Avengers assemble

Happy Wednesday. If you're a self-proclaimed grillmaster, do you agree with Eurogamer's meat rankings in Dragon's Dogma 2?

—Derek, Tim

MAIN QUEST: Xbox wants to mirror PC

Phil Spencer, Microsoft's CEO of Gaming, shared his intention to dismantle the traditional exclusivity of console gaming by welcoming third-party game retailers onto the Xbox platform. Spencer stressed the importance of granting players the freedom to choose where they buy games, drawing parallels to the openness of the PC gaming ecosystem. He argued that this approach would benefit both players and console makers like Microsoft, particularly in a gaming landscape where the console market is stagnant and players are increasingly drawn to PC and handheld options.

Spencer suggests that the conventional model of subsidizing console hardware costs and enforcing exclusive ecosystems might no longer be conducive to industry growth. Instead, he proposed a more open approach, reducing exclusivity on Xbox games to enable a seamless gaming experience across different platforms and storefronts. Ultimately, Spencer's vision involves making consoles more akin to PCs, offering players greater choice and flexibility in their gaming experiences. This could lead to a future where Xbox consoles host various storefronts like the Epic Games Store and Itch.io, fostering competition and providing players with better deals.

HUD

• SEGA of America union AEGIS-CWA announced today that it had ratified its first contract with SEGA. The union was officially recognized less than a year ago, and the contract includes raises, layoff protections, and other benefits.

• Diablo IV hits Game Pass tomorrow, players looking to play on PC will still be required to have a Battle.net account. The added game comes as part of Microsoft’s promise to bring Bizzard-Activision King titles to the subscription service.

• Marvel revealed its newest title, Marvel Rivals. The 6v6 superhero shooter, developed by NetEase plays similarly to tactical shooter games like Valorant and Overwatch. The game will feature 16 Marvel characters at launch, with new characters being added with seasonal updates.

MAJOR W

• 👯 It Takes Two crossed 16 million sales on its 3rd anniversary. It’s a great co-op storyline and may be better than couples therapy at times.

• 🧑‍🎨 Mass Effect 5 is confirmed to have several franchise veterans within its leadership. "EP, Art Director, Creative Director, Game Director are all trilogy vets.”

F IN THE CHAT

• 🕵️ Panic is missing $400k of its Playdate console inventory. A few pallets appeared to be delivered and signed for next door, but the signee and inventory are missing.

• 🪦 Shovels have broken ground on the site of Intel’s newest facility in Magdeburg, Germany. The only catch is that the shovels are not held by Intel’s construction crews, but rather by archaeologists after multiple burial sites dating back to the Neolithic period were discovered on the land. Intel will have to wait until the burial sites have been safely moved to begin construction on its biggest European facility.

CAREER CORNER

• Senior Director, Xbox Communications — Microsoft (Redmond, WA)

• Marketing Manager, Fortnite Mobile — Epic Games (Cary, NC)

• Director, Game Licensing — Netflix (Los Angeles, CA)

HIVE MIND

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