Eurogamer Weekly: Top Features, Reviews, and Gaming News

Kicking off a new week with a fresh batch of gaming insights, this digest rounds up standout features and reviews from the past seven days. The gaming landscape continues to evolve, with major topics including the latest delay for GTA 6, the billion-dollar challenges of live-service games, and a critical look at Microsoft’s new Xbox Game Pass advertisement. We also revisit a classic from Lionhead Studios and dive into the chaotic fun of The Simpsons’ arrival in Fortnite.

Dom explored the new Fortnite collaboration featuring the entire Simpsons family, an event that even won over this self-professed non-fan of the battle royale. While critical of Fortnite’s broader impact on the industry, Dom found the Springfield-themed island to be the “most complete and thoughtful” tie-in to date. The experience is packed with clever references and interactive elements, from releasing the hounds in Mr. Burns’ office to creating custom couch gags. It’s a masterclass in fan service, even if it exists within a game the author believes has caused “irreparable damage.”

Alex Donaldson spent time with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, a game that fills in canonical story gaps from Tears of the Kingdom. He found the combat to be series-best, but the experience ultimately solidified a feeling of being “done” with the Breath of the Wild version of Hyrule. While praising the narrative for putting Princess Zelda front and center, Alex concluded that he is ready for the franchise to move on to entirely new pastures, suggesting Tears of the Kingdom served as a fitting coda.

Tom Orry did not hold back his criticism of a new Xbox Game Pass advert, calling it a reflection of Microsoft’s “muddled view of gaming today.” The commercial depicts an absurd past where gamers had to scavenge in video store return bins, a portrayal that feels out of touch with the genuine nostalgia many feel for the physical media rental experience. Tom argues the ad misses the communal joy and ritual that defined that era of gaming.

Amid industry chatter about the death of consoles, Bertie Purchese pointed to the phenomenal, ongoing success of the Nintendo Switch as a powerful counter-argument. While production costs rise and other platform holders pivot strategies, Nintendo is cartwheeling into the po-faced industry sit-down, with the Switch family on track to become the best-selling console of all time. This success story challenges the narrative that the console’s heyday has definitively passed.

Another writer confessed a personal struggle with grand strategy titles like the newly released Europa Universalis 5. The genre’s immense appeal is consistently thwarted by a wall of complex terminology and mechanics that induce sleep rather than strategic euphoria. Despite numerous attempts to engage via tutorials and Let’s Plays, the writer finds the learning curve insurmountable, leaving them quietly jealous of friends who effortlessly conquer digital kingdoms in games like Crusader Kings 3.

Connor Makar has been deeply impressed with the ranking system in Arc Raiders, the upcoming extraction shooter from Embark Studios. He describes the solution to competitive ranking as “ingenious,” placing 100 players in a bracket where the top 30 gain two ranks each week. This structure, combined with epic-tier loot rewards for achieving three-star ratings on trials, ensures that both hardcore competitors and casual players have compelling reasons to engage, preventing anyone from getting a “free ride.”

The recent announcement of another delay for Grand Theft Auto 6 prompted Bertie to investigate the historical context of its development cycle. By the time it releases in late 2026, the gap between mainline GTA games will be 13 years, a stark contrast to the two-to-five-year gaps seen between previous entries. This timeline serves as a microcosm of how development periods across the entire industry have dramatically lengthened.

Chris Tapsell raised a provocative question about GTA 6: could its incredibly long development cycle work against it? He posits that the game risks feeling outdated upon arrival, as the cultural landscape and open-world game design have evolved at a breakneck pace since development began. The “refracting, self-referring impact of social media” makes successful cultural satire a monumental challenge for a project trapped in its own lengthy creative bubble.

Alex Donaldson celebrated the 20th anniversary of Lionhead Studios’ The Movies, calling it the developer’s “secret best game.” This Hollywood management sim was ahead of its time, functioning as both a deep business simulator and a clunky but functional filmmaking tool. Its status as abandonware, with no easy legal way to play it today, makes it a poignant piece of gaming history worthy of a modern re-release.

One writer checked out the Disneyland Game Rush event in Fortnite, a collaboration that offers a glimpse into Disney’s planned “games and entertainment universe” within the platform. While impressed by the slick fan service and celebration of iconic park attractions, the experience was marred by the “usual brain rot chaos,” leaving the author to wonder exactly which audience this fusion of brands is intended to captivate.

In a conversation with developer Tomas Sala, Bertie explored how the path to success has changed from simply “making new games and hoping” to needing to “get on the viral flywheel.” In the face of trends like Roblox experiences and AI-assisted development, Sala is taking a different tack by releasing his Falconeer: Revolution Remaster for free, suggesting this generous approach could be a key to longevity.

Ian Higton delved into the history of the obscure 1991 Terminator 2 game, developed under immense pressure by Dementia for Ocean Software. The team had only a movie script to work with for months, forced to design levels around scenes they could only imagine. The first trailer finally revealed the film’s visual style, by which point much of the game’s direction was already locked in, resulting in a fascinating, if flawed, adaptation.

Wrapping up the week, Ed Nightingale tackled the “billion dollar question” of how to achieve lasting success with a live-service game. Speaking with industry experts, he found that monetization must respect player time. Successful franchises like Candy Crush have grossed billions by avoiding paywalls and pay-to-win mechanics, instead focusing on becoming a joyful, non-predatory part of players’ daily routines. The goal is to avoid being a “squeeze” that leads to burnout.

(Source: EuroGamer)