This weekend marks the end of Chinese New Year. But in the realm of video games, there’s been quite a lot of speculating and major showings going on. Let’s dive right in our current newsletter.

The Big Picture

This week, PlayStation showcased its slew of new titles in its State of Play livestream on 13 February. Most of them are multiplatform titles and aren’t exclusive to the PlayStation 5, but it doesn’t deter the fact that most viewers and critics did enjoy the show, ourselves including.

However, State of Play’s consistent issue is setting expectations. We are used to seeing State of Play livestreams deliver small to medium announcements and updates, but for some reason, Sony decided to add a few huge news drops and megaton bombs in past showings. 

If the majority of viewers and pundits expect every State of Play to deliver both the sun and moon, that is on Sony. Perhaps by branding State of Play as a smaller deal livestream, then capping it off with a mid-year giant presentation with all the heavy-hitter first-party announcements in May-June, they might achieve consistency from a public relations standpoint. 

Short Beats

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said in its recent investor report that it will go ahead with Nintendo Switch 2 production to meet as many demands as possible. Nintendo will judge demand based on people’s reaction to the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Direct livestream in April and its public Experience events worldwide.  

The actor for E.Honda in the live-action 1994 Street Fighter movie adaptation has passed away; he was 61. 

Korean developer Shift Up said the PC version of Stellar Blade will have better sales numbers than the PlayStation 5 version. The PC port of the action game will be out in June 2025. 

PlayStation’s latest State of Play livestream featured a number of highlights and announcements. These include the announcement of Housemarque’s new shooter title Saros, the launch date of Borderlands 4 which might clash with Grand Theft Auto 6’s, and Sega’s new 2D Shinobi game. 

In more PlayStation news, the company plans to release more family games like Astro Bot. To quote Sony President Hiroki Totoki: “The fact that titles in genres we are planning to expand in the future, including titles for families and live service games, have received these awards is a major stride towards building a broad title portfolio.”

Also, PlayStation 5 reached 75 million lifetime console units shipped. 

Hideo Kojima will unveil more news and information about his studio’s upcoming game Death Stranding 2: At The Beach later at SXSW 2025 next March. 

The upcoming Capcom action game Onimusha: Way of the Sword features a main character portrayed by late actor Toshiro Mifune of Seven Samurai fame. 

Op-Eds

We rank our favourite PlayStation State of Play February 2025 announcements from the most hype to the least. If you prefer a video version with another viewpoint, we’ve got you covered.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we also listed out our favourite couples in video gaming history, ranging from Final Fantasy X’s Tidus and Yuna to Assassin’s Creed Origin’s Bayek and Aya. 

Games Out This Week

Afterlove EP is a new indie adventure title from developer Pikselnesia and publisher Fellow Traveller. Taking place in modern Indonesia, it’s about a musician who’s trying to move on with his life after his girlfriend Cinta passes away. It is also the last work of renowned Southeast Asian game developer Mohd Fahmi before his death in 2022. 

Civilization VII is the sequel to the long-running turn-based strategy game published by 2K Games. In this “4X” title (the “Xs” stand for “explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate”), you play as a civilization and become the biggest one in the entire world, destroying or ruling over opposing factions. The new sequel introduces new changes and additions, though initial reviews from the public state that the game feels incomplete compared to parts V and VI. 

Warriors: Abyss is a new Koei Tecmo roguelike isometric action title using the Dynasty Warriors setting and trappings. Create your party consisting of legendary Romance of the Three Kingdoms warriors & generals as you fight your way through levels of Hell. 

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is the second JRPG installment of the current Falcom series, the prequel being out last year. 

The pre-order version of Avowed is out right now; basically if you pay extra, you get to play the game 5 days early before its 18 February release date. It’s the latest role-playing game from developer Obsidian (of Fallout New Vegas and Outer Worlds fame).

Recommended Viewing

We shared our thoughts about the recent PlayStation State of Play livestream. 

Need a recap of the Monster Hunter series before Monster Hunter Wilds end of February? Let the video below sort you out, because it is lengthy.

20m Podcast recently conducted an interview with Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke about the Malaysian branch and its future.