Hello everyone!
It’s been an eventful first week of July so far with Playstation announcing their new indies initiative, Discord rebranding, and more games having their TV adaptation slated for release!
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This week, PlayStation has been making big headlines as they announced their brand new Indies initiative to support indie developers and the community as a whole. The announcement also comes with exciting reveals for upcoming indie games. They have also decided to suspend Facebook advertising as part of the ongoing #StopHateForProfit campaign.
Following the footsteps of many conventions, EGX has made its decision to cancel the physical event and go fully digital this year. They will be partnering up with PAX to bring fans a 24-hour show in a 9-day span, starting September 12th.
The ever so popular messaging platform Discord has officially shifted their identity from being gaming-centric to a more generic branding, pledging to make their platform a safe space for any community. Their new tagline is now “Your place to talk”, and the website has been revamped.
In light of the allegations against Evo’s co-founder and president Joey Cuellar, the event has been canceled and he has been fired. Many players and organizations involved in the tournament have raised their voices in support of those who have spoken out.
Ubisoft has also pledged to provide a safer work environment after the wave of abuse allegations against their senior employees. The company is going to go through structural changes besides the ongoing investigations.
In this week’s “Let’s make a deal” episode, Zynga acquired Peak, the developer behind Toon Blast, for $1.85 billion as an effort to boost mobile DAUs and global reach. In a similar direction, Paradox Interactive acquired Playrion Game Studio, which suggests their willingness to step further into the mobile playground. Let’s hope that their next mobile launch will be less bumpy than Stellaris: Galaxy Commands.
Loot boxes remain a controversial topic as The House of Lords of the United Kingdom suggested that they should be regulated under gambling laws to protect children.
As a result of the ongoing pandemic, Super Nintendo World theme park opening has been delayed indefinitely. Universal Studio is understandably concerned about safety as Mario’s popularity would draw an increased amount of guests coming to the park.
Following the success of The Witcher Netflix series, more developers are working towards TV adaptations of their games. A Fallout TV series is in the works by Westworld creators for Amazon, and My Friend Pedro is also getting an R-rated show from the creator of John Wick.
The Last of Us 2 has seen a lot of love as well as criticisms since its release, but things got out of hand fast as harassment and threats have been made towards the voice actors and developers. Naughty Dog and the community have been showing immense support towards the parties involved and showed us once again that there is no place for hatred in the industry.
This week’s game announcement news is a treat for SciFi/FPS fans: Ubisoft revealed Hyper Scape, a Twitch-integrated FPS battle royale set in a VR world. Tencent Games is working on Syn, a cross-platform, open-world FPS set in a cyberpunk universe. Kojima also teased that he’s working on another game, with “subtle” references to Death Stranding.
On a different (if not completely opposite) note, Amazon’s Crucible is heading back to closed beta after their release last month. Players will still keep their progress and items they’ve earned, and the studio wants the process to be transparent with a public roadmap of things they’re working on.
7th July
Superliminal (Switch, PS, Xbox) is a trippy perspective-driven puzzle game that toys around with scale, shape, and size in the player’s eyes. The optical illusions and perspective manipulation evoke a sensation similar to waking dreams.
Skater XL (Switch, PS, Xbox) continues to deliver an immersive skateboarding experience with smooth, responsive controls, and an active modding community. Three community-created maps will also be featured at launch to celebrate the fans’ creativity and passion.
9th July
Crosscode (Switch, PS, Xbox) is a retro action RPG that reminds us of classics such as Chrono Trigger. Each platform release will come with their unique set of mini-quests, dungeons, and bosses, which will be interconnected to bring the community together.
10th July
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 (PC, Switch, PS, Xbox) is the sequel to the retro side-scrolling action game that was inspired heavily by the Castlevania series. The game will feature a 2-player co-op and a corgi in a mech. Gonna be ruff to pass on this one.
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise (Switch) is both a prequel and sequel to the original murder mystery game as it jumps between two timelines, 2005 and 2019, following two FBI agents in an investigation.
F1 2020 (PC, PS, Xbox, Stadia) lets fans experience the thrilling sensation of being an F1 racer with a brand new game mode called My Team, where players can create and manage their own team from scratch. This includes finding sponsors, building facilities, hiring teammates, and other management features.
NASCAR Heat 5 (PC, PS, Xbox) follows suit as a sequel to the definitive NASCAR racing experience, with new enhancements and features such as additional camera options, improved stats, and a new Challenge Mode for online racers.
Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris (PC, PS, Xbox) brings back the popular JRPG with intense battles and an expansive world. The game is also a debut for their innovative Tactical Learning AI System, allowing AI party members to learn and memorize combat strategies over time.
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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!
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