This week in gaming: we get our own Aussie game awards, Red Dead Redemption 2 rakes in millions, big BlizzCon news, 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!
FROM DOUBLEJUMP:
- John donned his PlayStation VR headset and was pleased to find that Astro Bot Rescue Mission is “one of the best cases for VR gaming yet”!
- Ty travelled back to Ancient Greece in search of adventure and found Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to be the “best and most feature-rich game in the series since Black Flag“.
MAJOR NEWS:
The inaugural Australian Game Awards are slated for this December:
Trade Media has officially announced that it will be holding its own awards show to celebrate the Australian gaming scene, with awards given “across games, accessories, games journalism, esports and content creation”. The inaugural Australian Game Awards (AGAs) program is scheduled to take place on December 19 at Luna Park Sydney’s Big Top. Trade Media has partnered with EB Games to distribute tickets, which are priced at AU$199.
Red Dead Redemption 2 enjoyed the “biggest opening weekend of all time”:
Developer Rockstar Games announced that its latest open-world game boasted “the single-biggest opening weekend [Friday – Sunday] in the history of entertainment” with the game earning more than US$725 million in just three days. In comparison, Avengers: Infinity grossed more than US$630 million in its opening weekend earlier this year. Rockstar also noted that Grand Theft Auto V brought in more than US$1 billion in its first three days back in 2013 but that it was released earlier in the week.
Blizzard announces new Diablo game, Warcraft III remake, and Overwatch hero:
Blizzard made a number of big announcements at its BlizzCon fan event over the weekend, beginning with a new mobile-only Diablo game named Diablo Immortal, which fans have already started to hate.
As for its beloved Warcraft series, the company also unveiled Warcraft III: Reforged, a “reimagining” of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos due next year that will feature an updated visual style, new story content, and a World Editor.
As for Overwatch, fans were treated to a new animated short (which we’ve included in the VIDEOS AND TRAILERS section below) that stars McCree and the latest DPS hero (and Deadlock Gang leader) Ashe. Unlike recent ability-based heroes, Ashe is capable of wreaking havoc with good old-fashion gun-and-grenade play (along with her trusty companion, Bob).
Ubisoft tones down Rainbow Six Siege in preparation for Asian launch:
In what has been a controversial move, Ubisoft has revealed plans to remove most violent and sexualised imagery from its popular multiplayer shooter in an apparent effort to help the game pass through strict media laws in “Asian territories”. The company opted against creating a separate, toned down build for the Asian market to “reduce the duplication of work on the development side” and “address issues more quickly”. The changes are expected to take effect alongside the game’s Year 3, Season 4 content update.
NOTABLE GAME RELEASES:
- Diablo III: Eternal Collection (Switch)
- Football Manager 2019 (PC)
- Transistor (Switch)
VIDEOS AND TRAILERS:
KINGDOM HEARTS III – LUCCA 2018 Tangled Trailer:
Rapunzel Rapunzel, let down your Disnay and Square Enix crossover.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – World of Light:
“‘Cause you’re a sky, cause you’re a sky full of Master Hands.”
Overwatch – Animated Short | “Reunion”:
Ashe and McCree have some catching up to do.
League of Legends – K/DA – POP/STARS Official Music Videos:
Yes, folks. An official LoL music video…
OTHER NEWS:
- The folks behind Farming Simulator have donated to help drought-affect Australian farmers: Trade Media
- Undertale‘s developer released a new game out of the blue: Eurogamer
- Media Molecule remade LittleBigPlanet levels in Dreams: Polygon
- Battlefield 1 and Assassin’s Creed lead November’s Games with Gold offering: Major Nelson
- Yakuza Kiwami headlines this month’s free PlayStation Plus games: EU PS Blog
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