Hey everyone! We sat down for about an hour yesterday and talked through some *stuff*. What's going on with us? What are our content plans? This podcast has the answers... and there's some exciting news, just for you ;)
We also do a little bit of riffing on a post-2020 world. Warcraft, games, societal observation, we have it all.
2021-09-01 12:31:00 +0000 UTC View PostAt a Bethesda Gamescom stream, Pete Hines said “It’s not a ‘sorry, you’re never going to get to play anything by Bethesda again’ [situation]”. “Certainly, there are going to be things that you’re not going to be able to play on PlayStation.”
On Starfield specifically, he said “it was announced as a thing that’s an Xbox exclusive” and “I don’t know if I would go so far as to say you’re done ever playing st...
2021-08-31 14:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostBack paddles on controllers (like the Steam controller and Xbox Elite) are a rare occurrence, because custom controller manufacturer SCUF hold the patents on it. The Xbox Elite licenses the patent, but Valve infringed upon it: In February, Valve were fined $4m as a result. However, now they've successfully appealed. If the appeal holds, it may be open season on back paddles and back paddle attachments for controllers.
Hello everyone! Right, so this is a draft script that I've been working on. It's all about Class Order Halls, and I'm quite happy with it at a high level, so I thought I'd share it here early, and see if you've got any suggestions.
Lets be real: the criticisms of modern WoW have been talked about to death. Now, I'm far more interested in where we could go next, and what sorts of game...
2021-08-30 16:04:48 +0000 UTC View PostChris Bruzzo, EVP for 'Positive Play', marketing and commercial, gave an interview to GamesIndustry.biz on toxicity, loot boxes and more. The reason they aren't embroiled in the same harassment allegations is apparently down to EA having a team that investigates complaints and takes action. "So, yes, we have had to take some significant actions and...
2021-08-27 15:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostApologies for the late brief! We're running short-staffed this week due to absences.
Saints Row will be a return to the franchise's roots focusing on gang warfare, rather than the over-the-top craziness of 3 and 4. The main character will be 'the boss' of a new gang vying for supremacy in fictional Santo Ileso, with the most extensive character customisation system seen in a Saints Row game yet, according to Volition. Also, in celebr...
2021-08-26 20:52:36 +0000 UTC View PostThe Department of Fair Employment and Housing in California posted an update to their legal case against Activision-Blizzard, adding an eleventh case of action and updating some language used throughout. There are two important parts to the update: One is that it's no longer 'employees' being discussed, but 'workers'. That expands the legal definition to include temp workers and contracted workers, as well as full-time empl...
2021-08-25 14:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostYoutuber Karl Jobst released a 52-minute long video breaking down his investigation into retro game valuation. Wata Games grades, or assigns quality levels, to retro videogame copies and then Heritage Auctions sells graded retro games. Before Wata, the highest price paid for a game was $30k. The first auction for a Wata game sold for $100k to the Heritage Auctions' co-founder and involved parties. They then used this in a press rele...
2021-08-24 18:49:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's our August loot! Turned out sweet, especially the wand pin 😄 If you're subscriber at the loot tier for August (which is billed 1st - 4th of September), then we'll send along the pack.
Oh - a few packs have been returned to sender, so be sure to let us know if we need to send to a different address etc!
2021-08-24 13:00:28 +0000 UTC View PostIn a substantial development update posted to Youtube, 343 confirmed that Halo Infinite will lack the co-op campaign and Forge modes at launch, instead aiming to ship them in seasons 2 and 3, around 3 and 6 months after release. According to creative lead Joseph Staten, the team "made the determination that they're just not ready." Split-screen multiplayer on PC will also be delayed due to technical issues.
Hey everyone! Apologies about the lack of Daily Briefing yesterday - Adam is off & there was no-one available to cover. Until he's back, I'll be delivering the news straight to you. Today, it's a remaster news special.
Bethesda have announced a new edition of Skyrim. The Anniversary Edition celebrates 10 years since Skyrim's release, and adds fishing, new quests and a survival mode, among 500 other pieces...
2021-08-20 12:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostEpic Games this week unveiled a new LTM for Fortnite named Impostors, which sees eight agents trying to complete tasks on a submarine while dealing with sabotage efforts from two impostors. The mode takes place in a large, multi-room environment called The Bridge and players are able to call discussions in order to vote out who they believe to be the offending party. It sure sounds like Among Us, doesn't it?...
2021-08-18 16:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Enjoy! Neat lore, and one of our most technically advanced videos yet!
2021-08-17 14:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Phew - sorry it took us longer than usual to get this episode out. The recent Blizzard lawsuit took a lot of Matt & I's time.
2021-08-16 17:27:27 +0000 UTC View PostThat's coming directly from Crystal Dynamics' senior game designer Scott Walters who, speaking in a new interview with Screen Rant, outlined that Spider-Man is still set to join the embattled Avengers title later this year. The web-head was originally slated to release on PlayStation consoles in "early 2021", but this release was pushed back as part of a larger spate of content delays following the game's troubled launch.
That's according to a new report from Kotaku who, building on a recent spate of rumours to the effect and relying on the input of various sources familiar with the matter, claim that a remastered trilogy of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas are set to launch sometime around October/November of this year. The remasters have allegedly been built using Unreal Engine and will feature "a mix of new and old g...
2021-08-13 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostDiablo IV game director Luis Barriga, Diablo IV lead designer and Overwatch hero namesake Jesse McCree, and World of Warcraft senior designer Jonathan LeCraft have all been let go from Blizzard, the company confirmed earlier this week. Cory Stockton, currently a lead game designer at Blizzard, was reportedly placed on leave last week but for now remains with the company.
SOC Investment Group, an active Activision Blizzard shareholder group and firm advocates for ethical business practices, have issued a letter to company management stating that their attempts to improve corporate culture have been severely lacking. The letter highlights that, while the tone of Activision Blizzard's responses have certainly improved, the changes laid out by Bobby Kotick don't "go nearly far ...
2021-08-11 16:01:04 +0000 UTC View PostAs hard as it may be to believe, No Man's Sky turns five years old this week and to celebrate developers Hello Games have released a neat highlight real detailing all the updates the procedural space game has received over the years. As an additional surprise, the trailer also announced a new upcoming expansion called Frontiers. No detail was provided on this new injection of content beyond confirmation that it...
2021-08-10 15:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostIt's easy to forget with how much press the other side of the lawsuit has gotten but, when Epic Games filed their infamous lawsuit against Apple for the "monopolistic" App Store, they also fired a similar suit against Google. Well, newly unsealed court filings have revealed that Google actually considered buying "some or all" of Epic Games during the clash - presumably to shut them up.
Just because he's not a main character of Shadowlands doesn't mean he's not following along.... and getting up to his own solo adventures. Next time we see him, he's going to have a LOT to tell us.
2021-08-09 12:38:17 +0000 UTC View PostA new report published by the Washington Post has revealed that State Farm and Coca-Cola are taking a step back from the ongoing sponsorship of the Overwatch League. The two companies, which have been active sponsors of OWL since 2019, will be "reassessing" their relationship with the League going forward. State Farm have confirmed they will not be running advertisements during this weekend's events, though both they and Coca-Cola ran adv...
2021-08-06 16:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostIn the midst of all the turmoil, toxicity, truth, and upheaval of the ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit Frances Townsend - who has served as Activision Blizzard's Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer since March 2021 - decided it was the perfect time to share an article on "the problem with whistleblowing" to Twitter.
Activision Blizzard have had a deservedly rocky couple of weeks and, in the middle of it all, had to publish their Q2 financial results. There's obviously quite a bit going on but an almost-hidden titbit is that often-ridiculed Diablo Immortal has slipped to a H1 2022 launch window. A developer update posted to the game's official website reads that, following the feedback provided by Alpha testers, the team have been "tuning core and endgame features" a...
2021-08-04 16:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe confirmation comes courtesy of a letter to the Blizzard community written by president and COO Daniel Alegre which states that Brack will be leaving "to pursue new opportunities." In his stead, Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will be appointed "co-leaders" of Blizzard. Oneal was the head of Vicarious Visions before it was merged into Blizzard, when she became Executive Vice President of Development; while Mike Ybarra joined Blizzard in October 2019 fol...
2021-08-03 15:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostLast week over one thousand current and ex-Ubisoft employees signed an open letter to the company's management calling for significant change in the wake of widespread misconduct allegations. While the letter was written in solidarity with staff at Activision Blizzard, it was also immediately relevant for Ubisoft as the company is currently facing a hefty sexual harassment lawsuit of its own. The letter elicited a res...
2021-08-02 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostCapcom 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.
The letter has so far been signed by over 600 current and former Ubisoft staff and calls for "real, fundamental change" within the company and "across the industry" at large. The letter specifically mentions the events currently transpiring at Activision Blizzard where yesterday employees staged a walkout in protest at the company's "abhorrent and insulting" response to the ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit.
Speaking in an open letter to staff sent earlier this week, the Activision Blizzard CEO admitted that the company's "initial responses to the issues we face together, and to [employees'] concerns, were, quite frankly, tone-deaf." Kotick's email goes on to state that, regarding female employees who had experienced discrimination or sexual harassment, it is "imperative that we acknowledge all perspectives and experiences an...
2021-07-28 13:01:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Now this is an interesting one. Warcraft 3, in retrospect, might have entirely driven by the Jailer and his agents, all fighting each other to fit his ultimate purpose.
Kel'thuzad was the Jailer's right-hand man all along. Arthas was Zovaal's puppet, Sargeras and the Legion were puppets of the Dreadlords, who were also the Jailer's agents, and Sylvanas ultimately becomes the final key in all of his plans.
What a wild ride this one is!
2021-07-27 14:01:06 +0000 UTC View Post