News has been circling from all over the gaming sphere today as Horizon Zero Dawn might be getting a sequel, but this time in the form of an MMO, Beat Saber is getting yet another music pack, the newest VR headset might kill you and we might not be playing a new Call of Duty in 2023.
Read all about that and more in our gaming news roundup.
The world of Horizon Zero Dawn might expand through an MMO
According to the South Korean news site MTN, we might be getting a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the world of Horizon Zero Dawn. This would be the fourth Horizon game after the sequel, Horizon Forbidden West was released earlier this year, and Horizon Call of the Mountain, a VR title, is set to release in 2023. According to the source who talked to MTN, NCSoft will be developing the title.
If there is one of Sony‘s franchises that would fit the MMORPG style of game it would be Horizon. Horizon’s world is much bigger than just Aloy. As the series takes place in the future in America, you could easily see an MMORPG set in another continent as you join a group or tribe and hint down robotic creatures in a post-apocalyptic setting. While not confirmed, it would not be out of character for Sony to introduce this style of game, as they have been attempting to crack into having more live-service games on the PlayStation 5 than they had on the previous generation.
The Weeknd comes to Beat Saber
Get ready to get your groove on as The Weeknd has come to Beat Saber. Beat Saber is a popular VR rhythm game, where you move your controllers to the beat, swiping sabers in the right direction to the right color. There are a total of ten songs in the music pack, and they include the songs ‘Blinding Lights’, ‘Can’t Feel My Face’, ‘How Do I Make You Love Me?’, ‘The Hills’, ‘Sacrifice’, ‘Take my Breath’, ‘Starboy (feat. Daft Punk)’, ‘Save Your Tears’, ‘Pray For Me (with Kendrick Lamar)’, and ‘I Feel It Coming (feat. Daft Punk)’
The Weeknd is joining a long line of collaborators like Green Day, Lady Gaga, Imagine Dragons, Lincoln Park, Billie Eilish, BTS, Lizzo, and Skrillex, who have licensed their songs to the game. Of course, this is a part of the officially licensed song packs that come to Beat Saber, as many users have modded the game to include their favorite songs. Beat Saber and the new The Weeknd music pack is available now on all the major VR platforms. You can purchase the pack, or you can purchase the songs individually.
Call of Duty might not be releasing a standalone title in 2023
After Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released last month and had a tremendous amount of sales, news has been released regarding the next entry in the franchise, that we might not be playing it until 2024. While Activision has released a financial statement and included that the next “full premium release” will be released next year, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier tweeted what might be a more accurate interpretation of that information. According to Schreier, the next full Call of Duty game will be released in 2024, and it will be developed by Treyarch, responsible for the Black Ops series.
Of course, this does point to a new Black Ops game in 2024, leaving 2023 open for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s expansion. The rumors of an expansion have been swimming around ever since the game launched last month, and it will seemingly include an expansion of the campaign and maybe some multiplayer items as well. This comes after the rumors that Sledgehammer might be working on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 2, which may have since been debunked.
New Sword Art Online-inspired headset may shorten your lifespan
In what might be the weirdest story of the day, the creator and designer of the Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey, created a new headset that will kill its user if removed. Yes, you read that right, on the same fabled day that the Sword Art Online story took place, Luckey produced a version of that headset, called NerveGear. But do not be too afraid, they are not fully functional… yet. You can read our full story on the headset here.
Nintendo has provided a sales update and Pokémon is everywhere
Every now and then Nintendo releases the sales numbers for their Nintendo Switch games, and their latest update includes an update on how well the last Pokémon game, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, sold, with a total of 13.91 million copies. The top three best-selling titles on the Nintendo Switch should surprise nobody, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (48.41 million), Animal Crossing: New Horizons (40.17 million), and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (29.53 million), taking the first, second, and third spots respectively. The recently released Splatoon 3 also made a splash with a total of 7.90 million sales.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are the highest-selling Pokémon games on the Nintendo Switch with a combined total of 25.37 million sales. Further down on the list we have Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl with a combined total of 14.92 million sales, followed by Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! with a combined total of 14.81 million. Therefore the 13.91 million for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, is impressive as it is a solo title. It will be interesting to see how well the new games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet end up selling when they release later this month.
God of War Ragnarök is finally out
One of 2022’s top contenders for Game of the Year is finally out, as God of War Ragnarök hits the physical and digital stores. The sequel to 2018’s God of War will see Kratos and Atreus attempt to stop Ragnarök while journeying throughout the nine realms during Fimbulwinter. The highly anticipated sequel, which was developed by Sony Santa Monica, has had an amazing critical reception, with its Metacritic score currently sitting at 94. Our own review called God of War Ragnarök “an absolute masterpiece”, so be sure to experience the game that is out now on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.