When the New World dies - Redux
The ninth issue of Letter to a Gamer is a little shorter than usual because this is Lucca Comics and Games week, and Letter to a Gamer is walking the boths as you read, savoring the few previews available. You'll also have to forgive the lack of any major news released on Thursday or Friday morning as I'll be at the fair. As I do every week, I reiterate my thanks to my subscribers, whose contributions allow me to continue this project. Those who choose to support the newsletter financially not only get access to the full version (with the review of The Outer Worlds 2, tips for the week-end, and an in-depth analysis of the new Xbox hardware strategy), but also support independent journalism that remains ad-free, sponsor-free, and AI-free.
News index
+ Xbox Devkits go from $1,500 to $2,000
- The creators of God of War are working on a new action game
+ RV There Yet sells a million copies in 4 days
- Apple joins the Game Awards Advisory Board
+ New World dies, Amazon cuts jobs
- Don't Nod signs with Netflix
+ Witchbrook postponed, hoping the trend fades and returns
Xbox Devkits Go from $1,500 to $2,000 – Xbox continues to displease everyone and raises the price of its devkits for reasons related to "the current state of macroeconomic developments." In this week's feature, I analyze the radical changes Xbox has undertaken over the past two years and the real reason behind this endless stream of bad news: an unrealistic profit goal.
The creators of God of War are working on a new action game – it's called Loulan: The Cursed Sand, and it's an action RPG in the style of the old God of War games. Players take on the role of a warrior armed with the power of sand, who's on a mission to rescue a princess held captive in the mysterious kingdom of Loulan, conveniently populated by thousands of cursed enemies to be slain in the most creative ways. Set along the ancient Silk Road, this game has gameplay videos that will immediately convince those who miss the Kratos of old.
RV There Yet Sells One Million Copies in Four Days – The former developers of Goat Simulator and Satisfactory announced their Peak-style cooperative video game less than a week before its launch, and it sold one million copies in less than four days. They did it thanks to being in trend (physics-based co-op games for friend groups are huge this year) and word of mouth, two resources that have become indispensable for those without a marketing budget. It helps that RV There Yet costs less than €8.
Apple is on the Game Awards Advisory Board – Apple now joins Activision, AMD, EA, Epic Games, Kojima Productions, Microsoft, Nintendo, Riot, Rockstar, SIE, Tencent, Ubisoft, and Valve “in helping guide and promote the mission of The Game Awards”. Like the other Advisory Board members, it has no voting power and learns the results during the gala. Despite this, the company's presence seems strange to many, given the Cupertino company's lack of commitment to the video game industry.
New World dies, Amazon cuts jobs – Amazon Games Studios has announced a significant (but unspecified) number of layoffs as part of the massive restructuring involving 14,000 cuts that has affected the broader Amazon in recent days. The update with the tenth season released on October 13th will be the last for New World (the MMO that reached one million players within months of its release), which, on the night between October 28th and 29th, was removed from Steam and is no longer available for purchase. The developers say the servers are expected to remain active through 2026.
Don't Nod signs with Netflix – The creators of Life is Strange are working "on a new narrative title based on one of their flagship intellectual properties", as they wrote in a statement, which will be developed in their Montreal studios and published by Netflix. The project is part of the streaming giant's recent push to create "quality interactive narrative experiences for a select audience," in the words of Co-CEO Gregory Peters.
Witchbrook postponed hoping the trend fades and returns – The most ambitious cozy-pixel art game currently in development featuring witches has been postponed. Leaving room for a modicum of speculation, it's clear there's been a flood of games of this type (relaxing lifesims with a magical theme) over the past 12 months, and the developers wisely delayed Witchbrook to stand out from the crowd and bring the best possible product to market. The developers, Chucklefish and Robotality, have a solid track record of producing polished and well-crafted 2D titles, so I can only applaud the decision.
This is just a taste of everything Letter to a Gamer has to offer. The full version of the newsletter (with tips, discounts, reviews, and insights) costs just one euro a week: click here to subscribe! It's only thanks to those who help me pay the bills that this project can continue to exist. Letter to a Gamer is also live on Twitch Monday through Thursday from 3 to 5 PM CEST to play this week's game in review, try the demos, and chat. I'll see you there! If you love Letter to a Gamer and want to help out, you can share this link with your friends and gaming buddies and follow the newsletter's social media channels (Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok).
See you at the next letter,
Riccardo "Tropic" Lichene