On today’s program of the Daily: 5% of Nintendo bought by Saudi Arabia, novelty at Disney + and we will end with EA amputating Battlefield 2042 of part of its content. The daily is out!
Nintendo partially acquired by Saudi Arabia
Nintendo has a new investor since the beginning of the week, and we can say it’s surprising. This is the Saudi investment fund that has offered 5% of the capital of the Japanese manufacturer. Saudi Arabia, endowed with more than $500 billion, had already expressed its interest in video games and eSports a few months ago, owning SNK and even ESL, a key player in the competition. They are also shareholders in Activision Blizzard, Capcom, EA, Take Two and Nexon. The stake in Nintendo is estimated at almost 3 billion US dollars. It’s a real deal for Saudi Arabia as the yen has weakened in recent weeks while Nintendo’s targets for Switch sales have been scaled back. The goal is to restore Saudi Arabia’s image by buying international exposure and weight in high-potential sectors. Contacted by Bloomberg, said Hideki Yasuda of Tokyo Securities “Saudi Arabia is strengthening its strategy to create its own content industry. This series of investments in Japanese studios and publishers is an opportunity to learn from Japan.”
And the most popular Marvel series is…
This Thursday Disney+, Mickey’s SVOD platform, revealed some interesting numbers. The most watched Marvel series after a 6 episode first season is none other than Loki. MCU producer Kevin Feige has claimed that filming for Season 2 will begin in the coming weeks. He then took the opportunity to present the trailer for She Hulk: Lawyer, a series based on a close friend of Bruce Banner’s who, unfortunately, is steeped in the Hulk’s blood and begins to develop superpowers. On the Star Wars side, some projects are already in the pipeline. In addition to Obi Wan Kenobi, the Andor series is currently in development, as is the Ahsoka series, season 3 of The Mandalorian, but also The Acolyte, set 100 years before the first film in the saga: The Phantom Menace. A new series has also been announced! Right now it’s called the Grammar Rodeo and takes place after the 6th film.
Battlefield 2042 loses one of its greatest assets
Battlefield 2042 was probably one of the two most anticipated games of late 2021, along with Forza Horizon 5. But with a disastrous start, the franchise continues to suffer hard times, with players preferring to play old episodes like Battlefield 4, 1 and 5. However, the teams are delivering long-awaited patches and improvements, but it’s obviously too late, so the studio is now forced to discontinue certain features. Breakthrough mode in 128 players will be removed starting today to go back to just 64. The publisher makes sure they are working on other changes and states that the 128 player in Conquest mode is still relevant. After the hierarchy in the licensing studios was restructured, EA is already working on a new opus, according to insider Tom Henderson. Nothing official has been announced so far.
