Blizzard

Master Chief Collection Coming to PC

ISSUE 14 — 17 March 2019

by Shahan Ahmed and Dale Hurst

Top Story: MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION FOR PC ANNOUNCED

The famed Halo series is back! It’s coming to Steam and the Windows store later this year. Pricing is yet to be revealed. Each game in the collection will be released one by one. Halo Reach will be in 4K, 60FPS and has HDR. The Steam page for the collection is already up.

Fans were so happy with the news that they’ve bombarded the developer, 343 Industries, with pizzas. This happens after redditor ‘thewombinthesky’ pre-emptively promised pizza to a responding 343 employee if MCC for PC is announced.

Shahan’s Opinion: Halo isn’t for me personally, but it’s always great to see fans of a time-honoured game series come out of the woodwork to celebrate this announcement. And it’s always great when fans send boatloads of food to devs. Another example of this happening is when Blizzard received hundreds of cookies from Overwatch fans years ago.

ANTHEM FANS CONDUCTED A BLACKOUT

After the latest update for Anthem was released and when the player base experienced the ins and outs of all the new changes, they were not happy. Therefore, a protest went underway to send a message to the developers, investors, etc., directly referring to the rate of loot drops in the game, as it does not adequately reward the amount of time that a player invests in the game. It also mentions the fact that it’s a game with real money transactions for cosmetics, even though there are barely any cosmetics.

And like salvaging parts from a fallen freelancer in-game, the developers are currently underway salvaging Anthem, but not as simply or successfully. This week on the EA Help Twitter, they are looking for help in identifying issues in quickplay missions currently. It just comes across like the game was released far too early and players are just paying to be beta testers. This is far too common in the gaming industry. Understandably game development is more costly and complex from the days of Atari or Dreamcast, but it’s not entitled of consumers to ask for a polished and complete product.

Shahan’s Opinion: Oh boy. To be honest, I’ve been unintentionally conducting a blackout on the game since I last played it. I’ll hop back on if/when Bioware manages to turn things around.

ANOTHER GOKU COMING TO FIGHTERZ

New characters continue to fly into Dragon Ball FighterZ, the DBZ fighting game that many consider to be the best amongst them all. The latest to be revealed is another form of Goku. Specifically his appearance in the non-canon series, Dragon Ball GT. His moves include the Super Kamehameha and the Super Spirit Bomb as well as the Reverse Kamehameha and the good old Power Pole! He is also said to have a hidden attack. Could it involve GT’s infamous Super Saiyan 4 form? We’ll have to wait and see!

For anyone unaware what Dragon Ball GT is and how it fits in with the other Dragon Ball series, here’s a quick run-through. First came the original Dragon Ball; a charming, goofy adventure that followed a little Son Goku and the friends he made as they searched for the Dragon Balls. Dragon Ball Z was next and is the most famous series in the franchise. It introduced the golden, spiky Super Saiyan form, fusions and more. What followed after this was Dragon Ball GT. It brought the focus back on the Dragon Balls and the consequences of them being excessively used since the very beginning. GT was vilified for Goku being turned back into a kid, the minimal involvement of creator Akira Toriyama and various other reasons. Thus it became non-canon. Dragon Ball Super is the current series and continues on from DBZ.

Shahan’s Opinion: They’re acknowledging GT in this game? Ugh. I’d prefer if it was just Kid Goku from the original Dragon Ball with a little Chi Chi throwing her helmet blade or Young Bulma gunning opponents down!

HAS THE PUBG CREATOR LEFT PUBG?

The answer is… no!

Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene has released a statement that you can read above. The creator of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is moving on to create a new division within the PUBG Corp. He will head up the PUBG Special Projects division that will focus on research. He is still tied to the Battle Royale game as a ‘consulting creative director’.

Shahan’s Opinion: Naming your company after your product can be a risky move. It may be simple and easy to understand like Google or Amazon. But then there’s this… PUBG (Game). PUBG Corp. PUBG MadGlory, LLC. PUBG Special Division. What’s next?

SOLAR ASH KINGDOM REVEALED

Heart Machine, the developer of award-winning game Hyper Light Drifter, have announced their next game, Solar Ash Kingdom. Unlike HLD, which is a 2D action RPG, Solar Ash Kingdom is full 3D with third-person camera view. Disasterpeace returns for the game’s soundtrack. The dev has confirmed it is not a sequel to Hyper Light Drifter, but it is set in the same universe.

Shahan’s Opinion: It can be rough seeing a studio go from making a 2D game to 3D. Judging from the trailer alone they are well on their way to pulling it off because it looks MAGICAL.

GLOSSING OVER…

Warner Bros. Interactive and Turtle Rock Studios announce Back 4 Blood

The spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead has been announced earlier this week. It is otherwise, not a sequel, but a zombie co-op FPS “built from the ground up as an original, premium title…”

DMC5 Tops UK Retail Charts

It only launched last week and Devil May Cry 5 has already hit the #1 spot on the UK retail charts. It is the first time a game in the DMC franchise has topped a chart since 2013.

Could Cyberpunk 2077 Feature Lady Gaga?

The Oscar-nominated singer and actress Lady Gaga is rumoured to be in collaboration with CD Projekt Red on their hotly-anticipated game Cyberpunk 2077. Nothing is confirmed for certain yet, but there’s chatter going around in France that she could be doing motion capture for the game, even featuring as a character. Who knows? Watch this space, I guess…

PLAYING THIS WEEK…

Shahan has been playing…

SUPER PAPER MARIO (2007) (Wii)

Dale has introduced me to the Paper Mario games and this week we started Super Paper Mario. It pales in comparison to The Thousand-Year Door (which we completed previously) but it still has its own charming characters. It’s great that Peach is a mainstay in the party, but I sure do miss Goombella…

Terry Crews Simulator Launches

ISSUE 11 — 17 February 2019

by Shahan Ahmed and Dale Hurst

Top Story — TERRY CREWS SIMULATOR IS HERE!

Crackdown 3 launched a couple of days ago. I’m sure you couldn’t miss the advertising campaign for the game, featuring Terry Crews in his sci-fi armour being his usual amped up self. Now you can finally BE him as his character, Commander Jaxon, in the futuristic city of New Providence with its holograms and Hot Wheels-looking space cars. You can also play as one of his agents… but that would be silly.

After all the hype and build-up, was it worth the five-year wait? Well, so far it has received a mixed reception. Many feel that the graphics and gameplay are very outdated. The multiplayer, ‘Wrecking Zone’, is said to be simple with no progression system but future updates will be coming so the potential is there. Whatever the case if you enjoyed the first Crackdown, this is more of the same and is considered to be the sequel that fans deserved more so than Crackdown 2.

Shahan’s Opinion: It may not be the prettiest looking game but it looks like simple, mindless fun! I’ve not played the previous two but it reminds me a little of Saints Row. I’d prefer to play this on console rather than PC. Which is unfortunate as it’s a Microsoft exclusive, their console being the one I don’t have.

LINK’S (RE-)AWAKENING

Nintendo Direct this week showed off plenty of exciting news of upcoming games and updates. It included Deltarune, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Final Fantasy and much more (sorry; still no Animal Crossing).

The news broadcast ended with an amazing reveal. Link’s Awakening, a beloved Game Boy classic from 1993, is being reimagined and brought to the Nintendo Switch this year. It boasts a new art style that is still incredibly faithful to the original. If you want to see how the new graphics compare to the old, GameXplain have recreated the trailer in the original Game Boy game.

On a side note, Super Mario Maker 2 was also revealed at the Nintendo Direct. To be released in June, it will allow a New Super Mario Bros. U art style for your levels. Luigi and Toadette wearing Cat Suits have also been seen. Hopefully more information won’t be too far away…

Shahan’s Opinion: I absolutely love the old 2D Zelda games, especially the Oracle ones. I’m liking the new style. Hearing Marin hum the Ballad of the Wind Fish at the end of that trailer. Oh. Lord. Can’t wait to relive this game and be crushed by its sadness again. It’s kinda like re-watching the intro to Pixar’s Up on YouTube. Am I right? No? It’s just me? Okay.

HOLLOW KNIGHT: SILKSONG REVEALED

Team Cherry, the small indie dev from Australia, are making a sequel to their acclaimed and beloved game Hollow Knight. What started out as DLC, Hollow Knight: Silksong has you playing as Hornet. She made an appearance in the first game as a recurring boss and one of the protagonist’s siblings presumably. Hornet is very acrobatic and wields a needle and thread.

If you’re unfamiliar with Hollow Knight, here’s a quick look at what it’s about. It is set in an ancient kingdom in an underground world. The inhabitants are insect-like beings who used to worship The Radiance, until the arrival of The Pale King, who was reborn from a dying wyrm. The Radiance brought unity but she made the bugs a hive mind without thought. The Pale King expanded their minds under his influence. He made a plan to supplant The Radiance using the Void, a substance from The Abyss that The Radiance considers her ancient enemy. The plan goes awry and an infection spreads across the populace. They lose their expanded minds and turn to husks. The Knight set out to seal The Radiance once and for all.

Shahan’s Opinion: What a mesmerising world Team Cherry have created. The characters make me think of No-Face from Spirited Away and the Kodamas in Princess Mononoke.

THE LATEST BATTLE ROYALE…: TETRIS!?!

Forget Apex Legends. Forget Fortnite. The latest Battle Royale is here only on Nintendo Switch and it’s… Tetris 99! Yup, that’s right.

You face off against 98 other players at the same time, clearing rows and sending ‘garbage’ to other players in a race to be the last one standing. While you play, you can see the boards of all other players. You can choose specific players to target or let the computer choose for you. Knocking players out with garbage earns you badges. More badges means you can send more garbage at a time. There is a sense of progression in the game as you can level up from the experience you earn from matches. Tetris 99 also promises to have special events.

Shahan’s Opinion: This is undoubtedly a great way to test how you fare with your Tetris peers.

UPDATE: MCN SITUATIONS

A couple of weeks back, we informed you on two situations occurring with two different multi-channel networks; Machinima and DEFY Media. Here’s an update on both.

Rooster Teeth, the company behind animated series such as Red vs. Blue and RWBY as well as YouTube channels such as Achievement Hunter and Funhaus, worked hard to save all of the lost gaming video content and series that were lost when Machinima shut down. Some of the more popular videos were done by a group called Inside Gaming. The original crew of Adam Kovic, Bruce Greene, James Willems and friends left Machinima years ago after witnessing signs of its downfall first-hand. They went on to create Funhaus with the help of and being under the umbrella of Rooster Teeth. Now everything has come full circle and they have Inside Gaming back in their hands. Machinima’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts are converting to Inside Gaming. On YouTube itself, what used to be Rooster Teeth’s channel ‘The Know’ is now Inside Gaming’s official YouTube channel. All of their old videos are available on the Rooster Teeth website under ‘Classic Inside Gaming’.

Moving on to the situation involving DEFY Media’s shutdown and content creators such as Game Theory and SMOSH. Ally Bank, the current holders of the $1.7 million, made a tweet saying they also lose out in this situation and a professional has been hired by Defy’s board of directors to liquidate the company. Matpat goes on to explain that Ally Bank is using false equivalence to show itself as victims just as much as the content creators who might as well be considered small-time business owners. Check out his video for a full and well-spoken explanation.

Shahan’s Opinion: It’s great news to be able to watch the old Inside Gaming content. I highly recommend their Drunk Mario Kart video.

GLOSSING OVER…

Massive Layoffs at Activision-Blizzard

This should have been a much bigger section in this issue, but once you trawl through all the corporate jargon, you don’t come out with much useful information. In short, nearly 10,000 employees at Activision-Blizzard are being laid off as of last Tuesday’s report. Apparently, the staffing cuts are not affecting game development departments.

Darksiders III Breaks Even

Following on from us covering the game’s launch, we’d like to bring some good news for the Darksiders series’ potential future. The game has recouped the money spent on development and marketing. Surely we’ll get to play as Strife, the final Horseman, in his own game.

Apex Legends Tops on Twitch

It was a great first week for Apex Legends on Twitch, as it beat out Fortnite on viewership figures. The only question is now… will the success continue or will it be short-lived?

Metroid Prime 4 — Nintendo Speaks Out

ISSUE 8 — 27 January 2019

by Shahan Ahmed and Dale Hurst

Top Story — OVERWHELMING POSITIVITY TOWARDS METROID PRIME 4 HONESTY

Nintendo has come clean to their Metroid fans. Shinya Takahashi, Nintendo’s General Manager of Planning and Development, presented a development update, in which he states that the current progress on Metroid Prime 4 was not up to their standard. They have taken the decision to restart production from the beginning and have producer Kensuke Tanabe work with US-based developer Retro Studios, who worked on the original Metroid Prime series as well as Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze.

Even though it’s not happy news for everyone eagerly waiting for Metroid Prime 4, the reception to Nintendo’s actions have been positive. The fact that they themselves were not happy with how their game was turning out and being transparent about it. It comes across sincerely and can be seen as respectful towards their customers. They are setting an example for everyone else in the gaming industry. It is a stark contrast compared to recent stories of how certain developers have let down their fan-base.

Shahan’s Opinion: Honesty is the best policy. Also bringing back Retro Studios to continue the Metroid Prime series seems like a no-brainer! They know the games inside-out and no doubt they will push the franchise to new heights with the fourth instalment.

New Character Spotlight — DAI (Jump Force)

dai

Dragon Quest protagonist Dai is the latest revealed addition to the roster for the upcoming anime crossover game Jump Force. He was revealed alongside a new story trailer; however no details as to a moveset or anything else have been given as yet. However, an educated guess suggests that Dai’s magical abilities and sword will both be the cruxes of his in-game capabilities.

Shahan’s Opinion: I am super stoked to see Gon and Killua from Hunter x Hunter be in Jump Force. But the game itself looks kinda ugly to me…

Dale’s Opinion: It’s much too early to say for certain how I feel about this revelation. The way they’re packing all these characters into Jump Force, we won’t exactly run out of choices who to play…

STREAMER RAISES OVER $340K FOR TRANS RIGHTS

Hbomberguy started a charity stream to raise donations for Mermaids UK, an award-winning group that supports transgender rights. The stream involved playing Donkey Kong 64 to 101% completion – not an easy feat to accomplish even for experts who know all of the secrets of the classic Nintendo game.

Harry Brewis, the real full name of Hbomberguy, has done this in response to the actions of Graham Linehan, creator of UK TV shows Father Ted and IT Crowd. Upon hearing that Mermaids would receive a £500K grant from the National Lottery, Linehan started a campaign telling his followers to send emails for the grant to be revoked. Thus the grant has been halted.

The charity stream was complete after 57 hours. It garnered views from across the globe and attracted the attention of various famous figures. Two examples are US Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Matilda actress Mara Wilson.

Shahan’s Opinion: The highlight for me was Grant Kirkhope, Donkey Kong’s own voice actor and DK64 composer, calling in to say “Trans Rights”!

BLIZZARD PERMANENTLY SLASHES OVERWATCH’S PRICE

The Standard and Legendary editions of Overwatch can now be bought at a cheaper price from now on. The difference between the two editions are that being Legendary Edition has cosmetics for the heroes as well as additional goodies for the other Blizzard games.

As their player-base lessens, this may be a way for them to bring in newbies who have otherwise held off from their popular first-person shooter.

It is the Year of the Pig and Overwatch’s Lunar New Year 2019 event is currently underway, to end on 18th February. As with previous recent events, it brings new skins, emotes, voice lines, etc., but nothing fundamentally new gameplay-wise.

Shahan’s Opinion: The miniscule amount of Overwatch lore being trickled out is not keeping my attention. It’s a shame what with the incredible world and characters they’ve created.

THE END OF MCNS

Here’s a quick overview on what MCNs (or Multi-Channel Networks) are. They are organisations that offer services to content creators on video sites like YouTube to take care of the behind-the-scenes aspects of their job. This includes dealing with AdSense, which is how YouTubers monetise their videos. Essentially, this meant that money in the form of ad revenue go through MCNs first. They receive the money, take their cut and send the rest to the content creator. Examples of MCNs are Maker and Fullscreen. This week, the 2 MCNs that have hit the news are Machinima and DEFY Media.

Machinima Hides All Videos

After Fullscreen’s acquisition of Machinima, all the videos on their YouTube channel (of 12 million subscribers) have been privatised and therefore cannot be watched. Many years’ worth of gaming content just vanished as if by the snap of your fingers. You can’t go back and see the classic playthrough of Chaser by the old Inside Gaming crew. Content creators who are part of Machinima’s network received a letter stating they are now part of Fullscreen’s creator network instead. However, some were completely dropped.

This along with the news of the Wii Shop Channel closure at the end of this month is a reminder that something put on the Internet is not as permanent as you may think. Potentially your digital goods, from video games on PS Plus or Xbox Live to movies on Amazon Video or Google Play Movies, may be lost to you for any number of reasons temporarily or permanently.

DEFY Media Steals $1.7 Million

This story comes from Matthew Patrick, otherwise known as the YouTuber MatPat who is known for the Game Theorists, Film Theorists and GTLive. For legal reasons, he has not spoken of these circumstances until now. In November 2018, DEFY Media shut up shop with no notice and laid off workers without warning. They did this without providing the money that their 50 content creators had earned. This amounted to $1.7 Million, the sum of which has ended up with Ally Bank. Matthew Patrick and his wife Stephanie have been spending money out of their own pocket to get everyone’s money back and are now looking for help. Hence why MatPat has come out with this story. He says the next big decision is to be made in May.

Shahan’s Opinion: Regarding Machinima, it is likely the bigger names will have their content stored by fans and shared in certain places of the Internet. When it comes to the DEFY Media situation, it’s pretty shocking. Especially if it affects any content creators who are relying on that money for their everyday lives.

A NEW CONSOLE COMPETITOR?

Slightly Mad Studios, the developer of Project Cars 2, have announced their goal to create their own game console. This week CEO Ian Bell has unveiled on Twitter how the controller will look like. Ian Bell has made incredible claims regarding the console. This includes:

  • Be on par with a fast PC two years from now
  • 4K Visuals
  • Support for major VR headsets
  • 90FPS “per eye” for VR

He has also said the company will give the game engine to studios for free if they want to develop games for the Mad Box. The system is estimated by him to be three years away from release.

Shahan’s Opinion: I prefer the simple yet effective approach. A minimalist design can often be the best and most pleasing to the eye. It’s pretty futuristic I guess!

GLOSSING OVER…

Incineroar Nearly Didn’t Make Smash Bros. Ultimate…

…But Decidueye nearly did! It’s always the way. A new Smash Bros. instalment always calls for new representatives from the stalwart series — Mario and Pokémon, anyway. The grassy-ghostly arrow-slinging owl Decidueye very nearly joined the roster instead of the fiery feline pro wrestler Incineroar, it was revealed recently. Some may have preferred it that way, to be honest. Who agrees?

Smash Bros. Celebrates 20th Birthday

While we’re on the subject of Smash Bros., it has been 20 years since the original instalment debuted on the Nintendo 64. Who feels old now?

New League of Legends Cinematic Revealed

The headline pretty much speaks for itself. If you love League of Legends and haven’t watched it yet, go ahead and click here.

HEROES OF THE STORM NOW ON THE BACK BURNER?

ISSUE 5 — 16 December 2018

by Shahan Ahmed and Dale Hurst

Top Story — HEROES OF THE STORM IS LEAVING THE NEXUS?

Blizzard has announced that they are taking some of the developers behind their “love letter to Blizzard’s worlds and characters” Heroes of the Storm, and moving them to other teams who are making both live games and unannounced projects. They have said that the game will continue to be worked on and new content will come. Nevertheless, it is clear that Heroes of the Storm will no longer be high priority from this moment onwards.

In addition to this, Blizzard has cancelled the Heroes Global Championship and Heroes of the Dorm events in 2019. This stifles any hope of Heroes of the Storm ever being a viable e-sport. This announcement comes as a shock to anyone who made a living off of the game. Heroes of the Storm streamers are already moving on to other MOBAs, such as League of Legends or Dota 2. Many in the pro scene feel blindsighted and left in the dark, including players, coaches and captains.

Examples include Liam O’Malley, an aspiring HotS e-sport player who was about to join the Endemic team, dropped out of college for Heroes of the Storm. He spent three years to pursue his dream of playing in the Heroes Global Championship.

Then there’s Justing, who is captain of Simplicity’s HotS team, who said: “good thing i [sic] *was* a team owner and asked repeatedly for information, even signed on for an apartment and I was given *zero* information regarding my job in 2019 LOL what a joke”.

Finally, Darrie, general manager of the professional gaming organisation known as Method, made a statement. It included the disbanding of Method HotS and termination agreements being sent to team members.

Shahan’s Opinion: I tend to lose interest in Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas, but I remember spending a fair amount of time with Heroes of the Storm. Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, was my go-to character.

Negative Vibes — SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE ONLINE TURNS E-SPORT PLAYERS OFF…

It has been regarded as one of the top crossover games in history so far, and a fast-selling (forgive the pun) smash-hit with Nintendo Switch players. It broke records in Japan and the UK.

However, like with so many great games, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s online multiplayer mode has left a fair bit to be desired. A lot of users have called their subscriptions to the Nintendo Switch Online service a waste of money for a number of reasons. Lag, for one thing. In the early days of online multiplayer gameplay, lag was to be expected. But years have passed since then, so you would expect developers to have ironed out such issues – especially for such a popular fighting franchise as Smash Bros.!

Another thing aggravating gamers is the online mode’s seeming inability to honour the rules preferences for multiplayer matches. That is to say, you could want a 1 vs. 1 match with no items, and end up with four fighters and Pokéballs flying all over the shop.

All these issues have now reportedly put off e-sport players. That’s a huge blow for Nintendo, who have been quick to implement as many tweaks and fixes to their online modes to win back this large chunk of their customer base.

Dale’s Opinion: I am not big on the online gameplay, personally, so this doesn’t bother me too much. Having just bought the game with the console, I am just glad to hear the game has received rave reviews for its offline modes. I’ll just stick to those I guess.

New Character Spotlight — 2B (Soul Calibur VI)

The main heroine of the popular NieR: Automata is coming to Soul Calibur VI on Tuesday. We’re posting this ahead of time before we take a break for Christmas.

2B is a man-made battle android tasked with fighting a machine army sent by invaders from another world. Her game is set in the year 11945 AD on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Androids lack emotions and true names but they have particular attitudes to set them apart; 2B’s attitudes being calm and composed.

NieR: Automata has passed 3 million sales worldwide and is getting a ‘Game of the YoRHa Edition’ next year on February 21st. It will include the base game and all DLC.

Shahan’s Opinion: I might just have to ditch Taki and check her out! Hmm… Do you think she compares well to Ivy? I’m sure Dale doesn’t think so!

Dale’s Opinion: Yeahhhh, I’m a bit too loyal to Ivy to trade her in for a newer model. I’ll still give 2B a go, mind you…

KINGDOM HEARTS III TRAILER ARRIVES!

Square Enix has shown a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts III this week. The trailer is a sneak peek as to how Sora’s adventure will begin. It features the trio of trios (Hmm… The three trinities? Triple Triads! Ha! Sorry; Final Fantasy joke…) of friends and the villains they’ve faced in past games as well as Mickey, Donald and Goofy. It also includes a young Xehanort with the glorious-looking chess set from previous trailers that symbolises his plans being in action. Square better make a real-life chess set like that!

The trailer is accompanied by the song ‘Face My Fears’, another song by Utada Hikaru but this time featuring Skrillex! Who knew he was a big fan of the KH series? He approached Square Enix to do a remix of ‘Don’t Think Twice’, the main theme of the latest game. Instead, this ‘banger’ or ‘bop’ came to fruition.

Shahan’s Opinion: This collab between Hikaru Utada and Skrillex has divided fans but the song is right up my alley! Loving it. If I had to group the songs, Don’t Think Twice leans more towards the melodic Sanctuary while Face My Fears is more on Simple and Clean’s energetic side. But as always, Utada manages to give each song a unique feel to it.

KINGDOM HEARTS III FULL GAME LEAKED!?!

Staying with the same topic, it turns out the full Kingdom Hearts III game has been leaked over a month early! Fans are warning each other to beware and steer clear of any spoilers.

Mods on the r/Kingdom Hearts sub-Reddit are ready to ban anyone who posts any leaks. There are rumours going around on Twitter as to the origins of this leak. It all points to copies being stolen during the shipping of the game. The director of Kingdom Hearts III has responded to the situation, as below:

KH3 Leak Response

Shahan’s Opinion: To be fair, even if you DO see any spoilers, good luck trying to understand how it all fits in with the rest of the crazy plot!

OFFICIAL UNION FOR UK GAME DEVELOPERS

GWUU logo

Unionising efforts in the United Kingdom have led to the formation of an official legal trade union called the Game Workers Unite UK. It is the first union of the video game industry in the country. Its goals include fighting racism and sexism, ending unpaid overtime and securing a liveable wage for all.

This is welcome news after hearing about the woeful conditions that come with the industry’s infamous crunch times. If you haven’t heard, various famous game companies have a culture where overtime is standard and just part of the job. Not long ago, stories broke out over Rockstar being guilty of this after one of the co-founders proudly claimed he did 100-hour weeks working on Red Dead Redemption 2.

Shahan’s Opinion: After hearing the many horror stories of gaming industry’s crunch times, it is good news that workers are getting the support they need for their rights.

GLOSSING OVER…

The Game Awards’ Viewership Doubles

It was announced this week that 2018’s TGAs reached a record viewership of 26 million people. That’s over twice the figure from last year’s ceremony.

Real Money for Virtual Gold Bars

Microtransactions are now available on Red Dead Online, allowing you to purchase gold bars for real money as opposed to earning them in-game.

Stardew Valley Multiplayer Update Now Available

The update for the Multiplayer mode of the Nintendo Switch’s Stardew Valley was released on Wednesday 12th. You can click here for the full details of the update.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

Once again, we hope you have enjoyed the content. As mentioned earlier, we will be taking a couple of weeks off now for Christmas and New Year. In which case, we can wish you season’s greetings and all the best for 2019! See you then!