Hello of us. I believe there’s most likely some kind of legislation in opposition to wishing folks a Happy New Year once you’re saying it on the ultimate day of January, however stuff it, I’m doing it anyway. Happy New Year everybody. Let’s discuss all of the cool stuff developing on RPS in 2023.
The first half of 2023 is positively packed to the rafters with some fairly nice trying video games in the mean time. Heck, after we all returned from our Christmas slumber at the beginning of January, the checklist of our most anticipated games for the 12 months stretched all the best way to 101 – and even then, I needed to chew my very own hand from making it even longer. It’s a very good feeling figuring out there are such a lot of thrilling issues to write down about over the following six months and counting – particularly when there was some extent final summer time when each game and their canine appeared to be getting delayed, leaving us with a veritable gap of neat new games to let you know about.
Naturally, we’ll be doing our greatest to carry you the newest on all these glorious new gaming nuggets over the course of the 12 months, however as hinted at in my word about remark e mail notifications final week, I wished to spend a little bit of time speaking about all the opposite new issues I wish to do on RPS this 12 months. Things like new common options, new group initiatives and, in the end, the inaugural RPS Game Club.
The RPS Game Club! It’s a factor!
Let’s discuss that final one first. The RPS Game Club may be very nearly right here. Essentially a ebook membership for video games, RPS supporters will know this has been a very long time within the making. Mostly as a result of we have been hoping to have the ability to supply common free game keys for it as a part of our RPS Premium tier. However, plans to safe a dependable month-to-month supply of stated game keys remains to be ongoing, so quite than wait and probably by no means get it off the bottom in any respect, we’re simply going to go forward and do it anyway, specializing in free games primarily, or no less than ones which have a really low value of entry. As such, the RPS Game Club can be open to all, no matter whether or not you are an RPS supporter or not, and I’ll be publishing a schedule of what we’ll be enjoying each month very quickly.
Basic gist, although: we choose a game at the beginning of the month, we spend the following few weeks enjoying stated game, and we’ll then host a collection of dialogue posts on the finish of the month the place we will all discuss it. This will embrace a liveblog session the place you possibly can chat to us and different readers in regards to the game in real-time, and different question-style posts the place you possibly can chat at a extra leisurely tempo over within the feedback.
Ask RPS something you want
Speaking of question-style posts, might I introduce Ask RPS – a brand new collection of posts the place you ask us a query, and we write a put up containing the reply! Simple as that. Questions might be about something in any respect, and directed to any group member you want – though I do ask we attempt to maintain them as video game-focused as potential. No asking us what we had for dinner final evening, as a result of I promise you, my weekly Cook consumption shouldn’t be as attention-grabbing as you would possibly assume.
To start with, I’m going to provide RPS supporters (Standard and Premium) first dibs on asking Ask RPS questions, however we’ll open it as much as everybody if / after we run out of supporter questions. I’ll additionally do a separate put up calling for these questions, so do not go leaping the gun within the feedback beneath, you keen beavers. There’s an opportunity I’d miss it.
Have your say in our reader-voted all-time style lists
The third new factor is one thing everybody can get entangled with, although. Following on from the superb response we needed to final 12 months’s RPS 100: Reader Edition, I’m delighted that we’ll not solely be doing one other Reader Edition this 12 months, however that every month I’ll even be canvasing your votes to your favorite games by style – reader variations of our greatest games lists, primarily, counting down your favorite RPGs, first particular person shooters, horror games, survival games and extra, as voted for by you. Again, look out for a devoted put up about February’s checklist later this week, the place I’ll be asking what your favorite technique games of all time are, to have a good time the launch of Company Of Heroes 3 on February twenty third.
New options and columns
Those are the three massive initiatives I’ve acquired lined up for RPS in 2023, however there are many different smaller issues occurring alongside them. We’ll be persevering with with all of our common options and columns, equivalent to The RPS Time Capsule, our GOTY Revisited posts, Alice0’s quest to search out the perfect factor in video games in What’s Better, Sin Vega’s strategy-focused Rally Point column (and her supporter-first indie recs in Scout Report), in addition to Rick Lane’s exploration of all issues VR in his Reality Bytes column.
But our personal Alice Bee has additionally made a New Year’s decision to play each Nancy Drew game in existence, following on from her November escapades with Nancy Drew: Midnight In Salem, and our guides author and fellow resident The Sims fanatic Rebecca goes to regale us with month-to-month observations and anecdotes from her a few years of Sims-ing in a new month-to-month Sims column. The first considered one of these can be revealed very quickly, so be careful for that.
Goodbye The Nate Files, whats up shiny new video present
Alas, there may be one factor we’ve got to say goodbye to this 12 months. Our supporter unique podcast The Nate Files has now come to an finish, however one other cool new factor will rise instead. Vid bud Liam can be placing collectively a supporter-first indie-focused video present, clumps of recent or upcoming games in the identical style. This can be unique to RPS Premium supporters for the primary month, however then out there for everybody after that time. We’re nonetheless figuring out the frequency of it in the mean time – along with Inventory Space and one other new factor I’ll get to in a minute, we’re most likely one present each couple of months or so, however we’ll have extra to share on this quickly.
Even extra podcasts
As for that different new factor Liam’s acquired underneath method, you truly already learn about it. It’s our new fortnightly Indiescovery podcast, which Liam co-hosts with Rebecca and evaluations editor Rachel. I’m very excited that RPS’ podcast empire is increasing on this path, particularly when it will likely be becoming a member of the newly relaunched Electronic Wireless Show, which is returning later this week after its temporary hiatus. And the EWS returns with a brand-new co-host as effectively – our very personal {hardware} editor James Archer. He’ll be becoming a member of Alice Bee and Nate (RPS in peace) to speak all issues video games, and I’m excited to see what you consider its mildly revamped magazine-style format, too. Look out for that on the same old channels on Thursday.
(Alice Bee additionally has one other podcast within the works proper now, nevertheless it’s nonetheless within the early phases of manufacturing in the mean time and I would not wish to spoil the shock. We’ll share extra about it as quickly as we will).
Senior workers author Ed and guides author Hayden are additionally revamping their FPS-focused Ultimate Audio Bang podcast barely this 12 months, introducing a brand new phase the place they take a look at lesser-known sub-genres of the FPS alongside all the newest FPS happenings. To start with, they have been enjoying theHunter: Call Of The Wild, and chances are you’ll spot some extra phrases about their experiences with Expansive Worlds’ searching sim on the location within the coming weeks.
News in a letter, you say?
And lastly, you might have noticed that we now have each day and weekly newsletters. Currently, these are fully automated, delivering a group of probably the most commented posts we have revealed on the location that day / week direct to your inbox. But as soon as our tech group have labored their magic on a few additional code-y bits within the back-end of the location, I’d like to start out doing a month-to-month publication that is full of curated hidden indie gems that we have been enjoying, both accumulating collectively stuff we have written about them on the location, or recent newsletter-exclusive phrases on them if we have not been in a position to match them spherical every thing else. Can’t say after we’ll be capable to kick this off simply but, however as quickly because the tech group have performed their factor, I’ll let you realize.
Phew! I believe that is it. So sure, a lot of thrilling issues occurring this 12 months, and lots of of them are all centered round you, our pretty readers. I’ll be going into extra element in regards to the supporter-specific stuff in my subsequent Letter From The Editor, which is offered to all Standard and Premium subscribers, however I’d love to listen to what you consider all this within the feedback beneath. Anything you are notably enthusiastic about? Or could not care much less about? Maybe there’s some apparent factor you assume we must be doing already however presently aren’t. Any and all suggestions can be gratefully acquired. In any case, I hope you agree that, along with all of the cool new games popping out, there’s additionally lots to get enthusiastic about proper right here at RPS as effectively – and I sit up for posting extra about all of these items very quickly.