Yesterday kicked off the Summer Game Fest, a major event for the gaming industry which is designed to fill the void left by E3’s cancellation. While the gaming business is more profitable than ever, there’s an increasing feeling that the industry is shrinking. A big part of this is due to heavyweights Sony and Microsoft doing whatever they can to expand their power and influence. Both companies are buying up major independent publishers and studios to bolster their ecosystems. However, this consolidation also runs the risk of both companies pulling up their drawbridges, further dividing an already fractured industry. Another issue is publishers pushing successful developers to work on projects they have little or no experience with. Redfall is the latest example, created by a publisher that sought to increase online-multiplayer profitability. They then handed it over to a team that had built its reputation on creating tightly crafted single-player experiences, leading to a critically panned flop. This is just the tip of the iceberg of issues facing the gaming industry and explored by The Morning After. If you want to know why the industry feels at once full of possibility and yet stagnant, check it out.
– Dan Cooper
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Big Stories You Might Have Missed:
United Airlines announced it will buy 300,000 state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment units made by Panasonic Avionics for its fleet of planes. The units will have 10-inch (economy) or 13-inch (first) screens. However, the rollout won’t start until 2025, and it’s only intended for the international fleet, at least for now.
Reddit recently changed its API pricing, which could have consequences for third-party app developers. The move caused the creator of Apollo, a popular Reddit client, to announce that it would retire the app as it would otherwise have to pay Reddit $20 million a year to maintain its existing service. This has caused turmoil among Reddit users, with more than 3,000 prominent subreddits planning to “go dark” for 48 hours in protest. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman announced he will host an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Friday, June 9th, to address some user concerns.
Sonic Supers
is the latest Sonic the Hedgehog game that aims to take the series back to its roots as a side-scrolling action platformer, with a modern twist. The co-op gameplay and modern graphics make this game worth a try for those feeling nostalgic for Sega’s Blue Blur. The game will be available to play only on the PS5.
The highly anticipated Spider-Man 2 will be a PS5 exclusive and will be available starting October 20th. Players will get to play as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales interchangeably, each with their specific storylines and missions. Insomniac Games’ James Stevenson stated that the two protagonists will have their missions to complete.
These news articles were originally featured on Engadget.
