A44 Games’ Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn nets over 500K players

Fantasy roguelike Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn has surpassed 500,000 players, according to publisher Kepler Interactive. Developed by A44 Games, the game released on July 18 for PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S (retail and Game Pass).Per Kepler, the game is also on the "Most Popular" lists for Xbox and PC Game Pass in "multiple regions." It's unclear how much its inclusion on the two services make up this milestone.Likewise, its actual commercial performance and Kepler's expectations for it remain in the dark. However, the publisher has previously highlighted player counts for Sifu and Scorn prior to revealing the sales numbers for those games.

10 years in, Bungie shifts Destiny 2 pacing in live service shake-up

Destiny 2 is getting a new change to its release model. Instead of weekly story drops, the second and third episodes for 2024-2025, "Revenant" and "Heresy," will have their story missions come all at once.Bungie revealed this news during a recent livestream, saying all three of "Revenant's" missions will drop when it starts in October. The move was made in response to player feedback about the still-ongoing "Echoes" episode, which has doled out its story each week since early June.On Twitter, the developer said this provides players "an opportunity to play at their own pace." Per narrative director Alison Luhrs, the new change is a "trial of something new" that may or may not stick around, depending on feedback.

Hypercharge: Unboxed sells 50,000 Xbox copies in under a week

Last week, Digital Cybercherries' Hypercharge: Unboxed launched on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and it's now garnered 50,000 sales.The developer posted the news on Twitter, noting the toy shooter achieved 40,000 sales in just three days. Cybercherries called the game's success "surreal. We are a small team of six indie devs who brought our childhood dream game onto Xbox."Hypercharge debuted as an Early Access Steam game in 2017, then transitioned to a full Nintendo Switch launch in 2020. That same year, it released on Steam.Two years ago, the game went viral. Part of that can be owed to being a shooter where you play as toy characters going to war in toy stores, home kitchens and childhood rooms, but targeted marketing toward Xbox players also plays a factor into …

Ubisoft wants to extract more cash from €120 billion live service market

French publisher Ubisoft has shared its latest fiscal report, and there are some interesting musings buried within.The company delivered record net bookings of €2.3 billion during FY24 and confirmed it has reduced its headcount by 1,700 since September 2022 as part of a cost reduction program.It has also "sharpened" its strategic focus around two core verticals: open world adventure projects like Assassin's Creed and The Division and 'GaaS-native experiences' (live service titles) such as xDefiant and Rainbow Six Siege.

Ubisoft's big bets: Open worlds and live service games

Notably, the company c…

Before Your Eyes writer-directors open new studio Nice Dream

The co-creators of BAFTA-winning narrative adventure Before Your Eyes have formed a new studio called Nice Dream.The studio was co-founded by Graham Parkes and Oliver Lewin, who both served as writers and directors on Before Your Eyes. Parkes explained the pair want to create emotionally engaging titles that "push the limits of what interactive storytelling can do."

Enter Goodnight Universe

Nice Dream's debut project will be Goodnight Universe, a spiritual successor to Before Your Eyes with a sci-fi twist. "Goodnight Universe will fuse impactful storytelling with mechanics that push the boundaries of interactive entertainment," reads a press release.&quot…