Butterfly Effect of the 'Until Dawn Remake,' 'Expedition 33' Previews, and the Last of 'The Last of Us?"
Another week of highs and lows in an industry of chaos
It was another week of highs and lows in an industry of chaos, but before I get to all of that, there’s a feel good story I’d love to share:
Virginia-based charity Alice’s Kids is covering the cost of prom tickets for around 800 students at six high schools affected by the January Eaton fire. Steve Carell of The Office fame presented the news to the Altadena and Pasadena students in a video message.
See, the world isn’t always awful.
Unless, of course, you’ve been following the gaming industry over the past year or so. Unfortunately, we do start this week’s gaming news roundup on a low note:
‘Until Dawn Remake’ Studio “Effectively Closed”
Anonymous sources claim that, after releasing the Until Dawn Remake, Ballistic Moon is “effectively closed.” Despite bug reports still being filed by players, Insider Gaming states that the studio has been reduced to a skeleton crew that likely won’t proceed with post-launch updates.
No official statement has been provided by Ballistic Moon.
‘The Last of Us Part 3’ Future Left Uncertain
Despite claiming to have a concept for a third entry in his The Last of Us series in a 2024 “Making Of…” documentary, Neil Druckmann recently squashed all hope. Speaking with Variety, Druckmann was quite blunt when asked about a Part III: “I guess the only thing I would say is don’t bet on there being more of Last of Us…”
During the 2024 The Game Awards, Naughty Dog revealed its newest IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. According to the developer, making the new space adventure required it to cancel development of its highly-anticipated The Last of Us Factions 2 stand-alone multiplayer game.
‘The Last of Us’ Getting Limited Edition DualSense Controller
It’s not all bad news for The Last of Us. Ahead of season 2 of the Max adaptation, Sony is releasing a limited edition DualSense controller. Pre-orders open March 14. The controller will officially launch on April 10, three days before fans reconnect with Joel and Ellie on TV.
‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ Delights in Hands-On Previews
Slated for release on April 24, Sandfall Interactive’s newest RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, was playable in a limited release early hands-on preview. Already praised for its stellar cast (which includes Charlie Cox, Andy Serkis, and Ben Starr of Final Fantasy 16 fame), Clair Obscur further excited players during the preview.
Outlets like But Why Tho?, Sportskeeda, Comics & Gaming Magazine, Noisy Pixel, and more spoke highly of their hands-on time with the turn-based RPG.
Xbox Leaker Confident in ‘Gears of War’ PS5 Collection, but Not PvP Multiplayer
The original Gears of War trilogy is the latest Microsoft game being rumored for a PS5 release, but all signs point toward one glaring omission.
Multiple sources, including eXtas1s and Windows Central Executive Editor Jez Corden, claim that a collection including Gears of War, Gears of War 2, and Gears of War 3 is slated for a PS5 release this summer. However, none of the three games are expected to come packaged with their revered competitive multiplayer modes. While co-op seems included, no one has been able to confirm (or even technically deny) that the classic multiplayer experience will be available.
According to MiddleAgedGamingGuy, sources from The Coalition development team have confirmed an August 2025 release date for the PS5 collection.
Even More Layoffs Under Sony’s Banner
Kotaku reported that Visual Arts, an in-house PlayStation studio, faced staffing cuts. The layoffs were reportedly tied to a canceled live-service game from Bend Studio and may still be part of the fallout from the disastrous release of Concord.
Just over a year ago, Sony Interactive Entertainment laid off 900 employees and closed London Studio, which worked primarily on SingStar and EyePet content.
‘Split Fiction’ Reviews
Looking for a new co-op multiplayer experience? Hazelight Studios, the developer behind A Way Out and the award-winning It Takes Two, released Split Fiction to heavy praise. The two-player adventure’s CriticDB rating is hovering around a healthy 90, with outlets delighted by the game’s heart and humor.
Split Fiction released on March 6 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
New Game Announcements & Trailers
Here are a few exciting announcement trailers you may have missed!