The Dead Drop: Dailyish Video Game News
Matthew Bliss
Recent Episodes
Warner Bros games revenue down 41% during Q2 due to Suicide Squad | GamesIndustry.biz
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/warner-bros-games-revenue-down-41-during-q2-due-to-suicide-squad
Bandai Namco profits rose 56% during Q1 FY25 | GamesIndustry.biz
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/bandai-namco-profits-rose-56-during-q1-fy25
Indie poker roguelike Balatro tops 2 million copies sold | News-in-brief | GamesIndustry.biz
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/indie-poker-roguelike-balatro-tops-2-million-copies-sold
High on Life to get animated series | GamesIndustry.biz
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/high-on-life-to-get-animated-series
The Borderlands movie currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 0% | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
Warner Bros is ‘looking at’ licensing its IP to other game studios | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
Callisto Protocol director claims Krafton insisted on releasing the game too soon | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
Arkane founder's new RPG shoots for "Fallout meets Dishonored" with a splash of Obsidian storytelling | Eurogamer.net
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X review: Zen 5 impresses, but 7800X3D still reigns for gaming | Eurogamer.net
https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-amd-ryzen-5-9600x-and-ryzen-7-9700x-review
Sifu and High on Life lead Humble Choice games this August | Eurogamer.net
https://www.eurogamer.net/sifu-and-high-on-life-lead-humble-choice-games-this-august
Xbox Game Pass August line-up announced | Eurogamer.net
https://www.eurogamer.net/xbox-game-pass-august-line-up-announced
That's all for today, make sure you tune in next time for more news headlines and the gaming info you need to know. Rate and review if you're getting something from the podcast. I'm Matthew Bliss, signing off for The Dead Drop!
Today's Headlines:
THQ Nordic has teased a new Darksiders game | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/thq-nordic-has-teased-a-new-darksiders-game/
At the end of a THQ Nordic showcase, we see the Charred Council (aka fiery stone heads) proclaiming the four horseman will ride again. Could mean Darksiders IV but, you know… Darksiders III sucked.
Development build of Call of Duty Black Ops 6 leaks as footage floods social media | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
The leaks are being taken down as fast as they go up but showcases map lists, perks, the gunsmith menu and the new Omnimovement function. The game is coming on 25th October, and Gamepass on Day One.
Nintendo Q1 profits decline 55% as the Switch nears the end of its lifecycle | GamesIndustry.biz
This is absolutely expected as the Switch enters its 8th year in the market and last year's release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Time for a new console, guys!
Game Informer magazine to close after 33 years | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/game-informer-magazine-to-close-after-33-years/
The prolific games journalism staple has been closed down by Gamestop, meaning more job losses for the Games Industry. This statement was posted:
“After 33 thrilling years of bringing you the latest news, reviews, and insights from the ever-evolving world of gaming, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Game Informer.
“From the early days of pixelated adventures to today’s immersive virtual realms, we’ve been honored to share this incredible journey with you, our loyal readers.
”While our presses may stop, the passion for gaming that we’ve cultivated together will continue to live on. Thank you for being part of our epic quest, and may your own gaming adventures never end.”
Intel announces layoffs of around 15,000 staff | GamesIndustry.biz
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/intel-announces-layoffs-of-around-15000-staff
15% of the total workforce at Intel has suffered due to a 10-billion cost reduction plan, supported by CEO Pat Gelsinger. And if they can't get the microcode out to fix Gen 13 & 14 CPUs this month… they might suffer more!
Jam City lays off 10% off staff | GamesIndustry.biz
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/jam-city-lays-of-10-off-staff
CEO Josh Yguado shared that a promised upward trend never materialised, so they needed to make the 85 redundancies in the mobile studio.
Report: Microsoft sets up new AA studio within Blizzard | GamesIndustry.biz
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/report-microsoft-sets-up-new-aa-studio-within-blizzard
Reported by Windows Central, the new studio comprises King employees and will work on existing franchise games such as World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Starcraft - presumably to create for Xbox's new mobile store launching this year.
Until Dawn movie begins shooting | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/until-dawn-movie-begins-shooting/
Directed by David F. Sandberg, the movie adaptation of the Until Dawn video game will only feature Peter Stormare as an actor from both the film and game, reprising his role as Dr. Hill.
Lollipop Chainsaw remaster release date moved forward | Eurogamer.net
https://www.eurogamer.net/lollipop-chainsaw-remaster-release-date-moved-forward
Coming to Switch, PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X & S, the new date is 12th September and remember, this is a remaster - not a remake!
The first footage from HBO’s The Last of Us season 2 has been shown | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
In an HBO Max montage of new stuff coming, a small teaser with Joel talking to Schitt's Creek star Catherine O'Hara shows some quick snips and tells us to expect Season 2 in 2025.
Nintendo has changed it's tournament community rules to exclude gamers with accessibility requirements, and more stories today on Thursday 26th October 2023.
INDUSTRY
Nintendo is shaking up its Community Tournament Guidelines to lock down issues it has with the current protocols, but it has had an unintended consequence to a large sub-section of the gaming community.
New rules added to tournaments with Nintendo games are a 200-participant cap on events, banning the sale of goods, banning third-party compensation after sponsorship and players can no longer use third-party controllers.
It's this last stipulation that has the accessibility community in uproar. You might be aware the Nintendo Switch joycons aren't the easiest controllers to handle - this is significant for players with accessibility needs and without third-party modifications, this will exclude them from competition.
Arevya on Twitter has spoken out strongly about this change to advocate for the accessibility community in games.
I'm sure we all understand, and aren't surprised, that Nintendo are pushing for their own products to be the only valid tourney standards but inclusion is an extremely important aspect of games and community today. They may not see it as such, but hopefully there's a change coming to enable accessibility in community tournaments soon.
Nintendo details more aggressive social media guidelines | GamesIndustry.biz
But the Nintendo news doesn't stop there! They've also changed their social media guidelines. This shift means that they will be able to target unauthorised content with DMCA takedowns.
Unauthorised now means "[Content that] features unauthorised game consoles and/or software not licensed by Nintendo or features video, images, sound sources, etc. that cannot be used in regular gameplay, extracted through game software via data mining and other methods".
So they want to come after emulators, mods and other content displaying Nintendo IP. Like they needed a bigger legal team anyway…
Here's everything featured in the Xbox Partner Preview showcase | Eurogamer.net
The Xbox Partner Preview aired yesterday, and here's a quick rundown of what we saw.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a side-release from the popular series, and seems to be like Animal Crossing.
Futurlab, developer of Powerwash Simulator, has announced Iakro: Will Not Die - a staisfying flow-state rogue-lite action title.
Developer The Chinese Room announced "Still Wakes the Deep": a spooky first-person horror title set on a 70s North Sea oil rig.
RoboCop: Rogue City saw some fresh gameplay before its release on the 2nd November.
Ark: Survival Ascended is the remake of its predecessor, Survival Evolved and it's currently in Steam Early Access.
Honorable mentions also include The Finals, Manor Lords, Spirit of the North 2, Dungeons of Hinterberg and, of course, Alan Wake 2.
For trailers and more, jump into the show notes.
GTA 6 age listing is fake, launch date a mystery, ratings board says | PCGamesN
The Australian Classifications Board makes the news again, but this time it wasn't their fault. An age rating for Grand Theft Auto 6 was submitted, which would have fans thinking that the game release would be close to hand.
Unfortunately the age rating submission was a fake, and the Board has admitted that anyone can submit an age rating for any game and have it appear on the website. Hopefully something they can vet in future.
The Australian Classifications Board has also mentioned that they have no information about release dates of GTA 6 at this time.
Nintendo pulls drink driving game from digital store due to PEGI 3+ rating | GamesIndustry.biz
On a similar note, Nintendo has pulled the drink-driving game "Need for Spirit: Drink and Drive Simulator" from the Switch store after it was self-assigned a PEGI 3+ rating.
The game necessarily includes references to use of alcohol and tobacco, which automatically means it can only be given a PEGI 16 or PEGI 18 rating.
The publisher had submitted the rating through the International Age Rating Coalition, which is a self-submitted process. GamesIndustriy.biz's article doesn't make clear whether the process is at fault, or whether the game publisher has been rapidly changing the age rating to boost sales.
Twitch now allows simulcasting to other platforms | Eurogamer.net
News for the streamers out there, Twitch has announced at Twitch Con Las Vegas over the weekend that users are now able to simulcast their streams to other platforms. This means you can stream to Twitch, YouTube and Kick all at the same time.
The only limitation appears to be for Twitch Partners with an exclusivity deal that won't be able to simulcast, but if they have left the Partner Program, they will be able to resubmit for Partner status.
They also announced the re-branded "Stream Together" function for streamer collabs.
GAMES
Sony's Optional PS5 Disc Drive Will Reportedly Require An Internet Connection - GameSpot
It seems that the new optional disc drive for PS5 consoles will require an Internet connection to be functional. Articles muse that this is likely to prevent piracy and other dastardly deeds, but with game preservation online being an issue it has some fans perplexed. We're hoping that it’s a function that could be switched off in future, perhaps when the threat of piracy is overwhelmed by gamer uproar on social media.
Cities: Skylines 2 released a couple of days ago, and the reception has been lukewarm. While fans flocked to play the game (over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam) the reviews have been middling due to performance issues.
Paradox Interactive, publisher of the game, has admitted that they released the game in a less-than-stellar state of performance. They opted to allow fans to have fun with the title, while they develop patches to improve performance.
If you're playing it yourself, fixes for performance issues can include lowering refresh rate and turning off volumetrics, but check the show notes for a full list.
Konami debuts ‘first in-engine look’ at Metal Gear Sold 3’s remake | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
Konami has announced and released a bunch of remastered and remade Metal Gear titles over the last while, and has revealed a trailer for the new version of Metal Gear Solid 3 at the Microsoft Partner Preview earlier this week.
The game is described as a faithful remake, and the trailer shows in-engine gameplay using Unreal Engine 5.
For those unaware, Konami has been in and out of games for the last decade it seems, first with the unceremonious ejection of Hideo Kojima from Konami. Being responsible for the Metal Gear series, there is now speculation about whether he was involved in these remakes but Konami has confirmed that he was not.
There is also an uproar about whether Kojima is credited or not for the original content, though its likely Konami will claim its own IP and won't praise a game dev dissident.
Konami is also known for resisting feedback from fans, so someone has seen fit to create a 1080p and 4K mod for the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection.
Amnesia: The Bunker ups the terror with hardcode Shell Shock update, out today | Eurogamer.net
If you're after a hit of horror this Halloween weekend, Amnesia: The Bunker has received the teased "Shell Shock" update. This adds a more difficult, immersive and frightening mode to the game and should give you the tingles and shivers you're after!
Included in the update is random locations for puzzle solutions, a locked Fuel Storage Room and now the safe room is no longer safe with the steel doors replaced by wooden ones. That's right, the monster can get in!
Mario Bros. Wonder is the fastest-selling Mario game ever in Europe | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
And lastly, Mario Bros. Wonder is reported as the fastest-selling Mario game ever in Europe in the first three days of release. Physical sales alone puts it 3rd in the UK Chart History, which likely means when combined with digital sales it is the best performing Mario title ever.
It's reviewing very well and appears to be a contender for game of the year already! Might have to jump on the Mario train myself…
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INDUSTRY
Nintendo is back in the headlines again after Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser reiterated the importance of Nintendo accounts to ease the transition between console hardware - still teasing the existence of the upcoming "Switch 2".
In several reports over the last few months, the "Switch 2" so-called has been rumoured to release in the second half of 2024. Video Games Chronicle claims to have sources on this, but Bowser has confirmed nothing so far.
Stories back in July mentioned that there were Switch 2 development kits sent to key partners, and in August a showcase behind closed doors at Gamescom, though these all still remain unconfirmed. There have also been leaked reports of GPU files for the new hardware that indicate development requirements for the new console.
According to Europol, the criminal group responsible for the Capcom data breach in 2020 has been "taken down" and a key member arrested.
Ragnar Locker has been targeting critical infrastructure globally but has had its ransomware disassembled and is rangling up all members across the planet.
Originally targeting Capcom, they reportedly stole 1TB of data and demanded $11 million in bitcoin as ransom. The hack is also reported to have affected business and personal data of up to 390,000 people.
Sony donates $2m to support Israel and Gaza aid | Eurogamer.net
In light of the conflict in Gaza and Israel, games companies have sent donations to humanitarian causes to show their support. Innersloth, developer of Among Us, has donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, and Sony has donated $2 million dollars to Japanese Red Cross and UNICEF.
Xbox's latest third-party digital showcase airs this Wednesday | Eurogamer.net
Xbox will air its latest third-party digital showcase on Wednesday 25th October in the Xbox Partner Preview. Adequately timed, we will be shown DLCs, additions and new trailers for games in the pipeline, including Alan Wake 2.
There will also be info on what is coming to GamePass, though it should be noted that last week we reported there being no Activision Blizzard King additions to come on GamePass this year.
The Partner Showcase shouldn't be any longer than 20 mins and is streamed on Twitch and YouTube.
Roblox has dropped the remote work hammer on its employees and said that they must return to the office for work three days a week or take a severance package.
CEO David Baszucki said in an open letter that employees affected by the announcement have three months to decide if want to relocate for the new office work protocol or they will no longer be working for Roblox.
The justification is the lack of social contact for junior staff, and that they are focused on innovation which cannot happen in a fully remote workforce. At the very least, the company will assist with employee relocation costs.
Additionally, GamesIndustry.biz reports layoffs at Roblox China where 15 people have been moved on due to LuoBu operational needs.
Xbox's new accessibility features include remapping keyboard keys to controllers | Eurogamer.net
Xbox has revealed extra functionality for the Xbox Accessories app that benefits users with accessibility needs. Soon players will be able to remap almost 90 keyboard keys or combinations to buttons on the Xbox Adaptive Controller and Elite Series 2 controller.
The features are currently being tested on PC and console.
The Windows PC Game Bar has also received some Game Accessibility enhancements for Xbox Widgets.
ThunderX3 Core gaming chair review | Eurogamer.net
If you're looking to spend horrendous sums of money on your spine, Eurogamer has reviewed the ThunderX3 Core, a gaming chair for professional appearance and serious lumbar support priced at 339 pounds. This podcast is not about that life, but does whole-heartedly support good ergonomics and a healthy workstation… or rather, play station.
GAMES
Sony has revealed that Spider-Man 2 is the fastest selling PlayStation Studios game in history. Selling through 2.5 million copies in 24 hours, the number represents those sold in retailers and the PlayStation Store.
For comparison, the record was held by the first Spider-Man game with 3.3 million in three days.
This closely follows a patch required in-game, where Miles Morales' room had a Cuban flag where it should have a Puerto Rican flag - oops!
Fallout TV series to release in April 2024 | GamesIndustry.biz
Amazon's live action adaptation of the Fallout video game series is set to premiere on 12th April 2024.
There's currently behind the scenes content online and there's sure to be more specific content around the release of the show.
The story is supposedly going to centre around Los Angeles and Vault number 33.
The next free Epic Games Store titles have been confirmed | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
Epic has announced the new free games to become available on the Epic Game Store. The Evil Within 2 and Tandem: a Tale of Shadows will both be free for users between October 26 and November 2nd.
Tony Hawk sings Pro Skater song Superman on stage with Goldfinger | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 remaster has removed the requirement to be online from the Steam Deck version of the game. This makes sense, as it is a mobile console…
In other news, Tony Hawk has joined the band Goldfinger on stage to perform the popular track "Superman" which has been strongly connected with the Tony Hawk Pro Skater game series for a very long time.
Pokemon recreates American Psycho with Quagsire for new ad | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
And lastly an oddish story (as it were) where The Pokemon Company has released a TikTok video featuring a new Pokemon card set in the style of a scene from American Psycho.
If you can imagine Christian Bale internally evaluating the business cards of his colleagues… now replace the business cards with a Larry Trainer card!
Commenters have mentioned the hilarity and perhaps inappropriate equivocation of Pokemon with a cult Thriller from back in the day, idealising hedonism and murder. Is it so bad? I'll leave you to decide…
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I'm offering to feature the trailer for your podcast at the end of an episode of the Dead Drop! If you're interested in being featured on the show, send your trailer to [email protected] with the following:
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- Name of your Podcast
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Industry News:
Bandcamp dismisses 50% of its staff amid Epic Games mass layoffs | GamesIndustry.biz
Half of the workforce in Bandcamp is affected by a mass of layoffs by parent company Epic Games.
Bandcamp was acquired in March last year, but in September this year Epic announced that they would be laying off 16% of the total workforce in the company.
Epic Games is also finalising the sale of Bandcamp to Songtradr, announced at the same time as the layoffs. Songtradr has said that Bandcamp became too bloated to manage and needed to "be adjusted".
Kotaku has reported that dismissed employees will receive 6 months severance while the Bandcamp United union is still negotiating better terms.
We are back on the news-recycling train again with Microsoft confirming the Activision Blizzard acquisition, so here's what we're seeing already.
Industry consultant Dr. Serkan Toto believes that Sony will be considering an acquisition of a similar size after the conclusion of Microsoft's merger. It's acquired Bungie and a bunch of other studies in the interim, and let's not pretend that these reports have been popping up ever since the ActiBlizz merger last year. Likelihood? Who knows, but let's take this with a grain of salt!
Phil Spencer says not to expect new games from ActiBlizz on GamePass any time soon, and yet Video Games Chronicle tantalises us with the Bethesda Games drop upon the purchase of their company in 2021.
Papa Phil also says that the timed exclusives for Call of Duty across consoles will no longer be the case - there will be content parity across all manufacturers in future.
The spicy CEO of Analogue, a company making an N64-alike console, has been quoted as indicating that Nintendo itself couldn't make a better experience of the classic console if it tried.
His quote: "To me, it's either this, or buy a fucking original N64 and a CRT. End of Story."
Despite Christopher Taber's posturing, there is still no price point and a release window in 2024 for the Analogue 3D console.
Players frustrated with Nintendo's emulated experience on Switch may be delighted to hear his confidence, though!
The UK games industry pays juniors more but seniors less than other tech sectors | GamesIndustry.biz
GamesIndustry.biz and XpertHR have been working on data analysis of salaries in UK Games Studios, and found that the average salary for an entry-level position is almost 20% higher than in tech, but senior directors are paid 15% lower.
While the data set is small, across 25 studios and 3000 employees, the data will become available in summary for free, and in-depth by paywall, to companies interested in the analysis.
Revealed: The 2023 GamesIndustry.biz Best Places To Work Awards US winners | GamesIndustry.biz
Also, the 2023 US GamesIndustry.biz Best Places to Work Awards have been announced! Designed to showcase the best of the industry and make games a better place to work, EA teams took the most awards, including Cliffhanger Games, Ripple Effect and Maxis.
Honourable mentions include Bad Robot Games, Iron Galaxy and Uplift Games. For a full list, see the show notes.
These awards were picked by a judging panel, employee surveys and additional checks by the organisation.
GAMES:
Here’s the first look at Hogwarts Legacy running on Nintendo Switch | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)
Hogwarts Legacy has revealed a first look at the Switch version to be releasing shortly. We'd surely expect to see framerates, performance, graphic fidelity… we got screenshots.
Sorry Digital Foundry, you'll have to wait! The game is set for release November 14, after being delayed earlier this year.
Despite the lack of Acti-Blizz titles, we can still expect some new games on GamePass! Included in the next wave on PC, console and cloud are:
- Like a Dragon: Ishin!
- City: Skylines 2
- F1 Manager 2023
- Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery
- And Dead Space Remake, as part of EA Play so only on PC and Ultimate.
FuturLab, developer of Powerwash Simulator, has thanked Square Enix for opening up the crossover opportunities that have been released through DLC.
Co-CEO Kirsty Rigden mentioned that without Final Fantasy 7 and Tomb Raider cross-over content in the game, they wouldn't have been able to include Spongebob Squarepants and Back to the Future in more DLC.
They are now at the point where they are turning down potential partnerships, which is great to see for the Brighton-based studio as an indie-turned-giant that I myself have thoroughly enjoyed!
Review: Spider-Man 2 is undoubtedly one of the best superhero games ever (videogameschronicle.com)
And lastly, Spider-Man 2 appears to be reviewing very well! To be released in a couple of days, the title seems to be heralded as one of the best superhero games of all time!
The developer has also urged fans to download the Day 0 patch for the game, as it contains considerable improvements.
And I know, you can't take off a work for this but you CAN avoid your friends and family, and order pizza. You have my permission.
*****
Do you have a gaming podcast you'd like featured on the Dead Drop?
I'm offering to feature the trailer for your podcast at the end of an episode of the Dead Drop! If you're interested in being featured on the show, send your trailer to [email protected] with the following:
- Audio file of your trailer (.mp3, no longer than 90 seconds)
- Name of your Podcast
- One sentence as a message for the Dead Drop listeners
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