Welcome back to our daily news roundups! After our brief break throughout the holidays, we’re back to catch you up on the latest video game news each weekday — starting with the announcement that a slew of Persona soundtracks will be available on Spotify tomorrow! Along with that, Epic Games has purchased a shopping mall to serve as the studio’s new HQ, (Yes, we’re serious.) Ys IX has a new demo, and more. Here’s the video game news you might’ve missed on Jan. 4, 2021 (and some stuff from the past week!).
Epic Games Has Acquired Massive Shopping Mall to Be the Studio’s New HQ
Epic Games is one of the most notable developers in the world, with over 1,000 employees, so it’s fitting the studio should have a massive headquarters. Recently, the company announced it has acquired the Cary Towne Center mall in North Carolina for $95 million, which will serve as the studio’s new HQ. The shopping mall, which is around 980,000 square feet in size, will become fully functional by 2024.
Read More: Epic Games Announces New Location for Company Headquarters
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox Demo Stealth-Drops on PS Store
Seemingly out of nowhere, a free demo for Ys IX: Monstrum Nox has quietly appeared on the PlayStation Store. The ninth numbered entry in the series originally came out in Japan in September 2019 and will finally make its way to the West in February 2021. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox will launch for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, but if you’re on the fence, you can now try it out for free on PlayStation!
A demo for Ys IX: Monstrum Nox has secretly dropped into the PSN Store. https://t.co/Bpfodnw4mo pic.twitter.com/JpmJcuL6RM
— HDKirin (@HD_Kirin) January 4, 2021
Breath of the Wild’s NPCs Are Just More Advanced Miis
As discovered by modder and “Mii expert” Alice (@HEYimHeroic on Twitter), the NPCs in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild originate from an advanced version of Mii files, called UMiis. Alice tweeted out her findings yesterday and goes into more detail in the Twitter thread below. Interestingly, you can see how closely the NPCs in Breath of the Wild resemble Miis once the proper data is input, which you can check out in the comparisons below.
Hi, Mii expert here. Turns out, the NPCs in TLoZ:BotW use an advanced version of the Mii format. This means that with modding, you can inject Miis into the game. 🙂
Thinking about opening commissions for Mii injects, both screenshot/images of your Mii and mod downloads! pic.twitter.com/8NfVr4zyqA
— i'm alice (@HEYimHeroic) January 4, 2021
Team Ninja Plans to Announce “Multiple” Games in 2021
Team Ninja, the studio behind the beloved Nioh, Ninja Gaiden, and Dead or Alive franchises, has revealed that it will announce “multiple” new games for 2021. This news comes by way of a 4Gamer interview with Studio Director Fumihiko Yasuda (as relayed by VGC). Yasuda said Team Ninja is “preparing several new titles for Team Ninja in 2021, so please look forward to them!” It’s unclear what those games will be, but many have their fingers crossed for the return of Ninja Gaiden.
Read More: Ninja Gaiden developer Team Ninja ‘will announce multiple games this year’
The Majority of the Persona OSTs Will Be Added to Spotify Tomorrow
One of the best things about the Persona games is their catchy, jazzy soundtracks, and tomorrow, you’ll have a much easier way to listen to many of them. That’s right, on Jan. 5, OSTs from Persona 3, 4, and 5, among others (such as spin-off games), plus a collection of music from Persona 2, live concerts, and additional remixes will be available to stream via Spotify, making it easier than ever to listen to your favorite tunes from the series. Check out the full list in the Twitter thread below.
Main games soundtracks:
– Persona 5 OST
– P4 & Golden OST
– P3 & FES OST
– P2 Sound CollectionsBut also:
– P4 Dancing All Night OST
– P4 Arena Ultimax OST
– Never More -Reincarnation: Persona 4-
– P3 & P4 Vocal Sound Collection
– PQ & PQ2 OST
– MUSIC FES 2013
– SUPER LIVE 2015— AniPlaylist (@AniPlaylist) January 4, 2021
