A new Playdate update airs soon

We’ll be getting a deeper look at the future of Playdate in an upcoming live stream. The company announced that it will be hosting a 12 minute showcase via YouTube on November 8 at 9a.m. PST. 

The showcase is set to introduce developers working on the next slate of Playdate games and to offer some insight into “more fun stuff on the horizon.” In a follow-up message, Playdate teased what that fun stuff might look like. The company wrote, “No big hardware news, but keep an eye out for something blue & new.”

Save the date

Playdate was first announced back in 2019, and the little handheld console made its way into gamers’ hands for the first time in April 2022. The console’s games follow a bit of a strange release schedule. The first “season” contains 24 different games, which become available two-per-week after you first get your device. Those are the flagship titles, and other games can be bought through Playdate’s Catalog service or sideloaded onto the device.

Thanks in part to the handheld’s unique approach, Playdate has skyrocketed in popularity. A year after its launch Playdate had sold over 50,000 units. That’s more than double what developer Panic had projected and orders were backlogged into late 2023. Currently it’s possible to pre-order a Playdate for when the next batch of devices arrives. 

The November 8 showcase could shed some light on when Playdate will be more readily available. It will also finally give owners and people with a pre-order waiting in the wings a peek at what Playdate’s second season of games will look like.