Hyper Light Breaker is a prequel to the excellent topdown action-RPG from 2016, Hyper Light Drifter. The differences are myriad, given that Breaker is also 3D, open world, co-op and a roguelite. It also now has a release date for its launch into Steam Early Access: January 14th, 2025.
You’re gonna have to sleep sometime (we recommend the second half).
Here’s the thing about The Thing: Remastered; it’s still very much 2002’s The Thing. Which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how much you like your The Thing.
2002’s The Thing, you see, which was developed by Computer Artworks and based on the intensely sexy Kurt Russell movie, The Thing — itself based on a novella that isn’t called The Thing — is a real mixed bag of a game, truth be told. It sets its stall out impressively, digging into the creeping fear and slowly rising paranoia of the classic movie, giving you some light squad control and an intriguing fear/trust system, whilst presenting its tale in environs that, whilst certainly now aged, still absolutely nail the vibe of the thing (didn’t even mean that one). But! It also falls apart quite badly for the second stretch of its slight running time.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Thirteen years ago, Day of the Devs came together to celebrate the beauty of indie video games. Since then, we have had the incredible opportunity to shine a light on hundreds of unique and creative games through our in-person events and digital showcases, all for free at no cost to developers or attendees/viewers. This year, we made the transition to being a fully independent 501c3 non-profit, allowing us to continue our passion for supporting game developers and the magical stories they’re telling.
Today, we hosted our Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition showcase, and we’re excited to share some of the wonderful titles from the showcase that are coming to PlayStation.
Developed by Mureena & Psychoflow, Bionic Bay features stunning high-detail pixel art, tight and precise platforming, and chaotic physics-based gameplay, tasking players to escape an ancient biomechanical world filled with imaginative technology and deadly traps.
Bionic Bay features an innovative swap mechanic and realistic physics system that, when combined, offer a new way for players to interact with their environment, from shifting gravity to interchanging positions with objects or adversaries to move, defend, or attack as they make their way through the map.
Speaking of environments, Bionic Bay features an ancient, biomechanical world teeming with imaginative devices, mysterious technology, and peculiar inhabitants, all while immersing players into the different biomes with gritty, high-density pixel art style and suspenseful sound design.
Bionic Bay announced today during the showcase that it will be released on PlayStation March 13, 2025.
Step into the shoes of Makoto Hayakawa to spend a week behind the counter at an authentic small-town convenience store in this meditative third-person single-player title. Discover joy and wonder hidden behind the daily routine, engage in meaningful conversations with your customers, and see how their stories intertwine in a beautifully rendered early 1990s.
inKonbini: One Store. Many Stories. Features a relaxing, narrative-driven experience focusing on a diverse cast of characters with their distinct personalities, buying habits, and little quirks that make each encounter memorable. Players can experience a deep and conversational branching storyline with multiple dialogue options, with the Japanese concept of ‘ichi-go, ichi-e (one time, one meeting) at the heart of the experience when this moving indie comes to PlayStation in the future.
Ultimate Sheep Raccoon is a bike-racing party game where you and your friends build a course of ramps, obstacles, and traps! Dodge hazards, do crazy tricks, and use power-ups to get ahead of the competition. Pedal to victory with up to 8 players locally, online, and cross-platform. Race to victory through a mayhem-filled obstacle course of deadly traps you’ve built with friends while pulling off sick tricks!
Developer Clever Endeavour Games announced during the showcase that this mayhem-filled bike racing party game will be coming to PlayStation in the future.
Once again, non-profit Day of the Devs officially returned Wednesday with an indie showcase featuring nearly 20 independent games across multiple genres, platforms, studios, and styles as part of the run-up to The Game Awards. The show featured everything from a stop-motion game that’s entirely made of felt, a game where you engage in medieval warfare with modern guns, the return of an unreleased puzzle game first announced over a decade ago, and something to do with changing channels on a one-bit TV.
You should really go back and watch the whole thing, but if you’re skimming the highlights, here’s a rundown of everything we just saw at Day of the Devs:
The presentation opened with Faraway – a single-player, one-button, procedurally generated arcade game about drawing constellations in the night sky. Faraway has been a hot rumor for a long time, having been shown around at indie showcases all the way back in 2011 and initially billed as an iPad game. But it missed its planned release date then, and disappeared for years. Faraway is developed by Steph Thirion of Little Eyes studio, and is being published by Annapurna on PC in 2025.
Ultimate Sheep Raccoon is exactly what it says on the tin. A spiritual successor to Ultimate Chicken Horse from the same team, Clever Endeavor Games, it is a multiplayer competitive platformer where players build wild platforming courses and race through them with friends. This time, everyone’s on bikes. No release date yet, but it’s planned for Steam.
We’ve seen Sleight of Hand, from Riffraff Games, at an Xbox Partner Preview event earlier this year. In it, you play as Lady Luck, a witch detective working to take down her former coven using dark magic via a cursed deck of cards. In Day of the Devs today, we watched a sample of how a gameplay scenario might go, with Lady Luck using a drawn hand of cards to hide, lure her enemies, and ultimately trap them so she can pass by unseen. Sleight of Hand is coming to PC and Xbox at a later date.
By studio Fabraz, Demon Tides is an open world 3D platformer that gives off “Wind Waker but hip and stylish” vibes. We got a look today at some of the platforming and the player’s ability to customize not just their character’s appearance, but also their abilities, giving them a number of different options for how to cross the same gaps. Demon Tides is planned for release in 2025 on Steam.
Developers Redemption Road, makers of, uh, Road Redemption, appeared in Day of the Devs to show off Kingmakers, a game we’re already pretty stoked about here at IGN. It’s a game with a concept that’s…kind of delightful? You play as part of a team of fighters with modern weapons – guns, bombs, tanks, and so forth – who go back to medieval England to change the course of history. So you’re fighting in medieval times…but with guns. Kingmakers mixes city simulator elements with first and third-person shooter mechanics and massive, destructible environments. You can blow up anything you can see, or stage a fight on top of it, or drive a car through it. The whole thing looks kind of nuts, and you can play the entire campaign solo or with up to three friends. Kingmakers is coming to early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store next year.
Recur is a puzzle game from developer Astralogical where you play as an unassuming postman who suddenly finds himself with the ability to pause, rewind, and fast forward time itself. From what we saw, it looks like you’ll be working your way through levels where the postman has to use his time powers to avoid obstacles and danger, such as collapsing platforms, a moving train, attacking dogs, or even a whole car nearly smashing into him. Recur is planned for release on Steam.
Blue Prince (Get it, like Blueprints?) looks gorgeous and mysterious, an atmospheric “architectural adventure” where you’re exploring an “ever-changing house of shifting rooms.” There seems to be some kind of mystery to solve, where you’re hunting for “Room 46” in a 45-room house, and you’re using the house’s blueprints to shape your exploration and build the structure as you go, day by day. The vibes are kind of like Edith Finch meets Mist, and the whole thing is coming out on PC in spring of 2025 from developer Dogubomb.
It’s right there in the title: don’t stop. Incolatus is a Y2K-style girly-pop movement shooter where you literally cannot stop moving. The more you move and the faster you go, the more damage you do and the more you heal yourself, so you just have to keep going. It’s a first-person arena shooter, where you’re shooting elaborate, colorful, and sometimes massive guns that blast cutesy girly hearts and stars at enemies (an evil mining corporation destroying the environment) to a boppin’ soundtrack. The guns get bigger the faster you go. More scope. More damage. More movement. Oh, and there’s a dress-up megagame where you can dress up your arms and customize your guns. Incolatus: Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is coming to Steam “soon”.
Lok Digital was born of a fascinating collaboration between a puzzle designer who made a clever physical puzzle book, and a game developer who wanted to digitize it in video game form. The result, Lok Digital, is a puzzle game where you slowly solve world puzzles in the fictional language of Lok, which you learn as you work your way through the puzzles. You start with the word “Lok”, and from there will discover other words, other puzzle rules, and the language of the little Lok creatures the game is named after. If that sounds intriguing, great news, you don’t have to wait. Lok Digital is out today on PC, and it’s coming to mobile next year.
We didn’t get a ton of info today about Neon Abyss 2, but it’s safe to say it’s a sequel to Neon Abyss from Veoowo Games. A 2D, pixelated, run-and-gun roguelike, Neon Abyss 2 looks to bring back the bright colors, flashy lasers, and bullet hell intensity of the first game for another round. It’s coming in 2025 to Steam, and looks like it will incorporate multiplayer, too.
A sci-fi fantasy motorbike game, Crescent County styles itself as “roller derby but with gay witches” or “Studio Ghibli but with considerably more crop jackets”. You’re a witch, you ride a broom motorbike, and through the day you make deliveries and do other important witch tasks on your broom, earning parts that will make your broom faster, cooler, and more powerful. Then, at night, you go out for broom races. In between it all, there’s plenty of flirting and smooching, as witches do. Crescent County is still fairly early in development, but there’s an early playtest happening now on Steam and itch.io.
I briefly thought I was looking at a Marcel the Shell short when I glanced at my screen and saw this one, but maybe that was just the googly eye. PBJ – The Musical is…well, a musical, telling a romance story of a berry and a peanut, sweet and salty, and their ultimate creation of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Through the musical acts, you’ll be guiding these two characters through paper stop motion cut out from vintage cookbooks and retelling the story of Romeo and Juliet…in sandwich form. All the music is written by Britain’s Got Talent’s Lorraine Bowen. Sadly, no word on when or where this hungry adventure is dropping for now.
Curiosmos is a cute little space game where you slowly create a solar system, at first by bashing asteroids into one another to create a planet. Once the planet’s created, you can experiment with sunlight, terrain, water, weather, and other elements to see what happens…including whether or not life blossoms and evolves. It seems like a fairly peaceful experience…until a giant black hole starts flying at you and your planets, potentially causing a catastrophe you’ll have to try and avert before it arrives. Curiosmos doesn’t have a release date yet.
In the platformer Bionic Bay, you’ll be thinking a lot about gravity, speed, and momentum. You’re a scientist with strange powers over time and space, allowing you to teleport, manipulate time, and flip the environment on its head. Using these abilities, you’ll flip and launch yourself across sci-fi themed environments with realistic physics. Bionic Bay is planned for release on Steam and PS5 in 2025.
I wrote about inKonbini earlier this year after playing it at an Xbox showcase adjacent to the Game Developers Conference. It’s a soothing organizational game about working in a convenience store, stocking the shelves, and interacting with customers who come in and share tidbits from their lives. I found the concept appealing and the execution incredibly relaxing, especially the sound effects of bags and boxes hitting the shelves and the satisfying way everything fell neatly into place on the display. InKonbini is planned for launch on Xbox, PS5, Switch, and Steam sometime in the future.
Feltopia is a stop-motion game that is entirely hand-felted. Every piece of the environment, character, enemy, everything is made by hand, out of felt, recorded, and animated. And the effect is adorable, with fuzzy unicorns, sheep, butterflies, clouds, and more all puffing up out of the world soft as can be. The game itself is a sidescrolling shmup where you ride a unicorn and shoot rainbow beams at shadowy creatures that will transform them back into their true forms. Feltopia is planned for release on Steam in 2026.
I’m not sure what I just watched, but I guess it’s Blippo+. This looks like some sort of game around changing the channel on a one-bit TV and watching all the different, weird programs? Whatever it is, Panic (the Untitled Goose Game and Thank Goodness You’re Here) publisher, so that might convey the vibe. No idea when this is coming out, where, or how. Stay tuned for more Blippo?
We’ve already seen a lot of Hyper Light Breaker from Heart Machine, so I won’t belabor it (you can read my preview from earlier this year here), but today the team showed up at Day of the Devs to announce an early access release on Steam on January 14, 2025.
Finally, Day of the Devs closed with Tankhead from Alpha Channel. It’s a sci-fi vehicular adventure where you play as a “sleepwalker” or a person who uploads their consciousness into a machine to explore a dangerous world. Basically, you’re a literal tank (or sometimes a smaller robot) exploring a ruined world, able to travel over tough terrain, shoot stuff, and move fast when you need to. The tank’s customizable, and yes, you drive using tank controls. Tankhead, delightfully, is out today on the Epic Games Store.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on Bluesky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Hyper Light Breaker! inKonbini! Demon Tides!
Day of the Devs returns for its second showcase of the year, The Game Awards Edition. Taking place the day before the big ceremony, Double Fine Productions and iam8bit return with their non-profit to show us the very best of the indie game scene.
And what a selection we have this time around, ranging from highly-anticipated sequels, sandwich-based musicals, and shop simulators — no, you didn’t misread that middle one.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Hey Xbox Insiders, the holidays are in full swing around here and we couldn’t wait to give you a present. Let’s unwrap it together!
Last month, we announced Game Pass Ultimate members can now stream select games they own through TVs and browser on supported devices like smartphones, PCs, and tablets, in all 28 countries where Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) is available. We also said players would be able to stream on Xbox consoles starting next year.
Starting today, Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha rings can preview this feature on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles.
Xbox Insiders who are also Game Pass Ultimate members can now stream select games they own beyond the Game Pass catalog on their consoles in the 28 supported countries where Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) is available. You can see the full list of games here.
With the “Stream your own game” feature on Xbox consoles, you can stream select games you own on your Xbox console without needing to install them. This allows you to play games through streaming, saving you time and hard drive space, and offers access to your games with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta).
To start streaming from your Xbox console, go to My games & apps > Full library > Owned Games.
We want to thank all the Xbox Insiders for the feedback you share with us. Your feedback is a key part of our process. If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please join our community on the Xbox Insider subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help. We recommend adding to threads with the same topic before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can!
If you aren’t part of the Xbox Insider Program yet and want to help create the future of Xbox and get early access to new features, join the Program today by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One or Windows PC.
For more information on the Xbox Insider Program, follow us on Twitter at @XboxInsider and keep an eye on this blog for all the latest news.
The post Xbox Insiders with Game Pass Ultimate – Stream Your Own Game on Xbox Consoles appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Experience the exhilarating platforming speeds of Sonic Frontiers, the magical and nimble traversal of Forspoken, the delightful chaos of Rabbids, and the realistic rally simulation of WRC Generations. These games and more form December’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup* and are available to play from December 17.
Joining that lineup on PlayStation Plus Premium is immersive PS VR2 experience Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge. Three timeless classics have also joined PlayStation Plus Premium just yesterday: Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves and Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.
Finally, in case you missed it, PlayStation Portal released a system update that allows PlayStation Plus Premium members to test Cloud Streaming (Beta) for select PS5 games on Game Catalog. Learn more here.
Sonic Frontiers | PS4, PS5
Worlds are colliding in Sonic the Hedgehog’s newest high-speed adventure. Uncover the mysteries of an ancient civilisation plagued by robotic hordes. In search of the missing Chaos emeralds, Sonic becomes stranded on an island teeming with unusual creatures. Battle hordes of powerful enemies as you explore a breath-taking world of action, adventure and mystery. Accelerate to new heights and experience the thrill of high-velocity, open-zone platforming freedom as you race across the five massive Starfall Islands.
Forspoken | PS5
Forspoken is an action RPG that follows the journey of Frey, a young New Yorker transported to the beautiful and cruel land of Athia. In search of a way home, Frey must use her newfound magical abilities to traverse sprawling landscapes, battle monstrous creatures and defeat powerful matriarchs known as Tantas. Explore the vibrant realms of Athia, a striking land of remarkable vistas and otherworldly creatures brought to life through stunning graphics and cutting-edge technology. Scale walls, vault across canyons, leap from dizzying heights, and dash through vast landscapes. Frey’s unique abilities allow her to fluidly traverse the open world with ease. Take on twisted monsters in magical combat with numerous types of powerful abilities catering to a variety of playstyles – from fast-paced and exhilarating to strategic and methodical.
Rabbids: Party of Legends | PS4
Embark on a legendary journey filled with colorful characters with the Rabbids in this uproarious party game. Gather with friends and family and jump into multiplayer mayhem with up to four players locally, sometimes partnering up and at other times, going head-to-head in a multitude of ridiculously fun mini-games. Anyone can get in on the action with customizable difficulty levels and intuitive controls.
WRC Generations | PS4, PS5
Rise to the challenges of the most comprehensive, realistic and demanding rally simulation ever developed. Dive into the heart of the action and drive the cars from the WRC championship, including the new hybrid models. The hybrid era is a revolution for the rally world, significantly affecting performance, changing strategies and making drivers and teams adapt. In terms of gameplay, new mechanics have been integrated to represent the demands of the hybrid engines. In order to win, you have to carefully manage your battery by adapting your engine mapping throughout the special stages you take part in. For fans of competition, Leagues mode lets players challenge opponents with a similar level online. Finish ahead of your competitors to move up the ladder in the Legends category.
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch | PS4, PS5
Diesel-punk exploratory platformer F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is filled with intense combat, challenging puzzles and an anthropomorphic cast of vibrant characters. After the animals of Torch City were defeated by the invading Robotic Legion in the Resistance War six years ago, former Resistance fighter Rayton the rabbit has kept a low profile. The arrest of a friend meant he had no choice but to put on his giant metal fist and fight against those oppressing him. Little did he know that he would soon be caught up in a maelstrom of conspiracies involving the Legion, the Resistance, and the Rat Gang.
Jurassic World Evolution 2 | PS4, PS5
Jurassic World Evolution 2 is the much-anticipated sequel to Frontier’s ground-breaking 2018 management simulation. Experience exciting new features, four engaging game modes and an expanded roster of awe-inspiring dinosaurs. Immerse yourself in a compelling and original Jurassic World narrative set after the earth-shattering events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Work alongside iconic characters from the films, including Dr. Ian Malcolm (voiced by Jeff Goldblum) and Claire Dearing (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard) and lead the efforts to control, conserve and contain wild dinosaurs now rampaging across the USA. Avoid the mistakes of the past and build your own Jurassic World for dinosaurs and visitors alike.
Coffee Talk | PS4, PS5
Coffee Talk is a game where you listen to people’s problems and help them by serving warm drinks made from the ingredients you have in stock. Immerse yourself in the stories of alternative-Seattle inhabitants, ranging from a dramatic love story between an elf and a succubus, an alien trying to understand humans’ lives, and many others modern readers will find strongly echo the world around them.
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly | PS4, PS5
It’s time to revisit your favorite late-night coffee shop and reconnect with your fantasy friends over a warm drink or two. Set in an alternate present-day Seattle where humans, orcs, elves, and other races have been coexisting since the beginning of time, you are a barista who listens to their stories and influences their hearts with a warm cup of coffee or two. It’s raining outside, brew yourself a warm drink, play some lo-fi chillhop beats, and listen to the coffee talk. In a time where people are isolated from each other, Coffee Talk is a place where we can reconnect over a cup of warm drink.
A Space for the Unbound | PS4, PS5
A Space for the Unbound is a slice-of-life adventure game with beautiful pixel art set in the late 90s rural Indonesia that tells a story about overcoming anxiety, depression, and the relationship between a boy and a girl with supernatural powers. Follow two high school sweethearts, Atma and Raya, on a journey of self-discovery at the end of their high school years. When a mysteriously supernatural power is suddenly unleashed threatening their existence, they must explore and investigate their town to uncover hidden secrets, face the end of the world, and perhaps learn more about each other.
PHOGS | PS4
Play as a duo of dogs linked by a stretchy belly in a captivating, puzzle-filled adventure. You’ll need to bark, bite and bounce your way through obstacles set across the themed worlds of Food, Sleep and Play. Supporting single-player and shared-controller gameplay, plus local and online co-op, Red and Blue are always ready to play!
Biped | PS4, PS5
Biped is a co-op action-adventure game that emphasizes real-time collaboration between two players. Guide Aku and Sila, two charming bipedal robots, through intricate paths leading to planetary beacons. Using two sticks to control each robot’s legs, you can perform a variety of moves—from walking and sliding to operating machinery and cutting wood. Communicate and coordinate to overcome challenges together and discover how well you work as a team.
Sly 2: Band of Thieves | PS4, PS5
Sly and the gang are back! Originally released in 2004 on PlayStation 2, Sly 2: Band of Thieves is now enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. They’re ready to pull off the biggest job of their lives, yet! Journey around the world and beat the Klaww Gang at their own game.
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves | PS4, PS5
Set one year after the events of Band of Thieves, and releasing on PS2 the following year, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves brings the thieving gang back together for its greatest heist ever! Your favorite characters return as well as new playable specialists like Carmelita Fox and the Guru.
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy | PS4, PS5
Naughty Dog’s iconic duo started in 2001 with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy on PlayStation 2. Here’s the deal: Daxter’s had a bit of an accident. He’s now much smaller, cuter, furrier and mouthier. In short, he’s now an Ottsel. When Daxter turns to best pal Jak for help – the daring double act sets off to find a cure, and winds up on an adventure packed with cool combat, radical vehicles and loads of cheeky humor. But fixing Daxter’s “problem” will be far from easy – especially with an army of baddies, evil masterminds and world-ending plots in the way…
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge | PS VR2
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge is a VR FPS experience where you step into the role of a Droid Repair Technician. After an emergency crash landing, you’ll embark on thrilling missions in the Batuu wilds, confront the Guavian Death Gang, infiltrate a First Order facility and journey through different eras of the galaxy. Become a Jedi in the Temple of Darkness, train with your padawan in The Sacred Garden, or even take on a bounty as assassin droid IG-88 in The Bounty of Boggs Triff… all in your own unforgettable Star Wars story.
*PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and PlayStation Plus Premium/Deluxe lineups may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day.
Update 12/11/24: A new collector’s edition of the game is now available for preorder. It’s a hefty box that comes with a ton of stuff and packs a hefty price of $249.99. It’s set to release sometime next year. Read on to see what comes with it.
This package may be late to release, but it comes with a whole lot of rad stuff.
Here’s what’s included:
Original article follows.
Sonic X Shadow Generations came out out on October 25 on all consoles, or, if you buy the more expensive deluxe edition, it’s out today. It was first revealed during Sony’s January State of Play earlier in the year, but we have since seen a full trailer during Summer Game Fest. While the game is an enhanced remaster of 2011’s Sonic Generations, it also promises new levels featuring Shadow the Hedgehog. Preorders are available now, with some opportunity to play the game three days early, alongside a Sonic Adventure skin preorder bonus to consider. Head to the links below to secure your copy ahead of its release.
PS5
Switch
Xbox
PC
Preorders for Sonic X Shadow Generations are now available for Xbox, Switch and PS5. The game will be released on October 25, and preorder bonuses include ‘Gerald Robotnik’s Journal Detailing Shadow’s Creation’ alongside a ‘Sonic Adventure Legacy Skin’.
If you’re looking to play Sonic X Shadow Generations as soon as possible then you’ll need to be checking out the Digital Deluxe Edition. It costs $59.99, and will grant you 3-days early access, alongside Digital Deluxe Season Pass an additional character skin and level for Shadow (releasing Holiday 2024), Terios Skin, Extra BGM Pack, Digital Art Book + Soundtrack, and Skill Points (Sonic Generations).
Preorder Sonic X Shadow Generations, and you’ll receive the following digital items:
If you want to see what other games are available to preorder right now, have a look at our various preorder guides below. These cover everything from spooky horror games to highly-anticipated expansions like Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree.
See the full list of upcoming Switch games for the everything coming in 2024 and beyond.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Back when I played Path Of Exile 2 at Summer Games Fest, I fought a cave-dwelling boss who summoned hordes of grotty subterranean wildlife to swamp me. Fortunately, I was rolling a Witch – perhaps the best beginner POE2 class – so I could summon an army of skeletons in response. A similar horde vs horde encounter is underway at POE 2 developers Grinding Gear Games. The game launched in early access over the weekend, and has already drawn so many players that the developers are emergency-hiring additional staff to cope with the waves of support emails.
The director of Marvel Rivals has discussed the difficulty of successfully entering the packed hero shooter market, pointing to failures like Concord as evidence of the increasing need to have a strong hook that helps convince players to ditch the game they’re already invested in for something new.
Sony’s Concord is one of the biggest video game disasters in PlayStation history, lasting just a couple of weeks before it was brought offline amid eye-wateringly low player numbers. Sony later decided to kill the game entirely, and shut its developer.
Concord was the latest in a string of recent hero shooter flops, which includes Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Post-launch content for that game comes to an end early 2025, just a year after launch, having left a $200 million hole in publisher Warner Bros.’ finances.
NetEase’s Marvel Rivals, however, appears to have avoided a similar fate. It is a free-to-play live service hero shooter in the Overwatch style and benefits from the power of the Marvel brand, but it clearly clicked with the audience, hitting an impressive 10 million players in just three days.
Speaking to VideoGamer.com, Marvel Rivals game director Thaddeus Sasser said Concord “didn’t bring any unique value proposition,” which contributed to its failure. But speaking more generally about the hero shooter market, Sasser said live service games need a hook to convince players of already successful hero shooters to jump ship having already invested their time and money in those games.
“There’s a switching cost,” Sasser said. “I’ve already invested in Overwatch, I’ve got 15 skins for Pharah, I’m not going anywhere.”
Ultimately, Sasser said, the market is incredibly difficult to predict, and game developers never know how popular their game will be until it’s actually out.
“As a game developer you’re always worried until the audience has responded,” Sasser continued. “The truth is that I don’t think anybody can accurately predict this or the game industry would be radically different today. There’s a lot of games that come out that people are like, ‘It’s going to do well,’ then it flops or people come out and go, ‘It’s going to flop,’ and it succeeds amazingly. So, I think it’s really hard to tell ahead of time and you’re always worried about that.”
As for Marvel Rivals, Sasser suggested its superhero factor is the reason fans are willing to leave their favorite games behind to give it a shot.
“I don’t know about you, but when I heard the concept of the game I was like, ‘Oh my God I want to go be Storm in a game, I want to go be Doctor Strange in a game. I want to be those heroes in the game, that sounds awesome.’ And of course my mind immediately leapt to all the cool possibilities you could have with that. That’s what I think will pull people in as well too. If we’ve done our jobs well, they’ll love what they play and they’ll want to play some more.”
For NetEase, it will be hoping not only to keep Marvel Rivals’ player count as high as possible for as long as possible (something that’s proved particularly tricky for live service games of late), but to make enough money from players to meet the company’s internal revenue projections. To that end, Marvel Rivals sells a battle pass and premium skins, but are they convincing players to open their wallets? Early signs suggest they are — Marvel Rivals is the second top-selling game on Steam by revenue, behind only Grinding Gear Games’ action RPG Path of Exile 2.
Keep an eye on the latest Marvel Rivals codes for free skins, and vote on the strongest Marvel Rivals characters in our community tier list.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
