Game Bites: Nintendo Commits To Equality, Sony Buys Returnal Studio
Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July for the North American readers. This past weekend we saw the start of a new month of video games news and there were some very notable stories that came in just as hot as the heat waves of summer.
With the end of Pride Month it seemed like there would be nothing positive to end it with after the Injustice debacle about Poison Ivy, but Nintendo came in clutch with a Corporate Social Responsibility report where it outlined plans to make the Nintendo workplace more inclusive for all. This came as a surprise, seeing as how conservative most companies are, in Japan in particular. In its 2021 CSR report, Nintendo stated “At Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan), we want to create a work environment that supports and empowers each and every one of our unique employees.” Nintendo also introduced the Partnership System in March 2021 which gives partners in a same-sex couple the same benefits as those in heterosexual marriages. It also stressed that its Code of Conduct outlines that Nintendo does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, nationality, ideology, religion, creed, origin, social status, class, occupation, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. For one of the oldest video gaming companies, it was a very pleasant surprise for longtime fans to hear about the positive efforts Nintendo was implementing for its employees.
Sony this week acquired a new studio to add to the PlayStation studios family. Housemarque, which is the Finnish developer behind PlayStation 5 title Returnal, was officially acquired on the 29th. Herman Hulst, head of Worldwide Studios for Sony Interactive Entertainment wrote on the official blog stating, “Housemarque’s recent release of Returnal proves the studio is one with incredible vision, capable of creating memorable new games that resonate with our community.” It is rumored that PlayStation has over 20 titles in works at the moment and adding Housemarque will only help them with these games. Likely, this is only one of PlayStation’s new studios that will be added in a response to the Bethesda and Microsoft merger from a few months prior.
One of the usual companies that was missing at E3 this year was EA, known mostly for sports titles. This week EA finally announced the lineup of its EA Play Live which will be held on July 22. Despite not being during the E3 week, it is still considering itself part of the E3 schedule and will be showing a few new games and some already announced with updates such as the new Battlefield title.
This week as always we saw a variety of games released. On the 29th, Curved Space (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC); Destroy All Humans! (Switch); Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny (Switch); Doom Eternal (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S); Sky: Children Of The Light (Switch); and Spirit of the North (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One). On the 30th two titles were released — Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) and GreedFall (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S). On July 1st we had one game released, Operation: Tango (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One).
That was all the top news for this week of video games, next week is already looking to have some fun. Don’t forget to check out our YouTube for more information on new movies, anime and much more.
