Gaming News - Page 353

Gun Interactive is working their multiplayer magic on one of the most terrifying horror films ever made.

A new Texas Chain Saw Massacre game is in development from Gun Interactive and Sumo Digital, and will offer similar asymmetrical multiplayer carnage similar to Friday the 13th: The Game. It's been 38 years since the last Texas Chain Saw Massacre video game released on the Atari 2600 back in 1983, and the developers promise an "authentic gaming experience" based on Tobe Hooper's disturbing 1974 classic.

There's no word on a release date but the new Texas Chain Saw Massacre game will be exclusively released on next-gen consoles and PC, and will not be coming to PlayStation 4 or Xbox One platforms.

Sony has acquired another video games studio, and this time it's support team Valkyrie Entertainment.

Seattle-based Vakyrie Entertainment has joined the PlayStation brand, Sony Interactive Entertainment's Hermen Hulst has announced. Valkyrie was previously an indie work-for-hire team founded in 2002 that helped make a multitude of games including Valorant, Halo Infinite, and Shadow of War, as well as first-party Sony games like God of War. Valkyrie has been helping with God of War Ragnarok's development from the get-go and Sony decided to put a ring on it to make things official.

Hulst says Valkyrie will deliver "invaluable contributions" to other PlayStation brands and the team themselves say they have two projects of their own in development: "Currently, we are working on several AAA Co-Development projects and two unannounced in-house titles," Valkyrie's website reads.

PUBG, the OG BR, is going free-to-play on January 12, 2022 and will fracture the playerbase between premium and free users.

After five years on the market and billions earned from microtransactions, PUBG Battlegrounds will soon be free-to-play on all platforms. The free version comes with some caveats: F2P gamers won't be able to play ranked matches or even set up custom games matches.

PUBG Corp will sell a new Battlegrounds Plus account upgrade for $12.99 that unlocks all modes. Anyone who has purchased PUBG before January 12 will receive a free upgrade to Battlegrounds Plus alongside a special commemorative pack that includes:

Hellblade II's first-ever gameplay footage keeps things super weird and visually enticing.

Ninja Theory debuted Hellblade II Senua's Saga gameplay at The Game Awards, and as you might expect, the game looks absolutely incredible. The first game was a metaphorical and psychological foray into a fractured mind, and Hellblade II ramps things up a notch with more twisted memories. The gameplay shows Senua and her Norse raiders attacking a hulking giant that's been cut in half, who also predictably eats enemies like snacks.

The new trailer shows just how far Ninja Theory has come, complete with impressive graphics, high-res textures, immaculate lighting effects, and of course some of the best motion capture in the games industry. Interactive gameplay seamlessly flows in and out of cinematic sequences to portray an engaging cinematic experience.

The rumors were true: Quantic Dream's next game is set in the Star Wars universe.

At The Game Awards, Quantic Dream announced Star Wars Eclipse, a brand new action-adventure game set in the High Republic era (more specifically in the Outer Rim). The trailer was a CGI graphics powerhouse that flexes the power of next-gen hardware but it was all in-engine and not actual gameplay.

Star Wars Eclipse promises the unique and divergent branching storylines that Quantic Dream is known for alongside a cast of all-original characters. This is a major part of Lucasfilm's decision to use video games to expand the franchise.

Alan Wake 2 is officially in development, and it's now a horror-survival game similar to Silent Hill.

Remedy announced Alan Wake 2 at The Game Awards, confirming a 2023 release date for the sequel. Details are slim, but we know it's a horror survival action game with dark, psychological overtones.

"We've been iterating on the concept, we've been a bit protective. We knew it was a pretty scary experience and we're convinced everyone is ready," Sam Lake said at the show. "We're definitely breaking new ground, it's our first ever survival-horror game. It's our take on the genre."

STALKER 2 is still months away but developer GSC Game World has teased 5 new screenshots from the game.

In the latest issue of PC Gamer magazine, we get some juicy new STALKER 2 screenshots, with the Unreal Engine 5-powered game looking mighty fine in the new stills. STALKER 2 isn't the first to use Unreal Engine 5, with Epic Games' own Fortnite recently receiving its UE5-based update.

The new screenshots show us that the world GSC Game World is building in STALKER 2 is much more colorful and full of nature, versus the barren wasteland of the original STALKER. We do get to see an anomaly to see, with a tunnel that gives me those eerie STALKER / Metro vibes.

Activision-Blizzard workers are close to forming the first-ever union for games developers in the United States.

The $128 billion games industry is at a crossroads. Workers are now collectively banding together in an effort to unionize against unfair practices and toxic workplace culture. The developers behind one of gaming's top-earners, Activision-Blizzard, are currently on a company-wide strike in protest of the allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment, and discrimination surrounding the company, and have expressed interest in unionization.

Reports from The Washington Post indicates that Activision-Blizzard worker unions could happen soon. Employee collective group A Better ABK is working with labor union Communication Workers of America (CWA) to disburse union authorization cards to developers in an effort to spark widespread interest and discussions. This could lead to a formal vote of unionization.

Microsoft's new Halo: The Endless trademark should also include a novel tie-in.

Halo: The Endless should be the name of a new Halo Infinite campaign DLC. Microsoft filed the trademark in June, and it's specifically classified as gaming software:

Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: downloadable game software; computer game software; video game software; computer game software for use with personal computers, home video game consoles, and arcade-based video game consoles; computer game software downloadable from a global computer network; digital media, namely, pre-recorded CD-ROMs, tapes, cartridges, digital video discs, digital versatile discs, DVDs, and high-definition digital discs featuring computer games and video games

Starfield's PC version will be available on at least three platforms: Steam, the Microsoft Store, and the Bethesda.net launcher.

Starfield's Steam page just went live today confirming that, yes, the game will be sold on the platform. This is great news for gamers who plan to mod and alter Starfield, considering modding games isn't too easy on Game Pass PC titles. The storefront page doesn't reveal any new information about the upcoming singleplayer space RPG, but it does further solidify the game's November 11, 2022 release date.

This really isn't much of a surprise. Microsoft has regularly released its first-party games on Steam in an effort to maximize sales and Bethesda's huge new RPG should be no different. Starfield is the biggest game Bethesda Game Studios has ever made, and merges science with techno-fantasy complete with interstellar exploration and new game mechanics.