Though today was a little slower with the gaming news, there are still a number of interesting stories to dive into. For starters, Marvel’s Avengers was September 2020’s bestselling game (with a Nintendo-centric caveat) despite many of its players dropping off so quickly. We also learned that its upcoming next-gen version has been delayed. Aside from that, Xbox head Phil Spencer of Microsoft said future iterations of Xbox consoles are already in development, among other things. Here’s the video game news you might’ve missed on Oct. 16, 2020.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Has Gone Gold
With just under a month to spare, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has gone gold, as announced by Ubisoft via Twitter today. This means core development has been completed and the game is ready to be printed and distributed. What it means for consumers is that Valhalla will not suffer any delays and will hit its intended release date of Nov. 10 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S (and Nov. 12 for PlayStation 5), coinciding with the launch of next-gen systems.
We're extremely proud to share that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has gone gold! 🎺
On behalf of everyone working on the game, we can't wait to see how your own Viking saga unfolds.
Your journey to glory starts on November 10. #AssassinsCreed pic.twitter.com/jeAcOSMHO3
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) October 16, 2020
Marvel’s Avengers Was September 2020’s Bestselling Game in the United States
Today, Mat Piscatella of the NPD Group released U.S. sales data for the month of September 2020, and some of the results were surprising. The biggest takeaway is that Marvel’s Avengers — a game that seemingly came and went — was the month’s bestselling game according to available data. It was followed by Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which is striking as Nintendo does not divulge any of its digital sales numbers. That means its #2 ranking came from physical units sold alone, and the game “generated the 2nd highest launch month physical dollar sales of any 2020 release, trailing only Animal Crossing: New Horizons.” The full NPD thread can be viewed below.
https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1317088128843173888
LucasArts’ Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, and Full Throttle Coming to Xbox Game Pass This Month
Starting on Oct. 29, LucasArts classics Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, and Full Throttle remasters will head to Xbox Game Pass. The three adventure games will be available across Xbox consoles, PC, and Android (on Game Pass Ultimate), giving you many ways to play. Keep in mind that these all serve as remastered versions of their original counterparts, which all were released in the ’90s and later remastered for modern machines.
Read More: Remembering The Classics: The Xbox Podcast Featuring Tim Schafer
Physical Edition Final Fantasy VII and VIII Twin Pack Will Launch in Certain Territories This Year
Speaking of remasters, a physical Twin Pack edition of Final Fantasy VII (not the remake) and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is headed to Nintendo Switch in Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. In addition, a physical version of Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will be available for PlayStation 4 and will launch in the territories listed above. Both packages will release on Dec. 4. It’s unknown if they’ll head to North America or other territories, but we’ve got our fingers crossed for a worldwide release. Currently, the only way to get these games domestically is in digital format.
🌍 Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand
🕹️ #FinalFantasy VII and FFVIII Remastered Twin Pack on #NintendoSwitch
💿 FFVIII Remastered on #PS4
📅 December 4, 2020Pre-order now:
FFVII & FFVIII: https://t.co/VcG4va3Ccj
FFVIII: https://t.co/gg6KyRGrn7 pic.twitter.com/GgKRSJhHtn— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) October 16, 2020
Future Xbox Console Iterations Already Being Worked On
As part of a lengthy interview with Kotaku, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer discussed what’s next for Xbox and mentioned that future console iterations are already in development. While touching upon implementing faster SSDs to keep up with competitors, Spencer said, “I think, like you’ve seen in past generations, that we will iterate on hardware. We’ve already started, right? Our team doesn’t go away, when we kind of lock the spec. Some of it is cost. That’s always the important thing. How do you drive down the cost of the console in the parts that are there, but also just looking at areas in terms of what are the next iterations that you might do?”
It’s common for console manufacturers to start working on new systems several years in advance, but to see a company casually acknowledge this is further proof that Microsoft is leaning into an iterative hardware model, perhaps similar to with smart phones.
Read More: Xbox Boss Phil Spencer On Series X Launch, Halo Infinite & Bethesda
