So remember how Gamigo said there was going to be a big update for RIFT in Q1, then missed the game’s anniversary, then suffered a major round of layoffs it only tangentially acknowledged, then showed up on April Fools’ Day and said the update was delayed but still coming? Yeah, it’s been a ride. And now that ride is almost over and we might actually be getting to our destination, or at least a destination, as Gamigo posted patch notes for the Budgie Carnival Celebration today.
“We celebrate RIFT’s Anniversary with the Carnival Event & a lot of mini-games!” Gamigo says. The return of the Carnival of the Ascended belatedly celebrates RIFT’s 11th birthday, with decorations in major cities, themed questing, and minigames live during the four-week period, while Budgie Madness is a birb extravaganza of mote-hunting to buy skins and mounts.
Datamining from the stalwart Ghar Station points out that quite a bit of the new content amounts to retextures of existing models, which won’t be a huge surprise given that the patch was likely being worked on just as the layoffs occurred. It also points to new titles and a new 2022 battlepass, which isn’t mention on Gamigo’s landing page.
So, this was unexpected. Largest @Riftgame datamining in over a year has landed! New stuff for Carnival + Budgie CTA, and a variety of in-progress stuff. All new models are recolors. https://t.co/ggTFY38dKk
— Clowd of the Ghar (@TheGharStation) April 13, 2022