Daily Briefing: Tuesday 13th July

Hideo Kojima isn't a fan of Sony's Director's Cut branding

The upcoming Death Stranding Director's Cut was a pretty interesting announcement to come out Summer Game Fest, but it turns out creator Hideo Kojima isn't too pleased with the title. In a series of tweets, Kojima very publicly voiced his displeasure at the insinuation that his vision was compromised for the original Death Stranding, and reiterated that the additional content for the Director's Cut is all newly-developed content.

• We do love to poke fun at Kojima for some of the things he comes out with but he does have a bit of a point here. A term borrowed from the film industry, a Director's Cut in games does sort of suggest that it's full of cut content that didn't make it into the first game rather than all-new content - so it makes sense creators would take issue with that. Sony are evidently fans of the branding though - the Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut was recently announced and it contains an entirely new island! Kojima says he would prefer the term "Director's Plus", but maybe we could just go with something like Complete/Ultimate edition like everything else?

Image rights may be the end of Sega's Judgment series

This is a strange one but potentially very disappointing if it turns out to be true. Sega's Yakuza spin-off series is fronted by a character called Takayuki Yagami, and he has been played by real-life Japanese music sensation Takuya Kimura across two games now. Kimura's talent agency is reportedly blocking PC versions of the game thanks to some very outdated attitudes about computers, which could effectively end the Judgment series before it's really gotten going.

• The agency, which is called Johnny's, has historically been very distrustful of computers and the internet in general. They only opened an official YouTube channel in 2018 and they typically don't allow images or press releases for their clients to be published online, that kind of thing. Johnny's are reportedly blocking PC versions of Judgment in order to protect their client, while Sega view the PC space as vital for future successes. Kimura has huge star power so losing him would really be a blow for the series.

EA lock FIFA 22's next-gen upgrade behind $100 Ultimate Edition

EA are back at it again this year with an altogether less friendly version of their Dual Entitlement scheme. layers will only be able to upgrade to the next-gen version of FIFA 22 if they buy the exorbitantly expensive $100 digital-only Ultimate Edition. This effectively means that EA are charging $40 for a next-gen upgrade, a marked change over last year when upgrades were free.

• The change here is jarring and very much suggests that EA have latched onto next-gen upgrades as a powerful and fleeting source of revenue. They're doing the same thing with Madden 22, although for that one next-gen upgrades are tied to the physical MVP and Dynasty editions - which cost $100 and $120 respectively. With next-gen consoles still in short supply, folks are going to want to be able to upgrade their games, and EA are cashing in on the opportunity. They likely won't be able to get away with this same thing next year as console supplies improve, but let's not speak too soon.

Warner Bros. Games deny sale rumours

It doesn't seem like all that long ago that Warner Bros. Games takeover rumours were all over the place, with any number of suitors in line to hoover up some discarded studios and beloved IP. Things went quiet after the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger but new rumours have emerged that NetherRealm Studios and TT Games are now for sale.

• The suggestion comes courtesy of Windows Central's Jez Corden who, speaking on a recent edition of his Xbox Two podcast, revealed that the Mortal Kombat and Lego games operators are no longer included "in the scope" of the company's future. Warner Bros. Games have denied these claims, however, with SVP of communications Remi Sklar releasing a statement to confirm that both studios will remain under the existing Warner Bros. Games banner and are included within the scope of the merger.