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In This Edition
- Delay on Switch 2 reviews
- Impact of GTA 6 on 2025
- Blizzard joins The Game Business Live
- Plus! Record results for Capcom, Sumo execs leave, Ubisoft delays games and Sony considers PS5 price rise
Hello hello!
We’ve been busy here at The Game Business towers getting ready for our very first live show in LA. Tickets are available now, including the chance to register for a free pass. You can read about our talks and speakers through here. More to come!
Also, I must give a quick shout out to Alex Boucher, who has joined the TGB team to help us on the sales side. Welcome Alex!
This week, we invited Piers Harding-Rolls from Ampere on the Show to discuss the latest report from the respected data firm (which isn’t actually out yet). We spent most of the chat discussing the potential of Nintendo Switch 2, and the impact of GTA 6’s delay. Check it out above. Alternatively, we have some of the key stories from the Show for you to read below.
Enjoy!
Press warned ‘no Switch 2 consoles until launch’
The games press will not be receiving Nintendo Switch 2 consoles until just before it comes out, The Game Business has learned.
Some media have even been warned they will not have their machine until launch day. Nintendo has told journalists that this is due to the requirement of a significant day one patch.
“It’s really frustrating,” said one editor. “We will need to cover Switch 2 while also working across Summer Game Fest. How are we supposed to do that?”
Another added: “Anyone who can get hold of a console early from a dodgy retailer will have a head start in terms of coverage. I know the console will be sold out at launch, but what about all the other games?”
Nintendo is holding some press preview events for Mario Kart World, which will give journalists and critics an extended play of the upcoming video game. But the reality is that there will be very few, if any, reviews of Switch 2 or its games until after the machine has come out.
The situation has stunned some of the third-party publishers planning Switch 2 launch titles. Key third-party launch games include Cyberpunk 2077 from CD Projekt Red, Split Fiction from EA, Civilisation VII from 2K Games, Hitman World of Assassination from IO Interactive, Street Fighter 6 from Capcom and Sonic X Shadows Generations from Sega.
One PR boss told me they feel they have “something special” for the launch of Switch 2 for those that “want something else in addition to Mario Kart”.
“But the lack of independent critical validation is going to make it very hard for us. Maybe we would have been better off waiting a few weeks.”
Nintendo Switch 2 has had a tricky PR ride since its reveal last month. It’s faced criticism around the apparent lack of innovation on the hardware and for the pricing of the console, games and accessories. Plus, some fans are frustrated by the introduction of Game-Key Cards, which are physical games that don’t contain any code and instead trigger a digital download.
Nevertheless, previews have been positive and pre-orders have sold out worldwide. Nintendo revealed that 2.2 million people in Japan applied for Switch 2 pre-orders, which ‘greatly surpasses’ the number of units available.
In its latest financial results, Nintendo has announced it wants to ship 15 million Switch 2 units by the end of its financial year. It’s similar to what the first Switch managed during the same timeframe, and analysts feel Nintendo is being conservative with its expectations.
Speaking in today’s episode of The Game Business Show, Ampere Analysis’ games boss Piers Harding-Rolls said: “I think they’re being a little bit cautious. There are a lot of unknowns. The tariff situation is an unknown. Nintendo makes a valid point about the higher price point [affecting sales]. But it seems like the right price, and I don’t think it will put off people in the first year of adopting the platform. People who are into Nintendo, who love the product and are into the brand, they’ll be willing to spend that amount.
“Our forecast for people actually buying the console for this year is a little over 13 million, which is slightly ahead of the original Switch.”
He added: “The argument is that you’ve got all these active users, so you should be selling to a bigger audience, and that will hopefully be reflected in the uptake. But we’ve been cautious in our forecast, and it looks like Nintendo has done the same.”
GTA 6 delay could mean 700,000 fewer Xbox and PlayStation console sales this year – Ampere Analysis
A leading industry data firm has reduced its 2025 sales estimates for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S and X by 700,000 units following the delay to Grand Theft Auto 6.
Ampere Analysis has also lowered its forecast for PlayStation and Xbox game sales, down by 21 million units. Overall, Ampere believes the console market will miss out on $2.7 billion in revenue this year due to the GTA 6 delay. Of course, much of this will simply move to 2026, as the game is now scheduled to launch on May 26 next year.
“The drop is quite significant,” says Ampere’s Piers Harding-Rolls. “You would expect people to spend on other things [instead]. But that kind of transfer will not be entirely. There will be a significant impact.”
Harding-Rolls believes the GTA 6 delay would be boost to Nintendo Switch 2 this Christmas.
“In our consumer data, Switch is often seen as a second device for owners of PlayStation 5. The overlap is quite significant,” he adds. “They are in the same competitive sphere, even if the content is not exactly the same.”
Ampere’s new report anticipates growth for the video game industry in 2025 of just 0.9%, but that will improve with a 2.2% increased in 2026. In the report, Ampere believes general inflation plus ‘hyper-competition’ will result in slow growth compared to pre-2019, and that companies will continue to focus on efficiency, being selective with the games they sign and profit margins.
Blizzard joins The Game Business Live next month
More big names have joined The Game Business Live roster.
The event takes place on Monday, June 9 at The Grammy Museum in LA, and will feature exclusive market data, big name interviews and insightful panels.
And one of our key sessions will look at the future of mobile, featuring two leads from Blizzard Entertainment: Peiwen Yao, executive producer of Diablo Immortal; and Shannon Williams, senior director of mobile. Utilizing their experience with Diablo Immortal, Yao and Williams will discuss the role that mobile can play in helping traditional AAA PC and console franchises reach global audiences, how they navigated Western mobile stigma vs Eastern enthusiasm, and what comes next for their game and mobile in general.
The two join previously announced speakers including Leslie Benzies [Game Director, Build A Rocket Boy], Lisa Burgess [GM, Netflix], John Hight [President, Wizards of Coast] Mat Piscatella [Executive Director, Circana] and Pete Wanat [President of Interactive Technology, AGBO].
There are two ticket types to the event. The first is the Play Days Industry Ticket, which offers access to the The Game Business Live conference, the Summer Game Fest Play Days Campus, plus complimentary food and drink, the closing reception, gift bag and more. These tickets cost $500 and you have to first apply for a ticket via this link. You have until May 20 to apply for tickets and you must be an industry professional.
Alternatively, we have a limited number of free tickets to the conference for TGB readers. You can apply through here, and please make sure to sign-up with the email associated with your TGB subscription (not a subscriber? It’s free! Click the link below). This ticket is for The Game Business Live conference only.
More details on The Game Business Live can be found here.
Meanwhile…
Ubisoft has delayed a series of unannounced games in its latest financial results. The firm described these as some of its ‘biggest productions’, indicating they may be games in the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and/or Tom Clancy franchises. The firm says giving games extra time clearly had a benefit on the quality of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and has taken inspiration from that decision.
Capcom has achieved its ambition of 10% annual growth in income for 10 consecutive fiscal years, boosted by the smash success of Monster Hunter Wilds. The RPG has sold over 10 million units since its release in February.
Sumo Group’s founders are leaving the UK studio. CEO Carl Cavers, COO Paul Porter and the firm’s director of excellence and integration Darren Mills will depart the company best known for titles such as Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Team Sonic Racing and Crackdown 3. COO Gary Dunn and CFO Andy Stewart have been named as co-CEOs.
After reporting solid financial results, PlayStation admits it may have to increase the price of PS5 in the US depending on what happens regarding tariffs. The company said it has a three-month stockpile of PS5 units so has time to consider its options.
The average age of gamers in Germany has surpassed 39 years-old for the first time, according to a new survey conducted on behalf of the German games trade association game. Over 37.5 million people play video games in the country, the organisation said, the highest number yet.
Another AAA video game has slipped out of 2025. This time it’s Skydance New Media’s Marvel 1943: The Rise of Hyrda, which is being led by video game veteran Amy Hennig (Uncharted, Legacy of Kain). The delay is for added polish, the firm said in a statement.
Media giant Fandom has sold its Giant Bomb website to two of its key staff: Jeff Bakalar and Jeff Grubb. The team announced its independence at a panel, which took place during PAX East.
Studio 42, a new mobile game developer founded by industry veterans from Belka Games, Snap Inc and Playrix, have raised $3.6 million in seed funding. The round was led by Play Ventures, with participation from GEM Capital and Arcadia Gaming Partners.
That’s it for today. But we’ll be back tomorrow with a special bonus newsletter. See you then!
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