BrendanSinclair

BrendanSinclair, 6 days ago to random

Reminder that IGN and GameSpot used to sell multi-disc DVD sets of their E3 coverage after the fact. A lot's changed in 20 years.

BrendanSinclair, 11 days ago to random

In watching the general decline of media over the past 25 years, one of the saddest things has been seeing how many of the industry's wounds are self-inflicted.

https://www.voxmedia.com/2024/5/29/24166483/vox-media-openai-strategic-content-and-product-partnership

BrendanSinclair, 16 days ago to random

There's obviously no This Week in Business column this week, but with the Uvalde families suing Activision (among others), this old column is timely again and I still mean every word of it.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/guns-and-games-have-a-symbiotic-relationship-opinion

BrendanSinclair, 19 days ago to random

I've been laid off and need a new job. Maybe game journalism, maybe something else in games, maybe not games at all. Entertaining all possibilities at this point, so please reach out if you think I might be a good fit for you.

BrendanSinclair, 25 days ago to random

If I were making a video game around a motorcycle brand some people still associate with white supremacist biker gangs, I might have left words like "race" and "rally" out of the title entirely, and I definitely wouldn't have made the box art look like it says "Race Rally" from afar.

BrendanSinclair, 28 days ago to random

"Bro, good job! I will kill you soon."

https://www.tumblr.com/contextfreepatentart/750281553715888128?source=share

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

Few things quiet my soul and make me reflect on the good in life like this bit of patent art.

https://www.tumblr.com/contextfreepatentart/749103840851279872?source=share

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

Today's a good day to start following Context-Free Patent Art. The next week is going to be going back through the archives for some of my favorite posts, a lot of which are at least a decade old and don't make any more sense now than they did back then.

contextfreepatentart.tumblr.com

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

Nintendo patented this controller design in 1994. I don't think I've ever seen it before. Does anyone know if they ever actually used it?

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

This Week in Business is about the ridiculous TikTok ban in the US, and how the same thing could happen to Fortnite, League of Legends and more

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/the-us-is-banning-tiktok-could-fortnite-and-league-of-legends-be-next-this-week-in-business

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

April's 10 Years Ago This Month column is about that the beforetimes, when a lot of people thought Amazon and Google and Apple would have no trouble taking over the console space once they decided to take it on

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/amazon-google-threaten-to-take-over-the-living-room-10-years-ago-this-month

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

Obscene that we live in a world where so many exist forever on the precipice of financial ruin but people like this are just awash in money.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidjeans/2024/04/19/gundo-bros-silicon-valley-military

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

Strange to me that THQ Nordic gets lumped in with the indie brand instead of the AAA crew. Guess they looked at that catalog and realized there were reasons THQ didn't make it as a AAA publisher.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/embracer-group-splits-into-three-everything-you-need-to-know

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

I'm actually shocked it's only 20% because it certainly feels like more.

https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.7086400

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

This week's column is about the Take-Two layoffs, how Gearbox and Zynga fit into it, and how TTWO is now more of a mobile publisher than a PC/console one

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/a-double-take-on-take-twos-layoffs-this-week-in-business

BrendanSinclair, 1 month ago to random

I published my column about the awful layoffs at one Prytania Media studio just in time for the company to shut down another of its studios

The column: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/taking-layoffs-too-lightly-this-week-in-business

Possibility Space shutting down: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/possibility-space-shuts-down

BrendanSinclair, 2 months ago to random

Back to writing This Week in Business after a few weeks off, and we're talking about AI hype being bolstered by stuff that really works (but maybe isn't AI the way people think of it)
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/ais-biggest-triumphs-are-not-ai-this-week-in-business

BrendanSinclair, 2 months ago to random

This is what a young me would have drawn if asked to create a Batman image in the style of Rob Liefeld.

"Got some empty space? Put some muscle lines in there! Does it make it look like his left arm has two elbows? Not my problem!"

BrendanSinclair, 2 months ago to random

If you've figured out how to put effective guardrails around generative AI to make sure the info it gives is accurate and responsible, it seems to me like the only thing the AI is doing is creating filler text between the things that have actual value.

BrendanSinclair, 2 months ago to random

10 Years Ago This Month, VR was about to change the world while Oculus' Palmer Luckey and Minecraft creator Marcus 'Notch' Persson were two of the most beloved personalities in gaming.

Things have changed.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/vr-hype-soars-as-facebook-buys-oculus-10-years-ago-this-month

BrendanSinclair, 3 months ago to random

Seeing a big ol' bump in blockchain gaming pitches lately. This may be green shoots for a games industry recovery because it means fools with money are once again willing to throw it behind even the worst ideas out there.

BrendanSinclair, 3 months ago to random

Sony deciding to go all-in on live service games with an acquisition spree at the height of the pandemic was kinda like someone seeing the GameStop meme stock short squeeze and investing all they had when it was $483 per share.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/what-led-to-sony-laying-off-900-people-this-week-in-business

BrendanSinclair, 3 months ago to random

Cursed interview pitch with a dude who wants to talk about how Roblox is exploiting kids, and the solution he offers is Roblox but with blockchain.

BrendanSinclair, 3 months ago to random

In 2003, a website with ads like this was a genuine scandal, but it's about a million times better than your average browsing experience today.

BrendanSinclair, 3 months ago to random

With Nintendo's next system now reportedly pushed to 2025 and possibly no big holiday releases for the Switch, I wonder if Nintendo finally returns to microconsoles with a Game Boy Mini later this year...