People Can Fly has reportedly laid off over 30 developers working on an unannounced Square Enix game.
05.01.2024 - 01:05 / pushsquare.com / Takashi Kiryu / Ai
In unsurprising news, publisher Square Enix has announced a bold new vision for the company in 2024, again promising to chase whatever the hottest speculative technology on the market happens to be. President Takashi Kiryu rang in the new year with a bold directive, confirming the firm will be «aggressive in applying AI and other cutting-edge technologies to both our content development and our publishing functions».
No firm timeline was given, but Kiryu says that the short-term goal is to «enhance our development productivity and achieve greater sophistication in our marketing efforts» using the tech, so make sure to count Cloud's fingers next time we see official Final Fantasy VII Rebirth artwork. Previously, Square Enix made big bets on blockchain entertainment/Web 3.0, and the cloud.
It's on a longer timeline where things become potentially more troubling, as Kiryu (perhaps channelling some Rufus Shinra energy) explains the plan: To «leverage those technologies to create new forms of content for consumers, as we believe that technological innovation represents business opportunities.»
This shouldn't surprise anyone, and 2024 is poised to become the year AI takes off in games. The recent surprise hit The Finals initially turned heads when it was revealed that the controversial technology would replace paid voice actors, but that stance certainly didn't stop the game from drawing in the masses.
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Is Square Enix still chasing trends, or is AI geniunely here to stay? Confirm your humanity by posting in the comments section below.
Khayl Adam is the second best video game journalist Australia has ever produced, and his ambitions of world domination have (thus far) been curbed by the twin siren songs of strategy games and CRPGs. He has always felt an affinity for the noble dachshund, the best kind of dog.
New guard, same as the old guard. You would think after the big NFT loss they would know better than to bet heavily on new tech. Granted AI is gonna be in everything virtual more sooner than later. But creativity is not AI's strong suit. Which is a lot of Squ-enix' bread and butter.
If it speeds up development and reduces costs so that developers can get more creative with their budget and so long as they can still maintain a decent level of quality then I'm actually all for it.
A lot of folks fear monger about the danger of AI, but if used correctly it can automate some mundane functionalities to give developers more time to flex their creativity and make cool things in game.
If they opt instead to use AI to replace creatives, and ship generic games for a quick buck. Then I hope SE reconsiders their long-term strategy.
Waiting for that next HAL or Skynet to create a nice
People Can Fly has reportedly laid off over 30 developers working on an unannounced Square Enix game.
President Takashi Kiryu has shared his plans to slim down Square Enix's lineup of titles.
Yesterday, Square Enix announced that its party shooter Foamstars would launch on February 6th for PS4 and PS5. Despite comparisons to Splatoon, it’s received praise for doing different things. Since it’s also out on day one for PlayStation Plus subscribers, it’s almost guaranteed to have a healthy player base initially.
Square Enix has confirmed that upcoming online shooter Foamstars includes AI-generated art.
PlayStation exclusive shooter Foamstars will feature AI-generated artwork, Square Enix has confirmed, with Foamstars producer Kosuke Okatani clarifying to VGC that «in terms of the content of the game, this makes up about 0.01% or even less.»
Foamstars, Square Enix's Splatoon-like 4v4 online party shooter announced last year, is coming next month. The PlayStation exclusive will release February 6 as a day-one launch title on PS Plus, Sony and Square Enix confirmed Tuesday. The game will be available to download for free on PS5 and PS4 as part of the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup for next month, starting February 6 through March 4. Foamstars was announced at a PlayStation Showcase in May last year, showing off soapy shooting and colourful characters, both heavily inspired by Nintendo's Splatoon games. A PS Plus release will likely attract more players to the multiplayer title in its early days.
Square Enix's upcoming team shooter Foamstars will have a small amount of AI art, the developer has said.
PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to claim a brand new game at no extra cost in February. Square Enix's Foamstars, which bears some similarities to Nintendo's Splatoon series, will be available as part of the PS Plus Essential monthly lineup starting on February 6. If you claim it by March 4, you'll be able to play the PS4 and PS5 exclusive as long as your subscription is active. After March 4, the game will cost $30, though you'll still need a PS Plus subscription to play it since it's an online multiplayer title.
Update: Sony has officially released the PS5 Slim. All the details and links you need have been added below.
Sony’s first press conference of 2024 is just days away, but perhaps don’t set your expectations too high. The Consumer Electronics Show will get underway next week, and as is always the case, the Japanese giant will host its own press conference. While we’d expect references to PlayStation, the focus on the event will be to “showcase various technologies and initiatives that support creators, based on Sony's purpose to fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology”.
PS Stars, or PlayStation Stars, is a free loyalty program for PS5 and PS4 which enables you to earn PS Store credit, free games, and Digital Collectibles. If you're a PS Plus subscriber, then you'll earn additional Points based on each PS Store purchase you make.
Is there a better way to start the year than playing a new Yakuza / Like a Dragon game? It was Yakuza 0 that fronted the first few months of a memorable 2017 for Japanese gaming fans, and now Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is primed and ready to begin another hot streak for the country's developers seven years later. The likes of Persona 3 Reload and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will follow in the weeks that proceed it, but the joint adventure of Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu is what you'll want to play first. 2024 opens with the SEGA series in its prime.