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Bethesda’s game ‘Starfield’ delayed to September 2023

A new release date for Starfield was revealed by Bethesda Softworks. The massive galaxy-spanning sci-fi role-playing game incorporates gameplay and structure from Bethesda’s own video game series The Elder Scrolls.

In 2018, the game was scheduled to launch on 11 November 2022. Later, it was postponed until the first half of 2023. Now, it will be available on 6 September.

Heavily influenced by Elder Scrolls, Starfield has a silent protagonist and first-person conversations. Also, there are more than 100 star systems to explore and more than 1,000 planets to look through, giving the game a vast scope akin to that of No Man’s Sky or Elite: Dangerous.

In the launch date announcement video, director Todd Howard said, “We have poured ourselves into this game, and even I’m surprised how much we can pour.”

More details about the game will be revealed on 11 June at a Starfield Direct display. During this showcase, players can find out more about the world, story, and characters they will meet while playing. “There’s so much we still have to show you. This game has many of the hallmarks that you’d expect from us, but it’s also a very unique experience,” added Howard.

He further said, “We know you’ve waited a long time to play something new from us. Believe it or not, we’re kind of the same. We miss it. We can’t wait for you all to play it.”

When Starfield releases, it will be playable on Windows PC, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass from the very first day.

Microsoft layoffs to affect Xbox and Bethesda among other companies

Microsoft is drastically laying off its workforce. The company planned to let go around five per cent of its workforce globally in advance of potentially significant changes across its many divisions. These layoffs appear to be far broader than the 2022 layoff, which mostly affected customer service, partners, and consulting solutions. There have reportedly been layoffs at Bethesda Studios, 343 Industries, and the Xbox division.

Microsoft is cutting jobs primarily in its gaming divisions. According to reports, 343 Industries, the company behind Halo Infinite, has been severely impacted by these layoffs. This follows a prolonged hiring freeze and contractual departures from the studio. This is not great news, but it is also not unexpected. Halo Infinite was a challenge for 343 Industries to finish, and since its release with just half the content, the game’s user base has dropped.

Particular cuts are being made by 343 Industries to the Halo Infinite campaign crew. Microsoft is restructuring the studio and various elements of the team, according to studio chief Pierre Hintze in an email to employees. Hence, some roles are being eliminated.

Bethesda is yet another company experiencing layoffs. Since Microsoft bought the business in the year 2020, not much has happened. Currently, the business is concentrating on Starfield, which was initially scheduled to launch in November last year and was postponed to 2023. According to reports, Starfield won’t launch by its original target date of the first half of 2023.

Exactly one year after Microsoft announced its plans to buy Activision Blizzard, the business announced a huge layoff. The $69 billion transaction has also been hampered by legal disputes and delays related to how it would affect the gambling industry. Microsoft expects the agreement to be signed by the end of 2023. Recent concerns from the EU Commission and a lawsuit brought by the FTC, however, may cause more delay.

With these layoffs, the corporation hopes to save $1.2 billion in costs.

Publisher GA Bunko to launch ‘Goblin Slayer’ game and second season of its anime

The Japanese company GA Bunko, which is the publisher of the Goblin Slayer light novel series, recently held its GA Fes 2023 event and live-streamed it on Abema.

The publisher had several announcements to make, one of which was the announcement of a game titled Goblin Slayer: Another Adventurer- Nightmare Feast. While no visuals for the game were shared, the company said that the game will completely focus on an original story. The game will be available on Steam and Nintendo Switch and will support both English and Japanese language.

The story of Goblin Slayer: Another Adventurer- Nightmare Feast has been briefly summarised as the adventure of a young guild master. Other than that no information regarding the genre or the release date of the game has been shared.

GA Bunko also revealed that they are coming up with the second season of its anime titled Goblin Slayer II. A trailer for anime has been shared and the second season will debut this year.

Both the first season anime Goblin Slayer and the movie Goblin Slayer – Goblin’s Crown are now available to watch on Crunchyroll.

Kinetix launches AI-powered emotes for video games and metaverse

Kinetix, a 3D animation and AI tech startup has launched its revolutionary user-generated emotes for video games and virtual worlds, signifying a vital first step towards true self-expression in gaming and the metaverse.

The Kinetix generative AI-powered platform and no-code editing tools enable users, creators, video game makers, metaverse platforms, and brands to create and edit animated 3D content in seconds. This democratises the process of creating custom 3D animated content, extending to millions of people a skill set that was previously limited to a few thousand trained artists and animators.

Kinetix launched its first ever user-generated emotes to tackle the challenge of limited self-expression in gaming and metaverse worlds. Emotes are animations that can express emotion in video games and virtual worlds, such as dances, celebrations and gestures. Uniquely, emotes made with Kinetix can work in any avatar-based video game or metaverse, and fit effortlessly into any virtual environment from hyper-realism to voxel blocky worlds

Kinetix CEO and co-founder Yassine Tahi said, “We want to champion a new standard for self-expression in video games and metaverse worlds by opening up the creation of emotes. Our emotes are live now for anyone to create, marking a true watershed moment for digital self-expression and our mission to humanise the metaverse. A once in a lifetime concert without dancing, or a drag queen show without Death Drop are missed opportunities for self-expression, realism, individuality, and human connection. We invite everyone to embrace this new trend by playing with our easy-to-use, no-code platform and trying out their best moves on their favourite character or avatar.”

Creators can own their emotes by taking up the option to mint them on the Kinetix platform: transforming them into digital assets called Emote NFTs. With the Kinetix marketplace, creators can then promote and monetise their work and receive 95 per cent of the sale price, creating a fairer revenue model. Brands and IP owners can also use Kinetix tech to make custom emotes. In November 2022, Kinetix teamed up with TF1 and BBC Studios to launch an exclusive collection for international TV hit Dancing With The Stars.

Founded in Paris in 2020 by CEO Yassine Tahi and CTO Henri Mirande, Kinetix has a team of 45 and was recently named by Wired as one of the hottest startups in Paris. Earlier this year, Kinetix raised 11 million dollars in seed funding in a round led by Adam Ghobarah, founder of Top Harvest Capital, with participation from Sparkle Ventures, and multiple virtual world platforms and successful entrepreneurs. Kinetix already has established partnerships with leading and emerging virtual worlds including Roblox, The Sandbox, Zepeto, Decentraland, and PolyLand.