Today,Game Rant’s weekly recaptakes a look at some of the most notable headlines from the past week: Patrick Star is taking the lead role in an upcomingSpongeBob SquarePantsgame,Control 2will be self-published by Remedy to ensure its creative freedom, andThe Callisto Protocol’s follow-up from Striking Distance Studios is an exciting new direction for the IP. All that and more in this week’s roundup ofgames industry news.
Patrick Star-Led Spongebob Game Announced
SpongeBob SquarePantsgames seem like a dime a dozen nowadays no matter how whimsical and great they are. Still, the fact thatSpongeBob’s latest will be focused on Patrick Star this time aroundis a welcome mix-up to the formula.
Balatro Launches Free Collaboration Update ‘Friends of Jimbo’
Balatrois a lovely poker roguelike with a stunning pixel art style. Now,Balatro’s Friends of Jimbo update is crossing over four unique gamesinto the card game:The Witcher,Vampire Survivors,Dave the Diver, andAmong Us.
[REDACTED] Revealed from The Callisto Protocol Dev
The Callisto Protocolunderachieved and it appeared implausible that the IP would have any legs afterward. Fortunately,The Callisto Protocolhas been salvaged via an isometric roguelike titled[REDACTED].
Control 2 Being Self-Published by Remedy, Financed by Annapurna
Remedy has never seemed to shy away from the oddball gimmicks and multimedia tropes it enjoys. That may only become more evident, though, due to the fact thatRemedy is self-publishingControl 2with financial support from Annapurna, boasting a creative partnership that will probably speak volumes for the sequel.
Xbox Game Pass Loses Its Three Latest Games
Xbox Game Pass is recycling and refurbishing its lineup all the time. This weekend, that involved cutting ties withNBA 2K24,Atomic Heart, andGuilty Gear Strive.
Features
A Quiet Place: The Road Aheadlaunches next month and already seems to feature a number of fun survival horror features. That said, howThe Road Aheaddesigns its asthma mechanic with consumable inhalers could make or break it.
Movies & TV
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas begun airing on Prime. Giving a more introspective deep dive into Sauron and the context leading up to the events at the beginning of season one, season two’s premiere promises a greater focus on the Dark Lord now that his true identity has been revealed.
Guides
Star Wars Outlaws’ biggest narrative draw is its four syndicate factions players repeatedly choose to align with or backstab. There are numerous reasons to choose one faction over another, and doing so has a great effect on what players can or can’t achieve depending on what their reputation standing is at any given time.
Game Rant Exclusives
Game Rant attended a hands-on preview demo at Camouflaj forBatman: Arkham Shadowa week before Gamescom and got to dive deeply into gameplay. Putting all VR-related woes to rest,Shadowfully adapts theArkhamgames’ traditional formula on Meta Quest 3 and cements itself as a fully-fledged entry in the series.
