Hi everyone!
This week, we saw a lot of new announcements and updates from two big publisher events, Ubisoft Forward and Devolver Direct. There are also a lot of exciting game releases for the next week, including the new Paper Mario and Death Stranding.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy! Do subscribe if you like what you see :)
Devolver has outdone themselves once again on the marketing front by releasing Devolverland Expo - a free first-person shooter game branded as a ‘marketing simulator’ set in an abandoned E3 convention center. Players will be able to sneak and shoot their way in to watch all the new trailers, demos, and other secrets. Watch all of their new trailer releases and announcements here!
Ubisoft’s first digital showcase Ubisoft Forward showed us a lot of new announcements and trailers, including AC: Valhalla, Far Cry 6, and Hyper Scape. Watch Dogs Legion is also getting a new release date on October 29th after the initial delay. There will also be a second event coming later this year, so stay tuned!
Also as part of the Summer Game Fest, Microsoft is going to hold an Xbox game showcase on July 23rd, most likely for first-party Xbox Series X titles. After the impressive display from PS5, Microsoft will have some big shoes to fill.
Mobile remains a booming market for the gaming industry, confirmed by Nintendo’s recent investor Q&A. President Shuntaro Furukawa also highlights the opportunity mobile provides to reach users without a console and expand fanbases for signature titles such as Mario, Animal Crossing, and Fire Emblem.
The pandemic has negatively affected Kickstarter as a whole, but video game projects seem to stay strong amidst the decline. It’s definitely good news for indie games looking to secure funding via the popular crowdfunding platform.
This week, Coffee Stains studios released the impressive sale numbers for their factory building and automation game, Satisfactory (or so lovingly called 3d Factorio by the community). We don’t get to see Epic Store sales numbers too often, so it was a nice treat.
EA announced that The Sims is getting its own reality show called The Sims Spark’d, where contestants will create characters and build things to create their own stories. I’m just hoping they will have a Simlish-only episode somewhere along the way.
In this week’s ‘Let’s make a deal’ episode, Tencent is in talks to acquire Leyou Technologies, the parent company of Digital Extremes. Sony made a whopping $250 million into Epic Games for a minority share in the company and further collaboration. 11 Bit Studios is investing more than $21 million for the production of seven games.
Unsurprisingly, more games are being delayed due to the pandemic, among which are the highly anticipated Mafia Definitive Edition and Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning.
In the meantime, there are a lot of new game announcements to get hyped for: Video Game Deluxe, L.A. Noire VR developers, is working on another VR project for Rockstar, for which GTA and Red Dead fans are undoubtedly dying to know more details. Flying Wild Hog and Devolver Digital also announced Shadow Warrior 3. Yacht Club Games, the studio behind the wildly popular Shovel Knight franchise, is stepping foot on the 3d scene with a mysterious job posting.
14th July
Death Stranding (PC) waltzes its way into PC after months of anticipation, with features such as higher frame rate, photo mode, and ultra-wide monitor support. The game is also getting new content featuring a crossover with Half-Life for both Steam and Epic versions.
Halo 3 (PC) is also coming to PC as part of the Master Chief Collection, with the ever so popular Forge mode making its comeback. Halo 3: ODST and Halo 4, the final two games in the series, are expected to be released by the end of this year.
Neon Abyss (PC, Switch, Xbox, PS) is a chaotic roguelite action platformer set in a vibrant technicolor world. You are part of a squad assembled by Hades to dispatch the New Gods by shooting your way through procedurally generated dungeons.
Story Of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (Switch) marks the comeback of one of the most beloved farming sims franchises since GBA. Explore Mineral Town, build your own farm, romance some townsfolk, go mining - the possibility is endless.
15th July
Rocket Arena (PC, Xbox, PS) is a third-person, 3v3 class-based shooter with rockets-focused combat set in various themed arenas. The small team size and compact maps facilitate fast-paced action and chaos via three gameplay modes.
Ooblets (Early Access - PC, Xbox) is an adorable life sim where you’ll get to grow your farm, make friends with little creatures, and battle it out in dance-off competitions. Think Stardew Valley mixed with Pokemon, with a huge chunk of cuteness added in.
16th July
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE is the sequel to the smashing hit time control shooter SUPERHOT. The developer is giving it away for owners of the original game before the launch so you still have some time to grab it!
Radical Rabbit Stew (PC, Switch, Xbox, PS) is a cute and quirky arcade game with a mix of fast-paced action and fun puzzles. There will also be a couch multiplayer feature to face off against friends.
Aeolis Tournament (PC, Switch) is a colorful party game for up to 8 players with simple controls and a variety of battle arenas. It ticks off a lot of boxes in a fun party game checklist: It’s easy to pick up, it’s chaotic, and you can blow your friends off a cliff with your air gun.
Neversong (Switch, Xbox, PS) is a charmingly horrifying adventure game with puzzle elements. Take the role of Peet, a little boy who woke up from a coma only to find himself in a nightmare. Limbo fans, this is the game for you.
17th July
Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch) marks the return of the fan-favorite Paper Mario series with its iconic humor and charming design. Team up with Bowser and save the Mushroom Kingdom from being folded into nothing but paper. Unsurprisingly, it’s already the highest selling Nintendo game on Amazon, even before release.
Ghost of Tsushima (PS) is the next highly anticipated PlayStation exclusive from Sucker Punch Productions. You’ll play as Jin, the lone samurai from Tsushima, as he embarks on a quest to fight against the Mongol invasion. It’s a love letter to Japanese classics such as Seven Samurai and Sanjuro.
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