Pete Hines is retiring from Bethesda Softworks after 24 years

Bethesda Softworks has come a long way over the years releasing many games with the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series and most recently, Starfield. Head of Publishing, Pete Hines has been a part of the great success of the company and today he announced he will be stepping down. After 24 years, Pete Hines said he will be retiring and says he will begin an exciting new chapter of his life. “This was not a decision I came to easily or quickly, but after an amazing career, culminating in the incredible launch of Starfield, it feels the time is right.” “Working with the amazing people, teams, and studios at Bethesda has been the greatest experience of my life. I’m incredibly proud of everything we have done together, and I’m genuinely excited to see the amazing things they will create next” A replacement hasn’t been named for Pete Hines, but it’s safe to say the industry will miss his presence.

Review: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Developer – Insomniac Games Publisher – PlayStation Platforms – PlayStation 5 (reviewed) It’s that time once again. That time where we put down the latest movie or episode of the MCU, close any comic books you might have laid around, and it becomes time to leap headfirst into the best ongoing Marvel universe, the Marvel’s Spider-Man series created by the brilliant team at Insomniac Games. Not only have they out done themselves with a bigger and smarter game, it’s also one of the most accessible and inclusive experiences I have ever seen. My review will be a bit unique, and it will come across as a bit short and sweet I’m sure compared to my contemporaries. I loved the previous games, but I was very excited for this title for several reasons. PlayStation as a publisher has been growing more inclusive, especially for players with disabilities. The Last of Us Part One, God of War Ragnarök, each exclusive triple A title keeps raising the bar on options and features specifically designed to give players such as myself a deep and comprehensive experience. I don’t want to speak on this subject for my whole review, so instead I will hit key highlights and point everybody to the accessibility blog as it does a fantastic job of breaking down the nuances of each option and how they function. Check it out at the link here. Without diving into specifics, Insomniac Games has raised the bar on creating an experience that just about anybody can pick up and play. A game that features such complex combat skills, and more mechanics than most prestige cinematic games have to offer, it all feels manageable and under my control. I end up feeling powerful, and emboldened to experiment in a way I can’t with most other complex action experiences. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 takes place sometime after the events of Miles Morales. In what is now customary fashion, we are briefly reintroduced to our main players, before setting off on an action-packed opening set piece with the Sandman. It’s the first time we get a dose of the real hooks of this sequel, the dual heroes, and the incredible web wings they can use to traverse with ease. As advertised, we get not just one but two capable webslingers who are equally capable of taking on baddies and stopping crimes left and right. Peter Parker and Miles not only share similar base abilities, but they also share suit upgrades, resources, and they even sport a combined skill tree. Their inputs are also shared, but once you move past those core shared items, these two heroes quickly differ in terms of move sets, powers, and of course, personalities. Peter is trying to find a steady job and figuring life out after Aunt May, while also juggling the sudden return of his best friend Harry and MJ. Meanwhile, Miles is starting at Brooky Visions Academy and is balancing a big school paper, and being Spider-Man. He also has Genke, Hailey, and his mother all providing a support system for him. The next 50 plus hours I spent were riveting, and without getting into spoilers, its everything you would expect. This version of Kraven, Venom, and the supporting cast of villains are some of the most creative interpretations of some classic characters I have ever seen. The way characters introduced in this version of Spider-Man’s world is so unique to these characters and story, which creates an excellent pace through the core story. I don’t want to go too deep into the main story, but suffice to say, its action packed, full of some great moments and outdoes the previous two games. The one aspect I do want to mention is the side content. It’s a pretty big step-up, even if most of them from a mechanics standpoint aren’t really groundbreaking, but the stories and characters involved in them tell growing stories that lead to some fun story beats in their own right. I want to spend a bit of time on one section in particular. I won’t once again, go into spoilers, but Hailey, Miles deaf friend and crush, really does sets an example of what Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does best. It’s inclusivity, it’s really something special. Hailey has appeal, she is cool, she is well liked, she knows what she wants. She is a woman who just happens to be deaf, not a character who is only defined by their disability and nothing more. This means the world to me, as a deaf woman myself, it’s the best representation of somebody with my disability that I have ever seen. Look forward to a detailed column about her, and what she means for a writer like me, once the game is out in the wild and people can see it for themselves. Before I close off the review, I will touch on some other technical facets of the game. It of course looks phenomenal. I played in Performance mode for my entire run. The 60 frames per second and ray tracing were jaw dropping, especially when the big set pieces or nighttime scenes in the rain took over. The much-vaunted Symbiote powers truly separate Peter and Miles, and the sheer number of quality-of-life features packed in make the game such a breeze to play. If you are new to PlayStation, a disabled player looking for a blockbuster they can fully experience, or a returning fan, playing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is an absolute no-brainer and its easily one of my favorite open world games I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing for myself. Fully and without compromise, it really does feel like it was designed for everybody.

Newest Mob Vote Winner For Minecraft Live 2023 Is The Armadillo

Yet again, Minecraft Live 2023 came and went featuring new additions coming to the main game. And alike each virtual show before it, developer Mojang Studios is preparing the future of the IP with new announcements. Recently, the firm revealed that Minecraft Dungeons is to officially shutter development after more than two years of support for the game. In regards to this year’s Minecraft Live, the firm revealed that Minecraft faced a new milestone yet again. It is said that Minecraft has sold more than 300 million copies since its inception. Additionally, the annual Mob Vote returns with three new candidates: the crab, the penguin, or the armadillo. All three offering unique attributes to the world and its respected biome it would make its home in a future update. At the Minecraft Live show, Mojang Studios officially confirmed the armadillo is the next mob to be coming to the game. You can watch the segment of the show in the video below: “The armadillo lives in the savannah biome. If you startle the armadillo, it will curl up into a blocky ball! The armadillo also drops a scute that you can use to craft a new type of armor, wolf armor! Which will give your pet wolf some extra protection,” Mojang Studios pens in the recap post. There is no word on when the mob is to be officially added to the full game. Previously, it was confirmed the official release date for the live-action Minecraft film. In a report from Variety, Warner Bros. Pictures shared that the film starring Aquaman’s Jason Mamoa with director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) is to hit theaters in April 2025. You can read the full report by heading here. What has you most interested about the armadillo’s addition to Minecraft? Minecraft is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch,  iOS,  Android, and PC. Source: Mojang Studios

With Activision Deal Over For Microsoft, Agreement Has CEO Bobby Kotick Leaving Dawn Of 2024

In a court battle that took nearly two years since its inception, the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was the last line of defense against Xbox owning the publisher. And on Friday the 13th, the regulator passed the acquisition. Subsequently, Microsoft went on to announce that the purchase has finally went through in welcoming Activision Blizzard to Xbox. Although the industry awaited the results if Microsoft were able to pull off the $68.7 billion acquisition untouched alike its ZeniMax Media deal before, there was other drawn aspirations from the deal. In that, many were hoping to see the ejection of CEO Bobby Kotick. With promises for a better industry, it was reported early on that Kotick’s departure is premeditated according to The Wall Street journal, internal sources told. From a new press release fresh from the Activision Blizzard deal finalizing, Microsoft presses that Bobby Kotick is to remain CEO for the remainder of the calendar year for 2023. I have long said that I am fully committed to helping with the transition. Phil has asked me to stay on as CEO of ABK, reporting to him, and we have agreed that I will do that through the end of 2023. We both look forward to working together on a smooth integration for our teams and players. Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard CEO “Your dedication is what makes it possible for us to continually push envelopes, break records, and delight players. Amid the uncertainty of the last 21 months, you’ve remained focused, as always, on serving our players and supporting each other,” Kotick writes. “Brian and I couldn’t be more excited for the next chapter for ABK. We now join one of the most successful global companies, poised for unprecedented opportunities to connect the world through our games.” While Kotick is now on a timer for his remaining time overlooking the Activision Blizzard machine, he has happened to spare fairly crucial information on plans for Nintendo moving forward. With the likeliness of the next console certainly in development, he spared during a previous hearing that the power level is on par with 8th generation Xbox One & PlayStation 4. You can read the full report by heading here. What is your thoughts on Kotick’s exit for Activision finally coming? Source: Microsoft

Minecraft Has Sold Over 300 Million Copies

MOJANG recently hosted Minecraft Live, the yearly celebration of the Minecraft community, and revealed news regarding games in the franchise. 2024 will be the franchise’s 15th Anniversary Celebration teasing exciting plans for the year while also sharing statistics over the years such as crafting 15 million pickaxes and slaying 15 million skeletons. A milestone that Minecraft recently hit was selling over 300 million copies over the years. That is the best-selling game of all time with Grand Theft Auto V in second at 185 million copies sold across many platforms. Other statistics accomplished in the game were over 700,000 cakes made, 6.7M diamonds discovered, and 400,000 wolves tamed per day. Source: Minecraft