Sony's marketing deal with Call of Duty, which promotes the latest game alongside PlayStation 5 and PS4 consoles and gives owners digital goodies on the platforms, will almost certainly come to an end as a result of Microsoft's $70 billion purchase of the company. Sony has been a key partner for the series since 2014 entry Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, with Activision partnering with Xbox before then.
The deal also gave PS5, PS4 owners access to exclusive digital items as well as betas prior to the launch of each instalment. For example, 2019 title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare came with an exclusive Survival mode on PS4 for a full year while Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War had a Zombies mode only found on PS5, PS4. This was also exclusive for one year.
Microsoft has now purchased Activision Blizzard – and all of its intellectual property and development teams – meaning that it’s to become the incumbent custodian of Crash and Spyro, assuming the acquisition closes. Many had hoped that Sony would, one day, wrangle the rights to the series back – but that looks impossible right now.
The tennis world may have been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the last couple of weeks, but just as the Australian Open looks set to allow players to hit a few balls in anger, Kalypso Media and Torus Games have come to town, announcing that Matchpoint - Tennis Championships will be coming to PC and console in the very near future.
We knew that one game was dropping onto Game Pass today - the hack-and-slashy Nobody Saves the World (Console, Cloud and PC) from Guacamelee devs Drinkbox Studios - but we had no idea that there would be a second. And not any old second, as this is the Xbox bow for perennial PlayStation exclusive, Danganronpa.
Need a new reason to head back to the survival horrors of Chernobylite? With the latest free and paid content packs, there are plenty of reasons - none more so than the chance to go on a Monster Hunt.
The upcoming Star Wars KOTOR Remake will feature some pretty substantial changes, making the gameplay more action-based compared to BioWare’s original 2003 RPG. This latest news comes via YouTuber MrMattyPlays, who claims to have gathered intel on the upcoming game via insiders. Take the following report with a grain of salt, though note that this source also correctly leaked the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Nintendo Switch port which launched in late 2021. The supposed leak suggests the studio working on the PS5 and PC remake will reinvent its combat gameplay, looking to influences such as God of War and Nioh 2. For those who didn’t play the original release, its battles were heavily influenced by the Dungeons & Dragon combat system, complete with virtual dice rolls and layered mechanics. We’re hoping the remake won’t swing too hard in the direction of action-heavy RPGs, perhaps finding a sweet spot that’s closer to Final Fantasy VII Remake, given how Knights of the Old Republic had a party system. MrMattyPlays also claims that BioWare’s Star Wars story will remain largely untouched. Favourite characters will appear and assume the same roles though it’s very likely they’ll undergo a serious makeover for new gaming systems while also having their voice actors recast. On that note, the soundtrack is also being re-recorded. Since the KOTOR Remake was announced during The Game Awards 2021, we’ve heard very little from the project. Something we do know, however, is that the remake is being helmed by Aspyr whose recent credits include a string of Star Wars remasters on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. These include Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Jedi Knight III: Jedi Academy, and Stars Wars Republic Commando. Where these games have been spruced up with remastered 4K visuals and quality of life improvements, KOTOR Remake is being touted as a proper remake. There’s no release date given though we’d optimistically guess the game will arrive in late 2023.
A new trailer for Rune Factory 5 has dropped, sharing some of the game’s story and giving us a few glimpses of gameplay ahead of its release on 25th March. Rune Factory 5 is coming out exclusively for Nintendo Switch Rune Factory 5 takes place in the border town of Rigbarth where some mysterious events are affecting the runes that keep the world in balance. Your protagonist is suffering from a nasty case of anime amnesia at the start of the game, but soon joins SEED, the peacekeeping group that’s pushing back against the monsters that are endangering the town. Of course, there’s plenty of slice of life gameplay alongside this, and you’ll be able to hang with the people of Rigbarth to cultivate friendships (and more) and take place in festivals. You’ve also got farming at home, where you can tame monsters to become your farmhands. It’s been almost a decade since the release of Rune Factory 4 in 2012 (in Japan), which first graced the Nintendo 3DS before a Rune Factory 4 Special release enhanced and expanded the game for Nintendo Switch in 2019, and then came to PS4, Xbox One and PC in December of 2021. Switch gamers are getting a head start on this new adventure, though I’m sure fans will hope it comes to other platforms as well. Looking back on Rune Factory 4 Special, Miguel said in our review: “Rune Factory 4 is the perfect second-life for you. You might feel a bit overwhelmed at first, but once you manage to find your focus the addictive gameplay lets you wash away hours of your day in an instant.” Source: press release
God of War on PC is off to a strong start and has passed Horizon Zero Dawn to become Sony's biggest launch on the platform with an all-time peak of 73,529 players so far.
