Summary
A startling number of layoffs are announced before the first month of the new year has even concluded,Genshin Impact’s fanbase seems particularly perturbed by HoYoVerse’s actions (or inactions) lately, and theUntil Dawnmovie adaptation doesn’t seem to be arriving single-handedly. Today, Game Rant’s weekly recap takes a look at some of the most notable headlines from the past week.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s developer commentary reveals a character who was originally supposed to be killed,Tekken 8launches as the next monumental landmark in fighting games, and there’s a lot of information to catch up on for anyone diving intoSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueearly next week. All that and more in this week’s roundup ofgames industry news. dissent
Microsoft Lays Off a Staggering 1,900 People
The gaming division at Microsoft suffers an alarming 1,900 layoffs that include Activision Blizzard and others, while Blizzard’s president and co-founder/chief design officer are also set to take their leave. As part of these layoffs,a Blizzard survival game internally titledProject Odysseyhas been canceled.
Riot Games Confirms Mass Layoffs
League of LegendsandValorant’s Riot Gamesbegins 2024 by announcing layoffs of 530 people (equaling 11% of the workforce).
Genshin Impact and Lantern Rite Rewards Review-Bombed
Genshin Impact’s 4.4 Lantern Rite festivalhas caused an uproar with social media review-bombing as only a part of its community-wide criticism of how the game is perceived to be handling content inadequately.
Developer commentary forThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredreveals thatEllie was originally going to drown Abbyat the end of the game. However, this was decided against in an effort to salvage what remaining humanity Ellie might have left, which could suggest an uneasy path to redemption in a sequel.
Until Dawn Potentially Coming to PS5, PC
Shortly after the announcement of anUntil Dawnlive-action movie adaptation, it seems as thoughthe PS4 Supermassive game is also slated to arrive on PS5 and PC. If true, this would likely be done to refamiliarize the IP with players and anyone interested in the horror movie’s source material by the time its marketing rolls around.
Features
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode has a ton of content, especially due to it being an infinitely replayable roguelike, but an expansion with characters fromPart 1could make it even greater and well-rounded.
Movies & TV
Madame Webhasn’t had the greatest marketing, but rumors thatAmazing Fantasy#15’s iconic “responsibility” quote may have been butchered in this spin-off, which isn’t helping matters. Still, only time will tell if this proves true next month.
Guides
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguelaunches in early access in a couple of short days and there’s a lot players will want to know before hopping into Rocksteady’s live-service shooter.
Game Rant Exclusives
Tekken 8seems to outshine its previous entries in big ways, being both fully immersive in its accessibility and single-player content, though its netcode might not be the best in the business.
