Last week, (April 10th – 11th) Focus Home Interactive had their yearly ‘What’s Next Focus’ event near their headquarters in Paris. It’s their own press event where they get to show off what they have planned and media gets a hand’s on with their titles for 2019. This year Focus out did themselves with not just hands on and presentations of their soon coming titles but announcing 12 new games they are publishing as well as some partnering deals that may last through the next decade.
We can’t say much for the hands on as we couldn’t make it to Paris for but we know there where hands on for:
“World War Z” (Saber Interactive, released April 16th)
(Source: https://youtu.be/ON2Ucyvt3gY)
“A Plague Tale: Innocence” (Asobo Studio, Released May 14th)
(Source: https://youtu.be/TKwTUEbcti0)
“The Surge 2” (Deck13, Releasing 2019)
On top of those already announced titles, there where presentations but no hands on for “GreedFall” (Spiders, Releasing 2019)
So now on to the new titles, and thankfully Focus made a handy dandy splash image showing something for all of them.
So now to break them down. I’ll do it in parts as I know this will get long:
The first splash it for their continued relationship with DONTNOD. The one detail to get form the image is the words, mainly ‘Expiate’ which mean ‘to make amends through guilt’. Add to that their quick mentioning that ‘Vampyr’ (DONTNOD’s most previous game with Focus and the first of their Focus Home partnership) sold over a million copies, I feel like it safe to guess that the image represents a Vampyr 2 or some other kind of connected sequel. But that’s still a guess.
Next is a new partner for Focus, Limestone Games. And one you might not of heard off as this one flew so far under I didn’t (or haven’t as of yet) received any press regarding their game. But with the power of google;
(Source: https://youtu.be/Q8vQBW19PT4)
“Aeon Must Die” is described as a space opera and a ‘an existential sci-fi massacre‘ on their website. It’s a beat-em-up with dialogue choices and and a ‘death/sanity system’ as your two personalties fight for control.
Let me say up front, this game looks amazing! Just the first frames put me in the mind of “Another World” which still looks fantastic and that came out in 1991 so there is high hopes for this one lasting. The classical sci-fi music is fantastic, going for visceral power over ripping up an organ. There’s still a ways with this one but please be good. I feel my soul cry out for this one so please be good.
The next panel is for another developer that you may not of head of, Sumo Digital, but they’ve been around for a while. Since they started in 2001, they have mostly done ports and mobile games but they have had a few big budget games of late. But mostly dev-me-downs, like “Dead Island 2” after the previous developer Yager was dropped and “Crackdown 3” and it’s numerous delays. There’s not much to go on but it being ‘fantasy’ and ‘co-op’ are a given. Otherwise, will have to wait and see.
Next is for a returning partner, Saber Interactive. My first guess for what the game is was “Mudrunner 2” but the more I look at the picture I’m not so sure. It just doesn’t gel fully but that’s their next coming game after “World War Z” that just came out. Least it seems so, as Mudrunner was announced late last year and they said “the game will be further unveiled next year, beginning with the What’s Next de Focus press event in Q1 2019.” So tentatively I pin this as “Mudrunner 2”. Not a great image to represent it with if it is with all the red but the white mud is pretty representative… I think…
Now, another new developer partner and another small one, Lightbulb Crew. Another one with no release so googling…
(Source: https://youtu.be/4eZVoNTPE7A)
“Othercide” (or how I think it should be typed “OthHERcide” as that what the logo goes for,) is a black and while turn based game where you command three ‘daughters’ to fight demons from another dimension to… well the plot is a mystery but as the title alludes to as does the beautiful gothic stylings, and as the website states “…you decide to sacrifice your Daughter!”. So death is most certainty involved. I am very intrigued and having another ironman mode game on the lists is something I’m looking for. It comes out into Stream Early Access in ‘Q2/Q3’ this year so will get to have a taste soon enough.
The final one for this part is for Deck13, and no it’s not “The Surge 2” or Surge related. Would be pretty obvious as Surge 2 isn’t even out yet but I’m nipping that in the bud from the off set. This is an announcement for a new franchise with Focus saying “…Deck13 and Focus are excited to announce the renewal of their cooperation with the development of a brand-new franchise which builds upon the strengths and expertise of the studio.” So now to speculate and nit-pick.
Going by the “… strengths and expertise of the studio” phrasing means that it’ll probability be a 3rd person action/brawler. It’s the main genre of the studio. The ‘Gather’ of the image could throw it into a crafting element or could be a collect artefacts/gear game. So anything from Surge to Zelda. Although I do get drawn to red flicker at the bottom of the image which makes me think of the hair of Fury from ‘Darksiders 3’. Either way, the digi-metal look looks good so will just have to wait for more infomation. So after when ‘Surge 2’ comes out at least.
So that’s it for part one. Next time, by that I mean same time tomorrow, I’ll have a break down of the last six splashes and have some additional bits and thoughts. And if you where waiting to hear about the Games Workshop X Focus and Chaosium announcements, that’s in tomorrows part so come back for that.
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