#open-world-rpg

#open-world-rpg

72 years after its publication, The Lord of the Rings has left a massive mark on pop culture. Essentially every popular work of fantasy, from A Song of Ice and Fire to The Wheel of Time, has taken immeasurable inspiration from Tolkien's 1954 masterwork, and its version of the Hero's Journey has paved the way for countless storytellers both in and out of high fantasy. With an estimated 150 million copies sold, it's easily one of the most widely read books of all time.

Yesterday brought us the inaugural New Game+ Showcase, in which multiple content creators decided to cut out the Kojima-glazing middleman and just show off a crapload of games. While the event ended up getting ridiculed a lot for feeling more like a podcast than a showcase, it did include interesting new glimpses of a number of upcoming games, including what claims to to be one of the largest open-world RPGs of 2026.

"I just [didn't] have the money or the time to build a big open-world game like that," he said. "You know, it's either a passion project you spent 10 years on, or you just need a bunch of money to be able to hire people and resources."

In an interview from his New Zealand home, though, Gilbert noted that his catalog also includes some reflex-based games- Humungous Entertainment's Backyard Sports titles and 2010's Deathspank, for instance. And Gilbert said his return to action-oriented game design today stemmed from his love for modern classics like Binding of Isaac, Nuclear Throne, and Dead Cells. "I mean, I'm certainly mostly known for adventure games, and I have done other stuff, [but] it probably is a little bit of a departure for me," he told Ars. "While I do enjoy playing narrative games as well, it's not the only thing I enjoy, and just the idea of making one of these kind started out as a whim."

There's the saying, "good artists copy, great ones steal." And then there's whatever Ananta is doing. The upcoming open-world RPG from NetEase developer Naked Rain is going viral again thanks to new footage from Tokyo Game Show 2025. While it might look like the latest round of Genshin Impact-inspired mobile anime slop, the developer has confirmed it won't be relying on exploitative gambling mechanics to earn its keep. It will, however, be ripping off Spider-Man in every way it can.

I've played a lot of zombie games, and while I often enjoy them a great deal, rarely do I find myself stopping to gawk at the scenery. Setting a game like this in the Swiss Alps is fantastic. But even if this game was set in a much less pretty locale, I'd still be super into it as it feels like the culmination of a decade-plus of Techland making these kinds of RPG zombie adventures. Just don't pay too close attention to the main story.

The fully open-world anime brawler, NTE, developed by Hotta Studio, allows players to explore the near-future city of Hethereau, blending elements of Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo.