Game Control: An End Of An Era For Pokémon, 'Attack on Titan' Gets VR Game

Pokémon

Console: Christopher Judge won the Game Award for Best Performance for his portrayal of Kratos in God of War: Ragnarök, and he wowed the crowd with a heartfelt acceptance speech in which he honored his family and the team behind the game. He expressed gratitude to his mother for believing in him, to his older brother for his support, and to his children for being an inspiration to him. Judge also thanked God of War's director Cory Barlog for letting him try out for the part. Judge claimed that if he had known that the audition would be for a video game, he might not have applied. Judge’s performance brought Kratos to life, and it came as no surprise to many that he took home an award for it tonight. Judge was presented the award by the 2022 Game Awards’ host Al Pacino on December 8, 2022. Other notable winners of the 2022 Game Awards were Elden Ring as Game of the Year, Final Fantasy XIV as Best Ongoing Game, and Genshin Impact with the Player Voice Award.

Players are stepping up to help the FTC in its fight to thwart any potential Activision Blizzard acquisition by Microsoft. The fan bases for World of Warcraft and Call of Duty look to be banding together to stop the Xbox developer from getting further control over the market. The business announced its initial purchase of Activision Blizzard in January. The FTC started monitoring the acquisition of Activision Blizzard in February. The FTC declared earlier this month that it will file a lawsuit to thwart the prospective transaction. To stop monopolies from emerging, people can now sue businesses thanks to antitrust law. In the official complaint, ten Americans who identify as "video gamers" assert that this acquisition will give Microsoft "an unrivaled position in the gaming industry." The group claims that after Microsoft's past acquisitions, an Activision Blizzard acquisition would give it an unfair advantage against all competition.

Ash Ketchum, the long-running hero of the Pokémon anime, will retire after 25 years. Ash has reached the peak of the mountain after finally realizing his dream of becoming the Pokémon World Champion. The series will say goodbye to the young hero before beginning a brand-new adventure with a fresh group of characters. The Pokémon Company revealed on December 16, 2022, that Ash and his companion Pikachu's final chapter will start on January 13, 2023 (in Japan). Eleven episodes make up the season, which honors the team's accomplishments. It also includes Misty and Brock, two well-known figures from Ash's background. Sometime in 2023, a new titled animated series set in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Paldea region will be released. The series will star two young trainers, Liko and Roy, joined by the three starter Pokémon of that region: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. While many longtime fans are sad to hear of Ash’s departure, many are also glad his adventure will end on a high note.

Epic games

PC: Activision Blizzard, after a two-year hiatus, will hold another BlizzCon event. In 2021, BlizzCon had an online event, but it was significantly less remarkable than what visitors had come to see. In 2019, at the last traditional BlizzCon, Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 were prominently unveiled. Mike Ybarra, the president of Blizzard Entertainment, stated earlier this year that the business was preparing for BlizzCon's return in 2023 and had appointed April McKee as the new head of its BlizzCon department. Even though Ybarra was unable to confirm that BlizzCon would return in 2023, McKee finally broke his silence when the company's official end-of-year report was published on December 21, 2022. With BlizzCon 2023 announced, information on the date, program, and events is anticipated to be released at the start of 2023.

A class action lawsuit against Epic Games was proposed by the Canadian law firm Calex Legal in 2019 on behalf of parents who claimed their kids were Fortnite addicts. A Quebec judge has approved that class action as of December 9, 2022. Although the term "addictive" is frequently used to characterize video games, it is taken literally in this complaint. The law company representing the parents, Calex Legal, said in its brief that Fortnite addiction "is analogous to cocaine addiction," and to bolster its assertions, it cited the World Health Organization's (WHO) most recent identification of "videogame disorder" as a condition. According to the lawsuit, Epic Games engaged experts to guarantee Fortnite would be as highly addictive for players as possible during its creation. Epic Games sees the matter very differently, claiming it is the responsibility of the parents since the company empowers parents to supervise their child’s digital experience. Spokespeople from Epic Games stated that the company plans to fight this case.

Joe Ziegler has joined the Destiny 2 development team Bungie after serving as the popular shooter Valorant's game director at Riot Game for 12 years. A few weeks ago, Ziegler made his exit public and expressed gratitude for his time and experiences at Riot Games. The only information Ziegler provided at the time was that he will soon divulge his new place of employment. Ziegler tweeted on December 20, 2022, that he was joining the Bungie video game development team. Ziegler hasn't provided any other details about his new position, though. Similar to the roles he held at Riot, his LinkedIn profile claims that he has accepted the post of game director. Now that Bungie is backed by Sony, many speculate that the company has more resources and greater opportunities to expand. Whatever the future may hold, it appears Ziegler has a lot of potential projects to work on.

Ubatcha - Twitter

Mobile: Publisher Cognosphere of Genshin Impact has submitted a DMCA subpoena for Discord to reveal the true identity of the individual known online as Ubatcha. With more than 465,000 followers on Twitter, a consistent presence on the Genshin Impact Leaks subreddit, and an administrator of a Discord channel with more than 272,000 users, Ubatcha is one of Genshin Impact's most well-known leakers. According to Cognosphere's attorneys, the most recent breach originated on Ubatcha's Discord channel. Cognosphere requests that Discord be required to "disclose the identity, including the name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), and email address(es) of the user Ubatcha#2719, who is responsible for posting illegal content," according to the first filing. According to the second filing, the information gathered would only be utilized to defend the rights given to Cognosphere by the Copyright Act. This most recent legal action comes less than two months after a significant Genshin Impact leak made public up to nine months' worth of game updates.

In the rogue-like tactical mobile game Desta: The Memories Between, players assume the role of Desta, who undertakes the unpleasant yet relatable duty of overanalyzing upcoming talks that many people don't want to have. In her fantasies, she plays a strategic game of dodgeball to relieve her anxiety by planning the worst conversations she could have with her relatives and old acquaintances when she returns home for the first time in a long time. Desta and the other characters players add to their team can be leveled up to acquire greater health and increased movement spaces per turn. Although they are randomized every time a run is attempted, special abilities are unlocked as you play. To turn familiar human experience into a grid-based dodgeball game that interprets the average anxiety people feel in life is a unique approach for a mobile game.

Attack on Titan: Unbreakable - UNIVRS

VR: The internationally-acclaimed anime Attack on Titan is getting an official VR game for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro headsets. The news was shared on December 7, 2022, during the Upload VR 2022 Winter Showcase alongside a handful of game-related announcements. Coming in the Summer of 2023, Attack on Titan: Unbreakable will immerse players in the role of a member of the Scout Regiment, a branch of the anime’s in-world military tasked with human expansion and exploration outside humanity’s gated city. Combat is centered on the Omnidirectional Mobility Gear, a unique piece of equipment that allows for improved mobility when facing Titans. It’s unclear at this time exactly what the gameplay will be like. According to the game’s developer, UNIVRS, the game will feature a single-player mode and multiplayer co-op. Attack on Titan: Unbreakable will launch on Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro VR headsets with support for Japanese and English languages. 

A new app called Megan Thee Stallion VR Concert was developed by AmazeVR. The app involves working directly with Megan Thee Stallion to capture high-quality 3D footage of her performances with a moving camera, making it feel like you’re floating right next to her as she sings and dances. The app includes one demo scene, with viewers given the option to purchase additional scenes in-app. The live-action capture integrates a pre-rendered CG environment, and the app adds some minimal real-time elements into the event to blur the line between pre-rendered and real-time. Megan Thee Stallion VR Concert is only available on App Lab due to the explicit content in the artist’s performances. Although App Lab is an official but unlisted store for Quest content, developers still needed to abide by Meta’s content guidelines where erotic content is forbidden.