Activision Are Taking Micro-Transactions to the Next Level

Micro-transactions.

It's a term that's been thrown around the industry for a quite a while now and while most see it as a quick cash grab for developers and publishers some do see it as an ease when it comes to playing some online games.

Personally I was never a fan of micro-transactions right from the get go. I always saw them as an easy way out when it came to certain games. Take Shadow of War for instance, I haven't played the game myself but from what I heard the overall premise involves the player building up an army to take down Sauron. A bit of a grind if I'm being honest but one made substantially easier with the introduction of Loot Boxes. In other words you pay money to make the game less of a grind.

While this is something that really shouldn't be encouraged it seems Activision are going to a new length with a match-making system that does exactly that. In 2015 the company filed a patent, which was recently granted for this new system called, "System and method for driving microtransactions in multiplayer video games" 

This is when "a system and method is provided that drives microtransactions in multiplayer video games. The system may include a microtransaction arrange matches to influence game-related purchases. For instance, the system may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player. A junior player may wish to emulate the marquee player by obtaining weapons or other items used by the marquee player." 

In short this new system, in a game like Destiny for example, would pair a more experienced player with a player that is relatively new to the game in hopes of encouraging the inexperienced player to pay out for more gear to help them perform better in matches.

It's obvious to see why a system like this would cause some players out there to rage out rather quickly. The real question we should be asking now is, should we be worried about this? So far the answer is no, according to an Activision spokesperson, who spoke with Glixel, this patent was "exploratory" and was worked on "independently from our game studios." 

The spokesperson also stated that this system was not yet implemented in-game. That being said it's very possible that sometime in the future this system could be implemented and we could be seeing it in action in upcoming games like Call of Duty: WWII.

We'd love to hear what you think about this new system and micro-transactions as a whole so drop a comment down below.

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EA Shuts Down Visceral Games & Changes Star Wars Development

I can't believe this is happening but it happened.

Visceral Games, best known for their work on Dead Space, Battlefield Hardline and Dante's Inferno has been shutdown by publisher EA and of course because of this the story-driven Star Wars title Visceral have been working on has also been greatly affected.

Today, EA released a statement concerning the closure of the studio and the future of the Star Wars title. The statement reads...

"Our industry is evolving faster and more dramatically than ever before. The games we want to play and spend time with, the experiences we want to have in those games, and the way we play…all those things are continually changing. So is the way games are made. In this fast-moving space, we are always focused on creating experiences that our players want to play…and today, that means we’re making a significant change with one of our upcoming titles.

Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe. In its current form, it was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game. Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace. It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design. We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life. Importantly, we are shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency, leaning into the capabilities of our Frostbite engine and reimagining central elements of the game to give players a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth to explore.

This move leads to a few other changes:

A development team from across EA Worldwide Studios will take over development of this game, led by a team from EA Vancouver that has already been working on the project. Our Visceral studio will be ramping down and closing, and we’re in the midst of shifting as many of the team as possible to other projects and teams at EA.

Lastly, while we had originally expected this game to launch late in our fiscal year 2019, we’re now looking at a new timeframe that we will announce in the future.

Bringing new Star Wars games to life for every passionate fan out there is what drives us as creators. It’s what has inspired us to deliver the massive new Star Wars Battlefront II experience launching in just a few weeks.  It fuels our live service in Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes.  Making games in the extraordinary Star Wars universe is truly a dream for so many of us at EA, and we have so many more experiences to come for players on every platform.  We want to take the time to get each game right, to make it unique, to make it amazing.

We look forward to answering more of your questions, and sharing more on our plans and timeline for this new Star Wars experience, in the months to come"

Very little was known of the Visceral Star Wars title, we got a shimmering glimpse at the game way back in E3 2016 and we know that a few major names in the industry are working on the project. One of these being Amy Hennig who worked on the Uncharted series. It's currently unknown if Hennig will continue as director of the project as an email with an EA-spokesperson stated the publisher is "in discussion with Amy about her next move."

As stated up above, Visceral Games were going for a more liner-storytelling experience with this Star Wars title. It seems that EA will have to change this direction if they want to gain the "broader experience" that they want with this game.

It also appears that EA will be pushing out the release of the game, originally stated to be releasing in 2019, as they are currently "looking at a new timeframe."

It's a shame to see Visceral Games go after nineteen years in the industry but with games like the Dead Space series and others like The Godfather they've had a good run. Visceral you'll be truly missed and I personally thank you for giving me my first real video game horror experience.

The next EA Star Wars title is Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and is set to release on November 17th for the PS4, Xbox One and PC.

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Former Naughty Dog Employee Speaks Out About Sexual Harassment

I guess this dog is more naughty than we thought.

OK that joke was terrible and I apologise for it.

But yes, PlayStation studio Naughty Dog, best known for their work on Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted and The Last of Us has been making headlines this weekend when a former employee took to social media to claim he was sexually harassed while working with the company.

David Ballard, a former environment artist who worked on the Uncharted and The Last of Us series, spoke publicly about the harassment, which occurred in 2015, via Twitter this weekend. His full statement reads...

"In late 2015, I was sexually harassed at Naughty Dog by a lead. My work environment became extremely toxic afterward. In February 2016 I had a mental breakdown at work & Sony PlayStation HR became involved. When I told them about the harassment they ended the call and fired me the next day. They cited the company was moving in a different direction and my job was no longer needed. They tried to silence me by offering $20,000 if I signed a letter agreeing to the termination as well as to not discuss it with anyone. I declined to sign. I have been unemployed for 17 months since. When interviewers ask why I left Naughty Dog, I say I was burned out by the crunch, ashamed to get to the root of the problem of being sexually harassed. I'm speaking out now because of the strength I've seen in others coming forward about their experiences in the TV/Film industry. This is the hardest thing I've ever done. I will not let anyone kill my drive or love for the video game industry, my passions of life."

Naughty Dog also made a statement on their site which reads...

"We have recently read on social media that an ex-employee of Naughty Dog, Dave Ballard, claims he was sexually harassed when he worked at Naughty Dog. We have not found any evidence of having received allegations from Mr. Ballard that he was harassed in any way at Naughty Dog or Sony Interactive Entertainment. Harassment and inappropriate conduct have no place at Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. We have taken and always will take reports of sexual harassment and other workplace grievances very seriously. We value every single person who works at Naughty Dog and Sony interactive Entertainment. It is of utmost importance to us that we maintain a safe, productive workplace environment that allows us all to channel our shared passion for making games."

In a statement originally provided to Eurogamer, PlayStation has no record of the allegation.