Tune in every other Thursday for the latest in news from the video game world.

“Super Smash Brothers” announced for Switch

The Nintendo Direct on March 8 featured announcements for both the 3DS and Switch, but the most noteworthy — the next installment in the wildly popular “Super Smash Brothers” series — was announced at the very end of the presentation. The short teaser featured two characters from “Splatoon.” Later, the iconic “Super Smash Brothers” logo appeared with silhouettes of the game’s supposed roster. The game is set to release this year, according to the teaser.

Many are speculating if the game will be a port or not. The teaser features the two “Splatoon” characters, which have not appeared in any previous games of the series. Logo is slightly different than the game’s predecessor, indicating it very well may be an original title.

President Trump meets with game industry leaders

In the wake of the shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, President Trump called together a meeting with video game industry in order to address violent video games and their possible effects on young minds.

The meeting, attended by video game company heads and lawmakers, featured a reel of violence in video games, though the scenes were taken out of context. Violent video games have been blamed in past incidents such as the Columbine shooting, but as of right now, there is no scientific evidence which links violence to video games.

Bethesda announces new studio

The developers of “The Elder Scrolls” and “Fallout” series announced a new studio has opened in Austin, TX. The company opened a studio in Montreal, Canada in 2015.

The new Austin branch was previously known as BattleCry Studios; the studio previously assisted in the development of 2016’s “Doom.” This is a significant move for Bethesda that might suggest an increase in the number of games released in the future.

Next “Call of Duty” is unveiled

“Call of Duty: Black Ops 4” was announced on March 8, 2018 after a teaser trailer dropped on YouTube. This makes it the 15th overall installment in the franchise and continues the “Black Ops” subseries.

Many noticed NBA player James Harden wearing a hat with numerals on it similar to previous entries in the series – he acknowledged on Twitter that he was in on the advertising. Whether he has a role in the game or not is not known, but the series has been known for its collaboration with celebrities in the past.

The game officially releases on October 12, 2018, the earliest launch date of any in the series.

Sony bans “Super Seducer” from Playstation’s online store

In the wake of “Super Seducer’s” release, Sony banned the highly controversial game from its online story. The game aims to help male players pick up women by choosing the correct action. Choosing the wrong action result in what many would call unflattering or lewd – the game was widely panned by critics.

Though Sony has been mostly quiet about this incident, it is assumed the game will remain banned from the story. The game is still available on PC, but no other platform.