- The Week in Games
- Posts
- Fun! Fun for everyone
Fun! Fun for everyone
A tribute to Satoru Iwata
So then, another totally normal week in video game land. We have the usual updates to streaming libraries, new game releases, a few new trailers, the internet argues over The Last of Us again, there’s a £1,200 three-foot tall Lady Dimitrescu statue, and one of the industry's most celebrated and influential game designers gets wrongly accused of assassinating the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Oh, and the GoldenEye remake still isn't out.
You can find more details about all of the above in the News section below.
This week also marked seven years since the passing of former Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. Iwata was a hugely influential figure both for Nintendo and for gaming as a whole, and was seemingly unanimously loved and respected throughout the industry and beyond. One of gaming's genuine nice guys.
Iwata learned to code on a pocket calculator and made his first game in his teens. His first step into the industry was a job at HAL Laboratories, who would go on to become one of Nintendo's most trusted studios and collaborators. Back then, HAL was small, and staff were required to take on multiple roles, a factor which perhaps shaped his outlook as his career progressed.
"I was a programmer and an engineer, and a designer, and I marketed our games; I also ordered food and I helped clean up, and it was all great fun."
The relationship between HAL and Nintendo grew closer and closer as the years went by, and reached its peak in 1999 when HAL released Super Smash Bros. for the N64 - a game for which Nintendo rather incredibly allowed the use of characters from pretty much all of its major franchises.
In 2000 Iwata officially joined Nintendo as Head of Corporate Planning, and in 2002 became company President.
Iwata's background as a gamer and developer saw him introduce an innovation-first philosophy, a philosophy which would result in the Nintendo DS and the Wii - two of the company's most daring and successful consoles.
Reports of Iwata all suggest a man who earned his respect rather than demanded it. A boss, a developer, a colleague, and a friend who led by example and who was never above helping others, regardless of his job title.
One particularly nice story involves Iwata stepping in to develop a bespoke compression tool for Game Freak. They were struggling with their Game Boy Pokémon title and he was "willing to do whatever I could" to help out. His compression tool reportedly "amazed fellow developers" and allowed Game Freak to double the size of their game and include the Kanto region alongside the new land of Johto.
Satoru Iwata was a company President with the mindset of a fan, ensuring the passion and sense of fun that ran through his company started at the very top. He was a gamer at heart, and the embodiment of Nintendo’s long-standing ethos that fun should always come first. The ethos that if the customers are enjoying themselves, then success is sure to follow.
A quick hello to the new subscribers this week, and thanks to those who have supported The Week in Games with a membership, by sharing it online, or simply by opening and reading it each week. This newsletter is completely reliant on shares and word of mouth, so your help and support is crucial, and hugely appreciated.
If you have any thoughts or enquiries regarding the newsletter (or games in general) please reply to this email directly or catch me over on Twitter.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the newsletter.
Have a great weekend
Jeff
NEWS
Sony has announced the games being added to the new PlayStation Plus line-up for July.
Bayonetta 3's release date has been confirmed, alongside a suitably bonkers new gameplay trailer. It will also include a special mode to censor lewd scenes so you can "play in the living room without creating an awkward atmosphere."
Sony has announced PlayStation Stars – a new loyalty program launching later this year.
Nintendo has issued a statement warning about using your Switch during a heatwave.
Kojima Productions has threatened legal action over remarkable social media posts identifying Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima as the man who assassinated ex-Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Sony has revealed a host of new indie games heading to PlayStation soon.
PureArts is releasing a 1/4 scale statue of Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu, priced at over £1200.
Previously unreleased footage of the canned Doom 4 game has been revealed online.
The Last of Us Part 1 Remake is not a "cash grab", says developer.
The 2022 GamesIndustrybiz UK 'Best Places To Work Awards' winners have been revealed.
Nintendo Japan has updated the corporate social responsibility information section of its website, which now states that it recognizes same-sex marriage.
The GoldenEye 007 remake is reportedly "in limbo" due to the war in Ukraine.
Nintendo has announced Kirby's Dream Buffet, a new downloadable Kirby game due to hit the Switch eShop this summer.
A tweet from the official Metal Gear account has suggested previously-delisted Metal Gear games are set to be put back on sale.
Xbox Series X|S lifetime sales in Japan have doubled Xbox One figures.
Nordisk Games has acquired Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology developer Supermassive.
Her Story and Telling Lies dev's investigative horror title Immortality has been pushed back into August
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge sells over a million copies.
NEW RELEASES:
A little slim as far as new releases go this week, but next week sees the game cat-lovers everywhere have been waiting for arrive on PlayStation and PC. Stray looks lovely, is being hyped up quite a bit by Sony, and publisher Annapurna Interactive rarely miss. This should be one to keep an eye on whether you're a feline fan or not.
This week also saw the announcement of the Abyssal Archive from Tune and Fairweather. Promising to be "the most comprehensive study of Dark Souls' mythos ever published", the two volume set also includes the most stunning game map you're ever likely to see. This one is going to hit the wallets of Dark Souls fans pretty hard. Pre-orders are open now until August 14th.
(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – July 12
(Xbox) – July 12
(PC) – July 13
(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – July 14
(PC) – July 14
(PC) – July 15 – Read review
UPCOMING RELEASES:
(Xbox, PC) – July 19
(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – July 19
(Switch, PC) – July 19
(iOS, Android) – July 19 – Read review
(PS4, PS5, PC) – July 19
(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch) – July 21 – Read review
(Switch) – July 22
GAME OF THE WEEK
A randomly selected game each week! Any and all games are eligible for selection regardless of age, platform, popularity, or otherwise.
This week, the honour goes to…
LittleBigPlanet (2008)
A relentlessly joyous celebration of game development, British studio Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet mixed a wonderfully charming aesthetic with deep but accessible game-creation tools to create a title which went on to win the hearts of millions across the world.
CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS
Perfect Organism: An Alien: Isolation Companion
By Andy Kelly / Unbound
Calling all Alien superfans! This is the ultimate unofficial guide to Alien: Isolation, considered to be part of the Alien franchise canon
Ninty Fresh Magazine: Issue 7
By Ninty Media - Campaign ends July 20th
A magazine dedicated to Nintendo with a fusion of retro and fresh coverage, with a specific focus this issue on Kirby!
UNITHOR - A Brand New Joystick For Retro Computers
By UNI-Joy - Campaign ends July 21st
A new classic-styled game controller for Amiga, Commodore, Atari, PC with USB and an array of game consoles and emulators.
[lock-on] Volume 004
By Lost in Cult - Campaign ends August 1st
A premium gaming journal delivering thought-provoking stories, insightful features and carefully curated art from industry talent.
The Ranchers
By Ethan - Campaign ends August 4th
An open world country-life sim game for 1-4 players on PC & consoles.
Abyssal Archive
Tune & Fairweather - Pre-orders close August 14th
The most comprehensive study of Dark Souls' mythos ever published.
...and that's it for this week!
I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Week in Games! I’d be delighted if you would consider forwarding this email to anybody you think may like it, by sharing this link on social media, or simply telling people about it!
I'm always looking at ways to improve this newsletter, so if you have any comments, suggestions or enquiries, please reply to this email directly, write to [email protected], or catch me on Twitter!
Thanks again, see you next week!