2024 so far has been challenging in the industry. This is a good time to take stock of last year's performance to gauge demand-side conditions and what direction consumer spending is going in the UK when it comes to full games (games that are paid for upfront).
The review embargo for Hellblade 2 appears to lift on the same date as the launch of the game, just an hour before it's available.
That's not a good sign.
Review codes have been sent out as of 8 hours ago (according to Tom Henderson on X) so at least they aren't withholding those... But you'd think with confidence they'd want positive reviews to get buzz going online the weekend before release.
... But if they're expecting mid reviews, yeah sure lift that embargo when most people are asleep.
Zero marketing and embargo lifts when the game launches?
No confidence from team Xbox.
Digital Foundry : Bethesda's Starfield was generally a well-regarded RPG, but the game's 30fps target on consoles was the subject of some controversy. The game's massive scope arguably justified that 30fps refresh rate, with only high-end PCs capable of hitting 60fps and higher, but now Bethesda has changed course and opened the floodgates on Xbox Series X consoles following significant optimisation work. Players can now independently select performance and visuals modes at arbitrary frame-rates. How exactly do these new combinations fare, and is 60fps really a possibility after it was explicitly ruled out before?
An inside look at Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft's ambitious open world Japan where your every move is affected by weather, season, and lighting systems.
"Although physical disc spending has continued to slip since 2021, the rate of the decline had slowed. Between 2021 and 2022, spending declined by 4% to £496 million but between 2022 and 2023, spending declined by just 2% to £487 million."
Good news.