It's time for another Etch Play Weekly Roundup - where some of our crew talk about the games they've been playing and the games industry news that they've been reading.
It has been a busy couple of weeks for gaming, so let's get straight into it.
HowLongToBeat comes to Xbox Game Pass
Adam Burt
Last week, HowLongToBeat data started appearing within the Xbox Game Pass app on Windows. The service is populated by information from users, and aims to give gamers some idea of how long a game will take to play - whether you're a completionist, just want to see the main story, or somewhere in between.
This information can help consumers to decide which games on the service are suitable for people with limited time to play, or which games are meaty enough to potentially become a new long-term obsession, depending on what kind of gamer they are.
But not everyone is thrilled. In recent years, some developers have been frustrated by players equating game length directly to a game's value - a stance which hurts the creators of beautifully crafted shorter experiences, and rewards bloated games with 60 hours of boring side quests.
Personally, I like shorter games. And I'd like this information to help me decide which games will fit in my limited schedule. Can more information ever be a bad thing?
Waypoint explored the news further, and asked some developers for comment.
YouTubers getting into publishing
Dan Thomas
In the last few days, there's been quite a lot of industry discourse around a number of popular Youtubers announcing their own indie publishing labels, with one such example being videogamedunkey. This has raised some debate about whether or not an entertainer/critic with a large following is qualified to create such a business venture.
One of the key advantages a famous personality has is that they have a significant head start in terms of reach and influence, which is one of the biggest challenges for indie developers and publishers. The counter argument is that the role of being a game publisher is significantly different to that of a content creator, and being an avid follower or commentator on games does not equate to relevant experience in the production and distribution of them.
Partnering with a well-known streamer or YouTuber is potentially appealing proposition for indie devs looking for assistance in taking their game to market, and arguably some of the skills involved in being a popular content creator are transferrable to much of the publishing process. However, content creation is already a very challenging full-time role and not likely to be accommodate another equally demanding responsibility. We'll certainly be following how this plays out, and will be sure to cover any exciting developments either here or on our Weekly Live Show.
Ted Lasso x FIFA 23
Pete Keating
EA announced this week that Ted Lasso (from the Apple TV series of the same name) and his fictional football team, AFC Richmond, will be included in the soon to be released FIFA 23.
Ted and his team will be selectable when playing Career Mode, and AFC Richmond can also be played with Kickoff mode, Online Friendlies and Online Seasons. The Ultimate Team mode will also have various collectables from the show, such as kits and manager items. Players from AFC Richmond and the Nelson Road stadium are also going to be part of the game. As far as brand partnerships go, this one feels like a great fit, fuelling plenty of media attention around the game that comes out next week.
RTX 4000 series unveiled
Ben Gammon
This week, after many months of leaks, rumours, and speculation, Nvidia officially revealed its next generation of graphics cards, the RTX 4000 series.
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However, while the new series is welcome (the RTX 3000 is now two years old), many PC enthusiasts aren’t happy with Nvidia’s deceptive naming practices, and its decision to charge massive premiums for the new series of graphics processing units (GPUs).
- 24GB RTX 4090 - $1599
- 16GB RTX 4080 - $1199
- 12GB RTX 4080 - $899
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the 10GB RTX 3080 was $699. The 16GB RTX 4080, which many take to be the closest to a 3080 successor, retails for a whopping $1199 - an increase of $500.
The costs of avid PC gamers are continuing to skyrocket, and all of this comes at a time when the costs of pretty much everything else are going up, too. More details about the RTX 4000 launch can be found on Kotaku.
Trombone Champ
Taya B
Trombone Champ. Enough said.
More stuff
EA Motive working on new Iron Man game.
How should the UK games industry self-regulate loot boxes?
YouTuber confesses to being industry news leaker.
Bungie countersued by cheat seller.
Twitch changes revenue split for top streamers.
Sony's Shuhei Yoshida: "We believe in the premium release of a title" before subscriptions.
More Etch Play
Every Thursday at 4PM we're live on Twitch, covering all the latest industry news and also playing interesting games. This week we talked a lot about the GTA 6 leaks, plus there's discussion about PSVR2, gambling on Twitch, and Backpack Hero gameplay. Here it is!
You can also find Etch Play on all the usual social networks you might imagine. In particular, we hang out on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. See you next week!
