Deep Dive with Luigi Devs
OK, this one isn’t as much news exactly, but have you ever wondered how the designers of a game make their choices? Or why some features just feel like they don’t necessarily do anything?
This week, Kotaku features an excellent interview with the Nintendo Developers behind Luigi’s Mansion 3 where they cover topics like why they abandoned certain aspects of puzzle design, why there is so much money but so little to spend it on, and the challenge of sticking to a particularly unique vision. Definitely worth a read.
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Coronavirus affecting Nintendo Switch production
Last week, Nintendo’s CEO announced that production of the Nintendo Switch has been affected by delays in shipments from China due to the outbreak of the coronoavirus.
Previously, Nintendo had begun to move some of it’s production from China to Vietnam in response to the US-China trade war, but not enough to cover demand, affecting the production and shipping of the devices, as well as peripherals including the Joy-Con controllers.
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Next Gen consoles get a pass on new tariffs, board games not so lucky
Speaking of the trade wars, the recently announced Phase One agreement of the US-China trade deal includes an exemption for gaming consoles manufactured in China. Previously, the administration had threatened to raise tariffs to 25% on all Chinese goods (which is where the game consoles are manufactured). Tariffs are essentially an import tax, one that often gets passed along to the consumer. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo banded together to appeal to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, complaining that this shift would put the cost of their next-gen consoles outside of the reach of most American families.
For the moment, consoles seem to be off the table. Board games and tabletop games, on the other hand, are not. This is forcing those industries to explore moving their production to other countries without those restrictions.
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Nintendo dodges $10 million payout in patent infringement suit over Wiimote
In 2017, a jury ruled that Nintendo’s Wiimote motion sensors violated a patent after Dallas based iLife sued based on the motion sensor technology, and awarded the plaintiff $10 million. (This was one of MANY patent lawsuits around the device, which is not at all uncommon in the current litigious culture.)
This month, a federal judge ruled that iLife’s patent was invalid, finding that iLife’s patent only described an abstract idea about sensing movement and transmitting data, without a clear indicating that they had invented a novel way to do this. Without an eligible patent, iLife’s victory is null and void, letting Nintendo off the hook. (unless iLife appeals the ruling…)
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Harley Quinn is coming to Fortnite
Just in time to promote the upcoming Birds of Prey movie (releasing Feb 7th), Epic Games has announced the release of a Harley Quinn skin for Fortnite which will be available in the store until Feb 17th. The skin will feature two outfits, one from the previous Suicide Squad movie, and an unlockable outfit featuring an appearance similar to the new movie.
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