The Coronavirus crisis unfortunately continues to cast a shadow, now affecting China’s esports scene with postponed League of Legends events and two Overwatch teams relocating to South Korea. It has also delayed the Taipei Game Show. While today’s gaming roundup covers that development, it also includes news about Pokémon Home, The Outer Worlds’ impending jump to the Nintendo Switch, and another delay for the Uncharted movie.
Highlights From This Week's Gaming News
Discord Will No Longer Work As Game Launcher
Discord says they want to streamline the experience for users, but added that they can still access games they already have on the site or any games that will become available in the future.
Archtype Entertainment is Making a Sci-Fi RPG for Wizards of the Coast
The upcoming video game title won't be based on Dungeons & Dragons or Magic: The Gathering, it will feature a whole new world. James Ohlen (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins) is in charge of Archetype and the upcoming sci-fi RPG.
Taipei Game Show Postponed Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
In a statement, it was explained that organizers did not want to risk the chance for infection during a “mass gathering” like the Taipei Game Show. The event has now been pushed back to this summer.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons-themed Switch Launching in March
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also getting its own themed Nintendo Switch, customizing it with an island aesthetic. It's currently sold separately, with no word on a bundle containing both the new game and its themed console.
The Outer Worlds Coming to Nintendo Switch
The Outer Worlds is set to become way more portable as it's preparing for a port to the Nintendo Switch on March 6. The award-winning game will be available as both a digital download and physical copy.
Chinese Overwatch League Teams Regroup in South Korea Amid Coronavirus Crisis
Chinese Overwatch League teams Shanghai Dragons and Guangzhou Charge are temporarily moving to South Korea in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. The Homestead Games have been effectively cancelled for these teams.
Pokémon Home is scheduled for launch this February. The service will let players transfer and trade their Pokémon between games, and feature its own National Pokédex.
PlayStation Plus February 2020 Free Games Features BioShock Collection
PlayStation Plus members will be able to get BioShock: The Collection for free this February. The collection includes the entire BioShock trilogy. PlayStation Plus members can also can get Firewall Zero Hour and The Sims 4.
Dauntless Developer Phoenix Labs Acquired by Garena
Phoenix Labs co-founder and CEO Jesse Houston said they will "continue to support our ever-growing Dauntless community and explore future games."
Humble Lunar New Year Sale Kicks Off With A Bang
Games like Devil May Cry 5, Borderlands 3, and Monster Hunter: World have been discounted for the Humble Lunar New Year Sale.
Uncharted Movie Delayed Yet Again
The feature film adaptation of Uncharted has been delayed to March 2021. Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Bumblebee) stepped down as director last year, and there has been no announcement of his replacement.
China Postpones its League of Legends Pro League Due to Coronavirus
The esport event has been postponed indefinitely in the face of the Coronavirus crisis. The General Administration of Sport in China has also advised all sports committees to postpone their activities too.
Atari plans to open video game-centric hotels. They will have several locations, but the first one will open later this year in Phoenix, Ariz. The hotels are confirmed to feature all-ages VR and AR experiences for guests.
Features and Reviews of the Week
Screenshot Survey: New Month New Games
TechRaptor's latest coverage on #ScreenshotSaturday includes a look at 3D platformer Project: Longtail, weird RPG Oddventure, and an animation test with a polar bear wearing a top hat.
Journey to the Savage Planet Video Review
Watch TechRaptor review Journey to the Savage Planet and its take on sci-fi exploration.
Settle down with your favorite drink and see what TechRaptor thinks of Coffee Talk's slice-of-life gameplay.
While TechRaptor appreciated Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's dedication to honoring the source material, they found the action-RPG to be too formulaic.
Do you have an opinion about the Pokémon Home update? What do you think of esports teams leaving China during an outbreak? Did you see other news in gaming this week that deserves attention? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
