Daily Briefing: Thursday 27th May

Blizzard have cancelled BlizzCon 2021

The in-person show has been canned for the second year in a row with Blizzard citing the "ongoing complexities and uncertainties of the pandemic." Instead, the company are aiming to hold a "global event" towards the start of next year that should involve a few "smaller in-person gatherings."

• The cancellation doesn't exactly come as a surprise - despite pandemic restrictions beginning to ease around the world there is still a serious safety question about large-scale gatherings like concerts and conventions. Blizzard also say that building something like BlizzCon is "an epic and complex affair" that takes a lot of planning - planning that has been hampered by the pandemic. Could we see an expanded BlizzConline next year?

Masahiro Sakurai discusses early retirement in new Famitsu column

The Super Smash Bros. director writes that he has been thinking about his life after game development and finds the idea of early retirement appealing. He says that "everything must come to an end" but currently feels like “it’s better to stay busy and do my best, as long as I can put up with it”. So, it sounds like Sakurai won't be hanging it up just yet.

• Sakurai also writes that he is considering ending his famous Famitsu column once Smash Smash Bros. Ultimate's DLC slate finally wraps up at the end of this year. Sakurai has been running his column since the early 2000s, and it's been a great source of behind-the-scenes news over the years. Granted, most of that news has been about how viciously overworked he is, but still...

CD Projekt Red still don't know when Cyberpunk 2077 will be back on the PlayStation Store

During an earnings call earlier this week CDPR joint-CEO Adam Kicinski told investors that he had "no new information" in terms of when Cyberpunk 2077 would be returning to the PlayStation Store. It's nearly been six months since Cyberpunk 2077's disastrous console launch prompted Sony to remove it from their digital marketplace.

• Kicinski told investors that CDPR and Sony are "still in discussion" and reiterated that the game gets better with every new patch. But the final decision ultimately rests with Sony and, despite how much "visible progress" CDPR say has been made, Sony obviously aren't convinced.

Upgraded Nintendo Switch could be unveiled before E3, release later this year

A new report from Bloomberg suggests that the long-rumoured Switch Pro will enter production in July and could release as early as September or October. It could also be revealed before E3 and, considering E3 is only a couple of weeks away, that would be a very speedy reveal.

• Bloomberg say that the announcement coming before E3 will let publishers showcase the full extent of their Switch offering during the event, which does make a decent bit of sense. The report also speculates that the new model will likely be priced higher than the standard $299 Switch model but will eventually replace it, selling alongside the $199 Switch Lite. What'll we do when Nintendo actually announce the thing and all the rumours stop?