It’s time once again for us to take a look at the week that’s just gone by in the gaming world, and we’re smack bang in the middle of financials season, so expect plenty of numbers.
That’s not to say other things aren’t going on, of course; just that many studios are choosing now to report what their 2024 fiscal year looked like.
Without further ado, then, let’s do what we always do and get started with our recap. Here’s what’s been going on in the world of gaming this week!
Sega’s profits aren’t looking so hot
We’ll kick off financials week with Sega, which saw its profits decline in 2024 despite the fact that some of its games did very well indeed.
According to the Japanese company, profits fell by almost 20% this year, although Sega says it expects them to increase again next year.
That’s despite a strong performance from new JRPG IP Metaphor: ReFantazio, as well as “strong performance of high-margin repeat sales, DLC sales, and license revenue”, not to mention Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s impressive box office performance.
A current-gen port of Grand Theft Auto IV could be coming
According to a well-respected Rockstar leaker and insider, a port of underrated 2008 classic Grand Theft Auto IV could be coming to current-gen consoles as early as this year.
Insider Tez2 says that the port has spent around “a year in development”, and that this is part of the reason that the Liberty City Preservation Project mod, which brought GTA IV’s city into GTA V, was taken down.
Of course, we’ve only got Tez2’s word for this; the port hasn’t officially been announced yet, so you should take their words with a pinch of salt until Rockstar reveals something concrete.
Amazon’s Fallout series is getting a third season
Ahead of Amazon’s Fallout series getting its second season later this year, a third season has already been greenlit, speaking to the popularity of the show.
Amazon says the second season of Fallout will premiere in December, and that a third season will follow, although it’s not clear whether it’ll retain the same cast.
We also don’t know where the third season will be set, although we do know the second season is heading to New Vegas, so perhaps we can expect the third to move to the Boston Commonwealth or the Capital Wasteland.
Capcom has had another record-breaking year
It’s been another excellent year for Capcom; a press release this week revealed that the company has achieved record-breaking sales and profit for the eighth year in a row.
Capcom’s strong performance was largely driven by the hugely successful release of Monster Hunter Wilds, which sold ten million copies in a single month.
That performance also appears to have lifted up other Monster Hunter games, driving a resurgence of interest in the franchise as a whole, and it’s not difficult to see how Capcom has benefited from that resurgence.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has been delayed
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, the upcoming action-adventure game set during the Marvel universe’s Second World War (although not the MCU equivalent), has been delayed.
Developer Skydance Games said this week that the game will need more time in development, and that it’s now set for an early 2026 launch.
It’s worth remembering at this point that we still haven’t seen any gameplay for the game whatsoever; all that exists of it at this point is a single cinematic story trailer, so what the game will actually play like is anyone’s guess.
Mobile game Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link has been cancelled
This week saw the cancellation of mobile game Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, which was announced alongside mainline entry Kingdom Hearts IV way back in the mists of 2022.
The developers of Missing-Link say that while they “worked hard” on developing the game, they eventually decided that it would be “difficult” to offer a service “that players would find satisfactory”.
Kudos for honesty, we suppose. At the very least, Kingdom Hearts IV is still coming, and new screenshots were shared this week to prove it, although they don’t show much more than we’ve already seen.
Square Enix’s sales are down, but profits are looking rosier
We continue with financials week by looking at Square Enix, which announced this week that its profits are up even though its sales have fallen on last year.
The studio says that its profit increase is “mainly due to stronger sales of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake than initial assumptions”, so if you bought that game, you can pat yourself on the back.
This financial year also brought a new Final Fantasy XIV expansion in the form of Dawntrail, which sold well despite a mixed critical reception.
Ubisoft isn’t having the best year
While Capcom can claim one of its best years ever, and Sega and Square Enix at least don’t appear to be having the worst time of it, the same arguably can’t be said for Ubisoft.
This financial year, the company saw sales and profit falling in a dismal performance that couldn’t be saved by the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows in March.
Ubisoft says that it’s already achieved around €200m in cost reduction, and that it’s looking to proceed with its program by cutting another €100m of spending. Expect more staff layoffs and potentially more studio closures as well.
Bungie admits to stealing artwork for Marathon
In an admission that will probably not shock you if you’ve been paying attention to Bungie’s shenanigans over the past couple of years, the studio has admitted to stealing more artwork.
This time around, it’s artist Fern Hook, also known as Antireal, whose work has been appropriated for a Bungie game. Bungie says the art was stolen by a “former” artist and that a full review of its assets will be conducted.
As noted by Eurogamer, this is far from the first time Bungie has been caught with its hand in the fan-art cookie jar, and we doubt it’ll be the last, either.
