#59 Weekly Gaming News Industry Trends Round Up

Off The Grid introduces Scump content pack in the latest update. Echelon strengthens esports with $3M commitment to Parallel. Switch 2 is officially revealed and Nintendo is preparing to ship 20m units in first year. Mario Kart 9 is teased, 24-person races are coming. Unknown 9 Awakening deemed a failure, franchise plans cancelled. Sony cancels two live service projects including God of War title. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 bans another 136,000 cheaters, crossplay is now disabled. ITV has a smash-hit Hell's Kitchen game with 20M players but it’s on Roblox. Marvel Snap developer seeks new publisher after coming back online after its TikTok ban. Microsoft files patent for 'altering narrative experiences' with genAi And Trump's new tariffs could lead to more expensive video games. All this plus much more!

Also in our weekly round-up:

• EA Origin to shut down in April 2025 and it won’t be missed

• 90% of Africa's games industry revenue generated by mobile games

• GDC Survey: 41% of devs affected by layoffs in 2024

• Report: 77% of devs expect games industry to grow in 2025

Gaming News 🕹️

• Mario Kart 9 teased during Switch 2 reveal and the first look suggests 24-person races are coming

• Unknown 9 Awakening deemed a failure, franchise plans cancelled

• Call of Duty Black Ops 6 bans another 136,000 cheaters and Activision is disabling crossplay on console for Black Ops 6

• Palworld roadmap includes co-op, new Pals, and more

• Sony cancels two live service projects including God of War title

• EA Origin to shut down in April 2025

• IGF Awards 2025 finalists revealed

• A Nintendo Direct and in-person events for Switch 2 reveal is coming in April 2025

• New Sniper Elite Resistance trailer showcases its bone-crunching new features

• Mortal Kombat goes back to its roots with rumors of a new secret ninja coming to MK1

• Joker’s Balatro has sold over 1 million copies since December

• Ubisoft says Assassin's Creed Shadows will have less map icon hand holding and more player driven exploration

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth verified for Steam Deck handheld

• 14 new games are coming to Xbox Game Pass for January Phase 2

• DOOM: The Dark Ages leaked to launch on May 15

• NCSoft's Horizon MMO has also reportedly been canceled

• Diablo Immortal patch notes reveal an improving experience

• Genshin Impact might soon have to pay you money

• New York Game Awards 2025 winners: the full list

Web3 Games 🎯

• Ronin offers $10M grant program for Web3 developer growth

• Blockchain game investment list – BeraTone announces $2 million in seed funding

• Rumble Kong League ditches Avalanche for Ethereum and Ronin

• Earn FAME rewards by joining Ronin Squad in Rumble Kong League

• Mavens: gaming AI agents in 2025

• Saga appoints Fernando Vasconez as new head of gaming investments

• Goat Gaming unveils its money-making Telegram AI agents AlphaGOATs

• Sequence launches embedded cross-game wallet solution

• Pixels isn’t profitable … yet

• Sebastien Borget on how The Sandbox’s vision has become stronger via..

• Forgotten Runiverse overwhelmed by Crash the Runiverse stress test

• Marblex announces ‘fun comes first’ rebrand

• Sony just launched an Ethereum network—will it get Playstation games?

• Echelon strengthens esports with $3M commitment to Parallel

• Off The Grid introduces Scump content pack in latest update

• Eden: Discovery reveals official game trailer and Web3 partnership

Trends 📈

• Microsoft files patent for 'altering narrative experiences' with genAi

• ITV has a smash-hit Hell's Kitchen game with 20m players but its on Roblox

• A developer's guide to effective localization in Unreal Engine

• 90% of Africa's games industry revenue generated by mobile games

• Nintendo Switch modder arrested in Japan, setting new harsher precedent

• Trump's new tariffs could lead to more expensive video games

• Study finds majority of game dev companies use Generative AI already despite worker concerns

• Super Mario Bros. movie appears to have influenced a character design in Mario Kart 9

Industry News 🛡️

• VR studio Soul Assembly has laid off 15 percent of its workforce

• UK Games Fund nets 'next level' £5.5 million funding package for 2025 - 2025

• Genshin Impact maker will pay a $20 million fine to settle FTC charges that allege they misled players about lootbox odds

• Report: 77% of devs expect games industry to grow in 2025

• GDC Survey: 41% of devs affected by layoffs in 2024

• Marvel Snap developer seeks new publisher after coming back online in the US

• NIP To Relocate to Abu Dhabi in $40 million investment partnership

• Riot Games launches in-game events to raise funds for LA fire victims

Level Up Your Hardware 🎧

• Nintendo Switch 2 officially revealed

• Nintendo Reportedly Preparing to ship 20m Switch 2 units in first year

• Switch 2 vs. Steam Deck: How Nintendo's next console measures up

• What will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost? An analysis of Nintendo's pricing strategy

• Sony patents new tech focused on behavior tracking and reducing input lag

• Thrustmaster H.E.A.R.T. Controller review

• A first look at Nvidia's flagship RTX 5090 compared to the RTX 4090

• Dollars for DLSS: Is Nvidia's RTX 50 Series GPU worth it?

Esports Players & Teams News 🏆

• OpTic Texas punishes LA Thieves in the CDL as LAT Scrap Secures a Shocking Record

• World Series of Warzone players haven't received their winnings four months later

• INTERVIEW: G2A's CEO is optimistic about gaming in 2025 – 'The reset button has been hit'

• Ubisoft Reveals Six Invitational 2025 Groups ahead of February event

• Apex Legends X Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Event Announced

• Shopify Rebellion Merges with Ludwig and Cr1TiKaL's esports organization

• Liquid, T1, Gen.G highlight Overwatch esports' partner team list

• Marvel Rivals' Spring Festival Event is already being compared to Overwatch's Lúcioball

Guides, Tips and Tricks 🗝️

• When and where Godzilla spawns in Fortnite, and how to become Godzilla explained

• How to get the Rail Gun in Fortnite

• How to find campfire locations easily in Fortnite

• How to Use Rank Shields in VALORANT

• How to Preload Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PC—Pre-Download Guide Explained

• How to Trigger Recursive Destruction in Marvel Rivals

• How to Unlock Throwback Joker in Balatro

• How to get Dramatic Success in Dynasty Warriors: Origins

Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news and announcements!

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