Big stories in bitesize portions

We’ve had a fair few stories this week, so much so that it’s understandable if you managed to miss out on one or two. But fear not dear reader, because we’re here to give you the stories that you need to know – that is unless you like being… uninformed? We didn’t think so. So, sit back, relax, get yourself a hot cup of something, and revel in the weekly news roundup.

Behind the Games: Amy Hennig Announces New Indie Studio

Speaking with Eurogamer at the Barcelona Gamelab, Uncharted series creator Amy Hennig announced that – firstly, she’d left EA all the way back in January, and that she’s also in the process of getting her own independent studio up and running.

In the interview, Hennig said that her future at EA and her role as creative director on the untitled Star Wars game that was shelved when Visceral Games was closed, were never really addressed. She said that those asking EA executives where Hennig was were given “soft-pedal answers” and that: “I haven’t been in, but look – I get along with all those people, I consider even the guys on the exec team friends. But it made it awkward because it was like, ‘I never got the chance to announce that I’m not at EA so I need to just pull off that band-aid at some point – but also had nothing to announce. It makes it sound like I just went home! But I’m doing all this stuff, working on all kinds of things.”

But Hennig is now looking to the future – and what a future it looks to be! Whilst the bad news is that the Star Wars title Hennig was previously working on looks like it’s now very much dead in the water, her unnamed studio is already getting into gear. She mentioned that she’s already in talks with consultants and suggested that she already knows the people she wants to bring in – and with the creative paegant she’s demonstrated in some of the most-loved games of recent years, you’d imagine that some of the industry’s best and brightest would be looking to jump on board.

The Rumour Mill: Are Google looking to enter the console world?

Whilst this story is still firmly in a state of flux, there is something of a faint evil inevitability about it. Marcus Sellars, the self-pronounced “industry-insider” who set tounges a-clucking with the BLOPS 4 news earlier this year, was the first to comment on this story, tweeting that Google was looking to release a console to rival the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.

Since then Kotaku reported that five sources were either briefed on Google’s future plans or heard about them second hand. The console, which is currently going by its codename “Yeti” will focus as a streaming service rather than dealing in physical copies. There are also suggestions that it would be a physical console, rather than a tool similar to the Chromecast, and that Google would be looking to either agree to partnerships with developers or – in a fairly aggressive move – looking to buy up development studios, something we’ve seen quite a bit of recently.

Google hasn’t commented on the news as of yet, but as soon as they do – well, try your best to come here to read about it!

Who will watch the Overwatch?: Overwatch Announces its new Furry Hero

We all know Overwatch, it’s that FPS that shouldn’t be taken seriously at all yet somehow boasts one of the most toxic communities in current games. But amidst all that boiling piss is a game beloved for its colourful heroes, and Blizzard has announced its latest hero – and it’s one that a little bit small (and furrier) than we may have expected.

This little guy is Hammond the Hamster, but it goes by the name of Wrecking Ball, offering up a new Tank character for players to try out. There’s a couple of things to note about Wrecking Ball; firstly, he’s not just a hamster running around the map, he’s handily been strapped into a mech suit that’s complete with two automatic machine guns – cute! Also, being a hamster, you’ll be able to turn your mech suit into a ball that lets you roll around the map with ease, crushing any poor soul that gets in your way. There’s a ton of other features that Wrecking Ball has to offer, so be sure to give him a go on the Overwatch Player Test area – otherwise be on the lookout for his full release soon… ish.

And Finally… Battlefield 1 Gives Away More DLC

Continuing it’s ramping up session to Battlefield V, EA is giving away both Turning Tides and Second Assault expansions for free until the end of today – June, 30th.

Battlefield 1

If you missed them the first time around, it’s the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the latest giveaway for the all-round excellent WW1 shooter – so go on, get it downloaded and show off your true fighting spirit… hoorah?

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