The conversation in the podcast discusses the cyclical nature of mobile games, including the industry's live-ops nature, iterations, sequels, and changes in concepts like Early Access and Soft Launch.
Google Play is offering a wide selection of top-notch Android games on sale, alongside other tech deals. Some highlighted apps include Goat Simulator 3, Exploding Kittens 2, Crying Suns, CHRONO TRIGGER, various DRAGON QUEST games, and Final DFAntsty titles.
Xbox, in collaboration with Mutiny, has launched the "We Got You" campaign for PC Game Pass to enhance awareness and position it as the leading service for PC gamers. The campaign highlights the diverse gaming preferences catered to by PC Game Pass, which offers a continually updated library of high-quality games, access to new releases on launch day, EA PC games through EA Play, and exclusive member benefits. Xbox has partnered with gaming creators like Bricky, Yvonnie, and TDawgSmitty to engage the community through social media interactions and live streamer playthroughs. The campaign features a dynamic video directed by Dave Laden, showcasing various games and emphasizing the benefits of a PC Game Pass membership. The initiative aims for global outreach with content that can be localized for different demographics. Key titles available through PC Game Pass include Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, The Sims 4, League of Legends, Minecraft, Goat Simulator: Remastered, Football Manager 25, and Diablo IV. The service is priced at .99 per month and provides access to hundreds of high-quality titles.
Satisfactory was awarded PC Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards. The game, developed by the creators of Goat Simulator, has evolved since its Early Access debut in 2019 and has received an aggregate score of 91 on Metacritic. It achieved a record-breaking concurrent player count on Steam, surpassing its previous peak by more than five times, with a noted increase from 34,000 concurrent users. The game allows players to build factories on alien planets and can be played solo or with friends. Other nominees for PC Game of the Year included Animal Well, Balatro, Frostpunk 2, Tactical Breach Wizards, and UFO 50.
The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted will be broadcast on December 5 at 12 pm PST / 8 pm GMT across platforms like Twitch and YouTube. The show will feature a countdown of the 25 Most Wanted games, selected by a panel called The Council, which includes game developers and content creators. The selection process begins with a long list of over 100 unreleased games, narrowed down based on criteria such as game profile, premise, and creative direction. Only games set to release before January 1, 2025, or currently in Early Access are eligible. The final list is determined through a voting process using a 1-5 scale, factoring in Release Certainty and total votes. The nominees for the Most Wanted 2024 include titles such as Path of Exile 2, Deltarune, Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, and Grand Theft Auto 6, among others.
Several notable games will be leaving Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass on November 15, 2024. The titles include:
- Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (25-30 hours for completion)
- Like a Dragon: Ishin (100-120 hours for completion)
- Persona 5 Tactica (approximately 50 hours for completion)
- Somerville (estimated completion time of 5 hours)
- Dicey Dungeons (around 50 hours for completion, with bonus rounds on hardest difficulty)
- Dungeons 4 (around 50 hours for completion)
- Goat Simulator (PC version only, base completion time of 4 hours, approximately 14 hours for all DLC)
Metal Slug Tactics will be joining the Game Pass lineup in early November.
November features numerous notable PC game releases, including:
- November 1: Elin (Steam)
- November 5: Metal Slug Tactics (Steam)
- November 6: Mirthwood (Steam)
- November 6: Trash Goblin (Steam)
- November 6: Brighter Shores (Steam)
- November 7: Empire of the Ants (Steam)
- November 7: Unrailed 2: Back on Track (Steam)
- November 7: Atomic Picnic (Steam)
- November 7: Goat Simulator: Remastered (Steam)
- November 7: Metro Awakening (Steam)
- November 12: Farming Simulator 25 (Steam)
- November 12: Tetris Forever (Steam)
- November 14: Follow the Meaning (Steam)
- November 14: Lego Horizon Adventures (Steam)
- November 14: Sorry We're Closed (Steam)
- November 19: Towers of Aghasba (Steam)
- November 19: Toads of the Bayou (Steam)
Additionally, November will host various gaming events showcasing upcoming titles and celebrating gaming culture.
- Genshin Impact is a free-to-play, role-playing game available on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch.
- Frostborn: Coop Survival is a survival game with ARPG elements available on iOS and Android.
- Oceanhorn is a cartoony adventure game available on iOS, Android, and Steam.
- Minecraft is a popular open-world game available on multiple platforms.
- Goat Simulator is a humorous open-world game where players control a goat causing chaos in a realistic world.
Geoff Keighley hosted the Opening Night Live event at Gamescom, featuring major announcements from 2K and Microsoft.
2K announced Borderlands 4, set for release in 2025, and Mafia: The Old Country, along with a trailer for Civilization 7, launching on February 11, 2025. Microsoft revealed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, scheduled for December 9, and the Shattered Space expansion for Starfield, coming on September 30.
Techland is developing a standalone game titled The Beast in the Dying Light franchise. Amazon unveiled a trailer for Secret Level, an animated anthology featuring episodes based on Armored Core, God of War, Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Warhammer 40,000. Peter Molyneux announced a new project called Masters of Albion.
Coffee Stain will release an updated version of Goat Simulator later this year, and NetEase is set to launch Marvel Rivals on December 6. Tarsier Studios announced a new horror adventure titled Reanimal.
Coffee Stain Publishing announced a remastered version of Goat Simulator, set to be released later this year, during Gamescom's Opening Night Live. The remaster features enhanced graphics and lighting while maintaining the core gameplay. It introduces a reworked mutator system that allows players to change their goat's appearance through an in-game menu. The remaster also includes previously mobile-exclusive DLCs such as GoatVile, Goat MMO, and Buck to School, with the Payday DLC allowing players to experience a goat heist.