Persona Teases Seven Announcements To Celebrate 25th Anniversary

Atlus has revealed some plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Persona series with seven announcements over the course of the coming year.

The company announced a new website dedicated solely to the celebrations and the upcoming announcements where they thanked fans for their support in pushing the series to sell more than 15 million copies. The website continued on to promise that there will be seven announcements that will include “25th commemorative goods, various events, collaborations, and of course game information.” The celebrations will kick off in September and will run until Autumn 2022.

That's pretty much all the details they revealed on it but let's speculate a little on what they could possibly show.

I think it's highly likely we'll see Persona 5 Royal or Persona 4: Golden come to other platforms either this year or early next year. At least I could see P5R coming to PC with a possibility of it also hitting Xbox consoles or Nintendo Switch, look I've played Persona 5 three times so I'll probably play it again if it came to Xbox. Lastly, I could see them teasing a Persona 6 with a short trailer similar to how they originally teased Persona 5, so a non-discript trailer basically tells us nothing. Hopefully, they'll finally have some big game news to share with Persona and not just look here buy some merchandise.

PlayStation's Next State Of Play Announced

Sony has announced the new State Of Play for July 8th that will feature 9 minutes of gameplay for Deathloop as well as some info for upcoming Indie titles.

The Deathloop gameplay will apparently feature one of the main characters Cole showcasing his abilities in both stealth moments and all-out guns-blazing combat. The show will also show updates on some exciting indie and third-party games which kinda feels like a reaction to the recent discussion around PlayStation's lack of support of indie game developers and the PlayStation storefront.

They also confirmed some games and hardware that won't be at the showcase which go as followed:

the next God of War

Horizon Forbidden West

next generation of PlayStation VR

I don't understand why PlayStation isn't showing what we'll have to play this year on PS5, the obvious conclusion is that they don't have anything. Most of the gaming companies have seemingly revealed there hand of what's coming this year and EA is planning to over the course of the next month. But PlayStation, one of the biggest platforms in the space hasn't shown anything, i really hope they have something but if your a PlayStation player i wouldn't get your hopes up.

If you wanna check out the 30-minute show, it will kick off at 2 pm Pacific / 5 pm Eastern / 11 pm CEST and will be viewable on both Twitch and YouTube.

Casey Hudson forms Humanoid Studios

Casey Hudson who previously worked on Mass Effect is now forming a brand new independent studio called Humanoid Studios.

Hudson announced the studio on Twitter by saying the following:#Today we are announcing a new independent videogame company built to unleash the creative freedom of developers – bringing innovation and artistry to players through an all-new IP.”

Little is known on what the new studio will be creating but the website states that the studio is still searching for key development roles such as Senior Gameplay & Level Designers, Environment Artists, and a Senior Creative Director.

It's always exciting to see a new studio’s form of known talent from the industry and I can't wait to see what the folks at Humanoid end up making.

Cyberpunk 2077 returns to the PlayStation Store

CD Projekt Red has announced that Cyberpunk 2077 has finally returned to the PlayStation Store after a newly launched patch.

In the announcement tweet, the studio confirmed that the game is playable on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 and that a free next-gen upgrade is still coming towards the second half of 2021. However, they also warned players that they “may continue to experience some performance issues with the PS4 edition while we continue to improve stability across all platforms.”

Both the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter page and PlayStation's Twitter account have encouraged players to play on either a PlayStation 4 Pro or PlayStation 5 console to get the best possible experience.

I personally played the game at launch on the Xbox Series X and I did have an okay time with the game but I also ran into a ton of bugs throughout. I can comment on the state of the game today but some of the standout issues I had with the game was missing out on important story points due to a cut scene bug. Overall I still went to get the full 100% of the achievements but I can't see myself returning until a substantial DLC is launched.

PlayStation Plus Games For June Announced

PlayStation has announced three upcoming games that will be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers during the month of June.

Here's the list of games:

Operation Tango (PS5)

Star Wars: Squadrons (PS4)

Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown (PS4)

All three games will be available on PlayStation Plus from June 1, and Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown will be redeemable for the next two months. However, Operation Tango and Star Wars: Squadrons will both leave the service on July 5.

Skull & Bones Is Delayed Into 2022-2023

During Ubisoft most recent earnings results last night, the publisher revealed that "Skull & Bones will now be released in 2022-2023" with the chief financial officer Frederick Duget elaborating on it further by saying: "We strongly believe in the team’s creative vision and they have been given an increasingly ambitious mandate for the game. Production led by [Ubisoft] Singapore has been advancing well over the past 12 months and the promise is better than ever. The additional time will allow the team to fully deliver on its vision."

on a positive note, Ubisoft seems to still be confident in the project, with CEO Yves Guilletmot saying: "What we have been doing to make sure they could really come strongly with Skull & Bones is we increased the associate studios that are working with them at the moment so there’s a good and big team now working on the game and the last 12 months have really been good in terms of the way things were coming along, so we are confident they can really bring something really exceptional for the market."

As someone who found the pirating aspect of Assassin's Creed Black Flag the worst part of the game, I'm personally not really interested in the game but it makes sense to continue development, especially after the success of Sea of Thieves. It shows there is a demand for this type of game, it's just not my cup of tea.

EA Teases Battlefield 6 reveal for June

EA and DICE are seemingly teasing a reveal for Battlefield 6 coming next month according to the game's official Twitter account.

In an extremely brief teaser, they tweeted "Words that rhyme with Soon: June. Boom." My guess would be that the game will show up at E3 2021 and i think it'll be available on Xbox Game Pass. Notable the EA Play addition on Game Pass Ultimate shows on the app to claim by 02/06/2021 which could mean when EA Play leaves the service but that's speculation. Hopefully, I'm wrong on that one but it wouldn't surprise me if EA Play was removed from Game Pass Ultimate and then Ubisoft Plus is added.

PlayStation expect PS5 shortage to continue into 2022

Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki has recently said that the shortage of PS5 consoles will likely continue due to the demand even if they manage to boost their current output of the supply.

"I don't think demand is calming down this year and even if we secure a lot more devices and produce many more units of the PS5 next year, our supply wouldn't be able to catch up with demand," Totoki told investors, Bloomberg said.

"We have sold more than 100m units of the PlayStation 4 and considering our market share and reputation, I can't imagine demand dropping easily," he added.

On a more positive note, Sony recently confirmed they've sold 7.8m PS5 consoles during its last financial year to 31st March. It hopes to sell at least 14.8m during the current financial year

I'm personally own a PS5 and I don't think it's currently worth rushing out and buying but I think that'll change with the launch of Ratchet And Clank: Rift Apart.

The Yakuza Series will continue to be a turn-based RPG for the forseeable future

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has seemingly confirmed that the Yakuza games will continue to use the turn-based RPG mechanics from Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

in an interview with IGN, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa confirmed the change would be permanent, saying: "The Yakuza series has been transformed into a turn-based RPG. On the other hand, over the years, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has accumulated resources and know-how of making flashy and exhilarating action games that are effortless to enjoy. We decided that we should let our signature action gameplay live on through Lost Judgment"

I personally welcome the change and I feel it fits better with the themes of the Yakuza series. Yakuza Like A Dragon was a breath of fresh air that showed that you don't need a single overpowered protagonist to steer the ship of the story but more so it can be a joint effort. That's can only be a good thing as RGG Studio makes some of the most compelling characters in games to date. That and they can do wacky stuff like Majima running down the side of a skyscraper for a special attack.

The Division: Heartland Announced By Ubisoft

Ubisoft has announced a new free-to-play game set in The Division universe called The Division: Heartland.

Red Storm Entertainment who developed the original Division game will be heading up development but the game will be standalone from the main series. The Division: Heartland is currently planned to release on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in the 2021-2022 release window.

Sadly details are on the slim side but Ubisoft did say that it will be an "all-new perspective on the universe in a new setting", though.

There are some details on more future projects set in the Tom Clancy The Division universe though, a roadmap of what's to come is located in the below image.

Gamescom 2021 Is Now An All-Digital Event

Gamescom has announced that this year's show will be changing its original plans of being a hybrid show of physical and digital components and will now be entirely online this year.

In a press release, Chief Operating Officer Oliver Frese discussed the decision by saying "Together with the game – The German Games Industry Association, we have put all our energy into making Gamescom 2021 in a hybrid format possible for fans and industry alike. However, even though the hybrid concept was very well received by the partners, we had to recognize that GamesCom still comes too early for many companies in the industry due to the required planning reliability."

Gamescom will kick things off with the Opening Night Live broadcast on August 25 hosted by Geoff Keighley, with viewers being able to virtually "attend" the online show over the following days via a relaunched Gamescom Now hub and Gamescom Epix campaign to take place over social media.

PlayStation files trademark for Sunset Overdrive

Sony has seemingly filed a trademark for Xbox exclusive Insomniac Games Sunset Overdrive. The trademark was filed at the US Patent and Trademark on April 26 but sad,y there were no details regarding a possible sequel or remake.

Interestingly enough, this was shortly followed by a leak that suggests that a remake of Sunset Overdrive is on the way in the form of Sunset Overdrive Refreshed Edtion coming in the fall to PS4 and PS5. That’s not all the leak contained though, it also had listed a new project called Sunset Apocalyse coming to PS5 in the future. Recently the game director of the first game rejoined the studio after working at Microsoft, that could also be a sign of more fuel added to the rumor fire.

I personally hope the series gets to live on in some capacity even if that means a PlayStation exclusive, fingers crossed it isn’t platform exclusive and Sony does right by the players of that first game.

Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout's Xbox And Switch Versions Delayed

Mediatonic has announced that the upcoming release for Xbox and Nintendo Switch versions of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout will no longer launch in the Summer.

the announcement came from the game's official website, where the studio discussed its recent purchase by Epic Games by saying it offered "so many new opportunities" but also they said, "We've realized that our previously announced Summer 2021 Switch and Xbox release schedule is unfortunately just too soon for us to include all of the tasty new features we're working on."

on a positive note, the team confirmed that the delay will give them the chance to add additional features, which they promised would include crossplay so that Xbox and Nintendo Switch players can play with those on PlayStation 4 and PC.

Resident Evil Re:Verse Won't Be Available At Launch of Resident Evil Village

Capcom has confirmed that the multiplayer mode for Resident Evil: Village called Resident Evil Re:Verse won't be coming to the game until later in the summer.

No launch window for the mode was confirmed so players assumed it would be launching alongside the game in May similar to Resident Evil 3 remake multiplayer mode called Resident Evil: Resistance.

However, it currently states on the official website that Resident Evil Re:Verse is scheduled for launch in "Summer 2021" although those who purchase Resident Evil: Village will still get the game for free when it eventually goes live.

Knockout City coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate And EA Play

EA has confirmed that the upcoming dodgeball game Knockout City will be available via EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at launch in May.

in a post where EA celebrates the beta hitting one million downloads for the recent open beta weekend. They confirmed the game will be coming to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier subscription, this also means it'll be available for players on PlayStation and PC via a standard EA Play membership as well.

I played the recent demo and I came away from it lukewarm, I enjoyed aspects of the game but I also found the matchmaking overly frustrating. Every match I played over the course of the beta weekend had one team with fewer players than the other which made it extremely one-sided.

Knockout City will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on May 21.

Additionally, the game will have access to cross-play across all platforms.

Apex Legends introduces a new permanent mode called Arenas

Respawn has revealed their first permanent mode coming to Apex Legends since Duos and it looks amazing.

The new mode which is called Arenas will launch alongside season 9 (Legacy) and it will put two squads of 3 to battle against each other in smaller Arena maps.

Each round, players will select their characters and then a buy phase will commence, both teams will get to spend allocated crafting materials to buy weapons and equipment. Then the games will begin in a deathmatch-style mode with no respawns. The team to gain a two round lead will win the match.

The mode will launch with two Custom Maps called Party Crasher and Phase Runner but will also have adapted Arenas of parts of the Kings Canyon, World's Edge, and Olympus maps.

Apex Legends Season Nine: Legacy will drop on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch on May 4.

Square Enix Joins E3 2021

Square Enix has confirmed that it will be at E3 2021 in some capacity according to a recent interview.

Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda said the following:

"We'll be announcing the rest of the line-up [later], and we're also planning to make an announcement at E3 in June, so please keep your eyes peeled,"

It's unclear if the company will be holding a full show or maybe something smaller but Square Enix is having a great year so far with the launch of Outriders and I'm sure they'll want to keep that going for as long as possible.

Fortnite adds a Horizon Zero Dawn & Tomb Raider crossover event

Epic Games and PlayStation have announced that Horizon Zero Dawn protagonist Aloy will be coming to Fortnite.

Aloy will arrive on April 15 in a Horizon: Zero Dawn bundle that will include a Blaze Canister Back Bling, a Glinthawk Glider, and an Aloy's Spear Pickaxe. The pack also comes with a Heart-rizon emote, Focus effect, and Shield Weaver Wrap. Players on PlayStation 5 will get a bonus unlockable with the exclusive alternate Ice Hunter Aloy Style.

Lastly, they'll be adding two exclusive limited-time game modes and a PlayStation-exclusive Aloy Cup Duos tournament. on April 16 Aloy will be teaming up with Lara in a special Aloy and Lara Duos event where each team will be playing as the duo equipped with their signature weapons in the form of a bow for Aloy and dual pistols for Lara. This event will be running until April 18.

Sonic Colours Could Possibly Be Getting A Remaster

Over the course of the weekend, a couple of listings were put online for a possible remaster of Sonic Colours.

originally reported by Gematsu, a German voiceover studio iksample listed a "Sonic Colors Remastered" in its portfolio on its website, which at the time of writing has since gone into maintenance mode. However, this was then later

backed up by a listing on French retailer Sogamely, which confirmed the title to be coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2021.

No official confirmation has come from SEGA as of writing but it would make sense since the 30th anniversary of Sonic is this year.

Watch Dogs: Legion Delays Some Online Modes And Features On Console And PC

Ubisoft has seemingly run into some technical problems with the Watch Dogs: Legion's online modes, as it has announced it will be delaying some of them ahead of their launch.

As announced by the official Twitter account, they confirmed that one of the modes known as Tactical Op is described as a collection of difficult missions to be played in co-op. The mode is apparently causing the game to crash and is no being delayed to launch on Xbox, PlayStation, and Stadia on March 23.

It's even more grim news for the PC side of things, where a similar issue is causing the game to crash due to an issue with "certain GPUs". The team is apparently working on a fix but due to the severity of the issue, Ubisoft has postponed the online modes with no release window given. They did however say "we will communicate the new launch date as soon as possible."

Lastly, a bug for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners is causing some problems in regards to in-game text chat, so that will be available in a limited capacity at launch with a fix coming on March 23rd.