James, Matt, Brendan, Rebekah and USGamer's Mike Williams reflect on the titles shown at this week's Xbox Games Showcase.
There was a diverse line-up of internally-developed titles, with the first look at Halo Infinite's gameplay and the long-awaited reveal of the Playground-developed Fable revival.
But the presentation did leave us with questions. After multiple instances of Xbox assuring that all title for Xbox Series X will run on Xbox One, the showcase announced several games that appear to be exclusive to the next-generation console (and PC, of course).
We delve into the possible reasons for the confusion in Xbox's communications, such as the practicalities of supporting a seven-year-old console while trying to sell the next one.
We also discuss the prominence of Game Pass throughout the presentation, and share our highlights from the line-up.
As always, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz.
This week, Rebekah, Matt, Brendan and James dive deeper into Rebekah's recent investigation into GlobalStep.
For those who haven't read the full article yet, we explore some of the accusations the UK-based QA company -- formerly known as Testology -- faces.
Claims include the "culling" and "ghosting" of staff, incorrect pay, and a stifling culture built on fear and zero-hour contracts.
We discuss the full findings of the investigation, as well as how such a culture has been sustained, and what other companies might learn from GlobalStep's mistakes.
As always, you can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis into the world behind video games at www.gamesindustry.biz.
We have a double episode of the GamesIndustry.biz Podcast today, following developments over the weekend at Ubisoft as the publisher attempts to reign in its abuse problems.
James. Matt and Haydn take a deep dive into the situation at Ubisoft, after several high-level staffers departed the company amid mounting abuse allegations.
CEO Yves Guillemot, previously lauded for steering Ubisoft away from a hostile takeover by Vivendi, now finds himself heading a company which faces one of the largest abuse scandals in games industry history.
After that Rebekah, Matt, Marie, and Mike tackle the wider issue of systemic abuse in the games industry. The discussion springboarded from an article by narrative designer Kim Belair, which addressed the need for a movement, rather than a moment, in the wake of these allegations.
Matt, Brendan, Chris and James gather around their respective mics to discuss the biggest industry stories of the past week.
Once again, we've refrained from commenting on the ongoing stories of abuse and harassment as we don't feel the podcast is the right forum for this discussion. But you can find our in-depth coverage through the links below.
The main discussion this week follows 2K Games' revelation that NBA 2K21 will be priced at $69.99/£64.99 -- $10/£5 more than the current gen versions.
With IDG Consulting expecting more publishers to follow suit, we discuss the implications of a price hike for AAA games, whether it can be justified in a series so divisive over its use of microtransactions, and what this means for lesser-known and new IP trying to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with $70 established hits.
You can get your daily dose of news, insight and analysis at www.gamesindustry.biz