Get ye to the walls, pikefolk of PC gaming. We've had a languid and fattening winter with a quiet game arriving here and there to peddle its wares. But the calm times are coming to an end. The big releases now march towards us in droves. But they do not know what lies waiting for them in the moat. The slick scales of the Maw surface in the moonlight, groaning, waiting, sick with hunger for fresh releases. The battle is yet to start, but we will upturn the chumbucket of news into the water below. Feed it, for heavens sake. FEED THE MAW!
The first lad to come stumbling over the horizon will be middle ages mischiefer and RPG sequel Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. It's out tomorrow, Tuesday 4th. Edwin has been sequestered in his monastery, supposedly playing it for a review. But he might just be making potions and consulting old tomes. Either way, I'm sure his words will be worth reading.
Otherwise, we'll see the rhythmic Rift Of The Necrodancer coming out on Wednesday 5th, while Keep Driving, the pixel art road trip RPG made by the Post Void developers, is due out the following day, Thursday 6th (I'm reviewing that one - stay frosty). After that, hmmm, let's see... uh... it says here: "A Game About Digging A Hole" comes out on Friday 7th? Okay. Sure. Why not!
Do not dig too deep, of course. We welcome comments and reminders of news events this week. And the Maw expecially welcomes readers into its wretched and unknowable clutches. But we are not fiscally or morally responsible for what happens to those who get too close.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Key points- 18:09 pm February 07 2025 THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS FRIDAY
- 13:38 pm February 06 2025 THANK THUCK, IT'S THURSDAY
- 08:04 am February 05 2025 YES DEAR, IT'S WEDNESDAY
- 13:53 pm February 04 2025 LOOK PA, IT'S TUESDAY
- 10:25 am February 03 2025 LOOK MA! IT'S MONDAY!
LOOK MA! IT'S MONDAY!
It is the first day of the week, and I have a terrible cold. Edwin is missing, possibly unconscious in a bucket of water meant for the thirsty horses of Bohemia. Nic is wandering around somewhere in a weekend-induced daze, we have sent a bounty hunter to find him. So it falls to me to yell all the news words. FEED THE MAW.
– Brendan Caldwell
10:31 am UTCThe OlliOlli skateboarding games and Rollerdrome have been delisted from Steam. They were both made by Roll7, which was closed down by Take-Two Interactive last year. It's not yet clear why that's happened or if the games will be returning to the store.
– Brendan Caldwell
10:40 am UTCThe recent job cuts at BioWare have resulted in the studio being cut in half, from around 200 to 100 people, according to a report by Bloomberg. The company also pulled a fast one on some BioWare workers. Last year they "loaned" some employees to other EA studios, only to subsequently reveal that those swtches were permanent. Let me see if my word generator can come up with a way to describe this behaviour. Aha, yes, it says: "fucked up".
– Brendan Caldwell
11:39 am UTCColourful walking sim Cairn has a fun approach to inventory management - just shake the bag!
People ask us how we designed our inventory system.
This is actually just how we get things out of our backpacks irl pic.twitter.com/hdb9yorcQI
– Brendan Caldwell
15:41 pm UTCHello! I'm in Amsterdam seeing a thing. Specifically I am outside a Starbucks waiting for a ferry. In other news, EA are aware that people are "experiencing various issues" with their Legacy releases of The Sims 1 and The Sims 2.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
15:45 pm UTCAs passed on by journalist Stephen Totilo, US lobbying group the Electronic Software Association have asked the Trump administration to please not put tariffs on video game devices.
ESA (main U.S. game industry group): "Tariffs on video game devices and related products would impact Americans of all ages across the country. We urge the administration to consult with the private sector in a transparent process...
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 3:17 PM To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
16:59 pm UTCGosh this looks unpleasant
Forbidden Solitaire - Official Teaser Trailer Watch on YouTube– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
13:53 pm UTCLOOK PA, IT'S TUESDAY
Belated FEED THE MAW. I'm still out on manouevres on the continent, hunting for interviewees in the long grass. As such, I've forgotten to update the liveblog.– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
13:56 pm UTCDawnfolk is "a charmingly dark and minimalist survival city-builder" which combines a world of darkness with a bunch of minigames. It seems Loop-Hero-ish. Definitely going to give the demo a try later.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
14:04 pm UTC Deconstructeam's Vendran Las Aves is a free, fish-eyed "slice-of-life tamagotchi" in which the virtual pet is actually a worker recovering from burnout.– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
14:09 pm UTCThe unnamed first-person retro sci-fi RPG from the ex-Arcane talent at Wolfeye Studios will be published by Neowiz. They've released new artworks to celebrate. Here's one.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
20:02 pm UTC Sumo Group - overall parent company of Sumo Digital, Secret Mode, The Chinese Room, Lab42 and others - have announced that they are ceasing development of their own intellectual properties and will focus "exclusively on development services for partners", a move that will "unavoidably... have an impact on our studios and people."– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
08:04 am UTCYES DEAR, IT'S WEDNESDAY
I'm about to get a train back to the UK but there is yet time to embiggen the liveblog. FEED THE MAW.– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
08:05 am UTCBluejeweled is quite funny.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
08:06 am UTCCapcom have announced a remaster of PS2 samurai sim Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny for PC release in 2025.
Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (Remaster) - Announce Trailer Watch on YouTube– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
08:08 am UTC As reported by Eurogamer, EA "expect" the next Battlefield to release before April 2026.– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
08:13 am UTC Also from EA's latest financials: CEO Andrew Wilson is of the innnnnnnnteresting opinion that the underperforming Dragon Age: The Veilguard needed more "shared-world" features. "In order to break beyond the core audience, games need to directly connect to the evolving demands of players who increasingly seek shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives in this beloved category," he told investors. "Dragon Age had a high quality launch and was well-reviewed by critics and those who played; however, it did not resonate with a broad-enough audience in this highly competitive market."– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
08:16 am UTC Spellhack!! is a roguelike deckbuilder that is played on an 80s computer inside a modern-day 3D representation of somebody's nerdcave. Nostalgo-ception.– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
08:17 am UTC Bermuda Survivor is a bullet heaven with a "calm" exploration element and lore to uncover.– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
08:17 am UTCcpt_freakout says: Steam notifs let me know that Blood Bar Tycoon came out today (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2776780/Blood_Bar_Tycoon/). Nic wrote about this last year, it looks fun!
*pointing upwards emoji*
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
08:27 am UTCSlender Threads, out next week, is a horror point-and-clicker that reminds me of The Sexy Brutale and In The Mouth Of Madness.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
13:55 pm UTC Steam is having an Idler Fest. As part of that, Rock Simulator 2 is 50% off. There are user reviews from people with hundreds of hours of playtime. Please let this be evidence that perfect stillness is an achievable human emotion, rather than evidence of some kind of boulder-trading Ponzi scheme.– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
13:58 pm UTCAce spelunk-me-do Lorn's Lure now has Steam Workshop support and a map-making tool.
Announcing Lorn's Lure Workshop! Watch on YouTube– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
18:21 pm UTC Have a good one everybody! I'm off work now till next week - see you on Monday.– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
13:38 pm UTCTHANK THUCK, IT'S THURSDAY
Nobody move. Edwin took the taser with him by accident. The big industrial electrifier we use to keep the Maw pacified. Absolutely. Nobody. Move.
– Brendan Caldwell
13:40 pm UTCThe release date for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has been leaked on the PlayStation Store. Oops. It's August 28th.
– Brendan Caldwell
13:53 pm UTCBandai Namco has lost or laid off 100 workers over the past year, as reported by Automaton. Comparing numbers avaialble through a database on Japan's Pension Service, they found that numbers of the company had dwindled significantly. It's not clear how many of those were enforced cuts and how many employees left voluntarily. For context: last year Bandai Namco denied putting staff into unusual "expulsion rooms" where workers were left to become so dissatisified they would leave - a form of constructive dismissal.
– Brendan Caldwell
18:09 pm UTCTHERE'S NO SUCH THING AS FRIDAY
Friday? Mate, didn't happen.
– Brendan Caldwell
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