It’s hard to believe PlayStation 5 is here — signifying that the next generation has begun in full. Before you turn on your PS5, let’s catch up on the news of the day. First, Valve released a major update for Half-Life: Alyx featuring three hours of developer commentary. In addition, Microsoft says it won’t release Xbox Series X sales figures, even if it outperforms other consoles, and more. Here’s the video game news you might’ve missed on Nov. 12, 2020.
Half-Life: Alyx Has Been Updated with Three Hours of Developer Commentary
A surprise update has just gone live in Half-Life: Alyx, featuring three hours of developer commentary. The commentary is featured in over 10 languages and is available for free, right now. Originally, Valve had intended on including the developer commentary alongside the game’s launch but had to delay it due to COVID-19 complications. Nonetheless, it’s here and you can check out a taste in the trailer below.
Ghost of Tsushima Has Sold More Than 5 Million Copies Since July
Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tsushima is a massive success, but now we have a better idea of just how well it performed for Sony. Today, Head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios Hermen Hulst announced that Ghost of Tsushima has become the fastest-selling first-party original PlayStation 4 game, surpassing 5 million copies sold since its launch in July 2020. The game just recently received its multiplayer Legends expansion, free to all players who own the base game.
#GhostofTsusima is our fastest-selling first party original PS4 game with more than 5 million copies sold since its debut in July. What an incredible achievement by @SuckerPunchProd!
— Hermen Hulst (@hermenhulst) November 12, 2020
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Had Double the Player Base on Launch Day of Odyssey
The latest in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, had a tremendous start — so much so that it had double the launch-day player base of that of the previous entry, Odyssey. This news comes by way of a press release from Ubisoft. Keep in mind though that this milestone didn’t even take into account the PlayStation 5 version of the game, since it launched today, so Ubisoft can expect yet another spike in players today.
Huge start for Assassin's Creed Valhalla via a Ubisoft Press Release
– Double the players launch day than the highly successful AC Odyssey
– Biggest debut views and engagement of any Ubisoft game at launch on Twitch / YouTube
– Sales expected to grow with next-gen console sales pic.twitter.com/gjjujzX3rC— Benji-Sales (@BenjiSales) November 12, 2020
Enjoy the Demon’s Souls PS5 Launch Trailer
Let’s celebrate the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Bluepoint Games‘ Demon’s Souls remake by enjoying the game’s new launch trailer. In it, you can see the various locales, characters, and bosses all in their 4K glory. The remake is one of the most anticipated PlayStation 5 games, and based on what we’ve seen, it’s a major showcase for what the new system can do — thanks to the hard work at Bluepoint Games. Check out the trailer below.
Microsoft Won’t Reveal Console Sales Figures, Even If Xbox Series X Outsells PS5
The previous generation was no doubt rough for Microsoft, at least comparatively speaking. It did manage to rise from the ashes thanks to its many consumer-friendly practices, but one thing it did not do is release public sales information about the Xbox One. It seems Microsoft will continue that trend with the next generation, as explained by Xbox head Phil Spencer.
In speaking with The Guardian (as relayed by VGC), Spencer said, “I can promise you that I won’t do that,” when asked about revealing sales figures pertaining to the Xbox Series X. He continued, “I know it seems manipulative and I’ll apologize for that, but I don’t want my team’s focus on [console sales]. The primary outcome of all the work that we do is how many players we see, and how often they play. That is what drives Xbox.” Active players is the metric Xbox cares to tout with the public.
Read More: Xbox says it won’t start disclosing console sales numbers again, even if Series X outperforms PS5
