Good day, morning, afternoon and whatever time you happen to have reading another edition of This Week in Games. Surely, the week before Christmas will be a relaxing one with very little game news? Incorrect! This week is expected to be busier than last week’s onslaught of news. So, like a cool substitute teacher sitting back in his chair before sharing educationally with a class of politely eager students, let’s catch up on the news.
Bobby Kotick Step Down Date Revealed
Bobby Kotick will officially step down as CEO of Activision Blizzard on December 29, according to IGN. While we’ve long known that the controversial CEO would be leaving at the end of the year as part of the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the official date was released along with the announcement. The final memo to employees—which was shared with the Activision Blizzard newsroom—recounted his 32 years leading the company.
“Forty years later, as my last day at the helm of this company draws closer, I am amazed at how far the talented people at our company have come in realizing the enormous potential of gaming. play. You have turned a form of hobby entertainment into the most engaging medium in the world. It has been the privilege of my life to work alongside you as we expand the appeal of gaming,” Kotick wrote. “Perhaps the most important part of my job is helping bring talented people together. each other, providing the best possible resources and fostering an environment that encourages inspiration, creativity and an steadfast commitment to excellence. I cannot express how proud I am of those who continue to contribute to our success and all those who have helped during my 32 years at the helm of this company.”
The memo reads like a revisionist retelling of his tenure for anyone who has followed Activision Blizzard’s controversies under his leadership. Chief among them were his employees who accused him of cultivating a “boyfriend” work culture that allowed sexual harassment and discrimination at the company. The controversy became worse when union workers accused the company of union busting amid two lawsuits and a worker strike. Kotick’s talented employees have called for him to resign in 2021. However, Kotick will counter this by suggesting he resign if he cannot “fix the cultural problems” at the company, according to The Wall Street Journal.
For the sake of everyone still working at Activision Blizzard, I hope Kotick’s statement that they “couldn’t be in better hands” following the Microsoft acquisition is true. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Kotick. Or do, because you suck.
Insomniac Data Breach and Games Journo Discourse
On December 19, a ransomware group released 1.3 million files of confidential information from developer Insomniac of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 games that it obtained in a data breach. According to Cyber Daily, the Rhysida ransomware group threatened to release information on December 12 if Insomniac Games did not pay them $2 million. The resulting data breach revealed early footage of the upcoming Wolverine game, employee personal information, and Insomniac Games’ slate of future games with Sony. While the circumstances of the data breach are unfortunate, to put it mildly, the online debate over game stores reporting information from the data breach has almost overshadowed the uproar about the violation itself.
One camp argues that information from the data breach should not be reported because its nature has already been disclosed. Another camp argues that news websites have the editorial power to decide whether information is newsworthy and report on it. I won’t name the sites that decided the former or the latter (because finding the answer is as simple as a cursory Google search). As a journalist, I lean towards the latter argument.
Aftermath MacLeod’s Riley can explain my position on all of this more succinctly, but the main point of the discussion is that those in the first camp argue that releasing any information from the breach Data breaches harm Insomniac Games developers. That is simply not true. Every reputable gaming site that reported a data breach did not disclose the developers’ personal information. They just reported on gaming news from the breach. Their job is to do that. While one could argue that journalists doing so robbed Insomniac Games, the company, of the hype that comes with revealing its upcoming plans at a gaming event or whatever, You are confusing the goals of journalism with public relations. Also, companies aren’t people, so it’s weird to worry about an ad campaign being ruined, but that’s just me.
Those who said they would not report on the Insomniac data breach were more likely to have reported on information from previous leaks for the same reason other outlets did: it was informative. newsworthy that readers want to know. Regardless, the discourse has demonstrated that the game—in a state of fake news/public relations limbo—remains ill-equipped to handle situations like Insomniac’s data breach.
It’s official: A24, the film entertainment company behind films like The Green Knight and Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Hideo Kojima are working on a Death Stranding movie. While this announcement came as a shock to everyone, it’s not surprising given that the video game director’s Twitter account is mostly about movie reviews and posting photos with his favorite Hollywood stars. he. Plus, Kojima’s games have been imitating filmmaking techniques with lengthy cutscenes a lot over the years, so it makes sense for him to take the opportunity to make a full-fledged game.
“A24 was born into this world about 10 years ago, their presence is unique in the industry, they are like no other. The films they provide to the world are of high quality and very creative,” Kojima wrote in the press release. “I am fascinated by their creations and they even inspire the work. my own. Their innovative approach to storytelling is in line with what Kojima Productions has been doing for the past 8 years. Currently, we are working on a Death Stranding movie together. There are a lot of “game adaptations” but what we are creating is not just a direct translation of the game. The intention is that our audience will not only be fans of games but our films will be for anyone who loves cinema. We are creating a Death Stranding universe that has never been seen before, only achieved through film, it will be born.”
Whether Kojima’s live-action Death Stranding movie is a huge success or a mild flop, you can rest assured knowing that Geoff Keighley will release the world premiere trailer for his pookie bear at Summer Games Fest and The Game Awards as soon as they left the cutting room floor.
Twitch Uno reverses stance on’artistic nudity
Twitch had an interesting 48 hours this week, reversing its decision to allow “artistic depiction of nudity” on the streaming platform. Twitch’s sexually explicit content guidelines update came as OnlyFans model and streamer Morgpie sparked a trend in which streamers would broadcast themselves with tight cropping on camera so they look nude. Streamers are pushing the boundaries for what is allowed on the platform, prompting Twitch to respond in kind with a guideline update on December 13. Twitch’s new guidelines allow users to show artistic depiction of nudity” as long as the streams are “accurately labeled with a Content Classification Label.”
Content that ‘intentionally highlights the breasts, buttocks, or pelvic area’ even when fully clothed. Streamers have difficulty determining what is prohibited and what is allowed, and evaluating whether a stream violates this section of policy is often subjective. Additionally, the previous Sexual Content policy was inconsistent with industry standards and disproportionately penalized female streamers. Fictionalized (drawn, animated, or sculpted) that fully exposes the breasts and/or genitals or buttocks of women regardless of gender. Twitch has a thriving artist community, and this policy is overly punitive and does not reflect the impact of the content. Writing on women’s breasts and/or buttocks regardless of gender. Twitch’s apparel policy already allows body art on breasts and buttocks, so this change makes these policies consistent. Erotic dances include gestures of undress or undress, such as strip tease.
We’re making some additional updates to our Sexual Content Policy. We realize that our previous update was confusing and appreciate all the feedback we have received. Thank you for always being with us to help build the best version of Twitch.
See the changes here:… https://t.co/Qj9IJLntff
— Twitch (@Twitch) December 15, 2023
As you might have guessed, Twitch will face its decision on December 15. Now, “all” depictions of real or fictional nudity will not be allowed on Twitch, regardless of medium. ”will no longer be allowed on the platform.
“After reflection, we decided that we had gone too far with this change. Depicting nudity digitally poses a special challenge – AI can be used to create realistic images and it can be difficult to distinguish between digital art and photography. “While I wish we had predicted this outcome, part of our job is to make adjustments to serve the community,” Twitch CEO Daniel Clancy wrote in a blog post. I apologize for the confusion this update has caused.”
In case you’re wondering what impact Twitch’s new sexual content has on players of adult games that depict nudity and sexual themes like Baldur’s Gate 3, you’re in the clear. . But don’t push your luck by doing broadcasts where you intentionally force your team to get naked or whatever. Keep those things between you and God.
Now that you’re fully equipped with four new video game-centric conversation starters, go ahead and enjoy the Christmas holidays with your loved ones!