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Ubisoft has disbanded the team behind the recently-released platformer Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, according to a reputable French journalist. The alleged reason for disbanding the team is a simple one. The game didnt meet sales expectations and Ubisoft needed more hands to help on other projects that had a better sales potential. This is according to a translation published on Reset Era. "Most of the team members who worked on Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have shifted to other projects that will benefit from their expertise," Abdelhak Elguess, a senior producer on the game, told Eurogamer. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown sold around 300,000 copies during its first few weeks of availability, totaling $15 million in revenue, as indicated by a report by Insider Gaming. These sales figures allegedly sealed the fate of the game and its dev team. Ubisoft staffers reportedly pushed higher ups for a sequel, or more DLC, but were allegedly denied. Oddly, the companys executives reportedly refused to greenlight a sequel on the grounds that it would cannibalize sales of the original. Im not sure thats how sequels work, especially when they come out years after the first game, but whatever. This is sad for a number of reasons. First of all, the game was great. The Metacritic aggregate review score sits at 86, while user reviews hover at around 8.5 out of ten. I played it and found it to be a fantastic Metroidvania that could easily sit next to some of the classics of the genre, like Hollow Knight and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Its also a bummer because gamers constantly complain that Ubisoft doesnt try anything new, instead relying on iterative improvements of its core franchises or applying tried-and-true gameplay mechanics to pre-existing IPs. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a retro-style throwback, sure, but its not another lifeless open world map filled with fetch quests and stealth missions. By all accounts, it also looks to have been a positive development experience. The French journalist who broke this story, Gautoz, said he heard from multiple employees that it was the best game production experience in their lives. It was seen as a beacon of hope for people that were burnt out by the endless development cycle of Beyond Good and Evil 2. Why did it underperform? Theres no hard data, but this was a 2D sidescroller that cost a whopping $60. That could be one reason. Only Nintendo can get away with charging full price for retro-style titles. Its also worth noting that this was just one of two sidescrolling Prince of Persia games to release this year, which could have injected some confusion into the market. Evil Empire, the team behind Dead Cells, also soft-launched The Rogue Prince of Persia back in May as an early access title. This is a roguelite spin on the traditional franchise games.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-has-disbanded-the-team-behind-prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-185408301.html?src=rss
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A children's hospital in Scotland now has a gamer-in-residence in what's said to be a first in the UK and Ireland. Steven Mair, the first person to take on the full-time role, will play games with kids at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. As with other gaming-related charitable efforts at children's hospitals, the aim is to help patients relax and minimize feelings of boredom and isolation, while offering them a sense of escapism. Studies have indicated that playing games can help reduce the procedural pain and anxiety of pediatric patients, as well as their caregivers' anxiety. Mair is also organizing gaming events at the facility, fundraising for new gaming equipment and managing gaming volunteers for the Glasgow Childrens Hospital Charity. The charity established the gamer-in-residence position with the help of partners Devolver Digital and Neonhive after raising over 100,000 ($129,000) last year through efforts such as a Scottish Games Sale on Steam for a campaign called Games for the Weans ("weans" is a Scottish word for "kids"). Meanwhile, a $12,000 donation from Child's Play earlier this year will help fund the replacement of older Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 systems with hospital-adapted consoles. Children in Jaces ward can have long stays and intense treatment plans. This can include physical pain and a lot of new emotions. Often, parents can feel helpless at times. For my son Jace in particular, he is an experienced gamer. His blood disorder prevented him from going outside or starting school," Catherine Reid, the mother of seven-year-old Jace, said in a statement that I could barely get all the way through without welling up. When the gamer-in-residence came round to play Mario on the Nintendo, he immediately lit up and smiled. It was an instant energy boost for him mentally and physically. In reality, I think often what kids want is some quality time and gaming with new friends. This is a fantastic idea. Hospital stays can be tough for anyone, but especially so for kids and their families. You can help support the gaming-in-residence program and other charitable efforts that help young hospital patients through gaming by donating to the likes of the Glasgow Childrens Hospital Charity and Child's Play. Meanwhile, Extra Life's Game Day, an event during which gamers and communities raise funds for children's hospitals, takes place on November 2. You can sign up to take part or make a donation over at the Extra Life website.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-scottish-childrens-hospital-now-has-a-gamer-in-residence-to-play-games-with-kids-182303354.html?src=rss
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EV maker Rivians Normal, Illinois factory has racked up 16 serious violations in 21 months from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as reported by Bloomberg. Some of the injuries workers suffered include an amputated finger, vomiting Rivian blue bile after painting without protection, a cracked skull and a severe back laceration. The EV maker only operates a single factory. However, in the span of 21 months, it has accrued more violations than larger automakers like Honda, Volvo, and Ford. These arent the only injuries, either. There are many other injuries that workers have allegedly never reported. Of note is Addison Zwanzigs case, as she was ordered to paint vehicles without a respirator. She experienced vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and more within weeks and vomited the blue bile mentioned above. Only then was she provided a respirator, along with colleagues who were never issued one previously. "The safety of everyone at Rivian is our top priority. Were continually improving our processes and have not received any serious citations this year. Its incredibly disappointing to see how Bloomberg has misrepresented the facts in this story," a Rivian spokesperson told Engadget. "Its incredibly disappointing to see how Bloomberg has misrepresented the facts in this story. Since January 2023, Rivian has received two serious OSHA citations. Initial citations should not be confused as final citations, and to suggest otherwise is incredibly misleading." Separately, Rivian told Bloomberg it provides employees with all necessary safety equipment. Workers can also approach supervisors with concerns or report them incognito. While Rivians safety and processes have improved since 2021, these recent injuries remain alarming. Rivian has canned its plans to build its R2 SUV in Georgia, opting to build them in the Normal, Illinois plant instead. Despite these injury reports, the EV maker is still trying to hire more employees. However, with the OSHA breathing down its neck, the company may have to work even harder on protecting its workers, especially when the company is hesitant on allowing employees to unionize. Update 1:57PM ET: Added comment from Rivian. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/rivian-factory-workers-are-reportedly-getting-seriously-injured-on-the-job-172109317.html?src=rss
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