In this week's roundup of news, a PS5 update enables SSD storage expansion, while Activision Blizzard employees participated in a walkout this week in protest to leadership. Game Rant has compiled some of the biggest gaming news stories from this past week together into a concise post for fans and enthusiasts to stay up to date on the most important events in the industry per week. Highlighting the most relevant stories, this list is not inherently and totally objective, and will not contain every news story this week. Rather, this is intended for gaming fans who want a quick rundown on the largest/most impactful stories that occurred in the last week in games.
With this week's recap of gaming news, the employees of Activision Blizzard are protesting leadership as the state of California sues for company-wide sexual harassment allegations. A recent PS5 beta update allows players to access the additional M.2 SSD slot in the console, expanding the ability to store and play games on the console with proper SSDs. Halo Infinite's first technical preview gave players a glimpse at the game's multiplayer experience, but also unintentionally leaking campaign details. Annapurna Interactive held a showcase to reveal several upcoming titles. All that and more in this week's roundup of the biggest games industry news.
RELATED: How to Support Activision Blizzard Employees During The Walkout
Earlier this week, as hundreds of employees from Activision/Blizzard participate in the walkout, the "abhorrent and insulting" behavior of the company's leadership has prompted protest and outrage across the gaming industry. Initially prompted by a lawsuit by the state of California against the company, employees are protesting what's been reductively described as a "frat" culture; referencing the numerous examples of inappropriate behavior on behalf of the higher-ups at Activision Blizzard.
Whether it's the "Cosby Suite" clique dedicated to predatory behavior against individuals, the "cube crawls" perpetrated by men in the office, there are several examples of severe harassment in the Activision Blizzard workplace, or otherwise towards coworkers. Now, several Ubisoft employees are standing in solidarity with Activision Blizzard employees, whilst simultaneously writing their own public letter to Ubisoft's leadership demanding change and accountability for those involved.
For Activision Blizzard, CEO Bobby Kotick had regretted the company's "tone deaf" response to these complaints, promising impactful change. So far, the company has mentioned changing company procedure in response to the employee walkout, but has also hired law firm WilmerHale which was responsible for discouraging worker unionization among Amazon workers. California's lawsuit is still ongoing at this time, as the situation at Activision Blizzard is constantly changing among new details.
While some fans lamented the 825 GB base hard drive in all PS5 consoles, soon players will be able to expand their storage following the latest beta update for the console. Following a beta software update this week, players can now access the PS5's additional M.2 SSD slot to expand the console's internal storage for installing and playing games. While previous external storage could not play any PS4/PS5 games, this additional slot will be able to play PS5 games normally, assuming the right SSD is slotted.
On the PlayStation website, Sony has outlined the requirements and specifications required for the console's additional SSD slot. Other than that, this beta release also includes 3D audio support for televisions with built-in speakers, utilizing the DualSense to calibrate the audio output. Additionally, the PS5's Control Center will have some additional customization options, management options for Friends and Game Base, as well as a new Trophy Tracker feature to measure progress on up to five trophies.
343 Industries finally launched its first technical test for Halo Infinite, giving select players a proper glimpse at how the game's multiplayer is shaping up. Random members of the Halo Insider program were selected to participate in the latest flight for Halo Infinite, testing out bot performance and initial gameplay impressions. Several maps, bot difficulties, and eventually PvP was introduced to the technical preview, which is set to last until Monday, August 2, at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.
Unfortunately, it seems the technical test did inadvertently contain some critical files and clues from Halo Infinite's campaign, which reportedly contain massive spoilers. It's unclear to what degree the game's narrative or story beats have been leaked, but for all looking to enter the game fresh, it's best to avoid these spoilers as much as possible.
RELATED: Halo Infinite Has Obvious Path for Its Seasonal Content
Annapurna Interactive had its fair share of announcements for several of its game development projects under the publishing roster. Among the usual E3 presentation format of developer interviews and such, the publisher had reveals for Stray, The Outer Wilds' new DLC, Neon White, Solar Ash, and several other projects at the presentation. The publisher also hinted at several in-development projects, such as Outerloop Games, as well as the creators of The Stanley Parable and Gone Home starting a new studio.
Additional theories continue to spur on the rumor mill for upcoming PS5 game Abandoned, the inaugural survival horror title from Blue Box Game Studios. Even after repeated attempts to dispel rumors by studio head Hasan Kahraman, on behalf of Blue Box, more theories are coming based on "hints" by the developer. Kahraman recently guest-starred on an Arabic podcast called Al Hub, attempting to promote the game, but fans investigated further and discovered that podcast happened to be sponsored by Konami. Of course, the official Blue Box Studios Twitter also posted a blurred image seemingly portraying a man with an eyepatch, so who knows.
While at first it seemed a 2021 release was promising for Horizon Forbidden West, the game was unfortunately delayed. Joining the long list of additional games that were delayed to 2022, like GhostWire: Tokyo and the God of War sequel, Horizon Forbidden West is now delayed to a Q1 2022 release window. Unfortunately this is the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic's affect on the games industry, as numerous other titles have been delayed.
MORE: Horizon Forbidden West Delay is Going to Leave a Big Void in PlayStation's Holiday 2021 Lineup
