Gamescom week is always one of the biggest on the calendar in the video game world, but shockingly, some of the biggest stories of the past seven days haven't been attached to the convention at all. Granted, a couple of the reveals made in Cologne have obviously made the cut, but PlayStation upping its prices and the Amazon/EA acquisition rumour was entirely unrelated. All of that, some big Gamescom reveals, and plenty more below as we recap the biggest stories from the past week in video games.
Amazon's Potential EA Acquisition
In a moment reminiscent of when news of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard merger broke, a story claiming Amazon was about to acquire EA started to do the rounds on Friday morning. That naturally sent video game social media into a meltdown. That meltdown was only intensified when a second report refuted that first one, claiming Amazon had not made an offer to acquire EA. That doesn't mean it isn't going to happen, but it didn't happen on Friday as was first suggested. EA isn't officially for sale, but the rumoured race involving some very big names appears to still be on.
PlayStation Ups The Price Of PS5s
Meta did something pretty shocking last month and announced it would be increasing the price of the Quest 2. Considering the backlash that came with that decision, very few would have guessed PlayStation would make a similar move less than a month later. Jim Ryan broke the news on Thursday, revealing PS5s are now more expensive in most parts of the world. Europe, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan are on a long list of countries where the consoles are now more expensive, but the US is not. Xbox responded to the price hike by revealing it did not plan to do the same, and Nintendo confirmed the same the following day.
Dead Island 2 Re-Revealed At Gamescom
There was a lot of stuff shown off during Gamescom's Opening Night Live. New Tales From The Borderlands, Dying Light 2 DLC, and Goat Simulator 3 were some of the most talked about titles during and after the show. However, the highlight of the night was Dead Island 2. A game first revealed eight years ago that most of those waiting for a sequel had presumed, well, dead for quite some time. Rumours swirled that the game would be re-revealed at Gamescom, and those rumours turned out to be true. A brand new trailer, some gameplay, and a launch date. February 3, 2023.
Sonic Frontiers Turns Heads At Gamescom
The reactions to everything Sega has shown of Sonic Frontiers so far have been mixed, and honestly, that's probably being generous. However, the story trailer shown off at Gamescom may well have finally swayed public opinion. It was without a doubt one of the highlights of ONL, due in part to the reveal that Amy will be in the game. It was also confirmed that Frontiers really will be here before the end of the year, launching on November 8. Yes, that is just one day before God Of War Ragnarok.
Morty Is In MultiVersus
One week from the official start of season one, MultiVersus got a new character. Morty, who will eventually be joined by Rick, hopefully pretty soon. MultiVersus players, of which there are now more than 20 million, have spent the last few days getting to grips with the game's newest character. The biggest takeaway has been the call to reclassify Morty as a mage rather than a bruiser. The team behind the game is incredibly receptive, plus it's still technically still in its open beta, so it's highly likely that happens if enough people think it should.
Netflix's Resident Evil Has Already Been Cancelled
One season later, just six weeks after it landed on the streaming service, Netflix's Resident Evil show has been cancelled. The reactions to the adaptation right after it dropped probably mean a number of you reading this aren't surprised in the slightest. While some fans of the games appeared to enjoy the show, many took issue with it pulling various elements from different games and not remaining faithful enough to the series. The show might have soldiered on had it launched a few years ago, but with so many great game adaptations, many of which have found a lot of success on Netflix, it needed a better reception than it got if it was going to last.