The games industry is in an interesting place this week, as Microsoft's Bethesda acquisition seems like it will shake the industry's foundation. With that, plus a lot of other news to chew on, Cameron and Anthony have plenty to discuss in Game Rant Arcade Episode 13.
First up, Marvel's Avengers is making some controversial changes, raising the leveling requirements and possibly bottlenecking progression. So far, Avengers has had a rough time, underperforming financially and struggling to maintain a meaningful gameplay loop. The change has some justifications, but both Cameron and Anthony have a hard time viewing it as a positive change.
RELATED: Game Rant Arcade Episode 11
In brighter news, Naughty Dog posted a job listing for a live service economy manager, which implies that The Last of Us 2's multiplayer has grown in scope, or that a new project entirely is on the way. That has some exciting implications for the future of Naughty Dog and the industry, though, which is ultimately a good thing for the developer. Especially considering that more PlayStation exclusives
The biggest news of the week by far, though, is the finalized Microsoft acquisition, with the company now owning Bethesda. The move has major implications for the industry moving forward, and indicates a marked change in how Microsoft will operate in the future, or at least so it seems. Plus, it appears that Bethesda games will primarily be Xbox exclusives, which is a big change from earlier implications that many games would be multiplatform titles.
Game Rant Arcade is available now on various podcast services. Listen to the episode directly below or through one of the listed links.
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- Listen on Spotify
Here are the timestamps for each segement:
- Marvel's Avengers Raising Level Requirements - 0:01:52
- The Last of Us 2 Live Service Elements - 0:14:23
- PlayStation Exclusives Coming to PC - 0:21:25
- Microsoft's Bethesda Acquisition - 0:31:15
- Maquette - 048:13
- Loop Hero - 0:56:42
- Why do people complain? - 1:08:12
- Getting Out of a Gaming Rut - 1:15:34
- What Are Our Gaming Quirks? - 1:22:22
Game Rant Arcade records each week, bringing the latest for video game news, impressions on the latest games, and responses to gamers' burning questions. To have a question read on Game Rant Arcade, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or follow and tweet at us on Twitter @RantArcade.