It’s the weekend, guys! We made it to another one without anything too crazy happening. Well, nothing crazier than what’s already transpired, right? As with all weekends, it’s time for another Weekly Wrap-Up, but I’ll be covering this one because, you know, it’s good to have something a little different every now and then. For the full stories, just click the link hidden in the titles and, as always, if you agree or disagree with our choices, you’re welcome to email our Sr. News Editor at jeremy.tyler@bagogames.com. Be nice about it.
Enjoy!
Number 5
Microsoft’s Don Mattrick reported to Be Leaving for Zynga Position
Microsoft’s president of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick is said to be leaving the company for a spot at Zynga, reports AllThingsD who cites multiple sources familiar with the situation.
It is unknown what role Mattrick will be taking at Zynga, but it’s heavily suspected to be the title of CEO, as well as working with the company’s current CEO, Mark Pincus. Last month, Zynga announced company wide changes, resulting in 18% of the staff being laid off and Pincus sending a note to all employees
regarding the changes.
Number 4
BioShock Infinite DLC Due Later This Month
That waiting game you have been playing for many months now is finally coming towards the end after Irrational Games has revealed that new DLC for BioShock Infinite will launch in late July.
The revelation game when a representative for the company spoke to Joystiq and although it is unclear whether the DLC will be the first of many chapters covering a single-player campaign or additional weapons to try and master is something not yet confirmed by the developer.
Number 3
Microsoft Now Including Headset With Xbox One Console
You may have blessed your lucky stars when Microsoft announced that it was to go back on its original plans with the Xbox One by allowing offline play and removing its used games policy. Never had a company listened to an out pour of anger like Microsoft after their E3 announcement saw many gamers jump ships to Sony, venting their anger with preorders through Amazon and GameStop to name a few.
If you thought that was a once in a lifetime experience prepare to experience yet another u-turn from Microsoft as they have now announced that the official Xbox One headset will now ship with the console instead of requiring gamers to buy one separately.
Number 2
Iwata Defends Nintendo & Region Locking
With both the Xbone One and PS4 saying “No!” to region locking, many gamers have been looking in Nintendo’s direction to also remove the limitation to play games that are released outside of your region of residence.
Whilst Nintendo is becoming better at releasing games simultaneously across the globe (Pokemon X and Y being a perfect example of this in October later this year) many gamers are still upset and feel that Nintendo is denying them the right to buy games that they want to play.
In a recent interview with IGN, president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata said:
“From some people’s perspective, it might seem like a kind of restriction. However, we hope people can appreciate the fact that we’re selling our products worldwide. There are many different regions around the world, and each region has its own cultural acceptance and legal restrictions, as well as different age ratings. There are always things that we’re required to do in each different region, which may go counter to the idea that players around the world want the freedom to play whatever they want.”
Number 1
Zynga Announces Don Mattrick as Company’s New CEO
Earlier today we reported that Microsoft’s Don Mattrick would be leaving the company in order to take on the CEO role at Zynga. We also said that an official announcement regarding the matter would come as soon as today. Well, lo and behold, here it is. Zynga has officially come out and announced Don Mattrick as the company’s new CEO, with former CEO Mark Pincus staying on as the Chief Product Officer. Mattrick’s new role as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors goes into effect on July 8th (next Monday).
“[Don] deeply understands the value of a network and the importance of creating lifelong consumer relationships,” said Pincus. “He turned Xbox into the world’s largest console-gaming network, growing its installed base from 10 to 80 million and transformed that business from deep losses to substantial profits. And he has grown the Xbox Live player network from 6 to 50 million active members in 41 countries. Going forward, I’ll continue in my role as Chairman and Chief Product Officer. I’m excited to partner with Don and the rest of our team to return Zynga to itsleadership role in inventing and growing Play as a core human experience.”
Honorable Mentions
There may not have been a lot of ‘holy crap!’ news stories this week, but that doesn’t mean there was a lack of stories to catch your attention. With our top 5 of the week up above, here are some other stories that you may find interest in:
- ThatGameCompany Hints at Future Title
- Xbox Music Now Available in Your Browser
- NPD Planning to Track Digital Sales This Year
- Xbox Live 2013 Update Beta Opens to Public
If you missed out on the big news items this week, you can check out our weekly podcast and get an audio update of this week’s madness from our podcasting team. Listen to us as we talk about some things seriously and a few other things not so much. We guarantee this episode will make you shake your fist at times and nod your head at others.
