California — and GamesBeat Next — here I come! | Kaser Focus

October 21, 2023

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California — and GamesBeat Next — here I come! | Kaser Focus

GamesBeat Next unites gaming industry leaders for exceptional content, networking, and deal-making opportunities. Join us on Oct 23-24 in San Francisco. Register Now

In case you’ve somehow missed it, GamesBeat is holding its Next event early next week in San Francisco. As always, I’ll be there, probably in a costume of some kind, to participate. If you’re interested in seeing what the future of games looks like and what some of the most interesting new ideas in the industry are shaping into, then come and join us! I’ll be moderating the Women in Gaming breakfast panel with several exceptional women in the industry, as well as a panel on mixed reality ahead of the Apple Vision Pro. Registration is still open here.

It’s been another week of layoff news, as Frontier Games and Zen Studios are the latest organizations to join the list. We also opened the week with the news that Bethesda’s Pete Hines is retiring, joining another list of major figures in the industry who are retiring. The industry is also still reeling from the finalization of the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard King acquisition. Phil Spencer appeared on a podcast this week to speak about the acquisition, in which he said that Call of Duty exclusivity is a thing of the past.

That said, there have been some fun stories this week. Starfield managed to beat out several sports titles — traditionally big ticket items in September — to the top spot in Circana’s latest report. Analogue announced it’s making a Nintendo 64 retro console to play original cartridges in collaboration with 8bitdo.

In personal news, this is the week that several of October’s biggest releases drop: I’ve already finished (and reviewed) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which means that I’ve now got space for Super Mario Bros Wonder, Sonic Superstars Hellboy Web of Wyrd — okay, maybe I don’t have time to play all of these. October continues to be gaming’s most overindulgent month. But I think I will make time to try out the new Murder on the Orient Express game, considering I played the last point-and-click adventure game adaptation.

Event

GamesBeat Next 2023

Join the GamesBeat community in San Francisco this October 23-24. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry on latest developments and their take on the future of gaming.

Learn More