Game Informer

All Elite Wrestling’s first triple-A wrestling title, AEW: Fight Forever, takes a few significant steps towards becoming a reality. After heavy rumors, THQ Nordic is confirmed as the game’s publisher. Moreover, we got a rundown of the game’s modes, a batch of fresh screenshots, as well as the unveiling of the box art. 

AEW: Fight Forever is being developed by Yuke’s and has been billed as an homage to classic, arcade-style wrestling games such as WWF No Mercy (including input from director Hideyuki “Geta” Iwashita). In addition to capturing an old-school feel, the game hopes to emulate AEW's in-ring style with the newly revealed addition of elaborate tandem offense moves for tag team bouts. 

First off, here’s what the box art looks like:

THQ plans to share more gameplay details during a THQ Nordic Showcase on August 12. Until then, a press release lays out the game modes, which may be final unless the Showcase reveals anything new. 

Career Mode: Players create their own AEW star who competes in matches and stories over an event schedule. You earn points by winning matches and completing objectives. These points enhance your character’s stats.  

Nintendo released its latest round of financial results, this time for Quarter 1 of the Fiscal Year 2023, which makes up the months of April, May, and June of 2022. While hardware sales of the base Switch, the OLED model, and the Switch Lite have surpassed 111 million units sold, sales are down nearly 23% overall. 

More specifically, hardware sales for Nintendo are down 22.9% this quarter. Broken up, the base Switch's sales are down 60% in Q1 while Switch Lite sales are down 48.4%. Nintendo did not report OLED model Switch sales, possibly because it groups the OLED model with the base Switch. As for why hardware sales are down this quarter, Nintendo sites the ongoing semiconductor shortage, which affects other hardware makers like Xbox and PlayStation too. 

"Unit sales for the entire Nintendo Switch family of systems declined by 22.9% year-on-year to 3.43 million units," Nintendo's results read in comparison to 4.45 million units sold this time last year. "In the first quarter of last fiscal year, titles from other software publishers helped drive hardware sales, particularly in Japan, but with the semiconductor shortage affecting production this first quarter, unit sales of hardware declined year-on-year." 

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Visual Concepts
Release: September 9, 2022
Rating: Everyone

August gets its first batch of new Xbox Game Pass titles beginning today. You can fire up Ghost Recon Wildlands right now, while new titles such as Two Point Campus and Turbo Golf Racing arrive within the week. Take a look at what’s coming and what’s leaving the library, and check out our reviews for applicable titles if you need recommendations on what to check out. 

What’s Coming To Xbox Game Pass

Ghost Recon Wildlands (Console, PC, Cloud) – Today | Our Review

Shenzhen I/O (PC) – August 4

Turbo Golf Racing (Xbox Series X/S, PC, Cloud) – August 4

Two Point Campus (Console, PC, Cloud) – August 9

Cooking Simulator (Console, PC, Cloud) – August 11

Expeditions: Rome (PC) – August 11

Offworld Trading Company (PC) – August 11

What’s Leaving Xbox Game Pass On August 11

Boyfriend Dungeon (Console, PC, Cloud) | Our Review

Herschel "Guy" Beahm IV, known by most as Dr. Disrespect, helped form a "AAA game studio" with former Call of Duty and Halo developers in December of last year. Dubbed Midnight Society, the studio's first project was slated to be a multiplayer shooter. More details about it have been released, including word that it's a PvPvE extraction shooter. 

Now, Midnight Society's first game has a name – Deadrop – and gameplay footage. This gameplay comes from players who had (very) early access to the title, so it's less of a demo or vertical slice of gameplay and more of a proof of concept. Check it out for yourself in the tweets below from Okami Games. 

Here's another gameplay clip in a different firing range. #DEADROP pic.twitter.com/odT5QHYtFp

Captaincy is coming to Sea of Thieves! What does that mean to those not versed in pirate speak? You'll now be able to buy and customize your own ship. This ability arrives within game's seventh season, launching on August 4.

Even if you've made it rich in Sea of Thieves and are loaded to the gills in gold, you can only purchase one of each type of ship: the Sloop, Brigantine, and Galleon. Within the teaser video above, we see the Sloop goes for 250,000 gold, the Brigantine for 375,000, and the four-person Galleon at 500,000. Once one of these vessels is yours for the keeping, you can give it a name, and it'll appear on a wooden plaque on the ship's crest. If you really want to put your fingerprint on it, you can customize the captain's cabin, right down to the design of the table, chair, and carpet.

Your accomplishments on the high seas can also be displayed in the cabin in the form of new trinkets. We don't yet know how many trinkets are available, but the video shows items that can sit on shelves or hang on walls. You can place each one as carefully as you want. Be warned: Each item is physics based, meaning they will slide in storms and when under attack. You may have to pick them up and readjust how they are hung after an expedition.

Each time you return to your ship, it'll be just as you left it – including damage sustained. You can make it look new again by spending some gold at a shop to fix the damage and give it a fresh coat of paint.

Gotham Knights will finally hit PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and PC too, in just a few months – Oct. 25 to be exact – and Warner Bros and WB Montreal have been steadily releasing more and more information about the multiplayer Bat-family game. 

Today, as part of IGN First coverage, the studio released the first 16 minutes of Gotham Knights gameplay and the focus is exclusively on Batgirl. If you're worried about spoilers, don't fret – there's not much revealed story-wise in this gameplay, but it does feature a look at the first mission as well as some of the in-game mechanics we'll be utilizing to solve mysteries and fight crime. According to the video, this takes place right after the prologue. 

Check it out for yourself below: 

For more about Gotham Knights, be sure to watch this Batgirl-centric trailer and then check out this one detailing some of Robin's moveset. After that, check out Game Informer's exclusive interview with the game's executive producer and director for details about alternate suits, missions, and the Elseworlds-like cooperative play. 

The year 2020 was a big year for the Cyberpunk genre in video games because the hotly-anticipated (and long-in-development) Cyberpunk 2077 was finally released that year. However, it wasn't the massive generation-defining game CD Projekt Red (and admittedly, many of us fans) propped it up to be. 

I played it on Xbox Series X at release, and it ran fine enough that I could roll credits thinking I had just completed a fun game that I'm glad I played. However, getting an Xbox Series X or a PlayStation 5 around the time Cyberpunk 2077 was released in 2020 was challenging, and many had to play CDPR's latest RPG on last-gen consoles. You probably already know the story of how that went – it was not a good game to play on last-gen consoles at all. CDPR choosing not to give reviewers codes for those consoles ahead of time on top of the way the studio opted not to really talk about last-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077 was deceitful, dishonest, and frankly disrespectful to consumers. 

A new Pokémon Presents showcase will be held this week and it will be a video presentation with updates onPokémon apps and games, including Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. 

More specifically, this upcoming Pokémon Presents will air at 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET on Aug. 3 – so this Wednesday. As for what to expect, the tweet announcing this presentation says we'll be getting updates on Pokémon apps (Pokémon Sleep perhaps?) and games, including Scarlet and Violet.

‼️ Attention, Trainers! ‼️

Tune in to our YouTube channel on Wednesday, August 3rd at 6AM PT for a #PokemonPresents video presentation with updates on Pokémon apps and video games, including #PokémonScarletViolet!

🔔 https://t.co/4Y2yC8uitL pic.twitter.com/oUTbNln64c

— Pokémon (@Pokemon) August 1, 2022

If it's like past presentations, we'll likely get a trailer or two for the upcoming ninth generation of Pokémon as well as new details regarding the world of these games. I'm hoping we get a look at the mid-stage evolutions of the starters and more information about the region. What are you hoping to learn? Let me know in the comments below!

Disney revealed back in May that its upcoming Rogue One prequel series, Andor, would premiere on Disney Plus on Aug. 31. Disney has delayed its release by a few weeks as it will now premiere on Sept. 21. However, on Sept. 21, three episodes will go live. 

This news comes by way of the official trailer for Andor released today by Disney. Running nearly two and a half minutes long, this trailer sets up the beginning of a rebellion led by Andor and others such as Saw Gerrera and Mon Mothma (all played by the actors that portrayed them in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). You can check it out for yourself below: 

Elsewhere, Disney also released a fancy new illustrated poster for Andor today: 

Experience the three-episode premiere of #Andor, a Star Wars Original Series, streaming only on @DisneyPlus September 21. pic.twitter.com/HWlHjCDxrR

The PlayStation 5 has been the current Sony console for just under two years, having been released on November 12, 2020, in the U.S. At launch, there were a number of new features associated with the console such as Game Help cards, Activity Cards, and several others. 

One of those new features was the Accolades system. If you’re like me, you didn’t know this feature existed before it made its way into headlines today. As for why it’s in headlines, it’s because the launch feature is being discontinued in “the fall of 2022,” according to Sony. 

“In fall of 2022, the Accolades feature on PlayStation 5 will no longer be supported,” an update from Sony reads. “The feature hasn’t seen the level of usage we anticipated, so we are refocusing our efforts. We encourage the community to continue to send positive messages to one another.” 

If you’re curious about what Accolades was in light of its forthcoming discontinuation, it allowed players to give accolades and positive encouragement to other players they came across online. You could give another player a Helpful, Welcoming, or Good Sport accolade based on what it was like playing with them. You were allowed to give one accolade per match and you could only give them to players who weren’t your friends. As for why, well, Sony kept track of your accolades and other players could view them. 

If you are like me and are a child from the 90s you probably remember the Sonic games quite fondly. You also try really hard not to think about how long ago the 90s really were... but I digress...

 

Now is your chance to relive (or perhaps live for the first time?) the classic collected adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD in the newly remastered Sonic Origins! We have 20 codes to give away so, for your chance at one, all you have to do is enter below and submit your console choice. Extra entries are available with one daily entry option as well. 

Enter until 11:59 PM CST on August 10th, 2022. Sonic Origins is rated E for everyone. Minors will need their parents' permission to accept the prize. Full rules are available below. Good Luck!

 

No Cookies? Click to enter the Sonic Origins Sweepstakes

All of the NFL players in Madden NFL 23 have ratings and you can freely look at them on EA's official site. Is Kenny Pickett ranked high enough at a 68? If you don't think so, you can call into Madden NFL's ratings adjustor hotline (at 689-278-3030) to recommend it go up or down. Thousands of people called in within the first day of the hotline launching, and from EA's snarky Twitter tone, it would appear most of them are complaints, likely about a beloved players rating being too low or a hated players rating being too high.

Shoutout to the thousands of fans who called into the #Madden23 Ratings Hotline yesterday to let us know they 𝓐𝓖𝓡𝓔𝓔 with our ratings☎️😉

— Madden NFL 23 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 29, 2022

According to Emma Waldren, Madden’s creator of content strategy and partnerships, over 1,000 people called in within just six hours.

1000 of you called the #Madden23 #RatingsAdjustor hotline in the first six hours 🤯

This week on All Things Nintendo, Brian welcomes Game Informer associate editor Jason Guisao to break down his review of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the massive role-playing game that hit Nintendo Switch today. Before that, the two get caught up on all the biggest Nintendo news from the last two weeks. The show ends with an RPG-focused Definitive Ranking topic before Jason gives his eShop Gem of the Week.

If you'd like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter, hit the following links: Brian Shea (@brianpshea), Jason Guisao (@Jason_Guisao)

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we can celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look back on the classics we all grew up with. A new episode hits every Friday!

Be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo on your favorite podcast platform. The show is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

One of the allures of PC gaming is building your rig to the specs you need. Last year, while I didn't pick my components, I built a machine using NZXT's streaming PC package, which comes with all the parts you need and a handy guide to walk you through the steps. The build took us about three hours, with only a few hiccups along the way.

If you don't want to dedicate time to the build and would rather have someone else put it together, there are plenty of pre-built PC options on the market. One of the newest companies exploring this space is Build Redux, a sister company of Digital Storm, the longtime boutique PC manufacturer.

When you go to Build Redux's website, you see the option to build your PC, but not in the way you would expect. You pick your top three games from a preset list of fifteen titles. The options include many reflex-based shooters like Call of Duty Warzone, Overwatch, and Apex Legends. When you click a game, a framerate appears over the box art. Clicking Apex Legends reveals a reading of 70 frames per second for Build Redux's "good" PC model. The "better" model raised the framerate to 110, and "best" jacked it to 145.

High-gloss paper. Gold-foil covers. Uniquely-numbered issues. Ridiculously-low print runs. This is Game Informer Gold, an ultra-rare collectible that one of you can win through this sweepstakes. You need to get your hands on Game Informer Gold to truly understand how big of an upgrade it is over our standard edition. From its increased thickness to the gold shine on the cover, this is as high-end as magazines get.

This month, the copy of Game Informer Gold that is up for grabs is issue 347, featuring Sonic Frontiers. Not only can you read our massive cover story on the best paper and print quality we provide, but there's also a feature on Open Roads and an early look at Stormgate, the new RTS from developers that worked on Warcraft III and Starcraft II. The issue boasts a huge preview section with new looks at games like Marvel's Midnight Suns, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Saints Row, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Final Fantasy XVI, Redfall, and Street Fighter 6.

For more info on Game Informer Gold, watch this short video featuring our first Game Informer Gold issue #340:

Enter below by August 8, 2022 for your chance at this unique exclusive collectible. NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY. Daily entry options available so come back often for your best chance. Full rules are available below. Many will enter, but only one will win! Good Luck!

Our brief first look at NBA 2K23's on-court action shows off the fluidity of play and attention to detail that unfolds even after the whistle is blown. For years, this series has been lauded as a graphical powerhouse, and this teaser sizzles in this way.

We'll have to see how the footage shown breaks down as far as new gameplay features, but it would appear perimeter play is getting some of the spotlight this year. The realism in the superstars is also on display, both on the court and in how they celebrate and interact with fans.

NBA 2K23 will have three different looks on retail stands with NBA Legend Michael Jordan on one cover, Phoenix's Devin Booker on another, and the WNBA's Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi on the third. Michael Jordan's return unfolds through 15 different Jordan Challenge scenarios that recreate key moments from his career.

More details should be coming soon, as 2K Sports aims to ship NBA 2K23 on September 9 for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC.

"A new chapter is about to begin amidst a tangled web of factions." This line accompanies the latest teaser trailer for Genshin Impact, the incredible free-to-play RPG from miHoYo. The trailer dives into the game's fourth region, Sumeru, which is home to people who can't dream and worship the God of Wisdom.

Suermu looks lush in foliage, with mushroom creatures scurrying about the trunks of sizable trees. It also contains a desert area and looks to be just as sizable as the game's other areas.

The trailer also introduces a host of companion characters that players will meet as quests are completed. The first new character is Tighnari, a forest watcher who we see holding a magical firefly. In Port Ormos, players will run into Alhaitham from the Haravatat in the Akademiya. Further into the game, players meet Dehya of the Desertfolk, who is also a mercenary for the Emerites. There are also Nilou, a character who is pursuing art and dance, Nahida, a mysterious being, and Cyno, the General Mahamatra.

All of this content is a part of Genshin Impact's 03 update, which doesn't have a release date yet, but appears to be close, given how much miHoYo has revealed. Genshin Impact is currently available on PlayStation consoles and PC, and works just as well on Android, and iOS.

Are you still invested in Genshin Impact? If so, what do you hope to see from the new update?

Today's Annapurna Showcase brought several platform changes and new-gen updates for many well-received indie games. It also gave us a release date on a particular indie that's been radio silent for some time. We've gathered these smaller announcements into one convenient spot, so scroll through to see which Annapurna joint is getting a new home with fresh bells and whistles. 

Annapurna Interactive concluded its showcase today by debuting The Lost Wild, Great Ape Games dinosaur-laden survival game.

The Lost Wild was first announced last October with a pre-alpha trailer and is described as a first-person survival horror game. Players control an investigative reporter guided by a mysterious voice over the radio to explore abandoned Japanese facilities nestled within an island forest teeming with prehistoric wildlife. These dinos are highly intelligent and realistically behave like animals, featuring what Great Ape describes as self-preservation and reactive systemic AI behaviors. 

Players can use stealth to avoid detection while exploring, create distractions, or repel dinos using items like flares and makeshift, non-lethal weaponry. You’ll spend much of the game scrounging for materials as you traverse ruins for clues about the island’s history and how you ended up in this dire situation. 

According to the game’s FAQ, The Lost Wild won’t be arriving until late 2024 or early 2025. It has been confirmed for PC via Steam but will also come to unspecified consoles. 

Keita Takahashi, the creator of the Katamari series, has a new game in the works. Unfortunately, it’s tough to know exactly what it is.

A teaser trailer premiered during today’s Annapurna Showcase showed a few seconds of close-up footage of an animated child snoring in his sleep. What does it mean? Your guess is as good as ours, but we fully expect it to be weird given Takahashi’s history.

Takahashi’s last big title was the colorful Wattam, released in 2019 and published by Annapurna. This new title looks to continue the relationship between the two partners.

Annapurna Interactive revealed an eye-brow-raising new shooter called Bounty Star: The Morose Tale of Graveyard Clem. The title blends mech gameplay and farming with a wild west aesthetic, and it’s coming next year. 

Players control Clementine McKinny, a bounty hunter and former soldier looking to atone for her past by keeping the peace in the Red Expanse, a post-apocalyptic version of the American Southwest. She uses her trusty mech suit to keep the bad guys at bay, which players can customize with various offensive and defensive components. These include various guns, a laser sword, missile launchers, riot shields, boosters, and more. 

When you're not blasting apart enemies, you'll take care of your homestead. This rundown garage can be upgraded with new supply and water lines, and you can grow food, raise animals, and manufacture ammo for your mech.

Bounty Star will arrive on PlayStation and Xbox platforms (launching day one on Game Pass), Switch, and PC and launches in 2023.

Thirsty Suitors kicked off the Annapurna Showcase with a new gameplay explainer breaking down its uniquely presented battle system and a surprising exploration segment. 

The game, which premiered during last year's Game Awards, centers on Jala, a young woman who must reconcile with her exes and friends while dealing with ( or, more specifically, disappointing ) her demanding parents before her sister's wedding. The game revolves around a turn-based battle system where Jala faces a former lover, which reimagines their attempts to find common ground as an RPG battle.

The trailer showed off moves such as Thirsty Taunts to manipulate an ex's emotions. Your old flames can manifest their inflated egos into alternate realities, where they reign supreme as the exaggerated versions of their self-perceptions. Thankfully, you knock them down a peg by enlisting the help of family members as if they were Final Fantasy summons, such as a giant version of Jala's mother dishing out significant damage. Battles conclude not with a knockout but with Jala and her adversary working out their issues.

Kentucky Route Zero has become one of the last decade's most celebrated narrative adventure games. As such, fans will be happy to know that developer Cardboard Computer is hard at work on its next title.

A dev diary during today's Annapurna Showcase doesn't reveal much about the game, including its title. We get shots of the team members animating a dog's face, with the designers saying the next game will feature fully-animated characters. It also explains the project has a faster tempo and sports funnier writing than KRZ but will ultimately be a tragedy. 

Whatever this game is, it has no release window or announced platforms. You can read our review of Kentucky Route Zero here. 

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew shares exclusive details from our Skull And Bones cover story and discusses our Xenoblade Chronicle 3 review. During The Playlist, Van Aken raves about Rollerdrome and shares why it's one of his most anticipated games after playing it. To round out the show, we answer a few listener questions about how the Steam Deck compares to the Nintendo Switch and which portable games we'd like to re-release onto home consoles. 

Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes), Jay Guisao (@Jason_Guisao), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)

During February’s Nintendo Direct, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe got a lot of overdue attention with the announcement of 48 race tracks – new and old – coming to the arcade racer by 2023. The first wave dropped in March alongside a 2.0 update. Wave 2 is just around the bend and promises the Turnip and Propeller Cups next month. This means we’re getting some familiar courses across multiple consoles, including the Super NES, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Wii, and Mario Kart Tour games. Here are the details for each cup based on a recent press release:

Now's the time to claim Japan's seedy underbelly for yourself. Yakuza: Like A Dragon is packaged into the free PlayStation Plus August catalog. However, eight other Yakuza are coming to the subscription service starting this month.

According to the official PlayStation blog, Extra and Premium members can download/play Kazuma Kiryu's classic, crime-riddled journeys in Yakuza 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2 next month. Later this year, those same subscribers get access to Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 5 Remastered, and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. That's hundreds of hours of fantastic Ryu Ga Gotoku content. Be sure to check out our reviews or previews for the games below:

Grand Theft Auto VI could introduce the series' first female lead. This possibility comes from an extensive report into Rockstar Games by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. This female character of note is said to be Latina and will be one of two protagonists inspired by bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde.

The report also sheds light on the tone players might experience in Grand Theft Auto VI. "Developers are also being cautious not to 'punch down' by making jokes about marginalized groups, the people said, in contrast to previous games," Schreier writes.

Grand Theft Auto VI's codename is supposedly Project Americas. The game is to be "more vast" than any other entry in the series. Earlier designs suggested the map would cover sections of North and South America, but that vision is said to be reduced to a large version of Miami (likely called Vice City in the game).

Schreier's sources say that new missions and cities will be added over time after the game launches. As development proceeds, Rockstar is working to reduce employee hours and crunch. The majority of the report details Rockstar's internal changes, which include a more inclusive office culture, the narrowing of the gender pay gap, and overall improvements to working conditions. Morale within the company is said to be better than ever, according to several Rockstar staffers.

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC
Publisher: Private Division
Developer: Roll7
Release: August 16, 2022

It’s Tuesday morning. I’m late. I’ve missed the embargo deadline for Rollerdrome. Across the games press, website authors have already published previews and stories about their time playing Roll7’s blood-packed sports title. 

But I can’t stop playing Rollerdrome. 

Instead of writing, I once again queue the Barbican Arena competition, the last leg in my six-level demo. The level begins in a long, claustrophobic tunnel lit in red light. I have everything I need – rollerskates and a shotgun – to put on the show of a lifetime. Ahead of me are echoes of a crowd clapping in unison, an ominous metronome inviting me further past the steel-latched mouth of the arena. They paid for a show, and I’m going to give it to them.

In these trying times, the only thing keeping me going is knowing I will play a new Bayonetta game in just a few short months. But hey, let's not forget the classics, either. 

Today on Game Informer Live, we're revisiting the original Bayonetta, which most intelligent and attractive people will say is one of the best games of all time. 

But that's not all! A couple of weeks ago, we started building a Real Grade Wing Gundam Gunpla kit. You can check out the first and second archives right here. I recommend getting caught up because today is the day we're finally finishing our build. Come Hell or high water; we are piecing this robot together. 

We're going live on our Twitch page at 3:30 PM Central Time (4:30 PM Eastern Time/1:30 PM Pacific). Hope to see you there!

Bloomberg posted a new report about Grand Theft Auto 6's development, based on sources close to or within Rockstar Games. The details discuss how a revamped and improved studio culture has influenced the game's design, including its playable protagonists, writing, and tone. 

GTA 6, which Rockstar confirmed was in active development in February, will reportedly star two playable bank robbers in a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired tale, and the female protagonist, a first for the series, will be Latina. The game is set in a modern-day, fictionalized Miami and its surrounding areas, which signals a return to Vice City. Despite being set in a single city, the game is said to already have more interior locations than any GTA game. Still, the studio plans to regularly update GTA 6 over time to add more missions and even cities. Bloomberg reports that GTA 6 may arrive sometime before March 2024. However, sources tell the publication that some developers within Rockstar are skeptical that the game will hit that timeframe.  

This month's catalog for PlayStation Plus was announced today on the official PlayStation blog. Subscribers will be able to skate into August with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, and Little Nightmares.

The three games will be available on August 2, which means July's titles – Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, and Arcadegeddon – are leaving. You have until August 1 to download last month's free games. In any case, here's what you can expect from this month's three titles:

On this episode of From Panel to Podcast we dive into last week's books, giving you a rundown of the best stories that you should add to your pull list. We also highlight the comics that are releasing this week and provide insight into why you may want to pick them up.

If you would like to follow us on Twitter: Andrew Reiner (@Andrew_Reiner) and Philip Hoff (@bnow23).

From Panel to Podcast is a weekly show created by two lifelong comic book readers who offer suggestions on which comic books you should be reading each week. Each episode also dives into the latest developments for comics in video games, movies, and television shows. We'll even discuss comic book collectibles and anything we think you should know about that pertains to this entertainment medium.

Be sure to subscribe to From Panel to Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. The show is available on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

<p><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2022/07/26/a3cded21/kotor_remake1.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, teased initially with a <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/09/09/star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic-remake-announced-for-ps5-and-pc">brief trailer back in 2021</a>, is reportedly on indefinite development hold. That’s the news as reported by <em><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-26/star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic-game-paused-amid-studio-shakeup">Bloomberg</a> </em>earlier today, which cited unnamed sources close to its development, relaying that the project has been paused.</p> <p>The problems reportedly stem from major staff departures at developer, Aspyr Media. Specifically, both the art director and the design director were unexpectedly let go from the company. A recent vertical slice demo of the game was well received by license holders. However, later messaging to the rest of the development team suggested that the project wasn’t where studio leadership wanted it to be.</p> <p>Developers at Aspyr are reportedly now stating that 2025 would be a realistic time frame to expect the project to release.&nbsp;</p> <p>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic holds a special place in video game history. The original 2003 game was a significant milestone in successful and original video game storytelling in the Star Wars franchise and featured a memorable twist regarding a main character’s identity.

If you subscribe to the digital edition of Game Informer, you can now learn all about Skull and Bones. Following the cover reveal, our digital issue is now live to subscribers on web browsers, iPad/iPhone, and Android devices. Individual issues will be available for purchase this afternoon.

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Skull and Bones was first revealed in 2017. As a major fan of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, I was thrilled to see Ubisoft dive back into piracy, this time with a new IP. At that point, Skull and Bones was a 5v5 multiplayer arena battler where you played solely as the ship. It wasn't exactly the Black Flag follow-up many, including myself, had anticipated, but with Ubisoft Singapore, the studio behind the Assassin's Creed franchise's excellent naval combat, at the helm, I wanted to see more. 

After another look at it in 2018, Skull and Bones went dark, and Ubisoft remained mostly silent on the title for years. Then, this month, the publisher announced that it would be re-revealing Skull and Bones on July 7. That return brought with it a brand new look at gameplay and new details about how Skull and Bones was no longer the 5v5 arena game it was when it debuted years ago. Now, it's an expansive live-service game set in an open-world Indian Ocean where your goal is to rise from pirate outcast to kingpin. While we learned a lot that day, I still had questions, and for this cover story, I was able to ask them all (and then some) to key developers such as game director Ryan Barnard and creative director Elisabeth Pellen. 

WWE’s SummerSlam event takes place this Saturday, and Epic is getting in the mood by announcing that 16-time world champion John Cena will five-knuckle shuffle his way into Fortnite.

Cena arrives on July 28 and comes outfitted in his full-on entrance gear as well as his shirtless in-ring gear. You can pick up a set that includes a “you can’t see me” emote, WWE Championship Title Back Bling, and Five Digit Slapper pickaxe. Personally, I’m chuckling at the idea of the PG-friendly Cena adjusting attitudes with guns instead of bodyslams. 

While Cena isn’t the first wrestler to appear in Fornite – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has him beat there – it’s cool to see regardless, and, as a wrestling fan, I hope this trend continues. Fortnite already acts as the ultimate “forbidden door” for various media properties, so let's throw more sports entertainment into the mix by adding stars from WWE, AEW, Impact, New Japan, and other promotions. That would certainly entice me to dive back into action. 

Do you plan on chasing victory royales as Big Match John? Let us know in the comments! 

Sony released a PlayStation Blog post fleshing out some of the new features for its upcoming PlayStation VR2 headset. 

PS VR2 now sports a see-through view. By hitting a button or using the Card in the Control Center, you can disable game footage and see your surroundings without removing the headset. This is thanks to the device’s embedded front cameras, making it less of a hassle when you need to check on something in the real world. Sony also notes that this mode is for viewing only; you can’t use it to record. You can, however, broadcast yourself while playing PS VR2 games by connecting a PS5 HD camera to the consoles. 

The play area, as in the virtual boundaries allotted for VR play, can now be customized. You can use the headset cameras and Sense controllers to scan the room and dynamically map out the play space to your liking. These settings are then saved until you move to a different play area. 

Lastly, PS VR2 sports two viewing modes: VR and Cinematic. VR mode displays VR content in a 360 degree view in 4000 x 2040 HDR video format (2000 x 2040 per eye) and 90Hz/120Hz frame rate. Cinematic Mode lets players view non-VR media and the PS5 interface in 1920×1080 HDR video format with 24/60Hz and 120Hz frame rate.

Nier: Automata is my favorite game of all time, renowned and criticized for its unconventional narrative design and eccentric characters. Years after seeing the action JRPG’s numerous endings and earning the platinum trophy, I never expected to miss out on so many well-kept mysteries. However, an Automata player recently discovered a secret room leaving hardcore dataminers baffled and excited. 

Someone randomly posted a video on the Nier Automata subreddit showing they found a secret room in the Copied City. So far no one else has worked out how they managed to make this secret door appear. Literally 1 person on earth has accessed this room and we are uttered mind blown pic.twitter.com/g7W4JxiNDg