BREAKING: Netflix is shutting down two of its game studios (only one left beyond its central team)
- Moonloot, which hadn't released a game
- Night School (Oxenfree), which just released Unhinged
Netflix says it still see games as an "opportunity"
https://t.co/R6XYXQhXAU
📅☎️It’s been two months since release, but early every morning I still wake up feeling like I just have to do something. Every single day, I search for Schrödinger's Call, check for new articles, and send out pitch emails asking media outlets for a review before going back to sleep. Of course, I carefully pick outlets I know and whose past articles or reviews I’ve found genuinely interesting. Given the visual novel genre and how much time has passed since launch, I know it’s a long shot to get new media reviews now—especially from Metacritic-approved outlets. Even so, I really want to secure more review coverage. The only reason is so the game stands a chance at game awards in the world. This isn't out of vanity or elitism🙃; I truly believe it’s the only remaining option post-launch for a niche, hard-to-explain indie game. From what I’ve heard, the number of reviews on media outlets and Steam can act as an entry threshold for these awards. So if you’ve played it on Steam, I’d be super grateful if you could leave a review there, too! 🙏 With that said, tomorrow morning I’ll be waking up early again to pitch to another outlet. Thank you all so much for your support! Oh, right! The 20% off sale on Switch and Steam runs until around the 7th! The reason I say "around" is because sale periods vary by region—so if you're planning to recommend this game to a friend, you'd better make them grab it fast! 😆
Sony increased its full year profit forecast for the PlayStation division by 10% due to the positive impacts of US tariff refunds, as well as FX rates and ongoing cost improvements.
Trump's tariffs, which led to price increases on the PS5, were struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year.
So ultimately, the whole tariff push was for nothing and ended up punishing new buyers. Prices won't go down, although that's because there is a new AI demand driven memory crisis ofc.
However, it's worth noting that while spending on software and subscriptions is expected to grow this year, the price increases are having a very material impact on hardware sales.
The PS5 sold in 3.1m units in H1 CY2026, down 41.5% YoY. Hardware revenue is only down 26.3% YoY as a result of the higher ASP.
When comparing this to the PS4 in the same timeframe, unit sales are down 46.6% compared to the H1 2019 period.
Sony says it has secured the memory required to meet its projected sales volume`, implying no further price increase this year. On the plus side, GTA VI should give it a boost and there is the fact that there is an already near 100m install base with monthly active users up 2% YoY.
The big challenge is going to be launching the PS6 into this environment, given a next generation console is likely to be priced over $1,000 given current trends.
One thing I haven't seen people point out is that there is a 35% reduction in Chinese game companies exhibiting at Tokyo Game Show this year (while being all in on Gamescom).
Part of that is the ongoing divestment of Japanese studios, but also geopolitical elements play a role.