Kaser Focus: Atonement, Norman Reedus

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In case you haven't heard, Death Stranding is set to launch on PC Game Pass next week. I never finished Death Stranding, I'll be perfectly honest. I think it was a "it's me, not the game" case - although Death Stranding didn't help by being abstruse AF. But maybe this is a chance to redeem myself and finally figure out what's going on with Norman Reedus (although, given that it's a Kojima title, I don't have much hope).

Embracer Group was on a tear this week, gobbling up multiple IPs in a single day. It now owns Tripwire Interactive, Limited Run Games – oh, and a little thing you might have heard of called Middle-earth Enterprises. This gives them the rights to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit works, as well as games, shows, and more. who accompany them. This is after the acquisition of Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal and Square Enix Montreal earlier this year. At this point, I'm starting to feel snubbed that I haven't been acquired by Embracer yet. Apparently, I would be in good company.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the recent contractor allegations against Nintendo of America. According to a report from Kotaku, several female game testers have been targeted by male colleagues. They referred to an atmosphere of "brotherhood" in the Washington-based studio. (It's funny how descriptors like this keep popping up when it comes to allegations of sexual harassment at gaming companies.) Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser reportedly said in an e- internal email that the company was investigating the allegations and encouraging disturbed employees to "remember that our HR teams are here to support you. Nintendo, if that's true, I'm disappointed. The list of games I can play from 'problem-free companies are starting to be so thin that they are almost non-existent.

As for personal news, I think I'll have to check my Xbox Game Pass games this week. The service is losing several major games this week, including Hades, Myst, Spiritfarer, World War Z, and What Remains of Edith Finch. Although I've played most of these before, it will be fun to try them again, at least in the name of getting some Xbox achievements. Good riddance to Twelve Minutes, though.

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