Report: Sony Is Scaling Back Its Japan Studio, Letting Go Of Majority Of Staff
Written by Blake Hester 
Sony is scaling back its Sony Japan Studio, letting go of a majority of its staff, with key people within the company leaving, Videogames Chronicle (VGC) reported on Thursday. According to the outlet, citing sources, this decision, in part, stems from the development studio not being profitable enough in recent years and having a Japan-first development mentality.
According to VGC, the "vast majority" of Sony Japan Studio's development staff has been let go by the company, their annual contracts not renewed ahead of the company's next business year, which the outlet points out begins on April 1. However, localization and business staff will remain intact, as will Asobi Team, developer of Astro's Playroom, which will now operate as a standalone studio within Sony Japan. According to VGC, some developers let go from Sony Japan Studio have joined ASOBI, though it's unclear how many, while others have joined Bokeh Game Studio, the new company founded by Keiichiro Toyama, known for his work directing the Silent Hill and Gravity Rush series. VGC also reports that it's unclear how this will affect Sony Japan Studio's External Development Department, which recently helped out on developer Bluepoint's Demon's Souls Remake and FromSoftware's Bloodborne.
According to people that VGC talked to, the decision to wind down Sony Japan Studio comes in part due to its games not being profitable in recent years past. The company also had a Japan-first development mentality at a time when Sony was aiming to release games that appealed to a global market. Similarly, as the outlet points out, this news also comes as Sony restructures itself internally, moving power to its United States headquarters from its home country of Japan. One source told VGC this decision was a year in the making, when Sony Japan Studio's president Allan Becker was replaced by Nicolas Doucet, director on Astro Bot: Rescue Mission.
Key people with Sony Japan Studio have recently taken to Twitter to announce they're leaving the company, including Bloodborne producer Masaaki Yamagiwa.
Since it was founded in the mid-1990s, Sony Japan Studio has been responsible for the development of series such as Knack, Gravity Rush, and Ape Escape. As mentioned above, it also has helped in the development of games like Bloodborne and the Demon's Souls remake, as well The Last Guardian.
[Source: Videogames Chronicle]
Destiny 2 Crossplay Will Be Added In Season 15
Written by Liana Ruppert 
When Bungie added cross-progression to Destiny 2, Guardians were excited to be able to have more freedom regarding the platforms of choice. That being said, cross-progression is still limited to platforms that the player owns. For those that want to play with friends regardless of platform, the studio has confirmed that Destiny 2 crossplay is officially slated to launch with the release of Season 15.
Currently, Destiny 2: Beyond Light is in its 13th season with Season of the Chosen, so we still have a little further to go before crossplay is implemented. The studio took to the Bungie blog to provide a little more context for crossplay as part of the team's effort to make Destiny 2 more community-friendly.
"With Destiny now committed to being an everlasting evolving world, we want to make sure we are still taking the time to upgrade the systemic foundation of Destiny 2 to support everything we want to do in the future," reads the blog post. "Our ultimate vision for Destiny 2 still stands – a definitive action-MMO, a unified global community where you can play Destiny anywhere with your friends."
The amount of plans in place going forward, especially with the knowledge that we have at least two more expansions on the way in lieu of Destiny 3 at this present time, are impressive. But the enhanced workflow doesn't mean that the team is taking any chances, which is why Bungie added that Work From Home orders will continue with the continued presence of COVID-19. Because of this, the studio is asking players for their understanding regarding moved dates and plan shifts when looking to implement features like crossplay, transmog, gear overhauls, and more.
To learn more about the upcoming state of Destiny 2, you can read more from the blog post right here, including the decision to push back The Witch Queen.
What are your thoughts on the current state of Destiny 2: Beyond Light and the journey so far to get here? Are you enjoying the new features added like Battlegrounds? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below! Be sure to also check out our game hub here to learn more about what's going on in the world of Guardians, even if that world no longer includes Cayde-6 (cries forever).
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Written by Paul MasonHere's A Fresh Look At Bomb Rush Cyberfunk In Action
Written by Marcus Stewart 
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk perked the ears of many Dreamcast fans when it was revealed last summer. The game is an obvious love letter to Jet Set Radio (or Jet Grind Radio for us westerners), with its graffiti drenched art style, skating gameplay, and an original soundtrack by the series’ composer, Hideki Naganuma. After dropping a brief teaser video last year, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk has resurfaced with a slightly longer (but still tantalizing) look at the game in action.
The game comes courtesy of Team Reptile, the team behind Lethal League, and looks to capture wholesale everything Jet Set Radio fans love. That includes its cel-shaded art and neo-future vibe; over-the-top, parkour-style skating; and bizarre-looking characters. It’s such a faithful-looking homage that you could probably slap a sticker on it that reads “Jet Set Radio 3” and people would nod and say “yep, that there’s a Jet Set Radio if I ever saw one” Take a look at the new footage below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaIn terms of gameplay, the description states that players control a member of a street crew who must tag various graffiti spots in order to increase their rep. Accrue a high enough reputation, and you can challenge local crews in territory battles. Players can freely traverse the 3D open world and unleash cool skating moves using a trick system. That includes skating up and down walls, grinding surfaces, and executing aerial maneuvers. Speaking of doing things in midair, you can also use a boost pack to reach hard-to-reach areas.
While the game’s Steam page lists Bomb Rush Cyberfunk’s release window as “future”, Team Reptile has confirmed it will now launch in 2022 instead of later this year (there's still no confirmation on a console launch). That’s a bummer, but we look forward to seeing what the extra year of polish does for this intriguing polish.
System Shock Remastered Pre-Orders Go Live, Final Demo Also Available
Written by Jason Guisao
Click here to watch embedded media Night Dive Studios’ System Shock Remastered has been in the works since 2016, when pre-alpha footage was shown. The original System Shock, released back in 1994, was critically acclaimed and would go on to inspire the revolutionary Bioshock franchise. System Shock follows the first-person exploits of a nameless hacker, charged with disabling a malevolent AI system named Shodan. System Shock Remastered takes this classic adventure and upgrades it with the help of cutting-edge Unreal Engine capabilities. Today, the remaster got an exciting new teaser trailer in the wake of its eventual release.
The trailer, while short, is still very evocative of its predecessor — the terrifying atmosphere and visuals are particularly apparent and Shodan’s automated, glitchy voice adds to the overall sense of dread. Melee weapons and explosives rip limbs apart and hulking automata lurk in the shadows of the space station. You can see the footage above.
In addition to the new trailer, Night Dive Studios has announced the release of the remaster's final demo which comes jam-packed with a sizable amount of new content ranging from lore-based collectibles to an updated save feature. You can read about all of the changes in the link above, but some larger tweaks include voice acting (the crew at-large and the infamous Shodan herself), more difficulty modes, and an entirely new Cyberspace level. And, since this is a demo after all, Night Dive Studios is aware that there will likely be new bugs in addition to the demo’s latest patch.
"Our development road was bumpy (to say the least) — but ultimately what you’re playing is the vision and experience we set out to create and the adversity and challenges we’ve faced along the way has only improved the final game,” reads the latest post on the System Shock website. “The team has evolved and grown considerably and we hope that the end product will meet your expectations.”
You can pre-order System Shock Remastered right now on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Store to secure free access to System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition when the remaster drops. While the details are still relatively limited, the game is slated for a Summer 2021 release.