In our recent gaming podcast Filipino gamers talk about the Blacklist and Lunatix Allegations, Unity Controversy, HoyoFest 2023, Mortal Kombat 1 in Switch, Cyberpunk 2077 FM Radio, Gurren Lagann Mobile Game and a possible Nintendo Switch 2.
Blacklist and Lunatix Allegations
So this happened recently apparently Blacklist terminates its partnership with Lunatix. Fist context, so from what I've read in Oneesports Blacklist has teamed up with Malaysian esports organization Team Lunatix in preparation for MDL. But things didn't pan out here is what happened after, then you decide if its mismanagement. In a Spin.PH report, Blacklist Lunatix' manager Eviann Balquin alleged that they hardly received monthly support. This includes food expenses and pay the players' salaries. From the article, it was mentioned they received 2,500 monthly given that there are 9 members. So what happened was Balquin the manager and other heads of the team decided to use their salaries and pay for the team's needs to keep players motivated. There's more in the article, it was also mentioned they got kicked out of their original boot camp before the start of MDL. They also mentioned they are using outdated phones lacked internet connection. Theres even a photo showing they are sleeping like sardines. Apparently, Team Lunatix is no stranger to controversy in Malaysia. It was accused of mishandling newly-acquired imports from Myanmar, allegedly failed to answer for their airfare and private accommodation. So mismanagement? So thats why Blacklist terminated their partnership moving forward Blacklist International will be taking over the management of the MDL team
Palia
There is one game I keep seeing on Twitch streamers and it is called Palia. So from what I read online, it's a free-to-play MMO? But it's not just any MMO; it is a cozy life simulator. So it's like animal crossing? Or Farmville? Unlike other MMOs, there is no combat? The focus is on various activities such as bug catching, mining, foraging, hunting, fishing, cooking, furniture making, and gardening. I've checked and it's currently in open beta and will be released on August 10, 2023.
Unity Engine
On our final topic seems like our guest is familiar with this, so let me give the premise. So there is a game engine called Unity a game engine is where you create games one popular example is Unreal Engine, Source Engine, and even godot. It is also cross-platform compatible. The engine has a free and paid (pro and subscription) version which is reserved for bigger studios. Because if this you will notice alot of indie developers using it. Well not all since Genshin Impact is using unity.
Lets now go to the controversy. On September 12, 2023, Unity announced that use of the engine would become subject to royalties which is also referred to as runtime fees. This will be calculated per installation and charged monthly and is planned to apply on beginning in January 2024. The cost will be 20 cents for personal and Unity plus, 15 cents for Unity Pro and i forgot the enterprise those are on dollars. This was met by criticism and backlash from developers
Some concerns are what if its a free game? A demo? Or Bundle? What if you reinstall and install, Is that an additional cost? Or install it on a device, Is that an additional cost?
Unity CEO, the whole thing was so shady so I checked who is deciding on this. So I found out John Riccitiello as their CEO. Unity CEO John Riccitiello's recent sale of 2,000 shares coincided with a controversial decision. There's more apparently, he was the previous CEO of EA, remember EA being voted as the worst company well he's responsible. He was there when Dead Space started monetizing by selling weapons. He is also involved in Sims and Simcity which require always online and many more.
Backlash and Unity Response, As mentioned a lot of game developers are pissed, some game developers started saying they will delete their games because of this. So since the backlash Unity made a response. First, they are saying they will overhaul the price hike basically making changes to the policy. Then remember a while ago we talked about price per install well how are they going to track it? Initially, they said they would use a propriety tool but not they are saying it will be a self-report data. The finally a response from the CEO, he said there is no version of this that would have gone down differently. So that it trust is broken so their plan now is to show the changes rather than tell
HoyoFest Philippines
If you don't remember the first half of Hoyo Fest ended last August. Unfortunately, the Philippines was not included. But the good news because the second half will begin soon it will come to Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines. So for Filipinos, it will be on October 22 to October 29, 2023 and will be held at the “Event Center” Lower Ground Floor, SM Megamall Building A, EDSA, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. You can expect the six HoYoverse titles (Honkai Impact 3rd, Genshin Impact, Tears of Themis, Honkai: Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero, and Lumi_N0va) to be showcased during the events. With interactive activities, game demos hands-on, and exclusive official merchandise for sale!
MK1 Switch
Seems like Mortal Kombat is off to a bad start at least for the Nintendo Switch. So what I'm talking well basically there is a minor graphic issue. IGN even reviewed the game 3 as awful. So what happened? Well basically the graphics are bad like really bad, you can check the screenshots on the Pinoy gamer FB page. There are some issues with load times and if load times are bad this also affects the gameplay with performance drops. Seems like Switch is struggling to run the game and note the game on Switch costs $70. One weird thing is Mortal Kombat 1 is not available on PS4 and Xbox One but its somehow forced to run on switch. On the bright side, Mortal Kombat 1's Ed Boon promises to address the Nintendo Switch Version
Switch 2
Speaking of Nintendo Switch seems like the performance issues will be addressed. Before that anyone here have switch? What games do you play? According to an article by Gamerant Nintendo Switch 2 was demoed at Gamescom. Apparently, it was running the Matrix Unreal Engine 5 demo with dlss. Then in an article by Videocardz based on the Activision internal emails. The Next-Gen Nintendo Switch is close to PS4/Xbox One performance. So basically Activision was briefed on Nintendo’s Switch 2 last year. We are just reporting what has been reported but if this are true Switch 2 can be very compelling maybe then can run MK1 better next time
Gurren Lagann
Is anyone here familiar with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann? The anime about spiral (not Uzumaki). Basically, they started underground and by the end of the series there in space throwing galaxies at one another. Its the anime with the tagline “Dony believe in yourself believe in me who believes in you”. Well apparently they are releasing a game. It will be a free-to-play mobile game set to release worldwide on October 12, 2023. I think pre-registration is now open on the official website. Funnily, even though the game hasn't even been released there is already a collaboration announced basically they will collaborate with Kill la Kill. Another anime where you start from below and then you are in space fighting aliens. But there seems to be a problem with the Gurren Lagann mobile game. I can’t post this on Facebook we could get penalized again. Do you know Yoko? She is the female character with a massive sniper all her love interests die and she becomes a teacher at the end. So apparently there is a character design change, from a bikini to now a short tank top. The changes are shown on one of the marketing materials which is different from the anime and the previous marketing materials they used. So in simple terms, there might be censorship on the mobile game.
Cyberpunk 2077 FM Radio
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty will release on Sept 26, however, based on the early reviews by Western news outlets it's getting good reviews. IGN gave it a 9 then Gamespot gave it a 10. But that's not what we intend to talk about, so apparently Cyberpunk 2077 will add a community-made radio station new radio station in Night City in collaboration with the Cyberpunk 2077 community. The radio station will be called 89.7 Growl FM and will be presented by DJ Ash. Voiced by Sasha Gray, not sure who is this you might want to google? Growl FM is one of three new stations appearing in Cyberpunk 2077 with Update 2.0
The PinoyGamer Podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify, with a pre recording available on our Philippines discord where you can join the discussions!
Blacklist and Lunatix Allegations
So this happened recently apparently Blacklist terminates its partnership with Lunatix. Fist context, so from what I've read in Oneesports Blacklist has teamed up with Malaysian esports organization Team Lunatix in preparation for MDL. But things didn't pan out here is what happened after, then you decide if its mismanagement. In a Spin.PH report, Blacklist Lunatix' manager Eviann Balquin alleged that they hardly received monthly support. This includes food expenses and pay the players' salaries. From the article, it was mentioned they received 2,500 monthly given that there are 9 members. So what happened was Balquin the manager and other heads of the team decided to use their salaries and pay for the team's needs to keep players motivated. There's more in the article, it was also mentioned they got kicked out of their original boot camp before the start of MDL. They also mentioned they are using outdated phones lacked internet connection. Theres even a photo showing they are sleeping like sardines. Apparently, Team Lunatix is no stranger to controversy in Malaysia. It was accused of mishandling newly-acquired imports from Myanmar, allegedly failed to answer for their airfare and private accommodation. So mismanagement? So thats why Blacklist terminated their partnership moving forward Blacklist International will be taking over the management of the MDL team
Palia
There is one game I keep seeing on Twitch streamers and it is called Palia. So from what I read online, it's a free-to-play MMO? But it's not just any MMO; it is a cozy life simulator. So it's like animal crossing? Or Farmville? Unlike other MMOs, there is no combat? The focus is on various activities such as bug catching, mining, foraging, hunting, fishing, cooking, furniture making, and gardening. I've checked and it's currently in open beta and will be released on August 10, 2023.
Unity Engine
On our final topic seems like our guest is familiar with this, so let me give the premise. So there is a game engine called Unity a game engine is where you create games one popular example is Unreal Engine, Source Engine, and even godot. It is also cross-platform compatible. The engine has a free and paid (pro and subscription) version which is reserved for bigger studios. Because if this you will notice alot of indie developers using it. Well not all since Genshin Impact is using unity.
Lets now go to the controversy. On September 12, 2023, Unity announced that use of the engine would become subject to royalties which is also referred to as runtime fees. This will be calculated per installation and charged monthly and is planned to apply on beginning in January 2024. The cost will be 20 cents for personal and Unity plus, 15 cents for Unity Pro and i forgot the enterprise those are on dollars. This was met by criticism and backlash from developers
Some concerns are what if its a free game? A demo? Or Bundle? What if you reinstall and install, Is that an additional cost? Or install it on a device, Is that an additional cost?
Unity CEO, the whole thing was so shady so I checked who is deciding on this. So I found out John Riccitiello as their CEO. Unity CEO John Riccitiello's recent sale of 2,000 shares coincided with a controversial decision. There's more apparently, he was the previous CEO of EA, remember EA being voted as the worst company well he's responsible. He was there when Dead Space started monetizing by selling weapons. He is also involved in Sims and Simcity which require always online and many more.
Backlash and Unity Response, As mentioned a lot of game developers are pissed, some game developers started saying they will delete their games because of this. So since the backlash Unity made a response. First, they are saying they will overhaul the price hike basically making changes to the policy. Then remember a while ago we talked about price per install well how are they going to track it? Initially, they said they would use a propriety tool but not they are saying it will be a self-report data. The finally a response from the CEO, he said there is no version of this that would have gone down differently. So that it trust is broken so their plan now is to show the changes rather than tell
HoyoFest Philippines
If you don't remember the first half of Hoyo Fest ended last August. Unfortunately, the Philippines was not included. But the good news because the second half will begin soon it will come to Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines. So for Filipinos, it will be on October 22 to October 29, 2023 and will be held at the “Event Center” Lower Ground Floor, SM Megamall Building A, EDSA, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. You can expect the six HoYoverse titles (Honkai Impact 3rd, Genshin Impact, Tears of Themis, Honkai: Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero, and Lumi_N0va) to be showcased during the events. With interactive activities, game demos hands-on, and exclusive official merchandise for sale!
MK1 Switch
Seems like Mortal Kombat is off to a bad start at least for the Nintendo Switch. So what I'm talking well basically there is a minor graphic issue. IGN even reviewed the game 3 as awful. So what happened? Well basically the graphics are bad like really bad, you can check the screenshots on the Pinoy gamer FB page. There are some issues with load times and if load times are bad this also affects the gameplay with performance drops. Seems like Switch is struggling to run the game and note the game on Switch costs $70. One weird thing is Mortal Kombat 1 is not available on PS4 and Xbox One but its somehow forced to run on switch. On the bright side, Mortal Kombat 1's Ed Boon promises to address the Nintendo Switch Version
Switch 2
Speaking of Nintendo Switch seems like the performance issues will be addressed. Before that anyone here have switch? What games do you play? According to an article by Gamerant Nintendo Switch 2 was demoed at Gamescom. Apparently, it was running the Matrix Unreal Engine 5 demo with dlss. Then in an article by Videocardz based on the Activision internal emails. The Next-Gen Nintendo Switch is close to PS4/Xbox One performance. So basically Activision was briefed on Nintendo’s Switch 2 last year. We are just reporting what has been reported but if this are true Switch 2 can be very compelling maybe then can run MK1 better next time
Gurren Lagann
Is anyone here familiar with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann? The anime about spiral (not Uzumaki). Basically, they started underground and by the end of the series there in space throwing galaxies at one another. Its the anime with the tagline “Dony believe in yourself believe in me who believes in you”. Well apparently they are releasing a game. It will be a free-to-play mobile game set to release worldwide on October 12, 2023. I think pre-registration is now open on the official website. Funnily, even though the game hasn't even been released there is already a collaboration announced basically they will collaborate with Kill la Kill. Another anime where you start from below and then you are in space fighting aliens. But there seems to be a problem with the Gurren Lagann mobile game. I can’t post this on Facebook we could get penalized again. Do you know Yoko? She is the female character with a massive sniper all her love interests die and she becomes a teacher at the end. So apparently there is a character design change, from a bikini to now a short tank top. The changes are shown on one of the marketing materials which is different from the anime and the previous marketing materials they used. So in simple terms, there might be censorship on the mobile game.
Cyberpunk 2077 FM Radio
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty will release on Sept 26, however, based on the early reviews by Western news outlets it's getting good reviews. IGN gave it a 9 then Gamespot gave it a 10. But that's not what we intend to talk about, so apparently Cyberpunk 2077 will add a community-made radio station new radio station in Night City in collaboration with the Cyberpunk 2077 community. The radio station will be called 89.7 Growl FM and will be presented by DJ Ash. Voiced by Sasha Gray, not sure who is this you might want to google? Growl FM is one of three new stations appearing in Cyberpunk 2077 with Update 2.0
The PinoyGamer Podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify, with a pre recording available on our Philippines discord where you can join the discussions!
