It’s time once again to step back into our very specific time machine, which only allows us to travel a week back into the past, and take a look at the week’s gaming news.
You might ask why we’re not using our time machine for more morally defensible ends, and I would reply that unfortunately, the machine doesn’t allow us to interfere, only to observe.
With that absurd intro out of the way, let’s take a look at what’s been happening this week when it comes to the gaming industry!
Alien: Isolation is getting a sequel
This week, we learned that survival horror classic Alien: Isolation is getting a sequel, and that the game’s original creative director is returning to work on said sequel.
Al Hope thanked fans for their dedication to the game this week, then went on to confirm that the followup is currently “in early development”, which, unfortunately, means it’ll probably be quite some time before we hear about it again.
Still, it’s safe to start getting excited about the prospect of Alien: Isolation 2 now, especially if you were as big a fan of the original as we were.
Pathologic 3 is officially happening
Elsewhere in sequels-to-classic-horror-games news, Pathologic 3 was officially confirmed this week, and it looks like the mythical Bachelor’s Route for Pathologic 2 has been spun out into its own game.
Due to arrive next year, Pathologic 3 will feature a time-loop mechanic that will allow you to return to the past and change your decisions. See? Our intro wasn’t for nothing!
Whether it’ll be quite as obtuse and difficult to get into as the first two games remains to be seen, but we’re sure it will be another great slice of trademark Pathologic weirdness for those who are into that sort of thing.
Epic wins against Google in court
Epic won a major victory against Google in court this week when a judge ruled that the software giant must open up the Android Play Store to third-party app storefronts.
The victory is likely to have a knock-on effect for the likes of Microsoft as well, with Xbox’s Sarah Bond subsequently announcing that Xbox games will be available to buy and play on Android later this year.
Google plans to appeal the verdict, of course, but whether or not that appeal will be successful remains to be seen. We’re betting the courts have made their final decision on this one.
Red Dead Redemption finally gets a PC release date
For a long time now, it’s basically been certain that Wild West epic Red Dead Redemption is coming to PC, but we finally got official confirmation of that release earlier this week.
Red Dead Redemption will arrive on PC alongside Undead Nightmare in late October, bringing visual improvements, gameplay tweaks, and more to the gen 7 classic.
It’s now possible to experience the entirety of the Red Dead Redemption story, so all we need now is for 2004’s Red Dead Revolver to get an enhanced port.
Major Roblox investigation claims company is lying to its investors
A huge report by short-selling company Hindenburg Research was released this week, claiming that Roblox Corporation, the developer of sandbox platform Roblox, is lying to its investors.
According to the Hindenburg Research report, Roblox Corporation is inflating its daily active user count and its engagement metrics in order to make itself look more attractive to investors.
Additionally, the company is being accused of insufficient moderation on the Roblox platform, with Hindenburg describing the game (in scare quotes) as a “paedophile hellscape”. Yikes.
You can now order a Nintendo alarm clock
This week, Nintendo finally unveiled its latest piece of new hardware, but it’s probably not quite what you were expecting from the Japanese gaming giant.
Yes, that’s right – as we await more news about the Switch 2, Nintendo has seen fit to release an alarm clock it’s calling the Alarmo, and it comes complete with Nintendo-themed sounds and visuals.
It might seem a little quaint to release a dedicated alarm clock in the year of our lord 2024, but then again, surprising people with unexpected moves has arguably always been Nintendo’s modus operandi.
Several Disco Elysium spiritual successors announced
Not one, not two, but three Disco Elysium spiritual successors were announced this week, all of them created by studios comprising staff members who worked on the original game.
New studio Longdue says it’s working on a “psychological” RPG, and Dark Math announced XXX Nightshift, a CRPG that sounds a bit less wordy than Disco Elysium (which is, admittedly, not a tough bar to clear).
Lastly, writer Argo Tuulik revealed Summer Eternal, an “art collective” crossed with an “RPG studio”. For our money, this last offshoot sounds like the one that’s most similar to the original mission statement of developer ZA/UM.
Yet more Tomb Raider games are getting remastered
Earlier this year, Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics released Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered, and now, the next trilogy in the Tomb Raider series is getting the remaster treatment.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered collects The Last Revelation, Chronicles, and The Angel of Darkness, overhauling their visuals and control schemes to bring them closer to modern standards.
Retro PlayStation-era game fans are having a real renaissance at the moment, largely thanks to the efforts of Aspyr, although fellow retro enthusiasts Nightdive shouldn’t be discounted on this front as well.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is Atlus’ fastest-selling game
Atlus, the developers behind Persona, released their new game Metaphor: ReFantazio this week, and it’s apparently already the company’s best-selling project to date.
Passing a million sales on launch day is a pretty impressive milestone, and that’s exactly what Metaphor: ReFantazio has done, so Atlus will no doubt be pleased with its performance.
Is this likely to expedite the development of the next Persona game? Perhaps not, but it almost certainly guarantees a sequel to Metaphor: ReFantazio, and given its apparent similarities to Persona, that can’t be a bad thing.
