This week in one sentence: Riot Games settled a gender discrimination lawsuit, In the Valley of Gods is no longer in active development, Super Mario Maker 2 added The Legend of Zelda content, pictures of the PlayStation 5 development kit were leaked, and the FBI is using PSN to gather evidence of a cocaine dealer.
Top Five Stories
1/ Riot Games Settles Gender Discrimination Lawsuit With A $10 Million Pay Out: Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, is settling a lawsuit that started in 2018. The lawsuit alleged that the company created a hostile work environment with rampant sexual harassment toward women. The $10 million settlement will distribute money to women who worked for Riot Games from November 2014 until the date the settlement is finalized. Payment will be based on the length of a woman’s tenure and her full-time employment status. Women who have left the company or who have signed severance agreements will not receive any part of the settlement. (Los Angeles Times / Kotaku / Forbes / Ars Technica / The Washington Post)
2/ In the Valley of Gods development is “On Hold”: Campo Santo co-founder Jake Rodkin confirmed that In the Valley of Gods is “On Hold” and that the former team has distributed among various projects at Valve, including Half-Life: Alyx and DotA Underlords. Valve acquired Campo Santo in April 2018 with the announcement blog post stating the company, “[Would] continue production on our current project, In the Valley of Gods.” The game is not outright canceled but there is no announced release window. (CNET / Polygon / GamesIndustry.biz / Gamespot / Rock Paper Shotgun)
3/ Super Mario Maker 2 Is Adding The Master Sword And Link: Nintendo announced that new features are coming in a free patch to Super Mario Maker 2. One of these key features is the Master Sword from The Legend of Zelda series, which acts as a power-up. The sword transforms the player into Link and confers the ability to shoot arrows, throw bombs, slash enemies, and block projectiles with a shield. The update also adds new building blocks, new enemies, and a speed-running mode. (Kotaku / Ars Technica / Vice / IGN / Destructoid)
4/ The Look Of The PlayStation 5 Dev Kit Was Leaked: An alleged image of the PlayStation 5 development (dev) kit was leaked into the wild. The kits are stackable v-shaped computers with large vents in the sides and center. The kits also seem to be using a controller that looks similar to the Dualshock 4. The development kit’s look is not indicative of the final console design. The twitter user who posted the image (@alcoholikaust) claimed that the photograph came from a developer who, “just didn’t give a fuck apparently.” (Eurogamer / Gizmodo / PCMag / GamesRadar+ / ScreenRant)
5/ FBI Files Warrant To Obtain PSN Data Related To Alleged Drug Dealing: A search warrant filed by the FBI in the Western District of Missouri requested all information related to a PlayStation Network (PSN) user. The FBI alleges that the PSN user orchestrated the sale of cocaine by using voice chat. The FBI is attempting to gather a wide range of information about the alleged drug dealer, including the games they played, their IP address, and chat messages. (Gamespot / Vice / Polygon / The Daily Dot / Kotaku UK)
✏️ Notables
- The Steam Controller can no longer be ordered, with some previously confirmed orders being canceled because Valve oversold their remaining stock. (Kotaku / The Verge)
- U.S. Congressman pleads guilty to using campaign funds for Steam games. Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA) spent more than $1,000 on steam games. (Polygon / Gamespot)
- The Resident Evil 3 Remake Cover Was Leaked confirming that the game is coming soon. (Gamespot / GamesRadar+)
- The trailer for the next season of Destiny 2 content was revealed, along with the return of Saint-14 (Engadget / Kotaku)
- Microsoft published Halo: Reach and the rest of the Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Steam. (Kotaku / PC Gamer)
- The original PlayStation turned 25, which led to some nostalgic reflections. (The Verge, Kotaku)
- Quantic Dreams was forced to pay a former employee because emlpoyees and leadership shared “homophobic, misogynistic, racist or deeply vulgar,” images in the workplace. (PC Gamer, Try aGame)
- YouTube relaxed its policy related to violent video game footage and will now allow creators to show footage without automatically flagging videos as age-restricted. (The Verge, Gamasutra)
- Cloud Imperium Games raised more than $250 million via backers to develop Star Citizen. (PC Gamer, Eurogamer)
- Mario Kart Tour was the most-downloaded iPhone game of 2019, even though it only released in September. (The Verge, 9to5Mac)
Greetings From 