Game Bytes: Square Enix Dumps Western Studios, Blizzard Hit With New Suit
Big plans are in motion for the upcoming summer season of gaming. There are not many new games coming out in May but there has definitely been some news. There was a surprise sale from Square Enix, more news from Activision Blizzard and an upcoming game showcase.
In recent news, Square Enix sold all of its Western studios — Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix Montreal and Eidos Montreal — to Embracer Group for $300 million. Some of the franchises sold were Tomb Raider and Deus Ex. The move largely removes Square Enix from Western-made games, letting them focus on internal Japanese development. One reason the sale may not be a huge surprise is that for much of the last decade, Square Enix had developed a reputation that its Western releases had underperformed. While Square Enix never went into detail about how those games underperformed, it was understood that the company was not pleased with its Western investments. In a press release, Square Enix noted that the sale would enable the company to focus on new technologies such as “the blockchain, AI and the cloud.”
Since the announcement of the proposed Microsoft deal with Activision Blizzard, a new lawsuit has been filed against the publisher. Filed by the New York City Employees’ Retirement System on April 26, the suit claims that CEO Bobby Kotick’s rush to sell Activision following accusations of workplace misconduct has negatively impacted the company’s value, ultimately devaluing the stock they own. New York City is demanding that Activision provide numerous documents related to the Microsoft deal, as well as information regarding other possible buyers, descriptions of the sales talks, board memos, and more.
While E3 2022 is canceled, the annual Summer Game Fest hosted by Geoff Keighley is still going ahead, and now the official date and more details have been revealed. Summer Game Fest Live! 2022 will take place Thursday, June 9, starting at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET / 6 PM GMT. This event will take place the day before the Microsoft & Bethesda showcase on June 12.
This week’s upcoming games shine on Tuesday with a few releases. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC), Salt and Sacrifice (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC), This War of Mine: Final Cut (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S) and Unpacking (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4) all will be released on Tuesday. Ending our week with Friday the 13th we have the release of Evil Dead: The Game (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC).
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