Bow to the King

There are many great characters in the Tekken series, but few as recognizable as King. The jaguar-masked wrestler has been a staple of Tekken since the series' beginning, delivering high-flying, devastating destruction. And King is looking absolutely fantastic in the latest Tekken 8 gameplay trailer.

Bandai Namco has been gradually spotlight each Tekken 8 combatant with a gameplay trailer of their own, and King is the newest one in the arena. What more do I need to say? It's King. He's got powerful punches, leaping kicks, and chain combos with grapples?? that seem like they do some real, real damage. I spied a taunt of some kind as well, with King baring his chest, daring the opponent to take a swing and find out what happens. The result? Not good for them.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OII3DNh4iaE

There's something electric about the way King plays that's just fun to watch. I'm normally not a grappler player, but King feels a bit more acrobatic than his throw-happy counterparts in games like Guilty Gear or Street Fighter. In the trailer, we can see the new Paul, with much less hair product than usual, getting absolutely demolished by King's kn?ee. It's fantastic.

Whether it's talking it up on the mic or delivering devastating destruction, King always brings it. If there's one constant in Tekken, as even characters like J??in start to change and adapt for Story Purposes, I'm glad it's ?King.

Tekken 8 is currently in development for the PlayStation 5, X??box Series X|S, and PC. No firm release date or window's been locked in yet.

Related: All Characters Confirmed for Tekken 8 on PrimaGames

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Wumpa'd.

Mobile game giant King has announced that it is shutting service for its microtransaction-fuelled title Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! Originally launched in March of 2021 on iOS and Android platforms, Crash and pals will make their final dash? in February 2023, when the servers are shut off permanently.

"Crash fans, it’s with a heavy heart that we inform you on February 16, 2023 we will terminate service for Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!" wrote King in a message on Facebook. "It has meant so much to bring your favourite Crash characters to life and we've sincerely ??loved making this game. Thank you ??for spending your time with us and we hope you will join us in one of our many other games."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KETsS3nkwBw&ab_?channel=IGN

The in-game store is closed, effective immediately, and players are encouraged to use up any of the "Purple Crystals", (On the Run's in-game currency), before the closing date. The news has come as something of a surprise to some in the runner's community, as there had been whispers that On the Run! might actually have been preparing for a full relaunch in the new year. The game had ??previously been delisted from stores, wi??th t??he developer saying that the removal was due to a "bug".

Dedicated fans of the title have also expressed dismay th?at a game they have spent money on over the past 23 months will suddenly be rendered completely unusable. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the risk that comes with frequent spending within modern service titles. Many, many mobile titles have pulled down the blinds on the player communities, regardless of whether the fans are financially invested, and refunds are rarely forthcoming, if ever.

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! is not the first game to call it quits in the early going, and ?it absolutely will not be the last.

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Activision Blizzard employees and contractors declare they 'no longer have confidence' in CEO Bobby Kotick

[Update: Since the publication of this piece, the petition has risen to over 1,000 signatures. The ABK Workers Alliance has also opened a petition for supporters who would like to sign. Our original story follows.]

Over 500 Activision Blizzard employees and contractors have signed a public petition calling for the removal of CEO Bobby Kotick. In the wake of a Wall Street Journal report on Kotick's handling of previous?? sexual misconduct claims, as well as his own alleged treatment of employees, Activision Blizzard employees are taking a further step in attempting to enact change at the publisher.

"We, the undersigned, no longer have confidence in the leadership of Bobby Kotick as the CEO of Activision Blizzard," the petition opens. What follows is a list of employees from many studios under the Activision Blizzard umbrella who have signed onto the petition, including Activision, Blizzard, King, Raven Software, Infinity Ward?, Treyarch, Sledgehammer, and various support studios.

The ABK Workers Alliance shared the petition earlier today on social media. "The past few days have been rough, but it has strengthened our resolve to make #ABetterABK now more than ever," the organization said in a later tweet. "Thank you to every??one who joined us for the walkouts. Your? solidarity is appreciated. Every voice matters."

//twitter.c??om/ABetterABK/statu??s/1461394241955905538

The walkout and petition, as well as other reactions from within Activision Blizzard and without, are all in response to a recent Wall Street Journal report. In it, the Journal detailed several incidents that have taken place over the years at Activision Blizzard, including allegations of CEO Bobby Kotick intervening to keep an employee accuse?d of sexual harassment at the company and allegations of failing to address sexual misconduc??t within Activision Blizzard.

Kotick issued his own response, shared in text form on the Activision Blizzard investors site. The Board of Directors also issued a statement, s?aying it remained confident in Kotick's ??leadership.

Meanwhile, a report from Bloomberg says PlayStation chief Jim Ryan expressed "deep concern" over the response, and that they've reportedly reached out ??to Activision Blizzard to see how they plan to address the claims. "We do not believe their statements of response properly address the situatio??n," said Ryan.

A shareholder group has also called for Kotick's resignation. Game Developer reported yesterday that, in internal meetings, Activision Blizzard leadership continued to stand by Kotick. This all comes in the wake of investigations into the company for discrimination, harassment, and a toxic culture from the Califor?nia Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

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The ABK Workers Alliance criticizes Activision Blizzard's choice of law firm

Employees of various Activision Blizzard studios have formed a coalition, called the ABK Workers Alliance, and filed a joint letter to CEO Bobby Kotick and leadership. In it, the group calls for the leadership team to address their respon??se to the lawsuit, acknowledge the reality of working conditions at the company, and commit to "meaningful change."

In a letter provided to IGN, employees from numerous Activision Blizzard studios—including King, Activision, Blizzard, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, Raven Software, and Vicarious Visions—express their stance following last week's walkout.

The walkout, alongside this and another letter filed by Activision Blizzard employees, all came in the wake of a lawsuit filed by the California Depar??tment of Fair Employment and Housing. The lawsuit alleges a toxic work culture at the company, including reports of discrimination and sexual harassment. The initial response from Activision Blizzard was not well-received, and this morning the company announced the departure of Blizzard president J. Allen Brack, ahead of this afternoon's earnings call.

Today's letter highlights Activision Blizzard leadership's response to the demands put forward by employees, including an end to forced arbitration, the adoption of inclusive recruitment and hiring practices, increases in pay transparency through compensation metrics, and an audit of Activision Blizzard King policies and practices, performed by a neutral third party selected by an employee-led Diversity, Equity, and ??Inclusion task force.

To tha?t last point, Activision Blizzard hired WilmerHale to conduct an internal review. The ABK Workers Alliance writes that it rejects that selection due to the firm's pre-existing relationships with Activision Blizzard and its executives, creating what it calls an "unacceptable conflict of interest." The alliance also cites several past instances of WilmerHale discouraging collective action.

The letter calls on Activision Blizzard leadership to "do better," by fully addressing the list of demands. It also outlines actions the coalition itself is taking, including building a worker-to-worker mentorship p??rogram, hosting open listening sessions, and facilitating monthly community meetings.

"We are doing what we can, and we call on you to do what we cannot," the letter concludes. According to IGN, Activision Blizzard leadership has received the letter and is currently reviewing it. You can find the full text in IGN's report, published with the ABK Workers Allian?ce's ?permission, here.

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Wumpa wumpa burning dud

Given the franchise's origins, it's surprising it took Activision Blizzard this long to make something like Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! I know the PlayStation original wasn't an auto-runner like this is, but seeing as mobile platformers like Sonic Dash and Spider-Man Unlimited copied its rear-view perspective to great financial success, I'?m just ?a bit shocked it didn't get King working on this back in 2016 right after it bought out the mobile developer. Because had it released this in 2017 or 2018, it might not feel as dated as it does in 2021.

That's not to say there is no fun to be had with On the Run! I will admit I've enjoyed a few of its more diffi??cult modes. Sadly, said modes make up a min??uscule portion of a game that has a shocking amount of busywork.

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! doesn't have a standard energy meter like similar games ?in the genre. Rather, it employs a crafting system to keep you waiting or paying to speed things up. To advance the actual narrative of the game and stop Doctor Neo Cortex, you need to unlock courses using items you craft in the hub world's labs. The ingredients for those items are found on different endless-runner stages that you can repeatedly play, scooping up whatever collectibles you run into. Just don't run them for too long, as those ingredients need time to refill after you grab them.

Once you have those ingredients, it's time to start waiting. Each craftable item has a timer attached to it. Those timers start at just a minute, but late-stage items can take six or more hours to craft. And yes, you will have to craft items to use as ingredients when crafting other times. Now, you can speed ??up the process by spending purple crystals that you earn or purchase, but there is no way in hell I would ever recommend doing that. Especially not for a ga?me this decidedly average.

It doesn't take long for the monotony to set in with On the Run! The endless-runner stages and narrative courses haven't offered much variety or challenge in the few hours I've spent wit??h the game. Now, this might change as I log more hours in it and unlock new islands, but why on earth would I waste my time doing that? Am I to actually believe this game will significantly improve after I've spent a week grinding away at it? Because that sounds like a fool's errand to me.

Of course, none of this really surprises me. When On the Run! was first announced, I think we all saw this was the direction it would go in. When you add crafting and ba??se-building elements to a free-to-play auto-runner, it's not because they'll make the game better. 

And it's a real shame, too, because Crash Bandicoot in an auto-runner didn't have to be this dull. The game is bright and colorful, and the controls work exactly as they should. We know Activision Blizzard has the money and capability to make outstanding Crash titles. But to do that, you need to invest in creating dynamic and diverse?? hand-crafted stages??, not these run-of-the-mill levels that are made up of mix-and-match track pieces.

The only real enjoyment I've found so far with On the Run! is in its Challenges and Survival Runs modes. Both offer a? drastically increased difficulty with stages really pulling out all the stops to try and trip you up. It throws more enemies, more pillars, more Nitro blocks, and more tricky jumps your way in tighter configurations. I would say these modes make the standard stages feel like a walk in the park?, but those stages basically do that to themselves.

It's just another dang-diddily-do-dang disappointment and honestly, games like t??his are why I still subscribe to Apple Arcade.

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