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Kena: Bridge of Spirits Delayed to September 21st

Less than a month before launch, Ember Lab has announced a delay for Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Instead of August 24th, it will now release on September 21st. On Twitter, the development team said it made the "difficult decision" in order to "polish the game across all platforms." "The team has been working extremely hard and we feel the extra time is critical to ensure the best experience possible."

Revealed last year, Kena: Bridge of Spirits was originally set to release during the Holiday 2020 season. It would be delayed to Q1 2021 and then delayed again to August 24th. This isn't the first major PlayStation title to see numerous delays though. Deathloop was first delayed to Q2 2021 before locking down a September release date while others like Horizon Forbidden West are still not fully committed to releasing this year. Then there are games like the next God of War and Gran Turismo 7 which were straight-up delayed to 2022 due to COVID-19-related issues in production.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is in development for PS4, PS5 and PC. A new trailer highlighted its DualSense functionality and the Deluxe Edition was also recently detailed here. Stay tuned for more information and updates en route to its new release date.

Hunter's Arena: Legends and Tennis World Tour 2 Free With PlayStation Plus in August

Next month's line-up of free titles for PlayStation Plus subscribers has finally been revealed. Leading the pack is Hunter's Arena: Legends from Mantisco, set in an age where hunters battle demons (and each other) for supremacy. The PvEv supports up to 30 players and involves venturing into dungeons to battle AI foes, gather loot and level up to overcome other hunters.

Hunter's Arena: Legends will be available for both PS4 and PS5 subscribers, which is a nice bonus given the pattern of PS5-exclusive titles on the service for the past few months. Other free games include Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, an online shooter based on the Plants vs. Zombies franchise. Choose from 20 different classes and either challenge other players in competitive Arena battles or face hordes of enemies in PvE modes.

Nacon's Tennis World Tour 2 is the third free game in August and sees players partaking in tennis battles. Either create your own character or choose a pro. Compete in Casual and Ranked games to climb the rankings or simply take on friends in local and online matches. There's even a Career Mode for building up your own team, gathering staff and sponsors to find success in the world of pro tennis.

All of these titles will be available from the PlayStation Store on August 3rd.

Digimon Survive Delayed to Q3 2022

Bandai Namco's Digimon Survive has suffered yet another delay. Originally planned for 2020 and then for 2021, it's now slated for Q3 "and Beyond" in fiscal year 2022 according to TOEI Animation's most recent financial report.

Developed by Witchcraft, Digimon Survive is described as a survival tactical RPG. It features many of the same tenets as other Digimon titles like battles and Digivolutions. However, it focuses more on decision-making and story-telling with different paths to take and multiple endings to unlock. Along with battles, you also have "Drama Parts" which effectively serve to narrate the story while "Free Action" offers a limited amount of time to go anywhere and converse with NPCs.

It all sounds Persona-ish but the fact that characters can live or die based on your decisions gives it a bit more spice. Digimon Survive is in development for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Monark – Exploration, Combat and Event Systems Outlined in New Gameplay

Lancarse's Monark has received an extensive new gameplay video, narrated by Madoka Asahina (who voices Chiyo Aikawa in-game). It details the circumstances surrounding Shin Mikado Academy, which has been assailed by an otherworldly Mist and the powers that Pactbearers must manifest to fight back. Check it out below.

As the wielder of the Authority of Vanity, the player – along with four other characters – forms the True Student Council to combat the Mist. Exploring the Mist can be dangerous though as it causes your MAD Gauge to increase (in-battle, this causes your character to go berserk). Along with other humans, the player also commands different Fiends, much like Shin Megami Tensei.

By experiencing different events and exploring, one can strengthen their seven desires, causing the Fiends to become stronger. Monark is currently slated to release on October 14th for PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch in Japan. It releases in early 2022 for the West which will also receive a PC version via Steam. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition – Summer Update Stream Set for August 3rd

Season 5 of Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition is currently ongoing but it's easy to forget given that the last character Rose released in April. Thankfully, Capcom has announced a Summer Update livestream for August 3rd at 3 PM PT/6 PM ET. It will offer over an hour of new details, including for Season 5's remaining DLC characters Oro and Akira.

Oro has already been showcased and possesses a number of new moves and skills. For instance, he can bounce a fireball off the floor using the V-Skill "Onibi" while "Minomoushi" is a short hop that can be chained into other moves. Given that Oro was slated for this Summer, it's likely he could release in August itself.

Akira Kazama, the beloved Rival Schools character, is another case altogether. We've seen some of her moves including the famous float-over kick and aerial combos along with a V-Trigger that summons Daigo to attack foes. It's possible she arrives in early September, sneaking in just before the Summer period is over. We'll have to wait for more details so stay tuned in the meantime.

https://twitter.com/StreetFighter/status/1420384085302730753

Valve Changes Steam Deck Availability Dates, Base Model Expected To Arrive After Q2 2022

Valve has seemingly changed the availability date for its newly-announced Steam Deck on its official website. Earlier, a three-month period was given for reservations, which has now been changed to as far as after Q2 2022. Originally reported by PCGamer, this might be a cause of concern for fans wanting to get their hands on the handheld.

The use of vague terms such as 'After Q2 2022' raises some suspicion, as availability could be pushed to Q3 2022 or even Q4 for that matter. A point to note here is that this applies only to the base model, while the higher end variants still have a Q2 2022 availability date on the website.

The Steam Deck was sold out in mere minutes, particularly since getting into PC gaming has become incredibly difficult with GPU prices being sky-high due to shortages and scalping. We recently did a comparison between Valve's new handheld and next-gen consoles, read more on that through here.

SIE CEO Jim Ryan Feels Sorry For Not Being Able To Meet PS5 Demands

In a recent interview with Reuters, SIE CEO Jim Ryan expresses his feelings about the global PS5 shortage. During the interview, Jim told that while Sony is actively working to resolve supply issues, there seems to be no end to this shortage anytime soon.

The global chip shortage and widespread scalping have made getting a PS5 extremely tough since launch, and unprecedented demand for the console means that it won't likely end soon. A redesigned PS5 a short while before, which is quite a bit lighter than the launch version – although there aren't any internal swaps this time.

Sony recently announced that the PS5 has sold 10 million units, making it the fastest selling console in the company's history. While Jim seems to be apologetic towards fans for not being able to fufill their needs, having unprecendented demand for a product is funnily enough, one of the best problems any company could have.

"We've built more PlayStations faster than we ever have before which makes me happy. But on the other hand, we're some time from being able to meet all the demand that's out there, which makes me feel bad."

Future Halo Infinite Betas To Be Larger In Scope, 343 Industries Confirms

Invitations for Halo Infinite's first beta have been sent out to a number of people, and obviously enough – a large portion of registered users didn't get the invites. This has caused a lot of ruckus amongst fans online, and 343 Industries' community director Brian Jarrard took to a Twitter as a result to ensure fans about future betas.

In addition to outlining the selection process for the first beta which is dependent on a number of factors, Brian Jarrard ensured fans that there are a number of future betas already planned out, which will be a lot larger in scope and by extension, more inclusive.

The first Halo Infinite flight will run from July 29 to August 1. To register for future flights, interested fans should register for the Halo Insider program. To have a higher chance of success, it's advisable to have a verified profile by giving all required information.

Former Naughty Dog, Bungie, Infinity Ward Devs Establish New AAA Studio, That's No Moon

Veteran developers from across several notable studios in the industry have joined up to establish a new studio called That's No Moon, a reference that Star Wars fans will enjoy. As GamesIndustry reports, That's No Moon has secured a $100 million investment from South Korean developer Smilegate, which is known for the Crossfire series.

That's No Moon's first game is going to be a story-driven action-adventure title, and is going to be led by the directorial duo of Taylor Kurosaki and Jacob Minkoff, both of whom recently left Infinity Ward. Prior to that, both developers worked on The Last of Us at Naughty Dog.

The studio describes itself as "the intersections of games, film, and TV", and will have developers based in both Los Angeles and San Diego, with plans currently in place to grow to a size of 100 employees by next year.

Michael Mumbauer serves as the studio's CEO, and was previously head of PlayStation's Visual Arts Group (who were reportedly working on a remake of The Last of Us, before the project was handed off to Naughty Dog instead). Mambauer says: "We started That's No Moon with a singular vision of creating unforgettable stories and characters that will define and extend beyond our medium. I'm proud to share that ambition with such a talented team of creators and our incredible partners at Smilegate."

Other notable staffers at That's No Moon include chief strategy officer Tina Kowalewski (who was previously the director of product development at SIE Santa Monica Studio), Nick Kononelos as the COO (formerly the senior development director at EA), Barry Genova a CTO (formerly the foundation engineering lead at Bungie), and George Allison as CFO (formerly the head of finance for the Global Services Division at PlayStation).

Mortal Shell: The Virtuous Cycle DLC Releases on August 18th, New Shell and Weapon Detailed

Cold Symmetry and Playstack have confirmed that Mortal Shell's The Virtuous Cycle will release on August 18th. The paid DLC released on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC via the Epic Games Store and Steam (which is the same day that base game arrives on the platform). Check out the new weapon and Shell below.

The new Shell is called Hadern and has numerous abilities ranging from mastery of daggers to a damage absorption technique. It will be playable in both the base campaign and the DLC. The newest weapon is the Axatana which can function either as a heavy axe or a pair of katana, each possessing unique moves.

But that's not all. The Virtuous Cycle also introduces a new roguelike mode which sees players venturing through a randomly generated world. With over 100 upgrades to earn, including new weapon enhancements and moves, the mode promises lots of replay value for fans. For more details on the base game, check out our review here.