As the arrival of the next console generation sits tantalizingly on the horizon and major game releases continue to elude us, it feels as though the video game industry is in the midst of a calm before a storm. We’re expecting big things later in 2020, but the fireworks haven’t quite started. When they eventually do, things could get even more explosive if a number of persistent rumors prove true. Here we’re going to run through a wishlist of the most popular ones that would make this year a real corker.
Switch Pro Model
Rumors of a more powerful Nintendo Switch console, in the same vein as the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, first cropped up well over a year ago now.
They then swiftly died down after it became apparent that Nintendo was moving ahead with a cheaper, less capable Switch Lite. Now, thank goodness, we’re hearing rumblings once again that Nintendo is readying a Switch Pro.
Sharper graphics, a better screen, a chunkier battery — surely, this is the definitive Switch version that everyone wants?
More than just being able to finally play Breath of the Wild at a stable 30fps, a revised Switch model capable of running more demanding third-party games would go down a treat.
Particularly so, as Sony and Microsoft are about to move the performance benchmark in a big way with their upcoming consoles. It’s time for Nintendo to up its game too.
Earlier this year, Digitimes claimed that Nintendo is “planning to release in mid-2020 a new model of Switch, which will begin volume production at the end of first-quarter 2020,” according to its sources. The new model is to have a better CPU and a magnesium alloy body. Fingers crossed it’s accurate.
Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok/Kingdom
Rumors of Ubisoft’s next Assassin’s Creed game started not long after the launch of Odyssey and they haven’t really let up since.
First, it was referred to as “Kingdom,” then subsequent rumors claimed it was “Ragnorok” (the most recent of which was recently debunked) — either way, they both shared an important common ground that we’re particularly interested in: a Viking setting.
Norse history and mythology are all the rage at the moment if you hadn’t noticed. The History Channel’s Vikings, Netflix’s The Last Kingdom, Hellblade, God of War, etc — there’s an appetite for Viking content and we think that makes it a likely candidate for Ubisoft’s next Assassin’s Creed game setting.
Not to mention, it would just make a damn cool Assassin’s Creed theme, too, right? The prospect of the series’ hallmark ship combat using Viking longboats has us humming sea shanties already. Actually, on that note, we’d love to see Ubisoft really lean into this aspect of the experience, Black Flag style. Vikings were the original pirates, after all.
Read more about why we think Ubisoft needs to switch Assassin’s Creed’s setting in a big way next time out.
New Kojima Horror Game
Now that we’re finally finished balancing pizza on our floating carriers, building roads to nowhere across America, and reluctantly calming BB’s piercing cries of discontent as we attempt to piece together the enigma of Death Stranding, it’s time to look forward to the next Hideo Kojima experience. Gosh, even thinking about it is exhausting!
If Kojima’s recent tease is anything to go by, his next project could be even more mentally draining, too, because it sounds as though a return to the horror genre is on the cards.
Death Stranding was, of course, born out of Kojima’s brief dabble with scary games. The P.T demo, which served as a tease for a Silent Hill game that never materialized, featured Norman Reedus, and the rest is history.
P.T was lauded upon its release, and it’s certainly brilliant in its own right, but we’d love to see what Kojima could do with a full-scale horror game project. The man clearly has so many fascinating ideas and this would really provide an opportunity to explore new ground.
If we had to choose between that and the possibility of a Death Stranding sequel that’s been recently mooted, we’re definitely giving our vote to Kojima unleashing his weird and wonderful mind trying to scare the bejesus out of us with a new IP.
Mass Effect Trilogy Remaster
Mass Effect was once an industry darling franchise, but a divisive end to the trilogy’s story coupled with the fiasco of Mass Effect: Andromeda’s wonky launch has really seen it fall from grace.
It’s such a shame, too, because Mass Effect 1 & 2 are so damn good, and more people deserve to experience them with a fresh coat of paint.
Publisher EA has been strangely reluctant to remaster old IPs. It sits on an absolutely gold mine but has so far resisted the temptation to cash in, which oddly doesn’t fit with its typical MO. Thankfully for Mass Effect fans, all signs are pointing to a change in tune.
Following EA’s announcement that it planned to remaster a number of classics last year, BioWare randomly posted a short clip of a dialog from the original game.
Is this a tease? Why else would the developer post something to do with a ten-year-old game out of the blue? Only time will tell. One things for sure, though: If the Mass Effect trilogy remaster does happen, we’ll be sure to thank our lucky stars.
Grand Theft Auto VI Confirmed
Grand Theft Auto V continues to sell gangbusters seven years after it first launched. Its consistent performance never ceases to amaze, and its monumental success is well deserved. But seriously, we want a damn sequel now.
Let’s hope, then, that a recent tax claim filing is the confirmation of GTA VI development many believe it to be.
If you haven’t heard, Rockstar Games recently claimed a whopping £37.6m of The Video Game Tax Relief (VGTR), a clause offered by HMRC to video game companies that are developing “Culturally British” games.
Since only production costs can be claimed and Rockstar hasn’t registered any games since GTA V, the assumption is that GTA VI is now in active development.
It’s far from a smoking gun, but it does seem to add up. After all, there’s no doubt Rockstar Games intends on delivering a sequel, and with Red Dead Redemption II in the books and the next console generation fast approaching, it seems as though the writing is on the wall.
Official confirmation of GTA VI by Rockstar Games has to be among our most-wanted for 2020.
Splinter Cell Returns
With so many popular IPs taking a hiatus this generation, Splinter Cell’s return seemed academic. And then it never happened.
Despite bubbling rumors before nearly every major show over the past two years, we’re still waiting. Surely, 2020 is the year Ubisoft finally stops toying with us and confirms development for the next generation?
We’re not holding our breath, unfortunately. Ubisoft seems much more interested in live service games these days, and Ghost Recon is apparently its answer to stealth action.
Splinter Cell doesn’t really fit with the open-world, endlessly replayable design that the developer has championed most prominently in recent years.
Well, at least not in its traditional mold. Surely Ubisoft could tweak the formula to make it fit, right? And besides, hasn’t the Hitman series demonstrated a viable template that Splinter Cell could follow? We’d certainly take a season pass of new missions and challenges if they were designed with the same finesse as those found in Chaos Theory and the like.
Only this week former Splinter Cell creative director Maxime Beland rejoined Ubisoft after a brief stint with Epic Games, so perhaps there’s hope for this rumor coming true?
Fable 4
One of the Xbox’s most cherished IPs, Fable has to make its big return for next-generation, right? We think it’s highly likely; particularly, as Microsoft transitions from a strategy of offering just a few first-party games to churning out new content for Game Pass.
Rumors over the past two or so years echo the same opinion, though there’s an unlikely developer at the helm if recent reports are to be believed: Playground Games, the UK team behind the acclaimed Forza Horizon arcade racing series, is confirmed to be working on an open-world action-RPG, and many believe it’s Fable 4.
In fact, one leak outlines that Playground is certainly behind Fable 4. Further, it’s to mark a radical shift from previous games, possibly taking place across multiple planets and featuring time travel. Color us intrigued!
Obviously, this is a huge change of pace for the developer; burning rubber in supercars is a little different from slashing bandits and spellcasting. That’s not to say the team isn’t up to the task, but it’ll certainly be fascinating to see how its experience with open-world racing games translates to an action-RPG.
Published: Jan 21, 2020 02:55 pm