Gaming - Page 459

Halo Infinite's beta test is rolling out in a series of technical previews and "flights," and the first one could start as soon as next weekend.

343 Industries reveals more details about Halo Infinite's anticipated testing phases, confirming the first technical preview might kick off next weekend if everything goes well. That being said, the first testing phase is focused on AI, bots, and the new Academy mode, which focuses on drills and training. PVP won't be part of the first test. You'll be playing against AI-controlled bots instead.

"That said, we've been given the okay to say our first Bot-focused technical preview could happen as soon as next weekend. Prior to the flight starting, we're planning a live stream where we'll dive into the actual build and walk through nearly every facet of the technical preview,"343i said in a new Halo Waypoint post.

The new Dead Space remake won't have any loading screens or microtransactions, the developers at EA Motive confirm.

EA Motive is exhuming Dead Space's grave, but instead of resurrecting a zombified corpse, the team is creating a whole new monster. The devs are building the Dead Space remake from the ground up on DICE's new next-gen Frostbite engine, which allows high-end optimizations like ray-traced reflections, 3D spatial audio, and eliminating loading zones via super-fast SSDs.

Motive Studios plans to leverage the engine and hardware to create the ultimate immersive horror experience. The end goal is to create a game you can't pull away and complete it in one sitting. This is a big departure for Electronic Arts, a company that makes billions every year on never-ending monetized online games, and clearly underlines the publisher's shift towards singleplayer games.

EA makes most of its yearly revenues from monetized sports juggernauts like FIFA and Madden NFL, but the publisher is starting to shift back towards singleplayer experiences.

Following the breakout success of games like Jedi: Fallen Order, and with established online anchors like FIFA, Madden, Apex, and Battlefield established, Electronic Arts now seems more open to singleplayer games. While the publisher's billion-dollar live games offerings aren't going anywhere, EA is now diversifying its portfolio across a spectrum of experiences. Live services no longer seem to be required for all of its games.

The publisher has a number of singleplayer-driven games currently in development, including a Dead Space remake. This one is actually a big example of EA's turnaround. EA Motive, the team behind the Dead Space remake, says they want to make a game so immersive that players will complete it in one sitting. EA typically never wants gamers to complete its games this fast--EA's $7-billion business is centered around never-ending play, engagement, and player retention.

It's happening. Dead Space is coming back as a full remake for next-gen console and PC hardware.

Today EA confirmed Dead Space is getting reborn with an ambitious new reboot. The remake has been built from the ground up in DICE's new next-gen Frostbite engine, so expect incredible 4K visuals, high frame rates, impressive lighting and shadow effects, and dramatically improved physics. EA Motive, the team behind Battle

The Dead Space franchise made a huge impact on the survival horror genre when it was released 12 years ago, and I came to Motive as a fan first to specifically work on this game," said Phillippe Ducharme, Senior Producer of Dead Space. "We have a passionate team at Motive who are approaching this remake as a love letter to the franchise. Going back to the original and having the opportunity to do so on next-gen consoles excited everyone on the team. As we look to modernize the game, we've reached out to dedicated fans and invited them to provide us with feedback since the early stages of production to deliver the Dead Space game they want and for new players to enjoy as well."

Jade Raymond's new Montreal-based Haven Studios is described as a "well-capitalized startup" that's working on an online game.

A bit ago Sony announced it was partnering with Haven Studios, a new indie team made up of games industry vets like Assassin's Creed producer Jade Raymond. Haven is working on a new PlayStation-exclusive IP, and while official details are light, new job listings confirm the project will be an online game. This may corroborate recent reports the game will be an online games-as-a-service experience.

"Haven who are currently hard at work on their first new online project - an original, exclusive IP for Sony," the listing reads.

In a somewhat ironic twist of fate, Assassin's Creed art director Raphael Lacoste leaves Ubisoft to join the original creator of the AC franchise.

After 16 years with Ubisoft and helping shape eight mainline Assassin's Creed games, artist Raphael Lacoste is leaving the publisher to reunite with Jade Raymond. The two worked together on 2006's original Assassin's Creed game, and while Lacoste stayed at Ubisoft, Raymond pursued other ventures. Now the two are converging at Raymond's new Haven studios--a Montreal-based independent studio that's making a new game for PlayStation.

"It is not without emotions I have to tell you that after 8 assassins, 16 years at Ubisoft I have decided to set sails on new adventures and challenges," Lacoste said on Twitter.

Valve confirms that the Steam Deck's specs will be enough to run the full Steam library at acceptable performance.

While Valve is still working on official Steam Deck compatibility for all Steam games, the company says the handheld-PC's custom AMD SoC and 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM should have no issue running the full Steam games library. In a recent interview with IGN, Valve developers say the Steam Deck is running older and current-generation PC games released in 2021 without issues.

"All the games we wanted to be playable, it's really the whole Steam library there. We haven't really found something that this device couldn't handle yet," said Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais.

Battlefield 2042's new mystery mode is a custom games creator with Battlefield 3, Battlefield 1942, Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 2042 content.

Today DICE introduced Battlefield Portal, a new online tool that's been 10 years in the making. Portal is basically a playground that converges classic Battlefield games into a custom games platform where gamers can let loose and create some truly wacky experiences. It's custom games on steroids.

With BF Portal, gamers can mix and match weapons, content, modes, and maps from four mainline games, including 128-player carnage. The customization options are pretty crazy--you can have modern Battlefield 2042 guns, vehicles, and classes on classic BF 1942 maps, or old-school weapons in Battlefield 2042's crazy weather-breaking arenas.

Battlefield 4 was the first to be free leading into the huge reveal of EA's next-gen Battlefield 2042, and now Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V are free on Amazon Prime Gaming.

Amazon Prime Gaming is giving away Battlefield 1 for free between July 21 and August 2, so you can jump in right now and get it without spending a cent. If you're wanting Battlefield V then you're going to have to wait a week, with Amazon Prime Gaming giving Battlefield V to Prime Gaming subscribers between August 2 and October 1 -- a much, much bigger span of time.

If you're an Amazon Prime member, all you have to do is visit Prime Gaming and then claim your free copy of Battlefield 1. I did it just now with a few clicks, taking less than 20 seconds and I have my game code ready to be usd on Origin.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 hasn't been cancelled, but it still needs more time to bake in the oven.

Ubisoft has a lot on its plate right now. The French games-maker is investing hundreds of millions into premium games like the new Assassin's Creed Infinity, while also developing new IPs with engagement in mind. The publisher is forging ahead with its digital-first strategy while simultaneously trying to break into the free-to-play space with games like HyperScape, The Division Heartlands, xDefiant, and Roller Champions.

Meanwhile, projects like Skull and Bones and Beyond Good and Evil 2 have slipped by the wayside. The former just passed alpha 8 years after being announced, and Ubisoft hasn't mentioned the ambitious online space sim since 2018 when Ubisoft called it their biggest game yet.

Amazon's new game New World is out in beta form right now, with multiple gamers reporting that the game bricked their super-expensive NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 graphics cards.

The closed alpha and beta of New World have been bricking GeForce RTX 3090 graphics cards, seeing the cards overheating and power spikes. It seems that New World is bricking EVGA branded GeForce RTX 3090 graphics cards the most, but there have been multiple RTX 3090s bricked from New World in just the last few days.

I wanted to actually try it out as I began hearing more about it today while I was working and checking out Twitter, but yeah I think I'll be staying away from New World as I don't want it killing my GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card.

Resident Evil Village has just been updated on the PC with some new tricks, the largest of which is the inclusion of AMD's upscaling technology, FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR).

The new Resident Evil Village update for PC gamers is a 1GB download on Steam, with the developer noting on Twitter: "FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) from AMD is now supported. FSR supports higher frame rates on PC for an improved gaming experience".

Not only that, but Capcom has made "adjustments" to optimize Denuvo -- the anti-piracy technology on Resident Evil Village. There were issues with the game when it came to Denuvo, with the cracked version of Resident Evil Village running faster without Denuvo... but things should be different now post-update. The problem is, Capcom didn't detail the changes with Denuvo and RE: Village... sigh.

Back 4 Blood has just been teased with NVIDIA DLSS technology, uncapped frame rates, UltraWide monitor support, FOV adjustments, and more on the PC.

The PC version of Back 4 Blood also supports cross-platform play with console gamers, with an open beta kicking off on August 5 where you'll be able to get back into the blood. The Early Access version of Back 4 Blood is available on August 5 for those who pre-order, while everyone else gets access on August 12-16.

Back 4 Blood is described as: "Back 4 Blood is a thrilling cooperative first-person shooter from the creators of the critically acclaimed Left 4 Dead franchise. You are at the center of a war against the Ridden. These once-human hosts of a deadly parasite have turned into terrifying creatures bent on devouring what remains of civilization. With humanity's extinction on the line, it's up to you and your friends to take the fight to the enemy, eradicate the Ridden, and reclaim the world".

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and COO Greg Peters talk more about the company's push into video games.

Netflix will soon add games to its all-you-can-consume streaming service. These games won't cost extra and have one singular goal: To turn Netflix into a must-have service by adding more value.

As Google and Amazon can attest, gaming isn't easy, but the billion-dollar streaming titan Netflix is willing to experiment with lots of different models, mechanisms, content offerings and platforms in order to hit its stride. Netflix will start with mobile but Peters says that "every device is a candidate for some sort of gaming experience."

Ubisoft is still focusing primarily on high-production premium games and free-to-play takes a backseat.

Ubisoft's new free-to-play strategy won't disrupt its tentpole games, and the company has no plans to invest heavily into F2P. In a recent Q1 earnings call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirms premium games are still the top priority, and the majority of dev expenses are spent on premium games.

"80% of expenses are being used to substantially expand premium offerings in 3 ways," Guillemot said, outlining the following:

Western Digital reveals pricing, availability, and capacities for its new Battlefield 2042 SSD bundle lineup.

PC gamers in need of a big storage speed boost can now grab a high-end WD_BLACK SSD with a free copy of Battlefield 2042. WD has opened up pre-orders for its Battlefield 2042 SSD bundle that includes a WD_BLACK SN750 SE SSD as well as a digital version of DICE's new 128-player multiplayer carnage-fest Battlefield 2042.

The WD_BLACK SN750 SE is an M.2 NVMe SSD capable of hitting 3.6GB/sec over PCIe 4.0, and the bundles come in two sizes: 500GB ($114.99) and 1TB ($179.99). WD says this bundle will be available to gamers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The bundle includes the standard edition of Battlefield 2042, which grants early access to the game's upcoming beta.

Ubisoft is making a never-ending Assassin's Creed game with heavy emphasis on engagement, live services, and content, but the publisher promises not to betray the franchise's core DNA.

Assassin's Creed Infinity sounds like less of a game and more of a platform. The way it's described makes me think AC Infinity will be an app that hosts different games--think of Infinity like a book where every chapter is a different game with a specific story and setting. Infinity could be an opportunity for the franchise to do some much-needed condensing.

Whatever Infinity turns out to be, Ubisoft promises that the live game will still deliver sprawling narratives and interesting stories.

UPDATE: Netflix executives have outlined their ambitious multi-year plan for free games. Read more here.

Netflix confirms games are coming to the subscription service at no extra cost.

Netflix is getting into gaming. Instead of making a splash like Amazon and Google, the entertainment titan is easing into the $180 billion market with a slow-and-steady approach that focuses more on casual experiences first.

Having already made his mark on film, Neil Blomkamp is now setting his sights on interactive video games.

Neil Blomkamp, the director behind acclaimed films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, is helping shape the world for a new AAA online shooter. Blomkamp is working with Gunzilla Games, a newer studio made up of industry vets like Alex Zoll (Warface), Timur Davidenko (CryEngine), and Scott Probin (EA), and will use his unique vision to create an exotic sci-fi world.

Blomkamp will help the team create a long-term setting and story arc that evolves over time. "If you think of something like Elysium, the amount of forethought to build the world, you may be spending 95% of the time thinking through the worldbuilding in order to get to the 5%, which is the movie that you watch," Blomkamp tells IGN.

Tencent has acquired yet another games company, this time with UK developer Sumo Digital.

Tencent has purchased Sumo Digital, the developer behind games like LittleBig Planet 3, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Crackdown 3, for $1.27 billion (£919 million). Tencent paid a 43% premium over Sumo's pre-buyout share value.

Sumo has demonstrated clear expertise with diversified third-party and owned IP partnerships, and Tencent says it will take a hands-off approach with business. Sumo will "maintain the independence of its high quality existing turn-key, co-development and work-for-hire projects" while Tencent invests cash into the team and projects when needed. The Chinese firm says it wants to help Sumo create more wholly-owned IP that can be stretched across multiple geographies and platforms.