Leaks have claimed that 2K Games is working on Marvel XCOM-style game, a spin-off Borderlands game, and more.
The leak comes via r/GamingLeaksAndRumours; but was later given more credibility via confirmation from former Kotaku turned Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier.
The Reddit post from swine_flu_greg (who we shall call Greg from here on out) claims to cite second hand information on 2K Games upcoming announcements. They further claim they “absolutely trust the source and this is more or less directly from 2K,” and that the source had seen the promotional materials and trailers.
Firstly, Greg claims that Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks will be the cover athlete for NBA 2K22. However, they admit this may be the cover of the game’s other editions, such as the Legendary Edition.
Next, Greg claims a new Borderlands spin-off title will be announced; either “Wonderlands“ or “Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands;” both already being trademarked by Gearbox. Codenamed Daffodil, the game will allegedly be in the same style as other Borderlands games, with multi-class-heroes playable.
However, we must note the game’s name also sounds like a DLC expansion. Prior DLC in the Borderlands series has focused around major NPCs; such as Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution, Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage, and more. In fact, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep was DLC for Borderland 2.
On the other hand; we cannot rule out an expansion becoming a stand-alone expansion after development swells. Regardless, Tiny Tina did have a rabbit mask in Borderlands 3, and has always been unhinged, further tying into the Alice in Wonderland motif.
Returning to the Reddit post, Greg claims a new Firaxis Game is in development. Codenamed CODA, this will be “XCOM with Marvel heroes” as the source described it. Famous actors will also reportedly be voicing the characters.
Finally, Codename Volt will be a new action game that is currently very early in development. While there is no final name at this time, it is described as “Cthulhu meets Saints Row.”
Aside from a Fallout style logo and looking unfinished in the trailer, even the developer is unknown. Greg themselves it could be Hangar13, who’s leaked contract stated they were working on an “open-world sci-fi title with supernatural elements.”
All this was given more credibility when Schreier tweeted that the claims were legitimate. “Yes this 2K leak is real but I’m not sure all of it is going to be at E3. Can’t wait for Marvel XCOM though.” Schreier later claimed he had heard of the Marvel XCOM title three years prior, and the Borderlands spin-off several week ago.
“Oh I should add that I have no idea who’s on NBA 2k22’s cover,” Schreier relented, “but it’s probably safe to assume that part is correct since the rest is.”
Bloomberg have been notorious for gaming industry leaks over the last few months; including numerous reports on the PlayStation 5’s production woes and fluctuating production goals [1, 2, 3, 4], Sony Interactive Entertainment losing faith in Japan, and an “industry-wide effort“ by publishers to raise the standard price of a AAA game to $70. SIE would later deny Bloomberg’s reports [1, 2, 3].
CD Projekt’s head of studio and director of Cyberpunk 2077 Adam Badowski also denounced some of the claims in a report by Bloomberg (written by Schreier). “We’re not really making any comments to what somebody else has stated about what’s going on in the studio outside,” Badowksi stated to investors in an conference call. This addressed rumors of crunch during development.
Bloomberg also reported on the practically–confirmed–at–this–point Nintendo Switch Pro, an open-world Harry Potter game, SIE employees criticizing the company’s focus on making blockbusters (rejecting a sequel to Days Gone, and a group of assisting developers remaking The Last of Us to gain trust to lead their own project gradually losing control to Naughty Dog), and additional reporting on Ubisoft’s allegedly predatory working conditions.
Image: Wikipedia, Borderlands 3 via YouTube, Marvel’s Avengers via Steam.
