2022 issues should mark a new year in games – 01/10/2023 – Tech

This is the issue of Combo, Folha’s games newsletter. Do you want to receive it every Monday in your email? Sign up below.

The year is new, but the news about games in 2023 will probably have a lot to do with what already happened in 2022. Excluding possible surprises, I list five subjects that should make the world of games talk about in 2023:

Postponed games finally reach the public

The past year has been filled with major releases that have been delayed, many as a result of issues and delays throughout development due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bad luck for 2022 and luck for 2023, which should have a respectable line-up of games hitting stores in the first few months.

• “Hogwarts Legacy”, action/adventure game set in the world of Harry Potter, it was scheduled for release in 2021, but was postponed to the following year and then, once again, to 2023. The expectation is that the version for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X /S arrives on February 10th. The game will arrive for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 4, and for Switch only on July 25.

• On March 9 should be released “Skull and Bones”, Ubisoft’s pirate game that also has a long history of delays. The game was announced in 2017 and went through at least five postponements. The last one was in September last year, when the release date changed from November 8, 2022 to the current one.

• A little over a month later, on May 12, one of the most anticipated games of the year should hit stores. “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”sequel to the acclaimed “Breath of the Wild” which was postponed in March of last year.

• Next, on May 26, the release of “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League”the long-awaited new title in the Batman universe from Rocksteady, the studio responsible for the successful “Arkham” series.

• This year, the launch of “Starfield”, space action RPG from Bethesda, creators of “The Elder Scrolls” series. The game was Microsoft’s big bet for 2022, but ended up being postponed to the first half of 2023.

Soap opera of the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft comes to an end?

Considered the biggest deal in the history of the video game industry, the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft for US$ 75 billion (R$ 409 billion) was announced almost a year ago, but no one knows for sure if it will actually happen.

The agreement is under review by competition bodies around the world and, at the end of last year, came under the sights of the FTC (a body that regulates competition in the US), which decided to file a lawsuit against the purchase of the game company by the technology giant.

The expectation was that the purchase would be completed in the middle of 2023. Although several experts believe it will be approved, the process opened in the US should delay the initial forecast.

Proceedings in the US court have already begun. On the 3rd, the first pre-trial hearing of the FTC and Microsoft lawyers with a judge was held, without the parties reaching an agreement. The trial is scheduled for August.

The Return of E3

Considered dead by many analysts, E3, the main game industry fair, will try to be reborn in 2023 and will once again be held in person in Los Angeles, in the United States, after four years of cancellations and virtual events due to the Covid-19 pandemic. .

The truth is that even before that, the fair was already experiencing a moment of crisis. In 2019, Sony, present since the first edition of the event in 1995, preferred to hold its own virtual event instead of participating in the fair. In the same year, a leak on the E3 website exposed personal data of journalists and influencers, helping to tarnish the reputation of the event.

The 2023 edition, the first organized by the English production company ReedPop, responsible for large and medium-sized events such as New York Comic Con and PAX Gaming, will be held between June 13th and 16th at its most traditional venue, the Centro de Los Angeles Conventions.

Launch of the PlayStation VR2

After achieving relative success with the launch of a virtual reality device for the PlayStation 4, Sony is back to betting on technology with a turbocharged version of the product.

The PlayStation VR2 hits stores on February 22 with technological innovations — such as the ability to track the user’s pupil, enabling controls with just the look — and betting on exclusive games, such as “Horizon Call of the Mountain”, spin -off from the hit series by Guerrilla Games. Sony promises to launch the equipment with a catalog of 30 games available.

The price of the device is quite salty. With no forecast of officially arriving in the Brazilian market, the PlayStation VR2 will cost US$ 600 (about R$ 3,270) in the United States, more expensive than the PlayStation 5 itself –US$ 500 (R$ 2,720)–, which needs to be connected to the peripheral for it to work.

With this limitation, it is difficult to believe that the equipment can become a sales success for the general public, becoming more restricted to technology enthusiasts. Still, some of the new possibilities it will open up should leave a lot of people impressed.

New ways to monetize games

Some initiatives that use NFTs and blockchain technology took a little out of the spotlight due to the sharp drop in the cryptocurrency market at the end of last year. However, game companies that are betting on this path, such as Square Enix, do not seem to be discouraged.

“[A tecnologia] Blockchain has been seen with excitement and a source of turmoil, but looking in the rear view, we expect blockchain gaming to transition to a new stage of growth in 2023,” said Yosuke Matsuda, president of the company in an open letter about its expectations for the year.

The technology can also gain strength with the expansion of game subscription services. Netflix, which today already offers games for mobile phones in its subscription service, has publicly stated that it is considering entering the game streaming market in the not-too-distant future.

---

play

game tip, new or old, for you to test

marvel snap

(PC, Android and iOS)

By mixing characters from the Marvel universe in a fast, fun and addictive card game, designer Ben Brode (one of the minds behind “Hearthstone”) created one of the best games of 2022. In “Marvel Snap” the player needs a mix of strategy and luck to beat opponents in matches that last no more than five minutes, placing your cards (each one with its own cost, strength and special power) in three different fields. In addition to the innovative game mode, the game has an excellent opponent selection system and respects players, without pushing microtransactions or turning the game into a “pay to win”. Rare quality in free titles.

---

update

news, launches, business and what matters most

• The Brazilian Association of Digital Game Developers and nine other state entities that represent the Brazilian games industry released a joint note this Monday (9) repudiating the coup acts and vandalism that took place in Brasília on Sunday (8) and expressing their position of “unconditional defense of democracy”.

• In a settlement with the US government, Epic Games will pay a fine of US$ 520 million (R$ 2.8 billion) for invading the privacy of players under 13 years old and confusing users into buying items they did not want in the game. game “Fortnite”, in addition to making the process to cancel these purchases difficult.

• Sony announced that it surpassed the mark of 30 million PlayStation 5 consoles sold just over two years after the launch of the console, in November 2020. Jim Ryan, head of the PlayStation division, revealed the number in a presentation at CES, a technology fair held in Las Vegas, and stated that the logistical issues that limited the console inventory were resolved by the company.

• The Chinese government has authorized the publication of 44 international games in the country, including blockbuster games in the West such as Riot’s competitive FPS “Valorant” and Nintendo’s Moba (multiplayer arena battle) “Pokémon Unite”.

• Nvidia has announced that it will make its GeForce Now cloud gaming service available in cars. The novelty will initially be available in electric vehicles from the Hyundai, BYD and Polestar brands. It will be possible to play games through the service when the car is parked or charging.

---

download

games that will be released in the next few days and promotions that are worthwhile

11.jan

“Children of Silentown”: R$ 89 (Switch), price not available (PC, Xbox One/X/S, PS 4/5)

“KartRider: Drift”: Free (PC, Android, iOS)

12.jan

“Lone Ruins”: R$ 71.99 (Switch), price not available (PC)

“Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider”: R$ 52.49 (Switch), price not available (PC, PS 4/5)

13.jan

“One Piece Odyssey”: BRL 259.90 (PC), BRL 299.90 (Xbox One/X/S, PS 4/5)

promotion of the week

The Nintendo eShop has kicked off its New Year Sale with up to 75% off Switch games. Among the highlights are “Doom Eternal” for BRL 74.75 (-75%), “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening” for BRL 209.30 (-30%) and “Disney Dreamlight Valley” for BRL 84 .33 (-25%). Offers run until January 15th.