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DCEmu.Com is a site that brings you the very latest in Gaming news that isnt console specific and the latest Current Gen news from around the world, Part of the
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June 8th, 2020, 18:04 Posted By: wraggster
The UK government is expected to launch a call for evidence that will help it determine whether to reclassify video games with loot boxes as gambling products.
That's according to The Guardian, which reports the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will this week take the next step in its ongoing investigation into the impact of loot boxes, a monetisation mechanic that charges players for randomised items.
It is not quite clear what evidence the department requires, or when the deadline for this enquiry will be. GamesIndustry.biz has contacted DCMS for more information.
Concern about their use in video games spiked in 2017 -- particularly around the loot boxes originally planned for use in Star Wars Battlefront 2, which would have hindered progression for players who did not purchase these in-game items.
Since then, a DCMS committee has interviewed several representatives of the games industry about the use of this mechanic as part of an investigation into immersive and addictive technologies.
In September, the committee published its recommendations, including the assertion that paid loot boxes should be regulated under gambling law. The committee also called for a ban on the sale of games featuring loot boxes to children.
These recommendations were backed up by the UK Children's Commissioner, which also called for a ban on the sale of all non-cosmetic items, and the NHS's mental health director.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...ed-as-gambling
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June 7th, 2020, 11:13 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo Switch game Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition debuts at No.1 in the UK boxed charts.
The remake of the Wii RPG sold more than double that the original managed back in August 2011. Its sales are slightly below that of the launch of 2017's Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which arrived on Switch during the Christmas sales window.
This data only counts boxed game sales, and does not include downloads from the Nintendo eShop. All High Street games retail stores remain closed in the UK due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
The new No.1 means that Animal Crossing: New Horizons slips to No.2 after three consecutive weeks at the top. The Switch game fell 50% in sales week-on-week.
The other new release of the week was 2K's Borderlands: Legendary Collection, also for Nintendo Switch. The pack of Borderlands games reaches No.18, and sold barely 100 more units than BioShock: The Collection (No.22), which is another 2K title that arrived on Nintendo Switch this week.
A third 2K release, XCOM 2 Collection, was also released for Switch, but it was only available via the Nintendo eShop and therefore does not feature in this chart.
In fact, one game entirely missing from the boxed charts this week is Minecraft Dungeons, which was released across all platforms. But again, the Microsoft game was only available as a download, which is why it is absent.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...no-1-uk-charts
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June 7th, 2020, 11:09 Posted By: wraggster
Over the past five years, YouTube has become the most popular way for US children aged 3-12 to learn about new mobile games.
That's according to a new GameByte report from Interpret, which regularly surveys a panel of 1,000 American children on their gaming behaviors. The latest survey found 49% of respondents turning to YouTube for game recommendations, just edging out their friends (48%) and family (40%).
YouTube competitor Twitch trailed significantly when it came to mobile games, with just 12% of kids using it to find new titles.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-path-for-kids
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June 7th, 2020, 11:08 Posted By: wraggster
As much as the industry likes to say everyone is a gamer, a recent survey by NP Strategy Group shows a relatively small portion who actually identify as such.
NP Strategy Group has released its State of Play report, based on a survey conducted late last year with 3,003 US respondents. Of those, a little less than 38% (1,147) reported playing video games for 30 minutes or more a week -- the group's threshold for classifying someone as a game player.
However, most of the people classified as game players said they wouldn't self-identify as a gamer, with only 42% agreeing to the label.
NP looked at those responses split by gender, and discovered that women were far less likely to embrace the term: only 25% of women who played at least 30 minutes a week considered themselves gamers, while 55% of men did. Respondents were also given the option of reporting their gender as non-binary, other, or "prefer to self-describe," but none chose those fields.
That wasn't the only striking gap in survey responses between men and women. Men made up 56% of the people NP classified as game players, and that grew to 60% when respondents who said they only played mobile games were removed. But among those exclusive mobile players, 71% were women.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...ng-preferences
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May 28th, 2020, 21:27 Posted By: wraggster
Boxed games, accessories and consoles generated more than Ł130m for UK games retailers last month.
Over one million games were sold during April, making it the most successful April for physical game sales since 2015. It is a drop of 13% on March, but that was because of the launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which is the biggest game of the year so far. OK
All data is courtesy of GfK.
The best-selling boxed video game of April was Final Fantasy VII: Remake, although the game didn't quite reach the sales heights of 2016's Final Fantasy XV. The remake suffered distribution challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another game that was likely impacted by the crisis was the remake of Resident Evil 3, which was the fifth best-selling game of the month.
Nintendo remains the dominant games publisher, with the company's games accounting for 21.5% of all boxed titles sold in the UK last month.
Almost 210,000 games consoles were sold during April, which generated in excess of Ł50 million. All three major games consoles - Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PS4 - have sold more units during the first four months of 2020 than they did during the same period in 2019. All three platforms have seen a surge in sales since the UK entered lockdown, with consumers buying consoles to keep themselves occupied during the situation. Well over half a million games consoles have been sold in the UK between March and April, which is a rise of more than 48% over the same period in 2019.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-in-five-years
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May 28th, 2020, 21:21 Posted By: wraggster
Madden NFL will be the only NFL simulation game in town for years to come.
Electronic Arts today announced that it has officially renewed its partnership with the NFL and the NFLPA for multiple years, ensuring that the publisher "will continue to deliver the only authentic football simulation game available to players around the world."
The Madden series won't be EA's only NFL games. The company said it will also bring the license to more genres, including new arcade-style and mobile experiences.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...nfl-nflpa-deal
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May 26th, 2020, 17:57 Posted By: wraggster
A surge in console sales drove the US video games market to its best April to date.
The NPD Group's latest figures show hardware sales more than doubled year-on-year, up 163% to $420 million.
It's the highest April hardware spend since 2008's $427 million. Year-to-date spending on consoles has risen by 30% year-on-year to $1.2 billion.
The main driver of this growth has been Nintendo Switch, no doubt buoyed by the ongoing success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, plus the COVID-19 prevention measures which have seen much of the nation stay at home, in need of entertainment.
Nintendo's console topped both the unit sales and dollar rankings in the US last month. Year-to-date dollar sales of Nintendo Switch are now the highest for any platform in US history, shattering the record set by the Wii in April 2009.
But it's worth noting that Sony and Microsoft also fared well last month. As with the Switch, both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One saw hardware sales rise by more than 160% when compared to April 2019.
Total spending on games hardware, software, accessories and game cards rose 73% year-on-year to $1.5 billion, setting a new record for an April month's reported spend. The previous bar was set by April 2008, when US gamers spent $1.2 billion.
Year-to-date total spend stands at $4.5 billion, up 12% compared to this point last year.
Software naturally generated the most dollar sales at $662 million -- also a record high for an April month. The previous record was $642 million, again in April 2008.
The US has spent more than $2 billion on games software so far this year, 6% higher than the same period in 2019.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...ent-to-usd420m
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May 26th, 2020, 17:53 Posted By: wraggster
Deep Silver's Maneater and Saints Row: The Third - Remastered are the only new games in this week's UK boxed charts.
Maneater is a game where players take control of a shark, and it makes its debut at No.6. Meanwhile, the Saints Row update comes in just behind at No.7.
Outside of those two new titles, it's a pretty typical chart that is once again dominated by Nintendo games. In fact, there are 13 first-party Switch titles in the top 40 this week.
The Nintendo game leading the way continues to be Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which retains its No.1 position despite a 28% fall in sales week-on-week. Its nearest rival is Mario Kart 8: Deluxe at No.2, which saw a spike in sales of 46% following the arrival of more stock.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...endo-dominates
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May 12th, 2020, 20:18 Posted By: wraggster
The organisers of ChinaJoy, China's major video games event, said this year's show will go ahead as planned.
Local news publication Shine -- formerly known as Shanghai Daily -- reports that special measures will be introduced to account for the COVID-19 pandemic at this year's ChinaJoy Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference.
Measures include the requirement for a real name and green health QR code during pre-registration, as well as temperature measurement throughout the show.
Exhibitors have also been told to stagger their displays to allow for more distance between attendees.
The show will once again be held at Shanghai New International Expo Center, running from July 31 to August 3.
Last year, ChinaJoy reported a record attendance of 364,700 across the four-day event.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...spite-pandemic
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May 11th, 2020, 16:46 Posted By: wraggster
Video game arcades are among the businesses due to resume operations in Hong Kong this Friday.
The city announced new guidelines this week, which will allow certain companies to reopen their establishments in order to boost the economy, The Register reports.
In addition to "amusement game centres", Hong Kong will also allow cinemas, gyms, bars and beauty salons to open their doors at the end of the week.
However, there will be some restrictions. Arcade operators will need to either form barriers between machines, or ensure that every second console is inactive.
The city has also restricted the number of people that may gather in a group, although this is due to be raised from four to eight.
A spokesperson from the Food and Health Bureau said: "In light of the more stabilised situation in Hong Kon in terms of the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the recent weeks... a window of opportunity exists for us to life some of the social distancing measures at the moment."
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...ades-this-week
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May 11th, 2020, 16:32 Posted By: wraggster
Tokyo Game Show is the latest major industry event to cancel plans for a physical gathering.
The show was due to take place from September 24 to 27 at the Japanese capital's Makuhari Messe.
However, organisers CESA, Nikkei and Dentsu have announced the event will be converted to an online edition, VGC reports.
"Due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on a global scale and the situation remains unpredictable in Japan as well, the organizer and the co-organizers have reached [this] decision after a long consideration to place the utmost priority on the health and safety of visitors, exhibitors and stakeholders," the organisers said in a statement.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...2020-cancelled
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May 11th, 2020, 16:27 Posted By: wraggster
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is back at No.1 in the UK after sales surged 135% week-on-week.
The increase follows an influx of physical stock into the market last week. The previous week's No.1, FIFA 20, slips to No.3.
Nintendo's big new Switch game has far exceeded expectations globally, with the game already surpassing Nintendo's lifetime expectations in just six weeks.
Outside of Animal Crossing, it's a pretty quiet week for new boxed game releases, with no new titles in the Top 40. The second best-selling game of the week is the unstoppable Grand Theft Auto V, which saw a sales bump of 47% week-on-week.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...ge-135-percent
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May 4th, 2020, 22:45 Posted By: wraggster
GDC Summer, the August replacement for the cancelled March Game Developers Conference, has been shifted to an all-digital event due to COVID-19.
The event was set previously for August 4 through 6, with no word currently on whether or not these will be shifted to account for the event no longer taking place at San Francisco's Moscone Center.
"As so many game developers embrace remote working arrangements and online collaboration, we're inspired to adapt and deliver GDC in a digital format that will be available to everyone with an internet connection, and will work hard to deliver the high-quality content and networking opportunities GDC attendees have come to expect," reads the announcement from GDC.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-digital-event
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May 4th, 2020, 21:57 Posted By: wraggster
While other companies appear to be distancing themselves from early June after COVID-19 forced E3 2020's cancellation, EA at least is still going forward with its plans.
The publisher has announced that EA Play Live will take place on Thursday, June 11 at 4:00 p.m. PT, featuring a live broadcast, community content, and world premieres of upcoming games.
EA has been holding its own E3-adjacent event since 2016, when it declined to have a booth on the show floor and instead began hosting a multi-day festival in LA in a separate location.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-in-early-june
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May 4th, 2020, 21:53 Posted By: wraggster
Gaming has surged in China throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, though players are primarily gravitating toward older, more familiar titles.
According to Niko Partners' report on The Impact of COVID-19 on China's Video Game Market, gaming revenue in China was up roughly 30% year-over-year during Q1 2020 -- while much of China was under various stages of quarantine.
Through a survey of 1,057 Chinese gamers, Niko Partners found that 97% of respondents were spending more time on mobile games than they had prior to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, 95% said they were spending more time with PC games, and 95% were playing more console games.
Much of this uptick in gaming time was spent with familiar titles, as 89% reported sticking with games that were familiar to them, and 61% saying they returned to a game they had previously played but had stopped.
However, 75% of those surveyed said they had tried to play games on a new platform (mobile, PC, or console) since the outbreak began.
Viewership of gaming in China was also up, with 62% of respondents staying they were spending more time watching esports, 65% watching more video game live streams, and 40% saying they had tried live streaming themselves for the first time.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...under-lockdown
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April 29th, 2020, 20:47 Posted By: wraggster
For all the advances video games have made in attracting broader audiences, there's one demographic that's always important to continue reaching out to: parents and carers.
Over the decades, the games industry has gone to great lengths to educate those with young children about the content of its products, the potential risks involved in online play, the availability of parental controls, and so on.
Yet, there is still concern around the way kids engage with video games, whether it's the ongoing notion that they're all addicted to Minecraft/Fortnite/[Insert popular game here] or that they're being manipulated by predatory monetisation mechanics.
Efforts to educate parents about video games have been numerous over the years, such as marketing and awareness campaigns like the Get Smart About Play initiative by UK trade body UKIE.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...ix-style-lists
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April 29th, 2020, 16:35 Posted By: wraggster
The Chinese government has blocked a coronavirus-themed game from Steam because of its political motivations.
Developed by MythZ, Coronavirus Attack sees players trying to stop "self zombies" from leaving a country infected with the virus.
While the game itself doesn't directly name China, it references the nation's flag with virus-shaped animations instead of stars.
It also features a number of achievements such as "Liberate Hong Kong" and "Taiwan is not China" -- a reference to how Taiwanese developer Red Candle Games saw its PC horror title Devotion removed from Steam for containing an art asset which described China's president for life Xi Jinping as "Winnie the Pooh moron."
"A selfish-zombie virus has infected throughout the country," reads the game's description. "The virus carriers are attempting to flee the country.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...steam-in-china
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April 29th, 2020, 11:49 Posted By: wraggster
The UK games industry has launched a new initiative offering free games to NHS front line workers fighting COVID-19.
Backed by dozens of game companies -- including Electronic Arts, Xbox and Media Molecule -- Games for Carers will provide a free game or game subscription to NHS staff.
By entering their NHS email address, healthcare workers can securely access their free game or subscription on the Games for Carers website.
Conceived by journalist Chris Scullion, and with support from trade body UKIE and influencer marketing solutions firm Keymailer, more than 85,000 games across a range of genres, platforms and age ratings are available.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...to-nhs-workers
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April 29th, 2020, 11:48 Posted By: wraggster
The battle royale spin-off of Call of Duty has already made a big impact in China, based on figures from the nation's largest streaming platform.
Analyst firm Niko Partners, which specialises in the Asian games market, has shared statistics from leading site Douyu to mark the launch of its new China games streaming tracker.
Its first monthly report shows that Call of Duty: Warzone, which launched on March 10, ranked as the ninth most popular game of the month, based on Douyu's heat index. This is calculated based on hours streamed, number of unique streamers, and amount generated in tips to streamers.
Call of Duty: Warzone racked up 156,188 hours streamed during the month, spread across 6,860 unique streamers. They received RMB 2.25 million ($317,509) in tips throughout March.
Warzone was the highest placing new release of the month.
Activision Blizzard is also the only Western publisher to be directly represented in the rankings. Games from other Western firms are listed by their local Chinese publishers, including Blizzard's own World of Warcraft and Overwatch, which are both handled by NetEase in the region.
The highest ranking Western-developed title is League of Legends at No.3, created by Riot Games but published in China by Tencent. The popular MOBA was streamed for over 900,000 hours by 42,607 streamers and generated RMB $24.5 million ($3.46 million).
The biggest game of the month was Tencent's flagship MOBA Honor of Kings -- known as Arena of Valor in the West. That racked up 469,326 hours streamed across 62,294 streamers. It generated RMB 21.6 million ($3.05 million).
Honor of Kings has been the most popular game in China every year since it launched in October 2016.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...aming-rankings
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April 27th, 2020, 22:28 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo Switch boxed games jumped in sales week-on-week as more stock became available to retailers.
The No.1 game of the week was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, making its return to the top for the first time since it launched. The Switch exclusive saw a 53% jump in sales over the previous week.
It means FIFA 20 slips to No.2. The EA game loses its place despite sales only dropping 1% week-on-week.
A game that continues to leap up the charts is Ring Fit Adventure, which is also for Nintendo Switch. The game has been much sought after as a means for people to keep fit during the current lockdown situation, but Nintendo has struggled to meet the demand. Over the past three weeks, regular shipments has seen the game reach No.25, then No.10 and now the game is at No.4 after a 95% jump in sales week-on-week. The fitness title is now sold out once again.
Other big Switch games include Mario Kart 8: Deluxe at No.7, which saw a sales bump of 10% week-on-week, and Luigi's Mansion 3 at No.9, which is up 8%.
It's another quiet week for physical game releases, although there is one new title in the form of Trials of Mana. The Square Enix RPG makes No.16, with 61% of sales coming on Switch and the remainder on PlayStation 4.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...no-1-in-the-uk
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