Game On: Switch 2 said to be unveiled this week

“Game On” is The Fly’s weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks.

NEW RELEASES: Among this week’s notable releases is Koei Tecmo’s (TKHCF) hack-and-slash action game “Dynasty Warriors: Origins,” which comes out January 17 for PC, PlayStation 5 (SONY), and Xbox Series X/S (MSFT). Also out this week is Nintendo’s (NTDOY) “Donkey Kong Country Returns HD,” a remaster of the 2010 Wii game of the same name, which releases January 16 for the Nintendo Switch.

SWITCH SUCCESSOR: Nintendo will unveil its successor to the Switch on Thursday, January 16, VideoGamesChronicle’s Andy Robinson reported Monday, citing podcaster NateTheHate, which has been reliable for Nintendo-related news in the past. The Japanese video game giant will release a reveal trailer focused on Switch 2 hardware, with a software showcase set to occur in late February or early March, the author said, noting that the reveal itself will focus mostly on the console itself without “any presence of games.”

Meanwhile, NateTheHate also reported, according to VGC’s Jordan Middler, that Xbox games “Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024” and “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” are coming soon to Sony’s PlayStation 5 and the yet-to-be-revealed successor to the Nintendo Switch. Such a move would be part of broader efforts from Microsoft to port a variety of Xbox console exclusives to other consoles, with games like “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” and “Doom: The Dark Ages” also slated to arrive on PS5 soon, the author noted.

UBISOFT OPTIONS: Last week, Ubisoft (UBSFY) said that following the strategic and execution reviews initiated by its executive committee a few months ago, it is “taking decisive steps to reshape the Group in order to deliver best-in-class player experiences, enhance operational efficiency and maximize value creation.” Ubisoft announced that it has appointed advisors to “review and pursue various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.” This process will be overseen by the independent members of its board.

As part of the company’s “renewed focus on gameplay quality and engaging Day-1 experiences,” the game maker decided to provide an additional month of development to its upcoming action-RPG “Assassin’s Creed Shadows.” “This additional time will allow the team to better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months and help create the best conditions for launch by continuing to engage closely with the increasingly positive Assassin’s Creed community,” the company said. “The game is now scheduled for March 20.”

Additionally, Ubisoft said its fiscal Q3 net bookings are now expected at around EUR 300M, primarily reflecting lower than expected Holiday sales, mainly for “Star Wars Outlaws,” as well as the discontinuation of “XDefiant.” “Ubisoft still expects approximately break-even non-IFRS operating income and free cash flow for FY2024-25,” the company said. “Net bookings are now expected to come in at around EUR 1.9 billion, and include new partnership opportunities for Ubisoft’s games and franchises as well as for the monetization of the streaming rights acquired last fiscal year.”

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CFPB ON DIGITAL PAYMENT PRIVACY: The CFPB told The Verge that the compmany is aiming to bring “the best of Xbox and Windows together” for handhelds

Meanwhile, Microsoft is set to unveil a new game from a “legendary Japanese IP” at its Developer_Direct showcase next week, Windows Central reports

Activision has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from families of victims killed or injured in a 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Polygon says