GameNama Weekly #24
Ali Hasan March 5, 2023
Welcome back to Gameutha.com’s GameNama Weekly, where we bring you the latest and greatest in gaming news every single week! In this week’s roundup, we have exciting new updates on the future of Elden Ring, particularly its first piece of downloadable content and the Assassins Creed franchise. Also, in this week’s coverage is news on the next-gen version of the Outer Worlds and an interesting development in the Microsoft/Activision acquisition deal. For this and much more, continue reading!
Table of Contents
Elden Ring DLC Announced
It has been over a year since the critically acclaimed fantasy action RPG, Elden Ring made its way into the gaming world. The game went on to sell a staggering 12 million units in its 12 months on the market while also becoming one of the most well-received games of last year, amassing dozens of awards across a number of categories. A PvP arena was added to the game late last year, finally allowing players to battle against and with each other, but FromSoftware has remained tightlipped on story DLC until now.
The studio announced last week that DLC for the game is now in development. The expansion is titled Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. The concept art released alongside the announcement shows a decidedly dark and dreary environment against what looks to be a dying Erdtree. Shadow of the Erdtree is currently without a release date.
Ubisoft is Going All in With Assassins Creed
Assassins Creed has long remained one of Ubisoft’s top-shelf IPs. Last year the French video game conglomerate announced several new titles for the franchise, including a mobile-only Assassins Creed Jade. Despite over ten game cancellations recently at Ubisoft, it seems like Assassins Creed fans need not to worry as the studio is developing an additional four titles including a proposed VR project, due out over the next few years.
The previous three announced games, Projects Hexe, Jade, and Red are joined by games that are currently codenamed Nebula, Raid, and Echoes. Nebula will reportedly be taking place in three different areas, namely India, Mexico, and the Mediterranean. While Raid and Echoes are set to be multiplayer-focused outings. A VR title has also been proposed. While it is unclear whether all four of these games will see the light of day it is certain that Assassins Creed is going nowhere.
Also Read: Hogwarts Legacy Review
The Outer Worlds Receives a Next-Gen Version
Obsidian Entertainment wowed the world with their universally loved take on the Fallout world with Fallout: New Vegas and was once again able to strike gold with The Outer Worlds, a planet-hopping open-world action RPG that built upon the many conventions the studio themselves established. The game went on to sell five million units across PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and with the sequel right around the corner, Obsidian Entertainment has released a native next-gen version.
The Outer Worlds: Spacers Choice Edition brings with it enhanced visuals, higher resolutions and frame rates along with better lighting, shadows, and texture work. The game also boasts improved AI, reworked character models, and enhanced animations. This edition of the game includes the base game along with all DLC. The upgrade, however, isn’t free and costs $10 and requires the purchase of the base game and both DLC packs.
Luminous Productions to be Folded into Square Enix
Luminous Productions has had a difficult start on next-gen with its second and latest release, Forspoken not performing well critically and commercially and it seems like the studio’s life will be shorter than anticipated as it is being folded into its parent company, Square Enix. In a statement, Square Enix said that this decision was made to “further bolster the competitive prowess of the group’s development studios, a goal set forth under its current medium-term business strategy.” Early last year Square Enix sold off most of its western studios and IP’s to Embracer group following unimpressive sales and releases.
Luminous Productions is set to be folded into Square Enix on May 1, 2023 in the meantime, the studio will continue to work on Forspoken, bringing quality of life changes and performance fixes to the title in addition to releasing the game’s DLC expansion; Forspoken: In Tanta’s We Trust.
Microsoft Gains Access to Sensitive Sony Documents
As Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard continues to ruffle the industry, both the proponents and opponents of the deal have been trying their best to steer the deal that best suits their interests. Last week, Microsoft filed for a motion that would allow them access to Sony’s documents detailing their exclusivity deals and third-party partnerships.
Microsoft will use this information to build a case for the approval of the deal although the way it’ll impact Sony going forward or even the relationship between the two giants remains to be seen. The Microsoft/Activision-Blizzard deal is set to close sometime this year.
Meta Quest 3 to Launch Later This Year
The Meta Quest 2 is widely regarded as one of the bets VR headsets available on the market right now, offering a true untethered experience at a reasonable price point and it looks like its successor is right around the corner. Meta, in an internal presentation revealed that the Meta Quest 3 is slated to launch later this year.
The new headset will be two times thinner than the Quest 2 and atleast twice as powerful. The Quest 3 will also combine AR technology with VR to deliver an even greater sense of immersion and will launch with over 40 apps. The Meta Quest 3 is currently without a release date.
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