Here at Goonhammer, we know that it’s hard to keep track of all the news happening all the time in the games industry. So much is always going on with games of all sorts, and their related media, it can be a real blink-and-you’ll miss it situation.
That’s why every week, we round up five of the biggest stories in the gaming sphere from the past week in the Games Industry News Roundup. Our trusty news boy, Dan “Swiftblade” Richardson, is here with the scoop.
Commander Rules Committee Disbands After Multiple Threats
The Commander Rules Committee announced on Monday that the organization would be disbanding following multiple threats against members of the committee, and is handing control of the format back to Magic the Gathering’s owners, Wizards of the Coast.
This news follows the banned cards list update that dropped last week, which included ubiquitous power cards like Jeweled Lotus and Mana Crypt. This ban was met with both praise and controversy, as some fans were excited by the massive shakeup this ban provided to the format, while others were frustrated by the loss of these powerful cards from their deck as well as the massive drop in value these cards had in the secondary market.
Ultimately, this led to the escalating violent threats against the Commander Rules Committee (CRC), a volunteer organization of five people responsible for the management of the Commander format and community. Though the CRC had kept Commander a quasi-independent entity from Wizards for essentially the formats entire life, the threats of harm was a bridge too far for the small team, making it “impossible to act as an independent entity” according to the announcement post on social media.
“We are sad about the end of this era, and hopeful for the future; WotC has given strong assurances they do not want to change the vision of the format,” the CRC elaborates. “Committee members have been invited to contribute as individual advisors to the new management framework.”
In a statement on their own website, Wizards condemns the actions of those threatening the CRC members and assures fans that they will continue to have a voice in the development of the game. Wizards spoke to future plans for the format in the statement as well, saying that the company plans on rolling out a tiered approach to power rankings for certain cards and decks to facilitate more evenly-matched games.
This new tiered approach is still in “open beta” according to the post, and more is to come on the exact implementation of this system as Wizards focuses on the safety of CRC members and managing the fallout from last week’s banned list.
Games Workshop Updates the Warhammer Community Website
Games Workshop updated their news page, Warhammer Community, last week, and even had a video from the company’s beloved mascot James Workshop to go with it.
The new website design is focused on improving the experience for users, according to the Warhammer Community post, especially around search optimization which was sorely lacking in the website before. Articles are now categorized and tagged more specifically, as well as being able to sort articles by game system or setting more conveniently.
The website also includes new push notifications for article updates while using the site. Games Workshop also plans on expanding the language options for the website, starting with German articles being published alongside English counterparts.
Yet GW can’t seem to escape their IT woes, as reception for the new website has been mixed at best. While the search engine optimization is indeed much improved, the user experience and design of the site take a serious hit. Additionally, the new website breaks the previous RSS feed and Atom feed compatibility for WarCom, and servers have struggled post release.
While the site is unlikely to get a massive rollback in design due to fan complaints, the timeline on fixing the technical issues now plaguing Warcom is unclear.
A Third Attempt at Making a StarCraft Shooter is Possibly in Development at Blizzard
Blizzard, having burned their wings to ash twice now flying too close to the “StarCraft shooter” sun, are rumored to be in the process of developing a StarCraft shooter for a third time. Surely, this time their wings will be fine!
The news comes from Jason Schrier during an interview about his upcoming book covering the history of Blizzard Entertainment. During the interview with the IGN podcast, Unlocked, Schrier spoke to some games that he learned were in development at Blizzard while doing research. Among these projects was the aforementioned StarCraft shooter, with veteran of the Far Cry series Dan Hay serving as the director of the project.
When asked if the project is still happening, Schrier could only offer a proverbial shrug.
“Yes, that is a project that as far as I know is in development, or at least as of the time that I wrote this book was in development. They are working on a StarCraft shooter, StarCraft is not dead at Blizzard,” Schrier told IGN.
Elaborating further on the topic, he says, “The goal of the book isn’t to get a bunch of scoops about upcoming things. That wasn’t the purpose of this book at all, it was very much to tell a story and focus on stuff that had happened. But this felt like such an interesting and useful nugget to include because it really just shows you that Blizzard cannot quit StarCraft shooters.”
StarCraft is no stranger to failed shooter projects, with StarCraft: Ghost being one of the most well known games-that-never-were out there. A second attempt at a shooter was in development around 2019, but scrapped in favor of other projects.
Outside of the rumored shooter, StarCraft has been a dormant franchise at Blizzard, with no major game release since the remastered version of the original StarCraft in 2017. StarCraft Remastered and StarCraft 2 were both announced for Gamepass earlier this year though, which could lend some credence to the idea that Blizzard is angling for a comeback for the veteran franchise.
Zenobia Game Award Nominees Shines a Light on Diverse Historical Tales Told through Board Games
The Zenobia Game Award announced its nominees for the 2024 competition this past week, which highlights board games who’s settings and themes focus on historically marginalized groups.
The Zenobia Award are selected by a board of game enthusiasts and designers with many additionally having a background in historical topics surrounding minority groups. The first competition was held in 2021, and the winner of those awards was Tyranny of Blood, a game focused on the Indian caste system and oppression under British colonial rule. Its designer is now a board member for the Zenobia awards, and several other finalist games have found publishers since the 2021 event, such as Molly House.
The nine finalists for this years award include Obraje, a game that focuses on the nightmarish conditions of Mexican Textile mills in the 17th century, House of Wisdom, where players take on the roles of Medieval North African scholars on a caravan, and Sabotage the Raj, where players plot their rebellion against the British crown occupying India.
The winners for the 2024 Zenobia Award are currently expected to be announced sometime this November, with finalists having until October 15th to make any last minute edits to their game.
Warlord Games Rolls Out Official Bolt Action Companion App
Warlord Games launched a new companion app for its most popular game, Bolt Action, last week, with plans on expanding the app over the coming months.
Developed by Maloric Digital, the official companion app allows for Bolt Action fans to reference rules, create and share army lists, and keep up to date with the most current errata and FAQs for the game. As of the announcement on Warlord’s site, only the web browser version of the app is available, though as of the writing of this article the iOS version of the application is also live.
The release follows a lengthy beta period for the app, where dedicated fans assisted Warlord Games in identifying bugs and missing features.
The app requires a £1.99 monthly subscription fee, with an option for a reduced rate if users subscribe for an entire year upfront. A seven day free trial option is available for those who are curious to try the app, but have cold feet about committing to a subscription for it.
And that wraps it up for our Games Industry News Roundup this week! Join us again next week for more news about the tabletop games industry and related media.
Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.
