Gaming News - Page 77

All the latest gaming news, with everything related to PlayStation releases (PS4 & PS5), Xbox, PC Games, Nintendo Switch & plenty more - Page 77.

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Analysis: How Epic Games' grandiose ambitions led to mass layoffs

Derek Strickland | Sep 29, 2023 6:33 PM CDT

Fortnite makes billions of dollars a year and is one of the most popular video games ever made. So why is Epic Games firing hundreds of workers due to overspending? The answer lies in Epic's multi-faceted ambitions.

Analysis: How Epic Games' grandiose ambitions led to mass layoffs

Epic Games is one of the most interesting companies in the video games industry. While Epic is the maker of Unreal Engine, one of the most widely-used multimedia graphics engines on the planet, this engine doesn't define Epic's ambitions. The reality is that Epic wears many hats. It's not just an engine-maker that licenses its tools out to a sizable portion of games, films, TV shows, and even cars; Epic is also a major disruptor for video game economics and pledges to shake up the status quo.

Epic appears to follow the whims of CEO Tim Sweeney, a legendary programmer who created the Unreal Engine. Sweeney is staunchly opposed to certain games industry trends, including the business practices of Valve, Google, and Apple, the last two of which constitute a "mobile duopoly" on gaming's most lucrative billion-dollar platform. Sweeney has been vocal and consistent in his opposition of these companies, and Epic's specific business decisions have followed Sweeney's beliefs.

Continue reading: Analysis: How Epic Games' grandiose ambitions led to mass layoffs (full post)

Linux leaves Windows 11 in the dust in battle of the frame rates with Cyberpunk 2077 expansion

Darren Allan | Sep 29, 2023 8:49 AM CDT

Cyberpunk now has its Phantom Liberty expansion - with patch 2.0 update in tow - and some benchmarking of the game has produced some surprising results in terms of a Linux distro performing much faster than Windows 11.

Linux leaves Windows 11 in the dust in battle of the frame rates with Cyberpunk 2077 expansion

Okay, so upfront, we should note that this is just one test, and the conclusions we can draw are limited - but the difference is quite eye-opening, when running Nobara (a spin on Fedora) compared to Windows 11 on the exact same PC.

YouTuber Maximum Fury conducted the test runs which found that Nobara was just over 30% faster than Windows 11 at Full HD resolution (high textures).

Continue reading: Linux leaves Windows 11 in the dust in battle of the frame rates with Cyberpunk 2077 expansion (full post)

Counter-Strike 2 is finally here and ready to play on Steam, replacing the aging CS:GO

Kosta Andreadis | Sep 29, 2023 12:32 AM CDT

"The largest technical leap forward in Counter-Strike's history" is here, with Valve officially launching the highly anticipated successor to CS:GO, simply called Counter-Strike 2. After an extensive Limited Test or Beta period, the Source 2-powered version of the popular online shooter presents map overhauls, new dynamic smoke grenades (that behave realistically), and more.

Counter-Strike 2 is finally here and ready to play on Steam, replacing the aging CS:GO

Counter-Strike 2 was officially announced and unveiled in March 2023, and the hotly anticipated launch has been on the cards for quite some time. With the official launch coming without much warning on the first day, the game has seen close to 1.5 million peak concurrent players, with around 750,000 playing the game as I write this.

Considering the age and pedigree of Counter-Strike (even though this slaps a '2' on the end, it's not the second release or major overhaul to the game), the most immediate and noticeable change comes in the visual department. With new lighting, textures, and map detail all being upgraded without affecting the core gameplay - this is still the same old Counter-Strike, albeit much better looking.

Continue reading: Counter-Strike 2 is finally here and ready to play on Steam, replacing the aging CS:GO (full post)

Big Xbox game capture changes are coming, including easier OneDrive backups

Oliver Haslam | Sep 28, 2023 2:45 PM CDT

There are big changes coming to your Xbox, with game captures set to be deleted after 90 days - and the clock starts right now.

Big Xbox game capture changes are coming, including easier OneDrive backups

In a blog published yesterday Jonathan Hildebrandt, Principal Group Product Manager, Xbox Experiences, confirmed that game captures stored on the Xbox network will automatically be deleted after 90 days. But don't worry, Microsoft already has a plan to make sure that you don't lose anything.

In the same blog post, it was confirmed that new changes will also allow the bulk upload of files to OneDrive or an external hard drive. Beyond that, the Xbox system can also be configured to automatically upload new captures to OneDrive to make sure that they're kept safe and sound. Making the change is pretty easy and there will be a "Tell me more" option in the Captures area of the Xbox software that will offer details on how to get started.

Continue reading: Big Xbox game capture changes are coming, including easier OneDrive backups (full post)

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan will leave Sony in 2024

Derek Strickland | Sep 27, 2023 10:05 PM CDT

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan is leaving the company in 2024, Sony has officially announced.

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan will leave Sony in 2024

Today marks the end of an era for PlayStation. Sony's gaming CEO Jim Ryan will depart the company when the FY23 timeline ends on April 1, 2024. Ryan will be temporarily replaced by Sony's Hiroki Totoki, who will step in as interim CEO of the games division while the board approves a new leader for SIE. Totoki also leads as Sony Corp's president, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer.

Jim Ryan leaves behind a decades-long legacy at Sony. Having joined Sony's European games division in 1994, eventually rising to become president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. Ryan then became deputy president at the consolidated games branch in 2018, and eventually succeeded Shawn Layden when Layden left PlayStation in 2019.

Continue reading: PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan will leave Sony in 2024 (full post)

Horizon Forbidden West port is coming to PC early in 2024

Darren Allan | Sep 27, 2023 10:37 AM CDT

Horizon Forbidden West is coming to the PC platform, and soon enough, Sony has just revealed.

Horizon Forbidden West port is coming to PC early in 2024

The Complete Edition of Horizon Forbidden West will pitch up next year, and we're told it'll be early 2024, too. So, we haven't got that long to wait at all for the PC port.

This is, of course, the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, the original PlayStation game which was ported to the PC back in the summer of 2020 (three years ago, now, shockingly - has it really been that long?).

Continue reading: Horizon Forbidden West port is coming to PC early in 2024 (full post)

Logitech's new racing chair solves one of the biggest issues for gamers - how to store it

Darren Allan | Sep 27, 2023 9:38 AM CDT

Racing sim addicts who are after a dedicated chair, but don't have the space for a full setup - and maybe not the wallet capacity either - might be impressed by a new offering from Logitech in this space.

Logitech's new racing chair solves one of the biggest issues for gamers - how to store it

That would be the Playseat Challenge X racing chair, which folds away to be easily stored in a cupboard somewhere.

The chassis of the racing chair is nicely lightweight at just under 12kg in total, and you can, of course, attach a steering wheel and pedals. Crucially, as part of the compact setup, those peripherals can be left attached when you fold up the Playseat Challenge X, for a good deal of added convenience.

Continue reading: Logitech's new racing chair solves one of the biggest issues for gamers - how to store it (full post)

Capcom may start charging $70 for new games after all, president says prices are too low

Derek Strickland | Sep 26, 2023 4:59 PM CDT

Capcom is among the last publishers to avoid the new $70 price hike for video games, but that may change soon.

Capcom may start charging $70 for new games after all, president says prices are too low

Every new console generation comes with change--updated features, tech innovations, new tools, etc. But the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S also introduced higher costs for gaming's most profitable product: Software. From the get-go, publishers like Sony Interactive Entertainment, Take-Two Interactive, Activision-Blizzard, and Electronic Arts priced their new Gen9 games at $70. It took a little while for others to catch up.

Now after years of holding out, it looks like Capcom could be the latest publisher to raise its game prices to $70. At Tokyo Game Show 2023, Capcom President Haruhiro Tsujimoto shares a sentiment that most publishers will agree with: "Game prices are too low."

Continue reading: Capcom may start charging $70 for new games after all, president says prices are too low (full post)

WoW alum Chris Metzen returns to Blizzard to lead Warcraft franchise

Derek Strickland | Sep 26, 2023 3:22 PM CDT

Chris Metzen, the original creative director of the mega-popular World of Warcraft MMORPG, has officially returned to Blizzard Entertainment.

WoW alum Chris Metzen returns to Blizzard to lead Warcraft franchise

Today Blizzard announced some big news: Chris Metzen is back in a leadership role and will now oversee the entire Warcraft franchise. Metzen's current duty is to help shape the future of World of Warcraft as the game moves closer to its 10th anniversary.

"We are excited to share that Chris Metzen has taken on a full-time role as Executive Creative Director of the Warcraft universe. Right now, his main focus is supporting our World of Warcraft leadership in crafting the next generation of adventures," reads the announcement.

Continue reading: WoW alum Chris Metzen returns to Blizzard to lead Warcraft franchise (full post)

Jedi 3 in development at EA and Respawn, Cal Kestis actor says

Derek Strickland | Sep 26, 2023 2:35 PM CDT

Respawn and EA are currently working on a third chapter of the popular Jedi video game franchise, actor Cameron Monaghan has confirmed.

Jedi 3 in development at EA and Respawn, Cal Kestis actor says

Given the success of the first two games--Fallen Order and Survivor--it seemed inevitable that EA would greenlight a third chapter in the Jedi series. After all, the Jedi games were originally envisioned as a trilogy. Now it look like a third game is indeed happening.

At the Ocala Comic-Con 2023 show in Florida, Cameron Monaghan, who plays the lead hero Cal Kestis in the Jedi games, said that teams are currently "in the process" of making a third game. Neither EA nor Respawn have made announcements on a third game.

Continue reading: Jedi 3 in development at EA and Respawn, Cal Kestis actor says (full post)