Written By: Max Mitchelson
Edited By: Mary Joaquin
Welcome to the Weekly Gaming Round-Up!
This week, closures and canceled games filed headlines alongside new announcements and updates. Epic is offering compensation to players as apart of a class-action lawsuit, a new PS VR system is on the way, and Valorant is taking steps to make its competitive scene more inclusive.
Bioware is finally shelving Anthem and canceling further development, the long-awaited System Shock remake is coming this summer with a demo out now, and a firmware update is on the way for PS5 users to use the expanded storage.
Monday, Feb. 22
As a class-action lawsuit against Epic Games over randomized loot boxes comes close, the company is offering 1,000 V-Bucks to any players who bought a Loot Llama loot box.
This preliminary action is a part of a US lawsuit set to be approved later this week. First filed in 2019, the lawsuit emerged among rising concerns from around the world about loot boxes as a predatory form of illegal gambling. Epic Games is also offering 1000 Rocket league credits to anyone that has purchased a crate.
“While some of you enjoyed purchasing random item Loot Llamas and being surprised by the content unlocked, others were disappointed,” stated the Fornite team. “So we decided a better experience for players was to be upfront and outline the details of in-game purchases.”
Tuesday, Feb 23
Sony announced that a new PS VR system is on its way with an unknown release date.
While the last generation of PS VR, released in 2016, is compatible with PS5 and PS4, the new system promises improvements. Not only will it enhance resolution, field of view, and tracking, and input, but also, the next system connects to PS5 with a single cord. So, no need for the mess of cables that the first iteration required.
“With both PlayStation VR and the next-generation VR system we’re building, our commitment to virtual reality as a medium for games is stronger than ever,” stated Sony.
But for now, the first PS VR is still supported by Sony, and upcoming games like After The Fall, Sniper Elite VR, Humanity, and much more are expected to come to the aging hardware.
Bonus Tuesday Story
Riot introduced the VCT Game Changers program to create “new opportunities and exposure” this season for women and Minority genders.
The program consists of two initiatives, the first being the VCT Game Changers Series, a set of competitions around the world starting in 2021, aimed at giving existing non-male esports stars more opportunities. While the second is the VCT Game Changers Academy.
Working with Galorant, one of the largest communities in Valorant, the program will target semi-pros and those looking to get into the competitive scene by hosting monthly tournaments.
“Both the VCT Game Changers Series and Academy will seek to build the next generation of superstars for the Valorant Champions Tour,” stated the blog post.
Wednesday, Feb 24
Bioware canceled any further development of the live service shooter Anthem, announced Austin studio director Christian Dailey.
After Anthem flopped in 2019, due to technical issues and poor gameplay, Bioware looked to completely overhaul the game. Though updates released over time, the significant promised changes never came.
Since 2019, the team shrunk down to about 30 employees. At the beginning month, publisher EA said they were looking to determine the future for Anthem.
Dailey ended his post by stating, “To the Anthem community, thank you for your passion and creativity. Your feedback and suggestions most certainly help shape the team’s direction, and on a personal note, your kindness and encouragement were much needed last year.”
Though the game will continue to run as-is, all development has ceased after the decision from EA.
Thursday, Feb. 25
After starting over in 2018, Nightdive Studios plan to release the System Shock remake this summer, with a new demo available today.
Beginning development in 2016 as a Kickstarter campaign, the project restarted in 2018 after the studio saw it straying too far from the original game. The demo is a "feature-complete version of the game," according to CEO Stephen Kick in talks with PC Gamer.
The new features, available starting at 1 P.M. EST, include real-time destructible lighting, a dismemberment system, the return of the classic's cyberspace levels (hopefully less confusing than the original), a dynamic soundtrack, and more.
Friday, Feb. 26th
For those struggling to find space on PS5, worry no more. Sony announced it will allow users to use the expanded SSD storage through a firmware update this summer, according to Bloomberg.
Though Sony built the feature into the system so users could fit an M.2 SSD into an expansion slot, it was disabled at launch. Bloomberg reported that the update also increases the speed of the PS5’s cooling fans to account for heat from an extra drive.
With storage requirements for some games ballooning to ridiculous highs, many users might need the increased storage if they want more than a few games installed.
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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