This week in gaming: Sony opens up its PS4 crossplay tools, Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC, Fortnite’s new matchmaking system is here to stay, 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
- Zack took us on a tour of some of Melbourne’s best gaming-themed bars to help you level up your drinking game.
- Luke looked into some of the reasons why we should be optimistic about Overwatch coming to the Nintendo Switch.
MAJOR NEWS
Sony opens up PS4 crossplay to all developers, Shawn Layden steps down as PlayStation’s head honcho:
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan has revealed to Wired that the company’s cross-platform multiplayer toolset has left the beta stage, so all developers can now begin implementing the much-requested feature in their games.
Ryan explained that this move was made in part to ensure that Sony maintains its market-leader position as it transitions into the PlayStation 5 generation.
“The track record of the incumbent platform winning the next time around is not a great one,” he said. “So the major thrust of my executive energy is to avoid complacency.”
In related news, SIE recently announced that Shawn Layden, Jim Ryan’s predecessor and current Chairman of Sony Worldwide Studios, will be leaving Sony after almost 32 years of service.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC, Stadia next month:
Rockstar Games has announced that it is bringing Red Dead Redemption 2 to PC on November 5 through its own game launcher, Epic Games Store, Greenman Gaming, the Humble Store and regular retailers. Interestingly, the company has postponed the game’s Steam release to December.
Players who preorder the port through the Rockstar Games Launcher directly will be gifted two games out a choice of Bully: Scholarship Edition, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition, and Max Payne 3: The Complete Edition. Preorders will be exclusively issued through the RGL from 11am AEDT on October 10 to 11am AEDT on October 23. Furthermore, Rockstar also announced that RDR2 will also be launching alongside Google Stadia sometime in November.
Epic Games commits to Fortnite’s new matchmaking system:
In a blog post following the controversial 10.40 update, Epic Games confirmed that it will continue rolling its new Fortnite matchmaking system despite player concerns that playing against others on different platforms with different control setups may lead to unfair competition. The company promised to “make adjustments to ensure everyone is playing a fair match” based on “match analytics” and player feedback.
NOTABLE GAME RELEASES
- Destiny 2: Shadowkeep (PC, PS4, & Xbox One)
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint (PC, PS4, & Xbox One)
VIDEOS AND TRAILERS
DEATH STRANDING – The Drop TV Commercial:
Just over a month left to go, folks.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep – Garden of Salvation Raid Trailer:
The Raid’s out now!
GRID – Official Launch Trailer:
Codemasters is back for another stab at circuit racing.
Mortal Kombat 11 Kombat Pack – Official Terminator T-800 Gameplay Trailer:
The T-800 is strangely perfect for the game.
Battlefield V – Operation Underground Map Trailer:
Operation Metro lives on in yet another Battlefield.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne – Leon & Claire:
Why the hell not, Capcom?
INDIE SPOTLIGHT
ToeJam & Earl’s latest update brings two new worlds:
HumaNature Studios has released an update for ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove that adds two new modes to the game: Extreme World and Endless World. Extreme World unlocks once you’ve finished Hard World, and it introduces 25 new levels complete with faster, tougher enemies, more broken presents to find, and “more than 100 other fan-requested changes.” Endless World, which has over a thousand more levels to play unlocks after you complete ten levels in Extreme World and offers you the chance to make ToeJam, Earl and the gang even stronger than ever.
The update is available now on PlayStation 4, Steam and Xbox One, and it’s on the way to Nintendo Switch — though we haven’t received a concrete date for that as of this writing.
Family Tree is headed to Switch this week:
Infinite State Games is gearing up to release its “glorious cornucopia of hand-crafted content designed to give players a feeling of sugar-rush exhilaration while remaining a mellow paced experience for all ages and skill levels” this coming Thursday, October 10, exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Family Tree features 128 levels with 32 bonus levels for a total of 160, a mirror mode, two playable characters, plenty of unlockables to keep you coming back for more, and a soundtrack full of “dub, drum ‘n’ bass and acid house vibes.”
It’ll set players back AU/US$7.99/€7.99/£6.99/¥800, with a 20% discount on top of that if you choose to pre-order.
OTHER NEWS
- John Kirby, the ex-Nintendo lawyer and character namesake, has passed away aged 79: Kotaku
- The Pokémon Company may have showed off Galarian Ponyta: Polygon
- CD Projekt RED has confirmed that it’s bringing Cyberpunk 2077 to PAX Australia: GameSpot
- Scholastic has agreed to publish a book based around Overwatch’s Efi Oladele: Polygon
- Super Mario Maker 2 players can now play online with friends: Game Informer
- The bitter lawsuit between Gearbox Software and its former lawyer has come to a resolution: GameSpot
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