PS5 wows on what would have been E3 2020

PlayStation 5: Sony games chief says PS5 offers a paradigm shift

If you were sleeping under a rock or (like me) if life kept you busy, then you might have missed PS5's reveal event on Thursday. It was an hour and 15 minutes of beautiful next-gen coverage, something that blew Xbox out of the water in my opinion. So if you missed it, you can catch the full video here.

Now that you've seen it, BBC was able to ask Jim Ryan a few questions about the console and the event itself. This is gaming's way of squeezing the fruit for every bit of juice we can get out of it. This article provides a tiny bit more insight into PS5, including the reason for the design choice, what next-gen offers other than better graphics and load times, and the variety of games shown.

I am so ready for PS5.

Image credit: Sony

A look back at E3 2010

This past week would have been E3 2020 if it wasn't for a pandemic. Luckily, we still got an awesome PlayStation 5 reveal event this week, but nothing quite beats the cheers from the crowd and the awkward pacing of speeches at every E3. If you're missing it, this article links some of 2010s most memorable keynotes, including a highlight reel of the strange Xbox Kinect event.

Looking back, it makes me wonder if something like that will ever happen again. With Sony presumably gone for good from E3, will there ever be a huge gaming convention that's marked as Christmas for gamers? Only time will tell.

Image credit: ESA

Remote work raises new crunch concerns

Crunch was a topic that I focused a lot on in the beginning issues of Load Save. Not because I particularly loved the topic, but because it was a frequent point of discussion in the gaming industry. Since last Fall, crunch hasn't been as much of a topic, and once the pandemic hit, all conversations turned to that.

Now that we're in a place where many companies are offering the ability to work from home permanently, so it's important to talk about the effect of WFH on crunch. This author knows what he's talking about, he worked at Rockstar Lincoln for 12 years, a dev company that's notorious for its crunch culture.

This serves as an interesting insight into crunching at home. I wish I could have read this before the pandemic, when I was jumping for joy at the thought of working from home.

Riot Games Investigating Exec Who Blamed George Floyd’s Murder on His ‘Lifestyle’

Two steps forward, one giant leap back.

Over the past few months, Riot has been in the news a lot. Most of it was due to reported discrimination throughout the company, which resulted in a huge media backlash and employees protesting. Riot "settled" this issue with a lot of money and through a court, and since then, Riot's headlines have been praising Valorant.

You would think that after all of that, Riot would be extra cautious to stay on the people's good side. But unforunately, their Global Head of Consumer Products missed the part of them walking on eggshells and decided to do a cannonball. This is an example of an exec who has no idea what's going on in the ground floor of the company, so he does what he wants.

I feel bad for Riot. Things seemed like they were getting better, but now some executive put them miles back from where they were.

Update: since this original article was posted, the Riot Games executive Ron Johnson has resigned. Read more here.

Image credit: Riot Games

The Future of Gaming is here!

This week was pretty big: the PS5 event, the release of The Last of Us Part II articles and reviews, and a lot of industry vets looking back at E3's of years past. To me, the highlight of this week's issue is the TLOU2 article by GQ UK. It's such an interesting read and it's definitely worth it even if you're not super interested in the game. Aside from that, this week we look at:

Riot Games exec under fire for George Floyd comments

A deeper look at the Afrofantasy RPG The Wagadu Chronicles

Celebrating Blackness in gaming

Thanks for taking the time to check out this week's issue. Remember to follow Load Save on Twitter to see more breaking news-type articles with a bit of commentary. I'm also on Facebook if you want to drop by and say hey!

As always, stay safe and enjoy the read!

Let's Talk!

Each issue of Load Save is filled with articles that encourage discussion. If you have any comments on this week’s issue or just want to say hey, shoot me an email!

Development

The Last of Us Part II: Accessibility Features Detailed

This was technically announced last week, but this blog lists the entirety of the accessibility features that Naughty Dog has implemented in The Last of Us 2.

So far, the two big companies I've seen champion accessibility features is Naughty Dog and Ubisoft. ND mentions that these are features that they plan to include in their future titles as well. These companies are building a foundation of accessibility, which takes time, but once its fleshed out, I believe that next-gen will be all about accessibility. In a few years, people will look back at this gen and be shocked at the lack of accessibility.

Related: Steve Saylor, gaming accessibility advocate and self-proclaimed "The Blind Gamer," posted his reaction to the accessibility features in The Last of Us Part II on his Twitter page. This is the reason accessibility is so important in gaming. Gaming accessibility wouldn't be what it is if it wasn't for people like Saylor, so seeing his reaction to hard work paying off is beautiful.

Image credit: Naughty Dog

The Last Of Us Part II: how Neil Druckmann made a masterpiece

There is so much in this article, but it's so well written that it reads like a true-crime story. Following the life of Neil Druckmann during the final bits of development of The Last of Us Part II, we get an incredible in-depth look at all the crap that Naughty Dog has gone through leading up to launch. It covers the delays, the tight-lipped nature of the game, and the leaks. I felt like I got done watching a documentary once I finished reading it.

I haven't been on the hype train for TLOU2 like most everyone else has. After reading this article, that might have changed. Hearing how involved everyone is in this game and how proud they are to put it out speaks a lot to its quality. I'm still on the fence, but I might pick this one up sooner rather than later.

Image credit: Naughty Dog

Allan Cudicio playing to the beat of his own drum

I first learned about The Wagadu Chronicles and Twin Drums Studios a few months ago when I linked another article that highlighted the inspiration for this Afrofantasy role-playing game. You can read that article here.

This week, Games Industry goes deeper into the development of The Wagadu Chronicles. While the Gamasutra article focused on Allan Cudicio's past influencing this game, GI looks at the company and the development as a whole.

Every time I read about this game I get more excited for it. Also, Cudicio has been an amazing voice throughout the past few weeks on Twitter. Go check him out and give him a follow.

Image credit: Twin Drums

Community

Itch's Bundle For Racial Justice And Equality hit $5m

By the time this issue gets to you, the dollar amount will be much higher than it is in this article. But that's an awesome thing. The gaming community raised over $5 million dollars in 2 weeks. That's insane! I said multiple times in last week's issue that the gaming community could do so much if we banded together, and this bundle is evidence of that.

Join me in buying this bundle to support racial justice and equality!

Image credit: itch.io

p.s. if you're looking for what game to start with, Polygon has some suggestions.

Celebrating Blackness in Gaming's Past, Present, and Future

Last week, we looked at the industry's response to Black Lives Matter and how we can do so much better. In this article, we can see games and devs who are doing it better and creating stories that highlight people of color. So many of these games have been on my backlog or are new discoveries that I can't wait to get into (i.e. She Dreams Elsewhere).

What are some of your favorite games that highlight POC? Shoot me a message and let me know!

Image credit: TellTale Games

How esports photographers are using in-game capture in place of live events

It's always encouraging to see how people are adjusting to a largely quarantined world.

I will always be impressed by in-game photography. Games themselves are beautiful, but the gamers who can orchestrate such beautiful pictures or short videos are wildly creative and amazing. This is no different for Robert Paul, the focus of this article. The images showcased here are incredible to look at, especially when you consider the time and effort put into getting the perfect shot.

Speaking of eSports, if you're a huge fan of them and you want to stay up-to-date on what's going on in that world, check out the awesome newsletter Weekly.gg. It's weekly and straight to the point, not to mention its got an incredible landing page. I've learned a lot about the eSports scene after only being subscribed for a few weeks, so check it out!

Image credit: Robert Paul

Before You Go

Hype for next-gen has reached full capacity

I loved every minute of the PS5 reveal event. Normally, there's at least one game announcement that doesn't catch my attention, but every single game had something incredible to show off. Even the next 2K looked gorgeous.

Personally, I'm a fan of the console design. I don't know what about it makes me happy, but it just works for me. I love the white design, and this is coming from someone who wasn't super excited about the white Dual Sense. Needless to say, I'm so hyped for this console.

Thanks for reading my love for PlayStation and this week's issue. I'll see you next time!