That’s right: somehow, time has moved on in a linear fashion once again, as it is wont to do, and it’s once again time to take a look at what’s been happening in the gaming world this week.
As you’d imagine, there’s a lot to get through; Tokyo Game Show kicked off this week, so major publishers have been announcing new projects left, right, and centre.
Without further ado, then, let’s once again embark on the journey of discovering what’s been going on in gaming over the last seven days or so!
Fortnite launches a brand new Daft Punk experience
If you’re a fan of dance duo Daft Punk, then you’ll find plenty to love about this week’s news roundup, assuming you’re also a fan of Epic’s mega-popular battle royale game Fortnite.
The French house band forms the centrepiece of a new Daft Punk Experience that’s being added to the game, complete with new maps to explore, new skins, and some funky Daft Punk music to enjoy.
Unfortunately, this does not mean the band is getting back together, so you won’t be hearing any new Daft Punk stuff from this experience. Still, it’s a good opportunity to revisit some classics!
Kojima Productions has lots of stuff in the works
This week marked the tenth anniversary of Hideo Kojima’s eponymous studio Kojima Productions, and there’s lots going on at the developer, as we learned during a livestream showcasing what’s next for Kojima.
We got to see a new teaser for horror game OD, as well as a first look at a new Death Stranding anime and some casting choices for the stealth-action game Physint, although the latter is still very early on in development.
Suffice it to say that none of Kojima’s inventive, imaginative spirit appears to have been dulled, although it’s unlikely that anything in the works right now will convert you if you’re an unbeliever.
Palworld is getting a farming spinoff
If you played Palworld and thought it could do with reining in its characteristic adult-oriented violence a little bit, then new Palworld farming spinoff Palfarm is definitely for you.
As the title suggests, Palfarm is all about living a cosy, peaceful life with Pals. They’ll help you around your farm as you grow crops, get to know the locals, and generally do everything you can usually do in a cosy game.
There’s no release date for this one yet, but hopefully, we get to play it soon, because we’re excited to see these little critters in a world where they’re not exploited for slave labour.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio announces Yakuza Kiwami 3
Yes, the rumours you’ve heard are true; Yakuza Kiwami 3 is real, and not only is it launching in February, but it’s bringing an entirely new prologue with it as well.
Kiwami 3 will serve as a remake of Yakuza 3 in a similar vein to the first two Kiwami games, so expect revamped visuals, better gameplay, and more side stories, plus lots more.
The interesting thing here, however, is Dark Ties, a new prologue that will revolve around Yoshitaka Mine as he navigates the murky world of organised crime in Japan. It’ll be bundled free with the game, too.
PlayStation holds a new State of Play showcase
We got plenty of PlayStation-related announcements this week courtesy of a brand new State of Play show, where we learned the release dates for the likes of Housemarque’s Saros, Team Ninja’s Nioh 3, and more.
The show also brought a first look at Saros’ gameplay, and it looks a lot like its predecessor Returnal, only with a different colour palette and more refined gameplay (we hope).
At the show’s conclusion, we got to see some gameplay footage of Marvel’s Wolverine, which has been missing in action for some time. It’s coming next autumn, apparently, so hopefully, it won’t be delayed.
Borderlands 2’s Switch 2 port has been delayed
This week, 2K and Gearbox announced that the Switch 2 version of Borderlands 2, which was due to launch later than the PC and current-gen console versions of the game, has been delayed indefinitely.
As revealed on X, Borderlands 2 needs a little more time in the Switch 2 oven, as it were, and so it’s being pushed back, although there’s no new release date in sight, unfortunately.
If you pre-ordered the game on Switch 2, your pre-order will be cancelled and you’ll be granted a refund, but if your pre-order is physical, then it might be best to contact the retailer in question and just double-check that you’ll be getting your money back.
Xbox officially unveils Forza Horizon 6 and its setting
Lest you think the State of Play show means Xbox is trailing behind Sony this week, think again, as Forza Horizon 6 was officially announced during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show presentation.
The game will be launching sometime next year, and not only that, but it’ll also be coming to PlayStation 5, albeit after it arrives on PC and Xbox Series machines. The console rivalry continues to wane, and we can’t say we’re particularly sad to see the back of it.
As for the setting, you’ll be racing off to Japan this time around, as revealed by the trailer, in which we saw some very Japanese things, including Mount Fuji and a noodle bowl.
The Genshin Impact folks have announced a cosy game
It’s not just Pocketpair and Palworld getting in on the cosy fun this week; Genshin Impact studio HoYoverse, formerly known as miHoYo, announced its new cosy game Petit Planet as well.
As the name suggests, Petit Planet will have you managing your very own planet in a galaxy of connected worlds, and you’ll be able to fish, cook, and grow crops, just as you’d expect.
The art style is very reminiscent of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing, so you can probably expect a similarly laid-back approach to gameplay here. Again, there’s no release date yet, but you can sign up for a chance to try the closed beta if you want.
