Top Story
PlayStation 4 sales in decline as the console reaches the end of its lifecycle
Sony has released their financial results from third quarter of 2019, and the most notable trend is that the PlayStation 4 is finally slowing down.
PlayStation 4 sales are down nearly 25% and is clearly nearing the end of its lifecycle. Demand is shrinking, in part because the market is saturated and in part because of the PlayStation 5 announcement.
PlayStation Plus continues to grow at a steady pace
There are other interesting numbers too, including a tally of PlayStation Plus subscribers. About 37% of PlayStation 4 owners subscribe to PlayStation Plus, nearly doubling between the fourth quarters of 2015 and 2019, from 20.8 million to 38.8 million subscribers.
The service’s popularity is mostly thanks to the monthly bundle of free games, but you also need the subscription to enjoy online multiplayer on the PlayStation 4.
Sony remains tight-lipped about the PlayStation 5 and while there are a lot of more or less credible leaks, there is not much official information. The new console has no firm release date, and the hardware specifications are still not known.
Sony is expected to drop the PlayStation 4’s price this year to maximize their sales and clear up stock before the PlayStation 5 launch.
Time For A Quick Daily Quiz?
Which WarCraft III mod popularized the multiplayer online battle arena?
- Defense of the Ancients
- Uther Party
- The Edge of Eternity
- Darkwind RPG – A Hero’s Tale
The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today’s issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.
News Bits
Command & Conquer Remastered team posts development update
The Command & Conquer: Remastered team has just reached their content alpha milestone, and has posted posted a development update on Reddit. Every single game asset has now been replaced with a new, gorgeous high-resolution version!
The multiplayer is also shaping up, and the developers have been able to play with QA teams all over the world using dedicated servers. There is also a new replay system enabling players to share and add post-match commentary to multiplayer matches, much like StarCraft.
There is still no release date for Command & Conquer: Remastered, but since 2020 marks the series’ 25th anniversary it seems reasonable to assume it will launch this year.
Zombie Army 4 Review Roundup
Rebellion is launching Zombie Army 4 today and critics seem to have had a good time so far. The current Metacritic rating is 71, based on 30 critics. Here’s they had to say:
PC Gamer (Score 70/100) – “An excellently-crafted shooter, especially with friends.”
PlayStation Universe (Score 70/100) – “Zombie Army 4 is a solid co-op offering that offers plenty of blood-spilling fun. However, it’s let down by dated mission design and repetition, while its single-player isn’t half as fun as when you’re teaming up with a group of mates. Fans of the series will definitely appreciate what’s on offer, though.”
VideoGamer (Score 70/100) – “The mood wafts above it all, overpowering any laughable suggestions of plot or character—neither of which fuels Zombie Army 4.”
IGN (Score 70/100) – “Zombie Army 4: Dead War doesn’t break new ground in the co-op zombie gauntlet genre, but it adds a few unique mechanics that make it fun to tackle the hordes.”
The Sixth Axis (Score 80/100) – “If you like shooting zombies with friends, then Zombie Army 4: Dead War is the game for you. There’s a few new twists and several layers of progression now thrown into the mix, as you battle undead Nazis once again, but this is classic undead sniping action through and through.”
Daily Fact
The Wonderful 101 is PlatinumGames’ homage to … themselves!
The Wonderful 101 originally launched on the moribund Switch and didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but the superhero troupe is making a comeback thanks to PlatinumGames’ still-ongoing Kickstarter campaign.
The game is filled to the brim with Easter eggs and references to PlatinumGames’ history, as well as broader culture. For example, Wonder Wonderland is named Allison Trump, which is the full name of Alice from Lewis Carroll’s books about Alice in Wonderland.
Jeanne, Rodin and Bayonetta make appearances, although unlocking them is no mean feat: You need to earn a platinum rank on every single stage in the game!
While The Wonderful 101 wasn’t a big success the first time around, it is clearly fondly remembered by those who played it, and still holds appeal for those who didn’t. What kind of surprises will PlatinumGames have in store for the remaster?
Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss today’s fact.