Author: Charles Weston

This week on the Eurogamer Newscast, we discuss the downsides and upsides of the video game battle pass.

In a week where PlayStation live-service hopeful Concord trumpeted the fact it won’t sell you a battle pass as a marketing beat, and Apex Legends dialled back (some of) its battle pass changes following fan fury, we consider the options available to video game makers hoping to ensure their latest releases keep being played – and paid for – well after release.
Would more people play Concord if it was a free-to-play title with a battle pass? Or is it better served by being a £40 launch? Not everyone can promise they’ll never sell post-launch content, as Stardew Valley’s creator did this week. But there’s clearly a balance to be struck to ensure players don’t feel fleeced, particularly when full-priced launches like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League are getting in on the act too. Joining me this week are Eurogamer’s Ed Nightingale and Victoria Kennedy to discuss.

PlayStation live-service Concord won’t sell you a battle pass – would it be better if it did?

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Nintendo has today unveiled Alarmo, an interactive alarm clock that will respond to your body’s movements by playing video game sounds, thanks to its motion sensor technology.
On its debut this week (initially just for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, before wider availability next year), users will be able to choose from a total of 35 different alarms across five Nintendo games. These sounds include Super Mario Odyssey’s coin noises, Splatoon 3’s ink splats and Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Parasail music, to name three.
More alarm options are also said to be on the way as free updates. As for turning it off, all you have to do is get up and out of bed. Nintendo does note that if there is more than one person in the bed, however, the alarm clock may get a little confused.
“Alarmo can’t detect a specific person, so if two or more people are sleeping in the same bed within range of the sensor, the alarm may stop when one person gets out of bed, but restart once it detects there is still someone in bed,” the team wrote. “The alarm will stop completely once everyone is out of bed.” There is a button mode, though, which may be handy (literally) for those time…

This week on the Eurogamer Newscast, we discuss the most dramatic few days for PlayStation in recent times.

Sony’s stunning decision to kill off live-service shooter flop Concord after less than two weeks sent shockwaves around the industry, setting a new precedent for how swiftly a troubled title from a major publisher could be given the axe. After eight years of work, the game has already disappeared from sale, and will soon vanish from people’s game libraries, with refunds automatically given. It’s a remarkable move – even if Concord does somehow get a second lease of life – and another nail in the coffin for Sony’s overly-ambitious live-service plans that have already seen other projects shelved and delayed.
And yet Sony has still ended this week on something of a high – riding a wave of love for Astro Bot, the company’s platforming platform mascot and star of an excellent new game, and subtly-teasing one of the worst-kept secrets in video games right now: the imminent announcement of its souped-up PlayStation 5 Pro. Joining me this week are Eurogamer’s Ed Nightingale, Victoria Kennedy and Vikki Blake, as we dissect the week, discuss what might be ne…