🎮 Epic & Apple continue to fight, news about Gotham Knights, and Ronald Reagan

Microsoft support Epic's fight to stay on Apple devices

Everyday a new story breaks about the spat between Epic & Apple. This week held a court hearing between the two companies and other companies throwing their hats in the rings against Apple. There's a lot to read here, so I'll keep this short and use this space for links to other resources:

The latest (and arguably biggest) update from this fight is Apple removing Epic Games' App Store Developer account. That means no one can download Fortnite, Infinity Blade, or any other app developed by Epic. Read more here

Apple is also fighting with Facebook, who tried to release a feature that had fine print reading that Apple takes 30% of all revenue through the Facebook iOS app. Facebook is ticked, saying that they did it so "be more transparent" with their users. Isn't it funny to hear Facebook calling out another company for not being transparent. Bit of pot calling the kettle black, no? Read more here

Image credit: Epic Games

Video Game Contractors Receive Poor Treatment and Low Salary as Business Booms

File this under "big game companies abuse people's passions."

It's so sad to see this abuse running rampant through the industry and there being little to no solution for it. Legal representatives say it's "The Wild West," so it's almost impossible for unions to bring a case against companies that are doing this.

Are unions are becoming more mainstream in the industry and more people are speaking out about behind-the-scene practices, hopefully we're getting closer to the day when contractors receive proper treatment.

Image credit: Activision

How long has it been?

It's only been one week, but I feel like it's been a year.

So much happened this past week. There was the DC Fandome, a Nintendo Direct Mini, and Gamescom's Opening Night Live. All of these had a ton of great announcements and left a ton of stuff to be absorbed and read.

We have a nice balance of articles this week:

The newest updates from the war between Epic and Apple

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War dives headfirst into politics with Ronald Reagan in their announcement trailer

How Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep mirrors the experience of queer existence in religious organizations

I hope you enjoy this week's issue. As always, stay safe and enjoy the read!

Let's Talk!

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Development

Gotham Knights: Our Biggest Questions, Answered

This past week included Gamescom Opening Night Live, a Nintendo Direct Mini, and DC Fandome, and the thing that got me the most hyped was the Fandome.

This surprised me because I'm not the biggest DC fanboy, but let me tell you, I love Batman. I've been waiting for the next Batman game for so long, and I'm so hyped for Gotham Knights (even though I keep calling it Arkham Knights)

That being said, this article stoke the flame of my hype. I'm totally okay with it being different from the Batman Arkham series and I'm so excited to play as the Bat Family. The gameplay described here seems really fun and I'm really excited to try out the multiplayer. I'm so glad it's not Games as a Service, but you can absolutely expect a slew of DLC to come out with this game. I'm imagining something similar to Marvel's Spider-Man that kept the game relevant for ~1 year after its release.

Are you hyped for this?? Let me know!

Image credit: WB Games

‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ campaign drips with intrigue as it dances around a political hornets nest

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War will be one of those games to keep an eye out for. Not because of its stellar gameplay, but for how the public receives it and how it handles the history its dealing with.

The developers behind this game aren't blind. They know what they're getting themselves into with creating a story with President Ronald Reagan in such a pivotal role (assumingly). But it remains to be seen whether Activision and Raven Software will make a statement with this game or if they'll try and remove themselves from modern-day politics.

Image credit: Activision

Maybe Just Delay Next-Gen Already

Heads up, this one is a bit of a downer.

Or, as some might see it, realistic. It's a fun distraction to get hype for next-gen, but when you couple it with all that's going on in the world, it's definitely not a solution. Plus, it's no secret that hundreds of developers are breaking their back to get their titles ready for this next-gen release. On the other side of things, some game journalists and fans are asking themselves the question, "should I buy this next system on launch date or should I save up for a potential second round of economic failure?"

There are a lot of uncertainties in the world right now, but it seems like next-gen releasing this year is not one of them. Personally, next-gen hype is something that keeps me going. It's something to look forward to when most of my life is sitting at home doing work. But for others, it's a source of anxiety and I completely understand where they're coming from.

This is indeed a crazy year and it will be interesting to see how a next-gen console launch will play into that.

Image credit: Microsoft

Community

Summer Games Done Quick raises over $2.3 million for charity

Games Done Quick events are some of my favorite parts of the year. This year changed things up a bit, the normally in-person event went completely digital. Surprisingly, the quality of was still top-notch and the runs were as good as ever.

For a regular GDQ, $2.3 million is far surpassed, but when you take into account that many economies around the world are having a tough time, $2.3 in donations is a huge number. I'm always so happy to see people come together and donate during an event like this.

You haven't watched many speedruns, you should check out this clip from this past week's Half-Life: Alyx speedrun. It's the first VR game to ever be at a GDQ and boy does it not disappoint.

Image credit: Games Done Quick

Your Will Be Done: Religious Authority and Queer Existence in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

In this editorial, Grace Benfell admits that she is "making a leap" by drawing comparisons between Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and the journey of queer youth in religious institutions, but if you take a moment to follow this thread of thinking, it starts to make sense.

Birth By Sleep is truly one of the most intense games in the Kingdom Hearts series in storyline. This game took the series from being a fun Disney + Final Fantasy story to something that could stand by itself. This article also shows why this game's story is so good. It's incredible that writers like Grace can deconstruct the plot of this game and break it down into raw human emotions and experiences that many can relate with.

This is really a great article and this new monthly column, "Your Will Be Done," is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Image credit: Square Enix

Before You Go

Thanks for popping in

Thanks again for checking out this week's issue.

If you enjoy it, share it around with your friends! Forward this email, C+P the URL and send it around, post it on your social and tag me, whatever you feel like doing!

I'll be back next week with a hot batch of gaming news. And maybe we'll know the PS5 price and release date? (haha I know that won't happen).

I'll see you next time!