Our weekly news liveblog
It’s the second to last week before we set down our pickaxes, shoulder our packs and embark on that greatest adventure of all: holiday.The Mawtends to be at low ebb over the Xmas period, because it has a violent allergy to festive cheer. But for the moment, it still clamours for News.
Some game releases we’re pondering this week: squad-based RTSStargate: Timekeepers(12th Dec), Settlers spiritual follow-upPioneers of Pagonia(13th Dec, early access), anime chainsaw metroidvaniaCookie Cutter(14th Dec), “pixel pulp” visual novelBahnsen Knights(14th Dec), and multiversal metroidvaniaTrinity Fusion(15th Dec).
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
IT IS MONDAY. Set phasers to “spark joy” and FEED THE MAW.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
This morning’s music isAlone in Kyoto.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
The real-life “Florida Joker” is demanding millions from Rockstar for allegedly using his likeness without permission in GTA 6, as reported byEurogamer.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
An SSD is “a must” to play FF16 on PC,according to producer Naoki Yoshida. There’s still no word on when it’s coming, however.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Hold the phone, it’s being claimed there’s a Silent Hill teaser in the trailer for Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele’snew horror thingy OD. As reported byCentral Xbox, letters spelling out the word “Atami” appear faintly in a character’s mouth during the footage. Atami is a city in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. The kanji for Shizuoka approximately spell out “Silent Hill”.VGCsay they’ve verified the claim after combing through the video on the official KojiPro Youtube - I couldn’t see the letters myself during a quick glance just now, but perhaps you can?
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Ooft, one of the developers behind co-op mod Skyrim Togetherhas said they won’t be completing a similar mod for Starfieldbecause “Starfield is ass”. They’re making the code open source, so another modder could jump in and finish it.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Some slightly lengthier thoughts on Reka, by me. I get the feeling this will be an RPS favourite.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Just been reading about this on PCG, and yes, those are some mighty fine engines - here’s theSteam page.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Lethal Company is getting some Xmas-themed content. It’s Lethal Company, so the Xmas-themed content is… not very jolly.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
It appears that Embracerhave shut down Free Radical, as rumoured. Best of luck to everybody who has lost their job today.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
The Day Before developers Fntastic have announced that they’re closing doors, following a dismal reception at launch. Best of luck to everybody there too.
Official statement.#fntastic#thedaybefore#propnightpic.twitter.com/AKcRHeIaIW
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
We’ve had a tiny tease of some details for the upcoming PC port of Final Fantasy 16, with therecommendation from producer Naoki Yoshida that an SSD is a “must"due to its visual demands.
There’s also confirmation that no sequel or spin-off is planned, although if the PC version sells well enough Yoshi-P will apparently consider letting us play as Cid or Jill…
–Matt Jarvis
Thatnew arachnophobia mode for Lethal Companyis absolutely hilarious, and worth checking out whether you have a fear of spiders or not.
Also featured in the game’s new update are gun-toting nutcrackers, paint spray cans and masks to scare your friends even more.
–Matt Jarvis
Some more details and the statement from The Day Before devs Fntasticannouncing their closurefollowing the zombie shooter’s disastrous Steam launch - apparently leading to a lack of the funds needed to continue development.
“We apologize if we didn’t meet your expectations,” they wrote. “We did everything within our power, but unfortunately, we miscalculated our capabilities. Creating games is an incredibly challenging endeavor.”
–Matt Jarvis
In case you missed it, John Romeroput out a sequel to his unofficial expansion for the original Doomto mark the shooter’s 30th anniversary.
Sigil 2 brings nine new levels, which sound like a brutal challenge by all accounts. There’s a fresh heavy metal OST, too.
If you didn’t read it yesterday, I’d highly recommend Jeremony’s wonderful chat with Johnabout the making and legacy of Doom, 30 years on.
–Matt Jarvis
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
You may have read that Fntastic have closed doors following the disastrous launch of the The Day Before. The DayZ team are making fun of Fntastic’s closure announcement on Xitter. Whatever you think of The Day Before, I’m not sure this is a very charitable response.
/s🤭pic.twitter.com/xwfNIGpY0W
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
The developer-run websiteVideogamelayoffsestimates that around 9000 people lost their jobs in the games industry this year - taVGC.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Alas, the latest Starfield update has gotten rid of the affectionate ghost asteroids that used to pursue certain players through the game - thanksPCGN. I never managed to acquire an asteroid pet myself, despite playing Starfield exclusively in space.
Saying goodbye to a faithful, but uninvited, companion - the issue where an asteroid could be permanently attached to a player’s ship in@StarfieldGamehas been fixed.Crashes when saving during long playthroughs and an issue involving weapon cases have also been addressed.…pic.twitter.com/pTL8I8FBOH
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Ooh, New Blood Interactivehave releaseda free HD remaster of Dusk, together with Steam Workshop tools. Better than the average stocking filler.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Stellaris Nexus (aka “4X on fast forward”)launches in early accesstoday.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Perhaps needless to say, The Day Before is no longer for sale on Steam. Fntastic (or what’s left of them) areworking with Steam to offer refunds.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Game developer efforts to ruin Xmas continue withBooze Masters: Freezing Moonshinefrom Polish team Asmodev, out tomorrow, in which you are an influencer running an illegal distillery out of a frozen motel. There is a living snowman and the game’s map is haunted by some kind of STALKER-ish occult entity. The voice-acting is dreadful but I suspect that’s deliberate.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Epic Games have won a court battle against Google regarding the latter’s alleged violation of anti-trust laws, as reported byAxios.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
The Last Danceis a browser-based, mobile-friendly puzzler about moving some dancers to finishing tiles in the fewest possible tries. It’s part of theConfounding Calendarof daily advent Itch.io releases. Thanks to Alice0 for spotting.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Populous-esque village builderKainga: Seeds of Civilizationhas a one-year anniversary 50% discount. I wouldn’t usually post discounts unless they’re an absolute steal for something a lot of people want, but I really liked Kainga’s vibe from the pre-release demo, and am interested to know what others make of it.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
ZeniMax Workers United have come to a historic albeit “tentative” agreement with Microsoft over the usage of the latest AI tools in their workplace. “Zenimax has agreed to provide notice to the union in cases where AI implementation may impact the work of union members and to bargain those impacts upon request”, reads apress release.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Here’sthe story in question. I have officially made it through a whole career in games journalism without physically attending E3. It exists for me only as livestreams, late nights in a sweaty London office, borderline-incoherent emails from editors overseas, and grizzled anecdotes about something called the Saddle Ranch.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
The tearaway folk of Lightbulb Crew have announced a superhero dating sim, Nova Hearts, which is extremely unlike their previous game Othercide -find out more here.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
As Edwin shared earlier, Epic have won a court fight against Google, as a jury as ruled the search giant has an illegal monopoly in its handling of the Play Store. Here’sour own story.
–Graham Smith
–Graham Smith
The developers ofMetaphor: ReFantazioat Atlus, many of whom previously worked on the Persona series, have sat down andexplained what the heck their new game isin a new video. I appreciate this.
–Graham Smith
Steam seemsto be down at the moment, at least in the UK.
–Graham Smith
–Graham Smith
Mouse is a first-person shooter with art inspired by early American cartoons, a la Cuphead.IGN have a trailer.
–Graham Smith
I have perhaps surpassed my usefulness for the evening, so I will leave you with20 Words // 20 Secondsin which you have 20 seconds to enter 20 words, with each word needing to fulfil a criteria like “Starts with S” or “Includes FF”. Points are awarded based on number of words, word length and time left over. What’s your best score?
–Graham Smith
IT IS WEDNESDAY. Wake up, sleepies! We must go, yes, we must go at once. FEED THE MAW.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Some morning music:Vamo’alla flamenco, from Final Fantasy 9.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Embracer have at last confirmed the closure of Free Radical Design in a statement toVGC, after staff broke the news on social media.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
There’sa report going aroundthat Insomniac have been hacked, with ransomware group Rhysida gaining access to files for the developer’s forthcoming Wolverine game. Sony have released a statement: “We are aware of reports that Insomniac Games has been the victim of a cyber security attack. We are currently investigating this situation. We have no reason to believe that any other SIE or Sony divisions have been impacted.”
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
There’s some intriguing stuff in thisPolygon pieceabout Exodus, the Mass Effecty sci-fi game from Archetype Studios which includes a character played by Matthew McConaughey. Specifically, there’s this from executive creative director James Ohlen on how the game handles time dilation: “Instead of seeing the consequences of a choice you make in conversation or in gameplay, you know, days later, or weeks or months later, years or even decades later, you’ll see the impact.”
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Veil puts Dishonored’s Blink move in Rainbow Six. Can’t work out whether this is genius or a disgrace. Thanks for spotting,PCG.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
This is videogame-adjacent news, perhaps, but D&D publisher Hasbro have announced they’relaying off 1100 staff, just two weeks before the Xmas holiday.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Some quick, addled thoughts from me on V.A Proxy’s demo.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Fallout 4’s next-gen update needs a little longer to cook, Bethesda say - expect a release next year.
–Matt Jarvis
Plastic guitars are coming back, baby! Accessories markers PDP have teased a new peripheral to go with Fortnite’s Festival rhythm game, which is basically Rock Band inside Fortnite. It’s okay by my time with it, although the song selection is lacking unless you cough up those V-bucks.
Rock On this January ⛺️🌙🎶🎸🎮pic.twitter.com/IsjlmZyuGF
–Matt Jarvis
Got a Steam Deck? Find yourself weirdly hooked on the smell from its vent? You’re far from alone - but Valve haveasked players to try and resist the alluring scent"for the safety of your health”.
–Matt Jarvis
Escape Simulator, a game that does what it says on the tin pretty darn well, has droppeda free bit of crossover DLC with Among Us. Included is an escape room based on Among Us' spaceship, along with some cosmetics - hats included!
–Matt Jarvis
–Matt Jarvis
–Matt Jarvis
IT IS THURSDAY. Plasma armour is charged. Form a phalanx and FEED THE MAW.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Starfield’s creative director Has Thoughts on “how disconnected some players are from the realities of game development, and yet they speak with complete authority. I mean, I can guess what it takes to make a Hostess Twinkie, but I don’t work in the factory, so what the hell do I really know?” The full Xitter thread is worth a look, and doesn’t just read like sour grapes about Starfield’s reception, though I’m sure that’s a factor.
Loooong🧵 (1/15) Funny how disconnected some players are from the realities of game development, and yet they speak with complete authority. I mean, I can guess what it takes to make a Hostess Twinkie, but I don’t work in the factory, so what the hell do I really know? Not a lot.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Shadows of Doubt’s modding update isnow live, allowing you to edit whole cities and weave your own whodunnit mysteries within them.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Warframe’s Whispers in the Walls update isalso now live. This is the one about spooky goings on in a weird laboratory. Trailer below.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Hunt: Showdown has also had amega-updatethat coincides with the beginning of the game’s Tides of Desolation event. Expect maps covered in ash, “major controller changes and major Progression changes, as well as smaller quality of life improvements”.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
It’s reported that the Epic Games Store will give away 17 games over the Xmas period, starting with a bunch of Destiny 2 expansions. ThanksVGC.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
War Hospital has a release date - 14th January. As you can probably guess, it’s a hospital management game set in WW1. It looks a bit like Commandos.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
This morning I am mostly listening to the fat beats ofPower Plant, from the Bionic Commando Rearmed soundtrack.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
A quick piece about a nifty free Itch.io puzzler.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Some guy called Adam Smith hassaidthat Larian “don’t have any specific plans” for adding new D&D races to Baldur’s Gate 3, but they’re “not saying no”. Seems suss.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Larian’s CEO Swen Vinckehas shared what he would have said in his Baldur’s Gate 3 TGA acceptance speech if he hadn’t been told to “wrap it up”, including a tribute to people laid off by Hasbro.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Dishonored and Deathloop makers Arkane have shared concept art for their forthcoming Blade game.
Your excitement following Marvel’s Blade reveal means the world to us. Here’s some exclusive eye candy from our Art heroes at Lyon! ❤️Want to team-up? Check out Arkane Lyon’s open positions as we’re looking for talents in various disciplines:https://t.co/JZNi6qGbJ4pic.twitter.com/INV3h7u2VG
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
I am super-keen to cover Bahnsen Knights but it’s a bit of a logjam here - we had a load of meetings today. It’s unlikely to be a bad game - the developer’s previous Mothman project was ace.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Netflix have 10 games in development internally, according toAxios, one of which is an “AAA game for PCs”.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Gotsome extensive new footage of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the Suikoden sequel in all but name.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
IT IS FRIDAY. Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of Warzone/Warcraft/Total War/Warhammer/Animal Crossing/Earthworm Jim. FEED THE MAW.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Naughty Dog havecancelledlong-awaited multiplayer offering The Last of Us Online. “We had two paths in front of us,” reads the post in question. “Become a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player narrative games that have defined Naughty Dog’s heritage.”
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Original Duke Nukem dev Scott Miller says that Embracer have laid people off at 3D Realms.
Several sources have told me this bad news… Sorry to hear about another drop of the axe by Embracer Group, this time landing on Danish 3D Realms. A lot of people, including core devs, will be looking for work asap. Hopefully they land jobs soon. This one hits me hard because I…
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Total War developers Creative Assembly haveformally apologisedto players for what Creative Assembly concedes to be the substandard state of Total Warhammer 3’s latest DLC and Total War: Pharaoh. Amongst other things, Pharaoh owners will receive a partial refund and free DLC, while Total Warhammer 3’s Shadows of Change DLC will receive a major free update.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Do you play Dave the Diver? Because the latest Steam update brings Dredge crossover DLC. You’ll need to complete the VIP Sammy mission to experience the goods, which include a new weather condition: fog.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Dyson Sphere Program’s Rise of the Dark Fog update, aka the combat update, islive now.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
If you need jollying up on this gloomy mid-December Friday, you might enjoy Completely Fictional Story About A City Inside A Whale - here are somethoughts on the demo.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
I’ve been falling behind on my music recommendations. Here’s Stephanie “Quiet off MGS5” Joosten’s cover of"Through the Night"from Quicksilver, as heard in the rickety but endearing Wanted: Dead.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
IGN havea chat with Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiyaabout why he left Platinum, and what he’ll do next. An excerpt: “PlatinumGames has placed a priority on growing as a company. But I personally have no interest in growing a company for the sake of corporate growth. The desire to make interesting games is the first step for me, so I want to stay true to that.”
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Astronimo is out of early access today, and to my undiscerning eye, looks like a spiritual sequel to LittleBigPlanet with a pinch of Kerbal Space Program. Oh heck, that’s probably the headline, isn’t it.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Valve are taking a seasonal approach to Dota 2 bans. Have you been naughty this year?
This might be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen relating to Dota. Well played Valve.pic.twitter.com/v37jGXHQK1
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Thefull details on the reported layoffs at 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks, as shared by Edwin earlier today.
Hoping those affected - it sounds like a large number of people, with half the studio rumoured to have been cut - manage to land on their feet soon. What awful timing before Christmas.
–Matt Jarvis
Ubisoft’s open-world racerThe Crew is shutting down its servers in March. Being an MMO with cars, that means it’ll be impossible to play it after that date. You can no longer buy it, but you have a few more months to take a road trip across its United States if you’re so inclined.
–Matt Jarvis
I’m seeing in the weekend gently (and seeing off a post-Christmas party malaise) with some Brian Eno - specifically, the soul-cleansing Music for Airports.
–Matt Jarvis
There’s some new deets about the upcoming Death Stranding movie, as arthouse darlings A24 (they of Hereditary and Everything Everywhere All at Once)get involved.
“We are creating a Death Stranding universe that has never been seen before, achievable only through the medium of film, it will be born," says Kojima.
–Matt Jarvis
The head of Larian hasshot down any hope of Baldur’s Gate 3 finding its way to Game Pass- explaining that it’s acceptable for the studio to want to recoup the costs of developing such a big game, especially one that doesn’t have any additional micro-transactions or DLC. Sounds like a good deal to me, honestly.
–Matt Jarvis
–Matt Jarvis
PowerWash Sim is celebrating the holidays by letting you blast the dirt off Santa’s Workshop. The free map is out now, and has 500 dings - more than any level to date.
–Matt Jarvis
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Godus and Godus Wars, Peter Molyneux’s infamous crowdfunded return to the god game genre,have been removed from sale on Steam. A wonderful excuse to revisit the whole sorry affair.
–Graham Smith
It’s DayZ’s 10th anniversary and Bohemia have put together a short video to celebrate. A developer stream is coming on December 21st with new information on the future of the game.
–Graham Smith
Destructive multiplayer shooter The Finals received its firstpost-launch patch yesterday, with some fixes, some quality-of-life changes, animation improvements to make it feel as fast as the beta, and more.
–Graham Smith
As reader PolygonClassicist points out, thenominees for this year’s player-voted Steam Awards are out. A baffling list, I think, but certainly a conversation starter. Starfield for “most innovative”, hm?
–Graham Smith
Wonderful stealth tactics ‘em up Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew got a surprise final update whichadds a modding toolso players can create their own missions.
–Graham Smith
This week’s liveblog is at an end. The battle against the Maw continueshere.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
