Another week, another Monday waking up to find Edwin has trapped himself between the Maw’s cyclopean molars on what was supposed to be a routine scrubbing expedition. We usually get him out just fine, but today he’s become entranced by the chomper’s blighted runoff, and is busy stuffing plaque samples in his trousers to bring back and study. So, you get me instead. In other, non-affront to-science news, Warhorse are announcing a new game this week, Thursday 18th, rumoured to be medieval rpg sequel Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. Elsewhere, the Steam FPS fest kicks off later.
Here’s a question that’s been haunting me recently: Videogames - will there be more of them? I’m afraid I don’t have time to find out right now. Instead, here are some upcoming releases. Fantastical, giant turtle featuring deck-and-city builder Vertical Kingdom (15th April); 80’s tinged racer Retrowave World (16th April); Handmade puppet story game Harold Halibut (16th April); Spider-scorching Kill It With Fire 2 (early access, 16th April); 2D train strategy Trackline Express (18th April); Emergent story-stuffed tactics expansion Wartales - The Tavern Opens! (18th April); Top down slashy, Game Awards debuting No Rest for The Wicked (18th April); Bug-blasting four-player roguelite Ants Took My Eyeball (19th April)
Edwin’s new obsession has left us a pair of eyeballs down, so if you’ve spotted a particularly tasty morsel of pure videogame, please wrap this valuable information in stringy flesh and hurl it down the Maw’s gullet. That, or pop it in the comments. As for me, I suppose its a spot of teeth spelunking and…oh god, no…Edwin, don’t eat the plaque, please.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Key points- 08:01 am 04/19/2024 AND THAT IS FRIDAY
- 08:00 am 04/18/2024 THIS IS THURSDAY
- 07:59 am 04/17/2024 WEDNESDAY IS NOW
- 08:05 am 04/16/2024 TUESDAY TIME
- 08:05 am 04/15/2024 MONDAY MAW-NDAY
A new fight against the Maw dawns - and earlier than normal, while the beast still slumbers. Let us get in our licks.
Possibility Space has closed down without warning and the CEO's email to staff makes it seem like it's their fault for talking to a reporter.
Graham Smith 12:58 pm UTCUbisoft have begun revoking licenses for The Crew from players, their racing game which closed its doors last month.
Graham Smith 13:01 pm UTCThere's a new patch for OpenTTD, the open source Transport Tycoon remake. 14.0 improves the new player experience and the UI, among many other changes.
Graham Smith 13:03 pm UTCWarhorse, the makers of Kingdom Come Deliverance, say they're announcing a new game on Thursday, April 18th.
Graham Smith 13:06 pm UTCOver 100 Avalance Studios employees in Sweden are unionising, with a collective bargaining agreement due to go into effect in spring 2025. Avalanche Studios are best known as the developers of the Just Cause series.
Graham Smith 14:01 pm UTCGestalt: Steam & Cinder is a 2D platformer with snappy wall-jumping and sword-and-pistol combat. It'll launch on May 21st and there's a demo to play now.
Graham Smith 08:05 am UTCMONDAY MAW-NDAY
It's Monday. My face hurts, and the only cure is dunking it in straight into a bucket of soothing videogames. Vertical Kingdom is out later today. One of the stages has you build a town on the back of a giant floating turtle. My face is feeling better already!
Nic Reuben 08:08 am UTCBig large huge Fallout 4 Mod Fallout: London has been delayed, via Insider Gaming. As suspected by a few of you in the comments, it's down to Beth's big 'next gen' update due soon.
Nic Reuben 08:11 am UTCDataminer Sekiro Dubi has discovered secrets aplenty in Elden Ring, via PC Gamer. The game was originally intended to have more world altering events like the [redacted] that crashes down after you beat General [redacted], revealing the way to [redacted].
Nic Reuben 08:21 am UTC Pool of Madness is an upcoming Lovecraftian pool game. That is not dead which can eternal be milk-ethed, and all that. I'll play it though, undoubtedly. Thanks, Ex Research! Nic Reuben 08:30 am UTC Former Bliz pres Mike Ybarra reckons games should feature an option to tip the devs after completion. Go full hog, I say. Give me a one-click 'buy Larian a pizza' button. What do you reckon? Thanks, VGC. Nic Reuben 09:45 am UTC Shadows of The Damned originally had a Death Stranding-like child gun you calmed down by reloading and got irritated when you missed a shot, but EA pushed back on it because they felt American audiences "didn't like little girl" characters in games. Both Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami were pretty devastated, according to this interview with Suda on the upcoming SOTD remaster. Nic Reuben 09:47 am UTC No Ubisoft towers in Star Wars Outlaws, according to Brian Shea on Xitter. Hopefully this means the next FF7 game won't have them either. Nic Reuben 12:23 pm UTC Top down crafter Tinkerlands now has a free prologue demo on Steam. It's got very small crabs, absolutely massive frogs, and a Stardew-esque interface. Cheers, PC Gamer! Nic Reuben 12:27 pm UTCEA's upcoming Black Panther and Iron Man games both look to be open-world sandboxes, according to job listings spotted by PCGamesN. The Iron Man game is being worked on by Dead Space remake dev Motive.
Nic Reuben 17:04 pm UTCAs Nic mentioned earlier, game-sized Fallout 4 mod Fallout: London has been delayed indefinitely by Bethesda’s incoming next-gen update - it'll now arrive when it's fixed, whether that takes a day or a month (or longer).
Matt Jarvis 17:31 pm UTCLethal Company’s first update in months makes it harder to be a shovel-armed killing machine - or speedrunner.
Matt Jarvis 18:07 pm UTCFormer Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra reckons you should be able to tip developers 'another $10 or $20' on top of $70 games, as Nic shared earlier. What do you reckon?
Matt Jarvis 18:44 pm UTCAs Graham mentioned yesterday, over 100 staff at Just Cause developers Avalanche have unionised, with Swedish staff at the studio due to be covered under the new agreement from this time next year.
Matt Jarvis 08:05 am UTCTUESDAY TIME
Hello all! Sorry sorry sorry - I was busy yesterday clearing out a seam of fossilised Battlefield DLC announcements I found behind one of the Maw's wisdom teeth. You really don't want the Maw to get a gum infection. The last time that happened it somehow caused a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse simultaneously. Anyway, FEED IT.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:10 am UTCVia IGN, there appears to be a teaser for a November announcement hidden away inside the Fallout TV show.
Anyone else call this number ? You can text it Also . pic.twitter.com/1S5AIMexl1
— Fanatical Guy (@FanaticalGuy) April 12, 2024 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:11 am UTCKeanu Reeves will reportedly voice Shadow in the forthcoming Sonic 3 movie. I reckon he'd do a good job of that.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:16 am UTCFormer Dragon Age scribe and Summerfall co-founder David Gaider thinks a Dragon Age TV show would be "a terrible idea".
I imagine everyone would expect me to say Dragon Age, but that'd be a terrible idea. I want to see a David Lynch-style (on acid) Disco Elysium. Or maybe Banishers. https://t.co/vljIVHAKKc
— David Gaider (@davidgaider) April 15, 2024 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:20 am UTCHere's a job listing that sheds a little more light on EA's forthcoming Black Panther adaptation from Cliffhanger Games. They're looking for a principal sandbox designer who will "work closely with the AI engineering team to create sophisticated AI behaviors that enhance the open-world experience, from urban crowds to wildlife ecosystems".
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:23 am UTCHollow Knight: Silksong has been rated by the Australian Classification Board. I refuse to believe this game is real.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:29 am UTCToadman Interactive are taking over development of Planetside 2, and have big plans for it.
Image credit: Daybreak Game Company Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:38 am UTCA lengthy thread from Inkle about the creation of lovely astral archaeology yarn Heaven's Vault, to mark the game's fifth anniversary. Excerpt: "The "rivers" concept came partly from the Egyptian Book of the Dead - a quote from which opens the game - but also from the Scottish landscape, and rivers winding through valleys."
FIVE YEARS ago today, we released @HeavensVault.
It's discounted on Steam this week, but here's a celebratory thread about how it came to be! pic.twitter.com/egROG31sgQ
Well-good immersive sim Ctrl Alt Ego has been updated with a New Game+ mode.
Ctrl Alt Ego NewGame+ Enticer Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:02 am UTCHere's the launch trailer for No Rest For The Wicked, which will not feature microtransactions according to the developers.
No Rest for the Wicked - Official Steam Early Access Launch Trailer - PEGI Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 15:00 pm UTC The first embargo for the upcoming Total War: Warhammer 3 update is up, meaning there's plenty of YouTube partners with details on the accompanying patch and FLC lord if you want a sneak peek. Creative Assembly themselves have released a blog on the new Empire lord Elspeth Von Draken, detailing the reworks to the Empire as a faction, just in case you were planning on your 500th Karl Franz campaign. Nic Reuben 17:04 pm UTCPalworld CEO says “many” clones of Pokémon-with-guns game are coming, including successors with a “Genshin Impact-level” of quality.
Matt Jarvis 17:33 pm UTCIf you're interested in taking an early look at the next World of Warcraft expansion, The War Within will run a beta before launch - and you can sign up to be a tester now.
Matt Jarvis 18:04 pm UTCNo surprises here: Dungeons & Dragons makers Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro also want a Baldur’s Gate 4, but say they won't rush to a sequel before they've found the "right" people to make it. It shouldn't take 25 years, though.
Matt Jarvis 18:42 pm UTCThe Fallout TV show might have answered a decades-old question in the video games (spoilers for its first season within!)
Matt Jarvis 07:59 am UTCWEDNESDAY IS NOW
Augh, the Maw grew another layer of scales overnight - we'll have to return the last 20 batches of Psycho-Epidermal Escalators. FEED IT.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:02 am UTCAs reported by Kotaku, Take-Two are laying hundreds of people off and cancelling projects. "Rationalizing the pipeline", they're calling it.
Take-Two announces hundreds of layoffs and over $160 million in cancelled projects in an end of business SEC filing pic.twitter.com/SYNwNHiyIK
— AmericanTruckSongs9 (@ethangach) April 16, 2024 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:03 am UTC Steam FPS fest is well underway. My personal sale recommendations include Severed Steel (£5), Cultic (£7), Deep Rock Galactic (£8), and, for some reason, Ace Combat 7 (£12). Do let us know if you play any great demos! Nic Reuben 08:04 am UTCYou can now sign up for a Hades 2 technical test in advance of the early access launch - find out how here.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:07 am UTCAny Dredge fans reading? You might like Deep Beyond, out in May - it's a short thriller about salvaging derelicts. "Explore ancient wrecks, solve intricate puzzles, and uncover the secrets of her past as you journey through the depths of the ocean."
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:07 am UTC Someone decided to buy 4000 copies of Alan Wake, in the form of a box of useless download codes. "good evening, Sam Lake," they later tweeted, "could you please sign my 4000 alan wake xbox 360 full game download cards." We'll report back on any developments. Cheers, PCGN! Nic Reuben 08:11 am UTCFACEMINER, a dystopian AI surveillance management game with Windows 2000-esque visuals, has a free demo available on Steam and Itch.
Nic Reuben 08:11 am UTCAthenian Rhapsody, out in May, is "a Souls-like platonic dating simulator with Cooking Mama and WarioWare style battle mechanics" in which completed playthroughs become "tangible" artefacts that can be shared and "combined". Slight NFT overtones, but I'm interested to hear more. According to the developers, "you'll be able to use these Rhapsodies in various ways such as socializing with friends, accessing special timed in-game event adventures, and maybe even something outside of the game one day."
Athenian Rhapsody ► Release Date Reveal for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:16 am UTC Sumo Digital have 3 unnanounced games in the pipeline, according to a Linkedin profile, as spotted by @GamesCage_ on Xitter. There's some speculation this could be the next Sonic Racing due to the engine mentioned. It is, after all, the year of Shadow. Nic Reuben 08:17 am UTCSpitfire's superhero tactics game Capes is out May 29th.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:44 am UTCFamitsu have an Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree interview which includes details of how to access the DLC's new areas, once you've installed it.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:11 am UTC Mullet Mad Jack, the unhinged and extremely rad looking anime-inspired FPS, has a new release date trailer. Nic Reuben 12:06 pm UTC 70% of developers are concerned about the sustainability of live-service models, according to a survey by the Game Developer Collective, via Eurogamer. Nic Reuben 13:30 pm UTC Ghost of Tsushima, which drops on PC next month, May 16th, has revealed its PC requirements, alongside crossplay details, via Gamespot. Wait, hang on, I'm just hearing that this is actually NOT Bloodborne, so I don't care. Sort it out, Sony. Nic Reuben 13:44 pm UTC Manor Lords developer Greg Manorlords has put out some details via a Steam blog ahead of the game's April 26th launch into early access. The blog is mainly centred around managing expectations and discussing update plans. "Manor Lords is not a Total War competitor," the blog reads - definetely something I've been guilty of comparing it to. I do sympathise with Greg here. Manor Lords looks great, but I'm not sure anyone predicted the sort of popularity, and therefore expectations, this initially solo made passion project has managed to garner in recent months. Nic Reuben 14:08 pm UTCLittle Kitty Big City (disclosure for Pip Warr, RPS In Peace, who is the narrative designer) just got a release date of May 9th as part of Ninty's Indie World Showcase today. The game continues to look cute.
Little Kitty, Big City - Releasing May 9th! Watch on YouTube Alice Bell 14:19 pm UTCLikewise, Cat Quest 3 (a 2.5D cat-themed pirate adventure which has far too-many cat-based puns for my liking) seems to have just had a release date of August 8th confirmed by the Ninty stream. I have no experience of the Cat's previous Quests but I understand them to have been well-recieved.
Alice Bell 14:29 pm UTCWell, everyone was once again rumouring that Silksong would feature at the Indie World Showcase, and once again it did not. The capper this time was SteamWorld Heist 2, a tactical, turn-based, steampunky sequel that now comes with realtime naval battles. It's coming to the Switch on August the 8th, but the first SteamWorld Heist had a bit of a delay before it came to PC - I can't tell you if it's day and date yet.
Hold onto your hats!
SteamWorld Heist II ricochets onto #NintendoSwitch 08/08.
Guide a rag-tag crew of Steambots across the Great Sea in a brand-new adventure. #IndieWorld pic.twitter.com/angKB5Mdm3
Dwarf Fortress' adventure mode has launched in beta. Check out the trailer here. Diggy hole, rock and stone etc etc
Nic Reuben 08:00 am UTCTHIS IS THURSDAY
Butter the battlements and gas the geraniums! FEED THE MAW.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:03 am UTCShadow-hugging puzzler SCHiM has a release date - 18th July.
SCHiM - Release Date Trailer Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:04 am UTC Blackbird Interactive have put out a roadmap for Homeworld 3, ahead of its May 13th releasse date. Updates include 3 free 'content drops', alongside 2 pieces of paid DLC for 2024 and one for 2025. The post also details the collector's edition. The plastic ships make ship noises. Nic Reuben 08:04 am UTCAs reported by Gamesradar, Arrowhead have indicated their awareness of a super credits farming glitch in Helldivers 2, though they don't seem excessively bothered by "such undemocratic behavior".
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:07 am UTCOh my good golly goshness, Comedy Central are making a new animated show based on Sega classic Golden Axe. It's got Matthew Rhys, Danny Pudi, Lisa Gilroy, Liam McIntyre and Carl Tart in it, and "follows veteran warriors Ax Battler, Tyris Flare and Gilius Thunderhead as they once again battle to save Yuria from the evil giant Death Adder who just won’t seem to stay dead. Fortunately, this time they have the inexperienced and underprepared Hampton Squib on their side." Ta, VGC.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:09 am UTC Speaking to PC Gamer, the director of upcoming Sims-like Life By You, Rod Humble, has said modders and other creators are A OK to monetise their creations however they see fit. "It's your game," he said. "It's your toolset." How very name-sakely of him, to borrow a Tim Rogers-ism. Nic Reuben 13:52 pm UTCBaldur's Gate 3 is getting yet more endings, as outlined a new Steam blog. "Patch 7...will add improved evil endings to the game for even darker conclusions to your most sinister playthroughs, and yes, that includes you non-Durge players." The patch also plans to bring along "our official modding tools."
Nic Reuben 13:55 pm UTC The latest Cities Skylines 2 DLC launch did not go well, as such, the developers are refunding everyone who bought it, and making the content free instead. Nic Reuben 16:30 pm UTCBraid's Anniversary Edition has squeezed in one more delay, three years after it was first meant to arrive - it's just two weeks extra to wait this time (hopefully).
Matt Jarvis 17:03 pm UTCArma and DayZ makers’ free-to-play looter-shooter Vigor is coming to PC, half a decade after consoles (inmcluding the Nintendo Switch!)
Matt Jarvis 17:26 pm UTC Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is bringing PlayStation trophies and friends to PC for the first time via a new PS overlay (you don't have to use it if you don't want to, mind). Matt Jarvis 17:49 pm UTCWave goodbye to every free moment you have: Balatro ‘95 has perfected procrastination by modding the roguelike deckbuilder into classic Windows Solitaire.
Matt Jarvis 08:01 am UTCAND THAT IS FRIDAY
We come to it at last: the weekend! I'm definitely ready for it: the Maw farted last night and now our astrologers have a whole new constellation to deal with, working title "The Great Air Biscuit". FEED THE MAW... but no fried onion or cabbage please.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:03 am UTC Amazon's well-recieved Fallout show has been renewed for a second season. The first was so popular that player numbers on Steam have doubled for Fallouts 76, New Vegas, and 4. Nic Reuben 08:03 am UTCStardew Valley's 1.6.4 update adds a whole bunch of new mine layouts, as detailed on the developer's site.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:07 am UTCThere's a big new update for DOTA 2, as well: Crownfall. It's an on-going story event that provides access to new heroes and rewards. The first act is The Markets of Midgate.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:08 am UTC Eiyuden Chronicles studio Rabbit & Bear have confirmed in a Reddit AMA that they'll be moving ahead with a sequel to the JRPG. The studio say that they "disccussed many things" with Suikoden creator Yoshitaka Murayama prior to his death. "I hope we will be able to carry on Murayama's legacy, and I always want to treasure his last work." Nic Reuben 08:11 am UTCMore details of a new expansion for Fallout 76, which has seen an inevitable uptick following the TV show's release. The expansion is Skyline Valley, and starting today, you'll be able to test it via the public test server on Steam.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:12 am UTC Creative Assembly have released a showcase trailer for upcoming Empire lord Elspeth Von Draken. The new Hellstorm variant she'll eventually gain access to is possibly the most joyfully ridiculous thing so far in a series that features both boats with legs and boats with wheels. Nic Reuben 08:13 am UTCNo Rest For The Wicked launched yesterday and appears to be on the buggy side. Developers Moon Studios have blogged about things they're fixing, including stodgy performance and progression loss.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:17 am UTCPCGamesN has just pointed me toward Jitter, a 2D space sim with kewl greenish visuals which sort of looks like a more serious version of Heat Signature.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 10:25 am UTCBethesda are not only refusing to date Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 for release, they're threatening to update Starfield again. Who will stop Todd Howard's reign of terror? Thanks IGN.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 13:10 pm UTC Sony may be considering making a bid to buy Paramount, as reported by Bloomberg and the NYT, and spotted by VG247. Amusingly, this would make them the owners of the home of the Halo TV series. Nic Reuben 16:38 pm UTCPrison Architect 2 has been pushed from its already delayed release date next month all the way back to autumn.
Matt Jarvis 17:06 pm UTCWell, whaddya know, there’ll officially be a season two of Amazon’s very popular Fallout TV show, as Nic mentioned earlier.
Matt Jarvis 17:44 pm UTCSuikoden spiritual successor Eiyuden Chronicles will get a sequel to ‘carry on the legacy’ of late creator, its developers have expressed, following the death of Yoshitaka Murayama in February ahead of this month’s release for Hundred Heroes.
Matt Jarvis 18:07 pm UTCFinal Fantasy 14’s long-awaited graphics update in 7.0 will look better than the Dawntrail benchmark, Yoshi-P has promised.
Matt Jarvis 22:10 pm UTCAs Nic mentioned in brief earlier this week, Tinkerlands: A Shipwrecked Adventure is a free prologue aka demo of 2D topdown surviving, crafting, frog-fighting.
Graham Smith 22:11 pm UTCThe Palestinian Relief Bundle on Itch.io nets you hundreds of games for just $8, with all the money going towards providing food, water and medical treatment in Gaza.
Graham Smith 22:11 pm UTCNo Rest For The Wicked has received its first hotfix, with much-requested changes to gear durability and repair costs. Performance issues are still being worked on.
Graham Smith 22:12 pm UTCThe sequel to Star Control 2 - but don't call it that - has more than tripled its crowdfunding target after four days. It's got a long way to go before it reaches its $4.4 million open source stretch goal, however.
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