This week, further controversy continues to stem from Activison-Blizzard’s CEO as numerous employees ask for their resignation, while quite a few surprise reveals came from 343 Industries and Warner Bros. Game Rant has compiled some of the biggest gaming news stories from this past week together into a concise post for fans and enthusiasts to stay up to date on the most important events in the industry per week. Highlighting the most relevant stories, this list is not inherently and totally objective, and will not contain every news story this week. Rather, this is intended for gaming fans who want a quick rundown on the largest/most impactful stories that occurred in the last week in games.
With this week’s roundup ofgaming news, Warner Bros. announced a new crossover platform fighter that is entirely free-to-play, and features iconic characters from multiple IPs. Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick finds themselves embroiled in controversy stemming from reports that they were aware of the sexual harassment occuring in the workplace. The Game Awards announced its 2021 nominees for Game of the Year, as well as other categories. 343 Industries surprise-launchedHalo Infinite’s multiplayer beta this week, onHaloand Xbox’s 20th anniversary. All this and more in this week’s recap of the biggest gaming industry news.
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Warner Bros. Announces ‘MultiVersus’ Platform Fighter, Free-To-Play
After multiple rumors and leaks beforehand,Warner Bros. officially announcedMultiVersus, a free-to-play crossover platform fightercoming in 2022. Iconic characters from various franchises, ranging fromBatmantoScooby-Doo, are teaming up in the team-focused arcade fighter that plays similar to a freeSuper Smash Bros.game. Reportedly born from the memes of “Ultra Instinct Shaggy,” characters like the aforementioned dog owner will fight alongside the likes of Wonderwoman, Bugs Bunny, Harley Quinn, and more.
While gameplay is primarily played in a 2v2 format, 1v1 and free-for-all modes will also be playable. Warner Bros. is also putting in effort on the backend, bolstering the game with dedicated servers and rollback netcode on release. Additionally,seasonal content forMultiVersuswill bring new characters, skins, and more to the game over time. While the beginning roster was announced along with the initial trailer, previous leaks have confirmed additional unannounced characters like Gandalf fromThe Lord of the Rings.
Activision-Blizzard CEO Reportedly Aware of, Downplayed Sexual Harassment
Content warning: rape, sexual harassment
The ongoing controversy with Activision-Blizzard continues to mount as more details regarding Bobby Kotick’s involvement and knowledge of the situation surface. A report from the Wall Street Journal indicated thatActivision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick was aware of sexual harassment allegations, as well as a reported rape allegation from an ex-employee involving a current Sledgehammer Games employee. Kotick had also reportedly minimized harassment allegations weighed against Dan Bunting, co-lead of theCall of Dutyfranchise from Treyarch.
Many are calling for Bobby Kotick to resign from his position as CEO, including several Activision-Blizzard shareholders, as well as several Activision-Blizzard employees who organized a walkout protest at Blizzardin the wake of the WSJ report. Additionally, thousands of employees signed a petition demanding that Kotick resign as well. Kotick has since reportedly mentioned he would resign form his position as CEO if the issues with harassment cannot be solved quickly during his tenure.
The Game Awards Announces 2021 Nominees
This year’snominees for The Game Awards were announced this past week for every category, in preparation for the awards show coming in December. Game of the Year nominees are as follows:Deathloop,It Takes Two,Metroid Dread,Psychonauts 2,Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, andResident Evil Village.Deathloophas received the most category nominations, as well asIt Takes Twoseeing surprisingly positive representation in multiple awards categories.Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apartalso sees some impressive nominations as well. The Game Awards ceremony premieres on December 9 at 5 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. EST, live from Los Angeles.
Halo Infinite Surprise Releases Multiplayer Beta Early
While the full game is still due for its original December 8 release date, 343 Industries announced thesurprise release ofHalo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer betaa month early. During Xbox’s 20th anniversary stream last Monday, towards the end of the celebratory broadcast, 343 Industries' Joseph Staten appeared to announce that multiplayer had gone live right at the end of the broadcast, celebratingHaloand Xbox’s 20th birthday with the next generation ofHalomultiplayer.
Since that reveal,Halo Infinite’s multiplayer beta release hasbroken records for the concurrent player count of an Xbox Game Studios title on Steam, averaging around 162,000 concurrent players just a few hours after launch. While it hasn’t been all smooth sailing, with criticisms of slow battle pass progression inHalo Infinite’s multiplayer, reception has been mostly positive by fans and critics. Additionally, in the time since multiplayer’s launch,Halo Infiniteproper has gone gold as well.
Nintendo Announces Licensed Tournament With Panda Global
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GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition Re-Listed, Old Trilogy Re-Listed
After the significantly negative reception from critics and fans together, and the altogether de-listing of the games from digital storefronts,Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — Definitive Editionhas been re-listed by Rockstar Games. The publisher has since issued a public apology to fans, as well asrelisted the originalGrand Theft Autotrilogy on digital storefrontsafter the massive backlash. A patch has since rolled out toDefinitive Editionowners, bringing with it a slew of updates to each game in the trilogy.
Several Upcoming Releases Delayed, Sifu Release Date Moved Up
Several highly anticipated (and not-so-highly anticipated) game releases received delays this week, while one title actually moved up its release date slightly.Capcom’s unusualPragmatawas delayed into a 2023 releasewindow, and theSoulslike indie gameThymesiawas delayed into 2022alongside the reveal of PS5 and Xbox Series X versions. The controversialSix Days in Fallujahshooter was delayed into Q4 2022, and theupcomingSaints Rowreboot was delayed from February to August of 2022.Sifuwas the only exception this week, moving up from its February 22 release date to June 04, 2025.
Yakuza Studio Working on ‘Yakuza 8,’ New IP in Development
Sega’s Ryu Ga Gotoku studio has confirmed it has a few new titles currently in development, bothYakuza-related and something new. Firstly, studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama confirmed thatYakuza 8is currently in development, and that it would continue the story of Ichiban Kasuga, some years after the events ofYakuza: Like a Dragon. Additionally, the studio is working on a brand new IP, unrelated toYakuzaorJudgment, though Yokoyama did not provide any details on the new IP.
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