Destructoid: "This past week I've been really thinking about what Metroid producer Yoshio Sakamoto had to say about the future of 2D Metroid. While you'd assume it would be one of the least risky ventures for Nintendo to handle in-house, they opted to go with MercurySteam for the 3DS-bound Samus Returns.
On paper, it all seems fine. Tasking third party studios with spinoffs and side projects is something Nintendo has been doing for years (and has worked out when studios are proven to produce results, like in the case of Sonic Mania), but this time, it's a little different. Sakomoto is hitching the entire future of 2D Metroid titles to Returns, and by proxy, a developer that has had issues in the past.
All I have to ask in return is "why?""
One of the big Xbox releases heading our way in May 2024 is the long-awaited Hypercharge Unboxed, which is finally bringing its "first and third-person shooter action figure game" to Xbox consoles on Friday, May 31st.
Sadly, ahead of launch, the game's official Twitter (or "X") account has been highlighting the "trolls" who are claiming that because it's not launching on Game Pass, Hypercharge Unboxed is already set up for failure on Xbox.
Just because our indie game isn't on game pass, doesn't mean it's "dead on arrival".
— Hypercharge | Pre-order now on Xbox! (@HyperchargeGame) May 12, 2024
We hope you still give our action figure game a try. 💚 #xbox pic.twitter.com/3D8dhlWOvZ
It's horrible what people will say, but the truth might be harsh. There is a good chance it might not do well on Xbox if it's not on GamePass. There is a strong possibility that is the case. We'll see.
When it launches on Playstation in the future you can rest assured it will sell much better. The devs have confirmed it's coming to Playstation in the future.
"It is built in the Unreal Engine 4. The game was released on the Nintendo eShop on January 31, 2020 and on Steam on April 27, 2020. The development of Hypercharge: Unboxed for the Xbox platform was officially announced on July 16, 2022, with the developers also confirming future support for the PlayStation."
I remember having this on my radar years ago for the Switch but never pulled the trigger on it. Crazy it's still not on PlayStation yet.
Unfortunately once people are conditioned to expect to get something as part of a subscription they already pay for, they are unlikely to buy it a la carte. Some games, including this one, now look like "Gamepass Games" to a huge chunk of the Xbox audience. Maybe this game will buck that trend, and I wish them luck, but I'd imagine they'll have a rough go trying to sell this game on Xbox.
Hopefully their game not selling on Xbox doesn't stop them from bringing it to ps. I can't imagine why a developer would go Xbox first if their not on gamepass. Good luck to them though.
Yeah I can't figure that out either. I mean I understand why you go there first if you get a Gamepass payday, but if you are just trying to sell copies it doesn't make sense. Fewer users overall, and a smaller percentage of those users are willing to buy indie games a la carte.
Epic Games is facing a $1.2 million fine by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets over "unfair practices" in the Fortnite shop.
It might be cheaper to simply pay the fine. Fighting said fine could cost millions due to court and lawyer fees. Fortnite generates well over a 100 million in each month, so Epic has plenty of cash.
But if they did pay it, then they are basically admitting that they did something they weren’t supposed to be doing. If they fight it, they may win and continue to have a sense of urgency for their micro transactions thus making more money long term.
Meaning more suits to follow from others if they don't fight as well.
Not a fan of Epic nor fortnite and their micro transactions. But the game is heavily supported and is free to play, all store items are completely cosmetic.
I'd fight back too. These are kinda meaningless reasons to fine someone like really for THAT. It's like they just wanted to make money or something.
Nexon has released its financial statement for 2024's first quarter, and it looks like FPS The Finals isn't proving the hit the studio was hoping for.
The market for games like this is too over saturated to make a dent in other established games' player counts. Trying to start all over with a whole new multiplayer meta and grinding to get better is not feasible when there's already a ton of similar games that have come out before it.
Mercury Steam in comparison are working on remaking a preexisting game which already has a framework unlike the case with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate that had to be built from the ground up.
I've heard early impressions from the 8-4 Play podcast and they love it so my worries are virtually nonexistent.
these "nintendo should do this or that" blogs are always funny. as if they cared what anybody -especially their customers- had to say. it's their way or the highway, for sure. for me it's been the highway for many years now.