Game Control: Nintendo Raises Wages and BUILD'S Theme Park, DBZ And Squid Game Go VR
Universal Parks & Resorts
Console: Nintendo plans to raise wages by 10% for current and new staff in Japan beginning this year, joining other corporate behemoths in a tight labor market. Domestic wages in Japan are rising at the highest rate in decades, challenging efforts to keep inflation under control. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa announced the raises despite lowering the company's full-year revenue and earnings predictions, claiming that the stress on staff is increasing and that the decision will enhance the company's "hiring power." Several analysts and investors are focusing on the Nintendo Switch's sales momentum in the coming fiscal year, believing that the business will remain stagnant until it announces a successor to the legendary gaming console, which has witnessed sales decline in recent years. The company expects to end the year with about 18 million consoles sold, down from an earlier 19 million target goal.
The Saami Council, a group that advocates for indigenous people in Finland, Sweden, Russia, and Norway, is pleading with Square Enix to "immediately remove" the Northern Attire cosmetic set from Final Fantasy XIV on the grounds that it is Sámi cultural property. For the current price of $18 in the game's in-game shop, players may acquire the Northern Attire set for Square Enix's well-known MMORPG, which includes boots, gloves, a tunic, bottoms, and a hat. The Saami Council is requesting that the set, which appears to be substantially influenced by traditional Sámi dress but was created without the council's approval, be pulled out of the game. The Saami Council hopes that the issue would "advance the discussion of the rights of indigenous people to their cultural properties," however Square Enix has not yet responded to the matter.
Super Nintendo World opened to the public on February 17, 2023, at Universal Studios Hollywood. The new attraction features a Mario Kart-inspired ride, Princess Peach’s Castle, and a restaurant called Toadstool Cafe. Guests can also purchase power-up bands to play mini-games based on Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. content. The ten-year endeavor is a component of Universal's larger collaboration with Nintendo, which also includes television shows, video games, and merchandising. Along with meet-and-greets with Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach, there is also a stocked merchandise hub with t-shirts, hats, plush, and themed popcorn canisters. The invested project opened less than two months before Universal’s movie studio releases its animated The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The company also plans to bring similar attractions to its Epic Universe in Florida and Universal Studios Singapore in 2025.
Jensen Huang - Bloomberg
PC: Throughout the years, the debate about artificial intelligence and its place in PC gaming has gotten more heated, and Nvidia is a pioneer in the use of this technology. The significance of ChatGPT has been discussed by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. In November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that has since won users over with its ability to respond to questions in a thoughtful manner. It has a wide range of uses and could someday be used for difficult jobs like writing code and creating software. Nvidia sees ChatGPT as a game-changer. In response to questions from the audience, Huang discussed ChatGPT's innovation at Berkeley Hass University in California. The app was "the iPhone moment of artificial intelligence," according to him. He also added that startups using ChatGPT could develop applications that are both useful and user-friendly. He believes that this is a huge moment for AI and its further application to technology.
Dehya and Mika, two new characters, are included in the most recent Genshin Impact 3.5 update, which also brings back the Windblume Festival. Dehya is a five-star user of the Pyro Claymore. She has been a long-standing cast member who has participated in the Sumeru plot. When foes are damaged, Dehya can set up Fiery Sanctum fields that deal AoE Pyro damage. The four-star Cryo Polearm user, Mika, can engage adversaries at a distance because he also holds a crossbow. While around Mika, other party members will have a stronger offensive weapon. The Windblume festival offers a variety of mini-games, including timed racing tasks, rhythm games, and photography challenges. Players that take part in the festival will receive the rare four-star Claymore, the Mailed Flower. Additional updates include a special Heated Combat Mode for the Genius Invocation TCG, an extra Intertwined Fate for each Archon Quest completed, and a "Wings of the Starlit Feast" for Prime Gaming users who link their Prime account to Genshin Impact.
Blizzard president Mike Ybarra made remarks that Blizzard developers who were present at a recent virtual town hall meeting found offensive. Ybarra's defense of divisive and unpopular policies like stack ranking and a return to office requirement is said to have hurt the studio's morale. Although the previous quarter was a record-breaking one for Blizzard and saw the company's "highest quarterly net bookings to date," according to Activision Blizzard's fourth-quarter earnings report, Ybarra reportedly downplayed the news that employees would only be receiving 58% of their typical profit-sharing bonus. Ybarra apparently had no such plan when asked how corporate leadership intended to retain talent whenever workers are required to return to the office for at least three days of the week beginning in July 2023. Additional remarks Ybarra made caused workers to believe that he was advocating for those who were dissatisfied with Blizzard's return-to-work directive to merely leave the organization.
Pokémon GO Hoenn Tour 2023
Mobile: The annual Pokémon GO Hoenn Tour 2023 took place in Las Vegas from February 18-19. 2023. The two-day global celebration of Pokémon GO contained the Primal forms of Kyogre and Groudon in addition to Shiny variations of every Pokémon connected to the Hoenn region. Kecleon, the only Gen 3 Pokemon absent from Pokémon GO, is expected to show up at the Pokémon Go Tour event. This is Pokémon GO's third GO Tour event, with the first two focusing on the Kanto and Johto regions. Each event includes a ticket option that determines which Pokémon participants will see there. The Pokémon spawns changed frequently as inspired by specific locales or ecologies in the area. On the Pokémon GO Tour website, attendees can either purchase a ticket for one of the two days of the event or a one-day ticket with a second-day add-on.
In a difficult climate, Activision Blizzard's Q4 and 2022 financial results showed great growth from mobile games. According to reports released on Twitter on February 6th, 2023, Activision Blizzard's net revenues presented in accordance with GAAP were $7.53 billion in 2023, compared to $8.80 billion for the full year of 2021, with a GAAP operating margin of 22%. Despite a decrease from the previous year, this was seen favorably. Activision's sales numbers have been dominated by Call of Duty: Mobile, a mobile port of the well-known FPS franchise. The game's performance across all platforms assisted Activision in increasing segment revenue and operating income by roughly 60% in Q4 compared to the same period last year. Net bookings for Call of Duty: Mobile increased by double digits year over year to a new quarterly high, thanks to improvements to the player experience and popular seasonal content.
Dragon Ball Z -
VR: Video game adaptations of the popular Japanese anime series Dragon Ball Z have continued for over two decades, and now it is coming to virtual reality. Fans will be able to play as the famed character Gohan during the infamous Cell saga thanks to the game's conversion to virtual reality, according to a tweet from the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour account. There is a caveat to this revelation, though. Only those who will be at the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour event, which takes place in Las Vegas on March 5 and 6, 2023, will be able to play this restricted VR game. It is unclear as of this writing whether the VR game will be sold commercially. According to the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour website, registration is now open to the public with an option to attend as a spectator.
Leading location-based VR experience provider Sandbox VR is teaming up with streaming juggernaut Netflix to create a "totally immersive" VR experience based on the popular South Korean television show Squid Game. The multiplayer experience, according to the creators, will pit players against one another as they contend in several special challenges drawn from Squid Game. Players will be removed one at a time until there is just one contender left, much like in the series. Players can view a video that highlights their journey through the competition after the event. The Squid Game VR experience from Sandbox is expected to debut in the latter half of 2023, joining the other six location-based VR experiences that are already accessible at various Sandbox VR venues across the globe.