Bright Future Ahead
Bright Future Ahead
Edition 42 - September 20th to September 26th
Good morning gamers. We want to remind you to charge your gaming devices.
The Nintendo Direct showcase gave fans a lot to cheer for with new games and a new movie. Did Respawn Entertainment really deny AND confirm Titanfall 3 in a span of two days? Let’s also take a look at Death Stranding Director’s Cut.
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Nintendo Direct - Mama Mia... Here I go!
Nintendo surprised fans last week with a short notice Nintendo Direct presentation. It was supposed to feature 40-minutes worth of games launching this Winter but it extended far beyond that. Even though some of the big names like Pokémon and Zelda weren’t there, many awesome announcements were made. In the words of Mario himself, let’s-a go see what was featured.. Wahoo!
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a brand-new 3D platforming adventure game coming to the Switch in the Spring 2022. The game sees Kirby exploring a mysterious world where he can travel around and eat his enemies to copy their abilities.
Bayonetta 3 FINALLY got a gameplay reveal and a 2022 release window. The new trailer showed off tons of butt-kicking action as well as Bayonetta’s new “Demon Masquerade” ability that allows her to control demons.
Nintendo Switch Online is expanding its services with a new add-on that will bring some classic Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games to the Nintendo Switch. The service will launch with classics such as Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Sonic 2 and Golden Axe. Additional titles will be added over time but Nintendo will also be launching Switch compatible N64 and Sega Genesis controllers for USD $49.99.
Mario Movie is officially coming to North America on December 21, 2022. Shigeru Miyamoto, the original creator of Mario, is working with Illumination studios to bring the animated movie to the big screens. The voice cast list is filled with big names like Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya-Taylor Joy as Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong.
Some other notable announcements include,
Monster Hunter Rise is getting a new paid expansion called “Sunrise” that will feature new monsters, locations, quest ranks and hunting actions. It’s set to release in the Summer of 2022.
Splatoon 3 received an extended look gameplay trailer which featured new multiplayer powers and confirmation that the campaign is called “Return of the Mammalians”. The game will include a new world for players to explore.
Castlevania Advance Collection is now available for the Switch. Fans of the franchise have access to Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Castelvania, Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Dracula X.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) will be arriving on the Switch on November 11, 2021. This is a port of the original 2003 game.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will have a dedicated mini-Direct on October 5th that will reveal the game’s final DLC fighter.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be getting its own mini-Direct later in October but Brewster and The Roost coffee shop are confirmed to be coming to the game soon.
Mario Party Superstars got a new reveal trailer which featured some classic N64 boards and party games making a return, as well as a new minigame mode that includes the “competitive Survival courses and the cooperative multiplayer course Tag Match”
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity will be getting additional Expansion Pass content on October 29, 2021. Included will be the new duo characters Purah and Robbie, as well as some new stages and story sequences.
Dying Light and Dying Light 2: Stay Human will be coming to the Switch. Dying Light will be available on October 19 and then Dying Light 2 will be available on February 4, 2022 as a Cloud Version.
Titanfall 3...Maybe?
Fans of the Titanfall franchise have gone through a whirlwind of emotions over the last couple of weeks. It began after the NVIDIA GeForce database leak listed Titanfall 3 as potential a game. That leak caused fans to ask questions which lead to two conflicting statements by Respawn Entertainment. The studio itself seems to be in the same state of dysfunction that Titanfall 2 is in.
Community Coordinator Jason Garza stated last week that “they’ve got too many other games in the works right now” and to “not get your hopes up” when asked about Titanfall 3. Garza did add that the team is still working hard to deal with the current issues plaguing the existing Titanfall games. It seems that with the success of Apex Legends, it has become the main priority for the studio.
Despite the Titanfall community being disappointed by Garza, Respawn Entertainment released their own statement soon after. Respawn says the Titanfall franchise remains the core of their DNA and that in the future we may one day see Titanfall 3. Fans of the franchise remain uncertain if they should celebrate this news or not.
Esports Corner
🥇Congratulations to the Shanghai Dragons for being crowned the Overwatch League 2021 Champions.
Securing the Bag
Misfits Gaming Group (aka, MisfitsGG), the organization that owns the Florida Mutineers (Call of Duty) and Florida Mayhem (Overwatch) has raised $35 million in their most recent funding round. The round was led by American broadcasting company E.W. Scripps who accounted for $10 million of the overall sum. The partnership between the two companies will give Scripps full authority to distribute Misfits Gaming content across various media channels. Their goal is to scale awareness for the gaming brand amongst a younger audience.
Complexity Gaming x TimTheTatMan
TimTheTatMan has joined Complexity Gaming as a part-owner and content creator. Tim has spent his entire streaming career as a solo act but has now decided to join forces with one of the most prominent gaming organizations in North America. The partnership will see Tim receive 5 million options and 2.7 million restricted stock units vested over the three year agreement term. Some of the immediate plans for both parties will be to develop an exclusive merchandise line and for Tim to appear in several branded content and marketing campaigns. Tim said, “the connection with the Dallas Cowboys and the support of Jerry Jones is outstanding. I’m a lifelong Cowboys fan so this is a special opportunity within esports”.
The Competition Is Set
A few editions ago we confirmed that the 2021 League of Legends World Championships were being moved to Reykjavik, Iceland. The tournament will start on October 5th and the Grand Finals will be held on November 6th - with 24 teams fighting for their portion of the USD $2,225,000 minimum guaranteed prize pool. As we’re just a few weeks away, the group draw has finally been completed and features team representation from more than 4 regions. The groups are,
Group A: DWG KIA, FunPlus Phoenix, Rogue, Play-In Team 1
Group B: 100 Thieves, EDward Gaming, T1, Play-In Team 2
Group C: Fnatic, PSG Talon, Royal Never Give Up, Play-In Team 3
Group D: GenG, Mad Lions, Team Liquid, Play-In Team 4
Game Review - Death Stranding Director’s Cut
Hideo Kojima, the Japanese video game designer has outdone himself again in his Director’s Cut. Kojima’s Death Stranding rivals Ghost of Tsushima as one of the best looking PS5 games to date. The game has had several quality-of-life improvements, however, it seems to have taken away from the main story narrative. The story is about a messenger delivering cargo to different outposts in post-apocalyptic America with a focus on community. The core gameplay offers players a sci-fi experience that will allow them to lose themselves for hours. This game requires time and patience, which may push players away who are looking for a fast-paced gaming experience. We give Death Stranding Director’s Cut a score of A.
Gaming Roundup
Twitch announced that TwitchCon will be returning in 2022 with two major in-person events. TwitchCon Amsterdam will take place in July 2022 and TwitchCon San Diego will follow in October 2022.
Balenciaga Apparel is now in Fortnite as part of a collaboration. The “Digital Fashion” event will allow players to buy and earn different Balenciaga cosmetics. Balenciaga also launched limited Fortnite apparel items ranging from $500 to over $3,000.
Pokémon UNITE officially launched on Mobile devices with Nintendo Switch crossplay. The launch topped mobile game download charts in more than 60 countries.
Quantic Dream is reportedly working on a new Star Wars game with Disney. Tom Henderson stated that this Star Wars title has been in the works for 18 months.
The first weekend of the Halo Infinite Beta took place from September 23rd to 26th, where players tested the 4v4 slayer mode. September 30th to October 3rd players can try out Big Team Battle. To get a Beta code you can sign up here.
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