Weekly Games Patch 04/02/20

Weekly Games Patch? That’s a brag not backed up by the facts. It’s been a quiet few weeks in January but now games are coming out again! Before we get into that, it’s time for some industry news.

The Regional Impact Report by UKIE, supported by research by Interactive Futures, suggests that 500 new jobs across the next two years will open up in the gaming hub of Leamington Spa. This has already begun to take shape as Mediatonic, one of the UK’s largest independent developers, has announced a new studio in the region. The expansion is said to open 60 new positions in the local area. If you’re looking to break into the games industry, there has never been a better time!

Wizards of the Coast have revealed that their new studio, Archetype Entertainment, will be headed up by ex-Bioware veterans James Ohlen and Chad Robertson. Based in Austin, Texas, the new studio will be developing an original Sci-Fi RPG. This is a step away from the Dungeons & Dragons license that they are known for, which should suit Ohlen well. He comes from RPG pedigree, best known for titles such as Dragon Age, Baldur’s Gate, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

In a surprising turn of events, trade tensions between the USA and China have cooled, resulting in the console tariff, a proposed 25% import tax on consoles, being taken off of the table for the foreseeable future. Before this backtracking, Sony and Mircosoft had both scaled back production within China, which was set to affect the base price of next-gen consoles for the consumer.

It has been known for a while now that Retro Studios have been expanding their development team for Metroid Prime 4 after development was started from scratch. Jhony Ljungstedt, former DICE Art Director, has now joined the studio as confirmed by MCV/DEVELOP. Back in October, VGC confirmed that former Lead Character Artist on Halo 4, Kyle Helfey, had also joined the team. If Retro Studios have only just filled roles for Art Director and Lead Character Artist it might be some time indeed before we actually see Metroid Prime 4 in any capacity, let alone release ready.

The BGI is also bringing back the ground-breaking GamesEd Summit for its second year. The event bridges the gap between games educators and the games industry. It returns in April with an inspiring line-up set to tackle much-needed solutions and deep-rooted problems. Based in Sheffield, you can sign up for the event (before ticket prices increase) here.

Tuesday 4th February

• Monster Energy Supercross – The Offical Videogame 3 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
• The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac)
• Zombie Army 4: Dead War (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Nerved (PS4)
• Wide Ocean Big Jacket (Switch)
• VII (PC)
• Empires In Ruins (PC)
• Soul Reaper (PC)

Wednesday 5th February

• 7th Sector (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
• Monster Viator (Xbox One, PC)
• Zomb (PS4)
• StretchBot (PC, Mac)
• Knockout Daddy (PC)
• Napoleon In Russia (PC, Mac)

Thursday 6th February

• Kunai (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
• Knights and Bikes (Switch)
• Code: Realize~Guardian of Rebirth (Switch)
• PandaBall (PS4)
• SEN: Seven Eight Nine (Switch)
• Just A Phrase by POWGI (PS4, Switch)
• Shiny Ski Resort (Switch)
• Nerved (Switch)
• Sector Assault (PC, Mac)
• ScourgeBringer (PC, Mac)
• Order Of The Gate Keepers (PC)

Friday 7th February

• Marooners (Switch)
• The Turing Test (Switch)
• Crash Drive 2 (Switch)
• CarX Drift Racing Online (PS4)
• EQQO (Switch)
• Rune Lord (Switch)
• The Town Of Light: Deluxe Edition (Switch)
• Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker (Switch)
• Celestial (PC)

Saturday 8th February

• Elea: Paradigm Shift (Switch)

Be sure to check out the latest vacancies within video games and beyond here. You can also  follow us across social media for industry news, the latest vacancies and exciting new projects like our game developer podcast series! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.