The Catch-Up: May 29th, 2014 - Harmonix Lays Off 37 Staff

MORTAL KOMBAT!

General News

Following the leak of a Mortal Kombat X poster, Ed Boon updated his Twitter account with an image found on that poster. Then, Boon said, “On June 2nd we all find out [who’s next].” So, we might be learning of a new Mortal Kombat on Monday, June 2nd. Stay tuned. [Via, Image, Twitter]
In less than one day, the PlayStation E3 theater experience is “pretty much sold out.” You can still get on a waiting list, however. [Twitter]
It turns out Jack Tretton will be attending E3 after all, but it won’t be for PlayStation. Instead, Tretton will be a special correspondent for Spike TV’s All Access June 9th coverage, meaning he’ll be talking about the press conferences for PlayStation, Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft. Tretton said, “Since I dropped the mic last year on Spike I thought it was only appropriate to pick it back up for E3 this year! I’ve been to every E3 but this year I’m excited to see the show through a different lens with the team at Spike. I’ll be watching the news and announcements unfold alongside the fans and the rest of the industry, and I can’t wait to see the new games that everyone is bringing to the table.” [Source]
According to Sebastien Viard, Graphics Technical Director on Watch Dogs, “Watch Dogs can use 3+ GB of RAM on [new-gen] consoles for graphics, your PC GPU needs enough VRAM for ultra options due to the lack of unified [memory].” [Twitter]
Despite a successful Kickstarter campaign and the teasing of a new Rock Band, Harmonix laid off 37 staff today, while CEO and Co-founder Alex Rigopulos will step down and become the Chief Creative Officer. Head of Publishing and Business Operations Steve Janiak will become the new CEO. A spokesperson said, “Harmonix is in the process of restructuring our organization to bring it into alignment with our current and future product development plans. Unfortunately, this means making the difficult decision to reduce the number of full-time staff. We sincerely appreciate the work of each and every one of these employees. Harmonix is working to ensure that those affected are well taken care of as we make this change.” Anyone else think the Kinect-less Xbox One had something to do with this? [Source]
It will cost you $119.99, but VideoGamesPlus is selling the 64GB PlayStation Vita memory card. [Buy It]
Ubisoft responded to their ill-fated PR stunt by saying, “As part of a themed promotion for Watch Dogs, our team in Australia sent voicemail messages to some local media alerting them that they’d receive a special package related to the game. Unfortunately, the delivery to Ninemsn didn’t go as planned, and we unreservedly apologize to Ninemsn’s staff for the mistake and for any problems caused as a result. We will take additional precautions in the future to ensure this kind of situation doesn’t happen again.” [Source]
When Shadow Warrior launches for the PS4 later this year, it will run at 1080p/60fps. [Source]
Gamefly’s latest used game flash sale puts the PS3/360 versions of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and Batman: Arkham Origins to just $12.99. [Buy Them!]
If you were curious, Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate will include a platinum trophy and it won’t be easy to obtain. [Twitter]
Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN is coming to North America this fall on both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, courtesy of Aksys. More details will be announced at E3 2014, though we do know there are 15 playable characters, an all-new antagonist named Ramlethal Valentine, and many of the systems have been “significantly expanded and improved.” [Source]
Instead of June 4th, The Wolf Among Us Episode 4: In Sheep’s Clothing will hit Europe tomorrow, May 30th. [Twitter]
The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 3: In Harm’s Way for PlayStation Vita will be out on June 3rd in North America and June 4th in Europe. [Twitter 1, 2]
Live in Europe and want to win a chance to go to E3? [Enter Here]
Want to go on a journey through the THQ building, after someone else bought it? [Via, Head Over Here]