News hit this week that Alec Baldwin is going to be promoting the ten year anniversary of Words With Friends from this autumn.
The accompanying photo of him playing a definitely-real game against Bernard Kim, Zynga’s President of Publishing, is enjoyably basic. But the photo of Bernard Kim? Brace yourself.
His profile on the Zynga website doesn’t mention it, but I refuse to believe that he wasn’t a game show host in a former life. And if he wasn’t? What a waste.
Back to Baldwin though, let’s see what he’s got to say for himself: “I have been playing Words With Friends for nearly a decade, on soundstages, in greenrooms, and on airplanes. It’s great to play a game that engages your intellect and your social side simultaneously – that’s why I spelled ‘Y-E-S’ when Zynga asked me to get involved.”
Lovely stuff. He’s a legitimate gaming choice though, as this story involving Galaga from his troubled ’80s period demonstrates. “I need you to get that key and open the f-ing door and let me in. I got to play Galaga.”
We can’t avoid a quick mention of the Fortnite World Cup. So here’s Bugha, AKA 16-year-old Kyle Giersdorf, who won $3m last Sunday.
Literally everything – positive and negative, founded and unfounded – has been said about it in the specialist and mainstream press over the last week. All there is to say about the photo is that is an entirely justified expression to pull in the situation. Fair play.
Finally, new offices! Red Kite Games this week, who have moved from Huddersfield to Leeds after their acquisition by Sumo Digital.
That’s Park Row House, which does look very nice. But it would be even nicer to see inside, wouldn’t it? Oh well, can’t have everything.
Incidentally, we featured Sumo Digital’s offices in our old Street Viewtiful series back in 2013. Since then it seems that they’ve replaced the sumo wrestler on the front of their building with a giant robot though. Shame.