Episode 89
Switch 2 rumours?! Nintendo Accounts?! Bowser, please!
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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