EA beats net bookings expectations in Q1, feels record-breaking Q2 could be on the cards

EA has made a brisk start to the current financial year (FY25) after exceeding its net bookings guidance for the first quarter.The publisher, which is currently laying off 5 percent of its workforce, delivered Q1 net bookings of $1.26 billion, exceeding its high-end guidance range of $1.25 billion. The company said that surge was "driven by stronger performance across Madden NFL 24, FC Online and FC Mobile."Breaking down those numbers in an earnings call, EA CFO Stuart Canfield explained full game net bookings totaled $168 million. Live service and other net bookings totaled $1.09 billion, bolstered by the "outperformance" of EA Sports Madden NFL during Q1."The greater-than-expected results from EA Sports Madden NFL 24 are a strong proof point in the power of a thr…

Iwata’s comments in restored 2004 interview look downright prophetic

A new interview featuring the late Satoru Iwata has been uncovered, and is freely available for all to watch. His comments in the video feel important in the years since his passing and downright prescient amid current industry turmoil.Dating back to E3 2004, the interview from Kikizo has been fully remastered with Japanese and English subtitles. At the time, Iwata had only been global president of Nintendo for two years.In the interview, Iwata was asked about the then-upcoming Nintendo DS. To him, the handheld needed to feel like something audiences had never experienced before."The DS can tell you how serious we are about changing the way games are played," said Iwata. "If we said we beefed up the technology of the Game Boy Advance, and the processing power and graphic cap…

Update: Palia studio Singularity 6 confirms 36 workers have been laid off

Update (05/17/24): Singularity 6 has told Game Developer it has laid off 36 staffers to navigate through a "tough economic period." The studio said it will continue supporting Palia following the job cuts."Unfortunately we have had to restructure and reduce the size of our team as we stay focused on supporting Palia and serving our community long term. We had to let 36 of our colleagues go yesterday, in an effort to navigate this tough economic period," reads a statement issued by a company spokesperson."We thank our departing team for all their work; we are committed to providing the best assistance and transition we can. We hope the industry will provide homes for these talented colleagues."Original story: According to reporting by Polygon's Nicole Carp…

Story Kitchen reels in Dredge for live action movie adaptation

Dredge, the lovecraftian indie darling from New Zealand studio Black Salt Games, is being adapted into a live action motion picture.Variety reports that Black Salt has partnered with production company Story Kitchen to create the movie, which is being pitched as "The Sixth Sense on the water."The production's official logline states the movie will be a "grounded atmospheric cosmic horror blend of HP Lovecraft and Ernest Hemingway.""We are excited to partner with such an experienced studio team to bring the world we created to live action and ignite the imagination of audiences across the globe," said Black Salt Games in a statement sent to Variety.Story Kitchen's founding members have previously worked on notable video game adaptations including both…