It's about time PlayStation put games preservation at the forefront

As the games industry continues to get older, and suddenly hundreds of games are being lost to history, the conversation surrounding games preservation has become more and more prevalent. Plenty of fans and academics are willing to take on the challenge, but copyright laws make it difficult. While Xbox and Nintendo have made strides toward preservation (as minimal as they may be), PlayStation hasn't much ventured into the discipline �until now. PlayStation dev Garrett Fredley to??ok to Twitter to ??announce his new job title of Senior Build Engineer, specifically "working as one their initial hires for the newly created Preservation team."

//twitter.com/SomeCronzaGuy/sta??tus/15186?16882357571586

Over the years, Microsoft has worked hard to make games backward compatible for its newest consoles, and Nintendo is working on releasing more catalogs of its classic games to the public. Sony is finally catching up a bit by at least allowing fans to get access to PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games on PS5 with the new PS Plus Premium subscription, but they're also only doing so after the decision to close the PSP digital store.

I kind of get the vibe that everyone's trying to find ways to make money off of this, and maybe this is a controversial opinion, but I think that game companies should be devoted to making ?all of their games accessible to the public, at the very least not making them any more expensive than the?ir equivalent retail price.

Fredley sounds pretty thrill?ed about the position, sta?ting in the tweet that "games preservation was [his] first career passion." Good for you, guy! Sony hasn't announced any other details about the new department, but I am also pretty excited about this development.

Games preservation is becoming more and more crucial by the year as we lose access to old softwar?e, or as old hardware is literally deteriorating. Video games are still a relatively young medium, and as we're quickly approaching the point where huge numbers of titles are no longer playable, so it's important that companies that creating pipelines in order to prioritize the preservation of their own history.

I'm w??ith Fr??edley on this one �this stuff is important. Godspeed, my dude.

//www.tiktok.com/@destructoid/video/7094005609313406213?is_from_webapp=1&sender_??device=pc&;web_id=7052788164067706373

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Once more, with feeling

Gunfire Games has earned a reputation as The Darksiders Studio. It's a fair read on the situation. Vigil Games created the first two Darksiders titles before being resurrected as Gunfire Games (the whole THQ bankruptcy jammed a lot of things up) and making the third Darksiders. Even though the upcoming prequel, Darksiders: Genesis, is developed by Airship Syndic?ate, G??unfire is most certainly the stewards of the series.

That's why there's a singular place everyone's mind goes when Gunfire mentions it's working on an unannounced game. It's what's happening right now. Gunfire has a job listing for a combat designer for a "top-of-class triple-A" game. It could be anything, but it could also be Darksiders 4.

All that to say it's actually a little unfair to assume Gunfire must be working on more Darksiders. It has far more non-Darksiders games to its credit. Many are VR titles from that 2015(ish) time when most everyone had a VR project. But its most recent release, Remnant: From the Ashes from j?ust a few months ago, is a new property that has a heavy emphasis on c?ombat.

Maybe this is all just an exercise in positive thinking and well-wishing something into existence. If you can believe it, you can achieve it-type stuff. Strife is the last of the Horsemen though, and there's a certain harmony to them each having their own game -- especially since Genesis splits the spotlight between Strife and War. Chris is already asking whether you're up for Darksiders 5 through 9, the Rian Johnson years. I don't mean to cause any internal -- ahem -- strife, but let's put our pants on one leg at a time. Give us Darksiders 4.

Combat Designer [Gunfire Games]

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Switch or Steam copies, ho!!

Navigate the horrors of the intergalactic corporate world and enter our contest for Godly Corp!

I will never, ever let the torch go out on weird games. I've covered this one before in Getting Weird with Wes, and now it's back to ha??unt your eyes and ears and hands and brains!

We've got some copies of Godly Corp to giv?e away to you guys. Run the galaxy with your weird tentacles for Steam or Switch!

Godly Corp puts you in the shoes (and?? I'm pretty sure there are a lot of them) of an intern tasked with making the universe run. Good news: You're omnipotent and can basically do anything you want. Bad news: You're also a Cthulhu-esque abomination with tentacles, and basically everything was designed for human hands. Seems like a pretty large oversight. Fight your way through the randomness of the universe as you deftly guide your strange, red appendages throu?gh the various mundane tasks that go along with a desk job.

I guess i??ntergalactic desk ??jobs are basically the same as Earth-based ones. I kinda wish I had tentacles, though.

To enter to win, comment below telling us what you'd do if you ha?d ?tentacles. Challenge Mode: Don't bring up hentai. EXTRA CHALLENGE MODE: You can't use the word "the." Bonus points if you avoid the letter "e" entirely.

We have five Steam and three NA Switch keys to give away. Winners will be drawn on Friday, May 24. Make sure to comment using a Dtoid account with your current email address on file. New users can sign up here to participate in unneces??sarily convoluted contests??!

Godly Corp is available now for Switch and PC. You can check out our sister sites, Nintendo Enthusiast and PC Invasion, for more chances to win!

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You have to tell us what it is!

British video game studio Rocksteady, the developer beyond the critically and fan-acclaimed Batman: Arkham series, are currently advertising for t??eam members to work on their next major release.

Accordi??ng to the official Rocksteady website over 20 vacancies - both two-year temporary and permanent positions - are to be filled by applicants working on a "highly-anticipated AAA title" which is in development for "next generation platforms".

Rocksteady has dropped teasing comments about their next release previously, giving away flat zero in terms of brands, genres or licences, but the developer did confidently?? state that peo??ple would "lose their minds" when the new project was ultimately revealed. Given the success of the excellent Arkham titles, plus the current fanaticism over Marvel's Spider-Man, odds are good th?at Rocksteady will return to the comic-book genre for their mysterious new game.

All that's left now is the waiting...

Rocksteady open various positions for "h?ighly-anticipated AAA title" [Rocksteady]

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Maybe it's time to put that chicken dinner on your LinkedIn profile?

Long gone are the days when playing computer games was seen as the reserve of teenagers or people with less "respectable" hobbies. People from all walks of life enjoy sitting down with their favourite console or indulging in some PC gaming, and explaining to your coworkers that you spent all weekend powering through Far Cry 5 doesn't attract the same l?ooks of derision or confus??ion as it perhaps once did.

What's more, it's widely accepted that a person's hobbies can make them more suited to certain types of employment, through the wonderful world of "transferable skills". While I wouldn't suggest putting your burning passion for League of Legends on your CV for real, it is interesting to think about how?? our interactive shared hobby hones our various skill sets. So, which talents can you improve or forge for the first time by being a gamer? I've selected just a handful of these skills and explained why they are so useful below.

1. Being able to solve puzzles under time pressure

Most games really are just a big puzzle that you have to pick apart and solve, but some games use concrete riddles are part of their gameplay. And it spans all different genres – Ratchet and Clank has its door-opening puzzles where you have to use mirrors to align beams, while Silent Hill and Resident Evil are both famous for building tension through a gruesome mix of monsters and brain-teasers. Some of these puzzles are head-scratchers to matc??h any Sud?oku book, and can really improve your critical and logical thinking – as long as you don't reach for a guide every time.

The idea for this entire piece actually came from digging back into Catherine yesterday. That is a game where you cannot brute force or cheat your way through puzzles: the blocks are falling fast, and you have to react quickly or die. A lot of jobs call for thinking up solutions with next to no time, and I think a few sessions climbing up the Tower of Babel can actually be good practice for thinking on your feet. And hey, at least if everything falls down around your ears when trying to solve problems in real life, you're not stuck in an otherworld nightmare running away from butt babies or murderous brides, ay?

2. Juggling complicated ethical choices

We all know right from wrong, without having to play games to learn that, right? Well, as many recent games show, morality is more complicated than simply "good" and "bad". Always going the virtuous route can have unintended consequences, and al??ways playing the nice guy can result in getting trampled on. This can extend into the world of work, where we of course all try to react within the boundaries of what is moral, but sometimes, and in some jobs, difficult decisions  have to be made that can have a signific??ant impact on people's lives, no matter what you choose. 

A whole host of games contain intricate and complex morality systems, but the first group that sprung to mind for me were the original Mass Effect trilogy. There's a reason some people went full Renegade, and it wasn't always to be a bad-ass motherplucker. Sometimes being a little tougher on the exterior can get the job done. The SimCity series and many of the Telltale decision tre??e games are also a good exercise in striking the balance between utilitarianism and taking care of the interests of individual people.

3. Perseverance in the face of overwhelming frustration

The new-ish wave of super-difficult games, in which multiple deaths are welcomed as much as they are expected, is a golden opportunity to develop nerves of steel. Many a time, a program will crash on your office computer over and over again, or a process won't work no matter what you try, and the end result is that you want to throw your entire workstation out of the nearest window and start a new career as a travelling busker. But if you've had to replay the same level of a game 30 or 40 times within the space of an hour just to get to the end, then it lowers your ?tension when you hit roadblocks at work.

There are plenty of (super cheap!) games you can try out to deaden your emotional response to stress, but a particularly fun example is Super Meat Boy. If you want to crank the violence up even further, Hotline Miami is a good place to start. Super Hexagon is an extremely infuriating game you can even play on your phone?, for toilet-based anger that doesn't involve a? lunchtime chicken vindaloo. 

4. Working to a long-term plan

If your work is project-based, then chances are, you have to work to short-term, mid-term and long-term goals. Being able to plan in advance and not defaulting to doing everything on the fly is crucial, unless you want to get your final payslip handed to you faster than a stapler sets in jelly.

Inventory management comes to the rescue here – if you've played any sort of survival horror game, you will know that rationing resources is something you can't avoid if you want to live. I recently screwed myself over majorly in Resident Evil 4 by eating through shotgun ammo like nobody's business, then realising I had nothing before than a couple of handgun bullets and a knife at my disposal during my first face-off with Chainsaw Man. Nice going, doofus. The same principle applies to a lot of RPGs: making sure that you have everything you need immediately on your person, and everything you might need two hours later conveniently stowed away, is paramount if you don't want your ass handed back to you in tat??ters.

5. Nurturing a strong stomach

Some jobs require taking a no-nonsense approach to people are their, well, functions, such? as cleaning or nursing. Others involve dealing with the slightly grosser aspects of humanity just by being in close proximity with so many people for eight-plus hours a day. Quite a few games deals in the visceral and the slightly squelchy, and playing a few of those will help toughen you up when it comes to relatively boring human behaviour and biology.

One game that I recently heard was incredibly violent and graphic, even for people used to graphic games, is The Darkness II. But really, a lot of horror games can be of assistance here, whether it is Saw: The Video Game, Outlast or a bog-standard Silent Hill classic. ?Basically anything where you wouldn't want to be tucking into a plate of spaghetti bolognese while playing.

Which skills do you think you've picked up from playing games? How has playing games helped (or even hindered) your work life (e.g. Diner Dash helped you wait tables)? Let me know in the comments down below!

The post The transferable skills in gaming appeared first on Destructoid.

No actual ninjas are on staff

Hello, Internet.

We're l??ooking for some writers for Flixist. If you're the type of person who can string some words together in a coherent sentence, and also enjoys watching movies then we may want you! If you live in LA that would be even better as we've got a host of opportunities for screening movies out there, and no one on staff who lives in la la land.

To apply for a posit??ion we'll want to see what you can do. To get the ball rolling simply send an email to matthew@flixist.com with your basic info and why you want to write for the site. You need to? be 18 to apply. That's in terms of actual age. Most of us on staff never grew up mentally beyond the age of five.

For all those considering applying, please realize that this is a time commitment and while it pays, it is minimal. It is, however, awesomely fun, and you'll learn the secret handshake that everyone who writes fo??r Niero knows. So that's nice.

The post Join the Flixist staff and revel in the myste?rious world of ninjas appeared first on Destructoid.

Tumblr artists listen up

Earlier this year we told you about Kimochi Red Light, the crowdfunding site dedicated to those sexy games you see advertised on less scrupulous websites. That was back in February and honestly, things aren't looking so hot for the service. It has just one campaign going right now, a VR game ?that will sync up with special sex toys. Running through its brief listing of past projects reveals more failures than successes.

From the Advance Wars-like with fucking to the Fallout Shelter-like with fucking to a goddamn clicker with fucki??ng, the service has drawn a hodgepodge of campaigns for games that are like the ones we play, but with fucking. It could certainly use more though. A single campaign, one gunning for $50k, isn't exactly a sign of a thriving market. Starting today, that could change.

Nutaku is starting its own network to bring together game developers and freelancers. Kimochi Classifieds will be a free service whe??re developers can post openings for work on adult-oriented games. Beyond the obvious call for sexy-time artists, the service will also feature postings for programming, level design, music, QA, economy and more. Think of it as UpWork, but no??t as soul-crushing.

Payment for each job is up to the job posters and job applicants. According to the press release, both sides will have to come to an agreement on the terms and timeline of the job and will have to figure out payment method on their own. I? have asked what steps Nutaku will take to protect job posters and t?his is what the team had to say:

While Kimochi Classifieds will not be responsible for payment processing, we condemn any actions that harm the freelance community especially failure to complete payment for work done. We recommend diligent efforts on both sides of the arrangement when developing terms and conditions to include strong language and ?clear timelines of payment. If notified of users abusing the Kimochi platform, they will be banned from accessing what will be a catalyst fo?r the freelance gaming community.

Additionally, the great majority of Development studios o?r publishers looking for talent are o??nes we, Nutaku, have worked with in the past and have strong relationships with. We are confident they wouldn’t risk ruining their relationship with Nutaku and potential for future business by abusing the system or harming the greater freelance community. As a brand committed to the growth of the adult gaming industry, we certainly understand our responsibility to ensure fair play and we will do whatever in our power to ensure all parties are acting appropriate.

We live in the "Gig Economy," so a service like this was only a matter of time. Kimochi Classifieds could be a great opportunity for the people who make those NSFW pictures I see in the Quick Posts on Catgirl Fr?idays to get paid for their smut.

That is if people actually use it.

Nutaku has more than 50 million visitors a month, so obviously, there is a demand f??or 18+ entertainment. What we need now is for people to get serious about it and demand more engrossing experiences outside of the standard visual novels and casual games. Hopefully, bringing together artists and developers scattered across the globe will lead to some fruitful endeavors.

The post Nutaku wants to hook up NSFW game developers and NSFW freelancer??s [Updated] appeared first on Destructoid.

'An unannounced AAA FPS/RPG hybrid with strong characters and central narrative thread'

Borderlands and more recently Battleborn developer Gearbox Software is looking for a new writer. Specifically, a writer for an unannounced AAA game that sure sounds like it could be Borderlands 3.

"Gearbox is looking for someone to join the writing team for an unannounced AAA FPS/RPG hybrid with strong characters and central nar?rative thread.

The successful candidate will join the writing team to write, punch up and iterate scripts in-line with established story and plot outlines. Responsibilities will include writing dialogue for voice-over and in-game te??xt for missions, flavor and user inte??rfaces. A love for comedy writing with respect for a serious underlying plot is helpful."

That sure sounds like Borderlands to me or a game that is incredibly similar. Randy Pitchford said back at PAX West that 90% of Gearbox was working on "the thing you want us to be working on." It's safe to say that comment was in reference to Borderlands 3, but it looks like the wr??iting t??eam needs a little more help.

While we can't say for sure that the listing is for Borderlands, I think we all want it to be. I know I do.

Gearbox job posting [Gearbox]

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'Official [Human] Merchandise'

Job Simulator is still one of the best reasons to own a Virtual Reality rig, and right before the Game Developers Conference (GDC) we got word that creators Owlchemy Labs have teamed up with iam8bit to start selling merchandis??e based on characters and ??artwork from the game. The highlight of the new products has to be the plush Job-bot toy, which not only talks but also glows in the dark.

Job Simulator depicts a universe where humans have been more-or-less replaced by friendly, floating computer monitors called Job-bots. Since the machine intelligences have removed the need for toil, they put together not-entirely-accurate simulations of how humans used to do common jobs, and you play through these simulati??ons in a virtual museum.

In addition to the plush, there are also posters, a T-shirt, an enamel pin, and magnets available. The new products are debuting at GDC, but are also available for sale at iam8bit's website.? You can see pictures of all ?the new merchandise in the gallery below. 

And just for fun, here's what one of the Job Simulator developer??s showed off during GDC. I know I'd love to give it a try.

The post Job Simulator toys?? let you throw stuff at a computer, in or out of VR appeared first on Destructoid.

It's hard to make weapon skins funny

It's been confirmed that Erik Wolpaw, one of the writers behind games like Portal and Left 4 Dead, is no longer working for Valve. Wolpaw and his writing partner, Chet Faliszek, joined Valve after their hugely influential Old Man Murray website was noticed by founder Gabe Newell, and they've helped give Valve's characters much of their humor and personality ever since. Before joining Valve, Wolpaw had written for Double Fine's Psychonauts, and it appears as though he'll continue working on the sequel. Wolpaw had been given permission to work on Psychonauts 2 while still at V?alve, but will no?w be able to devote full time to the project.

The departure was confirmed on Twitter by one of Wolpaw's fellow writers at Valve, Marc Laidlaw. Additionally, Wolpaw's FaceBook page has been updated to show that he's no longe??r a Valve employe??e.

@Wolpaw left Valve so I can now insult him freely without damaging ?the company's reputation. He's a comic genius and a true original.

— Marc Laidlaw (@marc_laidlaw) February 17, 2017

Valve's writing team for the last decade has been top-notch, and if you've ever repeated a meme about fictional cake, sentient bread, or combustible lemons, it??'s likely that Wolpaw had a hand in its creation. Wolpaw had thought he would ??need to leave Valve in the past due to illness, but was given extended leave to recover. It's unknown how his departure will affect any titles Valve is currently working on. 

Erik Wolpaw leaves Valve, for real this time [NeoGAF]

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Job simulator? Whats that?

I started to write this first sentence as "Japan is a country where people really love working, so I'm surprised there aren't more games about working" but then I remembered that RPGs, as much as I love them, are quite a bit like work. Still, you'd expect more actual job simulators. Germany would buy them.

Not an RPG is Tricol's Counter Fight for HTC Vive. Described as a "work simulation," this game gives me some Yoshinoya vibes, but is almost certainly inspired by Job Simulator. You work play (I actually typed "work" instinctively) as a chef at a ramen restaurant, fulfilling various orders of customers, who look like Minecraft characters in Jazzpunk-style art, including different bowls of?? ramen, cooking gyouza, and pouring beer. 

Going through the video I was afraid it would be a standard follow-the-rules game without fail states or being able to do silly things as you can in Job Simulator, such as make intentionally wrong orders or toss things. Luckily good ole J??apanese shenanigans are embraced in this game, as it closes showing the player defending hi?s station from robbers as well as hurling maneki-nekos and beer at everyone including the players personal Chinese-dress-adorned cheerleader.

Unlike Job Simulator this is the only job available. I'm curious about finer details such as whether or not the working space changes based on the size of your VR play area. It's unfair to keep comparing it to Job Simulator but it's hard not to. Certainly if you have a Vive lay??ing around and you are looking to goof off at work some more this might cure the itch.

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Go to Texas, make an MMO

It looks like The Old Republic developer Bi??oWare Austin is working on an entirely new IP with MMO elements.

In a job listing, Bi?oWare Austin says it is looking for a Senior Lead Server Engineer who has experience in “designing distributed simulation systems, particularly in an MMO or similar online context.” In other words, it wants someone who knows how to make the MMO bit of MMORPG.

The listing claims the work is for a “new, unannounced BioWare IP.” Seeing as BioWare Austin’s only other game is Star Wars: The Old Republic, is t??his a sign that it’s now getting ready for life after the Force?

If so, that will be interesting. I wonder how BioWare will handle an MMO that isn’t constrained by it being part of an already existing universe. It’ll also be cool to see whether it is able to improve on the underwhelming MMO functionality of The Old Republic while maintaining the engaging solo play it had.

So, World of Dragon Age coming in 2018? With the Warlords of Iron Bull’s Meaty Manflesh expansion in 2020? I’m sold.

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Grand Theft Auto dev's grand vacation

Rockstar North studio head Leslie Benzies is no longer with the company, Rockstar confirmed to Kotaku today. Benzies, who joined Rockstar North in 1999 before it was even called Rockstar North, played a large part in the development of the Grand Theft Auto series as lead producer since Grand Theft Auto III.

Following the huge release of Grand Theft Auto V, Benzies went on an understandable sabbatical. That was over a year ago, and it turns out Benzies hasn't been back to the office since. Before going on sabbatical, Benzies bought a church in Scotland for over? &p?ound;500,000 in order to preserve it for the community.

"We can confirm that Leslie Benzies went on sabbatical on September 1, 2014 and has decided not to return to work for t?he company," Rockstar said. "We are very grateful for Leslie’s contributions to Rockstar over the last 15 years as we worked together to make some amazing games. Leslie helped us build an incredible team that will continue to create great experiences for our fans. Leslie will always be a friend to the company and of course we are going to miss him but we wish him the absolute best for the future."

Taking 17 months off work and then quitting is possibly the all-time dopest move ever made and we wish Benzies nothing but the b??est and also for him to let us stay in his cool church if we ever visit Scotland, thanks.

Rockstar North Bo??ss ??Leslie Benzies Is Out After Nearly Two Decades [Kotaku]

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Job listing for unannounced project

Titanfall's coming up on two years old, huh? While all the AI robots toil away on deserted servers, developer Respawn is hard at work on Titanfall 2, which ma?y? find better longevity while no longer an Xbox console exclusive.

But that's not all Respawn is working on, according to a recent job listing for a senior level designer.

"We are now recruiting designers for two game development projects - a new game in the Titanfall universe as well as a new 3rd person action/adventure IP," the listing reads. I imagine the new game is Titanfall 2, unless it's an additional project in Titanfall universe. But what's this third-person action game from a first-person shooter studio with pedigree dating back to Call of Duty? It not being in the Titanfall?????????????????????????? universe means my favorite thing: new IP. Now, what could it be??

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Playtonic is 99% Rare alumni now

Kev Bayliss has one hell of a history in gaming. He was part of some of Rare Software’s biggest games. He was the producer and character designer for Killer Instinct, and also had an integral role in the graphics design for Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox Adventures, and many more. Oh, and he was the voice actor for James Bond in GoldenEye 007.

Now, he’s got a new gig at Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic, a company founded and predominantly staffed by form?er?? Rare people.

Before joining the team as a full-time character artist, Bayliss sporadically contributed to the game with designs such as this really cool ?sk??eleton girl. Talking about his new role, Bayliss said moving closer to Playtonic’s studio was a driving force behind his decision to go full-time:

For the past six months I’ve been travelling up and down the country to spend a couple of days a week with the team, but now I’m in the process of re-locating to work fulltime at Playtonic. This year my wife and I are moving much nearer to where t?he studio is located, and it’ll take me 15 minutes to get into work, rather than two hours. So that means more graphics, and speedier development time!

Of course, exactly what sort of charact?ers he’ll be designi?ng haven’t been announced yet. I’ve never been a fan of Yooka and Laylee’s designs, though. I think they’re kind of bland in comparison to their spiritual predecessors Banjo and Kazooie, so I hope he does to them what he did to Donkey Kong and gives them the decent makeover they deserve.

Trowzer can stay though, I love him. He’s great.

The post Former Rare design??er Kev Bayliss joins Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic appeared first on Destructoid.

Seems to still be making engines

Back in September, Konami’s worldwide technology director Julien Merceron left the company after their reported shift away from AAA development (which no longer appears to be the case). He was the lead architect on Metal Gear Solid V’s mighty impressive?? Fox Engine, so for him to jump ship so soon after the game’?s launch was somewhat of a surprise.

Fortunately, it’s been announced that Mercero?n will be joining Bandai Namco, to do pretty much exactly the same as what he did at Konami. According to the company, Merceron will be developing “core technology for contents and production pipelines for various platforms.” I think that’s the corporate way of saying “he’s making engines.”

Talking about his new position, Merceron said:

I'm extremely excited to be given an op?portunity to make a difference within the amazing Bandai Namco Group, so well-known for its iconic IPs… I'm looking forward to empower the teams I'll be working with and accelerate growth, innovation and creativity. The reach of this group goes well beyond games, it is a true Multimedia and Entertainment Group, so I know I will learn a lot too! Working with so many experienced people and friends and focusing on a wider range of entertainment forms is the chance of a lifetime!

What he’s working on at the moment hasn’t yet been announced. Considering he managed to make something as gorgeous as the Fox Engine at Konami, I’m pretty i?nterested to see what he can do at a more stable company like Bandai Namco.

It’s also nice to hear that more people who were involved with Metal Gear Solid V than just Kojima are landing on their feet after having to deal with Konami&?rsquo;s bullshit.

Fox Engine director Juli?en Merceron joins Bandai Namc??o [Eurogamer]

The post The creator of Metal Gear Solid V’s Fox Engine lands a new job at Bandai Namco appeared first on Destructoid.

Gay cough drops?

His contract officially terminated by Konami, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima just announced his new, independent studio, Kojima Productions, which is partnering with Sony to create its first project. Accordingly, it will be "console exc??lusive" to the PlayStation 4 (and may release on PC).

If you want to get in on the ground floor (and know Japanese, the language the applications are all in) there is also new website for the studi?o, ?which has a "careers" page hiring for just about every facet of video game development, though its expected Kojima also took some Konami employees with him.

There's also this weird letter from Kojima where he writes, "We are Homo Ludens (Those who play)," which explains my sub-headline (best cough drop that doubles as anytime candy). "Even if the earth were stripped of life and reduced to a barren wasteland," [Kojima does love Mad Max - Ed.] "our im?agination and desire t?o create would survive -- beyond survival, it would provide hope that flowers may one day bloom again."

There's also a "???Store" section to the site coming soon, so you can buy crap with that siq logo plastered all over it.

[Update: Pretty standard shirt they're going to sell]

Kojima Productions ultimate logo T😜//t.co/7Jy719mIv8 pic.twitter.com/S3WNhEjP0o

— Ayako (Touchy!) (@Kaizerkunkun) December 16, 2015

The post Kojima Productions is hiring ‘Homo Ludens,’ has a store coming appeared first on Destructoid.

You must like static bags and zip ties

Destiny might be heading to PC.

A job posting on Bungie's website&nbs?p;requires new staff to "evaluate PC hardware-specific features and ensure various systems work together across multiple PC configurations to provide a great experience. This is a challenging area to ??test, so we are only looking for the most resilient and technically minded testers. If you love solving new problems on a continuous basis with an eye for detail, you will love PC Compatibility Test at Bungie."

You also need to be 'calmed' by static bags and zip ties. ?Apparently (Must be a PC Compatibility Tester in-joke I don't understand). Bearing in mind Bungie ain't doing much else besides Destiny-shaped things (and long may this continue, of course), it's only natural to wonder if this might involve bringing Destiny, or Destiny 2, to PCs everywhere.

Let me know if you apply for it!

Destiny players have clocked up over 2 billion hours navigati?ng The Director and going out on Patrol. If it came to PC, would you be tempted to join us?

Destiny Developer Bungie Posts Job Openin???g for PC Compatibility Tester [IGN]

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Oh yeah, I guess Runescape still exists

Allow me to paint you a mental picture. You're a paid moderator for Runescape, an MMO that most people haven't thought about in almost a decade. You have great power, but also great responsibility. You one day grow bored of using your powers to patrol the land maintaining the peace and decide to switch from being a super hero to a maniacal villain. Obviously, your first choice of evil deed is to ruin the in-game economy with ??your magical mod powers.

BUT WAIT!?!?! Developer Jagex runs software that watches changes to?? the live game and manage to spot what you're doing and prevent your evil plan from being achieved. The result, you lose your job.

So yeah, that happened. Here's a statement from Jagex:

"It is with regret that we have some sad and unfortun?ate news to share with you. Today, Mod Reach was dismissed from employment at Jagex, following an investigation into serious misuse of moderator privileges. This was flagged to us by system checks which track and log code changes made to the liv??e game. We were able to intercept the intended changes before anything could impact the game economy."

So, how would you have gone?? about totally abusing your moderator powers?

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Going to Los Angeles to work on a new RocketJump project

Almost five years ago, Anthony Burch went from being a Destructoid staff member to a Destructoid alumnus, moving on to work as a writer at Gearbox Software. On his personal Twitter account this morning, he announced that he would be leaving Gearbox to work on a new series for Hulu produced by Video Game High School studio RocketJump.

In his time at Gearbox, Burch was the lead writer for Borderlands 2 and its downloadable content. He also contributed to Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. He definitely made his voice heard through the characters on Pandora, and while there are plenty out there who resent that, I appreciate what he did to bring the Borderlands universe to life.

Gearbox recently posted an opening for a writer. Though it is not certain that it is related to today's news, I can imagine that the prospect of potentially working on the Borderlands series has? made the position even more attractive.

Uh so I'm moving to LA to be head writer on this show //t.co/rlhtWIQmZm I'll miss Ge?arbox a LOT but uh yeah this could be really fun

— Anthony Burch (@reverendanthony) January 30, 2015

Also there's a not insignificant chance I'll fall on my face and be back at Gearbox in six months sooo don't be sur??prised if that happens

— Anthony Burch (@reverendanthony) January 30, 2015

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Who wants to work with Ken?

In February, Ken Levine (bio)shocked the gaming world by announcing that Irrational Games was shutting down??. Well, sort of. The plan was to lay off the majority of the staff, and continue forward as a small group dedicated?? to creating narrative-driven games.

Ten months after the reveal that 70-some employees would be let go, Irrational's expanding again, but only ever so slightly. The studio recently posted a listing for two new positions -- IT manager and senior programmer. The programmer opening asks for ex??perience in Unr?eal 3 and 4, suggesting that Irrational has its sights set on its next project.

Whatever Irrational's next endeavor is, it's likely that it won't be related to BioShock. Levine said in the past that the property is in the hands of Take-Two, and that the studio will focus on replayable narrative. In his February post, Levine said "If we're lucky, we'll build something half as memorable as BioShock." Well, then let's hope t?hat Irrational's "luck?y."

Careers at Irrational [Irrational Games via CVG]

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Cuts could come as early as this week

Microsoft is beginning its restructuring in the near future, as forecast by CEO Satya Nadella last week in an interview. The reductions will most likely be in engineering, marketing, and areas of overlap with Nokia. The restructuring, which may begin as soon as this week, may end up being the largest in Microsoft history, top?ping the 5,800 jobs? cut in 2009.

Nadella, who took over from Steve Ballmer in February of this year stated that Microsoft would need to become more focused and efficient. Nadella called f?or more emphasis on mobile devices, cloud-computing, and productivity software as consumers move away from personal computing and into mobile computing. Nadella stated that nothing was off the table in thinking about how Microsoft would shift its culture.

While Microsoft has had small, intermittent job cuts from its various departments, the company has only restructured once before at the start of the recession in 2009. Over the course of that ye??ar, the company cut 5,800 jobs, or around five percent of its workforce at the time. Some of the cuts are rumored to be in marketing departments for its global Xbox team.

Much of the restructuring seems to be based around the integration?? and implementation of Nokia and Microsoft's new mobile strategy. Also, with new cloud methods of building software, it often makes sense to have the developers test and fix bugs instead of a separate team of testers. Rumor has it that among th??e job cuts will be some software testers.

Microsoft isn't the first technology company to trim jobs thi?s year. In May Hewlett-Packard Co. after an 11th straight quarter of declining sales CEO Meg Whitman stated that she will eliminate as many as 16,000 jobs on top of 34,000 already cut.

Hopefully, despite the hardship caused by so many j??ob cuts, Microsoft can finally under this leadership team regain their momentum and focus and remain a viable brand for years to come.

Microsoft to Announ??ce Job Cuts as Soon ?as This Week [Bloomberg]

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Age of Empires?

Microsoft plans to begin working on a new strategy title. Not that it made a public announcement or anything, but a job posting on LinkedIn outs its intention??s. The position is for a team lead on a "new AAA title within an established and well-loved strategy game franchise."

Right off the bat, this screams Age of Empires as it's been almost three years since Age of Empires Online launched. That's the safe money, but don't discount the idea of another Halo Wars. It may not be "established", a "franchise", or even necessarily "well-loved", but Microsoft's shown a willingness to do almost anything with the Halo name lately.

Software Development Engineer Lead [LinkedIn via NeoGAF]

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Mentions micro-transactions

Guerrilla Games is hiring, and they say they're looking for online designers for a game they've been working on for a couple of years now. This is for an unannounced IP that will feature "innovative online gameplay." They're looking for folks with online multiplayer experience, asking specifically for applicants with a "proven track record of shipped titles with a significant ??onl??ine focus."

Interesting, right? Perhaps less i??nteresting is that they're considering it a plus if these applicants have worked on games with micro-transactions or "nontraditional recurring revenue models." Free-to-play? Maybe?. 

So, this is likely a non-Killzone game for a Sony system (PS4, duh!) that will be online-heavy and could? have micro-transactions. Here's hoping we hear more at E3. 

Guerrilla job ads h??int at 'significant?? online focus' for new IP [CVG]

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If this is true, then I'm all set for that application I put in

Let's face it, job interviews suck. Actually getting an interview, for me at least, is a minor miracle so it's just as deflating when you have to?? go through the whole process of trying to make yourself sound like a great candidate and answer all the inane questions flung at you. Now if somehow job interviews could take into account my love of videogames, I'd feel a lot less nervous about sitting down for one.

Thankfully that seems to becoming a reality; in an interview with The New York Times, MIT economist Erik Brynjolfsson talked about advising a company that are making videogames to help aid the recruitment screening process. The developers are called Kn??ack and they're creating games that will test candidates' skills, like multi-tasking, or character attributes -- like how easily distracted or focused they are.

Whilst there's a concern that games might disadvantage some applicants who aren't as familiar with games, I'd feel that this might be good way to get some kind of useful data. If you're looking for how someone deals with pressure or a situation where they have to make a snap decision, then a specially tailored game could be a good way to really see that in action, rather than having the straightforward interview where you can just make up any old answer. Hope my next interview has a Spelunky section; I'd ??be a dead cert for that job no dou?bt.

Your Next Job Applica??tion Could Involve a Video Game [The New York Times]

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Meanwhile, former 343 creative director gets promoted

Timothy Longo, creative director behind the Tomb Raider reboot, has made th??e swit??ch from Crystal Dynamics to 343 Industries.

As shown on his LinkedIn profile, Longo is now the new creative director at 343; the studio is currently developing the next Halo game, which may or may not be Halo 5.

With this move, the now-former creative director at 343, Josh Holmes, has be?en given the role of executive produce??r. What a pleasant surprise that must've been.

Timothy Longo & Josh Holmes [LinkedIn via CVG]

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Working on 'unannounced project'

Todd Papy, as some may recall, recently left his position at SCEA Santa Monica (where he worked as game director for God of War: Ascension) without revealing what he'd be up to next, except that he'd?? be relocating to Germany.

Well, a month later, it's been confirmed that Papy is working over at Crytek as game directer on an "unannounced project" after he updated both his Twitter and LinkedIn profiles w??ith the new information, promising more details "...in the future."

Anyone have an idea ??of what this mysterious project could be?

Todd Papy [Twitter via NeoGAF]

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Welcome to Amsterdam

Fallout: New Vegas' lead creative designer, John Gonzalez, has joined the team behind the Killzone franchise over in Amsterdam.

Back in March of 2011, Gonzalez left Obsidian Entertainment and joined Warner Bros. Games where he worked as lead designer for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, a yet-to-be-released RPG prequel to The Lord of the Rings. According to his LinkedIn profile, Gonzalez left WB Games back in August of this year and h??ad join??ed Guerrilla a month later.

As for what Gonzalez is developing with Guerrilla, he's written that he's, "Up to something new. Couldn't be more excited."

Oooh! Let's guess stuff!

Fallout: New Vegas writer joins Guerrilla Games [GamesIndustry]

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More than half of staff 'faces redundancy'

A report in the print version of MCV says that Capcom Europe a??re undergoing a major restructuring, and that more than half of the staff "faces redundancy" with a number of positions merging. 

A Capcom statement to MCV says that they're currently evaluating their structure following reorganization in the United States earlier this ye?ar. 

"Following a restructure at its US operation, Capcom's European organization is currently evaluating its structure to ensure it is in the best position to take advantage of the changing market conditions the industry is facing," said the statement, according to Videogamer.

Capcom has had a bit of a rough year with console game sales on the decline. Lost Planet 3 didn't do that well for them, for example. 

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Anfossi was the executive producer of Deus Ex: Human Revolution

After the surprising resignation of Stephane D'Astous earlier in July, Eidos Montreal have announced that David Anfossi is the new head of the studio. Anfossi was the Executive Producer of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the studio's first game and he'??s been at Eidos Montreal since day one. 

D'Astous left Eidos Montreal citing "irreconcilable differences" between the studio and the European branch of parent company Square Enix, after poor sales expectations of the Tomb Raider, Hitman: Absolution and Sleeping Dogs. With Square Enix announcing a Tomb Raider sequel is in the works, one can only hope that there is a clear strategy at the publisher and that Anfossi won't be distracted from having the studio finish the upcoming Thief. 

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