INDUSTRY

Nintendo Accounts will ‘help ease the transition’ to Switch’s successor, says platform holder | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)

Nintendo is back in the headlines again after Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser reiterated the importance of Nintendo accounts to ease the transition between console hardware - still teasing the existence of the upcoming "Switch 2".

In several reports over the last few months, the "Switch 2" so-called has been rumoured to release in the second half of 2024. Video Games Chronicle claims to have sources on this, but Bowser has confirmed nothing so far.

Stories back in July mentioned that there were Switch 2 development kits sent to key partners, and in August a showcase behind closed doors at Gamescom, though these all still remain unconfirmed. There have also been leaked reports of GPU files for the new hardware that indicate development requirements for the new console.

The ransomware group that hacked Capcom has been taken down by international police | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)

According to Europol, the criminal group responsible for the Capcom data breach in 2020 has been "taken down" and a key member arrested.

Ragnar Locker has been targeting critical infrastructure globally but has had its ransomware disassembled and is rangling up all members across the planet.

Originally targeting Capcom, they reportedly stole 1TB of data and demanded $11 million in bitcoin as ransom. The hack is also reported to have affected business and personal data of up to 390,000 people.

Sony donates $2m to support Israel and Gaza aid | Eurogamer.net

In light of the conflict in Gaza and Israel, games companies have sent donations to humanitarian causes to show their support. Innersloth, developer of Among Us, has donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, and Sony has donated $2 million dollars to Japanese Red Cross and UNICEF.

Xbox's latest third-party digital showcase airs this Wednesday | Eurogamer.net

Xbox will air its latest third-party digital showcase on Wednesday 25th October in the Xbox Partner Preview. Adequately timed, we will be shown DLCs, additions and new trailers for games in the pipeline, including Alan Wake 2.

There will also be info on what is coming to GamePass, though it should be noted that last week we reported there being no Activision Blizzard King additions to come on GamePass this year.

The Partner Showcase shouldn't be any longer than 20 mins and is streamed on Twitch and YouTube.

Roblox tells most employees to return to the office part-time or take a severance package | Eurogamer.net

Roblox has dropped the remote work hammer on its employees and said that they must return to the office for work three days a week or take a severance package.

CEO David Baszucki said in an open letter that employees affected by the announcement have three months to decide if want to relocate for the new office work protocol or they will  no longer be working for Roblox.

The justification is the lack of social contact for junior staff, and that they are...