Update Patch | April 2022
Well, here we are once again! Following a brief month break, the Update Patch is back to look over an April month that certainly was a busy time. We turned three years old, the British Prime Minister became the first one in history to break the law in office having broken his own lockdown rules, and in the gaming sphere, we were charmed by another LEGO Star Wars and Chinatown Detective Agency is proving to be a sneaky hit everyone should play according to me. Digging into the news though, we had plenty of developments, some good and some bad.
1. Microsoft Wants To Start Running In-game Ads
In bleak capitalism news, reports have emerged that both Microsoft and Sony are considering the possibility of in-game adverts in free to play titles.
“Back in my day the only ads we had in video game were for early voting in our cult classic racing games.”
The report comes from Business Insider, which states that sources have told them Microsoft would look to do so to "provide more money-making opportunities to developers who make free-to-play games". The source speculates Microsoft isn't looking to take any part of the revenue and the company has begun exploring different methods for developers to integrate advertising. Examples of advertising in games that Microsoft may want to adopt from the past include billboards in sports games using real-world brands.
Further to this, Sony has also been apparently considering a similar scheme, again with Business Insider citing three sources involved in the planning. Sony’s approach is reportedly for similar reasons and began 18 months ago, with Playstation’s parent company reportedly being incredibly strict as to which companies could advertise in these games and would also not collect any player information through these adverts. One of the other key differences is that according to Business Insider, Sony has begun talking to partners and developers about the plans.
Neither company has made a statement confirming or denying the plans. So look forward to people giving out about ads in Fornite as they run around in their Scarlet Witch skin with their Buttstalion glider.
2. Surprising Cyberpunk 2077 Sale Figures And Expansion News
CD Projekt Red has faced a chastening time following the disastrous release of Cyberpunk 2077 but at an earnings call, the company has announced that the planned paid expansion for the game will be released this year.
The earnings call featured company VP & CFO Piotr Nielubowicz confirming these details and also reiterating the company’s belief that they “believe in the long-term potential of our newest release”.
If you are wondering how things are going CDPR has not mentioned any of its roadmaps since very early 2021.
Additionally, the full report details a number of stats and plans for the company going forward on a number of fronts, including the announcement of a new Witcher game made in Unreal Engine 5 and a sales figure that as of the 14th of April, Cyberpunk 2077 has passed 18m copies sold and further on, the company outlines their production plans for the coming year with the focus being on expansion development and “further support” on Cyberpunk 2077.
The company also announced that the long-awaited “next-gen” PS5 and Series X|S updates for the Witcher 3 have been delayed “until further notice”.
3. Activision Update
Activision Blizzard continues to dominate the news as their lawsuits rumble on and the planned acquisition by Microsoft continues.
The closed beta for Overwatch 2 also started this April to a… not great reception.
Firstly, the most important bit. The company has plenty of lawsuits on the go but has settled one with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for $18m. The settlement will be approved by Dale Fischer, a district judge who wants a few amendments made, such as clarity to forms produced for workers to apply for payouts. Additionally, a separate lawsuit made by a group of company investors has been dismissed by the Judge due to “a lack of particularity” in the case made. The investors can produce another claim within 30 days to address this issue though.
However, a new lawsuit has been brought forward just before April by lawyer Lisa Bloom on behalf of anonymized defendants. The new lawsuit is against Activision Blizzard, Blizzard Entertainment, and five former and current employees. A report on the harassment by The Verge has a number of allegations against former staffer Mark Skorupa and further allegations of sexual harassment, unwanted sexual advances and a dismissal of actions and complaints by senior staff and HR.
One of the biggest developments has been in the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) and its case against the company. Melanie Proctor, an assistant chief counsel for the department, resigned in protest after her boss Janette Wipper was fired suddenly. In an email to staff, Proctor alleges that California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office began to ask for information such as “advance notice of litigation strategy and of next steps in the litigation.” Following wins in state court, Proctor says that the interference increased which was “mimicking the interests of Activision’s counsel.” Newsom’s office has denied this, with communications director Erin Mellon saying the claims are “categorically false”.
Of course, the planned acquisition by Microsoft is progressing in the background with some developments. A couple of weeks ago, the SOC Investment Group, an organisation that organises action on behalf of a group of unions, penned a letter urging shareholders of Activision Blizzard to vote against the merger, stating the reasons as “This transaction fails to properly value Activision and its future earnings potential, in significant part because it ignores the role that the sexual harassment crisis-and the Activision board's incompetent handling of it”. Regardless, in a vote on April 28th, shareholders voted in favour of the acquisition. CEO Bobby Kotick did comment on this with delight, saying:
The good news is Blizzard is finally make a NEW WARCRAFT GAME.
Oh, wait… Oh, no.
“Today’s… vote by our stockholders confirms our shared belief that, combined with Microsoft, we will be even better positioned to create great value for our players, even greater opportunities for our employees, and to continue our focus on becoming an inspiring example of a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive workplace.”
Whether the deal goes through is central to FTC approval, which may be more difficult given four U.S Senators wrote an open letter to the FTC to ask for further examination of the deal. The letter is signed by Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker and Sheldon Whitehouse, saying “We are deeply concerned about consolidation in the tech industry and its impact on workers, and this proposed merger has already hurt workers at Activision Blizzard in their fight for a stable job and a safe working environment. The FTC should consider the history… when assessing the anticompetitive effects that this gigantic merger may produce”.
If the deal goes through, there are still no guarantees regarding Kotick’s position, with a new legal filing to the SEC stating that “No discussions or negotiations regarding post-closing employment arrangements with Microsoft occurred between Microsoft and Mr. Kotick”.
It is becoming hard to overstate how wide-reaching this story has gotten beyond the games industry. Between the potential of federal government intervention and allegations of state government interference all continuing in the face of unionisation and workers’ rights efforts which have been reflected in wider US society, Activision Blizzard has quickly found itself ground zero of the current US business zeitgeist.
4. Unreal Engine 5 Looks Pretty… Unreal?!
Epic Games have announced that the highly-anticipated newest iteration of Unreal Engine is now available to download for developers. The engine was originally announced in 2020 and the headline features from that announcement are all here, with a new geometry system allowing the import of 3D models and environments and a new global illumination system for dynamic lighting.
The showcase also included a demo from The Coalition which is apparently unrelated to the rumoured “smaller project” the studio is using to get to grips with UE5.
In a 40-minute presentation, Epic unveiled the launch of UE5 highlighting these features, as well as going further into detail about The Matrix Awakens, the demo designed to showcase UE5. Part of this involves a fully simulated world where cutscenes are generated inside the world and camera angles are then done after the fact. Epic showed off a multiplayer game called Lyra they made to demonstrate these systems. One of the most interesting aspects is a new mobile app for developers called SketchFab which allows users to photograph real objects, and then process them onto a cloud server for use in UE5.
The presentation also came with a few surprise announcements of games as well as reminders of games already using UE5. The biggest surprise came in the form of an official announcement of the next Tomb Raider game, with Crystal Dynamics confirming development has begun with the game being made in UE5 (the other big Crystal Dynamic news will have to wait for next month’s Update Patch). The Coalition was also on hand with a demo showcasing their plans, with the next instalment of the Gears of War franchise likely to be in UE5. Additionally, a number of other upcoming are being developed to be released in Unreal Engine 5 including Kingdom Hearts IV, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, Redfall and several other titles both confirmed and rumoured.
5. Halo Infinite Troubles, An Angry Community And Season 2 News
Despite solid critical and commercial success early on, Halo: Infinite has been dogged by a frustrated player base that has been disappointed with the lack of meaningful updates.
Following a large period of silence from 343 Industries on the development of new content, the players have grown increasingly irate, leading to a number of esports players and Twitch streamers calling out 343’s lack of action and response to the community’s concerns and need for additional content, which has also lead to the game’s player count on Steam falling below Halo: The Master Chief Collection. In a response on Reddit, 343’s community director Brian Jarrard tried to placate fans, stating “We're certainly not happy to be unable to meet player and community expectations, it's a difficult situation that's going to take the team time to work through. Right now the focus is on [Season 2]”.
The update seems cool but the community is already unhappy that this season, like season 1, will also last six months.
343 have since announced details of said Season 2, entitled Lone Wolves. The new season brings a large number of changes to the multiplayer, with the big one being the addition of three new game types in classic King of the Hill, Land Grab and Last Spartan Standing. Two new maps are being added in Breaker, a desert map for Big Team Battles, and Catalyst, a smaller forerunner space for the arena modes. There will also be a new battle pass players can work their way through, as well as new events for unique rewards.
These details were shared as part of a blog post which details a timeline for additional updates. Campaign Co-op, replayable story missions and the open beta for Forge are still scheduled for later in Season 2, before an untitled Season 3 is launched on November 8th.
6. Marty O’Donnell Resolution With Microsoft
To conclude, a resolution has been reached between the original composers of Halo: Combat Evolved, Marty O’Donnell and Mike Salvatori, and Microsoft after the composers filed a lawsuit for 20 years of unpaid royalties for their iconic scores.
Big month for people that like to get angry about Halo.
The pair brought the suit against the company in the Summer of 2020, with the case going on between the parties until now with the parties coming to an “amicable resolution”. The lawsuit was based on claims by the pair of composers that Microsoft had a large number of royalties that had yet to be paid and the company had not reached out to the pair to resolve the payments, hence the legal proceedings. Microsoft did try to counter, stating that the original work was done as work-for-hire which would make Microsoft the owner of the work.
This also threatened the Halo TV Show as it has used the classic Halo chant theme in marketing. Lawyers did look into the possibility of putting in an injunction against the show to prevent it from airing, but this did not come to pass. The details of the resolution are undisclosed and Microsoft has not commented on the resolution.
Patch Notes:
By hell or highwater, Nomura will get all of his ideas for Final Fantasy Versus 13 into one of his games.
In the raft of new announcements, CD Projekt Red has confirmed that a new instalment in The Witcher series will be made. Very few details are now except that the newest game will be made in Unreal Engine 5, departing from the REDengine.
Hyper Light Breaker, a follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter, has been announced by developer Heart Machine with a prospective release date of 2023.
Speaking of videogame announcements, a trailer by Square Enix revealed Kingdom Hearts IV with Sora in a strange urban environment battling a giant Heartless with Organization XIII members looking on. Goofy and Donald were not there, which is either good or bad depending on your sensibilities.
More details have emerged from Nintendo regarding the latest Squid Shooter in Splatoon 3. A release date of September 9th has been announced, and a number of modes have been confirmed, including the horde variation known as Salmon Run.
In further Nintendo release date reshuffling, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has moved up the release calendar. Instead of releasing during September as initially indicated, the highly anticipated JRPG will be coming out on the 29th of July. A date which everyone knows is “REYN TIME!”
Plans have been put in place to develop a film based on the 2021 Game of The Year Winner It Takes Two. dj2 Entertainment, which worked on the two recent Sonic The Hedgehog movies are said to be producing the film alongside, Seven Bucks Productions and Amazon Studios. Also, the actor and former member of the Nation of Domination, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, is touted as a producer.
dj2 Entertainment also announced that it is going to be teaming back up with Sega to release a Streets of Rage film. The script for the film was penned on spec by the creator of the John Wick franchise and ex-stuntman Derek Kolstad. Little else is known about the film beyond the film also being co-developed by Escape Artists (of the Equalizer franchise).
The month has seen both Apex Legends and Rocket League have new updates. The former had Season 13 announced for the 10th May which is headlined by new legend Newcastle. Meanwhile, Rocket League has a two-week Battle Royale mode entitled Safezone, with 8-players eliminating each other from an arena.
Long-time Ubisoft employee Patrick Plourde has departed the company after a near-20 year career at the company. Plourde, who is credited as creative director for Child of Light, Watch Dogs 2 and Far Cry 3, will work with Ubisoft going forward and form a new consultant company.
Two Point Campus has been delayed to 9th August, with developers Two Point Studios stating that three more months are needed to “optimise Two Point Campus for all platforms.”
Blizzard Mike Ybarra has shut down speculation that Activision Blizzard is getting into NFTs following a survey that went out gauging players’ interest in the wonders of the blockchain.
Yuji Naka, the creator of many amazing games and also Balan Wonderworld, has claimed in a set of tweets that he has sued Square Enix and that the company, along with co-developer Arzest, ignored known bugs that resulted in the game’s poor state at release.
