Issue 361

We visited Massive Entertainment in Malmö, Sweden, to speak with the team and play the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to find out if Ubisoft’s open-world formula works on a completely alien world.

Also in this issue

• The Xbox/Activision Merger – Generally, corporate consolidation is bad. But inevitably, it keeps happening, and Microsoft and Xbox are two giant participants. Now that the company has completed its purchase of Activision-Blizzard, here's everything you need to know.
• The Precarious Relationship Between Gaming and AI – Ever the hot-button issue, AI has entered the game industry. We talked to supporters and detractors throughout the industry about what they think. As one said: "It’s Undeniably Going To Cost People Jobs."
• The Importance of Accessibility In The Fighting Game Community – Now more than ever, developers are taking great strides towards making video games accessible to all. So, we looked at the fighting game scene, talking to disabled community members about what's going well and what still needs improvement.
• Papers, Please, 10 Years Later – In an ideal world, Papers, Please creator Lucas Pope says his game would've become irrelevant almost immediately. Instead, it is more relevant than ever. We look back at 10 years of the "Dystopian Document Thriller."
• The 2023 Holiday Gift Guide – The gift-giving holidays are nearly upon us, so we put together a big list of some of our favorite toys and gadgets to give to others or put on your own list.
• PREVIEWS – Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, Judas, Crimson Desert, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Harold Halibut, and more!
• REVIEWS – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Forza Motorsport, Jusant, and more!