Weekly News Digest - 10th January 2025

Welcome to the Bastion Weekly News Digest in which, every Friday, we provide an overview of the biggest news and stories affecting the video game industry.

Hitman Passes 75m Player Milestone – Eurogamer?

HITMAN: World of Assassination has reached a remarkable milestone, surpassing 75 million players globally in under ten years. According to IO Interactive, this achievement has only enhanced its position as the most successful game in the Hitman franchise.

Sonic Franchise Breaks $1 Billion at Box Office – Screen Crush

The Sonic the Hedgehog film series has officially crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office. This milestone highlights the franchise’s enduring popularity, driven by strong fan support and successful adaptations.

Xbox Cloud Gaming Expands to LG Smart TVs – Game Developer

Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available on select LG smart TVs via a pre-installed app, making console-free games even more accessible. This expansion is part of Microsoft's broader strategy to reach gamers beyond the console, boosting its cloud gaming presence.

How to Game Greener – Energy Live News

Analysis by Cases.gg has unveiled the energy consumption of popular games consoles, shedding light on how gamers can reduce emissions and save on energy costs. The study measured each console’s power usage across typical daily activities.

In other news…

A married couple, united by their shared passion for Scrabble, fondly recall when their love first "sparkled over the board" more than two decades ago.

Graham and Helen Harding, who were active in Scrabble clubs in Berkshire and Leicestershire during the 1990s where they met through tournaments. To celebrate their love for the game, they brought a Scrabble board to their wedding - and even - had a Scrabble-themed cake!

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

Ben Skipper – Account Director

With its unabashed Americana, it’s easy to forget Grand Theft Auto is a British-made phenomena.??

Vice City might be the setting of Rockstar Games’ GTA VI, but it’s in Edinburgh that the destination millions of players will be jetting to is being built.?

GTA VI is predicted to be one of the biggest entertainment launches of all time, and it needs to be treated in kind. This is a moment the UK’s entire video game industry must rally behind.

We’ve suffered hit after hit over the past two years. If the goal was to “survive ‘til 25” then now is the time to start championing the industry - from the latest GTA all the way down to the smallest homebrew indie.??

GTA could inject a much-needed sense of optimism into Britain’s games industry. Rockstar may provide the headliner, but there’s so much more beyond that. Supermassive Games’ Little Nightmares III, Playground’s Fable and Rebellion’s Atomfall to name just a few.??

It seems inevitable that Rockstar’s monolithic sequel will prove once again that video games are the biggest entertainment medium on the planet. If this isn’t the time to yell about the brilliance of games, when is????