Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books Gets a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
- GDC Awards: All the Winners from 1996 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins “Game of the Year” at 2025-2026 GDC Awards
- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- We Pitched a Museum a 1993 Game Hint Line (And They Actually Said Yes) – Yarn Spinner (2026)
- The History Of The Word “Metroidvania” And How It Spread – A Critical Hit (2025)
- Creator of Hit Game Shovel Knight Is at a ‘Make or Break’ Moment – Bloomberg (2025)
- Shadow of the Colossus: An oral history – Design Room (2025)
- In 2005, games started rewiring our brains – The AV Club (2025)
Most Recent: Switch
Nintendo will unveil launch date, games lineup, and price for Switch on January 12
We got our first look at Nintendo’s Switch last week, but most facets of the hybrid console/handheld, which is scheduled to launch in March 2017, are still shrouded in a thick fog of mysteriousness. At the time, the consolemaker said we’d have to wait until Early 2017 to learn more details about the launch lineup and system specs, but late last night they put an exact date on the Switch’s full unveiling… so mark your calendars.
On January 12, Nintendo will host the “Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017,” a livestream dedicated to revealing “the launch date and pricing for Nintendo Switch, as well as a look at the lineup of games currently in development.” The exact time of the livestream will be announced soon.
Nintendo also confirmed that a series of public demos for the Switch will take place sometime between January 12 and its March launch in the US and Europe. We don’t know where or when these demo events will take place yet, but more details will be announced at a later date.
It’s happening, people! This is not a drill!
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Nintendo Switch Presentation
Monster Boy announced for Nintendo Switch; Oceanhorn likely in development as well
Monster Boy, a spiritual successor to the 80s-era platformer Wonder Boy, is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One at FDG Entertainment. Today, the developer tweeted that the game will also be available for the Nintendo Switch.
This is likely the second game that FDG has in development for the Switch, as they previously confirmed in a press release that Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas will soon launch for “a Nintendo console.” That’s a curiously vague way to put it if you’re talking about the Wii U, but it’s appropriately secretive if they were referring to Nintendo’s (then unannounced) Switch console.
We’ve learned a lot about the Nintendo Switch’s potential games lineup since its reveal last week, and it’s nice to have two new titles to add to the next update to The Big List of Nintendo Switch Games.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas
Nintendo Switch won’t offer “second screen” option, but will support Amiibos
A Nintendo spokesman recently told The Wall Street Journal that we’ll learn more about the Switch in 2017, he also confirmed that the consolemaker still has a few more tricks up their sleeve. “We haven’t shown everything,” the spokesman said, and other media relations folks from Nintendo shared a few of those details this weekend.
First, the company told IGN that Amiibo figures will be supported by the Switch. Nintendo’s “toys-to-life” line has been incredibly successful, and it makes sense they’d want to continue it on the Switch:
“If a Nintendo Switch game supports amiibo then the Nintendo Switch home gaming system will as well,” a Nintendo representative told IGN.
Later in the same statement, Nintendo also confirmed that the Switch Dock won’t provide any additional processing power for the console:
Nintendo continued: “The dock is not the main console unit of Nintendo Switch. The main unit of Nintendo Switch is the unit that has the LCD screen, which the two Joy-Con controllers can be attached to and detached from. The main function of the Nintendo Switch Dock is to provide an output to the TV, as well as charging and providing power to the system.”
That’s a bit disappointing, as is the news that the Switch will drop the “second screen” options for displaying maps or menu screens included in many Wii U games. Speaking to Polygon, a Nintendo spokesman had this to say:
“Nintendo Switch is dedicated to deliver a single-screen experience, on whatever screen you might choose,” Nintendo officials told Polygon when asked if the popular Wii U feature would be included in the Switch.
There’s still so much we don’t know about the Switch (like whether or not it’ll include a touchscreen), but Nintendo did answer three big questions about the console this weekend, and after almost two years of silence, that’s gotta count for something.
Even though Skyrim and NBA 2K17 appeared in Nintendo’s Switch trailer, they haven’t officially been announced yet
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and NBA 2K17 both played a huge role in the “First Glimpse” trailer for the Nintendo Switch. In addition to showcasing two games that are extremely popular with players around the world, the two games proved that Nintendo was taking significant steps towards expanding the third-party offerings of their next console.
But hold on a second, it seems that Bethesda and 2K can’t yet confirm that Skyrim and NBA 2K17 will be available for the Switch.
In nearly identical statements to Polygon, both publishers said they were “happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Nintendo” and “[weren’t] confirming any specific titles at this time”:
However, when contacted by Polygon, representatives for both 2K Sports and Bethesda declined to confirm whether their respective games were in development for Nintendo’s new console. The two publishers sent remarkably similar statements, too, telling Polygon they were “happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Nintendo” on the trailer. Both companies added, “While we are not confirming any specific titles at this time, we are pleased to announce our partnership with Nintendo and support of Nintendo Switch.”
Nintendo likely had a hand in helping craft their statement to the media, but then why oh why were Ubisoft (Just Dance 2017) and Sega (Project Sonic) allowed to announce projects for the Switch (nee NX) earlier this year?
The answer to that probably lies in a statement a Nintendo spokesman made to The Wall Street Journal after the reveal. He said the consolemaker won’t make any new announcements about possible games for the Switch or reveal specific hardware details until 2017. That said, I think Skyrim and NBA 2K17 will definitely both eventually make their way to the Switch. It would be an incredibly terrible PR move to showcase both games in the console’s reveal trailer and then hope fans just forget about them over the next five months.
The Nintendo Switch doesn’t currently have a release date, but it is expected to be released next March.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged NBA 2K18, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Voice actor strike reveals unannounced games like Lego Marvel 2, Brothers in Arms, more
SAG-AFTRA, a union representing voice actors and stunt performers, authorized a strike against game developers that began this morning. As part of the process, the union has published a list of projects that members are no longer allowed to work on, and it includes several unannounced games.
It wasn’t much of a shock to learn that EA Sports is already hard at work on Madden NFL 18 and NHL 18, but listings for Lego Marvel 2 and Brothers in Arms were a bit more surprising (though not unexpected). While WB Games has yet to make any noise about a new Lego Marvel game, Gearbox confirmed the existence of a fourth Brothers in Arms game last year.
A large number of mobile games also make up a large part of the list, as well as a few games that are denoted only by codenames. For example, Take-Two is working on something called “Alligator,” while EA is developing games under monikers as diverse as “Odin,” “Fearless,” “Scorpion,” and “Timbits.” We may never know what these codenames refer to (they may even belong to games that have already been released), but one of the union’s major demands is for developers to be more transparent during the hiring process and to use a game’s actual title when contracting with vocal/stunt performers.
Finally, several highly-anticipated 2017 titles will be affected by the strike including Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, Injustice 2, and Crash Bandicoot Remastered. So hopefully the two sides can reach an equitable agreement soon.
UPDATE: A representative from WB Games has informed us that the inclusion of “Lego Marvel 2” in the SAG-AFTRA strike list is actually a reference to Lego Avengers, which was released earlier this year. However, Lego Avengers was announced in January 2015, several weeks before the union’s deadline for projects that must be part of the picket line.
I’m not sure why it was included on the list (it’s possible the union goofed), but the official line from WB Games is that “Lego Marvel 2” is definitely not a reference to “Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2” or any other unannounced game. That said, I’d be very surprised if WB Games isn’t working on another Lego Marvel game, and we’ll likely hear more about “Lego Marvel 2” in the future.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Brothers in Arms 4, Crash Bandicoot, Injustice 2, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, Madden NFL 18, NHL 18
Voice actors represented by SAG-AFTRA union go on strike against game developers
Negotiations between game developers and the voice actors and stunt performers represented by the SAG-AFTRA union began in February 2015, but after more than 18 months of discussions, the two sides appear no closer to an agreement. Because of the impasse, and to protest against a contract they believe is decades out of date, the members of the union went on strike this morning.
“SAG-AFTRA has gone to the negotiations table with serious concerns affecting voiceover and stunt performers,” said Ray Rodriguez, the Chief Contracts Officer for SAG-AFTRA. “It’s time for video game employers to take our concerns seriously and negotiate a modern contract based on actor safety, industry precedent and best practices.”
This strike won’t affect all developers, and currently only applies to games that went into production after February 17, 2015 at Activision, Electronic Arts, Insomniac Games, Take-Two Interactive, and WB Games. However, the strike also extends to several independent vocal production studios that do a lot of contract work with the big publishers.
The game developers are offering an immediate 9% salary hike for all performers, and “additional compensation” depending on the number of recording sessions. However, the union’s demands for better working conditions went unmentioned in a statement from the Chief Negotiator for the game developers.
The SAG-AFTRA union plans to push the game developers for a better deal over the next few weeks, and their first order of business is encouraging all members to join a picket line in front of EA’s headquarters this Monday, October 24.
The Big List of Nintendo Switch Games
It’s time to retire the “Big List of Nintendo NX Games” name and say hello to “The Big List of Nintendo Switch Games.” While I’m sure you’ve spent the last few hours analyzing and re-analyzing the “First Glimpse” trailer for Nintendo’s new console/handheld hybrid, let’s take a deeper look at some of the games we know are in development for the Switch, and some we suspect might be. (more…)
Developer behind SteamWorld series is developing a new game for the Nintendo Switch
Just when you thought the Nintendo Switch spiggot got turned off for the day, Image & Form has confirmed they’ve got a game in development for Nintendo’s next console. If you’re unfamiliar with Image & Form, they’re the developer behind the retro-styled side-scroller SteamWorld Dig and strategy game SteamWorld Heist.
Image & Form CEO Brjann Sigurgeirsson sat down with Nintendo Life today to talk a bit more about the project, which is still shrouded in mystery:
Nintendo Life: So, what game are you developing? We have to try and ask that!
Sigurgeirsson: Can’t comment on that, except it’s going to make a lot of people happy.
Nintendo Life: When did development start?
Sigurgeirsson: Earlier this year. It’s an idea we have had for quite a while and Switch will be the perfect platform for it.
Nintendo Life: What features of your game, and separately the NX hardware, are you most excited about?
Sigurgeirsson: I’m confident that Switch will be a hit for Nintendo, since they’re once again reinventing the gaming industry. As for our own game: it’s an Image & Form title, and it’s going to be our finest work to date. If you liked anything about our past games you’ll absolutely love it.
Sigurgeirsson and Community Manager Julius Guldbog also sat down to talk a little about their experience with the Switch in the latest episode of Image & Form’s behind-the-scenes video show, “The Engine Room.” You can find the video after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged SteamWorld Dig 2