Top 10 Gaming News of the day: 31st January

1. The Last of Us Season 2 is coming- confirms HBO

HBO has officially renewed The Last of Us for a second season. Variety quotes executive producer Neil Druckmann who said, “we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”. Executive producer Craig Mazin told Variety, “The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.” 

2. MortaL gets a permanent ban on his Valorant Account which got hacked

Naman ‘MortaL’ Mathur, the famous streamer from India has received a permanent ban on his Valorant Account. On January 25, the popular BGMI player discovered on his livestream that his Valorant Account had been permanently banned. MortaL has raised an appeal to Riot Games to look into the situation and remove the permanent ban from his account. MortaL disclosed that one of his moderators has access to his Valorant account when questioned if anyone else uses it. He wasn't sure if that individual had played any matches from his account since the last time he used it. He also stated that he has full trust in his moderator.

3. The Last of Us Episode 1 is now free to watch on YouTube

The Last of Us TV show’s first episode is now free to watch on YouTube. SkyTV has uploaded the first episode on its YouTube channel. Now, non-subscribers can watch The Last of Us episode 1 in 1080p for free. However the video is not yet available to the audiences of India. HBO Max can too upload the episode soon. 

4. Horizon multiplayer footage leaks online shortly after Studio Gobo announces partnership with Guerrilla

Studio Gobo, the co-developers of upcoming games like Redfall and Hogwarts Legacy has now partnered with Guerrilla Games for Sony’s Horizon franchise. This was announced in the latest update from the UK based studio. A number of new Horizon games are in the pipeline, including the awaited MMORPG, whose footage leaked online on January 28th. 

5. Tomb Raider TV series in development at Amazon from Fleabag star Phoebe Waller Bridge

A new Tomb Raider series is in the works and it has none other than Phoebe Waller Bridge at the helm. Phoebe Waller Bridge, is most popularly known for creating and starring in the Amazon show Fleabag amongst her other achievements. Amazon is producing the series based on the popular video game franchise with Waller Bridge working on the script as well as executive producing the series. 

6. Street Fighter 6 adds Thea Trinidad a.k.a. Zelina Vega as commentator

The latest star to join Street Fighter 6’s roster of commentators is WWE Champion Thea Trininad, better known as Zelina Vega. The news was announced on 29th January. Street Fighter 6’s real time in-game English commentators includes eSports personalities and gaming enthusiasts like TastySteve, Jeremy Lopez, James “jchensor” Chen. Trinidad is the newest addition in this roster for English commentary.

7. Microsoft got sued by FTC in a bid to stop settlement with EU regulatory bodies

The FTC reportedly slapped the lawsuit on Microsoft last December to block the green signal from the regulatory bodies of the European Union. The lawsuit was reportedly filed right after the EU and US officials got off a call discussing their probes. It was on this call that the EU officials had hinted that they were reportedly planning to discuss “potential remedies” with Microsoft. 

8. Fans discover a secret alternate ending in Dead Space Remake

The Dead Space Remake is an otherwise faithful remake of the Dead Space from 2008 with a stark exception of that of an alternate ending. It however needs to be unlocked with the New Game Plus mode for which you need to have completed the game on any difficulty level at least once. This alternate ending connects the game to its sequel from 2011 much better than the original game. 

9. The Day Before removed from Steam due to trademark dispute

The Day Before has been delayed again due to the trademark disputes and legal issues that the game has been facing. After several delays, the game is finally set to be released on November 10, 2023. The developers Fntastic also stated that they would release a lengthy gameplay video asap, which was earlier planned to be released later this month. According to their official tweet, they would consult the lawyers first and then publish the gameplay video.

10. Epic Games Store reveals the next set of free games including Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Epic Games Store will be giving away City of Gangsters and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider for free next week. This limited period offer will be valid from February 2nd, 2023, till February 9. 2023. Currently, indie titles Adios and Hell is Others are up for grabs on the platform till February 2nd, 2023.