Newsletter #13
This is the Thirteenth edition of the Everglow Games newsletter, We here want to provide you a place where you can view all the most interesting news, articles and videos related to gaming of the week without all the extra fluff. We also provide a view of upcoming games showcases and upcoming game releases of the week. This is your one stop shop for all things gaming.
News
Image Credits: Sony
There has been quite a few stories for PlayStation
Firstly, PlayStation is now going to have two CEOs to replace Jim Ryan, Hermen Hulst will be taking on the role of CEO of SIE’s Studio Business Group and Hideaki Nishino will be taking on role of CEO of SIE’s Platform Business Group. So this means that Hulst will be in charge of PlayStation’s first-party dev teams and Nishino in charge of hardware. More details here.
Secondly, PlayStation has set sales records for the PS5, selling more consoles in the previous financial year than any other year since the console was released and has shipped more 5 times more consoles than Xbox in the last 3 months. Total consoles sold stand at 59.2 million currently and while that is really good news for them it does not quite reach the sales of the PS4 over the same time period after it’s launch. More details here.
Thirdly, another record is broken as Helldivers 2 becomes the PlayStation’s fastest selling game launch ever. It sold 12 million copies across PC and PS5 in its first 12 weeks. More details here.
My take - PlayStation has obviously won this console war against Xbox, I think I would have liked to see a closer race as it would push both parties to do more in the next generation however we cannot judge the next generation until it is happened so we will see what Nishino and Hulst will do going forward as it seems to me that Microsoft are looking to pivot more to the software side of things going forward and PlayStation will continue to stay dominant on the hardware side. PlayStation have also seen their strategy of expand their software side to PC do well for them and I fully expect it to continue to do well for them despite their restrictions to sign into PSN accounts to play their games going forward.
There is a possibility that we could see some of Xbox’s biggest console exclusives on PlayStation. Eurogamer has reported that they understand that several games are under consideration and this includes Xbox’s largest franchises.
My take - While Halo was not stated outright, with it being one of the biggest franchises there, they would have put it on the table to be considered. I am sure they want to make money back on their investment in the Studio’s that they have bought and PlayStation does have the one of largest console player bases. I personally think it is better they play the long game and work towards building games for the next generation consoles and not this current generation; they need good exclusives to sell consoles which ultimately will increase their game pass revenue. Having said all of this, I am obviously viewing this from more of a gamers point of view and not a business leader who runs a trillion dollar company.
Image Credits: Microsoft
The UK government has responded to the “Stop Killing Games” campaign and have said "Consumers should be aware that there is no requirement in UK law compelling software companies and providers to support older versions of their operating systems, software or connected products. There may be occasions where companies make commercial decisions based on the high running costs of maintaining older servers for video games that have declining user bases.” but also stated that "If consumers are led to believe that a game will remain playable indefinitely for certain systems, despite the end of physical support, the [Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008] may require that the game remains technically feasible (for example, available offline) to play under those circumstances.” Read more about this response here.
The campaign is taking across several different countries and if you wish to read more about it and sign any petitions please click here.
My take - Now I have always been an advocate for game preservation and while I never played “The Crew” (published by Ubisoft) which is a cited example by the campaign, I think that the “Stop Killing Games” campaign does have some merit behind it in that there are a lot of games out there that people are paying money for which stop being supported after some time. I also do understand that the companies who stop support for these games can’t continuously put money into games that are not making them money anymore but if we look at the cited example - in The Crew, even the single player mode become unplayable when servers are shut off. I think that a big company like Ubisoft should be able to build a game so that consumer would be able to set up their own dedicated servers after Ubisoft shut down theirs, the problem I see with this is that it might be difficult or too much for smaller developers to do this kind of thing. I definitely think that at the very least publishers should be letting consumer know before any purchases are made as to how long they would expect support for the game.
Image Credits: Stop Killing Games Campaign
Red Dead Redemption 2 will be able to be added to your PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium catalogs from 21st May. Check out all the games being added here.
Image Credits: Sony
Other Interesting News / Articles / Videos
More layoffs incoming - this time its Square Enix as part of restructuring the company (which seems to every companies excuse when they are trying cut costs) - The layoffs will be in America and Europe however the number of layoffs is yet to be announced. - More details here.
Polish regulators are in the process of investigating Steam and the PlayStation Store for anti-competitive practices. An inspection has taken place at Sony’s headquarters so we will have to wait and see what comes out of the investigation. With the Apple vs Epic case ongoing for sometime now it was expected that other digital marketplaces would get investigated at some point. Find out more here.
Hi-FI Rush gets one last patch before the studio closes - More details here.
Warner Bros have decided to return some games published by Adult Swim back to their developers which were to be delisted from stores - More details here.
If are a Dragon Age fan then you will likely not have to wait too long for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf as it is reportedly to be released this financial year. More details here.
Rumor Alert - A datamine has led to the belief that Red Dead Redemption 1 is coming to PC. I really do hope this is true as I have yet to play Red Dead Redemption and since I am mostly a PC gamer, what better place to play it. Find out more here.
A modding tool called N64Recomp has been created by Mr-Wiseguy which allows N64 games to be recompiled into windows applications which means you can directly play the game without an emulator - More details here.
Mullet Madjack - This is very stylish looking FPS roguelike which is getting some good reviews - Check out the reviews here.
We might be seeing Nvidia powered handheld gaming PCs soon as there are rumors that MediaTek is working with Nvidia to develop a gaming handhed SoC that is not going to be the Nintendo Switch’s successor. Find out more here.
The capital of Skyrim, Solitude has been recreated in Unreal Engine 5 by Leo Torres - Check out his YouTube video here.
So apparently Roll7 (OlliOlliWorld Developer) and Intercept Games (Kerbal Space Program 2 Developer) are not closed according to the CEO at Take-Two Interactive. There seems to be some confusion here as it was reported by Jason Schreier that Roll7 was closed after reviewing internal emails. More details here.
Xbox reveals new modular Proteus controller for people who have disabilities made by byowave to be released in fall 2024. Check out the details here. Pre order the the controller here.
Valve’s next game has been leaked and it’s 6 vs 6 hero style shooter called “Deadlock” which is like Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch. Find out more here.
Upcoming Games releases this week
Songs of Conquest (PC) - 20th May
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (PC, Xbox Series X/S) - 21st May
Paper Trail (iOS, Android, PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox) - 21st May
System Shock remake (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - 21st May
XDefiant (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - 21st May
Synergy (PC) - 21st May
Playing Kafka (PC, iOS, Android) - 21st May
Gestalt: Steam & Cinder (PC) - 21st May
Pine Hearts (PC, Switch) - 23rd May
Hauntii (PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - 23rd May
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (PC, Switch) - 23rd May
Wuthering Waves (iOS, Android, PC) - 23rd May
World of Goo 2 (Switch) - 23rd May
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Switch) - 23rd May
Song of Silence (PC) - 23rd May
Rocket Rumble (PlayStation, Xbox, PC) - 23rd May
Ships at Sea (PC) - 23rd May
The Tribe Must Survive (PC) - 23rd May
Warno (PC) - 23rd May
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (PC, Switch, Xbox, PlayStation) - 23rd May
SunnySide (PC) - 24th May
Current and Upcoming Free/Subscription Games
PC - Epic Games Store
Dragon Age: Inquisition 16th May to 23rd May
PC - Prime Gaming
Spirits of Mystery: Whisper of the Past [Amazon Games App] - 23rd May
XBOX Game Pass games
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (Cloud, Console, and PC) - 14th May
Chants of Sennaar (Cloud, Console, and PC) – 15th May
EA Sports NHL 24 (Cloud) EA Play – 16th May
Immortals of Aveum (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S) EA Play – 16th May
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S) – 21st May
Galacticare (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S) – 23rd May
Hauntii (Cloud, Console, and PC) – 23rd May
Moving Out 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – 28th May
Humanity (Cloud, Console, and PC) – 30th May
Lords of the Fallen (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S) – 30th May
Firework (PC) – 4th June
Rolling Hills (Cloud, Console, and PC) – 4th June
PlayStation Plus Essential
EA Sports FC 24 Standard Edition (PS4, PS5) - 7th May to 17th June
Ghostrunner 2 (PS5) - 7th May to 3rd June
Tunic (PS4, PS5) - 7th May to 3rd June
Destiny 2: Lightfall (PS4, PS5) - 7th May to 3rd June
PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra
Animal Well (PS5) - 9th May
Cat Quest (PS4) - 21st May
Cat Quest II (PS4) - 21st May
Crime Boss: Rockay City (PS5) - 21st May
Deceive Inc. (PS5) - 21st May
Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4) - 21st May
Stranded: Alien Dawn (PS4, PS5) - 21st May
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame (PS4) - 21st May
The Settlers: New Allies (PS4) - 21st May
The Sims 4 City Living (PS4) - 21st May
Watch Dogs (PS4) - 21st May
Nintendo Switch Online - 3 GBA games added
Super Mario Land - 15th May
Alleyway - 15th May
Baseball - 15th May
That’s it for this week on Everglow Games.
See you next time!
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