Monthly Archives: June 2019
Xbox Head Explains the Sony-Microsoft Partnership
We now have a better understanding of the surprising partnership between Sony and Microsoft.
The upcoming collaboration between the tech giants that was announced this past May, but it wasn't a confirmation of any concrete details. Rather, it was an announcement that the two developers had signed what's known as a memorandum of understanding - essentially a letter saying both parties are interested in working together. "It’s the beginning of the kind of conversation. Sony and Azure looking at the future of cloud gaming," said Phil Spencer, Microsoft's Head of Xbox, in a recent interview with Kotaku.
‘Traumatic’ Cersei Deleted Scene Revealed
Warning: Full spoilers follow for Game of Thrones
Lena Headey has been talking about the end of Game of Thrones lately. First she admitted earlier this week that she "wanted a better death" for her character Cersei, and now we've learned from her of a deleted scene from the TV series' seventh season that would've been a sad footnote for the dark character.
While appearing at Munich Comic-Con in Germany, as reported by Time (and tweeted by user bb_cersei), Headey recalled the original outcome of her pregnancy by her brother/soulmate Jaime.
Kevin Feige Confirms Talks With Keanu Reeves About MCU Role
The MCU may have a lot going for it, but there's a distinct lack of Keanu Reeves in this superhero universe. Thankfully, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has given new hope to the prospect of an MCU role for Reeves.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Feige indicated that there have been regular talks about Reeves joining the MCU. Based on Feige's comments, it appears to be a question of finding the right time and the right role for Reeves.
Keanu in the MCU
“We talk to him for almost every film we make,” Feige said. “I don’t know when, if, or ever he’ll join the MCU, but we very much want to figure out the right way to do it.”
Bernie Sanders Says the Game Industry Should Unionize
In a tweet earlier this week, senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders vocalized his support of video game industry unionization, praising labor organizations like Game Workers Unite for helping lead the movement.
"The video game industry made $43 billion in revenue last year," wrote the official Bernie Sanders account on Twitter. "The workers responsible for that profit deserve to collectively bargain as part of a union. I'm glad to see unions like @IATSE and the broader @GameWorkers movement organizing such workers."
Sony Santa Monica Hiring for Roles With ‘Knowledge of God of War’
If Sony Santa Monica's job listings are any indication, the developers behind IGN's 2018 Game of the Year-winner God of War may be staffing up for development on a God of War 2018 follow-up — or a game really similar to it.
Recently posted Santa Monica's job listings, for roles like Combat Designer, list under required knowledge and skills that candidates "must have knowledge of God of War (2018) and be able to speak about the combat systems, mechanics and enemies."
God of War: Ragnarok?
The Witcher 3 on Switch’s Biggest Changes Are Actually UI Adjustments
The Witcher 3: Complete Edition was announced for Nintendo Switch during E3 2019 last week, and developer CD Projekt Red says it is “proud” of the port quality even with certain parts of the game having to be altered to get it running on the system.
In an interview with VGC, CD Projekt Red’s Alvin Liu said that they “understand that there were hardware trade-offs” when porting it as a Nintendo Switch game, including having to reduce foliage in the scenery and lower some of the draw distances, but that he thinks “it still looks amazing.”
Astral Chain’s Co-op Mode Makes the Switch Exclusive More Difficult
Astral Chain, the upcoming Nintendo Switch game from PlatinumGames, has optional local co-op, but it allegedly makes the game more difficult.
Astral Chain’s director Takahisa Taura revealed this information in an interview with Kotaku, saying (via a translator) “You may have noticed that the characters are connected by a chain... when you’re controlling two characters, that chain allows you to see where the other character is in relation to the one that you’re controlling.”
Phil Spencer: Xbox Focus Is on Software and Services, Not Console Sales
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer believes the future – and present – of measuring success in the video game business is by focusing on software and services, not hardware. In an interview with Kotaku at E3 2019, Spencer alluded to Google Stadia in asserting his belief that "the consoles are not where the profit in this side of the business is made."
"The business is selling software and services," he said. "The business is not how many consoles you sell. The consoles are not where the profit in this side of the business is made, which is where the whole: ‘Who’s selling more consoles’ at any one time as the kind of root good of who is doing well in the business is just not true. You have other companies entering gaming who don’t even have a console as part of their equation. It’s all about how many games are people playing. And how much people are spending playing those games and how often they play."
Why Has Flashpoint’s Batman Been Working With Bane?
The latest issue of Batman finally addresses one of the series' biggest lingering mysteries.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Batman #73!
Batman #72 tied much of the series together, with the Thomas Wayne of the Flashpoint universe deducing Bane's master plan to finally break Batman. Thomas figured out how everything - from the emergence of Gotham and Gotham Girl to Booster Gold's disastrous birthday present to Catwoman abandoning her fiance - has been part of that complex plan. What that issue didn't reveal is why Thomas would align himself with Bane against his own son.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Preview: A Beautiful New Direction
Initially I imagined LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was a compilation of sorts, featuring updated versions of previous LEGO Star Wars games while filling in the gaps of unrepresented films with new content. This simply is not the case. All nine main Star Wars movies are equally represented with brand new levels and objectives along with the freedom to play in the order you choose. As the E3 demo showed, a cool rotating episode select menu allows anyone to play whichever episode they want from the start. If I don't want to play Attack of the Clones, great. The option is mine!