Personnel on the D&D and Studio X groups will now cast their votes in a National Labor Relations Board election Image credit: UWOTC-CWA Wizards of the Coast is denying to provide voluntary acknowledgment to a union initiative by its Dungeons & Dragons and Studio X teams. Personnel will instead participate in a confidential-ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board. As reported by Wargamer, the union, United Wizards of the Coast-CWA, declared the decision via Twitter/X on Wednesday, October 14, and a company representative affirmed it. Wargamer accessed an email purportedly sent to Wizards’ US employees, in which the organization states that it is “not impartial on the issue of unionization.” It further mentions that it prefers to communicate with employees directly instead of through unions. The email indicates that eligible workers have the right to make their own choices, and that Wizards will respect the result of the election regardless of how...
Games presently rated PEGI 3, 7, or 12 are influenced, with updates being deployed throughout October. Image credit: PEGI Current digital-only games that feature paid random rewards, like loot boxes, are being re-assessed to PEGI 16 if they possess a PEGI 3, 7, or 12 rating at this moment. Connor Hinde, policy manager at the Games Rating Authority, mentioned in a LinkedIn post that the GRA, which oversees PEGI in the UK, initiated the implementation of the revised criteria for a selection of existing digital titles last week. The updated rating is designated PEGI 16 – Paid random rewards. It is applicable regardless of whether a game was originally rated via PEGI’s Classic methodology or the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) framework. The modifications will persist in being rolled out gradually through October. The GRA recognized that numerous ratings will alter in a brief period and advised publishers and developers with inquiries to reach...
“Defold is a complimentary, robust, all-in-one game engine.” by Fraser Gilbert Yesterday, 5pm Here’s an interesting little tale we stumbled upon during the week! Xbox now officially backs another game engine known as Defold, which is a completely free engine labeled as “robust”, “streamlined” and “efficient”. “Defold is an up-to-date, robust and production-ready all-in-one game engine suite designed for genuine cross-platform game creation with an extraordinarily minimal engine footprint.” The organization behind Defold states that once a developer has registered to gain approval for Xbox console development through Microsoft, they can “log in to the Xbox middleware page using an associated account, locate Defold, and request access”. Subsequently, Defold will furnish numerous tools and documentation essential for releasing games on Xbox, along with access to Xbox-specific developer assistance. “Xbox support is accessible from Defold 1.14.0, with platform-specific features and documentation offered free of charge to authorized developers.” So, what should we anticipate from developers...
“…manage the initiation of tangible Xbox games…” by Fraser Gilbert 4 hours ago During the weekend, we’ve noticed numerous individuals discussing a new job position that has recently been posted by Microsoft, specifically seeking an “Xbox Games Supply Strategist“. The reason it has garnered significant attention is that this position entails tangible games – the job listing indicates that the Strategist will “manage the initiation of tangible Xbox games across all platforms”. “The Xbox Games Supply Strategist will manage the initiation of tangible Xbox games across all platforms, guide development & supervise implementation of global supply positioning strategies throughout all phases of the product lifecycle, ensure that inventory is organized to meet working capital/cost/service objectives, and supervise the sales & channel execution of those games. You’ll collaborate closely with Product Marketing, Finance & various teams within Supply Chain to establish & oversee the supply and sales plan of record. Every day will present a...
Signed, not sealed, dispatched by Craig Reid 3 hours earlier If you’ve acquired a physical Xbox title recently, you might have observed that the security sticker has disappeared. It appears this is part of a new packaging strategy, with sources indicating that numerous recent launches have been dispatched without the extra layer of adhesive security. Per VGP Video Games Plus, a private distributor located in North America, the absence of a security seal is merely a fresh ‘packaging initiative’ instead of a deficiency in security.