Hello, Patch people. It's Chris here. This week I spent more time basking in the dry glow of harsh airport lighting than in my own bed due to a series of delayed and canceled flights related to work shenanigans. I'm sure you'll find this quite intriguing. More on this before the end of the day.
My fastidious travel plans mean I'm typing these very words in a café at 6:30 am with eyes that seem drier than the best Stewart Lee joke. Barely conscious, I just drank caffeine and, unfortunately, woke up. Who said games journalism isn't glamorous?
When I wasn't arguing over this and that (or this and that), I spent the rest of my waking life reviewing legal documents related to the ongoing legal battle between ousted Unknown Worlds founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, Ted Gill, and their former employer Crafton.
A lawsuit filed by three former executives against a Korean publisher went to trial this week and, as expected, sparked a flurry of gossip after court documents became public. TLDR: It turns out that both sides have nothing good to say about each other. Who would have thought? The juiciest claims from this cheeky tete-a-tete can be found Here And Here.
Since I've been out of the office for most of the week or drowned in legalese, Game Developer senior editor Bryant Francis has stepped in to comment on the week's most notable headlines and save me the trouble of frantically cobbling together something barely coherent before the sun comes up. Although I wonder if this intro is exactly that. Of course not?
via game developer // Developers concerned about the oligopolization of game engine technology may have frowned upon hearing that Unity and Epic Games are teaming up to make games built with Unity available to Fortnite. We couldn't stop looking at Matthew Bromberg's Mark Zuckerberg-inspired outfit. Does the CEO of Unity dream of becoming a Zuckdom?
via game developer // If you ever want to set a trap for Bryant, just promise him an interview with developers working on Star Wars games. Luckily, instead of sending him to an Imperial detention cell, Capital Games shared some great thoughts on how to learn how to create games that will last for decades.
via game developer // This week we lost a true game development legend. Every obituary we write is heartbreaking, but seeing such a bright and joyful figure in our industry pass away so soon seems especially painful.
via Polygon // Oh Geoff Keighley. Not wanting to push the Future Class program into the shadows, he left and got us all thinking about the definition of “indie.” Again. Third or fourth year in a row? Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 certainly deserves its laurels. But is it really as indie as Peak or Blue Prince?
via game developer // It's always worth keeping up to date with where Kim Swift is heading. former Portal The project manager has worked her way through several top-tier companies over the years, but now works with a small team at NEARstudios. Not only does this tell us about the opportunities for industry veterans, but it's also worth watching as someone who built their career as a designer moves into a more managerial role. Breathtaking!
via game developer // We can't begin to explain what “Joe Pesci of Countries” means without feeling a little goosebumps. Just read it for yourself.
via Eurogamer // Moore has always been… well, a braggart, but here he talks a little about the corporate strategy of the gaming industry in the era of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Marketing and corporate culture were aimed not only at creating good products, but also at maintaining kayfibe and entertainment.
via game developer // Interest in trade unions remains high. But unions at American game studios are concentrated in a few overlapping companies. Will we see more activity in the near future?
via Gamesindustry.biz // What's wrong with youth. Get them off my lawn. In my time we asked for games like World of Warcraft and we liked it.
