Welcome to the Nano Gaming News Weekly Rewind for October 31, 2020 where we cover stories and events that we missed over the past week.
Happy Halloween! This past week many games had Halloween-themed events while other games were dropping big changes and announcements. The sci-fi RPG Chernobylite from The Farm 51 had a surprising set of announcements with a console release coming in 2021 and a Mega Patch update for the current PC early access release. Developer Alain Xalabarde released a Halloween Special Gameplay Trailer for Actor Tycoon 2. Lastly, it’s been a rather quiet week in Epic Games and Apple legal proceedings with a potential social media ally for Epic.
Here is a quick recap of a few stories Nano Gaming News covered over the previous week. Passtech Games and Focus Home Interactive expanded the number of weapons one can use in Curse of the Dead Gods. Halloween scares are in full force with the Spooktober Update for What Happened. Those who are wanting to figure out what happened can check out the demo for Scene Investigators as they explore a realistic crime scene. Hi-ho it is off to the mines you know in the dwarven mining sim Hammerting. If the great outdoors is one’s desire then look no further than Lumberjack’s Dynasty that added a massive furniture update this past week.
Actor Tycoon 2 New Gameplay Video
Indie development studio A-Line Games released an Official Gameplay trailer for agent sim Actor Tycoon 2. The trailer features game designer Alain Xalabarde playing with a special Halloween themed version of the game.
In the video, Xalabarde creates a talent agency based in Seoul. Immediately viewers are taken to an acting school tour where they can see some of the various talent they can hire. Each actor or actress has a full profile that lays out important stats in an easy to view format. Personal traits appear to have a wide a range that includes fanatic, parent, and addict. The various prospects have other traits such as area of expertise, looks, talent and attitude.
Once an prospect is identified, one can send the actor or actress an offer and if accepted they are hired. Next they can be sent off to various gigs. Occasionally studio tours will be offered where the player can get contact information and develop a relationship with the given studio. Various events can also happen along the way such as a contracted actor or actress having an incident. In the case of the gameplay video the hired actress has a bit of an attitude issue and had a violent dispute with a paparazzi that resulted in a loss of fans. Once a gig is completed the talent is paid and the agency collects its commission.
As the gameplay proceeds one thing that stands out is this is an industry based on relationships. The more people one knows and maintains a healthy relationship the better the experience will be.
Actor Tycoon 2 is coming soon to Steam with a yet to be set release date. Players can wishlist the game now or head over to Itch.io to get the game now in its current beta. For more information about Actor Tycoon 2 visit the game’s website at actortycoon.com or join the game’s Discord.
Chernobylite Console Announcement, Mega Patch
Indie developer The Farm 51 has two big announcements on the heels of the one year anniversary of the early access launch of Chernobylite. The first announcement is a console launch in 2021 and the second is a mega patch for the current early access game on PC.
The console version of Chernobylite will be available on current-gen and next-gen consoles in 2021. All in! Games will be publishing the game for consoles. With the help of All in! Games, the game will be receiving additional professional localizations than those originally planned and will be available on additional distribution channels.
For those unfamiliar with the game, Chernobylite is a science fiction survival horror story and experience. The game features challenging combat is a disturbing world filled with free exploration, unique crafting, and non-linear storytelling. Players can opt to ally themselves or compete with the other stalkers of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to survive. Choices matter and they will determine the fate of companions. Each minute counts when trying to survive as supplies dwindle, people die, enemies are everywhere, and the supernatural dangers are a mysterious threat. Survival is everything.
In the Mega Patch the world has expanded and add much more. Two new quests are available to complete that allows one to dig deeper into either Olivier’s or Olga’s story. Both can be explored as well to add new plot pieces to help unearth the mystery in the game. Additional locations to existing levels as well as two brand new levels have been added.
More weapons have been added. There is the Chernobylite Blaster and the Anti-Chernobylite Burner that will aid players in accessing the new locations. When visiting the new locations players should take caution as there are over 40 new events within all the levels. Players will notice significant improvements in the AI system. Changes of note are how patrolling soldiers behave when searching for the player or the increased difficulty when facing off against the Black Stalker.
Chernobylite is available in early access through Steam and GOG on PC for $29.99 USD. The latest information about Chernobylite can be found on the game’s website at chernobylgame.com.
Epic Games and Apple Court Court News
Week 12 of the Epic Games versus Apple came and went with very little development in the ongoing court battle. Other than a tweet from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney in response to a fan about bringing back Fortnite to iOS where Sweeney replied “Apple banned Epic’s Fortnite developer account for ‘a minimum of 12 months’,” the week has been quiet.
Facebook, however, has become a bit vocal in their difficulties when dealing with the App Store. Previously, Facebook had gone through a painful process of having Facebook Gaming being rejected at least six times by the App Store. Finally the dispute was resolved to allow the app on iOS this past August, however, the platform currently lacks games. As Facebook’s VP of special gaming initiatives told Business Insider, that the Apple dispute was “frustrating.”
While at the moment Facebook is being diplomatic and cordial about the situation, one might speculate that it wouldn’t take much for the relationship to sour. After all, six rejections for their cloud gaming app and then to have it launch without any games at this point would frustrate any developer. If the relationship was to ever sour, there then would be an opportunity for Facebook Gaming to jump on the Coalition for App Fairness train or even one step further and join in on the legal action.
Looking forward to the future, an early this past October court filling confirmed that the case is heading to a bench trial rather than a jury trial as requested by both parties with the date set for May 3, 2021. A pretrial conference will be held on April 21, 2021. Continued development on this story is expected as next year’s court date approaches.
Thank you for reading the October 31, 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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