Avengers: Endgame Director Joe Russo sat down with Epic Game CCO Donald Mustard at this year’s annual DICE Summit to talk about a range of topics, from the future of storytelling to the metaverse. Naturally, Russo was asked about NFTs during a Q&A following his talk.

When asked about his opinions on the metaverse and NFTs Russo first said that the metaverse is essentially a shorthand for virtual and not something new, despite how companies like Facebook might try and package the concept.

As for NFTs Russo is less convinced of their current utility.

“NFTs I have a harder time understanding only because I haven’t seen the quality of work yet that I go, ‘Oh if I buy that JPEG and the market crashes and I’m stuck with a $50,000 JPEG, I’m really happy about that you know?” Russo joked. “I don’t see the quality of work yet where the monkey with a cigar is really the thing I’m gonna talk to all my friends about.”

Russo did say that the concept of NFTs could set the stage for bigger ideas but that in its current form there is not yet enough credibility to back the concept saying, "it will evolve into something else."

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are essentially non-interchangeable units of data stored on a blockchain. You may see the term popularly for virtual art that has been sold for cryptocurrency. Though you may also see them in the news for the many high-profile thefts and scams that have occurred in the space as well.

Russo and Mustard were on stage at DICE to discuss the future of media where Russo said he believes gaming, not film, will be the most dominant force in storytelling in the future. Gaming’s leadership in topics like virtual reality and the metaverse is a hot topic at this year’s DICE

The keynote from EA COO Laura Miele also touched on the metaverse and how gaming is the best industry to lead the virtual world given its decades of experience.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Credit: GettyImages

Leaders in the games industry have spoken at length about how video games are the original metaverse, which is quite convenient for the games industry. But now Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo agrees that if the metaverse comes to fruition, gaming will be the leader.

“I think the revolution comes from the gaming side because that’s where the technology is,” Russo says in a conversation with Epic Games chief creative officer Donald Mustard at the annual DICE Summit.

In a talk titled, ‘The Future of Media: World Building and Universe Expansion’ the two spoke at length about the future of technology, especially in media and storytelling. Russo in particular is convinced “The future is going to be virtual.”

Russo says that the technology for the future of storytelling is in the games industry, not film saying “traditional film studios do not understand [the technology] nor is it part of their business plan to curate technology, house it, pay for it, pay for its development, hang on to it.”

Later in the talk, Russo doubles down and says, “It’s a gaming company in my opinion that is going to be the most potent entertainment company in the world.” Russo also took some jabs at tech companies like Meta, formerly Facebook, saying gaming will “pull the world forward in a way Facebook can’t. They destroyed the world and now they’re going to create a Metaverse we can all escape to.”

The metaverse has been a popular topic at this year’s DICE summit. The keynote speaker EA COO Laura Miele also spoke about metaverse and how it needs "some world order and no industry can do it better than ours."

In an interview with the Sway podcast, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that tech’s metaverse is “an extension of what gaming has been doing” and that a whole generation of people has grown up through social connections created in video games.

While this has been a popular talking point among gaming execs, to hear a filmmaker as Joe Russo agree is certainly a boon for the game industry’s claim that they are leading the field towards the metaverse.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Leaders in the games industry have spoken at length about how video games are the original metaverse, which is quite convenient for the games industry. But now Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo agrees that if the metaverse comes to fruition, gaming will be the leader.

“I think the revolution comes from the gaming side because that’s where the technology is,” Russo says in a conversation with Epic Games chief creative officer Donald Mustard at the annual DICE Summit.

In a talk titled, ‘The Future of Media: World Building and Universe Expansion’ the two spoke at length about the future of technology, especially in media and storytelling. Russo in particular is convinced “The future is going to be virtual.”

Russo says that the technology for the future of storytelling is in the games industry, not film saying “traditional film studios do not understand [the technology] nor is it part of their business plan to curate technology, house it, pay for it, pay for its development, hang on to it.”

Later in the talk, Russo doubles down and says, “It’s a gaming company in my opinion that is going to be the most potent entertainment company in the world.” Russo also took some jabs at tech companies like Meta, formerly Facebook, saying gaming will “pull the world forward in a way Facebook can’t. They destroyed the world and now they’re going to create a Metaverse we can all escape to.”

The metaverse has been a popular topic at this year’s DICE summit. The keynote speaker EA COO Laura Miele also spoke about metaverse and how it needs "some world order and no industry can do it better than ours."

In an interview with the Sway podcast, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that tech’s metaverse is “an extension of what gaming has been doing” and that a whole generation of people has grown up through social connections created in video games.

While this has been a popular talking point among gaming execs, to hear a filmmaker as Joe Russo agree is certainly a boon for the game industry’s claim that they are leading the field towards the metaverse.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards are nearly here and, in 2022, the game awards show from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) will be back in person at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas after going completely virtual last year.

This year, the peer-juried D.I.C.E. Awards will feature 59 nominated games competing in 23 categories, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart leads the way with nine nominations.

IGN is the official media partner of the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and that means you'll be able to stream the entire event live right here with us. As usual, this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, the full list of nominees, and what you can expect to see at the show.

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Start Time

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards will take place on Thursday, February 24, and will start at 8pm PT/11pm ET. If you’re tuning in from Australia or from the GMT timezone, that translates to Friday, February 25 at 4am GMT/2pm AEST.

Where to Watch the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards

If you’re interested in watching the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, we’ll be hosting the stream as the show's official media partner here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the show:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN's Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN's Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel
• IGN's TikTok
• IGN's iOS App
• IGN's Android App
• IGN's PlayStation 4 App
• IGN's Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV

What to Expect at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards

The 25th Anniversary D.I.C.E. Awards will take place in-person at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas and follows the week-long industry gathering at the 2022 D.I.C.E. Summit. The show will be co-hosted for the sixth year by IGN alum Jessica Chobot (Discovery's ExpeditionX) and Greg Miller (Kinda Funny) and IGN serves as the official media partner.

59 games released in 2021 have been nominated for the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart earned the most with nine nominations. Deathloop earned eight nominations, Inscryption and It Takes Two earned six, Returnal earned five, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Resident Evil Village earned four. Deathloop, Inscryption, It Takes Two, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal are all up for the Game of the Year award.

In addition to games being honored, CEO of Microsoft Gaming will be this year's recipient of the AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award and Bethesda Game Studios' Todd Howard will present him with the award. NetherRealm Studios' CCO Ed Boon will also be honored as he was selected as the 25th member of the AIAS Hall of Fame. Xbox Game Studios' Matt Booty will present the 2022 Hall of Fame award to Boon.

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Categories and Nominees

Game of the Year

• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• It Takes Two
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Deathloop
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Deathloop
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Deathloop – Colt Vahn
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Kena
• Life is Strange: True Colors – Alex Chen
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Rivet
• Resident Evil Village – Lady Dimitrescu

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Deathloop
• It Takes Two
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Psychonauts 2
• Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Forza Horizon 5
• Halo Infinite
• It Takes Two
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• Before Your Eyes
• Inscryption
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Psychonauts 2
• The Forgotten City

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Battlefield 2042
• Forza Horizon 5
• Moncage
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Returnal

Action Game of the Year

• Deathloop
• Halo Infinite
• Metroid Dread
• Returnal
• The Ascent

Adventure Game of the Year

• Death's Door
• It Takes Two
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Psychonauts 2
• Resident Evil Village

Family Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise
• Cozy Grove
• Mario Party Superstars
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Warioware: Get it Together

Fighting Game of the Year

• Guilty Gear Strive
• Melty Blood: Type Lumina
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

Racing Game of the Year

• F1 2021
• Forza Horizon 5
• Hot Wheels Unleashed

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
• Shin Megami Tensei V
• Tales of Arise
• Wildermyth

Sports Game of the Year

• FIFA 22
• Mario Golf: Super Rush
• NBA 2k22
• Riders Republic
• The Climb 2

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Age of Empires IV
• Gloomhaven
• Griftlands
• Inscryption
• Loop Hero

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Lone Echo II
• Puzzling Places
• Resident Evil 4 VR
• Song in the Smoke
• Yuki

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Demeo
• I Expect You To Die 2
• Lone Echo II
• Resident Evil 4 VR
• Song in the Smoke

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• Death's Door
• Inscryption
• Loop Hero
• Sable
• Unpacking

Mobile Game of the Year

• Behind the Frame
• Fantasian
• League of Legends: Wild Rift
• Moncage
• Pokémon Unite

Online Game of the Year

• Back 4 Blood
• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
• Halo Infinite
• Knockout City

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• It Takes Two
• Loop Hero
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• It Takes Two
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• The Artful Escape

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards are nearly here and, in 2022, the game awards show from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) will be back in person at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas after going completely virtual last year.

This year, the peer-juried D.I.C.E. Awards will feature 59 nominated games competing in 23 categories, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart leads the way with nine nominations.

IGN is the official media partner of the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and that means you'll be able to stream the entire event live right here with us. As usual, this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, the full list of nominees, and what you can expect to see at the show.

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Start Time

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards will take place on Thursday, February 24, and will start at 8pm PT/11pm ET. If you’re tuning in from Australia or from the GMT timezone, that translates to Friday, February 25 at 4am GMT/2pm AEST.

Where to Watch the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards

If you’re interested in watching the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, we’ll be hosting the stream as the show's official media partner here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the show:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN's Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN's Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel
• IGN's TikTok
• IGN's iOS App
• IGN's Android App
• IGN's PlayStation 4 App
• IGN's Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV

What to Expect at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards

The 25th Anniversary D.I.C.E. Awards will take place in-person at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas and follows the week-long industry gathering at the 2022 D.I.C.E. Summit. The show will be co-hosted for the sixth year by IGN alum Jessica Chobot (Discovery's ExpeditionX) and Greg Miller (Kinda Funny) and IGN serves as the official media partner.

59 games released in 2021 have been nominated for the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart earned the most with nine nominations. Deathloop earned eight nominations, Inscryption and It Takes Two earned six, Returnal earned five, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Resident Evil Village earned four. Deathloop, Inscryption, It Takes Two, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal are all up for the Game of the Year award.

In addition to games being honored, CEO of Microsoft Gaming will be this year's recipient of the AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award and Bethesda Game Studios' Todd Howard will present him with the award. NetherRealm Studios' CCO Ed Boon will also be honored as he was selected as the 25th member of the AIAS Hall of Fame. Xbox Game Studios' Matt Booty will present the 2022 Hall of Fame award to Boon.

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Categories and Nominees

Game of the Year

• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• It Takes Two
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Deathloop
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Deathloop
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Deathloop – Colt Vahn
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Kena
• Life is Strange: True Colors – Alex Chen
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Rivet
• Resident Evil Village – Lady Dimitrescu

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Deathloop
• It Takes Two
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Psychonauts 2
• Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Forza Horizon 5
• Halo Infinite
• It Takes Two
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• Before Your Eyes
• Inscryption
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Psychonauts 2
• The Forgotten City

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Battlefield 2042
• Forza Horizon 5
• Moncage
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Returnal

Action Game of the Year

• Deathloop
• Halo Infinite
• Metroid Dread
• Returnal
• The Ascent

Adventure Game of the Year

• Death's Door
• It Takes Two
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Psychonauts 2
• Resident Evil Village

Family Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise
• Cozy Grove
• Mario Party Superstars
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Warioware: Get it Together

Fighting Game of the Year

• Guilty Gear Strive
• Melty Blood: Type Lumina
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

Racing Game of the Year

• F1 2021
• Forza Horizon 5
• Hot Wheels Unleashed

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
• Shin Megami Tensei V
• Tales of Arise
• Wildermyth

Sports Game of the Year

• FIFA 22
• Mario Golf: Super Rush
• NBA 2k22
• Riders Republic
• The Climb 2

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Age of Empires IV
• Gloomhaven
• Griftlands
• Inscryption
• Loop Hero

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Lone Echo II
• Puzzling Places
• Resident Evil 4 VR
• Song in the Smoke
• Yuki

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Demeo
• I Expect You To Die 2
• Lone Echo II
• Resident Evil 4 VR
• Song in the Smoke

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• Death's Door
• Inscryption
• Loop Hero
• Sable
• Unpacking

Mobile Game of the Year

• Behind the Frame
• Fantasian
• League of Legends: Wild Rift
• Moncage
• Pokémon Unite

Online Game of the Year

• Back 4 Blood
• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
• Halo Infinite
• Knockout City

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• It Takes Two
• Loop Hero
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• It Takes Two
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• The Artful Escape

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

If you want to know whether or not you are in the first wave of Steam Deck shipments, you won't have to wait much longer. Valve has announced new details regarding the Steam Deck's February 25 launch.

Beginning at 10am PT / 1pm ET that day, Valve will send out emails to reservation holders that are included in the first wave of shipments. (That's also when IGN will post our reviewer's impressions of the Steam Deck.) The emails will go out to the addresses that are associated with the Steam account used to place the $5 reservation for the portable gaming PC.

As Valve previously stated, reservation holders will have 72 hours to complete the purchase of the Steam Deck model they reserved. Failure to finalize the purchase within that three-day time window will result in the reservation being released to that individual and given to the next person in the queue, as noted in the blog post.

Valve also shared brief details on the official Steam Deck dock. While the accessory will not be available the same time the handheld is released, Valve says that plans to make the dock available "in late Spring."

The announcement comes a few days before the Steam Deck's February 25 release date. With the launch quickly approaching, the company has been sharing new information, such as announcing that iFixit was named one of the authorized sellers for replacement parts and launching a new tool to see which games in your Steam library will run on the device.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

If you want to know whether or not you are in the first wave of Steam Deck shipments, you won't have to wait much longer. Valve has announced new details regarding the Steam Deck's February 25 launch.

Beginning at 10am PT / 1pm ET that day, Valve will send out emails to reservation holders that are included in the first wave of shipments. (That's also when IGN will post our reviewer's impressions of the Steam Deck.) The emails will go out to the addresses that are associated with the Steam account used to place the $5 reservation for the portable gaming PC.

As Valve previously stated, reservation holders will have 72 hours to complete the purchase of the Steam Deck model they reserved. Failure to finalize the purchase within that three-day time window will result in the reservation being released to that individual and given to the next person in the queue, as noted in the blog post.

Valve also shared brief details on the official Steam Deck dock. While the accessory will not be available the same time the handheld is released, Valve says that plans to make the dock available "in late Spring."

The announcement comes a few days before the Steam Deck's February 25 release date. With the launch quickly approaching, the company has been sharing new information, such as announcing that iFixit was named one of the authorized sellers for replacement parts and launching a new tool to see which games in your Steam library will run on the device.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

EA Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Laura Miele denounced games industry toxicity during her DICE 2022 keynote, calling for the removal of leaders who "fall short of basic standards."

"Let's face it, there have been some rough headlines," Miele said. "Stories about negligence and lawsuits, all stemming from leaders who failed to uphold standards we've come to expect."

While Miele didn't call out Activision Blizzard by name, nor CEO Bobby Kotick, both of whom have been at the center of a year of headlines and lawsuits concerning industry toxicity, she criticized industry leaders she says have benefited from "destructive behavior."

Activision Blizzard has enjoyed considerable success during Kotick's tenure, with Call of Duty becoming one of the largest franchises in the games industry. In that time, he has become one of the highest paid CEOs in the games industry, with reports emerging today that he stands to receive $22 million in stock if he is able to improve Activision Blizzard's culture.

But in what seemed to be pointed criticism of Activision Blizzard in general and Kotick in particular, Miele argued that no level of success matters in the face of toxic culture and CEOs that she says allow it to exist.

"Women have been harassed, bullied, marginalized, held back in their careers, paid less, and much, much less. These are real stories, real human beings, and this is going on in companies in our industry," Miele said.

She added, "Leaders who fall short of basic standards must go."

Miele's comments were part of a broader discussion of how the games industry can realize its full potential as the leader of modern entertainment. She talked at length about how games sit at the center of the modern social experience, arguing that leaders within the industry have a special responsibility in light of gaming's global importance.

However, the last year has been a reckoning for companies such as Activision Blizzard, which have faced government investigations and lawsuits concerning their toxic culture. Kotick has been at the center of many of these controversies as reports have emerged that he was well aware of these issues and opted to do nothing.

Activision Blizzard's behavior has been criticized by key platform holders throughout the industry, including its soon-to-be parent company, Xbox. Multiple industry leaders and publications have called for Kotick's resignation.

Miele joined these choruses of voices in arguing for the removal of leaders who enable toxic cultures, but she also said that it was a critical issue facing the industry at large.

"If companies can't figure this out and fix this burning issue, we don't get to move forward. We don't get to pass go," Miele said.

Blogroll Image Source: DICE 2022

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

EA Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Laura Miele denounced games industry toxicity during her DICE 2022 keynote, calling for the removal of leaders who "fall short of basic standards."

"Let's face it, there have been some rough headlines," Miele said. "Stories about negligence and lawsuits, all stemming from leaders who failed to uphold standards we've come to expect."

While Miele didn't call out Activision Blizzard by name, nor CEO Bobby Kotick, both of whom have been at the center of a year of headlines and lawsuits concerning industry toxicity, she criticized industry leaders she says have benefited from "destructive behavior."

Activision Blizzard has enjoyed considerable success during Kotick's tenure, with Call of Duty becoming one of the largest franchises in the games industry. In that time, he has become one of the highest paid CEOs in the games industry, with reports emerging today that he stands to receive $22 million in stock if he is able to improve Activision Blizzard's culture.

But in what seemed to be pointed criticism of Activision Blizzard in general and Kotick in particular, Miele argued that no level of success matters in the face of toxic culture and CEOs that she says allow it to exist.

"Women have been harassed, bullied, marginalized, held back in their careers, paid less, and much, much less. These are real stories, real human beings, and this is going on in companies in our industry," Miele said.

She added, "Leaders who fall short of basic standards must go."

Miele's comments were part of a broader discussion of how the games industry can realize its full potential as the leader of modern entertainment. She talked at length about how games sit at the center of the modern social experience, arguing that leaders within the industry have a special responsibility in light of gaming's global importance.

However, the last year has been a reckoning for companies such as Activision Blizzard, which have faced government investigations and lawsuits concerning their toxic culture. Kotick has been at the center of many of these controversies as reports have emerged that he was well aware of these issues and opted to do nothing.

Activision Blizzard's behavior has been criticized by key platform holders throughout the industry, including its soon-to-be parent company, Xbox. Multiple industry leaders and publications have called for Kotick's resignation.

Miele joined these choruses of voices in arguing for the removal of leaders who enable toxic cultures, but she also said that it was a critical issue facing the industry at large.

"If companies can't figure this out and fix this burning issue, we don't get to move forward. We don't get to pass go," Miele said.

Blogroll Image Source: DICE 2022

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

EA chief operating officer Laura Miele says it’s on the games industry to build a better online community and how it’s not as hard a challenge as one would expect.

At the annual DICE Summit, Miele delivered a keynote address that covered a range of topics from the metaverse to the state of the industry. One element Miele touched on was how the games industry is uniquely positioned to improve all the various burgeoning metaverses and social networks currently in the works.

Miele cites EA’s work with games like Apex Legends and how the community improved itself without bans or other punitive measures. “85% of players who receive feedback about their behavior under the Positive Play charter changed their behavior. We didn’t have to ban them.”

According to Miele EA was able to improve its Apex Legends community by sending a straightforward, personal email versus an outright ban and it has resulted in positive change.

The Apex Legends statistic is an example Miele provided that shows how the games industry can bring order to the metaverse. “We need some world order,” Mile says, “and no industry can do it better than ours.”

Another positive community tool Miele cites is the ping system in Apex Legends which can let players non-verbally communicate online with strangers. This ping system was one of the patents EA has opened up to let other developers use royalty-free. “We can dare to do better. The ingenuity of game developers can have a significant impact on creating safer communities,” Miele says.

Miele’s full keynote hit on a broad range of topics and kicked off the first in-person DICE Summit since 2020. In the past two years, we’ve seen the rise of concepts like the metaverse while the industry was rocked by a sexual discrimination scandal at companies like Activision Blizzard.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.