The Patch | 1.9.24 - Game Awards Nominees, Unity Job Cuts, and More
Gaming Industry Current Events and Commentary
The Patch is a news series including byte-sized (get it?) details of articles and news releases as well as commentary (Off Meta Takes) around topics and current events within the Video Games and Tech industries.
13th Annual Game Awards Nominees
(Source: Game Developer)
Below are the nominees for a few of the premier categories for the 2024 Game Awards.
Best Game of the Year:
Alan Wake II
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Baldur’s Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Hi-Fi Rush
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Starfield
My Pick: I’ve not played Baldur’s Gate 3, as I’m just not sure it’s my cup of tea, but I recognize its sweeping nominations in many categories. It’s widely regarded as the heavy favorite for GOTY (Game of the Year). However, my pick would be Cyberpunk 2077. It has had a “No Man’s Sky” style resurgence with the recent patches and DLC drop. I loved this game on launch, set it down because of the bugs, and have fallen in love with it all over again.
Best Indie Game:
A Space for the Unbound
Chants of Sennaar
El Paso Elsewhere
Jusant
Pizza Tower
Sea of Stars
The Talos Principle II
Viewfinder
My Pick: I am a huge indie game fan, but I admit I’ve not played any of these games. The one I came the closest to buying (and will most likely actually buy it and play) is Sea of Stars.
Best Writing in a Game:
Alan Wake II
Baldur’s Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Starfield
Tchia
Thirsty Suitors
My Pick: Short answer: Alan Wake II. It gives me Uncharted vibes, and that’s one of my favorite game series ever made.
Best World:
Alan Wake II
Baldur’s Gate 3
Chants of Sennaar
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Final Fantasy XVI
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
My Pick: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. I may be biased, as I chose Cyberpunk as my GOTY. However, objectively, Cyberpunk is an incredible world built in a futuristic environment that really emulates what I want in an open world-style game. The amount of content contained in this game is mind-boggling; there is something for everyone.
Best Mobile Game:
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Honkai: Star Rail
Kimono Cats
Laya’s Horizon
Monster Hunter Now
Terra Nil
My Pick: I had to mention this one purely to say: it’s criminal that my main game Marvel Snap didn’t get a nomination here. As you’ll read later in the article, the game’s developer, Second Dinner, recently raised a Series B of $100 million. It is by far the most incredible mobile game I’ve ever played; and it’s FREE!.
Let me know your thoughts or picks in the comments!
Unity Software to Lay Off 1,800 Employees
(Source: CNBC )
Unity Software announced yesterday that they will be cutting approximately 1,800 jobs (25% of workforce)
Unity told investors in November that it would conduct a “comprehensive assessment” of its product portfolio and produce a financial evaluation that would “likely include discontinuing certain product offerings, reducing our workforce, and reducing our office footprint.”
This move comes on the heels of another round of job cuts that occurred in May of 2023 (600 employees), along with a price hike on developer costs for utilization of their game engine in September of ‘23.
Second Dinner raises $100 million to Continue Growing Marvel Snap
(Source: Game Developer )
The card battler has earned over $200 million since its launch in 2022
Developer Second Dinner has raised $100 million to continue supporting the new collectible card game
Series B investment round was led by Griffin Gaming Partners
Per comment from Second Dinner CEO Ben Brode, the investment will “allow the studio to diversify its portfolio”
Over 22 million downloads for Marvel Snap since launch
Off Meta Take: Another feather in the cap for my favorite game right now. This is music to my ears, and gives me supreme hope for the future of the game. I hope they keep the new features coming; namely, spectator mode, clans, and perhaps changes to the card acquisition system that make it more new-player-friendly are just a few I’m hoping for. Second Dinner recently split off from its publisher Nuverse, which was puzzling at the time it was announced. This Series B tells me that Second Dinner never needed a large publisher like Nuverse, and is primed for the future with their own trail to blaze.
ByteDance Contemplating an Exit from the Gaming market
(Source: Game Developer )
Chinese Tech conglomerate Tencent wants to purchase ByteDance (owner of TikTok and Marvel Snap publisher Nuverse)
The two orgs are in discussions, but no decision has been reached
Tencent continues to be a heavy investor in the game industry, with previous investments in Riot Games, Supercell, Epic games, Ubisoft, and more.
ByteDance told Reuters in November they had “made the difficult decision to restructure our gaming business” to refocus on “long-term strategic growth areas.”
Off Meta Take: The split between Nuverse and Second Dinner (Marvel Snap developer) makes a lot more sense now. SD must have seen this coming and chosen to break off from their publisher (Nuverse), knowing they were eventually going to exit the games industry entirely. At first the Snap community was a bit concerned with the announcement, but SD has proven it can thrive on its own even in the short time since the change occurred. It will be interesting to see where Tencent could take the assets in the future.
As always, thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts on the topics in this week’s Patch in the comments below. Be on the lookout for the next release of The Patch!