This week in gaming: Nintendo breaks US record for most consecutive months as best-selling console, Xbox releases remote play feature for iPhone & iPad, AOC breaks viewing records streaming Among Us on Twitch, Stadia dev resurfaces a hot debate regarding game royalties from streamers, and Dreams delivers a Halloween treat with All Hallows’ Dream release.
Industry News
Nintendo Switch Hits 22 Month Record With Unstoppable Sales
According to the latest video game industry sales data from NDP, the Nintendo Switch has now claimed the title of best-selling console in the United States for 22 consecutive months.
This effectively dethrones the previous record holder — Microsoft’s Xbox 360 — which enjoyed a similar streak for 21 months between 2011 and 2013.
Jason Evangelho – Forbes: October 19, 2020
With the next-gen Sony and Microsoft consoles coming soon, it’s easy to forget about the Nintendo Switch despite the steady and impressive performance. As the article says, “We now live in a world where the almost 4-year-old Switch is expected to outsell next-gen systems Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 this holiday.”
Microsoft’s new Xbox app lets you stream Xbox One games to your iPhone or iPad
Microsoft’s Xbox app update for iOS and iPadOS is now live, allowing Xbox One owners to stream games to their devices. A new Xbox app is available in the App Store that includes a remote play feature, which lets Xbox One console owners stream their games to an iPhone or iPad.
Remote play is different to Microsoft’s xCloud service, which streams games directly from servers instead of your own Xbox One console. This Xbox remote play feature will only connect to your own Xbox console, not to xCloud. It’s similar to Sony’s own PS4 Remote Play feature that’s also available on Android and iOS.
Tom Warren – The Verge: October 19, 2020
An Android version of Xbox remote play was previously released, meaning that the Remote Play feature is now available for both Android and iOS users. Remote play is a very convenient feature, so it’s cool to see more gamers able to use it!
Gaming Culture
Over 400,000 People Watched Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar Play Among Us on Twitch
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar shook things up on Twitch on Tuesday with a livestream of the hugely popular video game Among Us that drew over 400,000 viewers at its peak.
In an effort to encourage people to vote in the 2020 election, the two Democratic congresswomen played the online murder mystery game that has risen in popularity alongside Twitch stars like pokimane, HasanAbi and Myth.
Ocasio-Cortez’s livestream, her first on Twitch and one of the most-watched streams in the service’s history, lasted for over three hours and garnered nearly 4.8 million total views. It was reportedly the lead referrer to IWillVote.com for at least part of its duration.
Megan McCluskey – Time Magazine: October 21, 2020
AOC once again demonstrates her savviness and ingenuity for engaging with younger audiences. This isn’t the first time she’s connected with the gamer community; previously she visited her followers’ islands in Animal Crossing.
Should Streamers Pay Game Developers? Google Responds After Stadia Dev Resurfaces The Debate
The debate surrounding whether video game streamers should pay royalties to respective developers and publishers has been around for the better half of a decade. Comments made by a creative director at one of Google Stadia’s in-house studios has reignited the argument, forcing Google to distance itself from the remarks.
Alessandro Barbosa – GameSpot: October 23, 2020
This topic meets the very definition of “Twitter fire.” The velocity and force at which this erupted on the internet was truly something to behold. This article explains some of the constructive conversations that came out amidst the outrage.
Games I Love
All Hallows’ Dreams Is a Real Halloween Treat on PS4
All Hallows’ Dreams is now live within the game, appearing at the very top when you enter the DreamSurfing and DreamShaping menus. When you begin the creation, you’ll be in a suitably spooky hub. Ahead of you are three large haunted houses, each one filled with dozens of user-made rooms.
Stephen Tailby – PushSquare: October 19, 2020
Over the summer Media Molecule (the developer behind Dreams) held an event called DreamsCom that was an excellent tribute to creators, providing a space for them to collaborate and showcase for larger audience. All Hallows’ Dream is a perfect follow-up to that event, gathering user-created rooms to create the ultimate set of haunted houses.
I’m extremely impressed by the creativity and cleverness of folks who submit rooms for the event! I’m not ashamed to admit that I had quite a few scares playing through it, sometimes shrieking at even the slightest movement. The upper floors of each house are reserved for the truly terrifying rooms, and even come with a warning before you enter.
Weekly Reads is a weekly Friday post sharing game industry articles I read throughout the week. Each post is a 5-minute read that covers no more than 5 articles. Subscribe to this blog (Home page) or follow me on Twitter to receive notifications of new posts!
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