Android gaming recap: Pokémon Unite gets spooky, PUBG New State coming soon

Updates and announcements paint a positive picture of the coming months and beyond.

Android Central strives to bring you a variety of gaming coverage, which is why we'll be starting up a new monthly Android gaming recap, compiling all of the biggest news to land in the Android gaming space in one convenient area. Though we cover platforms like PlayStation, Stadia, and VR, we live and breathe Android — it's in our name, after all. To kick things off in October, a few updates dropped for some of the most popular mobile games out there, and fans finally have a PUBG: New State release date to look forward to. Let's check everything out below.

Genshin Impact's new characters set the internet ablaze

Seemingly out of nowhere, Genshin Impact's social media decided to reveal two new playable characters making their way to the game at an undetermined future date. Arataki Itto and Gorou are powerful Geo users that fans have latched on to immediately. Whenever their upcoming banner event(s) is, it's sure to generate a lot of buzz.

One quick search for Arataki Itto on Twitter shows plenty of fanart with several thousand likes and retweets already. Search at your own caution, though, because they aren't always safe for work. People are clearly thirsty. Here's a more safe for work edit you can enjoy.

I'd be remiss not to mention Genshin Impact's 2.2 update that also dropped this month, adding Inazuma's final major island, Tsurumi, which was described as being shrouded in fog. Thoma also entered the game as a new character with update 2.2 and Aloy finally become free for all players on mobile and PC.

Pokémon Unite gets spooky just in time for Halloween

Aeos Island celebrates Halloween in style with Mer Stadium decked out for the holiday. During quick play matches in Mer Stadium, a player's battle icon has been replaced with a pumpkin toss. Anyone hit with it will turn into a pumpkin for a short period of time and can't use their regular attacks. Pumpkins can also be earned as a form of in-game currency through log-in bonuses to redeem various Halloween-themed gear. The event is set to end on Nov. 10.

And not only did Halloween arrive in Pokémon Unite, but the absolute unit that is Greedent did too. Just look at this chunky tank.

Greedent has arrived in #PokemonUNITE! pic.twitter.com/zhCl1UP4xX

— Pokémon UNITE (@PokemonUnite) October 20, 2021

He's doing his best and I love him. 10/10 great job defending the goals.

RIP Dr. Mario World, gone too soon

Dr. Mario had a long short life, but in the end his heart gave out Nintendo ended its support. Oct. 31 is the last full day people will be able to play it, as its service will officially end on Nov. 1. The match-three mobile game never really kicked off like Nintendo had hoped, despite featuring one of the most globally recognizable characters out there.

End of service notice: The Dr. Mario World game's service will end on Oct. 31, 2021. Thank you very much to the players who have supported the game. For details, please check this link: https://t.co/fC5qnRnLFD

— Dr. Mario World (@Drmarioworld_EN) July 28, 2021

Goodbye Dr. Mario World, we hardly knew ya.

Diablo Immortal introduces the Necromancer in closed beta

It may not be the Diablo game some people were hoping for (don't worry, Diablo 4 is still in development), but Diablo Immortal should be a hell of a good time for mobile players (maybe even one of the best Android games?). Blizzard announced its closed beta this week, with the addition of the Necromancer class alongside controller support.

The closed beta, only available for Android, will allow players to test out Diablo Immortal's in-game purchases for the first time — not exactly something that people want to hear when it comes to free-to-play mobile games. Regardless, the closed beta is taking place now. Blizzard also notes that any purchases made during the closed beta will be converted to equivalent in-game credits upon launch.

Resident Evil legends come to Fortnite

Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine have joined the fight in Fortnite, fending off The Sideways' Cube Monsters because there's never a day off for these heroes. The S.T.A.R.S. Team Set is available in Fortnite's Item Shop. This is just another addition to a growing list of Fortnite crossovers that probably won't slow down anytime soon (even if you want them to).

They escaped one nightmare... only to find themselves in another.

Two legendary S.T.A.R.S. members find themselves on the Island...https://t.co/e3jPO8NExG pic.twitter.com/H4LdBcCUfn

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) October 24, 2021

And if you've come here looking for me to talk about the Fortnite metaverse, prepare to be disappointed. There are about a million other things I'd rather talk about. Like PUBG: New State 👇

PUBG expands its universe in November

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) arguably kicked off the recent battle royale craze, paving the way for Fortnite to take center stage. The franchise has since received a mobile version with PUBG: Mobile, but it's getting an entirely new mobile game called PUBG: New State, which is coming out on Nov. 11, 2021.

Taking place in 2051, PUBG: New State features new mechanics like drones, futuristic helicopters, ballistic shields, dodging, and support requests. It's set to include four maps upon launch, including Troi (new) and Erangel (returning).

If you can't wait until then, players can take part in a tech test on Oct. 29 and 30.

Stadia is lending its streaming technology to companies like AT&T

In a not-so-surprising move, Google appears to be lending its Stadia streaming tech to other companies through a white label. Though not branded as such, Batman: Arkham Knight can be streamed by AT&T customers through Stadia without needing a Stadia account. Customers only need to sign in on a PC through a Chromium-based browser using their phone number and billing zip code.

"This is being powered by the Stadia technology," an AT&T spokesperson said in a statement to IGN. "For this demo, AT&T created a front end experience to enable gamers to play Batman: Arkham Knight directly from their own website and the game is playable on virtually any computer or laptop."

Stadia has been on the rocks for a while now, with Google shuttering its internal game development division earlier this year. What was a grand ambition from Google to enter the gaming space will likely end up just being licensed to other companies.

While this isn't technically an Android game, I'm counting it on this recap because the offer is only available for AT&T customers.

Looking at the months ahead

It wasn't an incredibly eventful month, but big games are on the horizon like PUBG: New State, Battlefield Mobile, Valorant Mobile, and Apex Legends Mobile. A few of these don't have release dates yet, but they're sure to be big hits whenever they launch. Whatever the case, we'll keep you up to date.

– Jennifer Locke