Embracer is just trying to ruin as many Christmases as possible, aren't they? By the time this is over Embracer might be able to match EA for number of studios they've bought and shut down. Hopefully those impacted land on their feet, but given the state of the industry I'm skeptical.
I've been hoping people on the inside would start speaking out now that the studio has shut down, or rebranded, or whatever they've done. It definitely feels more like a scam if they knew from the start that it was never going to be an MMO. I do feel bad for the developers working on the game. It really sounds like they had no control over the project and were basically catering to the whims of the founders.
All valid points and it is perhaps for the best that E3 just ended rather than continuing on as a shadow of its former self. Still, I hope something emerges that fills the void E3 left behind, even if I don't think that is likely. Summer Games Fest is fine, but it's still a far cry from what E3 used to be and all the scattered streams and announcements don't really capture that concentrated excitement you had back when E3 was at its peak.
A lot of demand and yet it remains in development hell with no one willing to comment about its fate. Oh well, I guess the classic games are still there. They're still perfectly playable and that's before you start bringing in mods to tweak things that haven't aged well.
I see Sean Murray has learned nothing from the No Man's Sky hype cycle. I don't want grandiose promises about the scope and scale of the world, I want to know what exactly I'll be doing in it. They're promising role-playing depth, but the whole part about "building, survival, and exploration" just makes me feel like it will be another survival sandbox game with some RPG elements.
Cautiously optimistic about this. Obviously there is a good chance that none of these games will end up being good, but at least Sega is trying to do something new with their old IPs rather than just letting them gather just until they decide to do another "greatest hits" collection.
So much for continuing to improve the game and add content. I really hope someone with inside knowledge about the game's development goes on record at some point because I would really like to know inside story behind this trainwreck.
Not terribly surprised they are shutting down, but I am a little shocked that it is happening less than a week after the game released. I kind of expected them to at least attempt the old "we're sorry you are disappointed and are working to fix the game" routine before bolting. Then again judging from all the articles and videos it doesn't really look like there was any way to fix it or even really bring it close to the game they promised they were going to release.
Well, that's not a good sign for Starfield's modding future. Honestly, it feels like post-Skyrim Bethesda just assumes their games will have a robust modding community. Except that for a game to garner that kind of community it has to be, you know, good. Maybe Bethesda hopes paid modding will be the carrot that brings modders to Starfield, but even if that becomes the standard I don't expect many people will want to make mods for a game they don't even enjoy playing.
Bethesda breaking everything with their update isn't a surprise. Honestly, the thing I'm most looking forward to when the next Elder Scrolls releases is that Bethesda will finally leave Skyrim alone. Paid mods coming back is concerning and it definitely makes me worry about what the next Elder Scrolls is going to end up looking like if Bethesda are developing it with paid mods in mind.
You thought the “We don’t know when GTA 6 will come out, we can only guess” articles were bad? Here come the 1000s of “articles” saying “EvErY DeTAiL BroKEn DoWN”....
This is a very important public service announcement. Nearly every gaming site I've been to has had at least one "All the details you MISSED in the GTA 6 trailer!!!" article somewhere. We've officially entered the next phase of the GTA hype life cycle.
On the one hand I'm not opposed to mod creators getting paid for their work. There are a lot of great Skyrim mods, released and upcoming, that I wouldn't mind paying for. Total conversions like Enderal, giant content expansions like Beyond Skyrim, and especially a lot of the great companion mods. The pay what you want option seems like a good way to let people support mod creators while not creating a paywall. On the other hand I just don't trust Bethesda to deal with all of the issues this is going to create and it's hard to see how it doesn't end up negatively impacting the wider modding community.
Can't wait to play Florida Simulator in 2025! More seriously, the game does look great and I'm curious to see just how accurate all the leaks over the years were, since the Bonnie and Clyde premise is seemingly confirmed.
This is a fascinating deep dive into the development of the game, with many people involved giving interviews. Instead of being in a long development hell, Lionhead knocked out the game in a stunning 18 months - which made Microsoft happy, but resulted in the cutting of a ton of content.
Interesting read. I really liked Fable 3's Industrial Revolution setting, but it did feel like the game was on fast forward once you actually got the throne. It's a shame they weren't able to make it the experience they wanted it to be.
Kind of in between games at the moment. Been digging through my backlog, looking for something to play, but nothing has really clicked yet. In the meantime I've been doing this little gaming advent calendar thing with Mission in Snowdriftland. It's a platformer that used to be a flash game that was used to promote Nintendo products back in the 2000s. It's set up like an advent calendar, with 24 levels. You could probably beat it in a few hours, but I've been enjoying taking it one level a day,
And Embracer claims another victim. It feels like they aren't going to have many studios left when they finish their "restructuring" process. At least Wingefors was nice enough to acknowledge that the employees, who might be about to lose their jobs, are going through a slightly more challenging time than the executives who are deciding which studio is next on the chopping block.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Dredge. I was expecting a fishing game with a Lovecraft coat of paint but the fishing elements and the Lovecraftian elements worked together better than I expected. Glad to see the DLC is keeping things weird.
A friend of mine started writing for this and he asked me to share it around so here we are. Check it out if you feel like it. Friendly bias aside, he’s a good writer and has a fun voice in what he writes.
I’ll start. Apt next door is having a cockroach infected. 4 days ago, I was playing sims on my laptop, wearing my eyeglasses. Right lens got blurry, took off, huge cockroach was crawling across inside of lens. While I was wearing them. Freak out ensued.
I was laying in bed and trying to get to sleep. I kept hearing this tapping, or scuttling, noise coming from somewhere in my room, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Decided it was just old house noises and tried to ignore it. Then something fell from the ceiling and landed on my face. Shouted, slapped at my face, and heard something fall on the floor. Flipped on the light and saw the roach trying to scurry away. Hit it with a book until it was dead. Maybe not the most horrifying, but it was one of the worst experience I've had with a roach, so far at least.
Not that surprising. Starfield is still in that awkward spot for Bethesda games where you have the base game, which is fine, but not much in the way of interesting mods. Meanwhile Skyrim has over a decade's worth of mods made for it. If you want to do something in Skyrim that isn't in the game chances are someone has made a mod for it. Meanwhile Starfield is just Starfield.
This is something I've noticed for a while now, but haven't been able to really describe. This shift away from clickbait headlines towards cryptic headlines that just refuse to tell you what they're talking about. Like The Best Part of Alan Wake Is Now On Youtube or The Best Soulslike Of 2023 Just Got Easier. And those are just a few that I've seen today. Maybe it will fade away like the worst clickbait headlines did or they'll just keep getting so cryptic and opaque that one day the headlines will be: Something Just Happened.
It's kind of crazy where Starfield is right now given the pre-release hype for it. I mean Bethesda finally releases a new singleplayer AAA RPG and it's a brand new IP. Then it only gets one nomination at the Game Awards and it isn't even likely to win that. Maybe it's a sign that people are getting tired of Bethesda's "wide as an ocean, deep as a puddle" philosophy. Or maybe this year was just so packed with releases that Starfield was inevitably going to get overshadowed.
Personally, I prefer physical books, especially if it's a book that I really like. There's just something about physically having the book and knowing that you won't lose access to it unless something happens to the book. That being said most of my reading these days is digital simply due to the fact that I don't have the space for all the books I want. Ebooks are just too convenient when it comes to saving space. Still, if it's a book that I think I am going to keep coming back to then I would probably get a physical copy.
Honestly, the only thing surprising about this is that it affected Prime Gaming staff and not divisions actively involved in game development. Hopefully the people laid off can find new work, but it feels like anyone working in the gaming industry is going to face that kind of job insecurity no matter where they go.
Honestly, I had forgotten that some of these games had come out this year. It just feels like there's been so many in 2023. Also pleasantly surprised to see People Make Games get nominated for Content Creator of the Year. I don't think they'll win but it is nice to see their documentaries/ deep dive investigations receive some recognition.
Still, not entirely sure who this is supposed to be for. The poor battery life, lack of Bluetooth, and the inability to play media is just disappointing, even at 200 dollars. Just feels like there are better ways to play PS5 games on the go than this.
Impressive. Aside from the quality of the visuals I wish this was the Winterhold we had gotten. Winterhold in game just seems too small to feel like the great city the game keeps telling us it used to be. The sprawling ruins around the village here are also a nice touch.
Another Embracer casualty. It's crazy how studios are getting gutted left and right because a single business deal fell through. I wonder how many studios Embracer is going to shut down before they finally finish "restructuring"?
Marketing games in 2023: "We're very excited to announce that we have an announcement to make next month!"
More seriously, not the biggest GTA fan, but I hope it lives up to expectations. People have been waiting a decade at this point. Also looking forward to seeing how many times Rockstar will be able to re-release GTA 6 over the next decade.
I mean, I get needing to remind people your game exists and generate hype, but if these teasers just end with Bioware being excited to show us more next year then it just feels like a waste. Like at least tell us what galaxy we're going to be in.
Welcome to Aftermath, a worker-owned, reader-supported news site covering video games, the internet, and the cultures that surround them. Just launched today.
The unionization drive among testers, developers, and others has been one of the few good trends in the gaming industry this year. Hopefully, we'll see more unions form in 2024 and beyond.
The more I read about this the more baffling the move seems. It's not going to end cheating. It might inconvenience cheaters, if even that and it's only going to create negative PR for Microsoft, especially since this is impacting people who use modified controllers for accessibility issues. It's especially weird given how carefully Microsoft has tried to craft an image of being "pro-consumer" this console generation. Then again I imagine the executives who make these decisions rarely think these things through. At the very least it is a good reminder that there is no such thing as a pro-consumer for-profit corporation.
Looks interesting. Not the biggest fan of survival mechanics, but they do specify that it will just be "like" a survival game so who knows what will look like. The fact that they are promising it won't be pay-to-win upfront is a good start. Of course, these are all just promises and there's no telling what the actual game will be like, but at least they seem to have a clear idea of the game they want to make.
It's nice to see BG3 setting a new standard for big RPG titles, but my expectations for this game are still on the floor. At this point, I'll just be happy if it releases.
I mean it's not surprising that Capcom is complaining about people modding nude characters into their games, but this still reads like some Capcom executive just learned what mods were and what they could do.
I've been expecting this to be a trainwreck for a while now, but I was really expecting that to be from the Twitch Plays style of gameplay, not the fact that the game had pay-to-win mechanics. It's impressive how they managed to stumble right out of the gate.
It's so weird to see this finally become a thing. I remember watching the original announcement video and thinking it was just another Bloodborne Kart meme. Then the creator kept uploading videos about it and I realized this was actually going to be a real game.
Bloodborne Kart is an old meme from the Bloodborne community, not sure exactly where it started but people have been joking about a kart racing game for a while now.
The creator of this also made a PS1 demake of Bloodborne. Or at least the first third of it or so? So I guess it's what they were familiar with?
The main announcer sounds like he is just phoning this in for the paycheck and stumbles over stuff like he can't believe he has to read this. Wow. AI is so authentic these days.
More seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if more games with announcers started replacing them with AI. In a lot of those games, it's easy to tune it out and not really pay attention to it. I'm not sure if someone casually playing would even realize it's AI. I'm curious how long it will take until a publisher tries to put AI voice-acting in a game where players would actually notice the dialogue sounding unnatural.
Well I’m craving something in this genre but I’m a bit overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time. So many titles and yet I’m not sure what to read. Maybe you can help?...
Lots of good recommendations here. I'll just leave some +1s for a few I've seen here that I've enjoyed.
Blacktongue Thief: A thief tries to rob the wrong warrior and gets wrapped up in a quest to a distant land besieged by giants. The first of a trilogy, but the ending gives you enough closure to be a standalone read while also setting up where the story will go. Personally, I enjoyed the first-person narration which gives you a colorful look at a somewhat non-conventional fantasy world, although it's still fantasy. If you liked Abercrombie then you might like this. There's a similar focus on flawed characters trying to do the best they can. There is some war and politics but they are firmly in the background and far from the main focus.
Legends and Lattes: A retired adventurer opens up a coffee shop in a land that has never heard of coffee. I'm not sure if "cozy fantasy" was a thing before this book, but it's been held up as an archetypal example. The plot is low-stakes and focuses on the characters and the difficulties of running a small business. Makes a good palate-cleanser between denser reads. No war or politics.
Kings of the Wyld: A retired group of adventurers has to come together for one last job after their leader's daughter ends up trapped in a city besieged by monsters. Admittedly how much you enjoy this one depends on how novel you find the idea of adventuring groups being treated as rock and roll groups. Like literally being a stand-in for rock and roll bands with groupies, managers, and all of that. I've seen some criticism that the book doesn't have much going for it beyond that which is a bit unfair. Following a bunch of middle-aged heroes past their prime was refreshing and I think the author did some interesting things with the main character who only uses a shield in combat and whose main motivation is to make it back to his wife and daughter in one piece. Very little war and politics.
Also, I don't think he's been recommended but you might want to check out Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire trilogy. Admittedly it's not typical high fantasy and it is somewhat heavy on war and politics, but if you liked the grittier, grounded feel of Abercrombie then you might like it. It is arguably darker though and the main character straddles the line between dark anti-hero and outright villain protagonist for at least the first book. But it might be worth checking out if you really liked the First Law trilogy.
Another drop of the axe by Embracer Group, this time landing on Danish 3D Realms. A lot of people, including core devs, will be looking for work asap. (twitter.com)
The Day Before controversies continue as former employee says it was never an MMO (www.eurogamer.net)
The strange situation that is The Day Before keeps getting stranger.
New Steam Workshop update pilfers a bunch of your favourite features from managers like Mod Organizer, including load orders and automatic sorting (www.pcgamer.com)
It's in the Steam beta client for now, but it'll no doubt hit stable soon.
Valve asks Steam Deck owners to not smell vent fumes (www.eurogamer.net)
Valve has asked Steam Deck owners to stop sniffing the fumes which come out of the handheld's vents.Smelling the fumes …
Why E3 Died: A Failure to Evolve, Huge Costs, and Too Much Competition (ign.com)
Disney games boss acknowledges 'a lot of demand' for Knights of the Old Republic remake, giving me my first spark of hope for the project in ages (www.pcgamer.com)
No Man's Sky lead says Light No Fire will let you climb mountains that are "miles high, taller than Everest" (www.gamesradar.com)
SEGA says reveal of IP revivals is “just the start of our initiative” (mynintendonews.com)
‘The Day Before’ Developer Shuts Down Four Days After Launch (web.archive.org)
The Day Before developer Fntastic shuts down - Gematsu (www.gematsu.com)
Dev behind massive Skyrim multiplayer mod turns their hands to Starfield, gives up because "this game is f***ing trash," uploads everything for someone else to finish (www.gamesradar.com)
Skyrim's latest patch has pissed off players for two reasons: It broke old mods and added new paid ones (www.pcgamer.com)
Safe to say this isn't the most popular update.
Now that the trailer is out (poptalk.scrubbles.tech)
You thought the “We don’t know when GTA 6 will come out, we can only guess” articles were bad? Here come the 1000s of “articles” saying “EvErY DeTAiL BroKEn DoWN”....
Bethesda is once again adding support for paid mods to Skyrim (steamcommunity.com)
Seems like Bethesda wants another go at this
Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 1 (peertube.wtf)
The Inside Story Of Fable 3, The Game That Broke Its Creators' Hearts (www.thegamer.com)
This is a fascinating deep dive into the development of the game, with many people involved giving interviews. Instead of being in a long development hell, Lionhead knocked out the game in a stunning 18 months - which made Microsoft happy, but resulted in the cutting of a ton of content.
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of December 3rd
What have you all been playing! I’ve been playing… Not much! I’m moving states and haven’t had a lot of time to game 😢
Embracer CEO confirms TimeSplitters studio faces closure before Christmas (www.videogameschronicle.com)
Here's A First Look At Amazon Prime's Fallout Series - Game Informer (www.gameinformer.com)
Dredge's new DLC is a masterpiece of icy show-don't-tell horror (www.rockpapershotgun.com)
Dredge's first DLC, The Pale Reach, takes the part-fishing, part-horror game to new, even weirder climes that demonstra…
Pixel Dive: A new and fun gaming info site! (lemmy.world)
A friend of mine started writing for this and he asked me to share it around so here we are. Check it out if you feel like it. Friendly bias aside, he’s a good writer and has a fun voice in what he writes.
Columbine vibes (lemmy.ca)
Steam Autumn Sale begins this week, looks like it's going to be a good 'un (www.destructoid.com)
You weren't using that money for anything useful anyway, right?
Tell me about your cockroach horror story
I’ll start. Apt next door is having a cockroach infected. 4 days ago, I was playing sims on my laptop, wearing my eyeglasses. Right lens got blurry, took off, huge cockroach was crawling across inside of lens. While I was wearing them. Freak out ensued.
More people are playing Skyrim on Steam than Starfield (www.eurogamer.net)
Despite being Bethesda biggest launch, interest in Starfield has tailed off somewhat now.
It’s Exhausting Trying To Read Video Game Website Headlines (aftermath.site)
Every day I wake up in the morning, get on the internet and feel increasingly like Batman trapped in an elaborate puzzle room by the Riddler.
Starfield's been left out to dry at The Game Awards—and even dedicated fans are 'not terribly surprised' (www.pcgamer.com)
Shooting short of the stars.
Do you prefer digital or physical books?
Elon Musk railed against shadow bans—now he’s using them on his critics (www.dailydot.com)
Amazon lays off 180 employees from its games division (www.destructoid.com)
Another day, another round of lay offs.
Here Are The Nominees For The Game Awards 2023 - Game Informer (www.gameinformer.com)
PlayStation Portal Review - IGN (www.ign.com)
Skyrim's Winterhold in Unreal Engine 5 looks incredible (www.dsogaming.com)
Leo Torres has released a mind-blowing new video, showcasing The Elder Scrolls V: Skrim's Winterhold in Unreal Engine 5....
Embracer’s TimeSplitters studio Free Radical faces closure | VGC (www.videogameschronicle.com)
Facing closure, potentially unless Embracer finds a buyer, but a handful of devs have already been spotted looking for work, so layoffs have started.
Official: New Grand Theft Auto Trailer Arriving in December (twitter.com)
Night In The Woods Devs Cancel Highly Anticipated Follow-Up (kotaku.com)
The game got cancelled after the co-creator got sick. Get well soon, Benson....
BioWare is teasing the new Mass Effect for N7 Day, and I really wish they'd just tell us what's going on (www.pcgamer.com)
Fans are decoding what appears to be a multi-stage ARG that may or may not tell us what's coming next in the Mass Effect series.
Welcome To Aftermath - Worker-owned video game journalism (aftermath.site)
Welcome to Aftermath, a worker-owned, reader-supported news site covering video games, the internet, and the cultures that surround them. Just launched today.
It's Been A Bad Year For The Video Game Industry, But A Good One For Unions (aftermath.site)
Microsoft has control issues (www.gamesindustry.biz)
The effort to squash unlicensed controllers hurts plenty of paying customers, and might not even achieve its goals
Former WoW devs announce new studio: Fantastic Pixel Castle (twitter.com)
cross-posted from: lemm.ee/post/13613260...
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 seeks to take inspiration from Baldur's Gate 3's narrative design, as well as its tabletop roots (www.pcgamer.com)
After a naked Chun Li scandalised a fighting game tournament, Capcom sounds the alarm about PC game modding: 'There are a number of mods that are offensive to public order and morals' (www.pcgamer.com)
Silent Hill: Ascension fails to impress with greedy monetisation and cluttered UI (www.eurogamer.net)
Bloodborne Kart will be released for free on PC on January 31st (www.dsogaming.com)
Lilith Walther has announced that their free kart game for PC, Bloodborne Kart, will be released on PC on January 31st, 2024.
Embark Studios' The Finals uses text-to-speech AI for in-game voices (www.gamedeveloper.com)
A good fantasy book? you know, wizards, dragons, princesses, that kind of stuff
Well I’m craving something in this genre but I’m a bit overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time. So many titles and yet I’m not sure what to read. Maybe you can help?...