The news of the week (#19 2024)

This week all eyes have been on Microsoft, which has announced the closure of Arkane Austin (Redfall) and Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush). The company has also revealed that it will launch its mobile game store in July. At Sony they have closed the controversy around Helldivers II by backtracking, so it will no longer be necessary to link a PlayStation Networks account to Steam to play. Meanwhile, Nintendo has announced that the Switch successor that has been described as the “next model” of the console will be presented before April 2025. In June we will have a Direct focused on the software.

In the releases section the indies have taken over with the arrival of Hades II, Animal Well and Crow Country. Who will not see the light of day will be Kestrel, a cooperative multiplayer title from Remedy that has been canceled. We’ve also discovered that Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Plus, Sonic Rumble, Akimbot, and Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition are coming this year.

In hardware, the news has been numerous, starting with Apple, which has presented a new iPad Pro equipped with the brand new 3 nm M4 chip focused on artificial intelligence, and renewed the 11-inch iPad Air to which it adds a 13-inch one. MediaTek also has a new chip, the high-performance Dimensity 9300+ for gaming. On the other hand, Google has presented the mid-range Pixel 8A mobile phone, while Asus has revealed the existence of ROG Ally X, a revised model of the laptop that focuses on improving autonomy.

Nintendo

Xbox

• Microsoft closes Arkane Austin (Redfall) and Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush).
• Redfall ends its development and will not deliver the announced paid content.
• Hi-Fi Rush had a sequel, it’s unclear if the new Call of Duty will come to Game Pass, and there will be more layoffs.
• After closing Tango Gameworks, Microsoft says they need titles like Hi-Fi Rush.
• Microsoft will launch its own mobile game store in July.

PlayStation

• Ghost of Tsushima for PC does not require a PlayStation Network account to play the campaign.
• Helldivers II stops being sold in more than 150 regions, while review bombing continues and Arrowhead looks for solutions.
• Sony is backing down and will not require linking a PlayStation Network account to Steam to play Helldivers II.

PC/mobile

• Beat Saber will no longer support Meta Quest 1.
• Hades II now available for PC through early access.
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt mod editor will be available on May 21.
• World of Warcraft receives Dark Heart, the latest chapter of Dragonflight.
• Soulmask, an open-world survival game, will enter early access on June 18.
• Sonic Rumble announced, a Fall Guys-style battle royale for iOS and Android.
• Quest Master, a dungeon-crawling game, is coming to Early Access on May 29.
• Circus Electrique free on the Epic Games Store.
• DayZ announces the Frostline expansion, which adds an 83 km² archipelago with the cold as the protagonist.
• The Rogue Prince of Persia delays its release due to the popularity of Hades II.
• The first Marathon comes to Steam for free.

Multi platform

• Mortal Kombat 1 offers a first look at Homelander, the villain from The Boys.
• Wizard With a Gun will expand its co-op mode to 4 players on May 13.
• Remedy cancels Kestrel, a cooperative multiplayer title, to focus on the Alan Wake and Control sagas.
• Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden demo available.
• Rocksmith+ will be available on June 6 on PlayStation and Steam.
• The Rocket Knight Adventures Collection: Re-Sparked! It will go on sale on June 11.
• Destiny 2 begins a month of open access to the Shadowkeep, Beyond the Light, and The Witch Queen expansions.
• Battlefield brings together the largest team in its history to deliver connected multiplayer and single-player experiences.
• Gundam Breaker 4 will be available on August 29.
• Akimbot, an action platform game inspired by Ratchet & Clank, announced.
• Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer will arrive on May 14 on PS4, PS5 and Switch.
• Spin Rhythm will debut on PS4, PS5 and PSVR2 on July 9.
• Master Detective Archives: Rain Code announced for PS5, Xbox Series and PC.
• Launch trailer for Animal Well, a metroidvania set in an atmospheric world full of puzzles and secrets.
• Available Crow Country, a survival horror that evokes the era of PlayStation and N64.
• Frontier Developments is working on a new Jurassic World game.
• CI Games ends its restructuring with 30 layoffs.
• Eternal Threads, a narrative puzzle game, is coming to consoles on May 23.
• Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance details its news with a video.

Technology/Internet

• MediaTek unveils the Dimensity 9300+, a high-performance gaming chipset with a strictly big-core design.
• Apple announces the new iPad Pro, with M4 chip and OLED panel, while the iPad Air adds a 13-inch model.
• Apple presents the M4 chip focused on artificial intelligence.
• Google announces the Pixel 8A, a mid-range mobile phone with a RRP of 549 euros, and launches the Pixel Tablet in Spain.
• iFixit shows off the first LPCAMM2 modules, promising laptops with easily expandable LPDDR memory.
• Corsair will buy the Fanatec racing peripherals brand, which would avoid bankruptcy.
• The next ROG Ally laptop will be a revision with greater autonomy, more RAM and a higher price.