Daily Briefing: Friday 30th July

Capcom post record profits

Capcom this week revealed their financial results for the quarter ending June 30th 2021 and they make for some very striking reading, with net sales and profits having more than doubled compared to the same reporting period last year. Net sales were up 104.1% to $440m, operating income increased 120.4% to $214.8m, and net income jumped 121.9% to $157.5m.

• This impressive performance is due in part to successful major new releases like Resident Evil Village and Monster Hunter Rise. Capcom reported selling 13.3m games during Q1 2021, itself a 44.6% over last year, with Resident Evil Village selling 4.5m copies since its May 7th release. The game is well on track to outpace Resident Evil 7's 8.5m lifetime sales to become the best-selling single release in franchise history.

Microsoft are removing Forza Motorsport 7 from sale

The game only released in October 2017 and is still widely regarded as one of the finest racing sims on the market, but Microsoft nonetheless announced this week that the game has reached "End of Life" status and will be shuttered on September 15th. Anyone who owns the game or its DLC will still be able to play it after that date, and multiplayer and online services will continue unchanged, but new players won't be able to buy it. The game will also no longer be available on Xbox Game Pass following the removal.

• This is a pretty strange decision from Microsoft here, the game is only four years old and the only Forza release we've had since 2017 was Forza Horizon 4 in 2018, so it's not like we're being inundated by new entries. It's also strange that, while the game will no longer be on sale, its online component will stay active, so this isn't a decision rooted in axing server costs. You have to wonder what the thinking is in just blocking the game off to new players, although there will be a token scheme available to Game Pass subscribers who have since purchased the DLC that will allow them to redeem the full game following its removal date. Strange, strange, strange.

The Outer Wilds' "first and only" expansion launches later this year

The space exploration game's Echoes of the Eye expansion was a surprise reveal during yesterday's Annapurna Interactive games showcase, with it set to hit PC and consoles on September 28th. Billed as the game's "final campfire tale", developers Mobius Digital say players will be left "shaking in [their] suits" as they "unravel the solar system's deepest secret."

• The Outer Wilds has garnered much critical acclaim since it first release back in May 2019, winning multiple Game of the Year Awards from different outlets as it popped up on more systems over the years. The prospect of more of it will certainly be intriguing to fans, especially seeing as it's a little unclear right now how Echoes of the Eye will factor into the game's ongoing story. That's all part of the mystique, though, with creative director Alex Beachum saying that asking "how" and "why" the expansion plays into wider events are "very good questions."

Kena: Bridge of Spirits gets another delay

The game was an unexpected highlight of last year's PlayStation 5 reveal event but we'll have to wait just a little bit longer to get our hands on it, as its release date has been pushed from August 24th to September 21st. Developers Ember Labs have said the delay will allow for extra time "to polish the game across all platforms."

• In a statement confirming the delay, the devs said that they feel this extra little chunk of time is "critical to ensure the best experience possible" and thank fans for their "amazing support." Things like this are a sort of underrated pitfall of big showcases like the PS5 reveal event. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is, in essence, an indie title that is now having to bear the weight of AAA expectations. Credit to the developers for taking the extra time.