I can see this pulling in a lot of new fans It took a bit for today’s Nintendo Indie World Showcase to get going, but I immediately latched ontoOlliOlli Worldthe moment it showed up. The next skateboarding game from Roll7 looks fantastic — and it’s more ambitious than I would’ve expected. You’ve got to see these out-there character designs. According to the studio, we’ll be able to customize our skater’s looks, tricks, and style while also carving our own path in the wacky world of Radland — literally....

Also, what ARE their surnames? We are just a short week away from thebest amiibo ever released. No, not Butt-plug Bowser, butSplatoon 2’sawesome hosts; Marina and Pearl, collectively known asOff the Hook. In related news, Pearl and Marina’s full names, or at least their original Japanese full names, have been revealed, asthey are scrawled on the packagingof the soon to be released Octotune soundtrack album. The Queen of the World’s birth certificate reads “Hime Houzuki” while her record-spinning pal is the sweetly named “Marine Iida....

Atari has announced that they’ve acquired Chris Sawyers’ 1994 DOS hitTransport Tycoon. That is to say, they’ve bought the property. Although, since the game is largely unavailable aside from the freeOpenTTDfan source port, it would be a feat in itself to purchase it. This is a move that makes sense. Atari already licensesRoller Coaster Tycoon, and Chris Sawyer has kept a working relationship with the company, even back when they were terrible, and even after a 2005 lawsuit....

Tune in on Monday The identities of the fighters included in the second season pass forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis one of the biggest mysteries in gaming right now. So far, all we know is a fighter fromARMSwill be added to the roster this summer, but with some representation from the series inSmashalready, it’s anybody’s guess which stretchy arm brawler will make the cut. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait too much longer to learn the identity of this fighter....

Consult the calendar! Square Enix has opened up about its DLC plans forShadow of the Tomb Raider. After launch on September 14, the game will get seven content drops — one a month — from October through April. “The Season Pass delivers seven new adventures called ‘Paths,’ with each Path including new narrative, new missions, a Challenge Tomb, a new weapon, a new outfit and a new skill. The first Challenge Tomb will also introduce new co-op functionality....

Publisher registers two new domains this weekend Square Enix registered a pair of web domains related toTomb Raiderjust days prior to E3. Thanks to the wizardry of the internet, we now know the publisher has staked claims to bothriseofthetombraider.comandlaracroftandthetempleofosiris.com, each of which were created this past Friday. A quick cross-reference with theE3 livestream scheduleindicates Square plans to showcase unannounced titles on both Wednesday and Thursday. Perhaps these could be follow-ups to the recentTomb RaiderrebootandLara Croft and the Guardian of Light....

Those Humble Indie Bundle guys sure have been busy this year.This latest offeringcenters around the games of Introversion:Uplink,Darwinia,Multiwinia, andDEFCON. Two prototypes — the Subversion City Generator and a Voxel Tech Demo — are being included as well. As always, you get to name your own price for the bundled games and choose how the funds are split up between the developers, charitable organizations, and the Humble Bundle people. Those who pay above the average contribution amount getCrayon Physics DeluxeandAquariaas bonuses....

‘For all you programming nerds’ In7 Billion Humans, the newprogramming puzzle gamefrom Tomorrow Corporation, machines have given jobs back to humans. Every last one of us. All in a single office building “visible from space.” The minds behindWorld of Goo,Little Inferno, andHuman Resource Machinehaven’t lost their touch. Whereas its predecessorHuman Resource Machinehad a single worker performing various tasks,7 Billion Humans“has an all new language that lots of workers can all execute at the same time....

We raised you better than that Bringing someone home for the holidays that your folks would not approve of is nothing new. A time-honored tradition of rebellion and experimentation as you search for who you are and who you will choose to walk that path with you. But there are times when the look on your parent’s faces when you introduce them to your significant other is well worth the price of admission....

Sales hit historic 26-year low According toFamitsu’s annual report(viaVG24/7), the Japanese games industry was worth ¥321 billion – that’s a 13 percent drop from the previous year. Although these figures do not take into account digital sales (which, let’s face it, surely must be increasing year-on-year — particularly with the rise of the mobile game market), console sales fell 8.5 percent and software sales dropped 16 percent, making this the least profitable year in 26 years....

The Blue Blur speeds into the June lineup There’s a new entry in the June showcase lineup, and it’s speeding in fast. A new Sonic Central is airing tomorrow, June 7, with information on upcoming projects involving Sonic himself. Announced on social media today, the Sonic Central will air June 7 at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET. You can find the stream either onYouTubeorTwitch. The stream will show a look at what projects, partnerships and events are in store for 2022....

Plague Tale‘s million players still don’t outnumber the rats, though A Plague Taleis always one of those game series I’m glad to see is doing well, because the games provide a nice new perspective in the industry. A few years ago if you had told me one of the protagonists of a popular action game franchise were a teenaged girl and her younger brother as they evade hoards of bloodthirsty rats, I likely wouldn’t have believed you....

Saving the best for BlizzCon Heroes of the Stormis not dead. Although development has slowed down considerably (there have only been a few new characters out in 2019 compared to the usual cadence of “a ton”) and the esports arm has been shut down, there’s still a team working on the game, doling out events and balance patches. A lot of lapsed players have a huge reason to come back soon, too, as Deathwing is joining the roster....