This week's edition of The Sunday Papers from Rock Paper Shotgun uses a surreal and increasingly absurd narrative to dissect recent news from the gaming world, ultimately circling back to the long-awaited teaser for The Elder Scrolls VI.
The narrative opens with a bizarre scenario involving a small man, a dump truck, and an impending, illegal act, setting a tone of escalating weirdness. This serves as a metaphorical framing device to introduce various topics discussed by industry writers.
One segment references VGC's Chris Scullion's frustrating hands-on experience with a game. His anecdote highlights a peculiar encounter with a German man in a cowboy hat who demanded to play "Dani California" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers on guitar, underscoring the sometimes eccentric nature of game previews and the willingness of attendees to adapt to unusual requests.
Another anecdote draws from Sebastian Cardoso's Game Studio Unlocked presentation on the fates of game studios post-acquisition. The stark statistics reveal that a significant number of acquired studios face closure, with a median lifespan of just five years. Examples like EA's closure of Pandemic and Sony's shuttering of Firewalk illustrate this trend of rapid dissolution after acquisition.
The piece then touches upon Josh Wolens' ongoing GTA V diary series from PC Gamer, detailing his accidental activation of numerous mods and his attempts at performing parkour. The description of his character's contorted movements and an ill-fated double frontflip in a deleted map area adds a touch of dark humor and commentary on the unpredictable outcomes of in-game experimentation.
Finally, the narrative culminates in the reveal that the mysterious German cowboy is part of a metaphor for deciphering the Elder Scrolls VI teaser. The mention of "Sentinel" and the presence of Sir Patrick Stewart, who previously voiced the Emperor in Oblivion, allude to the newly confirmed setting of Hammerfell. The article uses this creative framing to process the fragmented news and speculation surrounding Bethesda's upcoming title, drawing connections between diverse gaming topics and the anticipation for The Elder Scrolls VI.