Daily Briefing: The stories we missed

Hello all, my name is Adam and I'm a staff writer here at Bellular and one of the people responsible for the Daily Briefing.

Due to a regrettable publication issue there was no Daily Briefing published on Monday or Wednesday of this week, though Tuesday was unaffected. Please rest assured that we are monitoring the issue to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

Please accept a small rundown of the stories we missed, and apologies from myself and the rest of the team.

Thank you again for your continued support.

Adam

@WeaverStar

Wednesday 15th September 2021

Nintendo has no plans for a Switch price cut in the US

Following news that the Nintendo Switch would be getting a base price reduction in Europe, in anticipation of the incoming OLED version, players in the US were keen to hear how much they would be saving going forward. Nothing, as it turns out, because Nintendo of America have confirmed that they currently have "no plans" to follow their European wing into a price reduction.

• Speaking to Axios, a Nintendo spokesperson confirmed that "the trade price adjustment is for the European region only" and there are no plans for the US to follow suit. It's a bit of strange decision given how Nintendo's European branch have handled things. Nintendo UK said in a statement to VGC that the company have carefully weighed various factors, including fluctuating European exchange rates and the upcoming OLED version, in order to make their decision. Nintendo of America apparently thinks that both consoles will be able to peacefully, and profitably, co-exist.

Dying Light 2 delayed into next year

The long in the works survival horror FPS was initially supposed to release on 7th December, but will instead now launch on February 4th 2022. In a statement confirming the delay, Techland CEO Paweł Marchewka outlined that “the team is steadily progressing with the production and the game is nearing the finish line. The game is complete and we are currently playtesting it." He also stated that Dying Light 2 is "by far the biggest and the most ambitious project" the studio has ever done, and so they need time to make sure everything is ready for prime time.

• Marchewka concluded by apologising to fans for the delay, which is just the latest in a long line of delays that will now see the horror sequel launch almost two full years later than originally planned. It'll be interesting to finally get hands-on with the game, plagued as it was by rumours of mismanagement and all-out developer hell. Looks like we'll have to wait a little while longer, though.

1047 Games just secured $100m in funding

The Splitgate developers just closed a third round of funding which brought in an impressive $100m, meaning that 1047 Games have now raised over $120m in funding during the three months since Splitgate hit the big time. This latest round also pushes the overall valuation of 1047 Games to $1.5bn, which is pretty wild.

• As for what 1047 Games will be using the money on, well, they essentially want more of everything. More employees, more players, more content, more game modes, and more platforms. In a more philosophical sense, the funding will allow the studio to "build out its complete vision for Splitgate as a top-tier, AAA competitive shooter and begin to implement the studio's larger vision for establishing itself as a leading creative force of distinct and inventive IP in the gaming space".

Monday 13th September 2021

Judge tells Apple they must allow third-party payments

The official verdict in the high-profile Epic v. Apple court case was issued this week and, of the ten charges that Epic brought against Apple, all were thrown out except one. While this technically means that the outcome was a near-total victory for Apple, the one thing they got caught out on is a doozy. Essentially, Apple must stop actively inhibiting App Store developers from steering their customers toward third-party payment options.

• Under the terms of the permanent injunction, Apple cannot block their developers “from including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms.” At any rate, despite what certain outlets are reporting, the outcome of the case wasn't really a victory for anyone and definitely not for the consumer. Epic announced their intention to appeal the decision almost immediately, while Apple appear to be deciding whether or not they can be bothered. Go team.

Gran Turismo 7's campaign will be online only

That's according to a new report from PushSquare, who noticed that the always-online requirement is teeny-tiny little print in a new post on the official PlayStation Blog. According to said small print, the game's Campaign mode, Livery Editor, and photo mode among others will require players to have a constant internet connection.

• This isn't, strictly speaking, new territory for the Gran Turismo franchise. GT Sport on the PS4 also required players to be always-online, but the difference there is that GT Sport was always supposed to be a competitive racer with a focus on online play. Gran Turismo 7, meanwhile, is another more traditional entry in the series and fans have already been told to expect a "full" classic experience. It's probably not a deal-breaker for most players, but it's still pretty weird

Nintendo Switch price cut now rolling out across Europe

Nintendo have officially reduced the price of the standard Switch model, knocking it down to €269.99 (previously €329.99) in Europe and £259.99 (previously £279.99) in the UK. Oddly, Nintendo don't actually set a recommended retail price in Europe so it could yet fall further. There's no word yet on a similar price reduction in the US but, with the more expensive OLED version on the horizon, we'll likely see one before long.

• In a statement released to media outlet VGC, Nintendo UK announced that they were adjusting the base pricing model in order to account for the imminent release of the fancier OLED model, and emphasised that the trading prices of the OLED model and Switch Lite will be unaffected by this pricing change. The change is also happening now so as to better distinguish between the various members of the Nintendo Switch family, which makes sense.