Gaming News - Page 140

ZeniMax's head of publishing Pete Hines indicates that MachineGames' Indiana Jones game was originally a multi-platform game before Microsoft purchased ZeniMax in 2021.

New testimony and evidence in the FTC vs Microsoft evidentiary hearing reveals details about MachineGames' Indiana Jones project (aka Project Relic). Although the game was revealed in 2021, the new Indiana Jones game actually pre-dates Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda. As it turns out, Disney had signed a licensing deal with ZeniMax before the acquisition was made.

Following the $7.5 billion buyout, Disney had inquired on which platforms the Indiana Jones project would release on. This makes sense, as Disney probably prefers wider net of platforms that could reap more sales revenues. In the hearing, FTC counsel asked ZeniMax's Pete Hines if the licensing deal was leader-changed, and Hines confirmed that it was. The original licensing agreement saw the Indiana Jones game coming to multiple consoles. Hines also confirmed that the Indiana Jones project is indeed an Xbox platform exclusive, meaning it won't be coming to PlayStation.

BREAKING: Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan allegedly never thought Call of Duty would be excluded from PlayStation platforms, new evidence from Microsoft legal counsel submits.

In a recent evidentiary hearing regarding the FTC's preliminary injunction case, Microsoft legal counsel Beth Wilkinson reveals an email that alleges that Jim Ryan never really truly believed that Call of Duty would be withheld from PlayStation. The email was between Ryan and former Sony CEO Chris Deering, which is quoted:

"It is not an exclusivity play at all. They're thinking bigger than that, they have the cash the make these moves. I've spent a fair amount of time of Phil and Bobby and I'm pretty sure we'll continue to see COD on PlayStation for years to come," Ryan said, as quoted by Microsoft's legal counsel.

NVIDIA DLSS 3 has been one of the most impressive bits of technology from the company's new GeForce RTX 40 Series of graphics cards, thanks to it leveraging the power of AI to generate new frames to boost perceived in-game performance.

It's also a combination of NVIDIA technologies, with the 3 in DLSS 3 all about combining the excellent DLSS Super Resolution AI upscaling technology that has been around for a few years now, with the brand-new Frame Generation exclusive to the GeForce RTX 40 Series and NVIDIA Reflex low-latency technology.

The groundbreaking technology makes real-time path tracing in Portal with RTX and Cyberpunk 2077's RT Overdrive Mode possible - both are basically unplayable without the added magic of DLSS 3. The combination of tech and the advanced AI hardware in the GeForce RTX 40 Series (the Optical Flow Accelerator) gives us a look at the future of PC gaming.

Xbox Game Pass is moving to the next phase in its value-oriented subscription model. Here's where Game Pass could go next.

Today reports broke out that Microsoft is raising the price of Game Pass in nearly all countries. Both the base Game Pass and Ultimate subscriptions are increasing to $10.99 and $16.99, respectively. This rise is well-timed in a number of ways. The price increase reflects the global economic situation and is a way to help offset rising costs of goods and services. Games aren't getting any cheaper to make, and 5-6 year development cycles are the new normal.

It's also an opportune time for Microsoft to raise Xbox Game Pass subscription prices ahead of the potential merger with Activision. Microsoft lawyers have told regulators that there are no plans to increase subscription costs if the merger is approved, ergo the pre-emptive hike. The merger has a termination date of July 18, and the price increase goes into effect July 6.

Microsoft is raising the price of Xbox Game Pass on console, but PC isn't getting a price hike. Here's a big reason why.

Xbox Game Pass will soon rise by $1 for the base tier and $2 for Ultimate. The increase is only on consoles PC will remain the same. There's a key reason for this: Microsoft still hasn't secured enough PC gamers to meet a specific threshold.

Shortly after Microsoft legal counsel said that there were no plans to increase Game Pass subscription prices if the Activision merger were to close, Microsoft is apparently taking a pre-emptive strike to raise prices before the merger is either terminated or consummated. The Microsoft-Activision merger has a termination date of July 18, and the first price hike is set to start on July 6.

Reports from The Verge indicate Microsoft is raising the price of its premium games subscription before the merger either passes or terminates.

Microsoft is making good on its warning of price increases for its Xbox brand. The company will reportedly raise the price of both of its Xbox Game Pass subscription options, including the base console version and and its Game Pass Ultimate subscription, in nearly all worldwide markets.

Starting July 6, the regular Xbox Game Pass subscription will raise from $9.99 to $10.99 a month, and Game Pass Ultimate will move from $14.99 to $16.99 in the United States. The price of PC Game Pass will not change.

It's finally happening; Nintendo is officially remastering Mario's first and only turn-based RPG.

Today Nintendo announced a big surprise for 30-something gamers who grew up with a Super Nintendo back in the day: A fully-fledged Super Mario RPG remaster is releasing later this year on the Switch. The original isometric game was released in 1996 by none other than Squaresoft, who was then at the height of their role-playing glory. The game garnered a cult following that grew into a devoted fan base as decades went by, but ultimately the RPG didn't hit it big due to the N64's launch just a few months later.

The new Super Mario RPG remaster will feature upgraded visuals and graphics befit of the Switch, but the core turn-based action remains intact. The remaster will launch on November 17, just a month after the ultra-weird new Super Mario Bros. Wonder game.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a game that's been blighted by performance issues since its launch, with gremlins in the works that are still to be cured - but one enterprising PC gamer has taken matters into their own hands.

Wccftech spotted that 'Snight01' took to the Steam forums with a post linking to their DIY mod (that you stick in the PAKS directory) which fixes some of the most annoying problems with Jedi: Survivor.

Namely the game crashing with ray tracing turned on, plus the mod fixes occlusion culling pop-in (that causes horrible flashes of white to appear fleetingly).

Nintendo's new Mario game is weird...really weird.

Today Nintendo announced Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a new 2D side-scroller that hearkens back to the old-school days of SNES platforming. The game looks pretty familiar on its surface, but things get truly strange when Mario touches a "wonder flower." After that, all bets are off.

The game basically goes into a psychedelic trip that makes Alice in Wonderland look tame; Mario literally turns into an elephant, gets stretched out like a giraffe in a strange shadow world, power flowers start talking to you, and pipes even come alive and wriggle around like caterpillars.

The Sims 4 is getting a new expansion that's broadly cowboy-themed and introduces horses, according to heavy hints dropped by EA.

This follows recent rumors of a horsey expansion, fueled by listings at retailers for 'The Sims 4 Horse Ranch' (as PC Gamer pointed out).

With EA announcing on Twitter that a 'rootin' tootin' expansion' is coming that'll allow you to 'take the reins,' there's not much doubt that horses are inbound for The Sims 4. Especially as in a following tweet, EA tells us that there's a trailer due to arrive on June 22 (tomorrow) and to "giddy up for good news coming soon."