GYGO: Overwatch’s New Map, Campo Santo Acquired, Fortnite Mobile

Happy Wednesday! What are you playing this week? I’ve been playing Overwatch‘s “Retribution” and “Uprising” PvE modes. I love that in addition to the regular versions of those missions, Overwatch offers modes where you can play as any hero. I’ve been playing “Uprising” as Soldier 76, whose heal makes the mission a lot more survivable than usual.

Let us know on Twitter or in the comments what you’re playing and what upcoming games you’re looking forward to! We especially want to hear about all of the indie games you’re playing! Here’s some of the news and links we’ve been thinking about this week:

Overwatch‘s new map and no more scatter arrow

Overwatch released a new map, Rialto, on the public test region (PTR) PC server last week. The PTR update also made several changes to heroes, most notably replacing Hanzo’s scatter arrow with new rapid-fire arrows.

Did you know Overwatch League has a developmental division, like a minor league, called Contenders? Contenders playoffs have been happening this past month, and the level of gameplay is impressive.

This is interesting: D.Va is the most, or second-most, played hero in all levels of competitive play, according to Overwatch lead designer Jeff Kaplan last month.

Campo Santo acquired by Valve

Campo Santo, the developer most known for creating Firewatch, will be acquired by Valve, the company behind popular PC game platform Steam. However, a Campo Santo representative noted that games will continue to be made for all platforms and will not be PC exclusives. Campo Santo is currently working on a game titled In The Valley of the Gods.

Fortnite‘s first major tournament and mobile popularity

Fortnite is still enjoying massive popularity. This past weekend was the first highly publicized Fortnite tournament, which centered on Twitch streamer Ninja. A total of 233 competitors participated. Competitors could win $2,500 for killing Ninja.

Most interestingly, the tournament was apparently open to anyone for a $75 fee. My favorite clip in the post above is when a 14-year-old player wins by building a massive tower and then shooting it down with a rocket launcher, killing another player.

Just how popular is Fortnite? Well:

That $25 million in the past month is from Fortnite Mobile just on iOS. Its release on Android is still forthcoming (no release date yet), and since Android has more users globally, Fortnite is set to make a lot more money.

God of War released

God of War released last week. Tell us your thoughts if you’re playing it! Here are several tips for those starting the game. 

A 90-hour work week?!

You may have noticed game developers talking on Twitter last week about a 90-hour work week. Apparently the producer of an upcoming game stated that the studio would be working “90+ hours per week” to finish the game. While the company’s PR manager later said that the statement was a joke, many developers at various companies have been sharing their experiences with toxic environments that perpetuate horrifying “crunch” hours.

More links

• PUBG‘s new event, Metal Rain, uses teams of eight players instead of the usual four.
• There’s a Kickstarter running right now for a limited-run Myst 25th anniversary packaged collection with all of the Myst games.
• Here’s a list of deals posted this past weekend, including Switch controllers on sale, Assassins Creed Origins on PS4 and Xbox One for $30 instead of $60, Shadow of the Colossus and Horizon Zero Dawn discounted, and more.
• Lastly, in very random, unsettling news: Neopets was run by Scientologists. Have a great week, everyone!

Games Bleat

Welcome to Games Bleat! I’m Joesph, your local gaming theurgist, and I spent all night laying out the Goetic sigils of Stolas so I could request secret knowledge of hidden deals and fresh games. I had to promise them four years off my mortal life but it was worth it to bring you some of these sweet, proscribed deals!

PC

• Fantasy General $1.49
• Political Animals $5.09
• Rusty Lake: Roots $1.49
• Rise to Ruins $4.99
• Structus $1.00

Nintendo

• Frederic 2: Evil Strikes Back $1.24
• No Thing $1.39
• Witch & Hero $2.99

Luckily my life of devotion to the Goetic arts also drew the attention of a handmaiden of Paimon, who whispers the release dates of these new games to me every time I face the Northwest. The first of her gifts was the knowledge of Monster Prom, a game well beloved here at Sidequest, which pits friends against each other in a competitive dating sim about life in a monster high school. Next was Change of Pace, a new game on itch.io combining the two seemingly contradictory genres of walking sim and racing game. Finally, she told me of Frostpunk, a steampunk-inspired city-building game designed to put the player’s morality at odds with the unforgiving neo-Ice Age the game takes place in.

Well, that’s it for this week’s bleat. I have a whole lot of chalk circles to clean off my floor, but I hope you found a game loud enough to scare off the Faustian demons coming to collect on the debts of your past. If not, I’ll catch you next week!