December brought several interesting pieces of gaming news. In this article, we will together check them out! Let’s dive right into it!
Video of the Month
The Last of Us Part II was released In June 2020. Even though it already looked great and received a PS5 resolution and framerate update, Naughty Dog decided to release a remastered version that is already available on the shelves! It’s been released with a great rogue-like game mode called No Return as well as improved with enhanced textures or animations. Check out its trailer down!
TOP Five December News
In early December, Arkane Studios Lyon announced its newest project, Marvel’s Blade, that is developed in collaboration with Marvel Games. As it turned out, it’s release date could still be very far away, as Jeff Grubb stated that the internal release window has been set to 2027. “Right now, internally, they are expecting that to be sold on store shelves and digitally in 2027,” said Grubb on the XboxEra Podcast. As of now, the developers have not announced the date nor the platforms.
Rockstar Games were planning to release up to eight single-player DLCs for Grand Theft Auto V, the leak of the game’s source code revealed. As reported by Insider Gaming, they were all cancelled in favor of further GTA Online updates. One of them was supposed to bring us back to Liberty city, as the name „LibertyV“ implies that players would have been on their way there for another adventure.
Sony’s PlayStation 5 managed to outsell Xbox Series 3:1 in 2023, sales figures revealed. Last year, the Japanese console sold over 22,5 million units, while the Microsoft’s one only 7,6 million. Nintendo Switch, which should be getting a new iteration this year, sold 16,4 million, which was an 18% decrease in comparison with 2022.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo known as E3 is officially dead. What once was the gaming industry’s biggest convention is now only a memory. The representatives said it’s been decided because of new competitors, partner withdrawals or changing audience habits. “We know it’s difficult to say goodbye to such a beloved event, but it’s the right thing to do given the new opportunities our industry has to reach fans and partners,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, the CEO of the event’s organizer ESA.
Hideo Kojima, the Japanese gaming genius, in collaboration with Xbox Game Studios announced a new game called OD, or Overdose as some call it. This horror game his Kojima’s first after the fan-favourite P.T. horror, which was supposed to be a prolog for a new Silent Hill game that never got made. OD will explore the concept of testing players’ fear threshold while blurring the boundaries of gaming and film, says the official website of the game.
Statistic and Chart of the Month
The sales of Sony’s PlayStation 5 have been a rollercoaster ever since it’s been released. Mostly, it was due to covid’s hardware shortages. But as you can see down below that time looks to be finally over and PS5 is selling much better now than it ever has. 2023 was the best years so far and in its first three quarters, Sony managed to sell 14,4 million units which is just 0,4 million down in comparison with the whole 2022 financial year.
Players did not spend only on PS5 last year, as the global games market down below suggests. In 2023, 49 percent of all customers who spent money on games came from either the USA or China, while most spending (46 percent) came from the Asia-Pacific region alone.
Quote of the Month
Rockstar has finally announced a new Grand Theft Auto game which will be released some time in 2025. “There’s nobody better at making trailers than Rockstar, every single one is just a banger and from what I’ve heard, this one’s gonna be a banger too,” wrote Jason Schreier prior to GTA VI’s trailer which blew everybody’s mind.
Number of the Month
Let’s stay with PS5 for a bit, as it is currently the best-selling console. Since it’s launch in November 2010, Sony managed to sell over 50 million units as of December 2023. What a number.
Photo of the Month
Developed by Lockwood Publishing, Mercia: Fractured Realms was the very first PlayStation Home free-to-play RPG game that came out on August 30, 2012. It featured a vast open-world full of dungeons, monsters, collectible items, and side quests.
What’s Going on in Fanatic Games
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