Daily Briefing: Monday 23rd August

Halo Infinite To Ship Without Co-Op Or Forge

In a substantial development update posted to Youtube, 343 confirmed that Halo Infinite will lack the co-op campaign and Forge modes at launch, instead aiming to ship them in seasons 2 and 3, around 3 and 6 months after release. According to creative lead Joseph Staten, the team "made the determination that they're just not ready." Split-screen multiplayer on PC will also be delayed due to technical issues.

• It's apparent that 343 have had more than a handful of issues during development, between last year's fiasco, creative leadership changes and having to create a cross-gen game bearing the heavy expectations of next-gen. Hopefully, this decision ensures what they do launch is good enough - multiplayer testing was received extremely well, so here's hoping for single player.

Sony Boss Says "We love our Japanese games."

Speaking to Game Informer, Playstation Studios' head Hermen Hulst said "I will say that we are in some ways very much a Japanese company still. That’s our heritage. That’s still part of who we are. We love our Japanese games,”. He said they're building out Team Asobi, running Polyphony Digital in Japan and investing in their Tokyo external development group.

• Still being very Japanese is a narrative that Sony want to push, but the proof is yet to manifest for players, especially those in Japan. Shuttering Japan Studio for creating Japanese-focused games that weren't profitable enough implies that while they're continuing to invest in Japan, they'll have those developers focus on titles with global appeal.

Kingdoms of Amalur Devs Get Last Paycheck, 9 Years Later

38 Studios, developers of Kingdoms of Amalur, has finally begun delivering long-owed paychecks to ex-employees. The studio declared bankruptcy in 2012 and has been embroiled in legal battles ever since, including alleged investment fraud. The final payouts to employees are only 14% or 20% of what they were owed, and many cheques were sent to old addresses.

• The story here is rough: a baseball player hooked investors with a promise of a dream game to tackle World of Warcraft, including the state government of Rhode Island, but mismanagement from leadership resulted in the company ending in bankruptcy. Employees were even hit with old mortgages that 38 Studios had taken on to help them move to their new Rhode Island offices. At least Kingdoms of Amalur turned out pretty good!

It's Gamescom week!

There's a lot going on, but here are some of the key events to look out for: Tuesday will see a Destiny 2 showcase, which according to leaks, could show off Halo-themed content for Bungie's 30th anniversary, as well as next year's expansion. Tuesday will also have the Xbox Gamescom stream, which will provide updates for previous announced Xbox Games Studios titles. Likely a lot of Halo - maybe even a release date? Wednesday is when Opening Night Live happens, where Geoff Keighley will present 'more than 30 games'. New games, updates on fan favourites and the usual array of festivities. For indie fans, Gamescom Awesome Indies is on Thursday. For those with a AA preference, The Future Games Show is also on Thursday, showing off games from the likes of Team17, Koch Media and Tripwire.

• Obviously, we'll bring you the biggest and most important news as it happens over the week. Anything you're excited for? Let us know!