WEEKLY TRENDING NEWS – 03/09/2023

By Nikola Hristov

Welcome back, everybody! In this weekly roundup of all the trending news from the past seven days we have compiled everything that's important for you to stay up to date! What exactly is happening in the online space, and what can you expect from your beloved franchises in the future? Well, let's find out right now!

1. Phantom Liberty's new police system and many other changes finally coming soon

Cyberpunk 2077's DLC is nearing its release date with many new features being added, among them - a brand new system regarding the police mechanic. CD Projekt Red have rebuilt it so that every criminal act is punished, runners are chased and cyber psychos who massacre everybody are straight up flatlined. Among many new additions, these changes to an integral part of the core game loop will give CP a fresh new feeling. This will surely be the best time to hop into the game and if you've never played it - I recommend you wait.

2. The Witcher 4 continues active development

On top of the exciting new update to 2077, CD Projekt Red have not forgotten about their most popular franchise of games - the ones inspired by the Witcher books. Though it's not clear when the next installment will release and even less if it will feature Geralt and company, we know for sure that after the release of Phantom Liberty a large part of the team will be allocated to the next adventure for the Witcher games. The game was revealed a long time ago, but despite this, no news have been revealed as of yet - which leads people to believe that the game is coming at least 5-6 years down the road.

3. Elder Scrolls 6 officially enters early stages of development

Just like the next Witcher game, but perhaps more infamously, Bethesda revealed the sequel to Skyrim WAY too early. Now, with Starfield being officially released however, it's finally official that the game is entering early development - 5 years after its announcement. Seeing how long Starfield took to make, and how ambitious these Bethesda projects have become, I also wouldn't expect this to come out anytime soon. So keep your expectations low.

4. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is coming with a new developer

Paradox Interactive announced at PAX West that the anticipated sequel to the 2004 game is coming from the developers behind Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs - The Chinese Room. The sequel was originally set to come out in the first quarter of 2020, but development troubles coupled with the pandemic made that impossible. However, the project is finally back on track - and Paradox have said that we can expect more news about the release date and pre-orders in 2024. This is one of the best vampire games out there - where you have to balance awesome combat with your lust for blood as an Elder Vampire, without being figured out by society. I guess we'll have to wait and see where this sequel is taken.

5. Armored Core 6 amazing sales because of Elden Ring's success

Although AC is an older franchise of FromSoftware's than Dark Souls games, it's never been nearly as popular. However, this critical acclaim of Elden Ring especially elevated FromSoft to one of the most well known devs in the world - known for their no hand-holding, polished and immersive experiences. This also seems to be reflected in the sales for AC on PS5, Xbox and PC - as it's currently one of the most trending games alongside Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. If you guys have never played an AC game - this is the time to jump in. It's not as hard as Dark Souls and it's very fun - which is a great addition to the variable repertoire FromSoftware has.

6. Pokemon is getting a live-action drama show

This is not the first live action Pokemon project but it's certainly different from the others. Unlike Detective Pikachu, don't expect to see a live-action version of Charizard here. TV Tokyo and The Pokemon Company are teaming up for a series called 'Pocket Filled With Adventure', which will follow a young girl who dives into the Pokemon world after receiving a copy of Pokemon Red from her mother. It's currently unclear if the series will have English subtitles eventually, but for now, it will air in Japan on October 19th. So for anyone who's a Pokemon fan, this might seem intriguing.

7. Writers' strike may finally affect the videogame industry.

SAG-AFTRA have announced that they're looking to begin a second strike - this time against the mistreatment of performers and writers in the gaming industry. This is currently one of the biggest debacles in Hollywood and has caused many film projects, especially big-budget movies and shows to get pushed back as people fight for their right for better living against corporate greed. Unfortunately the biggest companies such as Disney aren't having it and the strike has been going on for months now, with no clear ending at sight. However, if this were to hit the gaming industry as well, then the effect could be catastrophic - so much so that big projects such as Spider-Man 2 and AC Mirage get pushed back. I guess we'll have to wait and see where this goes… but please, for the love of god, DON'T DELAY SPIDER-MAN 2!

Well, that's about everything for this week's news! Stay tuned for more gaming reviews and articles regarding all your favorite franchises right here, on One Up Gaming.

Written by: Nikola Hristov