What a week it's been, huh friends? Between the Xbox/Bethesda Games Showcase and Summer Game Fest and the Day of the Devs, we saw a bunch of great trailers, announcements, and teasers last week and over the weekend. Anything you're particularly excited for? Sound off at Games@WIRED.com so we know which titles and trends you want to hear about! But for now, I'm back at work and ready to talk about games! Last week, the amazing Megan Farokhmanesh and I had a chance to talk to Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, and Won-Jin Lee, president and head of the Service Business Team at Samsung Electronics. We talked about a bunch of things, all of them interesting. But one thing we especially wanted to ask about was the future of physical consoles, now that Microsoft's gaming play is to make your games available on any device, anywhere you are. Spencer says there will always be a place for consoles, but they're looking to make games available to many more people, not just those who can afford (and find!) a console. And speaking of Summer Game Fest, Megan had time for a newsy piece on that as well, pointing out that the biggest announcement from the event was a remake—which is a little disappointing, but it also paved the way for lots of other games to show up and shine as well. And, of course, the timing is important to keep in mind, now that The Last of Us is headed for the Hollywood treatment. Next, don't miss Will Bedingfield on The Quarry, a new horror game that can be played like a traditional spooky game, or you can experience it cinematically without much player input. It's a new and interesting take on the horror genre, combining the joy of couch co-op with everything that makes peeking through your fingers at a slasher film so much fun. (For some people, anyway. I'm not a big horror fan, but I don't mind watching other people get scared. I wonder what that says about me.) Have you considered how much energy your gaming consoles, peripherals, and RGB lighting consumes? It's considerable, but it probably pales in comparison to the amount of energy required to make your favorite games, and to keep live service games up and running all the time. Video games are a surprisingly carbon-intensive industry, and because they're usually considered entertainment, few people pay attention to it. Well, Lewis Gordon sat down with Ben Abraham, author of a new book outlining ways to make gaming greener. They talk about some simple things the industry can do right now, and compare what needs to be done with the promises major players have already made. Oh, and don't miss Matthew Smith's first look at Stormgate, an upcoming game from Frost Giant Studios, which looks like a fun mashup of Diablo and Starcraft. And that makes sense, since Frost Giant was founded by (and is staffed by) a number of ex-Blizzard developers and designers. Stormgate will be the studio's first game, and they have high hopes for their return to the real-time strategy genre. Fingers crossed it turns out well; we'll keep an eye on it. And speaking of Blizzard, don't miss Megan's deeper dive into the news that Microsoft has pledged to bargain with any employees at Activision-Blizzard who choose to unionize, which is a sharp departure from some of the language we were hearing from Activision-Blizzard executives. Then again, it's distinctly possible that Microsoft is more interested in keeping its future employees happy than outgoing execs at Activision-Blizzard are in making them happy before they bail with their golden parachutes. That's all completely speculative, by the way, but Megan does a great job of outlining the issues in her story. Check it out. For these stories and more, head over to WIRED Games, and as always, follow us on Twitch if you'd like to be notified the next time we go live. I'll see you back here next week! |
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