Reader Discussion: What's Your Favorite E3 Memory?
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
The Entertainment Software Association announced today that E3 is officially dead. After more than two decades, the long-running video game conference where developers, publishers, businesses, and press met to check out new games, watch reveals, and more, has been permanently canceled.
The first E3 took place in 1995 and the last in-person conference happened in 2019. The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but E3 returned for one last bout in 2021 with an all-digital event. The 2022 show was canceled, and this year's event, which was set to happen with ReedPop, was canceled as well.
— E3 (@E3) December 12, 2023
Personally, while this news comes as no surprise, I'm legitimately sad about it. E3 is one of the things that first pulled me into the idea of writing about games for a living – I loved the excitement and pure love of games that happened around each week of E3; I wanted to be a part of it in some capacity. And when I finally started freelancing in games media, eventually landing this position here at Game Informer, it remained my dream to attend an E3 event as a professional games journalist.
The dream is dead, y'all.
But amongst the sadness, there are still plenty of great memories I have associated with E3. I'll never forget sitting in a local theater to watch PlayStation's 2016 E3 showcase – remember when Sony used to live stream its showcases to theaters, giving us at home a facsimile of what it'd be like to watch the show live in person with others?
Bear McCreary, one of my favorite composers, began playing a song I was unfamiliar with. It was booming, powerful, unique, and new. The showcase then cuts to game footage, and we see a young boy outside of a winter cabin playing with toys. A few moments later, we'd see Kratos, the God of War, back with a new look and in a new land. He was older, with a new voice by Christopher Judge, and sporting a different look. The theater I was in (and the one in the live stream) erupted with excitement – Kratos and God of War were back!
I had never played a God of War game at that point, but the excitement around me was contagious. I was beyond pumped to play a new entry in a series I had never cared about. Now, in 2023, that game is one of my all-time favorites, both because of this E3 memory I have of it and the game itself.
With all that said, I want to know what your favorite E3 memory is? Is it a sequel you never thought you'd get? Is it a new IP you knew immediately you'd fall in love with? Is it a game console reveal? Is it a celebrity appearance? Let Game Informer know in the comments below!
Update: Embracer Group Confirms Free Radical Design Studio Closure
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
Update, 12/12/23:
After reports in November indicated that Free Radical Design, the team behind the TimeSplitters franchise that had been reformed in 2021 to create a new entry in the series, was facing a complete shutdown, the studio closure happened yesterday.Game Informerreached out to Free Radical Design parent company Embracer Group for a comment on the closure – it pointed us to the following LinkedIn post by Plaion, which owns Free Radical Design.
"It's with a heavy heart that we must announce yet another difficult decision," the post reads. "Today, we have to confirm the official closure of Free Radical Design, and say goodbye to many remarkable, talented, and hard-working people. We are beyond grateful for their incredible contributions to Plaion and wish them the best of luck and success on their professional journey from here on out."
The original story continues below...
Update, 12/11/23:
Last month,VideoGamesChroniclereported that Free Radical Design, the team behind the TimeSplitters franchise, might be facing a complete shutdown. It seems that shutdown has happened, as the Free Radical Design website now leads to a 404 page. Plus, various employees have been posting about the studio, saying goodbye to it and more online.
It's been a great 2 and a quarter years at Free Radical Design, sad to see us go.
— Mark?? (@KeighleyKicker) December 11, 2023
Onwards and upwards! pic.twitter.com/VEfJ29g42D
Gonna miss the folks at FRD ? Thank you and all the best for the future x pic.twitter.com/fsjFjM7I00
— Deanna / Jr Env Artist (@Sparrargh) December 11, 2023
The last day at FRD was very different from what I imagined. I don't think it sunk in properly just yet, but handed my keys in and left the building the last time. It's Time to Split pic.twitter.com/n1UGELsoED
— Adam Kiraly (@94Kiraly) December 11, 2023
Game Informerhas reached out to Embracer Group, which, via publisher Deep Silver, announced in 2021 that it was reforming Free Radical Design to work on a new entry in the TimeSplitters series, for confirmation and comment on the matter. It will update this story if it learns more.
The original story continues below...
Original story, 11/08/23:
Publisher Deep Silver, which is owned by Embracer Group, announced in 2021 that it was reforming TimeSplitters developer Free Radical Design to begin development on a new entry in the series. Now, a new report fromVideoGamesChroniclesays this reformed Free Radical Design could be facing a complete shutdown, adding to Embracer's continued restructuring that has resulted in the closure of studios like Saints Row developer Volition Games.
Yesterday, Embracer COO Egil Strunke announced that he had resigned from the position to launch a new game company, as reported byPC Gamer, amidst Embracer's rough year. Today,VGCreports that people familar with the matters of Free Radical Design say the studio has been part of an evaluation within Embracer and that the studio could close as a result. The publication writes that Plaion, which is the Embracer division that runs Free Radical Design, must consult employees at least 30 days in advance before layoffs per U.K. law. That law is likely how Free Radical Design employees have learned about a potential closure.
VGCnotes that on LinkedIn and social media, at least 15 Free Radical Design employee have said they're looking for new employment within the last 24 hours.Game Informerhas reached out to Embracer to ask for confirmation and more details surrounding Free Radical Design's potential closure, and will update this story if more information is learned.
As noted byVGC, while the studio could close, that's not yet guaranteed. It could be acquired by a third-party interested in the team, or simply kept open with a change of mind by Embracer.
Embracer-owned publisher Deep Silver, who also published this year's Dead Island 2, announced in 2021 that it had reformed the original TimeSplitters developer, Free Radical Design, to create a new TimeSplitters game. This new version of Free Radical Design features key members of the original team, including founders Steve Ellis and David Doak, both of whom worked on games like GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark while previously employed at Rare.
The first iteration of Free Radical Design was purchased by Crytek in 2009 and then rebranded as Crytek UK. However, it was shutdown in 2014, with much of the staff moving to Dead Island 2 developer Deep Silver Dambuster Studio, which also developed Homefront: The Revolution.
Deep Silver owners Koch Media purchased the TimeSplitters IP in 2018, officially making Free Radical Design a Deep Silver studio in the process, all of which are now under the Embracer Group umbrella after Embracer purchased Koch Media in 2018.
Free Radical Design was set to develop the fourth TimeSplitters game in the series, but now its future as a studio remains unclear.
The potential Free Radical Design closure joins an unfortunately ever-growing list of layoffs affecting studios this year. Yesterday, Ubisoft laid off more than 100 employees, and last week, roughly 100 employees were laid off at Destiny 2 developer Bungie.
In January,Microsoft laid off 10,000 employeesamidst itsongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, whichit completed lastmonth.
In August, Striking Distance Studios, the team behind last year'sThe Callisto Protocol, laid offmore than 30 employees, and that same month, Mass Effect and Dragon Age developerBioWare laid off 50 employees, including long-time studio veterans. The following month, in September,Immortals of AveumdeveloperAscendant Studios laid off roughly 45% of its staff.
Just last month month, The Last of Us developerNaughty Dog has laid off at least 25 employees,andTelltale Games has gone through layoffsas well, although an actual number of laid-off employees has not yet been revealed. And in late October, Dreams developerMedia Molecule laid off 20 employees.
The hearts of theGame Informerstaff are with everyone affected by these layoffs and those at Free Radical Design.
[Source: VideoGamesChronicle]
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Written by Akshay PatelReverse City Builder Terra Nil Hits Nintendo Switch Next Week
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
Terra Nil, the "reverse city builder" from developer Free Lives and publisher Devolver Digital, is coming to Switch next week. More specifically, it will hit the Nintendo console on December 18, as revealed in a new trailer you can watch below.
While many simulation games task you with creating a new metropolis or saving a colony of humans from post-apocalyptic conditions, Terra Nil instead tasks you with saving nature from climate change and the effects of humans. Instead of building roadways and buildings, you build windmills, calcifiers, and more.
As you can see, Terra Nil is not only a unique spin on the simulation genre, but a pretty one. It's sure to pop on Nintendo Switch OLED models, too, if you have one.
If you're unsure whether or not the game is for you, read Game Informer's Terra Nil review to learn what we thought about it. Listen to us talk more about it on this episode of The Game Informer Show after that.
Are you going to check out Terra Nil on Switch next week? Let us know in the comments below!
Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering Owner Hasbro Is Laying Off 1100 Employees
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
Hasbro, the parent company behind Wizards of the Coast, which itself is responsible for both Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, is laying off 1100 employees, as reported by Dicebreaker and The Wall Street Journal. The company, which is also behind the Transformers franchise (toys and other media), announced this decision yesterday, on December 11.
Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks called the need for layoffs in an email sent to staff a "lever we must pull to keep Hasbro healthy" and "a last resort." As noted by Dicebreaker, Cocks became CEO of Hasbro in February of last year and earns roughly $1.5 million in salary in the position – his total earnings for 2022 amounted to $9.4 million, however.
"While we're confident in the future of Hasbro, the current environment demands that we do more, even if these choices are some of the hardest we have to make," Cocks writes in the email, which The Wall Street Journal published. "I know this news is especially difficult during the holiday season. There is no sugar-coating how hard this is, particularly for the employees directly affected."
Dicebreaker reports that laid-off employees will be notified sometime over the next six weeks and that Hasbro will vacate a Rhode Island office as a result of cost-cutting measures next month. While Hasbro is laying off 1,100 employees out of its 6,400 employees – it laid off 800 people earlier this year – it's unclear which of the company's teams, including Wizards of the Coast, are affected. Last week, Payday 3 developer Starbreeze announced a partnership with Wizards of the Coast to develop a multiplayer co-op title set in the D&D universe.
These Hasbro layoffs join an unfortunately ever-growing list of layoffs affecting workers in 2023 in the games industry and games-adjacent industries. Just yesterday, Embracer Group officially shuttered its reformed TimeSplitters team, Free Radical Design. A few weeks ago, 505 Games parent company Digital Bros laid off 30 percent of its staff.
Last month, Amazon Games laid off 180 staff members. In early November, we learned that Ubisoft laid off more than 100 employees. The week before that, roughly 100 employees were laid off at Destiny 2 developer Bungie.
In January, Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees amidst its ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which it completed last month.
In August, Striking Distance Studios, the team behind last year's The Callisto Protocol, laid off more than 30 employees, and that same month, Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare laid off 50 employees, including long-time studio veterans. The following month, in September, Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios laid off roughly 45% of its staff.
Just last month, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog laid off at least 25 employees, and Telltale Games underwent layoffs as well, although an actual number of laid-off employees has not yet been revealed. And in late October, Dreams developer Media Molecule laid off 20 employees.
The hearts of Game Informer's staff are with the people laid off from Hasbro, along with everyone else who has lost a job this year.
[Source: Dicebreaker via The Wall Street Journal]