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Although The Game Awards didn’t bring news of a major Elden Ring expansion, there was another juicy announcement for FromSoftware fans. The revered studio is bringing back the Armored Core series after a decade of dormancy. Best of all, you won’t have to wait too long to get your hands on Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. It’s coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Steam in 2023.

From and publisher Bandai Namco announced the game with a trailer that shows mechs emerging from the embers of an apocalyptic event. The clip doesn’t offer a ton of story details, but it doesn’t have to. The footage is gorgeously detailed and richly rendered enough that the plot can easily take a back seat for now.

What we do know is that you’ll be able to assemble your own mech and freely explore the environment, seemingly with slow, steady movements. According to the Japanese version of the trailer’s YouTube description, you’ll be able to utilize more dynamic movements, fire weapons and engage in close combat when you battle enemies. 

This will be the first mainline Armored Core game since 2012’s Armored Core V (a standalone expansion followed in 2013). After the mammoth success of Elden Ring, From has set its standards extremely high. But if any studio can clear that bar, it’s probably this one.

 

Extremely OK Games, the developer behind the award-winning platformer Celeste, has revealed its new project at this year’s Game Awards. It’s called Earthblade, and just like Celeste, it’s a 2D exploration-action game set in a pixel world. In Earthblade, you’ll play Névoa, which the developer describes as an “enigmatic child of Fate” (with horns) who’s returning to Earth. The trailer shows you some of the obstacles you’ll have to face and the foes you’ll have to defeat while exploring the remnants of a ruined world. Extremely OK also says you’ll be piecing together Earth’s fractured history as you play. 

We wouldn’t be surprised if you have high expectations for Earthblade, seeing as Celeste had won several awards after it was launched. At The Game Awards in 2018, it won best independent release of the year. (Extremely OK didn’t get its winged statue after the show ended, but a fan unknowingly purchased it from eBay and sent it to the developer just earlier this year.) It will take some time before you can play Earthblade and go on an adventure with Névoa, though: The game won’t be available until 2024.

 

At the Game Awards, Amazon Games announced it will be publishing Bandai Namco’s forthcoming free-to-play online RPG, Blue Protocol in the west. A new teaser trailer offer views of the game’s beautiful cel-shaded world, multiple character classes and weapons. It’s an action RPG, with the ability to play both solo and cooperatively. You’ll apparently be able to participate in raids with up to 30 other players.

While the game will be coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, Blue Protocol is designed to be played on controllers, with aim-assist support for people not using a mouse and keyboard. In fact, each class will have different sliders to adjust controls for smoother playstyles. Talking of style, you’ll apparently be able to customize your character deeply, across hairstyles, clothing accessories and even mounts – yes you’ll have your own fantasy steed a little like Pokemon Legends Arceus.

You’ll be able to pick from five classes at launch. The Blade Warden uses both a sword and shield, a Twin Striker that excels at short-range damage with double axes and the Keen Strider is an agile class with bow-based long-range attacks and area effects. Rounding out the lineup, the Spell Weaver is your magic wielder, while Foe Breaker has a massive hammer and can even fire a short-range cannonball. Somehow.

It’s 2022, so while you will be able to play the whole story without spending, there will be cosmetic upgrades available to buy, as well as features that will apparently help play the game. I get the feeling there’s more than a little inspiration gleaned from Genshin Impact, the free-to-play action RPG that’s been extremely lucrative for its creators – and a huge global hit. It’ll be intriguing to see how Bandai Namco’s new game compares. It’s also an unusual team-up with Amazon Games. 

According to the press release, Blue Protocol will be the “latest title in Amazon Games’ portfolio of high-quality live service games” including New World, an MMORPG – which makes some sense. Perhaps Amazon Games can offer some insight into ensuring Blue Protocol runs smoothly from a technical standpoint. The game is now set to launch in the second half of 2023, but expect a closed beta to run early next year. You’ll be able to sign up for that soon, online.

 

After more than a decade, the next desktop Diablo game is close at hand. Blizzard has confirmed that Diablo IV will be available on June 6th, 2023. That’s not completely surprising when the public beta is due early next year, but it’s worth noting if you’ve been looking forward to the click-fest action RPG for years.

Diablo IV promises to be a revival of a franchise that some say went awry with the third game. You can expect the usual round of new classes and some familiar game mechanics (such as D2‘s skill trees), but the open world title now has more tactical depth, more experimentation and, crucially, a narrative that has a proper chance to unfold. The new story centers around fighting the banished Lilith, Daughter of Hatred, as she returns to Sanctuary.

And yes, Blizzard has promised that there won’t be pay-to-win microtransactions. You’ll only pay for cosmetics and season passes that help you earn those visual upgrades faster. If you hated the D3 auction house, you’ll be glad to know it isn’t here. Equipment upgrades will come through gameplay, not spending real money.

 

Just like its predecessor, Horizon Forbidden West is getting an expansion. As revealed at The Game Awards, the Burning Shores DLC will arrive on April 19th. 

The DLC will pick up from where the sprawling story of Forbidden West left off. It will see Aloy travel to what was once Los Angeles, a region that’s now home to a volcanic archipelago. She’ll be able to explore the area by water or on the back of a Sunwing, a flying mount. Guerrilla Games says you can expect to encounter new characters and adventures. Ultimately, Aloy will have to battle an enormous machine and use all of her skills and abilities to take it down.

Unfortunately for fans who haven’t been able to get their hands on a PS5, Burning Shores won’t be coming to PS4. “To achieve this grand vision technically and creatively, we’ve made the difficult decision to focus all our efforts on making an incredible experience exclusively for the PlayStation 5 console,” Guerrilla said. The studio plans to reveal more details about the DLC in the coming months.

Guerilla has at least one other Horizon project in the works. It will release Horizon Call of the Mountain as a PS VR2 launch title in February.

 

A new Crash Bandicoot online multiplayer game is on the way. The 4v4 team-based Crash Team Rumble launches on PS5 and PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. The game, which supports cross-platform play, will arrive in 2023.

In the game, you team up with three other players to bank fruits into your drop-off zone while trying to defend the opposing team’s goal. You can play in various arenas and choose from heroes like Crash and Tawna Bandicoot or villains Doctor Neo Cortex and Dingodile (among others). Each character has a distinct power, personality and playstyle.

Activision owns the Crash Bandicoot IP after producer Universal Interactive became Vivendi Games before merging with Activision in 2007. Toys for Bob is developing the new multiplayer game after its work on the well-received Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. Original developer Naughty Dog hasn’t been involved with the series since its PlayStation-exclusive days in the late 1990s.

 

Supergiant Games is sticking with what works. Hades II is on its way, slinging more Greek god-ness and a new protagonist, the Princess of the Underworld. The game is heading to early access on PC first, with more details coming in 2023.

The reveal trailer for Hades II shows the protagonist, Melinoë, training with the witch goddess Hecate, before diving into a familiar isometric landscape. Familiar, but perhaps with a few more gnarly trees. Like its predecessor, Hades II is a roguelike dungeon crawler. And if it’s truly anything like the original Hades, it’ll be fun as hell.

Hades II is a direct sequel to Hades. Supergiant describes its story as, “Chronos, the Titan of Time and the wicked father of Hades and his brothers, has escaped his imprisonment in the depths of the Underworld to wage war on Olympus. Can Time itself be stopped?” Melinoë is the sister of Zagreus, the star of the original game, and she has her own magical abilities.

The full game will eventually be available on consoles and PC, but early access will begin on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Supergiant revealed the sequel during The Game Awards.

 

One of the least expected announcements at The Game Award creator Mike Mignola and Dark Horse helped pen the story, and the cel-shaded look is more than a little reminiscent of what you saw on paper. b of Wyrd, a roguelite (read: purposefully brutal and repetitive) brawler that revolves around everyone’s favorite half-demon. You play Hellboy as he takes on a series of seemingly disconnected adventures that are ultimately linked to the mysterious Butterfly House — with plenty of difficult one-on-one fights, of course.

The comic book connection is more than superficial. Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and Dark Horse helped pen the story, and the cel-shaded look is more than a little reminiscent of what you saw on paper. You can also expect some solid voice talent, as Lance Reddick (Charon in John Wick, Zavala in Destiny 2) plays the titular character.

The game doesn’t yet have a release date, but it’s coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Switch. You’ll have no problems finding a platform to play on, then.

 

The Ghostbusters virtual reality game teased earlier this year now has a full trailer. Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord comes to Meta Quest 2 and PlayStation VR2 in 2023.

The trailer shows four Quest 2 users donning their headsets to battle dark forces descending on San Francisco. The in-engine (pre-alpha) footage follows the players using an arsenal of PKE Meters, Proton Packs and traps to hunt down and ensnare a slippery phantom. Just as the players close their trap and breathe a sigh of relief, a gigantic, skull-faced specter we can only assume is the titular Ghost Lord emerges over the rooftop. It’s exactly the gameplay you’d expect from ghost-busting in VR.

Publisher Sony Pictures Virtual Reality (SPVR) and developer nDreams (known for Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity) are launching the title right as the Ghostbusters IP is enjoying a pop-culture resurgence. Although the latest movie received mixed reviews, it did well at the box office, ranking as the tenth highest-grossing movie last year. An animated Netflix series is also in the pipeline, and a 4v1 co-op game that lets you play as a ghost launched on PC and consoles this October.

 

Ghost Story Games has revealed its first title nearly six years after BioShock creator Ken Levine founded the studio. A trailer for Judas debuted at The Game Awards and while it’s not an actual BioShock game, it draws from that series’ art style. It’s also a first-person shooter in which it looks like you can wield elemental powers.

You play as the titular Judas, a “mysterious and troubled” character who is stuck on a starship that’s falling apart. According to a description on the game’s Steam page, “your only hope for survival is to make or break alliances with your worst enemies.” 

Bloomberg reported earlier this year that the game had been stuck in development hell for several years amid multiple reboots and Levine changing the direction of the project multiple times. But Levine suggested back in 2015 that his next game would be a sci-fi first-person shooter, and Judas at least fits that bill. There’s no release window as yet.

Meanwhile, there is a BioShock game in development at a separate Take-Two studio. But this is not that. Judas is definitely not a BioShock game.