Doublejump Digest: September 12, 2021

This week in gaming: Sony delivers a showcase jam-packed to please PlayStation fans, Epic Games vs. Apple trial concludes, Twitch takes on “hate raiders”, and more!

In the spirit of keeping our readers up to date with what’s happening in the video game industry, the Doublejump Digest is a brief collection of the major news stories from the past week. Keep an eye out for the Digest every Sunday night, and head on into the archive for news from weeks gone by!

MAJOR NEWS

Sony reps the PS5 hard in PlayStation Showcase 2021:

After skipping the majority of the mid-year gaming news season, Sony Interactive Entertainment brought its AAA game to the fore with a brilliant 40-minute showing.

Insomniac Games announces Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine

Okay bubs, Insomniac’s first announcement of the show was the revelation that it is working on a video game starring everyone’s favourite Adamantium-clad antihero, Wolverine. The brief teaser didn’t show off any gameplay, but given the developer’s history with third-person action games, we expect it to play similarly to Marvel’s Spider-Man.

If one bombshell wasn’t enough, Insomniac Games also announced Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and teased that Peter Parker and Miles Morales will be going up against Venom (who has bonded himself to someone who sounds like Kraven the Hunter).

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until 2023 to play Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PS5.

Sony saves the best for last, finally shows us God of War Ragnarök

Finally, a year after God of War developer Sony Santa Monica teased a sequel to its critically-acclaimed 2018 release, the company formally unveiled Kratos and Atreus’s return in God of War Ragnarök. From the brief teaser trailer below, it’s clear that everyone’s favourite Father-Son duo is on a quest to save Midgard from the catastrophic event known as Ragnarok.

Aspyr Media is remaking the original Knights of the Old Republic

PlayStation boss Jim Ryan kicked off the presentation by introducing the first new announcement: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake on PS5.

Korean studio Shift Up gives us first look at Project Eve’s abandoned world

Heavy on the Bayonetta vibes and very heavy on the crass sex appeal, Project Eve looks to combine slick Platinum Games-style combat, a stylish, self-serious sci-fi apocalypse and cutting edge next-gen visuals into a very expensive-looking package for the PS5.

Forspoken looks like inFAMOUS meets Final Fantasy

Luminous Productions and Square Enix showed off some story and gameplay from their upcoming (forgettably-named) third-person action title, Forspoken. From what was shown, the game’s movement system is very reminiscent of inFAMOUS: Second Son’s combined with a grappling mechanic similar to that found in Titanfall 2.

Forspoken is scheduled to be released next Autumn on PC and PS5.

Yes, Alan Wake Remastered is real, and it’s coming out really soon

Originally announced by Creative Director Sam Lake on long-running fan site The Sudden Stop several days before, Alan Wake Remastered received its first trailer during the showcase. It gives us an early look at its updated visuals and “choice next-generation upgrades”, including an altered character model for Wake himself.

Alan Wake Remastered is set for release on October 5 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4/Pro, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC (Epic Games Store).

Rockstar Games delays Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto’s current-gen port to next year

Originally announced during the PlayStation 5 reveal in June last year, the new trailer contains no new information but does confirm a delay for the next-gen version of Grand Theft Auto V to March 2022.

We got a brand new glimpse at Ghostwire: Tokyo

Another trailer for Tango Softworks’ next action-horror title that gives us a more varied look at the game’s story, spirit-hunting action and the spirits themselves, which are known as “Visitors”.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is scheduled to release in 2022 on PS5.

Bloodhunt is a battle royale set within Vampire: The Masquerade’s universe

Listen, Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 fans, we know that it wasn’t the announcement that you were looking for, but at least you’ll have something to play until that game comes out. Whenever that may be…

Bloodhunt is set to release on PS5 later this year. Meanwhile, the PC version of Bloodhunt released onto Steam Early Access this past week and is currently available as a free to play title.

Radiohead and Epic Games collaborate on a virtual exhibit

Kid A Mnesia Exhibition is a joint celebration of Radiohead’s Kid A and Amnesia albums turning 21 and 20 respectively.

Gran Turismo 7 looks like the PS5’s next graphical showstopper

Having been outclassed by Forza Motorsport, Project CARS, and Assetto Corsa in recent years; it seems like Polyphony Digital is really pushing graphical and boundaries

The Epic Games vs. Apple trial comes to an end

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has issued her verdict in the Epic Games vs. Apple antitrust lawsuit, and it’s not one that either company is completely happy with:

• Apple is blocked from not informing App Store users about payment methods outside Apple’s own ecosystem.
• Apple is blocked from not allowing developers to implement payment “buttons” within their apps that link to payment methods outside Apple’s own ecosystem.
• Epic Games did breach its contract with Apple when it inserted its own direct payment method within Fortnite on the App Store.
• Epic Games must pay Apple its 30% cut (roughly US$3.6 million) of the revenue generated from direct payments (roughly US$122 million) that bypassed the App Store.
• Apple has the right to keep Epic Games and its “wholly owned subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities under [its] control” off the App Store.

Overall, Epic Games has come out as the biggest loser, since the judge rejected Epic’s claim that Apple was running its App Store as a monopoly and the company failed to #FreeFortnite as it originally planned. She did also find that Apple was behaving somewhat anti-competitively, hence the ruling’s to prevent Apple from blocking developers from “steering” consumers away from alternative payment methods.

Epic Games filed a “notice of Appeal” the shortly after Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’s ruling.

Twitch takes two “hate raiders” to court

Twitch has filed a lawsuit in a California District Court against a pair of defendants known as CreatineOverdose and CruzzControl alleging that they had been “flooding Twitch streamers with hateful conduct” in the form of “hate raids”, which goes against the company’s Community Guidelines.

The Amazon-owned streaming platform claimed that it “took swift action” when it found out about the defendant’s actions and added that the pair “evaded Twitch’s bans by creating new, alternate Twitch accounts, and continually altering their self-described ‘hate raid code’ to avoid detection and suspension”.

While Twitch hasn’t identified either CreatineOverdose or CruzzControl, the company believes that they reside in Austria and Netherlands respectively.

NOTABLE GAME RELEASES

• Bloodhunt (PC — Steam Early Access)
• Life is Strange: True Colors (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S)
• Sonic Colors: Ultimate (PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One)
• Tales of ARISE (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S)
• WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch)

VIDEOS AND TRAILERS

My Friend Peppa Pig — Story Trailer

Let’s not kid around here, this is the year’s most anticipated game!

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection — Announcement Trailer

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: Lost Legacy are the latest PS4 to PS5/PC remasters.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands — Gameplay Reveal Trailer

Tiny Tina’s back, and she’s as annoying as ever!

Rainbow Six Extraction — Story Trailer

The Rainbow SIx crew have got their hands full in this upcoming mission.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy — PlayStation Showcase Trailer

Another look at Square Enix’s next Marvel title, still struggling to shake off that bootleg “But we have GOTG at home” feeling so acutely represented in last year’s Marvel’s Avengers. Good luck, Eidos-Montréal.

Deathloop — Official Story Trailer

Colt is stuck in a time loop, and he wants us all to know what he’s thinking.

Tchia — Tropical Adventure Trailer

This game looks so freakin’ awesome!

FIFA 22 — Official VOLTA FOOTBALL Trailer

Let’s be honest street football is where it’s at.

FIFA 22 — Official Pro Clubs Trailer

EA Sports Vancouver is trying to fulfil more players’ management wishes this year.

Metroid Dread — Overview trailer

It’s still hard to believe that the next proper Metroid entry is almost here — only a month away!

Tales of ARISE — Launch Trailer

Ridiculous character designs? A collection of quotes with no context? Generic medieval costumes? Yep, it’s a JRPG trailer alright.

Life is Strange: True Colors — Launch Trailer

Of all the trailers for this game, this is the one that should’ve featured Cyndi Lauper’s 1986 hit of the same name.

OTHER NEWS

• Analogue Pocket preorder holders can expect their systems no sooner than December: The Verge
• A Wargaming Community Manager resigns in solidarity with former colleague: Kotaku
• CD Projekt RED turns to Kickstarter to crowdfund The Witcher: Ronin: PC Gamer
• Louisianian studios are raising funds for Hurricane Ida relief: Polygon
• SIE now owns The Playroom’s developer: PS Blog

Abir Chowdhury and John Reeves contributed to this article.

This article was originally published on Doublejump. You can support the site by following us on social media, becoming a Patron, and/or purchasing some merchandise!

Originally published at Doublejump.