The Plucky Squire stars a 2D sword-slashing protagonist so plucky he busts out of his storybook confines and into the fully 3D world of a kid’s bedroom. You’ll then spend your time hopping between these various planes on a grand, cartoon adventure.

It now has a release date: September 17th.

The Plucky Squire’s release date trailer.Watch on YouTube

Plucky Squire is from Jonathan Biddle, one of the makers of 2018’s Sword Of Ditto, a game of many splendid ideas but mixed execution. Sounds like the perfect person to get a second swing at something. This time, Biddle has co-founded new studio All Possible Futures with former Game Freak artist James Turner and they’re partnered again with Ditto publisher Devolver Digital.

Plucky Squire also made it onto our list of the most anticipated games of 2024.

I think you can look at the trailer above and go, cor, yeah, that’ll be anticipated because of the art, the animation, the energy and all that, but no. I think it’s because it’s coherent. A 2D guy who pops into a 3D world? Seen it, done it. A storybook guy who pops into the world external to the book? That’s ludonarrative cohesion, bud, and we games journalists can’t get enough of it. We’ll slash some Zelda enemies with a sword until we’re dusty skeletons if it’s hung inside some sort of clever-clever context.

What’s that? You think I’m already a dusty skeleton? No argument here. I hope The Plucky Squire is as joyful to play as it is to look at when it launches in a month’s time.

I am forever looking for a game to replace Transport Tycoon (or OpenTTD) in my affections. I know there are several railway management sims kicking around Steam, but I haven’t found the one that does it for me yet. Could it be Railroad Corporation 2? It’s a train tycoon game in which you lay tracks through the early 20th century, and it’s launching in Early Access on September 9th.

Railroad Corporation 2 release date trailer.Watch on YouTube

If you’ve ever played any of these games, you know what do. You build a choo-choo empire as you lay tracks, buy trains, hire staff, and seek to effeciently transport goods between various towns and trade depots. Railroad Corporation 2 then adds an extra wrinkle with its turn-of-the-century setting, in which you must continue to upgrade your stock to stay ahead of your competition as electrification revolutionises the railway.

Expansion means more than just laying more tracks in front of your moving train, but also growing the cities you’re ferrying goods between by building factories, hospitals, banks, and power plants to supply your infrastructure.

There’s not a lot of detail about its planned Early Access journey on its Steam page, but the announcement does say it’ll be polished and expanded “over the course of the year”. At launch it’ll include four campaign missions, and online multiplayer with up to four players in either co-op or versus modes.

I confess, the first Railroad Corporation passed me by in 2019, but it has a respectable rating from user reviews on Steam. Hopefully the sequel doesn’t need bricking up in a tunnel like a naughty engine.

Perennial spender turned layoff merchant Embracer Group says its plan to transform into three standalone businesses is on track, but feels there’s room for improvement in some areas.

In its fiscal report for the first quarter ended June 30, 2024, the Swedish conglomerate indicated it must improve profitability within its PC / Console Games segment by focusing on its “own and controlled key IPs, which typically have better unit economics.” That comes with net sales in the unit decreasing by 34 percent year-over-year to SEK 2.65 billion ($253.2 million).

Elsewhere, Mobile Games net sales decreased by 3 percent to SEK 1.39 billion. Tabletop Games net sales fell by 5 percent to SEK 3.04 billion, and Entertainment & Services net sales tumbled by 54 percent to SEK 848 million.

Combined, those downturns resulted in consolidated net sales falling by 24 percent to SEK 7.9 billion ($754.8 million) across Q1. Adjusted EBIT totaled SEK 0.8 billion ($76.4 million). Pro forma net debt stands at SEK 14.3 billion ($1.36 billion).

Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors said performance is “in line with management expectations,” and highlighted “growing profitability year-on-year in both the Mobile and Tabletop segments.” He claimed performance was “softer” in PC / Console and Entertainment & Services due to “lower release activity.”

“Due to a lack of notable new releases and a tough comparison from the successful release of Dead Island 2 in the corresponding quarter last year, the organic growth in the PC/Console Games segment was -30 percent in the quarter,” he added.

“Excluding the release of Dead Island 2 in the comparison quarter, the organic growth was 15 percent in Q1. The 5 percent adjusted EBIT margin is impacted by amortization of releases with low ROI from the past 24 months. The new content that came out for Deep Rock Galactic, Remnant II and Dead Island 2 performed well in line with management expectations.”

Embracer is still attempting to steady the ship after enacting a colossal restructuring program that resulted in studio closures and divestments, project cancellations, and mass layoffs. Highlighting the scale of that upheaval, the number of game projects in development has dropped to 127 from 215 in the space of 12 months. The company’s total headcount has also fallen to 10,844 employees from 16,605 employees over the past year.

Looking ahead, Wingefors said he remains “confident” in Embracer’s release pipeline for the financial year, and indicated the company will be able to deliver higher quality titles thanks to an “updated capital allocation process” that will enable “new and continued investment.”

“We are confident in our pipeline for the financial year, and still expect the value of completed game development for the year to be around SEK 3.9 billion. Our teams are committed to making and delivering better games,” continued Wingefors.

“Our highly anticipated game Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, is now confirmed for global release on February 11, 2025, which we believe enables some final polish and a better release window. We look very much forward to Gamescom next week to share more details about this game and other titles.”

The mountain biking of Lonely Mountains: Downhill was sometimes a relaxing ride down gentle slopes, and at other times a hairy hurtle down declivitous cliffs. Alongside the likes of the Descenders and Riders Republic, it offered a more laid-back game, open to furious time trialling but always remembering to let you stop and appreciate the view. Both the stakes and the poly count were low. Happy news then, that it is getting a snowy sequel. In Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders you’ll be swapping your bike for a pair of skis, and you’ll be able to barrel down the mountainside with friends in co-op.

Watch on YouTube

That looks just right. I seem to remember the camera in the first game always following the action from the front, but it looks like this time the view will sometimes let you look ahead. Probably for the best. I’ve broken enough bones in life already, thank you.

“Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is a game about skiing down gorgeous mountain vistas. Slice through deep snow, skitter over ice lakes, and leap into the air in spectacular jumps,” say developers Megagon Industries on the Steam page. The other big change is that the game will allow for up to 8 players to race one another online, or tackle a mountain together in a chill-sounding co-op mode, “adding save points as you go”.

That latter feature sounds quite tranquil. At least one screenshot shows eight players sitting together on the snowy banks of a cold lake, which suggests the hidden “resting places” of the original game are returning. As much as I enjoy a good racing game, it’d be sweet to stop and enjoy these vistas with pals. It may also make Alice O happy – she thought these resting spots were pretty darn pleasant.

“Yet the greatest reward of exploration isn’t speed, it’s outright stopping,” she said as part of her tour of cycling games. “At hidden ‘resting places’, you can press Y to have your character dismount for a nice sit-down. They pick somewhere scenic to stretch their legs, shake out their arms, and take in the view. It is wonderful.”

An exact release date hasn’t been shared yet, but Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is due out sometime in 2024, we’re told.

Newsletter platform and indie advocate Pantaloon is paying it forward to other indie studios with a free platform to help those interested in self-publishing.

The titular hub includes brand plans and guidelines, templates for press releases and pitch decks, and a campaign roadmap. Per Pantaloon, the hub will be updated with new resources on a monthly basis.

Indie teams have been no stranger to helping each other, but that typically takes the form of a publishing label for teams in a similar position. For those wanting to self-publish (either by necessity or choice), Pantaloon’s hub will be invaluable.

Pantaloon seeks to “expose as much of the publishing machine as possible”

Founder Jamin Smith noted that with the industry’s “fraught year,” self-publishing may be more likely for among smaller teams. “We want to expose as much of the publishing machine as possible and connect developers with tools and services that can help,” he explained.

“Even for studios that are looking to pursue a publisher—for funding or any other reason—we hope to offer the knowledge and confidence required to be an active partner on the commercial side of the fence.”

Pantaloon’s Publishing Hub can be accessed here, completely for free.

Mad Crusader will spend the next two years investing $30 million in double-A games, the transmedia company revealed.

Spread across four investment rounds, the money will go specifically toward concepts made by the first 10 graduates from its World Builders incubation program. The funding will help those concepts grow into “commercial products with franchise potential.”

In other words, if a developer thinks its project has what it takes to grow beyond games, as so many others have done recently, Mad Crusader wants to help get it off the ground.

The original (and remote) online program ran from October 2023 to this past May. Graduates and investors maintain an equity stake in the product, along with an equity share in Mad Crusader’s game development holding.

In that same press release, the company revealed its second incubation round will start up on October 21, and will once again span eight months.

Per founder and CEO Yarr Rash, the incubaton program “democratizes IP creation” and addresses the larger risk-averse mentality across the entertainment industry.

“Our program…taps into the vast creative potential of talents worldwide who may not have access to traditional educational or industry pathways.”

In greater detail, the program features a curriculum on franchise development, a focus on making IP transmedia-ready, and fundraising and production vetting as post-program support.

Interested parties can apply to join the program here at no cost.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s release is bringing change to the larger franchise by letting players dictate what they download from the games.

In a new blog on the series’ website, the developers revealed players will be able to remove Call of Duty: Warzone from the download of yearly entries. This change will go into effect next Wednesday, August 21.

Previous Call of Duty games have become infamous for their large file sizes at launch, which grow further during their individual lifecycles. Much of that can be placed on the free-to-play battle royale, whose updates change with each new game.

In separating Warzone from the annual game, Call of Duty will be treated like a service platform akin to Jackbox’s recent unified library or eventually Assassin’s Creed Infinity.

“When you purchase an annual title, you will only download the files for that game by default,” wrote the Call of Duty team. “We want to give players the choice to download each Call of Duty, including Warzone, when and how they wish.”

If a player wants to download it along with their annual game, that option remains, or they can download it separately at any point they choose.

Call of Duty is deploying some quality of life updates

In other changes, a new user interface is launching in mid-October ahead of Black Ops 6. Both Warzone and the most recent annual game will be featured on the front page for “ease of access,” while previous or last played games will be displayed in the player’s in-franchise library.

Putting the games in a central location is beneficial in multiple ways, said the CoD team. Along with giving Warzone a permanent home and helping players switch games faster, it slims down file sizes and addresses earlier “technology and content management challenges.”

“Our goal is to provide a place where players can come in and enjoy whatever Call of Duty experience they wish—download and play what you want, when you want.”

More information on Call of Duty’s changes, and how they’ll be implemented across various platforms, can be read here.

Minecraft’s Realms servers have been down for most of the past four days. Mojang’s official account for reporting service status updates noted that “intermittent failures or slowdowns” began on August 13th, and despite similarly intermittent reports of uptime in the days since, the servers remain inaccessible to most players today.

Realms is a paid subscription service that grants access to a private multiplayer server for Minecraft’s multiplatform Bedrock Edition. It lets between three and 10 players (depending on subscription tier) join the same Minecraft world, with the owner able to install mods from Minecraft’s paid marketplace.

“You may experience intermittent failures or slowdowns connecting to Realms. We are actively working to resolve this,” the Mojang Status account tweeted on Tuesday.

By Wednesday, the service was said to be “up and running”, albeit with some latency issues, according to the official account. Players in the replies disagreed, with hundreds noting that they were still unable to play. There were further statements that the team was continuing to work on the issues until yesterday, when Realms was declared to be “back up and running globally. It has been running healthy for more than the last hour. You should be able to see, manage, and play on your Realms again. Thank you again for patience as we worked through the issues.”

Within hours, another tweet noted that connectivity issues and latency had since increased again. That brings us up until this morning, around eleven hours ago, when Mojang confirmed they were “still hard at work to restore the service globally.”

I tried to connect a couple of hours ago to my own Realms account and it’s still down for me.

The connection issues seemingly began with the release of Minecraft update 1.21.20, which amended how Realms invite links work, as well as aiming to fix several Realms bugs and Minecraft bugs more generally, as per the patch notes. A second update, 1.21.21 was released the following day solely to improve “reliability of connecting to Realms.” I guess it didn’t work.

Minecraft is a true marvel, but the infrastructure that surrounds the Bedrock edition often feels like it’s held together by sticky tape and greed. I hate every second I have to spend managing my Realms account, and yet it’s a price I’m willing to pay so I can play Minecraft cross-platform with my kid. I’m less willing to pay the price of £6.69 a month for a Realms server that doesn’t work for days at a time, however.

Adam Boyes, longtime co-CEO of Iron Galaxy, has departed the Rumbleverse studio. Per the developer’s website, he’ll remain with the company until the end of the year. Chelsea Blasko will then take the reins as its sole CEO.

Boyes joined Iron Galaxy in 2016 after stints at Starbreeze, PlayStation, and Capcom. He noted he stayed “twice as long” here than his earlier jobs, which speaks to “[Iron Galaxy’s special culture and the outstanding people who work here.”

“I want to offer my sincerest thanks to the people who welcomed me to lead this company with them,” he continued. “Dave Lang, thank you for trusting me to push the boundaries of what Iron Galaxy could accomplish. Chelsea, thank you for teaching me so much about building a strong culture.”

As far as next steps are concerned, Boyes was cryptic, though he acknowledged the industry “suffering” in recent years. His new aim is to “find ways to help people who make games solve their biggest problems.”

In 2017, following his appointment as Iron Galaxy’s co-head, Boyes talked about the risks and rewards of finding funding for game projects. Financing remains one of the industry’s biggest issues.

“Iron Galaxy is the best place I have ever worked,” he concluded. “Our industry needs help more than ever before. You haven’t heard the last from me, and neither has IG.”

Longtime Quantic Dream writer Adam Williams has departed the studio after almost a decade. He already has his next job lined up: he’ll be starting his own independent, currently unrevealed studio.

“I’ve already been in touch with many of you guys at Quantic Dream and Lucasfilm, to thank you for everything on Detroit and Eclipse,” he wrote. “It’s been a great adventure.”

Williams joined in 2015, and served as the lead writer on Detroit: Become Human and Star Wars Eclipse. Quantic Dream was the only developer he worked at up to this point, having previously worked as a writer on UK television.

Regarding his new studio, Williams said it consists of “a group of very talented designers and developers. […] We’re working on something very innovative, very special and, for now, very secret.”

Questions remain about Star Wars Eclipse

He’s far from the first developer to leave a triple-A studio to start his own, but it is somewhat noteworthy in that he directly stated his departure and teased the new studio in one go.

With his leave, questions remain on the status of Eclipse, which was revealed in 2021. Quantic Dream has been quiet on the game since then, other than to reiterate last year that it “still exists.”