General Gaming News and Discussion

Mist

REEEEeyore
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TLDR went on a spending spree for studios, had a 2bn investment fall through, had to start selling/closing studios.

2011-2016 Nordic games
2016-2019 THQ Nordic games
2019-2024 Embracer group, starts gobbling up studios

Feb 2020 buys Saber interactive and 5 satellite studios for $525m
Feb 2021 buys Gearbox for $1.3bn
2020-21 buys a bunch of studios

May 2022 agreement to buy Crystal dynamics(Marvel Avengers), Edios Montreal, Square Enix Montreal
June 2022 gets $1bn investment from Saudi group.
Aug 2022 acquires Crystal dynamics, Eidos Montreal, Square Enix Montreal for $300m.
Oct 2022 makes verbal deal for $2bn investment.
Nov 2022 closes Square Enix Montreal in cost cutting.
May 2023 announces $2bn deal fell through. Stocks drop 40%
June 2023 starts large scale restructuring.
Nov 2023 lays off 904 employees, cancels 15 projects.

March 2024 sells Saber and it's satellites studios, 3D Realms, Bytex, Digic pictures, Fractured Byte, Mad Head Games, New World Interactive, Nimble Giant Entertainment, Sandbox Strategies, Slipgate Ironworks, SmartPhone Labs, and Stuntworks to Saber co-founder for $247m.
March 2024 sells Gearbox parts for $460m.
Cheap debt is a hell of a drug.
 
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Daidraco

Golden Baronet of the Realm
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Ok. Not sure if this was posted...


Wonder if thats related to games like Heroes of the Storm or other older games that they want to shudder. Regardless, it doesnt much matter as I recall another company saying this - probably Ubisoft - and what was really established, at least on reddit iirc, was that its an underhanded tactic that stretches out the theoretical court case. As you have to take the company to court, to nullify, or surpass the contract that you agreed to, and then take them to court for the original theoretical case. Easy enough for daddy deep pockets to cover those expenses, but not so much for the average consumer.
 

Caliane

Avatar of War Slayer
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Here's a question.

Why have games not incorporated multiple screens, or phones into them for multiple UI elements or features, at all?

so, what I mean by this. what % of pc uses have 2 monitors nowadays? pretty high right? and "don't you have phones?" phones are obviously pretty well spread.
win 11 has phone link.
I use photoshop, and Ps has windows. main working screen. but also I can literally move my tools off the main screen to a second monitor. I can move ref files to other screens as well. Abobe bridge is open and usable along side it.
working.jpg

I think it was looking back at Mordor 1.1 that made me ask this again. but then also in general playing some older titles. Icewind dale, etc, were you basically need to have the cloth maps, or manuals open next to you while playing. might and magic 8. don't even have in game keyboard config. so you got to check to the manual to look up hotkeys.

Remember the Nintendo DS's dual screen. where games like Etrian odbyssey, and zelda used the second screen for inventory, and mapping?
Why are we using shitty overlays, and tiny boxes for minimaps in Path of exile, instead of opening up a second screen on your second monitor entirely?
Why is it not even an OPTION?

obs/discord, its clear devs are often WELL aware of it. some games with streamer modes, etc. Watch manlybadasshero play nonstop horror games. THEY do often take advantage of this. "haunted" games, opening up things outside of the "game".

Consolitis, could be an argument. but syncing phones to do this wouldn't be that hard would it? but, then there are also a TON of pc exclusive crpgs, etc that could really use this, and don't.
quest logs, journals, minimaps, inventory. all of that could be open all the time, on a second screen.
 
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spronk

FPS noob
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it used to be a thing for a brief window of time, commonly known as second screen. Battlefield, Assassins Creed, and a few other games let you open a second window either on PC or on a phone (if you were playing on console) to show maps or lore stuff or logs. Some games got really creative with it.

The simple reality is though I bet it almost never got used. Not enough to justify development. I'd bet 80%+ of PC gamers at this point are on laptops or steam decks, multiple screens are rare. Like VR, second screen sounds cool but in reality most people will fuck around with it for a bit and never touch it again.

i used to run like 8 monitors at one point, whether it was multiboxing MMOs or stock charts or thinking i'm some sort of retard hackerman. been at one screen (albeit a HUGE screen) for years and its so much easier.

I remember running this exact setup basically in battlefield 3 or 4, the battlelog could be moved to a second monitor and you had a map always up you could even run directives and stuff off the map. good times, but ultimately pointless

 
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Caliane

Avatar of War Slayer
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I'd really like to see it in rpgs as I was implying. Back in the day, we had those "feelys" as Garriott championed. cloth maps, etc. even pen and paper graph paper mapping. I feel like much of that feeling could be regained with those second windows. Almost like playing with a wiki open. was playing bards tale remake on gamepass, which is an enhanced edition. you can pick from the spell list. while the original, you used to have to type in the name of spells every time. like you could do that. have a second screen with a list of the all the spells, and their code words, or like in ultima. vas flam. but in game, make you type it out. way more immersive.
 

Big Phoenix

Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
<Gold Donor>
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It's amazing. I went down the rabbit hole. She went to Palos Verdes High School, which is a rich, white area in Los Angeles along with Palos Verdes Estates (even more tony), so she comes from white privilege. Went to USC in the 90s, so wasn't that bright, the school was known as University of Second Choice for those of us that could do better. Majored in religion/archeology? Somehow pivoted into video gaming, who knows how.

Openly detests white people, especially males, so as SJW as you can get.....clicked on link to Unleashed's website: https://www.unleashedgames.io/

THE ENTIRE TEAM EXCEPT HER IS MALE, AND THEY ARE ALL WHITE EXCEPT FOR ONE ASIAN DUDE. So much for diversity!

Each of her avatars is probably named after one of her 20 cats, or future cats.

The fact she worked a few years at Blizzard is all you need to know about what has happened to Blizzard. Decayed from the inside.

The best part is their game looks like some no name mobile loot box simulator.

I think the Embracer story will eventually go down as one of the strangest stories in the history of video games.
Likely just a result of the era of near free money thanks to super low interest rates and an overall tech bubble thank to corona.
 

Brahma

Obi-Bro Kenobi-X
12,489
45,438
it used to be a thing for a brief window of time, commonly known as second screen. Battlefield, Assassins Creed, and a few other games let you open a second window either on PC or on a phone (if you were playing on console) to show maps or lore stuff or logs. Some games got really creative with it.

The simple reality is though I bet it almost never got used. Not enough to justify development. I'd bet 80%+ of PC gamers at this point are on laptops or steam decks, multiple screens are rare. Like VR, second screen sounds cool but in reality most people will fuck around with it for a bit and never touch it again.

i used to run like 8 monitors at one point, whether it was multiboxing MMOs or stock charts or thinking i'm some sort of retard hackerman. been at one screen (albeit a HUGE screen) for years and its so much easier.

I remember running this exact setup basically in battlefield 3 or 4, the battlelog could be moved to a second monitor and you had a map always up you could even run directives and stuff off the map. good times, but ultimately pointless



I didn't know this was a thing. Wow. I wonder if I setup split screen on my monitor could you drag that out and use.
 

...

Goonsquad Officer
6,109
14,419
in supreme commander you could second monitor a whole second map. and zoom in to each as close or far out as you want. and basically place RTs while you play rts.
 

Mizake

Trakanon Raider
961
2,065
Here's a question.

Why have games not incorporated multiple screens, or phones into them for multiple UI elements or features, at all?

so, what I mean by this. what % of pc uses have 2 monitors nowadays? pretty high right? and "don't you have phones?" phones are obviously pretty well spread.
win 11 has phone link.
I use photoshop, and Ps has windows. main working screen. but also I can literally move my tools off the main screen to a second monitor. I can move ref files to other screens as well. Abobe bridge is open and usable along side it.
View attachment 522356
I think it was looking back at Mordor 1.1 that made me ask this again. but then also in general playing some older titles. Icewind dale, etc, were you basically need to have the cloth maps, or manuals open next to you while playing. might and magic 8. don't even have in game keyboard config. so you got to check to the manual to look up hotkeys.

Remember the Nintendo DS's dual screen. where games like Etrian odbyssey, and zelda used the second screen for inventory, and mapping?
Why are we using shitty overlays, and tiny boxes for minimaps in Path of exile, instead of opening up a second screen on your second monitor entirely?
Why is it not even an OPTION?

obs/discord, its clear devs are often WELL aware of it. some games with streamer modes, etc. Watch manlybadasshero play nonstop horror games. THEY do often take advantage of this. "haunted" games, opening up things outside of the "game".

Consolitis, could be an argument. but syncing phones to do this wouldn't be that hard would it? but, then there are also a TON of pc exclusive crpgs, etc that could really use this, and don't.
quest logs, journals, minimaps, inventory. all of that could be open all the time, on a second screen.

I think you are overestimating the number of people using two monitors. I did a quick search, there was a PC gamer survey that had it at 15%, then there was another Steam survey that had it at 25%. It must be even lower in general population, you figure the Steam survey would be biased towards gamers, so it's best case scenario.

So the question becomes how much do you want to invest in resources to provide something only about 25% of your players are going to use? Games are already delayed enough as it is. PC/mobile phone is probably near 100%, but I personally have zero interest in looking at my phone and my PC/console at the same time, not sure if I'm in the minority or majority with that opinion, I would guess the majority.

If would be a cool add-on, I just don't expect many companies to use their limited resources to create code for a small population of users.
 
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Borzak

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I use two monitors when playing a game. Eve online, left monitor in landscape and the main view of the game. Right on portrait and the overview. Only because I do other things landscape and portrait like when I'm doing work stuff.
 
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Brahma

Obi-Bro Kenobi-X
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Steam survey that had it at 25%. It must be even lower in general population...

I honestly was expecting it to be MUCH higher. I mean everyone at work has at least two monitors. Thought that might translate to 50%?
 

Mizake

Trakanon Raider
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Yea, but work is different from home. Lot's of businesses use multiple monitors. I'm guessing people shouldn't be gaming at work.

Now, the question is, how many of those people also have two monitors at home, where they are likely to be gaming? Like everyone at your work has two+ monitors, but how many of those same people, including yourself, have 2+ monitors at home? I'm also gonna guess a large part of the gaming community are teenagers/20-somethings that are still in school and can't afford two monitors.

I actually though 25% was high, but then again it was asked specifically to a PC gaming crowd.

That number will probably go up though, I'm sure remote workers will tend to have more than one monitor.
 
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Vorph

Silver Baronet of the Realm
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More people have dual monitors than have even a single ultrawide? WTF is wrong with people?
 
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Brahma

Obi-Bro Kenobi-X
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Yea, but work is different from home. Lot's of businesses use multiple monitors. I'm guessing people shouldn't be gaming at work.

Now, the question is, how many of those people also have two monitors at home, where they are likely to be gaming? Like everyone at your work has two+ monitors, but how many of those same people, including yourself, have 2+ monitors at home? I'm also gonna guess a large part of the gaming community are teenagers/20-somethings that are still in school and can't afford two monitors.

I actually though 25% was high, but then again it was asked specifically to a PC gaming crowd.

That number will probably go up though, I'm sure remote workers will tend to have more than one monitor.

I get it. But once you have access to a double/triple monitors, you kinda can't do without them or a widescreen maybe?