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I’m going to do something a little different this go around, please share your thoughts on whether or not this works for you, Legionnaires, in the comments below.
This past Friday, and for a few weeks running now, we’ve been running shorter entertainment news segments, and then ending the show off with some game time with the fans. Overall, we would like to continue this format going forward, as it provides us with some entertainment, rather than the dull drone of the wreckage of what has become of mainstream entertainment. It’s almost weekly, now, where we talk about some tone deaf or out of touch executive, actor, voice actor, or developer, that thinks they’re experiencing review bombing, toxic backlash, or “insert political affiliation” trolls that are sabotaging their efforts to make more money to line their pockets. So in an effort to shift the podcast to a more positive light, we’re trying something new, and we want you to join us on this “crusade” if you will.
Our show had a few topics that I’ll hit on briefly this past week, and I’ll end off with a more in-depth dive into one of them to add more perspective.
To start with, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion got a remaster, much to the delight of the fans. For once, it’s not another re-release of Skyrim, for the 15th freakin time. (Seriously, the dev team is starting to look like a one trick pony.)
To the stream’s delight, I shared a link provided by The Mariner, of a clip of a user playing Oblivion, and ‘glitch cutting’ to Skyrim’s intro in a satire X post, shown here:
To the dev’s credit, the game seems to be largely bug free, and more or less, widely and well received. But this is where things went off the rails…. The devs made the decision to remove the “Male or Female” option from the character creator, replacing it with “Body Type 1 or 2” creating controversy that will be addressed later. This change is said to affect some quest outcomes that were based on the character’s gender. Interesting decision, no?
Later in the show, we discussed how the tariffs are affecting the gaming industry, more specifically board and table top gaming. I did a bit of verbal fencing with Chieftain on this topic, though, it was pretty clear we were both on the same side of the opinion, and the only real difference in what we were stating came down to the details of how tariffs work.
I brought up a specific about tariff issues, where, when production is filed for, and shipping is done, it matters what category you file your product under, as to how much of a tariff will have to be paid. Not all categories of tariffs with Chinese production are being taxed at 145%, and nor are they being taxed at 10%.
Chief brought up finer details about who is paying the tariffs, and when. And Soda alluded to how he didn’t think it mattered too much, because all of the people that import their production seem to be hiking up prices in response to the tariffs, whether they actually have to pay more or not. What do you think, Legionnaires?
Next up on the topic parkour, we discussed a bit about how Body Type 1 and Body Type 2 in gaming is being massively derided in gaming now. In the last five or so years, this trend has been catching traction. Now that the over all social climate has been getting sick of the lectures, and people are tired of the politicking, it seems to have died off, with most devs are shifting away from that.
News research revealed to us that there was some fan backlash against Pocket Pair, in Palworld, Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD Remake, and of course, most recent, Oblivion.
The Lead developer of Lords of the Fallen and Lords of the Fallen 2 put an X poll out there to see if players would prefer Body Type 1 and 2, or Male and Female for character creator options. Overwhelmingly, Male and Female won. The climate is shifting away from the “Political Correct” languages, it seems. Later, he asked if game characters should be conventionally attractive or not, and of course, conventionally attractive won. It would seem he continues to ask questions of the public that are addressing the more controversial aspects of development in games and entertainment these last five to ten years, and seeking out the answers to what the general public wants.
Over all, the hosts, myself included, believe that entertainment and game development should go the path that appeals to the most people that will buy your product, and if you make an unpopular decision that costs you, don’t blame the fans, don’t call it toxic troll backlash. Take the L, and do better next time!
And now finally, the main event that I chose to write about today, folks, the Wheel of Time Topic!
I can speak for myself, when I say this topic would normally excite me, and I would be clamoring for more details on it. I would even venture to say that one of our other staff, Tyrundeth, would agree. However, there are signs and concerns that make me believe that this project is doomed to fail.
The Wheel of Time is slated to be developed as an open world RPG by IWOT studios, lead by Craig Alexander, lead dev for the likes of The Lord of the Rings Online. The studio has publicly stated that they intend to build out an expansive and open world that reflects the world described in the books, with different cultures and kingdoms included. They highlight that they do not intend to create a one to one adaptation story of the books, and aim to create stories in eras outside of the timeline covered by the long standing series.
If you don’t recognize that studio, then perhaps that’s because they recently rebranded from Red Eagle Studios. The very studio that crowdfunded buying the license rights to the game development of The Wheel of Time, and then sitting on them for a decade or more with no progress to show for it. This is where my concern begins, and my skepticism takes hold. Normally, when a dev team states they wont be adapting the established story, it implies something going sideways, and quickly.
I had a lot to say about this, and strong opinions, but that’s mostly because I’m a massive fan of The Wheel of Time. The blueprints to success exist already, why not just… I don’t know…use the answers to the test that are already there? But we all know how Entertainment Leaders all have egos, and want to develop their own successful things.
What do you guys think? Comment below, and let us know!
Topics Discussed This Live…
- OBLIVION REMAKE DROPS
- ‘WHEEL OF TIME’ OPEN-WORLD RPG BY WHO?
- TARIFFS DO AFFECT GAMING
- TYPE 1/2 BODY TYPES VS MALE/FEMALE CHARACTERS
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