Marvelous USA Inc., officially doing business as Xseed Games, is an American video game company founded by former members of Square Enix USA. The company is currently a subsidiary of the Japanese game company Marvelous, providing the localization and publishing services for video games and related materials.
Remote Play is a feature of Sony video game consoles that allow the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 to transmit video and audio output to another device; previously this could only be a PlayStation Portable or PlayStation Vita. In 2014, it was expanded to include the use of PlayStation TV, Xperia smartphones and tablets, and PlayStation Now. In 2016, it was expanded to Microsoft Windows PCs and macOS. In 2019, support for Android and iOS devices was eventually added. Support for remote play of PlayStation 5 games to other devices was added in November 2020 just prior to the new console's launch.
The eighth generation of video game consoles began in 2012, and consists of four home video game consoles: the Wii U released in 2012, the PlayStation 4 family in 2013, the Xbox One family in 2013, and the Nintendo Switch family in 2017.
Sickhead Games, LLC is an American independent game development studio founded in 2002. It is best known for its multiplatform turn-based strategy game ARMED!, its involvement with the MonoGame framework and Torque series of game engines, and the development of several PlayStation 4/5, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch ports of indie games including TowerFall Ascension, Stardew Valley, Darkest Dungeon, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Slay the Spire, and Axiom Verge. The studio has updated classic console and PC games from the late 1990s and early 2000s, including ExZeus, Enclave, and Grandia, to run on modern gaming systems.
Submerged is a third-person exploration-based post-apocalyptic indie game developed and published by Uppercut Games for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2015, with an iOS port following in 2016. The sequel Submerged: Hidden Depths released on Stadia on 3 December 2020, with Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions following on 10 March 2022. The game is part of the "ecogames" genre which deal with the effects of climate change.
The ninth generation of video game consoles began in November 2020 with the releases of Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S console family and Sony's PlayStation 5.
Avicii Invector is a 2019 multi-player music video game developed by Swedish studio Hello There Games with Wired Productions, in memory of Swedish DJ Avicii, who died in April 2018. The game was released on 10 December 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. An "Encore Edition" featuring an additional 10 tracks, which is also available separately as DLC for existing owners, was released on 8 September 2020 on all existing platforms, and Nintendo Switch. The game was originally released for PlayStation 4 on December 6, 2017 as "Invector", with only 22 tracks. The 2019 version was given for free to owners of the original version. The game was later re-released on Stadia on March 1, 2021. A version for Meta Quest 2 released on January 27, 2022.
In the video game industry, 2021 saw the release of many new titles. The numerous delays in software and hardware releases due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted development schedules, leading to several games being delayed into 2022 or even postponed indefinitely. Additionally, computer and console hardware were impacted by the combined effects of a semiconductor shortage and a rising growth of bitcoin mining that strained the supply of critical components.
In the video game industry, 2022 saw the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry, slowing hardware sales for most of the year as well as development delays for major titles. The industry continued its trend of acquisitions and mergers, highlighted by Microsoft announcing its plan to acquire Activision Blizzard for nearly $69 billion. The industry as a whole continued to deal with issues such as workplace harassment and discrimination, alongside crunch periods, leading to at least the quality assurance staff at three separate studios to vote to unionize.
