A very happy Easter to you if you’re reading this at the time it goes out (and, indeed, if you celebrate the holiday). The holiday may be well and truly underway, but that’s no excuse for us to stop what we’re doing here!
After all, the gaming world doesn’t stop for holidays (although it does rather dramatically slow down), so neither should we. As such, we’re here to bring you our usual gaming news roundup, right on time!
Without further ado, here are all the important developments in the gaming world over the last week or so!
The Elder Scrolls: Blades is being delisted
We begin with something that isn’t necessarily going to top the list of most important news this week, but that should serve as a timely reminder of what happens when live-service games don’t go according to plan.
Bethesda revealed this week that The Elder Scrolls: Blades, its mobile RPG packed with microtransactions (at least at launch), won’t survive the summer, as it’s being delisted in June.
Since the game is online-only, that means you’ll no longer be able to play it in any form once it goes away. It’s probably wise to get anything done that you need to do before that happens.
Eidos Montreal has slashed jobs and let its studio head go
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Guardians of the Galaxy developer Eidos Montreal became the latest studio to be hit by layoffs this week, with over 100 staff members departing.
Announcing the move on LinkedIn, the studio confirmed that 124 employees would lose their jobs, and that studio head David Anfossi is leaving as well.
The studio put the layoffs down to “changing project needs and impacts across production and support teams”. It’s not clear whether the cuts will affect any projects currently in the works.
Warhorse Studios could be working on a Lord of the Rings game
This one’s just a rumour, so take it with a pinch of salt, but reports are emerging that Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse Studios could be working on a Lord of the Rings RPG.
Naturally, the project is early on in development right now (assuming that it goes ahead at all, of course), so we don’t have too much information.
The rumours are suggesting, however, that the game will be a third-person action RPG and that it’ll take place in an open world, which means Warhorse is ideally the perfect developer to take care of it.
Shift Up has bought Shinji Mikami’s new studio
Shinji Mikami has started up another new studio, Unbound, and it’s been purchased by none other than Stellar Blade’s Shift Up.
Neither Shift Up nor Unbound has announced what Mikami and his new team of developers are working on, but they do say Unbound is creating “original PC and console-based IPs targeting the global market”.
Hyung-Tae Kim, CEO of Shift Up, describes Unbound’s team as “world-class”, and Mikami says he’s “very pleased” the acquisition is going ahead.
Indie “coin pusher roguelike” Raccoin has already sold 100k copies
It’s been a good week for “coin pusher roguelike” Raccoin, as its developers announced just a day after the game’s release that sales had reached 100,000.
The game, which is developed by Doraccoon (we see what you did there), represents another hit for Balatro publisher Playstack, which is really starting to corner the market on these kinds of experiences.
Whether Raccoin can continue to maintain this remarkable momentum remains to be seen, of course, but for now, there’s much cause for celebration among the developers and publishers alike.
Crimson Desert has sold another million copies
Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert continues to soar higher and higher in sales terms, as the game broke another barrier this week, passing four million sales since launch.
As usual, that’s inclusive of PC, PS5, and Xbox sales, and it also encompasses physical and digital formats. Still, Pearl Abyss can be very proud indeed of what it’s achieved.
Here’s hoping that the game, which is a classic single-player experience rather than a live-service multiplayer effort, can continue to sustain this kind of sales momentum.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has broken box office records
Whether or not you personally like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (and there are plenty who don’t), it’s undeniable that the project has been a massive financial success.
It was reported this week that Nintendo’s latest cinematic foray, which brings iconic franchise characters like Rosalina and Yoshi into the mix, has managed to premiere to over $370 million at the global box office.
Needless to say, this figure cements the movie as a huge hit, so if you didn’t happen to enjoy The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, you may need to grit your teeth for the next several years of sequels (and possibly even spinoffs).
The Mass Effect show might be having some script problems
It was reported this week that the upcoming Mass Effect TV show will be undergoing extensive rewrites, and the reason may not please those who have been loyal to the franchise since its 2007 inception.
Apparently, new Amazon TV head Peter Friedlander is requesting that scripts for the TV show be rewritten in order to make them more appealing to “non-gamers”.
Friedlander’s decision is understandable to some degree; after all, more eyes is better, and if those who aren’t into the franchise can enjoy the show too, that’s great. Still, it’s a slightly worrisome direction, if you ask us.
Slay the Spire 2 is March’s big success story on Steam
Sales estimates suggest that March’s biggest seller on Steam wasn’t open-world RPG Crimson Desert, nor was it Bungie’s live-service extraction shooter gamble Marathon; rather, it was deckbuilding roguelike Slay the Spire.
According to the above-linked analysis, Slay the Spire 2 managed to sell 5.3 million copies on Steam, with Crimson Desert moving just under two million on the platform in March alone.
Other big sellers in March included Resident Evil Requiem, which sold 1.2 million copies on Steam in March, and “friendslop” title Climber Animals Together, which has blown up big time in China.
