A highly anticipated multiplayer spin-off leaks,The Evil Within’s developer shadow-drops a rhythm-action game, and a mobile game player hits an unexpected level cap. Today, Game Rant’s weekly recap takes a look at some of the most notable headlines from the past week.
Dead Space’s modern remake just released, and its overall length may surprise long-time fans. Meanwhile,The Last of Us’ HBO show makes its first substantial changes and encourages a spike in game sales, and an interview withMarvel’s Midnight Suns’ creative director sheds light on its new Deadpool DLC. All that and more in this week’s roundup ofgames industry news.
RELATED:Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ 4 DLCs Will All Connect with a Final Bonus Mission
Early Alpha Footage of Horizon Forbidden West Multiplayer Project Leaks
Early alpha footage forHorizon’s multiplayer game has leaked, and this footage allegedly lines up with previous reports of it featuring new characters and a distinct art style. While leaks should be taken with a grain of salt, the footage has since been taken down, which may corroborate its legitimacy. This multiplayer game is going for a cartoonish aesthetic rather than a photorealistic one, and fans have expressed interest in aHorizontitle that leans more into itsMonster Hunterinspirations.
Tango Gameworks Shadow Drops Hi-Fi Rush on Xbox Game Pass
Tango Gameworks’Hi-Fi Rushshadow-dropped this weekafter being announced at the Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct.Hi-Fi Rushwas leaked shortly before, but the fact that it would launch on Xbox Game Pass as soon as it got announced was a huge surprise for unbeknownst fans.Hi-Fi Rushhas become an overnight sensation due to its intricate rhythm-based action and distinctive art style.
Marvel Snap Player Becomes First to Reach Max Collection Level
Live-service games are commonly regarded as having what feels like infinite content to accommodate fans who may be playing nonstop, which is a model that most live-service mobile games encourage. But recently,one player managed to max outMarvel Snap’s collection level, meaning there are no more caches to award them and nothing more to progress until the game’s content is developed further.
The developers have addressed this player’s achievement, declaring it a “world’s first” akin to something like aDestinyraid. This is a rare and unprecedented achievement, and Second Dinner will likely attempt to makeMarvel Snap’s collection levels more difficult to complete in the future.
The Last of Us’ HBO Success Leads to Newfound Success for The Last of Us Part 1
One of the benefits ofThe Last of Us’ TV adaptation is that while it introduces non-gamers to the IP, it will also inevitably generate renewed interest in the game. In the UK,The Last of Us Part 1saw a 238 percent spike in sales, as well as a 322 percent increase in sales forThe Last of Uson PS4.
This shows how much of an influence the game has, and with its popularity being rediscovered it is only natural that fans may want to return toThe Last of Usin order to see how the show compares.The Last of Uson HBO has seen massive success in its first few episodes. It has even been officially confirmed thatThe Last of Uswill have a second season to adapt the events ofThe Last of Us Part 2.
Hogwarts Legacy Banned as Topic on ResetEra
In one of the biggest controversies of the week,discussion aroundHogwarts Legacyhas been banned on the popular forum site ResetEra. This is apparently ResetEra’s way of circumventing any hateful comments; for example, many fans have elected to boycott the game due to the connections it has with J.K. Rowling following her ongoing transphobic statements.
Nonetheless, it should be noted that the game is highly anticipated in a lot of circles, and could potentially be one of the best-selling titles of 2023. This has made conversations inherently adversarial between fans of the IP who are excited forHogwarts Legacy’s release and people who have decided not to play it for their own personal reasons. ResetEra cuts out all the potential discourse that could transpire in the final week before release, and time will tell whether that proves to be a positive or negative thing.
Features
The Last of Us’ HBO series has immersed both TV and gaming fans, and it is interesting to see how both audiences respond to the show - whether they were previously fans of the game or not.The Last of Us’ pilot episode was incredibly faithful to the source material, while the second episode has taken creative liberties with its portrayal of the infected.
Movies & TV
Following a deal being struck between Crystal Dynamics and Amazon Games for the nextTomb Raidergame, it seems like Amazon is capitalizing on this relationship by adapting the IP into a TV series penned byFleabagcreator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Guides
EA Motive’sDead Spaceremake released this week, and while it is faithful to the original in many ways, it also takes some creative liberties with level design as it reimagines many parts of the USG Ishimura. There is a lot of content to look forward to that fans may not expect to see in the remake. New side quests, Ishimura level designs, and a New Game Plus incentive add to the experience, so fans may wonder how long it takes to beat the remake compared to the original.
Game Rant Exclusives
Game Rant spoke withMarvel’s Midnight Sunscreative director Jake Solomon this week about the game’s newly released Deadpool DLC, as well as what fans can expect from its next three post-launch DLC expansions.
MORE:The Case for Open-World Games Not Always Needing Main Narrative Campaigns
