The second part of the Friday news:
After 31 years in games, Persona director Katsura Hashino just got a 'Newcomer Award' and $5,000 from the Japanese government
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/after-34-years-in-games-persona-director-katsura-hashino-just-got-a-newcomer-award-and-usd5-000-from-the-japanese-government/
Katsura Hashino has been doing this a while. The designer, most famous for his work as director on Persona 3, 4, and 5 as well as, most recently, Metaphor: ReFantazio, has been working at Atlus since I was literally one year old, all the way back in 1994.
So it's with amused bafflement that I bring you the news that Hashino has just been awarded Japan's (pace yourself) "Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's New Face Award in the Media Arts Division of the Arts Encouragement Prize" (via Automaton). Atlus tweeted that he had received the prize on Monday.
The tough luck continues in Dead in Antares, the newest addition to the long-running series about people trying not to lose their heads in bad situations
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/the-tough-luck-continues-in-dead-in-antares-the-newest-addition-to-the-long-running-series-about-people-trying-not-to-lose-their-heads-in-bad-situations/
In 2015, you died in Bermuda. In 2018, you died in Vinland. And I'm sorry to say that your luck's not going to get any better in 2025, as you and your small crew fling yourselves into the cold void of space so you can die again, this time in an entirely different solar system. (Hey, at least you're seeing some sights.)
Dead in Antares is the third entry in the awkwardly named Dead In series, and broadly similar to the previous games: The squad's in a bad spot and the only way out is through, which is to say managing everything from basic necessities—food, water, sleep—to more advanced complications like salvage, repair, and energy and resource management.
Dark and Darker delisted again, this time from the Epic Games Store
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/dark-and-darker-delisted-again-this-time-from-the-epic-games-store/
The Dark and Darker saga has taken yet another strange twist, as the game has once again been removed from sale—this time from the Epic Games Store. Making the situation even stranger, while the base game has been taken down, the Legendary Status upgrade, which adds a range of paid options and bonuses to free game accounts, is still available for purchase—and developer Ironmace doesn't seem entirely clear on what's going on.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's upcoming 1.2 update has a ridiculous 34 pages of patch notes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/kingdom-come-deliverance-2s-upcoming-1-2-update-has-a-ridiculous-34-pages-of-patch-notes/
PC Gamer medieval life enthusiast and one-man style council Joshua Wolens is very excited about the upcoming Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 patch for two reasons: It will either kill him in the crib, or grant him the opportunity to get a very sexy haircut. But Warhorse Studios' global PR manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling says that's just the tip of the iceberg.
"Seems like we have 34 pages of patch notes for the upcoming 1.2 patch," Stolz-Zwilling wrote on X (via GamesRadar).
Survival sandbox Core Keeper gets explosive next week with a whole new skill tree devoted to bombs and grenades
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/survival-sandbox-core-keeper-gets-explosive-next-week-with-a-whole-new-skill-tree-devoted-to-bombs-and-grenades/
Survival sandbox Core Keeper may have hit 1.0 in 2024, but developer Pugstorm is still cooking. The first big patch since it graduated from early access is due to arrive next week: Core Keepers' Bags & Blasts update is coming on March 10, and as the kids say the kids used to say, it's gonna be the bomb.
EVE Online studio CCP Games hires former Iceland Central Bank economist for its crypto game, because nothing says 'fun' like 'removing currency controls and fostering emergent value systems'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/eve-online-studio-ccp-games-hires-former-iceland-central-bank-economist-for-its-crypto-game-because-nothing-says-fun-like-removing-currency-controls-and-fostering-emergent-value-systems/
I really don't know what to make of EVE Frontier, the blockchain-based survival MMO in development at CCP Games. It landed with a thud in September 2024 over what was perceived as "crypto slop," but it also sounded possibly interesting when we took a closer look in February: As PC Gamer's Ted Litchfield wrote at the time, "The developers at CCP have actually articulated a vision of what they want Frontier to be, and why they think blockchain needs to be a part of it."
But now it feels like things are veering back into the crypto stuff: CCP announced today that it's hired Stefán Þórarinsson, a former economist at the Central Bank of Iceland, as its new Head of Economy, a move that "marks the next step in CCP Games’ commitment to deepening the legitimacy of virtual economies and pioneering research in the games industry."
Minecraft Live returns in March with everyone's favorite kind of content: 'exclusive movie content'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/minecraft-live-returns-in-march-with-everyones-favorite-kind-of-content-exclusive-movie-content/
Minecraft Live, the annual online showcase of all things Minecraft, is set to return on March 22, just two weeks before the launch of A Minecraft Movie. And yes, it promises to include "exclusive movie content".
Longtime Monster Hunter producer promoted to head of all game development at Capcom
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/longtime-monster-hunter-producer-promoted-to-head-of-all-game-development-at-capcom/
The story of Monster Hunter Wilds' meteoric success has a new chapter, as a longtime series producer has been pushed up the corporate ladder to a bigger job at publisher-developer Capcom.
Starting on April 1, Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto will become Capcom's chief product officer in charge of development divisions, the corporation has announced. Ryozo Tsujimoto has worked at Capcom since 1996. He's the son of Capcom founder and CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto, and younger brother of Capcom President and COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto.
Phasmophobia is getting a big rework for one of its oldest maps, turning the Bleasdale Farmhouse into a horrifying and confusing maze
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/phasmophobia-is-getting-a-big-rework-for-one-of-its-oldest-maps-turning-the-bleasdale-farmhouse-into-a-horrifying-and-confusing-maze/
Bleasdale Farmhouse has been part of Phasmophobia since before it was released, alongside 13 other maps, as part of the co-op horror game's early access. Since then, we've had plenty of great updates, which added more ghost types, hunting tools, and more maps, like the Lighthouse and the Campsite. But now, instead of adding something new, Kinetic Games is giving the Bleasdale Farmhouse a massive facelift.
Sniper Elite CEO reckons Swen Vincke is right to snarl at short-sighted publishers: 'You could argue that their business at senior level isn't making games… their business is managing their shareholders' perceptions'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/sniper-elite-ceo-reckons-swen-vincke-is-right-to-snarl-at-short-sighted-publishers-you-could-argue-that-their-business-at-senior-level-isnt-making-games-their-business-is-managing-their-shareholders-perceptions/
It's a grim time in the games industry, as layoffs and closures continue to decimate studio after studio. It's an enraging thing, so enraging that none other than Larian CEO Swen Vincke took to The Game Awards stage last December to call out, well, everyone: "I've been fighting with publishers my entire life, and I keep on seeing the same mistakes, over and over and over. It's always the quarterly profits. The only thing that matters is the numbers."
It's not just Vincke that's been having that fight. When I sat down for a chat with Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley last week, he said the story was "very much" familiar to him too. "It cuts across every industry," said Kingsley. "But I am aware a lot of my colleagues get frustrated from time to time by people who are potentially very good managers but aren't specialists in the computer games area.
And here are the weekend deals from GOG and Steam
+GOG
+Steam
- The Early Access title Occupy Mars: The Game will be 35% off until Wednesday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/758690/Occupy_Mars_The_Game/
- Windblown, also in Early Access, gets a 20% discount until the 13th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911610/Windblown/
- Company of Heroes 3 is free to try during the weekend and will be 50% off until Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677280/Company_of_Heroes_3/
- Death Roads: Tournament will have a 55% discount until Thursday, the 13th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1619570/Death_Roads_Tournament/
- Hearts of Iron IV is going to be 70% off until March 13: https://store.steampowered.com/app/394360/Hearts_of_Iron_IV/
- Line War features a 75% discount until the same 13th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1309610/Line_War/
- Publisher PLAION also puts its games on sale here, up to 80% off until the 13th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Plaion2025
- Publisher HandyGames celebrates its Spring Pre-Sale with up to 90% discounts until the 13th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32976304/sale/HGSpringSale2025
- Another Publisher Sale, with Nacon putting its games up to 90% off until, once again, the 13th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/NaconPubSale2025
- Lastly, there’s an Aspyr Pre-Spring Sale Flash Sale that will last until the 10th of March with, in theory, up to 95% discounts. And I say in theory because none of the games listed are on sale: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31936442/sale/FlashSale
That’s all for this week. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.
