In monopoly news, Microsoft has acquired Activision Blizzard following a long and tumultuous process. Now that the $69 billion acquisition has succeeded, Activision Blizzard games are set to hit Game Pass in 2024.
2024 will see the departure of much-despised Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick after 30 years as CEO. His legacy is mired in controversy, including employee complaints about sexism, a toxic work culture, and even an employee walkout over reports Kotick failed to make the company's board aware of allegations of sexual assault and other serious misconduct. As he prepares to step down, he held an internal employee meeting alongside, of all people, James Corden, to discuss the past, present, and future of the company and industry; he strongly hinted that Guitar Hero could be making a return.
Unity CEO John Riccitiello is officially "retiring" from the company, just weeks after the major pricing controversy surrounding the popular gaming engine shattered game developers' trust in the company. Unlike Kotick, Riccitiello's exit is effective immediately and hopefully signals a change in focus for the company.
Humble Bundle is cutting the Humble Games Collection from their Humble Choice subscription. This ongoing library of indie games was provided alongside the monthly selection of games that subscribers had access to and was unceremoniously ended via email.
The PS5 Slim was announced. The details: 30% smaller in volume, 1TB of storage in either the digital or physical media models, and a $50 jump in price from the current digital model.
Sony released new details about the PlayStation Access controller, the company's first foray into adaptive gaming tech. Highlights include the controller's highly customizable remapping capability and the Logitech G Adaptive Gaming Kit that will add even more attachments for the Access controller.
Mamma mia! A new Mario voice actor! Ahead of the release of Super Mario Wonder, Kevin Afghani has officially been confirmed to be the new voice of Mario and Luigi in the new release following Charles Martinet's retirement from the role.
Lollipop Chainsaw: RePOP can't decide if it's a remake or a remaster. Initially announced as a full remake, producer Yoshimi Yasuda took to social media recently to clarify it'd be more of a remaster. He then proceeded to further clarify in an interview with Automaton Media that it's keeping the script and scenario intact from the original but would be changing mechanics in the gameplay to better suit the modern age. So... somewhere in between remake and remaster? Stay tuned.
Epic Games will continue to give away free games indefinitely, as announced at Unreal Fest 2023. The giveaway program has brought in over 90 million new users to the Epic Games Store since it started giving away games in 2018. They've spent millions on the service.
Ubisoft's Call of Duty competitor, XDefiant, has been delayed indefinitely. After a public test session showed "inconsistencies in the game experience", the team is going back into the kitchen to iron those things out and figure out how to deliver something special for fans.
Physical gamers beware, Best Buy has announced that it is phasing out the sale of physical media. Blu-rays and DVDs will no longer be available for sale online or in stores by early 2024. Physical copies of video games are untouched for now, but this could be a sign of major changes for retailers everywhere.
Some silly news to wrap: exactly ONE new Wii U was sold in 2023. Video game stat guy Mat Piscatella added that this was the first new Wii U sold since May 2022 and that it was sold at full price.
