Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Gaming News

  • AAA ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’ Game in Development Based on ‘The Last Ronin’

    AAA ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’ Game in Development Based on ‘The Last Ronin’

    It looks like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ recent graphic novel titled The Last Ronin will become a video game. According to Polygon, it seems that the 2020 story is set in a futuristic city after the lone surviving member of the turtles takes on one last fight. The story was quite famous for using the iconic IP in an unexpected and darker way. Now, it seems that Paramount is currently busy bringing this to everyone’s consoles.

    According to Senior Vice President of Games and Emerging Media (these titles are starting to get quite lengthy) for Paramount Global, Doug Rosen, revealed they are going to take inspiration from God of War in adapting this iconic storyline. We just recently got a callback to classic Arcade games with Shredder’s Revenge, but the Turtles never got a true AAA game that focused on a single-player experience.

    It’s unclear if they will stick to the mystery from the original story, as it was built up for dramatic effect. One last Turtle holding the weapons of his beloved brothers made for quite a dark tale and is perfect for the God of War-like treatment. Each weapon owned by a brother open s up possibilities for exploring areas in new ways. They may already let you know who is the survivor and have you gather your brother’s weapons throughout the game, instead of just handing them out once you start the game.

    The idea is also fitting given that a big challenge for any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adaptation is the focus on multiple turtles with unique gameplay styles. Every turtle has a unique weapon and it’s challenging to create a single-player experience that can balance each one. Marvel’s Avengers attempted something similar with each Avenger but they all shared the same base controller settings. Still, it sounds like an exciting direction for a true AAA Turtles game and here’s hoping they are already further along in production.

    Source: Polygon

  • ‘Persona 5’ Gets a Mobile Spinoff from China

    ‘Persona 5’ Gets a Mobile Spinoff from China

    It almost feels like the wait has been endless for the next entry in the Persona franchise. There’s still no official confirmation for the official sixth entry even with Persona 5 having been released all the way back in 2016. It’s already been around four years since the Royal version was released on consoles. Yet, even the 25th anniversary of the franchise didn’t give a hint at the future but rather the return of two classics to modern consoles.

    In surprise drop, it seems that there’s actually a new game heading our way, but not the way many might be hoping for it too. Persona 5: The Phantom X or shortened as P5X has been unveiled on the Chinese social site Weibo. The game is officially licensed by Sega and is a free-to-play mobile RPG set for Chinese release sometime in the future. The spinoff is created by Perfect World Games’ Black Wings Game Studio.

    It seems the game is pretty much a mobile equivalent to the original with a whole new cast of characters but the return of the Metaverse. It seems there will be a “Sneak Test” on March 29th that’ll give players a chance to explore the world. The game also seemingly includes the original cast from the first Persona 5 but no word on Kasumi Yoshizawa also making an appearance from Persona 5 Royal.

    You can check out the story trailer here:

    The story will focus on a whole new cast of characters with the protagonist going by the code name Wonder, who attends Kiba Academy. We also know that his persona will have the name Jánošík, continuing the trend of Persona 5′ protagonists all featuring Personas inspired by folktale thieves and legends. Taking over Morgana’s role is the owl Luffy, who will go by the code name Cattle. He seemingly also shares the ability to turn into a vehicle, this time a van, and has the persona of Rob Roy. There’s also Closer, a Kiba Academy student by the name of Arai Suwa, who is the protagonist’s classmate and has the Persona of Awilda.

    Naturally, the Velvet Room and Igor make a return with a new assistant by the name of Merope. Interestingly enough, the room takes on the appearance of being underwater like an aquarium, though it’s unsure what the teeming of this spinoff is as of yet. The original game’s character designer Shigenori Soejima was personally involved with the new spinoff game and designed its leads.

    They’ve also released a gameplay trailer hinting at the similarity to the original Persona 5:

    Interestingly enough, the game will focus on the same mechanic as the original and isn’t taking a completely different direction like Persona 5 Scramble. Overall, it seems the game is going for a pretty similar aesthetic and gameplay loop as the original, which does make it a curious expansion of the franchise. We’ll see if there are any plans to release the game in the west, as it currently only has been revealed for the Chinese market. Originally, it was known as Code Name X and was first announced all the way back in April 2021. So, it’s been a long road for the project to finally be unveiled.

    Source: Persona Central

  • Latest ‘Persona 6’ Rumor Hints at a Potential Delay

    Latest ‘Persona 6’ Rumor Hints at a Potential Delay

    The hunt for any news regarding Persona 6 continues. After a rather disappointing Persona 25th Anniversary, Atlus has been coy about the future of the franchise. To be fari, we did get re-releases of their three most popular entries on all consoles, but it’s been strange not to end such a milestone with the next major installment even if it is years away. Ever since our Persona 6 news has mostly relied on online rumors.

    If there is one thing we know about the Internet, it is the fact that the rumor mill never truly rests. User “Im A Hero Too” has returned once again to ResetEra to unveil more on what may or may not be happening behind the scenes as we’re still missing out on any hints regarding the franchise’s future.

    In it, they reveal that Persona 6 has “absolute zero chance” to release in 2023, but does hint that they have a rough timeframe even if the project may have been delayed internally. The reasoning according to him is that they are focusing either to release the rumored Persona 3 Remake (also first unveiled by this user) or another game. Though he hints there’s a chance we’ll see a teaser at Sony’s next showcase, which might not be until this summer.

    Going by this timeline, we may have at least one potential Persona game releasing this year, but that might be a bit strange they’ll fast-track the remake of 3 given they just released a remaster of the PSP version. So, perhaps that won’t release until next year either, and who knows when Persona 6 may hit modern consoles. Though, we have to still take these statements with a grain of salt as neither project has officially been announced as of now. For now, it just looks like the wait for an official update may take quite a bit longer.

    Source: ResetEra via ComicBook

  • ‘Mortal Kombat 12’ Confirmed for 2023 Release

    ‘Mortal Kombat 12’ Confirmed for 2023 Release

    There’s been a long silence on what exactly NetherRealm Studios is currently working on. As we just had the release of Mortal Kombat 11, most assumed we’d see the third entry to Injustice finally make its way to modern consoles but it turns out, they are developing a direct sequel to Mortal Kombat after all.

    During the Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call, they talked about the future of their major releases, especially highlighting what they have planned for 2023. Among them, they talked about the Suicide Squad game that was just showcased during the PlayStation State of Play and confirmed that 2023 will see the release of Mortal Kombat 12.

    The shocking reveal does hint that we’d see an official announcement or teaser in the coming weeks, but it is bizarre to think it was just randomly dropped in an Investor’s call of all places. The fact it’s also eyeing a 2023 release means we’ll likely get a first look sooner rather than later, but if it’s a Holiday release we may have to wait a bit until E3 or any other gaming event later this summer.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • ‘Suicide Squad’ Game Will Add More Playable Characters

    ‘Suicide Squad’ Game Will Add More Playable Characters

    Is anyone else getting a feeling of déjà-vu? During the latest PlayStation State of Play, we finally got a good look at the upcoming game by Rocksteady focused on Task Force X. Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League will let you play as four members of the iconic group but it seems more are already in the pipeline.

    Similar to Marvel’s Avengers, the new Suicide Squad game is promising that more content is set to release even after the game finds its way into shelves in May. They will have a different system though with a confirmed Battle Pass heading our way. So, it would be safe to assume that characters are only purchasable with a battle pass.

    The only question remains: who would they join and can we expect more story elements? It does seem unlikely they’ll add a lot more to the story. So, they may have an endgame structure already mapped out, which was one of the biggest criticism against Marvel’s Avengers, which had a repetition issue with reused missions.

    This also opens up the possibility of other iconic members of the Suicide Squad getting added to the game. It seems safe to assume that almost everyone will make use of gunplay one way or another. So, we might see characters like Bloodsport or Peacemaker get added at some point, especially with their newfound popularity in the recent film adaptation by James Gunn. For now, we’ll have to wait and see what heads our way.

    Source: YouTube

  • Rocksteady’s ‘Suicide Squad’ Set 5 Years After ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’

    Rocksteady’s ‘Suicide Squad’ Set 5 Years After ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’

    Rocksteady has been quite busy with the development of their next Arkhamverse game. Instead of returning to the Batman formula they perfected, they decided to take a different route. This time around, they are focusing on the smaller villains of the DC universe with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. During the latest State of Play from PlayStation, we also got some more details on when exactly this new entry takes place.

    According to the developer Rocksteady, it seems this game will be a direct sequel to Batman: Arkham Knight. To be exact, it’ll take place around five years after that film ended with Batman seemingly retiring his cape. We know that he’ll return in this game and will once again be voiced by Kevin Conroy, which adds to the connection between these games.

    It does raise an eyebrow on how exactly they’ll try to explain Batman’s return given how Arkham Knight ended, but they may play a little loose with the canon. Gotham Knights were not part of the Arkhamverse and acted as its own spinoff using elements from the iconic Arkhamverse. Plus, it’s from a different developer who did create the Arkham Origins prequel game that was part of the universe.

    We don’t know more about what exactly the story will be outside of Task Force X, the iconic Suicide Squad’s official designation that will take on brainwashed Justice League members. It does seem a bit sour to potentially have to kill Batman after Kevin Conroy‘s tragic passing in this game, but maybe they have a secret up their sleeve.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Passes 12 Million Units in Just 2 Weeks

    ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Passes 12 Million Units in Just 2 Weeks

    It seems that people have been truly itching for a true Harry Potter experience, as Warner Bros. Games’ recent release of Hogwarts Legacy has seemingly already sold 12 million units within its first two weeks. As such, the game has already earned a whopping $850M in global sales across PlayStation 5, XBox Series X, and PC.

    As such, it is the biggest launch ever for Warner Bros. Discovery’s gaming division, as it has also set a new record on Twitch with 1.28M peak concurrent viewers during its launch window. The game already has shown quite the player engagement at 280 hours played since its launch. With so much discourse surrounding Hogwarts Legacy, it also had a strong effect on other Wizarding World products according to WBD.

    Additionally, there has been an increase of global franchise fan engagement overall with Wizarding World Digital garnering 300% higher traffic over the normal monthly unique visitor average for the first 10 days of February.

    Avalanche Software had the honor of developing the game and is likely already fast-tracking its next entry in the Hogwarts Legacy franchise, as a sequel seems quite definite at this rate. Of course, the discourse should also not ignore the PR nightmare that is J.K. Rowling‘s very public anti-trans rhetoric as the franchise continues to try and distance itself from its original creator.

    Source: Variety

  • Firaxis Games’ ‘Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ Was a “Commercial Flop”

    Firaxis Games’ ‘Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ Was a “Commercial Flop”

    Given the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many assume that anything with the Marvel logo slapped on it will be a commercial success in every way possible. Though, it’s not always definite that it’ll sell well, especially in the gaming market which is quite a bit more volatile depending on what type of game is being offered. Sadly, it seems that the ambitious card-based strategy RPG Midnight Suns could not benefit from the logo.

    In a tweet, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier shared that the CEO of Take-Two, Strauss Zelnick, has seemingly pointed to Midnight Suns being a commercial flop even with its critical success highlighting the “release window” as a potential factor on what dragged the game’s success in the market down.

    https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1622707723480563721

    Going by this, an expectation for the game to build upon its post-credit sequence might be a pipedream. We still have three more DLC characters heading our way after the recent release of Deadpool. Midnight Suns isn’t going to wrap up and they haven’t announced that the project is shutting down, but it does seem safe to say that the DLC is all we’ll really get out of the game’s longevity.

    It’s such a shame but a card-based RPG was a tough sale from the beginning, as some online reactions to the game’s initial announcement had people a bit worried. The knockback system did offer some variety and its combination of exploring a central hub while taking on various missions offered variety, it also wasn’t truly marketed enough ahead of its release. Constant delays didn’t help matters much sadly but perhaps Firaxis still might give a sequel a shot.

    Source: Twitter

  • Job Listings Hint at Multiplayer for ‘Ghost of Tsushima 2’

    Job Listings Hint at Multiplayer for ‘Ghost of Tsushima 2’

    It looks like Sucker Punch Productions is actively looking to implement multiplayer elements in an upcoming game. They are actively looking to hire a Senior Multiplayer Mission Designer and Senior Multiplayer Systems Designer. As pointed out by ComicBook.com, it’s an interesting ad if you consider that the only game we know of that they are working on is the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima.

    It doesn’t outright confirm that the sequel will have specific multiplayer functionality, but the first entry already included a functionality titled Ghost of Tsushima: Legends which allowed you to tackle various missions with friends or strangers online. Given how long they supported that functionality, it wouldn’t be too surprising they would want that option to return.

    Of course, we don’t know if the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima will be a straight-forward story game, or perhaps they are simply working on a multiplayer spinoff similar to the long-rumored The Last of Us: Factions game that has seemingly been in development hell for some time. It’s also not unusual for popular games to add these new functionalities, especially if they end up having some way to keep players engaged.

    Though it’s really curious that they may be hoping to expand the game early on, as Legends wasn’t added until later in the game’s runtime. So, we’ll see if this pans out or Sucker Punch might be working on a secret multiplayer title that hasn’t been officially announced as of now. Only time will tell, or at least E3 might.

    Source: Comic Book

  • RUMOR: Retailer Lists ‘Pikmin 4’ For a May Release Date

    RUMOR: Retailer Lists ‘Pikmin 4’ For a May Release Date

    It’s a big year for gaming, as after a long wait Nintendo is pushing out some new entries of their popular franchises. The Legend of Zelda: Tear of a Kingdom has been on everyone’s radar for quite some time after it continued to get small teasers. Even now, we’re still wondering where any of the promotion for that game is, but it seems it may not be the only game set for a release in just a few months.

    Greek retailer Game Explorers may have seemingly leaked the release date for Pikmin 4 online, as they have added the game for a May 26th, 2023 release. This would fall on a Friday, which is the usual M.O. for Nintendo releases. Of course, it may also be a mistake given that sometimes this information is just rushed out but it does give us a sense that perhaps Pikmin 4 may release sometime this year.

    Pikmin 4 was first announced back in September to the surprise of many, as while the game has been hinted at for quite some time, it almost felt like one o those entries that’ll likely never see the light of day. The last entry was released all the way back in 2013, which also took quite some time to release with the second entry hitting shelves in 2004.

    At this rate, it seems that each new entry takes more and more time. Yet the May release isn’t definite and we’ll have to see if that’ll be confirmed in an upcoming Nintendo Direct, which has been rumored to return in February; a usual time for Nintendo to make some announcements.

    Source: Game Explorers via Go Nintendo