That’s right: before you’ve even realised it, another week has come and gone, and it’s once again time to take a look at what’s been going on in the world of gaming this week.
Of course, if you’re in the UK, there’s a good chance you’ve been distracted by the ongoing heatwaves; to other countries, they may not look like much, but they’re serious business to those of us who dwell in perpetual rain and cloudiness.
In any case, grab a drink, pull up a chair, and let’s talk about what’s been happening in gaming over the past week!
Arkane Studios’ co-founder calls Game Pass “unsustainable”
Game Pass has arguably been one of the most transformative developments in the gaming industry for the past decade or two, but Raphael Colantonio, the co-founder of Dishonored and Prey studio Arkane, reckons it can’t last.
Colantonio said on social media this week that he considers Game Pass an “unsustainable model” that will eventually lead to the service “kill[ing] everyone else, or giv[ing] up”.
He says that the model has been “subsidised by Microsoft’s ‘infinite money’” for a while, but that “at some point reality has to hit”. We suppose we’ll have to wait and see whether he’s right!
Romero Games loses funding, but the studio isn’t closed
As part of last week’s Xbox layoffs and studio closures, Romero Games, the studio founded by Doom and Quake designer John Romero, lost funding for its unannounced ongoing project.
However, the studio then took to social media to clarify that it had not, in fact, closed down, as many were suggesting. Instead, it’s currently “evaluating” opportunities to work with other publishers.
Romero Games also all but confirms that the publisher it had lined up for its previous project was, in fact, Xbox Game Studios, but that the “entire staffing” of its studio will now be “reassess[ed]”.
Nintendo is releasing Animal Crossing-themed Crocs
If, like many other people around the world, you think of Crocs as a nice, comfortable shoe to wear while you’re taking care of errands or relaxing around the house, then you’ll be pleased by Nintendo’s latest collaboration.
Having already launched a pair of Pokemon-themed Crocs, Nintendo is now turning its attention to Animal Crossing, with a pair based on the wildly popular life sim series on the way in August.
The shoes will sport Animal Crossing-themed designs, of course, and you’ll also be able to buy charms based on iconic characters from the games to add to your pair.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered can now be played chronologically
The Last of Us Part 2’s narrative is well-known for jumping all over the place in terms of timeline, but now, thanks to a new update for the game’s Remastered version, you can play it chronologically if you wish.
The Chronological Experience reshuffles all of the game’s core narrative events, allowing you to experience them in the order that they originally happened and potentially shedding new light on the whole affair.
Playing through the new mode also allows you to unlock special Uncharted-themed skins for Joel and Tommy in the No Return gameplay mode to celebrate Naughty Dog’s 40th anniversary.
Wargaming’s Steel Hunters shuts down just three months after launch
The live-service landscape really is beginning to resemble a graveyard more and more with each passing day, isn’t it? Now, it’s the turn of Wargaming for one of its games to join the scrapheap.
This time, it’s Steel Hunters that’s closing its doors for good, even though it was only released back in April. Wargaming says it’s “come to the conclusion that continuing development is not sustainable”.
As for what’s next, the servers will stay up until October, and all Hunters will be fully unlocked for all players, so now’s the time to try the game if you haven’t already.
Subnautica 2 has been delayed, and things are looking murky
This week, Krafton announced it would delay Subnautica 2 until 2026, with the announcement following the dismissal of the three original founders of developer Unknown Worlds earlier in July.
However, these particular waters were quickly muddied when Unknown Worlds co-founder Charlie Cleveland revealed he and his fellow co-founders are suing Krafton. The details aren’t public yet, but they “should eventually become (at least mostly) public”, according to Cleveland.
Many are theorising that Subnautica 2’s delay was brought about because of a $250 million bonus due to Unknown Worlds employees on reaching a certain revenue goal in 2025, a deal that Krafton is supposedly reluctant to uphold (although the publisher has refuted any kind of monetary reason for the delay).
Nintendo’s Game Voucher programme is ending
Nintendo announced this week that its Game Voucher programme is coming to an end in January next year, meaning you’ll no longer be able to purchase pairs of Switch games at discounted prices (with this service, anyway).
The programme is ending on January 30th next year, but any vouchers you buy before that date will still be valid for an entire year after purchase, so if you bought vouchers on January 29th, for instance, they’d be valid until January 29th the following year.
To put it simply, if you’re intending on taking advantage of this program and you want to pick up some Switch game vouchers, we’d strongly recommend doing so in the next few months.
Final Fantasy XVI’s producer doesn’t know if the next game will be turn-based
In an interview this week, Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida revealed that whether the next major Final Fantasy game will be turn-based is not “clear-cut”.
Yoshida says that the series’ games are made with both narrative and gameplay in mind, and that each game has to be considered in those terms; he says the combat in Final Fantasy is just one element of a wider whole.
The question was asked in regards to the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a very Final Fantasy-esque turn-based RPG released by an independent studio recently that has made waves within the industry (not to mention selling pretty well!).
