Gaming News - Page 113

All the latest gaming news, with everything related to PlayStation releases (PS4 & PS5), Xbox, PC Games, Nintendo Switch & plenty more - Page 113.

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Fallout creator Tim Cain is concerned about Fallout 5

Derek Strickland | Jun 30, 2023 2:14 PM CDT

Fallout creator and lead programmer Tim Cain raises his concerns about what Fallout 5's character creation system could be like.

Fallout creator Tim Cain is concerned about Fallout 5

Modern Fallout and Elder Scrolls games have strayed away from the integral RPG-based DNA that once defined the franchises. We've seen Bethesda remove key features like traits and skills from modern Fallout games, and Skyrim, released in 2012, got rid of attributes altogether. This has raised some questions on what RPG elements will be pared back in Fallout 5.

Tim Cain, who helped create the original Fallout game in the late 1990s at Interplay, had some interesting thoughts about what could happen in Fallout 5.

Continue reading: Fallout creator Tim Cain is concerned about Fallout 5 (full post)

Elder Scrolls VI could launch between 2026-2028, Xbox exclusivity remains unclear

Derek Strickland | Jun 30, 2023 12:46 PM CDT

Thanks to the FTC v Microsoft federal court case, gamers now have a better idea of when The Elder Scrolls VI could release.

Elder Scrolls VI could launch between 2026-2028, Xbox exclusivity remains unclear

Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls VI in 2018, way before it was purchased by Microsoft for $7.5 billion. Bethesda's Todd Howard has only let little bits and pieces about Elder Scrolls 6 slip between the cracks, confirming the game is in pre-production and that Starfield is the studio's main focus.

Now Microsoft and Bethesda have inadvertently updated gamers through the recent FTC v Microsoft federal evidentiary hearing. According to transcripts from the hearing, it looks like The Elder Scrolls VI could launch sometime between 2026 and 2028.

Continue reading: Elder Scrolls VI could launch between 2026-2028, Xbox exclusivity remains unclear (full post)

There are very good reasons why Final Fantasy 16 didn't sell as much as Final Fantasy 15

Derek Strickland | Jun 30, 2023 11:37 AM CDT

Final Fantasy 16 is a big success for Square Enix, but the game hasn't sold as many copies as Final Fantasy 15. There's some very good reasons why this is the case.

There are very good reasons why Final Fantasy 16 didn't sell as much as Final Fantasy 15

Square Enix has recently announced that Final Fantasy 16 has sold 3 million copies worldwide, a figure that represents combined shipments and digital sales. How do we best gauge this data? We're seeing lots of comparisons of this data to the last mainline game in the series, Final Fantasy 15. This isn't the best comparison, though.

The reality is that the launch conditions between these two games are very different. Final Fantasy 16 released on one platform, the PlayStation 5, whereas Final Fantasy 15 simultaneously launched on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Not only that, but the games released at distinctly different timeframes, with Final Fantasy 16 launching the summer, and Final Fantasy 15 launching during the holidays in 2016, which is the biggest time of the year for video game sales.

Continue reading: There are very good reasons why Final Fantasy 16 didn't sell as much as Final Fantasy 15 (full post)

Activision will be a limited-integration company post-merger, similar to ZeniMax

Derek Strickland | Jun 30, 2023 9:48 AM CDT

Microsoft has confirmed that Activision will be a limited-integration company if the merger goes through.

Activision will be a limited-integration company post-merger, similar to ZeniMax

Microsoft plans to be mostly hands-off with Activision on a post-merger basis. We've discussed this in previous coverage, but now it's been made official: Activision will have limited integration into Microsoft, meaning the publisher will essentially be its own operational unit outside the purview and control of Xbox Game Studios lead Matt Booty. This is similar to how ZeniMax currently operates.

Microsoft bought ZeniMax in 2021 for $7.5 billion, and the publisher remains in control of specific parts of its business. There's just one decision that no Microsoft-owned developer or publisher can make: Exclusivity. Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer has the final call on which games become exclusive to the Xbox platform.

Continue reading: Activision will be a limited-integration company post-merger, similar to ZeniMax (full post)

Some Diablo 4 players are convinced there's a secret Cow Level and are trying to find it

Kosta Andreadis | Jun 30, 2023 3:02 AM CDT

The official word from Blizzard and Diablo franchise general manager Rod Fergusson is that there's no secret Cow Level in Diablo IV. But then again, he would say that, wouldn't he? Ever since players got their hands-on the latest installment in the long-running action RPG, a dedicated part of the community has been actively going through every inch of the game to try and find the secret level.

Some Diablo 4 players are convinced there's a secret Cow Level and are trying to find it

So far, it hasn't been found. Still, the general idea is that if both Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 had secret Cow Levels (where you fight a horde of armed cows that moo and drop gold and loot), then odds are there is one in Diablo 4, too, primarily when the game draws most of its inspiration from these two entries. There's an entire Wikipedia page on the history of the secret Cow Level, too, if you need to brush up on your bovine lore.

You can also join in on the hunt over at the D4 - Not Finding A Cow Level Discord, though based on Diablo 4's recent sizable patch, the search looks to have hit a roadblock because many were convinced that the Cow Level is tied to the town of Ked Bardu in the Dry Steppes.

Continue reading: Some Diablo 4 players are convinced there's a secret Cow Level and are trying to find it (full post)

Revenge is Iran's take on Call of Duty so of course it's about fighting the US and NATO

Kosta Andreadis | Jun 30, 2023 2:32 AM CDT

Iranian animation studio Kosar3D is pivoting to video games, specifically a militaristic first-person shooter that news outlet RT (Russia Today) calls "Iran's Call of Duty." A bold statement, and the teaser video for Revenge, which is what the game is called, showcases some decent animation and visual fidelity.

Revenge is Iran's take on Call of Duty so of course it's about fighting the US and NATO

The setting of Revenge deals with an alliance between Iran and Russia against NATO and, by that same token, the US. Kosard3D notes that the game is self-funded and not tied to the Iranian government or military, with the announcement stating that, "In this game, an international UAV force led by Iran has been formed that is responsible for the containment of the US army in World War III."

The RT report adds that Revenge is not about all-out war but "pre-emptive strikes launched on the enemy's soil to thwart the enemy's attacks." With Call of Duty's Modern Warfare entries focusing on the US government and military in conflict with Russia and the Middle East, the narratives often dip their toes into what you'd call pro-US military propaganda - so the comparison makes sense.

Continue reading: Revenge is Iran's take on Call of Duty so of course it's about fighting the US and NATO (full post)

Microsoft tried, and failed, to persuade Activision to put games on Game Pass

Derek Strickland | Jun 29, 2023 6:29 PM CDT

Microsoft has tried, and failed, to persuade Activision to bring its billion-dollar franchises over to Game Pass.

Microsoft tried, and failed, to persuade Activision to put games on Game Pass

Yesterday, we learned that Activision doesn't have a zero tolerance policy on video game subscriptions. Actvision CEO Bobby Kotick testified under oath that publisher could be convinced to bring its games to services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium...provided a high enough "commercial incentive" were offered.

In his testimony, Kotick essentially said that companies like Microsoft and Sony would have to pay an exorbitant fee in order to secure Activision games on these services, especially given the often-cited "cannibalistic effects" of Game Pass (users can choose to subscribe for $10 a month instead of buying a game for $70, potentially leaving lots of money on the table).

Continue reading: Microsoft tried, and failed, to persuade Activision to put games on Game Pass (full post)

Minecraft makes 4x more revenue on Switch than Xbox

Derek Strickland | Jun 29, 2023 3:50 PM CDT

Minecraft is much, much more popular on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation than it is on Xbox...and rightly so given the sales differences between these platforms.

Minecraft makes 4x more revenue on Switch than Xbox

Microsoft has already confirmed that Minecraft is Xbox's largest game in terms of revenues, and that it delivers significant profits. What's interesting is how much revenue the game actually makes, and where it actually makes those earnings. While we don't know exact dollar values to Minecraft's mega-hit success, we do know that the game earns a lot more money on practically every platform other than Xbox.

In his testimony in the FTC v Microsoft federal case, Xbox gaming Chief Financial Officer Tim Stuart sheds light on Minecraft's success. In Fiscal Year 2021, Minecraft made 4x more revenue on the Nintendo Switch than it does Xbox. The game also made 2x as much revenue on PlayStation than it did on Xbox.

Continue reading: Minecraft makes 4x more revenue on Switch than Xbox (full post)

ZeniMax buyout used a sliding scale Neutrino Model to determine effects of platform exclusivity

Derek Strickland | Jun 29, 2023 3:15 PM CDT

The ZeniMax acquisition, aka Project Atom, used a specific sliding-scale model to assess the possible risks and downsides of making ZeniMax titles exclusive to the Xbox platform.

ZeniMax buyout used a sliding scale Neutrino Model to determine effects of platform exclusivity

Exclusivity is a hot topic in the games industry. On one hand, Sony has used exclusivity as a means to pay developers to skip Xbox, which makes Sony, in the words of Phil Spencer, a "hostile and aggressive competitor". On the other hand, exclusives are advantageous to developers and also offer a way for Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo stand apart. Because they're such powerful tools for platforms and developers, exclusives are a big part of the industry and aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

In regards to ZeniMax and Bethesda game exclusivity, today's testimony in the FTC v Microsoft case highlights what that decision-making process was like inside of Xbox. Testimony revealed that all future ZeniMax games, including sequels and new IPs, appear to be exclusive to Xbox. But how did Microsoft come to that decision?

Continue reading: ZeniMax buyout used a sliding scale Neutrino Model to determine effects of platform exclusivity (full post)

All future ZeniMax and Bethesda games may be Xbox exclusive

Derek Strickland | Jun 29, 2023 12:35 PM CDT

New testimony in the FTC v Microsoft case reveals that all future ZeniMax games may be made exclusive to the Xbox platform.

All future ZeniMax and Bethesda games may be Xbox exclusive

Today is the last day in the FTC v Microsoft evidentiary hearing case, and we're already hearing some bombshell reveals. According to emails presented in the hearing between Xbox's GLT (Gaming Leadership Team), it appears that all future ZeniMax titles will be made exclusive to Xbox. This would include all new and future titles from operational units like Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online, and apply to games like Fallout 5, The Elder Scrolls VI, new Doom games, the upcoming Indiana Jones game, and much more.

During Stuart's witness examination by the FTC, Commission lawyer James Weingarten dissected key parts of the ZeniMax acquisition (codenamed Atom). Weingarten chronicled a series of email chains that included Jamie Lawver, who oversaw the $7.5 billion ZeniMax integration into Xbox's first-party studios division, Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios.

Continue reading: All future ZeniMax and Bethesda games may be Xbox exclusive (full post)