🎮 Darksiders 4 Announced, Bioshock 4 Development Struggles and Battlefield 6 Open Beta Approaches...
Darksiders 4 Announced, Bioshock 4 Development Struggles, Battlefield 6 Open Beta Approaches, THQ Nordic Showcase 2025 and more!
Hello friends,
Today is August 7th 2025 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌
In today’s news:
🎮 Darksiders 4 Announced
🎮 Bioshock 4 Development Struggles
🎮 Battlefield 6 Open Beta Approaches
🎮 THQ Nordic Showcase 2025
⚡ Lightning Round!
🫡 True Tribute!
😄 Personal Update
All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️
Let’s dig in!
🎮 Darksiders 4 Announced
It’s finally happening! After all the uncertainty with this beloved series, it’s back and was recently announced with a shiny new trailer!
Developed by Gunfire Games, it looks like the series is going to pick up where the first game left off. The game is set to be another third-person action adventure with more of the original combat, traversals and story-rich post-appocalyptic world.
There are only a few additional details known so far. You will play as one of the Four Horsemen right after the events of the first game with a 2-4 coop option, and the combat is described as “fast-paced, visceral action blending melee, fluid traversal, and supernatural abilities.”
I’m not sure why it took them so long to return to their original formula with the cliffhanger that was bothering fans for years, but I’m glad we finally made it. I honestly missed all the other Darksiders games except for maybe the second one, mainly because it was so close to the first one, it almost felt the same. But the other ones weren’t really my cup of tea. If this one is going to be more like the original, I’m honestly sold 😅
What do you think about Darksiders? Are you hyped for the 4th game?
🎮 Bioshock 4 Development Struggles
Bioshock is somewhat of a controversial series that has had its share of troubles, and unfortunately, the latest game in the series is not an exception. Recently, reports have surfaced that the game has failed an executive review, and it’s back to the drawing board.
According to a report from Bloomberg, the game that’s been in development for around a decade was recently presented to 2K Executives for review and received a heave criticism for its narrative. This resulted in the studio launching a massive overhaul of their story that they will be working on in the following months.
We are working hard to set BioShock up for the best possible future. Right now, we have a good game, but we are committed to delivering a great one. We are working closely with leadership at the studio to define this path.
The report also speculates that these struggles are also the result of a recent leadership shift due to the removal of Cloud Chamber Games studio head Kelley Gilmore and the shifting of creative director Hogarth de la Plante into a publishing role. Additionally, in a recent all-hands meeting, employees were told that the company needs to be “more agile and efficient”, which many of them took as a sign of impending layoffs.
Well, that might as well be true. We are living during a time where the higher-ups are not so easily impressed. Of course, it’s hard to tell from our perspectives as we don’t know what’s going on behind those closed doors. What’s good is that the project wasn’t cancelled, the people weren’t immediately let go, but they could go back and reassess their work and come up with a new idea. In my book, that’s already a win 😅
Are you looking forward to the new Bioshock?
🎮 Battlefield 6 Open Beta Approaches
Battlefield has been on everybody’s minds as of late. The media has been buzzing about a new game, and the company is gearing up to open its doors to anybody who wants to give it a shot.
According to an exclusive from Insider Gaming, the company is planning to have two betas during August, starting with the closed Beta that actually starts today. You can obtain a key through Twitch drops or by pre-ordering the game. Additionally, some sources reveal that the Beta will then open up on August 9th – 10th as an ‘Open Beta’ phase.
And there will be a second beta phase that will take place from August 14th-17th. Unfortunatelly for the Battle Royale fans, it’s yet unlclear whether we’ll see this mode along with the main one or not.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Battlefield; I only played Battlefield 1, and it was not a great experience. Aside from that, I played a lot of Battlefront games, which are not the same thing, but at least somewhat close. With that said, I’m quite intrigued by a new potential Battle Royale. I got quite sick of PUBG and other similar games in the genre, and with all the action, destruction and shooting, I can feel something great coming out of this mode.
What do you think about Battlefield 6?
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🎮 THQ Nordic Showcase 2025
Aside from Darksiders 4, THQ Nordic actually announced quite a lot of things during a recent showcase. So, let’s dive a little deeper, as there are a lot of games that might deserve our attention.
The first one on my personal list is Sacred 2 Remastered.
In Sacred 2 Remaster, you step into the world of Ancaria as one of six heroes. Explore a massive open world and master combat arts and spells for epic loot. This remaster brings a fan-favorite back to life — with hi-res textures, better combat and bugfixes, for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
The second one that caught my eye is Wreckfest 2.
Buckle up and brace for impact - Wreckfest 2 is here to push your cars to the limit.
Wreckfest 2 is available for PC in Early Access and will be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S at a later date!
The last one on my personal list is Titan Quest 2, which I’ve been looking forward to for a while.
Titan Quest II is OUT NOW in Early Access on PC!
The Moirai have woven a long and winding thread—but fate no longer hides in shadow. The wait is over: Titan Quest II has arrived in Early Access on the Epic Games Store and Steam.
Step into a world of myth and monsters – your journey begins today.
But that’s not all. If you want a full list of announcements, Insider Gaming has a great one to check out. Honestly, I’m quite surprised by so many great announcements and so many things to look forward to!
What is your favourite one from THQ?
⚡ Lightning Round!
1…2…3…Go!
🎮 ASUS ROG Xbox Ally Preorder Dates and Prices
Speaking of preorders, a new handheld from ASUS and Xbox is about to hit the preorder dates.
According to Dealabs, Xbox Ally will be available for pre-order starting on August 20, 2025, one day after Gamescom Opening Night Live.
And according to multiple sources, the premium version Xbox Ally X will retail for €899 while the lower-powered Xbox Ally will cost €599, at least per Europe listings that I could find. Prices in the US and Canada are yet to be revealed, as far as I know.
Have you already saved up enough for this bad boy?
🎮 Upcoming PlayStation Games Sum-up
It’s very hard these days to keep track of what every studio around the world is making, so some outlets are doing a great job in keeping up to date with everything.
So, I just wanted to share this list created by IGN that pretty much sums up all the projects that PlayStation Studios around the world are making with their respective stages of development. This is just a nice and convenient find if you are a fan of Sony’s games.
The list has everything from Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studios to Firesprite and Dark Outlaw Games, which are among the most recent joiners to the titan’s portfolio.
I wish I had time (and PlayStation) for them all 😅
🫡 True Tribute!
Today I wanted to salute
and !I want to applaud
to showcasing an amazing exercise for anybody who’s interested in game development. A lot of us, when we think about making games, we think about making these big, complex projects with complex systems and a 100-page narrative, and then we get lost and give up. But to be able to create a game that fits on one page and make it fun, this is the ultimate proving ground (IMO) for game developers. We all need to make sure we can do things small before we try to hit big.Great game and design, btw!
😄 Personal Update
Aside from all the interesting stuff at work, I actually discovered quite a few games while we were looking for a new game to play with my friends.
What we also discovered is that there are so few games out there, especially when it comes to the multiplayer genre. The problem that we were faced with is that most of the games that are “alive”, meaning that they are constantly being updated and maintain at least a semi-stable player base, are the games that were released a while ago. There are simply no games from the last few years, except for maybe Marvel Rivals and Dune, that really made a splash on the scene, or at least I can’t remember one that did.
Also, the number of games in the survival genre seems to be growing by the minute, and almost every other multiplayer game that was released recently is some sort of mix between this and something else.
Am I being crazy or blind here?
This is all the news I have for you folks today.
Thanks for making it this far! 🙌
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Have a great week!
Alex from Gamedev Relay.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful words and the shout-out! Really appreciate it. And I'm glad you liked Journeyman :)
Bioshock a name that is long time ago I played on xbox 360. I am definately interested in a new bioshock, but I am not sure if the game will be cancelled like perfect dark it might not fit today's audiences looking for more fortnite experiences., that said its been in development too long.