Christmas is very nearly upon us now; it’s almost time to begin whatever yearly ritual you partake in, or, indeed, to start a new one if you’re so inclined.
As we’ve discussed before, Christmas can sometimes be a quieter period in gaming news; it’s a time for reflection on the year that’s gone and anticipation for the year ahead.
Of course, as we’re fond of saying, that doesn’t mean you won’t find any news to recap and pore over, so without further ado, let’s get started with our look at the last seven days in gaming news form!
Stalker 2 gets a big new update with quests and everything
Do you feel like you’ve had your fill of post-apocalyptic RPG shooter Stalker 2, despite the sheer size of GSC Game World’s achievement? If the answer is yes, then there’s good news for you this week.
The Stories Untold update adds “over five hours” of new gameplay for Stalker 2, as well as new locations, new characters, and more to encounter.
It should provide the perfect excuse to head back into the wasteland, especially if you’re looking to dodge awkward gatherings with your family this year.
Bungie’s Marathon launches in March
Marathon, the extraction shooter that has had (to put it mildly) a bit of a rough time of things since its first announcement, now has a new release window.
Bungie says its game is releasing in March, and that you can expect to pay around £35 for it, which feels pretty reasonable for a title that the studio is expecting to be your new “forever game”.
A new blog post also sets out some of the gameplay and story decisions Bungie has made, as well as other elements of Marathon the studio thinks you should know before release.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is getting a huge free expansion
Team Cherry somehow isn’t done with Hollow Knight: Silksong yet; the studio revealed this week that its magnum opus is getting a brand new expansion, and it won’t cost you a thing.
Sea of Sorrow will bring new bosses and locations to the game, and it’ll be released across all platforms for free sometime next year, so it’s safe to start getting excited about that.
That’s not all, though; you’ll also get a refreshed version of the original Hollow Knight for the Switch 2, and that’ll come at no extra cost if you own the original, too.
Dead Island 3 is coming in 2028
Dambuster Studios has confirmed that it’s currently working on Dead Island 3, and that the zombie-slaying game (we presume, at least) is due to arrive in a couple of years.
That’s according to a financial listing that was spotted by X user Timur222, with the listing pointing to a release window of the first or second quarter of 2028 for Dead Island 3.
Here’s hoping that the third game in the series doesn’t take quite as long as the second one did to be released.
The next Divinity will be turn-based, but Larian is using AI for it
Controversy emerged this week as Divinity developer Larian revealed more information about its next project to Bloomberg, including the company’s apparent use of AI on an internal basis.
The next Divinity game will, according to Larian head Sven Vincke, be a turn-based RPG, but it’ll be on the “next level” compared to Larian’s previous projects.
AI is being used at Larian, too, according to Vincke, but he insists that the studio is only using the technology to “explore things” rather than to replace creatives. Hmm.
Sony and Tencent have reached a Light of Motiram-related settlement
It emerged this week that Sony and Tencent have reached a settlement in their lawsuit over the latter’s Horizon-alike Light of Motiram.
According to The Game Post, the settlement terms haven’t been disclosed, but Light of Motiram does appear to have vanished from Steam, so whether the game’s future is secure or not currently seems unclear.
As a refresher, Light of Motiram was announced last year, and it instantly drew eyes for its very Horizon-looking art style, as well as its gameplay similarities to Sony’s successful series.
FIFA is returning, but in a strange form indeed
If you’ve been wondering whether FIFA will indeed come up with a competitor to rival EA’s renamed EA Sports FC series, then…well, wonder no more, we suppose?
This week, it was revealed that FIFA and Netflix have partnered to create a brand new football simulation game, but it sounds like things will be progressing quite differently this time around.
Gameplay details haven’t been revealed yet, but we do know that the game will be “fast to learn, thrilling to master, and built for anyone to jump in”, and that it’ll be controllable using only your phone.
League of Legends is getting a huge rework in 2027
You may have heard rumours flying around about a big rework coming to MOBA League of Legends in 2027, and, well, it sounds like those rumours might actually be true.
This week, Riot took to social media to confirm upcoming features like a brand new game client, a fully-reworked Summoner’s Rift map, and “changes to Runes and pre-game systems”.
We’ll get more information about all of this “next year sometime between MSI and Worlds”, so stay tuned to learn what the future of League of Legends truly entails.
The Indie Game Awards has disqualified Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for AI use
In another story revolving around AI, the Indie Game Awards, an alternative ceremony looking to acknowledge smaller development efforts, has disqualified Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its categories.
The ceremony’s organisers say the game was taken out of the running because developer Sandfall Interactive confirmed their use of generative AI during the development process.
They acknowledge that Clair Obscur is still “a wonderful game” and that the assets in question were removed, but confirm that the use of AI at any stage during development disqualifies a game from the running with no exceptions.
