In The News
“Bring out ye dead!” “Boss Key Productions, the studio founded by Unreal and Gears of War designer Cliff ‘CliffyB’ Bleszinski, has shut down,” Engadget’s David Lumb reports. Bleszinski’s statement can be found here.
Esports betting is a go thanks to the Supreme Court overruling a prior law, 6-3, “that prohibits sports gambling,” ESPN’s David Purdum writes. “The court ruled 6-3 to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a 1992 law that barred state-authorized sports gambling with some exceptions. It made Nevada the only state where a person could wager on the results of a single game.”
Congratulations to the Gran Turismo franchise on topping 80 million sold copies.
Microsoft News:
More gamer access? Windows Central’s Jez Corden reported on an allegedly leaked photo of what looks to be an accessibility-focused controller. “It will likely get its big reveal sometime between now and E3 2018.”
Microsoft released a statement regarding updated policies, according to GameSpot’s Eddie Makuch. “If you’re playing an Xbox Live-enabled game or app, Microsoft might share some information about you and your play habits with the publisher … The information … includes your country and age range, Xbox profile data such as your Gamertag and avatar, and information about how many achievements you’ve unlocked and how much time you’ve spent in a game or app. Microsoft may also share details about enforcement against your profile.”
Bigben Interactive acquired Cyanide “for €20 million ($24 million), obtaining 100% of the company’s shares and voting rights,” GamesIndustry.biz’s Rebekah Valentine writes.
Hangar 13 opened a studio in Brighton, England.
German prosecutors “have opted not to pursue legal action against makers of a video game which a depicted a mirrored swastika,” GamesIndustry.biz’s Haydn Taylor reports. “Bundesfighter II Turbo was published last year by public broadcasting organisation Funk Media.”
Tencent News:
The company’s value spiraled $78 billion, Bloomberg’s Sofia Horta E Costa and Lulu Yilun Chen write. “Tencent Holdings Ltd. has shed $78 billion in value as investors price in the costs of the Internet giant’s massive spending spree. Results on Wednesday are expected to show that rising costs and investments will hurt profitability at Asia’s biggest listed company.”
Tencent and the University of Oxford “will host tournaments and offer courses with a view to increasing the profile of esports, as well as bringing more talent into it,” Esports Insider’s Adam Fitch reports.
Give it to me now. Retro Studios is “rumored to be working on a Star Fox racing title,” Game Informer’s Imran Khan writes. “A new round of rumors from reddit and image boards suggests that Retro Studios has been working on a project titled ‘Star Fox Grand Prix.’”
Streamer News:
Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the most popular streamer of them all? That would be Ninja at 6.8 million hours watched, according to The Esports Observer’s Jordan Fragen. Dakotaz comes in a distant 2nd at 1.9 million hours and Shroud in 3rd with 1.7 million hours.
Ali-A got some less-than-stellar attention from PewDiePie, who released a video “in which he analyzes and subsequently makes fun of the various instances of Ali-A’s clickbaiting tactics,” Dexerto’s Albert Petrosyan reports.
Esports News:
Hearthstone: David “Dog” Caero qualified for the upcoming Hearthstone Championship Tour seasonal championship.
An official Hearthstone Cosplay Contest starts today and goes through July 27.
Dota 2: Natus Vincere released Nikola “LeBron” Popović for Fedor “velheor” Rusihin.