Happy Friday and welcome once again to another installment of Replay. What's happening in games this week? Well, for one, someone paid Ninja serious bank to stream Apex Legends. For another, there's some worrisome news about the next title from the developers behind Yakuza. Also, Dragon's Dogma is coming to Netflix. Let's go!
Ninja Got Paid How Much to Promote Apex Legends?!So, we all know streamers and YouTubers get paid. Whether that's in sponsorship deals, fancy paid travel arrangements, or whatever else, publishers and influencers are in economic contact. It's still jarring, though, to learn just how much bank some influencers make promoting games. Like, for example, this latest bit of information about the recent juggernaut Apex Legends: According to a Reuters report, the streamer Ninja was paid $1 million to promote the game on its release date.
Wow, that's a lot of money. Other takeaways from this include: One, the battle royale genre is now so big EA was willing to shell out seven figures to boost the game in its first few hours of release. Two, Ninja wasn't the only streamer paid wild amounts of cash to stream Apex Legends. The Canadian streamer Shroud also got a deal, though it's not known how lucrative that deal was. And three, wow, that's a lot of money.
Sega Halts Sales of Judgement Following Voice Actor's ArrestSega stopped the sales of Judgement in Japan earlier this week after actor Pierre Taki, who lent his voice to the game, was arrested for alleged cocaine use.
It's unknown what Sega's next move will be, but considering one of the characters in Judgement shares Taki's likeness, it seems highly unlikely he could just be replaced with a new voice actor. Even more uncertain is whether or not the game, from the same development team that made Yakuza, will ever be released outside of Japan. Sega had planned a Western release for June 25, but there's no word yet whether or not the title, about a former lawyer turned private detective, will hit that mark.
Netflix Is Going to Weird Places for Their Next Videogame AdaptationNetflix has gotten pretty excited about making anime-style adaptations of videogames of late. Following the success of the Castlevania series, the streaming service just announced a Devil May Cry show and another, stranger choice: Dragon's Dogma. The obscure, obtuse role-playing game is a cult classic, known for being difficult and strange and absorbing. And now, it's going to be an anime! For some reason!
As reported by io9, studio Sublimation will adapt the game, which follows a peasant who, after losing their heart to a dragon, becomes an "Arisen" champion, gifted with supernatural powers and sent on an epic quest. It certainly seems like a solid story setup, but it's not going to have much name recognition, that's for sure.
Recommendation of the Week: Gravity Ghost on PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, LinuxGravity Ghost is about a girl drifting amidst the stars, seeking out spirits hidden in the constellations. It's a story of grief and devotion, growth and loss. It's also one of my favorite fairytales. And, on top of all that, it's got a distinct method of play that's based on managing momentum and trajectory, like every sci-fi space saga where the heroes slingshot around a planet for more speed. It's a beautiful little game, and one of my sentimental favorites. If you've never seen it, please, check it out.
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