For some, this week marks the official beginning of summer; if you subscribe to the meteorological definition of the seasons, then June 1st is the start of what many consider to be their favourite season.
We know, we know, we’re partial to starting off with a discussion of the weather, but what better way to segue into discussing something primarily done indoors, away from all that pesky sunshine and warmth?
Pull up a chair and let’s once again talk about what’s been going on in the world of gaming this week!
Cities: Skylines II’s first big expansion has been delayed again
Bridges & Ports, the first major expansion to city-builder Cities: Skylines II, has once again been delayed as developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox look to add more polish and depth.
A free update that was originally intended to launch alongside Bridges & Ports in June will still be released in that month, but the big expansion won’t be coming until the fourth quarter of the year.
It’s another setback in what has been a pretty unsatisfying couple of years for Paradox and Colossal Order; while Cities: Skylines II has sold perfectly respectably, it’s attracted player ire for missing features and bad performance.
Nacon will make five years’ worth of WRC games
At the end of April, it was announced that EA would no longer be creating FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) games, and that the future of the company’s rally titles in general was in doubt.
Now, Nacon has stepped up to the plate, with the publisher signing a multi-year deal with WRC Promoter in order to create official games for the event between 2027 and 2032.
Nacon previously worked on the WRC series between 2015 and 2021, so the publisher knows what it’s doing when it comes to racing games.
Apple has acquired its first gaming studio
This week, tech giant Apple acquired its very first ever gaming studio, but contrary to what you might think, the acquisition is actually a relatively modest one.
RAC7, the developer behind Apple Arcade hit Sneaky Sasquatch, was acquired by the Cupertino company earlier this week. Apple described the acquisition as part of delivering a “great experience” through its subscription service.
It may all be part of a shoring up of Apple’s efforts in the gaming space; reports this week also suggested that Apple might be about to launch a new gaming app to replace its flagging Game Center.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hits a satisfying sales figure
Turn-based RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hit another big sales figure this week, and it’s a very satisfying one this time around.
Within the first 33 days of the game’s release, it’s managed to sell 3.3 million copies. Developer Sandfall Interactive says the number is “another entry on the long list of surreal moments” since Clair Obscur’s launch in April.
Again, it’s worth remembering that this figure stands independently of players who’ve experienced the game via Xbox Game Pass, which is likely to be a fairly sizable number in itself.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A releases in October
It’s almost time to revisit the city of Lumiose, as Pokemon Legends: Z-A has itself a release date on both Nintendo’s original Switch and its new Switch 2.
As revealed this week, Pokemon Legends: Z-A will be arriving on both consoles on October 16th. It’ll sport a number of enhancements on Switch 2, so if you’re buying the new console, it’s best to play it on that.
Additionally, you can look forward to a new Pokemon Presents showcase later this year; in July, we’ll likely get to learn more about what’s next for the mainline Pokemon series. Exciting!
EA has apparently cancelled its Black Panther game
IGN reported this week that EA has cancelled a Black Panther game that was in the works at the publisher, and that the studio responsible for the game has also been closed down.
According to an internal staff email seen by IGN, Cliffhanger Games’ closure and the Black Panther game’s cancellation were done in order to “sharpen [EA’s] focus and put [its] creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities”.
It’s a typically shareholder-focused way for EA to speak, but sadly, it means that we won’t be getting that Black Panther game anytime soon. Skydance’s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is unaffected, of course.
The Cyberpunk 2077 sequel is now in pre-production
According to publisher CD Projekt, the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 sequel has officially entered pre-production. The studio is currently calling the game Cyberpunk 2, although that’ll probably change.
Before you get too excited, however, remember that pre-production simply means that the game has entered the prototyping, storyboarding, and creation stage. It’s still probably a way away from release.
It joins the likes of The Witcher 4 and the upcoming Witcher remake in CD Projekt’s pipeline, so there’s plenty to be excited about if you’re a fan.
A Persona 4 remake is almost certainly in development
One of the original Persona 4’s voice actors inadvertently confirmed the existence of a remake of the game this week…by confirming he’s not involved in it.
In a now-deleted post (that was seen by IGN before it was taken down), Lowenthal says he “asked” and may even have “begged” to return to the remake, but that he wasn’t cast in his former role as Yosuke.
The problem? Atlus hasn’t technically announced the Persona 4 remake yet, so Lowenthal’s confirmation that he wouldn’t be starring in the game also confirmed its existence. D’oh!
Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic has been hit by layoffs
Playtonic, the studio behind Yooka-Laylee and the publisher responsible for the likes of BPM: Bullets Per Minute, has been hit by layoffs.
This week, the studio confirmed that it was “say[ing] goodbye to some truly brilliant members of the Playtonic team”, although it doesn’t say who was let go or which departments were hit most.
It’s not clear whether this will affect the development of upcoming pseudo-remake Yooka-Replaylee, which is, at time of writing, still due to come out in 2025.
