Latest news with #MatPiscatella
Metro
7 days ago
- Business
- Metro
Video game spending has dropped almost 25% amongst young people
Young adults are spending less and less across the board, but the games industry has been hit the hardest. Gaming has never been the cheapest of hobbies, but it has undeniably become more expensive in recent years, to the point that many have had to cut back their spending. Not only has the price of consoles gone up, with the Nintendo Switch 2's £395.99 price tag considered affordable by comparison, but so have the games. The ninth generation began with Sony insisting it had to start charging £70 for games and now we have Nintendo asking up to £75 for Mario Kart World. Regardless of where you stand on whether such price increases accurately reflect the value of the games, there's no doubt that they're a key factor in why spending on gaming as a whole is seeing a decline, especially amongst young adults. Matt Piscatella, executive director and industry analyst at Circana, has shared a chart on Bluesky collating data on the average weekly spending among adults aged 18 to 24 in the US, within the four weeks ending in April 2025. Aside from gaming, the data covers spending on things like houseware, accessories, and clothing. Compared to the same period of time in 2024, there have been sharp declines in spending among young adults in all areas, with gaming seeing the largest impact – a drop of nearly 25%. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. For what it's worth, video game spending among all other age groups hasn't declined as much, but it's still dropped by about 1 or 2%. This isn't universal among other industries though, with spending on sports equipment and beauty products up this year. Video game spend among 18 to 24's is down sharply."Young grads are having a much tougher time finding jobs. Student-loan payments are restarting for millions of borrowers… credit-card delinquency rates have risen to their highest points since before the pandemic…" — Mat Piscatella (@ 2025-07-01T14:25:35.367Z While this data is specifically for the US, spending habits between it and the UK aren't dissimilar, so it's safe to assume that more or less the same applies here. Even if it didn't, the US is a massive and important market for the games industry, so this should still be cause for concern amongst games companies. This all lines up with past data. Last year, chip company AMD (which both Sony and Microsoft are partnering with on their next consoles) admitted that demand for gaming had become 'quite weak.' Earlier this year, another Circana report revealed that more than 70% of active PlayStation 5 and Xbox players in the US were dedicating a significant amount of time to playing at least one of the 10 most popular live service games, such as Fortnite, Call Of Duty, and Roblox, rather than any new releases. More Trending A big part of this is because they're free-to-play, so there's less of a barrier to entry. As such, anyone who enjoys games but can't justify spending upwards of £80 on new releases is more likely to shift their attention to free-to-play fare. This in turn stands to further incentivise studios into making live service games, which earn their money through microtransactions; a strategy Sony has obsessively chased for years, with very little success beyond Helldivers 2 (which wasn't even made in-house). But even that isn't guaranteed to address the industry's woes, as evidenced by how many live service games have crashed and burned over the years. This is best exemplified by a March report that showed the vast majority of PC players are not only primarily playing live service games, but ones that were at least two years old. With the likes of Counter-Strike and League Of Legends still holding a fierce chokehold on the market, what chance do any new live service games have? Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Over 6,000 people have lost their jobs at Xbox in less than two years MORE: EA thinks Battlefield 6 will be as big as Fortnite as it sets 100,000,000 player target MORE: Soon you'll be able to pay for DLC and microtransactions in instalments
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
EA Reviving College Basketball Series After College Football Broke Records
Fans of digital college basketball, get excited. Electronic Arts has officially announced that it is bringing back its college basketball franchise, though it might be a while before you get to play it. On June 30, EA Sports posted on social media a simple, short message that promised a lot: 'Bring the Madness. Let's run it back. #CBB #ItsInTheGame' The CBB likely stands for 'College Basketball.' Alongside this message, EA posted a photo of a basketball with the EA Sports logo slapped on it. The post is clearly a tease for a new college basketball game developed and published by EA. Matt Brown of Extra Points reported that the new game won't be called 'NCAA Basketball' but might instead be called EA Sports College Basketball. The NCAA will still be involved in the game as a 'licensing partner.' The upcoming college basketball game is reportedly still early in development and likely won't be out until 2028. Insider Gaming further corroborated this possible release window. Advertisement Kotaku hasreached out to EA Sports for more information on the game. 2009's NCAA Basketball 10 was the last EA Sports-published college basketball game. Since then, fans had hoped EA (or 2K, which published a few college ball games around 2006) would bring the franchise back. In 2024, reports surfaced that both EA and 2K were internally discussing potential college basketball games. The return of collegiate b-ball at EA is likely happening because EA Sports College Football 25 was a massive success for the publisher. That game became the best-selling sports game in history in less than a year. It was also one of the top-selling games in 2024. Even more impressive, according to Mat Piscatella, executive director and video game industry advisor at Circana, last year's college football game has already landed in the top 50 best-selling games of all time in the United States. So yeah, you can see why EA might be interested in doing a college basketball game again. . For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
CNN
05-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches today. Here's what to know
It's a big day for Nintendo fans. The gaming giant's new console, the Switch 2, arrives on store shelves globally after being announced in April — marking Nintendo's first major console launch since the original Switch arrived roughly eight years ago. And fans have clearly been waiting; 2.2 million people applied for a lottery system to buy the Switch 2 in Japan, according to a translation of an X post from Nintendo in April. Nearly all US Best Buy stores opened just after midnight to accommodate eager fans. The Switch 2, priced at $450 in the US, can be played in handheld mode, when propped up on a table; or on a TV when plugged in to its accompanying dock, like its predecessor. While the formula is the same as that of the original Switch, Nintendo has made significant upgrades to the hardware, including giving its new console a larger screen, upgraded versions of the Joy-Con controllers and new social features. Nintendo's decision to stick with a winning template for the Switch 2 is a testament to the original's popularity — but also a gamble that its success will endure for the better part of the next decade. While the 2017-era Switch introduced gamers to the concept of a home console that also serves as a portable game machine, the Switch 2 doubles down on that idea, amid growing competition from PC rivals like Valve and Lenovo that have emerged over the last three years. But Nintendo's catalogue of beloved characters and games could give it an edge against rivals. Gamers typically buy a Nintendo console because they want exclusive games, like 'Super Mario' or 'The Legend of Zelda,' despite owning another gaming device. 'The cross ownership rates historically between people that would own an Xbox or a PlayStation or a gaming PC, and who also own a Nintendo device, have always been pretty high compared to other systems,' Mat Piscatella, executive director for video game coverage at market research firm Circana, told CNN in April. The Switch 2 iterates its predecessor with several new features, including a Game Chat function that lets gamers communicate with other players by tapping a button on the console. Up to 12 players can chat at the same time, and players can share their screen in real time even when playing other games. Nintendo will also allow users to share certain games with other Switch owners while playing in person even if the other player doesn't own the title. Nintendo is also bringing some of its signature quirkiness to the Switch 2's social features; in addition to sharing their screen and video chatting with others, players' faces will pop up in a tiny bubble near their character in the Switch 2 edition of 'Super Mario Party: Jamboree' — an effort to make it feel like players are part of the game itself. However, it requires Nintendo's $55 camera that's sold separately. 'Being able to now take that (multiplayer) experience and virtually create it, we think, is something special, because we know more and more people are playing online,' Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser told CNN in April. The Switch 2's Joy-Con controllers, which attach to the Switch when it's being used as a handheld console or can be used separately, now support computer mouse-like functionality, unlike the previous version. That will allow players to drag the controllers across a surface — whether it be a table or person's lap — to control gameplay on screen. One new game called 'Drag x Drive' is designed around this idea; players pilot characters in powered-up wheelchair-like vehicles across a basketball court to shoot hoops by sliding and dragging Nintendo's new controllers. In the Switch 2 version of 'Metroid Prime 4: Beyond,' players will be able to move the Joy-Con like a mouse for more precise aiming when shooting enemies. 'People who may play on a PC with a mouse and a keyboard, that's an experience they can't replicate,' Bowser said. Nintendo has also given the console hardware a much-needed upgrade. The Switch 2 has a larger 7.9-inch display compared to the original Switch's 6.2-inch screen, and the Joy-Cons now snap to the console magnetically, which should make them easier to attach or remove from the console. The console has eight times as much storage as its predecessor and the dock supports 4K resolution, two changes that should give players more room to store games and improve how they look when connected to a compatible TV. Nintendo is pointing to these changes to justify the console's higher price, which is significantly above the $300 original. 'All of that lends itself to creating a price point that we think is a value to the consumer, because they'll see the benefit in all these features,' Bowser said. 'But it's also, we think, a reasonable price based on what we've been able to build into the device itself.' Nintendo's major launch title for the Switch 2 is 'Mario Kart World,' a new version of its popular cart racing game that lets players drive off-track to explore the world around them. Games coming later this year include 'Donkey Kong Bonanza,' which arrives on July 17, 'Drag x Drive,' 'Kirby Air Riders' and 'Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.' The Switch 2 can also run games for the original Switch, although Nintendo says on its website that some games may not be fully compatible or supported. But Nintendo is launching Switch Edition 2 versions of existing games that enable those titles to take advantage of the Switch 2's new hardware with improved visuals and new gameplay modes. Switch 2 editions of 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' and 'Tears of the Kingdom' are available now, while 'Super Mario Party Jamboree,' 'Kirby and the Forgotten Land' and 'Pokémon Legends: Z-A' will get Switch 2 editions later this year. Yes, Nintendo still sells previous Switch models including the $200 Switch Lite, $300 standard Switch and $350 Switch OLED. That's a benefit for shoppers who don't want to shell out $450, but it could also eat into demand for Nintendo's new system — especially since many major new titles aren't out yet. 'The Switch being so successful is a double-edged sword,' Piscatella said ahead of the Switch 2 debut in April. 'On the one hand, a huge, great positive base to build on. On the other hand, a huge target to try to reach in terms of the same level of success.'
CNN
05-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches today. Here's what to know
It's a big day for Nintendo fans. The gaming giant's new console, the Switch 2, arrives on store shelves globally after being announced in April — marking Nintendo's first major console launch since the original Switch arrived roughly eight years ago. And fans have clearly been waiting; 2.2 million people applied for a lottery system to buy the Switch 2 in Japan, according to a translation of an X post from Nintendo in April. Nearly all US Best Buy stores opened just after midnight to accommodate eager fans. The Switch 2, priced at $450 in the US, can be played in handheld mode, when propped up on a table; or on a TV when plugged in to its accompanying dock, like its predecessor. While the formula is the same as that of the original Switch, Nintendo has made significant upgrades to the hardware, including giving its new console a larger screen, upgraded versions of the Joy-Con controllers and new social features. Nintendo's decision to stick with a winning template for the Switch 2 is a testament to the original's popularity — but also a gamble that its success will endure for the better part of the next decade. While the 2017-era Switch introduced gamers to the concept of a home console that also serves as a portable game machine, the Switch 2 doubles down on that idea, amid growing competition from PC rivals like Valve and Lenovo that have emerged over the last three years. But Nintendo's catalogue of beloved characters and games could give it an edge against rivals. Gamers typically buy a Nintendo console because they want exclusive games, like 'Super Mario' or 'The Legend of Zelda,' despite owning another gaming device. 'The cross ownership rates historically between people that would own an Xbox or a PlayStation or a gaming PC, and who also own a Nintendo device, have always been pretty high compared to other systems,' Mat Piscatella, executive director for video game coverage at market research firm Circana, told CNN in April. The Switch 2 iterates its predecessor with several new features, including a Game Chat function that lets gamers communicate with other players by tapping a button on the console. Up to 12 players can chat at the same time, and players can share their screen in real time even when playing other games. Nintendo will also allow users to share certain games with other Switch owners while playing in person even if the other player doesn't own the title. Nintendo is also bringing some of its signature quirkiness to the Switch 2's social features; in addition to sharing their screen and video chatting with others, players' faces will pop up in a tiny bubble near their character in the Switch 2 edition of 'Super Mario Party: Jamboree' — an effort to make it feel like players are part of the game itself. However, it requires Nintendo's $55 camera that's sold separately. 'Being able to now take that (multiplayer) experience and virtually create it, we think, is something special, because we know more and more people are playing online,' Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser told CNN in April. The Switch 2's Joy-Con controllers, which attach to the Switch when it's being used as a handheld console or can be used separately, now support computer mouse-like functionality, unlike the previous version. That will allow players to drag the controllers across a surface — whether it be a table or person's lap — to control gameplay on screen. One new game called 'Drag x Drive' is designed around this idea; players pilot characters in powered-up wheelchair-like vehicles across a basketball court to shoot hoops by sliding and dragging Nintendo's new controllers. In the Switch 2 version of 'Metroid Prime 4: Beyond,' players will be able to move the Joy-Con like a mouse for more precise aiming when shooting enemies. 'People who may play on a PC with a mouse and a keyboard, that's an experience they can't replicate,' Bowser said. Nintendo has also given the console hardware a much-needed upgrade. The Switch 2 has a larger 7.9-inch display compared to the original Switch's 6.2-inch screen, and the Joy-Cons now snap to the console magnetically, which should make them easier to attach or remove from the console. The console has eight times as much storage as its predecessor and the dock supports 4K resolution, two changes that should give players more room to store games and improve how they look when connected to a compatible TV. Nintendo is pointing to these changes to justify the console's higher price, which is significantly above the $300 original. 'All of that lends itself to creating a price point that we think is a value to the consumer, because they'll see the benefit in all these features,' Bowser said. 'But it's also, we think, a reasonable price based on what we've been able to build into the device itself.' Nintendo's major launch title for the Switch 2 is 'Mario Kart World,' a new version of its popular cart racing game that lets players drive off-track to explore the world around them. Games coming later this year include 'Donkey Kong Bonanza,' which arrives on July 17, 'Drag x Drive,' 'Kirby Air Riders' and 'Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.' The Switch 2 can also run games for the original Switch, although Nintendo says on its website that some games may not be fully compatible or supported. But Nintendo is launching Switch Edition 2 versions of existing games that enable those titles to take advantage of the Switch 2's new hardware with improved visuals and new gameplay modes. Switch 2 editions of 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' and 'Tears of the Kingdom' are available now, while 'Super Mario Party Jamboree,' 'Kirby and the Forgotten Land' and 'Pokémon Legends: Z-A' will get Switch 2 editions later this year. Yes, Nintendo still sells previous Switch models including the $200 Switch Lite, $300 standard Switch and $350 Switch OLED. That's a benefit for shoppers who don't want to shell out $450, but it could also eat into demand for Nintendo's new system — especially since many major new titles aren't out yet. 'The Switch being so successful is a double-edged sword,' Piscatella said ahead of the Switch 2 debut in April. 'On the one hand, a huge, great positive base to build on. On the other hand, a huge target to try to reach in terms of the same level of success.'
CNN
05-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches today. Here's what to know
It's a big day for Nintendo fans. The gaming giant's new console, the Switch 2, arrives on store shelves globally after being announced in April — marking Nintendo's first major console launch since the original Switch arrived roughly eight years ago. And fans have clearly been waiting; 2.2 million people applied for a lottery system to buy the Switch 2 in Japan, according to a translation of an X post from Nintendo in April. Nearly all US Best Buy stores opened just after midnight to accommodate eager fans. The Switch 2, priced at $450 in the US, can be played in handheld mode, when propped up on a table; or on a TV when plugged in to its accompanying dock, like its predecessor. While the formula is the same as that of the original Switch, Nintendo has made significant upgrades to the hardware, including giving its new console a larger screen, upgraded versions of the Joy-Con controllers and new social features. Nintendo's decision to stick with a winning template for the Switch 2 is a testament to the original's popularity — but also a gamble that its success will endure for the better part of the next decade. While the 2017-era Switch introduced gamers to the concept of a home console that also serves as a portable game machine, the Switch 2 doubles down on that idea, amid growing competition from PC rivals like Valve and Lenovo that have emerged over the last three years. But Nintendo's catalogue of beloved characters and games could give it an edge against rivals. Gamers typically buy a Nintendo console because they want exclusive games, like 'Super Mario' or 'The Legend of Zelda,' despite owning another gaming device. 'The cross ownership rates historically between people that would own an Xbox or a PlayStation or a gaming PC, and who also own a Nintendo device, have always been pretty high compared to other systems,' Mat Piscatella, executive director for video game coverage at market research firm Circana, told CNN in April. The Switch 2 iterates its predecessor with several new features, including a Game Chat function that lets gamers communicate with other players by tapping a button on the console. Up to 12 players can chat at the same time, and players can share their screen in real time even when playing other games. Nintendo will also allow users to share certain games with other Switch owners while playing in person even if the other player doesn't own the title. Nintendo is also bringing some of its signature quirkiness to the Switch 2's social features; in addition to sharing their screen and video chatting with others, players' faces will pop up in a tiny bubble near their character in the Switch 2 edition of 'Super Mario Party: Jamboree' — an effort to make it feel like players are part of the game itself. However, it requires Nintendo's $55 camera that's sold separately. 'Being able to now take that (multiplayer) experience and virtually create it, we think, is something special, because we know more and more people are playing online,' Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser told CNN in April. The Switch 2's Joy-Con controllers, which attach to the Switch when it's being used as a handheld console or can be used separately, now support computer mouse-like functionality, unlike the previous version. That will allow players to drag the controllers across a surface — whether it be a table or person's lap — to control gameplay on screen. One new game called 'Drag x Drive' is designed around this idea; players pilot characters in powered-up wheelchair-like vehicles across a basketball court to shoot hoops by sliding and dragging Nintendo's new controllers. In the Switch 2 version of 'Metroid Prime 4: Beyond,' players will be able to move the Joy-Con like a mouse for more precise aiming when shooting enemies. 'People who may play on a PC with a mouse and a keyboard, that's an experience they can't replicate,' Bowser said. Nintendo has also given the console hardware a much-needed upgrade. The Switch 2 has a larger 7.9-inch display compared to the original Switch's 6.2-inch screen, and the Joy-Cons now snap to the console magnetically, which should make them easier to attach or remove from the console. The console has eight times as much storage as its predecessor and the dock supports 4K resolution, two changes that should give players more room to store games and improve how they look when connected to a compatible TV. Nintendo is pointing to these changes to justify the console's higher price, which is significantly above the $300 original. 'All of that lends itself to creating a price point that we think is a value to the consumer, because they'll see the benefit in all these features,' Bowser said. 'But it's also, we think, a reasonable price based on what we've been able to build into the device itself.' Nintendo's major launch title for the Switch 2 is 'Mario Kart World,' a new version of its popular cart racing game that lets players drive off-track to explore the world around them. Games coming later this year include 'Donkey Kong Bonanza,' which arrives on July 17, 'Drag x Drive,' 'Kirby Air Riders' and 'Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.' The Switch 2 can also run games for the original Switch, although Nintendo says on its website that some games may not be fully compatible or supported. But Nintendo is launching Switch Edition 2 versions of existing games that enable those titles to take advantage of the Switch 2's new hardware with improved visuals and new gameplay modes. Switch 2 editions of 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' and 'Tears of the Kingdom' are available now, while 'Super Mario Party Jamboree,' 'Kirby and the Forgotten Land' and 'Pokémon Legends: Z-A' will get Switch 2 editions later this year. Yes, Nintendo still sells previous Switch models including the $200 Switch Lite, $300 standard Switch and $350 Switch OLED. That's a benefit for shoppers who don't want to shell out $450, but it could also eat into demand for Nintendo's new system — especially since many major new titles aren't out yet. 'The Switch being so successful is a double-edged sword,' Piscatella said ahead of the Switch 2 debut in April. 'On the one hand, a huge, great positive base to build on. On the other hand, a huge target to try to reach in terms of the same level of success.'
