Subnautica creators battle Krafton in court, Unity shakes hands with Fortnite, and Clair Obscur throws us in an indie tizzy – Patch Notes #31
Hello Patch People. It's Chris here. I have spent more time bathing in the arid glow of aggressive airport lighting than in my own bed this week due to a series of delayed and cancelled flights related to work shenanigans I'm sure you'll find rather intriguing. More on that before the day is out.
My finicky travel plans mean I'm typing these very words in a cafe at 6:30am with eyes that feel dryer than Stewart Lee's very best jape. Barely cognizant, newly caffeinated, and very regrettably awake. Who said video game journalism isn't glamorous?
When I haven't been quibbling about this and that (or that and this), the remainder of my waking life has been spent trawling through legal filings related to the ongoing legal battle between ousted Unknown Worlds founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, Ted Gill and their former employer, Krafton.
The lawsuit filed by the three former execs against the Korean publisher went to trial this week, and predictably resulted in deluge of gossip after court documents spilled into the public domain. TLDR: It turns out both sides don't have anything nice to say about each other. Who'd have guessed? The juiciest claims from that feisty tête-à-tête can be found here and here.
Given I was out of the office or drowning in legalese for the bulk of the week, Game Developer senior editor Bryant Francis stepped in to blurb the week's most notable headlines and spare me the need to frantically cobble together something barely coherent before the sun has even risen. Though I wonder whether this intro is precisely that. Surely not?
Unity developers will soon be able to bring games to Fortnitevia Game Developer // Developers concerned over the oligopolization of game engine technology probably furrowed their brows at the word that Unity and Epic Games are teaming up to make Unity-made games playable in Fortnite. We couldn't stop staring at Matthew Bromberg's Mark Zuckerberg-style outfit. Is the Unity CEO aspiring to Zuckdom?
Lessons from EA's 37-year live service hopes for Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroesvia Game Developer // If you ever want to lay a trap for Bryant, just promise him an interview with developers who work on Star Wars games. Luckily instead of sending him to an Imperial detention cell, Capital Games shared some lovely thoughts about learning to make games meant to last for decades.
Obituary: Interplay co-founder Rebecca Heineman has passed away at 62via Game Developer // We lost a true legend of game development this week. Every obituary we pen is heartbreaking, but to see such a vibrant, joyous figure in our industry depart so soon feels especially painful.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33s Game Awards nominations show 'indie' is still a meaningless termvia Polygon // Oh Geoff Keighley. Not content to cast the Future Class program to the shadow realm, he's gone and made us all wonder about the definition of "indie." Again. For the third or fourth year in a row? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 certainly deserves its laurels. But is it really as indie as Peak or Blue Prince?
Kim Swift, former Portal lead developer, joins NEARstudios as COOvia Game Developer // It's always worth keeping up with where Kim Swift is headed. The former Portal project lead has glided through a number of triple-A companies over the years, but now she's linking up with the small team at NEARstudios. Not only does it tell us something about opportunities for industry veterans, it's also worth watching someone who built their career as a designer move into a more managerial role. Exciting!
'Korea - they are the Joe Pesci of countries,' Unknown Worlds co-founder compiles plan to take on Krafton in newly-surfaced 'Litigation Help' documentvia Game Developer // We can't go into explaining what 'the Joe Pesci of countries' means without feeling our skin crawl a little. Just read for yourself.
"I was brought in to start throwing punches" - veteran exec Peter Moore reflects on the particular set of talents Microsoft needed to make Xbox 360 challenge PlayStation 3via Eurogamer // Moore's always been…well, braggadocios, but here he's tipping his hand a little about the game industry's corporate strategy in the era of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The marketing and corporate culture was as much about keeping kayfaybe and putting on a show as it was making good products.
GDC survey indicates over half of U.S. game workers want to join a unionvia Game Developer // Interest in unions remains high. But unionization in American game studios has been concentrated in a few overlapping companies. Will we see more activity in the near future?
Nearly half of US kids want in-game currency this Christmasvia Gamesindustry.biz // What is wrong with the youths. Get them off my lawn. In my day we asked for games like World of Warcraft and we liked it.
