Several folks are practicing their combos in Metro City this weekend, but the news rests for no one! Especially this week where we get updates on ABK’s acquisition and the culmination of one Yuji Naka’s run with the law.
If Mom Doesn’t Let You, Ask Dad. Or In This Case, South Korea
Microsoft is still proper chuffed about the UK not allowing its acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King. This multi million dollar deal was recently approved by South Korea; its third approval to date alongside China and the European Union. The current plan of action is to address the United Kingdom’s block on grounds of error from the CMA. The UK and US are currently the only ones still attempting to block this acquisition. The Federal Trade Commission has a hearing scheduled for August, so here’s hoping we can still avoid a pretty dire bid for a monopoly.
The Man Who Rages Against Square Enix Behind Bars
Yuji Naka, creator of Balan Wonderworld, is at risk of two and a half years jail time for insider trading. The initial incident was in regard to buying shares in Dragon Quest Tact well before the game was actually announced alongside other employees. Updates from the original Japanese article note that a final decision is to take place on July 7th. Naka’s defense is looking to appeal the sentence and keep compensation to a reduced fine. How will the curtains close on Yuji Naka’s final performance?
Less of A Walkout, More of A Strike
Riot Games is delaying its competitive League of Legends season as players stage a walkout. Earlier, Riot announced that teams in the North American league would not be required to field for amateur talent starting this season. Many teams followed these new guidelines, citing economic difficulties, leading to several players walking out in protest. The season is slated to start after a two week delay, but global League of Legends esports head Naz Aletaha claims that they are prepared to cancel the season to facilitate talks if need be. Hopefully this leads to productive growth for the popular esports league.
Blases No Longer Loaded
Interactive sensation Blaseball will be shutting down immediately. Blaseball started in 2020 as a semi-interactive baseball sim with made up teams competing in quick seasons. Spectators voted on rule changes for the following season, and the world would evolve into something much greater by the end. Blaseball’s success comes from fan input, what started as automated text and emojis and exploded in popularity thanks to fan art, music, and more. The Games Band expanded for its continuation of the game, so it is now looking to find homes for the artists, community managers, and others affected by the layoffs. If you missed the craze, check out Solon’s thoughts on what was his favorite game of 2020.
Strange Things At Nintendo
Everybody 1-2-Switch! will launch on June 30th. Remember 1-2-Switch!, the other Nintendo Switch launch title? The game was critically maligned at launch, with many citing it as nothing more than an overpriced tech demo. This sequel has been in development, but its internal reception was so poor that Nintendo wasn’t sure about what to even do with it. The question needs to be asked: Who is this game for? Nintendo’s already attempted to cash in on the success of Wii Sports before, with the full priced Nintendo Switch Sports that felt like a complete misread of what made things work in the first place, so what could this possibly bring? Best of luck to this game, and maybe the clearing of Nintendo’s back inventory means we could be seeing the end of the Switch’s life cycle soon.
In other Nintendo news, Aspyr is cancelling Knights of the Old Republic II’s DLC. The team announced that the Restored Content DLC for KOTOR II will no longer be releasing on Switch. Those who already purchased the DLC are eligible for a replacement key for one of several Star Wars games on the console. You can submit a request alongside proof of purchase in order to receive the key. Sad to hear for those who already made purchases, but hey look new Joy-Con colors.
Remapping the Road Ahead
Earlier in May, news released that Waypoint would be shuttering on June 2nd. The hosts of Waypoint Radio held a final stream on Thursday, leading to a stealth launch of their new LLC “Remap”. This also marks a successful transition of Waypoint Plus subscriptions to the new independent endeavor, something that in detail sounds like some real Danny Ocean maneuvers. Rob Zacny, Patrick Klepek, Ricardo Contreras, and Renata Price are the main figures in this launch. Price announced that she will be transitioning to a lead designer role for new studio Farewell Games after the summer. That said, she still hopes to be in a guest rotation once the shift is in effect. Gotta say, the beige and blue is pretty stellar of a design scheme. Feels a little familiar.
