This week, the Halo remake launched on PC out of nowhere, Riot Games revealed their new FPS as Valorant, more events were cancelled due to coronavirus concerns, and a new Amnesia game was announced. Read on for more of the week’s PC gaming goings-on in our News Digest, and do also check out the Weekly Updates Update for the week’s big patches.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is out on PC
With no warning, the Halo remaster launched this week. Surprise!
Riot revealed their multiplayer FPS, Valorant
It looks a whole lot like Counter-Strike mixed with Overwatch heroes. Unlike the squillion other games they’re making, this one isn’t based on League Of Legends.
Amnesia: Rebirth announced
Following the undersea spookings of Soma, Frictional Games are returning to the horror series that made their name. It’s due this autumn.
Death Stranding is coming to PC on June 2nd
Because reasons, Kojima Productions have joined forces with Vave to add some weird Half-Life crossover bits, including a headcrab to wear as a hat. I trust it’s been debeaked.
2K pulled their games from GeForce Now
Yet another publisher objects to Nvidia making their game playable remotely through the cloud gaming service. Oh dear.
Black Mesa is out
I already mentioned this in the Weekly Updates Update cos it’s a patch but damn, Black Mesa is finally done. And they finished it mere weeks before Valve finished their new Half-Life! A surprising sprint to decide a decade-long marathon.
South by Southwest cancelled by coronavirus concerns
Gaming is one strand of Austin’s SXSW event, with plans including a Sonic the Hedgehog panel, an arcade, and game awards.
“We are committed to do our part to help protect our staff, attendees, and fellow Austinites,” the organisers said.
Minecraft Festival postponed by you-know-what
Barely a week after announcing plans for the new official event replacing ye olde Minecon, Mojang have delayed it from September to 2021.
“September is still many months away, and we are not making any predictions about how long it will take to put the outbreak behind us,” they said. “This decision is rather a result of the extensive preparations required to organise a mammoth event like this.”
Rocket League World Championships cancelled cos yep
“We understand that this is frustrating, but health and safety will always be our top priority,” the developers said.
E3 is not cancelled!
Not yet. The organisers, the Entertainment Software Association, say they “are monitoring and evaluating the situation daily,” mind. Even if it is going ahead, it seems troubled.
Earlier this year, the ESA said that Iam8bit, a video games merchandise company, were one of their collaborators “to reinvigorate the show and, frankly, to shake things up.” Well, Iam8bit have now resigned their role – and it seems unrelated to any health concerns. Longtime E3 collaborator Geoff Keighley is skipping this year too. E3 as an expo has been fading in importance for years and its future now seems more uncertain, even if the ESA are trying to make it more of a public event. HMM.
Google Stadia opened a new development studio
Though the cloud gaming service seems dead in the water right now, evidently Google are fairly committed to its future. Shannon Studstill, the former head of the God Of War studio at Sony Santa Monica, is leading this new studio based in LA.
Bloodstained binned a Kickstarter stretch goal
The $5 million goal for a Roguelike Dungeon mode was hit, but now the devs say they can’t make it. They plan to add a randomiser mode instead. Sounds nice, that, but it’s not the same.
EGX Rezzed Sessions lineup confirmed
Topics from level design to Jason Statham will be discussed across the three days of our corporate siblings’ show later this month, partially hosted and organised by us.
Epic freebie corner: Offworld Trading Company and Gonner
Two good’uns free on the Epic Games Store this week.
Word of Star Wars: Project Maverick leaked
What is it? No idea. But it seems to have a Star Destroyer? A big mystery.
This new gaming desk is a bed
Well,
