Kane99

Big bad EA at it again, this time cancelling the Black Panther game they teased a while back and have closed the studio behind the game known as Cliffhanger Games. Not only this, they are also laying off some individuals on both its mobile and central teams. This is all said to be done with the intent to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities." according to EA president Laura Miele. I forgot about the Black Panther game, but I swear they just released a reveal trailer not too long ago. Wonder if the studio could be picked up by someone else. Would be cool to see Microsoft buy them up and buy The game up and try and finish it. That'd be cool. Source of news - https://www.ign.com/articles/ea-cancels-black-panther-game-closes-cliffhanger-games

Old Skies is a new point and click adventure game from Dave Gilbert and Wadjet Eye Games. It mixes time travel elements into historic events. You play as a time agent who can travel through time. It looks like a fun enough point and click game, and it just released yesterday. Check it out on Steam and Gog. Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1346360/Old_Skies/ GOG - https://www.gog.com/en/game/old_skies

Death Howl in an upcoming adventure soulslike deck builder from The Outer Zone. There was a demo of it on their steam page, but it was only available for a limited time. There is currently no official release date yet. And looks lie it's currently only got a planned release on PC. At least so far. Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2825880/Death_Howl/ GOG - https://www.gog.com/en/game/death_howl

Disposable Corps is an upcoming WWI tactical 5v5 shooter with steampunk mechs and more. I really like the low poly art style they're going with. I think it works. Anyway, is this a game you'd be into? It looks like it'd be a lot of fun. You can download a demo for the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3579070/Disposable_Corps/ There so far is no release date yet though. I assume at the moment it's PC only. But maybe

Shadow Labyrinth is an upcoming 2D action platformer/Metroidvania that is a spin-off of Pac-Man. Yes you read that right. Shadow Labyrinth combines Pac-Man with a metroidvania style of game. It's releasing July 18th for PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S and the Switch. Check out the trailer below. Is this something you can see playing? I think I'd give it a shot.

Sportvida CyberDash is a new VR running game from ible Sportvida and is currently available on PC through the Meta (Meta Quest 2, Pro, 3, and 3S headsets) along with Steam for various headsets. You can check it out on Steam here - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3136070/Sportvida_CyberDash/ Meta - https://www.meta.com/experiences/sportvida-cyberdash/8253307708047637/ It just released last week as well, so still quite fresh. Do you think you see yourself playing this one?

Blades of Fire is a new action adventure game from MercyrySteam that just dropped last week on PC (Epic Games), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Supposedly you have a hammer that can forge you new weapons. You can find more about the game here - https://bladesoffire.com/en/

Tanuki: Pon’s Summer is a casual sim game where you play as a Tanuki who works at a post office and deliver mail on your BMX to local citizens in your quaint little town. It looks like another cozy and relaxing type of game. Definitely something I can see myself playing. It is expected to release on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and the Switch sometime in 2025, though I hear it's supposed to be Dec 2025. You can find the game on Steam here - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3218570/TANUKI_Pons_Summer/

Island of Winds is an adventure puzzle game taking place in 17th century Iceland. It's developed by Parity Games and is releasing on PC sometime this year. But it also looks like it will have a release on consoles, so PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, maybe PS4 and Xbox One too, but not 100% sure. Check it out on Steam here - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1689340/Island_of_Winds/ And the games official site - https://islandofwinds.com/

Laser Dance is a new VR mixed reality puzzle game from Vanbo BV, who you may know from doing the Cubism game. In Laser Dance, you can use your real room as a laser obstacle course. You have to maneuver your way around lasers without getting hit. I really like that it can use your own house/room as levels. Means there's probably a lot of replayability with this, as you could play just about anywhere. It's releasing on Meta Quest 3 headsets and up this fall 2025. Check it out here - https://www.meta.com/experiences/laser-dance/7209598115800315/

This is some cool news, I guess a bunch of retro games are available to play through Xbox Game Pass simply called Retro Classics. It's a team up with Antstream Arcade, and nets gamers around 50+ retro games. According to the article below, they state that some of the games are; Commando, Grand Prix, Kaboom!, Mech Warrior 2: 31st Century Combat, and Pitfall! Looks like a lot of older titles from Atari 2600 and upward. These all seem to be Activision related games so far though, but maybe this is a sign of more games getting preserved this way. It is partly their way of preserving these retro games. More on this can be found here - https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/05/21/xbox-may-update-retro-classics-pc-gaming-updates/

This would actually be cool and I could see it being a good way to draw interest in buying Xbox consoles. It's being rumored that Microsoft is testing out Steam integration within the Microsoft Store. If that is to happen, and you can play the majority of Steam games on an Xbox console, it will go a long way in selling more Xbox consoles. Especially considering how much cheaper it is than getting or building a gaming PC. Now the thing is, could Sony end up doing the same to expand their own system? Or would Sony not risk that? Do you think this will happen? Or is it just talk? Source - https://wccftech.com/microsoft-rumored-to-be-testing-steam-integration-within-microsoft-store-potentially-for-next-gen-xbox-too/

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet may not be the only game that Naughty Dog Creative Director Neil Druckmann is working on. He is said to be taking a producer and supervisor role on an unannounced project for Naughty Dog. There is yet no details on what kind of game it will be or what it will be about, just that there is another game in the works from Naughty Dog that seems to be a new IP. As long as it's not another remaster/remake of The Last of Us 1 or 2 I will be happy. It just seems like that's all they release otherwise. Check out this news here - https://mp1st.com/news/neil-druckmann-working-unannounced-game-naughty-dog

This one looks fun, Ruffy and the Riverside is a retro style 3D action adventure puzzle platformer from Zockrates Laboratories UG that will be releasing June 25th for PC (Steam & Epic Gamees). PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The gameplay has you copy and pasting textures, like turning ice into lava or even waterfalls, mixed in with platforming gameplay. It looks like a lot of fun and I really am getting into the art style and graphics.

SWAPMEAT is a new roguelike third person shooter from the minds at One More Game that is supposed to drop sometime this year for PC via Steam. You can gain access to the playtest on Steam here - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2790700/SWAPMEAT/ or their website here -https://playswapmeat.com/ Sadly the playtest ends on the 22nd. But should give some of yous a couple days to try it out yet.

Manifest Destiny is a new game from GouHong Studio that puts you in the shoe of the developer instead of the player, where you enter your own game to solve puzzles with your programming skills. It's an action adventure RPG that's in the style of 8bit/16bit graphics. It's currently out on PC via steam. Game can be found here- https://store.steampowered.com/app/2611410/Manifest_Destiny/

This is some sad news for any fans of the BIONICLE. I guess there was a fan made video game in the works for the past 8 years by a volunteer dev team known as Team Kanohi, and was close to getting a demo release on Steam before LEGO decided to make the call to have it removed and also scrubbed from public access. They were just finishing up the game too, dealing with bugfixes and polishing things up a bit before the demo release on Steam. If it were to happen, it would have been called BIONICLE: Masks of Power, and would have been released on August 10th of this year. But, it's not all bad news, as it sounds like the team has since rebranded as Unmasked Games and are working on their own IP called Project Rustbound. You can read more about this news here: https://powerupgaming.co.uk/2025/05/18/lego-pulls-plug-on-bionicle-game-after-8-years-of-development/ As well, you can find some gameplay footage for the game below.

Has anyone here played Palia? It's a free to play fantasy life sim adventure game by the team at Singularity 6 Corporation. It also boasts crafting and the ability to build your own home and more. Seems like it'd be a cozy game to play after a long day. More on the game can be found here - https://palia.com/ It's available now on PC (Steam, Epic Games, their own site), PS5, Xbox Series X|S and the Switch.

Source - https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/marathon-called-out-by-artist-claiming-bungie-blatantly-stole-her-art-3196320/ An artist recently accused Bungie of stealing her artwork for the game Marathon, alleging they had copied her work without her permission. It's said the designs in the game are similar to her own creations. And it seems that Bungie has admitted to the theft, though Bungie claims it was a former employee of theirs who did it without authorization or something. So it seems that Bungie is working with the artist. Hopefully they pay her fairly for the work, because there seems to be a lot of of her art used in game.

Rumors are going around that Grand Theft Auto IV is getting the remaster treatment and we'll see it released this year for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. There is of course no confirmation that it's happening, just rumors. But if true, I will gladly give it another go after all these years. More on this can be found here - https://www.eurogamer.net/grand-theft-auto-4-for-ps5-xbox-series-xs-reportedly-in-development-could-release-this-year

I heard Valve has plans to release a Steam Deck 2 at some point. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a current Steam Deck, but if there is a new one coming eventually, should I just wait out the release for the SD2? Unless I can find myself a good deal on it, I think I might just wait. But when do you think we can expect the Steam Deck 2? Do you think it will release somewhat sooner rather then later? Or will we be waiting a few more years?

Empyreal is a new action RPG from Silent Games. It just released last week and seems to be getting favorable reviews all around. It's out now on PC (Steam and Epic Games), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. You can find it on Steam here - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1377700/Empyreal/ and epic games here - https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/empyreal-7997f4

Shroom and Gloom is a first person roguelike double-deckbuilder from developers Team Lazerbeam and publishers Devolver Digital. It's yet another deckbuilder mixed with a roguelike. It's not currently out yet, but there is a demo available on steam here - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3271280/Shroom_and_Gloom/ And I think also on Ichi.io but looks to be the full game, not quite sure, you can find it here - https://teamlazerbeam.itch.io/shroom-and-gloom

It sounds like Gun Interactive is officially ending support for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre game after only 2 years of being out. As of the next update dropping this month, the game will not receive future updates, bug fixes or DLC. They consider the game at its best right now and feel it's time to end support. They do plan some future patches to help bring in peer-to-peer matchmaking, so you will still be able to play the game. They want to make it know that the game will still be playable, and there is no plans to remove it from storefronts. Do you agree with this move? Read about this here: https://www.sknr.net/2025/05/13/fear-the-gun-calls-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-fully-realized-and-ends-updates/

I had no idea they were making an Ultimate Spider-Man 2, but I guess they were and there was talks including the Green Goblin as a playable character, with Doctor Doom, Daredevil and also a mention of S.H.I.E.L.D being part of the story. The game would have had dual protagonists, where you can play as Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. I would have loved to see this game come to fruition. You can read more about this news here: https://gameslatestnews.com/2025/05/11/cancelled-ultimate-spider-man-2-details/