Top Story
EA finally warming up to Switch following FIFA success
Despite its success, Switch hasn’t made Electronic Arts reconsider their lukewarm relationship to Nintendo – only last month, CEO Andrew Wilson said they didn’t see much point targeting the platform since most Switch owners also have a PC, Xbox One or PlayStation 4.
However, there might be a change of tune – or at least some nervous pitch-shifting – with respect to their biggest mass-market franchises: . “We invested with FIFA. We had good success there. I love that we have such a great global reach and global presence on that platform with that game. We are absolutely looking at more Switch games in our portfolio, so more to come on that,” according to Laura Miele, EA chief studios officer.
FIFA is playing ball, but most others stay benched
While they’re no longer actively ignoring the Switch, that doesn’t mean the publishing giant has anything exciting to announce either. “We’re not going to announce anything as of yet. But it is absolutely a platform we’re looking at for some of our more successful games,” she continued. FIFA20 will hit Switch alongside PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in September.
EA also published Coldwood Interactive’s Unravel Two, and Fe by Zoink, but neither are among the publisher’s bigger titles. Maybe EA will reconsider if Switch sales pick up following the release of the new and improved Switch model, as well as the handheld-only Switch Lite.
Time For A Quick Daily Quiz?
What notable title was announced at the first Gamescom in 2009?
- Fable III
- Mass Effect 2
- Halo Reach
- Fallout: New Vegas
The answer will be revealed at the end of this issue!
News Bits
First glimpses of Beyond a Steel Sky
There’s now a trailer out for Beyond a Steel Sky, the sequel to 1994 dystopian sci-fi classic Beneath a Steel Sky, as well as gameplay footage with developer commentary. Revolution Software is determined to meet and exceed fan expectations with its “dynamic, bounded-sandbox world” that reacts to your actions and “subversion” of the world and its characters.
Persona 5 Royal heading westwards next spring
Atlus is finally bringing Persona 5 Royal for PlayStation 4 to US and EU in spring 2020. The Japanese will go back to school a little earlier, on October 31st this year and reunite with the Phantom Thieves and its newest member – Kasumi Yishizawa. Check out the latest trailer and see what it’d be like if school was actually fun.
Daily Fact
Grow your brain with 30 minutes of Super Mario 64 a day
When not scheming to destroy the world or performing gruesome experiments on remote islands, German scientists occasionally do some nice science too. One example is a 2013 experiment involving a group of test subjects in Berlin required to play 30 minutes of Super Mario 64 every day for two months. What were ze results, Herr Doktor?
Their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans revealed that the amount of grey matter in their brains had increased! They compared the results against a control group who did not play video games.
The areas of the brain that showed the greatest plasticity were the right hippocampus, the right prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum – which governs spatial navigation, memory formation, strategic planning and the fine motor skills of the hands.
“This proves that specific brain regions can be trained by means of video games,” declared study leader Simone Kühn, the senior scientist at the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.
As a result of their findings they theorized video games could serve a therapeutic role for those suffering mental disorders linked to brain regions that have been altered in size. This includes schizophrenia, PTSD or neurodegenerative afflictions such as Alzheimer’s dementia. It could also lead to more Mario games thanks to increased sales. Win-win!
Daily News
Everspace 2 announced by Rockfish Games, now a space shooter with RPG
Rockfish Games launched their indie hit Everspace back in May 2017, and now the studio is finally announcing a sequel. Everspace 2 is officially official, and will be kickstarted come September.
The original was a fast-paced shooter with rogue-like elements, and Everspace 2 will go full RPG and feature an open world powered by the Unreal Engine. PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launch is scheduled for 2021, but will hit Steam Early Access in late 2020.
When you die, the stain of dishonour stays on you!
Everspace 2 will feature a huge collection of spaceships, persistent progression and greater focus on storytelling. The announcement trailer features in-game pre-alpha footage with plenty of explosions, cool spaceships, gorgeous space vistas and more explosions. According to Rockfish co-founder and CEO Michael Schade, the team decided to move towards an open-world RPG design because of feedback from fans of the first game:
“With EVERSPACE 2, we are making a big leap towards an open world space shooter, but will still remain true to our DNA and offer exactly what our fans love: a beautiful fantastic sci-fi world paired with uncompromising space action that gets down to business right away,” according to Schade.
Rockfish start their kickstarter campaign starts on September 9th, and will be asking for €450,000 to help keep the studio independent. Everspace 2 will debut at GamesCom 2019 this week, and will also appear at PAX West later this month and then on TwitchCon in September.
New game from studio behind Endless Space & Endless Legend
Amplitude Studios is ditching fantasy in favour of history in their new, ambitious turn-based strategy game Humankind. You’ll be in charge of a Neolithic tribe as they drag their knuckles through thousands of years of history, all the way into the modern age – for better or worse.
“Amplitude Studios was founded with the intention of creating this game, all the games we’ve created up until now have been leading up to this moment. We are so excited to finally be able to share with the community what has been at the heart of Amplitude since day one,” declared chief creative officer Romain de Waubert.
Go forth, my Norse-Egyptian samurai legionnaires!
Humankind offers the choice between 60 different historical cultures you can pick and mix elements from in order to form your own, unique civilization. Real historical events and figures will appear alongside great scientific and cultural discoveries, world wonders to build or seize, all to test your people’s mettle against the swords, faiths and culture of other would-be hegemons.
Amplitude’s labour of love will be revealed at Gamescom this week, and will be published for PC in 2020 by Sega. Amplitude is best known for their Endless Space and Endless Legends tactical turn-based strategy games, which presented fantasy and science-fiction perspectives on one, connected universe.
