This Week in Games

So Long, Kotick! Thanks for Nothing

Good day, morning, afternoon, and whatever in-between time you happen to be while reading yet another edition of this Week in Games. Surely, the week before Christmas spells a chill week with little gaming news? Incorrect! This week was arguably busier than last week's onslaught of news bits. So, like a cool substitute teacher sitting backward in a chair before breaking it down educationally to a class of politely eager students, let's get into the news.

Bobby Kotick will officially be stepping down as Activision Blizzard's CEO on December 29, according to IGN. Although we've known for a while that the contentious CEO was on the way out by the end of the year as a part of Microsoft's major US$69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the official date came coupled with a final note to employees—which was shared to the Activision Blizzard newsroom—recounting his 32 years leading the company.

"Forty years later, as my last day leading this company inches closer, I marvel at how far the talented people at our company have come toward realizing the great potential of games. You have transformed a hobbyist form of entertainment into the world's most engaging medium. It has been the privilege of my lifetime to work alongside you as we broadened the appeal of games," Kotick wrote. "Perhaps the most important part of my job has been to help bring talented people together, provide the best resources possible, and foster an environment that encourages inspiration, creativity, and unwavering commitment to excellence. I cannot adequately express the pride I have in the people who continue to contribute to our success and all those who have helped throughout my 32 years leading this company."

The note leans as a revisionist retelling of his tenure to anyone who's followed Activision Blizzard's controversies under his leadership. Chief among them is his employees accusing him of fostering the "frat boy" work culture that allowed sexual harassment and discrimination at the company. The aforementioned controversy was made all the worse when union workers accused the company of union busting amid its two lawsuits and worker walkouts. Kotick's talented employees called for him to resign in 2021. However, Kotick would counter this by suggesting he resign if he couldn't "fix the culture problems" at the company, according to The Wall Street Journal.

For the sake of everyone who still works at Activision Blizzard, I hope Kotick's claim that they "could not be in better hands" post-Microsoft acquisition proves true. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Kotick. Or do, because you suck.

On December 19, a ransomware group released 1.3 million files of confidential information from Marvel's Spider-Man 2 developer Insomniac Games that it obtained from a data breach. According to Cyber Daily, the ransomware group Rhysida threatened to release the information on December 12 if Insomniac Games didn't pay them US$2 million. The resulting data breach revealed early gameplay footage of the upcoming Wolverine game, employees' personal information, and Insomniac Games' slate of future games with Sony. While the circumstances of the data breach are unfortunate, to put it lightly, the resulting online discourse over gaming outlets reporting on the information from the data breach nearly eclipsed the hubbub over the breach itself.

One camp argued that the information from the data breach shouldn't be reported on because of the nature in which it was revealed. Another camp argued it is within a news site's editorial right to decide whether or not the information is newsworthy and to report on it. I won't name names on which sites decided on the former or the latter (since finding out the answer is as simple as a cursory Google search). As a journalist, I lean with the latter camp's reasoning.

Aftermath's Riley MacLeod can more succinctly explain my stance on all of this but the main crux of the discourse is that folks in the first camp argue that the publication of any information from the data breach harms Insomniac Games' developers. That simply isn't true. Each reputable gaming website that reported on the data breach didn't reveal developers' personal information. They just reported on the gaming news from the breach. It's their job to do that. While one can argue journalists doing so robbed Insomniac Games, the company, from the hype of revealing its upcoming plans at a gaming event or whatever, you're confusing journalism's objective with public relations. Also, companies aren't people, so it's kinda weird to be up in arms about a promotional campaign getting ruined, but that's just me.

Folks who said they wouldn't report on Insomniac's data breach more than likely have reported on information from leaks before for the same reasoning that other outlets did: it is newsworthy information readers want to know about. If anything, the discourse proved that gaming—in its pseudo-news/public relations limbo state— is still poorly equipped to handle situations like Insomniac's data breach.

It's official: A24, the entertainment film company behind movies like The Green Knight and Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Hideo Kojima are working on a Death Stranding film. While the announcement shocked folks, it's hardly surprising considering the video game auteur's Twitter account has mostly been about film reviews and posting photos with his favorite Hollywood stars. Plus, Kojima's games have been aping film techniques with their generously long cutscenes for years, so it only makes sense that he gets the chance to make one officially.

"A24 was born into this world about 10 years ago, their presence is singular within the industry, they are like no other. The films they are delivering to the world are high in quality and very innovative," Kojima wrote in a press release. "I have been attracted to their creations and they have even inspired my own work. Their innovative approach to storytelling aligns with what Kojima Productions has been doing for the last 8 years. Now, we are making a Death Stranding movie together. There are a lot of "game adaptation films" out there but what we are creating is not just a direct translation of the game. The intention is that our audience will not only be fans of the games, but our film will be for anyone who loves cinema. We are creating a Death Stranding universe that has never been seen before, achievable only through the medium of film, it will be born."

Whether or not Kojima's live-action Death Stranding film is a resounding success or a meek failure, you can rest assured in knowing that Geoff Keighley will release world premiere trailers for his pookie bear at Summer Games Fest and The Game Awards the moment they leave the cutting room floor.

Twitch had an interesting 48 hours this week when it reversed its decision to allow "artistic depictions of nudity" on the streaming platform. Twitch's sexual content guidelines update came as a result of OnlyFans model and streamer Morgpie igniting a trend where streamers would broadcast themselves with a tight crop on camera so they'd appear to be nude. Streamers were pushing the boundary for what was allowed on the platform, leading Twitch to respond in kind with a guideline update on December 13. Twitch's new guidelines permitted users to display "artistic depictions of nudity" so long as streams were "properly labeled with a Content Classification Label."

• Content that 'deliberately highlighted breasts, buttocks or pelvic region,' even when fully clothed. Streamers found it difficult to determine what was prohibited and what was allowed, and often, evaluating whether or not a stream violated this portion of the policy was subjective. In addition, the former Sexually Suggestive Content policy was out of line with industry standards and resulted in disproportionately penalizing female-presenting streamers.

• Fictionalized (drawn, animated, or sculpted) fully exposed female-presenting breasts and/or genitals or buttocks regardless of gender. Twitch has a thriving artist community, and this policy was overly punitive and did not reflect the impact of the content.

• Body writing on female-presenting breasts and/or buttocks regardless of gender. The Twitch Attire Policy already allows body art on breasts and buttocks, so this change makes these policies consistent.

• Erotic dances that involve disrobing or disrobing gestures, such as strip teases.

As you might've guessed, Twitch would about-face its decision on December 15. Now, all "depictions of real or fictional nudity won't be allowed on Twitch, regardless of the medium" will no longer be permissible on the platform.

"Upon reflection, we have decided that we went too far with this change. Digital depictions of nudity present a unique challenge – AI can be used to create realistic images, and it can be hard to distinguish between digital art and photography," Twitch CEO Daniel Clancy wrote in a blog post. "While I wish we would have predicted this outcome, part of our job is to make adjustments that serve the community. I apologize for the confusion that this update has caused."

In case you were wondering what implications Twitch's new sexual content has for folks playing mature games that depict nudity and sexual themes like Baldur's Gate 3, you're in the clear. But don't push your luck by broadcasting streams where you purposely make your party buck naked or whatever. Keep that stuff between you and God.

Now that you're properly equipped with four new video game-centric conversation starters, go on and enjoy your Christmas holiday with your loved ones!