Saudi Investment Fund pays $3.5bn to capture Pokémon Go
Niantic's other games, such as Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom, are also included in the acquisition, along with the people employed to make them.They will become part of Scopely Inc - which itself was bought by PIF subsidiary Savvy Games Group for $4.9bn in 2023.Scopely is one of the biggest names in mobile gaming, with its most successful title, Monopoly Go, being downloaded more than 50 million times and generating more than $3bn in revenue.Pokémon itself is jointly owned by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures, which licensed the brand to Niantic so it could develop the game.Ed Wu, who leads the Pokémon Go team at Niantic, said in a blog post he believed the move was "a positive step" for the game's future."Pokémon Go is more than just a game to me, it's my life's work," he said."I won't say that Pokémon Go will remain the same, because it has always been a work in progress. "But how we create and evolve it will remain unchanged, and I hope that we can make the experience even better."
Saudi Arabia is becoming an increasingly powerful player in gaming.Its PIF has stakes in some of the biggest publishers in the industry, such as Nintendo, Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive.It has also made waves in the eSports industry, with Saudi Arabia hosting major tournaments including last years eSports World Cup, which had a prize pool of over $60m.Riyadh will also host 2027's planned Olympic eSports Games. Saudi Arabia's PIF has hundreds of billions in assets due to its oil wealth, which it has been investing heavily in sports such as golf, boxing and football, including a purchase of Newcastle United in a £300m deal in 2021.It is controlled by the country's prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose government has been accused of human rights violations.A 2019 UN report stated that "the state of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible" for the death of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who was critical of the country's government.Saudi Arabia has always denied this.
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Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Games Inbox: What will be in today's Nintendo Direct?
The Thursday letters page is confused as to why Monster Hunter Wilds has seen a sales slump, as one reader expects Horizon Zero Dawn 3 to be a PS6 launch title. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Third party predictions I knew the Nintendo Direct would be a disappointment in some way, just because I agree with the theory that there are no more first party games for this year, so they're not going to want you looking forwards to things that aren't out yet, when they've still got new games to sell you. I thought it would be a Metroid Prime 4 Direct though, so a Partner Direct is probably a bit more interesting (hopefully, not that I have anything against Metroid Prime 4 but I'm already sold on it so I don't need to know much else). Following the rule that you should always expect nothing, and not be disappointed, I think they'll focus mostly on stuff that's already been announced, but is Nintendo friendly, like Star Wars Outlaws, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, and Borderlands 4. I imagine Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Elden Ring will be the things they spend the most time on. The question is whether we get anything completely new announced. I'm sure there'll be something and Assassin's Creed Shadows and a couple of minor Xbox games are probably likely. I'm not so sure about Red Dead Redemption 2 though, just because I can't imagine it running on Switch 2, and if it does there'll probably be some compromise like bad frame rates. My hope for a complete surprise is something new from one of Nintendo's close allies, like Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega, or Konami. The lack of new games from any of them is my biggest disappointment with the Switch 2 so far. Ports are fine but I want to see third party Switch 2 exclusives. Lentil Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Fresh start I'd agree that a Horizon game set in another country would be cool, although they don't really make much of a deal of it being set in the US, just a few landmarks here and there. That's probably not surprising given I believe Guerilla Games are Dutch. I do wonder what they'll do with the next game though, as I assume it won't be changing setting. I also assume it'll be a PlayStation 6 game, possibly a launch title. I know the games have sold a lot, but I still don't feel they're necessarily that popular, if that makes sense? They just have excellent graphics and quite good gameplay (and bad stories). Maybe I'm living in a bubble, but I've never met a Horizon fan and it just doesn't seem like something anyone would ever get that excited about, beyond a general approval. I wouldn't launch my new console with it, but I guess we'll see. Zorro Do they care? This Mario Kart World update raises an important question I've always wondered about Nintendo. Do they know when people are complaining about a certain issue in their games or do they just not care? If it was any other company they've be begging for forgiveness and promising a patch as soon as possible (which they may or may not do). With Nintendo though, not only do they not say or acknowledge anything they almost seem to be trolling us half the time, by changing everything but what people are upset about. I can't see how they wouldn't know about the issues but maybe they don't read comments online on purpose or something? Or maybe they do, then have a good laugh about how they're not going to do anything about it. Jono Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Hero to zero I was already confused at how Monster Hunter Wilds could become the best-selling game of the year and now I'm even more confused as to why its sales have fallen off a cliff. Even if you say Devil May Cry sales have shot up because of the Netflix show (not that I knew there was a Netflix show) how can even Resident Evil 7 be outselling it now? That was eight years ago! To be fair, I've never been interested in it or any other live service game but I wonder if the focus on the story is what's caused these problems. As far as I understand nobody likes it, but Capcom thinks it's the reason why the game was so successful. So maybe they spent all the time on that rather than the 'endgame' content that would've kept people happy. Although I don't know why that would affect sales, rather than just the number of people playing. Is that just the power of word of mouth? Are people really putting that much stock in Steam reviews and whatever? I dunno, I think I'm more happy than ever with just my single-player games. Mogwai Battlefield issues So, I'm OK at Call Of Duty. I win regularly on Warzone and top multiplayer, but the issue I have with Battlefield, and I've tried many games and I'm prepared to give the new one a go as I don't want any publisher going under… but the issue I've always had are two really. The first is that the planes and helicopters are difficult to fly and if you want the casual gamer to play that's a great problem. The second is when killed the distance needed to travel to get back in the game, which can get very frustrating. They need to appeal more to the casual gamer, most don't have time to put hours into learn how to fly or spend time travelling over a large map just to get killed on arrival. TWO MACKS The true cost of power So what do you think to the brand new Evercade Neo Geo Super Pocket handheld with 14 Neo Geo games pre-installed into the tiny system? And the future three Neo Geo Arcade cartridges due to come out later on this year? Celebrating their 35th anniversary on how time flies by, hey? For me personally it's a fantastic idea what Evercade have done, to collaborate with Neo Geo, giving us oldies a piece of nostalgia that was way out of most people's budget back in the early noughties. I mean after the initial release of the console I believe you could only rent it out at certain retailers and countries at first. Then when it actually went on sale to the general public didn't the console itself retail for approximately £600 and the games were on average around £200 each! Also, as far as I'm aware, the power of the Neo Geo was almost as powerful as the Sega Dreamcast that came out almost a decade later, it was that advanced. That's why the games you played then in your home were completely true 100% perfect arcade. HAJ GC: The console was £399 at launch in the UK, but the games were indeed £200 or more. Adjusted for inflation that's £920 for the hardware, with games that were upwards of £460. It was the ultimate 2D machine, but unlike the Dreamcast it was useless for 3D polygonal graphics. We've not played the Evercade handheld but they usually do good stuff, so we're all for it. All GTA, all the time Part of me thinks that GTA 6 can never live up expectations, given how long it's been, and that'll probably be literally true. But I still think it's absolutely going to dominate everything in terms of sales, in terms of the amount of people playing it, and just everyone constantly talking about it, all the time. It's going to be on the news, it's going to be blamed for all sorts of crimes and social problems, and no matter how sick you get of hearing about it, it's going to keep selling and selling. As someone that likes GTA but isn't a mega fan I almost dread it coming out. It's definitely going to mean nothing else big coming out for months, and that at least is not a good thing. Roger Digital only Thanks for the Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound review. I wanted to ask if you played it with the analogue stick or with the D-pad. I ask because I'm torn between buying it on either the Xbox Series X console or for my Switch 2. The problem comes down to Nintendo not providing a proper pad for portable mode play and the D-pad is still lame on the Pro Controller 2. If you swap between left/right quickly as you might do while gaming, you get frequent up/down inputs. And if you hold left or right, rocking your finger up or down slightly also triggers an up or down input very frequently. Just adjusting your grip while holding left or right is enough to also trigger up or down. This is an issue for 2D platformers and games like Tetris, specifically, are not really well-suited for the analogue stick and would normally work better with a D-pad. I'm not buying Street Fighter 6 on the Switch 2 for this reason. I couldn't even get past the tutorial with Luke when trying to do a double quarter circle special move and I don't like arcade sticks. Charlie H. GC: That's a good question. We started off playing it with the analogue stick, but the on-screen commands imply you should be using the D-pad and since the controls are digital-only we went with that. We can't say we've had any trouble with the Pro Controller 2 but the better reason to avoid the Switch version is that it's 30fps only, whereas the Xbox and PlayStation versions are all 60fps. Dotemu has said the Switch 2 version will be improved, but they haven't guaranteed 60fps. Inbox also-ransNow you come to think of it why is Devil May Cry 6 taking so long? The last one was a hit and Capcom are in the money so what went wrong? Bronson GC: It is a mystery, although the director of Devil May Cry 5 leaving last year can't have helped. Loving Donkey Kong Bananza so far and special shout out to the soundtrack. Really great stuff, as usual, from Nintendo. Whistler More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: When is the next State of Play for PS5? MORE: Games Inbox: Is there a secret Nintendo Switch 2 Christmas game? MORE: Games Inbox: Are gamers too entitled about video games?
Scotsman
5 hours ago
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Nintendo Direct: what time is it
Nintendo has announced a partner showcase - but how can you watch 🎮 Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nintendo is holding its latest showcase today (July 31). It will be highlighting third-party games coming to the Switch and Switch 2. But how can you watch the event? Nintendo will be showing off even more games coming to its Switch consoles this afternoon. The livestream will focus on titles from third-party partners and could include Xbox games. Microsoft has started to port its own titles to PlayStation and its games are also rumoured to be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. The Direct is due to take place in just a matter of hours. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But what exactly can you expect from the showcase? Here's all you need to know: When is the next Nintendo Direct? Nintendo Switch 2 | Nintendo Following the smaller showcases focused on its major Switch 2 launch titles like Mario Kart World and the recently released Donkey Kong Bananza, fans had wondered when the next Nintendo event would be. It has announced that a Direct partner showcase will take place today (July 31). What time is the Nintendo Direct? Nintendo UK has confirmed that the showcase will start at 2pm British Time and is due to last for around 25 minutes. It will start at 9am ET/ 6am PT for audiences tuning in from America. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What to expect from the Nintendo Direct? The latest event will be a partner showcase, Nintendo has said, featuring games coming to both the original Switch and the newly released Switch 2. So don't get your hopes up for a new Mario game or Animal Crossing. Nintendo UK's announcement on social media said: 'Join us for a #NintendoDirect: Partner Showcase tomorrow, July 31st, at 14:00 (UK time)! Tune in for roughly 25 minutes of information on upcoming #NintendoSwitch2 and #NintendoSwitch games from our publishing partners.' How to watch the Nintendo Direct? The showcase will be live on YouTube and you can find it on Nintendo's official channels. It includes the Nintendo UK account here . It is due to start at 2pm, as previously mentioned, but you can set a reminder by hitting the bell icon on YouTube. You will be sent an alert before the showcase starts, so you don't miss out.
Metro
15 hours ago
- Metro
Nintendo Direct announced for Thursday but don't expect Metroid Prime 4
After weeks of rumours, Nintendo has officially confirmed a Direct presentation for this week, but it's not quite what fans were hoping for. A Nintendo Direct presentation for this week looked inevitable, between leaked game announcements and the word of various insiders, but now it's been officially confirmed. As announced on X, a Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase will take place on Thursday, July 31 at 2pm UK time and 3pm CET in Europe. It will be available to stream on YouTube. The showcase will span 'roughly' 25 minutes and feature 'information on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch games from our publishing partners'. In other words, don't expect any updates on first-party Nintendo games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Kirby Air Riders, or Splatoon Raiders. This might be disappointing for some, especially those hoping for a Metroid Prime 4 release date, but there are many unanswered questions regarding the Switch 2's third party support. More Trending We still don't have release dates for Elden Ring or Final Fantasy 7 Remake on the console, while Ubisoft has heavily hinted a port of Assassin's Creed Shadows is on the way. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. A number of Microsoft published games are also rumoured for Nintendo's system, including Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Microsoft Flight Simulator. A PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 port of Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 has been rumoured for some time as well. Beyond those, it's highly likely some indie titles will get shown. This might be where we get an official release date for Hades 2, following its launch in early access, or ports of UFO 50 and Blue Prince. As for what we know is coming this year from third parties, Star Wars Outlaws, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Little Nightmares 3 and Borderlands 4 are all set to launch this year on Switch 2. 007 First Light is also coming to the console, but not until 2026. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Mario Kart World update makes the game easier but doesn't fix biggest issues MORE: Games Inbox: When is the next State of Play for PS5? MORE: Playdate Season 2 full review – the best games on the weirdest console
