The Wednesday letters page sees readers predict Rockstar's next game, defend PlayStation Store pricing, and discuss the future of co-op in open-world titles.
Rockstar's Next Move
Reader Pinky writes that while they've pre-ordered GTA 6 and booked the week off, they're also curious about what Rockstar does next. They note that Rockstar has said the next game won't take another 13 years, but assume they're talking about all games, not just GTA sequels. Pinky guesses that whatever comes next won't be another GTA, as another team would likely handle it and it's probably already underway. They estimate a 50/50 chance it's Red Dead Redemption 3, but wonder if those will be the only two franchises Rockstar ever makes. They'd prefer to see a sci-fi game, which Rockstar has never really done, but conclude it's probably going to be Red Dead Redemption 3.
Mass Effect Campaign and EA's Logic
Reader Harry comments on the campaign against cancelling Mass Effect, noting it seems bigger than the one against Sony going all-digital. They're impressed by how quickly Mass Effect fans have organised, and think advertising at The Game Awards is a good idea, though more expensive than the Times Square approach. Playing devil's advocate, Harry can see EA's logic: a new Mass Effect would cost hundreds of millions, BioWare is just 50 people, and Mass Effect was never that popular. However, they argue it's still EA's fault for mismanaging BioWare since Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, meaning the damage was done long ago.
Online Security Concerns
Reader Bosco predicts that online problems like those with Street Fighter 5 and the Warhorse hack will become common. They believe AI is behind both issues, especially if Street Fighter's problem is a PHP issue. Bosco worries about the decompiling craze and jailbreaking the Switch 2, suggesting that if companies can't make money from games, they'll stop making them.
Transformers and Licensed Games
Reader Cubby comments on the leaked Transformers game trailer, noting it looks good but doubts a proper G1 game can be done on a budget. They think the War For Cybertron games were the only good ones because they had big budgets. Cubby mentions Hasbro's $1 billion spend on video games but suggests they had second thoughts about the risk. They note a new movie is being made, with Michael Bay again.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer Praise
Reader Rob says they knew they'd like Star Wars: Galactic Racer but didn't expect to be so addicted. They praise the graphics, atmosphere, story, characters, and racing, though they wish controls could be remapped and race routes better marked. Rob hopes for a Switch 2 release to play on the go.
PSN Pricing Defense
Reader Simundo responds to David's comments on Sony's digital pricing, saying PSN has been a perma-sale since 2013. They've never paid £70 for a day one digital game, having just pre-ordered GTA 6 for £57.80 with discounted vouchers. They cite a PSN price tracker for Spider-Man 2, which released in October 2023, showing it's never been at full price for more than four months. The Digital Deluxe version is currently £31.99, while CeX and Hit charge £34.99 and £34.85 for the standard physical version. Simundo says if PSN stopped being a good place to shop, they'd leave Sony's ecosystem, and believes Sony understands this. They do express unease about dynamic pricing experiments on PSN.
Cheat Codes History
Reader big boy bent asks about cheat codes in old games, wondering if codes like up, up, down, down, L, R, L, R, A, B were discovered by journalists or readers, or released by publishers. GC responds that in most cases they were for playtesting and probably given to journalists to help review games, though that was before their time.
Open-World Co-op Challenges
Reader Mooney doubts that multiplayer in Cyberpunk 2 will be co-op, arguing open-world games don't have co-op for reasons beyond technical issues. They use Elden Ring as an example, noting players would quickly separate when they spot something of interest. Mooney finds it interesting that a feature many want is stopped by human nature, and doubts GTA 6 will try it or they would have mentioned it. They'd love to see a developer attempt it officially, but doubt it'll be the new Cyberpunk.
Inbox Also-Rans
Reader Grackle was ready to try Hunter's Moon for folk horror but finds £15 for a two-hour game too much. Reader Ishi notes the Nintendo Indie World event today, holding out hope for a final Nintendo Direct of the year to announce The Duskbloods.
