Gaming - Page 327

Microsoft has announced a new Developer Direct showcase for January 25 that will focus on developers instead of fancy marketing tactics.

The new Developer Direct show isn't what everyone was hoping for, but it should still deliver interesting tidbits about upcoming games and updates. The stream won't include heavy-hitters like Starfield--Bethesda plans to hold its own special event exclusively for the anticipated galactic space sim shooter--or other projects in the works like the new Indiana Jones game from Machine Games, the next Doom title, Halo Infinite content. Neither Fable nor Perfect Dark will be at the show, either.

So what will be at the show? The Developer Direct will highlight new content and reveal more details on the next Forza Motorsport game, which is exclusive to the Xbox Series X/S consoles. We'll also get a full 2023 roadmap of Elder Scrolls Online's content as well as a full-on chapter announcement.

Lies of P is the latest game to benefit from AMD's new RDNA 3.0 graphics cards, hitting 8K resolution on the Radeon RX 7900 XTX at Ultra preset settings.

The steampunk Soulsborne game Lies of P turned heads when it was revealed in August 2022, being praised for its visuals, interesting gameplay, and weird storyline that puts a new spin on the tale of Pinocchio. Now gamers get an even better look at the action RPG thanks to AMD, who has teamed up with developer Round8 to deliver some impressive-looking footage.

The latest gameplay trailer is display at 8K resolution on Ultra settings and is running on AMD's latest Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPU. Of course you'll need an 8K resolution monitor or TV to see the footage in true 7680 x 4320 but it still looks pretty epic on my 1440p monitor. Back in September, AMD confirmed that Lies of P would be optimized with its Fidelity FX Super Resolution 2 (FSR 2.0) temporal upscaling tech so that's worth remembering when watching the footage.

Konami and Sony have reportedly teamed up on a Metal Gear Solid remake on PlayStation 5, and it might be revealed during a State of Play stream in Q1.

Rumors indicate that the original Metal Gear Solid is getting a remake on PS5, but nothing has been announced so far. Unverified sources tell outlets like Spanish games site AreaJugones that the purported MGS1 remake would be a PS5 exclusive and that it's been in development for many years.

Oddly enough, this project seems entirely separate from the rumored Metal Gear Solid 3 remake that Bluepoint Games is reportedly working on. It's also possible the MGS1 project could be a remaster.

With Starfield on the way and Elder Scrolls VI in pre-production, Bethesda apparently has no plans to remaster The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion any time soon. Thankfully modders have stepped in to save the day.

Skyblivion, the massively ambitious user-created mod that aims to recreate the entirety of Oblivion in Skyrim's upgraded engine, now has a release window. After 13 years of development, Skyblivion's launch is nearing completion. The devs are set to release Skyblivion 2025 in on PC and essentially resurrect one of the most enchanting RPGs ever made.

The project is made possible by a dedicated team of talented volunteers who have spent over a decade transforming and adapting Cyrodiil and its denizens, monsters, and locales into the Skyrim games engine.

YouTuber MickyD finally solves the mystery that has plagued Morrowind players for over 20 years.

Tarhiel. Every Morrowind player knows the tragic fate of this cursed wizard. He's one of the most hilarious, compelling, and interesting parts of Morrowind's early game experiences, and his brief but extremely memorable encounter really underlines the humor and whimsy that counterbalances the game's grim storyline.

The sorcerer falls from the sky in the Seyda Neen starting area, screaming along the way. On his remains players find a journal and curious magical scrolls that let them leap in the air and experience the full majesty of The Elder Scrolls' best alternation magic. Up until now, Tarhiel's fate had always been set in stone. But the question remains: Can you save Tarhiel?

Sony's PlayStation Store marketplace may get a much-needed overhaul for a more consumer-friendly experience.

Sony has just recruited Ben King as senior vice president of its direct-to-consumer business, and he could help streamline the PlayStation store across PC, consoles, and mobiles. King previously led Apple Services and was the chief subscription officer for DAZN, a sports streaming giant.

This is good news considering the PlayStation Store definitely needs some work, especially on PS5. The store is still sort of barebones and it's often hard to find specific things with direct search queries. There's also other issues with information presentation--some games don't have install size requirements, for example--and other missing info that should be available on $69.99 game's buy page. The PS Store needs some work, and so do other consumer-facing web portals such as the PlayStation Blog.

Ubisoft has lowered its earnings forecast for the most important quarter of the year by over €100 million as it faces tough competition.

Ubisoft is not in a great place right now. While earnings are stable overall, the company made some announcements that have shocked investors and dropped share value. Three games have been cancelled and Ubisoft now expects to take a significant €500 million loss for the fiscal year. The situation is so serious that Ubisoft may actually sell some of its studios and/or games to reduce risks and costs.

Ubisoft also announced that new games like Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope and Just Dance 2023 did not sell very well. As a result of the disappointing game sales, Ubisoft now expects to make €100 million less from net bookings in the critical Q3 holiday period. This is significant because net bookings includes game sales and monetization. It's the major metric that helps define Ubisoft's performance.

Wizards of the Coast has remedied its massively controversial Dungeons & Dragons Open Game License and will no longer charge royalty fees.

Hasbro is not doing well right now. Consumers aren't buying action figures and the company's subsidiary Wizards of the Coast has had blunders with its Magic: The Gathering brand, both of which caused Q3 net revenues to drop by 15%. The latest Dungeons & Dragons controversy didn't help.

A bit ago, Wizards of the Coast announced they'd be making changes to DnD's Open Game License, or OGL. This public copyright license gives players the right to modify, copy, redistribute and sell their own versions of the current active edition of the game. For 23 years now Wizards has not charged its fans any kinds of fees involved with the OGL.

Ubisoft is making drastic business decisions to reduce spending and overall risks. Now is a great time to eliminate one of the riskiest moves in gaming right now: NFTs and blockchain.

Ubisoft was the first mainstream publisher to embrace Quartz NFTs. The risk-to-reward ratio simply wasn't favorable. Quartz was a significant failure insofar as sales revenues and also damaged Ubisoft's reputation in the process. This is a mistake that probably should not be continued even in the best of times, but that goes double for the current inflation-laden games industry environment.

Publishers are currently being challenged by an uncertain global economy. Consumers are spending less on games; according to Newzoo, overall industry-wide spend was down over $8 billion in 2022. Ubisoft plans to battle these conditions by reducing risk and spending, and has laid out a business strategy to investors.

Ubisoft share value drops by over 12% as the company shocks investors with a new announcement.

Ubisoft isn't in a great place right now and is prepared to take a short-term loss to get itself back on track. Ubisoft executive management held a conference to outline a new business plan that will make the publisher more lean and better equipped to navigate the current inflation- and recession-driven market.

The plan includes a few things that investors won't like. Ubisoft expects to record a 500 million Euro loss in non-IFRS operating income for Fiscal Year 2023. The loss is driven by the cancellation of three in-development projects, which has led to the depreciation of half a billion Euros of capitalized R&D. The company has previously expected non-IFRS operating income of about 400 million Euros, which would have represented the third straight year of declining profits.

Ubisoft management has announced a new business plan to offset "major challenges" that the company faces in the current economy.

Inflation and recession conditions are affecting the video games industry. Consumers are spending less on games hardware and content, and as a result we've seen 2022's total industry earnings drop by over $8 billion. Nintendo, Sony,, SEGA, Capcom, and other overseas publishers like Ubisoft are also facing unfavorable foreign exchange rates that reduce overall earnings.

Ubisoft is taking measures to adapt to the new market and safeguard itself against any future negative trends. The company has announced a new business plan focused on mega-brands and live services, while also promising to be more learn in the process. Ubisoft's plan is simple: Create more live services to boost recurring revenues, reduce risk by doubling-down on established and popular brands like Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six, and The Division, and to restructure its workforce (layoffs), cancel games, and sell off assets.

The current inflation market is hitting the games industry pretty hard right now, and publishers like Ubisoft are adapting to the new economic challenges.

Ubisoft's pirate game Skull and Bones has been delayed again, continuing long-running meme surrounding the project. The game was originally set to release March 9, right before Ubisoft's fiscal year cutoff, but Skull and Bones will no release in "early 2023-24," which basically means the game could launch in the Q1 Fiscal Year 2023 period which is from April - June 2023.

Ubisoft says it will use the extra time to ensure the game is polished across the board, complete with optimizations and tweaks for all platforms. In its current state, Skull and Bones looks to be a strongly monetized live game with familiar mechanics and trappings including online multiplayer, long-term questing, crafting, and lots of ship customization. Ubisoft has also reportedly heavily invested in Skull and Bones over the game's chaotic 10-year development timeline, with Kotaku reporting the game had a budget of up to $120 million.

Looking for a dock for your Steam Deck that offers quick charging and expansive connectivity? Check out Sabrent's latest USB-C docking station.

SSD-maker Sabrent has introduced its new 6-port DS-SD6P Docking Station that could be the best Steam Deck on the market so far. The dock station merges utility with functionality, offering an all-in-one solution for video output from slotted devices that support DisplayPort Alternate Mode (like the Steam Deck or the Nintendo Switch) at up to 4K 60FPS. The dock can simultaneously charge devices and output video, and uses PowerDelivery 3.0 to deliver up to 95W of charging power over USB-C.

Sabrent's 6-power docking station has 2x USB Type-C ports (one of which supports PowerDelivery and is used for input power for charging), HDMI 2.0 video output, and 3x USB Type-A ports for peripheral devices such as mice, keyboards, and external storage. The dock's low profile ensures devices have lots of clearance and ample breathing room, unlike the Nintendo Switch's OEM dock which effectively sandwiches the tablet in in a U-shaped design.

In a recent interview with the Washington Post's Gene Park, The Last of Us writer Neil Druckmann praises Elden Ring's environmental storytelling and potentially gives clues on what to expect from his next game.

Naughty Dog games are famous for their immaculate attention to detail (which has come at a very real human price), crazy action sequences, and, in The Last of Us' case, riveting and emotional storylines. But what if these games had a more loose plot that's defined mostly by player experience?

The studio's next game could be more like FromSoftware's game of the year Elden Ring moving forward. Neil Druckmann, who serves as co-president of Naughty Dog, has expressed admiration for Elden Ring's interesting use of worldbuilding and storytelling not necessarily through cinematics or codices, but through exploration and player agency.

Jedi: Survivor will apparently require a day one patch before it can be played on PC.

EA and Respawn have revealed Jedi: Survivor's PC spec requirements on Steam, and they're showing a move forward for PC gaming. Game developers are pushing into GTX 10 series GPUs as minimum spec requirements now and it seems the days of getting away with a GeForce GTX 900 card are gone (which makes sense because the 10 series is now 4 generations old).

Before we take a closer look at the spec requirements I'd like to draw attention to one interesting snippet on the page. Respawn and EA confirm that gamers will need to be connected to the internet to download a day one patch. "Internet required for non-optional patching," the page reads. This isn't such a big deal since you're already connected to the internet to download the game from Steam anyway, but it's something to remember. Plus we have to wonder if consoles require a day one patch before they can play as well.

Jedi: Survivor will leverage AMD's gaming tech and will be bundled with the new Ryzen 7000 series processors.

At CES 2023, AMD CEO Lisa Su made an interesting statement: The new Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sequel was "developed by Ryzen, for Ryzen," confirming that Respawn's team used Ryzen CPUs to make the adventure game. This isn't something that gamers really think about and we could see the game performing very well on Ryzen processors.

The new Jedi fantasy is an official AMD-partnered game and will actually be included with new Ryzen 7000 CPU purchases. The game's product page on AMD's website also confirms Jedi: Survivor will utilize Team Red's graphics tech, FidelityFX Super Resolution for boosted frame rates and FreeSync Premium Pro for more vivid HDR visuals with the added bonus of low-latency gaming.

Worsening macroeconomic conditions are forcing big tech to fire thousands of workers, and this trend could continue through 2025. Will it affect Microsoft's aspirations of buying Activision?

Today's inflation market has triggered mass layoffs have in the tech sector, with Amazon shedding up to 18,000 people and Microsoft firing 1,000 workers. Structural reform is common in this industry but the economic environment is pushing companies to aggressively cut costs, especially after record highs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now companies are being hit on two sides with tougher comps and lower earnings as consumers move towards necessities like rent and food instead of new smartphones, services, and games. From the sound of it the layoffs may just be starting.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently told CNBC that the next 2 years will be the most challenging as companies like the tech giant stabilize and adjust to a new uncertain normalization of the market.

NVIDIA is supercharging GeForce Now with the raw power of GeForce RTX 4080 cards in a new Ultimate subscription tier for $19.99/month.

NVIDIA's GeForce Now game streaming service will soon leverage GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards to deliver 64TFLOPs of high-end PC gaming performance wirelessly over the internet. RTX 4080 game streaming is available in a new Ultimate membership subscription, which replaces the highest tier that previously offered RTX 3080 game streaming quality.

With the might of GeForce RTX 4080 cards, the new GeForce Now Ultimate subscription boasts 4K resolution and up to 240FPS using DLSS 3.0, complete with NVIDIA Reflex integration to significantly reduce latency below 40ms, which is extremely important for any remote game streaming service.

Best Buy has good news and bad news for consumers who use the My Best Buy rewards program.

Reports indicate that Best Buy will start offering free shipping to all My Best Buy members with no minimum purchase requirement. This is a big step towards e-commerce from the retailer, who had posted a reduction of 16% in nine-month earnings in 2022 driven by lower revenues. That's the good news.

The bad news is that starting in mid-February consumers will no longer be able to earn rewards points unless they have a My Best Buy Credit Card.

A developer map called "Zombie_City" that is reportedly created by either Valve or Turtle Rock Studios has leaked online.

The leak of the developer map is part of a larger leak of Counter-Strike maps, and more importantly, Zombie City is a mod for Counter-Strike: Source, which was previously not playable - until now. Notably, Zombie City isn't a fully fleshed-out level as it doesn't actually feature any zombies, but instead, players go up against AI terrorists that can only attack with melee.

Turtle Rock founder Michael Booth discussed the idea behind Zombie City and explained that as the team was developing bots for Counter-Strike: Source, they play-tested levels where developers were armed with automatic weapons and faced off against 30+ knife-wielding terrorists. Booth says that as the team experimented with more prototypes, they kept finding themselves coming back to players versus hordes of AI, or as Booth says, "co-op vs the horde game".