Home » News » Top RPG News Of The Week: January 15th (Xbox Showcase, Hogwarts Legacy, Final Fantasy 16 and More!)

Top RPG News Of The Week: January 15th (Xbox Showcase, Hogwarts Legacy, Final Fantasy 16 and More!)

Happy weekend from Fextralife! If you’ve been too busy to keep up on the latest in the games we cover or are looking for a refresher we’ve got you covered! Here’s a bite-sized version of the Top RPG news of the week. Taste all the latest news across the Fextralife Wiki Network.

Check out the video above and read on for the text!

Hogwarts Legacy

  • We’re fast approaching the launch of the Harry Potter-inspired title Hogwarts Legacy. New details have been released now sharing the full specs for the PC version of the game, including the minimum and recommended specs that have been updated.
  • The minimum specs for the game have since been lowered, with now targeting 720p@60 FPS compared to 1080p@60FPS. The RAM requirement has gone from 8 GB to 16 GB. You can check out the full specs on our Fextralife website.
  • Also this week was the reveal of the voice acting cast which includes Simon Pegg taking up the role of the least-liked Headmaster of Hogwarts Phineas Nigellus Black.
  • Players should watch out for this devious character as he will try to “scupper the efforts of the player”. This Headmaster also sounds like quite a disliked wizard as he’d rather attend to his “manicured beard” than actual Hogwarts duties, a far cry from the beloved Dumbledore.
  • If you’re wondering where you may have seen Phineas before, he actually appears in both books and films. His portrait hangs in the office of Dumbledore. But this time players will actually get to see him alive.
  • Hogwarts Legacy has had quite a number of pre-orders, topping the Steam charts already for the top 10 in best-selling titles despite having not released yet through its pre-orders. It also gained the most wishlisted game. But it hasn’t been a bed of roses for the franchise, as controversy has been prevalent. Despite this, fans of the series have had the game topping the Steam charts.
  • Hogwarts Legacy will be released on February 10th for Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

For more on this news find it here in Hogwarts Legacy Full PC Specs Revealed Plus Voice Acting Cast and Hogwarts Legacy Becomes Most Wishlisted Game On Steam.

One Piece Odyssey

  • The newly released JRPG One Piece Odyssey received a demo this week which shares the “first 1-2 hours” of the start of the game according to producer Katusaki Tsuzuki. The details were revealed in a recent video released. The demo will also include parts that were previously made available at events.
  • The demo will also carry over progress to the full game, if you plan on buying One Piece Odyssey you can carry on where you left off. A bonus will be given to those who complete the demo, rewarding players with a “Golden Jelly” item. Players will embark with Luffy, who will meet Lim and Adio. You will also be introduced to the basic mechanics of the game.
  • One Piece Odyssey launched this week, a full fledged JRPG that takes players on an adventure with iconic characters from the long-running manga. Combat featured turn-based gameplay, with enemies having attack-type weaknesses. There are three different battle types, power, speed and technique. Expect dungeons, quests, puzzles and more.
  • One Piece Odyssey released on January 13th for Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.

For more on this news find it here in One Piece Odyssey Demo Releases This Week.

Free Games

  • Everyone loves free games right? Well there are a fair across platforms for January and we’ve rounded them up. Those on Playstation can check our Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the third person action adventure title and Fallout 76, the action RPG multiplayer exploring the wasteland.
  • Then there’s the 2D Metroidvania title Axio Verge 2.
  • For Xbox Games with Gold you can check out Iris Fall and Autonauts. For Game Pass don’t miss out on the iconic JRPGs Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden. Persona 5 is also available on the platform so you can continue your Persona journey. Finally you can dive into Monster Hunter Rise.
  • Epic games will also be offering the party deduction game First Class Trouble and the dystopian detective CRPG Gamedec. If you want to learn more about these game you can check out the details over our Fextralife website.

For more on this news find it here in Free Games For January 2023 And Other Niceties.

Free Games and More for January 2023
Free Games and More for January 2023

Lost Ark

  • We finally have a date for the previously announced Witcher crossover event heading to the online Action-RPG Lost Ark. Starting January 18th until February 22nd, 2023 players can take part in the time-limited event for North America and European servers. In this event, players can gain new cosmetics and join iconic characters from The Witcher 3.
  • The event has already graced the Korean servers, which gave players a peek into what’s to come NA and EU. For a quick round-up players will be able to gain unique cosmetics, outfits, hairstyles and weapons skins by taking part. Players will discover a new island where Witcher fan favourites Yennefer and Triss will also be lurking.
  • A new trailer was unveiled by Amazon Games which showcases all The Witchery goodness. If you’ve ever wanted to roleplay Geralt or Ciri in the world of Arkesia well nows your chance. The Geralt-inspired sword and axe are by far the best-looking weapon skins out of the bunch in my opinion but the Ciri dual swords and Bard harp aren’t too bad either.

For more on this news find it here in Lost Ark X The Witcher Crossover Event Set For January 18th.

The Witcher event for Lost Ark will kick off January 18th.

Xbox Showcase

  • The Xbox showcase will be happening this January 25th titled “Developer_ Direct”. It will show off Xbox Game Studios’ lineup of new games across Xbox, Windows PC and Game Pass for 2023.
  • So far the only games confirmed are ZeniMax’s The Elder Scrolls Online, Arkane Studio’s Redfall, Mojang’s Minecraft Legends and Turn 10 Studios’ Forza Motorsport. Missing from this lineup is the highly anticipated sci-fi RPG Starfield which will be getting its very own presentation at a later date.
  • If you’re eager to watch the showcase live, you can watch the stream from the official channels such as Twitch and Youtube, as well as Bethesda’s Twitch and Youtube channels. The showcase will be streaming on Wednesday 25th January at 12:00 PM PTS/3:00 PM EST.
  • Microsoft has promised “more gameplay, and exciting new details” for Forza Motorsport. There will also be an “insider’s look into the PvP multiplayer experience” for Minecraft Legends. Redfall’s open world will be getting a peek into combat, customisation, bosses and more.

For more on this news find it here in Microsoft Xbox Showcase Happening January 25th.

Xbox showcase called Developer_Direct will be happening January 25th.

Elder Scrolls Online

  • The next expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online will be revealed on January 25th during the Xbox Showcase Developer_Direct. The ESO global reveal will start at 12:45 PM PST/3:45 PM EST/8:45 PM GMT available to watch on the official Bethesda Twitch channel right after the Developer Direct which starts at 12 PM PST.
  • The developer will be unveiling the “first major announcement of the year” for the MMORPG which means another year-long theme of content is underway. Last year followed the theme of the Legacy of the Breton which had the expansion High Isle, a new addictive mini-game Tales of Tribute, new companions and more. Hopefully, we’ll be getting to see where we’ll be going in the next chapter.
  • Will there be a new class? The last class to be added to the game was the Necromancer which offers fun gameplay with its undead summoning. There could be new companions as this is what happened with the last expansion. But the tease of the “game’s biggest update this year” and a “major new feature” means something significant is coming. Of course, you will have to watch the live showcase to find out.

For more on this news find it here in The Elder Scrolls Online Next Chapter Global Reveal Event Announced.

ESO will unveil its next major chapter for the MMORPG during the Xbox Developer_Direct showcase.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

  • A recent press release has outlined the next major update release for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The software update is said to be coming in “late February” which will include bug fixes and add functionality according to the press release. As for what else is in store currently, it is unknown, but maybe we will get an update a little closer to the release of version 1.2.
  • A new video was also released celebrating the 26 years of the franchise and 1008 Pokemon. That’s right, the Pokemon games have now passed one thousand Pokemon as of the latest entries in the main franchise.
  • The game has continued to add further raids to take part in 7-star Tera Raid Battles. The latest raid being Cinderace, who will be having a return raid this weekend. The mention of “additional functionality” could mean some further improvement to current in-game systems, hopefully it provides a smoother experience overall.

For more on this news find it here in Pokemon Scarlet And Violet’s Next Big Update Is Slated For Late February.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to gain update 1.2 late February.

Final Fantasy 16

  • Upcoming Final Fantasy 16 has had a little confusion over platforms, but it seems to be cleared up by producer Naoki Yoshida in a recent live stream.  In a comment which was translated from a New Year Final Fantasy XIV livestream, he shared his confusion about why fans think a PC version is releasing after 6 months of launch.
  • FFXVI is currently expected to launch on PS5 as an exclusive on June 22nd 2023. But recently in November was spotted to have small print in a Playstation trailer sharing it would remain an exclusive for six months.
  • The whole PC release expectation first came about when the game was first announced, Square Enix shared a trailer that included “also available on PC”. Later promotions and trailers later only included PS5 and became exclusive to the platform. Yoshida said that fans shouldn’t worry about other plans and joked that fans should just buy a PS5.
  • Whether or not the game will be coming to PC is still unclear, but at least for now, PS5 remains the sole platform. It would make sense for Yoshida to only promote the PS5 version as that is the launch platform. What do you think of this news? Let us know in the comments below.

For more on this news find it here in Final Fantasy 16 Producer Dampens PC Release Hopes.

FF16 producer Naoki Yoshida denies PC releases 6 months after.

Well, that’s it for the Week in Wikis. Please join us next week for yet another great week of gaming! Remember to check out our VIP program for some exclusive supporter benefits, and budding writers should take advantage of our Become an Author initiative! Thanks again for being a part of this great community. Keep checking in with us for newsreviewsYouTube streams and vids, and general wiki goodness!


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