In The News
New York Yankees, welcome to esports. They are partnering with “Vision Esports, the largest single shareholder of three esports-related companies. The two organizations will create and manage an “ecosystem” of esports properties that include Echo Fox, Twin Galaxies, and Vision Entertainment,” Forbes’ Mike Ozanian reports.
MIlLioNs! Wave this report in your mom’s face when she says a passion for video games will only see you living in her basement with Cheeto dust embedded under your fingernails for the rest of your life.
“The audience for gaming video content (GVC) has reached 665 million people,” GamesIndustry.biz’s Haydn Taylor writes. “This year ads and direct consumer spending is expected to push GVC earnings to $4.6 billion.”
There are certain things you should not do, like jump the White House fence. The reasons may seem obvious to most, but if you are as inclined as this man dressed up as Pikachu, let me explain to you why you should not: There’s a man in that big house that all the Secret Service agents in the vicinity will shoot you to protect. So, please, no fence jumping.
Anyway, Polygon’s Allegra Frank reports that “36-year-old Curtis Combs, a Kentucky native and the man behind the stunt, was taken into police custody after the incident. He’s since been charged with unlawful entry.” He goes to court Nov. 9. “After being apprehended, Combs told Secret Service agents that he had planned to film his jump for YouTube fame.”
Star Wars Battlefront II could, maybe, potentially, pew pew pew its way over to the Nintendo Switch, GameSpot’s Eddie Makuch reports. “Motive Studios producer David Robillard said EA will consider a Switch version ‘if we see opportunities … but it is not something that’s on the books right now.’”
Shocker, Gabe Newell is rich AF. He couldn’t spend all his money if he tried. To help drive home just how much we need 5/$1 Ramen and he doesn’t, Game Informer’s Imran Khan reports that “Valve’s head of state has been crowned the 97th richest person in America, due to Valve’s immense popularity with its storefront and hat retailer. Forbes estimates Newell’s worth at $55 billion.”
PlayStation and Xbox will once again duke it out for holiday sales dominance. Gamasutra’s Alissa McAloon writes that “the two newest versions of the consoles, the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro, are nearly tied for holiday season interest.”
The Nintendo Switch topped the sales charts for the third month in a row, Venture Beat’s Mike Minotti reports. “Nintendo has now sold 2 million Switches in the U.S. alone since the console’s launch in March … But it wasn’t the only successful Nintendo product of the month.”
*Psst* There’s a person somewhere inside this ENORMOUS COSPLAY. Seriously, look at it. It’s awesome. Kotaku’s Luke Plunkett writes that “It was made by Thomas DePetrillo from Extreme Costumes.”
As more companies enter the esports realm, AListDaily’s John Gaudiosi interviewed Hulu and ESL about upcoming esports shows. Here’s a snippet:
“Rutsky said esports content provides a significant overlap with Hulu’s young male (18-34) audience, which comprises a strong share of its subscription base and watches adult-animation, comedy, superhero shows and anime on the platform.”
TruePlay is Microsoft’s new Windows 10 anti-cheat system, PC Gamer’s Andy Chalk reports. “‘A game enrolled in TruePlay will run in a protected process, which mitigates a class of common attacks,’ Microsoft explained … Microsoft says data will only be shared with developers after it has been determined that ‘cheating is likely to have occurred.’”
Grab that strong bicep and get swinging! Boyfriend Dungeon “is being developed by Kitfox Games … and aims to offer a unique blend of dungeon crawler (complete with procedurally generated dungeons and varied combat styles) and dating sim,” according to Eurogamer’s Matt Wales.
Intrigued by the prospect of falling madly in love with a dagger, sword or mace? Check out a game teaser here.