Latest news with #gameDevelopment
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Nintendo Stock (NTDOF) Jumps as Veteran Warns AAA Development Is ‘Becoming Unsustainable'
Long-time Nintendo (NTDOF) collaborator Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kirby and director of the Super Smash Bros. series, warned that AAA game development is 'becoming unsustainable.' He points to the increased size of games and says that there's too much work needed on them. Despite this warning, NTDOF stock was up today. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Sakurai is far from the only video game developer who believes this. Several other prominent figures in the industry, including Sony's (SONY) former PlayStation head Shawn Layden, have warned that the growing cost to develop AAA games is a problem the industry needs to tackle. For Nintendo's part, the company releases several AA games, those with smaller budgets and development times, between its AAA releases. This allows it to have a variety of exclusive titles for its consoles and frequent game releases. This is what partially led to the success of the original Switch and could see lightning strike twice with the Switch 2. Sakurai's Suggestion to Solve the AAA Development Slog Sakurai didn't just complain about growing development costs for AAA games. He also suggested a potential solution. The Nintendo veteran believes that generative artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to make game development more efficient. Sakurai told IGN, 'I think we are getting to the point where (AAA studios) have to change their way of working by using gen AI to improve work efficiency.' He also noted that 'only the companies that successfully respond to these changes will be able to survive.' NTDOF stock was up 2.06% as of Tuesday morning, building on a 49.82% rally year-to-date and a 58.56% increase over the past 12 months. Is Nintendo Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Nintendo is Moderate Buy, based on eight Buy, two Hold, and a single Sell rating over the past three months. With that comes an average NTDOF stock price target of $91.34, representing a potential 4.7% upside for the shares. See more NTDOF stock analyst ratings Disclaimer & Disclosure Report an Issue
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"We must change our methods": Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai says game development has become "too time consuming and unsustainable"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has spoken about the current state of game development and why he believes it is becoming "unsustainable." You rarely hear much about developers when it comes to Nintendo games, but Masahiro Sakurai is well known as a workaholic. From 2012 until 2021, he worked on Super Smash Bros. non-stop between the 3DS, Wii U, and Switch editions, in the midst of suffering from calcific tendonitis. And in the five months he had off in between finishing up with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and his then-unknown next project – which was revealed to be Kirby Air Riders in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct – he created two-and-a-half years' worth of content for a YouTube channel. However, even Sakurai is beginning to think large-scale development is getting to be a bit wild, as we're currently in an era where it looks like developers like Naughty Dog will end up going a full console generation without a new game. Speaking to Yahoo Japan (translated via Source Gaming), Sakurai responds to a question asking what he believes the future of the gaming market holds, saying that, "To be honest, it's hard to see what the future holds. I think we've reached a point where creating large-scale games like we do now is too time consuming and unsustainable." He says developers must adapt to new ways of thinking: "I believe we are at a stage where we must change our methods, such as by using generative AI to improve work efficiency." Sakurai adds, "It seems that only companies that can adapt well to these changes will survive in the coming era." While Sakurai presents generative AI as a tool that could be used to ease game development troubles, he doesn't clarify if it's something he himself is particularly interested in using. Given how Sakurai's games typically have a ton of personal touches where you see them and think, "yep, that's a Sakurai thing," I'd be shocked if he started using the plagiarism machine. Super Smash Bros. creator says instead of making more "Americanized works," Japanese devs should "seek the uniqueness and fun of Japanese games."
Al Bawaba
25-06-2025
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Forge Tomorrow: The New Lenovo™ Legion 9i (18', 10) Brings Games to Life for Gamers and Developers from Vision to Victory
At Lenovo's Tech World Shanghai 2025, Lenovo announced the new Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10), a gaming laptop truly designed for games—both those who play them, and those who make them. Packed with features that not just deliver the ultimate gaming experience, but the ultimate game development experience. 'The most powerful gaming laptops deliver seamless performance even with the most demanding titles, and the new Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) laptop is designed to set a new standard,' said Jun Ouyang, Lenovo's Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Consumer Segment, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. 'Built with top-tier hardware and next-generation AI software innovations, it combines exceptional speed and intelligence — not just for immersive gaming, but also to empower game developers, AI engineers, and designers with the high performance and optional 2K 3D support they need to bring their visions to life.' Forge Tomorrow with the Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) Over 50% of announced games coming to current generation PCs and consoles are developed on Unreal Engine1, the world's most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool. The Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) is built for game developers, visual artists, and 3D professionals who need a device that can not only run their favorite released games but bring their own game designs to life. The 18' PureSight display on the device features up to 4K resolution in 2D, with optional 2K 3D support for designers who regularly work in 3D modeling to seamlessly realize their work in three dimensions without the need for a headset or separate 3D-capable display. The 3D display uses a combination of eye-tracking and lenticular lens array to deliver a 3D image without the need for special glasses. Lenovo 3D Studio likewise supports 3D viewing for a myriad of video, image, and streaming formats in both side-by-side and top-bottom arrangements. The software suite also supports 3D display for 30 games and myriad other creation apps. Both gamers and developers alike can also benefit from the Dual Mode functionality, switching from a 240Hz refresh rate at 4K up to a 440Hz refresh rate2 at FHD resolution when lightning fast, smooth graphics are paramount. The display features a 93% screen-to-body ratio, maximizing display space with razor thin bezels. With the increasing implementation of AI into workflows, the barrier to game development has lowered. AI has shortened development time intervals from years to as short as a few months3, and the Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) features AI-powered hardware and software to expedite games and game development for a gamer dev at a AAA studio to the home gamer with a dream. The laptop features the Lenovo AI Core chip and Lenovo AI Engine+, which work in tandem to dynamically adjust settings based on user scenario, maximizing performance whether gaming or rendering. Lenovo Legion Space likewise leverages AI to sync the device's RGB to in-game sound and whatever is being displayed, deepening immersion and ambiance by adding a visual experience to the device's new six-speaker sound system. The software's AI-powered Game Coach, Game Clip Master, and Game Companion features allow gamers to improve their gaming skills, quickly and seamlessly create shareable gaming content for social, and accompany gamers in-game with assistance and motivational encouragement. Read more about the recently redesigned Lenovo Legion Space here. The Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) delivers studio-grade performance, with four slots for RAM and four slots for SSDs, one of which is PCIe Gen 5. This means the laptop can support up to 192GB of dual channel DDR5 RAM4 to speed up rendering and rasterizing tasks, with more than enough headroom for even the most demanding games and supports up to 8TB of SSD storage4—enough space to keep both games and creative assets in one place. And with a 99.99 Whr battery, the Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) can be taken to meetings, pitches, or any place where work needs to be showcased. The Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 275HX processor and up to NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5090 GPU deliver a combined total of up to 280W combined CPU & GPU load, ensuring maximum performance across all applications, be they gaming or game development. Keeping the system cool and quiet is the Lenovo Legion Coldfront: Vapor thermal system including a vapor chamber, hyper chamber and quad fan system with dedicated fans over both the Wi-Fi card and SSD and RAM, keeping the system cool under heavy loads as well as quiet at <48dB at 280W in Performance Mode. The top cover of each Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) is as unique as the design work being done on it. Made of eight layers of aviation-grade carbon fiber hand applied and forged together, the resulting Forged Carbon laptop lid is lighter and stronger than aluminum, and thanks to the handcrafted manufacturing process, each top cover is one-of-a-kind. HDMI and DC in ports are located on the rear of the laptop and a bevy of ports on both sides, including a pair of Thunderbolt 5 ports on the left side for high-speed devices, storage, and displays. In addition to being at Lenovo's Tech World Shanghai event, the Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) will also be at Unreal Fest in Orlando, Florida starting June 2nd to give gamers and game developers from around the world an early hands-on look at the new device. Gamer-focused Software and Services The Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) comes with three complimentary months of PC Game Pass5 with access to hundreds of games and new games added all the time. For gamers who want an extra edge in their competitive gaming or need reinforcements should a tech issue arise, Legion Ultimate Support is available6 with 24/7 access to gamer-focused experts who can provide skill tips as well as tech support, performance optimization tips, and full coverage on parts and labor and next-day onsite repairs. The Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) is eligible for Lenovo's CO2 Offset Services, offering gamers the option to proactively help offset the estimated carbon emissions associated with their Lenovo Legion devices over their average lifecycle through the purchase of carbon credits to support climate action projects verified by independent third-party organizations such as United Nations, CDM, Gold Standard®, and Climate Action Reserve. These actions are transparent, verifiable, and seamlessly linked to the device's serial number. Stylish and Protective—Lenovo Legion 18' Armored Backpack II Perfect for taking the Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) on the road, the Lenovo Legion 18' Armored Backpack II combines durability, convenience, and style. Built for gamers, it features a rock-solid EVA molded front shield, as well as double-layered protection in the PC compartment. Other features include dedicated quick-access pockets for headset, keyboard, and mouse, while its padded and ventilated back with adjustable shoulder straps combine comfort and protection. Pricing & Availability7 • The Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) will be available starting June 2025, with an expected starting price of 4499 EUR (inc. VAT). • The Lenovo Legion 9i (18', 10) is expected to be available in North America in the 4th quarter of 2025. Full pricing information will be forthcoming. • The Lenovo Legion 18' Armored Backpack II will be available in select countries. Please contact the relevant local Lenovo office for pricing and availability.
The Verge
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Hideo Kojima sees Death Stranding 2 as a cautionary tale
For once, the unflappable Hideo Kojima was overwhelmed. Even close to four decades of game-making experience didn't prepare him for his biggest tribulation so far: developing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach during the covid-19 pandemic. 'I thought I can't pull this off. [I can't] meet people or scan people, or shoot with people. I almost gave up. And also the staff were all remote, and I became sick as well. I thought it was just the end of the world,' he says through an interpreter as part of a group interview in Sydney. 'I've been creating games throughout my career, but Death Stranding 2 was the most difficult challenge.' Even his initial scouting of Australia, where Death Stranding 2 is predominantly set, had to be carried out remotely via Zoom, with Kojima painstakingly directing a local contact to document the landscape on his behalf. 'Looking at it from a camera and to be there is totally different, so that's disappointing.' For Kojima, those experiences led to a different approach for the sequel. His own sense of isolation that arose from having to develop Death Stranding 2 with a remote team saw him reconsidering its tale — yet it's also this isolation that led to Kojima realizing the perils of digital connectivity. Kojima's curiosity around Australia was eventually sated. As part of a promotional world tour for Death Stranding 2, he has made his way to Australia to chat about the game with film director and his personal hero, George Miller, at the Sydney Film Festival. So drawn is Kojima to the local sights that the noted cinephile says he hasn't caught any movies at the festival. Instead, he spent the day at the zoo. Kojima's legacy as a game designer is anything but typical, from his earliest days as the creative force behind the much-acclaimed Metal Gear series to his less-than-amicable departure from Konami. And like Metal Gear's anti-war narrative, tumultuous world events have shaped the Death Stranding series, the first game being conceptualized in the midst of a politically charged climate back in 2016. He points to key events such as Brexit and the first Donald Trump administration, with thoughts of creating a game that focused on bringing people together. '[Back then] there was no theme in games about connections,' he explains. And a few months after Death Stranding was launched, the outbreak of covid soon upended everyday life, including Kojima's. The isolation he felt almost mirrored the sense of solitude that's so prevalent in the first Death Stranding. But at the same time, he seemed wary about the digital overload that came with having to stay online — to connect with one another — during the pandemic. 'I've been creating games throughout my career, but Death Stranding 2 was the most difficult challenge.' 'We had internet when we had this pandemic. It wasn't like during the Spanish flu,' he says. 'We could order things online, we could work online, we could connect via Zoom, or you could go to concerts; they do live concerts on the internet. So the society kind of changed to being very digital.' This digital dependence struck him as 'not always very healthy,' which is compounded by the prevalence of surveillance technology, such as facial recognition, during the pandemic. The sum of these experiences inspired him to rewrite Death Stranding 2 as a cautionary tale. The contrast between the two titles' messages lies in their logos. Kojima remarks that there's a marked difference between the original Death Stranding's logo and the sequel's. Unlike in the original, the tendrils — or the 'strands,' as he refers to these lines — are no longer emerging from the title, but are instead holding the name up in the sequel's logo. 'You see the strands coming to the logo. It's almost like [The] Godfather,' he says, referring to the seminal 1972 crime film. Seated at the front of a small conference room in the PlayStation office in Sydney, the 61-year-old Kojima appears more reticent since the previous Death Stranding world tour — perhaps a sign of weariness and prudence in the pandemic's aftermath. When I attended the Singapore leg of the tour in 2020, Kojima shook hands with journalists and conducted individual interviews, while fans who attended the event were invited to take pictures with him. 'It was an indirect connection to the game,' he said in an interview. The promotional event was, in a way, an extension of Death Stranding's themes of connectivity. But for the second world tour, at least in Sydney, journalists were invited to a group interview, and there was no fan interaction beyond his appearance at the Sydney Film Festival when he waved to eager fans who were hoping to catch a glimpse of the game designer before the event. I was informed by the PlayStation PR team that Kojima didn't want to risk getting ill again for the rest of the Death Stranding 2 world tour. This feels understandable; Sydney is, after all, only the second stop, and perhaps his bout of illness during the pandemic was alarming enough that he prefers putting some physical distance between himself and the public. Nonetheless, he is still in good spirits during the group interview, at one point even exclaiming that he is probably talking too much. 'This is another reason why I'm doing this world tour. I couldn't go out, travel, and meet people the past five years, so I thought it's about time.' Yet, at the heart of Kojima's introspection is still a desire to connect with people, particularly his fans. Part of the reason he's working on Physint is due to their desire to see another action-espionage game in the vein of Metal Gear. Death Stranding 2, meanwhile, has a greater focus on combat than the first, a feature that Kojima also partly attributed to Metal Gear's popularity. With more players familiar with Death Stranding's idiosyncrasies as a 'delivery game,' he's ready to make the sequel a tad more approachable. In a way, it's his way of bringing more people together through the Death Stranding series, which he refers to as 'a game of connections.' 'I think we're a little stronger,' Kojima says of the world after pandemic lockdowns. 'If you could use that experience [of connecting with one another] from the game, I want you to maybe use that experience in real life. Not just in your Death Stranding world, but after you go outside, you feel something in your real world every day, and I want you to link what you felt playing the game as well.'
Geek Culture
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
Dark Pac-Man Metroidvania ‘Shadow Labyrinth' Forgoes Hand-Holding, Encourages Experimentation And Skill Usage
Make no mistake, this isn't your grandfather's Pac-Man. Shadow Labyrinth , Bandai Namco's upcoming 2D Metroidvania side-scroller re-imagining of the classic 1980 arcade game icon, promises not only to show off the lovable yellow puck in a whole new light, but also marks a drastic departure from its simple pellet-munching gameplay roots with its sprawling maps, complex level design and intense, challenging combat encounters. We've already seen a glimpse of what the title has in store via a brief preview in May, but during an extended hour-long hands-on session with the title, we were able to get a better feel of how moment-to-moment gameplay works, and left with a notable observation – this game doesn't even bother to hold your hand. The preview was split into two sections: a gauntlet of puzzle-solving and combat, alongside a challenging boss encounter. While its core gameplay fundamentals and platforming elements remain unchanged from our previous session, the extended look did allow for a better understanding of its mission structure, level design and progression. And it's progression that ties any Metroidvania title together, Shadow Labyrinth included, as players will constantly learn new abilities throughout their journey in order to proceed forward on the game's main narrative path, or for backtracking to open new routes for additional rewards. Pertinent examples of such skills include double jumping and the ACTIV shot, the title's version of a grappling hook, though surprisingly, both were unavailable during some sections shown in the preview. Without the help of these two skills, traversal is decidedly more complicated this time around. Once again, much emphasis has to be made that the game does not feature objective markers, so it's up to the player to figure out how to move forward, identifying which areas can and can't be accessed at any moment based on the abilities available to them at that point in time. Take this one instance where, at one point, players are dropped into an area with no way of returning, with all other exits sealed off, bar one opening just out of jumping reach. A double jump would make quick work of the gap, but without it, and with no way back, players might feel at a loss for what to do, possibly even assuming that they had accidentally soft-locked the game by not learning a required ability before progressing to this point. The solution, it turns out, was to use a very specific ability, a mid-air dodge roll, to barely close the gap and slide into the tight opening. Waka waka and away we went! This very example was subsequently brought up during an accompanying interview with game producer Seigo Aizawa to understand the steps taken by the team to ensure the game's accessibility – especially for genre newcomers – and prevent players from hitting such roadblocks. Thankfully, he clarifies that this issue only arose due to the nature of the preview session, which drops players into the midpoint of the game without an explanation of core traversal mechanics. 'For this preview, we selected a section from the middle part of the game, and so we estimate that for first-time players, it would take around eight to 10 hours to reach this point,' explains Aizawa. 'In the full game, after acquiring a new skill, players are normally guided through a tutorial video or a tutorial stage to help them get used to how that skill is to be used.' 'Since we skipped all these parts for the preview, players understandably might be at a loss for what to do. Rest assured that in the main version, the game is designed to let the player and Swordsman No. 8 grow together by gradually mastering the controls as the story progresses.' Still, it remains to be seen how reliant on a player's knowledge of the tools at their disposal the game will get, with protagonist Swordsman No. 8's skillset bound to get even more complicated as the game progresses, requiring players to remember a constantly growing set of moves and then identifying which to use for different platforming sections. Without objective markers, simply progressing the game's main narrative path becomes a much trickier affair, as players might be tasked with obtaining a specific set of items to open up a blocked passage, with no guidance on where to go next. In the preview, the main route is blocked by a gate requiring a set of three tablet pieces, with the player left to find them on their own. After exhausting all other available route options, with most being blocked off in one form or another, players will eventually encounter an elevator leading to a three-way crossroad, eventually figuring out after tackling them one by one that each leads to a piece of the broken tablet. Reaching the end of each path is no cakewalk either, with one leading to the aforementioned area requiring a mid-air dodge roll, one featuring a tough encounter with waves of spawning enemies, and perhaps the most difficult one of all, a timed platforming challenge utilising Swordsman No. 8's mini-PUCK mode. While its platforming section isn't all that difficult, it was the timed element that really ramps up the challenge. Players have to first activate a button at the start of the section, opening up a door at the end and beginning an invisible timer. The thing is, this particular challenge requires patience, with the section revolving around grinding along a set path while avoiding slow-moving saw blades, jumping between the main path and strategically placed safe zones to wait until a blade has passed before continuing. On top of that, the entire section is suspended above a bottomless pit, spelling doom for any missed jump and sending players back to the start. Again, all this occurs while an invisible timer ticks down, and finally completing the section, only to realise that the timer had run out in the process and coming face to face with a closed door after all the effort would certainly have led to much frustration. Granted, some might find this constant trial and error thrilling, and its difficulty might even be a major selling point, but this might prove a harder sell for genre newcomers, especially considering how gamers from all skill levels might dive into the title because of its well-known Pac-Man IP, making accessibility even more important. To this end, Aizawa reassures that the game will adopt a step-by-step approach, allowing players to get used to the game's systems over time. 'Over the course of the game, players can obtain new skills and progress through its different stages, designed to help them naturally get used to these abilities before moving on to the next steps,' he explains. 'So I believe players do not have to feel worried, and can feel at ease while playing the game.' To its credit, the game's reliance on trial and error can lead to some interesting eureka moments, best seen in the preview during a closing boss encounter with a particularly challenging foe, the Jen Hybri. The hulking Jen Hybri monstrosity is menacing right from the get-go, with a design inspired by the classic 1988 Namco beat 'em up arcade game, Splatterhouse . In fact, many of the game's enemy and level designs were inspired by classic Namco games, with Aizawa explaining that Shadow Labyrinth is set within the United Galaxy Space Force (UGSF), the combined science fiction world of all Namco titles. Like the protagonist of Splatterhouse , the Jen Hybri wears a menacing mask that is more than just a fashion statement, as it is able to deflect all of Swordsman No. 8's blows with ease. Unable to target its massive head, the fight then boils down to timing, requiring skilful parrying of its attacks to create a brief opening to strike back, resulting in a risky back and forth while slowly whittling down its health. While achievable, this method is definitely challenging, with the game actually featuring a much easier solution instead – the use of Swordsman No. 8's GAIA mech form. When using GAIA, players are now able to shatter Jen Hybri's mask (something the game never makes known), exposing the boss's weak point. The tradeoff here is that it switches up its attack patterns upon its mask being broken, now featuring much more aggressive strikes. Still, with its head exposed, players are then free to utilise mid-air strikes to make quick work of Jen Hybri's lengthy health bar, making the fight much more manageable in the process. It's in these cases that the game's sparse guidance really shines through, offering the satisfying feeling of discovering new tactics to deal with challenging obstacles and encouraging players to experiment with new combat techniques with every encounter, with this combat flexibility being something that Aizawa is personally the most proud of. 'I really enjoy the heart-pounding action we created, and the variety of moves available. Once players get the hang of it, they can combine moves like ACTIV shot, aerial attacks and chain combos for some really stylish battles, something I hope everyone can enjoy.' Aizawa concludes. As it stands, Shadow Labyrinth has the potential to be a divisive title. On one hand, its near lack of guidance can make it daunting for players less familiar with the Metroidvania genre; on the other, the emphasis on player discovery can lead to immensely satisfying moments that simply won't exist with traditional objective markers. The question now, then, is whether the game can balance out these two extremes in its full release. Shadow Labyrinth will launch on 18 July 2025 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, the Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. Bandai Namco Geek Preview metroidvania pac-man Shadow Labyrinth
