🎮 Switch 2, Civilization 7 Preview and 2 Cancelled games from PlayStation...
Switch 2 is finally announced, Civilization 7 Preview, 2 Unannounced Projects are cancelled by Sony, Arkheron and more!
Hello friends,
Today is January 23rd 2025 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌
In today’s news:
🎮 Switch 2 is finally announced
🎮 Civilization 7 Preview
🎮 2 Unannounced Projects are cancelled by Sony
🎮 Arkheron, a game from a former Blizzard CCO
⚡ Lightning Round!
🫡 True Tribute!
😄 Personal Update
All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️
Let’s dig in!
🎮 Switch 2 is finally announced
I know, it’s not really a surprise to anyone already, but in case you haven’t heard, last week Nintendo finally released a 2 minute video showcasing the new console.
The console comes in black and will feature a more rounded look, a newly designed kickstand with a wider tilt, a new-look dock, magnetic Joy-Con controllers, and more. With the Joy-Cons also being black, the red and blue colour of the original appears under the thumbstick.
And as far as games go, more information about the console and (most likely) its games will be shown during a Nintendo Direct event on April 2.
Well, you know me, I’m not the biggest fan of Nintendo, but I’d be a fool not to recognize their success. My guess is that this console is going to sell out very fast when it hits the shelf. And I would even consider buying it myself, but my budget is pretty slim right now considering that I’d have to buy the console and the games. So, I’m patiently waiting for a Steam Deck 2 😅
What do you think about this bad boy? Are you already putting some money away for when it releases?
🎮 Civilization 7 Preview
With only a few weeks before the release, IGN shared quite an interesting final preview where they go into the details of the upcoming Civilization sequel.
I won’t go into too much detail, the video does a better job at it than I am. I will say this though, it looks like Firaxis revamped quite a lot of things in a new game (again). Diplomacy is now a currency, the army management has changed, the game now split into only 3 distinct chapters and a lot of other small mechanics. But most importantly, you are not in control of a civilization now.
Instead, you choose a consistent leader, but you switch from your original civilization to two others throughout history as you progress through the acts.
I have to say, now I’m a bit sceptical about this game. This is the first time I’ve seen gameplay footage with some additional information and I’m on the fence with this particular change. I mean, the name of the game is “Civilization”, not “Leader”, right? Why would they abandon this core principle that was working on all the other previous games? According to the review, the change might not be as bad as I think it is as now we could mix and match different traits and things to make the gameplay more exciting. But I’ll have to see to believe it. After this, I’m not sure I’m going to buy this game without seeing some feedback first…
What do you think about these changes? Are you still excited about this game or you couldn’t care less? 😜
🎮 2 Unannounced Projects are cancelled by Sony
And another batch of sad news comes from Sony. According to IGN, Sony has cancelled two unannounced live-service games that were in development at Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games.
Sony confirmed that Bluepoint Games was working on a live-service God of War title while deciding not to share anything about Bend Studio, but they were working on a live-service game as well. The latter is best known for their zombie shooter Days Gone, so it wouldn’t be a big stretch to assume that they were working on either a spin-off or the second game with live-service elements.
It all kind of makes sense, considering how badly Sony got burned with Concord last year and how cautious they must be about releasing new titles that rely on this particular type of monetization. What doesn’t make sense is that previously people at Sony were saying that live service is the bread and butter of gaming and that they committed to making more games in this niche. But we are where we are.
I’m very sad about the cancellations at Bend since I’ve been waiting for more games from them ever since I played Days Gone. Especially because the game concluded on a cliffhanger. I keep trying to convince myself that Sony probably wouldn’t do a live service Days Gone, but it’s been years since I’ve heard any news about the studio in general.
What do you think about these cancellations this early in 2025?
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🎮 Arkheron, a game from a former Blizzard CCO
Bonfire Studios, a company that was formed by former Blizzard CCO Rob Pardo and former CEO of Nexon America Min Kim, is now ready to announce their first project since they formed in 2016.
And the game is Arkheron, a team-based PvP game “set in a dark and foreboding world”. According to the studio, Arkheron will feature familiar “ideas and concepts”, but the game is “about creating something entirely new”:
There’s a simple truth at the heart of our development philosophy. If we don’t love our game, our players won’t either. We believe the best games are born from a genuine love of playing them, which is why we’ve poured years of passion into developing Arkheron, constantly iterating and refining it to deliver something truly unique and exciting.
We’ve played the game daily as a team for years, and while we haven’t figured out yet exactly how to describe it, we often say “you have to play it to get it”. We’re eager to start sharing the fun we’ve found in Arkheron with a wider community soon, and we hope players will love it as much as we do.
While seeing this enthusiasm from the game’s creators is definitely a good sign, they haven’t shared anything concrete besides the name and a brief summary. The game has been holding private playtests and, fortunately for those who are interested, the studio will be opening it up to more players in the coming months. So, we’ll probably see some leaked gameplay during that time as well 😉
⚡ Lightning Round!
1…2…3…Go!
🎮 More layoffs at Microsoft
Eager not to break a pattern they set in 2024, Microsoft announced another round of layoffs across the company. According to a new report from Business Insider, Microsoft is letting people go from its sales, security, and gaming teams.
According to the report and the company, the layoffs “are small”, but they decided not to reveal any actual numbers. Starting 2025 “strong”…
🎮 Tencent and Ubisoft are thinking about a “New Venture”
As we talked about this week, it’s going to be a hard year for Ubisoft. The only (king of) good news for them is that a new report has surfaced revealing that Tencent Holdings Ltd. and the Guillemot family are trying to piece together a new venture built on a foundation of Ubisoft assets.
The consideration of creating a new venture would enable the Guillemot family to retain control of Ubisoft while giving Tencent more control over some of its assets under the new venture.
Maybe Tencent will be able to make Assassins Creed and Far Cry great again? 🤔
🎮 Blood of the Dawnwalker Cinematic Trailer
Unfortunately, you’d have to go to YouTube to watch this trailer, but it’s A-mazing!
You play as Coen, a young man turned into a Dawnwalker, forever treading the line between the world of day and the realm of night. Use your skills and combine vampiric strength with human resolve as you take on a quest to save the ones you love. Face your foes – be they human, monster, or the ticking clock itself.
But remember – the real evil may bask in the sun’s light, and the most loyal of allies could lurk under the cover of night.
This game very much reminds me of a Dracula movie, the one with Luke Evans. The movie that in my humble opinion deserves a sequel. But I digress, this trailer looks very cool and the premise sounds kind of just like it. So far, I’m hooked 😍
🫡 True Tribute!
Today I wanted to salute
with a first post of 2025 and some amazing articles (as usual)!
Personally, I can very much relate to the studies about open-world games. I wouldn’t say though I’m looking for an escape per se, it’s more about being a part of a different world if you know what I mean. There’s always a huge variety of who you can be in video games and much like reading books, you get to be the centre of so many stories and experiences. But maybe it’s me justifying an escape. Anyway,
always posts a lot of things that make me think about the philosophy of video games. Give a shot!😄 Personal Update
Still busy as hell 😅
Unfortunately, because of this, all the other side projects had to take a back seat, but it’s not for long. I’ve very hopeful that by mid-February I’m going to be back to writing some interesting stuff.
In the meantime, when I’m not working, I’ve decided to get back to Diablo 4 with a new season released this Tuesday. Maybe this time I’ll finally complete the DLC.
If you have any tips for this season, let me know!
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.
I have money set aside for the Switch 2. But part of me is very sad that "weird Nintendo" seems to no longer be a thing. We've known the Switch 2 was going to be more of the same, just better for a while now. But I kind of hoped they were just trolling people.
> Looks like the Dracula movie with Luke Evans
Me (looks at the protagonist): Wonder why...