Hi friends,

Don't look now... but I think a whole email full of gaming news from VGG just appeared suddenly in your inbox! 👻 It's spooky season and we hope you're basking in the cozy and/or creepy vibes.

Another week, another blockbuster — Alan Wake 2, the 13-years-in-the-making sequel to 2010's Alan Wake, has launched. Nate's currently playing it and we can confirm, it's officially upgraded from spooky to scary. The latest spooky game Fern enjoyed was the demo for a 2024 game called The Diary, an eerie and story-rich puzzle mystery.

What's a spooky or horror game that's captured your attention recently? Tell us about it in Discord!

Take care,

Fern and Nate

October 23 - October 30 | VGG Gaming News Roundup

The Fallout TV show has a premiere date: April 12, 2024! Amazon Prime's adaptation is being brought to us by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, best known for HBO's Westworld, and will see Walton Goggin's ghoul main character wandering the wastes alongside actress Ella Purnell's "upbeat All-American" character.

Microsoft leadership has been given a shuffle, with Sarah Bond being promoted to president of Xbox, becoming the company's first female president, and Matt Booty being promoted to the president of gaming content and studios.

Connie Booth, one of PlayStation's most important figures since joining the company in 1997, has left the company. God of War creator and former PlayStation developer David Jaffe claims she was fired. Neither party has made an official comment. Booth's legacy includes contributions to exclusives like Syphon Filter, Ratchet & Clank, and The Last of Us.

Xbox is blocking unauthorized third-party accessories and controllers from use with its new policy, starting November 12, 2023. Fighting game sticks, driving wheels, flight sticks. All are affected. Many gamers who use custom setups for accessibility are left wondering if they'll soon be in possession of a completely useless console.

Media Molecule, creators of LittleBigPlanet and Dreams, laid off around 20 employees following what the company is calling a "strategic change." The company recently announced they'd be stepping back from Dreams and working on new projects and this "realignment" seems to part of that.

Digic Pictures, known for creating cinematic trailers for games like Assassin's Creed as well as working on Netflix's Love, Death, & Robots series, has laid off 35 employees, or roughly 10% of its staff. The company is a subsidiary of Embracer, which has been downsizing or closing its various studios since May.

Pirate adventure Skull and Bones continues to navigate stormy seas... An earnings call gave the game a new release window, again: January - March 2024. After being announced in 2017, the game has been delayed six times. On the same call, the upcoming Star Wars open world game, Star Wars Outlaws, was also delayed out of its "early 2024" launch window.

Capcom's RE Engine is evolving. The cornerstone of Capcom's success since Resident Evil 7, the RE Engine is shifting into the RE neXt ENGINE (REX Engine). The company looks to keep up with the shifting technological landscape to provide high-fidelity releases for years to come.

Thwip thwip or snikt snikt? Insomniac's Spider-Man series and the upcoming Wolverine game are part of the same universe, confirmed by Spider-Man 2's director Bryan Intihar. Is PlayStation building its own mini-MCU? Time will tell.

Disney Dreamlight Valley, just over a month away from its full release, is ditching its plans to launch as a free-to-play game. Developer Gameloft says it'll keep paid cosmetics fair and accessible via in-game progression despite the shift to a paid final release, but the community is split.

To end, here's a quick look at everything shown at last week's Xbox Partner Showcase:

• Dungeons of Hinterberg's gameplay trailer showcased its social sim aspects.

• Spirit of the North 2 was announced, pairing the original game's red fox with a raven in a spiritual action-adventure.

• The Finals, a competitive first-person action heist game, announced an open beta (running now).

• IKARO: Will Not Die, a spiritual successor to FuturLab's Velocity on the PS3, revealed its fast-paced roguelike gameplay.

• Still Wakes the Deep, the latest moody narrative experience from The Chinese Room, showcased its first-ever look at gameplay.

• Unexpected hit RoboCop: Rogue City had a story trailer.

• Historical city-builder Manor Lords announced a PC Game Pass release date for April 2024.

• The Unreal Engine 5 remake of Ark: Survival Evolved, Ark: Survival Ascended, showcased its brand new look.

• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth revealed an Animal Crossing-esque resort management minigame.

• Alan Wake 2 got a fancy new launch trailer.

• Metal Gear Solid Delta - Snake Eater gave us our first glimpse at its remade gameplay... and it looks real pretty.

New Game Releases

Events

Itch.io's new Games for Gaza bundle is live! Now until November 9, you can grab over 250 games for just $10 (with the option to give more) to support the organization Medical Aid For Palestinians. Consider supporting those living through the ongoing crisis in Gaza and occupied Palestine.

IGN Cares and Kinda Funny will be teaming up November 3 to raise money for Extra Life, an organization that mobilizes gamers to support treatments and healthcare services at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The two sites will collab on podcasts and more in the week leading up to the event.

Our friends at Infinity Break are bringing you Wah-athon 2: Garlic Squared on November 5. Tune in for all things Wario in a fundraiser marathon of cosplay, comedy, and golden treasure.

New On VGG This Week

» PAX West demo impressions and interview: Mirthwood

» REVIEW: Wizard with a Gun

» Coming soon: Jackbox Party Pack 10 and Ghostrunner 2 reviews!