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Just when you thought the delayed release for Grand Theft Auto 5 was about as big this week was going to get, Sony goes and teases what is expected to be the PlayStation 4 reveal on February 20.
The week began as always with a chart update, confirming fears that the rather good DmC Devil May Cry isn’t selling very well. Second week sales also tanked over in Japan too, meaning all eyes are now waiting for an indication of the game’s performance in the US – this will hopefully come when the NPDs show up.
The doom and gloom continued with concerns that up to half of all HMV’s UK stores would be closed as part of restructuring plans. Whilst this is yet to materialise, the retailer did suffer major layoffs later in the week with 190 jobs going at its head office and distribution networks. A Twitter rebel also made sure those leaving didn’t go quietly.
And then Rockstar – expected to be releasing the GTA 5 box art – stunned the gaming world announcing a September 17 release date for the open-world sequel. The date is around four months after the studio had planned, stating more time is needed to deliver the game fans deserve. So desperate were gamers to share their opinions on the delay that Twitter caved under the pressure, preventing thousands of Rockstar-slamming tweets from clogging up our feeds. With the social network of choice unavailable, we assume streets were filled with angry gamers holding signs proclaiming Rockstar to be the cause of a triple-dip recession.
Still reeling from the GTA 5 delay, Sony only went and announced it will be revealing the PS4 on February 20. OK, so Sony didn’t actually say it was going to reveal the PS4, but Sony is going to reveal the PS4. Not only did Sony tease that we’ll all be able to “see the future”, but every man or woman with knowledge of the situation has come out of the woodwork to confirm Sony is talking about the PS4. This means it’s under three weeks until we get our first insight into what’s next for the PlayStation. To be frank, it’s far more excitement than we’d planned to consume on a Thursday night, especially having began already quite bloated by the GTA 5 release date.
There was other news too – mainly that Nintendo has messed up with the Wii U and is refusing to drop the asking price in order to drum up increased interest. Plus EA generated a host of headlines with its Q3 earnings, notably the 90 day countdown to Battlefield 4’s reveal, FIFA and Battlefield going next-gen, and Medal of Honor being removed from active service.
Share a thought for Epic Mickey studio Junction Point which closed this week, and Sony’s Killzone: Mercenary which proudly announced a September 18 release date, only to find out that GTA 5 was launching a day earlier.
Be sure to listen to the latest episode of the VideoGamer.com Podcast, which is the last in its current format. And be sure to check out all the cool video content Matt and Matt are producing, which can be found over on the VideoGamer.com YouTube channel. I’ll leave you with the latest episode of INDIE FACE, which takes a look at Surgeon Simulator 2013.
Bye.
