Gaming - Page 359

Brandon Sanderson is interested in creating a whole new world for a video game, similar to how George R. R. Martin helped shape the lore of Elden Ring.

Mistborn and Stormlight Archive writer Brandon Sanderson is apparently working on a video game, but if he had his way he would be building a brand new IP or series from the ground up. In a recent Reddit AMA, Sanderson said he'd ideally like to create something brand new for the game and not have it based on his books.

"[If it were 100% up to me I would prefer] a separate story set in the same world as one of my books, or a completely new story in a new place. I think I'd like a new story in a new place the most, as I could design something for a game really well, I think. A world that lends itself to that kind of storytelling. I think B is more likely, though, as people would prefer a publicity boost from the IP associated," Sanderson said in the AmA in a paraphrased quote.

E3 is coming back, and will now be hosted by PAX showrunner company ReedPop.

E3 2023 is officially returning in June 2023 as an in-person event. The show will be held at the traditional Los Angeles Convention Center venue and is now being hosted by ReedPop, the same company that puts out big events like the Star Wars Celebration, PAX, and the New York Comic-Con.

The event is described as "recognizably epic" and will make use of feedback and trends gleaned over the last few years without E3, which has culminated in a mish-mash of disparate showcases and reveals. E3 2023 will aim to rally the banners and bring the biggest games and publishers home to one spot once again, however big players like Sony and Nintendo will likely stick to their own shows.

343 Industries' new preservation efforts will delight Halo 2 modders everywhere.

Not content with just reviving six classic Halo games with updated content and graphics, 343i announced that it is digging through Bungie's old Halo archives and adding cut content back into the game. Right now 343i is working on bringing back cut content to both Halo CE and Halo 2 in the form of assets and files for modders to use in the Halo MCC editing kits.

Halo 2's restoration will cover two things (so far): a cut campaign level, and a playable build of the old early 2000's-era Halo 2 demo at E3. The cut campaign mission is called Alphamoon and will be playable in singleplayer and co-op, and has been rebuilt after a problematic series of tweaks and adjustments. The map isn't perfect and will be provided as-is, 343i says.

343 Industries is giving a big gift to Halo modders: The studio is resurrecting old cut Halo content and fixing it up so that modders can add it into their creations, games, and custom variants.

Soon gamers will be able to play Halo CE's campaign and multiplayer using the classic Mac World chief skin, hop into a Shadow, or use a microwave gun to annihilate the Covenant. 343i is busily scouring the archives of Bungie's old cut Halo content and fixing/rigging the files and assets for modders to use in the Halo MCC editing kits.

The studio announced this grand excavation as part of its new Digsite team initiative, which will focus on Halo CE and Halo 2 cut content. This also includes the early prototype stages when Halo was an RTS.

Much to the dismay of the community, Rockstar Games today announced that it will not release any more substantial content updates for Red Dead Online so it can concentrate on GTA 6.

As Rockstar becomes more laser-focused on Grand Theft Auto 6's development it has started to move teams away from certain projects to focus on the upcoming GTA sequel. The studio today confirmed that it will halt production of "major themed content updates" in Red Dead Online so it can continue work on GTA 6.

Instead of big new content drops, Rockstar Games will keep Red Dead Online players busy with a steady stream of QoL and balancing changes alongside seasonal updates--but don't expect anything big.

Xbox 360 games will be removed from Xbox LIVE's free monthly Games With Gold lineup starting this fall, Microsoft has confirmed.

Microsoft recently sent out emails to Xbox LIVE and Game Pass subscribers letting them know of big changes coming to monthly freebies. Xbox 360 games will no longer be offered because it appears Microsoft has run out of backwards compatible 360-era games to offer on the service.

"From 1 October 2022, the monthly games provided to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Live Gold members via Games with Gold will no longer include Xbox 360 titles. We have reached the limit of our ability to bring Xbox 360 games to the catalogue," the email says.

Ubisoft will reveal the future of Assassin's Creed during a new Ubisoft Forward event this September.

Like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft also skipped the usual summer E3-timed schedule in favor of a showcase down the line. Ubisoft Forward, which is basically Ubisoft's own E3 segment/show, will now premiere on September 10.

This particular stream should have some interesting reveals. In a recent blog post celebrated 15 years of Assassin's Creed, the publisher confirmed that it will reveal something related to Assassin's Creed in September.

Forspoken, the unique magic-only action RPG that was among the first games to cost $69.99 on Steam, has been delayed once again.

Today Square Enix announced that its new RPG Forspoken has been delayed to January 24, 2023 on all platforms. This marks the second major delay for the hack-and-slash fantasy game, which was originally supposed to launch in October 2022.

The delay apparently isn't because of internal issues. The developers at Luminous Productions say that Forspoken is finished and is currently being polished, and say the delay is because of a consensus it made with its partners.

God of War Ragnarok will release on November 9, 2022 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Sony today confirmed.

The wait is finally over. Following months of frenzied fan hype, the release date of God of War Ragnarok is upon us. Sony Santa Monica today released a short new cinematic trailer that announced the November release date, showing Kratos and his son Atreus facing off against a fearsome towering Loki in wolf form.

Pre-orders for God of War Ragnarok go live on July 15 and Sony will be offering four editions (yes, four) of the game including: Standard, Digital Deluxe, Collector's, and Jotnar. Check below for more information on what's included in each edition, and more info about the game. Oh, and PS4 owners will not be getting a free PS5 upgrade for God of War Ragnarok--you'll have to be a $10 upgrade fee to go from PS4 -> PS5.

Rockstar Games has cancelled any plans for Grand Theft Auto IV or Red Dead Redemption remasters so it can exclusively focus on GTA 6's development.

Grand Theft Auto 6 has Rockstar's full attention, and the studio may not release any mainline games until after GTA 6 launches. A bit ago, renowned insider Tez2 was told be a reliable source that RDR1 and GTA IV remasters were on the drawing board at Rockstar Games. Then the disastrous GTA remaster tanked the collective goodwill with the developer, which was already in lower spirits partly because of Red Dead Online's sparse updates.

Now sources tell Kotaku that the GTA giant is narrowing its AAA vision to GTA 6, which is rightly so given the massive importance of the project. Kotaku's sources say that new remasters aren't "out of scope" and could happen at some point...just not any time soon.

It's an all-out AMD FSR 2.0 party for the PC modding community, with mods out in the wild that add support for AMD's new FSR 2.0 technology into games that don't support it... games that support the competitors upscaling tech: NVIDIA DLSS.

One of the big NVIDIA DLSS games that have received a new mod that adds unofficial AMD FSR 2.0 support is Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2, which a new mod from PotatoofDoom has created, the same modder behind the Cyberpunk 2077 FSR 2.0 mod.

You can download the Red Dead Redemption 2 FSR 2.0 mod right here.

Dying Light 2 has received a new mod that enables unofficial support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 (FSR 2.0) technology. I've attached a great comparison video by MxBenchmarkPC on YouTube, which compares Dying Light 2 running on a GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card in FSR 1.0 vs FSR 2.0 vs DLSS 2.4 upscaling technologies:

The PC modding community has been working wonders in the last week since AMD unleashed FSR 2.0 upscaling technology into the wild, especially in open source. Dying Light 2 has support for NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) but now there's AMD FSR 2.0 upscaling support, of which you'll need to run Dying Light 2 in DX12 mode for it (the mod) to work.

The Dying Light 2.0 FSR 2.0 mod isn't perfect -- which is to be expected -- with the creator of the mod warning gamers that it's obviously not as good as if the developer added official support for AMD FSR 2.0 technology. We have issues like ghosting and smearing, lighter shadows, and lower resolution skybox textures will be what plagues the Dying Light 2.0 FSR 2.0 mod.

Call of Duty's new anticipated DMZ mode won't be a standalone game and will instead release with Modern Warfare II, sources have told reporter Tom Henderson.

Original reports say that Call of Duty's new DMZ mode, which is described as an Escape From Tarkov-like experience, would be a standalone free-to-play game coming in 2023. Now sources have told Tom Henderson that this isn't the case. The DMZ mode, which has yet to be formally announced by Activision or Infinity Ward, will be Modern Warfare II's fourth mode after campaign, multiplayer, and co-op.

It turns out that Project Nexus isn't part of the DMZ mode after all; sources say that Project Nexus is something else entirely and that it's in early development phases.

Sony Interactive Entertainment's latest patent filing suggests that Game Help could evolve into a massive ecosystem where players can share tips, tricks, and even playable save states.

Note: This article describes a patent and not a finalized feature or announced update. As with all patents, this particular one outlines a lot of different hypothetical features, scenarios, and use-cases. Please bear in mind that Sony may never bring any of this content to fruition.

Sony has filed a new patent entitled Method and System for Initiating a Jump Game Play From a Live Game Play Viewed by a Spectator, and it may be one of the company's most exciting patents of 2022.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has published a new Sony Interactive Entertainment patent that many websites seem to be misconstruing--the patent does not indicate older PlayStation console peripherals will be compatible with the current-gen PS5.

On June 23, Sony published a patent for emulating and updating old PlayStation game code to run better on modern hardware. The patent is entitled Systems and Methods for Converting a Legacy Code Into an Updated Code, and one diagram in particular has been misrepresented on various sites, leading many to believe that legacy game console peripherals from the PS3 era could possible be compatible on the PS5. This isn't the case.

Examination of the patent shows no explicit mention of cross-generation legacy peripheral support for the PS5 (the PS5, however, is compatible with PS4-era peripherals).

UPDATE: COD DMZ isn't free-to-play, coming in 2022 with Modern Warfare II

Info, assets, and details for Call of Duty Modern Warfare II's DMZ have been datamined and leaked onto the internet, showing gamers what they can expect from the new free-to-play gametype.

Dataminers have found a ton of info on new Call of Duty games nestled in the Warzone mobile alpha test, including details about the upcoming standalone DMZ mode. Previous reports say that COD's DMZ gametype is similar to Escape from Tarkov and will be free-to-play with a planned 2023 release. That's on top of Warzone 2, which will be separate from Warzone 1 and release shortly after Modern Warfare 2 in October with full stat and content resets.

Ubisoft is officially closing multiplayer in a number of legacy Assassin's Creed games on all platforms.

Starting September 1, 2022, nearly every Assassin's Creed game on older hardware will become singleplayer-only experiences (except for. Ubisoft has announced a new wave of "decommissioned" titles that will be stripped of their online features, including multiplayer, uPlay content, and even access to DLC.

"Closing the online services for some older games allows us to focus our resources on delivering great experiences for players who are playing newer or more popular titles," Ubisoft said.

BioWare has recruited the talented narrative director behind Deus Ex Human Revolution and Mankind Divided as well as Guardians of the Galaxy.

Mary DeMarle, the narrative director behind Deus Ex, Guardians of the Galaxy, MYST III and IV, and Homeworld 2, has left Eidos Montreal to join BioWare as a senior narrative director. Right now BioWare has two projects currently in development; Dragon Age: Dread Wolf and a new Mass Effect title.

"I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Senior Narrative Director at EA/BioWare!" DeMarle said on LinkedIn.

A modder behind Fallout London has turned down a job offer from Bethesda to continue working on the big DLC-sized mod.

It's not uncommon for Bethesda to recruit talented modders and fold them into its staff, especially for Elder Scrolls and Fallout games. In fact, the studio was so impressed by the recent Fallout London mod that it offered jobs to two of the people who worked on the project...but only one of them accepted the positions.

A recent update post from Fallout London's official Twitter page confirmed the news. The mod's lead technical advisor Ryan "Ropiequet" Johnson is moving on to work at Bethesda as an associate level designer. Project manager Dean "Prilladog" Carter was also offered a job by Bethesda to work on Fallout 76, but he declined and will instead continue working on Fallout London.

DOOM RPG, the long-lost game in the beloved FPS franchise, is now playable on PC.

DOOM RPG is a curious bit of gaming history. It was originally made in 2005 for Symbian OS and Java based cellphones and is an actual role-playing game set in the DOOM universe, complete with turn-based combat, level ups, dialog, and stat points. DOOM RPG is a prime example of a full-length and feature-complete singleplayer mobile game, which seems like a novel concept in today's mobile market of microtransactions and live gaming.

Thanks to homebrew tinkerers and modders, DOOM RPG is now playable on PC. Doomworld forum user Erick194 shared the news: "As we promised, the Doom RPG port for PC is finally here. created using SDL2 and BREW version doomrpg.mod original file reverse engineering."