Game Bytes: Blizzard Bites Back At Cali, GTA Gets Unreal
Halloween is fast approaching and it seems that video game news this week was giving us more tricks than treats. Activision Blizzard was in the spotlight again this week for a few reasons, and a long unconfirmed game was announced with a release date coming soon.
The latest chapter in the ongoing Activision Blizzard has arrived. The publisher confirmed it has fired 20 people while it also is trying to pause California’s lawsuit. Activision Blizzard has seen an increase in reports about bad behavior, including incidents that occurred years ago and is using internal and external resources to investigate those issues. It remains to be seen what impact these moves may have on Activision Blizzard’s future workplace culture. This is happening at the same time that Activision Blizzard’s lawyers are asking the courts for a stay in California’s lawsuit against the gaming giant over reported ethics violations.
In more Activision Blizzard news, they have officially announced the new name for the Overwatch hero formerly known as McCree. After announcing plans to rename the character because he was named after ousted Blizzard developer Jesse McCree, the company revealed on Friday that McCree’s new name will be Cole Cassidy. This is their latest installment of changes in games as attempts to make amends for previous actions of the company.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition was announced and will be released on Nov. 11. This was a game many fans were expecting, and some details of the game were leaked prior to the announcement. The three games in the trilogy will be fan favorites; GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas. The $60 compilation package will be available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. As leaks suggested, the game will have “GTA V-inspired modern controls,” along with visual enhancements including resolution upgrades, completely rebuilt lighting systems that feature better shadows and weather and so much more. Character and vehicle models are upgraded, too, while buildings, weapons, roads, and interiors have higher resolution textures. On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the games can run at 4K/60FPS. The Definitive Edition was developed by a new studio called Grove Street Games using the Unreal Engine.
There weren’t many games released this week but that’s only because next week will have some long awaited titles. On the 19th, Inscryption (PC) and Into the Pit (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC) were released. The 20th and 21st saw released Townscaper (iOS, Android), A Little to the Left (PC), Echo Generation (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC), and The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC).
Next week seems to have some treats just in time for Halloween coming our way with a Sony Presentation on Wednesday, so don’t forget to check back then for more gaming news. For news on other wonderful topics, remember to like and subscribe to us on YouTube and Twitch or any other platform you like to use.
