TGO Daily | September 23, 2020 | Former Lab Zero Employees Form "Future Club"
Xbox and PlayStation have been dominating the conversation these past few weeks (justifiably) — let’s take a little break from them today. Sometimes its easy to forget that there are games companies around the world that are doing things we aren’t even aware of.
Until tomorrow,
Adrian
Listen On Youtube:
(Or on the podcast host of your choice!)
Quick Links/Show Notes
Story Breakdowns
Former Lab Zero employees create “Future Club” dev studio
Following the mass exodus from Lab Zero Games (Skullgirls, Indivisible), former employees have created a new company called Future Club.
Future Club will operate as a co-op, which gives every employee equal stake in the company and the right to be involved in decision making. This is to avoid a situation of one person being the decision-maker, which is what led to the downfall of Lab Zero. There are 15 founding members.
The co-op model isn’t a unique idea for indie developers, with perhaps the most famous being Motion Twin (Dead Cells). It’s an interesting concept, but runs into its own issues. For example, what happens when there is a conflict? Does everybody get paid the same? How do you hire new people? (Check out this GDC talk if you’re interested in the concept).
Future Club will also be attempting to avoid crunch:
“We want to be able to create the games that we’re passionate about, but we don’t want that to come at the expense of our own health…I personally have had a lot of crunch in my life and I’m a little over it.”
— Mariel Cartwright, quoted in Kotaku
The company is still in its early stages, but will hopefully be able to find success out of the shadow of their former employer. They are willing to work on Skullgirls and Indivisible if asked, but will also be pitching games to publishers.
Spider-Man: Remastered update
You might have missed it, but Marvel’s Spider-Man is getting a remaster that is releasing on the PlayStation 5 alongside Miles Morales. Currently, the only way to get your hands on it by purchasing the Deluxe Edition of Miles Morales on the PS5, which is about $20 more.
The title will include a separate trophy list, all its expansion content, and improved performance/visuals/audio. Sony has confirmed that there will not be a free upgrade, but that you can play the original through backwards compatibility. Cross-saves will also not be supported.
Fortnite doing a BTS cross-over
Epic Games have had major music cross-overs with a number of artists up to this point. Their non-violent version of the game, Party Royale, is perfectly set up for virtual concerts — most recently featuring Travis Scott in an eye-popping performance.
Starting on Saturday, they will be host to the biggest K-Pop and boy-band group in the world, BTS. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re probably one of the most influential music groups in the world. If the demographics were a little different, this would be a bigger deal for Epic than their Marvel crossover.
Feel free to check out the show on September 26th.
Mike Bithell announces The Solitaire Conspiracy
Mike Bithell has revealed his newest “Short,” which is a classic solitaire game with a little bit of espionage mixed in.
This is the coolest version of solitaire you’ve ever seen. It has a story-based campaign mode with full FMV cutscenes (starring Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller), as well as two other modes. Here’s more info from Steam:
The Solitaire Conspiracy is inspired by a variant of solitaire called Streets and Alleys, but with some small adjustments and the big addition of suit based powers. Campaign and skirmish (choose your own suits and powers) are take-at-your-own-pace experiences that fit into your schedule. Countdown mode is a place to test your skills with nuanced powers against a ticking clock. This game is endlessly replayable.
Bithell is the man behind games like Thomas Was Alone and John Wick Hex. Of all his games, this one has the best upfront presentation so far.
Also In The News
Get In Touch
That’s all for today folks! Thanks for being here, and please let me know if you have any suggestions for the newsletter :)
You can always message me simply by replying to this email, and I’ll do my best to get back to you.
You can also find me on Twitter, or join our Discord community.
DCCC