequent movies and media series, which are between successful and unsuccessful. People in the industry speculate that SEGA might be planning to acquire the company to utilize its brand to market its games and to publish games via Rovio itself. The deal, if completed, might revitalize Rovio because of Sega’s reputation as one of the most well-regarded gaming companies in the world.
Meta
VR: VRChat, a popular VR social platform, is now being developed for Android and iOS mobile devices. According to the corporation, a limited number of staff members are testing the platform's mobile version. It has also been advised that some of the worlds and avatars may need to be tweaked to account for touchscreen controls to work properly on Android smartphones. The business invites world creators to optimize their environments for 2D platforms and to provide feedback in any form. VRChat for Android will first be accessible to VRChat Plus subscribers within 3-4 months, with a full public release following 3-6 months after the VRC+ release. Participants will receive a personalized URL pointing them to the download rather than the Google Play Store. According to the firm, an iOS release is also in the works, although no official release date has been set.
Meta has recently introduced the "Segment Anything Model," which promises to raise the threshold for computer-vision-based object segmentation—computers' capacity to distinguish between separate items in an image or video. Segmentation, according to experts in the field, will be critical for making AR truly usable by enabling a thorough awareness of the world around the user. The process of recognizing and separating items in an image or video is known as object segmentation. This process can be automated with the help of AI, allowing for the identification and isolation of items in real-time. By providing the system with awareness of items in the world surrounding the user, this technology will be important in generating a more usable AR experience. Meta hopes this segmentation effort may hasten research on picture and video understanding. The model is expected to be employed as a component in more complex systems, allowing for flexible applications in fields such as augmented reality, content generation, scientific domains, and general AI systems.