Episode 550: Kowtowing to China

Blizzard finds itself in hot water as it finds itself having to explain its actions in pleasing the Chinese government, in news that’s still hot and doesn’t look like it’s going to cool down anytime soon. It’s enough to overshadow even an official console announcement from Sony. There’s a Gaming Flashback, the embarrassingly bad FMV game Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties.

The news this week includes:

  • Blizzard is facing a boycott after removing a Hearthstone Grandmaster
  • PlayStation 5 launches Holiday 2020
  • Doom Eternal delayed until March 2020, Doom 64 goes multiformat

Let us know what you think.

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Episode 588: Microsoft Buys ZeniMaxEpisode 588: Microsoft Buys ZeniMax

So, a day before the Xbox Series X preorder launch (which after the podcast was a complete shitshow), Microsoft drops the mic by announcing they just essentially purchased The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Prey, DOOM, and other major properties. Not much else to talk about, really.

The game news includes:

  • Microsoft purchases ZeniMax for $7.5B
  • Bethesda’s overhauling its engine for Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6
  • Former Skullgirls developers have launched a new studio called Future Club
  • Hades has sold 1m copies
  • Blizzard confirms BlizzCon 2021 dates

Let us know what you think.

Storage Solutions for Fall UpdateStorage Solutions for Fall Update

Are you one of those that have a diskless (or low flash disk) based Xbox 360? We’ve been wondering, ourselves, what Microsoft was going to do to “fix” the fact that the upcoming Fall Update is going to require 128MB of disk space.

It seems they’re going to hand you either a 512MB memory card or a 20GB Hard Disk for the price of $20.00. If you’ve got the $20.00, this would be the best route to go as 20GB is way more than a free 512MB flash card. You’ll be hard up to find 20GB anywhere for a buck a gigabyte – definitely a good deal.

Unfortunately, tonights gaming podcast will still have us pondering the news as we’ve already recorded it and asked the question “what are they going to do?” If you want to see if your console qualifies for the storage upgrade, head to Microsoft’s website with your serial number and console ID handy.

(Thanks, GameStooge)

EA Feels The 310 Million Dollar DaggerEA Feels The 310 Million Dollar Dagger

Halloween is a scary time of year, no less when you’re posting a $310 million net loss. EA CEO John Riccitiello sees “weakness” at retail in October and we’re betting this isn’t the end of the road of sorrow for game publishers around the globe.

Electronic Arts isn’t unfamiliar with bad times and we’re sure to see them make constant adjustments to their headcount, game releases and press as the economy goes into a bit of a slump. Although the game industry won’t see as big a hit as the financial market, everyone is going to watch their spending during slower economic times.

That slowness is a red flag for the mega-publisher, which says it’s “proactively making cost adjustments now.” One of those adjustments is the axing of some 600 EA employees across the globe. (Kotaku)

Last year Electronic Arts lost a “small” $195 million during the same time, not exactly a gold star on the financial records but it sure looks better than this loss. A few games may crumble under the economic pressures, Tiberium for example, but let us not forget the good times! EA posted some nice figures for Spore, Madden NFL 09, Warhammer: Age of Reckoning and Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

So, they mixed a few sequels with a few new franchise hits and gave gamers some pretty hot titles for the year. Of course, hot titles in our hand do not always translate to positive revenue in theirs.