Sound clever in meetings with this concise snapshot of the new games you need to know about.
Here every Friday you’ll find big games gone global, fresh soft launches, the latest release dates and everything in between.
Want to sponsor this column? Email me for details.
Call of Duty Warzone Mobile (Activision)
Activision sneaked out a delay to Warzone Mobile in amongst all the explosions and gunfire in its Call of Duty Next livestream yesterday. It is now slated for ‘Spring 2024’, having once been scheduled for November.
Activision also said it now has over 45m pre-orders on iOS and Android, and the popular Rebirth Island map will be in the game at launch. It is now in soft launch markets Australia, Chile, Sweden and Norway.
Top Troops (Socialpoint/Zynga)
This is Socialpoint’s first global iOS and Android launch since its owner Zynga was acquired by Take-Two. It’s a merge-battler that, at first glance, hasn’t made much of an impact in the iOS or Android charts yet.
Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal (Feral Interactive)
Porting house Feral Interactive is reviving this 2006 PC and console game for iOS, Android and Switch. It is coming to mobile “this autumn”, says the announcement.
Silent Hill: Ascension (Genvid)
This is an “interactive streaming series”, rather than a more typical mobile game, and it’s coming on October 31 according to its Google Play product page. It’ll feature “daily live story scenes where each day is different from the last based on your actions and the audience’s decisions”, according to the blurb.
Warcraft Rumble (Blizzard)
Two weeks after Warcraft Rumble went live in pre-order, Blizzard has confirmed a launch date: November 3. It’s a Clash Royale-like take on WoW.
One Punch Man World (Crunchyroll/Perfect World)
Pre-orders opened for this huge Genshin-style crossplatform open world game this week on iOS, Android and PC in most western markets. Players in the US and Canada can also sign up for a closed Beta on PC and Android. It is slated for launch later this year.
Assemble With Care (Ustwo Games)
This story-based fix ‘em up from the maker of Monument Valley was a flagship Apple Arcade title back when the service launched. It’s now dropped off the service and has gone live in the regular iOS and Android stores as a ‘free to start’ game with a one-time IAP to unlock the full game.
Slayaway Camp: Netflix & Kill (Blue Wizard Digital)
This is an older title revived for Netflix as part of a ‘Netflix & Kill’ campaign timed for Halloween. It’s a blocky isometric puzzler with a dark sense of humour.
Dead Cells: Netflix Edition (Playdigious)
This beloved indie game now seems to be available on every platform and subscription service under the sun, so it was only a matter of time before it turned up on Netflix. It went live earlier this week.
October on Apple Arcade: NBA 2K24, Cut the Rope 3 and more
Apple confirmed its Arcade line-up for October this week, which is headlined by NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition and Cut the Rope 3. There are also reworkings of catalogue titles Jeopardy! World Tour and Crossword Jam coming this month.
Uken Games’ Jeopardy! World Tour+ is up first on October 6, followed by an “all-new” third edition of Cut the Rope on October 13 handled by Paladin Studios. Then there’s PlaySimple’s Crossword Jam+ on October 20 and finally 2K Games’ NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition on October 24.
