Game Bytes: Activision Blizzard Shareholders Under The Scope, Sony States Some Play
It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day and lots has happened in the world of video gaming. Today we saw a trailer for some Monster Hunter Rise DLC, there are also more scandals with Activision Blizzard as well as more events coming in the next few days.
Hogwarts Legacy, the mysterious and long-awaited RPG set in the Harry Potter universe, will finally get its first gameplay showing in a new State of Play airing this week. PlayStation tweeted the news this morning stating that the presentation airs Thursday, March 17 at 2 p.m. Pacific, 5 p.m. Eastern.
PlayStation had another State of Play last week and showed off a few games. Exoprimal is a brand-new IP from Capcom that pits mecha-wearing warriors up against waves of dinosaurs. Exoprimal is headed to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2023. Ghostwire: Tokyo is almost here and made an appearance during the State of Play event. The game launches on March 25 for PlayStation 5 and PC. Forspoken, which was a previously announced game and now is delayed, was at the presentation as well. Forspoken is scheduled to be released on PS5 and PC on October 11 after being delayed from its May date. While Returnal might not be a new game, its newest update might just make it feel like one. Returnal: Ascension is the name of the latest expansion to the 2021 game. The update is scheduled to release on March 23 and will be free for all current Returnal players. The colorful cast of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is coming to consoles and PC later this year with JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R. The game is scheduled to release Fall 2022 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and Steam. Square Enix is back at it again, bringing us yet another tactics game with the all-new IP The Diofield Chronicle. They had a few games in this presentation and The Diofield Chronicle sure had tactics fans in awe. The Diofield Chronicle will release on both PS4 and PS5 in 2022, as well as Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The other IP from Square Enix shown at the event was Valkyrie Elysium, which is set to be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC in 2022.
Three Activision Blizzard shareholders are under investigation by the U.S. government for possible insider trading. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the trio are under investigation by both the US Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission after buying a large number of Activision Blizzard shares shortly before Microsoft’s announcement that it would seek to acquire the company. In total the men bought 4.12 million Activision Blizzard shares for around $108 million four days before Microsoft announced it would be acquiring the company for nearly $69 billion. They then turned those shares around for $60 million in profits. There will be more information on if anything happens from this in the future.
We also saw a new Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC presentation for Capcom. In the presentation they discussed a new region as well as new monsters to hunt and new story content. Sunbreak, an expansion Capcom has repeatedly described as being “massive,” will release on June 30 for both Nintendo Switch and PC. Announced to be released alongside Sunbreak is a new trio of Monster Hunter Amiibos. A patch will also be coming for all Monster Hunter Rise players on June 30 regardless of Sunbreak ownership status.
We have a bunch of games coming out this week along with one very long-awaited indie title for Xbox fans. Dawn of the Monsters (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, PC), Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S), Phantom Breaker: Omnia (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) and The Cruel King and the Great Hero (PlayStation 4, Switch) released on the 15th of March. Paradise Killer (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One) and the much-anticipated Tunic (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC) will be released on the 16th. The 17th has Anno: Mutationem (PlayStation 4, PC), Monster Energy Supercross 5 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC), Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (PlayStation 4, Switch, PC) and Shredders (Xbox Series X/S, PC) releasing. Closing out the week we have Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) releasing on the 18th and Rune Factory 5 (Switch) releasing on the 22nd.
Let us know what games you are looking forward to in the comments below and remember to follow us on Facebook, YouTube and Twitch and all other social platforms for up to the minute news on all things nerdy.
