Ubisoft promises that Project Q won’t have NFTs, players bid good riddance to the Bethesda Launcher, and Russia blocks the website for Stalker 2.
Sundays are all about getting in as much gaming as you possibly can before going back to work the next day. The upshot is that you really get behind on everything that's been going on in the world, but don’t worry because you can get right back up to speed with our daily news roundups. We found out today that Ubisoft’s upcoming Project Q is apparently not going to have NFTs, players have been bidding good riddance to the Bethesda Launcher only days before its retirement, and the Russian government has blocked access to the website for Stalker 2 on account of its developer supporting Ukraine in the ongoing conflict. These are just the tip of the iceberg, so read on for the rest.
Several sources inside Ubisoft have been hinting that it might just be going up for sale at some point in the near future. The argument is basically that a combination of slumping stock prices and a lack of clear leadership over the long term could cause the current owners to accept a big buyout. There have also been several private equity firms eying the company. Ubisoft has been quiet so far about a sale, noting only that “we don’t comment on rumors or speculation.” The developer however added that it has “the industry’s deepest and most diversified portfolios, cutting-edge services and technologies, and a large and growing community of engaged players.” Ubisoft went on to say that “as a result, we’re ideally positioned to capitalize on the rapid industry growth and platform opportunities that are emerging right now.” Seems suspicious.
The multiplayer in Halo Infinite was apparently supposed to be a hero shooter with PvP and PvE elements until someone realized that it wasn’t working and pivoted towards what players know and love. This began as a rumor on Twitter, but was quickly confirmed by the journalist at Bloomberg Jason Schreier. ”Yes, 343 spent a while prototyping a hero-based system,” Schreier noted. “I don't remember exactly when they switched to the current version (and the tweet linked here seems exaggerated to the point where it's mostly false), but I can confirm that they were working on various hero-based prototypes. In fact, I think there were both PvP and PvE prototypes built.”
The games industry has been pretty vocal in its support of Ukraine during the ongoing conflict with Russia. Since the studio is based in Ukraine, the developer behind the upcoming Stalker 2, GSC Game World, has been especially vocal in its opposition to the invasion. This appears to have attracted the attention of the Russian government which has now blocked access to its website. “Russia declared war on Ukraine and sent rockets, tanks, and soldiers to our homeland. Our country is forced to fight for its existence again. Seems like this is the price of freedom,” GSC Game World said. “Now, we are striving to help our employees and their families to survive. The game development shifted to the sidelines, but we will definitely continue.” GSC Game World is currently moving its offices out of the country.
Ubisoft has been at the center of the NFT scandal ever since the company started putting crypto junk into Ghost Recon Breakpoint. The latest development is that Ubisoft has now promised not to put NFTs into its upcoming Project Q. ”Introducing codename Project Q, a team battle arena letting players truly own the experience! The game is in early development and we will keep testing,” the company noted on Twitter before adding that “by the way, this is not a Battle Royale. The game will feature a variety of PvP modes.” Ubisoft went on to say that “we don't have plans to add NFTs to this game.” The assertion was of course met with a healthy dose of skepticism on the part of players. “When you have to follow up your announcement with two disclaimers saying that terrible ideas aren't part of that game, you know you screwed up as a company,” one person replied.
The much maligned Bethesda Launcher is getting ready for retirement next month and players have been panning the program. You can start migrating your games and even your wallet to Steam starting next week. In any case, the response to the news about the Bethesda Launcher has been filled with about as much mockery as you’d expect given the circumstances. “Glad to hear it,” the user on Resetera known as Jph139 said. “Not a launcher I was ever enthused to use." There have also been users posting memes like “the evil is dead" and "you could not live with your own failure."
Justin is a news editor at TheGamer. He specializes in labor relations, intellectual property law, and game development. You can find his work in EGM, Vice, Unwinnable, Heterotopias, and more.
