'The Hungry Horde' possibly a new game from Sony
The Rumor: Trademark hawks have spotted a new filing from Sony for a title called 'The Hungry Horde'. Filed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) in July, the "computer game software" trademark offers no information beyond the title, but may suggest that a reveal is just around the corner.
Our Take: While nothing is confirmed at this point, The Hungry Horde could be related to a game in development at LittleBigPlanet Vita developer Tarzier Studios titled 'Hunger'. The game was announced at the Nordic Game Conference 2014 in May as a downloadable title for PS4 and is described as a "third-person 3D action adventure game with stealth and exploration elements". The above image was concept art that accompanied that announcement.
Zelda: Majora's Mask for 3DS reportedly spotted in Target
The Rumor: An alleged employee of a Target retail store in Canada has snapped pictures of what is claimed to be stock tags for Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask on 3DS--you know, that unannounced game that everyone wants to play. The unnamed source has also presented what appears to be a screenshot of the Target database entry for the same title, with a placeholder release date of December 31, 2014. This comes after Grezzo, the Japanese developer behind the 3DS remake of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, posted a job listing earlier this year that heavily hinted that it's working on the much-requested remake.
Our Take: Many great leaks have emerged from retailer employees snooping around where they shouldn't be, but this type of source material can also be sketchy. A shelf label can be easily faked, as can a shaky-cam screenshot of a display. For what it's worth, the items shown in the pictures look fairly legitimate and, frankly, we'd be more surprised if Nintendo wasn't working on Majora's Mask 3DS at this point, given the fanfare surrounding it. Come on Nintendo, do the right thing.
Dishonored 2 in development at Arkane Studios despite E3 snub
The Rumor: A Dishonored sequel was rumored earlier this year, but as E3 came and went without a single official whisper of the game, things were looking suspect. However, according to new alleged sources speaking with NowGamer and VG247, Dishonored 2: Darkness of Tyvia is a real thing, is in development at Arkane Studios in Lyon, France, and will be released on PC and new-gen consoles in November 2015. The tipster even provided what they claim is the actual current box art for the PS4 version (partially pictured above), and pointed to an official reveal at Gamescom in August.
Our Take: We were very skeptical of the original rumors, which stemmed from a wonky photo of a supposed early behind-closed-doors presentation, especially after the E3 no-show. Subsequently, we removed Dishonored 2 from this rumors list. But the evidence is beginning to mount up. Gamescom has, in recent years, grown in prominence to almost rival that of E3, and it's feasible that Bethesda is holding back something special for the European expo.
Microsoft hiring for work on 'next-gen' Xbox hardware
The Rumor: The Xbox One has barely took its first steps into the world and yet it seems Microsoft is already lighting the fires under it's next Xbox machine. A recent job listing posted by the firm called for an Industrial Designer to work within the Xbox industrial design studio, where they will "help us create next generation entertainment hardware for Microsoft". Microsoft has since edited the post to remove any mention of "next generation entertainment hardware", but not before the Internet had snapped to attention.
Our Take: While hardware development is shrouded in the utmost secrecy, for obvious reasons, it's no secret at all that consoles are developed over the course of many years, often starting from the moment their predecessors are released. It is, however, surprising to hear first whispers of next-gen hardware development so soon after the Xbox One's arrival, but it's always fun to imagine what kind of tech those crazy scientists in their Back to the Future-style labs are working on right at this very moment.
Dark Souls 2 coming to PS4 and Xbox One
The Rumor: UK retail giant Tesco has taken on Amazon's leaky trend, it seems. According to listings that cropped up on the Tesco Direct website recently, Dark Souls 2 is now also a PS4 and Xbox One game. At present, the game is only available for last-gen systems and PC, but if Tesco is correct, new-gen ports could be released before long.
Our Take: Darks Souls 2 is a much-loved title released right at the tail end of the last generation, so it's an ideal candidate for spruced-up re-release on the newer consoles. If we had to speculate, we'd say a late 2014 release would be likely--and highly welcomed too.
'Call of Duty: World at War 2' box art raises eyebrows
The Rumor: Purportedly "leaked" box art for Call of Duty: World at War 2 has done the rounds on internet blogs, supposedly outing the title for Activision's 2015 CoD entry long before the 2014 game is even out. According to the reports, the image leaked from an Amazon listing, which has since been removed.
Our Take: No one actually links to this supposed Amazon listing, and although Amazon is a regular source of premature leaks, a leak that's more than a year ahead of the game's expected launch is highly doubtful. As you can see, the box art itself contains a logo oddly backed by nothing but a partially cloudy night sky. Not exactly Photoshop mastery. And why would the developer have a placeholder box art ready this far in advance? What place could it possibly be holding? Don't get too excited, World at War fans. All signs point to this being a total fake.
343 Industries working on mystery new Halo game
The Rumor: We know Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Halo 5: Guardians are on their way, but it appears that Halo studio 343 Industries may be working on a third and completely unannounced Halo game. That is, at least, according to a job listing which calls for devs to work on a "new project line in the Halo universe". It also seeks an artist to "breathe a fresh vision into a new Halo experience". This has sparked speculation that the studio may be working on a spin-off title.
Our Take: This is very exciting indeed, but what could it be? Could 343 be working on another FPS in a similar vein to Halo: ODST, or something completely different? The Halo series is no stranger to spin-offs in other genres; Halo Wars was a quality Command & Conquer-style RTS, and Halo: Spartan Assault portrayed the Covenant war as a top-down shooter.
Yoshinori Ono making unannounced PS4 game
The Rumor: Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono is hard at work on a new PlayStation 4 game, according to what appeared to be a slip up in his Linkedin profile. The renown developer listed an "unreleased title" for PS4 in a list of his most recent works. The list has since been changed to remove mention of the PS4, now apparently "TBD", but it already has people talking.
Our Take: Ono is definitely working a mystery new game, it's just unclear if the 'PS4' stipulation was a mistake or an indication of platform exclusivity. Either way, Ono fans might be hoping for another game is one of his many previous works which, Street Fighter aside, include games in the Dark Stalkers, Monster Hunter and Onimusha franchises.
Diddy Kong Racing 2 in development for Wii U
The Rumor: A sequel to N64 classic Diddy King Racing is in development for Wii U. This is according to a rather mysterious blog post from a so-called Kevin Callahan, who claims to be a programmer with inside knowledge of the project. According to the post, the project has been on and off for years due to "bad luck and awkward timing". Nintendo, he claims, has renewed interest in the project thanks to strong sales of Mario Kart Wii and Donkey Kong Country Returns. The game is apparently a collaboration between Monster Games (Wii Sports Resort) and Retro Studios (Metroid Prime series), with producer Kensuke Tanabe on board. Nintendo held off an E3 showing so as not to cannibalize the buzz surrounding Mario Kart 8, he claims, and is now preparing for a reveal in 2015 and released later that year.
Our Take: The source is sketchy to say the least, with the blog having been created one day prior to the DKR2 post, and nothing before or since. But it's all excitingly feasible--both Monster Games and Retro Studios have worked on the recent Donkey Kong Country: Returns and Tropical Freeze games. Diddy Kong Racing was an excellent game is its day, and a sequel could be fantastic. We wouldn't bank on this being true, but we so want it to be...
Ryse 2 canned as Crytek succumbs to financial woes
The Rumor: All is not well with Crysis developer Crytek if a string of recent reports prove accurate. It is claimed that the company has canned multiple projects--including a Ryse sequel--as it suffers severe financial troubles. Reports claim a failure to pay staff full wages for multiple months, triggering the departure of around 40 employees from Crytek UK. It's also claimed that the company has sought funding from Deutsche Bank, but the deal has been delayed.
Our Take: Crytek has moved to deny claims that the firm nears bankruptcy, and has been otherwise unwilling to discuss claims of the problems it is reportedly weathering. Development on the studio's latest announced title, Homefront: The Revolution, apparently continues, and we hope for the sake of that game--which looks fantastic--that Crytek can find a way through whatever troubles it may be facing.
