Crytek announced it's developing a new project for its beloved Crysis series — the latest early-stage announcement by gaming companies to recruit developers and open up their process.

Why it matters: The typically secretive video game industry is becoming more amenable to announcing projects earlier.

• Developers can and do use these early reveals as a hiring push; Crytek’s announcement to develop Crysis 4 includes a call for developers to join their team.
• It’s a strategy that’s becoming more common, as seen with games like Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell remake or Electronic Arts’ recently announced Star Wars games.

The details: Very few.

• “Right now the game is in the early stages of development so it will be a while yet,” said Crytek CEO Avni Yerli. It’s been almost 10 years since the last game in the series, Crysis 3.
• The announcement arrived alongside a splashy teaser trailer featuring no gameplay, just a reveal of Crysis 4’s existence.
• The game leaked ahead of its official announcement, after an image from Crytek China was posted online.

The big picture: Game announcements require meticulous planning, whether they arrive with game trailers, in-depth details or just a social media push.

• Just yesterday, Activision Blizzard announced a new survival game without so much as a title attached.
• And consider developers such as BioWare, which announced a new Mass Effect during 2020’s Game Awards and have yet to offer details on the ongoing project.

The timing of these announcements depends on a variety of factors. First, it’s a marketing campaign, a way to drum up hype among the community.

• New game announcements can also drive interest to studios and increase morale — a big deal for companies like the embattled Activision Blizzard, where the workforce has endured internal and external turmoil for months and had its reputation sullied.
• Early announcements can also be risky. Nintendo’s 2017 Metroid 4 announcement, and the lack of subsequent information on its release, has led to backlash as fans continue to wait for the game.

What’s next: It’s unlikely we’ll hear news about the game anytime soon. Early development means there are likely years left to go on the project, the plans for which may change drastically from now to then.

Activision Blizzard will not recognize the union formed by workers at Raven Software, leading employees to file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to legally push forward.

Why it matters: If the election favors union support, Activision Blizzard is required to bargain with employees in the unit, or violate fair labor practices.

Driving the news: Studio head Brian Raffel sent an email to staff that "the parties could not reach an agreement," by yesterday's deadline, a statement echoed to Axios via an Activision Blizzard spokesperson.

• "We are deeply disappointed that Raven Software and Activision Blizzard refused to uplift workers rights by choosing to not voluntarily recognize our union in spite of our supermajority support," tweeted the Game Workers Alliance.
• "This was an opportunity for Activision Blizzard to show a real commitment setting new and improved standards for workers. Instead, Activision Blizzard has chosen to make a rushed restructuring announcement to try and hinder our right to organize."
• The petition does not guarantee the election; the NLRB must deem the union qualified.

An Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Axios that "the recognition of any union entity, no matter department or position, will fundamentally alter how work is done in Raven."

• "With this in mind, we believe all employees at the studio should be allowed to participate in a union vote and have a voice."
• "The agreement we initially proposed would have allowed the whole studio to vote in the near term, and the door is still open for future discussions."

Between the lines: Numbers are key here. Thirty-four quality assurance employees at Raven have voted to form a union of the QA employees. While the union says that represents a "supermajority" of Raven's QA employees, it's only a fraction of its workforce of 346.

• To win recognition, a majority of Raven employees within the unionizing department must vote in favor of it in a formal vote sanctioned by the NLRB, otherwise, the bid fails and the company remains without a union.
• Opening up the vote to all of Raven's employees could jeopardize the vote if a majority of employees are against it.

Adding to the intrigue: Raven announced this week it would spread members of its QA department across the company, a move organizers say is "nothing more than a tactic to thwart Raven QA workers who are exercising their right to organize.”

What's next: The NLRB will determine whether workers can hold an election, which could trigger a vote by employees.

• "If filed, the company will respond formally to that petition promptly," an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Axios.
• If successful, the election would be the first of its kind among North American developers.

Sales for Valve's handheld, the Steam Deck, begin Feb. 25 for those who pre-ordered.

The details: Valve will start by sending order emails to its reservation holders, who then have three days to buy before their reservation is canceled and passed to the next person.

• Those units are expected to ship Feb. 28; reservation deposits will be applied to the final total cost.
• "...We plan to release new order email batches on a weekly cadence," Valve said in a news release, adding that "in the meantime we're working to tie up the last few loose ends and polish some rough edges."

Catch up quick: Valve announced its portable gaming PC last July, a Switch-like handheld with a 7-inch touchscreen and specs that appear worthy of PC titles.

• The handheld was originally expected to launch in December before being delayed in November.

☄️ Halo Infinite is the series' biggest launch so far with more than 20 million players.

❄️ PlayStation Plus' February games are EA Sports UFC 4, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure, and Planet Coaster: Console Edition.

🎮 Activision Blizzard intends to release its next three Call of Duty games on PlayStation and Xbox, despite Microsoft's impending acquisition of the company, Bloomberg reports.

• Pokémon Legends: Arceus breathes new life into Pokémon (Andrew Webster, The Verge)

For years there has been a paradox at the heart of the Pokémon series. Each game is a story about discovery, where players venture into a strange new world in search of monsters to uncover and collect. At the same time, the franchise has evolved slower than a low-level Magikarp, introducing features so gradually that long-time players generally already know what to expect when the next release comes out...Which is what makes Pokémon Legends: Arceus so refreshing: it’s genuinely surprising.

A surprise update from No Man's Sky creator Hello Games that has nothing to do with No Man's Sky: the studio has released remasters of its Joe Danger series for iOS.

• Joe Danger is a side-scroller where players guide the titular daredevil through stunts and obstacles — it's simple, silly and an easy choice for a mobile game.
• "Joe helped our studio get a foothold and establish ourselves as a company, but it’s also where we learned to make games," said Hello Games founder Sean Murray in a prepared statement. "... It’s always been a secret shame of ours that the success of No Man’s Sky left Joe Danger unloved."