There is a lot going on this week, but the big conversation is obviously Grand Theft Auto 6. A possible online-mode release window, an unexpectedly huge music project, Hideo Kojima’s next game getting its lead actor, major BlizzCon announcements, and a stack of new releases all landed at once.
Key Takeaways
- Twitch CEO Dan Clancy’s comments suggest GTA 6 multiplayer may launch in 2027, but Rockstar has not confirmed it.
- Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album features 34 original tracks and physical vinyl editions.
- Bill Skarsgård and Charlee Fraser lead Hideo Kojima’s Physint, published by Xbox.
- BlizzCon revealed Diablo V, a Warcraft 3 Reforged expansion and StarCraft: Dominion, an open-world shooter.
Table of Contents
- Did Twitch’s CEO reveal when GTA 6 Online is coming?
- GTA 6 is getting a 34-track original album
- Physint casts Bill Skarsgård as its lead
- BlizzCon brought Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft back into focus
- Modern Warfare 4, Wo Long 2 and a possible Lies of P follow-up
- Control: Resonant and this week’s new releases
- The new Resident Evil movie is entertaining, even without the canon
- One last useful thing
Did Twitch’s CEO reveal when GTA 6 Online is coming?
Dan Clancy, Twitch’s CEO, spoke with Bloomberg about Twitch preparing for the gigantic impact of GTA 6. That part makes total sense. GTA launches are cultural events at this point, and every major platform is going to be planning around the game.
The interesting bit is that Clancy said Twitch had spent time talking with Rockstar about its plans, then referred to a major GTA 6 bump followed by an even bigger one next year when multiplayer launches.
Now, that is not a Rockstar announcement. It could be insider knowledge, since major streaming platforms do coordinate with publishers around launches this massive. It could also be a pretty reasonable guess stated a little too confidently. We do not know.
Still, if the comment is accurate, it would be the first real suggestion of a GTA 6 Online release year. The precedent is there too. Grand Theft Auto V launched with its single-player campaign first, while GTA Online followed a few months later. Whether GTA 6 repeats that kind of gap or leaves people waiting longer remains to be seen.
For now, I would file this under very interesting but absolutely not confirmed. You can read the original report from Polygon’s GTA 6 multiplayer coverage for the full context.
GTA 6 is getting a 34-track original album
The more concrete GTA news is music related, and honestly, I think it is cool as hell. Rockstar has announced Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, a 34-track collection of original music made for the game and scheduled for release on November 19.
GTA 6 is still expected to have a big catalogue of familiar licensed songs. Marketing has already used artists including Tom Petty, Wang Chung, Skrilla, Phil Collins, Lil Wayne and Birdman. The album is something different: original tracks attached directly to the GTA 6 world, with artists including Travis Scott, Morgan Wallen and Keith Richards.
Rockstar has always approached itself a little differently than most game publishers. Its marketing rollouts, trailers and use of music often feel closer to how a record label builds a moment than how a traditional games company sells a product. That sensibility has paid off for them repeatedly.
They have released music around their games before, including the excellent Red Dead Redemption 2 album, but a major physical release for GTA 6 is particularly interesting. Vinyl editions are already part of the plan. In an era where almost everything is digital and disposable, it is nice to see a big physical music release get some attention.
Music is good. It brings people together, it makes things stick in your head, and it can make a game world feel real. That is exactly why GTA radio stations have mattered for so long. The official GTA VI music page has the current album and shop information.
Physint casts Bill Skarsgård as its lead
Tokyo Game Show brought plenty of smaller updates, gameplay previews and Sega chatter, including efforts to turn properties such as Stranger Than Heaven and Crazy Taxi into movie franchises. The most interesting news, though, came from Hideo Kojima and Xbox.
Physint, Kojima Productions’ tactical espionage action project, has now revealed part of its principal cast. Bill Skarsgård is officially the lead, and he is joined by Charlee Fraser in a significant role.
There had been plenty of speculation that Robert Pattinson might play the main character. Nope. Instead, Kojima went with Bill Skarsgård, who has built a career on being extremely good at unsettling, memorable roles. He was Pennywise in the modern It films, appeared in Nosferatu and Barbarian, and played the villain in John Wick: Chapter 4.
Charlee Fraser is recognisable as Mary Jo Bassa, Furiosa’s mother in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The pairing feels very Kojima: serious performers with strange, specific screen presence rather than obvious blockbuster casting.
We still know very little about what Physint actually plays like. It has been framed as Kojima’s return to tactical espionage action after OD, and Xbox is now publishing the project. It also sounds as though this cast has been in place for a while, so the production is not just starting from scratch. I would not expect to fully understand this game anytime soon, but this is a fun first piece of the puzzle. Xbox has more on the Physint cast announcement.
BlizzCon brought Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft back into focus
BlizzCon happened last weekend, and the broad takeaway is that Blizzard is suddenly talking about a lot more games again.
Warcraft 3 Reforged is getting a new expansion
A new expansion is coming to Warcraft 3: Reforged, with a notable character focus. I am always up for a substantial addition to an older game, and it helps that Reforged has been steadily improved from its rough launch state. There is also World of Warcraft Forever in the mix for the Warcraft crowd.
Diablo V is planned for 2030
Blizzard also announced Diablo V, targeting 2030, with a big cinematic reveal but very few specific gameplay details.
The early suggestion from the developers is that Diablo V may move away from the more open-world direction and pull back toward a more classic Diablo structure. That is only an implication at this stage, not a full feature list, but it will be worth tracking. It feels early to be talking about a whole new Diablo already, although I have not stayed fully current with Diablo IV’s long-term state.
StarCraft: Dominion is an open-world shooter
The bolder swing is StarCraft: Dominion, an open-world shooter revealed through a flashy cinematic trailer. It is not an RTS, which is a pretty wild choice after so long without a new StarCraft game.
What makes it potentially exciting is the stated direction. Blizzard says it is not intended to be a live-service, microtransaction-driven forever game. The pitch is a complete game with a beginning, middle and end. The project is also being led by a producer associated with Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 5.
The StarCraft universe has been begging for a project like this for ages. People were excited for StarCraft: Ghost back in the day, even though it never made it out. The lore, factions and visual language are there. Dominion has a lot to prove, but it is nice to be genuinely curious about something instead of immediately cynical.
Modern Warfare 4, Wo Long 2 and a possible Lies of P follow-up
Modern Warfare 4 has a new trailer focused on the campaign’s cinematic style, and Mads Mikkelsen is playing the villain. He has done plenty of video game work by now, including Cliff in Death Stranding, so this is a natural fit.
Wo Long 2 is now set for release in March 2027, and an alpha demo is available until September 30. The first game was underrated and slipped under the radar for a lot of people, so this is one to keep an eye on if you were into its specific brand of action. Details on the limited demo are available through Video Games Chronicle’s Wo Long 2 report.
Then there is Wonders of O, a newly trademarked title from Neowiz that very much appears connected to the next Lies of P project. The ending of Lies of P teased a move toward the Wizard of Oz, so the pieces line up.
I really liked Lies of P, especially as someone who is pretty burnt out on Soulslikes that are not made by FromSoftware. Neowiz made a clever, polished game with its own personality, so a dark Wizard of Oz spin sounds like a great next move. There is no official reveal or release date yet, but a trademark usually means the marketing machine may be warming up. Maybe the Game Awards. Maybe somewhere else. That part is pure speculation.
Control: Resonant and this week’s new releases
I also spent time with Control: Resonant, which releases next week. I was nervous about Remedy changing the style so much from the original Control, and the opening is a little rough. Once it gets moving, though, I found it to be a very good sequel.
It has the weird, imaginative Remedy energy I wanted, plus an unexpectedly solid take on open-zone exploration. The combat is good, even if I think it could be better, but the game feels distinct rather than like it is simply trying to repeat the first one. Another good game on the pile.
Elsewhere, AnimO, a free-to-play monster-collecting game, is now available. Steam sentiment is mixed so far, but there was definitely anticipation around it.
Wolverine also arrived this week. I did not love it as much as a lot of people did. There are fun moments, and I have enjoyed seeing the photo-mode shots, but the story did not work for me and that hurt the overall experience. That is just my take. A lot of people are having a great time with it, and opinions are supposed to work like that.
- Lego Batman has finally arrived on Switch 2.
- Trails in the Sky Second Chapter is getting positive early sentiment, especially among fans of the genre.
- Fire Emblem: Fortunes Weave is out with strong reviews and looks like another enormous time-consuming Fire Emblem game.
- 007 First Light on Switch 2 has been delayed by IO Interactive.
The new Resident Evil movie is entertaining, even without the canon
The new Resident Evil movie from Zach Cregger is out now. Cregger previously made Barbarian and Weapons, and I found this new film well made, thrilling and much funnier than I expected. Like, legitimately funny.
It is not trying to follow Resident Evil game lore or canon exactly, and that is worth knowing going in. Taken on its own terms, though, I found it entertaining. I have plenty more thoughts on it, but I would rather save the deeper, spicier stuff for later. The simple version is that it is an interesting, confidently made movie that is worth forming your own opinion on.
One last useful thing
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That is the news pile for the week. GTA 6 Online potentially landing in 2027 would be massive, the GTA 6 album is a genuinely cool idea, and Bill Skarsgård feels like exactly the sort of weirdly perfect Kojima casting choice. For now, I am happy to sit with the questions, keep an eye on the official announcements, and see where all this stuff goes.
