Nicole Carpenter
polygon.com
Somerville, MA, United States
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Past articles by Nicole:
Mobile developers boycott Unity ads in pricing change protest
Several major mobile game studios have signed an open letter calling for developers to turn off ad monetization services in protest of Unity’s controversial pricing changes. → Read More
Corsair’s warehouse workers make pennies compared to CEO’s millions — and now they’re fighting back
Corsair union workers who make SCUF controllers are looking to unionize with Teamsters, scheduled for a union election in late September. → Read More
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is out in February
Square Enix appeared at Sony’s State of Play presentation on Thursday to share a new trailer tied to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s February 2024 release date. → Read More
Immortals of Aveum studio lays off nearly half of staff weeks after release
Ascendant Studios laid off 45% of its workforce on Thursday, just under one month since Immortals of Aveum was released. → Read More
Unity closes offices due to ‘credible death threat’
Unity Technologies has closed two offices in the U.S. due to a potential threat. This comes after a week’s worth of ire due to a controversial pricing change that negatively impacts indie developers. → Read More
Princess Peach: Showtime! brings Mushroom Kingdom to the theater in March
Princess Peach is starring in a new solo adventure game — the first game led by the princess in more than 17 years. It’s called Princess Peach: Showtime!, and it’s coming to Nintendo Switch in March 2024. → Read More
Starfield relishes in Bethesda’s legacy of item hoarding
Bethesda games always have a ton of items to pick up. Starfield’s full of junk to continue with that legacy. → Read More
Starfield is getting an ‘eat’ button for food, among other updates
After Starfield’s release earlier this month, Bethesda Game Studios will keep updating the game with most-requested player features, including an “eat” button and DLSS support. → Read More
Game devs say Unity’s big change puts studios at risk
Unity is putting a new pricing model into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, tying a fee to game installs. The game industry is not happy about it. → Read More
Borderlands developer Gearbox reportedly up for potential sale
Troubled gaming mega-publisher Embracer Group is considering a sale of Borderlands developer Gearbox, according to a Reuters report. → Read More
Starfield’s best side quests emphasize deception and discovery
Starfield’s Crimson Fleet and Ryujin storylines include all of the things Bethesda does right, including deception and discovery. → Read More
These Starfield players have created unbeatable ship abominations
Starfield players are sacrificing style to create monstrous, unbeatable ships that trick enemies’ weapons systems, making them nearly damage-resistant. → Read More
The race to mod Starfield
Starfield already has more than 700 mods just hours after release. Here’s the story of how modders are racing to mod Bethesda’s highly anticipated role-playing game. → Read More
Starfield’s persuasion system is the equivalent of a bad Dungeon Master
In Starfield, you can talk your way out of sticky situations with a persuasion system. In some cases, the system throws character motivation out the window. → Read More
Gen Con Magic: The Gathering card thieves charged with felony theft
Thomas Dunbar and Andrew Giaume have been charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing $300,00o worth of Magic: The Gathering Cards from a retailer at Gen Con. → Read More
Starfield sterilizes the final frontier
Starfield will be released Sept. 6, with early access starting Sept. 1. The best moments in this vast Xbox/PC exclusive are hidden beneath too much tedium. → Read More
A live-action Pokémon show premieres this fall — but it won’t look like the games at all
A new, live-action Pokémon TV show will begin airing in Japan in October, according to a translation from Pokémon website Serebii. → Read More
Hans Niemann drops $100M lawsuit against Chess.com and Magnus Carlsen
A lawsuit that rocked the professional chess world has been resolved, with Hans Niemann reaching an agreement with Chess.com and Magnus Carlsen → Read More
Why Venba is so short — and confidently so
Visai Games’ Venba is just under two hours, transforming the life story of an Indian Canadian family into a sharp, heartfelt experience. → Read More
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood offers a magical new take on deck building
From the creators of The Red Strings Club, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is about tarot cards, fate, and the variety of tarot card deck building combos. → Read More