Plumbers, Spiders and the top stories from TwitchCon

TwitchCon took place last weekend. If you were too busy playing Mario or Spider-Man, we completely understand. Here’s the latest news. 

The latest from TwitchCon

TwitchCon took place this past weekend in Las Vegas. The conference dedicated to streamers is sponsored by the Twitch streaming platform. As Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, continues to lose top streamers to startup rival Kick, many wondered how Twitch would respond. 

Twitch did not disappoint, saying it will now let streamers simultaneously stream on any service they want. This is big in helping quell top names from leaving the service completely for other online streaming competitors. Other updates include changes to the new Stories feature, improvements to the clip editor and improvements to collaboration. Check out all the changes announced at TwitchCon. 

Some other interesting stories to come out of TwitchCon Las Vegas:

• Streaming has changed the nature of celebrity, writes Shannon Liao. A streamer can make a living online with millions of followers, but still be able to get groceries at their local store without being mobbed.
• A piece about the unpaid labor that makes Twitch work: moderators. 
• A streamer made the ultimate viral moment at TwitchCon, when she proposed to her girlfriend on stage. 

Men in Red

Two highly anticipated games released last week, and both are seeing critical success. 

First up is Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The latest in the Mario franchise launched on October 20 for the Nintendo Switch, and is receiving fantastic reviews.

NPR called the newest Mario platformer a “surreal masterpiece.” Meanwhile, Charlie Wacholz at CNN says:

Not only is it one of the best games on Nintendo Switch, but it deserves a place in the pantheon of lauded Mario games alongside the likes of Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3.

Not to be outdone, Spider-Man 2 also took the gaming world by storm, launching the same day as Mario on the PlayStation 5. Reviews for it were also spectacular.

Video Game Chronicle says Spider-Man 2 is one of the best superhero games ever. Game Informer gave it a nearly perfect score, saying:

Insomniac has nailed that rarest of video game development feats. The team has landed a trilogy of games that all stand strong on their own merits but unite into a sweeping saga made better by experiencing its entirety.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder edged Spider-Man 2 on Metacritics ranking, taking home a 93 (out of 100) to Spidy’s 91. With scores that high, both are considered “Must Plays'' by the site. 

Which of the two are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments.

Side quests (more stories worth reading)

🎙️ We interviewed the founder of the gaming convention Gamehole Con about its weird name, how it has grown and what’s next for them. We’ll have more later this week on our thoughts on the convention. 

🚀 Starfield was the top selling game in September, despite also being released on Game Pass.

⛑️ Sony donated $2 million towards humanitarian aid for those affected by the Israel-Hamas war. Devolver Digital also donated to Palestinian relief.

🇷🇺 A Russian studio fled the country to finish their video game. 

🦍 There is a new King Kong game, and it is apparently no good, very bad. Maybe because it was only in development for a year. 

🔦 The PC specs for Alan Wake 2 are pretty beefy, as the game will require a minimum GeForce RTX 2060. Don’t have the computer for it? Check out the new Alan Wake game that launched in Fortnite instead. 

🤬 Trust & Safety Tycoon is a new game where you attempt to run Twitter, and it’s free to play online.  

☣️ 53% of game developers have noticed a rise in toxic player behavior over the past year. 

🔫 Activision made a secret deal with Remington for gun product placement in Call of Duty. 

👍🏻 While they won’t admit a new Switch is coming next year, Nintendo says the transition to their next system will be smoother than previous ones.

💸 To add to its offerings and better compete with Steam, Epic is offering developers 100 percent revenue for any older games they bring to their storefront for six months. 

🎮 Paradox Interactive and the creators of The Lamplighters League have split. 

🏗️ Paradox also posted that when Cities: Skylines 2 launches this week, it may have performance issues.

🤦🏼‍♂️ The Van Gogh Museum pulled the limited-edition Pokémon card “Pikachu with a Grey Felt Hat” due to safety concerns. 

🎲 Tabletop RPG books Pathfinder and Starfinder will cost more in 2024, according to the publisher. 

🕹 A company called Analogue is making a 4K Nintendo 64. 

🚔 Netflix is testing streaming games to TV, and is interested in adding Grand Theft Auto to its games catalog.

🦆 Pokémon Go is adding four player co-op.

🧸 On Nov. 4, we will be playing video games for 24 hours straight to raise money for Children’s Hospital. Support our Extra Life charity campaign if you can.

New Releases this week:

10/23: Three Minutes To Eight (PC)
10/24: Cities: Skylines II (PC)
10/24: Dark Envoy (PC)
10/24: Just Dance 2024 (PlayStation, Xbox and Switch)
10/24: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volume 1 (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
10/24: The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (PlayStation and PC)
10/25: Stray Souls (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
10/26: Ghostrunner 2 (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
10/26: Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord (PlayStation VR and Meta Quest)
10/27: Alan Wake 2 (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
10/27: Desolatium (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
10/27: EA Sports UFC 5 (PlayStation and Xbox)

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