Author: Game Infliction

Humble Games has announced plans to restructure amid what it is calling “challenging economic times for indie publishing,” with several former employees reporting that they’ve been laid off. According to Polygon’s Nicole Carpenter, the layoffs affect 36 workers. [Disclosure: IGN Entertainment and publishing label Humble Games operate under separate divisions of the same parent company, Ziff Davis. Charity bundle platform Humble Bundle remains a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment.]

The announcement was part of a statement from Humble Games, which was published on Linkedin in the wake of several workers confirming their layoffs on social media. The statement emphasized “the goal of ensuring the stability and support of our developers and ongoing projects” while saying that the restructuring does not impact Humble Bundle.

In these challenging economic times for indie game publishing, Humble Games has made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure our operations. This decision was not made lightly; it involved much deliberation and careful thought, with the goal of ensuring the stability and support of our developers and ongoing projects. Additionally, the restructuring of operations at Humble Games will have no impact on operations at Humble Bundle.

We are acutely aware of the profound impact this decision has on our team members at Humble Games and deeply empathize with everyone affected. Our team’s contributions have been world-class and invaluable, supporting the launch of our games since we started publishing in 2017. We are committed to navigating this transition with as much empathy and understanding as possible.

Supporting our development partners and assisting former team members remains our top priority. We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Thank you for your support and compassion during this challenging period. It is deeply appreciated.

Reached separately for comment, a Ziff Davis representative shared the statement posted above and said that the company is “not shutting down but is undergoing restructuring,” and that “all past and ongoing projects and upcoming releases are not affected and will continue to be supported and published by Humble Games.” The representative said they could not comment on the number of staff affected or remaining.

Humble Games is an indie publishing label with a portfolio including Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, Signalis and Stray Gods. Several developers who worked with Humble Games expressed sympathy in the wake of the layoffs.

“My sincerest best wishes to all the former Humble Games staff, several of whom helped make [Unsighted] what it was,” wrote Unsighted developer Fernanda Dias. “Thank you so much for working so hard on so many amazing games. This is incredibly heartbreaking news holy shit.”

Humble Games is one of several indie publishers that has been forced to restructure amid uncertainty in the games industry throughout 2024. IGN reported in May that Take-Two was quietly winding down its Private Division label in the wake of shuttering OlliOlli World developer Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 studio Intercept Games. Xbox, PlayStation, EA, and numerous other publishers have also suffered layoffs.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

In April, USA’s team Jackpot won Nintendo’s Splatoon 3 World Championship, earning an in-game appearance that cemented its members as the first players to be commemorated in a Splatoon game. However, after racist messages sent by the team surfaced in the months following the event, Nintendo has now announced that it will invalidate the team’s win and remove their likenesses from the game.

Today, in a post on X/Twitter, Nintendo Versus announced that Jackpot’s win would be vacated and the team would not receive trophies due to its violations of the company’s community guidelines.

An update on the 2024 Splatoon 3 World Championship: pic.twitter.com/pYUMQzmj7S

— Nintendo Versus (@NintendoVS) July 23, 2024

Nintendo also pledged to adjust a Splashtag (or in-game profile banner) it had added to the game to commemorate Jackpot’s win. The adjustment will presumably remove the team’s characters from the banner and replace them with default characters.

Phantom Thief of the Heart, the Japanese team that played against Jackpot in the final, was not retroactively granted the win after the announcement, leaving the World Championship with no official winner.

“Nintendo cares deeply about our players and our community, and we take our responsibility to uphold our Community Guidelines seriously,” the post reads.

Nintendo’s move comes after the team’s racist messages circulated online in early June. Videos and screenshots (which can be seen in this thread — warning for offensive language) show members of the team using racist slurs and phrases in Discord messages and calls, with some even sending targeted messages to other players.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they’ve contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun, and they’re currently developing a game called Garage Sale. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Walmart is offering the Nintendo Switch Lite (Timmy’s and Tommy’s Aloha Edition) console for only $159. This is an outstanding deal because this particular bundle also includes a digital copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. A standard Nintendo Switch Lite console with no game still costs $199.

Nintendo Switch Lite with Animal Crossing for $159

The Switch Lite retails for $100 less than the original Switch and $150 less than the Switch OLED. It is compatible with most Nintendo Switch games and it runs off the same hardware, so performance is identical. The three main tradeoffs of the Switch Lite is that (1) the controllers are not detachable, (2) the console can’t be docked and played on a TV and (3) the display is smaller (5.5″ vs 6.2″ on Switch and 7″ on Switch OLED).

If you were intending to use the Switch solely as a handheld console, you might be better off just getting the Switch Lite. Even though the controls aren’t detachable, the Switch Lite does support wireless Bluetooth, so you can always purchase another pair of Joy-Cons, a Switch Pro controller, or a compatible third party wireless Switch controller, and you can still play untethered.

If you enjoy cozy games like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, or Minecraft, you’ll probably love Animal Crossing. It’s obvious that Nintendo put in a lot of love into this first party title and it’s certainly one of the best – and most relaxing – games for the Nintendo Switch. This is an excellent pick for gamers of all ages, even children. Check out our glowing IGN review for more details.

Other Nintendo Switch related sales and news that might interest you:

• Best Nintendo Switch Prime Day Deals
• All Pokemon Games on Nintendo Switch
• All Mario Games on Nintendo Switch
• Best Time to Buy a Nintendo Switch
• Best Free Nintendo Switch Games

Tesla’s polygonal Cybertruck has entered Fortnite, and fans… aren’t quite sure how to feel about it.

The vehicle joined Epic Games’ massively popular battle royale video game, as well as its soccer-car project Rocket League, today, July 23. It’s a free reward for those who complete a series of challenges via the Summer Road Trip quest before August 6 and is also a cross-game unlock between both experiences. Completing all challenges nets players a Cybertruck for their garage as well as a Green Day Jam Track, Back Bling, wheels, and a few decals that include a broken window cosmetic.

It’s a selection of free rewards that some players are undeniably happy to have, but others are taking the opportunity to poke fun at Tesla’s angular truck, which will no doubt show up on players’ screens in-game. Specifically, many are calling for others to band together and go out of their way to destroy any Cybertruck that comes into view.

“Overpriced,” one Reddit user jokes.

“Cybertruck is gonna give that nostalgic 2020 feel in Cyberpunk when textures weren’t loading on my 1080,” another said.

i propose a new fortnite rule: if you see someone in a cybertruck, you are now in a truce with everyone else in the lobby until they’re taken out. this repeats as many times as necessary until everyone that bought this stupid thing is gone. normal gameplay proceeds. https://t.co/jd93Jt11Ex

— DAWNYAAAN 😈💕 TEAM SEAFOAM (@dawnyaaan) July 22, 2024

i think the funniest part about the cybertruck in fortnite is, along with the psychological disadvantage of people going for you because you’re using a cybertruck, it also has a gigantic windshield, making it one of the most genuinely pay-2-lose cosmetics ever added pic.twitter.com/mXnW6vq58y

— Kaius (they/them) (@KaiuswithaK) June 22, 2024

If anyone pull up on me while im in my Fortnite Cyber Truck, I’m sending you back to the lobby, on nitro.

— BonafideMane (@bonafidemane) July 23, 2024

This is the most united the fn community has been in months and it’s over hating the cybertruck, even epic games employees hate it https://t.co/lD1nyPKIWN pic.twitter.com/ntoF7TARQP

— Fionna (@Alterra_Corp_) July 22, 2024

While players group up to plan how to react to the Tesla content, they aren’t the only ones voicing distaste for the addition. Along with a wave of players who aren’t excited to see a wave of Cybertrucks show up across Fortnite, there are a few Epic Games developers who are equally unenthusiastic.

“Reminder that opinions are mine and mine alone,” Fortnite associate producer Robby Williams said on X/Twitter. “Destroy on sight [middle finger emoji].”

Epic Games producer Kyle Wynn also chimed into the conversation. In addition to reminding players that companies are made up of individuals with a variety of thoughts and beliefs, Wynn says, “also yeah, hard focus on sight.”

Also yeah, hard focus on sight

— Kyle Wynn (@KyleTheWynner) July 22, 2024

Fortnite players are continuing to enjoy an ocean of recent additions, including Pirates of the Caribbean skins, the Fortnite Reload mode, and Fallout content. Fortnite is currently in the midst of Chapter 5 Season 3, with Season 4 expected to begin in mid-August. For more, you can read up on the recently announced Fortnite LEGO sets, which include a purchasable Battle Bus and Supply Llama.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is set to arrive on Xbox Game Pass tomorrow, July 24.

As detailed by Xbox Wire, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be available on Game Pass for Console, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate on July 24, and it includes the entire package – campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies.

Developing…

Every time I think I’ve seen Magic: The Gathering’s most unexpected crossover yet – be that Hatsune Miku or the board game Clue – Wizards of the Coast figures out some way to surprise me yet again. This time it’s with a selection of cards set in the world of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Split across two Secret Lair drops, the latest Universes Beyond tie-in will have eight reprints and one token reskinned with references and jokes from the classic 1975 film. One drop will have five cards total, one of which is double-faced so you can choose if it’s either an African or European swallow, while the other will have three cards and a token.

You can flip through the gallery below to see all the cards in both Monty Python drops:

To find out how the heck a crossover like this even comes about, I spoke with Secret Lair Senior Product Designer Daniel Nguyen, who said the first step for many of their Universes Beyond projects is to simply reach out to the representatives for lots of different properties and see who might be interested in working together.

“This was a really fun one to get,” Nguyen says. ”It’s kind of a funny pairing. They seem like such different ideas, but I think the cards came together really nicely and it’s just very quaint to see on Magic cards.” He also explains that the business folk their outreach team initially gets in touch with don’t always know what Magic even is, but that it’s “fun if someone on the other side actually is a Magic fan, which does happen quite often.”

While this isn’t the first old movie to get a crossover drop, with The Evil Dead and The Princess Bride both getting Secret Lairs of their own, the jokes within it do feel tailored toward both Holy Grail and Magic in a particularly satisfying way. That’s both in seeing iconic scenes from the movie represented by notable cards that align perfectly (such as, the card Dismember depicting the Black Knight), but also in a few Magic jokes that use the language of Monty Python instead.

For example, John Cleese’s Tim the Enchanter is represented by the card Prodigal Sorcerer, which is lovingly referred to as “Tim” by much of the Magic community. “That’s just the top line on the document, right? You gotta have that one,” says Nguyen, who jokes “if we don’t do that we’re all fired, clearly.”

While the designs and thought behind the cards in these drops is impressive, the fact that Vol. 1 has five cards (one of which is double-faced) while Vol 2. only has three cards and token did make me curious about how Wizards of the Coast decides on the contents of each Secret Lair. Nguyen tells me that these decisions are generally more art than science, taking into account a card’s desirability in the playerbase, the bandwidth they have for coordinating artists and other resources, what each individual drop might call for thematically, and more.

“I take it very seriously,” Nguyen assures me. “We think deeply about everything that goes into these drops. Every aspect you can consider, I’m thinking about that all day long and losing sleep over it sometimes.” He says one part of that is hitting staple cards people are using a lot already, but also balancing that with some tastemaking picks that go off the beaten path when it makes sense, even if the appeal of the latter may be narrower as a result. “Every drop should [have] someone’s favorite card.”

The Monty Python and the Holy Grail drops will be available in both foil and non-foil starting on July 29 as part of the next Superdrop. A limited number of foil drops will also be available to purchase in person at the Hasbro Pulse booth at San Diego Comic-Con this week.

Tom Marks is IGN’s Executive Reviews Editor. He loves card games, puzzles, platformers, puzzle-platformers, and lots more.