10°

Havok Expands into AI Development

At the Game Developers Conference 2009, Havok is announcing a new middleware SDK for developers entitled (shockingly enough) Havok AI.

Havok promises the ability for developers to automatically generate navigation meshes quickly while offering dynamic pathfinding and integration with Havok's current middleware offerings. What does this mean for the average gamer? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure, but I was impressed with what I saw during the demos showcasing these technologies. Havok was kind enough to pass along three video showing off just a taste of their new technology. In the video below, you'll see a battlefield-type environment where AI soldiers must find cover from enemy fire and successfully cross the road while avoiding tank traffic.

90°

Rocksmith+ Comes To PS And Steam In June

This looks like a great way to play.
Rocksmith+, the award winning music-learning app that teaches you guitar and piano with thousands of hit songs, is coming to PlayStation and Steam on June 6, and is available to wishlist now on both platforms.

350°

Report Claims Xbox Is Planning More Cuts Following Studio Closures

"The sudden closure of several video-game studios at Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox division was the result of a widespread cost-cutting initiative that still isn’t finished.

This week, Xbox began offering voluntary severance agreements to producers, quality assurance testers and other staff at ZeniMax, which it purchased in 2020 for $7.5 billion, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. Others across the Xbox organization have been told that more cuts are on the way.

Speaking about the closures more broadly, Booty said that the company’s studios had been spread too thin — like “peanut butter on bread” — and that leaders across the division had felt understaffed. They decided to close these studios to free up resources elsewhere, he said.

Game Pass has not seen the massive growth that Xbox boss Phil Spencer may have been hoping for."

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purexbox.com
just_looken6h ago

Sense it seems very few remember that human's were around before 2020 the next studio to close will be bethesda based no doubt on the history of.

Fallout 76
Elder scrolls online
elder scrolls blades mobile
fallout mobile
The vr versions of old games

Then you got starfield pissing out cash nothing to cover it.

I doubt tod's team or any sub team is making m$ cash they are no doubt on the chopping block for job cuts

If you can remember before 2020 even fallout 76 was made with over 4 studios.

-Foxtrot8h ago

"Speaking about the closures more broadly, Booty said that the company’s studios had been spread too thin — like “peanut butter on bread” — and that leaders across the division had felt understaffed. They decided to close these studios to free up resources elsewhere, he said"

So what you're saying is...you bought all these studios and you guys can't run them.

Jesus.

Inverno7h ago

Spread thin after firing over 2000 employees a few months prior. So basically they created the problem and their solution was to just fire more people. Absolute geniuses over at Xbox, of course can we even believe this to be the reason for the closures?

just_looken6h agoShowReplies(1)
Profchaos6h ago

Leaders can't run them hire more management create new roles don't shutter entire studios cause you can't figure out how to run them.

Unless the reality is this whole consolidation thing was really an excuse for IP harvesting

Eonjay8h ago

Reports are suggesting that Game Pass will be getting a price hike soon and that Call of Duty may not be added to the day one offering. I honestly have a hard time believing this but it does beg the question why exactly did GP fail? I think the answer is that it just didn't get the growth that it anticipated. Jim was right but I wish he wasn't because at the end of the day, its gamers, devs and other front-line workers who have to absorb the blow for Spencer and team's miscalculations.

7h ago
NotoriousWhiz7h ago

And out of the ashes something even better than Xbox will be born.

Eonjay7h ago

Honestly as long as is not a situation where the industry has to contract in order focus wealth on a few people who are already trillionaires..

Barlos1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

It's already here and it was born before Xbox was even a thing. It's called PlayStation.

Tacoboto5h ago

I think 2022 killed the Series X.

2021 was a good year for Xbox though and maybe the best in a long long time, hardware and software and as a publisher. Halo Infinite launched to popularity, Forza Horizon 5 blew everyone away, Psychonauts 2 was so well received, Flight Simulator on console, Deathloop even on PS5 & PC.

But they followed that up with next to nothing. Then 2023 with Redfall, a disappointing Forza, Starfield, and 2024 leads with closures and layoffs. And some tweets reminding us Hellblade is days away.

The only disappointment with the PS5 is not enough Sony games. Xbox followed up no games with disappointing ones.

Scissorman7h ago

For all the armchair executives who were calling for Sony to release its big-budget AAA games on PS+, the same exact thing would have happened at PlayStation. Game Pass has killed Xbox. Congrats.

shinoff21837h ago

There's not many of of us clamoring for Sony to do this because most of us understand it would kill Playstation. I'm sure there's a few but I've not seen alot of it myself.

7h ago
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160°

NVIDIA's popular RTX 3080 is now at its lowest price ever on Amazon amid 50 series rumors

Avoid overspending on NVIDIA's 40 series GPUs, and purchase the powerful PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB Graphics Card at its lowest price ever!

ActualWhiteMan14h ago

And double your energy bills 💩