GYGO: Checks, Crunch, and Cryptocurrency

Howdy, everyone, I hope you are staying safe and healthy. I’ve been playing more games than usual lately—I wasn’t immune to Animal Crossing (my first!) and have been spending a lot of time in my orchard and getting stung by wasps in sunny Flavortown. When I need a break from island life, I’ve been playing a lot of Nier. While its fishing mechanics are… frustrating, its incredible soundtrack more than makes up for it. Let us know what you’ve been playing on Twitter and in the comments! Now, here’s what’s new this week.

Borderlands 3 Developers Aren’t Getting Promised Bonuses

Remember Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, who has previously been accused of assaulting an employee and misusing company funds? As reported by Jason Schreier at Kotaku, Pitchford told Gearbox employees that they will not be receiving the substantial royalty checks they were promised for last year’s Borderlands 3. According to 2K, Borderlands 3’s publisher, it became the fastest-selling game in 2K’s history, with more than 5 million units sold in the week after it launched in September. By the end of 2019, nearly 8 million units had sold.

The Last of Us Part II is Delayed Again

The Last of Us Part II, which was originally scheduled to come out on February 21, 2020, has been delayed again. Previously, the release date was pushed back to May 29. This comes after Kotaku published a report on Naughty Dog’s seemingly relentless crunch culture. Last week, Naughty Dog announced the release would be put on hold “indefinitely” due to logistic issues caused by COVID-19.

Cooking Mama: Cookstar Does Not Mine Bitcoin, According to Developers

Last year, a new Cooking Mama game was announced for the Nintendo Switch, due to release March 2020. Though the game’s Twitter account announced it is now available, Cooking Mama: Cookstar was pulled from the Nintendo eShop after only a few hours. Its digital listing has been removed entirely.

Over the weekend, a tweet that included a screenshot of a message that read, “THIS IS URGENT apparently if you own Cooking Mama Cookstar uninstall that immediately its Usiing [sic] your system to mine Crypto Currency and potentially handig [sic] your personal info as well” circulated widely. It gained nearly 10,000 retweets and 22,000 likes and prompted significant backlash, though it included no links or sources. Since then, 1st Playable, Cooking Mama: Cookstar’s developer, has stated that the game does not, in fact, mine cryptocurrency.

The confusion likely stems from the fact that Planet Digital Partners, the Cooking Mama’s publisher, previously said they planned to integrate blockchain technology. However, blockchain technology and cryptocurrency mining are two different things, and it is unclear if blockchain features ever made it into the final game.

ICYMI

Players are using Animal Crossing to build touching memorials. (Fair warning, this tweet and its replies might make you cry.)

Outer Wilds won Best Game at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards. Here’s the full list of winners.

Magical school simulator Witchbrook has a new style.

Gyrados is giving some gamers the Beyblade x Pokémon crossover we didn’t know we needed.

If you’re missing live music, you can attend this virtual festival in Minecraft.

[CW: Sexual Assault] Far Verona Season 2 was canceled after players quit in response to an in-game sexual assault scene. Elspeth Eastman spoke about her decision to quit in a YouTube video.