Toxic gamer avengers

The Xbox 360 store is shutting down next year - why that’s bad for some classic games. Also, more details on Modern Warfare 3. But first, bad gamers are bad for business.

Toxicity is bad for the bottom line

Toxic gamers are affecting profits for gaming companies, according to a new study by Take This and Nielsen.  

Toxic gamers are those who harass or spew hate in gaming spaces, such as online multiplayer games, Discord or other online communities. These are also often considered the “core gamers” by many gaming publishers, and they often fear losing them will negatively impact profits.

However the new study says toxic gamers are actually alienating a company’s core demographic. Some findings from the report:

• 6 out of 10 of players reported that they had decided to not spend money in a game because of how other players treated them in that community
• 7 out of 10 players reported that they have avoided playing certain games because of the reputation of that games community
• If the gaming industry wants to effectively capture the interest (and income) of the next generation of consumers, mitigating the effects of user-generated toxicity should be a key focus
• Results indicate that toxic gaming communities negatively impact the bottom line

Will these findings encourage companies to ban harassers? This week, Twitch announced a new feature that makes streams unwatchable to users who are blocked or banned, while Microsoft rolled out an eight strike policy, which can result in a year ban from Xbox Live.  

Is enough being done? What actions would you like to see companies take to prevent online hate and harassment? Let us know in the comments.

Editor’s note: We know toxic culture in gaming is real, and we will not tolerate it at The Games Letter.

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Xbox 360 store shutting down

Microsoft announced this week that it will shut down the Xbox 360 store on July 29, 2024. After that, it will no longer be possible to buy games or DLC for the previous generation console digitally.

This change will not affect any digital or disc-based games you own when the store shuts down, according to Dave McCarthy, Corporate Vice President of Xbox Player Services. From his post on the shutdown:  

This change will not affect your ability to play Xbox 360 games or DLC you have already purchased. Xbox 360 game content previously purchased will still be available to play, not only on the Xbox 360 console but also on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S devices via backward compatibility… Multiplayer modes for Xbox 360 titles will remain unaffected if the publisher continues to support the functionality.

While you will still be able to play games you own, over 220 games will disappear forever according to VCG News, as they are digital only on the Xbox 360. This comes on the heels of a recent study by the Video Game History Foundation that found that 87 percent of classic video games are completely unavailable to play.

VGC News has a full list of the games that will be lost when the store shuts down. Buy any that interest you while you can.

Modern Warfare 3 details revealed

The latest Call of Duty game has a new trailer, price and release date.

Modern Warfare 3 will launch on November 10, at a retail price of $70. The game removes some changes made in Modern Warfare 2, as detailed by IGN:

Changes included gameplay-level overhauls to the shooter's movement systems, minimap, player health, and perk systems. MW2 also removed players' ability to vote on maps in-between multiplayer matches. Call of Duty's success is partially thanks to its consistency, so needless to say, Infinity Ward's fixing-what's-not-broken approach drew widespread ire from the game's player base.

The game will feature maps from the original Modern Warfare 2 released in 2009, as well as its Zombie mode according to reports. While some may feel the game is a glorified expansion, Activision disagrees, saying “our vision to deliver back-to-back Modern Warfare games has been years in the making.” The game also brings an open world feel to missions.

You can preorder Modern Warfare 3 for PlayStation, Xbox and PC.

Side quests (more stories worth reading)

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🃏 Disney Lorcara went on sale at your local game store this week. Read our Gen Con coverage of Lorcana, or check out this absolute beginner’s guide.

🏒 Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche is the cover athlete for NHL 24.

🦸🏿‍♂️ GameIndustry.biz has a great interview with Justin Woodward, the director and co-founder of Black Voices in Gaming. Check it out.

🧒🏽 Roblox is being accused of facilitating "illegal gambling ring" for minors in a class action lawsuit. Read our previous Roblox coverage.

🚀 Starfield has gone gold, meaning it is complete and ready to be printed on discs. Get ready for the game which launches Sept. 6 by learning the history of the Starfield world, or check out the highlights from a recent Q&A with designers on their Discord server.  

👎 Several players were disqualified from the Pokémon World Championship for using hacked Pokémon.

🎲 Video to board game crossover is huge right now, as we discussed in our Gen Con wrap up. However, turning a popular video game into a board game is not an easy task.

🃏 Is it possible no two decks of cards have ever been shuffled the same way in the history of mankind? It’s not only possible, it's likely guaranteed, according to Neil deGrasse Tyson.

🔦 Alan Wake 2 has been delayed…by 10 days.

💣 The director of Overwatch 2 discusses the game being review bombed on Steam due to the PvE update cancellation.

🐉 The first update to Baldur’s Gate 3 has over 1,000 fixes and tweaks. This did not prevent the game from becoming the highest rated PC game ever on Metacritic.

🕹 Nintendo’s president wants to provide gamers with “Fresh and Surprising Experiences.”

👮🏻‍♀️ A former Alabama correctional officer may switch sides of the bars after stealing Pokémon cards from Walmart.

🎬 The latest video game to be turned into a movie: Slime Rancher.

New Releases this week:

8/21: DepowerBall (PC)
8/22: Chicken Journey (PC)
8/22: Fort Solis (PlayStation and PC)
8/22: Immortals of Aveum (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
8/22: WrestleQuest (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
8/24: Blasphemous 2 (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
8/25: Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)

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