The Iterative Digest #22
AOC streams Among Us, EA gets sued over loot boxes in Canada, Devolver Digital acquires Croteam and more!
Hi everyone,
Welcome back to another week of gaming industry highlights! News may be slower this week but we have plenty of exciting, spooky game releases just in time for Halloween.
Happy trick or treating!
🎪 First steps back to normalcy? Nordic Game 2020’s organizer just announced their plans for a hybrid event next month with a physical portion happening in Malmö, Sweden. On-site networking and talks will be proceeded with caution and livestreamed for the broader audience.
⚔️ Tired of hearing about Epic vs Apple? How about these other lawsuits: EA is officially being sued over lootbox usage in Canada as it constitutes gambling. The class action lawsuit could lead to EA being forced to pay a lot in damages, and possibly revert all their lootbox-related earnings. Zenimax and Bethesda are also being sued by Rune 2 developers, who claimed that they intentionally sabotaged the project by going after Rune’s team days before launch.
🎮 The gap between politics and games continues to close: As the U.S. election draws near, Joe Biden increases his effort in reaching out to younger voters with his own Animal Crossing island Biden HQ, where visitors can learn more about his campaign. NY-based congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosted a casual Twitch stream playing Among Us, drawing more than 440,000 concurrent viewers.
🚫 Speaking of Twitch: Last week, plenty of streamers on the platform had their content removed as a result of violating music copyright laws. The manner in which Twitch handled the situation have been heavily criticized by many, as the company didn’t allow counterclaims or involve the streamers in the deletion process.
🧬 Ubisoft has just launched Ubisoft Connect, an ambitious upgrade from Uplay. The new multi-platform ecosystem aims to make cross-play and cross-save between platforms a seamless experience, especially for next-gen titles.
💸 Devolver Digital has acquired Serious Sam developer Croteam, who will continue to keep full creative freedom and work on their flagship titles.
📆 Release date announcements galore: Humankind, SEGA’s answer to the Civ series, is going to be released in April 2021. Red Hook Studios’ gothic horror hit Darkest Dungeon is having a sequel next year as well.
📈 Impressive numbers across the board: Roblox reported a $2B in player spending on mobile before their IPO hits; Swedish-based mobile game company MAG Interactive reported $25M in sales with a 28% growth from June to August this year.
27th October
Carto (PC, PS, Xbox) is an intriguing, world-altering puzzle game set in a charming world full of lovable characters. Explore the lands and bring Carto back to her family by using her unique cartography powers to manipulate the world around her and meet new friends on the way.
Graveyard Keeper - Game Of Crone (PC) is the latest DLC for tinyBuild’s spooky cemetery sim. This time, your tasks will be to take care of a refugee camp full of escaped convicts and protect them from an evil vampire and the mysterious Ancient Curse.
Hammerting (PC) is a side-scrolling Dwarven mining sim with RPG elements that will make Dwarf Fortress fans squeal with joy. Explore and fight your way through the mines to gather resources and hone your craftsmanship to aid your allies at war.
Ghostrunner (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch) is a stylish cyberpunk hack and slash with fast-paced action and parkour. Wall-ride your way through an unforgiving neon-filled world and take down the tyrannical leader and protect mankind from extinction once and for all.
Trails of Cold Steel 4 (PS4) marks the final return of a much-beloved jRPG franchise with the biggest class reunion yet. The sequel picks up right where the 3rd rendition left off, with returning appearances by plenty of characters from previous games and a more balanced battle system.
28th October
AGOS: A Game of Space (Rift, Vive, Index) is Ubisoft’s brand new VR space exploration title with a motion sickness free system, letting you build and guide space probes to habitable planets as an effort to rebuild civilization.
Transient (PC, PS, Xbox) is a thrilling adventure game with a refreshing Lovecraftian-cyberpunk mix. Explore the citadel city Providence and meet friends and foes along the way as you discover truths that will bring about an identity crisis and make you question your existence.
29th October
Watch Dogs: Legion (PC, PS, Xbox, Stadia) is finally here after all the delays! The ambitious open world hacking game will let you recruit any NPC on the streets of London, all with different skill sets and unique abilities, to join your ragtag team of rebels and fight against the authoritarian state.
Teardown (PC) is a voxel action title that lets you plan the perfect heists using creative problem solving and uncontainable destruction with loads of destructible environments and plenty of vehicles.
Undungeon Arena (PC) is a stylistic roguelite where your wildest space gladiator dream comes true. Compete in an arena full of ruthless inhabitants and make your mark as the champion to make the crowd go wild.
30th October
Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Switch) is the highly anticipated Pikmin port to the Switch, putting you in control a group of adorable little creatures as you explore an alien planet and collect food for your home planet. The upgraded version also comes with a co-op mode, new content, and QOL improvements.
The Dark Pictures – Little Hope (PC, PS, Xbox) is the next chapter in the cinematic horror series from Bandai Namco, featuring a local co-op mode for up to 5 players. Stranded in an abandoned town, you and your friends will have to escape the evil forces before they drag you to hell.
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