2-15-2019

2-15-2019

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Sony Explains Why It Will Be Skipping E3 This Year 

When Sony announced it would be skipping E3 2019, the industry took note because Sony hadn’t missed a single E3 in the conference’s 24-year history.  Sony’s Shawn Layden (SIE Worldwide Chairman) mentioned how the event was originally created in an era where the internet wasn’t readily available to most consumers.  Layden explained, “We have an event in February called Destination PlayStation, where we bring all retailers and third-party partners to come hear the story for the year. They’re making purchasing discussions in February. June, now, is just too late to have a Christmas holiday discussion with retailers. So retail has really dropped off. And journalists now, with the internet and the fact that 24/7 there is game news, it’s [E3] lost its impact around that.” 

Nintendo Direct Announcements: Switch News & Games Revealed 

Nintendo’s February 2019 Direct presentation on Wednesday has wrapped up and delivered some solid new information on a handful of games including the upcoming Fire EmblemThree Houses game for Nintendo Switch.  Super Mario Maker 2 has been announced, with a release window of June this year.  Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s 3.0 update is coming with an upcoming DLC character Joker. BoxBoy + BoxGirl is a brand-new game with 270 stages, including two-player co-op.  The Switch version of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is getting new DLC, some of which is paid (new challenges and courses) and some of which is free (a new co-op mode, which will be live in a few hours). Nintendo has revealed a remake of the Game Boy classic The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for the Nintendo Switch. Tetris 99 is a new, free-to-play twist on classic Tetris that pits 99 players against one another. Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed III Remaster will be available on Nintendo Switch on May 21. It will include a remaster of PlayStation Vita title Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, and the Tyranny of King Washington DLC.  Fire Emblem: Three Houses got an extended trailer showing off a bunch of narrative details about the game.  Other announcements covered: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, HellbladeSenua’s Sacrifice Announced For Nintendo Switch, Deltarune, Yoshi’s Crafted World, and Final Fantasy 9. 

Apex Legends Hits 25 Million Players by the End of Its First Week 

As we reported last week, Apex reached 1 million players in its first 24 hours.  Within the first week, it’s reached 25 million players with 2 million concurrent players.  One week ago, EA and Respawn unveiled a new contender in the battle royale genre.  

Sony Shuffles PlayStation Execs to Increase Focus on PlayStation Network 

Sony is shaking up its management structure for its PlayStation business, a move that signals increased emphasis on the company’s PlayStation Network. Starting April 1, Jim Ryan will become president and chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment, while the man currently holding that position, John Kodera, will become deputy president. CEO and president Kenichiro Yoshida signaled his intent to capitalize on the PlayStation Network’s audience to promote Sony’s entertainment businesses — namely, movies and music — earlier this year in an interview with the New York Times.