In this week's roundup of the biggest video game news, PlayStation's planning its 2021 showcase, while Game Boy games may be coming to Nintendo Switch Online. Game Rant has compiled some of the biggest gaming news stories from this past week together into a concise post for fans and enthusiasts to stay up to date on the most important events in the industry per week. Highlighting the most relevant stories, this list is not inherently and totally objective, and will not contain every news story this week. Rather, this is intended for gaming fans who want a quick rundown on the largest/most impactful stories that occurred in the last week in games.
In this week's gaming news, Sony's pulling back the curtain on several upcoming games during its 2021 PlayStation showcase. A datamined leak seems to indicate that Game Boy and Game Boy Color games are potentially coming to the Nintendo Switch Online service. Guerrilla Games found itself in controversy for previously not offering a free upgrade between PS4 and PS5 for Horizon Forbidden West. Twitch stats show that the #ADayOffTwitch boycott had a tangible effect on the community, and Twitch has since responded to creators. All that and more in this week's roundup of the biggest news in the video game industry.
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2021 PlayStation Showcase Planned For Next Week
After some previous rumors asserting that a showcase was planned, Sony officially announced the 2021 PlayStation Showcase. Set for Thursday, September 9, 2021, the 40-minute long showcase has only teased what's in store thus far. According to the PlayStation Blog, which adds just a bit more context, first and third-party games are confirmed for the show and post-show updates as well. Games covered in the showcase will be releasing anywhere between this holiday into PlayStation's future.
As for what to expect, things that are releasing this holiday will most likely receive some kind of reveal. Deathloop, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Solar Ash, Jett: The Far Shore, and more will likely be there. Leaks-wise, one leaker has alleged that God of War's sequel is already confirmed for the PlayStation Showcase, who correctly predicted the showcase's date prior to the official announcement. Beyond that, games like Abandoned or Final Fantasy 16 are only plausible, not confirmed at all.
Rumor: Game Boy Games Coming to Nintendo Switch Online
One interesting rumor that could prove true is that the Nintendo Switch library could be getting a significant boost for "free." Subscribers to Nintendo's online service have had access to several NES and SNES games as part of their subscription, but Nintendo Switch Online could be receiving Game Boy and Game Boy Color games next. Based on the Nintendo Switch datamine from earlier this year, code for an unused Game Boy emulator (codenamed "Hiyoko") was found in the system files.
Speculation points to Nintendo Switch Online's anniversary, on September 18, 2021, though no insiders have corroborated this as a potential release date for the service. For now, all that's included is Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, not Game Boy Advance or any handheld consoles beyond that point.
Horizon Forbidden West Now Has Free PS4-PS5 Upgrade
Initially, when Horizon Forbidden West's release date was announced, Guerrilla Games also announced the various special editions releasing as well. However, one issue came with the PS4-PS5 upgrade initially: a free next-gen upgrade involved purchasing the game again. This was understandably met with backlash from PlayStation fans, especially when considering several previous titles (Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Final Fantasy 7 Remake) released with free PS5 upgrades from PS4.
In response to the negative feedback due to the lack of free (or paid) upgrade, Guerrilla Games and PlayStation have since reversed the decision to not offer a PS4-PS5 upgrade option at all. Any player who initially purchases Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free. Additionally, PlayStation confirmed that any first-party exclusive games (the PlayStation Blog specifically mentioned God of War's sequel and Gran Turismo 7) will offer a $10 upgrade plan moving forward.
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About the PlayStation Showcase 2021
Twitch Boycott Forces Email Response From Streaming Platform
In protest of Twitch's lacking response to "hate raids" abusing streamers, several participated in the #ADayOffTwitch boycott on September 1. According to stats from TwitchTracker, both streamers and viewer counts dropped significantly among the global community. There 5,000 less streamers active on September 1, as well as 500,000 fewer viewers on the site in general. Twitch has since sent content creators a statement via email detailing next steps, though the company didn't go into too much detail.
Dead Space Remake Reveals Early Gameplay Footage
Shortly after the game's announcement this summer, Motive Studios and EA recently unveiled some early Dead Space remake gameplay footage. Beyond the initial trailer for the remake, EA and Motive Studios showed off some very early pre-production footage. To be fair, the footage was still from a very in-development build, but lead producer Philippe Ducharme and creative director Roman Campos-Oriola did elaborate on some of the goals with the remake's development.
Death Stranding Sequel In the Works, According to Norman Reedus
With Death Stranding: Director's Cut launching in September, it seems this may not be the final showing from Kojima Productions' newest IP. Norman Reedus, the protagonist of Death Stranding, was questioned about Kojima's latest title during a press junket for The Walking Dead. When asked about the original game, Reedus indicated that he "thinks" a "second Death Stranding" is potentially in the works, and that his agency was reportedly in negotiations with Kojima Productions for a sequel.
CD Projekt Red Hiring Modders to Work On Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 recently released its 1.3 patch, bringing the first wave of DLC alongside several fixes to quests and bugs throughout the world. However, the 1.3 patch also introduced several additional bugs and glitches as well. Many of these issues were resolved by fan mods as well, which CD Projekt Red evidently noticed. CD Projekt Red has now hired several mod developers who worked on the WolvenKit and Redscript modding tools, tasking them with official mod support and helping fix bugs in The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077.
MORE: Cyberpunk 2077 May Never Be Completely Bug-Free and That's OK
