Ukraine, Aussie Highs, Lows and Dinosaur Rain

Continued Ukraine response

As the war in Ukrain continues more gaming companies have officially made statements condemning the Russian aggression and boycotting the state.  Companies no longer selling in Russia include Epic, Microsoft, GOG, Ubisoft, Take Two, Sony, EA who along with stopping sales has also removed Russian teams from FIFA and NHL and even LEGO are stopped shipments.

In more direct support of Ukraine however Necrosoft (the developers of Gunhouse) have put together a Bundle for Ukraine on itch.io. The proceeds will be split between International Medical Corps who provide medical assistance in the region and Voices for Children supporting children experiencing the horrors of war. For a minimum of $10 USD you will get access to 992 items including games, books and music donated by their developers.  Notable titles include Wandersong, Superhot, A Short Hike, Baba is You, Celeste and many, many more. You can find the bundle on itch.io.

Australia bans Rimworld

Rimworld, the popular space colony management game has been refused classification in Australia, effectively banning it only 8 years after it went on sale. Until this point the game had not been submitted for classification but now had been as  the game was gearing up for an apparent console launch of which the ruling appears to confirm.  Unlike other games that received an RC rating after being on sale previously such as Disco Elysium last year the ban has also removed the game from purchase on steam. Those who already owned the game can continue to play however.

“I’m sorry this news was so sudden and for anyone who is frustrated by this. We are working to resolve this situation and make RimWorld available to everyone again as soon as possible, but we don’t yet know what that might require or how long it may take.” – Ludeon Studios

While you can not buy or redeem the game on steam it is still available DRM free on the developer’s website.

Japanese focused Playstation State of Play

Sony put on a brief State of Play presentation at 8am on Thursday the 10 Australian time. Focussing mostly on games being created by their Japanese partners. The show kicked off with a reveal of Exoprimal from Capcom a futuristic squad focussed shooter where dinosaurs rain from the sky. The show ended with the reveal of two new titles from Square Enix; The DioField Chronicle a tactical RPG and a new Valkyrie Profile game called Valkyrie Elysium taking the series in a more action RPG direction. One of the other big announcements is a free DLC coming to Returnal which will add multiplayer co-op to the game and a new mode endless mode, Tower of Sisyphus.

Australian federal games funding

Australian independent game developers rejoice as Screen Australia has announced the Games: Expansion Pack initiative which will allow developers access to federal screen funding. The initiative is aimed towards small, medium and emerging independent Australian games developers seeking finance for their project. For details of the initiative and apply please check the Screen Australia website. The submissions for 2022 funding close on the 28^th or April.

Upcoming Releases

March 11: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok DLC [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO], Submerged: Hidden Depths [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO], Time Loader [PS4, XBO, Switch]

March 12: WWE 2K22 [PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO]

March 16: GTA 5 [PS5, XSX]

March 17: Tunic [PC, XSX, XBO]