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It is a brand new year for the video game industry and here are some of the main talking points from the first week of 2016.
Monday 4th January
Beginning the year with, somewhat, disappointing news Scalebound, the Xbox One exclusive, is to be delayed until 2017. Platinum games noted development is progressing well but the delay is due to wanting to fully meet player expectations.
Recent rumours strongly suggest the next main Assassin’s Creed game could be released in 2017, breaking away from the annual launches. Even more interesting some believe it could be set in ancient Egypt, resulting in both a halt in the continua move toward the modern day and it possibly acting as prequel to every title in the series thus far.
Tuesday 5th January
Rise of the Tomb Raider PC port is set to be release 29 March 2016. Square Enix confirmed Lara’s latest outing will be available on Windows 10 and Steam. Developers Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes Software have added 4K resolution to the PC version. Rise of the Tomb Raider will still release on PS4 this year, once Xbox One’s time exclusivity expires.
EA Sports UFC 2 will release 17th March in the UK for PS4 and Xbox One. Those in North America will be able to purchase a copy two days earlier. Pre-ordering the game will mean players can access additional fighters Bas Rutten, Kazushi Sakuraba and a mystery fighter.
Wednesday 6th January
Final Fantasy IX is to be ported onto PC and mobile devices however there is no official release date yet, just a standard “coming soon” teaser. Square Enix have confirmed the Steam version of the game will offer “seven game boosters including high speed and no encounter modes” but it is unknown if this will also apply to mobile devices.
Oculus Rift costs £499 / $599 – without shipping and includes; the headset, sensor, Oculus Rift remote, cables, Xbox One controller, and games Eve: Valkyrie and Lucky’s Tale. According Rift’s online shop the virtual reality device launches 28th March 2016 and only one available per customer. Starting April it will be available to buy in limited locations and select shops/retailers.
Rick and Morty, the popular sci-fi animated comedy programme on Adult Swim, is receiving a new free mobile game. Entitled Pocket Mortys the game is a clear homage, and or rip-off depending on viewpoints, of Pokemon. Series creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon tweeted about the game’s release as well as including gifs of in-game footage, highlighting the parallels between Pocket Mortys and Pokemon.
Thursday 7th January
EA has announced Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2’s open multiplayer beta, for PS4 and Xbox One, will open 14th January 2016 and close four days later. The open beta will consist of two modes; Backyard Battleground Flag of Power as well as new 24-player modes Herbal Assault and Gardens & Graveyards. A total of four maps will be available and six new characters including; Plants Rose, Citron and Kernel Corn the zombies Imp, Super Brainz and Captain Deadbeard.
Anarchy Paradise, the first of seven new chapters for Star Wars: The Old Republic’s Knights of the Fallen Empire, is due 11th February 2016. Subscribers of The Old Republic will receive all of the content in Knights of the Fallen Empire for free, provided subscriptions are preserved. New players will be able to join in at level 60. BioWare also launched a new Subscriber Rewards program that offers bonus goodies to dedicated fans.
Friday 8th January
After 18 years at the company Marc Laidlaw has left Valve. Laidlaw joined the company in 1997 to work on Half-Life and is credited as the “sole writer” on Half-Life and Half-Life 2 as well as lead writer for the Half-Life episodes. Confirmation of Laidlaw’s exit was revealed by a Redditor who had emailed him in attempt to discover more regarding Half-Life 3.