Video game industry veteran Rebecca “Burger” Heineman passed away on Nov 17 after battling cancer. She was 62.
Her contributions to the industry were both numerous and significant. At just 17, she became the first-ever eSports champion in one of the earliest competitive titles of the 1980s – Space Invaders.
In 1983, she co-founded Interplay Productions with Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, and Troy Worrell. The studio went on to publish iconic series such as Wasteland, The Bard’s Tale, Fallout, and Baldur’s Gate, along with ports of the cinematic adventure classic Out of This World.
Heineman was also celebrated for her technical mastery. Among her most notable achievements was porting Doom to the underpowered 3DO console in just 10 weeks – a feat that would have taken many programmers half a year or more.
Rest in peace, Burger Becky, and thank you for everything you gave the world of games.
Short beats
The Game Awards 2025 has nominated the following titles for Game of the Year: Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
Kakuchopurei is part of The Game Awards 2025 jury, representing one of the Southeast Asian voices in the selection process.
Malaysian game store chain Impulse Gaming will be opening its new IOI City Mall branch on Nov 22 and 23.
MiHoYo, creators of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, has unveiled a new third-person open-world action title called Varsapura.
TiGames, the team behind F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch, has announced a new action title, Zoopunk.
Poncle, creator of Vampire Survivors, is developing a first-person deck-building spin-off titled Vampire Crawlers, slated for 2026. A full sequel to Vampire Survivors is also in production.
Sales of Street Fighter 6 have surpassed six million copies worldwide.
Op-ed
Kakuchopurei has released a video discussing this year’s Game Awards nominees along with several noteworthy omissions.
Games out this week
Demonschool is a tactics role-playing game inspired by 90s JRPGs and Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei: Persona era. As demon hunter and student Faye, you’ll team up with a group of misfits to battle demons and survive school life.
Kirby’s Air Riders is a new 3D racing title from Nintendo featuring Kirby and friends as they race and brawl across colourful tracks. Exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.
Neon Inferno is a 2D indie run-and-gun and gallery-shooter hybrid launching on PC and consoles.
Forestrike is a martial arts roguelite starring a fighting master with the “Foresight” ability, allowing players to test outcomes before committing to real battles. Out on PC.
Kingdoms of the Dump is a Super Nintendo-style JRPG set in a fantasy realm of rubbish. Created by two janitors, it follows Trash Can Knight and an eccentric band of garbage folk through the Five and a Half Kingdoms of the Dump. Available on PC.
Marvel’s Deadpool VR brings the Merc with a Mouth to Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S in a new first-person hack-and-slash adventure featuring kidnappings, chaos, and Mojo World mayhem.
The Gamera DLC for Malaysia-made kaiju brawler Gigabash is out now, adding two characters – Gamera (2025 version) and Guiron – from the recent Gamera Rebirth anime series. Watch the trailer here.
Recommended viewing
The Golden Joystick Awards 2025 celebrates the creators and works that shaped the industry this past year. Watch the full ceremony here.
