Written By: Max Mitchelson
Edited By: Mary Joaquin
Welcome to the Weekly Gaming Round-Up!
Surprise announcements and big reveals made this week in gaming. The critically acclaimed Devotion is available for the first time in two years, Sony revealed PSVR 2 controllers, and Fortnite’s season six began with a single-player mission.
In other news Square Enix announced its NFT coming later this summer, and the Australian government refused to give Disco Elysium: Final Cut a release date.
Monday, March 15
After over two years of unavailability, the critically-acclaimed horror game Devotion is available for purchase DRM-free through the developer’s eshop.
Devotion was first removed from Steam by Red Candle Games a little over a week after it was released, due to anger from Chinese CCP loyalists for an in-game poster criticizing President Xi Jinping. Initially, Red Candle Games claimed the removal was due to technical and Q&A issues, only later admitting the removal was due to the art asset.
The game was scheduled for release on GOG in December of last year, but only hours after the announcement owner, CD Projekt Red, reversed the announcement.
They claimed, “After receiving many messages from gamers, we have decided not to list the game in our store.”
Tuesday, March 16
Fortnite’s season 6 started with a single-player mission, revealing its new wilderness-themed map.
While most seasons begin with a multiplayer event, Epic changed things up in Zero Crisis Finale which tasks players to take control of Agent Zero to contain the Zero point. By the mission’s end, the Zero Point is preserved in a tower of stone, and it sends a pulse across the island not only changing the landscape but also removing all advanced technology.
Players can now traverse the Primal Biome, complete with a crafting system to improve makeshift weapons. Boars, chickens, wolves, and more also roam around the island which can be hunted for unique loot.
Lara Croft skins were also added to the battle pass, with more to be announced in the future including a DC-themed skin from Teen-Titans and more.
Wednesday, March 17
Amongst the explosion of companies and even sports leagues getting into non-fungible tokens, Square Enix released a press release announcing their entrance into NFTs.
For their first foray into NFTs, Square Enix plans to use an art asset from the Million Arthur series. The series is a media franchise that started as a free-to-play card battler and now has other games, animes, mangas, and more. The NFT is releasing this summer with the help doublejump.tokyo.
Square Enix stated that it was “investigating” the opportunities in the blockchain for years before the announcement. The studio stated: “In the future, we will use blockchain to explore the possibility of activating communication between users in games, etc., and aim to create new digital entertainment content and build business models through them.”
Though NFTs are both an exciting investment and a way to support artists in the digital age, it has received criticism for its energy cost and environmental impact.
Thursday, March 18
Sony showed off its new PSVR controllers, detailing the design and new features.
Announced last month with an uncertain release date the PSVR 2 promises improvements across the board for its second-generation model. These extend to the controllers, which ditch the clunky Wiimote with ping-pong balls for a modern design, sharing many features with the Dualshock5 like adaptive triggers and improved haptics.
The controllers also remove the need for a camera to track movements instead of using the headset with more nuanced gestures possible through finger touch detection. Similarly, triggers were added to mimic gripping objects for in-game uses.
“Prototypes of our new VR controller will be in the hands of the development community soon,” stated Hideaki Nishino, Sony Senior Vice President. “We can’t wait to see what ideas they come up with and how the controller helps bring their imagination to life!”
Friday, March 19
The Australian Government’s Classification Board refused classification for Disco Elysium: Final Cut, preventing sales on console and leaving the Steam release up in the air.
The rating board refused the critically acclaimed CRPG due to depictions of, “sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena.” Of which the game does have plenty, but for good reason, with the main character’s alcoholism even playing a major part in the narrative.
Some speculate that this rating could be an error in the rating application sent into the Classification Board as was the case with Bloober Team’s, The Medium. Regardless, it seems Disco Elysium: Final Cut will not make its Australian console debut on March 30.
The Disco Elysium: Final Cut adds voice acting, new content, and new animations, and is set to release on PS4, PS5, IOS, and Google Stadia by the end of the month.
EGD’s Weekly Gaming Round-Up gives a quick look into the newest news in the games industry. From blockbuster triple-A games and indie startups and mods, the Weekly Gaming Round-Up covers it all.
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