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PlayStation 3 had 1.9 million monthly active users as of February 2023

There have been a lot of leaks surrounding PlayStation and some of their studios revealing new information that the public might have never seen if it wasn’t for this massive breach. A slide spotted by Exputer shares that PlayStation 3 still has a very active player base and it’s in the millions. As of February 2023, the PlayStation 3 had 1.9 million monthly active users which comes as a surprise for the 2006 console. You can see the chart below: As that chart shows, PlayStation 5 had 37.1 million monthly active users and this was months before Sony announced they sold 50 million PS5 consoles. PlayStation 4 active users sat at 71.5 million which looked like it was on a decline while PS5 was on the rise. Source: Reddit

PlayStation Plus Free Monthly Games Kicks Off 2024 With A Plague Tale: Requiem, Evil West, Nobody Saves The World

Engagement for PlayStation Plus this year has been at a record high. One year after the release of the new revamped tiers for the subscription, it was evident there was no sign of stopping. And now at the foot end of 2023, there is still proof the service is keeping players returning. The free monthly titles for December 2023 include Lego 2K Drive, Power Wash Simulator, and Sable. Additionally, the catalog titles for Extra & Premium users is also promising. The lineup includes Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Metal: Hellsinger, Grand Theft Auto V just to name a few. But, there is more than just games. One report goes on to suggest that Sony Interactive Entertainment is planning to tackle the Xbox Game Pass route with a larger, interconnected ecosystem across PC and mobile as well potentially. But to kick off 2024, the new lineup for free PlayStation Plus is a strong note. In that, the new year will introduce A Plague Tale: Requiem, Evil West, and Nobody Saves the World. Both Evil West & Nobody Saves the World will feature PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions whilst A Plague Tale: Requiem is only unique to the newer PlayStation 5. From our review for A Plague Tale: Requiem, we wrote: “Requiem is so flawlessly tied together that every aspect impacts another. It is beyond clear that Requiem is not about the end result as there is only one ending to the game. […] A Plague Tale: Requiem is not just a game. It is a must play, flawless experience which teaches you how to better one’s own life through the eyes of a child.” We also urge you read our review for Evil West also. “In general, everything Evil West does it does very well. Sure, there are some things you may feel are missing like side quests or what not, but that’s not this type of game. Evil West brings back the old school feel of third-person brawlers like Gears, God of War or even Bulletstorm.” What has you most excited for the January 2024 free PlayStation Plus titles? A Plague Tale: Requiem, Evil West, and Nobody Saves the World comes to PlayStation Plus on January 2, 2024 until February 5, 2024. Source: PlayStation Blog

Microsoft Confirms To Close Its Windows Mixed Reality Platform

Recently, the state of virtual reality has been in disarray for certain companies. For PlayStation, the initiative has illustrated to be less rewarding than initially expected. According to sales charts from XR Fun, it is revealed that the new PlayStation VR 2 is selling well behind the Meta Quests. Comparing to the previous Meta Quest 2, it is at a 10:1 disadvantage. But, that is not all. Elsewhere, it was also reported that the grasp on the VR market still troubles Sony Interactive Entertainment. In a statement from head of global business Eric Lempel, he told The Financial Times that “it’s a bit of a challenging category right now,” regarding virtual reality. Even more, a prominent PlayStation VR studio is shutting down due to “the lack of support for VR within the industry” over at First Contact Entertainment. According to a new report from UploadVR, Microsoft has also fallen victim to this market as well. It is shared via a statement by Microsoft that its in-house Mixed Reality platform will be discontinued. “Existing Windows Mixed Reality devices will continue to work with Steam until users upgrade to a version of Windows that does not include Windows Mixed Reality,” the firm offers in response. The new broke when an update rolled out for ‘Deprecated features’ with Microsoft Mixed Reality in the crosshairs. But while Microsoft is exiting the race with its own platform, it does support virtual reality to some extent. Previously, the firm announced that Meta Quest can expect a new update to implement Xbox Cloud Gaming compatibility. The update finally went live this month. As for Xbox, it is not likely the platform is to integrate support. In a previous interview, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer did elaborate that Microsoft has no effort ahead to push for virtual reality on its consoles. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you surprised by the demise of Microsoft Mixed Reality? Source: UploadVR

PlayStation Reported To Sell Its First-Party Games In Segments, Recent Leaks Suggest

While many are enjoying the holidays, this year remains one of the most stressful for PlayStation Studios’ Insomniac Games. It is hard to hide to story that the developer fell victim to a cyber attack which included over 1 TB of leaked data including upcoming projects and employee information. The most notable is the leaked playbook of titles well into 2030. Additionally, this also revealed a new IP is underway at Insomniac Games which aims to release sometime in 2032 at the latest. What is more worrying is the planned layoffs at Insomniac Games. With 50-75 estimated, it is saddening to see more talent is being removed as PlayStation’s most popular IP continues to grow. Not to mention one planned studio closure is also in the pipeline as well. According to a new finding from Niche Gamer, Sony Interactive Entertainment is considering increasing the price of its games. It is reported that the data reveals considerations for a price bump up to $80-$100. Even more, there are also details implying that PlayStation Studios releases are also being sold in separate segments as well. Priced at $50 a piece can certainly add up. In regards to Marvel’s Spider-Man 3, Niche Gamer tells that the game is expected to separate its story mode into two parts alongside a multiplayer portion: costing a total of $150. Elsewhere in the Insomniac games leak recently, it was pinned a multiplayer Spider-Man project was in the works. But, it was later reported to be canceled with the effort now allocated to the third game. The conversation of another price jump at PlayStation is noting news either. Previously, it was reported that Sony Interactive Entertainment did contemplate selling its titles above the newly established $70 price tag. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you back the idea of games being sold separately?

Document In Insomniac Games Leak Points To Layoffs With “One Studio Closure” Planned

Amid the holiday season still taking place, developers are facing major data breaches when most vulnerable. Most recently, it was reported that Ubisoft faced the same fate just ahead of the holidays with over 900 GBs of data exposed. Additionally, this is no secret for Insomniac Games too. The most evident is release windows for Marvel’s Wolverine, a Venom spin-off, and the next Ratchet & Clank games being discovered. Additionally, the same mass leak also shared that a new IP is on the way. Part of an internal roadmap, it is revealed that Insomniac Games plans to roll out a brand new project somewhere in 2031-32. Even Sunset Overdrive made some news. It was shared that Insomniac Games only profited $567 from the Xbox One exclusive, whilst 2021’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is still in the red by $8 million roughly. From a new finding reported by Kotaku, there is more grave news that came out from the leak. Atop of sharing employee information, documents also share that there are more layoffs underway. “Slimming down Ratchet and cutting new IP will not account for the reductions Sony is looking for,” one Powerpoint slide note from Sony reads. The document continues, “To remove 50-75 people strategically, our best option is to cut deeply into Wolverine and Spider-Man 3, replacing lower performers with team members from Ratchet and new IP.​” The statements were directed to Insomniac Games head Ted Price. Kotaku does relay that Sony would not comment on the finding, but entertains there could be changes leading in to the coming future. But what makes things more worrisome is that there is also one comment disclosing an entire studio closing. Upon reiterating on the sub-100 layoffs, the document also presses that “there will be one studio closure” as well. This applies to the greater PlayStation Studios; leaving it undetermined if it will be one of the teams at Insomniac Games or one of the several global teams under the PlayStation banner. What is your thoughts on Sony’s recent statement? Source: Kotaku

Grand Theft Auto 6’s main storyline might be up to 40 hours long

Grand Theft Auto 6 has been the topic of discussion in December since Rockstar Games revealed the first trailer for the game. Now that we saw a glimpse into the world of GTA 6, questions from fans around the world are starting to come such as the longevity of the game’s singleplayer. According to @LegacyKillaHD on X, the main storyline for Grand Theft Auto 6 is likely 35-40 hours long. It's not as long from what I heard. Probably 35-40 hours. — Michael (@LegacyKillaHD) December 23, 2023 LegacyKillaHD has been correct on other information when it comes to GTA 6 since he originally mentioned the game would have a 2025 release a few months ago. Grand Theft Auto VI will be released in 2025 for only PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series XlS with no mention of a PC release right away.

Xbox’s roadmap is apparently filled for the next 15 years

2023 was the first successful year for Xbox Game Studios this decade when it came to new games. We saw Hi-Fi Rush, Starfield, and Forza Motorsport lead the way for Xbox this year and apparently players on Xbox can expect many new games for the next decade or more. Known for his insider information, Shpeshal Nick from the Xbox Era Podcast shares that Xbox’s Roadmap is filled for the next 15 years. Usually, roadmaps are planned 5-10 years out, but for Xbox that’s different. This is likely due to the fact they now own many studios after the Activision Blizzard acquisition and they still have Bethesda who push out games consistently.  You can see where this is said on YouTube or below: 2024 is looking like a strong year for Xbox with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II from Ninja Theory and South of Midnight from Compulsion Games likely coming out next year as well. Source: Idle Sloth

Arkane Lyon is reportedly targeting a 2027 release for Marvel’s Blade

Marvel’s Blade was revealed during The Game Awards on December 7, 2023, and it was shared to be in very early development. According to a LinkedIn profile, Blade has been in development since Early 2022. A new rumor shared by Jeff Grubb gives us a better idea of its release window. Arkane Lyon is reportedly targeting a 2027 release and that’s what Disney & Marvel put on their calendar. He also says it’s possible it could be a launch title for the new Xbox hardware and would be a cross-gen title. (Rumor) According to Jeff Grubb, Arkane Lyon's Blade is currently targeting 2027 Disney/Marvel have put it on their calendar for 2027, which is about 3 years out. It could be a launch title for new hardware as well as a cross-gen title. Timestamp:https://t.co/60vLmNTYSs pic.twitter.com/U377bTg6qV — Alan Feely (@IdleSloth84_) December 24, 2023 Bethesda and Xbox have not come out yet stating that Marvel’s Blade would be exclusive to Xbox Series XlS just yet, but we’ll have to see once we get closer.