Hi, I’m Jeff and welcome to the The Geek Dojo Weekly for the week of February 25th! This is a weekly video games newsletter featuring my top 5 stories of the week.
Anthem is dead, PlayStation hits us with a slew of new information, and some Konami games are getting a second chance at life. Let’s get into the news!
Konami Plans to Outsource Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania to Third Party Studios
Via: PSU
Konami is reportedly looking to outsource development on new Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania games, according to VGC’s Andy Robinson. These new games will not be seen for quite some time. There is very little information with no planned ideas or who will be developing.
This is pretty exciting to hear especially since Konami has pretty much been out of gaming for a long time. They have quite a few IPs that many of us love. I have personally wanted the MGS series to come back in a big way so it would be great to see another studio get the rights to it. If Konami really wants to shake the table, they would outsource the Suikoden franchise.
PlayStation News Extravaganza
Via: Game Informer
Sony hit us with a slew of information of what to expect in the coming months/years. First up, a new PlayStation VR headset is in development. It is currently in development for the PS5 and will not be launching in 2021. The headset will feature improved resolution and field of view. It will also only have one cable to connect to the PS5 console which is a huge plus. The headset is a long ways out, but devs kits will be sent out soon.
Next is the Play at Home initiative returns next month. Last year at the start of the pandemic, Sony announced Play at Home as a way to give back to the community. They offered Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey free for a limited time. Since the pandemic continues to spread, this program is being brought back again. Play at Home 2021 starts March 1st in the PlayStation store. Ratchet and Clank PS4 will be available for free until March 31st. Beginning on March 25th, Sony will be offering an extended access period for new Funimation subscribers.
Sony also announced more games will be coming to PC, starting with Days Gone. CEO Jim Ryan opens up about the topic in a recent GQ interview stating, “…our studios made some wonderful, great games. There’s an opportunity to expose those great games to a wider audience and recognize the economics of game development, which are not always straightforward. The cost of making games goes up with each cycle, as the caliber of the IP has improved. Also, our ease of making it available to non-console owners has grown. So it’s a fairly straightforward decision for us to make.”
Lastly, to top it all off, a brand new State of Play will premier this Thursday. Well today since this newsletter goes out every Thursday. I will cover it in next week’s post. It will be 30 minutes and will give us a deep dive on 10 upcoming games. I’m fully expecting a Kena: Bridge of Spirits release date. Tune in today at 5pm EST to find out more.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has Been Delayed
Via: Twitter
Paradox Interactive released a statement this week noting Bloodlines 2 will be delayed out of 2021. It seems the game has run into some development issues as the lead development team, Hardsuit Labs, has been dismissed from the project. No new release date has been given and no more pre-orders will be taken at this time.
I have never played the first game, but this one was on my radar for 2021. It is disappointing to see this happen, but take your time Paradox.
Cyberpunk 2077 February Patch Has Been Delayed
Via: Twitter
CD Projekt Red announced the next big patch for Cyberpunk 2077 will be delayed into the second half of March. “While we dearly wanted to deliver Patch 1.2 for Cyberpunk 2077 in the timespan we detailed previously, the recent cyber attack on the studio’s IT infrastructure and extensive scope of the update mean this unfortunately will not happen — we’ll need some additional time.” They also mention, “We’ve been working on numerous overall quality improvements and fixes, and we still have work to do to make sure that’s what you get.”
CDPR has definitely had a rough go at things since this game launched. Even though things have been rough, I’m am glad to see they are working to make things right. I have not made it very far into the game myself, but I am content with waiting on this big patch to see how much has the game improved.
Anthem 2.0 Development has been Cancelled
Via: Game Informer
Anthem had a troubled launch in 2019. It was a new direction for BioWare and EA. Upon release, the game seemed like it had something special in the beginning, but everything quickly feel apart after an hour or so in. EA looked to revamp this game with an Anthem 2.0 update. Two weeks ago there was a report that judgement day for Anthem was coming. EA would decide if they will save the game or discontinue development. Fast forward to Feb. 24th, it has been reported EA will be pulling the plug on Anthem completely. BioWare’s Christian Daily blames the pandemic for the project not coming together completely. The team working on Anthem will be moved over to Dragon Age 4. RIP Anthem.
Noteworthy:
PS5 and Xbox component shortage to be investigated by President Biden: Gamespot
New NieR Replicant trailer: Twitter
Pyra/Mythra Smash Bros. Ultimate Showcase date: Twitter
New Skullgirls DLC is on the way: Steam
Upcoming Monster Hunter showcases: Nintendo Everything
Notable Releases:
Via: Kotaku
Tuesday, February 23
Persona 5 Strikers | PS4, Switch, PC
Thursday, February 25
Hellpoint | Switch
Ghost n’ Goblins Resurrection | Switch
Littlewood | Switch
Friday, February 26
Bravely Default II | Switch
Catch me every Monday on The Skill Tree: A Gaming Podcast
Madness (Episode 17) – The Skill Tree (A Gaming Podcast)
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