Research firm Newzoo has revealed what it claims were the top-grossing console and PC games in the first quarter of 2024.
24.04.2024 - 20:31 / rockpapershotgun.com
The developers behind Fable card game spin-off Fable Fortune and the digital adaptation of dungeon-crawling board game Gloomhaven have revealed a new upcoming co-op RPG… only to announce at the same time that the upcoming game’s development has been put on pause amid layoffs at the studio and difficulty finding funding.
Flaming Fowl were founded back in 2016 by a bunch of former Fable devs out of original studio Lionhead, picking up the Fable-verse digital card game in the wake of the veteran British studio’s closure. The Hearthstone-ish card game eventually made it out of early access in 2018, lasting three years in total before having its servers switched off in 2020.
After that, Flaming Fowl stuck with the melding of tabletop and digital, bringing chunky fantasy adventure Gloomhaven - which is a bit like Dungeons & Dragons as a board game, but with crunchy card-driven combat - to PC via early access in 2019. Lik the tabletop original, it was pretty cracking.
Between working on DLC for Gloomhaven, it seems that Flaming Fowl found time to work on something brand new for the studio, revealing it this week. Ironmarked is a co-op RPG for one to three players with turn-based combat - keeping that lineage from Gloomhaven alive - set in a fantasy world inspired by Renaissance-era Italy that you can go and try for yourself on Steam right now thanks to a fresh demo.
Unfortunately, that demo might be all we get of Ironmarked for a while, as alongside revealing the game and launching its demo, Flaming Fowl announced that they would be putting the game’s production on hold and had laid off multiple staff in an effort to “downsize”.
The studio attributed the unfortunate combination of events to “the current lack of funding in the games industry”, with the release of Ironmarked’s demo both an effort to secure future funding for the game and, somewhat soberingly, provide a portfolio for those now needing to find employment elsewhere in the industry. (With the number of developers I see on social media often expressing frustration at so much of their work being locked behind NDAs for cancelled projects, this is at least a welcome change.)
With Ironmarked on pause until funding is raised, Flaming Fowl said they would shift to developing something smaller that they’re able to fund themselves.
It’s a fairly tragic situation for the studio, albeit one that’s sadly far from rare these days. Good luck to those former Flaming Fowl folks looking for their next job, and to those still at the studio working on whatever comes next.
Research firm Newzoo has revealed what it claims were the top-grossing console and PC games in the first quarter of 2024.
Carceri is a fizzy and kaleidoscopic, first-person "chaotic Art-toy" in which you explore/hallucinate an island resort that's also a concentration camp ("carceri" is Italian for prison) for sentient computer programs. Out sometime in May, it's the work of James Beech - who describes himself as "an on-again, off-again AAA veteran" with credits on Metroid Prime 4, Remnant: From the Ashes, and Crysis 3. The environments take hefty influence from Carceri d'invenzione, a series of prints created in the 18th century by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, whose name has become a byword for impossible spaces.
The official release date trailer of Athenian Rhapsody, uploaded on YouTube, is a hilarious farce. It centers on our wide-eyed hero, who discovers that Athenian Rhapsody is about to launch after a dubious snack while out on a nature stroll! A creepy-smiled mushroom who can’t wait to reveal the release date but ends up clogging the toilet instead.
Rainbow Cotton, a poorly remembered 3D offshoot of one of the definitive entries in the cutesy shooter canon, is somehow making a comeback in English 24 years after its original launch, and the devs have provided a helpful explainer on the differences between emulation, remakes, and remasters. The catch is that they might've gotten it wrong.
More details have emerged about the ongoing layoffs at Take-Two Interactive, with reports suggesting the publisher has shut down two indie-size studios.
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has issued a statement on recent changes to the way ricochet works in the game after members of the community pointed out one weapon in particular was killing players more than it should.
Microsoft's Xbox summer showcase in June will reportedly include a hefty post-show segment on the next and currently untitled Call Of Duty, alongside release dates for such first-party headliners as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Avowed and Indiana Jones And The Great Circle. As rumoured in April, they're also apparently going to show off new Gears Of War game. Nice to see the COG and Locust still getting work.
In a recent interview, Fallout director Todd Howard said that Bethesda plans to «predominately keep» the franchise in the United States and explained his reasoning. Although Howard left the door open for non-US Fallout settings in the future, it seems unlikely given the franchise's established theme.
Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP, an upcoming remaster of the hack-and-slash Xbox 360/PS3 title from famed game designer Suda51, might finally receive a proper reveal in the near future, according to a recent tease from the developers behind the project. The long-awaited re-release of the cult classic action game will hopefully shine a new light on this overlooked title and lead to more remasters of other hidden gems from Suda51 in the future.
The version 2.2 update for Honkai: Star Rail, dubbed “Then Wake to Weep,” will launch on May 8, developer miHoYo announced.
Cygames has detailed the new content coming in updates 1.2.0 and 1.3.0 of Granblue Fantasy: Relink. In addition to adding two new characters to the robust cast of Granblue Fantasy: Relink, the updates bring improvements to existing characters, bug fixes, and new quest additions.
An independent UK developer says it’s been forced to announce and postpone its game on the same day, and lay off more than half of its staff, due to the sharp downturn in investment in the games industry.