PlayStation Icon Shu Yoshida Departs After 38 Years at Sony #
Shu Yoshida, one of PlayStation's founding fathers, has officially left Sony after an incredible 38-year run that included 31 years at PlayStation.
Yoshida joined Sony in 1986 and became one of the first 80 employees working on the original PlayStation. He climbed the ranks to become president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios in 2008.
His portfolio includes some of gaming's most iconic franchises: Gran Turismo, God of War, Uncharted, The Last of Us, and Crash Bandicoot.
What's interesting? Yoshida convinced skeptical Sony executives by pitching PlayStation as "the world's first virtual reality system" back when VR was just a buzzword.
He's not leaving gaming though - just Sony. He plans to continue working with indie developers, which was his passion project since 2019.
Team Fortress 2 Gets Full SDK Release, Allowing Complete Game Mods #
Valve just dropped a bombshell for the modding community - they've released the full Source SDK for Team Fortress 2, including all client and server game code.
This isn't just another workshop update. Modders can now fundamentally change, extend or completely rewrite TF2, creating anything from small tweaks to entirely new games.
The numbers matter: Unlike previous limited modding tools, this SDK allows for publishing standalone mods on Steam that appear as separate games in your library.
The catch? All mods must be free, non-commercial, and respect TF2's workshop ecosystem. Valve doesn't want modders profiting off workshop contributors' hard work.
Bonus: Valve is also updating TF2 and other Source multiplayer games with 64-bit support, scalable HUD/UI, and prediction fixes. Not bad for a 17-year-old game!
NetEase Cuts Marvel Rivals Team Despite $136M Launch Success #
In classic gaming industry fashion, NetEase has laid off its Seattle-based Marvel Rivals development team right after delivering "an incredibly successful new franchise."
The free-to-play hero shooter reportedly generated $136 million in its first month after launching in December 2024, with the majority coming from PC players.
NetEase claims this was done to "optimize development efficiency" while insisting they're "investing more, not less" into the game.
The core development team in Guangzhou, China will continue work on the game, with Human Torch and The Thing still scheduled to join the roster this Friday.
This seems like peak video game industry logic - "Your game made us $136 million? You're fired!"
Pokémon Go Creator Niantic In Talks To Sell Gaming Division for $3.5B #
Niantic, the company behind the global phenomenon Pokémon Go, is reportedly negotiating to sell its gaming business to Saudi-owned Scopely for around $3.5 billion.
The deal would include Pokémon Go and Niantic's other mobile games, though no agreement has been finalized yet.
Despite Pokémon Go's massive success (the most downloaded and profitable AR app ever), Niantic struggled to replicate that triumph. The company laid off staff and canceled multiple projects in 2022-2023.
This potential sale follows Niantic signing a deal with Savvy Games Group (Scopely's owner) in August to expand into Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt.
Savvy's CEO recently mentioned plans to add a "genre-leading" mobile title - looks like Pokémon Go fits that description perfectly.
Nintendo Discontinuing Gold Points Rewards Program Next Month #
Nintendo's loyalty program is about to go the way of the Game Boy Micro. The company will discontinue its My Nintendo Gold Points program starting March 24, 2025.
After this date, you won't earn Gold Points on digital purchases or when using Nintendo eShop cards, even if the card packaging still mentions Gold Points.
Any existing points will remain valid until the last day of the month a year after being earned. Physical games released before the cutoff date will still earn points even if purchased later.
This move comes just weeks after Nintendo officially revealed the Switch 2, featuring magnetically attachable Joy-Cons and a USB-C port.
Timing is everything - killing your loyalty program right before launching a new console seems like an odd strategy, but Nintendo's gonna Nintendo.
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Happy gaming, whether you're swinging through New York as Spider-Man, rocket jumping in TF2, or catching your last Pokémon before Niantic changes hands!