The XP Drop 🕹 Friday May 23, 2025
Marathon isn't out yet - and already it's not looking good. The Witcher 3 celebrates its 10th anniversary and the Switch 2 seems to be in stock 👀.
🎉 It’s Fridayyyyy! It's nearly time to close those work laptops, crack out the controller, and enjoy some relaxed time off before we say goodbye to May!
🗣 The Patch Notes
🚨 ICYMI
🛒 Stock Check
💸 This week’s releases
📽 Clip of the Week
👾 RETROspective
🗣 The Patch Notes
Bungie’s Marathon is NOT in good shape - and it’s not even out yet
Bungie’s newest game Marathon isn’t looking too good.
The extraction shooter recently had a closed alpha that was met with a tepid response from players, ex-employees claiming morale is at an all-time low and - on top of all that - just recently the studio was caught taking another artist’s work without permission.
Paul Tassi from Forbes recently wrote about how it’s ‘all over’ for Marathon before it has even begun..
“But no, it’s over. I can’t dispute this anymore. This has probably always been true, but the events of the past week have cemented it. I will get into the livestream and plagiarism and all that later, but this is a long, long list of what’s gone wrong in the past, what’s currently going wrong, and a future that does not look any brighter.”
Read through Paul’s brilliant rundown of how Marathon might be dead before it even launches.
⭐ Did you know… The Nintendo character Kirby was named after John Kirby, the legal counsel for Nintendo who helped them win their lawsuit with Universal Studios in 1982 ⭐
🚨 ICYMI
👩⚖️ It’s been a busy week for Fortnite. Developer Epic Games won a lawsuit that means the game can return to the Apple iOS app store in the US, which is well explained here by The Verge. But the new Darth Vader NPC has caused all manner of controversy, from ethical considerations to some fruity language. Polygon explains why AI voice acting is a game-changer for the industry, and brand new gaming site All Out Gaming details where to find the Sith Lord.
📺 We’re just two weeks away from the Nintendo Switch 2 launch - but it’s now been confirmed that the new console has a feature exclusive to handheld mode. Eurogamer detail what’s happened with the Switch 2’s Variable Refresh Rate.
❎ Xbox Game Pass is going from strength to strength, with Game of the Year contender Metaphor ReFantazio now added to the line-up, reports The Express. But that isn’t all - retro game lovers were stunned with the announcement that 50 nostalgic titles have been added to the library, as reported by The Daily Star.
🗳 Joshua Wolens of PC Gamer has detailed his hilarious experiment on Victoria 3, where he channelled his inner Donald Trump to learn more about the ‘Liberation Day’ policies that had the world talking about trade by emulating them in game.
🚣♂️ Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is being ported to PS5 later this year, in the latest of a long line of Microsoft and PlayStation crossovers. PushSquare have all the info.
💻Great news for Steam and PC gamers - Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War appears to be getting a remaster. IGN explains what to expect from the Definitive Edition releasing 20 years after the original game.
🌟 Sony is killing off its PlayStation Stars loyalty programme, three years after launching. No new subscriptions are available and current members have a limited time to make the most of it, reports Tech Radar.
🛒 Stock Check
There are only a couple of weeks until the new Nintendo Switch 2 is set to release - and it seems some retailers have been restocking the console. 👀
Chris recently wrote a stock update for the Daily Mirror, detailing all the places that have been restocking the console and where to keep an eye on it. You can find that piece right here.
💸 This week’s releases
🌳 Cosmi: Forbidden Forests (PC, PS5, Switch) - 27th May
👕 to a T (PC) - 28th May
⚔ Elden Ring: NightReign (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox) - 29th May
🤖 Scar-Lead Salvation (PC, PlayStation) - 29th May
🛫 Sonic Wings Reunion (PS4, PS5, PC, Switch) - 29th May
🎮 What we’re playing this week
Despite being ill this week, Chris has been taking it easy with some mobile games because turning on the console has been a real slog… 🤢
“It’s been a tough week and I could not be bothered to even get out of bed in some cases, meaning I’ve been dabbling around with some mobile and tablet games. I’ve been messing with Zenless Zone Zero after taking a break - and trying hard NOT to spend any money…
After polishing off Doom: Eternal about five years late, Liam has returned to Pikmin on Nintendo Switch for some much-needed respite from gore nests:
Sometimes, it’s just nice to unwind properly with a game that causes you absolutely zero stress. Pikmin is the OG cosy game and I’m enjoying the 2002 nostalgia before I try out Doom: The Dark Ages
📽 Clip of the Week
Despite GTA VI on the horizon, GTA Online is still super fun to play. This clip by u/Historical_Ad251 shows why it has its funny but satisfying moments.
👾 RETROspective
👹 The Witcher 3 is 10 years old this month after first releasing on May 18th, 2015. We almost shed a tear when we found out…
The Witcher series has come a long way since it was first published as a book series in the 1990s. The critically acclaimed series has since spawned absolutely epic open-world RPGs and a Netflix series.
The Witcher 3 is now celebrating its 10th anniversary with a sale and a new trailer. If you haven’t played this absolutely amazing game, you can pick it up for as little as £10 right now.
The most-visited links from last week’s newsletter:
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