2.1: Stay Frosty
Xbox completes Activision acquisition, King Kong deserves better, Roblox launches on PlayStation + What's Releasing This Week
Welcome back to the rebooted Early Access! After a long hiatus, VSG’s newsletter covering gaming news and game reviews is back, and will continue publishing every Wednesday going forward. If you enjoy Early Access, please hit the “heart” button at the very top or very bottom of this post, or on the bottom-left corner of the Substack app. It helps more people find the newsletter, which helps VSG grow!
This is Volume 2, Issue 1 of Early Access for Wednesday, October 18, 2023. In this issue: Xbox and Activision, Gollum redeemed, Pete Hines departs Bethesda, Roblox on PlayStation, and Pokémon Go co-op.
“You forget a thousand things every day, Pal. Make sure this is one of ‘em” - Michael (Grand Theft Auto 5).
The Big Picture
1. STAY FROSTY
Xbox parent company Microsoft has officially completed its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, bringing marquee franchises like Call of Duty, Warcraft and Candy Crush under the Xbox umbrella. "As one team, we'll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people," Xbox head Phil Spencer said in a statement. Microsoft announced its deal to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022, but had to fight hard to appease the concerns of key global competition regulators. To alleviate those concerns, Microsoft signed agreements with competitors to keep Call of Duty multiplatform for what is believed to be the next 10 years, and signed a number of distribution agreements with cloud gaming providers. Microsoft emerged victorious from a court battle with the US Federal Trade Commission over the summer, and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority gave Microsoft the green light on Monday.
+ The Fate of Bobby Kotick: Controversial Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is set to remain as CEO of the company until the end of 2023, and said that he is "fully committed to helping with the transition” in an email to Activision Blizzard employees on Monday. As a major shareholder in the company, Kotick is in line to make hundreds of millions of dollars from the deal.
+ Sony to Respond: The PlayStation maker is under pressure to respond to Xbox’s deal. Industry analysts “expect further investments and acquisitions for PlayStation, including a large one that would move the needle for them in a meaningful way.”
2. GOLLUM REDEEMED
Skull Island: Rise of Kong, a new game from Chile-based developer IguanaBee, went viral this week after releasing for consoles and PC. The game, which costs $50 on all platforms, has been criticized for its horrendous graphics and shoddy gameplay, with one player labelling it “a complete scam” and another exclaiming “Gollum redeemed,” a reference to one of the worst reviewed games of 2023.
+ Gollum: The Lord of the Rings: Gollum scored a 0% Recommended score on the MetaMeter, and in VSGs summary of critics consensus, we wrote, “What a letdown. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has some interesting ideas, but it’s a messy experience with dull stealth, bad controls, terrible AI, outdated visuals, performance issues, and an utterly pointless story. This is one of the worst mainstream games of 2023.”
3. HINES DEPARTS BETHESDA
Pete Hines, head of publishing at Bethesda Softworks, is leaving the company after 24 years at the company. "After an amazing career, culminating in the incredible launch of Starfield, it feels like the time is right," Hines announced via social media on Monday. Hines is one of the most visible and recognizable figures at Bethesda, playing a significant role throughout Bethesda's journey. Hines said he "will begin an exciting new chapter of my life exploring interests and passions, donating my time where I can, and taking more time to enjoy life."
+ Bethesda Pays Tribute: "Pete's public presence was only a small part of his role at Bethesda, although the way he represented us carried over into the values he nurtured here: authenticity, integrity and passion," Bethesda said in its own statement. "His contributions have been integral in building Bethesda and its family of studios into the world-class organization that it is today. His vision helped push us forward, and his hard work inspired us. We're thankful for his 24 years of leadership and wish him the best in this next chapter. We'll miss you, Pete!"
4. ROBLOX LAUNCHES ON PLAYSTATION
Roblox originally released on PC in 2006, was ported to iOS in 2012 and Android in 2014, and made its console debut in 2015 when it was released for Xbox. Now, “more than 150 million console owners across PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 will be able to access the full catalog of Roblox.” said Roblox in a statement. “Roblox had a huge debut week on PlayStation,” according to Mat Piscatella at Circana (NPD), ranking “3rd in percentage of PlayStation players that played the title at least once” with “only Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Fortnite rank[ing] higher.”
+ A Massive Audience: According to Roblox Corporation, more than 65 million people play Roblox daily across all platforms.
5. POKÉMON GO CO-OP
Niantic has announced that four-player co-op is coming to Pokémon Go. The new feature, called “Party Play",” will allow groups of up to four to share progress on in-game challenges, receive bonuses when battling together, earn exclusive Party Play-themed rewards, and receive other advantages. The feature launched October 17.
+ Halloween 2023 Event: A time limited Halloween event will also start this week in Pokémon Go., featuring the debut of Grevard and Houndstone, two Pokémon that were introduced in 2022’s Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
6. BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
+ New to PS Plus: October 2023’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalogue and Classic titles are now available to subscribers, including (among others): Gotham Knights (46%), Alien: Isolation, Dead Island: Definitive Edition, Disco Elysium – The Final Cut (93%), and Far: Changing Tides (80%). October’s additions to the Classics Catalogue includes, Tekken 6, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, Ape Escape Academy and IQ Final.
+ New to Xbox Game Pass: Microsoft has revealed the next wave of titles coming to Game Pass for Consoles and PC, including: Like A Dragon: Ishin! (Cloud, Console, PC; Oct 17), F1 Manager 2023 (Cloud, Console, PC; Oct 19), and Cities Skylines 2 (PC; Oct 24). Then, on October 26 Game Pass will add: Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery (Cloud, Console), Mineko’s Night Market (Cloud, Console, PC), and Dead Space Remake (97%) (Cloud, Console, PC).
+ Redfall’s Woes Continue: Bethesda, which recently pledged to make Redfall (11%) “a good game,” released an important update this week, adding a 60fps mode and making changes to the game’s combat and gameplay. Hopefully more updates can reverse the game’s downward trajectory - after seeing concurrent player counts in the thousands for several weeks after launch, the game’s current count now dips so low that there are certain times of the day where it’s not possible to fill a full four player co-op lobby.
Read the Reviews
Here are some highlights from the past week in review aggregation. Check out…
Lords of the Fallen (Release: October 13, 2023; Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC; Developer: HEXWORKS). With 37 critic reviews, Lords of the Fallen is currently at 68% recommended. VSG’s Verdict: “Lords of the Fallen is a solid soulslike with a unique two-realm mechanic, but its gameplay is rough and it suffers from a lack of focus.” SKIP IT.
Sonic Superstars (Release: October 17, 2023; Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Switch; Developer: Sega). With 23 critic reviews, Sonic Superstars is currently at 70% recommended. VSG’s Verdict: “Despite tedious boss battles and new elements that are hit-or-miss, Sonic Superstars features some impressive visuals and absolutely nails the fundamentals of a 2D Sonic The Hedgehog.” PLAY IT.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Release: October 20, 2023; Platforms: PlayStation; Developer: Insomniac Games). With 72 critic reviews, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is currently at 100% recommended. VSG’s Verdict: “Spider-Man 2 is the quintessential superhero game, delivering a phenomenal story with better villains, a bigger world, and epic fights.” PLAY IT (Editors’ Choice).
Since launching in 2018, VSG has covered over 560 games and aggregated almost 40,000 critic reviews. Read more stats about VSG, and how the aggregator works.
New Game Releases - 10/18 to 10/24
Now . . . bring me that horizon.
Upcoming games calendar:
Alaskan Road Truckers [PC] – October 18
Life of Delta [PS5, XSX] – October 18
The 7th Guest VR [PC VR, Quest, PSVR 2] – October 19
Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – October 19
AirportSim [PC] – October 19
Animal Hospital [PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – October 19
Chaos on Wheels [PC] – October 19
Endless Dungeon [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO] – October 19
Forgive Me Father 2 [PC] – October 19
The Gap [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO] – October 19
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 Turbocharged [PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – October 19
The Jackbox Party Pack 10 [PC, PS4, XBO, Switch] – October 19
Operation Valor [PC] – October 19
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 [PS5] – October 20
Super Mario Bros Wonder [Switch] – October 20
Just Dance 2024 Edition [PS5, XSX, Switch] – October 23
Three Minutes To Eight [PC] – October 23
Cities: Skylines II [PC] – October 24
Dark Envoy [PC] – October 24
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria [PC, PS5] – October 24
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection: Volume 1 [PC, PS5, XSX, Switch] – October 24
Notable game announcements/delays:
Cities: Skylines II [ PS5, XSX] - Developer Paradox Interactive cautioned players that the PC version of the game will release on October 24 with “performance issues” and has delayed the PS5 and XSX versions to Q1 2024.
View all of the upcoming video game release dates (including DLC) for PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, Nintendo Switch, and more, over at VSG.
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