[PATREON UNLOCK] Update Patch - October 2024

Update Patch News Round-up (05/10/24)

Death Stranding 2 Gets Its Own Alan Wake 2-Style Music Video

New footage for Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding sequel was shared during this year’s Tokyo Game Show, including a music video featuring the new character of Dollman. According to Kojima Productions’ Twitter account, the video will be available as an “in-game event”, perhaps as something you can freely watch multiple times. While comparisons to Alan Wake 2’s own song and dance number are obvious, this one is much shorter and I wouldn’t put it past Kojima to have already wanted this in his game long before Herald of the Darkness took off. Combined with a photo shoot mode featuring a few of Death Stranding 2’s female cast members, the game promises to be as unapologetically Kojima as you would expect.

Multiple Activision Blizzard TV Projects At Netflix Bungled Thanks To Lawsuit

During a Reddit AMA to discuss his new book, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier revealed that Activision Blizzard originally had plans for Netflix shows based on its Overwatch, Diablo, and Starcraft franchises. Given the success of the likes of Castlevania and Arcane, an Overwatch show alone could’ve done numbers, but sadly it was not to be. While Schreier didn’t give an exact reason for why these projects never went anywhere, he did point people towards a 2020 Variety report on ActiBlizz suing Netflix for poaching the former’s chief financial officer Spencer Neumann.

Tony Hawk Himself Sparks Hope For A New Pro Skater Game

In an Instagram post celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Pro Skater series, Tony Hawk suggested there are still plans for the franchise despite no formal announcement by Activision. “I’m not supposed to tease anything else about the future of the series, but there will be a future,” promised Hawk. Ideally, any future for Pro Skater will involve a new game or remakes of Pro Skater 3 and 4. There were, in fact, plans for such remakes according to the Birdman himself in 2022 (via IGN) following the success of the Pro Skater 1 and 2 remakes, but they fell through after developer Vicarious Visions was unceremoniously absorbed into Blizzard.

Epic Games Is Suing Google Yet Again As Well As Samsung

After successfully getting its own Epic Games Store app on Google devices, Epic Games has accused both Google and Samsung of deliberately making it difficult for consumers to install said app. Long story short, Epic already won a lawsuit that meant Google has to now allow third-party app stores on devices that run Android, but Epic alleges Samusung’s auto-block feature, which is enabled by default, affects the EGS app and thus risks putting potential customers off from using it. According to a Verge report, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney claimed the auto-block feature has been “designed to prevent competition,” but he also admitted he’s yet to find any hard evidence of Google and Samsung colluding in this manner.

Pokémon Unite Won’t Say Why It’s Shutting Down In Belgium And The Netherlands, But You Can Probably Guess

 Tencent’s Pokémon MMO, Pokémon Unite, will cease operations in Belgium and the Netherlands in November 2025. While this still gives players in those regions a year or so to keep playing, in-game items will no longer be available for purchase starting from the end of this October. The announcement on the game’s website gives no reason behind this decision, but it most certainly has to do with the two countries’ stricter stances on loot boxes. Belgium banned loot boxes back in 2018 (via BBC), while the Netherlands is seeking a similar crackdown (via Game World Observer).

Sounds Like Hi-Fi Rush Will Have A Little Bit Of An Open World As A Treat 

As part of a wider GamesIndustry.biz interview about Krafton’s acquisition of Tango Gameworks, head of corporate development Maria Park gave a little insight into the eventual Hi-Fi Rush sequel. Since the original game saw some complaints about how it involved a lot of trawling through factories, it sounds like Hi-Fi Rush 2 will offer some more open world elements. “I don't think it's going to be completely open world, but a more dynamic environment [that] you play in,” Park explained. While we’re all thrilled to know the sequel is happening at all, don’t expect to see it any time soon as Krafton has no intentions of rushing it out.

Palworld Still Coming To Mobile In The Face Of Nintendo Lawsuit  

Even with Nintendo’s lawyers coming after it, Pocketpair remains stalwart in its efforts to expand the Palworld IP. Following the game’s recent jump to the PS5, PUBG publisher Krafton has partnered with Pocketpair to also bring Palworld to mobile devices. According to VGC, it’s not clear if it’ll be a straight port of Palworld or a wholly original title, with Krafton only saying it “plans to faithfully reinterpret and implement the original’s main fun elements to fit the mobile environment.” It seems Pocketpair isn’t too unperturbed by Nintendo’s legal threats to slow down its expansion.

Nintendo Swiftly Kills Another Switch Emulator Seven Months After The Last One

Surprising absolutely no one, Nintendo has cracked down on the Ryujinx emulator, which was used to get Nintendo Switch games running on PC and PC handhelds, like the Steam Deck. In a Discord post shared to the Ryujinx Twitter account, it was explained how the emulator’s creator, gdkchan, was contacted by Nintendo, which asked the project be taken down along with all related assets. The exact details of Nintendo’s message are unclear, but no doubt it involved potential legal action. This comes just seven months or so after the Yuzu Switch emulator met a similar fate.

Games Media Loses Another Real One As PLAY Magazine Announces Final Issue 

UK magazine, PLAY announced that its October issue will be its last, ending its three-year run. Technically, its legacy stretches all the way back to the 90s, before it died in 2016 and was then resurrected in 2021 to replace the PlayStation Official Magazine. Not only is this a tragic loss for print media, but another blow to the games journalism space, which continues to bleed talent amid rampant lay-offs and site closures. This month, GGRecon also announced it would be shutting down, following other websites like iMore and TouchArcade.

Hitman VR Studio Still Releasing Two Games Despite Culling Almost Entire Staff 

Industry layoffs have continued at XR Games, the studio behind Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded. Tragically, as reported by Road to VR, 72 out of 84 employees were let go, which is a whopping 84% of the studio’s staff. Despite such a culling of its workforce, XR Games has assured its Zombie Army VR and Starship Troopers: Continuum titles will still launch. In a statement to Eurogamer, boss Bobby Thandi said, “We want to be able to develop innovative titles for many years to come,” which is some surprising optimism for a studio that’s lost so much experience and talent.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Is Getting Its First Ever AAA Game From The Space Marine 2 Studio

After years of low-budget tie-ins for Nickelodeon’s beloved Avatar franchise, Paramount Game Studios is partnering with Saber Interactive on the IP’s first AAA action-RPG. According to IGN, not much else is really known, but it’s an already intriguing and exciting proposition, especially since it’ll be set thousands of years before the original show, featuring a never-before-seen Avatar. Players “can expect to be immersed in a vibrant world, master all four elements, engage in dynamic combat alongside companions, and experience the challenges and decisions that come with being the keeper of balance in the world,” said Paramount and Saber in a joint statement. Saber recently launched Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 to great success, but it is getting awfully busy since it still has a Jurassic Park game and the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake in the works.

Ubisoft Reportedly Thinking Of Getting Completely Bought Out By Tencent 

Ubisoft has been having a rough few months, with the underwhelming launch of Star Wars: Outlaws and the delay of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows contributing to a 54% drop in the company’s stock this year. Things are apparently looking so grim for Ubisoft that its owners, the Guillemot family, are allegedly thinking of taking the company private. This is according to a Bloomberg report and would see conglomerate Tencent, which owns shares in Ubisoft, buying out the company. There’s no guarantee this will happen, but with how many game studios, big and small, have become subsidiaries of even larger companies, it would hardly be surprising if Ubisoft went through with privatization.

Update Patch News Round-up (12/10/24)

Halo Dev Outlines The Next Chapter Of The Series, With More Games And A Studio Rebrand

Not only has 343 Industries announced multiple new Halo games are in the works, but it is also ditching the studio’s propriety Slipspace Engine for Unreal Engine 5. On top of that, the studio is undergoing some internal restructuring and has even changed its name to simply Halo Studios in order to mark the beginning of a new chapter for the series. “We’re not just going to try [to] improve the efficiency of development, but change the recipe of how we make Halo games,” explained studio head Pierre Hintze. There were concerns about the future of the studio and Halo as a whole following Halo Infinite’s less-than-smooth post-launch life and 343 being affected by layoffs at the beginning of 2023 (via GamesIndustry.biz), however, the studio now says it is hiring up for future projects.

Alleged Nintendo Switch Modder Gets Sued; Dares To Face The Mario Maker In Court

Back in March, Nintendo sued a store called Modded Hardware and its operator, Ryan Daly, for allegedly selling Nintendo Switch modchips. Despite apparently agreeing with Nintendo to stop, Daly has continued to sell modded consoles, which has unsurprisingly prompted the Big N to file a lawsuit (via TorrentFreak). What is surprising is that Daly has bluntly denied Nintendo’s allegations, including being the owner and operator behind Modded Hardware. Given Nintendo’s litigious track record for this sort of thing, Daly is probably fighting a losing battle, especially since he’s yet to hire an attorney at the time of writing.

Alien: Isolation Is Finally Getting Its Well-Deserved Sequel

10 years after the launch of the survival horror game Alien: Isolation, fans were thrilled to hear that a sequel is in the works. Creative Assembly is returning as the developer too, meaning the team gets to take a break from the Total War series, with Sega again on publishing duties. The announcement was made by the original game’s creative director, Al Hope, as part of Alien: Isolation’s 10th anniversary celebrations. He didn’t have any real details to share, but knowledge of its mere existence is enough to make horror fans happy.

Epic Games Wins Its Most Recent Lawsuit Against Google

While the Epic Games/Apple lawsuit was more prominent, the Fortnite company has also been in a lengthy legal battle with Google since 2020. Recently, a judge ruled in Epic’s favour, meaning the Google Play app store is officially considered an illegal monopoly and, according to The Verge, Google must now open up its storefront to third-party apps over the next three years, among other such demands. While the Fortnite maker didn’t get everything it wanted, Epic is considering this a win, with CEO Tim Sweeney saying, “The Epic Games Store and other app stores are coming to the Google Play Store in 2025 in the USA — without Google’s scare screens and Google’s 30% app tax — thanks to victory in Epic v Google.” Sweeney adds that, since the injunction only applies to the US, the legal battle will still continue around the world, while Google will no doubt drag things out further by appealing the verdict.

Sonic Rumble Won’t Have Gacha Mechanics Because Sega Knows People Hate Them

In an interview with Automaton, Sonic Rumble director Makoto Tase confirmed that the upcoming mobile title will not feature anything resembling a gacha mechanic. This was a deliberate choice since both Tase and Sonic series head Takashi Iizuka figured this would help the game perform better in the global market. Tase even said the “starting point” for the game was to ensure it sold globally and “such mechanics tend to be shunned overseas.” While certainly a welcome decision, hopefully, Sonic Rumble doesn’t fall into the same free-to-play pitfalls and demand either endless hours of grinding or a lot of real-world cash for its best rewards.

Paradox Interactive’s Bold New Plan For Winning Back Trust Is By Making Good Games

After a tumultuous 12 months for the company, Paradox Interactive has candidly admitted it’s been fumbling the ball. As part of a wider interview with Eurogamer, deputy CEO Mattias Lilja and chief creative officer Henrik Fåhraeus discussed the studio’s plans for regaining fans’ trust, which involves more open communication with the players and a renewed focus on developing strategy games. Such games are considered the core business, and this decision was likely spurred by the rough development and cancellation of Life By You, a much anticipated Sims competitor, alongside the less-than-stellar release of Cities Skylines 2 and the continued troubled development of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. “You can't release something that isn't quite there, it's going to fade into noise … you have to release high-quality games,” said Fåhraeus.

Red Dead Redemption And Its Zombie Themed DLC Are Finally Coming To PC

Last year, the original Red Dead Redemption saw an updated re-release for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Strangely, there was no sign of a PS5, Xbox Series X/S, or PC release and while the first two remain absent, PC owners can rejoice knowing they’re getting their version. It will obviously include the Undead Nightmare DLC too and a host of enhancements, such as native 4K resolution and support for Ultrawide and Super Ultrawide monitors. More details were shared on Rockstar’s website alongside a trailer, with the PC version coming to Steam, Epic Games Store, and the Rockstar Store on October 29.

After Losing Its Servers, LittleBigPlanet 3 Is Scheduled To Be Delisted

Pour another one out for Sackboy. In a Twitter announcement, it was revealed that LittleBigPlanet 3 will be delisted from the PlayStation Store on October 30, along with all its DLC. While the game will still be available for download for anyone who’s already bought it, this really feels like the end of an era. The first two LittleBigPlanet games had been delisted a long time ago and all three games’ servers have since had their online servers shut down, killing countless community-created levels.

Suda51 And Swery Collab Hotel Barcelona Delayed To 2025

The announcement of a game from the minds of No More Heroes creator Suda51 and Deadly Premonition director Swery was a dream come true for fans of both. Said game, a 2.5D action title called Hotel Barcelona, was meant to be out later this year, but it has unfortunately been pushed back into early 2025. Speaking with Gamereactor, Swery didn’t give any exact reason for the delay, only saying, “Right now, we're bug-checking the game and we want to keep polishing it and making it better.” On the plus side, Gamereactor also shared a chunky gameplay demo, complete with commentary from Swery himself.

Roblox Report Accuses The Game Of Lying About Its Player Numbers

Investment research firm Hindenburg Research has published a meaty report about the Roblox platform and how it has allegedly been inflating key metrics since 2021. It’s a lengthy read, but essentially it claims the people behind Roblox have lied to investors, regulators, and advertisers about how many people are actually using the platform. The report also claims Roblox has failed to keep itself a safe platform for children, describing it as a “paedophile hellscape, exposing children to grooming, pornography, violent content and extremely abusive speech.” This all comes from interviews with former employees, though a statement by Roblox has called the report “misleading” and that the “authors are short sellers and have an agenda irrespective of the substance of Roblox’s business model and results.”

Sega Adds Another Movie Adaptation To Its Slate With Shinobi

Universal Pictures has announced it is collaborating with Sega on a movie based on the Shinobi series of action platformers. So far, the only real details shared (courtesy of Deadline) are that it will be directed by Sam Hargrave (who also did the Extraction films for Netflix), with a screenplay by Ken Kobayashi (whose credits include AppleTV+ series Sunny). While there hasn’t been a Shinobi game since 2011, Sega did reveal a first glimpse at a brand-new entry at The Game Awards 2023. It’s also not the first old-school Sega IP to be getting the cinematic treatment, with movies based on Space Channel 5, Streets of Rage, Eternal Champions, and Comix Zone in development too.

Ex-Humble Games Staff Reunite To Make Their Own Publisher

Remember when the entire staff of Humble Games, the publishing division of Humble Bundle, was laid off in July? Well, some of that staff have got back together to form a new independent publisher called Good Games Group. Ironically, according to a statement published on its website, Good Games Group is partnering with Humble Games owner Ziff Davis to “further support previously released titles.” CEO Alan Patmore, who was one of the former leaders of Humble Games, said, “Partnering with Ziff Davis allows us to continue working with the amazing indie developers we collaborated with at Humble Games, while also allowing us to chart a new course for the future.”

As Fans Beg For A Switch 2 Announcement, Nintendo Offers An Alarm Clock Instead

In classic Nintendo fashion, the company’s newest hardware announcement is not the long-fabled Switch 2, but a Nintendo-themed alarm clock dubbed the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo. Not only does it wake you up with music from select titles like Super Mario Odyssey and Pikmin 4, but it also plays different sound effects based on your movements. Despite its tagline of making “waking up fun”, it frankly sounds hellish; who wants to wake up to the sound of Splatoon gunfire? Still, Nintendo die-hards have already put £90 down for it, with it set to be a timed exclusive for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers until mid-January 2025.

FIFA Is Partnering With Konami For Two Esports Contests

While the FIFA organisation has yet to confirm a new developer for its licensed football games, it has teamed up with Konami for the time being as part of an esports initiative. As laid out in a press release from Konami, two contests - one on consoles and one on mobile - will take place this year and make use of Konami’s eFootball game. This is an ironic turn of fate considering Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer games were the closest thing FIFA had to a rival when the organisation was still partnered with EA. As a reminder, FIFA and EA split in 2022, which is why EA has rebranded its football sims to EA Sports FC.

Grand Theft Hamlet Documentary Is Getting A Cinematic Release

During the COVID-19 lockdown of 2021, a pair of unemployed actors decided to try and hold a performance of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet within Grand Theft Auto Online. Their efforts were filmed as a documentary titled Grand Theft Hamlet and after winning the jury award for Documentary Feature at this year’s SXSW film festival, it’s now coming to cinemas. According to the Hollywood Reporter, it premieres in the UK on October 15th at the BFI London Film Festival, with plans for a wider release in the UK and the US in 2025. You can view a clip of it on YouTube, which highlights the difficulties the two actors face as other players risk disrupting the performance.

Former Disco Elysium Staff Have Formed Not One, But Two New Studios

The saga of Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM is a messy one; one that saw many of the people who made it leaving or being let go, and the sequel being cancelled. From the sound of things, though, those ex-ZA/UM devs are working to give us the next best thing. 12 former staff members have announced a new UK-based studio named Longdue Games, with their first project straight up described as a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium. At the same time, another 20 former ZA/UM staff members announced their own UK-based studio, Dark Math Games,  alongside a detective RPG titled XXX Nightshift that also looks awfully similar to Disco Elysium.

Update Patch News Round-up (19/10/24)

Metaphor: ReFantazio Broke An Atlus Sales Record On Its First Day

Back in February, Persona 3 Reload became the fastest-selling Atlus game ever made, pushing one million sales in less than a week. Eight months later, though, and the company’s new fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio has already pinched the record, managing to sell a million units in its first day according to a Twitter post by Atlus. This is extremely impressive considering it’s a brand new IP with little connection to the Persona brand. Given this success, it’s safe to assume Atlus has a new franchise on its hands so expect at least one sequel and maybe dancing spin-off or two in the future.

Fortnite Pulls The Plug On Rocket Racing Updates After Less Than A Year

Last December, Epic Games announced three new gameplay modes available within Fortnite: survival game Lego Fortnite, Guitar Hero successor Fortnite Festival, and racing game Rocket Racing from Rocket League developer Psyonix. Not even 12 months later and it seems Epic is giving up on that last one as recent patch notes have said Rocket Racing will no longer receive themed updates. Epic had previously said all three gameplay modes were “here to stay with regular updates,” but perhaps Rocket Racing wasn’t attracting enough players to justify supporting it any longer. At least it’s not being shut down and will continue to see “refreshed Ranked periods, renewed Quests, and additional Car items.”

Destiny: Rising Is A New Mobile Spin-off Set In A New Timeline

There has been chatter of a Destiny mobile game for a while, and now it has formally been announced. Bungie has lent the IP to NetEase Games (the Chinese studio responsible for such titles as Diablo Immortal and Marvel Rivals) to make what’s described as an “epic sci-fi RPG shooter” for mobile devices titled Destiny: Rising. Interestingly, Destiny: Rising will take place in an alternate timeline and feature many entirely new characters, perhaps as a way of making it more approachable to newbies and yet still intriguing for established fans. You can get a glimpse of some pre-alpha gameplay in the announcement trailer and pre-register for a closed alpha test happening in November on the game’s website.

Wait, There’s Yet Another Studio Carrying On Disco Elysium’s Legacy

Not long after two new studios were formed by former ZA/UM staff, a third has popped up that’s being helmed by Argo Tuulik, one of the senior writers on Disco Elysium. Named Summer Eternal, this one is also making a spiritual successor to ZA/UM’s hit RPG though no real info has been shared. In a statement to IGN, Tuulik confirmed this new title will be an RPG as well, albeit one with “a completely new setting and story with new mechanics.” Aside from Tuulik, his new studio employs fellow writer Olga Moskvina and voice actor Lenval Brown, the man behind Disco Elysium’s iconic narration.

Disastrous Game Freak Hack Sees Thousands Of Confidential Info Appear Online

Pokémon developer Game Freak suffered a serious data breach; one that resulted in an enormous legally obtained data leaked. We obviously won’t be sharing any of the exact details, but it includes behind-the-scenes info on certain Pokémon games and allegedly even the source code for Pokémon Legends Z-A and the unannounced Generation 10 games. While some fans have excitedly lapped all this info up, it’s come at the cost of over 2,000 pieces of private employee info being spread online as well. In a statement (via VGC), Game Freak apologised for the breach and assured it would contact affected employees.

Bandai Namco Reportedly Cancels Several Projects As It Pushes Employees To Quit

In the wake of the successful launch of Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, publisher Bandai Namco has allegedly taken steps to reduce its staff. According to Bloomberg, due to Japan’s strict employment laws, instead of making employees redundant Bandai Namco has been sending workers to empty rooms with nothing to do so that they’ll resign of their own volition. Bloomberg claims this has already led to almost 100 resignations, but Bandai Namco has denied any such practice. The report also says a number of titles have been cancelled at the company, including games based on One Piece and Naruto, plus a contract project with Nintendo.

PlayStation Concert Is Going On Tour In 2025

Sony appears to have noticed there’s money to be made in video game concerts as it’s announced the aptly titled PlayStation: The Concert. It will kick off its world tour in Dublin, Ireland on April 19, 2025, before going on to visit over 200 cities across the world. While it promises to reflect the PlayStation brand’s 30-year history, the line-up of represented games so far only includes modern IPs like God of War and The Last of Us (and you know games like Ape Escape and Gravity Rush won’t get so much as a mention). Tickets are already available through the concert’s official website.

Legendary Composer Nobuo Uematsu Is Stepping Back From Making Full Video Game Soundtracks

In a promotional video for the upcoming Fantasian: Neo Dimension, composer Nobuo Uematsu (most famous for his work on the Final Fantasy series) described it as his “final project as a composer of video game music.” This naturally sparked headlines of his retirement, but Uematsu soon clarified he was just reducing his workload. In a follow-up post on Twitter, he explained he won’t be making entire soundtracks anymore like he did with Fantasian, but he’s more than happy to provide some music to future games. “I'm going to cut back a bit on my video game music work because I want to have more time to make the music I want to make,” he wrote.

Riot Games Lays Off More Employees, Says It’s About “Making Sure We Have The Right Expertise”

In a Twitter update about the future of League of Legends, Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill admitted the studio had been affected by further redundancies. It had already laid off well over 500 people back in January and we can now add another 27 to that number (via GamesIndustry.biz). Merrill explained this was “about making sure we have the right expertise so that League continues to be great for another 15 years and beyond,” which certainly seems insulting to all the people who have lost their jobs. Bafflingly, Merrill immediately followed that up by saying the team will eventually get even larger, suggesting Riot intends on hiring more staff despite getting rid of a bunch of employees.

Until Dawn Movie Gets A Release Date But No Trailer

A film adaptation of Supermassive Games’ horror game Until Dawn was announced back in January, and it now already has a release date. According to Deadline, the movie is slated for April 25, 2025, though there’s strangely not even a teaser trailer for it. This seems to be part of a push by publisher Sony to revitalise the IP, given it recently saw a remake on PS5 and PC, albeit one that was not received particularly well. There are also rumours of a proper sequel thanks to some new post-credits scenes in the remake.

Former Edge Writers Launch First Volume Of New Gaming Periodical On

Some of the best writers in games journalism have contributed to the first volume of ON, a new gaming magazine put together by Edge veterans Nathan Brown and Andrew Hind. Described as “the ultimate celebration of gaming’s past, present and future,” it contains features penned by the likes of The Guardian’s Keza MacDonald and Keith Stuart, who’ve been given the freedom to write pretty much what they want. You can purchase Volume 1 from the website for £24.99 and can choose from one of eight different covers (or get all eight for £169). A second volume is already in the works.

XDefiant Producer Hits Back At Rumours Saying The Game’s “Dead”

Ubisoft’s own crack at a free-to-play multiplayer shooter, XDefiant, has been out for nearly five months now. Amid the company’s dwindling share prices and the game’s reportedly shrinking player count, there are rumours that XDefiant is already on its way out, with one prominent claim saying support will end after season 4, which is expected to run in early 2025. Executive producer Mark Rubin, however, has emphatically denied any of this, stressing there are zero plans to shut XDefiant down so soon. “We have done very little marketing so yes our numbers are down but that is just to give the team the time to get the game in a better place before we do bigger spends on marketing to bring new players to the game and to bring back players that have left,” he wrote on Twitter.

Analogue Reveals Its N64 Reimagining, The Analogue 3D, For An Early 2025 Launch

Retro gaming company Analogue has made a name for itself by making systems made to resemble old-school consoles that are compatible with physical cartridges. So, there’s naturally a lot of excitement among retro enthusiasts for the Analogue 3D. I won’t pretend to understand how it all works, but it will essentially run every one of your old Nintendo 64 games (according to Analogue’s website) and allow for local multiplayer. I’m almost tempted to pre-order one myself ahead of its early 2025 release, though it is going for $249.99, which is about £192 / €231.

IO Interactive’s James Bond Game To Feature A “Young Bond For Gamers” And May Lead To A Trilogy

We’ve still yet to see anything of the new James Bond game, only titled Project 007, from Hitman studio IO Interactive. In a recent interview, IGN was able to pry a few extra details from IO CEO Hakan Abrak, who reiterated that the game features an entirely new take on Bond and won’t just be “a gamification of a movie.” Abrak specifically describes him as “a young Bond for gamers; a Bond that the gamers can call their own and grow with” (yo, James Bond Jr. reboot?). He also expressed hope that this will lead into a whole trilogy of Bond games, though let’s obviously wait and see how this first one turns out before we start getting hyped for sequels.

Silent Hill 2 Remake Reportedly The Fastest-Selling Entry In The Whole Series

Remember how sceptical we all were of the Silent Hill 2 remake, with many fans of the original expecting it to be awful? Well, Bloober Team sure proved everyone wrong as it’s not only been a critical hit, but a commercial one too. According to Konami, the remake has managed to sell more than one million units worldwide in just four days, which apparently makes it the fastest-selling entry in the series. It’s good to see Silent Hill fans finally get a win after the less-than-stellar Silent Hill: Ascension and The Short Message, and this undoubtedly assures more Silent Hill titles will see the green light.

Don’t Nod Announces Restructuring, Prompting French Union To Encourage Strike Action

Original Life is Strange studio Don’t Nod Entertainment said in its latest financials that it needs to undergo some restructuring to “safeguard its competitiveness in an increasingly demanding and competitive ecosystem.” However, it also admitted this will put upwards of 69 jobs at risk. As such, Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo, the French union representing Don’t Nod’s employees, is urging workers to go on strike in an effort to protect their jobs. “The Don’t Nod union section, and the STJV as a whole, cannot tolerate that the responsibility for the company's failures be placed on its employees,” it says on its website, adding how workers had been warning the higher-ups about the company’s economic situation for more than a year.

Former PlayStation CEO Thinks The Race For More Powerful Consoles Is “Nearly Over”

While Sony is gearing up to push the PS5 Pro, an enhanced and stronger version of its current console, one former PlayStation executive thinks the games industry has hit a ceiling when it comes to “jacking up the specs.” Shawn Layden, who once served as the chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios (nowadays known as PlayStation Studios), was asked by VGC for his thoughts on the console arms race. Layden believes things have “plateaued” and ever-increasing power boosts will not be enough to appeal to customers. “That race is nearly over, and you know who won? AMD,” he said, adding how the console market needs something of a reset if it wants to stay healthy and attract new customers.

Fan Archive For Nier And Drakengard Forced To Shut Down

The history and lore of Yoko Taro’s Nier and Drakengard series’ is dense and complicated. That’s why a group of fans took it upon themselves to set up the Accord’s Library, which compiles anything and everything to do with Taro’s work, from associated manga to audio dramas. It’s an impressive undertaking, but it’s sadly being forced to shut down after the site’s organisers were contacted by Square Enix’s legal team. Exactly what the team wrote isn’t known, with a message from the Accord’s Library Discord (shared by GamesRadar) only saying, “After some private communications, based on the outlined requirements we have come to the conclusion that Accord's Library must close its doors by the end of the month.”

Remedy Reveals Its Control Multiplayer Spin-Off, Now Titled FBC: Firebreak

Remedy has long since been saying it plans to release a multiplayer title set in its wider Remedyverse, with specific ties to its 2019 action-adventure game Control. Now, what was once known only as Project Condor has been unveiled as FBC: Firebreak, a co-op PVE FPS where three players take on monsters within The Oldest House, the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control. As Remedy’s first crack at a multiplayer title, it’ll be interesting to see if it proves as much of a hit as the studio’s single-player work. At the very least, in an Xbox Wire interview, communications director Thomas Puha has reiterated Remedy’s dedication to making more single-player adventures, but it doesn’t “want to be doing the same types of games all the time; it’s good to take on new challenges.”

God Of War TV Show Reportedly Starting From Scratch After Showrunner Leaves

It sounds like Amazon’s God of War show is going to take longer to come out than first thought. According to a report by Deadline, showrunner and executive producer Rafe Judkins has left the project along with two other executive producers after turning in multiple episode scripts. Despite Sony and Amazon apparently loving these scripts, the studios apparently want to go in a different creative direction, with plans to hire a new writers’ room. Exactly what is meant by a ‘different creative direction’ is unclear, but I wouldn’t blame God of War fans for feeling a bit worried about how the final product will turn out.

Halo Co-Developer Certain Affinity Snapped Up By Keywords Studios In Its Second Acquisition Of 2024

Just two months after buying indie dev Wushu Studios, Irish company Keywords Studios has acquired Certain Affinity, the studio best known for its work on the Halo series’ multiplayer. “Renowned AAA game development studio adds scale and action genre expertise to Keywords’ Create division,” reads a press release from Keywords, with the acquisition expanding the company’s presence in the US. There’s no mention of what exactly Certain Affinity will get to make next under Keywords, but its management team, including CEO Max Hoberman, will continue to lead post-acquisition. “[President & COO Paul Sams] and I look forward to partnering with [Keywords] to chart a course for careful expansion of our core co-development activities, refinement of our lead development capabilities, as well as championing the growth of the Create division,” said Hoberman.

Spider-Man 2 Gets A PC Release But No Story DLC

It was only a matter of time, but Insomniac Games is bringing Spider-Man 2 to PC in January 2025. While it will have been 15 months since the original PS5 release, it’s still a surprisingly shorter turnaround compared to the previous Spider-Man games (the first one took four years to come to PC, while the Miles Morales one took two). The PC version will also come with all the post-launch content (like New Game + and extra suits), but Insomniac also took this moment to admit it has no story DLC planned for the game (via PlayStation Blog). There were once rumours of such DLC being in the works, but either those were false or Insomniac has opted to invest its resources in one of its future projects, like the rumoured Venom spin-off or the eventual Spider-Man 3.

Update Patch News Round-up (27/10/24)

No Steam Deck 2 Until There’s A “Generational Leap” 

The Steam Deck has only been out for a couple of years and yet there’s already chatter of an eventual Steam Deck 2. While one is most assuredly planned, you shouldn’t expect it to come out any time soon, with Andrew Yang, one of the console’s designers at Valve, saying the company have no interest in offering yearly upgrades. “... Honestly, from our perspective, that’s kind of not really fair to your customers to come out with something so soon that’s only incrementally better,” Yang told Reviews.org in reference to how competitors like the Asus ROG Ally saw updated models after only a year. “So we really do want to wait for a generational leap in compute without sacrificing battery life before we ship the real second generation of Steam Deck.”

Dave The Diver Creator Wants A Bunch Of Spin-offs Spanning Different Genres

2023’s Dave the Diver, an action-adventure/management game that saw players explore the ocean depths to gather ingredients for a sushi restaurant, has proven to be an unmitigated success for developer Mintrocket. With creator Jaeho Hwang now the CEO and parent company Nexon turning Mintrocket into its own subsidiary, the goal is to turn Dave the Diver into a full-on franchise. Speaking with VGC at Gamescom Asia, Hwang expressed a desire to make games in different genres that could flesh out the backstories of not just Dave but other side characters. That said, he also wishes to keep Mintrocket a small studio since “It’s easier to communicate and easier to be on the same page that way.”

Xbox Exec Swears He Was Being Sarcastic When He Said No One Cares About Banjo-Kazooie

Aaron Greenberg, the vice president of Xbox Games Marketing, wound up attracting ire from Banjo-Kazooie fans this month when word spread of him saying “Nobody cares about Banjo-Kazooie” at a Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 event. It seemed to cause enough of a stink for Greenberg to take to Twitter to corroborate an assumption that he was being sarcastic. “I absolutely know how much Banjo-Kazooie means to our fans and gamers everywhere,” he wrote, adding that it holds a special place in his heart. While Microsoft has struck deals with Nintendo to bring the first two games to the Switch’s online service and put the bear and bird duo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it has otherwise seemed disinterested in doing anything new with the IP, with the last proper Banjo game releasing in 2008.

New Survival Game Miraibo GO Unapologetically Calls Itself “Pal-like” As It Launches For PC And Mobile

While I don’t like to casually dismiss games as being blatant rip-offs, it is near impossible to discuss Miraibo GO without acknowledging how similar it looks to Palworld. Billed as a “pal-like” open-world survival game for PC and mobile (promotional Tweets from the official Miraibo GO account even use the Palworld hashtag), it launched earlier this month and sees you create a human avatar to hunt and capture colourful creatures, and then use their abilities for base crafting and fighting more creatures. Just look at the launch trailer; not only can you wield realistic weapons to fight these cartoon animals, even the UI for capturing looks nearly identical to Palworld’s. Considering Palworld is at the centre of a lawsuit with Nintendo, I know I’m not the only one curious if developer Pocketpair will wind up suing the Miraibo GO team in turn.

Nintendo’s Secret Online Test Quickly Shared Across the Internet Because Of Course It Did

This month, Nintendo allowed a limited number of Switch online subscribers to sign up for a secret test; one they were asked not to talk about (although participants did not sign any DNAs or agree to any embargos). So, naturally, at least one person promptly ignored this request and shared screenshots and info, revealing the test to be for what looks like an MMO. There’s still a lot that’s unclear, but comparisons have been drawn to Minecraft since the project involves gathering resources and collaborating with players to develop an entire planet. We won’t be sharing or linking to footage of any of the posts, but further screenshots and apparently even the soundtrack have been datamined too.

Vampire Survivors Is The Latest Indie Game To Get Castlevania DLC

Poncle has announced that over 20 characters from Konami’s Castlevania series will come to its hit roguelike shoot ‘em up Vampire Survivors on October 31. The DLC will also include 40+ weapons and 30+ new music tracks. While Castlevania is undoubtedly a perfect fit for Vampire Survivors, this DLC is another baffling reminder that Konami seems content to just lend the IP to other studios rather than actually make a new game, with the likes of Dead Cells and Dead By Daylight having seen Castlevania themed DLC too. Not even the success of the Castlevania Netflix series sparked any sort of tie-in game, though with Konami getting back into releasing premium games with other IPs like Silent Hill and Metal Gear, hopefully, Castlevania won’t be too far behind.

Netflix Pulls A Google And Closes Its Big Gaming Studio After Just Two Years

Netflix has been making moves to break into the gaming scene for a while, including forming its own in-house developers and acquiring teams like Night Dive (the developers of Oxenfree 2). One of those developers, a Southern California-based studio known as Team Blue, was clearly meant to be a big deal, having scooped up industry veterans (like Halo cinematic director and franchise shepherd Joseph Staten and God of War art director Rafael Grassetti) and were reportedly tasked with crafting a AAA title. Team Blue was formed in October 2022 yet, according to Stephan Totilo at Game File, Netflix has already pulled its plug before the team got to release anything. No real explanation has been given, but it frankly reeks of in-debt Netflix jumping on the bandwagon after seeing the boom in the market during COVID, not realising how long it takes to actually make games, only to get frustrated that the team hadn’t pumped out a big money maker right away.

Masahiro Sakurai Teases His Next Game In Final Creating Games YouTube Video

Super Smash Bros. creator and the games industry’s biggest workaholic Masahiro Sakurai has wrapped up his series of Creating Games YouTube videos, where he went in-depth on his experiences working in game development. His last video caught a lot of attention, though, for revealing he’s already hard at work on his next game, which he had written a proposal for back in July 2021. This has naturally sparked theories of it being a Switch 2 title and maybe even a new Super Smash Bros. game, but Sakurai has obviously withheld from saying anything else about it. “Assuming that we're able to get it made, it should be announced sooner or later,” was all he said, though whatever it ends up being will be intriguing regardless.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Cancels Both Its Early Access Bonus And Season Pass

Ubisoft has been having a tumultuous time with the pre-release phase of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, while the game was quickly earmarked by grifters and racists due to its black protagonist, Ubisoft seems to keep on stepping in it in the run to the game’s release. Things like accidentally using the logo of historical reenactors for a family banner and a promotional model showing a half-destroyed Tori Gate that looked distastefully similar to an infamous image of the destruction caused by the bombing of Nagasaki. Things became genuinely concerning after Ubisoft suddenly cancelled TGS hand-on previews and delayed AC Shadows to February 2025 and cancelled pre-orders. On the official Assassin’s Creed Discord, a Ubisoft community manager later admitted the more expensive collector’s edition would also no longer offer an early access period and plans for a season pass have been scrapped too (via PCGamesN). Aside from the aforementioned delay, these changes could be a result of Ubisoft’s recent financial woes, with share prices in the company severely dropping this past year as investors urge the Guillemot family to take the company private.

Ew, The CEO Of Trails Developer Nihon Falcom Is Considering Using AI Translations

Given how much text there is in the Trails series of RPGs, fans outside of Japan naturally have to wait longer for new games to become available. In an interview with 4Gamer (translated by Automaton), Nihon Falcom CEO Toshihiro Kondo expressed a desire to speed up the localisation process and potentially allow for simultaneous releases. Unfortunately, he’s considering using AI translations as the solution, saying “It would be a blessing for us as a company, and it wouldn’t be a bad thing for the fans either.” I shouldn’t need to explain why this is an awful suggestion, and even Kondo admits actual humans would be needed to supervise and edit the translations anyway.

Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown Studio Still Open But The Team’s Been Disbanded To Work On Other Projects 

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a fantastic Metroidvania and one of my personal favourite games of 2024, but sadly its publisher Ubisoft hasn’t been as impressed. According to reports by French outlet Origami and IGN, while developer Ubisoft Montpellier has thankfully not been shut down, The Lost Crown did not sell as well as Ubisoft wanted it to. As such, it shot down suggestions for a sequel out of concern it would cannibalise The Lost Crown’s long-term sales as well as further expansions besides the Mask of Darkness DLC. Instead, team members will go on to work on other projects the company believes have better sales potential.

Telltale Denies Rumours Of The Wolf Among Us 2’s Cancellation, Though Things Remain Awfully Quiet

2024 is fast approaching its end and despite previously being billed to launch this year, there is no sign of The Wolf Among Us 2. Even so, Telltale Games has had to publicly deny recent claims that the sequel’s development has been troubled due to budget constraints and could very well be cancelled. Speaking with Eurogamer, a PR representative assured development is continuing and “we're excited to share more about the game with Telltale fans and our community when the time is right.” Still, it’s hard to imagine things have been going smoothly when Telltale reportedly let go of most of The Wolf Among Us 2’s development team last year (per Eurogamer).

Developer Behind The Infamous The Day Before Cancels Its Failed Kickstarter Project - Swears The Next Game Is What We’ve Been Waiting For

I do not have the time or space to meaningfully explain the debacle surrounding The Day Before, but just know that it was so bad that I’m shocked developer Fntastic has dared to show its face again. Just last month, it announced a Kickstarter for a physics-based multiplayer game called Escape Factory, only to cancel it due to a lack of funds. In its Twitter message, however, the studio not only says work on Escape Factory is being temporarily suspended, but it also has another project - a prop hunt game titled ITEMS - in development, even claiming it’s something it’s received loads of requests for. “Your wishes are very important to us… This is exactly what many of you have been waiting for!” says Fntastic in a delusional-sounding statement.

Monster Hunter Fans Will Go Wild For… Well, The Monster Hunter Wilds Open Beta

Can’t bear to wait till February 2025 for Monster Hunter Wilds or just curious to see what all the fuss is about? You’ll want to participate in the open beta Capcom is running at the end of the month. PlayStation Plus subscribers get an early look in from October 28th to October 30th, but anyone with a PS5, Xbox Series X/S, or Steam account can join in from October 31st to November 3rd. A full breakdown can be found on the official website and anyone who takes part will not only receive extra items in the full game, but they can carry over their character creation data too.

Ubisoft Is Doing Something With Rayman And Has Even Brought Creator Michel Ancel Back In Some Capacity

In the wake of the news of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s development team being disbanded, Insider Gaming claimed some of the staff had been moved onto some kind of Rayman remake. Surprisingly, Ubisoft soon admitted in a statement to Kotaku that it is indeed planning something with its limbless mascot though stopped short of saying precisely what the project might be. What it could confirm is that Rayman creator Michel Ancel, who left Ubisoft in 2020, has been brought back in a consultant role. Normally, this would be cause for excitement, the problem is that Ancel’s departure was overshadowed at the time by allegations of toxic behaviour during his time as director on Beyond Good & Evil 2.

Roblox Is Giving Parents More Control Over Their Kids’ Accounts

After that damning report about how Roblox has been failing to protect children, it appears the platform has pledged to make some major changes to address concerns. According to an email shared with The Verge, Roblox will start allowing parents to link their accounts to their child’s, which will let them update parental controls and view their child’s Roblox activity. In addition, starting next month, children younger than 13 will need parent permission to access certain chat features, while kids younger than nine will need permission to access any Roblox experiences with the ‘Moderate’ content rating. That last one is also part of an update to how age ratings will work, with Roblox replacing them with labels to better explain what types of content are available.

FIFA 23’s Loot Boxes Aren’t Gambling According To Austrian Court

The debate over whether loot boxes constitute gambling or not will likely never end, but EA is at least treating a recent court ruling as a big win. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the Higher Regional Court of Vienna in Austria has stated that the loot boxes present in FIFA 23 don’t count as gambling since players don’t purchase them to make a profit and thus there is no economic risk. Since this is the biggest court in the region to rule on the matter, EA is calling the decision “direction-setting” and “rightly recognises that spending is always optional, and most players choose not to spend at all.” This also comes after the Highest Administrative Court in the Netherlands came to the same conclusion, though these are unlikely to get loot boxes’ biggest critics to back off.

After Laying Off Over 2,500 Employees This Year, Microsoft Will Start Paying Its CEO Even More Money

While Microsoft has been an easy target of mockery among the gaming audience for the last year or so, it’s otherwise been doing very well financially. According to the company’s 2020 Annual Report (as covered by Eurogamer), Microsoft has had such a good year (with it currently valued at over $3 trillion) that CEO Satya Nadella is getting a pay rise of 63%, meaning he’ll be earning $79.1 million (roughly £60.9 million / €73.2 million). The same can’t be said for the actual employees though. Although the games industry at large has been suffering from continuous layoffs since the second half of 2023, Microsoft has let go of at least 2,500 staff in 2024 alone and also shut down three of its gaming studios at Bethesda.

Looks Like Overwatch 2 Is Going Back To 6v6 After All 

When Blizzard confirmed it would be ditching 6v6 matches in favour of 5v5 for Overwatch 2, it seemed to be a universally unpopular decision within the fan base despite Blizzard’s reasoning. Three years after that decision, however, it seems Blizzard is capitulating and bringing 6v6 back… or is at least trialling the idea. In a blog post on the game’s website, Blizzard explains how it will be running two tests for 6v6 matches as part of Season 14, though they naturally won’t function precisely how 6v6 matches did in the first game. Regardless, depending on how popular these tests prove with players, Blizzard could very well make 6v6 a permanent option alongside the original 5v5 setup.

Update Patch News Round-up (02/11/24)

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Workers Staged A Walkout In Protest Of Activision’s Strict Return-To-Office Policy

While Microsoft and Activision are likely more interested in seeing if Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will give Xbox Game Pass the boost it needs, they are also contending with unhappy workers regarding their return-to-office policy. On October 25, more than 7,000 members of Activision’s quality assurance department in Eden Prairie, Minnesota walked out to protest against the policy, which has been unfavourably described as a “layoff wolf in return-to-office sheep’s clothing,” designed to force unsatisfied employees into quitting. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) also issued a statement claiming this policy is also impacting those with “serious medical conditions and doctor’s recommendations to work from home,” and neither Microsoft nor Activision have managed to adequately justify why remote working can’t be accommodated. As if that wasn’t enough, the workers group ABetterABK posted its own statement on Twitter to accuse Activision of disrespecting employees with a National Disability Employment Awareness Month email that depicted a disabled person working from home; something the company doesn’t even allow.

U.S. Copyright Office Rejects Petition To Legally Allow Access To Out-Of-Print Games

Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), libraries and archives are unable to digitally access classic video games that are out-of-print, which obviously isn’t ideal for preservation. Non-profit organisation the Video Game History Foundation had petitioned the U.S. Copyright Office to provide an exemption, not just for the sake of preservation but so researchers can access such games remotely. Unfortunately, the foundation has since confirmed the Copyright Office has refused the request; a decision the foundation is blaming on “lobbying efforts by rightsholder groups” like the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). Still, the foundation pledges to “continue our advocacy for greater access and legal allowances for video game preservation and working with members of the game industry to increase internal awareness around these issues.”

Steins;Gate Is Getting Yet Another Remake For 2025

While there are plans for a thematic follow-up to the sci-fi visual novel Steins;Gate, (tentatively titled Steins;???) publisher Mages has only gone and announced a full-on remake called Steins;Gate Re:Boot. Revealed as part of the 15th-anniversary celebrations for the original game, all that’s been shown is a brief teaser trailer confirming a 2025 release, though Famitsu reports (via a CrunchyRoll translation) that the remake will feature new graphics and story elements. As a Steins;Gate fan, I can’t help but be intrigued by this remake, but I do find it odd considering the game already saw a remake back in 2018 called Steins;Gate Elite. Admittedly, that one repurposed footage from the anime adaptation for its cutscenes, making Re:Boot sound like more of an idealised attempt at remaking Steins;Gate.

Yakuza Kiwami’s Switch Port Is Selling Better Than Studio Head Predicted

The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series has finally debuted on Nintendo Switch with Yakuza Kiwami, the 2016 remake of the very first game. While no doubt some baulked at it only running at 30fps, it sounds like a lot of people didn’t care as Masayoshi Yokoyama, head of developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, has said the remake is “selling like crazy.” In fact, in an interview on the studio’s YouTube channel (translated by VGC), the remake is performing better than Yokoyama expected, who is surprised but relieved and excited to see it doing well despite its age. With any luck, this will see the rest of the series make their way to Nintendo’s platform.

Fortnite Is Introducing Simultaneous Battle Pass Progression

With Fortnite offering four different gameplay modes each with their own battle pass, juggling between them to unlock all their rewards sounds like a nightmare. Fortunately, Epic Games seems to have cottoned onto this as it’s revamping how battle pass progression will work. According to a blog post, by December 1st, any progress made in one battle pass will be applied to the rest, meaning you can focus entirely on, say, the battle royale mode and still unlock rewards for Lego Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, and Rocket Racing. You’ll still need to buy the paid versions of each battle pass individually, but Epic promises to add “an easy way to snag all premium passes at once.”

Bungie Will Have Something To Show Off Its Marathon Reboot In 2025

I wouldn’t blame any Bungie fans for being less than optimistic about the studio’s Marathon reboot, what with the company laying off hundreds of employees in the last year or so. Even so, Bungie has plans to finally show off Marathon in 2025, with a nine-minute developer update video confirming as such. Director Joe Ziegler (who took over from Chris Barrett after he was reportedly fired for inappropriate behaviour with female employees per a Bloomberg report) promised the game is “on track” and went into some detail on its extraction shooter gameplay, but otherwise admitted there are “variety of different things in different states,” meaning Bungie can’t show “all of it as one piece.” The reboot will also feature “familiar elements” from the original Marathon games, such as “mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness,” on top of more modern elements like a new story and world, but time will tell if this will please avid Marathon fans.

AI Voice Service Ethovox Promises To Protect VAs As It Partners With SAG-AFTRA

In case you weren’t aware, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA is currently striking in order to secure better protections regarding the use of AI. While there’s no end in sight, the union has announced it has signed an agreement with AI voice service Ethovox, which has agreed with SAG-AFTRA’s AI guidelines and is pledging to protect performers (via Game Developer). Interestingly, Ethovox was founded by voice director Julian Kwasneski (who worked at Telltale Games) and voice actor Cissy Jones (whose credits include Andreja in Starfield and the Netherbrain in Baldur’s Gate 3), with the latter claiming their company is “the only voice AI company owned and managed by voice actors.” In a press release, Jones added that Ethovox will prioritise the interests of voice actors and “demonstrate that artists can, and should, be compensated for contributing to ethical A.I. development while also maintaining consent and control over their voice data.”

Fntastic Is Trying To Get People To Make Maps For Its Next Game In Exchange For “Cool Rewards” 

You almost have to admire the stones on developer Fntastic for continuing to show its face even after the whole The Day Before debacle (almost being the keyword here). Last week I mentioned how it retired a failed Kickstarter project, only to immediately promote a new hidden prop game called ITEMS, and now the studio is holding a contest for whatever fans it has to make maps for the game. The contest was announced on Discord (via TheGamer) and, aside from getting their map into the game, the winner will receive “cool rewards,” which consist of having their name displayed on the map and a free copy of ITEMS. Unsurprisingly, there’s no mention of any monetary compensation, which is in keeping with Fntastic’s work ethic considering it made use of unpaid volunteers for The Day Before’s development (via IGN).

Nintendo and Monolith Soft Announce A Xenoblade Chronicles X Remaster Because They Personally Hate Me

I have owned an original Wii U copy of Xenoblade Chronicles X since it came out in 2015, but have always struggled to actually play through it. This year, I decided I would finally complete it just to get it under my belt, so of course Nintendo and Monolith Soft have chosen now is the time to acquiesce to fan demand and remaster the bloody thing for Nintendo Switch. Aside from an obvious graphical glow-up, the announcement trailer (which in typical Nintendo fashion was dropped on a random Tuesday with no build-up) promises new story elements and a release date of March 20, 2025. As livid as I am, it will be nice to not only have the full Xenoblade series on Switch but also get to play Xenoblade Chronicles X without that bloody Wii U GamePad.

Ubisoft Launched A Dedicated NFT Game After All And No One Noticed

Back when the idea of NFTs in video games was at its peak, I recall Ubisoft being one of its loudest supporters, although that enthusiasm gradually fizzled out and it eventually stopped talking about NFTs. It turns out, though, it hadn’t entirely given up on the idea as it had stealthily launched a full-blown web3/blockchain/NFT pile of nonsense for PC in late October (as spotted by IGN). Titled Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, it’s described as a PVP tactical RPG where the NFTs are the collectable figures you use to form squads that take part in turn-based combat, with some of them going for as much as $64,000 (roughly £50,000 / €59,000). Considering the NFT bubble has long since burst and Ubisoft has seemingly done nothing to even advertise this game’s existence, I’m just baffled why it’s bothered releasing it at all since it feels like the company has sent it out to die on its arse.

Concord Is Officially Dead And So Is Its Developer

Concord will go down in history as one of Sony’s biggest gaming disasters. After being delisted and shut down after just two weeks, there was some hope it would be rebooted as a free-to-play experience, but Sony has decided to cut its losses and put not just the game on ice, but developer Firewalk Studios as well (a studio Sony only acquired last year). You can read the email sent out by Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Herman Hulst via VGC, which of course stresses how this was a difficult but necessary choice (like every other statement about studio shutdowns) and even has the gall to thank Firewalk’s staff “for their craftsmanship, creative spirit and dedication.” Sony has also opted to close mobile studio Neon Koi and cancel the action game it was working on.

Apex Legends Needs A Boost But Not With A Sequel Says EA

In the latest EA earnings call with investors (via VGC), CEO Andrew Wilson acknowledged that the most recent season of Apex Legends didn’t deliver enough of a boost to player engagement and revenue. However, EA’s solution is to make significant changes to the current game rather than pump out an Apex Legends 2 or something. When the possibility of a sequel was raised, Wilson said, “What we have seen in the context of live service-driven games at scale, is the Version 2 thing has almost never been as successful as the Version 1 thing.” I wonder if all the drama surrounding Overwatch 2 has also put EA off the idea of making an entirely separate follow-up.

Nintendo Denies Laying Off Over A Hundred Mario Club Employees 

Unlike its contemporaries, Nintendo has avoided inflicting headline-generating mass layoffs on its employees, barring an instance in March when Nintendo of America got rid of an unspecified number of contractors (via Kotaku). Recently, a report from Japanese outlet Leakpress alleged that Mario Club Co., a subsidiary of Nintendo that tests and debugs many of its first-party titles, was losing 150 of its 400 employees (which is a cut of approximately 38%). Nintendo, however, has emphatically denied any layoffs are taking place at Mario Club. In a very blunt statement sent to Eurogamer, all Nintendo said is “We have confirmed with Mario Club Co., Ltd. that the rumoured information in the report is untrue.”

Death Note Is Fittingly Getting Its Own Among Us Style Game

While we’re probably inundated with one too many social deduction games thanks to the success of Among Us, hit manga and anime Death Note is admittedly a perfect fit for the genre. Titled Death Note Killer Within, it splits 10 players into two teams - Kira and his followers versus L and his fellow investigators - with the goal being to either kill L or destroy the titular Death Note. The reveal trailer and accompanying PlayStation Blog show more than a few similarities to Among Us, but the Death Note trappings do give it some identity, and figuring out players’ names and using the Death Note to create unfortunate ‘accidents’ is a neat mechanic. The game launches on November 5th for PlayStation consoles and PC, and will also be included with that month’s free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

GameSpot And Fandom Struck By Yet Another Round Of Redundancies

Not even a site like GameSpot is safe from what feels like a never-ending string of games media layoffs. It had already let plenty of staff go in 2023 and at the beginning of 2024, and yet another unspecified number of GameSpot employees have found themselves out of work. Although there was no formal announcement by GameSpot or parent company Fandom, several individuals, including senior editor Chris Hayner and senior producer Dave Klein (who described the layoffs as “massive”), confirmed they had been let go via social media. While Jake Dekker, another senior producer, was unaffected, I think his comments suitably sum things up: “I think this is the FOURTH round of layoffs we've had since [Fandom] acquired GameSpot in 2022. This industry fucking sucks, man.”

Rather Than Just Put Its Game Soundtracks On Spotify, Nintendo Has Launched Its Own Music App

Barring some exceptions, Nintendo has been frustratingly stubborn about releasing official soundtracks for its titles on services like Spotify and Apple Music (while also striking down YouTube channels that unofficially upload said soundtracks). In typical Nintendo fashion, the company has decided to start making its music more readily available, but purely on its own terms via a mobile app simply called Nintendo Music. Said app is a free download exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers and admittedly boasts a nice collection of tracks from games like Super Mario Galaxy and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (it even has the Wii Shop music!). While the full line-up of games is still rather small (at least when you consider Nintendo’s vast history of titles), the app will be updated over time.

Insomniac’s Wolverine Loses Its Creative Director To Perfect Dark

Some sudden changes have taken place within Sony and Microsoft. According to Game File, Brian Horton, the creative director on Insomniac Games’ Wolverine title, has departed the project and the company to go work at Microsoft as the creative director on the Perfect Dark reboot. Apparently, Horton hasn’t been working on Wolverine since the summer, with his creative director position going to Marcus Smith (who also served as a creative director on all of Insomniac’s Spider-Man titles). Sony has not provided any explanation for Horton’s departure, and Game File’s sources only said the changes in staff are the result of creative decisions.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Sets Several Records At Launch, Including One For Game Pass 

The decision to launch Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Xbox Game Pass was an important one since Microsoft was obviously hoping it would give the service the boost it desperately needed. So far, the experiment appears to have been successful as, according to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (via IGN), Game Pass saw more new subscribers in a single day than ever before thanks to Black Ops 6. This would’ve come at the cost of traditional sales (at least on Xbox), but it doesn’t seem to be suffering on that front either. Black Ops 6 is being described as the biggest Call of Duty release in the series’ history, with PlayStation and Steam sales up 60% compared to 2023’s Modern Warfare 3.