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Weekly Rewind: September 26, 2020

Welcome to the Nano Gaming News Weekly Rewind for September 26, 2020 where we cover stories and events that we missed over the past week.

After five years of development, Split Polygon and publisher Iceberg Interactive released Interstellar Rift earlier this week. Last Wednesday the early access combat racing title Road Rage Royale from Neural Oscillations Games saw Update 2 bring a list of changes. Plus the ongoing Epic Games and Apple story entered week seven with an interesting twist.

Here is a quick recap of a few stories Nano Gaming News covered over the previous week. This past week saw two games enter the market place with the first being Darksburg, a co-op roguelite with zombies. The second released game Breakpoint is a neon retro arcade bullet hell with melee only twin-stick action. A magical roguelite called Noita has set a mid-October release date and the cinematic platformer Unto the End is coming to Stadia at launch later this year. Lastly The Medium released a new trailer for the dual reality title that features the game’s primary antagonist.


Interstellar Rift from 0.1 to 1.0 | Split Polygon

Interstellar Rift Fully Released on PC

Indie developer Split Polygon and publisher Iceberg Interactive have launched Interstellar Rift after five years of early access development. The multiplayer is an open world starship simulator that puts an emphasis on ship construction.

Space is nearly endless and vast with many deadly features. Players can survive the hostile universe by inviting other players to join their crew or challenge rival fleets with battles that span the galaxy.

A custom ship designer allows players to build a suitable home in the stars. From small exploratory vessels to large cargo haulers players can design and build any ship to suit their needs. Resources can be mined and traded across the various solar systems. Strategic alliances can be used for safety with the various factions in space while exploring the vast universe.

Interstellar Rift is available on Humble Bundle and Steam for $19.99 USD. A special full launch promotion runs until October 1, 2020 that discounts the game by 20%. For more information about Interstellar Rift visit the game’s website at interstellarrift.com.


Road Rage Royale – Official Gameplay Trailer | Neural Oscillations Games

Road Rage Royale Update 2

Neural Oscillations Games, a French indie game developer, released the second update to their early access close combat racing title Road Rage Royale. The game features action packed racing set in a cyberpunk post-apocalyptic world where 2 to 4 players take on the roles of cyborgs behind indestructible vehicles and their fuel is rage.

Update 2 features car customization with more car colors and a modular design. The stands in the stadiums are alive with crowds and their mighty sounds. Kickstarter rewards of banners and walls thanking backers have been added.

In addition to the newest features several bug fixes and other quality of life improvements were included in Update 2. Of these changes the most notable is the fix to prevent cars from falling out of the track. The B button can be used to go back in menus or cancel. Player names now take the primary color of their car which allows players to be more distinguished on the track. A full list of changes in Update 2 can be found here.

Road Rage Royale is currently available in Early Access for Windows players on Steam at a price of $17.99 USD. A free demo is also available on Steam for PC players. More information can be found on the game’s website at roadrageroyale.com. The YouTube channel for Neural Oscillations Games is filled with several gameplay videos to aid players.


Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite – #FreeFortnite | Epic Games

Epic Games & Apple Feud Takes Unexpected Turn

It is now Week 7 of the Apple and Epic Games feud coverage here on Nano Gaming News. This past week there was a definite serve that might have Apple on the ropes or at the very least looking adjust its strategy.

This past Thursday the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) came into existence. It is a new group that aims “to preserve consumer choice and a level playing field for app and game developers that rely on app stores and the most popular gatekeeper platforms.”

However upon closer examination the coalition has some of Apple’s biggest critics as members of which includes: Epic Games, Basecamp, Spotify, SkyDemon, Match Group, Tile, Prepear, Blix, Blockchain.com, Protonmail, News Media Europe, the European Publishers Council, and Deezer. Currently the CAF cites three main issues. First is Apple’s 30 percent cut on any payments sold through the store. Secondly the CAF cites the lack of competitive options for iOS app distribution and thirdly they claim that Apple’s control over iOS is used to favor its own services.

The CAF says that it welcomes “companies of any size, in any industry who are committed to protecting consumer choice, fostering competition, and creating a level playing field for all app and game developers globally.”

In addition the CAF has released a set of ten “App Store Principles” that addresses there issues of fairness, consumer choice, and the promotion of innovation.

On Friday, Apple took an unusual move of agreeing to temporarily not collect the App Store’s 30 percent cut on purchases made through Facebook’s app for live paid events. This brief halt only runs through the end of 2020 and will not affect paid livestreams from video-game creators using the paid-livestream feature. All of this comes after the recent beef between the two companies over Apple initially rejecting the Facebook Gaming app for iOS devices and then to finally approve it after having Facebook remove games entirely from the app.

Week seven of this continuing story is now in the history books. One can expect the timing of the CAF creation ahead of the full hearing on the Epic Games versus Apple matter, scheduled for September 28, to definitely add some more fuel to the fire in the battle between these two giants.


Thank you for reading the September 26, 2020 Edition of the Nano Gaming News Weekly Rewind. Don’t forget to check back with us next Saturday for the next edition of Nano Gaming News Weekly Rewind and until then, keep on gaming.

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