Retrospectiva săptămânii 20 - 26 septembrie 2020

O nouă săptămână plină, dominată de ceea ce probabil va fi știrea anului: Microsoft a cumpărat ZeniMax Media într-o tranzacție uriașă, iar Doom Eternal deja a intrat în Xbox Game Pass. În alte știri, Amazon își lansează propriul serviciu de cloud streaming, fostul CEO Blizzard își face altă companie de jocuri, Rocket League e de acum gratis pe Epic (și primiți și bani dacă-l luați), Baldur’s Gate 3 a fost amânat din nou și s-a lansat Serious Sam 4.

Linkuri rapide:

• Știri
• Articole (critică, dev, design)
• Anunțuri şi lansări de jocuri
• Prăvălii de jocuri

Știri

• Microsoft a cumpărat compania ZeniMax Media, proprietarul Bethesda Softworks și al tuturor francizelor din portofoliul acesteia (Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom etc.). Valoarea tranzacției este de 7,5 miliarde de dolari, a doua cea mai mare din istorie. ^{(Ars Technica, Vice, Destructoid, Eurogamer, PC Gamer)}

• Amazon a anunțat propriul serviciu de cloud gaming, denumit Luna, intrând astfel în concurență cu Stadia și xCloud. ^{(Ars Technica, Kotaku, Variety, GamesIndustry.biz, Eurogamer)}

• Fostul CEO și fondator Blizzard, Mike Morhaime, a înființat o nouă companie, Dreamhaven, care va publica jocurile a două studiouri nou înființate, Moonshot și Secret Door, ce vor fi conduse de alți foști veterani Blizzard. ^{(Vice, Shacknews, Eurogamer, PC Gamer)}

• Foștii angajați Lab Zero (dezvoltatorul Skullgirls), care au părăsit compania sau au fost concediați în urma recentului scandal au fondat un studio nou de jocuri intitulat Future Club. ^{(Destructoid, Kotaku, RPS, Gamasutra)}

• Jocurile Amnesia: The Dark Descent și Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs sunt acum open source. ^{(PC Gamer, RPS, Gamasutra)}

• Un articol din presa franceză pune plecarea lui Michel Ancel pe seama unei investigații asupra stilului său de conducere abuziv și „comportament toxic” ^{(Kotaku, Eurogamer, Shacknews)}, acuzații pe care Ancel le dezminte. ^{(PC Gamer)}

Articole (critică, dev, design)

• The Future of Battle Royale Is Brighter Than Ever ^(Escapist)
• A year in the life of the Warhammer Online fan server ^{(PC Gamer)}
• No Escape From Reality ^{(Real Life Magazine)}
• There's Never Been a Better Time to Be A Roguelite Fan ^(USgamer)
• The rise of wholesome games ^{(Wireframe magazine)}
• Playing Games, Practicing Utopia: A Life in Tabletop Gaming ^{(Gamers with Glasses)}

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Actualitate

• What happens to Bethesda’s multi-platform games under Microsoft? ^{(Ars Technica)}
• Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda is all about Game Pass ^(Eurogamer)
• Why Microsoft acquired Bethesda (and why Bethesda sold) ^(Polygon)
• Microsoft's Bethesda Acquisition Corners the Market on Legacy RPG Studios ^(USgamer)
• The RetroBeat: Can Microsoft save Quake? ^{(VentureBeat)}

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Not-a-review

• 'Among Us' Is Not Just the Game of 2020, It's '2020: The Game' ^(Vice)
• Cloud Gardens is a diorama game with surprising star power ^(Eurogamer)
• Black Athena: How Hades Gets Its Gods Right ^(Kotaku)
• Creativity and Relaxation in Townscaper ^{(Into The Spine)}
• Weird Autumn ^(Unwinnable)
• Paradise Killer’s World Is Our Own ^{(No Escape)}
• How Hades Rescues the Roguelike from Its Own Limitations ^(Paste)

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Industrie

• Microsoft Now Has 23 First-Party Studios, Here's What They're Making ^(Kotaku)
• $70 games are ‘fair market value’ and consumers will ‘happily’ pay, argues analyst ^{(VideoGamesChronicle)}

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Istorie, retrospectivă

• 'Baldur's Gate 2' Didn't Just Change RPGs, It Changed Games Themselves ^(Vice)
• A Return To The The Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time Reminded Me Why It’s Special ^(Kotaku)
• Revisiting the Old Video Game Console Wars Ahead of the New Ones ^{(The Ringer)}
• How the Nintendo 3DS Became a Defining Console of the 2010s ^(Tedium)
• Street Fighter and basically every fighting game exist because of Bruce Lee ^(Polygon)
• What happened to 12 of gaming’s biggest studios after they were sold ^{(PC Gamer)}
• Can’t say goodbye to yesterday ^{(Kimimi The Game-Eating She-Monster)}

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Dev, making of, mecanici

• Carrion game/level designer Krzysztof Chomicki on managing amorphousness, gravity and screams ^(Gamasutra)
• Hades’ Godly Soundtrack Is A Natural Evolution For Supergiant’s Darren Korb ^(Kotaku)
• How Among Us became so wildly popular ^{(PC Gamer)}
• 'Avengers' Shows How Subtitles Are More Complicated Than Just Text ^(Vice)
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps: inside an ‘impossible’ Switch port ^(Eurogamer)
• Deep algebra for deep beats: The beautiful sounds of musical programming ^{(Ars Technica)}
• So Much Work Went Into The Last Of Us Part II's…Eyes ^(Kotaku)

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Design, world-building, artă

• The Art Of Marvel's Avengers ^(Kotaku)
• Lookin' Sharp, Street Fighters ^(Kotaku)

Anunţuri şi lansări de jocuri

Anunţate

• The Solitaire Conspiracy ^{(Destructoid)}
• Mighty Goose ^{(Destructoid)}
• Pirate Commander ^(GameSpace)
• Starstruck: Hands of Time ^{(Destructoid)}
• Dyson Sphere Program ^{(PC Gamer)}
• Football Manager 2021 ^(EGM)

Acum cu dată de lansare

• I Am Dead: 8 octombrie ^(Shacknews)
• Falcon Age: 8 octombrie (iese din exclusivitate Epic) ^{(PC Gamer)}
• The Signifier: 15 octombrie ^(DSOGaming)
• Aquanox Deep Descent: 16 octombrie ^{(PC Gamer)}

Amânate

• Baldur’s Gate 3: 6 octombrie în loc de 30 septembrie ^(Shacknews)

Anulate

• Among Us 2 ^(Shacknews)

Lansate

• 22 septembrie: Pendragon ^{(Steam, gog.com)}
• 22 septembrie: Halo 3: ODST ^(Steam)
• 23 septembrie: Squad (iese din early access) ^(Steam)
• 23 septembrie: Darksburg ^(Steam)
• 23 septembrie: UnRailed! (iese din early access) ^(Steam)
• 23 septembrie: art of rally ^{(Steam, gog.com)}
• 24 septembrie: Serious Sam 4 ^{(Steam, gog.com)}
• 24 septembrie: Going Under ^{(Steam, Epic Store)}
• 25 septembrie: Panzer Dragoon: Remake ^{(Steam, gog.com)}
• 25 septembrie: Port Royale 4 ^{(Steam, Epic Store)}
• 25 septembrie: Mafia: Definitive Edition ^(Steam)

Prăvălii de jocuri

Știri

• Xbox Game Pass subscriptions have surged in the past five months ^{(Destructoid)}
• Steam News Hub shows posts from your favourite quirky PC gaming websites now ^(RPS)

Update catalog

• If you’re in the mood for Freedom Fighters, it’s now on Steam and GOG ^{(Destructoid)}
• Almost two decades after launch, RuneScape is heading to Steam ^(Eurogamer)
• Bethesda’s library will come to Xbox Game Pass on console and PC ^(Shacknews)
• Doom Eternal is coming to Xbox Game Pass ^(EGM)
• Metal Gear classics re-released for PC via GOG ^(Eurogamer)

Jocuri gratis și free weekends

• Chip’s Challenge is free on Steam and nostalgia just hit me hard ^{(Destructoid)}
• Install Rocket League on Epic Games Store and get a $10 store coupon ^(Shacknews)
• Left 4 Dead 2: The Last Stand is live and free to play for the weekend ^{(PC Gamer)}
• RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition now available on PC and Switch ^(EGM)
• Soulcaster Is a Charming Puzzle Platformer You Can Play for Free ^(Escapist)

Reduceri și promoții

• Weekend PC Download Deals for Sept. 25: Left 4 Dead 2 makes its Last Stand ^(Shacknews)
• Weekend Console Download Deals for Sept. 25: The geese are back! ^(Shacknews)

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