Industry Shifts: King Unionizes, Sony Eyes Disc Future, Microsoft Axes Game
King's developers have secured a union contract, granting them more worker influence. Sony is reportedly exploring a future without physical game discs. Meanwhile, Microsoft's recent restructuring may have led to the cancellation of an Age of Empires title.
Coverage across 1 outlet
MMO Business Roundup: King’s union contract, PlayStation’s disc survey, and Microsoft’s CEO
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella expressed satisfaction with Xbox's current intellectual property and leadership's streamlining efforts, while King's Swedish developers reached a collective bargaining agreement ensuring more worker influence and information. Meanwhile, Sony is reportedly surveying developers about the future of physical game discs, with insiders suggesting it's a significant inquiry into phasing out physical media.
MMOs You’ve Never Heard Of: Illyros, Valdrys, and Outer Ring
This roundup highlights three lesser-known MMOs: Illyros, a mobile game with Soulslike combat inspired by ancient Balkan peoples; Outer Ring, a free-to-play sci-fi MMO from SOREDI Games featuring various PvP modes; and Valdrys, a buy-to-play fantasy MMO with classes, dungeons, and a PvP area. The article notes that some store page art for Valdrys was AI-generated.
MMO Business Roundup: New VR glasses, Microsoft kills a game, and controllers that can read credit cards
Microsoft's recent layoffs may have led to the cancellation of a new Age of Empires game, with the studio World's Edge reportedly working on an unconfirmed project before its closure. Facebook unveiled new VR glasses focused on general use, capable of playing Meta Quest games and connecting to consoles. Sony patented a controller design that can read NFC information, potentially for payment processing or data transfer.
