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Blimey, would you Adam and Eve it? Yep, that’s another week done and dusted, and with it, a whole bunch of (hopefully) exciting video game news to digest. Being an EastEnders fan, I know how important catching up on stuff is, so that’s why I’m here to guide you through the biggest gaming stories of the past week before you bugger off down the pub, play some Fortnite, fire up Netflix, or do whatever it is you do on a Friday night. But first, I’ll get the important stuff out of the way…
Poor Phil Mitchell. It’s bad enough his missus is having it away with Keanu Not Reeves behind his back, but now daughter Louise is getting close to Keegan, and are about to consummate their relationship as the bad baldie rocks up home unexpectedly. I’d just a book a trip to the hospital now and be done with it, lad.
Elsewhere, the X Factor has been renewed until 2022 despite taking a kicking in the ratings from Strictly Come Dancing. Sharon Osborne blames the precipitous fall in popularity on Simon Cowell’s constant chopping and changing of the show. To be honest, I think it’s been s**te since Danni Minogue left.
Finally, I was amused to read this week that Danny ‘I’m f***ing Danny Dyer’ Dyer is reportedly lined up to host UK show Have I Got News For You. Apparently, the cockney geezer is being signed up to inject a bit more accessibility into the show after an ‘endless stream of posh presenters.’ Well, Danny Boy did call David Cameron a twat, and that’s quite an accessible thought.
Microsoft snaps up Obsidian Entertainment and Inxile Entertainment
Microsoft’s X018 event was packed full of announcements, chief among which includes confirmation that the platform holder has snapped up both Obsidian and Inxile. The former is particularly encouraging news for Big Phil and chums, as Obsidian’s experience with RPGs is pretty impressive – Star Wars and Fallout: New Vegas, anyone? Inxile is a nice surprise, too; Microsoft has indicated that the studio will still have a degree of creative freedom to grow its existing franchises and fresh IP alike. Both developers have been in a bit of a pickle financially though, so when you think about it, it’s just as well that Microsoft moved in.
Crackdown 3 has a new release date
Crackdown 3 has been delayed more times than a Guns ‘N’ Roses album, but it’s finally got a concrete release date. Hell, Microsoft has actually brought the game’s launch forward slightly, so that it’s now out one week earlier than Anthem and Metro – probably safe decision, to be fair. Let’s just hope it’s worth the wait, eh?
PUBG has finally been announced for PS4
Blimey, it took them long enough to announce this one. Anyway, if Fortnite hasn’t already satisfied your battle royale bloodlust, you’ll at least be able to soak up a ton of content for PUBG on PS4, as the game is shipping with pretty much a full feature set out of the box. You’ll also get a couple of Sony-focussed cosmetics too, such as a Nathan Drake outfit and Ellie backpack from The Last of Us.
Telltale Games is sadly shutting its doors for good
Despite its ‘majority studio closure,’ a few months ago, it’s worth remembering that Telltale never explicitly said that they were shutting up shop permanently. Its CEO noted the studio was aiming to carry on, only with significantly fewer staff under its belt. Unfortunately, it’s now been confirmed that The Walking Dead developer is closing down, and is in the process of liquidating its assets.
Command & Conquer remasters are being made by ex-Westwood devs
EA has finally given us details on its planned Command & Conquer remasters, and it’s good news. A number of ex-Westwood Studios staff are working on shining up the first Command & Conquer, and Command & Conquer: Red Alert, complete with no microtransactions and all expansions. Frankly I’d be shocked if they weren’t sprucing up these classics, although the case could be argued for Tiberium Sun or Red Alert 2. Still, with former Westwood devs at the helm, the impending 25th anniversary of the strategy series is looking rosy.
Sony confirms it is not attending E3 2019
By far the biggest shocker this week is Sony’s confirmation that it won’t have a presence at E3 next year. Like, at all. This is totally unexpected, and one has to question why the format holder has decided to make such a big change – it’s been at E3 for the past 24 years, after all. While it’s unquestionably the biggest stage for the industry, it has waned somewhat in recent years. Throw in the huge costs associated, and it might be that Sony reckons it’s financially more viable to do its own thing. Having said that, and as Colm pointed out to me earlier in the office, there isn’t an awful lot slated for release in 2019 that Sony has made public yet – only Days Gone and (presumably) Dreams. Maybe it’s waiting to drop the PS5 bomb on us in 2020?
Final Fantasy VII Remake is progressing well, says Square Enix
It’s still anyone’s guess as to when Final Fantasy VII Remake will actually show its face, but Square Enix wants you to know that it is at least progressing well. Okay, so that’s not all that exciting, but there’s context to director Tetsuya Nomura’s brief update. Square Enix had previously said that its main focus at the moment is Kingdom Hearts 3, leading to erroneous reports that the game hadn’t even entered development. That’s not the case at all; Squeenix was just talking about marketing, not actual production on the game. Fair enough, but when are we actually going to get a look at the game next?
