Jurassic World Evolution 2 Will Have Bigger Maps Than the First Game

The idea of managing your own dino theme park is an inherently fascinating one, so of course Jurassic World Evolution was an excellent game. The fact that it's now also getting a sequel is certainly cause for excitement, especially seeing as it's promising to be a bigger, better, and more refined experience than the first game in several ways. Not only does that mean more dinosaurs to play around with, but also more space to put them in.

Speaking with Game Informer, game director Richard Newbold confirmed that, as you'd expect, Jurassic World Evolution 2 is going to have larger maps than its predecessor. Not only does that mean being able to put more dinos in your park, it also means having to keep territorial elements in mind, and keeping an eye on the behaviours and interactions between species that will bring with it.

"All of the maps the player has access to are a lot bigger than the first game," Newbold said. "There's a lot more space available to build and place as many dinosaurs as possible. With changes to the territory system, they're going to need a lot more space in some instances, especially since there's a direct conflict between some species. It's not as easy to put as many dinosaurs in the same space. There's a lot more balance that needs to be done."

Of course, there's also the fact that since, unlike the first game, Jurassic World Evolution 2 isn't restricted to the set of five islands known as Las Cinco Muertes but the outside world itself, players can also expect more environmental diversity, such as deserts, forests, and more.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is due out for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC later this year.

Xbox Hires Portal Developer Kim Swift to Oversee Development of "Cloud-Native Games"

Microsoft is all in on cloud technology at this point, and as that continues to grow, it's going to become more and more integrated with game development. The potential of the sort of scale that games developed using the cloud can exhibit is exciting, and it seems like that's something Xbox has its eyes on.

Microsoft have recruited Kim Swift as a senior director in the Xbox Cloud Gaming team. Swift is going to "build a team focused on new experiences in the cloud", Xbox Game Studios publishing head Peter Wyse told Polygon. Wyse says that is "something that's going to support our mission of bringing our Xbox games to connect 3 billion gamers to play our games."

Swift has previously served as lead designer on Portal, following which she was a designer on Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2. She has also had a stint in EA Motive, where she worked on Star Wars Battlefront 2's single player campaign. Most recently, she was a game design director at Stadia.

In a report on GamesBeat, journalist Jeff Grubb claims that if the rumoured Hideo Kojima-Xbox deal goes through, Swift's role will also include collaboration with Kojima Productions for their cloud-native game.

Sonic 2022 Will Lay the Foundation for Series' Future Like Sonic Adventure Did, Sonic Team Boss Hopes

A couple of months ago, Sega officially unveiled (or at least teased) the next mainline Sonic game, due out some time in 2022, and so far, it certainly seems like it's shaping up to be an ambitious entry in the series- at least if recent leaks are anything to go by. And its developers are hoping that it's going to help define what future Sonic games are going to look like just the way Sonic Adventure did when it launched for the Dreamcast in 1998.

Speaking with Sonic Stadium, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka said that he's hoping Sonic 2022 will lay down new foundations for the series, and that that's something the development team has challenged itself with.

"Sonic Adventure laid the foundation for 20 years of Sonic titles after its release, so in the same way I really hope that this new title releasing in 2022 lays the foundation for the following future Sonic titles – that is the idea behind the challenge for the team," he said.

Though Iizuka give details on the game since it is still in the middle of development, he did say that the developers are attempting to create something "new and challenging."

"Since this title is still mid-development there is nothing I can speak to, but I did want to say that the development team has been spending their time to do something new and challenging," Iizuka said. "Through a lot of trial and error the team is looking to present to everyone a new Sonic game, and I hope your warm support of their work can motivate them to really deliver against that challenge."

Sonic's next game is due out some time in 2022 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, though no other details are known about the game right now. There's still plenty more upcoming Sonic content for series fans to look forward to though, with the Sonic Origins collection and Sonic Colors Ultimate.

Far Cry 6 Narrative Director Talks About the Inspiration Behind Yara

Far Cry 6's open world is promising to be one of the series' best ever, not only because of its size or environmental variety, but also because, from a narrative perspective, it's shaping up to be quite a fascinating setting. Narrative director Navid Khavari has spoken about how the fictional island nation of Yara takes inspiration from Cuba and its political strife, and in a new clip uploaded by the official Far Cry Twitter, Khavari elaborates on that a little bit more.

In addition to speaking about Yara's inspiration of Cuba, Khavari also speaks about the process of the development team's research into Cuba in an attempt to make Yara feel as real and authentic as possible. He also discusses how Yara, cut off from the outside world, is "frozen in time", and how that isolation is going to bleed into the gameplay as well, encouraging players to improvise and use what they have at their disposal rather than relying on technology. Check it out below.

Far Cry 6 is out for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… Crosses 1 Million Shipments and Digital Sales

Though series creator Yoko Taro didn't think it'd sell all that well, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… has crossed one million in shipments and digital sales. It released on April 23rd for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, serving as remake for the PS3 classic released in April 2010.

As for NieR: Automata, which first launched in February 2017 for PS4 before coming to PC and Xbox One, it's passed six million units in shipments and digital sales. Its last major milestone was in February 2021 when it sold over 5.5 million units worldwide. The title has received tons of critical acclaim since its release – check out our review here to see what makes it special.

As for what's next, there's NieR Re[in]carnation, a mobile RPG developed by Aplibot. It takes place in the same universe but within a location called The Cage as a young girl searches for her memories. Currently available in Japan, it's had over 10 million downloads thus far. An English release is planned but there's currently no date for the same.

Judgment May be Coming to Xbox Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass has quickly become a fantastic option for fans to binge the Yakuza series. It includes all of the games in the series and even received Yakuza: Like a Dragon last week at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. The spin-off Judgment has been missing but that could be rectified if a recent series of tweets is any indication.

The official Game Pass Twitter recently tweeted an image with the names of 280 characters. In a follow-up image, it had Takayuki Yagami's name crossed out with the words "Oopsie woopsie." Yagami, of course, is the protagonist of Judgment and this image could have been indicating characters from all of the games available on Game Pass. Crossing out the name could mean that his game isn't actually on the service…for now, at least.

This is all just conjecture but this isn't the first time that the Xbox Game Pass Twitter has done these kinds of teases (see DOOM Eternal and Control). If Judgment does come to the service, it would have to be the "remastered" port which recently released for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Stadia. Check out our review for it here.

In the meantime, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio is working on Lost Judgment which releases on September 24th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PS5.

Tekken X Street Fighter is Actually Not Dead

While Tekken X Street Fighter is nowhere close to being done about 11 years after its initial announcement, it's not necessarily cancelled either. Though Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada was reported to have said this on the recent Harada's Bar, he later clarified that it was a "subtitle problem." In a subsequent TwitLonger, he clarified that 30 percent of the development "was in progress, but now it is still pending".

Another part which translated to "Project died" actually meant "be shelved" or "put in storage." While Harada says that the status of the project isn't different from his last update, he admits that this isn't necessarily a nice thing. "We are still hopeful that Tekken X Street Fighter will resume development when the opportunity arises. However, such a title cannot be moved just for the convenience of one company in terms of marketing and branding, and it also affects each other's development resources. For now, we are just waiting for the right opportunity."

Back in 2019, Harada said that Tekken X Street Fighter was becoming harder to justify. The success of Tekken 7, which has sold seven million copies as of March 2021, is no doubt a factor and it continues to receive new DLC characters and stages. There's also Capcom's involvement and given how the company has other things going on (like the rumored Street Fighter 6), it may be a while before the fated crossover ever happens.

Nevertheless, it isn't dead so there is some hope. Stay tuned in the coming months and/or years to see if that ever materializes into something.

Phantom Abyss is Now Available in Early Access

Team WIBY's asynchronous multiplayer title Phantom Abyss, which sees adventurers navigating procedurally generated temples full of traps, is out now on PC via Steam Early Access. Aside form its first person parkour and branching paths, the main hook is being able to see phantoms of other players who tried and failed. Check out the launch trailer below.

Another interesting feature is that players only get one attempt at a temple. The one who find the legendary relic will be immortalized and the sole holder of it. At present, Phantom Abyss has three out of five zones that are fully developed. Each contains a unique number of traps, rooms and other twists to keep players coming back.

More rooms, traps, whips, gameplay features and so on will be added over time though. The title will be in early access for at least a year with the developer listening to fan feedback so it should be interesting to see how it evolves over time. Stay tuned for more details until then.

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, Dark Fantasy Metroidvania, Gets Launch Trailer

We're hearing a lot of talk about Metroid lately; it's understandable: Metroid Dread looks great and Metroid Prime 4 is allegedly in development and will eventually release. If you absolutely can't wait to get your hands on a Metroidvania title, however, or you're looking for a really cool dark fantasy game, you might want to check out Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, which got a launch trailer today.

The game has been ion Early Access on Steam for a year, and it was quite good then. The full release will feature five new areas to explore over the Early Access version. In Ender Lilies, players will "awaken in a cathedral, fight your way past the horrors lying in wait within, and step out into a cursed rain devastating the kingdom of Land's End. Guide priestess Lily safely past the blighted undead, formerly happy residents of her homeland, on a quest to find the source of the rain of death and end it once and for all."

Players will be able to exorcise bosses and wield their powers as friendly spirits, mix and matching their spirits to create a suite of skills that suits their needs. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights will release tomorrow, June 22nd, on Nintendo Switch, and is out now on PC, for $24.99.

You can watch the game's launch trailer here:

Dead Space is the EA IP In Line for a Revival – Rumor

A couple of days ago, we reported that EA was going to announce the revival of one of its established IPs. The news came courtesy of GamesBeat journalist Jeff Grubb and was initially spotted by VGC. While Grubb was short on details, fans naturally assumed from the few details he did drop that the franchise in question would likely be Dead Space.

Now, however, that rumor is looking more and more like a fact. Eurogamer confirmed that they've heard similar information in a report earlier today, saying Grubb's report "tallies with information [Eurogamer has] heard." Gematsu also confirmed the news independently, saying "Gematsu has also separately heard that a Dead Space revival is in the works at Motive, which is said to be a reimagining rather than a sequel to the existing trilogy."

A revival makes more sense than a sequel, especially if you've played Dead Space 3, which ends the series rather definitively. EA Motive was behind last year's excellent Star Wars: Squadrons and helped develop Star Wars: Battlefront 2, so the studio knows its way around a sci-fi universe. Hopefully, if they are taking on Dead Space, they'll do it well.