Gaming News Roundup — Full Breakdown & Transcript

[00:00] What's up everybody, Damon here and in today's gaming news, possible changes to Xbox Game Pass plans and prices have leaked, the head of the studio behind breakout hit War Dogs has a strong opinion on Crunch, and the director of the new Resident Evil movie knows who he would want to play a fan favorite character.

[00:14] This is your Daily Fix.

[00:26] Presented by Marvel's Wolverine. Available now on PlayStation 5. Microsoft has insisted it is yet to finalize any changes to Xbox Game Pass after a potential leak detailed plans to drop the inclusion of new titles on Day 1.

[00:40] Since the introduction of Game Pass, Xbox has repeatedly changed how Day 1 game releases are included in the subscription, from the introduction of a more expensive Ultimate tier and various pricing changes up and down for that, plus Call of Duty's exclusion last

[00:53] fall. This week, word began to spread online that Day 1 games would be ditched from Game Pass altogether as soon as next spring as part of upcoming moves that seem designed to improve margins. They might also offer the subscription at a slightly lower and more attractive price point.

[01:06] The changes were first discussed by Slaven, a moderator on Video Game Forum, et cetera, who previously shared accurate plans of other past Game Pass changes. According to Slaven, Microsoft will offer two Xbox Game Pass subscriptions going forward with and without advertising The former will cost 13 bucks a month latter will cost a month or annually For the option without ads this results in a small a month saving though with the

[01:28] caveat that day one games will no longer be available. Cloud streaming and a family plan option will now be separate bolt-on costs for $6 a month each. There's word of online multiplayer also being available as a separate charge, though the

[01:40] details here are a little unclear. In what sounds like a new form of the Xbox Game Pass Essential Experience, you'll be be able to pay just for online gameplay or with access to a game library. It's all a little bit confusing if I'm being honest.

[01:52] In response to these details hitting the internet, Forbes reporter Paul Tassi received a statement from a Microsoft spokesperson that notably did not discount the leak as incorrect. Instead, the statement merely suggests that final decisions on any change have not yet

[02:04] been made and there is nothing concrete to confirm right now. Xbox boss Asha Sharma has previously discussed the potential for including advertising as as a way to lower the price of services such as Game Pass, so its introduction next year is not too much of a surprise.

[02:17] There has also long been a sense that Microsoft has struggled to balance the books with its offer of day one games, as seen in the sky-high price that Game Pass Ultimate previously reached last year. Moving on, Joe Brammer, the CEO of War Dogs developer Bulkhead,

[02:30] has stated that the studio avoids hiring people who aren't willing to crunch. In an interview with The Game Business, Brammer was asked about the studio approach to crunch He noted that he values balance but not in the way people may think Instead of traditional work weeks the team will push harder for a handful of months but then have the opportunity to take their foot off the gas without fear of retaliation

[02:47] He said, For the last three months, War Dogs has been a lot more important than a lot of their family lives. It has been, because that's what pays the money for them. But now Bulkhead has to acknowledge that it needs to go the other way. For example, everyone is pushing us to get Consul out earlier.

[03:00] We've just said no, you don't understand, that's not how it's going to work. We can't push some more. We're not doing that. going to release in 2028 when we say it's going to release. So for me, it's about balance and helping people and making sure they have a company where they can say I'm tapping out and not feel

[03:13] like they're going to get fired for tapping out. Brammer went on to note that it has become harder to crunch due to the team getting older and trying to start families. He also stated that they don't hire people who actively speak out against crunch in the industry on social media, as he believes

[03:25] they won't be a good fit for bulkhead. He said a lot of people who may have an issue with crunch, rightly so, I understand that issue. We always try and avoid it. But we don't hide that this is going to happen at some point, they often don't make it in the door. We want to be known for that.

[03:37] This is a place where you come to work hard. If you care about the work you're making and the result of what you make here, you'll feel really valued. If you don't, you will feel slave-driven. War Dogs has already sold a whopping 2 million copies in less than a week, meaning those incentivized employees are probably, hopefully, being justly compensated. The game is sitting

[03:52] near the top of Steam's most played games chart and is continuing to grow as word of mouth spreads. As noted by Brammer War Dogs is also coming to consoles in 2028 and the team is going to take it sweet time getting there And finally today Resident Evil director Zack Kreger has revealed which actress he would cast as the live Lady Dimitrescu

[04:09] and it's a little on the nose. To be clear, the iconic Lady D from 2021's Resident Evil Village does not appear in Kreger's upcoming Resident Evil movie, as it tells an original story. So don't expect to see her or any other fan favorites up on the big screen.

[04:21] That said, Kreger is a self-confessed Resident Evil aficionado, and seems to clearly know who he'd cast if given the chance. Christina Hendricks, Kreger said, when asked his pick for Lady D while in conversation with Pedestrian TV.

[04:33] Hendricks is best known for her role on Mad Men. The vampire-like Lady Dimitrescu stole the hearts of many Resident Evil fans back when Village launched, with many players attracted to her giant stature and femme fatale design. Even though Lady D hasn't returned to the series since Village, she remains a favorite,

[04:48] and notably, her costume could be unlocked in this year's Resident Evil Requiem if you got the Deluxe Edition. Could we see the character appear in a future Resident Evil film? While Kreger has taken flak from some fans for deciding to make an original take on the franchise, early buzz for the movie has been very positive and the box office predictions

[05:03] look strong. IGN gave it an 8 out of 10. Kreger has already said he has ideas for potential sequels. Here's hoping Christina Hendricks is free. And that's your Daily Fix for Wednesday, September 16th.

[05:15] Now that you're caught up on the news, watch our review for Resident Evil. I'm Damon Hadfield and for all your video game news, stay tuned to IGN. you