The gaming news from San Diego Comic Con 2023 - Weekly Roundup
San Diego Comic Con 2023, one of the biggest industry events of the year, has come and gone. While the majority of the news focused on TV and movies, gaming fans weren’t left out of the mix entirely. Some small announcements found their way to the exhibit halls, with interviews and trailers being the primary focus of the weekend.
Here’s the biggest gaming announcements from SDCC 2023.
A new Walking Dead game takes a note from Among Us
“What would a San Diego Comic Con be without a new Walking Dead game?” According to Skybound Games, the publisher behind the Walking Dead: Telltale Series, not much. That’s why they’ve announced The Walking Dead: Betrayal, a social deception cooperation game coming to PC in August.
Take the premise of Among Us: players must complete objectives by working together, while a traitor lurks among the group looking for any chance to sabotage them. Now add zombies in. This is the general gist of The Walking Dead: Betrayal. While most screen-to-game adaptations aren’t…the best, here’s hoping The Walking Dead: Betrayal fares a touch better.
IGN gets down to brass tax with Diablo IV
In honor of SDCC, IGN’s Kat Bailey sat down with Diablo IV producer Joe Piepiora to talk about the disconnection issues facing the Diablo IV community. Piepiora spoke bluntly, acknowledging that they “see players in these situations, we're trying to deal with connectivity issues as we find them, and trying to make this a better experience for those players.”
Connectivity issues are no joke for a brutal game like Diablo IV. If a player playing on Hardcore difficulty happens to disconnect in a game, they lose their character…permanently. Thus, this new interview is welcome news to any frustrated Diablo players mourning the loss of their favorite necromancer.
Ash Ketchum’s Pokémon story concludes this September
The Pokémon anime has been running for 25 years, and has always featured Ash Ketchum and his trusty Pikachu as the main protagonists.
After Pokémon Ultimate Journeys? Things will change.
Pokémon Ultimate Journeys, the beloved anime’s 25th season, officially hits Netflix (in the US) September 8th and serves as the long-awaited conclusion of trainer Ash Ketchum’s Pokémon journey. Post this season, a new protagonist will take the reins of the anime for the first time ever.
Spider-Man 2 continues to build hype
Spider-Man 2 was treated to a new 2-minute story trailer ahead of the game’s October 20th release. The trailer offered a look at the redesigns of returning characters like MJ Watson and Martin Li (better known as Mr. Negative) and new glimpses of Peter’s best friend Harry Osborn and antagonists Venom and Kraven the Hunter.
Sony also announced a limited edition PS5 model celebrating the release of Spider-Man 2, and it’s a pretty one. The bundle comes with a digital copy of the game, with pre-orders opening the 28th of July.
Mortal Kombat 1 DLC gets Superbad (no, not that Superbad)
We mean supers who ARE bad. Sorry, we should’ve phrased that better.
In the lead-up to Mortal Kombat 1, the reboot of the storied fighting franchise, Netherrealm has announced the first DLC pack coming to the game. The modern Mortal Kombat series is known for its outrageous and often genre-defying DLC, including the Joker, Robocop, Freddy Kreuger, and Rambo. Mortal Kombat 1 is no different, boasting guest characters Peacemaker – specifically the John Cena version, Omni-Man (just in time for the Invincible Season 2 trailer, also announced at SDCC), and Homelander. Returning Mortal Kombat favorites Quan Chi, Ermac, and Takeda will also be available as a part of the first Kombat Pack DLC.
The Kombat Pack is included with the premium and collector’s versions of Mortal Kombat 1, or can be purchased individually.
High on Life announces expansion to PlayStation and upcoming DLC
Last year’s surprise hit shooter High on Life is officially on PS4/PS5, ending its time as an Xbox exclusive.
Furthermore, Squanch Games, the team behind High on Life, is currently developing a new DLC for the game called High on Knife. Guess what the focus is? Yeah! You get a knife!
In all seriousness, High on Life was a pleasant surprise for gamers and Xbox alike last year and it’s great to see its team doing well, especially since founder (and accused assaulter) Justin Roiland left the company this past January.
Star Wars Outlaws gets new information and interview from developers
Finally, fans have been treated to even more news on Ubisoft’s new open-world game Star Wars Outlaws. An interview with the dev team revealed Tattooine and new setting Toshara as in-game locations, and a separate Outlaws-centric panel revealed fun elements like a cooking system and the option to work under notorious crime lord Jabba the Hutt.
Star Wars Outlaws releases sometime next year.
