Gaming
BioWare is Going Back to its Roots with the Return of Casey Hudson as General Manager
Casey Hudson is a name that is probably not that familiar to most gamers out there, but he was a major player at BioWare for many years. He’s responsible for the success of the two franchises that make up this featured image as well as Jade Empire, Baldur’s Gate, and so on.
Hudson left BioWare back in 2014 to pursue his own goals and ended up working closely with Microsoft starting in 2015 as a creative director. BioWare has only put out two games since he left, Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda. Beyond that, BioWare put out a bunch of expansions for Star Wars: The Old Republic as well.
After the controversy surrounding Mass Effect: Andromeda and its subsequent poor sales, BioWare’s Aaryn Flynn stepped down as general manager. Casey Hudson has now returned home to set things straight. As the new general manager, the Mass Effect trilogy’s original creative director is no doubt working on making the series relevant again after the news of its series hiatus.
As mentioned previously, Casey Hudson was a huge figure at BioWare during its peak in the gaming industry. With many successful franchises already under his belt, Hudson is now expanding his repertoire even further. He has taken over the production behind BioWare’s upcoming Anthem, a Destiny-esque game that caught many gamers’ eyes when it was announced at E3 this year.
Hudson’s return may also spell good news for fans of Star Wars games. When EA took over the Star Wars gaming license, they announced that Dice, Visceral, Respawn, and BioWare would be working on upcoming titles. Dice already released a game and is releasing its sequel later this year, but we haven’t gotten much from the other studios. With Hudson back and already having experience working on a Star Wars RPG in Knights of the Old Republic, production is sure to pick up in the area.
Hudson’s return to BioWare is a very big deal for the gaming industry. It’s too soon to fully tell what it means for fans of BioWare games, but with his track record, those fans should be able to breathe a little easier.
New World Interactive, the developer of the Insurgency series of tactical first-person shooters, has laid off an unknown number of employees as part of Embracer Group’s comprehensive restructuring plan.
Saber Interactive, which acquired New World in 2020, told Eurogamer that the studio had not closed. However, it confirmed an unknown number of layoffs.
Embracer says it is “actively working to fill existing open roles” with impacted employees and will provide severance packages. “Saber also assures that development will continue on Insurgency: Sandstorm, as well as on unannounced future projects,” it said.
Over 900 employees were laid off in an “agonizing” but “necessary” process. As always, we hope all victims recover.
Sony wants non-console owners to access its content beyond its PlayStation-walled garden. This strategy has been slowly implemented: the company has commissioned TV and movie adaptations of its biggest franchises, ported select software to the PC, and launched a mobile gaming division.
In an interview with Nikkei, head Hideaki Nishino explained how this strategy can boost console sales: We want to use movies and dramas to get non-gamers to try PlayStation games. Sales of The Last of Us increased during the live-action drama.
When HBO’s adaptation aired, our The Last of Us content skyrocketed, so we can understand its impact. As a PlayStation fan site, we support this strategy because we want to reach as many people as possible, so if Sony can appeal to non-console owners, that’s a win-win.
More PlayStation users is better, in our opinion.
PowerWash Simulator is one of this month’s PS Plus Essentials, but before you start scrubbing, check out the PS Store. The game has been well supported on PS5 and PS4 with free DLC packs based on Square Enix titles since its release at the start of the year.
Free Final Fantasy VII and Tomb Raider expansions let you clean Croft Manor and Seventh Heaven. The free DLC packs add 10 levels, and the paid ones add more.
Two more Back to the Future and SpongeBob SquarePants expansions cost £6.49 or $7.99 each. You can then scrub the Bikini Bottom and the DeLorean.
The Midgar Special Pack for PowerWash Simulator was another reason to use the cleaning kit. “It doesn’t add much, but getting close to FF7’s props and environments is fun. It offers a fresh take on the beloved title that will please both sides of this collaboration.”
Have you tried the latest PS Plus Essential game?
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