This past week started with a shock, as Microsoft announced it was closing a number of studios including Tango Gameworks, responsible for the very well-liked Hi-Fi Rush, leading many to wonder just what a studio has to achieve in this day and age to be deemed successful enough to exist. Also, one of the most anticipated games ever—Hades 2—entered early access, and a whole lot more. Click on for a roundup of the week’s biggest gaming news.
Sometimes, you get blatant reminders of how much disregard big tech has for, well, everything. Whether that’s exorbitant spending on acquisitions, layoffs of hundreds to thousands of people, and refusing to release or delist its employees’ hard work for a tax write-off. But now and then, you get all that callousness displayed in a succinct package. That’s what happened with Apple’s latest iPad Pro commercial. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer is taking a lot of heat online for recent decisions to close beloved studios like Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Last night the long-time gaming exec was apparently exploring the wasteland in Fallout 76 when another player nuked his entire campsite. – Ethan Gach Read More
Things in the world of Helldivers 2 are going back to normal after Sony reversed course on a controversial PSN login requirement for the popular sci-fi shooter on PC. But not everyone appears to have made it out of the public relations fiasco in one piece. Arrowhead Studios community manager Spitz is seemingly no longer a part of the team after encouraging players to review-bomb and refund the game to get Sony to change its mind. – Ethan Gach Read More
After shutting down multiple Bethesda studios, Xbox and Bethesda leadership held a town hall meeting with staff to discuss the closures, explaining that the company’s studios had been spread too thin and that it wanted to focus on fewer projects moving forward. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Hades 2 is now available in Early Access on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store and let me tell you folks, it’s great to be back in Hell. The highly anticipated title is just as fun as the first game—maybe even more so—and it has an intriguing story that I can’t wait to unravel during its Early Access period. It’s already clear that Hades 2 has all the beloved characters from the original game, and then some, and it’s packed with dialogue, zones, weapons, features, and mechanics that rival tge full release of Hades back in 2020. It’s that goddamn big, and it’s still going to grow until it leaves early access sometime after 2024. – Moises Taveras Read More
One of the worst years for cancellations, cuts, and closures in the history of the video game industry has just claimed its next victims, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Developers and fans alike are in disbelief. “Great teams are sunsetting before our eyes again, and it’s a fucking gut stab,” wrote Dinga Bakaba, director at Arkane Austin sister-studio, Arkane Lyon. – Ethan Gach Read More
After a brief technical test that whooped so much ass, acclaimed developer Supergiant Games has announced that Hades 2 is in Early Access, which is expected to last until the end of the year. What does this mean? Simple: You can head over to the Epic Games Store or Steam and purchase it right now for $30. – Levi Winslow Read More
Grand Theft Auto fans are some of the most dedicated and wild around. So it shouldn’t be surprising that when GTA fans noticed a small update to Rockstar’s official Grand Theft Auto VI website, the community exploded and people started losing it. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Xbox is shutting down four studios in its first-party stable, specifically ones that fall under the Bethesda/ZeniMax umbrella. The brutal cuts will affect Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, and Mobile Doom developer Alpha Dog Games. ZeniMax subsidiary Roundhouse Games will be absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios, which works on The Elder Scrolls Online. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
Folks, it finally happened…sort of. Nintendo formally (and remarkably casually) acknowledged its successor to the Nintendo Switch, stating that it will be announced “within this fiscal year” as part of an investor meeting this week, meaning we’ll hear about it before April 2025. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa took to the company’s Twitter account to make the announcement himself, and his message all but confirms that the next-generation console, which was reportedly slated for 2024, has been delayed into 2025. – Moises Taveras Read More
