November trundles along in earnest, and it’s once again time to take a break from whatever you’re up to right now and sit down with us to recap some of the gaming news of the last week or so.
Since major game delays and layoffs took place last week, you might think it’s been a less eventful few days, but that’s not the case; as we’re fond of saying here, there’s still lots to pick over.
Without further ado, then, let’s once again get started and take a look at what’s been going on in the gaming world this week!
Survival game Misery gets hit with a DMCA claim by Stalker 2’s dev
We begin this week with a spot of drama concerning a survival game called Misery and a DMCA claim by GSC Game World, the developer of Stalker 2.
The claim alleged copyright infringement and led to the Steam page for Misery being taken down temporarily, although it was happily restored later in the week after the two studios apparently resolved their misunderstanding.
The dispute apparently revolved around two major issues, and while Misery’s Platypus Entertainment’s explanation of the resolution of these issues is somewhat confusing, it’s nice to know the game is available once more.
The Elder Scrolls VI is still ages away, Todd Howard says
In an interview with GQ this week, Bethesda’s Todd Howard put paid to any hopes that we might see more of The Elder Scrolls VI during this year’s Game Awards ceremony.
Howard told GQ that the game is still “a long way off”, and that he’s “preaching patience” regarding any more information about the project.
We have to admit that we think that’s just a touch galling; the game was announced way back in 2018, after all, so we think Elder Scrolls fans have already been showing patience in abundance.
Ghost of Yotei has sold over three million copies, but Destiny 2 is struggling
This week, Sony revealed its latest financials, and it turns out that open-world sequel Ghost of Yotei has sold over three million copies, although another Sony property isn’t doing so well.
According to Sony, Destiny 2 and its developer Bungie haven’t “reached the expectations” the publisher had for the developer upon its acquisition in 2022.
Despite that, it seems that Marathon, the developer’s next project, is still slated for release before March next year, so we’ll have to see if that manages to turn Bungie’s fortunes around.
Pokemon Pokopia is launching in March
It’s not just Marathon you can look forward to in March; this week, Nintendo also revealed that its cozy Pokemon life sim Pokemon Pokopia will be arriving in that month as well.
In Pokemon Pokopia, which launches on March 6th, you’ll play the role of a Ditto who has assumed human form, and it’ll be up to you to transform an island into a paradise where lots of Pokemon can live.
If you’ve played games like Animal Crossing or Hello Kitty Island Adventure, you’ll probably already know what you can expect from this one.
Elden Ring Nightreign is getting some DLC
A new DLC pack is on its way for Elden Ring Nightreign, and you can look forward to two new player classes, new boss encounters, and a new Shifting Earth map environment to take on in December.
New bosses include the likes of Dark Souls’ Knight Artorias and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s fearsome Divine Beast Dancing Lion, as well as new major bosses like the Dreglord.
The two new playable characters, meanwhile, are the Scholar and the Undertaker, warriors who should give you new ways to explore even more overpowered builds.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie gets its first trailer
We got our first look at the upcoming The Super Mario Galaxy Movie this week via the film’s first ever trailer, and it shows off new characters like Rosalina and Bowser Jr.
Rosalina, who will be voiced by Brie Larson, can be seen reading cute bedtime stories to a veritable army of adorable Lumas, while Bowser Jr. is donning his Super Mario Sunshine mask to cause some mischief.
We also got a glimpse of Rosalina taking part in a kick-ass action sequence against a giant mech, so it looks like she won’t just be a shrinking violet in this movie.
Valve announces a range of new hardware
Valve, best known for the Half-Life games (as well as its effective monopoly of PC digital distribution), announced a set of new hardware devices this week that seem set to shake up the gaming space.
The Steam Controller is first, and as the name suggests, it’s a brand new wireless controller that’s optimised for Steam. It bears trackpads, just like the Steam Deck does.
You can also look forward to the Steam Machine, a console-style PC that’s designed to sit near your TV, and the Steam Frame, a wireless VR headset.
NCSoft’s Horizon MMO is official
Horizon: Steel Frontiers is an MMORPG set in Guerrilla’s Horizon universe, and it was made official this week by developer NCSoft, which is bringing the game to PC and mobile.
It will adapt the franchise’s signature hunting-based gameplay while “introducing advanced MMORPG systems”, according to NCSoft.
Strangely enough, the game doesn’t seem to be slated for the PS5 at all, although NCSoft has expressed an interest in bringing the game to what is probably its most obvious platform.
Paralives has been delayed
Indie life sim Paralives, which appears to be modelling itself after The Sims, was delayed this week to give its developers more time to polish up its simulation and character creation modes.
Developer Alex Massé apologises for the delay, but says that since Paralives is effectively “3 games in one”, it’s a “colossal task” to build it and make sure everything works properly.
There is, however, a gameplay stream due for later this month, and it’ll feature “45 minutes of uninterrupted live mode gameplay”, so if you want to get a feel for what Paralives will be like, make sure to tune in for that.
