Pinoy gamers look back at pleasant surprises, shocking controversies

The video game world in 2015 was a tug-of-war between pleasant surprises and unhappy developments. Headache-inducing, yes, but such drama is commonplace in any industry that has grown significant enough to secure for itself a global foothold.

 

GMA News Online has been paying attention to many of the highs and lows of the video game industry. Here, then, is a roundup of the most relevant and shocking gaming news of 2015.

 

The passing of an industry legend, and the future of Nintendo

 

On July 11, the world mourned the death of beloved Nintendo visionary, Satoru Iwata. He was 55.

 

Iwata was the CEO and president of Nintendo since 2002. His focus on bringing video games to a larger market led to the launching of the Wii and the DS, two of the industry’s most innovative and best-selling platforms.

 

 

 

 

In March, it was announced that Nintendo was going to start developing games for mobile devices.

 

In September, Tatsumi Kimishima, 65, replaced Iwata at the company's helm.

 

Kojima vs. Konami, the Hills fall Silent, and related stories

 

In March, rumors began circulating that video game publisher Konami and esteemed game developer Hideo Kojima had had some sort of falling out. Many pointed to Konami’s removal of the latter’s name from “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” promotional art as evidence of the souring of their relationship.

 

Suspicions were further fuelled by a string of troubling episodes, such as the cancellation of the Kojima Productions-led “Silent Hills” in April,  the closing of Kojima Productions Los Angeles, Kojima’s “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” being released despite seeming short an entire chapter, and Konami’s decision to bar Kojima from attending the December 2015 “The Game Awards” show.

 

 

 

 

On December 15, Kojima finally confirmed that he and Konami had parted ways. He did, however, have great news for fans: he is now in an official partnership with Sony and PlayStation.

 

Hideki Hayakawa became Konami’s new president on April 1.  While Konami has promised that “Silent Hill” and “Metal Gear” are far from dead, the company has, as of late, expressed a keener interest in developing pachinko games.

 

Discrimination and harassment vs. the steady march of progress

 

Judging by some of 2015’s controversies, the gaming industry still has some maturing to do.

 

On February 3, Garena Philippines announced that there could only be one “lesbian, gay, and transgendered” member per team in the all-female Iron Solari “League of Legends” tourney. Garena apologized after a huge online backlash.

 

Throughout the world, women working in the gaming industry, as well as female gamers, faced marginalization, emotional abuse, and even threats of physical violence. The 2014 “Gamergate” scandal continued through 2015, with game developer Zoe Quinn as one of the major recipients of misogynistic vitriol.

 

In October, it was announced that two forums about online gaming harassment, which were scheduled to be held on March 2016 in Texas, were canceled by the South by Southwest festival after a spate of threats against the organizers.

 

Pranksters hit a new low with a dangerous hoax called “swatting,” in which a fake call is made to the police, tricking their SWAT team into raiding a victim’s home. Early this year, Gamergate critic Grace Lynn fell prey to swatting, as well as video game streamer Joshua Peters. Several youths were arrested for initiating such pranks, including a 13-year-old who swatted his rival in “Minecraft,” and another who specifically targeted female streamers.

 

Thankfully, 2015 also proved that the gaming industry is making strides towards a more inclusive and progressive future.

 

For example, “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops III” allow players to play as female protagonists. EA Sports’ “FIFA  16” includes a dozen women footballing teams.

 

Blizzard’s “Overwatch” scores a win for racial diversity with a roster of international characters. One of them, a Chinese climatologist named Mei, is among a slew of modern video game heroines who isn’t sexualized, but is instead recognized for her gender-neutral accomplishments and abilities.

 

“Mortal Kombat X” introduced its first homosexual character in the form of Kung Jin, a tough, bow-wielding warrior.

 

'Josie Rizal' delights some, angers others

 

“Tekken 7” producer Katsuhiro Harada surprised fans when he unveiled the upcoming game’s Filipina fighter, “Josie Rizal.”

 

Some applauded Harada’s recognition of the Filipino fan base and Josie’s inclusion in the renowned “Tekken” series. Some complained that her design didn’t properly represent our people, while others felt insulted by the appropriation of our national hero’s name. Harada eventually threatened to remove the character should the criticisms persist. So far, it looks like Josie Rizal is here to stay.

 

 

 

 

In related news, Alexander “AK” Laverez, a 14-year-old Filipino gamer, became known as the world’s youngest professional “Tekken” player.

 

'Heroes of the Storm' enters the local eSports scene

 

Blizzard’s “Heroes of the Storm” was released worldwide on June 2. Asiasoft Online, the game’s publisher in Southeast Asia, celebrated its release with a series of tourneys that culminated in a showdown at BlizzCon 2015.

 

On July 25, Manila team Bibingka won the very first “Heroes of the Storm” Philippines Finals. This secured them a spot in the August 8 Regional Grand Finals in Bangkok, Thailand, where they battled against other Southeast Asian teams. Bibingka took second place after losing to Singapore’s Relics.

 

Relics did not make it to the November 7 “Heroes of the Storm” World Championship at BlizzCon 2015. The honor of ultimate champion went to North American eSports organization Cloud9 after defeating Team Dignitas.

 

Game development: A Filipino passion

 

More and more Filipinos are taking to game development. Several Filipino game companies participated in the celebration of indie gaming at the Casual Connect Asia conference in Singapore.

 

 

 

 

Some recently released Filipino-made games include Accidental Rebel’s “Pop Puff and Away” and Keybol Game’s “Kill the Plumber,” which both received nominations at Casual Connect Asia.

 

Activision Blizzard acquires King Digital, launches film studio

 

In a bid to enter the mobile gaming scene, Activision Blizzard bought King Digital Entertainment of “Candy Crush Saga” fame for $5.9 billion. The merger positions Activision as interactive entertainment’s global leader across a variety of platforms.

 

Activision Blizzard also launched a TV and film studio to develop original content revolving around prominent franchises such as “Hearthstone” and “Call of Duty.”

 

Steam: A source of aggravation and joy

 

In April, Valve introduced a Steam program that charged the gaming community for previously free “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” mods. While Valve managing director Gabe Newell had good intentions—he believed mod creators deserved compensation—the enterprise infuriated countless gamers. The situation turned ugly when the modders themselves started receiving death threats. Valve eventually apologized and abandoned the scheme.

 

On a more positive note, Valve’s new policy, which was introduced in June, offers refunds for games acquired through Steam within two weeks of purchase.

 

 

Big budget titles, innovative indie games, and a broken Batman

 

2015 saw many big budget releases such as “Fallout 4,” “Super Mario Maker,” “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,” “Bloodborne,” “StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void,” and “Rise of the Tomb Raider.”

 

“Batman: Arkham Knight” was met with universal acclaim – unless you take into account its PC version, which was so utterly broken that Warner Bros. was forced to concede it was impossible to fix.

 

Proving that established franchises don’t have the monopoly on greatness, many of the year’s most surprising success stories are not sequels. Some were even developed by smaller, lesser-known studios. Examples include “Undertale,” “SOMA,” “Splatoon,” “Rocket League,” “Life is Strange,” “Ori and the Bind Forest,” and “Until Dawn.”

 

'Final Fantasy VII' and other shocking announcements

 

A great many game reveals and leaks were made throughout the year, such as “Street Fighter V” and Nolan North’s slip that “The Last of Us 2” could be in the works.

 

 

 

 

The biggest announcements, however, were made by Sony at E3 2015, starting with the revelation that the long-awaited “Final Fantasy VII” remake is under development. The “Shenmue III,” “The Last Guardian,” and “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” reveals also received much praise.

 

Virtual Reality is upon us

 

Virtual reality (VR) is making headway thanks to the development of devices such as Oculus’ Rift and Sony’s PlayStation VR, which saw prevalent exposure in trade shows, news stories, and various social media presentations throughout 2015. Numerous games are also being developed for VR.

 

In November, Samsung released the first mass market VR headset, the Gear VR.

 

China and gaming consoles kiss and make up

 

After a 14-year prohibition on the manufacture and sale of video game consoles, China announced in July that gamers across the country can now purchase Xbox, PlayStation, and Wii devices. China banned gaming consoles in 2000 in response to a perceived threat to the physical and mental development of the nation’s youth.

 

The Console Wars

 

The Sony’s PlayStation 4 is currently the best-selling current generation console, with over 30 million in sales worldwide.

 

Xbox One’s planned backwards compatibility could potentially shake things up, however. Microsoft also updated the console’s user interface with the New Xbox One Experience, which integrates Windows 10 and Xbox.

 

Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were subjected to price cuts, with each console now costing $349.

 

2015 and beyond

 

While 2015 was mired in controversy, it also proved a stellar year for gaming. And with 2016 right around the corner, one can’t help but wonder what’s in store for the ever-evolving industry. — TJD, GMA News