Crows congregate inDelano, California, in 2014. The birds tend to gether in urban areas, prompting some city officialsspanning New York, Illinois and Oregonto try to disperse them. David McNew / Getty ImagesTens of thousands of crows coming to town in a cawing, swirling, dark mass sounds like a scene from Alfred Hitchcocks The Birds. But in cities across the United States where crows are taking over, residents and officials are faced with a dilemma. Should they let the highly intelligent birds be, or roust them away from downtown areas?In Rochester, New York, frustrations with the crow population, which reaches upwards of 20,000 each night during the holiday season, have prompted city officials to use serious scare tactics to ward off the roosts.According to David Andreatta of the New York Times, beaming lasers at buildings, shining high-powered flashlights into the night sky and playing recordings of distressed corvid sounds are all part of the non-lethal arsenal that wildlife specialists in Rochester have an annual habit of using to break up massive murders, as groups of crows are known.A news clip from 13WHAM ABC News, a local Rochester channel, shows an official in a yellow vest firing a flare gun into the sky while crows circle overhead and sit in dense clumps in nearby trees.Its non-lethal, doesnt hurt them, just moves them, Karen St. Aubin, the citys director of operations, tells the network.Methods to disperse large roost of crows begin in downtown RochesterWatch on Crows roost in cities out of convenienceespecially during the winter, when the ambient heat of the urban area helps keep them warm. Lights at night, as well as open spaces like grassy parks and parking lots, make tracking and hunting prey easier.Crows basically like what human beings have done to North America, Kevin McGowan at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology told the New York Times James Gorman back in 2004, when Auburn, New York, was facing such high numbers of crow visitors that residents were encouraged kill as many as possible in a controversial Crow Shoot competition.Theyre better off being in a big group, where they get the benefit of all those eyes looking out for danger, John Marzluff, a corvid expert at the University of Washington and the author of Gifts of the Crow, explained to the Atlantics Tove Danovich in March.But city officials complain that crows are far toomessy: The problem is that these are not little birds, and these are not little drops they leave behind. Theyre big, slimy and disgusting, Shelly Larson, the superintendent of community improvements in Danville, Illinois, told the Chicago Tribune in 2021. The Midwestern town has a human population of under 30,000, but it regularly contends with more than 100,000 crows.We used to have to powerwash benches, sidewalks, statues, St. Aubin of Rochester tells the New York Times. Its really about maintenance. Some of these larger roosts are in public places, and they can make them unusable.She reasons that the $9,000 the city spends on crow deterrence each year is worth it. Some Rochester residents disagree and find their citys methods excessively cruel to the birds.A Facebook group called Rochesterians for Crows has more than 1,000 members. According to its bio, the group began in February 2012 in response to the citys intolerable actions against the massively intelligent and often misunderstood bird that tends to polarize communities across the nation.The groups members share reverent photos of the roosts, memes that say things like be the crow you wish to see in the world and petitions to curb what they see as aggressive anti-crow action.Some members of the group point toward Portland, Oregon, as a role model for dealing with urban crow populations. They cheer Portlands purchase of the so-called Poopmaster 6000a high-powered, ride-on street sweeper and scrubberas a way to address the problem of corvid feces without disturbing the birds.The Bird Alliance of Oregon states that the Portland nonprofit managing city cleanliness has committed to using non-lethal tactics to deal with crows and even testified in favor of a ban on crow poisons. But in recent years, Portland has also leaned on hazing, including contracting licensed falconers who use Harriss Hawks to push the crows away from downtown.The hazing has been very successful, writes the Bird Alliance of Oregon. The hawks, without touching the crows, have steered them toward parks and green spaces along the Willamette River, where conflicts with humans are reduced. Among the various hazing alternatives, it is probably least disruptive and closest to what they might experience under natural circumstances.McGowan, for one, thinks Rochesters efforts are in the right direction, although he now adds to the New York Times that you can get them out of a neighborhood or away from the town hall, but youre not going to get rid of them.One poster in the Facebook group, a self-described corvid fanatic who only recently learned about Rochesters predicament, finds the very idea of dispersing crows ignorant and repugnant.Id pay cash to experience a massive crow roosting such as the ones your elected officials are spending your taxes trying to disperse, he adds. Rebrand Rochester as Crow City and place a few tiny ads in some birding magazines. The hotels will soon fill, the restaurants will have to hire more staff and EVERYBODY WINS.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Birds, Cities, Ethics, Nature, wildlife

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams inspect safety hardware aboard the ISS in August 2024. NASATwo NASA astronauts who launched on an eight-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in June had already seen their intended short stint in orbit stretched into an eight-month odyssey. Now, however, the pairs return home will be postponed even further because of a delay in the arrival of their replacement crew, NASA announced in astatement on Tuesday.Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived at the ISS in early June aboard Boeings Starliner spacecraft in its first crewed test flight. The craft, meant to one day shuttle astronauts back and forth from orbit, experienced helium leaks and thruster failures during its flight. As such, NASA deemed Starliner unfit to return the astronauts to Earth. Starliners capsule Calypso made the journey homecrewless and in autonomous modein September.As its pilots, you dont want to see it go off without you, but thats where we wound up, Wilmore told the Associated Press Marcia Dunn at the time.With Calypso back on Earth, NASA saved Williams and Wilmoreseats on a SpaceX Dragon craft scheduled to return the Crew-9 mission astronauts from the ISS in February. Now, the agency says theyll have to wait until late March at the earliest. The change is due to a delay in the launch of NASAs Crew-10 mission, which was pushed back to allow engineers more processing time for a new Dragon spacecraft. The vehicle is scheduled to arrive at SpaceXs Florida processing facility in January.Fabrication, assembly, testing and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail, Steve Stich, NASAs Commercial Crew Program manager, says in the statement. We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsules readiness for flight.The astronauts on Crew-10Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers of NASA, Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskovwill take over operations of the ISS from Crew-9. For a period, both crews will overlap on the station, a process called crewed handover. Upon Crew-10s arrival, Crew-9NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, in addition to Williams and Wilmorewill share the necessary information to ensure a smooth transition for the ISS, including the ongoing science experiments.NASA has not revealed how long the handover period is expected to last. Even if its brief, by then Williams and Wilmore will have spent nearly nine months aboard the orbital station. But theyve been engaging in crew activities and contributing to maintenance and science.Theres always work to do on the space station. For most of the life of the space station, weve had a backlog of science experiments that we just didnt have enough crews up there to take care of, former NASA astronaut Michael Fossum told the Texas Standards Shelly Brisbin in early September. I have a feeling right now theyre working through that backlog fairly quickly with the larger crew up therewith Butch and Suni.Two resupply missions in November have ensured that the ISS remains well-stocked for its crew, NASA notes in the statement. The flights even brought special items to allow Crew-9 to celebrate the holidays in orbit.Im sure that they are already disappointed that they were going to miss Christmas back home with the folks, Simeon Barber, a planetary science specialistat the Open University, tells the BBCsPallab Ghosh.But this is only another two months on an already quite long mission, and Im sure if you ask them, Im sure they would tell you that the space station is where they love to be.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Astronauts, NASA, Space Travel, SpaceX, Technology, Transportation

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The Game Awards live-streams jump 31% year-on-year2024 show achieved four million peak concurrent viewers across Western platforms News by Christopher Dring Head of Games B2B Published on Dec. 18, 2024 The Game Awards 2024 achieved an estimated 154 million global livestreams, the organisers have announced.This is a jump of nearly 31% compared with 2023's 118 million livestrems, which was the previous record-holder for the event.The data combines results across YouTube, Twitch, Steam, TikTok Live, X, Instagram Live and Facebook. According to StreamCharts, the event attracted more than four million peak concurrent viewers across Western platforms including Twitch and YouTube, a 10% rise over the year before. The Game Awards 4K feed also saw a 35% jump in peak concurrent users on YouTube, with 1.3 million viewers. If we include co-streams, YouTube viewership was up 28% to 2.17 million.The statistics follow a strong tenth anniversary event for The Game Awards, which saw the reveal of some high profile titles, including CD Projekt's The Witcher 4, Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, FromSoftware's Elden Ring: Nightreign, Hazelight's Split Fiction and Sega's Sonic Racing Crossworlds. The event also saw the return of classic franchises, including Onimusha, Virtua Fighter, Okami and Turok.The big winner of the awards was Team Asobi's Astro Bot, which collected four prizes including the Game of the Year Award. Other big winners included indie hit Balatro, Metaphor: ReFantanzi, Black Myth: Wukong and Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.

EA Sports College Football is now the US' best-selling sports game of all time | US Monthly ChartsBut video games spending drops 7% to $5.8bn in CODless November, PS5 Pro sells fewer units but generates more dollars than PS4 ProImage credit: Electronic Arts News by James Batchelor Editor-in-chief Published on Dec. 18, 2024 Electronic Arts' college football game is now the biggest selling sports video game in US history when it comes to dollar sales.That's according to the November report from Circana, which also reports EA Sports College Football 25 is among the top 50 best-selling games of all time by the same metric. It is also the biggest selling game of the year so far in the US.Price promotions drove the title back into the Top Ten of the monthly charts, beaten only by Madden NFL 25 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.The latter was cited as a key factor behind the year-on-year decline in spending last month, down 7% to $5.8 billion. November 2024 was up against the comparison with the launch month of Modern Warfare 3, while Black Ops 6 launched in October. This year's Call of Duty is the second biggest-selling title of 2024 so far.Instead, the biggest new release was Mario & Luigi: Brothership at No.7 (although this does not include digital sales, as Nintendo does not share this data). The only other new releases in the Top 20 were the HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest 3 at No.12 and EA's My Sims: Cozy Bundle at No.19.Spending on video games content including software, subscriptions and so on dropped 9% year-on-year to $4.5 billion, with console content being the biggest source of decline, down 29% compared to November 2023.Hardware spending was flat at $927 million, with a 15% growth for PlayStation 5 helping to counter the 29% drop on Xbox and 3% on Switch.The new PS5 Pro console accounted for 19% of all units sold for Sony. Dollar sales for the upgraded console were over 50% higher than the launch sales of PS4 Pro, which launched in November 2016, but unit sales were 12% lower.Overall, 2.4 million consoles were sold in November 2024, up 4% from the same month last year. Year-to-date, hardware sales are tracking behind at 9.4 million units compared to 11.8 million.Here are the top 20 selling games from November 3 to 30, 2024 data courtesy of Circana:RankLast month rankTitle11Call of Duty: Black Ops 628Madden NFL 25310EA Sports FC 25411EA Sports College Football 2552Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero 67Super Mario Party Jamboree* 7NEWMario & Luigi: Brothership89Sonic X Shadow Generations917NBA 2K25*106Dragon Age: The Veilguard1113Hogwarts Legacy12NEWDragon Quest 31315Astro Bot14RE-ENTRYMarvel's Spider-Man 2153Silent Hill (2024)164Undisputed175Metaphor: ReFantazio1816Minecraft^^19NEWMy Sims: Cozy Bundle20RE-ENTRYMarvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics*Digital sales not included, ^^Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included.

Should Xbox and PlayStation make a handheld console? | OpinionWhen it comes to the PlayStation or Xbox handheld console, the question is not whether they could, more whether they should. Feature by Sam Naji Contributor Published on Dec. 18, 2024 As the ninth generation enters mid-life, the rumour mill has started again on what new console hardware will look like. If there is one thing the video game industry does very well, that is jumping on trends, especially if plenty of money could be made. This time its all about gaming mobility. Reports have come out that both Microsoft and Sony are courting console handhelds as the next best thing. The logic being that the Nintendos Switch is one of its best-selling consoles of all time, Valve has seen success with Steam Deck and Sony has seen its mobile streaming peripheral, the PlayStation Portal, fly off shelves. So why not have a dedicated PS5 console handheld or a dedicated Xbox handheld? It makes perfect sense to the c-suits, who bury themselves in spreadsheets.In an interview with Polygon, Phil Spencer stated: "I like the fact that Valve, Lenovo, and Asus went out and innovated in a new form factor." And then added: "I will say that when I'm playing on those devices, it almost feels more like a console than a PC - nine times out of 10 I want to be able to log in with a controller. I've got my list of things we should go do." Not to be outdone, Bloomberg reported that Sony is also working on a new handheld, according to a source.If console handhelds are the stop gap to the tenth-generation console (or even a possible contender to be the tenth generation) here lies both opportunities and challenges in almost equal measure.The Opportunities:a) Consumer behaviour. Back in 2017 when the Switch released Nintendo declared a greater number of gamers preferred to play on it as a dedicated undocked device. It is probably safe to say that over time those who preferred to play on the system as a dedicated docked device probably did not increase in percentage terms, in fact, if anything it may have decreased. As a result, the market for a handheld console is potentially strong. This is something that will appeal greatly with Microsoft Gaming's leader Phil Spencer who is focused on the mantra of 'gaming everywhere and on every device'. Spencers ultimate dream is to be hardware agnostic and to transform the Xbox brand into a service. A console handheld that can play Xbox games would be another vehicle by which the Xbox ecosystem can find a home. For Sony a dedicated handheld console would be an extension of the PlayStation Portal. The only caveat to this market research is that the Nintendo Switch has been designed for the Nintendo gamer and specifically to play Nintendo games. Although gamers are sometimes lumped into one homogeneous lot, there are significant differences in what gamers are looking for from a Nintendo device and from a PlayStation or Xbox device.b) Cloud offers a ready-made solution. cloud solutions for 50 of its 'owned' games, with more games expected to join the service. Sony, which once led the revolution in cloud gaming when it bought Gaikai, is playing catch up to Microsoft with its own newly announced cloud streaming for the PlayStation Portal peripheral. The PS Portal will be able to access content off the cloud untethered from the PS5. This means we are already one step towards a dedicated console handheld for the PS5 system. The cloud solves the problem of having to create dedicated software in a new form factor like a mini disc, SD card or cartridge. This will liberate the handheld from the software limitations that once plagued previous handheld devices.c) Synergy with mobile gaming.another consumer report has found that mobile gaming has surpassed the Switch as the entry point for new (often younger) gamers. The possibility to boost revenue by amalgamating mobile and console gaming experiences could be significant, especially with younger and more casual gamers who are familiar with gaming monetisation via microtransactions. To date there seems to be two markets between console and mobile gaming, but this is not a case of twain-shall-never-meet. I suspect the difference is because gamers have been looking for different gaming experiences between their console and phones/tablets, but that distinction is become muddier as app games become more sophisticated.The strong sell through of the PS Portal is testament to the fact that gamers are enthusiastic about playing their 'owned' games outside of the main consoled) Boost games as a service and subscription gaming. Sony has been investing heavily in games-as-a-service (GaaS) and Microsoft has committed to all things Game Pass. Both services could benefit somewhat from a handheld console. GaaS titles are social in nature, so taking your console anywhere where your friends are is very appealing. There have been many a time when my young son would take his Switch to his friends house and play Minecraft, Rocket League or Fortnite. Although Sony has recently reduced the number of GaaS projects in intends to release, the Gamesindustry.biz headline 'Report: 95% of studios are working on or aim to release a live service game' highlights a ramping up of investment into GaaS. Apart from GaaS, the subscription services can find a home on console handhelds. For example, Phil Spencers dream of making GamePass a video-game Netflix, a service that is somewhat omnipresent like video-on-demand, would be an ideal fit on a system that is free from the confines of the living room. Its biggest challenge will be latency and finding a strong wifi signal, a problem that is fortunately becoming less relevant with every year.e) Can tap into an established library of games. When this very topic was put to video game analyst, Michael Pachter from Wedbush Equity Research in the videocast SIFTD Games Is the Xbox handheld a good idea?, Pachter threw cold water on the idea of a successful dedicated handheld console because history has not been kind on the format, especially from Sony. Citing the failure of the PSP and the PS Vita as examples of how good technology failed to find a market, the prospects of history repeating itself feels high, as Sony has struggled to fully support its handhelds with software alongside investing in its (more lucrative) console platforms. I would surmise that this will not be the case with a handheld console that can already access a gamers extensive library. The only limitation being is that the existing library will have to be digital (more on that later). We have seen that accessibility of a library of games has generated instant success (albeit with the day one buyer) with the Steam Deck. The strong sell through of the PS Portal is also testament that gamers are enthusiastic about playing their 'owned' games on systems other than their main console, depending that the handheld is affordable. When you factor in access to additional games available on the PS Plus subscription or Game Pass, creates another incentive why a console handheld is a compelling proposition.A fragmented hardware market between handhelds and mainstream consoles could force the industry to make hard choicesThe Challenges:i) Graphic compromises and price. Putting aside some of the technical challenges like controller drifting, screen damage and weight, Gamesindustry.biz sister website, Eurogamer, published an article last year with the headline Can Steam Deck handle a range of PC's most challenging games? The answer for most was yes, but with significant limitations. Quite often a compromise on graphics or frames per second is needed to run the latest PC games on the Steam Deck. One could argue that these compromises are a necessity given you can hold a powerful gaming device in your hand. For the passionate Steam Deck user, who may have bought Steam Deck to complement their existing gaming PC, this is likely acceptable. But if a dedicated console handheld comes at a price north of $500 in other words, a higher price tag than their more tethered counterparts - then more mainstream consumers may expect a device that at least matches that of the other models in terms of performance. If these machines need to make compromises compared to their living-room sister machines (which seems inevitable), then value for money will become forefront of handheld buyers mind. If too many compromises are forthcoming, then buyers regret may soon kick in especially if the new handheld is competing directly with older and cheaper consoles that can do the job (of playing games) better. For example, there was consumer backlash when Mortal Kombat 1 released on the Switch with a sub-par experience. However, in this case, the Switch is at least a cheaper alternative to the Xbox Series and the Playstation platforms.ii) A fragmented hardware market between handhelds and mainstream consoles could force the industry to make hard choices . One of the criticisms levelled at the Xbox Series S is that the console is not as powerful as its bigger brother, the Xbox Series X. and that has led to comprimises. As a consequence of the two models, we have defragmented Xbox Series ecosystem, burgeoning Microsoft with a problem on how best to satisfy the markets for both consoles. It is an issue that is also affecting third-party publishers. Another Eurogamer headline from September 2024 summed it best: Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered: Series S suffers, with PS5 and Series X faring better. If, for example, Sonys new console handheld sells in high numbers, this could somewhat force the hand of the publisher to earmark more games to be made with the handheld in mind at the expense of pushing power and graphical excellence for the PS5 Pro. Given the selling point of the PS5 Pro is all about that extra power, a dedicated handheld console could potentially hold back the advancement in game technology if consumers end up buying more handhelds than the Pro. After all, companies follow the money and if the money says 'we want more handhelds and less Pros' - it will not be a stretch in the imagination to think games will be made to cater for the handheld specifications. Steam Deck has primarily been targeting existing Steam usersDevelopers are getting smarter at creating assets that can work on a spectrum of console devices, but if they need to create games for lower-end hardware, it will inevitably impact what they may be willing to do in terms of size of game worlds, enemies on screen, and other such benefits of more powerful devices. PlayStation and Xbox are known today for their high-end capabilities, and a popular handheld alternative might negatively impact that perception.iii) Gamers could be forced to buy digital. In an ideal world publishers would love to sell all their games on the digital format. The companies would earn higher revenues with every game sold while simultaneously driving down the cost of goods. It would not be unimaginable to think that these future console handhelds from Sony and Microsoft will scrap any physical media player, whether via a cartridge or micro SD, in favour for digital software. The idea is to force consumers to purchase games from the PSN or Xbox Live stores. These stores are walled gardens where the option to shop around for better prices are practically non-existent unless one where to buy from the 'grey' market of key-sellers. The win for Sony and Microsoft (and third-party publishers) would be significant. It will be physical retail that will suffer the most. This would be a great shame because the physical market still plays a fundamental role in the games industry. According to tracked Games Sales Data (Video Games Europe / Sparkers) one third of UK spending on PlayStation and Xbox (full priced) games (which released on both the digital or physical format), during 2023, were for the physical format. During the holiday period of Q4 that figure surpassed 40% thanks to gifting. That one-third physical spending would have no option but to buy digital. All game purchases would have to become digital and from limited store options. *Spending on games that released on both physical and digital platforms.Source: Games Sales DataI suspect that a good portion of the physical spending is done by people who continue to prefer the physical format, who do not wish to buy digitally or, more importantly, for younger or less affluent gamers, who cannot buy digitally. Even Nintendo, with the imminent release of the Switch 2, is aware of risks of embracing an all-digital world as a large proportion of sales remain physical on this format. Source: Nintendo Financial Results Fiscal Q225By all accounts the Switch 2 will continue with supporting physical media. This would mean a handheld console that is more Steam Deck (all digital software) then Switch (physical and digital software) is a bold move especially given the number of physical PS5 and Xbox console games already in circulation. Throw in thenews that the disc drive peripheral for the discless PS5 Pro has almost sold out everywhere, a digital-only handheld solution may not appeal to all forms of PlayStation and Xbox users.To conclude, the appeal of handheld gaming machines by publishers and manufacturers is understandable. The runaway success of the Switch, the Steam Deck and the PS Portal all point in the same direction. It indicates that gamers want to play with greater freedom. The appeal of taking your games with you wherever you go is clearly there.It solves so many problems about physicality and it opens more doors to cloud streaming and video game subscriptions services. It is an opportunity just waiting for Sony and Microsoft to hop on. The problem is that the market indicators for these devices came from a machine that has a physical format solution (and one marketed to families and younger gamers who desire portability) and a machine built for Steam owners who arguably use it as a secondary device, but more importantly who already own an intensive digital library. These are all handheld devices that were all made to answer a specific gap in the market. Does that gap exist for a dedicated handheld in the PlayStation and Xbox ecosystem? At this moment in time, we do not know much about what Sony and Microsoft have planned. Ultimately the goal could be to develop devices that replicate the same service delivery as the Steam Deck, namely complementary devices to existing console platforms. It is a strategy worth pursuing, but the market for such a device has not been fully tested and the opportunity may be smaller on console than it is on PC.To conclude there a lot of variables when it comes to the commercial success of handheld consoles. Technology has solved a lot of the issues that once plagued older systems, especially when it comes to software. I think the ultimate variable will come down to price and what gamers want from these systems. Consumer behaviour changes all the time. Maybe it is time for a PS5 or Xbox Series handheld?Sam Naji is founder of video game analytics and consultancy firm SJN Insight

Bryant Francis, Senior EditorDecember 18, 20244 Min ReadImage via Activision/Microsoft.At a GlanceActivision has recast some actors in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6' Zombie mode without making any public announcement.The recasting seemed to take place after SAG-AFTRA went on strike in July 2024.Black Ops 6 isn't a "struck" production as work on it began before the strike. The causes for the change are complicated.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 developer and publisher Activision has acknowledged that it recast several characters in its "Zombies" mode in the wake of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.Questions over the recasting began swirling as updates to Black Ops 6 rolled out new missions with returning characters suddenly sounding quite different. Players noticed that the characters William Peck and Samantha Maxispreviously voiced respectively by Zeke Alton and Julie Nathansonappeared by be played by new actors (Samantha Maxis appears in this game as an A.I character called "S.A.M.").Alton does not appear in Black Ops 6's credits. Nathanson is listed, but she and the other named performers are not credited by their individual characters, making it difficult to pin down where their voices appear in the game. It's unclear if the voices behind characters from prior Zombies campaigns have also been recast.Activision and Alton both acknowledged the recasting in statements to Game Developerbut careful language from both parties surrounding the "hows" and "whys" of the recasting speaks to the complicated reality of the SAG-AFTRA strike."To the best of my knowledge, that performance is not [mine]," Alton said when Game Developer asked if he reprised the role of Peck in Black Ops 6. "It's their character and they can do with it what they please. My only concern is for my brand as a performer. Fans of the game have reached out to me because the lack of crediting [of the replacement actor] implies that it may still be me which unfairly represents my abilities as a performer," he added.Related:"I have no issue with Activision's actions with a character and IP that they own. I absolutely adore the creative team and the opportunity I've had to collaborate with them in the past. I sincerely hope to collaborate in the future once all performers are protected against generative AI abuse."In response to a request for comment, an Activision spokesperson provided the following statement: "We respect the personal choice of these performers. Out of respect for all parties, we wont add new commentary about the ongoing negotiations with SAG-AFTRA. We look forward to a mutually beneficial outcome as soon as possible."Though these comments offer some confirmation about the sudden voice swap in the long-running PvE zombie-slaying mode, it's fair to acknowledge come confusion here and ask what drove the change. Breaking down what might be going on begins with one fact: Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is not a struck production.Why can't voice actors strike on Call of Duty: Black Ops 6?The ongoing SAG-AFTRA voice actors strike is more complicated than the film and television actors strike that preceded it in 2023. Under the terms of the film and television contract, actors on strike are legally able to stop work on an in-production shoot and not return to set. The Interactive Media Agreement signed in 2020 contains a unique clause known as "Side Letter Six" that allows actors to continue work on games under union contract so long as the game began production before the strike was called.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was in development before July 25, 2024. That means it is exempt from the strike under Side Letter Six, and striking it would be in violation of the IMA. However SAG-AFTRA notes that members working under "daily contracts" on exempt productions may choose to "not sign a new contract" to show solidarity with striking union members. If they do so, recasting their characters would not be same as hiring replacement labor on a struck production (informally known as "scabbing").Activision's referral to the "choice" of the performers may be alluding to their deciding to not sign a new daily contract after the strike began. The company may also not have chosen to offer a contract for other reasons.Daily contracts on in-production games aren't the only ways developers can retain union talent. They can also sign what is known as the "Interim Interactive Media Agreement," which includes terms contained in the union's last offer to its bargaining partners. Over 80 game developers have signed the Interim Agreement since the strike began.It is possible Activision chose to recast Peck, S.A.M, and other characters long before the strike began, but there's reason to think this isn't what took place. The most visible evidence of a mid-production recasting comes in the form of the intro cinematic for the level "Terminus." Reddit user "Heenix_" noticed that Peck's voice performance in the scene has changed between when Activision released the cinematic as a trailer in August before the release of Black Ops 6, and when it appeared in-game in November after it launched.Game Developer independently reviewed the audio from both videos and confirmed Peck's voice sounds different between the two versions, and that the former version closely matches Alton's prior work.But to repeat what Alton said above: the voice heard in the second scene from in Black Ops 6, to the best of his knowledge, is not his own.Game Developer has reached out to Julie Nathanson and SAG-AFTRA for comment and will update this story when a response is issued.Read more about:Top StoriesUnionization[Company] Activision BlizzardAbout the AuthorBryant FrancisSenior Editor, GameDeveloper.comBryant Francis is a writer, journalist, and narrative designer based in Boston, MA. He currently writes for Game Developer, a leading B2B publication for the video game industry. His credits include Proxy Studios' upcoming 4X strategy game Zephon and Amplitude Studio's 2017 game Endless Space 2.See more from Bryant FrancisDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Sega of America is being taken to court by Johnny Gioeli, a musician for the rock band Crush 40. The band is best known for creating Sonic Adventure 2's theme, "Live & Learn," and he alleges Sega is in breach of contract over the iconic song. In addition to seeking financial compensation from Sega, he wants the court to "conclusively establish" who owns it.In the December-filed suit, Gioeli claims to have the "master recording and composition of the song," which he reportedly created and produced in his own home without any involvement from Sega. He further accuses the publisher of "exploiting and licensing" the song to over two dozen games, shows, and live performances without his knowledge.Gioeli states he was first made aware of the song's presence in other media earlier this year. Game-wise, "Live & Learn" has been featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U versions of Super Smash Bros. 4, and Yakuza 4 and 5. Its inclusion in non-Sonic Adventure 2 titles is as recent as 2021's Monster Hunter Rise from Capcom.Since 2001, Crush 40 has become commonly associated with the Sonic franchise and made songs for later Sonic games like Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog. However, he argued that in those instances, he and Sega reached "specific agreements" that addressed those songs' rights or master recordings, which did not happen with "Live & Learn."The lawsuit acknowledges that "Live & Learn" may be jointly-owned by the two parties. Should that be the case, it argues Sega's ownership would be "expressly limited to the lyrics themselves.""Without a direct claim for authorship of the master, no control or direct involvement in the process of creating the final master recording, and no clear written transfer of the master, [Sega] has no basis to claim sole ownership of the copyright in this sound recording," the suit reads. It further cited a prior statement from a Sega attorney which noted the song's rights are Gioeli's "and not Sega's, and we have no rights to these materials."Despite that and a letter from a separate Sega lawyer who called the song a "joint work" in April, Gioeli claims Sega refuses to name him an owner or give him 50 percent of the song's profits he is entitled to.Johnny Gioeli's full lawsuit against Sega of America can be read here.