➀ Ark: Survival Ascended is receiving a new expansion, Ark: Lost Colony, set to release in November; ➁ The expansion is a preview of what to expect from Ark 2, which is expected to be released in 2026; ➂ The expansion includes new animated cutscenes and features a vast occupied city for players to explore.
Recent #Game Development news in the semiconductor industry
➀ Jason Blundell, former co-head of Treyarch and director of Call of Duty: Zombies, has announced the formation of Dark Outlaw Games, a new studio under the PlayStation Studios flag. Following the closure of Deviation Games, this marks Blundell's second venture under Sony's leadership. ➁ The studio was initially intended to develop a mystery project related to Sony's live service ambitions, but was ultimately shut down before releasing its debut title. ➂ Blundell and a core team of former Deviation members have regrouped to form Dark Outlaw Games, with Sony's support for a specific game concept.
➀ People Can Fly, known for developing the FPS Bulletstorm, has entered a partnership with Sony to develop a new game based on one of Sony's IPs; ➁ The agreement was signed on March 13, 2025; ➂ The new game, codenamed Project Delta, is based on Sony's intellectual property rights.
➀ The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake is still in development, according to Saber Interactive CEO; ➁ The team has been working on the game for a while, with the last update stating it was 'alive and well'; ➂ Saber Interactive is committed to the title, but details are scarce as Disney is handling the communication.
➀ The Killing Floor series has been delayed from its initial March 2025 release to an unspecified date later in the year; ➁ Tripwire Interactive announced the delay after receiving feedback from the closed beta, aiming to improve performance, UI/UX, lighting, and weapon feel; ➂ The team is working on a post-release update to allow players to select their perk class and character independently.
➀ Sony cancels more live service projects; ➁ PlayStation Studios faces restructuring; ➂ Multiple layoffs announced across Sony's US studios.
➀ The Edge of Eternity studio is moving on to its next project, Edge of Memories, with the help of writers and designers from the Nier and Xenoblade series; ➁ The game is set in the same world as Edge of Eternity but features a new story with a blend of JRPG mechanics and French animation; ➂ Yasunori Mitsuda, composer of the Chrono Trigger soundtrack, is also involved.
➀ Marvel Rivals faced its first major controversy with the layoff of developers from a support studio; ➁ NetEase reported over $11 billion in revenue for FY2024, with Marvel Rivals contributing significantly; ➂ NetEase CEO Ding Lei emphasized the importance of market adaptation and investment in quality projects.
➀ Valve has released the source code for Team Fortress 2, making it open source; ➁ This allows for game overhaul mods, new modes, and multiplayer experiences; ➂ Developers can create new game listings for the Steam Store using TF2 as a base.
➀ The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series has been revitalized with the release of Pro Skater 1+2 Remake; ➁ A new Tony Hawk game is rumored to be in the works, with professional skater Tyshawn Jones hinting at its upcoming release; ➂ The original THPS 3+4 remake was cancelled but may see a new life with a different studio.
➀ CyberConnect2 celebrates its 30th anniversary with a new website and rebranding efforts; ➁ The studio expresses gratitude to its fans and clients; ➂ A new slogan and mascot are unveiled, with fan participation in naming the mascot.
➀ Blizzard acknowledges the lack of evolution in Overwatch 2; ➁ The original excitement of Overwatch 2 was due to a full PvE campaign and hero talent trees, which were later cancelled; ➂ Overwatch 2 director, Aaron Keller, admits to the pressure to make changes after Marvel Rivals' success; ➃ Blizzard is reintroducing the cancelled hero talent tree system and adding a new Stadium mode for the next two seasons.
➀ Housemarque has announced a new IP, Saros, as the successor to their hit game Returnal; ➁ Saros is described as the ultimate evolution of the Housemarque gameplay experience; ➂ The game is set to release in 2026 and aims to offer a different take on the rogue-like genre with permanent resources and progression.
➀ Dragon Quest XII is still in active development, as confirmed by series creator Yuji Horii; ➁ The game was initially announced in 2021 and has been absent from the public eye since its teaser; ➂ Horii mentioned that the development team is working hard on the game and more information will be released gradually.
➀ Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirms support for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2; ➁ The company has a long-standing relationship with Nintendo and plans to support the platform; ➂ The mention of Civilization 7 being available on Switch hints at potential support for more games.
➀ WB Games Montreal has had a rough couple of years with cancelled projects; ➁ The studio's latest release, Gotham Knights, followed by several rejected game pitches; ➂ Recent cancellations include a '1.5' version of Gotham Knights, Constantine, Joker, Flash, and a Game of Thrones game.
➀ Microsoft has announced the ID@Xbox Showcase featuring over a dozen indie studios; ➁ The event will be held on February 24th at 6PM BST; ➂ Balatro will be showcased with a new collaboration announcement.
➀ Battlefield 2042 encountered launch issues; ➁ EA and DICE are preparing for the next Battlefield game with a community test program; ➂ The program is set to reveal details at 5PM CET today; ➃ Fans will get to play early builds months before release.
➀ Obsidian is preparing for its next major game with the return of the lead writer from Fallout: New Vegas; ➁ The writer, John Gonzalez, has previously worked on the Horizon Zero Dawn IP and is not currently working on a Fallout: New Vegas 2; ➂ Obsidian has been busy with new IPs like Grounded, Pentiment, and The Outer Worlds, and is expanding its fantasy universe from Pillars of Eternity.
➀ Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction has reached the 'Gold' milestone, indicating the final version of the game is ready for release. ➁ The game is set to launch on March 6th. ➂ Josef Fares, the founder of Hazelight, has a reputation for creating compelling co-op games.