Hogwarts Legacy Cover Issue

BECAUSE WE LOVE VIDEO GAMES

RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE
BIOMUTANT
SNIPER GHOST WARRIOR
CONTRACTS 2
BACK4BLOOD

FORWARD
COVER
HOGWARTS LEGACY
PUBLISHED BY
SCARLET NEXUS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Derrick Smith
Welcome to the May
edition of Game Insider Digital.
This months cover features Hogwarts Legacy,
the highly anticipated triple A action RPG in
development at Avalanche Studios. Fans of the
popular movie franchise may be in for an
impressive interactive adventure. Set in the
late 1800's, players will be allowed to choose
their Hogwarts House and attend classes at
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
and explore an open world consisting of
locations including the Forbidden Forest and
Hogsmeade Village and so much more.
Other upcoming spotlighted games are Lord
of the Rings: Gollum, the upcoming actionadventure
from Daedalic Entertainment. The
studio is trying to break the stigma with their
upcoming LOTR franchise, The Lord of the
Rings: Gollum. Known for their point-and-click
and turn-based adventure games, such as
Shadow Tactics, Gollum is their biggest
projects ever, so lets hope they can deliver.
Also featuring Ghostwire Tokyo - after
delivering more survival-horror with The Evil
Within, celebrated developer Shinji Mikami is
back to creating something new. Ghostwire:
Tokyo is the first action-adventure title from his
studio, yet it’s also the first to be mired in just
as much real-life intrigue as it’s in-game world.
In addition, we dive into the The Ascent, the
twin-stick action-RPG of the Diablo vein,
allowing you to wander around the shattered
streets of the arcology cutting down a steady
stream of baddies with your choice of futuristic
firepower and special augmented abilities and
collecting all the goodies that pop out of their
mangled corpses. This should be fun!
Elsewhere in the magazine, we discuss the
rise of Game Pass, as Microsoft's secret
weapon to combat the competitive video game
prowess of Sony and Nintendo. As a stroke of
genius, at the moment Microsoft has a
formidable platform with Game Pass and its
growing momentum could be a real game
changer for the gaming landscape.
Do you have any story ideas or interested in
any upcoming games you would like for us to
write about and discuss? If so, please get in
touch with us at:
gamer@game-insider.com
Enjoy the issue!
Editor-in-Chief
Derrick Smith
:
EDITORIAL TEAM
Ron Middleton
Jih Wei Peng
Johann Sulaiman
Rhett Quiban
Emanuel Stone
Ade Putra
CREATIVE DIGITAL AUDIO
Anthony Rossi
VIDEO PRODUCTION
Daniel Shepard
MARKETING & SALES DIRECTOR
Munira A. Assar
PRESIDENT
Derrick Smith
CEO
Chris Micieli
42

FEATURE
SCARLET NEXUS
30
38
PREVIEW
GHOSTWIRE: TOKYO
22
POINT OF VIEW
GAMEPASS
18
PREVIEW
LOTR: GOLLUM
14
26
PREVIEW
THE ASCENT
INSIGHT
NECROMUNDA: HIRED GUN

upcoming
MAY
All the amazing new games
launching soon
SUBNAUTICA: BELOW-ZERO
MECHWARRIOR 5
MAY 14
MERCENARIES
NS MAY 27
PS5 PS4 XSX XO PC
XSX XO
RUST
MAY 21
PS4
XO
RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE
MAY 7
PS5 PS4 XSX XO PC
BIOMUTANT
MAY 25
PS5 PS4 XSX XO PC
MASS EFFECT
LEGENDARY EDITION
MAY 14
PS5 PS4 XSX XO PC
HOOD: OUTLAWS & LEGENDS
MAY 10
PS5 PS4 XSX XO PC
DAYS GONE
MAY 18
PC

UPDATE
PS5 Continues to Widen Gap
As Best Selling Console of
Current Generation
PlayStation 5 continues to be the best-selling console of the
current generation, outperforming both of the major
competitors on the market.
The playStation 5 is continuing its
reign as the best-selling console
of the current generation, as it is
confidently widening the gap
between itself and its competitors.
That being said, the newest
console is not that much more successful
than the launch period of the PS4, only
slightly outperforming its predecessor.
Although the current PS5 sales have
reached nearly 7.8 million units shipped
worldwide during its extended launch period,
the PS4 managed to perform almost as
impressively with 7.6 million units during the
same time window. The difference might
sound insignificant, but it could’ve been
much greater if not for the current stock
shortage. In that regard, PS5 is doing pretty
well despite the difficulties with supply. If
production capacities increase in the near
future, the newest console might easily
outperform the last-gen PlayStation device.
According to the latest report by
VGChartz, the extended launch period has
been significantly more favorable for Sony’s
PlayStation 5 console in comparison to the
competitors. Since the premiere in November
2020, PS5 has accumulated 7,763,924 units
sold, which is far better than the achievements
of the Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch
during the same 23 weeks. Switch has reached
5,008,963 units sold while the duo of modern
Xbox devices took third place with 4,668,388
units.
It is worth mentioning that the Switch is
technically a last-gen device, but it is included in
the current-gen simply because Nintendo has
yet to unveil a successor. In that regard,
considering the overall lifetime sales, the Switch
is obviously outperforming the PS5 and the
Xbox Series X/S combined, as it launched four
years ago.
Although the current-gen consoles are
performing quite well, the sales are nonetheless
affected by the current shortage of computer
components that are required for both PS5 and
Xbox Series X/S production. However,
according to PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan, the
situation might change for the better as soon as
this year. The company is negotiating with
industry partners to ramp up production in order
to cover the supply shortage and offer more PS5
consoles for consumer needs by the end of 2021.
The latest data indicates that the gap in sales
will continue to grow, favoring PS5 in the long
term. It’s not that surprising, considering that the
list of the top 5 best-selling home consoles
includes all the four previous PlayStation
devices. However, it’ll be interesting to see if
Microsoft’s investments in first-party studios and
Xbox exclusives ever pay off. Hypothetically, this
new strategy might help the company shorten the
gap, but it is worth noting that the notorious
console stock shortage might result in unwanted
adjustments to the overall picture. - Dmitry
Lapunov

NEWS
FORMER 343 EMPLOYEE
SAYS HALO INFINITE IS BEING
MADE UNDER CRUNCH
CONDITIONS
DIGITAL VIDEO GAMES
TO HIT $146B IN REVENUE IN
2021, AT 40% INCREASE IN TWO
YEARS
Back in 2019, 343 Industries' Bonnie Ross told the Academy
of Interactive Arts and Sciences that Halo Infinite's
development was slow and deliberate in order to avoid
creating the same sort of crunch conditions that produced
Halo 4 and Halo 5. Now, we’re finding out that despite the
delay, Halo Infinite’s development is being just as crunchy as
its predecessors.
That’s according to a ResetEra user translating a video on
Chinese social media site Bilibili from someone claiming to
have worked at 343 Industries. However, what’s presented
certainly sounds like crunch conditions by all definitions.
"The team at 343 (especially the low-level employees)
works very hard," writes ResetEra user random0_point, "and
many of them have experienced working overtime until the
early hours of the morning in the past few years."
Additionally, the former 343i employee talked about the
disastrous demo from last summer that led to Halo Infinite's
extended delay into 2021. He called company executives
"overly ambitious" in wanting to create both a new game
engine and a semi-open world game at the same time. This
meant that resources were constantly being swapped back
and forth as engine defects were discovered and needed to
be corrected.
The engine itself can largely be blamed for Halo Infinite's
poor demo performance last year as the engine hadn't been
fully completed yet.
Lots of content was cut from the single-player and
multiplayer games in order to get the game content complete
back in January. "This has led to some things I've made over
the years that no one will probably ever see."
However, the anonymous employee says that he still
thinks that Halo Infinite is going to be a great game when it
eventually arrives later this year. "In fact, I think the finished
product will still be great. The story is a big improvement,
and the gameplay is much richer, though the development
cycle is too long. Don't expect it to be an epoch-making
masterpiece."
The nameless dev eventually transferred to Certain
Affinity, the independent developer that has been
contracted to help finish Halo Infinite, and is happy to be
free of “343’s baggage.” - Sean Murray
The global digital video games industry continues
growing at a rapid pace, with no signs of slowing
down in the years to come.
According to data presented by 123scommesse,
the entire market is expected to generate nearly $
146bn in revenue in 2021, a 40% increase in two
years.
Mobile Games Revenues Jumped by 44% Since
2019, Entire Industry to Hit $ 151B Value by
2025
Unlike many other sectors drastically affected
by the COVID-19 crisis, the video game industry
has been far more resilient to the pandemic. Most
video game developers and publishers witnessed a
record number of users and downloads last year as
millions of people turned to video games amid the
lockdown.
In 2019, the digital gaming industry generated $
104.4bn in revenue, revealed the Statista survey.
After the pandemic struck, revenues surged by
23% YoY to $ 128.3bn in 2020. Statistics show this
figure is expected to increase by $ 17.6bn in 2021,
and by 2025, the unified market is set to reach $
207.6bn value.
As the largest revenue stream of the digital
video games industry, mobile games witnessed the
most significant growth in the last two years. In
2021, mobile gaming revenues are expected to hit
nearly $ 104bn, 44% more than in 2019. By 2025,
the entire market is forecast to grow by another
45% and reach a $ 151.8bn value.
Online gaming has seen record numbers of
players during the pandemic as a popular activity to
counter physical distancing amid lockdowns.
Statistics show online gaming revenues grew by
36% in two years, rising from $ 16.8bn in 2019 to $
22.9bn in 2021. In the next four years, this figure is
projected to hit $ 30.3bn.
Download games are expected to generate $
16.1bn in revenue this year, compared to $ 13.2bn
before the pandemic. Gaming networks follow with a 43%
increase in two years and $ 2.9bn in revenue in 2021.
435 Million People Started Playing Digital Video
Games Amid Pandemic
The Statista survey also revealed that more than 435
million people started playing digital video games since
the pandemic struck. In 2019, the number of users
worldwide amounted to 1.7 billion. Last year, this figure
jumped over two billion. Statistics indicate the number of
users is set to reach 2.15 billion in 2021 and continue
rising to over 2.5 billion by 2025.
As the world`s largest digital video games industry,
China is expected to generate $ 49.1bn in revenue in
2021, a 46% increase in two years. By 2025, the Chinese
market is forecast to hit $ 71bn value.
The United States follows with $ 30.3bn in revenue
this year, compared to $ 23bn in 2019. By 2025, the US
mobile games, download games, online games, and
gaming networks markets are forecast to reach $ 42.4bn
value.
As the third-largest digital video games market, Japan
is expected to generate $ 18.2bn in revenue this year.
South Korea and the United Kingdom follow, with $
6.15bn and $ 6.14bn, respectively. - Jastra Kranjec

INSIGHT
NECROMUNDA:
HIRED GUN
LOTS OF GUNS, A COOL DOG
COMPANION AND MORE
FUN GAMEPLAY DETAILS
N
ecromunda - Hired Gun
is a first-person shooter
game set in the
Warhammer 40,000
universe. The game is
going to be based on the skirmish tabletop
war game Necromunda, a spin-off from
the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop war
game. In Necromunda - Hired Gun, you
play the role of a mercenary, making the
most out of a terrible situation in a
downtrodden world. You will hunt
criminals, gangers, heretics, and destroy
terrifying mutants in the Imperium’s most
famous and dangerous hive world.
As a bounty hunter and mercenary in
one of the most dangerous places in the
world, you are going to need all the
equipment and help you can get. In
Necromunda - Hired Gun, you are able to
make your character more powerful and
effective by using the right weapons and
upgrades. You will be given the freedom of
customization via weapons and augments.
There are going to be a ton of weapons
that you can choose and wield in
Necromunda - Hired Gun such as auto
guns, long-las rifles, bolters, plasma guns,
grenade launchers, power knives, and so
much more.
On top of the upgrades that you can earn
in the game, you are also accompanied by
man’s best friend. In Necromunda - Hired
Gun, you are assisted by a dog
companion in the form of a cyber-mastiff.
Take note, this mastiff is no ordinary dog.
Your trustworthy companion has seen as
much action as you, a seasoned
mercenary, and his various augments are
a testament to that. Your mastiff has the
ability to track and sniff out enemies, and
he’ll even assist you in eliminating them.
Just like the main character, your dog also
has his own upgrade tree, which means
your companion can become more and
more powerful as the game progresses.
The wide array of weapons and
augments that you can earn and wield in
the game won’t always come free. For
this, you will need to navigate the lawless
land of crime and corruption where
millions live and die every day to make a
living. In a nutshell, your character’s main
motivations are to pick contracts, hunt
targets, collect bounties, and repeat. As a
fast-paced FPS title, that is exactly the
motivation the main character needs in
order for the player to enjoy the wreckage
brought upon by the gun-ho gameplay.
The wide array of weapons and augments that you
wield wont always come free.

INSIGHT
You can also enhance your character by
using customizable augments which you
can earn and purchase in the game.
These augments can be used to run on
walls, leap over massive chasms
normally untraversable, and move around
more quickly using the grappling hook.
Not only are these augments useful in
traversal but they can also come in handy
during combat.
This game is developed by Streum On
Studio, the makers of other FPS titles
such as Syndicate Black Ops, E.Y.E:
Divine Cybermancy, and Space Hulk
Deathwing. With this in mind, the
developers behind this game are widely
experienced when it comes to first-person
shooters. The gameplay of the game
itself is highly reminiscent of new FPS
games with incredibly fast action such as
Doom: Eternal and Quake Champions. It
is published by Focus Home Interactive,
a studio known for publishing games
such as A Plague Tale: Innocence, World
War Z, Hood: Outlaws & Legends,
Vampyr, among so many others.
As mentioned before, this game is
based on the Necromunda franchise,
which is set in the Warhammer 40,000
universe. Necromunda is set in a world
known as the Underhive in the dark future
of the 41st millennium. This steampunk
world is filled with environmental hazards,
towering obstacles, ruled by archaic
gangs, warring gods, and vicious tyrants.
Surviving it will require skill, dedication,
and of course, a whole lot of powerful
armaments.
This game is perfect for those who are
highly interested in fast-paced firstperson
shooter games. This looks like
one of those games that put the
gameplay aspect at the front and center
and everything else in the backdrop. Be
that as it may, that doesn’t mean this
game’s backstory and worldbuilding are
underwhelming. It is set in the
Warhammer 40,000 universe, after all.
The developers of this game have a ton
of material to base on. Although
Necromunda was recently relaunched in
2017, this franchise as a whole has been
active since 1995.
All-in-all, Necromunda - Hired Gun is
an FPS player’s playground. Aside from
the incredible-looking gunplay, the game
also provides the opportunity of making a
playthrough unique to the player because
of the wide customization options. Fans
of the tabletop war games, in particular,
should find a lot to look forward to with
this title. The game is set to come out on
June 1, 2021, for PlayStation 4,
PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/
S, and PC.
This steampunk world is filled with environmental hazards,
towering obstacles, warring gods, and vicious tyrants.

PREVIEW
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
I
f we think about The Lord of The
Rings game, the first protagonists
that come to mind would be either
Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Sam,
or maybe Talion, from the most recent
LOTR games, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and
Shadow of War. But have you ever thought about
having Gollum as the main character that you will
play as? Daedalic Entertainment is trying to break the
stigma with their upcoming LOTR franchise, The Lord
of the Rings: Gollum. Daedalic Entertainment, A
German video developer, founded in 2007, is known
for their point-and-click and turn-based adventure
games, such as Shadow Tactics, Ken Follett’s The
Pillars of the Earth, and The Whispered World. And
now, this could be one of their biggest projects ever
by having a Lord of the Rings franchise on their back.
Though we are accustomed to the hack and slash
genre being embodied with most of the Tolkien-based
franchise games, we can assume that LOTR: Gollum
will steer a bit away from that. As most of the LOTR
fans know, our friend Gollum didn’t have that much of
fighting power, but he does have special traits: being
stealthy and deceiving. Judging by Gollum’s trait
alone, we can expect that the gameplay will be
having a similar feel with A Plague Tale: Innocence
where we avoid most of the combat and use stealth
tactics to overcome the obstacles, while also adding
an exploration element to find the best way to
traverse around the map.
So far, we have got a teaser trailer and some
screenshots-in-development to see what we can
expect in the game. Coming from a game developer
who isn’t used to make AAA games, the teasers are
certainly looking good. The setting itself would be in
Mordor, where Gollum dwells most of his time and
set before the events of the Lord of the Rings movies
where Gollum was still in the acquisition of the ‘One
Ring’. This shows that it will stay true to the original
books and movies while adding a more in-depth story
towards Gollum, who has always been a key
character in most of the LOTR franchise, from The
GOLLUM
A LOTR game with the most unexpected
protagonist
By Naufal Arvy Rasyidin
PLATFORM
PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, SERIES X/S, NINTENDO SWITCH, PC
GENRE
ACTION ADVENTURE
PUBLISHER
BIG BEN INTERACTIVE, NACON
DEVELOPER
DAEDALIC ENTERTAINMENT
RELEASE
2022
The setting itself would be in Mordor, where Gollum dwells most
of his time and set before the events of the Lords of the Rings
movies where Gollum was still in the acquisition of the One Ring.

PREVIEW
Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and even he
played a significant part in Talion’s crusade in
Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War.
Based on the teasers we got so far, there is a
screenshot where Gollum, or rather the players, the
story would likely start with the creature being
imprisoned against his will, so the first chapters
would be about him escaping the prison using the
skills that he most excels at. Then we will also have
a choice of dialogue options available, so we can
assume that the game will be taking a similar
concept with Telltale’s famous choice story options
that inspired many adventure games. And yes,
although Gollum is considered as an evil, deceiving
creature, we often forget that Gollum has a split
personality of his former self, the hobbit Smeagol,
before he, or they, become obsessed with the ‘One
Ring to Rule Them All’. From here we can conclude
that players will be able to choose the Gollum way
or the Smeagol way, depending on their choice of
dialogues and decisions, and I think that this is
exactly why Daedalic Entertainment wants to use
Gollum as the main character, as we will be having
so much conflict just from the character itself.
Daedalic Entertainment also reports that some
key characters from the Tolkien world would also
make an appearance, such as the Nazguls and
even Thranduil, which is Legolas’s father, the King of
the Elves. They also said that they will make the
game different than the usual LOTR games by
utilizing the Tolkien’s world that full of fantastic
creatures and beasts as an obstacle for Gollum and
also Gollum’s tragic backstory to optimize the story
narrative. And judging by how Daedalic
Entertainment makes such interesting storytelling in
their previous game that was also inspired by a
book, Ken Follet’s The Pillars of the Earth, we can
expect so much conflict within ourselves when we
have to choose the decisions that will have
consequences on how the story goes in the game.
We can expect to see more of The Lord of the
Rings: Gollum by Daedalic Entertainment sometime
later this year as the game has been officially
delayed with a 2022 launch window.
Daedalic Entertainment reports that some key characters from the
Tolkien world would also make an appearance, such as the Nazguls
and even Thranduil, which is Legolas’s father, the King of the Elves.

PREVIEW
THE ASCENT
With corporate collapse comes a new breed
enemies and you're caught right in the middle
W
hen I sat down to begin writing this
preview my Spotify playlist happened
to start blasting “Sixteen Tons,” which
seems appropriate for a game
depicting a dystopian future in which
the collapse of an exploitative mega-corporation is
greeted with cries of horror from the indentured
masses as their already miserable existence seem
set to get more miserable yet.
Aha. Future. Yes.
Developer Neon Giant’s upcoming Xbox Series
X game, The Ascent, is set on the planet of Veles in
The Ascent Group arcology, a corporate fief in
which workers are brought from across the galaxy
to live and die for the Ascent Group corporation.
This happy state of affairs suddenly goes south
when the corporation itself mysteriously shuts
down, leaving the workers without direction, security
enforcers without paychecks, automated security
going haywire and nearby rival corporations and
criminal syndicates sharpening their knives for a
hostile takeover in the most literal sense.
You, the player, are somehow caught up in these
events and are thus tasked with figuring out what
exactly happened to the corporation, fending off
invaders both corporate and criminal, and maybe,
just maybe, somewhere along the way helping the
arcology itself become a new and independent
polity free of outside corporate influence.
Whether this brings about a meaningful
improvement to the lives of the “indents”, as the
corporate slaves are called, is up to your
imagination and the optimism of the game’s writers,
but then life is more about the journey than the
destination and your journey seems set to have
plenty to distract you from the systemic excesses of
unbridled capitalism in a cyberpunk future, both in
real life and in the game.
By Jih-Wei Peng
A look at the gameplay reveals a pleasant mix of special abilities
– energy shields, homing missiles, grenades aplenty, fast dashes
and most spectacular of all, a rocket-assisted smash jump that
shatters the enemy and the ground he’s standing on.
PLATFORM
XBOX SERIES X/S, WINDOWS 10
GENRE
FIRST PERSON SHOOTER HORROR
PUBLISHER
EBB SOFTWARE
DEVELOPER
EBB SOFTWARE
RELEASE
2021

PREVIEW
The Ascent is a twin-stick action-RPG of the Diablo
vein, allowing you to wander around the shattered
streets of the arcology cutting down a steady
stream of baddies with your choice of futuristic
firepower and special augmented abilities and
collecting all the goodies that pop out of their
mangled corpses. A look at the gameplay reveals a
pleasant mix of special abilities – energy shields,
homing missiles, grenades aplenty, fast dashes,
and most spectacular of all, a rocket-assisted
smash jump that shatters the enemy and the
ground he’s standing on, leaving a spectacular
mess for the arcology’s already-overworked street
cleaners to handle whenever they can do their jobs
without fear of lead poisoning. And that’s just what
was shown in the available gameplay footage –
more cyberware modifications and customizations
are promised for those who want to go full chrome
and make themselves as much of a weapon as the
guns they wield.
Combat appears pleasantly smooth – while
some foes are tougher than others they generally
aren’t bullet sponges, and when combined with
your selection of movement abilities firefights
become flowing affairs of movement and firepower,
seguing from a burst of lasers into a destructive
rocket jump into a rapid dodge out of the way of
incoming fire until you end your ballet of violence
atop a pile of corpse, ready to move on to the next
spot of ultraviolence. Co-op with up to three friends
has been promised for local and online multiplayer,
calling forth the possibility of either yet more
beautiful coordinated action or utter chaos, both of
which I for one find perfectly acceptable.
The Ascent doesn’t have a confirmed launch
date yet, though it’s set to be released sometime
this year on both Steam and Xbox via Microsoft’s
“Smart Delivery” feature. With any luck the
pandemic won’t have destroyed the global
economy by then, allowing us to experience an
escapist adventure into a world in ruins. Fingers
crossed!
Combat appears pleasantly smooth, while some foes
are tougher than others, they generally aren't bullet
sponges...

PREVIEW
GHOSTWIRE
TOKYO
It begins, as always, with a question:
What happened?
DA fter
delivering more survival-horror with
The Evil Within, celebrated developer
Shinji Mikami is back to creating
something new. Ghostwire: Tokyo is the
first action-adventure title from his
studio, yet it’s also the first to be mired
in just as much real-life intrigue as it’s in-game world.
It begins, as always, with a question: What
happened? Set in modern Japan, our protagonist finds
himself gaining supernatural abilities just as 99% of
Tokyo’s population vanishes. As we hit the streets in
search of answers, we run into headless schoolgirls,
glowing torii gates, and masked individuals leaping off
towers.
“Don’t fear the unknown,” says the game’s early
tagline. “Attack it.”
And, immediately, we get a sense of what makes
Ghostwire different from past Tango Gameworks
releases. No hiding; no running. Just full in-your-face
combat with attacks straight out of a shounen anime.
Combat director Shinichiro Hara describes
Ghostwire: Tokyo as “karate meets magic.” He worked
on the push-forward combat and Glory Kill system in
DOOM, and he’s clearly porting that experience over to
Ghostwire. Enemies bowl over and recoil as you combo
spectral attacks. And once you chip away enough HP,
they fall instantly to scripted takedowns.
In place of large, hulking guns are hands that swiftly
form gestures “inspired by traditional Kuji-kiri” — the
ninja hand seals we often see in pop-culture. Hara
combines it with martial arts to dispel the idea that
magic casters are physically weak. To double up on the
whole ninja aesthetic, players can also chain multiple,
distant takedowns on vulnerable enemies.
The results should look like a slicker version of
Skyrim or Dark Messiah meets The Secret World.
Unfortunately, the gameplay trailer only has quick cuts
divorced from the larger combat loop, so it’s still hard to
tell. We mostly see fire spells and takedowns, plus a
few long cuts of torii gates that are, presumably, being
closed.
That’s where the exorcism comes in. The enemies,
Visitors, are contemporary takes on “traditional
Japanese ghost stories and legends,” a fact yokai fans
have no doubt picked up on. We have names for some
of them: Schoolers (headless schoolgirls); Shiromuku
(the bride), Kuchisake (the masked hat lady), and
Amewarashi (child in a yellow raincoat).
There’s also a large flying spirit shaped like a teru
teru bouzu charm, a humanoid-shaped creature made
from boxes, and the many faceless salarymen that are
probably Nopperabou. Yokai aren’t typically linked to
one another, but in Ghostwire the rain seems to be a
common thread. Maybe the weather plays a role in this
By Ade Putra
Set in modern Japan, our protagonist finds himself gaining
supernatural abilities just as 99% of Tokyo’s population
vanishes.
PLATFORM
PS5, PC
GENRE
ACTION-ADVENTURE
PUBLISHER
BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
DEVELOPER
TANGO GAMEWORKS
RELEASE
2021

PREVIEW
supernatural crossing? Besides, it’s a great excuse to
show off the PS5’s ray-tracing capabilities.
That leaves us with the masked group. Are they the
cause behind all this, or are they fellow spectral warriors
fighting a greater foe? The Hannya mask represents a
jealous or sorrowful female demon, which could put them
in bed with the yokai. On the other hand, in Buddhism the
term refers to the wisdom to see the true nature of all
things — like the ability to see ghosts, perhaps? You
could argue either way.
If you take a second look at the tower scene, however,
you’ll notice they all have different masks. We don’t get
close enough to see what they are, but it’s safe to
assume they all represent the wearer’s background or
personality. The broken horn could also symbolize a
reforming oni, lending credence to the idea that these are
all people like you. Or maybe it just looks cool, who
knows?
If any of this sounds exciting, it’s because Ghostwire:
Tokyo is the brainchild of Ikumi Nakamura. She has an
up-and-rising track record working under Shinji Mikami,
first as a background artist on Okami and then for
concept work on Bayonetta and The Evil Within.
However, the creative director left shortly after revealing
the game at E3 2019, which is never a good look for a
project.
Speculation points to internal trouble. After all, some
fans of 2019’s announcement trailer were left confused or
outright disappointed after seeing 2020’s gameplay
trailer. There’s a sense of disconnect between concept
(creepy urban horror) and gameplay (punching ghosts
with fireballs), and this friction could have influenced
Nakamura’s departure.
But there’s another way of looking at it: after the
sudden fame and popularity, Nakamura simply decided to
pursue other opportunities. Her work as a creative
director could have been largely complete by late 2019,
and rather than staying through the rest of development,
she opted to leverage her newfound industry exposure.
(Last we checked, she’s still adamant about making
Okami 2 happen.)
But wait, there’s more! In September of last year,
Microsoft formally announced their plans to acquire
ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks. That, by
extension, includes Tango Gameworks, putting
Ghostwire: Tokyo in an awkward situation with the whole
PS5 exclusivity thing. Xbox chief Phil Spencer confirmed
in a Bloomberg interview that they’ll maintain the
agreement… but we’ll probably see the game hitting
Xbox Game Pass as soon as that expires.
The cherry on this whole mystery cake? The game’s
release date. Ghostwire: Tokyo comes out sometime in
2021 for PC and PS5.
Combat director Shinichiro Hara describes Ghostwire:
Tokyo as “karate meets magic.”

POINT OF VIEW
POINT OF VIEW
GAMEPASS
A STROKE OF GENIUS
by Emanuel Stone

POINT OF VIEW
Sony is in trouble. Yup, I said it, and I
mean it, literally.
Now, I know this is a strong statement,
and considering the fact, Sony just
dominated the video gaming industry with
the PS4, based on games and sales,
some would consider my statement ludicrous, that's a very
understandable reaction to this statement but I ask you to
please take a moment and hear me out, and in doing so, I
believe you too will agree, Sony is indeed in trouble.
For as long as I can remember, dating back to 1977
with the Atari 2600, the success of video game systems in
the marketplace, their sales specifically, are predominantly
dependent upon the video games that are made for their
respective systems. The better the games you create, the
more of your systems you will sell. This has been the
'business model' used for companies such as Atari, Sega,
Nintendo, Sony, etc. throughout the history of video
games. It's a business model that started in the arcades,
well before home console systems existed, by companies
such as Namco with Pacman, Atari with Asteroids,
Nintendo with Donkey Kong, Williams Electronics with
Defender, and many others. It's a solid business model
which has created the multi-billion dollar video game
industry that now rivals Hollywood's Movie Industry.
The effects of this business model are not limited to
market share only, it plays a major role amongst the video
games industry's consumer base of loyal and rabid fans.
These consumers are some of the most adamant
consumers on planet earth and their support for their
favorite video game system has been known to cross the
lines of decency and can get pretty toxic as well. If it's not
God of War vs Halo it's Gears of War vs The Last of Us,
and so on and so on. Rabid fans continuously justifying
their system of choice based on the games made for that
particular system all because of a business model that
began over 40 years ago in the arcades with Pong in 1972.
Imagine for a moment, if you had the resources to
create your very own brand new state-of-the-art video
game system such as the Xbox or the Playstation. To be
successful you'd need a blockbuster game available to
play immediately and exclusive to your system only. As a
result, customers would clamor to purchase your system
so they can experience your game thus increasing your
sales. This is the video game industry's 'business model' in
its purest form and it's been this way for the past 40
years... until now.
If you study business or have been involved in a
particular area of business, even as a consumer, for a
considerable amount of time, you will see historical things
happen that no one saw coming. These historical events
can cause industry giants to topple reshaping the entire
landscape in favor of a few, or even just one, and to the
detriment of others. It's a brutal ecosystem yet one that
opens exciting new doors due to the creation of innovative
products and business methods alike. Today, we are
witnessing such an event and it's called Game Pass, by
Microsoft, and it's a stroke of genius.
Let me explain.
I want everyone who is reading this article, at this very
moment, to set aside your fanboy hat and put on your
businessman or businesswoman hat for this part of the
article.
Video game development is not cheap. These games
don't grow on trees nor do they come into being based on
enthusiasm and pure love and the joy of video gaming.
Depending upon the game, budgets can range from
$50,000 to $300 million and even higher! This is a serious
investment that comes with serious risk. The game could
flop and there is no guarantee for success. As gamers, we
have seen games flop in the past, and yes it's a major
disappointment, a loss of about $65 in most cases but for
the publisher of the game, they lose millions upon millions
of dollars, as well as, the trust of their consumers. This is
the financial war Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and other new
jack would-be videogame companies, who dare to try their
hand at video game development and publishing, find
themselves in year after year. It's a cutthroat industry that
shows no mercy for the weak and at the heart of it all,
again, is the tried and true 'business model' that has been
guiding the video game industry for over 40 years.
The year is 2017 and it's the beginning of the end for
the 40-year-old 'Business Model'.
By a stroke of pure genius, someone or a group of
people at Microsoft's headquarters, in Redmond,
Washington, realized this 40-year-old videogame industry
business model has become archaic, outdated, antiquated,
and there must be a better way to make money in this
ultra-competitive industry. The scenario at hand was a
simple one: Microsoft could either keep battling Sony on a
game per game basis, spending billions in the process,
increasing the risk of loss, when considering the amount of
money and resources it takes to produce triple 'A' games
or they could develop a way to supplement the cost
needed to create triple 'A' games with a new business
model mitigating the chance for financial loss. The fact of
the matter is it takes years to create the types of games
that warrant the title of 'System Seller' and it's still not
guaranteed.
Again, this is not the type of chance you take with
billions of dollars on the line, yet this is the way things have
been done for decades . Microsoft realized they no longer
wanted to operate within those guidelines, at least not
completely.
I remember setting inside the Microsoft Auditorium in
Los Angeles at E3 back in 2017 as the lovely Sarah Bond
strolled out onto the stage and announced the introduction
of Game Pass for the Xbox. As she explained its
functionality you could feel the buzz in the air, I had
goosebumps all over my body. I could not believe what I
was hearing. Anyone who was there with half a brain could
see what Microsoft was planning. They wanted to become
the 'Netflix' of video games. As Sarah Bond continued, she
explained how every Microsoft's first-party game would
launch with Game Pass on day 1 at no extra cost other
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POINT OF VIEW
than the monthly subscription fee, ala Netflix. Keep in mind,
Microsoft had just announced the acquisition of about 10
studios they just purchased to go along with their
announcement of Game Pass. This was the beginning of
Microsoft's very own 'End Game' and Microsoft is playing
the role of Thanos using Game Pass as the 'snap' that will
wipe away half of the video game industry's competiton.
Still, the video game industry didn't see the monster that
Game Pass could or would be and took the news in stride.
No big deal was really made and video game consumers,
especially Sony Playstation consumers downplayed it and
didn't take it too seriously. I didn't though. I saw what was
brewing behind the doors at Microsoft's headquarters and I
knew Game Pass was a gamechanger, however, only if
Microsoft would do one important thing...make more
games, more great games!
For many people, the hope of Microsoft making an
abundant amount of great games for their Xbox systems
has been a painful notion, and rightfully so. We lived
through the glory days of the Xbox 360, which is considered
Microsoft's heyday as compared to the Xbox One.
Microsoft, no doubt, has earned this skepticism, but I knew
this time around it would be different. I spoke extensively
with Derrick Smith, CEO and editor-in-chief of Game
Insider, about this and I expressed that I truly believed
Microsoft was going to take the Xbox to the next level this
time around due to being crushed by Sony with the PS4,
yet, even I didn't realize how effective Microsoft's plan
would be after witnessing what happened in November
2020 when Microsoft purchased Zenimax for $7.5 billion.
Now, all of a sudden Game Pass becomes real for the
uninitiated, a serious threat, and would now be a steady
blip upon the radar of every video game consumer, no
matter their system of choice. Microsoft's vision for Game
Pass is now fully realized, and for Sony's PS5, this spells
trouble.
Microsoft's net worth as of 2020 is over $1 trillion.
Obviously, Microsoft has a lot of money at its disposal and
in case some of you may not have realized it by now,
Microsoft's Xbox brand is not their main source of revenue.
In fact, for Microsoft, the Xbox is treated much like a 'pet
project' to the surprise of those looking from the outside in.
The truth of the matter is if the Xbox brand was to vanish
tomorrow Microsoft would still make billions of dollars. This
is not the case with Sony.
The PlayStation 5 plays a much more significant role in
Sony's financial portfolio than does the Xbox with Microsoft,
which is why Sony supplies its Playstation brand with the
necessary resources to make blockbuster games. Here's
the problem for Sony as of this new generation of video
gaming, Microsoft has now opened the money vault and is
giving Phil Spencer the necessary cash flow needed for
Xbox to compete against Sony, and whoever else, as we
saw that with the $7.5 billion purchase of Zenimax. It
appears the sleeping giant has awoken and it has a very
big wallet.
Consequently, Xbox now has serious money supporting
it and is now being taken seriously by Microsoft, resulting in
Game Pass having the fuel it needs to succeed. Gamepass
is a true paradigm shift within the video game industry and
is the first of its kind much like Xbox Live was with home
video game consoles with the original Xbox.
While Sony is pouring millions upon millions of dollars
into developing new games which will take years to
develop, Microsoft will be doing the same, of course, yet
will also be raking in $14.99 every month from each of their
current 18 million subscribers. That is roughly
$269,820,000 per month, while the service is increasingly
growing. That is quite a bit of C.R.E.A.M annually. As
Microsoft continues adding to its library they could easily
eclipse over 30 million subscribers within the next few
years.
With Game Pass Microsoft has effectively moved from
the old archaic video game business model in which Sony
is following and has gone with a 'Games as a Service'
business models, guaranteeing a more secure revenue
stream of cash every month, without the need to drop a
single blockbuster game during that same timeframe. This
is truly a historical event, the type that changes entire
business landscapes. I've seen it happen over my lifetime
and we are seeing it happen again.
What I truly like about this move by Microsoft is the fact
no one saw it coming which makes it that much more
brilliant. Remember the numerous amounts of consumers
who touted they had a PC which means they could play all
of Xbox's games on their PCs without the need of an Xbox
via a Game Pass subscription? It was pretty much their way
of ragging on the Xbox brand while bragging about their
PCs at the same time. Little did their small minds know that
Microsoft could not care less if you played on a PC or an
Xbox, just as long as you subscribed to Game Pass.
Microsoft basically has your money no matter which system
you prefer or feel is better than the other.
Again, my hat's off to Microsoft, from a business standpoint,
and from a consumer standpoint as well because as a
consumer of Xbox products I am now a kid in a candy store
when it comes to Game Pass, it's a consumer's dream. Not
a fanboy's dream but a consumer's, and for that, I can't say
enough great things about Game Pass... but I will anyway.
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POINT OF VIEW
Gamepass is simply liberating. It's freedom! Like I said
earlier, I've been a video game consumer for over 40 years,
and never have I had the freedom Game Pass gives me.
What do I mean by freedom? Well, games cost money,
that's the cold reality of this love affair we have with
interactive gaming. There are only so many games I can
purchase at any given time and play as well. Unfortunately,
my uncle is not Bill Gates. However, now, this all changes
with Game Pass. Much like Netflix with movies, I'm excitedly
able to do the same with Game Pass. I now have the
freedom to play so many different games without having to
spend upwards of $70 each. I'm even playing games I
would've never tried due to being on a budget monetarily
speaking. It's truly an amazing experience. Again, it's
liberating!
Not only that, Game Pass is now launching games by
third-party developers on day one. The most recent two are
Outriders developed by People Can Fly and published by
Square Enix, as well as MLB: The Show 21 developed by,
wait for it... Sony Interactive Entertainment. Are you kidding
me?! Microsoft is now taking their chief competitor's game
and having it launch day one on GamePass?! Do you now
see the historical event I am talking about taking place right
before you? It's a groundbreaking moment in video game
history and one that must be acknowledged regardless of
your system loyalties as a video game consumer.
Furthermore, there might be a few of you who are
reading this article with aspirations of becoming video game
creators, I applaud you and I am cheering you on in spirit.
All the while, I am asking you to please consider the
following:
As an indie studio working on a tight budget to create an
amazing video game experience, understand, with Game
Pass, Microsoft can offer you payment to be exclusively on
Game Pass. Imagine that?! What kind of world is this?! It's
the world of Game Pass, it's the new business model
Microsoft has created for video games. Much like Netflix
does when it licenses movies such as the television show
'The Office' Microsoft will do the same with Game Pass.
Here's why it's profitable and a win-win for Microsoft and the
game developer, especially indie game developers.
With Microsoft's Game Pass install base of 18 million,
these gamers have more of a chance of playing your game
because they don't have to pay for it, as it's part of the
subscription, there's not a high entry fee needed to
experience your game. This is key to indie developers who
don't have a giant marketing machine promoting their
games nor the established reputation. Game Pass is here to
change all of that once and for all. With more obscure and
interesting games populating Game Pass, while being
supported by Microsoft's first-party blockbuster games such
as Halo, Gears of War, Forza, including the boatload of triple
'A' titles coming from the acquisition of Bethesda, id
Software, MachineGames, Arkane Stuidos, Ninja Theory
and a slew of other newly acquired Microsoft studios, well,
you get the picture by now. I hope.
This, my friends, is the ebb and flow of high-stakes
competitive business, and in the case of Sony vs Microsoft,
it's a battle of the giants. Each company doing all it can to
win over the loyalties of video gamers around the world and
in the end, we the consumers, are the beneficiaries of such
high stakes competition. Game Pass by Microsoft is proof of
this fact. As of this writing, Game Pass already has over 18
million subscribers and continues to grow, winning over
gamers worldwide at an alarming rate, due to it being a new
and innovative video game industry business model and
bringing with it a value proposition never before seen in the
history of video games. I honestly can't see how Sony and
Nintendo will be able to offer anything better than Game
Pass and because of that Xbox will be in an amazing
position moving forward in this next generation of gaming.
So, there you have it, Sony is in trouble, and it's nothing
they can do about it. They can scramble and try to come up
with their own version of Game Pass, but it won't work, it's
too intricate and can't be created in the spur of the moment.
Microsoft has out thought Sony this time around and has
beat Sony to the punch if you will. Sony is stuck in an
antiquated business model while Microsoft has broken free
of it and has opened a new door in which they have created
and now control. It was methodically executed and planned
with extreme perfection much like the 10-year Avengers
theatrical anthology culminating with 'End Game' and Sony
didn't see it coming.
Historically speaking, this is not the first time Sony has
been caught sleeping at the wheel of business evolution. It
happened to them as the world transitioned into the digital
age and Sony, coming off the mega-successful Walkman
brand of portable audio listening devices, didn't see a
company by the name of Apple coming to the forefront
armed with a new product called the iPod. As a result, a
giant was toppled, Sony with its Walkman, and replaced by
a new giant, Apple with its iPod and iTunes platform.
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FEATURE
SCARLET NEXUS
An intriguing narrative atop incredible JRPG action
By Rhett Quiban
PLATFORM
PS5, PS4, XBOX SERIES XIS, PC
GENRE
ACTION ROLE-PLAYING ADVENTURE
PUBLISHER
BANDAI NAMCO
DEVELOPER
BANDAI NAMCO
RELEASE
JUNE 25, 2021
Using superpowers as motifs in
various forms of media is a
prevailing system in today’s pop
culture, and that’s not necessarily
a bad thing. A lot of people love
playing out this fantasy and there’s
\ no better way of doing that than by
playing video games. Scarlet
Nexus is a game that will allow you to live out your
fantasy of being a superpowered individual, and the
developers behind the game know this fact full well,
which is why it is the game’s central theme and
mechanic.
Scarlet Nexus is an action JRPG. That fact alone
already turned a few heads when the game was first
announced in May 2020 during Microsoft’s Xbox 20/20
event. The game’s art direction is as anime-ish as they
come, which should delight those who are fans of the
media. Interestingly, there is also going to be an anime
adaptation of the game that will come out in July of this
year.
According to the game’s producer, Keita Iizuka, who
also produced Code Vein, the name “Scarlet Nexus”
refers to the red strings that will become a big part of
the game’s story and gameplay system. “Scarlet” can
also refer to the game’s heroes and “Nexus”
corresponds to bonds and connections, a central
theme in the game’s narrative.
Being an action RPG, Scarlet Nexus’ gameplay is
fast-paced and adrenaline-inducing. You play from a
third-person perspective and will have the chance to
play one of two different characters: Yuito Sumeragi or
Kasane Randall. These two heroes are members of the
Other Suppression Force, or OSF, a group of
superpowered individuals tasked to defend their land
from otherworldly creatures known as the Others. Both
Yuito and Kasane are known as psionics, individuals
who are capable of using psychokinesis. This power
will allow you to move and lift objects with your mind,
which you can then use to your advantage in combat.
When you’re not using your psychokinetic
superpowers, this game essentially functions like a
high-action hack-and-slash using the melee weapon
that you are provided with. Your superpowers can be

FEATURE
In Scarlet Nexus, you will be faced with a group of powerful and
terrifying mutants known as the Others. The Others are mindless
creaures who terrorize and hunt humans.
upgraded via the game’s skill tree system, which the
game refers to as a “brain map”. As you progress through
the game, you will come across various companions who
will join your party and assist you in combat. Each
companion will have their own unique abilities, which you
will be able to acquire and control using a system in the
game called the “brain link”.
In a game as adventurous as Scarlet Nexus, the world
of the game is just as important as the game’s story. In
Scarlet Nexus, you are taken to a near-future, alternate
reality version of modern-day Japan. In this world,
technological advancements have enveloped society and
superpowers are more technological rather than mystical.
Thanks to their higher understanding of technology and
science, humanity was able to gather substances found
in human brains. These substances are responsible for
the powers that are present in this universe. Societies
have also formed around these substances.
This game is set in a land called New Himuka. The
design of New Himuka is the perfect union of a futuristic
science-fiction world and modern Japanese architecture.
Despite being a futuristic game, Scarlet Nexus is filled
with Japanese cultural elements.
In Scarlet Nexus, you will be faced with a group of
powerful and terrifying mutants known as the Others. The
Others are mindless creatures who terrorize and hunt
humans and hail from a place known as the Extinction
Belt. These monsters come in various shapes, forms,
and sizes, but they are also extraordinarily designed. The
developers of the game intended the Others to look both
alien and foreign, but also very familiar in terms of figure
and form, and they surely succeeded in this arena.
The Others a powerful aura about them, as if letting
those who behold their eyes upon them know that regular
humans will never stand a chance against them, which is
as truthful as it is horrifying. These creatures are
constantly in pain, brought upon by their awful mutation.
They hunt the brains of living organisms because it is the
only thing that calms their madness.
The system, atmosphere, even narrative beats of
Scarlet Nexus is nothing groundbreaking, but everything
that is shown to the public thus far screams promise and
potential. This game aims to provide gameplay that’s as
fun as can be for its players by utilizing mechanics and
themes that are well-known and well-loved, while also
being individualistic with its core story and lore.
If you’re a fan of fast-paced third-person games that
allow you to use superpowers to take down enigmaticlooking
creatures, Scarlet Nexus should be right up your
alley. This game is set to be released on June 25, 2021,
and you can play it on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox
One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

COVER
HOGWARTS
LEGACY
This adventure is your story, for you to take on as you see fit
By Jih-Wei Peng
PLATFORM
PS5, PS4
GENRE
ACTION ADVENTURE
PUBLISHER
SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT
DEVELOPER
GUERRILLA GAMES
RELEASE
2021

COVER
The Potterverse has always felt
practically custom-made for the
purposes of shaping your own
identity - think about how many
online quizzes exist telling you what
your Patronus is or what House
you’d be sorted in, with assorted
badges to proudly declare that you are as brave as a
Gryffindor, as loyal as a Hufflepuff, as wise as a
Ravenclaw, or as cunning as a Slytherin. Throw on the
general school setting where one is expected to start
discovering your real talents and interests, as well as
the very real possibility of being taken from your
mundane Muggle world into a literally magical world of
wonder, and it’s not hard to say that one of the great
things the Potterverse sells is the fantasy of being able
to reinvent and identify yourself as whoever you want to
become.
Avalanche Software seems to have homed right in
on this aspect of the Potterverse when creating their
new open world action RPG, Hogwarts: Legacy, as
their newly released trailer and website hammers on
the theme of crafting your personal wizarding identity
over and over. Whether it’s asking what House you’ll
be in, what aspects of wizardry and witchcraft you’ll
specialize in, what friends and what choices you’ll make
as you face the troubles of the world, the devs are
insistent that this adventure is YOUR story, for you to
take on as you see fit.

COVER
They’re greatly helped in this by their decision to set the
game in the late 19th century rather than the modern
era. Shorn from the constraints of having to build
around the events and characters in the books and
films, they’ve a free hand to make the player the central
character in the unfolding drama rather than a
supporting character who can never be allowed to
overshadow Harry, Ron and Hermione. In fact, the 19th
century as a whole is something of a blank slate in the
Potterverse generally, allowing the devs to tweak and
adjust things as necessary to fit the game best.
Don’t take this as a sign that they’re going to go right
off the rails, however. The other point the devs are
hammering on is the continuity and unity provided by
Hogwarts itself, a chain that binds all magic together
past and present, and certainly from what we’ve seen of
the available materials Hogwarts hasn’t really changed
all that much in the space of a hundred years - not
surprising, given the notorious conservatism of
wizarding culture. Avalanche appears to be dedicated
to making the game an organic part of the Potterverse,
a creation of their own but following all the established
rules of the setting, thus allowing players to be simply a
student of Hogwarts as many have dreamed of. Not
only that, but with their emphasis on the fact that you’ll
be walking in the footsteps of all wizards who came
before, they’re subtly implying that in turn, Harry and the
gang will in their time be walking in YOUR footsteps,
and it’s likely that the epilogue of the game will show
how your actions, in some way, had a distant ripple
effect on their own adventures - rather a clever way of
tying players to the main storyline without making them
anything but the heroes of their own story.
But what is that story exactly? Details are sparse at
present, but the player is apparently a late addition to
Hogwarts instead of arriving as a first year - an earlier
leak suggests you’ll be entering as a 5th year - and that
you have ties to an ancient, mysterious form of magic
whose secrets could well rock the wizarding world.

COVER
As for the ancient magic you are apparently capable of ,
other parts of the trailer showed Hogwarts students
dueling with fur-clad, animal-mask wearing wizards of
some sort - given the conservatism of magical culture,
perhaps a remnant of old, wilder pre-Roman magical
traditions trying to overcome the staidness of modern
magic? We also know there’s some kind of morality
system as well, thus far looking like a straightforward
Light vs Dark side setup rather than a more nuanced
Paragon vs Renegade. All else, sadly, is speculation at
the moment. The devs do make clear what you’ll be
doing during your time in Hogwarts, however - making
friends, studying in class, brewing potions, mastering
spells, and taming magical beasts. Pride of place
seems to go for the potion-making and the magical
beast-taming, as the trailer spends a fair amount of time
focusing on students briefing Mooncalves and
Graphorns, while their website’s scrolling list of possible
students make much of potion-making and herbology
(I.e. getting ingredients for potions). Spells aren’t
specified in as much detail, but the trailer certainly has
an example of Transfiguration turning a mirror into a
training dummy, as well as the combat applications of a
Levitation charm and other, unspecified combat charms.
It’s been stated as well that you’ll be bringing
companions with you to join your adventures,
What this all implies is that you’re probably not going
to be spending a lot of time listening to History of Magic
lectures to prepare for your OWLs and are instead
going to be spending quite a bit more time kicking the
snot out of the local wildlife, as pretty much all the listed
activities are combat-related in some way - Shenmue
this probably ain’t. The trailer already suggests a
number of dust-ups against foes from Graphorns to
dragons, from Inferi to Dementors, and of course the
mysterious masked and furred wizards who can safely
be assumed to be antagonists of some stripe.

COVER
The emphasis appears to be on the action part of the
RPG, and while it’s currently unknown what role the
class structure of what is ultimately a school will play in
the game, it’s likely that the classes will be directly
related to improving your combat skills somehow and
any class schedules that exists won’t be getting in the
way of your adventures from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade
to the Forbidden Forest and environs beyond.
Unfortunately any discussion of a new Harry Potter
game, especially one that focuses as much as it does
on creating your own identity, has a hard time ignoring
the elephant in the room - Rowling’s recent unpleasant
stance and comments regarding trans people.
Avalanche Software has been quick to stress that while
their world is inspired and based on Rowling’s works,
she has no direct input on the game beyond approving
of its existence, though Warner Brothers has refused to
comment on whether or not she will be receiving
royalties from the game. It’ll have to be a matter of
personal conscience whether the lure of the game is
worth indirectly supporting Rowling - a hard choice for
some, and something of a shame given that the devs
seem to regard the game as a labor of love.
In any event, you’ll have plenty of time to mull over
your decision as there’s no concrete release date yet,
with the game being scheduled to come out sometime
in 2022 on the PlayStation5, PlayStation4, PlayStation4
Pro, and the Xbox One family of devices, including
Xbox Series X and Xbox One X, and PC.