TRIPLEPOINTS OF INTEREST: JULY 3

In this week’s news, Sony is gearing up for big-name studio acquisitions, PUBG Corp. hired ex-Call of Duty and Dead Space producer Glen Schofiled to oversee a new studio and game title, and the gaming community raised $3M for charity.

Sony exploring studio acquisition opportunities ahead of PS5

In a recent statement, Sony’s president and CEO Jim Ryan detailed the company’s plans to acquire first-party development studios ahead of the 2020 launch of the PlayStation 5. The decision comes after an expansion of competition in the gaming industry, notably with the introduction of Google’s Stadia. Although Sony has yet to release names of studios it is interested in acquiring, Digital Trends speculated big-name developers such as Bungie, IO Interactive, and Hello Games may fit the bill. IGN, Screen Rant, WCCFTech, and more reported neutrally on the news.

PUBG Corporation launches new studio to oversee production of next PUBG title

The PUBG Corporation has hired Glen Schofield, ex-Call of Duty and Dead Space producer, to spearhead its newest gaming studio, Striking Distance. In a recent YouTube video, Schofield explains that the studio will work on a narrative-driven game in the PUBG universe, moving away from the battle royale genre. Press reacted optimistically to the news with Shacknews stating, “Whatever it ends up being, if it’s anywhere near the quality of Dead Space, we’ll be looking at a game that might be able to finally unseat Fortnite once more from its throne.” Outlets such as GameSpot, Eurogamer, SlashGear, and more covered the news. 

Summer Games Done Quick raises $3M for charity

Summer Games Done Quick, a companion event to speed run convention Games Done Quick, broke records this weekend by raising over $3M for Doctors Without Borders during their annual fundraising event. While Twitch streamers completed speed runs of popular games, viewers on Twitch voted for various aspects of gameplay and donated money. PC Gamer reacted positively to the news and said, “It’s been heartening to see the stream, usually of an obscure game, lingering at the top of Twitch for the past seven days.” Polygon, Kotaku, Shacknews, and many more covered the news, with each outlet noting that the next Games Done Quick event will be held during TwitchCon in September of this year.