Tuesday, 9 July 2024

Game News Round-Up

Daily curated games-industry news digest for 9 July 2024.

General5 stories

Next BioShock developer "ramping up"

  • Senior cinematic designer Jeff Spoonhower took to LinkedIn to highlight more than 30 positions now open at 2K Cloud Chamber, the Montreal-based studio tasked with crafting a fresh entry in the beloved BioShock series.
Eurogamer

Disney announces Pixel RPG for mobile

  • Developed by GungHo Entertainment
  • Game will be free-to-play
  • Characters confirmed for the game based on the website are Pooh, from Winnie the Pooh, Genie from Aladdin, Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
  • Classic Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck will also be included. Players will design their own avatars using costume pieces inspired by Disney characters.
VGC

Respawn doubles Apex Legends' battle pass price in systemic overhaul

  • Beginning with the upcoming Season 22, the three-month passes can only be purchased with real-world money. Players could use in-game AC currency to buy said passes, but that process will be phased out.
  • Further complicating matters is that each Season will be split into two battle passes. The first Premium pass will cost $10 per half season, while the Premium+ pass (which offers extra in-game rewards) will be $20.
  • So unless players stick with the free track, they may pay $20 or $40 for a full season. Per Respawn, the change was done to make things "more approachable and realistic for our global player community."
Game Developer
Business2 stories

Kotaku Australia is being shuttered by Pedestrian Group

  • Pedestrian Group currently licenses the Kotaku brand and others including Gizmodo, Vice, Refinery29 and Lifehacker (which are also being axed) so it can deploy them in Australia.
  • Rowley described Pedestrian Group–which is owned by media conglomerate Nine–as a "highly successful business" in that email, but indicated the company has decided to move away from licensed brands.
Game Developer