Today, 2K and the LEGO Group announced LEGO 2K Drive, the ultimate AAA driving adventure game, available worldwide on May 19, 2023. Developed by Visual Concepts, LEGO 2K Drive evolves the iconic LEGO play experience with a vast, open world where players can build any vehicle, drive anywhere and become a LEGO racing legend.

LEGO 2K Drive will be the first release in a multi-title partnership between 2K and the LEGO Group to develop AAA LEGO games. With 2K's proven expertise in creating high quality and engaging interactive entertainment properties and the LEGO Group's unprecedented cultural impact, the partnership will evolve the iconic LEGO games experience fans know and love in exciting new ways.

Miasma Chronicles, the post-apocalyptic tactical adventure from Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden creators The Bearded Ladies and leading video game publisher 505 Games, is set for launch on 23rd, May, 2023 for Windows PC platforms (Steam and EPIC), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

The tactical adventure sees players take on the role of Elvis, a young man abandoned by his mother in the wastelands of America, with only his robot 'brother' Diggs for company. Together they must unravel the mystery of the Miasma, a mysterious entity that threatens the last vestiges of humanity and turns all who come in contact with it into barbaric corruptions of their former selves.

2bytes Corp. released their first gameplay footage of Space Gears, being developed by their game studio, Pentapeak Studios, on their Steam page. Space Gears is a sci-fi, strategy game that has players terraform Mars with an army of mechs. Players must cooperate or compete with each other to gain control over scarce resources on the Red Planet.

The video showcases the game's systems, including land terraforming, base-building, and mech-assembly, as well as its combat system, featuring intense mech-on-mech, squad-based battles. To overcome the limitations of classic RTS games, which have been characterized by difficult and complex micromanaging and a high barrier to entry for new players, the focus was taken off of complex multi-tasking, involving build orders, resource allocation, and base expansions, and instead focused on delivering intuitive combat. Players can enjoy combat and strategy through multiple, fluid and fast-paced PvE and PvP modes that are immersive and easy to play.

Paradox Interactive today revealed more details about Life by You, created to be the most moddable and open life simulator from the Berkeley, CA based Paradox Tectonic. In Life by You, players will create humans and live out their lives without loading screens. Paradox Tectonic is led by Rod Humble, a games industry veteran known for his pioneering work on the life simulation genre. Life by You will be available in Early Access on September 12, eager players can pre-order today on the Epic Games Store for a suggested retail price of 39.99USD / 39.99 EUR / 34.99 GBP, wishlisting will also be available on Steam.

Life by You allows players to design and live out the lives of the humans that they create in an open game world where everything is customizable. Players create their households, build their homes and tell life's many stories. With real language conversation and the ability to switch from third-person to direct control gameplay, players will connect with their humans on an emotional level. A wide variety of Creator Tools and Editors will allow players to tweak every aspect of their experience, giving them the ability to live life to the fullest - or break the rules, as they see fit.

This coming week's games have something of a horror theme with a remake of a horror game from 2005, which is also this week's AAA title. Two of the games are even in VR, which could cause some further excitement compared to a regular horror game. Overall it's not a super exciting week for new game releases, unless you're into horror themed games that is.

Resident Evil 4 / This week's Remake & AAA title / Thursday 24 March
Survival is just the beginning. Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City. Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors, tracks the president's kidnapped daughter to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals. And the curtain rises on this story of daring rescue and gruelling horror where life and death, terror and catharsis intersect.

Acer will be participating in the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2023 held from March 20-24 in San Francisco to share the latest innovations of its industry-leading SpatialLabs experience. It combines advanced eye-tracking cameras, a stereoscopic 3D display and stereo rendering capabilities to deliver immersive 3D experiences without the need for specialized glasses. With a click of a button, 2D visuals seem to pop out of their screens, giving designers, marketers, and other professionals a unique way of interacting with their creations in 3D views.

SpatialLabs TrueGame
Following its launch in 2021, Acer took it up a notch by bringing its glasses-free stereoscopic 3D technology to the world of gaming through the SpatialLabs TrueGame application. With a Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition laptop, or a SpatialLabs View display paired with a PC, users can enjoy the supported titles in their true 3D form, delivering immersive gaming experiences as envisioned by their developers. This is possible because games are mostly created with a three-dimensional world in mind as developers include information about depth in each scene and object they build. SpatialLabs leverages this already-existing information in order to present the games in stereoscopic 3D. A dedicated pre-configured profile is now available for each game title, among the 70+ modern and classic titles on launch, to offer players a seamless experience with their favorite games. More profiles for additional titles will be added on a continuous basis moving forward.

NCSOFT, a global premier game developer and publisher, today debuted the first trailer for the company's new mobile and PC title, 'Project G,' on its official YouTube channel. Project G is the company's first real-time strategy (RTS) game, coming to global players. This brand-new IP is currently under development as a strategy game set in a massive-scale war. Each player will expand by accumulating limited resources and will also make use of different tactics in territory conquests between guilds.

The trailer features 100% real gameplay scenes with high-quality graphics currently under development, built on Unreal Engine. It showcases various game system details, including unique characters of different races, strategic combats executed with melee and ranged units, and tactical maneuvers of 'Dragons' and 'Strategic Arms' in objective and territory conquest wars. It also reveals in-game footage where battles between individual forces expand into massive warfare.

Microids and TMS are pleased to announce that Cobra, the video game, is currently in the pre-production stage. Adapted from the Japanese animation series produced by TMS Entertainment (based on illustrations and comic books created by Buichi Terasawa), the video game provides players the opportunity to step into Cobra's shoes as the famous galactic bounty hunter, in a futuristic and colourful universe on consoles and PC.

Created in 1978, the cult manga Cobra has fascinated many generations of fans with its complex plot known for its many twists and turns. With his legendary Psycho Gun attached to his left arm, and his iconic partnership with Lady, the notorious space pirate Cobra has captivated audiences for decades.

Remnant 2, which is the sequel to a popular third-person action game from Gunfire Games, has just got a new gameplay trailer.

Although it focuses on the Gunslinger class, or Archetypes as they are called in the game, showing off some of the perks and skills from this new class, the new trailer also gives a glimpse on how the game will actually look. Bear in mind that the game is still in pre-alpha build.

This is technically the first full week of game releases in March, but outside of a single AA title—which is technically a remake of a 2008 release—this week's releases are mostly lowkey games. We do at least have a good mix of games to look forward to, ranging from strategy and simulations to adventure and horror, even if they're not from big developers or publishers.

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse / This week's AA title / Thursday 9 March
A group of children mysteriously disappeared during a festival on Rogetsu Isle. Although they were found, they had lost their memories. Now they have returned to the island as teenagers. The girls rely on the Camera Obscura, a camera with the power to capture and seal away unthinkable horrors, and the faint beam of their flashlight while exploring various locations and fending off the ghosts that attack them as they attempt to discover the truth of their haunting past.

We're about to enter the third month of the year and after last week's loaded release schedule, it appears that we're back to more of an average week of new game releases. This week's AAA title is an RPG game from Japan and we also decided to include a DLC in this week's roundup, simply because it's for a very popular game which often has over 100k PC players online, not taking console players into account.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty / This week's AAA title / Friday 3 March
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a dramatic, action-packed story of a nameless militia soldier fighting for survival in a dark fantasy version of the Later Han Dynasty where demons plague the Three Kingdoms. Players fight off deadly creatures and enemy soldiers using swordplay based on the Chinese martial arts, attempting to overcome the odds by awakening the true power from within.

On Tuesday, Microsoft and NVIDIA announced the companies have agreed to a 10-year partnership to bring Xbox PC games to the NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud gaming service, which has more than 25 million members in over 100 countries. The agreement will enable gamers to stream Xbox PC titles from GeForce NOW to PCs, macOS, Chromebooks, smartphones and other devices. It will also enable Activision Blizzard PC titles, such as Call of Duty, to be streamed on GeForce NOW after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision closes.

"Xbox remains committed to giving people more choice and finding ways to expand how people play," said Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. "This partnership will help grow NVIDIA's catalog of titles to include games like Call of Duty, while giving developers more ways to offer streaming games. We are excited to offer gamers more ways to play the games they love."

2K today announced that industry veteran and Firaxis Games Chief Operating Officer, Heather Hazen, has been promoted to Studio Head, ushering in a new era of development at the legendary interactive entertainment studio behind Sid Meier's Civilization, XCOM, and the recently-released and critically-acclaimed Marvel's Midnight Suns.

As Studio Head, Hazen will manage Firaxis Games' development teams and lead its mission to build the best strategy games on the planet. With 22 years of experience in gaming and entertainment, Hazen joined Firaxis Games in 2020 as the studio's Chief Operating Officer. Prior to Firaxis Games, she was an Executive Producer on Fortnite at Epic Games, as well as Plants vs. Zombies and Bejeweled while at PopCap Games. Hazen's promotion comes as longtime Firaxis Studio Head, Steve Martin, will be leaving the studio after more than 25 years with the organization.

We're entering the second month of the year this coming week and the games being released next week are a mix of turn-based strategy RPG, Sci-Fi and something a bit more child friendly. There are multiple AA, but no AAA titles being released this week and of course, don't forget to vote in the poll.

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles / Monday 30 January
Lead the King's Council for generations as the consequences of your decisions decide the kingdom's resources and political standing. Form alliances, solve dilemmas, and prepare for the final uprising that was foretold by an ancient prophecy.

We're already approaching the end of January and this coming week we're looking at both a new AAA title and a remake of an older AAA title that also gets a collectors edition. In other words, a lot of exciting things are happening, if you're looking at getting a new or old game with improved graphics to play.

Forspoken / This Week's AAA Title / Tuesday 24 January
Mysteriously transported from New York City, Frey Holland finds herself trapped in the breathtaking land of Athia. A magical, sentient bracelet is inexplicably wrapped around her arm, and Frey discovers the ability to cast powerful spells and use magic to traverse the sprawling landscapes of Athia. Frey nicknames her new golden companion "Cuff" and sets off to find a way home.

After a couple of weeks of very limited releases, new games are starting to trickle out again and we're back to give you a heads up on what's coming. From now on we'll also add a poll, so you can vote on the game you're most interested in each week. Please keep the feedback coming if there's something we can improve in this weekly section.

One Piece Odyssey / This Week's AAA Title / Thursday January 12
One Piece Odyssey transports the Straw Hat Crew to a mysterious new island where they embark on quests and fight powerful enemies and massive bosses in exciting turn-based battles. The game is introducing a new chapter for these famed pirates, with an original story and new characters developed under the guiding hand of series creator Eiichiro Oda.

Fortnite maker, Epic Games, has on Monday reached a settlement in court in an investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), to pay a total of 520 million US Dollars in fines. This fine is because Epic deployed shady tactics of manipulating children into purchasing Fortnite V-bucks, skins, etc., without proper consent forms and purchase order confirmations. Even with millions of complaints from parents, Epic decided to proceed with its tactics and used dark patterns that deceived the original intent. Thus, the FTC has made a case that this violates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rule, and Epic Games will have to pay the fine.

The fine is consists of two separate causes. The $275 million monetary penalty for violating the COPPA Rule—the largest penalty ever obtained for violating an FTC rule, and the $245 million to refund consumers for its dark patterns and billing practices. The refund fine is FTC's most considerable refund amount in a gaming case and its most significant administrative order in history. Epic said, "Over the past few years, we've been making changes to ensure our ecosystem meets the expectations of our players and regulators, which we hope will be a helpful guide for others in our industry. " The official statement is far longer, and you can read about it here.

Come mid-February 2023, NVIDIA will be ending its GameStream feature on its Shield TV products. The GameStream feature has allowed owners of the Shield TV to stream games from their PC to their Shield TV. It might not have been the flagship feature of the Shield TV, but it has been popular enough that the cancellation has caused quite some stir on the internet. NVIDIA didn't provide any reason as to why the company is ending the GameStream feature, but one could potentially imagine that the company wants to push its customers to use its GeForce NOW paid streaming service instead.

However, NVIDIA does suggest that users could use Steam Link instead, to stream games from their PC to the Shield TV. That said, this would limit users to games found on Steam, which doesn't seem like a great compromise. For those that stream their games, NVIDIA Share is compatible with Steam Link, so there shouldn't be any problem continuing to stream games when playing on the Shield TV.

Redemption Reapers, the dark fantasy tactical RPG developed by Adglobe and published by Binary Haze Interactive (ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights,), sneaks into striking distance and prepares for launch on Steam for Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in February 2023. Redemption Reapers is being brought to life by industry luminaries, including tactical RPG veteran Masayuki Horikawa (Fire Emblem series director and scenario/level designer; Kingdom Hearts III planning), as well as a star-studded voice cast featuring Kyle McCarley (13 Sentinels: Aegis of Ruin, NieR: Automata), Allegra Clark (Apex Legends, Dragon Age: Inquisition), David Lodge (Persona 5, Final Fantasy XV), and Lucien Dodge (Fire Emblem: Three Houses, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel series).

Hope fades across the land following the sudden appearance of the ruthless Mort armies. Efficient as they are brutal, the macabre forces descend upon civilizations, leaving destruction in the wake of their nightly raids. As entire nations fall to the Mort onslaught, the Ashen Hawk Brigade, a contingent of mercenaries specializing in surprise tactics, band together to fight back against the invading legions.

Ghost Story Games, the development studio led by game creator Ken Levine, today announced that Judas, an all-new single-player, narrative first-person shooter is in development for the PlayStation 5 computer entertainment system, Xbox Series X|S console systems, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The new project was revealed at The Game Awards 2022 as a world premiere unveiled by Geoff Keighley. In conjunction with the project reveal, Ghost Story Games has launched the official pages for Judas on Steam and the Epic Games Store where fans can now add the game to their Wishlist.

"We founded Ghost Story Games to build upon the legacy of System Shock 2, BioShock, and BioShock Infinite," said Ken Levine, President & Creative Director. "With Judas, we've created an entirely new world and set of characters while exploring different approaches to single-player, narrative first-person shooters."

Global video game publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment has revealed a new partnership to adapt series creator Mike Mignola's Hellboy franchise, published by Dark Horse Comics. Developed by Upstream Arcade, Hellboy Web of Wyrd is an upcoming roguelite action-adventure game in development for all major gaming consoles and PC. It features an original storyline crafted in collaboration with Mignola, as well as the renowned voice talents of Lance Reddick as Hellboy himself. Mignola has also designed the game's unique key art.

"Adapting the Hellboy comics to a game is a dream project for all of us. The opportunity to create something authentic—that's something we take very seriously," said Amanda Kruse, Publishing Director at Good Shepherd Entertainment. "Our partnership with Mike Mignola and the creative team at Dark Horse has been inspiring. The support and trust they've given us has allowed Upstream Arcade to bring their vision to life. Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a bold new work we are excited to share with fans of the comics and action-adventure games alike."

Following the success of Vampyr, FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT and DON'T NOD had announced a new collaboration to bring one of the most ambitious projects in the history of both the publisher and the studio. FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT's participation in The Game Awards 2022 (5 nominations for A Plague Tale: Requiem, 2 nominations for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge) is the occasion to unveil this brand new project, set to release in late 2023: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

Experience a powerful and intimate narrative in this Action-RPG, playing as two proficient ghost hunters and lovers, faced with impossible choices and their dramatic consequences for the living… and the dead. The World Premiere Reveal Trailer showcases the hallmarks of DON'T NOD: a striking art direction, strong characters and plot, as well as a unique fantasy world.

Gearbox Publishing and Gunfire Games have announced Remnant II, the sequel to the best-selling game Remnant: From the Ashes, a third-person action-survival shooter that pits the last remnants of humanity against the harrowing forces of evil.

Remnant II evolves the co-op survival shooter with new unseen worlds filled with deadly surprises and encounters. Join the battle to save humanity in a dynamically generated world filled with branching quest lines, unique loot, and overwhelming odds that encourage exploration and replayability either alone or in three-person co-op. Players will define their own playstyle with an expanded Archetype class system and a wide assortment of guns, armor, and special augmentations as they overcome hard-fought challenges to stave off humanity's extinction. Remnant II will be available on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in 2023.

Leading video game publisher and developer Bandai Namco Europe and FromSoftware, Inc. today announced a new action game, ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON. Jointly developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. and FromSoftware, Inc. this is the latest title in the ARMORED CORE series, now revived and reimagined as a new action game after 10 long years since the last entry in the franchise.

ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON will offer a game experience based on the mech game know-how FromSoftware cultivated over 25 years of developing games in the series, but now introducing groundbreaking gameplay found in the developer's recent action games. The new ARMORED CORE title will combine these elements into thrilling action that only mechas can provide. The game promises to be a unique entry in the mech action game genre.

Following the game's reveal at Gamescom 2022, Funcom is now excited to show off the first pre-alpha footage of Dune: Awakening, their ambitious Open World Survival MMO. Inspired by the sci-fi masterpiece DUNE written by Frank Herbert and Legendary Entertainment's award-winning, blockbuster film from Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Awakening is built with both Dune and Survival fans in mind by the veteran developers at Funcom. Witness the vastness of Arrakis in today's brand-new teaser trailer.

ncom has innovated in the Massively Multiplayer and Survival genres for over two decades, most recently with Conan Exiles. Dune: Awakening builds upon this strong foundation, weaving together Open World Survival and MMO aspects into a Dune tapestry that brings Frank Herbert's epic universe to life in a completely unique way. With this gameplay teaser, Funcom has also updated the Dune: Awakening website, giving a panoramic view of the player experience.
In Dune: Awakening you strive to survive the countless dangers of Arrakis alongside thousands of other players. Explore your role and identity while experiencing an epic personal journey, from searching for water and building shelters against storms to controlling the flow of spice in the top echelons of the planet.