The Iterative Collective #62
Annapurna Interactive’s showcase, Activision Blizzard Lawsuit, Amazon's New World and more!
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another week of the Digest! It’s been a slow news week, for sure.
In this week’s Today I learned - a few years ago there was an overwhelming amount of Runescape gold farmers from Venezuela who rely on the game as their main source of income due to a collapse in their economy. A literal gold rush!
So without further ado, sit back, and enjoy this week’s latest - curated by yours truly! If you like what you see, don’t forget to share and subscribe, your support means a lot to us.
🎬 Annapurna Interactive’s showcase last week was full of announcements and reveals for their arsenal of narrative-driven titles. We saw trailers for their new titles such as Storyteller, Skin Deep, and more gameplay reveals for upcoming titles like Stray and Solar Ash. Fan favorite Outer Wilds is also getting a surprise expansion, coming this September.
💼 More developments from the Activision Blizzard lawsuit: The HQ employees organized a walkout in solidarity to voice anger at the company’s response last week, and further investigation is taking place with more evidence and statements coming to light.
🔑 Lots of new studios opening up this week, such as Ivy Road - a studio revealed from Annapurna’s showcase formed by veterans from Minecraft, Stanley Parable, and Tacoma. More veterans are also teaming up to form That’s No Moon, a studio focusing on high-budget AAA adventure games. VR publisher NDreams is opening their second development studio Orbital to focus on live ops VR titles.
🎨 A new version of Maya is now live! Autodesk’s 3d creation tool is more accessible than ever with an interactive onboarding experience, an extensive search feature, and the return of the Viewcube.
⏳ More delays to be expected: Horizon Forbidden West has reportedly been delayed until 2022; Co-op survival Icarus is being pushed back to November with a longer Beta starting end of this month; Open world adventure Crimson Desert is also being delayed indefinitely; and Kena: Bridge of Spirits is shifting their release back to September 21st to further polish the game.
📺 Netflix continues to expand its footprint in the gaming scene, this time with a Nintendo title - a live-action Pokémon series seems to be on the way!
📈 Some impressive milestones achieved this past week: Amazon’s MMO New World received a warm welcome with more than 200K players logging in to try their beta last weekend. Death Stranding has sold a total of 5M copies across platforms, and Kojima Productions is expecting that number to be boosted with the upcoming Director’s Cut release. Mortal Kombat 11 has sold more than 12M units, making it the most successful game in the franchise.
Extinction Island (PC) is an action platformer set on a mysterious island full of dinosaurs! Navigate the island, shoot your way through murderous velociraptors, and outrun boulders to save the world. If you’re not convinced, how about a triceratops with a machine gun? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
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Each week we aim to shed light on a hidden gem by small indie developers. Have a game you want to showcase? We’d love to hear from you - reach out to us at contact@theiterative.co!
2nd August
Grime (PC, Stadia) is a surreal and challenging adventure RPG where you are a walking.. black hole? Defeat enemies and absorb their powers to and face bigger, more menacing foes as you navigate a deadly world full of horror and secrets.
3rd August
Rocket Ramble (Early Access PC) is a 4-player racing brawler set in space! Gather your Mario Kart squad and race it out in procedurally generated maps full of surprises and hazards. Get ready to rumble!
The Ramp (PC) is a playground for skateboarding aficionados, with a focus on flow and satisfying skateboarding gameplay. Think Townscaper, but with ramps.
5th August
Dodgeball Academia (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch) is a sports RPG where you take on the role of Otto, a rookie student at a dodgeball academy on a quest to form the best team and be the ultimate champion.
Starmancer (Early Access PC) is a management sim where you are an AI in charge of a space station after a catastrophe on Earth. Take care of colonists by satisfying their needs, build spaceports, and defend your station against aliens.
The Falconeer: Edge of the World DLC (PC, Xbox One + Series X|S) is a big expansion for the aerial RPG, where you can soar through the skies in 3 new campaigns, 9 missions, and two unique classes.
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We are The Iterative Collective - an indie games incubator! Each week, we shed light on the latest gaming trends for all folks interested in the scene by going through a summary of the latest news from the industry as well as promising upcoming game releases! Click to learn more about us below!