Games Inbox: Will The Witcher 4 be bigger than The Elder Scrolls 6?

The Monday letters page wishes Astro’s Playroom had been a Switch 2 launch title, as one reader worries that a Tomb Raidr reboot is doomed to failure.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Epic showdown
There’s always lots of talk about The Elder Scrolls 6, which I understand because everyone loves Skyrim and Bethesda are such a mess it’s just interesting following them. But I’m surprised there’s not been any discussion of The Witcher 4 lately.

We at least know a little bit about that, in that Ciri is the main character, but it seems likely that both are going to come out at almost exactly the same time. CD Projekt said no earlier than 2027 for The Witcher 4, which probably means at least 2028, and that’s exactly when The Elder Scrolls 6 is due.

Based on their recent track record I have to say I’m much more interested in The Witcher 4, and much more confident that it will be good. But both games have sold almost the same, at around 60 million (Bethesda seem to have Sony-itis when making up sales figures but let’s just assume they’re both more or less the same).

So, what would you bet on being more successful and more loved? Which are not the same thing. Personally, I think The Witcher 4 has got to be the early favourite.
Johnson

Prior reading
As someone that’s never played the series, I’m very curious to see if there is going to be a Half-Life 3 and if it will be on consoles. Steam Machine can’t have exclusives, but they can keep games PC-only and it seems likely they’ll do that here, which would be a shame I think.

As far as I understand nobody knows for sure that Half-Life 3 is coming, so could the game actually be a remake? I know there’s been some fan ones, on PC, but I would like to see a big remake of the first two for all formats, so I can get a good look at it and have a chance with the backstory and the lore and everything.

It’s weird to me that one of the most talked about games ever doesn’t have a decent console version and most casual gamers have never heard of it.
Bootles

Gradual influence
The Reader’s Feature about Microsoft’s reverse Midas touch made me laugh, because I’ve been thinking something similar myself recently. The funny thing is I don’t there’s been enough time for Microsoft to have had any effect on Call Of Duty yet, given how long games take to make.

Being on Game Pass is obviously a difference, but that isn’t what made the game a big pile of you know what. So Microsoft couldn’t really have changed anything for Black Ops 7, I don’t think.

It’s actually more likely that Activision knew, or had a good idea, this was going to be a disaster when Microsoft bought them and just carried on anyway. They would’ve had their money by that point, so what do they care?
Bruno

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

The one and only
So I had a look at my friends list, as was trying Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 on Game Pass, terrible game on every level and about 80 were online. I was the only one playing Black Ops 7 and on top of that no one was playing EA Sports FC… a massive change from few years ago when everyone would of been playing those games

Those were games my son would get every year with his mates, now they won’t even try them as they’re rubbish. So the golden goose is well and truly cooked for both, too many similar reincarnations every year with nothing new. I also note my son’s generation are actually falling out of love with gaming, which is worrying for the future.

Microsoft buying Activision for $70+ billion looking like the worst buy in history. They saw Call Of Duty as easy money every year but now that’s backfired big time… worrying times. Thanks for everything over the last year, seasons greeting and all the best.
TWO MACKS

Becoming a relic
Very much agree with the weekend feature about Tomb Raider. I think the biggest problem, at this point, is it’s just too late. The reboot trilogy wasn’t that big, so you’re talking 20-odd years since Tomb Raider was number one in pop culture.

I think most people think of the films first, and Angelina Jolie, before they do the games. I definitely think younger gamers will probably be pretty ignorant of the series, and that wouldn’t really be their fault.

I hope the new game is good, and comes out sometime soon, but if they say it’s cancelled and they’ve sold the franchise on to someone else I wouldn’t be surprised. If it does come out then it’s going to have to be amazing to reverse years of increasing irrelevance.
Focus

It’s the children who are wrong
You’re the most reliable review site bar none, such that I frequently make decisions based on your detailed and informed analysis (your passion for the form coursing through the beautifully crafted prose). After reading your review, I’ll definitely be downloading Sektori, as it’s a genre I love.

But the Kirby Air Riders review has me slightly baffled as it’s a total outlier and I can’t think of a comparable example in the 20 or so years I’ve followed your reviews. Despite very positive reviews by Eurogamer and IGN, yours is enough to put me off buying it.

Have you ever considered writing a feature on your most controversial reviews and reflections on whether you stand by them (and whether vindicated over the passage of time)? GTA 5 comes to mind as, if memory serves well, you gave it (a very generous in my opinion) 8 out 10.

Secondly, when, as with Kirby, your appraisal is such an outlier, does it give you cause to reconsider and even give the game in question another try? I’d love to see a reflection piece on that particular review and the contrasting takes on the game.

People like to say it’s all subjective and ‘just your opinion’, but you’re experts and your views are not the equivalent of a casual gamer or biased towards a particular company, IP or genre, they actually matter and materially affect what people purchase and play – they do me at least!
Ciara

GC: Thanks, but we’ve already spent more than enough time with Kirby Air Riders. Perhaps we will do a feature on other times we’ve disagreed with the consensus, if anyone else has any ‘favourites’.

Nintendo by Sony
Bought a PlayStation 5 on the Black Friday sale and I have to say Astro’s Playroom is amazing. It has to be the best pack-in game ever.

This is what Welcome Tour for Switch 2 should have been.
goldbricks23

GC: If only.

Face of the franchise
I’ve been following your ongoing coverage of the new IO Interactive James Bond game, primarily because I’m a fan of the developer but I do have nagging doubts about the face that they’ve chosen for James Bond.

I was trying to think, throughout the movies does Bond smile at all? Certainly not a lot. I’d cross the street to avoid 007 First Light’s smirking cheeky chappie interpretation of Bond, if that is indeed the face that IO Interactive are going with. He looks like the kind of bloke who’d find his own rubbish jokes hilariously funny or go on and on about the fortune that he’s just made buying and selling crypto currency, which is going to enable him to retire 30 years early and so he’ll have plenty of time to enter and win another around the world yacht race and tinker with his vintage sports car which he bought on a whim but has actually turned out to be a terrific investment.

007 First Light Bond would also own at least one pair of driving gloves. You know he would.

It’s possible that I’m overreacting or being oversensitive, but that smirking reinvention of Bond really winds me up every time I see it. I know the game is based more on the books but isn’t Bond meant to be emotionally cold and ruthless and, above all, dangerous? First Light James Bond simply looks annoying.

I wonder if any game has been financially scuppered by the appearance of its main character? Surely video game avatars have to appeal to the people who control them to some extent because they are the player’s core connection to the game. There was a big fuss over being forced to play as Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2 but didn’t the game sell well anyway?

Maybe it doesn’t matter what a game’s playable character looks like if the actual game plays well.
Michael Veal (@msv858)

GC: We would hope so. Although we don’t disagree with some of your descriptions.

Inbox also-rans
As someone that’s never really played much Battlefield before I am surprised at how well the new one is doing. Is it really so completely different to Battlefield 2042, which was a complete flop?
Toasty

Am I the only one that played Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with French voiceovers? If you played silent Hill f and Ghost Of Yōtei in Japanese I really don’t see why this would be any different. It’s the langue the game was made in and they’re all clearly French.
Label

GC: We did, at least for part of it.

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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

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