Death Stranding coming to PC Game Pass
The rumors were true, Hideo Kojima’s 2019 hit Death Stranding is coming to Game Pass PC on August 23 2022. Speaking to xbox.com in a joint statement from Kojima Productions and 505 Games, Antonela Pounder (Director of Global Community) confirmed the news this week. Pounder states, “Windows 10/11 PC gamers can expect such features as ultrawide mode, photo mode, high frame rate, and cross-over content from some very well-known franchises.” Death Stranding was first published on PS4 in November 2019 via Sony Interactive Entertainment and later on PC July 2020 care of 505 Games. A Director’s Cut was released for PS5 in Sept 2021.

Dead Island 2 release date leaked
In a now redacted post on Amazon, story details along with screenshots and a release date were leaked this week for Dead Island 2. The anticipated sequel to the 2011 game by Techland has been in development hell for years over at Deep Silver and Dambuster Studios. Now we have a potential release date, Feb 3 2023. According to screenshots obtained by Jason Guisao over at GameInformer, the game takes place “several months after the events on Banoi” where “California has become a bloody paradise for those who refuse to leave their homes and an action-packed playground for renegades who seek adventure, glory and a fresh start.” More news is expected at Gamescom.

Iron Man canceled
Speaking of development hell, Avalanche Studios co-founder Christofer Sundberg told MinnMax this week that an Iron Man game was in development there for two years before being unceremoniously canceled in 2012. “Company politics” and a shortened development time were among the reasons given, as reported by videogameschronicle. Sundberg said that it was all “for the best.”

Embracer Group buys again
Embracer Group who recently made headlines for acquiring Eidos, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix Montreal, kept their finger on the trigger this week acquiring the “intellectual property catalogue and worldwide rights to motion pictures, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks and stage productions relating to the iconic fantasy literary works The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.” This from a press release on embracer.com which, to refresh your memory, states that “The Group has 120 internal game development studios and is engaging more than 12,750 employees.” Safe bet they’re not done yet.

COD campaign early access   In better news, callofduty.com reported that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 preorders will be able to play the campaign a week early, starting on Oct 20 2022. This early access will now join the the multiplayer beta as one of the perks available to early operators. The Blog post states that “Those who preordered the game on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, or those who received a Beta code, can begin playing the Beta on Friday, September 16 at 10 AM PT.” Full benefits can be found here.