Gaming - Page 547

Sony has purchased a $250 million minority stake in billion-dollar titan Epic Games, the company today announced.

Sony has invested $250 million into Epic Games in a bid to strengthen its relationship with one of gaming's top moneymakers. The deal isn't just about swelling Sony's coffers, though. Epic has unique technological advantages in the industry thanks to its Unreal Engine games-making software.

For perspective's sake, the $250 million investment only nets Sony a 1.5% stake in Epic, which is now valued at over $17 billion.

Sony officially reveals the design and color scheme of next-gen PS5 game boxes, and they're not radically different.

The PS5's game cases will be different enough to distinguish between current- and next-gen games, but Sony hasn't opted for a dramatic redesign. The PS5 game cases feature a slightly darker transparent blue plastic casing, and the game cover art is accompanied by a stark white banner instead of the PS4's stylish blue gradient.

New job listings confirm Id Software is currently working on a next-gen Doom game for PS5 and Xbox Series X.

id's main Dallas, Texas branch is currently hiring multiple positions to work on a next-gen game, and we're betting it's the next big Doom slaughterfest. id is currently hiring for 21 open positions required for making a AAA game, but only a few of them explicitly mention next-gen consoles.

Both the Senior UI Programmer and Senior Rendering Graphics Programmer jobs specifically mention creating games for next-gen systems.

PC gamers across the world might be stuck inside because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are doing what we do best: gaming. The entire global PC gaming hardware business has been thriving because of this -- as well as the countless releases of new games, and the upcoming next-gen consoles right around the corner.

Analyst firm JPR has released their Worldwide PC Gaming Hardware Market Report, which if you want to buy it and check it out will cost $27,500. The report is written by Senior Analyst Gaming Industry at JPR, Ted Pollak, who explains: "The PC Gaming Hardware market is in a rare scenario where every segment is going up. We see a lot of people buying and upgrading personal and company subsidized computers with better parts, with the intention of playing video games. In the Entry-Level, much of this revenue comes from new gamers".

He added: "The 2020 Entry-Level category is forecast to grow 21.7% which is unprecedented and totally unexpected. The Mid-Range has bounced back from a slide; now in positive territory. At the High-End, 1440p+ display sales (spurred by more affordable offerings) created a chain reaction of upgrades as gamers configure rigs for 60+ frames per second".

It's been a while since we've gotten big Switch Online NES and SNES games. Thankfully Nintendo breaks the dry spell with one of the best SNES games of all time.

With its new round of free games like Donkey Kong Country (finally!), The Immortal, and Natsume Championship Wrestling, Nintendo makes good on its promise to add more value to its Switch Online subscription service. The main draw here is obviously Donkey Kong Country, aka the stuff childhood dreams (and nightmares, god that stop and go level has haunted me to this day) are made of.

The Immortal looks pretty interesting too. It's an isometric exploration game that can be pretty maddening, but still looks like a bit of fun entertainment, especially with save states at your command. Check out this James and Mike Mondays episode to see what The Immortal is all about.

Niantic's immensely popular AR sensation Pokemon GO has generated nearly $1 billion in revenue every year for the last four years, Sensor Tower reports.

Pokemon GO just turned four years old but the mobile hit shows no signs of stopping. The free-to-play game has earned substantial revenues of $3.6 billion in estimated microtransaction spending across its four-year lifetime. The game is most popular in the United States, which spent $1.3 billion on the game, making up roughly 35% of total global earnings.

The pocket monster mobile hit is most popular on Android devices, Sensor Tower finds. Google Play generated $1.9 billion or 54% of total earnings, whereas the iOS App Store pulled in $1.7 billion, or about 46% of the mobile pie. Pokemon GO's 2020 numbers are on track to match or even beat 2019's performance with over $445 million earned through the year so far.

Sony hasn't thrown all of its next-gen cards on the table, and reportedly still has a few PS5 surprises in store for the rest of the year.

According to new reports from Eurogamer's Tom Phillips, Sony has held back some of its major game reveals for its rumored State of Play event in August. Phillips has a close ear with the going-ons in the games industry and has a good track record when it comes to inside knowledge--he was among the first to cover Nintendo Switch specs and hardware capabilities.

The move admittedly is common sense. Sony wouldn't benefit from showing everything at a singular PS5 reveal event. The better plan would be to show off the PS5, its games, and do some light talks about how the games will run and play on the system, then reveal more content, games, and features closer to the system's launch. That way the console is kind of refreshed in the public's eye before it hits store shelves in Holiday 2020.

Valorant's new Elderflame cosmetic skin set costs roughly $95 to unlock, which is roughly $31 more than current AAA game releases.

Like all of Riot's games, its new free-to-play hero shooter was built with microtransactions in mind. Now we're starting to see the upper limits of the game's monetization. The devs have announced a new Elderflame cosmetic set that transforms your guns into dragons, but the full set of unique skins come at a steep 9900 VP price tag. This equates to roughly $95 or thereabouts, or about 48% more than your average $59.99 game plus tax.

Given the current VP pricing tiers, the cheapest way to buy the Elderflame set would look something like this:

Microsoft may give developers tons of freedom in how they handle next-gen Xbox Series X optimizations, but there's one thing they forbid: charging money for next-gen game upgrades.

Internal Microsoft mandates prohibit game developers and publishers from selling game upgrades on the Xbox Series X platform, sources tell Video Game Chronicle. Instead of treating current-gen game upgrades as premium DLC on next-gen consoles, Microsoft is encouraging developers to support its Smart Delivery program, which automatically selects, downloads, and applies any developer-issued next-gen game upgrades.

Third-party games-makers have two options for cross-gen transitional games. First, they can support Smart Delivery, or second, they can release a separate next-gen exclusive SKU of the game. There's lots of wiggle room here. 2K Games, for example, is releasing a $69.99 next-gen exclusive version of NBA 2K21. EA is also releasing next-gen exclusive versions of FIFA 21 and Madden 21, but these games have a new program called Dual Entitlement, which gives a free copy of the next-gen version to anyone who buys a PS4 or Xbox One copy.

The new game from Greedfall developer Spiders Studios is extremely unique and lays out an interesting proposition: What if King Louis XVI quelled the French Revolution with an army of robots?

Spiders' new game Steelrising is rather interesting. It takes place in 18th Century France just before the disastrous and brutal French Revolution tore down the monarchy. King Louis XVI is in power and plans to smash any opposition with his brutal new mech army. Spiders says Steelrising is more action-oriented than Greedfall, Technomancer, or Bound By Flame, but didn't show any actual gameplay. It's possible this could be a very NieR-esque game that's cemented in the studio's native history.

In Steelrising, you play as Aegis, a powerful female automaton who serves as the personal protector of Queen Mary Antoinette. The teaser clearly shows Aegis as she leads a charge against corrupted robots. We should expect themes of transhumanism as well as Detroit: Become Human-style existential moments.

THQ Nordic is far from done with the Kingdoms of Amalur IP, and plans to launch new expansion content for the 2012 game. This could lay the groundwork for a big new sequel.

Kingdoms of Amalur is getting a remaster re-release in the next two months on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The remaster packs in new graphics, effects, and improvements to the old-school RPG classic. It also sends a clear signal that THQ Nordic wants to capitalize on the IP, which isn't necessarily something that it does for all of the franchises it owns. But Kingdoms of Amalur isn't just getting a remaster--it's also getting a new expansion.

The next expansion is called Fatesworn, and it's due out in 2021 on all platforms. It'll be a paid and premium-style expansion, and could telegraph THQ Nordic's plans for the series. When games are resurrected like this, we often see devs work on expansions, DLC, or spin-offs to get developers back into the groove and help set up the story and tone for a sequel. Just look at what Valve did with Half-Life: Alyx, for example.

The upcoming Mafia Definitive Edition remake is being pushed back a month to September 25 in order to ensure the game looks and plays as good as possible, developer Hangar 13 today announced.

There's remakes, and then there's the Mafia Definitive Edition. Hangar 13 has completely revitalized the 2002 PS2 original with mindblowing visuals and effects befit of modern platforms, complete with new animations, higher-end textures, and an improved physics system.

It looks so impressive that it could be a next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X game. But this kind of quality comes at a cost, and sometimes delays a part of the process, especially when your work is being interrupted by a global pandemic.

Halo 3 is coming to the Master Chief Collection on PC next week on July 14, 2020, Microsoft today announced.

On July 14, the Master Chief Collection gets one step closer to full completion on PC. Armed with 24 multiplayer maps, fully remastered graphics, a sprawling campaign (with a brand new jetpack skull), and higher-end PC optimizations like uncapped frame rates and 4K 60FPS, Halo 3 scratches that nostalgia itch while also giving PC players their first chance to jump in and finish the fight. Full cross-play between Steam and Windows Store buyers ensures there's also someone to play with or play against.

Halo 3 also launches with the hugely anticipated Forge mode, which of course needs no introduction. Expect tons of customs chicanery on a level we've never seen before. Forge is also coming to Halo: Reach and Halo 2: Anniversary, too. Theater is also dropping so you can capture your highlights.

I don't think this has ever happened, and seems to be the first time it might have happened -- a pro Rocket League player was shocked by lightning through her PS4 controller.

Rocket League streamer Karma was streaming commentary for a 1v1 Salt Mine II tournament -- but not playing the game, and was shocked through her PlayStation 4 controller and the lightning bolt didn't even hit her house. The lightning struck her neighbor's house, but transferred through to her house and into her controller.

Karma said it "somehow hit me -- the controller sparked" with "really big sparks". Scary! She said that her hands were sore for two afterwards, but with any event like this there are also mental scars from it, too.

We know that Microsoft's next-gen Xbox Series X console will be running Dirt 5 at 120FPS, but now the developer has confirmed that the PlayStation 5 version of the game will also have a 120FPS option.

In a recent interview with Dirt 5's development director Rob Karp with the Official PlayStation Magazine UK, who said: "The power of the PS5 also means that we will have an option for 120fps, which is very exciting for the racers who know that every frame counts".

It's not just the new horsepower in Sony's new PlayStation 5 console that gets used, the new DualSense controller is getting a work out, too. Karp added that "the DualSense is great. When we got the tech demo up and running the whole studio came around and everyone wanted a go. It offers something new and unique and we felt it fits really well for racing, especially for a game with such diversity of content and cars".

Microsoft finally confirms its big next-gen Xbox Series X games showcase for late July, complete with actual Halo: Infinite gameplay footage.

The big first-party next-gen Xbox games extravaganza is set for July 23 at 9AM PST/12PM EST, Microsoft today announced. The event will be the big proving point for the world's most powerful console and its monstrous 12TFLOP Navi RDNA 2 GPU. Microsoft has spent lots of marketing dollars hyping up the Xbox Series X, and now it's time to prove what the console is capable of. Expect massive gameplay showcases and first-party reveals during the event, including full-on announcements of in-development titles as well as tech demos of the Xbox Series X's capabilities.

Microsoft has been incredibly transparent with the Xbox Series X's technology, cooling, software architectures, and overall functionality. But until now we haven't really seen any games running on the system. Later this month we'll not only see next-gen gameplay, but Halo: Infinite gameplay running on its new Slipspace Engine that's been specifically optimized for the Series X.

Microsoft could become the new owner of WB Games IPs and studios, and oversee the development of games in the Mortal Kombat, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Batman franchises.

Microsoft has reportedly joined EA, Activision-Blizzard, and Take-Two Interactive as bidders for Warner Bros. gaming division, sources tell The Information.

The development is actually quite substantial for Microsoft's Xbox gaming branch, and would significantly bolster the company's lineup of franchises and hit software. AT&T, the owners of Warner Bros. properties like WB Games, are said to sell the gaming segment to help offset some of its current debts.

It's officially happening: Shadow Warrior 3 is set to release in 2021 on consoles and PC, complete with a bunch of new additions, enemies, mechanics and more.

Today Devolver Digital and Flying Wild Hog announced Shadow Warrior 3 in the best way possible: With a fourth wall-breaking trailer with maximum Wang. The new sequel keeps the same authentic parkour-style first-person shoot-and-slash combat complete with quips, middle fingers, and raucous insults. But this time around Wang has some new tricks up his sleeves, including a grappling hook that's straight out of Link's arsenal. The hook will deliver some exciting new opportunities for traversal and swing-and-gun action.

Shadow Warrior 3 takes place in a kind of Neo-Japan that blends high-tech with ancient Japanese folklore. Wang will have special powers like a nifty kamehameha-like attack, and there's plenty of yokai lifted right out of old myths.

Ubisoft follows Microsoft's playbook and promises to give you a free game just from watching its new E3-style digital show.

Today Ubisoft confirmed more details about its big digital Ubisoft Forward showcase, and have tossed in a free game to boot. If you sign in any time between when the show starts at 12PM PST / 3PM EST and ends at 12:45PM PST / 3:45PM EST, you'll get a free copy of Watch Dogs 2. Back in 2016, I marked Watch Dogs 2 as my game of the year and said it's something everyone should play. Now everyone can actually play it.

The 45-minute live stream will highlight everything Ubisoft is currently working on. The company plans to ship four major AAA games this fiscal year, but we only know about three of them: Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, and Rainbow Six Quarantine. The mystery game should be Far Cry 6.

The mysterious Diablo II Resurrected remaster could be revealed in late 2020, sources tell ActuGaming's Julien Blary.

Diablo II just turned 20 years old and Blizzard didn't really do much to celebrate it. There was no big in-game event, no surprise expansion, no anticipated Diablo II Resurrected remaster. The company missed a big opportunity to underline a rare 20th anniversary event, but new reports say Blizzard is saving an announcement for late 2020.

Actu Gaming's Julien Blary, who originally broke the Diablo II Resurrected news, now says progress on the nebulous remaster is accelerating at Blizzard. A reveal could be slated for 2020's end and a full-on release could follow in 2021 or thereabouts.