Nintendo hikes annual profit forecast despite gaming boom slowdown

Nintendo upgraded its full-year net profit forecast on Thursday despite a weaker performance in the first half as the coronavirus lockdown-fueled global gaming boom slowed.

The Japanese gaming giant now projects net profit at 350 billion yen ($3.1 billion) for the year to March 2022, up from an earlier estimate of 340 billion yen.

It also hiked its software sales forecast for this fiscal year ahead of releases including three titles in the popular Pokemon franchise.

The Kyoto-based firm's more optimistic outlook follows the October release of an upgraded model of its Switch console.

However, Nintendo lowered its annual target for Switch sales as Japanese media reported that production would be hit by the global chip shortage.

For the six months to September, Nintendo's net profit dropped 19.4 percent to 171.8 billion yen -- still well up from 62 billion yen in April-September 2019.

The extraordinary demand experienced by gaming hardware makers during pandemic lockdowns is slowing as life returns to normal in many countries.

Nintendo had posted its highest ever annual profit in 2020-21, boosted by the runaway popularity of the Switch console and the family-friendly game "Animal Crossing".

It lowered its annual Switch sales target to 24 million units for the current fiscal year from the 25.5 million forecast earlier.

The Nikkei business daily this week reported that annual Switch production was expected to fall by some 20 percent from its target for the current fiscal year due to the chip crunch.

Agence France-Presse

Popular live video streaming site Twitch confirms hack

Amazon's popular live video streaming platform Twitch said Wednesday hackers had broken into its network after reports of exposed confidential company data surfaced online.

The service, where users often stream live video game play, confirmed the break-in on Twitter.

"We can confirm a breach has taken place," Twitch said in post from its verified Twitter account.

"Our teams are working with urgency to understand the extent of this."

The statement came after reports emerged that a massive dump of Twitch data had been posted on fringe anonymous message board 4Chan. 

A post at 4Chan served up 125 gigabytes of data reported to include Twitch source code, records of payouts to streamers, and a digital video game distribution service being built by Amazon Game Studios.

It did not appear that personal Twitch user data was in the dump, but the extent of the hack was still being investigated.

Google searches for "how to delete Twitch" rocketed eightfold as news of the hack spread, according to marketing analysts firm N. Rich.

"With such a concerning data breach from a platform as widespread and global as Twitch, users are naturally wanting to protect themselves and their data as soon as possible," an N.Rich spokesperson said.

The person who posted the trove of stolen data left a message claiming the break-in was performed to foster competition in video streaming, and because the Twitch community "is a disgusting toxic cesspool," according to media reports.

Users of Twitch, the world's biggest video game streaming site, staged a virtual walkout last month to voice outrage over barrages of racist, sexist and homophobic abuse on the platform.

The phenomenon of "hate raids" -- torrents of abuse -- has seen the platform become increasingly unpleasant many for Twitch streamers who are not white or straight.

A Twitter hashtag, #TwitchDoBetter, has become a magnet for complaints over the past month, largely from female, non-white and LGBTQ players saying that Twitch is failing to stop internet trolls running amok -- all while taking 50 percent of streamers' earnings.

Twitch has maintained that it is working to improve tools for protecting accounts from abuses.

The service is suing two users in US federal court, accusing them of orchestrating the so-called "hate raids."

Agence France-Presse

Microsoft taking Xbox games directly to TVs

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Microsoft on Thursday said it is working on software to let people play Xbox video games on internet-linked televisions without need of consoles.

The news came as Microsoft and other video game industry heavyweights prepare to show off coming titles at an annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) being held virtually beginning Saturday due to the pandemic.

"As a company, Microsoft is all-in on gaming," chief executive Satya Nadella said in introducing the plan.

"Three billion consumers look to gaming for entertainment, community, creation, as well as a real sense of achievement, and our ambition is to empower each of them, wherever they play."

Microsoft has been playing on the strength of its Xbox unit as it vies with Luna and Stadia cloud gaming services run, respectively, by Amazon and Google.

The Xbox team is working with TV makers to embed software that will let video games typically enjoyed on its consoles be played directly from the cloud, requiring only hand-held controllers, according to Microsoft.

The US-based technology giant also announced it is building devices that will plug into any television screen or computer monitor to stream Xbox game play without any consoles.

In the coming weeks, cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions will be possible through internet browsers Chrome, Edge and Safari, according to Microsoft.

"There’s still a place for consoles and PCs and frankly, there always will be, but through the cloud, we will be able to deliver a robust gaming experience to anyone connected to the internet," said Xbox unit head Phil Spencer.

"And with the cloud, gaming players can participate fully in the same Xbox experience as people on local hardware.

Xbox Game Pass had some 18 million subscribers worldwide at the end of last year, according to figures released by Nadella.

Video game play has surged during the pandemic, as people turned more than ever to the internet for entertainment.

Overall consumer spending on video gaming in the United States totaled just shy of $15 billion in the first quarter of this year, up 30 percent from the same period in 2020, according to industry tracker NPD Group.

Microsoft will stream an Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on Sunday, featuring games from its studios around the world.

Agence France-Presse

Gaming industry worth $300 bn after pandemic surge, study shows

The value of the gaming industry has topped $300 billion following a pandemic-fueled surge, with some 2.7 billion players worldwide, a research report said Thursday.

The Accenture report said the gaming sector is worth more than the combined markets for movies and music, driven by gains in mobile gaming and an emphasis on making connections during a time of pandemic social distancing.

"The emergence of new gaming platforms and changing demographics are pushing gaming businesses away from being product-centric to becoming experience-oriented platforms," said Seth Schuler, managing director at Accenture's software and platforms industry group.

The study found the gaming industry has increased by half a billion players in the past three years, and predicts more than 400 million new gamers are expected by the end of 2023.

For the newest gamers, 60 percent are women, 30 percent are under 25 years old and one-third identify as non-white.

That contrasts with longtime gamers who were 61 percent male, and more than three-fourths white and over 25.

According to the survey, gamers are spending an average 16 hours a week playing, eight hours a week watching or participating in game streams and six hours a week interacting in game forums and communities. 

Accenture's Robin Murdoch said the sector is evolving: "We're seeing the emergence of gaming as an ecosystem of superplatforms where players can meet, communicate, watch live-streamed concerts, shop or listen to music."

The research is based on data collected via an online survey with 4,000 consumers in China, Japan, the US, and Britain, and included interviews with industry executive.

Agence France-Presse

Microsoft to test Xbox cloud gaming on PCs, Apple mobile devices

Microsoft Corp's gaming division Xbox will roll out a beta version of its cloud gaming service on web browsers of Windows 10 PCs and Apple Inc's iPhones and iPads starting Tuesday.

The feature will enable users to play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles on Microsoft's Edge, Google's Chrome, or Apple's Safari internet browsers on their devices instead of using a video game console, easing access to gaming irrespective of location and device.

The beta version will only be available for select Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, who will be sent an invite, said Catherine Gluckstein, head of Xbox's cloud gaming service in a blog post on Monday.

In September, Microsoft had launched its Xbox cloud gaming service priced at $1 for new users' first month, in a major drive to attract casual gamers with the promise of cutting ties to the living room and as competition with Sony Group Corp heats up. 

-reuters-

New Xbox hits stores, launching holiday season console war

TOKYO— Microsoft's new Xbox console hit stores worldwide Tuesday, kicking off a holiday season battle with Sony's latest PlayStation model, as the coronavirus pandemic creates unprecedented gaming demand around the world.

The Xbox Series X launches just two days before Sony's next generation PlayStation 5, in a head-to-head likely to dominate the gaming sector this shopping season.

The launches are well-placed to capitalize on a massive spike in demand for gaming. Rising numbers of people around the world are seeking distraction during a pandemic that has killed 1.25 million people and left at least 3 billion more in some form of lockdown since the virus appeared in late December.

But while lockdowns and restrictions may have boosted sales, they have also forced companies to move their launch events online.

Xbox, famous for games such as Halo, Gears of War and Forza Horizon, held an online countdown to midnight for Australia and New Zealand.

Phil Spencer, executive vice-president of gaming at Microsoft, told gamers on a Facebook live event that they were taking "the first step into the next generation of gaming."

"And you will be the first in the world to experience it."

The pandemic also means no long lines of customers camped outside stores, with the pre-orders snapped up online instead more likely to be delivered to gamers' homes.

But demand has been brisk, and is expected to stay that way, Morris Garrard, analyst at specialist financial consultancy FutureSource, told AFP ahead of the launch.

"As soon as any stock is available, it is going to be bought out, within a few minutes even," he said.

He said some of that activity would be people attempting to buy up stock for resale, but that he expects "a high level of excess demand for these consoles, at least in the short term."

"So talking sort of three to six months, I think we'll see that a lot of people who want to get a console are unable to get a console."

SWAN SONG FOR PHYSICAL CONSOLES

Microsoft is hoping its next-generation offering will help close the gap with Sony, whose PlayStation 4 sold twice as well as the Xbox One since they both were released in 2013.

Unlike the PlayStation 5, whose release will be staggered in different countries from Thursday, the Xbox Series X hit the shelves worldwide on Tuesday.

Both Sony and Microsoft have lined up a roster of eagerly awaited games -- headlined by the latest edition of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, an open-world Viking epic -- to launch with the consoles, which will offer much more powerful central and graphics processors than their predecessors.

In a competitive industry where focus is shifting to online play, this could be a swan song for physical consoles, with both firms betting on cloud servers to do the heavy processing lifting in the future.

But for now, the Xbox design team boasts that their product, which looks much like a PC, is "the fastest most powerful ever" console.

The kit, which has potential 8K video capabilities, has a faster graphics processor than the PS5, and superior data-crunching power.

The "premium" Xbox Series X costs $499 -- the same price as the PlayStation 5 -- but both companies are also offering cheaper, digital-only "mini" versions of the new machines. On these smaller consoles, gamers will be able to play titles as downloads only, not on disk.

Microsoft's slimmed-down console, the Xbox Series S, costs $299, $100 less than the digital-only PlayStation, a move analysts say Sony can afford as the market leader.

Agence France-Presse

Clash of consoles: New PlayStation and Xbox enter $150 billion games arena

TOKYO/CHICAGO/STOCKHOLM - Think Michelangelo vs Da Vinci. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Batman v Superman. Another epic rivalry is rejoined next week when Sony and Microsoft go head-to-head with the next generation of their blockbuster video-game consoles.

Sony, whose PlayStation 5 (PS5) takes on Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S, is widely viewed as being in pole position to capitalize on a pandemic-driven boom in consumer spending that has buoyed the $150 billion video game industry.

The Japanese company's deep bench of games and broader fan base - it has sold over 100 million PS4s, winning the battle of the previous generation - should see it retain its edge over it American archrival, according to industry experts.

"People who own Xbox tend to buy the new Xbox, while people who own PlayStation tend to buy the new PlayStation," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

Yet the industry is changing and cloud gaming is on the rise, allowing games to be streamed without bulky hardware. This could curb console sales in coming years, analysts say, a shift that could benefit Microsoft.

The two consoles - the first to be released by the two companies for seven years - are eagerly awaited; the Xbox will go on sale on Tuesday, and the PS5 two days later in core markets, costing about $300 to $500 apiece.

The race to order the devices in advance actually began weeks ago, though blink and you might have missed it. Pre-orders of Sony's PS5 sold out within minutes on many retail sites, for example, frustrating fans.

Julian Mercado, 17, managed to reserve a PS5 from Walmart.com just minutes after pre-orders started on Sept. 16, knowing he'd be up against a legion of gamers.

"It's exactly like shopping on Black Friday," said the high school student from Dallas, who has been playing video games with his dad since he was five. "You show up early, you walk away with something good. You show up too late, you'll walk away with nothing." PLAYING IN A PANDEMIC Sony might have the edge, but the stakes are high for the Japanese company. Its gaming business is its biggest cash cow; in its fiscal 2019 the division, which includes hardware, software and services, brought in close to a quarter of its roughly $77 billion group sales and nearly 30% of its $7.9 billion operating profit.

Microsoft does not break out the results of gaming, though it's a smaller part of its business than for Sony. It also does not disclose hardware sales but the current Xbox One is estimated by analysts to have sold 50 million units.

For the other big hardware player, Japan's Nintendo , sticking to consoles is paying off with it hiking forecasts last week following elevated demand for its Switch.

The PS5 will retail at $499.99 or $399.99 for a digital-only version, while the Xbox Series X will sell for $499.99 and the lower-spec Series S for $299.99.

About 5 million PS5s are forecast to be sold this year, versus 3.9 million of the new Xboxes, according to media research firm Ampere, with combined sales expected to be higher than the previous generation.

"The pandemic is expected to transform the U.S. holiday shopping season," said Jason Benowitz, a senior portfolio manager at Roosevelt Investment Group. "Playing from home has become a way for some to safely socialize."

Sony's games depth is supported by in-house studios behind exclusives such as "Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales". By contrast the new Xbox, say games experts, will lack killer launch titles, with the latest in its flagship "Halo" series pushed back to next year as the pandemic hits development.

Cloud gaming growth could hand the US software giant an advantage in coming years, though. Although both companies have moved to offer services, Microsoft has been more aggressive.

Its Xbox Game Pass subscription service has grown rapidly; it offers more than 100 titles including brand-new games and has over 15 million users. Sony has been reluctant to make its hottest titles available on services like PlayStation Now, fearing this could cannibalise sales of big-budget games.

'DEMAND OUTSTRIPS SUPPLY'

The pandemic, while fueling some demand, has also constrained Sony and Microsoft's production, according to industry experts, who see shortages stretching into 2021.

"Demand will outstrip supply so there's going to be some people who won't get ahold of the console when they want to," said Piers Harding-Rolls, director of Ampere's games research.

Sony has announced that retailers like Walmart, Best Buy and Target will sell the PS5 exclusively online when it launches on Nov. 12, to prevent people from camping outside stores during a pandemic.

Walmart stands to sell as much as $1.1 billion worth of new consoles by the end of January, according to Wedbush. It dominates the U.S. market along with GameStop, each with a roughly 30% share, while sales of consoles at Target and Best Buy comprise about 15% apiece, the research firm said.

Target said it was working closely with its vendors to secure enough inventory. Some shoppers who had reserved consoles told Reuters that Target had said they may receive them days after the launch date.

Walmart said it would start selling the new consoles at launch but declined to comment on whether it would have enough stock to meet demand. Best Buy also declined to comment on whether it would be able to meet demand, while GameStop did not respond to requests for comment.

For DeAnthony Thicklin, a casino attendant who reserved his PS5 on Target.com in September, the priority is to get their hands on a console on the launch day itself.

The 25-year-old offered some advice.

"Have all your card information set up so the only thing you have to do is click," he said. "Don't hesitate. Be quick."

-reuters-

With PlayStation 5 launch, Sony needs a high score

TOKYO - Sony launches its PlayStation 5 console next week angling for a mega-hit, and with the Japanese firm increasingly dependent on the lucrative gaming sector there is little room for error.

The PlayStation 5 will enter a head-to-head battle with rival Microsoft's new Xbox, released two days earlier, with both hoping to capture the market in the run-up to Christmas.

But the showdown has significantly higher stakes for Sony.

Since the PS1 launched in 1994, gaming has become the biggest segment of Sony's business, generating the lion's share of profit and about a third of sales -- more than electronics products or music.

By comparison, gaming made up less than 10 percent of Microsoft's sales for the year ending in June 2020.

Sony sold twice as many PS4s as Microsoft did Xbox Ones, and analysts say it has learned lessons from the disappointing roll-out of the PS3.

"We have seen in previous generations that at launch there are two major factors that will impact a generation's success -- the first to launch and the cheapest," said Morris Garrard, an analyst at Futuresource Consulting.

He cited the "relative failure" of the PS3, which went on sale a year after the Xbox 360 and at a higher price.

The PS5 is priced at $500, like the Xbox Series X, while a version without a disk reader costs $400.

That's more than the $300 price tag for Microsoft's less powerful Xbox Series S, which also has no disk reader.

Sony's margin on the consoles will be slim -- possibly even loss-making -- analysts say, and the firm is counting on sales of games, services and online subscriptions to turn a profit.

GAMES 'MAKE OR BREAK' FOR PS5

So far, demand looks strong, and Sony has reportedly boosted production targets.

But meeting those will depend on suppliers, particularly TSMC, the Taiwanese firm that manufactures the PS5's processor and graphics-processing unit.

It is already under pressure as a key producer of chips for 5G-compatible smartphones.

"Whatever Sony produces, it will sell," said Yasuo Imanaka, an analyst at Rakuten Securities, who thinks PS5 could exceed the record 157 million PS2 units sold since the 2000 launch.

But "everything depends on what TSMC can supply", he told AFP.

To stand out against the Xbox, Sony will be counting on its games line-up, including exclusive titles that Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan says will "make or break" PS5.

Among its trump cards is "Spider-Man: Miles Morales", which will be released with the new console. Its predecessor is among the best selling PS4 titles.

The game was developed by the American studio Insomniac Games, which Sony bought last year for $229 million.

The purchase brought the number of studios Sony owns to 14, and represents a popular strategy of bringing increasingly expensive game development in-house.

Microsoft has made its own forays, buying ZeniMax in September for a record $7.5 billion.

'SHORT-TERM FOCUSED'

Despite the costs, Amir Anvarzadeh, a strategist at Asymmetric Advisors, said the trend makes sense given the risk of diminishing returns for console manufacturers on games produced by third-party developers.

Platform manufacturers charge games publishers a cut for each game sold for use on their device -- and nearly 70 percent of games sold for the PlayStation come from third-party developers.

But Sony and others are under pressure from publishers to slash that fee.

"If the royalty fees go down, they're in a lot of trouble because then they would have to sell twice as much hardware" to avoid a hit to their bottom line, Anvarzadeh said.

There are also fewer incentives now for studios to develop exclusive games, especially given the growing popularity of "cross-play", where gamers play one game together on different devices.

On top of bringing game development in-house, Microsoft has a subscription service that is broader than Sony's and gives users access to hundreds of Xbox and PC games.

Garrard said Sony continues to have several strong cards up its sleeve when it comes to PS5, and its "content portfolio, strength of consumer social networks and development of immersive tech... will all aid in encouraging consumer uptake of the hardware".

But he warned its focus on consoles risks being too fixated on short-term goals.

As well as its subscription model, Microsoft is investing heavily in streaming, also known as cloud gaming -- a strategy Garrard said "appears to be aimed at long-term dominance".

Agence France-Presse

Epic Games asks court to force Apple to reinstall Fortnite

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Epic Games is trying to convince a California court to reinstate Fortnite on the Apple App Store pending legal proceedings, arguing that doing so is in the "public interest," court documents show.

If not, the game could suffer "irreparable harm," the company's lawyers said in a new lawsuit delivered Friday.

The gambit comes amid a battle over whether Apple's tight control over the App Store, and its 30 percent cut of revenue, counts as monopolistic behavior.

Apple pulled Fortnite from its online mobile apps marketplace on Aug. 13 after Epic released an update that dodges revenue sharing with the iPhone maker.

Last month a US court rejected Epic's bid to have Fortnite reinstated on the App Store, saying its eviction by Apple was a "self-inflicted wound."

"Over 116 million registered users have accessed Fortnite through iOS — more than any other platform," Epic says in the new complaint.

"By eliminating many of these players from Fortnite, and blocking Fortnite's ability to access over a billion iOS users, Apple is irreparably harming Epic's chances," it continues.

Daily active users have dropped by more than 60 percent since Fortnite was removed, it says, while Epic's reputation has also taken a hit.

"Epic may never see these users again," the lawsuit says.

But it did not back down from its fight against Apple, stating that the tech giant "is a monopolist."

Due to the legal row, Fortnite fans using iPhones or other Apple products no longer have access to the latest game updates, including the new season released at the end of August.

Apple does not allow users of its popular devices to download apps from anywhere but its App Store.

Agence France-Presse

Apple rejects Facebook’s gaming app, for at least the fifth time

Executives and engineers from Facebook’s games division submitted their new app, Facebook Gaming, to Apple last month for approval to offer it in the iPhone maker’s App Store.

Apple considered Facebook’s application for a few weeks. This month, it delivered its verdict: denied.

The Facebook team was not surprised. It wasn’t the first time Apple had said no to the Facebook Gaming app. Or the second. Or even the third.

Since February, Apple has rejected at least 5 versions of Facebook Gaming, according to 3 people with knowledge of the companies, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details are confidential. Each time, the people said, Apple cited its rules that prohibit apps with the “main purpose” of distributing casual games.

Facebook Gaming may also have been hurt by appearing to compete with Apple’s own sales of games, 2 of the people said. Games are by far the most lucrative category of mobile apps worldwide. Apple’s App Store, the only officially approved place for iPhone and iPad users to find new games and other programs, generated about $15 billion in revenue last year.


Apple’s rejections of the app from Facebook, a fellow Silicon Valley powerhouse, illustrate the control it exerts over the mobile software and entertainment ecosystem — clout that regulators are increasingly examining. On Tuesday, the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, said it had opened a formal antitrust investigation into Apple to determine if the terms that the company imposes on app developers violate competition rules.

“We need to ensure that Apple’s rules do not distort competition in markets where Apple is competing with other app developers,” said Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission executive vice president in charge of competition policy.

This week, Basecamp publicly complained that its new email app, Hey, had been denied from the App Store because it charged customers outside Apple’s payment system, keeping the giant company from collecting its 30 percent cut.

“We keep trying to find logic, consistency in Apple’s App Store decisions,” David Hansson, Basecamp’s co-founder and chief technology officer, wrote on Twitter. “The answer is much more basic: power. Apple can do what they want, when they want, so they do.”

Hansson added that the Justice Department’s antitrust division had contacted him earlier to talk about Apple.

Apple, which will hold its annual developer conference next week, said the App Store has many apps that offer casual games and that follow its rules, including the main Facebook app.

Facebook said it would release Facebook Gaming when Apple approved it.

Apple has long taken a “walled garden” approach to its mobile devices while its main mobile competitor, Google and its Android operating system, has adopted a more laissez-faire philosophy. Both companies take 30 percent of most purchases on their app stores, leaving 70 percent to app developers.

“Apple and Google Play have always pursued different strategies for their app stores, which align with the closed ecosystem — Apple — versus open ecosystem — Google — company attributes,” said Candice Mudrick, head of market analysis at Newzoo, a game industry research firm.

Apple has said it monitors its App Store ecosystem closely to ensure the highest standards of quality and security. According to its App Store principles: “When you download an app, it should work as promised. We carefully review each app and require developers to follow strict guidelines on privacy, design and business models.”

But over time, that has increasingly grated on some app developers. The European Union investigation into Apple was spurred by a complaint last year from Spotify, whose music-streaming service competes with Apple Music. Spotify and others have criticized Apple for charging a fee of up to 30 percent on digital services sold through its App Store, arguing that it amounts to a tax that violates competition laws. 


Facebook announced its Gaming app in April as people were sheltering in place from the coronavirus pandemic and playing more video games. For the social network, the new app was a way to more deeply engage its users.

The free app has 3 main components: watching live streams of other people playing games; socially networking with other gamers; and playing simple games like Words With Friends and Thug Life. On both Apple and Android devices, those simple games can be delivered within Facebook Gaming’s app using software called HTML5.


Google quickly approved Facebook Gaming for its Google Play app store and began offering the app worldwide April 20. In the Android version of Facebook Gaming, a catalog of simple games is presented by category and with colorful icons. Some of those games allow players to spend real money for in-game purchases.

Facebook initially submitted its Gaming app to Apple for approval in late February, said the people with knowledge of the situation. Apple rejected that version, they said, citing Section 4.7 of its app rules, which state that HTML5 games are allowed “as long as code distribution isn’t the main purpose of the app” and “the code is not offered in a store or store-like interface,” among other restrictions.

But the initial version of the Gaming app that Facebook showed to Apple was similar to the Android version, listing games by category in a manner that could be interpreted as “store-like.”

Trying to get the Gaming app through Apple’s review process, Facebook then changed the design of the presentation of games in several ways, the people said. The colorful icons were removed in favor of a bland listing. The different games categories were removed to list all games at once. The ability to sort games was also taken away.

Facebook also included a version that looked almost exactly like how such games are presented already within the main Facebook app on Apple devices, which is a single unalphabetized, unsortable list, the people said.

Apple said no to each of them, pointing to the same rule, they said.

In Facebook’s most recent submission, the Gaming app did not include a separate tab for playable games and included no way for the user to choose from a wide selection of games to play, the people said. Instead, that version suggested certain games within the user’s news and activity feed.

Apple denied it.

Since then, Facebook has been weighing its next move. The company is considering releasing Facebook Gaming on Apple devices without playable games at all, the people with knowledge of the social network said. Another option, they said, is continuing to make playable games even more difficult for users to find within the app. 

2020 The New York Times Company 

Asian Americans lead in Internet-based TV use, study shows

Asian Americans, more than any other group, are using digital devices and streaming services for their television viewing, according to a report made public Monday.

The Nielsen company study said that Asian Americans are becoming key consumers and influencers in entertainment and gaming.

And Asian Americans are proving to be more tech savvy as their purchasing power widens, the report found. They are leaving behind live TV for Internet-based viewing at nearly double the rate of the total U.S. population.

The survey titled “Engaging Asian American Consumers at the Dawn of a New Decade” looked at people who identified as being Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone or in combination with another race.


It found that about 82% of Asian Americans subscribe to at least one streaming service, compared to 72% of the total population.

According to Nielsen, Asian Americans believe streaming platforms are where they will see more representation of people like themselves on TV.

The report cited Netflix, whose programming includes Ken Jeong and Ali Wong’s comedy specials and the “Ugly Delicious” food show hosted by chef David Chang.

On gaming, the report found that Asian Americans are 14% more likely to own gaming consoles than other U.S, residents.

The U.S. Asian American population is the fastest-growing group of all major ethnic and racial groups among eligible U.S. voters, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. They make up more than 11 million, or nearly 5%, of the electorate.

Asian American spending surpassed $1 trillion in 2019, according to Nielsen. That figure is projected to reach $1.3 trillion in 2022.

AP

'Animal Crossing' and cooped-up gamers fire up Nintendo profits

Nintendo's popular Switch console and blockbuster games including "Animal Crossing" fuelled a strong rise in profits and sales, which were also helped by players being stuck at home because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Japanese gaming giant said Thursday it had notched up annual net profits of 258.6 billion yen ($2.4 billion) in the fiscal year to March, a gain of 33 percent from the year before.

Sales climbed nine percent to 1.3 trillion yen and the firm was quick to point out the success of "Animal Crossing: New Horizons", which it said had enjoyed the strongest-ever debut for a Nintendo Switch title.

"Nintendo Switch performed very well without losing momentum," the Kyoto-based firm said in a statement.

The conglomerate is one of a "handful" of major companies seeing significant business opportunities from the coronavirus outbreak, said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute in Tokyo.

"Demand for video games has shot up among people staying home following the outbreak," Yasuda told AFP.

Nintendo shares, which closed up 3.24 percent on Thursday before its earnings announcement, have surged some 27 percent since early March.

However, the firm also pointed to risks arising from the pandemic, including production and procurement of parts, and delays in Research and Development.

For the current fiscal year, the firm predicted reduced sales and profits, as the Switch enters a "crucial" fourth year -- past consoles began declining in popularity after three years.

Nintendo sees net profit at 200 billion yen for the fiscal year to March 2021, down 23 percent from the previous year, with annual sales forecast at 1.2 trillion yen, down 8.3 percent.

STAYING HOME WORLDWIDE

Yasuda said the popularity of the latest "Animal Crossing" title should continue to drive profits for the current fiscal year.

The leisurely game has struck a chord with players around the world, many of them enjoying a virtual release from the restrictions on movement and social activity imposed to contain coronavirus.

"'Animal Crossing' does not involve lots of violent actions," noted Yasuo Imanaka, chief analyst at Rakuten Securities.

The ability to invite online friends to play and shop together in this virtual world has appealed to those cooped up due to coronavirus, Imanaka told AFP.

"This perfectly fits the feeling of people staying home worldwide," said Imanaka, adding that the game's calm vibe was especially appealing to women and children.

Among other Nintendo titles, "Pokemon Sword" and "Pokemon Shield" have also become multi-million-unit sellers, following big hits "Super Mario Maker 2", "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening", and "Fire Emblem: Three Houses".

Launched in March 2017, the Switch has become a huge global seller, helped by innovative, family-friendly titles that have wowed critics and gamers alike.

Sales of both its regular Switch platform and the Switch Lite -- a smaller, cheaper version -- reached 21 million units for the fiscal year, well above its annual target upgraded three months ago.

Rival Sony is scheduled to report its annual results next week as it prepares to launch its next-generation PlayStation 5 console later this year.

Analyst Imanaka said games such as "Animal Crossing" would not fizzle out immediately as coronavirus restriction are gradually lifted.

"I am expecting those people who have started playing video games or online games will continue playing them in this quarter at least," Imanaka told AFP.

Agence France-Presse

Digital video game spending hits record high under virus lockdown

SAN FRANCISCO - Spending on digital video games hit a record high $10 billion in March as people stuck at home under coronavirus lockdowns turned to gaming, market tracker SuperData reported on Thursday.

Money spent on major console games leapt to $1.5 billion in March from $883 million in February, while spending on games played on high-performance personal computers climbed 56 percent to $567 million in the same comparison.

Console and PC games tend to be popular in Europe and North America where restrictions on going out were ramped up in March due to the pandemic.

"Individuals are turning to games as a reliable entertainment option during the COVID-19 crisis and are using online multiplayer to keep in touch with others," SuperData said in a blog post.

Overall revenue from digital video games for the month was up 11 percent year-on-year, according to the industry tracker.

Nintendo sold 5 million copies of its family friendly "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" in March, setting a sales record for the most units of a digital console game sold in a single month, SuperData said.

The closing of real-world stores due to the pandemic was cited as a factor in gamers purchasing more titles as digital downloads.

Spending rose 15 percent on mobile games, a lot of them played on smartphones, reaching $5.7 billion in March, SuperData reported.

Among other leading titles, "Pokemon Go" saw revenue for the mobile game grow 18 percent in March after maker Niantic modified features to make it easier to play without needing to be out and about, according to SuperData.

New-generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles along with games tailored for the hardware are expected to launch by the end of this year.

Microsoft has unveiled a name and look for its new gaming console, the Xbox Series X.

Meanwhile, Sony is readying a powerful PlayStation 5 for market.


Consoles face a potential threat from the advent of cloud gaming, however.

Google early this month made its Stadia online video game service free to provide an escape for those hunkered down at home because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Launched late last year, Stadia is crafted to let people access console-quality games as easily as they do email on an array of internet-linked devices.

"Keeping social distance is vital, but staying home for long periods can be difficult and feel isolating," Stadia vide president Phil Harrison said in an online post.

"Video games can be a valuable way to socialize with friends and family when you're stuck at home."

Google is offering free access to Stadia for two months. 

Agence France-Presse

New Lenovo Legion gaming devices to be available in PH in June 2020

MANILA -- Lenovo recently unveiled its new line of Legion gaming products, each promising a blend of performance, sleek design, and value.

The 2020 lineup includes two new PCs and six new laptops, with many of them fitted with the latest 10th Gen Intel Core H-Series or AMD Ryzen 4000 Series mobile processors, and up to the recently announced NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti and RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design.

The products also come with the Lenovo Legion Coldfront 2.0 thermal management for better air flow and lower system temperatures; a TrueStrike keyboard for 100% anti-ghosting and sub-millisecond response times; Dual Burn to optimize CPU and GPU performance; and Hybrid Mode, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, and Rapid Charge Pro for extended battery life up to eight hours.

Ian Tan, Asia-Pacific Gaming Lead at Lenovo, said they aim to address the needs of the "avid gamer" with the new Legion products.

In Lenovo's first virtual meeting with members of the Philippine media, he described their target market as those "who love performance and high-end gaming products but want a balance in their lives as well."

"Their average age is about 38. They've been playing games for about 30 years, from PCs to consoles," Tan said, noting that this group is a mix of 60% male and 40% female gamers. 

"Many of them have jobs... They work hard in the day and they play hard after work," he added.

Citing a consumer survey they conducted in 2018, Tan mentioned poor configuration options and thermal design, short battery life, washed out or inaccurate colors, mushy laptop keyboards, and sub-optimal designs as their target market's main pain points. 

He said many "avid gamers" are also turned off by the loud colors and designs normally associated with gaming laptops which could easily stand out in an office setting. 

"We wanted to bring maximum gaming to them while giving them a stylish design," he said. "People are sort of threatened by the scary colors and designs... it's hard to bring gaming laptops in the boardroom."

The new Lenovo Legion gaming devices are expected to be available in the Philippines starting in June, with prices ranging from P56,995 for the 15-inch Lenovo Legion 5 to P119,995 for the top-of-the-line Lenovo Legion 7i.

"The virus situation definitely has affected every business out there, but I'm glad to say that Lenovo has managed to weather through these difficulties," Tan said.

"We're on track to launch Legion in the same time frame as original plan," he added.

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LOOK: Sony unveils new DualSense controller for PlayStation 5

MANILA -- Sony has unveiled the controller for its forthcoming PlayStation 5 console, marking a departure from its previous DualShock pads.

Called DualSense, the new wireless controller complements PS5's Tempest 3D AudioTech engine with its haptic feedback feature and adaptive triggers in delivering "a new feeling of immersion" to players.

Hideaki Nishino, PlayStation's senior vice president for platform planning and management, said they have decided to "keep much of what gamers love about DualShock 4 intact, while also adding new functionality and refining the design."

"Based on our discussions with developers, we concluded that the sense of touch within gameplay, much like audio, hasn't been a big focus for many games. We had a great opportunity with PS5 to innovate by offering game creators the ability to explore how they can heighten that feeling of immersion through our new controller," he said in a post on the PlayStation blog.

"This is why we adopted haptic feedback, which adds a variety of powerful sensations you'll feel when you play, such as the slow grittiness of driving a car through mud," Nishino added. "We also incorporated adaptive triggers into the L2 and R2 buttons of DualSense so you can truly feel the tension of your actions, like when drawing a bow to shoot an arrow."

Sony adjusted the controller's grip and the angle of its hand triggers to make the DualSense "feel smaller than it looks."

Replacing the DualShock 4's "share" button is a "create" button which, Nishino said, will provide "new ways for players to create epic gameplay content to share with the world."

There is also an integrated microphone, and what appears to be a USB-C connector.

The DualShock 4's other features remain, but with light tweaks -- the PlayStation button is now cut in the actual shape of the PS logo, and the light bar has been moved to the sides of the touch pad.

Sony also went for a two-tone design for the DualSense, departing from its single-color base controllers.

The PlayStation 5 is slated for a Holiday 2020 launch, as confirmed by Sony Interactive Entertainment president and chief executive officer Jim Ryan.

"We look forward to sharing more information about PS5, including the console design, in the coming months," he said in a message posted by Nishino in his blog post.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Online gaming booms as virus lockdowns keep millions at home

HONG KONG - When 2 Spanish footballers took to the controls of "FIFA 20" after the coronavirus pandemic saw their La Liga match cancelled, a stadium-sized virtual audience watched online.

The huge digital crowd last week is part of a spectacular boom for the digital gaming industry, as record numbers flock to online servers for distraction, entertainment and friendship with the "real world" seemingly falling apart.

Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias kicked the winning goal using his own digital likeness in the 6-5 battle against Sevilla, which was broadcast on popular video game streaming platform Twitch.

It took place at the same time the original derby had been scheduled, before Spain's premier tournament was postponed as part of containment measures that have also seen the country's 46 million people largely confined to their homes.

"We do all of this to entertain all of you, so that you can be at home enjoying it, insofar as it is possible with this epidemic," the host of the broadcast told his audience of 60,000.

Nearly every country around the globe has reported cases of COVID-19 infection, with frantic efforts to contain the disease prompting the near total shutdown of some of the world's biggest cities. 

Online gaming has proved a welcome diversion for many people chafing at movement restrictions, the cancellation of countless public events and a relentless onslaught of news about the pandemic.

"It made me feel less depressed about being in a small space for a long time," said Yang An, who was made to quarantine for two weeks in China after returning to Shanghai from her hometown last month.

She told AFP that she passed the time by playing for up to 8 hours a day on her Nintendo Switch handheld console.

SURGING DEMAND 

Internet providers have scrambled to shore up their networks in the face of surging demand.

Gaming traffic on Verizon's network shot up an "unprecedented" 75 percent in the space of a week, the US telco said recently.

Software companies have also rushed to accommodate a record number of users.

Rockstar Games, publisher of the Wild West-themed adventure title "Red Dead Redemption", promised players it would keep its online servers running smoothly after it told its global workforce to work from home.

The company also teased a roll-out of extra in-game activities to keep housebound player glued to their controllers.

Online gaming communities could "go some of the way to create the public space that's been lost" in the wake of the pandemic, said Christian McCrea, a media studies lecturer specializing in games at Australia's RMIT University.

He pointed to Pokemon Go -- a smartphone game that became a worldwide phenomenon in 2016 when it lured millions of people onto the streets for a virtual monster hunt -- which was this month tweaked by its developer to make it easier for users to play at home.

'BIG IMPACT' 

McCrea said gaming habits were likely to see a massive transformation in the months ahead, with the prospect of further economic ructions and long stretches of social isolation looming on the horizon.

"Overall the big impact will be younger kids at home for months on end with parents out of work," he told AFP. "Games will be at the center of a lot of their spare time."

Video games have long been blamed for causing a suite of health issues, from repetitive strain injuries to eyesight problems.

The World Health Organization classified gaming addiction as an illness in 2018, the same year China launched a crackdown on the industry on concerns that youngsters were spending too much time online.

But veteran gamers now ironically appear among those best-placed to navigate the pandemic and its impact on everyday life.

Twitch streamer "Loeya" told her million-plus fans in a broadcast last week that travel restrictions and school closures in her native Sweden and elsewhere were unlikely to alter her own mostly indoors, game-heavy schedule. 

"Technically I self-quarantined myself, like, 3 years ago," the 22-year-old joked. 

Agence France-Presse 

PlayStation 5: What we know so far

Sony has unveiled the technical specifications of its PlayStation 5, with the next-generation console to include 3D audio and backwards compatibility of at least 100 PS4 titles.

PS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny gave a presentation which was streamed live on YouTube on Thursday (Manila time). It was originally intended for the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We had a dream of what might be possible five years from now," said Cerny about 3D audio, which will make virtual raindrops sound like they are hitting different surfaces around the player.

"This is a journey we'll all be taking together over the next few years. Ultimately, we're committed to enabling everyone to experience that next level of realism," he added.

Watch it 


Hideaki Nishino, PlayStation's senior vice president for platform planning and management, said in a blog post that PS5's new features "will allow developers to maximize their creativity, build expansive worlds and new play experiences in the games they design."

As for backwards compatibility, he wrote: "We recently took a look at the Top 100 PS4 titles as ranked by play time, and we're expecting almost all of them to be playable at launch on PS5. With more than 4,000 games published on PS4, we will continue the testing process and expand backwards compatibility coverage over time."

Despite the deep dive, Sony has yet to unveil images of the new console. 

For now, here are the official specs of the PS5:

CPU
- x86-64-AMD Ryzen™ “Zen 2”
- 8 Cores / 16 Threads
- Variable frequency, up to 3.5 GHz

GPU
- AMD Radeon™ RDNA 2-based graphics engine
- Ray Tracing Acceleration
- Variable frequency, up to 2.23 GHz (10.3 TFLOPS)

SYSTEM MEMORY
- GDDR6 16GB
- 448GB/s Bandwidth

SSD
- 825GB
- 5.5GB/s Read Bandwidth (Raw)

PS5 GAME DISC
- Ultra HD Blu-ray™, up to 100GB/disc

VIDEO OUT
- Support of 4K 120Hz TVs, 8K TVs, VRR (specified by HDMI ver.2.1)

AUDIO
- “Tempest” 3D AudioTech

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Gaming store chain DataBlitz closes all Luzon stores

MANILA -- DataBlitz is the latest company to announce closures in Luzon amid the lockdown on the main island to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in the Philippines.

On Wednesday, the local gaming store chain said all of its branches in Luzon will be closed until further notice.

Shops in Visayas and Mindanao remain open, except for Cagayan de Oro.

"Our thanks to everyone for your patience and kind understanding as we look forward to being of service to you again soon! Please to take care and keep safe!" it said in a Facebook post.


DataBlitz assured gaming enthusiasts that they can still place their orders via PIxelPlay on Lazada and Shopee.

Those who preordered the game "Animal Crossing," which will be released this Friday, are given two options: pick it up when the community quarantine is lifted and get a P500 gift certificate from DataBlitz for subsequent purchases; or cancel their purchase when the branch where they preordered reopens and get a refund.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Plague simulation game tops App Store gaming charts amid virus scare

MANILA -- Plague Inc., a game that recently went viral amid the global spread of the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, topped Apple's App Store gaming charts as of Thursday. 

This, despite reminders from the game developers that the game was "not a scientific model" to follow amid the global outbreak. 

The gaming app -- which allows players to create a pathogen in an effort to destroy the world with a deadly plague -- took over the top spot as Apple's "Top Paid" game, followed by NBA 2k20.

UK-based independent games studio Ndemic Creations previously said it has seen a trend in increase of players when a disease spreads across the world. 

However, it has also advised against "sensationalizing real-world issues" such as the global spread of the virus and recommended that players get information directly from local and global health authorities.

"We specifically designed the game to be realistic and informative, while not sensationalizing serious real-world issues. This has been recognized by the CDC and other leading medical organizations around the world," the developers said in a statement. 


The death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus has jumped past 500 and confirmed infections piled to around 30,000. 

Local health authorities have also reiterated that majority of those infected with the virus recover from the illness. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tencent, Nintendo to launch Switch console in China

SHANGHAI - Chinese internet giant Tencent and gaming titan Nintendo on Wednesday announced plans to launch the Japanese company's popular Switch console in China from next week.

Expectations for the console's launch in the world's largest games market has helped to push up Nintendo's share price this year.

The console will be sold in China from December 10 for 2,099 yuan ($297), the companies said at a launch event in Shanghai.

"Nintendo has long hoped to provide Chinese consumers with Nintendo's games and entertainment, and now this dream has come true," said Shigeru Miyamoto, the renowned game creator of "Super Mario Bros" and "Donkey Kong", said in a video message.

Nintendo had said earlier this year that it was working with Tencent -- China's leading online video game company as well as a giant in messaging and myriad other apps -- to roll out the Switch in China.

The Switch has become a huge global seller, aided by the release of innovative, family-friendly titles that have been well-received by critics and gamers.

The console will come with "New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Edition" pre-installed, with "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition" and "Super Mario Odyssey" also available soon, company officials said.

Tencent added that it would work to "enrich" the console's game line-up, including with titles created by Chinese developers, and that up to 20 games could be available to play on Switch in 2020.

China in 2014 began easing a more than decade-long ban on consoles imposed out of concern over the negative impact gaming may have on children.

Tencent itself was hammered by a Chinese government games crackdown launched last year that led to a months-long license approval freeze. The government again cited youth gaming addiction and other concerns as the reason.

The crackdown shaved around $250 billion off Tencent's stock market value by the end of last year.

China also last month imposed a curfew on gamers under 18.

Gaming analysts have said console-makers like Nintendo face an uphill climb in China, where smartphones have become the dominant gaming platform, due in large part to Tencent's success in online games.

source: news.abs-cbn.com