Employees to return to office from spring 2023

Activision Blizzard has confirmed reports that it is mandating a partial return-to-office stipulation for?? all of its employees from spring of this year. ABK employees will be expected to return to their workplace in April, while Blizzard workers will return in July. King staff returned back in July 2022.

The new mandate, which requests all employees attend their offices for at least three days a week, was first reported by VGC, who noted that disgruntled employees had leaked the news to social media. These employees noted that they are still concerned by the health hazards of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which initially forced the at-home mandate, while one Blizzard employee, @LeastMyHairIsOk, opines that many coworkers find the commute, and the workplace ??environment, costly and stressful.

"The majority of employees at ABK have no interest in returning to office either full or part-time. This isn’t to say that nobody sees the value in an office environment, but we’ve overall decided the risks do not outweigh those benefits," wrote the employee on Twitter. "For over a decade now, lower earning departments have pleaded with leadership to include yearly [Cost of Living??] adjustments into salary to prevent this, but [have] bee?n denied, and our most recent meetings from last month suggest that there are no plans for this to change this year."

Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Activision Blizzard confirmed plans ??for the return-to-office mandate.

"Activision Blizza??rd has been returning teams to the office over the past year, and on February 13, we updated our future-of-work plans," said a spokesper?son for the publisher. "In close partnership with each leadership team, we crafted a plan that is customized based on what’s best for our business and our teams."

"We look forward to the increased real-time, in?-person collaboration and opportunities this change will foster."

Activision Blizzard? employees are being forced to return to the office soon, it’s claimed [VGC]

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Sinister skin returns to Fortnite store

The sinister Plague Doctor skin has returned to the in-game store of Epic Games' juggernaut battle royale title, Fortnite. The purchasable co?stume has been conspicuous by its absence since January 2020, notably the same timeframe that saw the growing status? of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

As noted by Eurogamer, the "Scourge" and "Plague" skins have made frequent appearances in Fortnite's rotational shop since their 2018 debut, available to purchase for 1500 V-Bucks each. But both outfits have been missing for two years,?? finally making a reappearance in-store earlier this week. The skins depict the frightening, beaked "plague doctors" of the 16th century, who would fill the beaked masks with herbal remedies in an effor??t to stave off infection as they visited the slums of working-class patients.

While Epic Games neve??r made any open statement as to the reasoning behind the costume's removal, it's not hard to imagine that somebody might have thought it a wise and prudent move to not fill the world's most popular video game with? Plague Doctors during a period of global sickness.

The COVID-19 pandemic is, of course, very much still with us, but enough time has passed that many compa??nies and communities are readjusting to a "Post-COVID" status, though ?it should be clearly noted that the coronavirus and its variants are still infecting hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis. In total, some 13.2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered since 2020.

Fortnite's l?ong-lost plague doctor returns, missing since Covid [Eurogamer]

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Geoff's Big Bash returns

As we hit October and the nights grow colder, we already begin the countdown to this year's GOTY season, as video game fans the world over pick over their favorite titles, to ascertain which games represented the crowning achievements of good tech and good times in 2022. And, of course, it wouldn't be the GOTY season without the coming of Geoff Keighley's big-ass extreme bash: The Game Awards.

This year, ticket-buying members of the public will be able to purchase entry to the live e?vent. This marks the first time the public is allowed entry to the event, having been understandably being barred from attending since the onset of COVID-19. For the 2022 event, however, we mere peasants will be allowed to rub shoulders with the game industry's great and good, (there are some, honestly), to enjoy a few hours of live performances, trophy handouts, and trailer, after trailer, after trailer �no doubt rounded out with a 20-second video from Hideo Kojima.

So, if you fancy heading to Los Angeles for this year's event to see Elden Ring win everything, then keep your eyes glued to both Geoff Keighley's Twitter, and the Microsoft Theater website. Tickets will go on sale on November 1, though the price for entry is yet to be been announced. Be sure to iron your T-shirt with a tuxedo drawn on it, and don't forget to bring your wheelie shoes and invisible dog leash. W??e'll make them sorry that they ever re-open?ed the doors to the little people.

The? Game Awards? 2022 will take place December 8 at Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles.

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Not exactly filing for bankruptcy just yet

Microsoft released its results for the fourth quarter of its financial year, ending June 30, 2022. The figures show something of a disparity between sectors. While gaming revenue on a whole is down, the Xbox Game Pass subscription model continues to grow, with millions of players utilizing the online service. The news was delivered in an investor earnings call called transcribed by GamesIndustry.biz.

Microsoft gaming revenue fell by some 7% year-on-year, which translates to somewhere in the region of $260 million USD. While this is, of course, a huge figure, it is still a drop in the ocean in comparison to the $3 billion overall revenue generated by the Microsof?t brand during the three-month period. In addition, Xbox hardware revenue has decreased by 11%, which is disappointing give?n that we're still, essentially, in the honeymoon period of new-gen platform Xbox Series X/S. Despite this decrease, Microsoft states that the new platform is selling faster than previous Xbox generations, and that Xbox currently leading the market in sales over rival platform PlayStation 5.

Microsoft's ace-in-the-hole continues to be the Xbox Game Pass service, which continues to welcome more subscribers with each passing month. In addition, Microsoft's recent partnership with Epic Games facilitated four million players logging into battle royale juggernaut Fortnite via Xbox Cloud Gaming, over a million players being entirely new to the Xbox infrastructure. Despite us being instilled into the ninth generation, it seems that �for both Microsoft and Sony �the current success trend lies not so much in the individual hardware and/or software sales, but in the services, game libraries, day-one launches, and other utiliti??es that their respective subscription services pr?ovide.

?Microsoft Q4 gaming revenues ??decline, but Game Pass grows [GamesIndustry.biz]

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2022 has been rough for the desktop crowd

The PC market is currently experiencing its ??sharpest revenue decline in almost 10 years, that's according to the findings of a new report compiled by the number-crunchers over at analysis website Gartner.

D??uring the second quarter of 2022, PC hardware and software shipments declined by a little over 12% year-on-year with the European, Midd?le East, and African markets (EMEA) dropping by a huge 18% in PC shipments and 20% in laptop shipments. Almost every major player in the industry has seen losses, including HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, and Asus. Only Apple saw any recent growth, with a 9.3% sales increase over the same period in 2021.

Gartner's analysts have pointed to numerous global factors in decreasing the pro??duction, distribution, and purchase of PC products.

"The decline we saw in the first quarter of 2022 has accelerated in the second quarter, driven by the ongoing geopolitical instability caused by the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, inflationary pressure on spending, and a steep downturn in demand for Chromebooks," writes Gartner research director Mikako Kitagawa. "Supply chain disruptions also continued,?? but the major cause of PC delivery delays changed from component shortages to logist??ics disruptions."

In addition to the invasion of Ukraine, ongoing woes involving scaled-down production of components, and distribution issues due to the ongoing COVID-1??9 pandemic. These factors have also impacted the console market, resulting in decreased sales for both PlayStation and Xbox platforms. Unfortunately, Gartner believes that the PC market's solution to decreasing sales will be to raise selling prices across the industry, offsetting the lost profit in any and all forthcoming sales. PC purchases are, of course, hardly the cheapest of buys, and wi?th an increasing cost of living crisis, brand new GPUs are unlikely to be sitting at the top of a lot of people's shopping lists. Quite understandably.

Of course, this is not any sign that the PC market is "dying." The industry still shifted over 72 million hardware and software units in the past quarter, and PCs, laptops, notebooks, and other devices will ?remain an essential part of both the gaming industry ?and the working environment for decades to come, but it certainly seems that the technology industry, in general, is smarting from the ongoing stresses of the past several years.

For more details and figures pertaining to the market share, check out Gartner's full report.

The PC market has declined at its fastest rate?? in years, report states [Eurogamer]

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Handheld PC power is headed your way soon

Following up on its recent promise to increase the production and distribution of its Steam Deck hardware, developer Valve has announced that it is on track to double the number of consoles cu?rrently headed to it??s eagerly-waiting army of pre-order customers.

Speaking on Twitter, Valve noted that customers in the "Q2" reservation bracket should have already received their confirmation email, with Q3 confirmation emails expected to arrive in the coming fortnight. Customers should think fast, however, as they only have three days to confirm and pay for their chosen model, which will lock in their order and see their lil' black box begin the journey to their front door. Those still waiting on their email can check the status of their order at the Steam Deck store.

Valve's Steam Deck has proven to be yet another victim of electronic component shortages. Ever since the global COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted international production and shipment industries, manufacturers have struggled to meet their initial targets for hardware rollout. The delays that currently affect the Steam Deck platform have also affe?cted the producti??on and distribution of consoles such as Sony's PS5, Xbox's Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, as well as graphics cards for PCs and tech markets outside of the gaming sphere.

The Steam Deck officially launched in March 2022, and currently supports well over 2000 titles.

//twitter.com/OnDeck/status/1541459263444332544?s=20&t=?WKqS4h?xl2_9h8NdDWxkkag

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Padding it out

Microsoft has confirmed that it is currently experiencing a shortage in supply and demand for its range of Xbox controllers. The kings of the black-and-green brand spoke about its hardware troubles in a recent statement to gaming outlet VGC, who?? had noticed a lack of stock online and in the high street.

"We know it may be hard finding Xbox Wireless Controllers right now due to supply disruptions," a Microsoft spokesperson told VGC. "We’re working as fast as possible with our manufacturing and retail partners to improve this. Please check w?ith your local reta??iler for availability."

The shortages appear to be most apparent in the UK and Europe, though North American territ??ories are likely to follow suit if Microsoft is unable to ramp up production. According to ResetEra users, stores in Australia and The Netherlands are also struggling to keep their stock cupboards plentiful. Both standard controllers and Xbox's cool custom "Design Lab" models are affected.

Hardware and accessory shortages have continued to trouble the industry since the COVID-19 pandemic affected production and distribution cycles worldwide. From consoles to graphics cards to controllers, publishers are struggling to produce their wares with the speed and regularity of previous generations. It is a problem expected to continue into 2023 at the very least.

Microsoft has confirmed ??a shorta??ge of Xbox controllers [VGC]

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Economy crash puts paid to retro hardware rereleases

At the weekend, Sega Japan announced that it was releasing a new piece of portable hardware in the form of the Sega Mega Drive Mini II, a pint-sized edition of the 1993 console that will come pre-loaded with 50 Sega Mega Drive and Mega CD classics. Given that the Mega Drive Mini already exists, some fans might be puzzled as to why Sega has not instead focused ?on releasing a scaled-down model of? its 1994 console, Sega Saturn, or its 1998 big brother, the Sega Dreamcast.

Speaking with Famitsu, Sega hardware producer Yosuke Okunari offered up the unfortunate news that a Sega Saturn Mini or a Sega Dreamcast Mini are both very unlikely to ever see the light of day. Okunari understands that the audience is there for such consoles, but states that a ???combination of expensive components, further hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on manufacturing costs, has simply made the project uneconomical from both a production and finance perspective.

Okunari also suggested that the components used by Sega's Mini consoles are not quite up-to-sp?ec in regards to running Sega Saturn titles �a console that is notoriously difficult to authentically emulate. Okunari jokes that the process of producing a Sega Saturn Mini in 2022 might see it launch with a price rivaling that of modern-day consoles. So it seems, for now at the very least, the Mega CD is as far as we are going in regards to the Sega Mini range.

The Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 launches in Japan October 27, priced at ¥9,980 (roughly $75 USD). Sega is yet to confirm whether this edition will also be released in the west. For more details on the console, check out @gosokkyu's Twitter thread translating/paraphrasing the Famitsu interview.

Sega?? producer says hi??gh costs are preventing a Dreamcast or Saturn mini [VGC]

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Component woes set to continue across the globe

In a new interview with CNBC, the CEO of technological giant Intel has suggested that the ongoing component crisis is set to continue for s??ome time, predicting that chip shor?tages will remain a global issue until at least 2024.

CEO Pat Gelsinger made the comments in a conversation with CNBC, (as noted by VGC), wherein he lamented the continued lack of components, tool manufacture, and transportation needs to supply the international community with microprocessors, semiconductors, and other chip-based products. Gelsinger had previously expected the shortage to last until 2023, but has since revised his estimate, extending ?the delay by a further 12 months.

Numerous political and economical reasons factor into the current component shortage, with a key element being the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely impacted global industry as a whole and has, essentially, put all production on the planet into "catchup" mode. Slowed component manufacture has led to a delay in producing games consoles such as PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and, (more recently), Nintendo Switch. It also affects the production of PC compo?nents such as motherboards and gra?phics cards.

With each an??d every statement put out by a top industry executive, the date for the production returning to a sense of normalcy is pushed further and further back. Much like COVID-19 itself, there seems to be a lot of assumption that the problem will improve simply because "it has to," rather than due to any actual upward trend. Hopefully, the world will recover from this unprecedented situation sooner, rather than later.

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Are you ready for the GAME CRAZE?

The Tokyo Game Show (TGS) is officially set to return in full capacity later in 2022. As announced by organizers CESA, Nikkei, and Dentsu, Japan's premier industry event, which has been on h??iatus for the past three years, will make its grand comeback this September, hosting a four-day extravaganza for both industry folk and the gaming public.

The theme fo??r the show will be "Nothing St?ops Gaming" �referencing the fact that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused a steady shutdown of industry events across the globe, including TGS itself.

"Over these two years, various fun events disappeared from our daily life, but games still lightened up our days," explained CESA in a press statement. "Games will continue to brighten up the days of everybody now and forever �this year’s theme implies such s??trong determination."

In case you still haven't gotten it, the organizers have even banded together to write an actual theme song for the event,? which goes as follow??s *clears throat*

Nothing Stops Gaming

"We had to give up doing fun things one after another over these two years. How many times we thought, what happened to our days? Even then, we still had games that kept us going. Thrilling plot twists, captivating and heated experience lightened up our everyday life. Games became our hope.

2022 is the year to show the real spirit of games. Tokyo Game Show has the mission to create our hope and beyond. Update our possibilities. Unprecedented excitement is always born out of something you have never imagined.

Let’s open the gate to the forefront of games. Give courage and enthusiasm to everyone. Show your love of games to each other.

For everyone to share the 'great feeling of living in this era.' Let’s dive into the heart of game craze.

Nothing Stops Gaming!!!"

Makes you think.

TGS is just the latest in a selection of global events that are feeling optimistic about making a comeback in 2022. The San Francisco-based Game Developer Conference (GDC) and European megashow Gamescom have already announced their own "live" events for the year, though E3, typically considered the biggest games show of the entire year, may or may not be making an appearance this summer.

It should be noted that the threat of COVID-19 remains very much in existence, and continues to spread among the global populace. As such, some visitors might still be understandably discouraged from attending said events. It does seem, for the most pa?rt, that the industry is making a concerted effort to return to normal... or at least a "new normal."

Tokyo Game Show 2022 is scheduled for September 15-18. It will be hosted at Makuhari Messe in Chiba? City, Tokyo.

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UK's premier trade show postponed once again

Meet the new year, same as the old. The organizers of Britain's largest video game trade show, EGX, have announced that EGX Birm??ingham has been canceled. The show was set to make its grand return to the Birmingham NEC in March of this year, but has been postponed to 2023 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which contains to impact the UK in? general and the global community as a whole.

"It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the postponement of EGX Birmingham 2022," begins a statement on the official EGX website. "Given the cu??rrent climate and the knock-on effects of Omicron, many of our partners and brands are not yet ready to return t?o live events. At the end of the day, we felt that we wouldn’t have been able to put on the awesome show you expect from us without them."

"Thank you for your support du??ring this challenging time, and to everyone who had worked so hard to try and make EGX Birmingham 2022 happen. While we are sorry we won’t be able to see you in March, we’re exci?ted for EGX London and have more details on the great things coming soon."

Anybody who has purchased a ticket for the now-canceled EGX Birmingham 2022 event should expect to receive a full refund within the coming? weeks. EGX London 2022 is currently scheduled to take place at London ExCel on the weekend of September 22-25. Here's to hoping.

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Rough start to Street Fighter V's twilight year

Capcom has announced that it has decided it will be canceling the Capcom Cup 2021 event, which would have seen the best Street Fighter V players from the 2021 seaso?n gather for the final showdown. Already delayed? from its typical November slot, the rise in global COVID-19 cases has forced Capcom to, sensibly, err on the side of caution and cancel the gathering completely.

"The team did not come to this decision lightly, as we know what Capcom Cup means to the community and the players who trained so diligently to qualify," explains Capcom in a sighing statement. "The entire esports team offers our sincer??est apologies. Please know we share your frustration, as we wanted n??othing more than to have this event return in a big way, but the health and safety of the players and everyone involved is our highest priority."

Of course, we have been here before, not 12 months ago. And, much like the 2020 edition of the event, the Capcom Cup 2021 will now play out as a remotely distanced online tournament. The Capcom Cup VIII? finalists wi?ll compete in an online capacity which, while not ideal, will at least afford the contenders a finale for the year-long effort.

It's a tough start to a year that not only sees Street Fighter V enter its twilight season, but also sees the Street Fighter franchise celebrate its 35th anniversary. The somewhat stripped-down logo for which, (depicted above), was revealed this past weekend. This year will also see Capcom reveal its next Street Fighter project. While assumed by many to be Street Fighter VI, these words are ??yet to be specif??ically uttered by Capcom.

We'll have to wait and se??e exactly what The World Warriors are bringing to the new generation.

//twitter.com/CapcomFighters/status/14792791??38871681026?s=20

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Nintendo hardware joins the shrinkage party

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has warned that Switch hardware could be in short supply come the new year. Furukawa believes t??hat ongoing issues with component manufacture and supply might result in fewer global units delivered to retailers throughout 2022, with Black Friday and Holiday sales eating up a large portion of ??available stock.

"I can’t say that I was able to supply enough for demand after Black Friday, and after the beginning of the year," said Furukawa in a conversation with Kyoto-Np. "It depends on the demand, but as I was concerned, ??there will be an impact that [we] can’t make as many as [we'd] want to make."

If Furukawa's concerns turn out to be valid, then at least Nintendo is in good company. Both Sony and Microsoft have struggled to manufacture and deliver respective next-gen platforms PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S to stores throughout 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact any and all global industries. Xbox Gaming's Phil Spencer has candidly stated that he expects his company's producti?on woes to continue into 2022.

While the future is, of course, unwritten, it's quite clear as we enter 2022 that COVID-19 is still having an enormous effect upon society, from local communities to multi-billion-dollar corporations. Beyond the exceptionally minor issue of "not enough game consoles for sale," here's hoping that the new year will see us �as a people �gain ground on the long-running pandemic and its h??orrendous? impact on the global community.

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Archaic society looks on in envy

Quebec-based developer Eidos has announced its intention to pivot to a four-day working week. The new policy, which comes into effect at the studio's Montreal and Sherbrook offices, has been implemented in hopes that it will improve the physical and mental well-?being of its employees �offering better options for maintaining a clearer work/life balance.

"The idea is not to condense the working hours into 4 days, but rather to review our ways of doing things and our quality time invested, with the aim of working better," said Eidos studio head David Anfossi. "Above all, we want to increase the productivity and well-being of our employees. Concretely, we want to reduce the ??time at work, but increase the quality of this time invested, whether it’s on a team-basis or for the studio as a whole. A promising right balance? for everything!"

The 32-hour working weeks will see the studios close?? their doors on Fridays. No working conditions nor employee salaries will be altered, despite the reduction in work hours. Eidos' move c??omes at a time of great turbulence for not only the games industry, but all industry in general, as increasing work pressure, consistent reports of burnout, and the industrial upheaval brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has seen global workplaces and employees thrown into turmoil.

While several indie developers have already pivoted to shorter working weeks, Eidos is one of the first of the bigger, AAA studios to make this change for its employees. The video game industry is awash in negative press from the incredible pressure put upon development teams, and Eidos decision �that feels bold when it? shouldn't be �is a step in the right direction for both redressing the balance and keeping its staff safer, healthier, happier, yet as productive.

H??ere??'s hoping other developers, perhaps the working world as a whole, follows this evolutionary direction.

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Chip production strife still plaguing industry

As we approach the first full year of gaming's ninth generation, antsy players are still struggling to obtain their shiny new next-gen consoles of choice. Unfortunately, according to Phil Spencer, the industry is not out of the woods ??yet in regards to these frustrating hardware availability woes.

Speaking in an interview on The Wrap's podcast, (transcribed by VGC), Microsoft's VP of Gaming noted that the industry is yet to recover from its shortage of key components required to build powerful consoles such as Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. The production shortage is a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, w??hich has slowed down ??general manufacture across the globe in almost all industries. Hardware developers are making efforts to increase their output of the much-needed chipsets, but with the world still gripped by the coronavirus, this is easier said than done.

"When I think about, what does it mean to get the parts neces??sary to build a console today, and then get it to the mark?ets where the demand is?" said Spencer. "There are multiple kind of pinch points in that process. And I think regretfully it’s going to be with us for months and months, definitely through the end of this calendar year and into the next calendar year."

"The thing that’s most disappointing is just the fan disappoi?ntment. People really want th??is new generation of consoles �they’re good consoles, both from us and the other platform holders—and they want the new functionality. We’re working hard to bring them to market but it’s going to be a challenge that we’ll work through for quite a while."

The COVID-19 pandemic has incurred a psychological effect in regards to the passage of time. And it feels incredible enough that Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 are already approaching their respective anniversaries. Hopefully, as 2022 rolls around, the industry will improve its production output at a smoother �and more importantly, healthier �rate. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nigh-on irreparable damage in facets of life, further elongated by selfish attitudes and poor advice. While gaming is the least of society's concerns right now, here??'s to hoping that some sense of normalcy will return soon.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer says console supply shortages will ??continu??e in 2022 [VGC]

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European offices to adapt flexible workspace schedule

European game developer Dontnod Entertainment has announced that it will introduce permanent "work-from-home" options for its workforce. The developer �whose releases include Tell Me Why, Vampyr, and Life is Strange 2 �will offer its employees a variety of options with which to balance their time spent working either at home or in Dontnod's Paris and Montreal studios. Employees who choose office-based work will still be allocated seve?ral work-from-home days.

Many workplaces were pushed into work-from-home scenarios due to the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While a lot of workplaces have since returned to pre-pandemic formats, many employers found that the shift resulted in a similarly (or more) efficient workplace, with the ??added bonus of offering better mental health and less travel stress for those who preferred the home environment. Dontnod is the latest company to c??onsider these alternative working options as the business world struggles to regain a sense of balance and normalcy in the pandemic's second year.

"As a human-oriented company, it was the obvious choice to accelerate the implementation of the Fully Remote Organization (FROG) scheme, initially conceptualized before the health crisis began," said the studios in a press release. "A referendum was held internally in October 2020 t??o gather feedback on FROG, which was favored by 87% of Dontnodians."

"Keeping a social link i??s essential in times of extend??ed teleworking and remains a real challenge today for a studio of more than 250 employees. The well-being of our employees is and has always been paramount, and FROG empowers all team members to work in the best possible conditions for them, according to their lifestyles and ways of working."

An added bonus from Dontnod's new initiative com??es in the form of remote staff applications, allowing the studio to widen its scope of possible emplo?yees, rather than just limiting them to the areas immediately surrounding the studio.

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Organizers hope to return to Cologne in summer 2022

Last week's Gamescom 2021 event was viewed by an amazing 13 million viewers, smashing the precedent set by last year's event. Gamescom was once again held in an online capacity, as the world continues to battle the COVID-1?9 pandemic.

On Thursday, August 26, over 5.8 million viewers tuned in to the 150-minute Opening Night Live stream, once against hosted by The Game Awards Geoff Keighley. The stream featured the official reveal of Volition's Saints Row reboot, as well as new footage from upcoming releases such as Death Stranding: Director's Cut, Outlast Trials, and Marvel's Midnight Suns. The viewership increased 30% on last year's stream, which previously peak?ed at two million viewers.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D9T_vK2CjE

Following on from the success of ONL, Gamescom continued to pull in viewers over the following days with a string of interviews, Q&As, and workshop ??panels. The Awesome Indies stream doubled its audien??ce from 2021, with over half a million viewers, while over 15,000 people took part in Gamescom's Indie Arena Booth event �an interactive virtual space that showcased a selection of upcoming and current releases.

My personal favorite moment from Gamescom 2021 took place during Opening Night Live, where Keighley was faced with a mural of 20 recognizable Star Wars characters, and only name-checked Jar Jar Binks.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgasSvbP26I&t=3s

Gamescom organizers have already unveiled their intention to return to the regular stomping ground of Cologne, Germany for next year's event, currently scheduled for the week of August 24, 2022. The tentative plan is to hold Gamescom 2022 as a hybrid online/live show, which is very likely to be a format adopted by much of the industry once the world begins its efforts to rebuild a sense of normality. Of course, there are no guarantees of any such timeframe, but the success of Gamescom clearly shows that developers, publishers, and fans are starting to adapt to international industry events in the new and necess??ary digital format.

Digital-only Gamescom attracted 13 million view??ers [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Console developer allies with experts to encourage vax program

This past weekend, Microsoft's Xbox took to social media in order to encourage its 16-million strong player base to register for the COVID-19 vaccine. The industry giant used its huge media reach in an effort to dispel misinformation and urge users to join the ongoing global vaccination program �battling t??he devastating illness that has claimed over 4.5 million lives to date.

Xbox teamed with the United States' Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to offer up information on the vaccine's effectiveness in hospitalized patie?nts vs. those who have been admitted to hospital without the vaccine. Testimony from CDC President Dr. Judy M??onroe and Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Jay Butler, was also printed in efforts to combat the conspiracy theories that have been allowed to fester and thrive within social media.

"The COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S. are highly effective at preventing severe disease and death, including against the Delta variant," states a series of tweets from the official Xbox acc?ount "As it stands, u??nvaccinated people are most at risk to? contract and spread the virus."

"To dispel some common COVID-19 vaccine myths: the vaccines don't contain microchips or magnets, they don't alter your DNA, they don't give you COVID-19, and there is no evidence they have any impact on pregnancy or fertility. To maximize protection from COVID-19 and the Delta va?riant, the CDC recommends wearing a mask, hand washing, and getting fully vaccinated."

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for distribution among the populace. As hospital beds across the United States continue to fill up with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients (around 99% of all current COVID patients), the government called upon companies with large social media followings to take part in a nationwide drive to encourage the country's citizens to rece?ive the vaccine.

X??box urges its users to get vaccinated and dispels conspiracy theories [VGC]

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Close-quarters combat

This weekend saw the toughest digital pugilists on the planet battle it out in the latest iteration of the legendary Evolution Championship Series �colloquially referred to as simply "Evo." Some of the world's best fought it out on some of the market's finest scrappers, including Bandai Namco's Tekken 7 and Dragon Ball FighterZ, Capcom's Street Fighter V, Arc System Works' Guilty Gear Strive, and Autumn Games' Skullgirls.

Evo 2021 was held in an online capacity, as the world continues to battle against the plight of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was just one of many tournaments/industry events that have been forced to switch it up as society continues in its efforts to remain safe and socially distanced wherever possible. At the conclusion of the weekend, however, it was officially announced that Evo fully expects to return to its regular stomping ground of Las Vegas for Evo 2022, which will take place on the weekend of August 5-7??, 2022.

"We have loved the competition through our online events, but nothing beats live, in-person tournaments between players from around the world," reads an official announcement on Twitter. "I??t has been too long since we have experienced the spirit of the? FGC in person together. Evo is back in Las Vegas."

Evo 2022 will be the first in-person Evo tournament held since the brand was purchased by Sony Interactive Entertainment earlier this year �though Sony has reiterated that the purchase will not affect any allowance for rival platforms and their games. It will also be the first in-person Evo event since the controversies of 2020, when charges of sexual misconduct were leveled at the promotion's long-time CEO Joey Cuellar, leading to the cancellation of Evo 2020 entirely. As such, both SIE and the Evo board will no doubt be hoping to make ??a huge "comeback" in 202??2, and the fighting game community should expect an event with a helluva lot of pomp and circumstance as Evo attempts to restamp its mark on the esports scene.

Evo 2022 is scheduled to take place August 5-7, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV. While the venue was not announced, one would assume the event will return to the Mandalay Bay Conv??ention Center, which has hosted the tourney for many, many years.

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Industry event set to return in March 2022

The organizers of the annual Game Developers Conference, Informa Tech, have announced that it fully expects to hold GDC 2022 as a live, in-person event when the trade show returns in March 20??22. ?The conference will once again be held at its regular haunt: the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

GDC 2022 is expected to be a return to form for the annual developer conference, which was held in an online capacity for the years 2020-2021 �one of many, many industry events canceled or forced online due to the ong?oing COVID-19 global pandemic. Informa Tech has not declared whether it intends to retain any form of its online/virtual components once GDC returns in its original physical form. A slight submission window for next year's event will be open from August 3-31.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still wreaking havoc across the globe, despite a major increase in the vaccinated populace. As ?science and the public attempt to come to grips with the vaccination program, various COVID-19 variants, and efforts to return business, travel, and general living to any sense of "normalcy," as an international community we will be struggling with COVID-19 �albeit in a decreased capacity �into ??2022 and beyond. Whether shows such as GDC, E3, gamescom, SDCC, and many others will be fit to return "same as before" remains to be seen.

GDC 2021 is currently taking p??lace this week in an online capacity.

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Annual SGDQ event smashes last year's total

For many years now, I've written articles on the coming of, the start of, and the conclusion of a variety of GDQ events. And despite having hit these headlines over and over, they're never any the less heartwarming, any the less amazing, and any the less important. Once again, Summer Games Done Quick has knocked it out of the park, raising a staggering $2.8 million USD fo??r a very worthy cause, all thanks to the hard work, tenacity, and generosity of the video gaming community.

Following a week of awesome challenges, lightning-fast speedruns, and tool-assisted chicanery, the curtain fell on this year's SGDQ, which was once again held online due to COVID-19 restrictions. But even without the in-house audience or the faithful surroundings of Minnesota's Double Tree Hilton, the SGDQ 2021 team, a global network of speedrunners, and a faithful home audience still came through, donating a grand total of $2,897,704, beating out last year's total by almost half a million dollars. Fantastic.

The proceeds will go directly to medical organization Medicins Sans Frontieres, a global network that dispatches healthcare, resources, ??supplies, and medical professionals wherever it is needed on this green Earth, regardless of race, creed, or religious persuasion. Of course, given the tragedy of the global pandemic, healthcare charities such as MSF need our help now more than ever, and this money will certainly offer a boost to the non-profit organization's global network.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3AJkGdSt4Q&t=1s

SGDQ 2021 saw wildly entertaining runs on a gamut of classic and modern-day releases. Onstream this year were modern hits such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Last of Us, Streets of Rage 4, and Dark Souls alongside a huge selection of classics including Batman: The Video Game, Super Punch-Out!!, Silent Hill 2, Sonic 3, and Deus Ex. If you missed any of the week's action, no worries, as each and every run is now available to view on demand �bookmarked over on the official GDQ VOD page. One highlight of note is Harvrd's unique, brain-breakeing GeoGuessr run.

Even in the darkest of times, video game fans shine brightly. I know, I know, I say this every year �which is merely a testament to its truth. We hear so much negativity about t?he industry and those within it, from the local bedroom up to the highest of boardrooms. But, like every element of society, there are more than enough passionate, caring, dedicated, and proud individuals within our favorite pastime. The GDQ event remains a standard for showing off video games, and the people who play, at their most selfless. Congratulations to the GDQ staff and the runners themselves for another incredible week.

The next GDQ event will be all-women's speedrunning showcase Flame Fatales, which will take ?place August 15-21. Awesome Games Done Quick will return January 9-16 2022.

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It's summertime and the living is speedy

Because this has been the fastest year in the history of time, we are just one short month away from one of gaming's most exciting annual events: Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ). The charity speedrun marath??on will once again see some of the best game players from across the globe gather on?line to dazzle and astound with their finely honed (and sometimes especially sneaky) skills.

As we're not quite out of the COVID-19 pandemic yet, the schedule calls for SGDQ 2021 to be held in an online capacity once again. We can still tune in for a week's worth of gaming action, offering our support while making donations for a worthwhile cause. This year's beneficiary is once again global healthcare network Medicins Sans Frontieres, an organization that (understandably) needs our help now more than ever. Last year saw the GDQ team raise an awesome $2.3 million USD, so they'll no doubt?? be looking to break that r??ecord.

The Games Done Quick team has released the schedule for this year's event, which is loaded for bear with fantastic titles old and new. Making an appearance will be Nintendo's Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Super Mario Odyssey, Guerilla Games' Horizon Zero Dawn, Capcom's Devil May Cry V, Dotemu's Streets of Rage 4, and Fromsoft's PS5 remake of Demon's Souls. This is but a tiny sele??ction of the array of amazing games waiting on deck, so be sure to peep the SGDQ 2021 schedule and look out for some of your favorites.

Summer Games Done Quick 2021 kicks off Sunday, July 4, and will run until Sunday, July 11. You can follow all of the action over on the official GDQ Twitch channel. I can't wait!

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Cblogs of 5/29 to 6/4/2021

-Shibboletho writes about the struggles of limited time to play video games and how that creates a wish for a non??-e??xistent "perfect" game that will be a perfect utilization for that spent time.

-Shoggoth2588 unveils June's Band of Bloggers prompt which will be about Character Customization in games.

-Zalno features the game that protected his sanity during th?e COVID-19 isolation.

-Cygnus Rush 961 responds to May's Band of Bloggers prompt by writing abou??t the photo mod??e in some famous racing games.

-Siflox Gaming reviews Apex Legends on the Nintendo Switch.

-Black Red Gaming highlights their? mo??st anticipated game releases in June.

-Shoggoth2588 shares their May 2021 gaming journal.

-Egg&Brewsterjr writes about the original Castle of Illusion and its surprising PC Remake.

-Mr Knives thinks the best part about?? E3 is the many rumors around it.

-Black Red Gaming reviews Biomutant on the PC.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Battletoads and the music of Cheryl Lynn.

-Mik3y discusses their favorite Star Wars game and comic series.

-ABowlOfCereal continues making balancing suggestions for Guardian Tales, this time focusing on the Warrior class.

-ChronoLynxx opens this week's TGIF community forum.

Thanks to our readers for the great blogs and to Lord Spencer for providing us with the recap. We really appreciate how many of you wrote ?for our Cblogs even during this turbulent week on site. Normal service will be resumed ASAP, and we intend to continue both recaps and front page promotions going forward, your words are always valued!

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SNK sequel needs more time in training

SNK has announced that its upcoming tag-team scrapper The King of Fighters XV will no longer meet its expected 2021 release date. In a very brief message on its official blog, the developer stated that it has rescheduled? the sequel's launch to the first quarter of ??2022.

"The development timeline we set out to reach in the beginning has been affec??ted by the ever-still rising cases of COVID-19 within Japan" explains SNK. "We have made the ultimate decision in the end that the product’s?? quality must come first, and so with that decision comes an altered release window."

"We sincerely ask for your kind patience and understanding as our development teams continue to work hard on KoF XV as we draw closer to its release."

The 15th mainline entry in what has become the old-school studio's flagship fighting franchise, The King of Fighters XV will once again see a huge roster of combatants �representing SNK's storied history in the fight game �team up for a global 3-on-3 tournament. The roster will include a bevy of series veterans such as Kyo Kusanagi, Leona Heidern, and Mai Shiranui, as well as some latter-day KoF stars like Shun'ei and Meitenkun.

KoF XV will retain the modern 2.5D style of its predecessor, and will feature both internally produced rollback netcode, as well as what SNK is calling the most fun and engaging story mode in KoF history.

The King of Fighters XV w??ill now launch in Q1 2022 on unspecified platforms.

//twitter.com/SNKPofficial/status/1399??90862??8815962113?s=20

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Over 60 releases planned for the period 2022-2024

Publisher Take-Two Interactive has released its financial report for the fiscal period ending March 2021, revealing that the Grand Theft Auto publisher raked in a staggering, record-breaking revenue of $3.73 billion USD over the course of the past?? year.

Recurrent spending is the main driver of Take-Two's profits, with 68% of revenue coming from the communities of ongoing releases such as Grand Theft Auto Online and NBA 2K21, as well as microtransaction heavy mobile titles such as Borderlands 3, Two Dots, and WWE SuperCard. GTA Online was particularly successful, with a record number of player??s jumping into the MMO?? over 2020, and in-game spending up 30% on the previous year.

"We believe that the pandemic initiated a transformational shift in entertainment consumption, revealing the possibilities of interactive entertainment to a much broader market, with interactive entertainment becoming the number one entertainment vertical," said Take-Two in its report. "We anticipate that the overall addressable? market for our industry will be notably larger going? forward than it was pre-pandemic. However, as the world returns to a new normal, we expect a moderation of the trends that benefitted our industry over the past year."

An unsurprisingl??y robotic reflection of the past year's horribleness.

Take-Two has also offered a summation of its plans for the coming years, which will see the publisher lead much harder into new releases. Between the years 2022 and 2024, Take-Two expects to have launched arou??nd 62 games, 19 of which it describes as "immersive core" releases. Interestingly, seven of those titles are said to be sports-related, which will put Take-Two in direct competition with Electronic Arts, who itself is seemingly engaged in a strong push to sew up as much of the lucrative sports market as possible.

Take-Two's next major release will be the next-gen re-release of Grand Theft Auto V on PS5 and Xbo??x Series X. Now seven years old??, Rockstar's magnum opus remains one of the greatest-selling games of all time, having sold over 140 million copies since its initial launch in 2013. The number is only set to grow and grow once Franklin and friends return come November 11.

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You won't catch 'em all at Walmart

Citing "safety concerns for customers and staff," two major U.S. retailers have temporarily halted the sale of Pokémon trading ca?rds in-store, following numerous altercations, mass panic-buying, and scenes of physical and verbal violence.

Target is restricting the sale of Pokémon cards (as well its NFL, NBA, and MLB trading card brands) to its online store, removing the sought-after decks from the shelves of its physical outlets. Speaking to Bleeding Cool, Target said it was exercising "an abund??ance of caution" following a May 7 incident where a gun was brandished in a Target parking lot, reportedly ov??er a sports trading card dispute.

Target is the second retailer to take action due to a sudden surge of interest in trading card sales. Several Wal-Mart outlets have also removed Pokémon and other trading cards from their shelves, following aggressive customer interactions. As reported by Nintendo Life, fast-food franchise McDonald's was forced to rethink its strategy involving the distribution of Pokémon-themed Happy Meals, after adults turned up to restaurants and purchased the children's boxed? lunches in abundance.

It is believed the interest spike has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic keeping many retailers closed or restricted, limiting the sales of in-store products and also driving up prices on the scalpers' market. In addition, the pandemic has affected the industry's production and distribution line, creating further scarcity for trading cards in general. Earlier this year, The Pokémon Company addressed the card shortage, and has been reprinting se?ts "at maximum capacity" in order to appease impatient collectors.

Pokemon cards pulled from Target an??d Walmart due to safety concerns [Eurogamer]

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Chips Challenge

In a private briefing with investors, Sony has reportedly told shareholders that it expects the short supply woes currently bothering its PS5 hardware to continue for the foreseeable future, through?out 2021 and leading into 2022.

While the PS5 has gotten off to an incredibly strong start sales-wise — even beating out the launch numbers of the previous generation's PS4 — a shortage of manufacturing components hangs heavy over the industry, with Sony expect demand to far exceed that of production. According to a report by Bloomberg, Sony Japan has openly addressed this problem in a meeting held not long afte?r the release of?? its latest financial earnings report.

"I don’t think demand is calming down this year and even if we secure a lot more devices and produce many more units of the PlayStation 5 next year, our supply wouldn’t be able to catch up with demand," Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki reportedly told investors "We have sold more than 100 million units of the PlayStation 4 and considering our market sha?re and reputation, I can’t imagine demand [for PS5] dropping easily."

The shortage of PS5 consoles is, essentially, a two-pronged attack on customers. At the supply level, a lack of internal components is causing slow production of the physical console itself, while at ??the retail level, customers have struggled in battles with scalpers and multi-buyers to bag what little hardware hits the market. Add to the mix production delays and distribution issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and it's easy to see why all major publishers — not just Sony — are struggling to get their wares ?into the hands of the public.

Sony has shipped over 7.8 million PlayStation 5 units since its release in November 2020. The corporation forecasts to have sold 14.8 million consoles by the en?d of the current fiscal year.

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Keighley and Co. will return August 25

The German Games Industry Association has officially confirmed that Gamescom 2021 will? follow a fully digital streaming format this summer, abandoning previous plans to showcase this year's iteration as a hybrid online/physical event.

Previously, Gamescom had hoped that the situation regarding the global COVID-19 pandemic would have settled enough to allow for a small-scale live show. But despite the global rollout of vaccines and steadily declining infection numbers, the organizers have decided that it remains too late-in-the-day for companies to commit to travel and marketing plans, as well as designing programs and displays for the show floor. Thus the dec?ision was made to replicate 2020's o?nline-only format.

"Together with game — The German Games Industry Association, we have put all our energy into making Gamescom 2021 in a hybrid format possible for fans and industry alike," said Koelnmesse CEO Oliver Frese. "However, even though the hybrid concept w??as very well received by the partners, we had to recognize that Gamescom still comes too early for many companies in the industry due to the required planning reliability."

Gamescom 2021 will kick off on August 25 with Geoff Keighley's Opening Night Live stream. From there, Gamescom will run until the evening of August 27, showcasing a sl??ew of announcements, trailers, developer interviews, Q&A's, and much, much more. This year's event will also see the debut of "Gamescom Epix", a community-driven experience that will allow viewers to team up for "quests" on social media?? and the new-and-improved Gamescom hub.

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Have you secured a PS5 yet?

Sony has stated that it is making efforts to increase production on its tough-to-find next-gen hardware, PlayStation 5. Speaking in an interview with Nikkei Business (as translated by VGC) CEO Jim Ryan talked of the issues Sony faced has in both the manufacture and ??worldwide distribution of the new console, already six months into its lifespan.

"There are several reasons why PS5 was hard to come by," said Ryan. "Supply under the new coronavirus was very complica??ted, and we had to limit distribution to online. The supply and demand for semiconductors is also tight worldwide. We are asking our suppliers to allow us to increase production, which will flow into the market this year."

It's a surprisingly paradoxical situation, as while the PS5 has been a difficult console to purchase in almost all global territories, Sony's fancy new box has still bagged the title of fastest-selling console in U.S. history, with an estimated 4.5 million units sold in 2020 and well over six million units sold in total. In regards to software, PS5 is still struggling to get out of the starting blocks, with Housemarque's upcoming Returnal being? the ??brand's first major exclusive in months.

Ryan also touched upon this subject of exclusive games, stating his belief that the PS5 platform would eventually see more "more dedicated software than ever before", while not ruling out the possibility of further studio acquisitions. It has been a staggered start for gaming's new dawn, more so than even previous gens. But with each new generation, console lifespans only increase — and as such it remains very early days for PlayStatio??n 5.

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Organizer addresses 'paid E3 content' rumors

The Entertainment Software?? Association (ESA) has addressed reports that it will be hiding content from its upcoming E3 2021 experience behind a "Premium Package" paywall, which was rumored to be offering demos and other content for an "entrance" fee of sorts.

News outlet VGC originally reported that it had spoken with sources within the industry who had indeed been offered a "paid access" E3 experience. But following the publishing of said report, The ESA contacted VGC - and also took to social media - to declare that "that there will be ??no elements at E3 2021 that will be behind a pai??d-for pass or paywall." and that everyone will be able to tune into the online event free-of-charge.

2021 is a vital year from the long-running industry show. E3 has been held annually in Los Angeles since 1995, and for decades has been considered the premier industry show. But the modern proliferation of the internet, the rise of social media, and the simplicity of live streaming has led many majo??r publishers to hold their own showcases online, a?way from the hustle and bustle of the event.

This reached a peak in 2020, where the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of E3 for the first time in decades, forcing many in the industry to go it alone with their summer marketing, inevitably finding it an easier and cheaper option than rolling out to the L.A. Convention Center every June. With the pandemic unfortunately still in effect today, and the live E3 iteration cancelled for a second year running,? The ESA faces an uphill battle in keeping the annual event both relevant and necessary in the mode?rn climate.

E3 will likely never be able to return to the heralded position it previously maintained for over 20 years. Last year demonstrated to publishers large and small that it is possible to go it alone and still have the eyes and ears of the world on your products. And while E3 will continue to exist - and is likely to return as a reinvented live experience - the industry has already begun to adapt to a market without that "one golden week" of summer advertising, for better and worse.

E??3 2021 is scheduled to take place between June 12-15?.

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