Main events from the weekend (June 1-2)

According to media reports, Take-Two has decided to divest from Private Division, the budget for Bend Studio's new game may have exceeded $250 million, and NVIDIA has announced an AI assistant for game walkthroughs. Here’s a look at what happened in the gaming industry over the weekend.

Tales of the Shire

• Take-Two Interactive is planning to sell or shut down the indie label Private Division, reports IGN, citing sources. According to the portal, the company warned employees about mass layoffs as early as February. Two months later, it announced the withdrawal of support for Private Division, followed by almost complete layoffs in the division. As a result, Private Division is left with a small team working on games under previously signed contracts. Among these games are No Rest for the Wicked by Moon Studios and Tales of the Shire by Wētā Workshop. It is reported that a private investment company has already shown interest in purchasing Private Division. The deal has not yet been finalized, but it is known that individuals associated with the management of Moon Studios are involved. IGN sources also claim that Take-Two wanted to sell the rights to Kerbal Space Program (considering options to sell just the IP or the IP along with the Intercept Games studio) and held negotiations with Paradox Interactive, but the deal fell through.
• Days Gone game director Jeff Ross wrote in X that, according to his information, Sony spent at least $250 million on the development of Bend Studio's next game. He called this figure insane. Ross stated that the sum seems especially incredible to him given that, at one time, Sony refused to finance a sequel to Days Gone, which was expected to have a more modest budget of $150 million. Ross did not share any details about Bend Studio’s game. It is worth noting that the developer left the studio in 2020.
• NVIDIA introduced the G-Assist neural network, which assists with game walkthroughs. The AI assistant can respond to questions asked orally or in writing by gamers and provide various tips. For example, it can explain how to level up characters, where to find resources, and how best to fight opponents. Additionally, G-Assist can adjust game settings. The release date for G-Assist has not been announced.
• The studio Madfinger Games announced that sales of the extraction shooter Gray Zone Warfare have exceeded 900,000 copies. It took the game 30 days to reach this milestone.
• Meanwhile, the creators of the multiplayer survival game Soulmask boasted that their game sold over 100,000 copies within the first 24 hours of its release. Soulmask was launched in early access on Steam on May 31. By the time of this news article, it had collected 79% positive reviews, and its peak concurrent player count exceeded 38,700 people.