Elden Ring Delayed, network test next month

Elden Ring delayed until February 2022

FromSoftware's Elden Ring has been delayed a smidge, and the new release date is February 25th and not January 21st.

“The depth & strategic freedom of the game exceeded initial expectations,” according to the official Twitter account. They also confirmed that an invite-only network test is scheduled to start by mid-November and that PC players will, unfortunately, miss out.

Closed Network Test dates

• Session 1: 12:00pm – 3:00pm CET, November 12th
• Session 2: 4:00am – 7:00am CET, November 13th
• Session 3: 8:00pm – 11:00pm CET, November 13th
• Session 4: 12:00pm – 3:00pm CET, November 14th
• Session 5: 4:00am – 7:00am CET, November 15th

Brief tease: 27 seconds of Elden Ring gameplay footage has also leaked, showing a brief glimpse of the environment and some character movement.

Which unreleased NES game featured Reebok product placement?

a) Hellraiser
b) The California Raisins: The Grape Escape
c) Drac’s Night Out
d) Hoppin’ Mad

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today's issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.

Microsoft apologizes for Fable confusion

Xbox Game Studios Publishing claimed that it was “excited to kick off something special tomorrow,” and just needed “one more day to prepare the chickens”.

The announcement included a prominent chicken emoji, which excited Fable fans who consider the humble fowl as related to the series ever since the first game called players a ‘chicken chaser’.

Confusion: “We’d call it our Fable Anniversary, but that name was already taken,” they added. This raised additional eyebrows and created some serious Fable expectations – but sadly, it was not to be.

An apology: A clarification quickly appeared: “Sorry for any confusion […] We don’t have any big game news tomorrow, or any info about Playground’s upcoming Fable game.” The new Fable remains under tight wraps.

New mob and biome for Minecraft in 2022

The community has just watched Minecraft Live 2021 and it was packed full of upcoming changes, major content, mob voting, and news of Minecraft being added to Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Mojang will be unifying the Minecraft bedrock and cross-platform Java versions into a single convenient PC launcher that will be available on Xbox Game Pass for PC starting in November.

• This year’s Mob Vote: Allay, Glare and Copper Golem
• The community voted for Allay mobs
• Seasonal Adventures trailer for Minecraft Dungeons

Coming 2022: The Wild Update is the main attraction next year, and it will introduce the Deep Dark Biome that was dropped from the Caves & Cliffs update.

Swamp things: Deep Dark Biome adds frogs, tadpoles (who can grow into different frogs depending on the environment), mangrove landscape with mudblocks and boats with chests. The new biome will launch sometime next year.

Toy Soldiers HD Giveaway

We have 10 keys for Toy Soldiers HD to give away: 5 for Xbox One and 5 for PlayStation 4, all for Accelerate Games' HD remaster.

Just enter our Toy Soldiers HD giveaway and share DailyBits with your friends and family for a chance to win!

Brave Browser rewards you for surfing

Maybe your internet connection is fast, but what about your browser? The Brave Browser is built from the ground up for speed, privacy and providing an ad-free Internet.

You can opt-in for ads that respect your privacy, and even earn rewards. It’s quick and easy to use, featuring the same comforts and conveniences you expect from a modern browser.

Green Hell reimagined for virtual reality

Tough-as-nails survival sim Green Hell is coming to VR, and developer Incuvo wants to assure fans that it will not be a simple port. The VR version will feature a much more interactive world requiring hand movement for gathering, cutting and other actions.

You'll need to contend with “proper physics and collisions”. The game has been rebuilt from the ground up as a VR experience, and will launch as a separate game next year.

Why would you escape if it's so safe?

More survival, but this time with a psychological horror twist: SafeZoneVR is free to play, and charges you with scavenging to escape as the sole survivor from a fallen SafeZone in Melbourne, Alabama. However, it soon emerges that someone is stalking you.

Construct VR immersive short film

Construct VR – The Volumetric Movie promises to be the “first pre-rendered 6 degrees of freedom movie ever created and distributed.” The entire movie is a virtual reality experience that allows you to look around in any direction as the story unfolds.

• Retro Handheld Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda includes three “series-defining games” launches on November 12th
• Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition on the way to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox in late November
• Earn a $10 Epic Coupon by signing up for email and wishlist alerts on Epic Game Store, so sign up now
• Hideo Kojima collaborates with Jean-Francois Rey on the HKxJF line of glasses, available for pre-order soon
• Outriders coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC on October 19th and you can transfer saves between PC and Xbox

Which unreleased NES game featured Reebok product placement?

ANSWER: Drac’s Night Out!

What's the most important character design element when you're making a Dracula game? If you thought "Rebook Pumps", you are in good company: That's exactly what Vlad The Impaler was wearing in Parker Brothers' Drac's Night Out, where you must dodge angry villagers and find yourself a bride of the night.

Why Reebok Pumps, though? Well, developer Microsmith only included them because Parker Brothers insisted. Unfortunately the sweet sneaks weren't enough to get the game out the door: Even though Drac's Night Out was completed and featured a Reebok sponsorship, it was never released. Fortunately the ROMs leaked, so you can take Dracula and his fashionable footwear out on the prowl.

Today's issue of DailyBits was written by Gavin Herman, Erlend Grefsrud, Simon Priest, and Jamie Davey. If you have any feedback or news tips for the team, please email us!