Here at Goonhammer, we know that it’s hard to keep track of all the news happening all the time in the games industry. So much is always going on with games of all sorts, and their related media, it can be a real blink-and-you’ll miss it situation.
That’s why every week, we round up five of the biggest stories in the gaming sphere from the past week in the Games Industry News Roundup. Our trusty news boy, Dan “Swiftblade” Richardson, is at the very real and cool Goonhammer newsdesk with the scoop.
Grass Wonder Passes Away
To start our roundup, I’m joined by Marcy here at the newsdesk to memorialize Grass Wonder.
Marcy: As you may be aware, we’ve been covering the hit game Umamusume: Pretty Derby here on GH, and as such, it is with a sad heart to deliver the news that Grass Wonder, one of the last remaining “Golden Generation” race horses, passed away on August 8th at the age of 30. Horse racing in Japan is wildly popular, partially helping to give Umamusume the popularity it has earned, and many of the “Golden Generation” were influential in helping horse racing boom in popularity in the late 20th century, with names like Symboli Rudolf, Oguri Cap, Special Week, and T M Opera O as generation mates, the American-born but Japanese trained Grass Wonder had to overcome numerous hurdles to make a name for himself.
In 1998, Grass Wonder would be nominated to run in the Arima Kinen, a fan voted race held at the end of the year that remains the most monied horse race in the world. The 1998 race was packed with talent such as Air Groove, Stay Gold, and Matikanefukukitaru, and the race came down to a half length win as Grass Wonder pulled ahead of Mejiro Bright to clinch it. Hot off his win in 98, Grass Wonder went on to prove his right to claim a place amongst the legendary generation, winning the Keio Hai Spring Cup, Takarazuka Kinen and finally ending the streak with a nearly unheard of second win at the 1999 Arima Kinen, beating Special Week, Narita Top Road, and T M Opera O in a nail biting back and forth race. The 1999 win put Grass Wonder in a special class, where he joined Symboli Rudolf, Oguri Cap, and Speed Symboli to become only the 4th horse at the time to win a back to back Arima Kinen.
After retirement, Grass Wonder served as a stud for a few years before moving to pasture at Big Red Farm, where he passed away from multiple organ failure at the age of 30. We extend our condolences to Grass Wonder, his trainers, and stable, and hope he’s enjoying a reunion with the rest of the Golden Generation and all of the dandelions he can eat.
Games Workshop Celebrates 10 Years of Age of Sigmar with Giveaway Contest
It’s been ten years since that one weird Warhammer Fantasy friend of yours had a Chernobyl-grade meltdown about the release of Age of Sigmar, and to celebrate, Games Workshop is hosting a special giveaway contest from now until September 1st.
Entry into the contest requires the participant to download one of two special scenarios for either Age of Sigmar or Spearhead. For the Age of Sigmar scenario, “The Adamantine Chain Quakes” one side is charged with destroying a rockfall that blocks the way for their forces advancing into the realm with magic and explosives alike, while the other must defend it. In the Spearhead scenario, “The Desolation of the Mortal Realms”, both players can strip the battlefield of resources to gain desolation points, which in turn can be spent on powerful abilities during the game.
After playing one of these scenarios, participants need to sign up for the Warhammer Community Newsletter, which will generate an email link to submit their results.
Ten lucky winners from this pool will be selected to win, receiving both a brand new Helsmiths of Hashut army set as well as a spearhead box of their choosing. Terms and conditions of this contest include being over 18 at time of entry, excludes Italy, Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Ireland, Taiwan, Albania, Serbia and China, and states that Games Workshop employees are not eligible to participate.
Sony Moves to Directly Integrate Bungie
It’s been a rough year for Bungie, and it appears as though things are not going to be getting better anytime soon.
In a recent earnings call, Sony executives stated their plans to directly integrate the legendary shooter company, greatly shortening the long leash that it promised Bungie would have when it first acquired them in 2022.
During the earnings call, Sony CFO Lin Tao said, “About the governance of Bungie, at the time of acquisition, we were offering a very independent environment, so that was one way of thinking. However, we have gone through structural reform, as we announced last year, so this independence is getting lighter, and Bungie is shifting into a role which is becoming more part of PlayStation Studios, and integration is proceeding. In the long term, you can see this as an ongoing process. So the direction is to become part of PlayStation Studios.”
At the time of this writing, we don’t know anything about how Sony plans to directly integrate Bungie into PlayStation Studios, or what their timeline for doing so is, but it clearly seems like the executives there have grown tired of Bungie’s creative freedom.
Bungie was initially bought by Sony in 2022 for an eye watering $3.6 billion, with assurances to both employees at Bungie and fans of their games that the studio would be given as much independence as possible. Bungie would still be a multiplatform developer, and would be seen as a third party subsidiary of PlayStation, rather than a direct part of the company.
According to Forbes, the decision to move Bungie directly under PlayStation control may have to do with Bungie not reaching certain metrics set by Sony. No further information is provided for if these metrics are related to sales or development checkpoints, but the disastrous alpha and the indefinite delay of Bungie’s latest title, Marathon, lends credence to both theories.
Bungie has yet to officially respond to the news from Sony about their integration into PlayStation studios.
Longtime Diablo General Manager Leaves Blizzard
It’s been a rough year for Bungie Microsoft, and it appears as though things are not going to be getting any better anytime soon.
Microsoft has gone through multiple rounds of massive layoffs, with the most recent round in July slashing nearly 9000 jobs in a push for additional AI integration, with Xbox owned studios being hit the hardest. On top of these painful layoffs, Microsoft owned Activision-Blizzard is now losing a major part of one of its most popular franchises.
Rod Fergusson, Blizzard’s General Manager for the Diablo franchise, announced on his social media last week that he was stepping down from his role after five years and is leaving the company.
Fergusson writes, “After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it’s time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what’s next. The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together and looking forward to what comes next for Diablo, and for me.”
Prior to his time at Blizzard, Fergusson is best known for his work on the Gears of War franchise, having played a part in the development of every game in the series since it started in 2006. Fergusson joined Blizzard in 2020, shortly following the announcement of Diablo 4, and played an important role in the development of the game as well as its first major expansion, Vessel of Hatred.
Blizzard president Johanna Fairies posted a farewell to Fergusson on her own social media. “Guiding a franchise like Diablo takes rare talent, vision, and collaboration. Thank you, Rod, for bringing all of those in spades. Sanctuary’s future is brighter because of the impact you’ve had.”
Though Microsoft and Blizzard have both confirmed Fergusson’s departure, there is no additional information on why Fergusson is leaving the company and who will replace him as Diablo’s general manager. Additionally, Fergusson has not publicly stated what he plans on doing next.
CMON CFO and Company Secretary Resign
It’s been a rough year for Bungie Microsoft CMON, and it appears as though things are not going to be getting better anytime soon.
Amidst the company’s financial spiral, two more major executives announced their departure from CMON, Chief Financial Officer Koh Zheng Kai and company secretary Ng Sau Mei.
Koh has been with CMON since 2014, stepping back from his role at the accounting firm he founded, Opes, to fulfill the role of CFO. According to a statement provided to the Hong Kong stock exchange, Koh is stepping away “after careful consideration” to focus on his own business, likely referring to Opes. His last day at CMON will be November 14th.
Company secretary Ng will be leaving much sooner than Koh, with her last day being August 28th. Ng cited that she had other work arrangements in her resignation letter to the company, according to CMON.
The board of directors at CMON is still in the active process of identifying a new CFO, though it’s already selected Wong Chun Wing Samuel to fill the role of company secretary left by Ng. The board also states that it had no disagreement with either Koh or Ng, and that their choice to leave the company is completely voluntary.
Koh and Ng are the latest two CMON executives to jump ship, following CMON’s disastrous $3 million loss last fiscal year. Earlier this year, David Preti, former Chief Operating Officer at CMON, announced that he was stepping down from his role, and has since joined Asmodee as the Head of Crowdfunding Strategy and Miniature Lines.
CMON has been taking a beating, to put it lightly, but this news is especially troubling for the board game giant’s future. While the report of any executive leaving following a $3 million dollar loss and selling its most popular IP is troubling, the news that the CFO, presumably the money guy, the one who should be fixing the money problem, has decided instead to get the hell out of dodge is extraordinarily worrisome. Hopefully, CMON can find a way out of this mess, but with each story coming out from the company that seems less and less likely to happen.
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