Gaming
John Smedley Steps Down As Daybreak President
John Smedley is stepping down from his role as president of Daybreak Games, which was formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment. Daybreak is the studio responsible for games such as H1Z1, Everquest, and Planetside 2. John Smedley will apparently be transitioning into a different role that has yet to be determined. Daybreak’s COO, Russel Shanks, will be promoted to president as Smedley’s successor.
Daybreak confirmed the news on Venturebeat. “I can confirm that John Smedley will be taking some time off from the company for the near-term and transitioning to a different role to be determined,” said a spokesperson for Daybreak. “Upon finalization of his plans, further communication will be provided.”
While Smedley’s future plans are undetermined, he’s likely to take up another role at the company. He is stepping down following a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that took many of Daybreak’s servers offline.
John Smedley might be a familiar name to some of late. That’s because he was making headlines a couple of weeks ago for making threats against a Lizard Squad hacker via Twitter. A few weeks ago, Julius “zeekill” Kivimaki was convicted of more than 55,000 cyber crimes but avoided jail time. Smedley, who was on board an American Airlines flight that Lizard Squad diverted with a bomb threat, expressed outrage over the light sentence. He called Kivimaki a “sociopath,” a “piece of garbage,” a “little dirtbag,” and said “I’m coming for you.” (That last threat was with regards to civil litigation.)
Lizard Squad was responsible for the DDoS attacks that took down the Playstation Network and Xbox Live over Christmas last year. They are also responsible for an attack on Tor, the online anonymity service, and for attacks on various other services.
During his time as president of Daybreak, Smedley has been largely public-facing and open to fans. Despite that, he has also been the target of online harassment and even swatting. It’s unclear if this is the reason for his departure, but it’s good that he’s staying with the company.
Helldivers 2 proved to be a surprising success, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry. As per Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, it currently ranks as Sony’s seventh highest grossing game in the United States to date, trailing behind a trio of Spider-Man titles, a couple of God of War games, and Ghost of Tsushima. It’s only been on the market for less than three months and is not even being sold at full price.
According to Piscatella, a significant factor contributing to the game’s success is its release on PC. He mentioned that, based on Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, the game has consistently ranked first in terms of active users on Steam in the US since its launch, including April. The release of Helldivers 2 on both PlayStation and PC has been an extraordinary triumph.
He stated that Helldivers 2 has already become the seventh highest-grossing Sony-published game in history. Without a PC, it would not currently be considered one of the top 20 games. While I’m emphasizing the success of the PC SKU, it’s important to note that I’m not disregarding the success of the PlayStation SKU. I just wanted to clarify that. This launch has proven to be incredibly successful.
Prior to the release of Helldivers 2, Sony made it clear that they would be launching their live service-style titles simultaneously on both the PS5 and PC. The success of this approach will undoubtedly strengthen their strategic vision. It will be intriguing to witness if the company reveals official sales figures in the near future, as the title appears to be one of the platform holder’s most successful sellers to date.
Gaming
The developer of Stellar Blade for the PS5 Expressing gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support amidst a recent controversy surrounding censorship
Shift Up, the Korean developer, seems to be reconsidering its contentious alterations to the Stellar Blade outfit. In a message to fans, they have urged everyone to stay tuned for updates and expressed gratitude for the passionate feedback from players. For those who may not be aware, a petition gained significant attention over the weekend when gamers discovered changes made to a few of the game’s costumes through a day-one patch.
The launch day update includes a fantastic New Game + mode, but some players were disappointed by the changes made to protagonist Eve’s outfit. These alterations sparked debates about censorship. Director Hyung-Tae Kim later clarified that this was the studio’s original vision, but he acknowledged that it may require further persuasion to win over users. Internal discussions were also underway to address any concerns.
Thanks to all our Stellar Blade fans for your passion & feedback. Stay tuned for updates🤍 pic.twitter.com/jCRzM4OQBS
— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) May 1, 2024
There is no definitive confirmation regarding the reversal of the outfits, but considering the language used in the statement and the widespread controversy surrounding the alterations, it is highly likely that a future patch will restore the original costumes. If you want to get a sneak peek at all of Eve’s different outfits and learn how to unlock them, be sure to take a look at our comprehensive guide, All Outfits and How to Get Them.
It’s quite possible. Fans all over the world are interested in Shift Up’s highly anticipated action-adventure game, Stellar Blade. With its captivating post-apocalyptic setting reminiscent of Nier and a compelling protagonist named Eve, it’s no wonder the game has generated such widespread attention.
The game consistently impresses with its stunning visuals and high-octane action, leaving players in awe with each new trailer.
Yet, just like other noteworthy second-party and third-party game releases, fans are pondering: Will Stellar Blade be available on PC?
In this article, we delve into the details to determine the platform availability of the highly anticipated title.
Will Stellar Blade be available on PC? Allow me to provide you with the answer.
Unfortunately, Stellar Blade will not be available on PC, at least not initially. Currently, the game is only available on PlayStation 5 starting on April 26, 2024.
Regrettably, it appears that there is no indication of a potential PC release for Stellar Blade in the future. In most cases, trailers for PlayStation timed-exclusive titles conclude with a disclaimer that specifies the duration of their exclusivity.
In the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launch trailer, it is explicitly stated that the game will only be accessible on other platforms starting on May 29, 2024.
Regrettably, when it comes to the stellar blade, there is no indication of such.
It’s important to note that Sony Entertainment Interactive published Stellar Blade, unlike Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This means that the chances of it being released on PC or other platforms in the near future are even slimmer.
However, it is worth noting that there is a chance the game might be released on PC in the future, given PlayStation’s track record of bringing their exclusive titles to the platform. However, it could be a while before this comes to fruition.
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