Update Patch | March 2021
1. That Sinking Feeling: Frogwares v Nacon
One of the strangest stories in video games the last two years has been the ongoing conflict between developer Frogwares, makers of the action-adventure game The Sinking City, and publishers Nacon.
It is somewhat impressive that a game based on Lovecraft’s work is becoming most known for something other than its source material’s rampant racism.
In August of last year, Frogwares pulled their own game from Steam, claiming that the publisher had withheld royalty payments and tried to claim copyright over the IP. Whilst this was ruled unlawful from the Paris Court of Appeal in October, the game was stuck in limbo following the dispute.
Fast forward to this month. The game reappeared on Steam at the end of February, but Frogwares has urged players not to purchase the game and published a blog on March 1st claiming that Nacon “stole, hacked, changed the source code, and tried to cover up the reporting trail.” The full blog containing Frogwares’ allegations can be found here, stating “Nacon decided to steal and pirate our game and they did so while leaving giant digital footprints.”
Following this, Frogwares confirmed to IGN they filed a DMCA takedown, forcing the game off Steam once again a day later. In a now removed statement, Nacon have responded to these events on their website asserting that they are “contractually the sole exclusive distributor of The Sinking City on Steam”. The game can still be picked up on consoles and the Microsoft Store on PC but it doesn’t seem like the situation will be resolved any time soon.
Mediatonic also released its Picross-visual novel game last year.
2. Epic Games’ Fall for the Mediatonic Guys
Developer of sentient bean simulator Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, Mediatonic, has been acquired by Epic Games as part of an acquisition of the wider Tonic Games Group. No money has been disclosed as part of the deal, but both Mediatonic and Epic Games have published statements about the unexpected deal.
Epic Games’ published statements from leading figures at both Epic and Tonic Games Group, including from Epic Games Founder and CEO, Tim Sweeney, who said “It’s no secret that Epic is invested in building the metaverse and Tonic Games shares this goal. As Epic works to build this virtual future, we need great creative talent who know how to build powerful games, content and experiences.”
For its part Mediatonic put together a full FAQ in which the developer clarified a number of things. The studio made sure to unequivocally state, “Your gameplay isn’t changing and neither is our mission to bring Fall Guys to as many players as possible. Each season, we’ll continue to expand the game with new content, features, rounds, and costumes.” Additionally, Mediatonic have confirmed the game will remain on Steam and PlayStation and the upcoming Switch and Xbox versions will still be coming.
Epic making it rain.
This is the latest in Epic Games’ acquisition of popular studios and software companies. In 2019 Epic acquired Psyonix the developers of the massively successful Rocket League and it was only on the 9th of March, the company acquired Capturing Reality, a company developing software for generating 3D models using laser scanning and photogrammetry techniques. This technology was touted as being a major boon for Epic’s Unreal Engine once it is incorporated.
Epic also bought the 980,000-square-foot Cary Towne Center Mall in North Carolina in January for building its new HQ. Presumably, because the Hot Topic and Spencer’s Gifts already were just Fortnite merch hubs.
3. Sentinels Valorant Star Player Suspended After Sexual Assault Allegation
Following accusations of sexual assault, former Overwatch League MVP and current VALORANT player Jay ‘Sinatraa’ Won has been suspended from competitive play.
The allegations came from Cleo Hernandez, an ex-girlfriend of Won. In a lengthy post she detailed accusations of sexual assault by Won and manipulative behaviour in their relationship. We have linked the post with a strong content warning as it contains audio recordings and specific recollections of sexual encounters in their relationship. Hernandez explains the reason for raising the allegations now, stating: ”I never spoke about it mostly because this is horrifying and also because I've seen the way women in our community are treated when they try to talk about being hurt by prominent figures."
Following the allegations, Riot acted quickly, with Alex Francois, the global head of competitive operations at Riot, releasing a statement on Twitter: He said, “We are aware of the current situation regarding Jay Won (Sinatraa) and have launched an investigation. Per our existing competitive rules and investigative process, a decision has been made to suspend Won throughout the investigation.” Additionally, his current team, the Los Angeles Sentinels, have similarly launched their own internal investigation into the issue and suspended Won for the time being. In a statement posted on the 11th March, Won has responded with the following statement:
“It is clear from Cleo’s recent post that she recalls our relationship differently than I do. What we do agree on is that it was unhealthy for the both of us. I apologize to Cleo and regret how things ended, but I never assaulted her in any way. I am fully cooperating with the investigations and providing the full audio and video clips Cleo referenced in her post.”
4. Square Enix is Strange
Square Enix held an online event called Square Enix Presents detailing numerous upcoming projects. The biggest announcement of the show was the reveal of Deck Nine’s latest entry in the Life is Strange series with Life is Strange: True Colors.
Before the studio was Deck Nine it was Idol Minds, a PlayStation-centric studio that made the baffling PAIN.
Deck Nine Games are the studio behind the well-received prequel, Life is Strange: Before The Storm, and will be producing the latest game in the series without original developer Dontnod. True Colors will see players taking on the role of Alex Chen, as she makes a fresh start with her brother Gabe by returning to their hometown of Haven Springs, only for Gabe to die suddenly. The game will see Alex using a psychic power to feel others emotions to solve her brother's death and uncover the mystery. A familiar face returning is Steph Gingrich from LiS: Before The Storm, and the game will feature romance options for the player to pursue. The game is doing away with the franchise's episodic release structure and will be out in full on September 10th of this year, along with a remaster of the original Life is Strange and Before the Storm.
Forespoken looks really cool but we’ll sure have a long while to wait before playing it.
Beyond this, Square Enix unveiled a couple of other interesting announcements. Firstly, they revealed Marvel’s Avengers season roadmap and teased War for Wakanda, a Black Panther-themed expansion will be arriving later this year (hopefully giving the game a much-needed boost). Other announcements included; the Tomb Raider: Definitive Survivor Trilogy, a collection of the three modern Tomb Raider games. Hitman: Sniper Assassin, from the team behind Hitman: Go, got a surprise announcement, which no one saw coming considering IOI took the Hitman IP with after its management buyout from Square in 2017. The promising looking Outriders and the baffling looking Balan: Wonderworld received trailers. Mobile games for Just Cause and Space Invaders were also shown. Additionally, further information was given for the PlayStation console exclusive Project Athia. The game being developed by the somewhat elusive Luminous Productions and written by Rogue One’s Gary Witta, has been given the title Forspoken, which was unveiled as part of an interesting cinematic trailer that teased a fascinating fish out of water story for the 2022 game.
5. Microsoft’s Big Bethesda Buyout Bash
Microsoft completed its acquisition of ZeniMax Media after receiving approval from the European Commision. This now means that Microsoft has 23 studios operating under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella.
Microsoft and Bethesda held a joint roundtable event to address the deal and spend an hour discussing the history between the two companies. Whilst most of it was pretty dry, the companies did reveal two big bits of information. Firstly, Bethesda put 20 games on Xbox Game Pass that day, including Arkane Studios’ Dishonored and Prey, as well as titles in the Wolfenstein and Elder Scrolls franchises.
Bethesda obviously best known for developing games like PBA Bowling, Where’s Waldo? for the NES and Wayne Gretzky Hockey.
Secondly, Microsoft did somewhat clarify the issue of exclusivity for Bethesda titles going forward. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, stated “not every game is exclusive… there’s contractual obligations that we’re going to see through.” Most likely, this is referring to titles like Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo, which already have been announced as timed PlayStation and PC exclusives. Going forward, he did acknowledge some titles may not have exclusivity owing to “legacy on different platforms”, likely alluding to the likes of the MMO, Elder Scrolls: Online. However, he also stressed that “This [acquisition] is about delivering great exclusive games… that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists.”
This does lead to some ambiguity for larger franchises like The Elder Scrolls and DOOM, which do technically have a “legacy” on other consoles, but it also indicates any new IP will be exclusive to Microsoft’s platforms.
6. More Activision Blizzard Layoffs
Activision-Blizzard has laid off 190 employees across the company, including 50 employees in the company’s Esports division and King (Candy Crush Saga).
According to Bloomberg, workers based in the US will receive 90 days severance and health benefits for a year, as well as what is described as “job transition support” including a $200 Battle.net gift card. The layoffs affected 2% of the company’s overall workforce and are the latest in a number of layoffs at the corporation, with the company laying off 800 employees during March 2019.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Activision-Blizzard cited the online shift of Esports and content, stating “Players are increasingly choosing to connect with our games digitally and the e-sports team, much like traditional sports, entertainment and broadcasting industries, has had to adapt its business due to the impact the pandemic has had on live events”.
Bobby Kotick star of the hit Hollywood movie Moneyball which co-starred Bradley Pitt.
This comes following the company’s Q4 earnings call in which CEO Bobby Kotick was quoted as saying, “In a year filled with adversity our extraordinary employees were determined to provide connection and joy to our 400 million players around the world… They accomplished this as well as generating record financial results for our shareholders. Under difficult circumstances, but with the same conviction and focus, they will continue to do so in 2021.”
The fourth round of layoffs in six months came just days before a report by CtW Investment Group claiming Kotick received a bonus of $200 million in stock following the company’s record breaking year.
7. Not Just Fighting Words: Sony Acquires EVO
In yet more acquisition news, Sony has co-bought Evo, hosts of the Evo Championship Series, with esports company RTS. Evo 2021 is moving online this year and will be taking place in August with Guilty Gear: Strive, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition and Tekken 7 among the games taking centre stage.
Notably absent is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, however Mark Julio, Evo business development chief, stressed on Twitter that Evo will continue to be “open to all platforms.” In a full statement published on the Evo website, co-founders Tony and Tom Cannon said: “In order to deliver on the trust you have all put in Evo, we realize that we need an experienced strategic partner who truly respects the spirit of the FGC. This is why we’re excited to announce that Evo has become part of the joint partnership of Sony Interactive Entertainment and RTS. The new partnership is committed to bringing amazing tournaments and competitive gaming experiences back to you this year and beyond.”
Here’s hoping this means that PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale will finally get the pro scene it deserves.
RTS is described in Sony’s blog as “a new venture led by CEO Stuart Saw and backed by investors including global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor.” Whether the venture results in more events held by Evo in the future is unclear and remains to be seen.
This buyout came after major internal restructuring at EVO last year when the first Online Evo was cancelled. This cancellation was due to a boycott of the event by many players, Nearthrealm, Capcom and more after several sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against then EVO CEO Joey “Mr Wizard” Cuellar were made public. At the time the Cannon brothers took over as interim CEOs but considering their positions at Riot Games this was never going to be permanent. Since then rumours about the event’s future have been swirling and while the is still much uncertainty EVO seems to have some security for the coming years thanks to the buyout.
8. A Troubling Move and the End of an Era
In worrying news, following a report from TheGamer, Sony has confirmed that the PS3, PS Vita and PSP digital stores will be closed down. The PS3 and PSP stores are being closed on July 2nd and the PS Vita store is shutting later on August 27th. Sony’s blog post on the matter can be read here.
Vita means life but we all must face death…
Following the closure of these stores, players will unable to purchase digital copies for any games or DLC for the consoles. In further clarification, Sony have confirmed players will be able to re-download any games they have already purchased digitally through these storefronts “by accessing the Download List on the respective device” and will be able to redeem codes previously issued for the platform.
Concern from players is mainly stemming from the fact that the PS3, PSP and Vita became the home for many “download only” games in recent years. The PS Vita in particular was not just a haven for indie games by the end of its life but was considered one of the only affordable ways to play many PS1 and PS2 games that never saw wide releases. While this is certainly a troubling move for the preservation of titles going forward on online stores, it is not particularly surprising. Sony formally began discontinuing support for the PlayStation 3 in May 2017 in Japan and discontinued the support for the PS Vita in March 2019, while in 2017 the current CEO of PlayStation Jim Ryan had harsh words regarding backwards compatibility. At the time, when he was Sony’s head of global sales and marketing, Ryan said, “When we’ve dabbled with backwards compatibility, I can say it is one of those features that is much requested, but not actually used much.” He went on to say, “That, and I was at a Gran Turismo event recently where they had PS1, PS2, PS3 and PS4 games, and the PS1 and the PS2 games, they looked ancient, like why would anybody play this?”
Patch Notes:
Ghost of Tsushima game director, Nate Fox, and creative director, Jason Connell, will be made permanent tourism ambassadors for the real island of Tsushima in Japan. The Sony blockbuster also has had a film greenlit with Chad Stahelski (John Wick) currently directing.
Studio V1 Interactive, the company behind Disintegration, has announced it will be closing its doors after ending the game’s multiplayer support in November.
Jade Raymond and Ikumi Nakamura have both opened new studios this month. Raymond has founded Haven Entertainment Studios, who will be producing a new IP for PS5. While Nakamura, who worked on the upcoming GhostWire: Tokyo as creative director, will maintain the same position in her new as yet unnamed studio for an upcoming new IP.
Among Us has launched its new Airship map, featuring moving platforms as well as the opportunity to choose the starting room following meetings. It arrived on the 31st of March.
Amazon has opened a new Montreal-based studio to build on online multiplayer IP, with a team of developers whose previous work include Rainbow Six: Siege taken on in various direction roles.
In the latest delay news, Turtle Rock’s spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series, Back 4 Blood, has been delayed to October 12th 2021. While Warner Brother Games’ Gotham Knights has been set back to 2022.
