Hi friends,

Apologies for the late newsletter this week. Not sure if you've heard, but VGG's got a big event coming up soon and our focus is certainly getting pulled fully into all the big prep work.

But the news doesn't stop for anybody. And as always, we're here to capture it all for you. That is... if we're able to keep our hands off of the absolute onslaught of VGG-anticipated indies that are coming out soon.

Stay tuned for all kinds of news about the VGG Campout leading up to the 24-hour stream on November 18-19! This post on our site will have it all as it comes.

Take care,

Fern and Nate

October 30 - November 7 | VGG Gaming News Roundup

It's confirmed. Nintendo is making a live-action Zelda movie. It's set to be produced by Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and superhero film producer Avi Arad (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Iron Man, Blade, Uncharted), and directed by Wes Ball (Maze Runner trilogy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes).

The Game Awards nominees will be announced Monday for more than 30 categories, with the awards show streaming globally on December 7.

Lies of P 2 is coming! Fans of the Pinocchio Souls-like can rejoice after publisher Neowiz confirmed the sequel just weeks after the game reached a million copies sold. The game's first DLC was also teased (there's a pirate ship!) and an update with "significant changes" was given more information in a video straight from the game's director.

Grand Theft Auto 6, the game fans have been so desperate for, will reportedly be officially announced this week. Rumor has it Rockstar will also release a trailer next month, likely during The Game Awards.

Xbox has announced a partnership with a company called Inworld AI aimed at building "AI game dialogue and narrative tools at scale" and, surprise, nobody wants it. Devs, actors, and fans alike are gearing up for an even longer and stronger fight for protections of game industry workers and their creative works.

BioWare revealed a new 30-second trailer for Mass Effect 5 on the occasion of N7 day. Elsewhere, laid-off employees of Keywords Studios — who had previously been working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf before BioWare ended its contract with their employer — marked the day by protesting outside of BioWare HQ, contesting unfair termination they say was motivated by their unionization efforts.

Destiny 2 developers, Bungie, hit with major layoffs and game delays. An undisclosed number of staffers were let go on October 30. CEO Pete Parsons says it was a "sad day" as they "say goodbye to colleagues who have all made a significant impact on our studio." In the wake of the layoffs, Destiny 2's upcoming DLC has been delayed to June 2024, and Marathon, the remake of their first series, has "slipped to 2025."

Responding to disabled gamers' concerns about Xbox's third-party accessories ban, official Xbox statements claim they're working to "ensure minimal impact on current player setups so long as accessories are authorized, designed, and manufactured to our quality standards and do not compromise the gaming experience." Many disabled players whose needs are not fully met by the Adaptive Controller fear they will lose access to their Xbox systems.

Worker-owned cooperative studio The Glory Society has stopped development of its exploration game Revenant Hill and shuttered — it is unclear whether permanently — following serious health issues that impacted two irreplaceable team members.

Gaming publication The Escapist, acquired by Gamurs Group in 2022, experienced a mass-exodus this week after the firing of the publication's editor-in-chief, Nick Calandra. The team, including Zero Punctuation's Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, departed en masse and went independent, together landing back on their feet by forming Second Wind.

But wait... there's more. Another worker-owned gaming news site was formed this week in Aftermath. It launched with familiar faces from Kotaku, The Verge, and more. The team cited the need for "curious, independent press to hold power to account, to cut through the marketing hype, and to elevate the voices of those affected by the gaming industry’s upheaval."

PlayStation Plus free games for November are live now and include Aliens Fireteam Elite, Mafia II: Definitive Edition, and Dragon Ball: The Breakers.

New Game Releases

Events

SAVE THE DATE! The VGG Carnival Campout is just ten days away! Starting on November 18 at noon PT, the VGG Carnival Campout is a celebration of all things VGG. The site, the people behind it, the community. And since we're all clowning around on stream anyway, we figured the carnival theme was more than fitting.

This is the most important event we host every year and we sincerely hope you'll tune in and support the team. We put a lot into the show and having your company would mean the world. Stay tuned for guest reveals, segment announcements, and so much more.

New On VGG This Week

» No new articles this week! (Campout got us down bad.) But Nate's appearance on UltraMel0n's Playerspectives Podcast went live on YouTube, so give it a watch!