Trivia Browser
Platform: ZX Spectrum
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The ZX Spectrum is more widely remembered today as a video game console rather than its originally intended purpose as an affordable computer for word processing and real-world problem-solving. Hardware creator Sir Clive Sinclair reportedly considered games to be "fundamentally unserious" and was horrified that the computer he invented was becoming primarily seen as a gaming platform.
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The developers of Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales got very agitated with having to listen to Bubsy's catchphrases on loop, and would repeat them to one another mockingly. For one of producer Faran Thomason's co-workers, Bubsy's catchphrase "What could possibly go wrong?" became a 20-year long in-joke with other developers of the game (in spite of said catchphrase not even being said in Fractured Furry Tales outside of the ending text scroll).
subdirectory_arrow_right Good-Feel (Company)
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Good-Feel being the development company behind Princess Peach: Showtime! was not officially revealed until the day before the game's release, where it was discovered via the game's credits. It was also revealed through the credits that the game had been directed by Good-Feel president Etsunobu Ebisu, who had not directed a game since Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon in 1997. Two weeks prior to this, however, Good-Feel's involvement was leaked via the code from the game's demo version. When asked who the development company was, Nintendo merely stated that it would be revealed in the game's credits.
Good-Feel confirmation:
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/princess-peach-showtime-is-goemon-designers-first-directorial-role-in-over-25-years/
Initial leak:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/03/princess-peach-showtime-developer-seemingly-revealed-in-demos-code
Nintendo statement:
https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-says-to-wait-for-princess-peach-showtimes-credits-to-find-out-which-developer-made-it
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/princess-peach-showtime-is-goemon-designers-first-directorial-role-in-over-25-years/
Initial leak:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/03/princess-peach-showtime-developer-seemingly-revealed-in-demos-code
Nintendo statement:
https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-says-to-wait-for-princess-peach-showtimes-credits-to-find-out-which-developer-made-it
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BoKe Travelog was a PC browser game released exclusively in China that ran from 2011 to 2013 before shutting down. The game was very clearly inspired by Poptropica, though notably included a background story for the game's events, unlike Poptropica. Set in an alternate timeline where climate change forced humans to move from land to sea due to rising water levels, it follows a group of people known as "BoKe" as they confront the evil Dr. Hedra, who wishes to take over the world and has begun attacking the various islands left from the climate change to do so. The game also featured various visual similarities to Poptropica, namely with its map layout and the plots of each island, though it did use its own spin on the character designs.
BoKe Travelog had eight islands, each one of which was based on an island seen in Poptropica. The islands were:
• "Potato Island", based on "24 Carrot Island".
• "Octopus Island", based on "Shark Tooth Island".
• "BoKe Island", based on "Early Poptropica Island".
• "Time Tangled Island", based on the island of the same name.
• "Haunted House Island", based on the mini-quest of the same name.
• "Diamond Island", based on "Counterfeit Island".
• "Superman Island", based on "Super Power Island".
• "Battle Island", which had various aspects of Poptropica's multiplayer interactions, such as the Paint war, Hoops, and Pathwise minigames.
Also like Poptropica, a book series based on BoKe Travelog (called "Mystery Island Adventures") was released, featuring stories unrelated to the in-game islands. The game was ultimately shutdown on December 22nd, 2013 according to a news post on the site: while the post does not state why it was shutdown, it emphasized that it was a difficult decision to end the game.
BoKe Travelog had eight islands, each one of which was based on an island seen in Poptropica. The islands were:
• "Potato Island", based on "24 Carrot Island".
• "Octopus Island", based on "Shark Tooth Island".
• "BoKe Island", based on "Early Poptropica Island".
• "Time Tangled Island", based on the island of the same name.
• "Haunted House Island", based on the mini-quest of the same name.
• "Diamond Island", based on "Counterfeit Island".
• "Superman Island", based on "Super Power Island".
• "Battle Island", which had various aspects of Poptropica's multiplayer interactions, such as the Paint war, Hoops, and Pathwise minigames.
Also like Poptropica, a book series based on BoKe Travelog (called "Mystery Island Adventures") was released, featuring stories unrelated to the in-game islands. The game was ultimately shutdown on December 22nd, 2013 according to a news post on the site: while the post does not state why it was shutdown, it emphasized that it was a difficult decision to end the game.
Company: Cyberdreams
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When the company first started, their original first project was intended to be a side-scrolling action game for PC called "Evolver". However, the game was never actually finished, likely due to the company having very few staff members at the time (the company itself only consisted of president Patrick Ketchum, programmer John Krause, game designer Mike Dawson, and graphic artist Joby Otero).
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According to art director Ikeno "Daigo Ikeno" Metaka, Dragon's Dogma's cover artwork was inspired by the Japanese covers of Dragon Quest, and also Dragon Quest II, because of the pawn placement on that cover. Both covers were illustrated by Akira Toriyama, and this information was revealed after his death was announced in March 2024.
Daigo Ikeno tweet:
https://twitter.com/goidanokei/status/1766244020274200862
Article by a Dragon Ball fan website compiling over 100 tributes to Akira Toriyama:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240401173328/https://www.kamisama.com.br/mais-de-100-homenagens-ao-falecimento-de-akira-toriyama/
https://twitter.com/goidanokei/status/1766244020274200862
Article by a Dragon Ball fan website compiling over 100 tributes to Akira Toriyama:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240401173328/https://www.kamisama.com.br/mais-de-100-homenagens-ao-falecimento-de-akira-toriyama/
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Pixar's higher-ups almost rejected the prospect of including Pixar content in Kingdom Hearts III, as none of them were gamers or knew what Kingdom Hearts is or how popular it was. Theme park creative director Tasha Sounart managed to convince them on how popular Kingdom Hearts is, and pointed out that catering to the series' teen audience lined up with Pixar's desire to be seen as an all-ages film studio instead of simply being perceived as targeting children and their parents alone. Sounart noted that, while the Pixar studio members familiar with Kingdom Hearts did not need to extensively detail the lore to those that weren't except when needed, it was needed to be clarified that the Pixar characters would not be meeting one another, or any other Disney characters aside from Donald and Goofy, as Pixar has an aversion to crossovers and shared universes outside of their signature Easter eggs.
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In an interview with the game's developer Masaaki Nagaura published in STG Gameside #5 in 2011, Nagaura stated that he ended up working with the game's illustrator Tanaka "Tony Taka" Takayuki, because each of their companies were located close to each other, and they were already on friendly terms. Nagaura wanted Takayuki because shoot 'em up's already have a reputation of only being for hardcore players, and he felt that Takayuki's illustrations could help make it appear inviting to a wider, broader audience.
Franchise: Angry Birds
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During development of "The Angry Birds Movie 2", it was decided to break away from the original source material by having the birds and the pigs end their conflict and team up against a greater threat. This was done both in an effort to surprise audiences with a new experience involving the same characters, and as part of an attempt to outdo what was done in the first film thanks to the unprecedented level of freedom that the change made available to them. According to actor Josh Gad, the production team went forward with it not only because they thought the idea was "ingenious", but also because it would be most appropriate given the increasingly polarized political climate at the time, stating:
While not explicitly stated, it's speculated that this change in the story may have also been made in response to theories that its preceding film, "The Angry Birds Movie", contained thinly-veiled political and anti-immigration undertones as an allegory on the European refugee crisis, most notably with the portrayal of the pigs being unintentionally similar to Arab and Muslim terrorist stereotypes. However, it is not likely this was intended by the film's producers as the pigs were actually inspired by the 2009 swine flu epidemic during the original game's development, on top of there being antagonistic, invasive, and explosives-based elements in the pigs and their weaponry dating back to the first game that are crucial to the series' gameplay and story concept, albeit in a less developed state than they are shown in the film.
"The movie has some amazing messaging in it, not the least of which is overcoming differences with people you disagree with in order to find a common ground, which I think speaks to a lot of issues we’re dealing with right now."
While not explicitly stated, it's speculated that this change in the story may have also been made in response to theories that its preceding film, "The Angry Birds Movie", contained thinly-veiled political and anti-immigration undertones as an allegory on the European refugee crisis, most notably with the portrayal of the pigs being unintentionally similar to Arab and Muslim terrorist stereotypes. However, it is not likely this was intended by the film's producers as the pigs were actually inspired by the 2009 swine flu epidemic during the original game's development, on top of there being antagonistic, invasive, and explosives-based elements in the pigs and their weaponry dating back to the first game that are crucial to the series' gameplay and story concept, albeit in a less developed state than they are shown in the film.
General info:
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/interview-angry-birds-2-director-and-producer-on-defying-the-franchises-video-game-origins-178262.html
Josh Gad statement:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/josh-gad-new-cast-additions-political-messages-angry-birds-movie-2-1230727
2010 Ville Heijari interview with pig origin:
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Various/Angry+Birds/news.asp?c=24243
Film trailer review highlighting various political undertone theories:
https://www.vulture.com/2016/05/angry-birds-about-trump-probably-not.html
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/interview-angry-birds-2-director-and-producer-on-defying-the-franchises-video-game-origins-178262.html
Josh Gad statement:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/josh-gad-new-cast-additions-political-messages-angry-birds-movie-2-1230727
2010 Ville Heijari interview with pig origin:
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Various/Angry+Birds/news.asp?c=24243
Film trailer review highlighting various political undertone theories:
https://www.vulture.com/2016/05/angry-birds-about-trump-probably-not.html
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In an interview with the game's composer Yuzo Koshiro published in the Japanese book series Game Maestro in 2001, he clarified that while there were dozens of people on the game's music staff, there were only four main composers actually writing and arranging the music, making them the smallest group within the project (this also included people working on sound effects and voice acting). The main theme of the game was written by composer Mitsuyoshi Takenobu. Koshiro believed Takenobu had "the hardest time of us all" during development as he also helped fine-tune the game's music in line with the programmers and director's requests. Koshiro also mentioned that at the beginning of the project, the offer made to get him on the project was that Takenobu would write songs, and Koshiro would orchestrate and arrange them. However, as the project went on, they both went on the opposite direction.
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In Febuary 2024, Monopoly Go! achieved a significant milestone by officially surpassing $2 billion USD in lifetime revenue. Remarkably, this achievement occurred just ten months after the game's launch and a mere three months after reaching the $1 billion mark.
Company: Cyberdreams
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"Reverence" was one of the last announced projects by Cyberdreams, but never made it past the Alpha phase before the company's closure. The game saw the player being chosen by the gods themselves to help determine the future of the human race, whom the gods believed to have grown too apathetic and unjust to live. It was intended to be a first-person shooter game, with the player wielding a variety of guns and spells as they traveled through four different realms to decide the fate of humanity. Each realm was modelled after a real life mythological god, those being Osiris (Egyptian god of the underworld), Kokyangwuti (Hopi goddess of life), Freyja (Norse goddess of love), and Manjursi (Tibetan god of wisdom). While the game itself was cancelled, a playable prototype was leaked in 2015.
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In 2021, as part of a collaboration with the children's yogurt brand Danimals, Sonic Dash added brand mascot Bongo to the game as a playable character, unlocked by scanning a QR code on the back of Sonic Dash-branded Danimals products to download the game. This method could also be used to unlock the "Pirate Sonic" and "Captain Shadow" character variants, which could be earned by collecting all four birthday-themed items on the track, including a Danimals smoothie pack.
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In an interview with the game's producer Katsuhiro Harada published in IGN on September 15th, 2022, Harada was asked about his experience developing a game in Unreal Engine 5 for the first time and some of the more subtle aspects of working with the engine. He responded:
"It's a very difficult question. From a developer's perspective, not just for us, but developers in general in the industry, it's different from the end users' impression, where kind of like an iPhone 4 was being used up until a certain date and then, "Okay, now the iPhone 5 is out, it's awesome, it's brand new, everything works so much better." That's kind of the impression that your average user has when this new Unreal Engine 5 comes out. But in reality, it's not that case at all. It's like it's a continuing process. Obviously, we didn't just start developing a game on UE5. UE5 was announced quite some time ago, but we haven't seen games for it yet.
So we started on UE4 and gradually started porting certain elements of the game over into UE5 and also confirming the results. Like, "Okay, oh wow, the graphic level on this particular area improved greatly." And then other areas as well – the things that are important for a fighting game: the response time…those kind of things are stuff that we've been porting out into the game and then figuring out what to expect in that area as well. And we’ve been working closely with Epic to figure out how to optimize some of those processes for input. So we're just starting and it's going to continue from now on."
So we started on UE4 and gradually started porting certain elements of the game over into UE5 and also confirming the results. Like, "Okay, oh wow, the graphic level on this particular area improved greatly." And then other areas as well – the things that are important for a fighting game: the response time…those kind of things are stuff that we've been porting out into the game and then figuring out what to expect in that area as well. And we’ve been working closely with Epic to figure out how to optimize some of those processes for input. So we're just starting and it's going to continue from now on."
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According to producer Kazuhisa Wada, the addition of the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable was considered during development of Persona 3 Reload, but was ultimately deemed "too time-consuming and expensive" compared to remaking "The Answer", the epilogue chapter from Persona 3 FES.
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Prior to release, Arc System Works announced that the game would feature twenty characters as paid DLC for the game's first season, meaning that the game would launch with only half of its planned roster. This prompted backlash from fans, who pointed out that the game reused assets from past fighting games and that half of Team RWBY would be sold separately while the other half was in the base game. In response, Toshimichi Mori announced that the remaining Team RWBY members (Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long) would be free of charge, and that the costs for the characters would not exceed that of the game's base retail cost.
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On March 8, 2024, a demo for the game was mistakenly released on the PlayStation Store in the United States. It was taken down twenty-five minutes later and rendered unplayable on systems where it had been downloaded if they connected to the internet after the takedown. This was the first time Sony had ever done such an act, with many pointing out that they didn't even do it when P.T., the demo for the cancelled Silent Hills, was removed from the PlayStation Store by Konami.
Article about the demo:
https://www.eurogamer.net/stellar-blade-demo-is-published-then-deleted-from-the-playstation-store
Takedown:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/03/sony-patches-mistakenly-released-stellar-blade-ps5-demo-to-stop-people-from-playing-it
P.T. comparison:
https://www.gamesradar.com/playstation-pulls-stellar-blade-demo-off-consoles-after-the-rpg-was-accidentally-made-available-in-a-move-it-didnt-even-make-for-pt/
https://www.eurogamer.net/stellar-blade-demo-is-published-then-deleted-from-the-playstation-store
Takedown:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/03/sony-patches-mistakenly-released-stellar-blade-ps5-demo-to-stop-people-from-playing-it
P.T. comparison:
https://www.gamesradar.com/playstation-pulls-stellar-blade-demo-off-consoles-after-the-rpg-was-accidentally-made-available-in-a-move-it-didnt-even-make-for-pt/
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On July 26, 2023, developer PerBlue released a poll requesting input on various franchises that were in consideration for inclusion in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode. As of March 2024, the only franchises from the poll to still not be part of the game are "Encanto", "Gravity Falls", "Miraculous Ladybug", "Inspector Gadget", "Amphibia", and "Fantasia". Notably, "Miraculous Ladybug" and "Inspector Gadget" are not actually owned by Disney, but appear to have been considered due to the company having ties to each of them. With "Miraculous Ladybug", Disney finances the show through its French division, giving them broadcasting rights in places such as the United States and select European regions. As for "Inspector Gadget", Disney was involved in the production of the 1999 live-action film based on the series due to owning DIC Entertainment at the time from merging with Capital Cities/ABC.
Initial poll:
https://discourse.disneyheroesgame.com/t/feedback-on-future-heroes/2108168
Fandom article with full list of Heroes:
https://disneyheroesbattlemode.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Heroes
Disney's involvement in "Miraculous Ladybug" (note the article is in French):
https://www.csa.fr/Mes-services/Foire-aux-questions/Informer/Les-chaines-TV/Pourquoi-les-chaines-de-television-doivent-elles-investir-dans-la-production-d-aeuvres-cinematographiques-et-audiovisuelles-francaises-et-europeennes/
Disney's involvement in the "Inspector Gadget" film:
https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/61190?sid=d9547378-f78b-49a3-849f-c315053ce17a&sr=4.67264&cp=1&pos=0
Article about the Disney-ABC merger:
https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/05/business/the-media-business-disney-and-abc-shareholders-solidly-approve-merger-deal.html
https://discourse.disneyheroesgame.com/t/feedback-on-future-heroes/2108168
Fandom article with full list of Heroes:
https://disneyheroesbattlemode.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Heroes
Disney's involvement in "Miraculous Ladybug" (note the article is in French):
https://www.csa.fr/Mes-services/Foire-aux-questions/Informer/Les-chaines-TV/Pourquoi-les-chaines-de-television-doivent-elles-investir-dans-la-production-d-aeuvres-cinematographiques-et-audiovisuelles-francaises-et-europeennes/
Disney's involvement in the "Inspector Gadget" film:
https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/61190?sid=d9547378-f78b-49a3-849f-c315053ce17a&sr=4.67264&cp=1&pos=0
Article about the Disney-ABC merger:
https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/05/business/the-media-business-disney-and-abc-shareholders-solidly-approve-merger-deal.html
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"Sweet Baby Inc detected" Steam Curator list:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44858017-Sweet-Baby-Inc-detected/?appid=1934570
Sweet Baby Inc. front page:
https://sweetbabyinc.com/
General info:
https://kotaku.com/sweet-baby-inc-consulting-games-alan-wake-2-dei-1851312428
Article about the group (note the article is in German):
https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/sweet-baby-inc-detected-steam-kurator-hasskampagne,3409770.html
Accusation of "woke agenda":
https://www.eurogamer.net/spider-man-alan-wake-ridiculous-fishing-devs-speak-up-in-support-of-consultancy-studio-sweet-baby-inc
Employee statement:
https://dotesports.com/general/news/sweet-baby-inc-detected-drama-explained
Steam follower number:
https://www.themarysue.com/sweet-baby-inc-controversy-explained/
Kyle Rowley statement:
https://www.thegamer.com/going-after-alan-wake-2-for-being-woke-really-gives-the-game-away/
Kyle Rowley tweet:
https://twitter.com/TimePirateNinja/status/1764697135344202183
Stacey Henley quote:
https://www.thegamer.com/diversity-consultants-sweet-baby-inc-gaming-worse-live-service/
Curator statement about list purpose:
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/sweetbabyinc-detected/discussions/0/4302697419069965949/
Employee complaints:
https://thatparkplace.com/sweet-baby-inc-employee-begs-followers-to-report-steam-curator-that-tracks-sweet-baby-inc-s-involvement-in-video-games/
Zoë Quinn and Maya Felix Kramer DDoS tweets that were mentioned in the above article but not actually linked:
https://twitter.com/legobutts/status/439565200576892928
https://twitter.com/UnburntWitch/status/439565409780383744
https://twitter.com/UnburntWitch/status/439565723996655616
Steam Curator About page:
https://store.steampowered.com/about/curators/
Chris Kindred account limit and archived reaction:
https://thatparkplace.com/sweet-baby-inc-employee-who-tried-to-cancel-gamer-over-boycott-list-gets-x-account-limited/
Curator Steam Support tweet:
https://twitter.com/kabrutusrambo/status/1765907696887173127
Curator Steam Support community post:
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/sweetbabyinc-detected/announcements/detail/4128183566040620693
Article about claims of Sweet Baby's extent of their involvement:
https://thatparkplace.com/sweet-baby-inc-misinformation-campaign-about-how-much-influence-the-company-has-quickly-gets-exposed/
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League end credits with Sweet Baby section:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxWTfD9CHtQ#t=4475
Alan Wake II Game Developer article:
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/why-remedy-entertainment-went-all-in-on-saga-anderson-in-i-alan-wake-2-i-
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44858017-Sweet-Baby-Inc-detected/?appid=1934570
Sweet Baby Inc. front page:
https://sweetbabyinc.com/
General info:
https://kotaku.com/sweet-baby-inc-consulting-games-alan-wake-2-dei-1851312428
Article about the group (note the article is in German):
https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/sweet-baby-inc-detected-steam-kurator-hasskampagne,3409770.html
Accusation of "woke agenda":
https://www.eurogamer.net/spider-man-alan-wake-ridiculous-fishing-devs-speak-up-in-support-of-consultancy-studio-sweet-baby-inc
Employee statement:
https://dotesports.com/general/news/sweet-baby-inc-detected-drama-explained
Steam follower number:
https://www.themarysue.com/sweet-baby-inc-controversy-explained/
Kyle Rowley statement:
https://www.thegamer.com/going-after-alan-wake-2-for-being-woke-really-gives-the-game-away/
Kyle Rowley tweet:
https://twitter.com/TimePirateNinja/status/1764697135344202183
Stacey Henley quote:
https://www.thegamer.com/diversity-consultants-sweet-baby-inc-gaming-worse-live-service/
Curator statement about list purpose:
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/sweetbabyinc-detected/discussions/0/4302697419069965949/
Employee complaints:
https://thatparkplace.com/sweet-baby-inc-employee-begs-followers-to-report-steam-curator-that-tracks-sweet-baby-inc-s-involvement-in-video-games/
Zoë Quinn and Maya Felix Kramer DDoS tweets that were mentioned in the above article but not actually linked:
https://twitter.com/legobutts/status/439565200576892928
https://twitter.com/UnburntWitch/status/439565409780383744
https://twitter.com/UnburntWitch/status/439565723996655616
Steam Curator About page:
https://store.steampowered.com/about/curators/
Chris Kindred account limit and archived reaction:
https://thatparkplace.com/sweet-baby-inc-employee-who-tried-to-cancel-gamer-over-boycott-list-gets-x-account-limited/
Curator Steam Support tweet:
https://twitter.com/kabrutusrambo/status/1765907696887173127
Curator Steam Support community post:
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/sweetbabyinc-detected/announcements/detail/4128183566040620693
Article about claims of Sweet Baby's extent of their involvement:
https://thatparkplace.com/sweet-baby-inc-misinformation-campaign-about-how-much-influence-the-company-has-quickly-gets-exposed/
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League end credits with Sweet Baby section:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxWTfD9CHtQ#t=4475
Alan Wake II Game Developer article:
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/why-remedy-entertainment-went-all-in-on-saga-anderson-in-i-alan-wake-2-i-
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BlazBlue: Central Fiction is the first title in the BlazBlue series to not feature an English dub for its international release. According to Aksys Games, this was done to ensure that the game would release sooner, as they would have had to delay the game by six-to-eight months if they tried to add an English dub. This lead to a fan petition to try and convince Aksys to either delay the game or add an English dub as DLC, which even included support from various actors involved with the BlazBlue series, such as Patrick Seitz (the English voice of series protagonist Ragna the Bloodedge).