Freebie fun day
News on the freebie front: PlayStation Blog dropped news on the next wave of PS Plus games starting Nov 1st. Nioh 2 (including Nioh 2 Remastered), Lego Harry Potter Collection and Heavenly Bodies. As per the Blog, the Extra and Premium lineup for October will drop later this month. Games with Gold announced their two as well via Xbox News. Them being Praetorians HD (November 1 to 30) and Dead End Job (November 16 to December 15).

Xbox roundup
Phil Spencer spoke about all things Xbox this week including the possibility of raising prices at some point. As per VGC, Spencer said “We’ve held price on our console, we’ve held price on games… and our subscription. I don’t think we’ll be able to do that forever. I do think at some point we’ll have to raise some prices on certain things.” Sony recently raised the price on their console across several territories, while many third party publishers have raised the price on their games as well. It was also revealed that XBox loses approximately $100-$200 per console. In other XBox news, Game Pass failed to meet its growth targets for the second year in a row as per a report from Forbes. Phil Spencer said “I’ve seen growth slow down, mainly because at some point you’ve reached everybody on console that wants to subscribe.” Xbox Game Pass currently accounts for 10-15% of Microsoft’s gaming revenue.

Witcher windup
In Witcher news, Gamespot and others report that CD Projekt Red will remake the first game in the series for current gen platforms using Unreal Engine 5. The game is still in early stages of development. The Witcher video game originally released in October 2007, making this its 15th anniversary. On the Netflix side, Geralt himself Henry Cavill announced his departure from the series via Instagram. Cavill writes “My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4.” Actor Liam Hemsworth is set to take over for season 4.

Reverse psychology
Upcoming AAA survival horror game The Callisto Protocol from Striking Distance Studios (comprised of former Dead Space alumni) has been cancelled in Japan. The ratings board CERO and Striking Distance have been unable to come to terms over the game, which is looking to raise the bar as far as gore and horror. Refunds will be given, but expect the import market to light up in the wake of this new publicity. Callisto Protocol drops on December 2 for PlayStation, Xbox and PC.

Spoiler epidemic
Beware of God of War Ragnarok leaks! We’re two weeks away from arguably the most anticipated game of the year, but some retailers have already broken street date. Twitter and Reddit have had drops of spoilers and YouTube is sure to follow. Cory Barlog has commented on Twitter, noting his frustration so close to the finish line. Check your social media corners when entering rooms.