2020 is done and over. It was a year almost assuredly many won’t forget, even if they desperately want to. The final month of the year tends to be something of a snapshot of the entire year, and December 2020 wasn’t much different. In the US, the charts had a lot of the usual suspects, with one franchise on top as you’d expect it to be, and Nintendo in the strongest position they’ve been in in decades.

As per data provided by the NPD Group (via VentureBeat), December’s top 20 saw Black Ops Cold War at #1, which is no surprise since it was also the best selling game of the year in the region. Right below it was Cyberpunk 2077, which we know sold at least 13 million copies last month in total across all regions. Keep in mind, 2077 hits this list without digital sales, apparently. Whether that would have helped it topple Cold War is somewhat iffy, but even so, number 2 is impressive.

While the rest of the list is populated by a lot of games you’d expect such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Miles Morales, and the various sports entries, what is maybe the most noteworthy is how much Nintendo dominated this list. Their first party titles are seeing strong sales all throughout, even early releases such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and many of the sports titles are on the Switch and being factored in such as NBA 2K21 and FIFA 21. All Nintendo first party titles are also in here without digital numbers being provided, just to add to how incredible a feat it is.

1.  Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Cyberpunk 2077*
3. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
4. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
5. Madden NFL 21
6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
7. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*
8. NBA 2K21*
9. Immortals Fenyx Rising
10. Super Mario 3D All-Stars*
11. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
12. Just Dance 2021
13. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity*
14. FIFA 21
15. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
16. Super Mario Odyssey*
17. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
18. Super Mario Party*
19. Ring Fit Adventure
20. Mortal Kombat 11

* Indicates that digital sales are not included.

As the new year of 2021 begins, it is always fun to go back and look at what 2020 was like and what topped the charts for the whole year. Most of the time these lists tend to be pretty predictable by and large with a few surprises. This year Sony did that with their PS4 and PS5 download charts, and that largely stays true.

As detailed on the PlayStation blog, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was the big winner, just in case you had any delusion the series was fading . It topped the PS4 and PS5 charts for the US/Canada, and even in Europe for PS5. The only place it wasn’t number 1 was Europe’s PS4 chart where it was actually 4th below FIFA 21 (that took the top spot), FIFA 20 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

The charts are largely what you’d expect, including the mainstays of Grand Theft Auto 5 and Minecraft and the annual sports titles such as NBA 2K21 and Madden NFL 21. Big AAA titles are here, too, such as The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Maybe the biggest surprise that jumps out is that Ghost of Tsushima actually sold more than The Last of Us Part 2 on the US PS4 charts.

The PS5 charts ended up being a bit more diverse just due to the lack of native options, but still had a lot of what you’d expect. Games like Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Watch Dogs Legion and, obviously, Demon’s Souls made their presence there. You can check out the full list below

PS4 – US/Canada

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Grand Theft Auto 5
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
4. Minecraft
5. Ghost of Tsushima
6. The Last of Us Part 2
7. NBA 2K21
8. NBA 2K20
9. Final Fantasy 7 Remake
10. Madden NFL 21

PS4 – Europe

1. FIFA 21
2. FIFA 20
3. Grand Theft Auto 5
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
6. Minecraft
7. NBA 2K20
8. The Last of Us Part 2
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
10. Red Dead Redemption 2

PS5 – US/Canada

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
3. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
4. NBA 2K21 
5. Demon’s Souls
6. Madden NFL 21
7. FIFA 21
8. Sackboy: A Big Adventure
9. Immortals Fenyx Rising
10. Watch Dogs: Legion

PS5 – Europe

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
3. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
4. FIFA 21
5. Demon’s Souls
6. Watch Dogs: Legion
7. Immortals Fenyx Rising
8. NBA 2K21 
9. Sackboy: A Big Adventure
10. Rainbow Six Siege

The Pathless

Giant Squid’s ABZU was known for its gorgeous, soothing aesthetic and The Pathless is no different. Where it differs is in the premise, as a Hunter and her eagle companion travel to a strange island to battle cursed spirits. Moving through a vast open world, maintaining momentum by shooting crystals while also exploring ruins, and weakening the spirits to eventually defeat them are just a few things players will do. The Pathless is out on November 12^th for PS5 with a release for PS4, PC and iOS as well.

Ubisoft Montreal’s Immortals: Fenyx Rising will have in-game purchases, as revealed by the Australian Classification Board’s recent rating. This seems to point towards micro-transactions, which isn’t a surprise considering the company’s history with the same. What form these in-game purchases remains to be seen.

If it’s anything like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – which Immortals: Fenyx Rising takes inspiration from – then one can expect rare loot and gear to be included. It’s also possible that we see XP boosters though given the backlash to these in Odyssey, Ubisoft may attempt to tune progression more favorably. Again, time will tell.

Immortals: Fenyx Rising is out on December 3rd for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Google Stadia. It sees a young Greek soldier named Fenyx stranded on the mysterious Golden Isle and embarking on a quest to save the Greek Pantheon from Typhon. Stay tuned for more details en route to release.

Ubisoft hadn’t said much about Gods and Monsters since they first announced it at E3 2019, but new updates on the game are around the corner. Recently, thanks to age ratings in Taiwan, it was reported that Immortals: Fenyx Rising could be the game’s new name, and now, that has been confirmed.

In a blog update talking about the recently confirmed Ubisoft Forward showcase for next week, the company confirmed that the show would also feature “a much-anticipated update on our new IP, Immortals Fenyx Rising, formerly known as Gods and Monsters.”

Immortals: Fenyx Rising will likely be a much different game from what it was revealed as last year, and that’s probably going to go beyond just its name. Earlier this year, Ubisoft confirmed that their vision for the game had changed, and following a major shift in development, everything from the project’s name and tone to its character design and mechanics had been reworked. It’ll be interesting to see what its re-reveal will be like.

The Ubisoft Forward event is set for September 10, a little over a week from now. Stay tuned until then, and we’ll keep bringing you all the updates that come our way.

Following a report leaking the same, Ubisoft has confirmed that the next Ubisoft Forward stream will take place on September 10th. It’s slated for 12 PM PDT with the pre-show starting at 11 AM PDT. Check out the trailer below for a quick look at the games that will be showcased.

Some of them have already been announced, like Watch Dogs: Legion or Sam Fisher aka Zero being in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. The real big reveal could be Gods and Monsters, which has reportedly been renamed to Immortals: Fenyx Rising. This will likely be the first gameplay showcase for the open world mythological action adventure.

This will be the second Ubisoft Forward that the company is hosting after the last took place in July (with many other scandals having cropped up since then). Like before, viewers can earn in-game rewards from tuning in, though these have yet to be detailed. Stay tuned for more details and maybe even a sale on Ubisoft titles in the coming days.

Whether it’s the firing of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla creative director Ashraf Ismail, recent reports of sexual misconduct or the raised fist symbol used for an antagonistic faction in Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad, Ubisoft seemingly can’t catch a break. Despite all of this, the company is going to have another Ubisoft Forward digital stream. While it confirmed this back in July, the stream could be coming as soon as next week.

According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, it will be happening in the “very near future (next week, I believe).” He also noted, rightly so, that “Once again, their timing is impeccable.” As it stands, we may finally get to see Gods and Monsters again. A new rating by the Taiwan Digital Game Rating Committee for Immortals: Fenyx Rising was recently spotted, which could be announced as the title’s new name.

There may even be a release date (and maybe even some gameplay). A recent leak has also raised the possibility of a comeback for Prince of Persia. Other potential reveals include gameplay for Far Cry 6, more news on Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Quarantine, and of course, more promotion for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion. Stay tuned for more details along with an official announcement on the stream’s timing in the next few days.

BTW, Ubisoft has been planning another Ubisoft Forward video game reveal stream for the very near future (next week, I believe). Once again, their timing is impeccable

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) August 31, 2020

Gods and Monsters was first unveiled back in June 2019, but we haven’t seen or heard much of the game since then. Ubisoft have given assurances a couple of times over the months that its development is progressing well, and following a leak a couple of months ago, the company also confirmed that everything from the art design, features, and tone to even the game’s name itself have changed as a result of a development reboot.

We might now know what this new version of what was previously Gods and Monsters will be called. As spotted by Gematsu, a Ubisoft game by the name of Immortals: Fenyx Rising has been rated for the PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch by the Taiwan Digital Game Rating Committee. Those were, of course, the platforms that Gods and Monsters was initially announced for, and the new name also has that Greek mythology flavour that the game will presumably still be focused on.

It’s curious that PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of the game haven’t received ratings, given the fact that Ubisoft is releasing all of its new titles as cross-gen titles, though it’s entirely likely that that will be happening eventually. As for when the game might be re-revealed, the company has another Ubisoft Forward event planned for September, so that seems like a safe bet.

Curiously enough, recent reports have suggested that Ubisoft will also be announcing a new Prince of Persia remake very soon. Read more on that through here.