[PATREON UNLOCK] Update Patch - March 2025

Update Patch News Roundup (09/03/25)

Welcome back to another Update Patch, where we provide some of the news from the past week in the constantly moving world of video games.

Split Fiction Takes Gaming World By Storm

Starting with something positive, Split Fiction was released on March 6, 2025. Developed by the Sweden-based Hazelight Studios, this game takes you on a comedic and intense adventure with Zoe and Mio, two contrasting authors stuck working together as they try to survive worlds of their own creation. As reviews roll out, Split Fiction is being hailed as one of the best co-op games in years. Hazelight Studios is well known for its co-op adventure titles, such as A Way Out and the award-winning It Takes Two. Split Fiction is shaping up to be one of the year's highest-rated games, sitting at a 91 on Metacritic and 90 on OpenCritic, and has already eclipsed the studio’s last games highest peak Steam concurrent players, hitting 200,000 active users on the Friday after its release. 

Hidden Variable Sues Autumn Games For $1.2m

Onto something a bit more dystopian, Hidden Variable, the second studio to helm the Skullgirls franchise, has begun a lawsuit against Autumn Games. The studio is suing the publisher for $1.23 million in missed payments. Hidden Variable released a statement on social media, stating that it will no longer be involved in the active development of the franchise. Despite this, Autumn Games has said there will continue to be updates for the Skullgirls games. How that will go ahead with no development studio is unclear, and we can only hope that the staff of Hidden Variable get the well-deserved money back from Autumn Games.

Hidden Variable had worked on the Skullgirls franchise for over 10 years, where the developers created Skullgirls Mobile and brought the franchise to newer audiences across a multitude of platforms. 

PS5 Rentals Become A Thing

In a peculiar turn of events, those in the UK can now rent a PlayStation 5. However, the UK isn’t the first to experiment with this sort of model, as this was first debuted in Japan on February 28 to coincide with the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds.  The PS5 rental service is currently fully booked across 400 stores in Japan, as reported by Eurogamer.

Beyond just loaning out consoles, Sony’s website will now let you rent multiple items through the website, from a PlayStation 5 Pro, Digital, and even the PlayStation VR2. Should you decide to lease a console, you can do so for a 12, 24, or even 36-month term contract. Alternatively, there is the option to rent them on a monthly basis. As consoles get pricier, this may prove to be a very beneficial option for those who want to experience a handful of current-gen exclusive games without sinking a ton of money into purchasing a new console. 

Acclaim Is Back From The Dead

One of the most prolific gaming publishers of the '80s has been resurrected from the dead. For those who may be unfamiliar, Acclaim was responsible for publishing incredibly popular titles such as home console versions of Mortal Kombat, the Turok series, and countless licensed products varying in quality from NBA Jam to WWF Warzone, for example. The publisher then went bankrupt and folded in 2004. However, a new group of executives purchased the trademark and relaunched it with notable wrestling personality Jeff Jarrett on the board. 

Acclaim Entertainment will now be focusing on publishing indie games and working to revive “classic IP,” in the future. Considering the company’s history of having published some beloved titles in the past, there are high hopes that this new Acclaim will go on to do the same. (No pressure.)

Yet MORE Layoffs 

There’s something really horrific about the fact that layoffs have become a norm, that people have just become desensitised to it. People flip-flop between being angry to just plain exhausted, and can you blame them? We’re only in the third month of the year, and an estimated 1,383 people have been laid off across a multitude of companies, both big and small. At the time of writing, the most recent layoffs took place on March 5, 2025, with layoffs taking place at PlayStation Visual Arts and PlayStation Malaysia. Both of which were support studios for many PlayStation first-party games. However, after the cancellation of both Bluepoint’s reported God Of War Multiplayer game and Sony Bend’s next project, it seems to have become clear that PlayStation had no more need for some of its workforce.

In addition to layoffs, there are nonstop studio closures in an industry that still makes billions in revenue each year. While that may be the case, those responsible for the successes of award-winning games and hidden gems across the globe aren’t treated with the respect and love they deserve. Instead, studios are being closed, despite high reviews and revenue. Most recently is the alleged closure of Ballistic Moon, the studio that just last year released a remake of Until Dawn. This closure is currently up in the air, but sources have reported that all developers have been laid off from the studio, with only the management remaining.

Killing Floor 3 Has Been Delayed

This week, Tripwire Interactive announced that Killing Floor 3 will be delayed to later in the year, just weeks before the title’s planned launch. 

The studio also announced that those who are unhappy with this news can also seek a refund from the retailer they purchased it from, as Tripwire Interactive has assured players that the game will be released on an “undetermined date” later in 2025. 

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Announced

Get ready to crack out your virtual skateboards, as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is on the way, as announced earlier this week. This remake is being developed by Iron Galaxy and is set to launch in July, when it will also be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one. This was news that people were expecting for quite a while, as it seemed pretty obvious to dedicated fans that the news was on the way. Activision has released a lengthy blog post detailing the new features that will be in the game.

For those die-hard Tony Hawk fans, there is also a pretty fantastic Collector’s Edition up for grabs, where you can get a real skate deck to practice your tricks and become a skating legend. 

BAFTA Game Awards Nominations Revealed As Astro Bot Continues Its Award Season Sweep

There have been a lot of awards handed out to Astro Bot since its release, with it winning eighteen awards thus far, and it is still awaiting the results of upcoming award ceremonies where it will potentially net even more. One of these award ceremonies is the BAFTA Game Awards, where the nominations list was recently revealed, with Astro Bot and Black Myth: Wukong netting the most nominations through the entire list. 

The longlist originally included 247 games, but it has now been whittled down to the finalists for the awards across 17 different categories. There are plenty of familiar names on there, such as Balatro, Helldivers 2, and Thank Goodness You’re Here! and the winners will be announced a live show in London at The Queen Elizabeth Hall on the 8th of April.

Update Patch News Roundup (16/03/25)

Welcome back to another Update Patch. This week feels like it has been comparatively quieter than previous weeks, but it has seen the release of a new Silent Hill f trailer, which has already created a lot of buzz, and there were several other notable stories floating around in the run up to GDC next week. 

Let’s dive into the Update Patch, shall we?

Ashly Burch Speaks Out on ‘AI Aloy’

Ashly Burch, best known for her roles as Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West and Tiny Tina in Borderlands, has spoken out about the recent video that surfacied showcasing an AI Aloy. The leaked video is an internal video showing a  Sony employee talking to the version of Aloy on screen. Burch has spoken out about this, saying that she saw it, and Guerilla contacted her to say that the “demo didn’t reflect anything that was actively in development.” 

Sony didn’t use her facial or voice data for Aloy. That being said, Burch did express her concern about “Game performance as an art form,” mentioning the current SAG-AFTRA strikes. 

Unfortunately, as the weeks pass, more and more AI companies are getting funding from some major names in the games industry.

Silent Hill f Trailer

One of the most exciting things to happen in gaming this week was a Silent Hill Transmission stream on Friday, March 14. The stream revealed a new trailer for the upcoming horror game, which takes players to 1960s Japan in a remote mountain town called Ebisugaoka. 

The trailer is very reminiscent of the Fatal Frame series, and I can safely say that the game has quickly become one of my most anticipated upcoming releases. The Hong Kong-based NeoBards Entertainment is the developer behind this title, which has previously worked on games like Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster, Resident Evil Re:Verse, and Resistance, and acted as a support studio on games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Marvel’s Avengers. While the legendary Ryukishi07is stepping up as the writer for Silent Hill f. He is the creator of my favorite series, Higurashi: When They Cry, and I can’t wait to see how this pans out.

Control 2 Officially In Full Production

Control 2 being worked on isn’t that surprising, as it surfaced a while ago that Remedy was working on the game. However, Remedy Entertainment has officially confirmed in its annual report that the title is now in full production alongside FBC: Firebreak, a co-op game set in the Control universe. 

Remedy Entertainment definitely has its hands full with projects, as the studio is also working on the Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake in full production as well. Control 2 was hinted at heavily in the  Alan Wake 2: The Lake House DLC, but everyone can celebrate now, as it’s another step closer to release.

Star Wars Hunters Closing Down

Unfortunately, seeing another live service game closed down isn’t surprising. In recent months, both XDefiant and MultiVersus have been confirmed to be shuttered, and Star Wars Hunters is the latest to join the roster. After being out for just under a year, Zynga’s already confirmed that the game will be sunsetted on October 1st. Until then, there will be one final content update coming in April. 

Scopely Buys Pokemon GO

In a controversial move, Pokemon GO was sold by Niantic to Scopely for a price of $3.5 billion. Scopely is already a relatively controversial company to those who enjoy mobile games, mainly due to the number of microtransactions that are peddled in its games. For example, opening Monopoly Go on any given day will see you be hit with at least three pop-ups as soon as you open the game, before you even get to do anything.

Scopely is also owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) group which is controlled and operated by the Saudi Ardian government and funded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who oversaw the targeted assassination of Jamāl Aḥmad Khāshqujī - a journalist critical of the state’s many human rights violations - in 2018.

The good news is that Scopely will absorb all staff working in Niantic’s gaming teams. 

Steam Spring Sale is A-Go!

It’s the most dangerous time of the year for your wallet. The Steam sale is here, and you can find yourself getting some deep discounts. This includes Undertale being available for under a pound. There are a lot of major titles that are seeing historical sales for the first time, too. 

I can only wish you luck wading through the quality and quantity of games that you could purchase in the Steam Spring Sale. The sale will conclude on March 20, 2025, so make sure to make your purchases before then!

Update Patch News Roundup (24/03/25)

It’s time for another update patch, where the week saw the highly-anticipated release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the first reviews for inZOI.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Shaping Up To Be Huge Success

While some may not be surprised, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is proving to be a huge success in its first week of release. Ubisoft posted that the game already has over 2 million players and a “Very positive” review rating on Steam. With its success, the game has already surpassed Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey concurrent players record on Steam also,  which were two major successes for Ubisoft.

Silent Hill f Rejected And Unrejected For Rating In Australia

It looked like Silent Hill f had been “refused classification” in Australia this weekend. This would have meant that those living there may not ever get to see the release of the new title in their country. Australia is very strict on content containing drug use and abuse of minors. So, with the lengthy list of triggers that Konami revealed, it wasn't too surprising to see Australia go ahead and block the game's release in the country.

Update 24/03/2025: In a statement made to Eurogamer, the Australian Classification Board stated that the Refused Classification (RC) rating was published in error on the database. The information has since been removed from the database, with the Australian Classification Board stating that a classification will be made ahead of the game’s release.

EU Bans Use Of Virtual Currencies To Hide Price of In-Game Purchases

The EU is sick and tired of games using virtual currencies to disguise the true price of in-game purchases. It’s commonly seen across many games that include microtransactions that you have to purchase a game’s special virtual currency to buy anything from the in-game shop. By doing this, it often means that items sound cheaper than they are, and leads to people racking up some pretty hefty in-game spending.

While adults are completely in charge of their spending in games, children are more likely to fall victim to the currencies and want to purchase new sparkly things in games. Now, we just need the rest of the world to follow suit.

inZOI Reviews Released, Hefty PCs Required

For those who had the opportunity to review inZOI, the praises for the new life simulation game are strong. However, if you are someone who has been wanting to jump ship from The Sims to a new life sim on your work laptop, you may have to think again.

The minimum requirements are somewhat standard for today’s releases, but if you want to experience the game in all of its shiny details, you’re going to need somewhat of a supercomputer to run it. inZOI is a title runs on Unreal Engine 5, a tool that is notorious for laggy and stuttering games on PC (ex. Silent Hill 2). 

Full Playthrough of Until Dawn’s PS3 Prototype Releases

A full playthrough of Until Dawn’s PS3 prototype has surfaced on YouTube, where the game initially utilised the PlayStation Move controllers. Through the video, you can see the dated visuals, with some placeholder voiceovers. 

Comparing it to the Until Dawn that was released, the changes are surprisingly not that many. The prototype version of the game follows the same storyline and features pretty much the same cast as that from the original. 

Update Patch News Roundup (31/03/25)

Welcome back to the final Startmenu Update Patch of the month. Already, we are four months into 2025, and a lot has happened across the gaming sphere. From record-breaking launches to even more layoffs, it’s mixed emotions all round. 

Let’s dive into the Update Patch, shall we?

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Surpasses 3 Million Players

Assassin’s Creed Shadows was mainly slated as controversial by the alt-right culture warriors, and while there were some legitimate concerns about how inaccurate the history was and the problematic merchandise that Ubisoft announced, which was then shortly taken down, it seems none of these factors have slowed down its huge launch. 

Despite all of the issues coming up before its release, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has already surpassed 3 million players and outselling  Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at launch and only tracking behind the mid-pandemic release of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

inZOI Hits #1 40 Minutes After Early Access Launch

inZOI is said to be the next life sim game and has the potential to push The Sims out of the limelight and be everything that life simulation gamers enjoy. Released in Early Access on March 28, inZOI soared to the top of the Global Best Sellers chart on Steam just 40 minutes after its Early Access launch.

Thus far, reviews are mostly positive, with some reviewers and players complaining about the lack of content at launch and the high specification requirements of the game. It seems that the fact that the game utilises generative AI isn’t too much of an issue for the fanbase, with many willing to gloss over that issue for a more realistic simulation experience.

Cyan Worlds Lays Off Half of Team

Over the weekend, it was announced that Cyan Worlds, the team behind Riven and Myst has laid off half of its team. It was announced on social media, where despite the company’s best efforts to avoid laying off staff, it was unfortunately inevitable. 

Cyan Worlds is also looking to secure financing for its next project so that it can work on restabilising the studio and produce quality games. 

Live Action Zelda Film Release Date Announced

A live-action Legend of Zelda film has the potential to be phenomenal, but depending on casting and storytelling, it also has the potential to go very wrong. Revealed on the Nintendo Today app, the upcoming film is slated for release on 26 March 2027.

Casting rumours for the Wes Ball-directed flick are already in full swing, with some jesting that Tom Holland may be cast as Link, with others hoping that Hunter Schafer will be taking on the role of Zelda. 

Tomodachi Life Revived

A beloved game by Nintendo fans, one that many thought was long gone, was announced in the most recent Nintendo Direct. Finally, Tomodachi Life fans can rejoice with the announcement of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, which is set to release at some point in 2026.

Tomodachi Life was first released in the EU on June 6, 2014, on the 3DS. There hasn’t been another game in the franchise since then, aside from similar titles such as Miitopia and Miitomo. This was a major announcement in the Nintendo Direct that shocked many, getting to see a decade-old franchise revitalised.

Nintendo Today App Launched

One of the most bizarre announcements to come out of the Nintendo Direct was the new app that people could download, named Nintendo Today. This would provide people with a calendar where they could track all of the upcoming news for Nintendo, as well as any smaller announcements that were going to be made.

It features animated calendars from some of Nintendo’s most famous franchises, as well as fun facts about Nintendo game characters, videos, and comic strips to enjoy.