Wyrdsong isn’t entirely finished, but it’s hanging on by a thread.

      WYRDSONG | Announcement Trailer | Something Wicked Games

      Wyrdsong was initially revealed three years ago during Gamescom Opening Night, but the RPG, crafted by veterans from Bethesda and Obsidian, has encountered a plethora of challenges since its unveiling. Developed by Something Wicked Games, Wyrdsong aimed to combine expertise that sparked excitement among Elder Scrolls fans for a possible release ahead of The Elder Scrolls 6. However, last year the studio reported significant staff layoffs. Recently, there have been updates indicating that the project is still alive, albeit with modifications to its original vision.

      NetEase instigated the game's development with an initial investment exceeding 13 million dollars, which is insufficient for today's industry standards. Subsequent efforts to attract investors were unfruitful, leading the studio to implement budget cuts to prolong development and complete the project.

      Studio co-founder Jeff Gardiner shared with PCGamer, “We’re operating with a minimal team, and I’m actively seeking further investments or publishing opportunities for the game. I hope this will happen sometime this year; we are just trying to endure the current situation, which many anticipated would stabilize by 2025, but I can’t see that happening right now. It’s quite challenging at the moment.”

      Gardiner pointed out that the scale and quality of contemporary games contribute to some of these difficulties. In the past, video games were shorter, resulting in more frequent purchases from fans. Nowadays, expansive games permit players to invest extensive hours into a single title, with Skyrim being an example.

      Wyrdsong remains in development, supported by a team of seasoned professionals. Nonetheless, Gardiner mentioned that without securing additional funding and talent to finish the project, there’s a possibility that the game may never release. “The thought of it potentially not coming to fruition saddens me. That’s why I’m putting in a lot of effort to prevent that from happening.”

      Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and similar topics.

      The scariest Alien sequel emerged a decade ago — and it's not a movie.

      Alien stands alone as a unique horror experience. The sense of dread in Ridley Scott’s 1979 deep-space thriller is unmatched. James Cameron recognized this and took a different approach with Aliens, crafting a sequel that exchanged the original’s stark minimalism for a bug-hunt spectacle. Scott was aware of it too, as shown in the direction of the franchise with the prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which leaned more towards philosophy and mythology rather than pure horror. Some entries in the series, including this week’s Alien: Romulus, have attempted to revisit the raw simplicity of the original, thrusting a small group of desperate characters against that sleek, deadly creature from space. However, these are mere shadows of the original.

      The only sequel that has come close to the nerve-wracking experience of Alien — at least in terms of completely terrorizing players — is not a film at all. It is Alien: Isolation, the 2014 survival-horror game developed by Creative Assembly.

      Live service isn’t the ultimate goal of gaming — and Bungie has just illustrated why.

      One takeaway from the unprecedented layoffs in the gaming industry over the past two years is that we are facing an identity crisis. While the industry is not at immediate risk of collapsing, publishers and studios must adjust to the evolving market in ways that were previously unnecessary. The two primary approaches appear to be relying on established intellectual properties or taking risks in hopes of launching successful live-service games. The latter has been attempted by nearly every major player, from EA to Xbox, but few have managed to attract a sufficiently large audience from established franchises to sustain themselves long-term.

      Bungie's recent layoffs are the latest evidence of this reality. The studio behind Destiny 2 recently cut 220 positions following the success of its acclaimed expansion, The Final Shape. Even if a popular live-service game is achieved, it is becoming apparent that it isn’t a guaranteed success for publishers.

      High-risk, low reward.

      It’s not uncommon in the gaming industry for large publishers to chase the latest trends. Live-service games represent the most current example, more a business model than a genre. Rather than trying to regain an audience with sequels and new titles every few years, these games aim to maintain engagement almost indefinitely, generating a steady stream of income that ultimately yields greater profits over time.

      PlayStation's upcoming exclusive Astro Bot will not support PlayStation VR2, according to Team Asobi studio head Nicolas Doucet, who confirmed this to Digital Trends. Doucet stated that the team is "100% TV" and mentioned that adding a VR mode in the future is unlikely.

      The Astro Bot series first gained recognition through PlayStation VR. Team Asobi's Astro Bot: Rescue Mission was celebrated as one of the best games for the VR platform at its launch in 2018, leading fans