Update Patch | November 2023
It's been a bit of time since the last Update Patch but November has come and gone and we are now well into the cold winter months, hibernating with blankets, hot chocolate and in my case, getting through indie games and the family Christmas arguments about who is doing the dessert this year. November saw a lighter offering than the mass of games the previous months with Thirsty Suitors, RoboCop: Rogue City and Persona 5 Tactica giving generous offerings. Oh, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 also came out and everyone and their gran seemed to dislike it. More imperative though was the various developments across the industry.
1. Wonder Woman Live Service And Zaslav Comments
We begin with the latest moves from Warner Bros. following comments in an earnings call by CEO David Zaslav. As detailed by Eurogamer, Zaslav opened an investor call by detailing his desire for more live-service games. Zaslav explained the company wanted to change “our biggest franchises from largely console and PC based with three-four year release schedules to include more always on[line] gameplay through live services, multiplatform and free-to-play extensions”. According to Zaslav, the company “see[s] significant opportunity to generate greater post-purchase revenue."
Zaslav specifically cited franchises such as Mortal Kombat and Game of Thrones among others. These comments could make sense given the company’s current work with Rocksteady’s four-player co-op Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. However, they make less sense given the poor reception to that game’s gameplay trailer which saw the game being delayed.
Additionally, Warner Bros. Games denied that the upcoming Wonder Woman game would have live service elements after a job advert reportedly listed a “nice to have” skill for applicants was experience with “maintain[ing] a live service product”. In a statement to IGN, the company confirmed “Wonder Woman is not being designed as a live service”.
2. Awards Chatter
The end of a calendar year brings plenty of reflection and with that, plenty of awards ceremonies.
Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards announced its nominations this month. The big nominees include Alan Wake 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 who are tied for the most nominations with eight, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sitting just behind on seven. Those games make up the big Game of the Year prize along with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Resident Evil 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The ceremony is due to take place on the 7th of December. Whilst there was little controversy to the awards themselves, some were perplexed at a Best Independent Game nomination for Dave The Diver which was made by Mintrocket which is an internal studio at Nexon, a corporation currently valued at $18.3bn.
One set of awards that indicate who may win big at the Keighleys is the Golden Joystick Awards, where Baldur’s Gate 3 picked up seven awards including the Ultimate Game of the Year and Studio of the Year for Larian Studios. Controversy was raised following narrative designer Meghna Jayanth (Sable, Thirsty Suitors) pulling out of presenting Best Storytelling award after organisers allegedly refused to permit political statements. Troy Baker presented the award on the night instead.
3. Amazon And Ubisoft Layoffs
It’s still 2023 which means more layoffs in the industry, starting with Amazon eliminating 180 positions in its games division.
As reported by Aftermath, these layoffs come through the Crown Channel Twitch team and the company’s Game Growth team with the company directing those resources towards the Prime Gaming service. This follows layoffs of 100 people in similar teams earlier in the year but Amazon’s development studios appear to be unaffected.
Not to be outdone, Ubisoft began layoffs across its Montreal studio across administrative, general and IT teams as reported by Kotaku.
In a notice to the Quebec government, the company said “Ubisoft is proceeding with a collective dismissal… by consolidating these functions Canada-wide”. In a further statement to Eurogamer, Ubisoft explained further that “every team within Ubisoft has been exploring ways to streamline our operations and enhance our collective efficiency so that we are better positioned for success in the long term”.
In the same statement, the company confirmed that production teams at the studio had not been affected.
4. The Embracer Group Mess
Of course, it is impossible to discuss layoffs without discussing the current plight suffered by developers under The Embracer Group. The company continued with their restructuring program, which this month has seen more layoffs.
One of the companies which announced layoffs this month was the publisher Plaion. The layoffs affected one of its subsidiaries Fishlabs Studios (Chorus) as around 50 jobs were cut. According to VGC, Plaion has also privately acknowledged the closure of Free Radical Design (Timesplitters series) with FDR potentially closing on the 11th of December unless a third party can acquire the studio.
The Embracer Group is continuing with layoffs across its portfolio in an attempt to reduce its net debt of $1.5bn it had accrued as of June 2023. In its Q2 financial report, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors confirmed that layoffs now total over 900 people and that more job losses are to come.
5. Xbox Makes An AI Partnership
Microsoft has announced a new partnership with Inworld AI, described as a “Character Engine for AI NPCs”, to be used in developing scripts, quest lines and other artistic elements of games. Explaining the rationale for the deal, GM of gaming AI at Xbox Haiyan Zhang said the deal brings together “Inworld’s expertise in working with generative AI models for character development, Microsoft’s cutting-edge cloud-based AI solutions including Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Research’s technical insights into the future of play, and Team Xbox’s strengths in revolutionising accessible and responsible creator tools for all developers.”
The announcement has proved controversial in circles. Voice actors have expressed concern over AI voices taking work and not providing nuanced voice work, particularly notable given the SAG-AFTRA trade union has voted in favour of allowing a potential strike for video game performers. Developers are also concerned about how this new initiative could replace workers and how it is balanced with human design work.
6. Blizzcon
To conclude, Blizzcon 2023 was the first event Blizzard since the conclusion of the Microsoft Activision acquisition process. This was acknowledged in the show’s keynote with Microsoft CEO of Gaming, Phil Spencer, showing up to deliver a short speech with no announcements.
When it came to the biggest announcements, the next three (yes, three) expansions of World of Warcraft have been announced. The combination of the three form what is being called The Worldsoul Saga for the game with executive creative director Chris Metzen only giving broad details on the first expansion, called The War Within. The expansion will contain new subterranean kingdoms to explore as well as new forces in Nerubians and the Earthen. The other expansions are titled Midnight and The Last Titan, with these expansions taking place in the Old World.
Other announcements included World of Warcraft Classic players getting news that the expansion Cataclysm would be coming to the game, Hearthstone and Diablo 4 confirmed their own expansions entitled Showdown in the Badlands and Vessel of Hatred respectively and Overwatch 2 got a showcase of the newest hero, Mauga.
Patch Notes:
Housemarque’s Game Director on time-bending shooter Returnal, Harry Kreuger, has departed the studio, ending a fourteen-year stint with the company.
Larian Studios has announced a physical deluxe edition of the acclaimed Astarion romance game Baldur’s Gate 3, with the edition coming with a physical copy of the game, the soundtrack, a physical map and other goodies.
Nintendo and Sony Pictures are collaborating on a live-action Legend of Zelda film, with Shigeru Miyamoto heavily involved, Avi Aard (Spider-Man (2000) and Morbius) producing, and Wes Ball (The Maze Runner trilogy) on directing duties.
VGC reported that in an earnings call, Sony confirmed plans to delay half of its 12 live-service entries beyond March 2026. This comes after working with Bungie on a review of Sony’s portfolio.
Valve has announced an OLED version of the Steam Deck starting at £479 and coming with improved battery life, lighter model and faster downloads.
Sega has closed its acquisition of Angry Birds developer Rovio Entertainment after announcing the deal back in April.
Following the firing of former Escapist Magazine editor Nick Calandra, numerous Escapists veterans, including Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation fame, have left to form a new publication known as Second Wind.
