“The actions by management from these different companies — from ArenaNet to Riot, Rockstar, Telltale, all these — we need something that’s going to be much more of a blunt force response. And it needs to be a widespread, collective response to these activities.” — Although Ex-IGDA head Kate Edwards had previously said at E3 that she was undecided on whether or not the gaming industry needed unions, after the events of this year, she has made up her mind that a union is “the only viable tool” to combat widespread labour issues.
QUOTE | “The media discussion of miles of lorry tailbacks and port delays across the UK creating supply chain problems is not just about cars and agriculture, but also interactive entertainment.” — In a 51-page whitepaper, Games4EU warns that a ‘no-deal’ or hard Brexit “will cause serious harm” to the UK games industry, and that Brexit in any form at all will drive up costs and hurt business.
STAT | $US725 ($1007) billion — The amount of money Red Dead Redemption 2 made in its first three days after launch.
QUOTE | “It’s important to have the younger generation at Game Freak take over the development of Pokémon as a series.” Junichi Masuda is enjoying the interesting technology involved with creating Pokemon Let’s Go! on Nintendo Switch, but says this is likely the last time he’ll work on a main series game in the director role.
STAT | Over 10 million — Estimate of the amount of times Fortnite has been downloaded on the Nintendo Switch. The game has been downloaded by half of all Switch owners who, per Nintendo’s recent financial results, now total over 22 million.
QUOTE | “Now I have my own company with just 20 people, so I want to prove with this first game that we can do it. From there, I want to spread that awareness to other people in the Malaysian industry.” — Former Square Enix Japan lead designer Wan Hazmer on the creation of his new, Malaysia-based studio, Metronomik, which he hopes will increase Malaysia’s presence in the global games industry.
QUOTE | “In past titles we’ve been able to make it up, frankly. For a superhero game set in Seattle, we knew what we were doing, but in this game we are constantly learning about Japanese culture or the norms of samurai.” Ghost of Tsushima creative director Nate Fox on the challenge of ensuring the game’s setting is authentic, in spite of the urge to romanticise it.
QUOTE | “Developers often ask … Will Microsoft care about my game? Why doesn’t Nintendo care about my game? And I think, fundamentally, these are the wrong questions. The right question is, ‘Who will help fight for my game?’” — At Melbourne Games Week, Nick Suttner and Ken Wong advise developers to forge connections with the people behind the storefronts their games appear on, if they want their games to be noticed.
QUOTE | “With any online system there are always potential vulnerabilities. We just need to be incredibly diligent and move quickly when something happens.” Roblox chief business officer Craig Donato on the company’s recent international expansion, the moderation challenges of that expansion, and the company’s plan to combat inappropriate content.
QUOTE | “As a company, our strategy focused on where we can make great consumer games, which can get people curious, but then also have the opportunity to extend these games — once they’ve been successful in the consumer market — into purposeful learning environments. We plan to do that with all of our games going forward.” — E-Line Media CEO Michael Angst explains how the company is making a game based on the BBC’s Blue Planet, and the importance he places on melding gaming and education.
QUOTE “I don’t think there’s any silver bullet or anything, it’s just about being constantly aware from a design perspective and playing the game relentlessly.” — CEO of Midwinter Entertainment Josh Holmes believes that in online multiplayer games, trolls and griefers are inevitable, saying game creators must anticipate them in their designs.
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