After backlash over using AI to clone dead voice actors, Smite and Paladins studio says it will change its contract

By Ash Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at Kotaku.

Mass Effect and Dragon Age studio BioWare is eliminating approximately 50 positions as parent Electronic Arts attempts to turn it into a "more agile and focused studio." The reorganization was “unavoidable,” according to BioWare general manager Gary McKay, as it was necessary in order to meet the studio's evolving needs.

Dragon Age and Mass Effect developer BioWare shared an update today on its projects while confirming that it was eliminating approximately 50 roles at the studio. It’s part of the shift towards a “more agile and more focused studio” where developers can “iterate quickly, unlock more creativity, and form a clear vision of what we’re building before development ramps up.”

Charles Martinet has been the voice of Nintendo's mascot Mario since 1996, but no more. Nintendo has announced that the actor is to step down from the role, and will instead act as a «Mario ambassador» in the future, which is all rather ceremonial and full of pomp for a gig that mainly involves shouting «wa-hoo!»

It’s hard to believe, but it looks like the voice of Mario in video games will soon be a bit different. Taking to Twitter today, Nintendo has revealed that the actor who was responsible for Mario’s voice for decades now is stepping back. From now on, it looks like Charles Martinet will not be the voice of Mario. However, it’s noted that Charles will be stepping into the role of Mario Ambassador. We’re not sure who will take the mantle in the future, but plenty of previous lines can likely be used in the meantime. 

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Larian Studios has announced a shift in its strategy for deploying patches in response to issues encountered during the release of the latest hotfix for Baldur’s Gate 3. The studio rolled out the game’s fourth hotfix on Wednesday, only to face a build error resulting in new crashes. Consequently, the hotfix had to be temporarily rolled back to rectify the issue.

Red Dead Redemption is out now on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch and unsurprisingly, it is a barebones upgrade to the revered Western odyssey. During the initial announcement, Rockstar Games never revealed any technical specifications, simply calling it a ‘conversion' that didn't mention anything about visual improvements or support for 60fps. That seems to be the case, judging by the new press release — dropped launch day — which states that regardless of the platform, the game is locked to 30fps. The new bit of information, however, is that the port from Double Eleven Studios runs at 1080p resolution on the Nintendo Switch and PS4, going up to 4K resolution on the PS4 Pro and PS5 (playable via backward compatibility).

Embracer said its restructuring program is on track and confirmed it's quietly moving forward with studio closures.

Rockstar's cowboy epic is up for preorder on PS4 and Switch.

When I made my Paladin in Baldur's Gate 3, I thought I was being different. Surely others will pick one of the cooler Baldur's Gate 3 classes—aloof rogues or self-serving sorcerers—and not a stodgy devotee to divine virtue, right?