TGO Daily | Thursday, September 16, 2021 | Activision Blizzard Update
TGO Daily | September 16, 2021
✏️ From the Author
Hi! I’m sorry I forgot to send this last night. I thought I had scheduled it, but I guess I got sidetracked.
So here it is if you’re still interested, and I’ll have the next one for you in a few hours :)
Cheers,
— Adrian
📰In The News
Activision Blizzard Getting Piled On
Following the lawsuit that Activision Blizzard is facing from the government of California, a media labour union is also filing a lawsuit alleging that the company is engaging in illegal union busting.
The employee group “A Better ABK” teamed up with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), saying that the company “has threatened employees that they cannot talk about or communicate about wages, hours and working conditions.”
This is important because it marks another major step towards unionization within the company, which could potentially be the biggest union in the gaming industry by a wide margin.
Activision Blizzard is still fighting multiple fires. Last month, California’s DFEH updated their lawsuit because of Activision’s response. The company was accused of shredding documents related to the case, and forcing employees to curtail their own rights. The latter involved requiring employees to sign a waiver with conditions:
To release / give up all claims against the company (including sexual harassment)
To agree to non-disparagement terms (preventing public criticism of the company)
To notify the company before talking with the DFEH, and to allow them to prevent it from happening
There were more conditions, which you can read about here.
A Better ABK have a list of demands which will dramatically improve the working conditions at Activision Blizzard. Here’s hoping it works out.
Switch Software Update
The Nintendo Switch has been updated to version 13.0, which adds audio support for Bluetooth devices. Up to this point, headphones either needed to be plugged into the device, or connect wirelessly through a third party adapter.
While using Bluetooth audio, players can only have two wireless controllers connected to the Switch, due to limited connections being available. Each joy con is considered one connection.
Adrian’s Thoughts: I’m surprised it took 4.5 years to get a feature like this implemented. I don’t know what the technical requirements are, but it seems like something that should have been possible when the console first released in 2017.
Battlefield 2042 Delayed
After a few rumours, EA has now confirmed that Battlefield 2042 is being delayed by one month. It is now expected to launch on November 19, after its initial launch of October 22.
Timing is key for this game, and they certainly planned their launch around Call of Duty: Vanguard which is releasing on November 5th. While the two games certainly have separate audiences, it would likely be bad optics to release within the same week as the best selling game in the United States every year.
Fun Fact: This is the first time since 2015 that all three of the major FPS games are releasing in the same year. With Halo Infinite releasing in early December, it’s a great holiday season for fans of the genre.
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