April is now well and truly underway, and the weather is beginning to “improve” (if, indeed, you’re not one of the contrarians who prefers the rain and the cold, like we are).
Whatever the weather happens to be doing outside, though, there’s still plenty of news to talk about if you’re more inclined to stay indoors; with Nintendo’s Switch 2 campaign fully underway, how could there not be?
As ever, then, pull up a chair and let’s talk about what’s been happening in the world of gaming over the last week or so.
The Minecraft movie is causing chaos
We’ll admit this one’s gaming-adjacent, but we thought it was worth a mention nonetheless, as we think the poor folks who went along to see Minecraft only to have this happen to them deserve to be acknowledged.
Last week saw the release of A Minecraft Movie in cinemas, and the movie has attracted audiences who are, to put it mildly, less than respectful towards their fellow cinemagoers.
Audiences are apparently reacting disruptively to certain lines in the movie, which have become popular memes. We’re all for specific screenings that cater to this kind of behaviour, but in general screenings? No thanks.
More Switch 2 rumblings and reveals
We’ll round up the Switch 2 news we thought was noteworthy this week in one place rather than spreading it out over multiple entries on this list; it’s all pretty small, but some of it is significant!
Switch 2 game cards will still taste gross, it was confirmed this week, probably to discourage kids from wanting to eat them. Of course, that may not get the bitter taste of Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour’s price tag out of your mouth.
The console won’t have any eShop music, in the same way as the original Switch lacked music, and unfortunately, the Switch 2 edition of Breath of the Wild also won’t include the game’s DLC, which feels like a misstep to us.
Oh, and Switch 2 Edition games will contain the full package on the cart; they won’t need any extra downloads to play on your Switch 2 (although they may require updates).
Sonic Rumble gets a May release date
Sonic Rumble, a free-to-play party game that bears more than a passing resemblance to Mediatonic’s Fall Guys, has a release date on PC and mobiles.
The game will be coming to Steam, as well as iOS and Android, on May 8th, having previously been delayed from an early-2025 release window.
When it arrives, it’ll be completely free to play, and it’ll feature plenty of minigames appropriately themed around Sonic the Hedgehog levels and gameplay styles too.
Diablo 4 gets a 2025 roadmap
Blizzard’s grimdark action RPG Diablo 4 got a roadmap for the rest of 2025 this week, and there are lots of goodies and extras on the way for the game, although some of the features have proven controversial.
The roadmap, which includes new Powers, new quests, and new reputation grinds, has been criticised by some players for leaning too heavily on the so-called “borrowed powers” system Blizzard likes.
Borrowed powers are essentially upgrades and goodies you get for one season or expansion before they’re cycled out for something else, a system World of Warcraft has been upbraided for using excessively in the past.
Xbox summer show gets a date
It probably won’t come as a surprise to you to learn that Xbox’s show is returning for summer this year as part of the Summer Game Fest, uh, festivities, but we learned when we can expect the show to air this week.
On June 9th, the Xbox show will be livestreamed, and following that show, we’ll be getting an in-depth look at The Outer Worlds 2, an upcoming first-person RPG from Obsidian.
Does that mean the show itself will offer an Outer Worlds 2 release date? It’s more than possible if you ask us, but the show will probably have plenty of other surprises as well.
Sony reveals the PlayStation Plus lineup for April
April’s PlayStation Plus catalogue was revealed this week, and it’ll offer hugely popular AAA releases and indie gems alike, with two day-one releases also set to join the service this month.
The lineup offers games like Hogwarts Legacy, Battlefield 1, and PlateUp!, as well as day-one offerings in the form of indie roguelite puzzler Blue Prince and Don’t Nod’s adventure game Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2.
Those two are available to play right now, and the rest of the lineup, including Premium offerings like Alone in the Dark 2 and War of the Monsters, will be accessible from April 15th.
Star Citizen’s funding has reached another big milestone
Space sim Star Citizen, which has become one of the most infamous crowdfunding stories of all time, passed another huge milestone this week, although it’s still unclear when the game will actually launch.
As noted by Eurogamer, the game passed $800 million in funding this week, and it did so without any inkling of a 1.0 release date being anywhere on the horizon.
It’s honestly almost impressive how much Cloud Imperium has managed to raise for the game, although we’re a little concerned about anyone who’s decided to throw their money at a game that has no release date. It does have an alpha you can play, though!
Marathon has finally been revealed
Bungie has finally given us a first look at its upcoming extraction shooter Marathon, which, as the name suggests, shares at least some of its DNA with the classic FPS franchise from the 90s.
As revealed over the weekend, Marathon will be arriving in September, and its first closed alpha test is scheduled for April. You’ll have to sign up to the Discord server if you want to get in on that particular action.
If the comments on the game’s debut gameplay trailer are anything to go by, fans are less than impressed by Marathon’s reveals, but it remains to be seen whether that dissatisfaction will translate into a lack of long-term support for Bungie’s latest gamble.
