One more week has gone by in the gaming world, and we’ve been diligently watching the gaming industry’s goings-on, ready to summarise them for you here as usual.
This week held all kinds of gaming news for the enthusiast, although as usual, not all of it was good. Studios closed down, new games were revealed, and, of course, Elden Ring’s DLC threatened to take over the industry.
Once again, dear friends, let us take a look at what’s been happening in the world of gaming news for the past week or so.
Lords of the Fallen is definitely getting a sequel
CI Games’ successful 2023 reboot of Lords of the Fallen is getting a sequel, the studio revealed this week.
We don’t know a whole lot about the followup yet; it’ll presumably be called Lords of the Fallen 2, although these things can be rather fluid, and it’ll be released in 2026.
It will also be an Epic Games Store PC exclusive, a decision that’s sure to anger a number of faithful Steam players (and, indeed, already has done, if the replies to the above Twitter thread are anything to go by).
Still, we’re excited to return to the land of Mournstead in 2026.
Embracer closes Alone in the Dark’s developer
When the Alone in the Dark reboot was announced, we were confident it could be exactly the shot in the arm that the influential but ailing franchise needed.
Sadly, it was not to be, as the game underperformed financially, leading to the closure of its developer this week.
Visiting Pieces Interactive’s website simply shows a memorial thanking the studio’s fans for playing its games and calling Alone in the Dark its “last release”.
It’s unfortunate that Pieces Interactive is another studio lost to the ravages of Embracer Group, but perhaps its staff will appear in another guise and get another chance.
Nintendo Direct brings Metroid, Zelda, and lots more
This week, we had the privilege of seeing a new Nintendo Direct, and it seemed to us that Nintendo sailed in after the disappointing summer showcase season and showed everyone how it was done.
The Switch might be old now, but it’s not going out without a fight. We got announcements for a new Mario & Luigi RPG, two new Dragon Quest HD-2D remakes, and a console release for Apple Arcade RPG Fantasian.
Not only that, but we finally got a look at gameplay for Metroid Prime 4, and it looks fantastic. We also know that it’s coming to the Switch in 2025, which means it might also be a Switch 2 launch title.
A new Legend of Zelda game was also revealed in the form of Echoes of Wisdom, which looks to marry Breath of the Wild’s experimental gameplay with Link’s Awakening’s top-down perspective.
Here’s the Nintendo Direct in full in case you want to catch up with it.
Life by You cancelled, studio shut down
Sadly, Pieces Interactive wasn’t the only studio that was closed this week. Life by You, a Sims-style life sim in development at Paradox Tectonic, was cancelled this week, and its developer was closed down.
Paradox didn’t give a particularly in-depth reason as to why the game had been shuttered or why its studio had been closed, simply saying that sometimes, delaying a game won’t make it good.
A former developer who worked on the game spoke out shortly after the studio’s closure, telling a story that seemingly indicates communication was poor and the devs weren’t told of the game’s troubles.
Hopefully, another Sims competitor emerges from the shadows to take on EA, because The Sims has been complacent for far too long, if you ask us.
Beyond Good and Evil is getting a remaster
In an announcement that surprises absolutely nobody, given prior leaks, Ubisoft revealed this week that Beyond Good and Evil will get a remaster.
As part of Limited Run Games’ LRG3 show, Ubisoft unveiled the anniversary version of its classic 2003 action-adventure game, and it’ll have better visuals, new stuff to do, and more.
That show also brought us news of several PS1-era classics being revived, like Fighting Force, Fear Effect, and Tombi (known in other territories as Tomba).
Here’s the whole show just in case you missed it.
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC arrives
Perhaps the most-anticipated DLC of the last few years, Shadow of the Erdtree finally arrived this week, and the critical reception has been rapturously positive.
The DLC takes players into the Land of Shadow in order to follow in the footsteps of the demigod Miquella, who’s mentioned in the base game (and is apparently critical to its obscure plot) but who doesn’t appear in person.
It’ll offer new regions to explore, new bosses to conquer, and a host of new weapons to try out, as well as lots and lots of opportunities to die in grisly new ways.
If you love Elden Ring, then you’d be silly not to grab Shadow of the Erdtree as well, especially as players are saying that From Software appears to have undersold the DLC’s sheer size and scope.
Polish developer says employees must visit saunas, then apologises
In a deeply weird and unsettling story, a Polish developer was outed this week for telling prospective employees they must visit saunas to understand his game, and that doing so is “not negotiable”.
Jacek Piórkowski, who is the creative director of Spectrum Studios, went viral for an exchange with game writer Aleksandra Wolna in which he recommended that she work for him, a request she politely turned down.
Wolna’s reason for turning down the request had to do with Piórkowski’s bizarre stipulation that she must agree to mandatory – and, in Eurogamer’s words, “reportedly naked” – sauna sessions.
Piórkowski subsequently apologised, although his apology carries the ring of someone who doesn’t really understand why they have to apologise and is instead actually just doubling down on the thing for which they’re attempting to apologise. Oh, dear.
