Wild news from the industry this week - All of Annapurna Interactive has resigned.

I am all for teams banding together to fight for what’s right for themselves. Especially when it seems that the parent company feels no remorse and knows they can most likely replace everyone with a desperate applicant pool, telling partners that “the company will honor existing contracts and replace staff who have left.”

But something about this doesn’t sit well with me. It might be all fine and dandy for AI’s former President Nathan Gary, but the majority of the team walking out with him are taking a huge risk. Especially with another 650 people to compete with for jobs. I really hope he has some funding lined up to start a new studio and employ everyone that followed him out the door. Otherwise, the whole situation seems a bit irresponsible in light of the current state of the industry. Not a great time to try and play hard ball.

Best of luck to all those involved in the mass resignation.

Obviously, a lot of news and thoughts on the abrupt shut down of Concord by Sony today.

Concord Shows That The Triple-A Pivot To Live Service Was Always Doomed

Concord servers going offline two weeks after launch

Concord Shutting Down 14 Days After Launch

My favorite thoughts on the shutdown were from Polygon. They outline the issues and why they’re happening, and offer some perspective and potential solutions.

From my point of view, I’ve always felt that live service games are chasing Fortnite and Roblox, with very little chance of success. I will always recommend smaller projects that can hopefully recoup and make enough money to fund the next game. Don’t chase trends. Make something your own. And try to keep the money people from mucking it all up.

Or else you end up in the current situation across the industry.

Embracer boss says ‘volatile’ PC and console business is the ‘bad guy’ 🎮

As pointed out in the article, it couldn’t possibly be the guy responsible for major restructuring and mass layoffs.

via GIPHY

Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell might very well be a perfect movie. So anyone who tries to emulate it is going to have to a mountain to climb. And while I don’t think Palm Springs quite reaches those same heights, it was a very fun movie.

Pitting multiple characters in the same loop is certainly a fascinating expansion of the genre and creates interesting choices for each of the characters. Andy Samberg largely plays the same character he played in Brooklyn 99 if a bit more nihilistic. But Christin Milioti is great as her deeply flawed character finding purpose (this is second thing I’ve seen with her in it - check out The Resort as well). There are numerous laugh out loud scenes juxtaposed with very poignant character moments to balance everything out.

I was a bit disappointed at how they escaped the loop, but in the end, it’s an enjoyable, romantic comedy with a fun twist.

One note - careful watching this with younger children/teens. I assumed it wouldn’t be that bad for my 13 year old daughter who has not been sheltered from much but a couple adult scenes in the opening third of the movie caught me off guard with how far they went. 😂

I know, despite concerns of streaming service gatekeepers, that I would not have otherwise played this game if not for Game Pass. And wow, would have I missed out on one of the best games I’ve played in a long while. What an absolute delight and joy it was to play Dungeons of Hinterberg.

From the initial setup of a burned out professional going on a high adventure in village beset by magic and dungeons for tourists, I was hooked. There is whimsy about the writing and interactions with all of the various locals and other tourists. And while I could take or leave the Persona-style day-to-day relationship management aspect of the game, some of the characters had truly interesting stories that I wanted to see through to the end.

Combat is relatively basic but a wide variety of enemies keep things interesting. Where the game really shines is its use of magic skills for both combat and puzzle solving. Each world gives the player new powers to play with and the team at Microbird Games continuously apply them in interesting ways.

Each of the dungeons from the game’s namesake are a master class in puzzle design and inventive exploration. They gradually build upon ideas and test the player’s understanding of how skills can be used in unique ways. Then, on top of that, the level design take some great turns in unexpected directions calling on a wide variety of games from Zelda to Monunemt Valley to Super Mario Galaxy and more. Just look at the GIFs below. My mind was blown the first time I encountered them.

Structurally, the team had some great ideas and, instead of trying to go too big, they really honed and focused thise ideas to create a great overall experience. Dungeons of Hinterberg is a gem of a game that I’m glad I was able to spend the time with it I did. Looking forward to whatever the team comes up with next.

Some Good news - Tango Gameworks snatched up by Krafton. These folks absolutely deserve to be working and creating awesome games. 🎮

Many positives to take away from the Community Shirld match despite the result, but we need to have a talk about Rashford. Where Amad and Garnacho are positive and determined to go at defenders, Rashford is so negative and severely lacking confidencence. Ruud has some work to do. ⚽️

It’s safe to say that M. Night Shyamalan has still not hit the heights he achieved with The Sixth Sense. While an interesting setup, Trap leaves a lot to be desired in the delivery. The tension barely rises above a low simmer and the security team makes several unlikely decisions given the presumed gravity of the situation. The twist is weak. The whole time I was hoping for something that would be even remotely interesting only for the most basic to be true. The one thing the movie has going for it is some pretty good performances from the cast considering the material they needed to work with. It just became exhausting for M. Night Shyamalan to continue to present possibilities a la “Chekov’s Gun” throughout the movie, only for it to end up a shaggy dog story and none of it mattered.

On the other hand, this is super cute! Can’t wait for Echoes Of Wisdom! 🎮

I have received exactly two emails this year from GameStop. One letting me know they’ve killed Game Informer. The second was asking me to pre-order upcoming games. Disgusting. Unsubscribe. 🎮

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is good looking AA game with a unique hook and setting, but it is also, for me at least, a very frustrating experience. Not only does it feel like they are chasing a trend with it’s souls-lite mechanics and difficulty, but they also add the new layer of making you lose progress just by taking a hit from the enemy, let alone what happens when you die.

It’s been reported that the game saw 500,000 players since its launch on July 18. Looking at Steam Charts, I see an all time peak of 541 players, so I don’t think that is where most of the players are. Which means I have to believe that the vast majority of the game’s player base is coming from Game Pass. And, using the very unscientific approach of looking at Achievement rates, I also see that the most commonly unlocked achievement is “Mistakes Were Made - Die Ten Times.” This leads me to believe that many, many of those 500,000 players dropped off shortly after unlocking this one, myself included.

I just wanted to play a interesting new action game with a unique spin and story. Mistakes were made indeed. 🎮

Damn, I was only just saying how much I loved print magazines. Now we learn that Game Informer has been abruptly shut down. Ugh. On top of the news about layoffs at Jam City and Bungie earlier this week, it has been another bad week for the industry. 🎮

Still Wakes the Deep is an extraordinary experience. Not because the mechanics are anything innovative or the story overwhelms you with profound emotions. It’s the details. The space is as much a character in the game as any other entity in the game, human or otherwise. I’ve never looked at a space in a game that initially appears so small and constrained only to be continuously baffled and amazed with the amount mileage the team at The Chinese Room gets out of the relatively small space that is an oil rig.

There is very little exposition in the opening moments of the game, but a little prodding by the player and you get a very good sense of life on the rig. Not only do the Christmas decorations play a part but the small details in each of the crew’s cabin including letters, posters, drawings, other knickknacks, as well as notes and items in the rec room or dining hall. There are safety posters throughout. Light switches and electronics and can be turned on and off. It is extremely detailed and realistic, not to speak of it’s period accuracy for 1975. Then, as the game progresses and the players returns to the these same areas, these same space evolve and morph into a space that tells a far more horrifying tale.

While many teams strive for vast, sprawling worlds to fill with mundane and repetitive tasks, It actually inspires me to think of the possibilities that environments in tight spaces provide. It forces the designers and writers to justify every nook and cranny. Every detail has meaning and purpose. I would love to see ever more teams explore smaller, rather than bigger, spaces.

On a lighter note, the game uses a healthy amount of yellow point which I found slightly hilarious considering the recent discourse. There is an option to turn it off, but I didn’t try as it didn’t bother me. 🎮

Saw this list from NPR about the “best games of 2024 so far.” While I think it’s great to celebrate what has proven to be quite a good number of quality releases this year so far, this list certainly isn’t making any difficult decisions. This list feels more like a general release list as opposed to a best of list. I would have liked them to take a stand and make some difficult decisions about which make the cut on a tighter list.

The best games of 2024 so far, picked by NPR’s staff

For me, highlights have been Prince of Persia: The Crown, Balatro, Guncho, Still Wakes the Deep, and Dungeons of Hinterberg (more on those last two in upcoming posts). There are a lot I’ve yet to play though. May was an especially exciting month with 1000xResist, Animal Well, Indika, Lorelai and the Laser Eyes, Cryptmaster, and Crow Country all on my need to play list. Looking forward to those and a handful of tent pole releases to close out the year, plus whatever else sneaks up on us from the fantastic indie communitiy.

But also a special shout out to the short, but perfect in nearly every way, Sheepy: A Short Adventure. Play it. I guarantee it will be the best hour of gaming you’ve had in a while. 🎮

Always great to get a chance to see Man United in person despite the result. Fingers crossed the injuries to Hojlund and Yoro are not serious. SoFi is a great looking stadium, very impressed. ⚽

I absolutely loved Hi-Fi Rush. Just finished playing through the main game and they absolutely killed it, especially in the final stage in the lead up to the final boss. I was so amped playing through that final level - the background music was so good, I had mostly masted combat at this point, and the set piece sequences were an amazing culmination of everything that came before it. The very definition of flow state game play.

I also adored their previous game, Tokyo Ghostwire - gave the player interesting combat choices to make, amazing facsimile of Tokyo for someone who’s been there twice, fascinating story and world design, strong power fantasy. The only slightly negative thing you could say about the game is it may have leaned into some open world tropes a bit heavily and padded out the experience, but this is only a slight knock.

I’ve mentioned in a previous post how hilariously on point the writing is in Hi-Fi Rush, but it also makes clear how the team feels about art and creativity, and the effect a corporation can have on it. I mean, the entire game is basically a metaphor for how the game dev cycle is nearly destroyed by corporate overlords. Funny, this game was in development and released at the height of the Microsoft purchase of Bethesda. And with the shut down of the studio, it’s clear how Microsoft felt as well. 🎮

After spending a few hours with the game, I can definitively say that it is an enjoyable, if ultimately forgettable, experience. Being the third major release from the team behind the massively successful Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, MiHoYo and Hoyverse have polished their design into what I imagine will be yet another very successful game for them.

I do enjoy the fast, team-based combat which comes in short bursts, the overall aesthetic is pleasing, and the music enjoyable. The Proxy game play is a neat addition, adding light puzzle mechanics into the mix, then dropping the player in to combat when bumping into an enemy icon. There are a lot of possibilities here. However, the rest of the game feels like they’ve just thrown everything and the kitchen sink into the mix to support the gatcha monetization model and to keep players engaged over the long haul. And for most people, this will work fine. They’ll get a very high quality game for free and have the option to invest as much as they feel necessary to keep getting enjoyment out of the game.

In terms of what I found forgettable was the story so far. It all seems a rather boiler plate and standard affair where there are zones appearing full of monsters and our heroes need to enter the zones to complete missions. There also appears to be a overarching story line involving a mystery hacker that I assume will span the several areas or maybe even seasons as the game is updated over time. Personally, I would have loved a solid action game that told a good story over a dozen hours or so.

In contrast, I’ve been playing Hi-Fi Rush letely as well which has combat similarities, if obviously rhythm based. But the world Tango Gameworks created feels alive and soulful - the animated environments that keep the beat, lively cast of characters with motivations of their own, and downright hilarious writing. It’s a world that leaves me wanting to spend more time there, as opposed to a world that feels comparatively hollow.

Ultimately, ZZZ’s style of game may largely be the future - games that entice players to come back again and again even if the experience is, in my opinion, somewhat shallow. On the other hand, game studios creating amazing but finite experiences, like Tango Gameworks, are struggling and being shut down. Which may be a microcosm for the industry in general, and in the end ZZZ may not be for me, but I understand the general appeal. 🎮

VentureBeat usually does a great job of sharing industry metrics, but I found this to be quite silly. Comscore released a report that, amongst other highlights, show that of those surveyed, 2 out 3 people founds ads positively or neutrally affected their game experience. I’d love to see the breakdown between those that said ads positively impacted their experience versus those that are neutral. I have to believe that the latter far outweighs the former group. And by neutral, they find the ads to be completely useless and forgettable, but ultimately allow them to play a game for free, so “meh.”

Otherwise, the highlights they shared from the Comscore report are somewhat interesting, if not expected. 40% of gamers are playing across all major platforms - PC, console, and mobile - which aligns with my experience and observations. People spend thirty times more of their time gaming than watching movies in the theater which, while expected, is also shame as I love watching movies in the theater and I feel like they are missing out. 🎮

I’ve read gaming magazines back as far back as the Nintendo Fun Club, original EGM, and Gamepro. I’ve always loved the feeling off of holding the magazine in my hands, the anticipation of the next issue, and the in depth articles they produce. More recently, a lot of the magazines I’ve been reading have been digital and they’ve felt disposable. On a whim, I started up a new Game Informer subscriptionn and it’s been great to hold a physical copy of news in my hands again. May need to get an Edge subscription next. 🎮

Euro 2024 and Copa America’s have been fine, but… I’m ready for Premier League to be back already. ⚽️

So, Manchester United launched their 24/25 jersey on Roblox earlier this month. Seemed like an odd choice for me, but it got me to download it and check it out. I admit, that it appears that they did the work to create an unique experience, and for a few Robux, you can wear some official Man United gear which is pretty cool.

I love that Roblox gives people, especially kids, a sandbox to play in and be creative, but, they seem to be catering more and more towards a platform that brands can use, for better of worse. It didn’t appear that any other clubs were doing this but it made me wonder if this is the future? Or is it just another avenue to reach an audience with no major expectation or ROI? ⚽️ 🎮

adidas Outfit Creator

Fantastic performances from Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, but I don’t feel the story was as strong as the original where the tension came from people who knew the rules and tried like hell to not break them. 🍿

Found the first mobile game I’ve really enjoyed for while. Guncho is a fun strategy game (a la Into the Breach) that I think willl have me playing for a while. 🎮

This is genuinely exciting… 🍿

www.youtube.com/watch

“But we try to make sure that there is a learning curve and a feedback loop that the players are able to extract from that they can then bring into the next attempt. We believe in difficult games, but not games that are unjustly or unfairly so. But, of course, there’s still room for improvement on our side, as well.”

www.gameinformer.com/interview…

I understand the sentiment, but it has never felt just or fair to hit you with something you’ve never seen before with zero room for error. This loop has never been fun for me. More power to those who do enjoy it. 🎮