Video Game Culture Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Netflix Games is adding three Grand Theft Auto games to their library on December 14.Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will all be joining Netflix’s game catalog on December 14, in the form of the definitive edition releases of the games.They join titles such as Poinpy, Oxenfree, Into The Breach, and Kentucky Route Zero on the service, with over 80 different games available to play on a mobile device as long as you have a Netflix membership. The three GTA titles are by far the biggest titles that Netflix has added to the service, however, and with GTA VI receiving its first trailer in early December, it’s likely to get more eyes on the service overall.Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition was released in 2021, and was received poorly.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, almost half of CD Projekt RED’s development staff is now working on The Witcher 4. In a recent earnings report for Q3 2023, CD Projekt RED outlined what percentage of developers were working on various different projects.

Starfield has already vanished from many people’s collective consciousness, but Bethesda has begun defending the game from criticism in Steam reviews by replying to certain users.As spotted by YouTuber JuiceHead on X (formerly Twitter), Bethesda has started replying to Starfield reviews using the handles Bethesda_FalcoYamaoka and Bethesda_Kraken.In a reply to one review that criticised the number of loading screens in the game, a Bethesda developer wrote that “while there may be loading screens in between fast travelling, just consider the amount of data for the expansive gameplay that is procedurally generated to load flawlessly.”In a reply to another review, which called the game “wide as an ocean- shallow as a puddle”, the same developer wrote that “if you feel that things are getting boring, there is so much more to do than just the main mission! There are many side missions where you can learn more about the people and story of Starfield.”There’s currently no word from Bethesda as to why they’ve suddenly decided to reply to Steam reviews, however.Starfield launched in September of this year, releasing on the same day as the PS5 version of Baldur’s Gate 3, to fairly positive reviews. The game is currently sitting at 83 on Metacritic, with an 85 on Opencritic.NME’s own review of Starfield was positive, writing that “Starfield promises so much, but comes up short of perfection.

Asobo Studio, the team behind both A Plague Tale games, has announced that it is working on a “major new project” with publisher Focus Entertainment.In a release portfolio that was sent to investors, Focus has confirmed that it and Asobo are teaming up to “renew their long-standing partnership with a major new project”. It then went on to specify that “this will see them extend the productive collaboration that led to the ‘A Plague Tale’ franchise”.While the news will have some people speculating about a potential new IP, the news is likely related to a series of job listings that appeared in July.

Quake players in the world has confirmed Elon Musk’s claims that he once played with the game’s top-level competitors, though he “wasn’t very good”.In a podcast with computer scientist Lex Fridman, Elon Musk stated that he has a “lifetime of playing video games”. Musk then said that “at one point I was, you know, maybe one of the best Quake players in the world”, and mentioned that he “actually won money” in “the first paid esports tournament in the US.”Posters on X (formerly Twitter) doubted the claim, with many questioning whether Musk was simply trying to brag.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 showcase has been announced for later this month, featuring new information on the upcoming role-playing game.The showcase will be taking place on November 28 at 1PM PST (9PM GMT) and will be hosted by game director Hideaki Itsuno, along with producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi. The teaser for the showcase promises an “info-packed 15-minute live stream” with “brand new gameplay reveals”.During an investor Q&A recently, Capcom noted that it’s still expecting an “undisclosed” title to launch before the end of the financial year (ending March 2024), which could be Dragon’s Dogma 2.As noticed by VGC, the title has been rated in Saudi Arabia, meaning a release date could be coming sooner rather than later.Dragon’s Dogma 2 was first announced in June 2022, a full decade after the original game was released.

Overwatch 2 and Dead Island 2 are getting streetwear drops from luxury streetwear brand ARK/8 following a drop earlier this year of Elden Ring-related streetwear earlier this year.ARK/8 announced the news today (November 16), and confirmed that both collections will have different inspirations. The Overwatch collection will be “shining a spotlight on two countries – South Korea and Japan” and will be specifically focused on “two fan-favorite characters, D.

Baldur’s Gate 3, but Larian Studios has already started discussing its next big game and what it plans to do with it.Swen Vincke, the CEO of Larian Studios, posted on X (formerly Twitter) about how honoured he was for the eight nominations that Baldur’s Gate 3 received at The Game Awards 2023.The CEO described the game’s presence there as a “real honor, especially in a year with so many releases,” and said it was “motivating” to see Baldur’s Gate 3 do well.Vincke also dropped a few tidbits about Larian’s next planned game, stating that it “is really encouraging us to ensure it pushes many boundaries. I’m very excited about it.”The news comes as the official Larian Studios account recently teased a potential Xbox Series X|S release date announcement this week, along with an imminent physical release for the critically lauded computer role-playing game.While the game has been available on PlayStation 5 and PC since September and August respectively, it has only been available in a digital form, with no physical edition issued (as of writing).This is a real honor, especially in a year with so many releases.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, has said her design was “not practical at all” but still plays a part of a “fantasy”.Joosten said that she was aware of the “different perspectives” on the character and that she “respects” the artistry that came into creating Quiet.“And also, of course, there’s also just a choice of creating a character that’s visually appealing,” she continued.“I think video games are, in a way, still a sort of fantasy world you enter, so I definitely respect the choices regarding the Quiet appearance, for instance, being quite revealing.”Conversely, Joosten acknowledged and appreciated that there were opinions that were much more critical on her design.“This game came out in 2015, and I think the video game landscape has changed quite a lot since then. People are looking for more representation, and I really get it,” the actor added.Quiet’s minimal clothing is justified in the story of Metal Gear Solid 5 as her parasitic treatment for her injuries causes her to breathe through her skin and photosynthesise for food.

Paradox Interactive and Harebrained Schemes have announced their split only two weeks after the launch of turn-based tactics game The Lamplighters League.On October 10, Paradox Interactive shared that it deemed the game a “big disappointment” due to the tepid commercial reception. The Lamplighters League is set in an alternate version of the 1930s where the player must prevent a cult from seizing precious artefacts to use to take over the world.Launched on October 3, it is available for PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S as well as being playable through Xbox Game Pass.“Game projects are by their nature always risky, but at the end of the day we haven’t performed at the level we should.

Frontier Developments, the developer of series like Elite, F1 Manager and RollerCoaster Tycoon, has announced that there will be an unknown number of redundancies to reduce annual operating costs.The news broke through the London Stock Exchange on October 17, stating that a period of “disappointing financial performance” had led to the decision.As a result of the layoffs and a new constrained spending strategy, Frontier Developments aims to cut annual operating costs by up to 20 per cent.“The organisational review and resulting actions are expected to conclude by early 2024, placing Frontier in a strong position to deliver efficiently on its strategic plan over the medium term, and capitalise on future opportunities,” read the statement.Redundancies will be subject to consultation and for that reason it has not been disclosed how many developers and other employees of Frontier will be affected. This reorganisation is expected to wrap up in early 2024.It has been a tricky year for Frontier, with a year-on-year drop in revenue from £114million to £104.6million for the financial year ending in May 2023.Furthermore, Frontier shuttered its third-party publishing label Frontier Foundry in June, which led to “£28.7 million of non-cash intangible asset impairment and accelerated amortisation charges” impacting the total operating profit.According to VideoGameLayoffs.com, a website managed by developer Farhan Noor, more than 6,000 jobs in the games industry have been lost over the course of 2023.Epic Games cut over 800 roles in order to cut costs, and Embracer Group closed Volition only two months after celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Bethesda Softworks, announced his retirement today (October 16).Hines was hired in 1999 and originally he was in charge of writing manuals for Bethesda’s roster of titles, before becoming more and more instrumental to the marketing and public relations for launches.“After 24 years, I have decided my time at Bethesda Softworks has come to an end. I am retiring and will begin an exciting new chapter of my life exploring interests and passions, donating my time where I can, and taking more time to enjoy life,” he said in a statement to X (fka Twitter).“This was not a decision I came to easily or quickly, but after an amazing career, culminating in the incredible launch of Starfield, it feels like the time is right,” he continued.He added that he will still be an active part of the global Bethesda fanbase, who he described as an “incredible community”.Concluding, he said that he is intensely proud of those he worked with during his two decades at Bethesda Softworks, and that he will be waiting for whatever is next for the developer with “genuine excitement”.Bethesda Softworks addressed Hines’ retirement in its own message: “Pete’s public presence was only a small part of his role at Bethesda, although the way he represented us carried over into the values he nurtured here: authenticity, integrity and passion.“His contributions have been integral in building Bethesda and its family of studios into the world-class organization that it is today.

Unity Technologies CEO John Riccitiello, who had held the position for almost a decade, is no longer with the company following the fallout over fee changes for the game engine.James M. Whitehurst is now the interim CEO and president of the company, with Roelof Botha, the lead independent director of Unity’s board, stepping into the role of chairman.Unity is actively seeking a new CEO but Riccitiello “will continue to advise Unity to ensure a smooth transition”.“Unity is well-positioned to continue enhancing its platform, strengthening its community of customers, developers and partners, and focusing on its growth and profitability goals,” Whitehurst said in a press release.In September, Unity unveiled its new runtime fees which would come into effect for customers once their game had overcome certain thresholds for installs and lifetime revenue.However, the response from game developers to the changes was disastrous.

Ubisoft executives have been arrested following an investigation into alleged instances of sexual assault and harassment within its offices.Per Libération, three individuals were arrested on October 3 and another two were taken into custody on October 4. Among them are Tommy François and Serge Hascoët, who both left the publisher after the allegations were made public.François was Ubisoft Paris’ vice president of editorial and creative services, working on series like Assassin’s Creed, Prince Of Persia, Tom Clancy’s The Division, Watch Dogs and others.Joining in 1988, Hascoët served as Ubisoft’s chief creative officer and oversaw the reboots and revivals of Assassin’s Creed and the two Tom Clancy properties Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon.Several years ago, Ubisoft was accused of housing “a toxic system within the [third] biggest studio in the industry, dominated by untouchable men, protected by ‘a wall of HR'” in the report published by Libération in 2020.In response, Ubisoft commenced its own investigations into the claims and conducted an internal survey, concluding one in five employees did not feel “fully respected or safe in the work environment”.Additionally, women were 30 per cent more likely to experience or witness discrimination than men, while non-binary people were 43 per cent more likely to be targeted.“We want to start by apologising to everyone affected by this – we are truly sorry,” said Ubisoft in a statement, pledging that it would “do better” in the future.“Ubisoft has no knowledge of what has been shared and therefore can’t comment,” said a spokesperson to Gamesindustry.biz on the arrests.

Epic Games has announced the loss of 830 employees in a round of layoffs, with “two-thirds” of these roles outside of game development ventures.Through this, CEO Tim Sweeney aimed to “[cut] costs without sacrificing development or lines of businesses” and guarantee the continued efficacy of the company’s development functions.“For a while now, we’ve been spending way more money than we earn, investing in the next evolution of Epic and growing Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators,” explained Sweeney in a post to the Epic Games official website.“I had long been optimistic that we could power through this transition without layoffs, but in retrospect I see that this was unrealistic.”Of these 830 employees, Epic Games will lose 250 employees resulting from divestitures from Bandcamp and SuperAwesome. Bandcamp will be owned by Songtradr and “most” of SuperAwesome will be taken over by SuperAwesome Leadership.Those affected will benefit from a severance package that contains career transition services, visa support, six months base pay, the opportunity to “accelerate people’s stock option vesting schedule through the end of 2024” and six months of Epic-paid healthcare in the United States, Canada and Brazil.There will be no further redundancies in the future, affirmed Sweeney.

K-pop group NewJeans will be releasing a song for this year’s League Of Legends World Championship.The single, titled ‘Gods’, will be released on October 4 at 6AM BST / 2PM KST. It will also launch with an animated music video from Riot Games, and NewJeans have described the song as “a new experience for all of us”.“It was fun to try a new genre and sound,” shared the group.

Cyber Security Connect). “WE ARE SELLING IT”.It has not offered a price point for the files, which include “screenshots of an internal log-in page, an internal PowerPoint presentation outlining testbench details, and a number of Java files”.It’s an example of ransomware, a practice where hackers steal a company’s files and attempt to sell it back to them.

Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games and more.SAG-AFTRA, which stands for the union of Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, had announced its intention to strike against these companies earlier this month.Under the Interactive Media Agreement, companies like Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions, VoiceWorks Productions and WB Games “failed” to resolve the issues that SAG-AFTRA explained to them upon the renewal of their contract.“It’s time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract… the time is now for these companies – which are making billions of dollars and paying their CEOs lavishly – to give our performers an agreement that keeps performing in video games as a viable career,” president Fran Drescher said in a statement.The vote was almost unanimous with 98.32 per cent of members of the union arguing in favour of strike authorisation. As a result, SAG-AFTRA is able to sanction a strike immediately should negotiations fail between the union and those included in Interactive Media Agreement.The next set of negotiations will occur from September 26 to September 28.

Garry’s Mod modder Dave Hunt, also known as “Dav0r”, has passed away at the age of 35. The news was shared on social media and in Facepunch Studios‘ Discord server by his friends.Hunt was the designer and developer of the Tool Gun, an item that let Garry’s Mod players wield different functions in the sandbox Source engine mod with one tool.

Baldur’s Gate 3 fans have banded together to raise funds for the American Heart Association after being inspired by Karlach’s story.Spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3 follow. When meeting the tiefling, Karlach shares that her heart has been replaced with an infernal engine.

Unity have announced that there will be changes to its controversial runtime fees following an unabating backlash from game developers, and apologised for sowing resentfulness.“We have heard you. We apologise for the confusion and angst the runtime fee policy we announced on Tuesday caused.

Starfield with composer Inon Zur conducting the opening and closing melodies.Available to listen to through Bethesda‘s official YouTube channel, this was the first full concert dedicated to the sci-fi score. Check it out below:In NME‘s four-star review of Starfield, particular praise was paid to Zur’s contribution to the experience of exploring its mysterious galaxy by “capturing the excitement and danger of space”.Zur, who has worked on series like EverQuest, Dragon Age, Fallout, Prince Of Persia and Syberia, has scored tens of nominations over the years.

Elon Musk has revealed that Amber Heard cosplayed as Overwatch hero Mercy to role-play for him.Musk and Heard dated in 2016 and 2017, however, Walter Isaacson’s biography of the SpaceX CEO corroborates the claim that he had pursued her since 2012.Musk liked the fact that Heard looked like Overwatch‘s Mercy, a blonde female support character who sports angelic wings attached to her battle suit and a halo-esque hairpiece. While she was filming Aquaman in Australia in 2017, Musk flew out to see Heard and she greeted him by kissing him on the cheek.“[Musk] told her that she reminded him of Mercy, his favourite character in […] Overwatch, so she spent two months designing and commissioning a head-to-toe costume so she could role-play for him,” Isaacson wrote.Heard wasn’t out of her depth when it came to the concept of cosplaying as a fictional character for a romantic partner.

Mario Ambassador does in a special video message.Martinet had voiced Mario for more than three decades, with his first credit in the educational literacy game Mario Teaches Typing which was released in 1992. However, it was announced in August that the actor would no longer appear in future games and will now be a Mario Ambassador for Nintendo.“Travelling around the world, sharing the joy of the Mario family, and being able to continue meeting with all of you wonderful fans who I cherish absolutely the most, is a great, great honour,” said Martinet in the video.

Sony Interactive Entertainment America, said that companies like Google, Amazon and Apple threaten the stability of the gaming industry.At the GamesIndustry.biz Investment Summit in Seattle, Layden – now a strategic advisor at Tencent Games – relayed what he considers to be the three most significant concerns to developers and publishers. He started by specifying that acquisitions have the potential to be “the enemy of creativity”.“I also think rising costs in gaming are an existential threat to all of us.

Valorant Champions tournament in Los Angeles, X CEO Elon Musk was booed and told to “bring back Twitter” in chants from the crowd.As the professional teams Evil Geniuses and Paper Rex competed against each other, Musk was apparently shown on the main video screen in the event.This then incurred the aggravation of the attendees who started booing so loudly that it distracted the commentators from the game. Check it out below:Elon Musk getting booed at VALORANT Champs and the crowd starts chanting "bring back Twitter" lmao pic.twitter.com/lDoWse78YV— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) August 26, 2023“Where’s that coming from? That can’t be from in here, surely,” said one of the broadcasters.

Nicki Minaj is now a playable character in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, and her special finishing move is stepping on enemies in her sky-high heels.In July, Activision announced that the rapper as well as 21 Savage and Snoop Dogg would be added to the battle royale to celebrate fifty years of hip hop. Minaj’s arrival is significant for another separate reason, though – she is the first “self-named female Operator” in the history of Call of Duty.

BioWare announced that approximately 50 employees – including Dragon Age writer Mary Kirby – have been let go in order to “preserve the health of the studio”.Gary McKay, general manager of BioWare, broke the news in a post to the developer’s official blog and described it as a “deeply painful” decision. “We are doing everything we can to ensure the process is handled with empathy, respect, and clear communication,” he continued.McKay stated that the development of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and the next Mass Effect game would not be adversely affected by the losses.

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023 last night (August 22) and there was a slew of announcements, new trailers and release dates. Fortunately, if you missed the live event or if you’re in need of a reminder, here are all of the games that appeared in the showcase.Below, we’ve collected every new trailer that appeared during Opening Night Live 2023.

BLACKPINK The Palace is a new immersive experience for fans of the K-pop girl group built inside Roblox.Karta is the metaverse developer behind BLACKPINK The Palace, and it has previously brought immersive experiences for Amazon Music and Unilever into being in Roblox. The palace is not a limited time event either and will benefit from brand new content releases throughout the year.“Inside the palace, fans can meet, socialise, and enjoy content from the band, visit various spaces designed around BLACKPINK’s iconic music video scenes, and enjoy some of the artists’ favourite things – from digital fashion to signature choreography,” the press release reads.There are even caves below the palace which are a source of crystals that can be harvested with a BLACKPINK lightstick-shaped hammer to power in-experience items.YG PLUS and Karta were keen to emphasise how Roblox players are now able to host authentic BLACKPINK-themed parties in the game with the new items at any time they like.“We look forward to welcoming fans from all over the world to a beautiful virtual palace where they can party, connect, and experience everything BLACKPINK beyond the constraints of time and space,” YG PLUS’ head of IPX division, Hyojung Lee, said.

The Legend Of Zelda has been working on an Ocarina Of Time romhack that includes missing enemies and environments from the acclaimed game.The results thus far were revealed in romhacker Kaze Emanuar’s F3 2023, an event celebrating fan games and mods from all eras and all platforms. Zelda 64, shown off in the supercut of trailers, is a mod and restoration of a very early version of The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time that ultimately disappeared over its development.

Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 roleplay servers has been bought by Rockstar Games.Cfx.re offers FiveM and RedM for the two titles, source-available software that lets users create servers for multiplayer experiences. These tend to take the form of roleplays which is something that Grand Theft Auto 5 is famous for.

Darkwood, announced that it will be taking an indefinite break from development to look after its employees’ wellbeing.“We’re going on hiatus for the foreseeable future. We haven’t been able to create a work environment that would not be destructive to our personal lives,” explained the developer via a post to X (spotted by a fan).

Baldur’s Gate 3, has shared some outtakes of her flubbing her lines while recording for the upcoming game.The events of Baldur’s Gate 3 are described by the narrator to emphasise that this is a Dungeons & Dragons game, as the narrator is the Dungeon Master. While Larian Studios did alter the fifth edition rulebook so that the game would be both accurate and entertaining to players, this narrator is how a lot of the newcomers to D&D will be introduced to the world of Faerûn.Nevertheless, there is a vast volume of writing that makes up Baldur’s Gate 3, and Tyler has had to pronounce tricky fantasy words and names perfectly every time that they’ve cropped up.

Elden Ring, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Bloodborne and other FromSoftware titles, announced her departure from the developer on Tuesday (August 1).“I have decided to leave FromSoftware, the company I worked for, and to start working new as a freelance composer in this August,” she said in a post to X. She affirmed that she still would like to work within the games industry and pointed fans to her new website that promotes her previous compositions.Thank you all for your continued support.　Today I have an announcement to make.I have decided to leave FromSoftware, the company I worked for, and to start working new as a freelance composer in this August.— Yuka Kitamura (@_Yuka_Kitamura_) August 1, 2023Fans supported Kitamura in her latest venture but the overall feeling is one of heartbreak, as well as appreciation for her contributions to these games.“Truly sad news.

Post Malone has purchased the sought-after Magic: The Gathering The One Ring card for an undisclosed price.The One Ring, which is worth over £1.5million, is a unique card and its valuation surged once word got out that it had been pulled by a lucky player in Whitby in Ontario, Canada.Originally keeping his identity out of the limelight, Brook Trafton posted a video to TikTok showing the American singer and rapper agreeing to buy his Magic: The Gathering card.Check it out below:When I found the One Ring, the first person who came to mind was @Post Malone. I have played MTG since I was a kid and obviously it would be amazing to keep this card.