From absurd announcements to even more company cuts— Sonic the Hedgehog is sadly not the only blue thing from this past week that we’ve been all talking about!
Sonic Central
Another year, another Sonic Central presentation to talk about all things Sonic new and old, commemorating the birthday of blue blur on June 23:
Sonic Origins Plus is now available to play, and Amy’s classic design too!
Sonic Frontiers will get new free content, such as new moves and a New Game+.
Sonic Prime returns for another season on Netflix, alongside with a new mobile game of the series that will be published under Netflix Games.
A plethora of various Sonic merchandise was also shown off during the presentation, from apparel to toys. San Diego Comic-Con this year will have a popup Sonic the Hedgehog-themed restaurant. And a third Sonic movie is definitely on its way!
All of this is timed with the Sonic Symphony World Tour kicking off, beginning in London. The tour will be proceeding to take stops in the cities of Paris, Los Angeles, Sau Paulo, Tokyo, Boston, and Chicago.
Cutting Ties
Niantic is closing its Los Angeles studio, laying off over 200 employees. The Pokémon Go has unfortunately not been doing so hot lately, in which support for the just recently released NBA All-World will be ceasing and development for a prospective Marvel: World of Heroes is canceled. Company founder John Hanke explains that the company has not been seeing the revenue it needs to meet its expenses and will instead be honing in on focusing on its current library, which still includes Pikmin Bloom, Peridot, and Monster Hunter Now.
Unity cuts ties with Atlas 3D Asset Creator with accusations that it has been sourcing from AI-plagiarized assets. Meanwhile, Steam specifies that it won’t allow games that use copyright-infringing AI assets, and policies regarding the matter still seem to be under review.
A recent Skullgirls update edits and alters some artwork to remove and reduce fanservice and Nazi-approximate imagery.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, developer of the Yakuza and Like a Dragon games, appears to have scrubbed the credits of multiple staff members in the GOG release of several Yakuza titles.
Activations, Aggressive or Otherwise
Barbie is everything, and that includes being a gamer girl! Accompanying the marketing of the upcoming Barbie movie directed by Greta Gerwig, Xbox has collaborated with the Mattel brand to release a series of limited designed controller plates and a console deck inspired by the Barbie Dreamhouse. There is also a special bright pink Xbox with “Barbie” plastered on it.
Annupurna Interactive announces Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, the first new video game incarnation as part of the Blade Runner IP in a long while.
A internal memo leaked suggesting that Microsoft almost considered acquiring Bungie and Sega. Microsoft is still currently pending for approval in its acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, and Canada’s Department of Justice has chimed recently on the deal, saying that the purchase “is likely to” lead to less competition in the gaming industry.
And oh yeah—
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