Gaming - Page 552

Ashraf Ismail, creative director on two recent big Assassin's Creed games, is stepping away from the franchise following allegations of infidelity.

New sexual harassment and misconduct scandals are shaking up the games industry, and this time Ubisoft's Ashraf Ismail is in the limelight. Multiple people allege that Ismail cheated on his wife many times, and one woman reveals Ismail had full-blown relationships with women while simultaneously living a double married life.

Now Ismail basically admits these allegations are true. Ismail has since deleted his Twitter account, but his last Tweet read: "I am stepping down from my beloved project to properly deal with the personal issues in my life. The lives of my family and my own are shattered. I am deeply sorry to everyone hurt in this."

More evidence of the low-cost next-gen Xbox has popped up in official Microsoft source code, this time in the Xbox Development Kit environment.

Microsoft may release two next-gen Xbox consoles this holiday season: The beastly 12TFLOP Xbox Series X (codenamed Anaconda), and a cheaper, less-powerful Xbox Series S (codenamed Lockhart). Just days ago mention of Lockhart was found in Windows 10 source code, and now it's also been found in the new Xbox SDK update.

Twitter user TitleOS spotted the reference, which seems to confirm Lockhart will be branded as the Xbox Series S. Lockhart currently has a profiling mode in the Xbox Game Development Kit software, and apparently also has a hardware devkit floating around.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fans will be glad to know that they will be receiving the new patch, which will contain the new fighter very soon.

According to a post from the Nintendo of Europe Twitter account, version 8.0.0 for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be arriving on players' consoles within one week. So what will be included in version 8.0.0? The post says that version 8.0.0 will include fighter adjustments, and if Nintendo keeps to its same path of new fighters being added on rounded numbers, this patch will also contain the newly announced Min Min.

This release date of version 8.0.0 also coincides perfectly with the release date of Min Min (June 29th). I would expect the update to be rolled out late on June 28th, and then enabled on June 29th for players to enjoy. As with every large Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, all replays will be incompatible with the previous version of the game, so be sure to convert your replays into videos before updating. Be sure to check out Mr. Sakurai's presentation on Min Min below.

In a move ahead of its next-gen PlayStation 5 launch, Sony has announced it will pay security researchers to discover bugs on the PlayStation 4, its operating system, related websites, and PlayStation Network.

Sony is offering between $100 and up to $50,000 (and sometimes more) for varying vulnerabilities in its products and services. On the low-end of the reward scale, Sony will pay $100 for vulnerabilities found in its PlayStation Network, while up to $500 is offered to find issues in the PS4.

The 'Medium' reward for vulnerabilities in PSN is $400 while the PS4 is much higher at $2500, while 'High' rewards are much larger at $1000 for PSN issues, and up to $10,000 for the PS4. But it's the 'Critical' issues that reward the best, with Sony offering security researchers $3000 for issues found on the PlayStation Network while it offers a rather large $50,000 for PS4.

Project CARS 3 now has a release date, with publisher BANDAI NAMCO announcing that it will drop on August 28, 2020.

The new game will feature some new twists and turns, since developer Slightly Mad Studios was acquired by Codemasters in November 2019. Project CARS 3 now has a re-worked career mode, with upgrades included -- meaning you can find the car you love, and upgrade it throughout Project CARS 3.

The recent announce trailer for Project CARS 3 left fans divided, something you can read more about here. Slightly Mad Studios boss Ian Bell said back in July 2019 that Project CARS 3 is a "revolution" and a "game changer", which you can read more about here.

Acer has just unveiled a new gaming chair during its Next@Acer 2020 event, with the introduction of the new Predator Gaming Chair x OSIM.

Acer's new Predator Gaming Chair x OSIM changes the traditional gaming chair landscape up a little bit, throwing in two sets of massage rollers that surround the spine of the chair. Acer builds in 3 preset massage programs that will gently massage your neck and shoulders, lumbar, and general energy.

Lower back feeling a little sore? Sure, you can tweak the program to only massage your back. Neck sore? Just a single adjustment away. As for the back rollers, they can reach 6 different positions over your shoulders.

It feels like this has been the biggest week in regards to Battlefield 6 rumors, where I think EA teased an entire building collapse in Battlefield 6 -- and EA boss Laura Miele saying the team are "creating epic battles at a scale and fidelity unlike anything you've experienced before" for BF6.

Tom Henderson, an industry insider, tweeted that the "next Battlefield title is a modern setting". What set the tweet off was the media saying that the gameplay in the EA Play 2020 footage was from Battlefield 6. More specifically, the part when all those soldiers were walking along the beach -- but this wasn't from BF6, it was "tech demo footage and the placeholder assets are from Battlefield V", Henderson explained.

EA DICE will reportedly unveil Battlefield 6 in "9 months or so" according to Henderson, which would put it at March 2021 -- smack bang in the middle of what should hopefully be GDC 2021 -- the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

First we had Doom Eternal's Spicy Demonade to fuel your hellish slaughterfests. Now G FUEL is making a Sonic energy drink so you can go fast while you game.

There's no gaming icon more fitting for his own energy drink than Sonic The Hedgehog. Apparently G FUEL agrees, so we're getting a new flavor inspired by the blue blur. Introducing G FUEL Sonic's Peach Rings, a new energy formula that packs in all the deliciousness of gummy peach candy with the jolt of SEGA's platforming speed.

The Sonic G FUEL line will be available in August, but no pricing has been announced.

The upcoming Xbox game streaming service Project xCloud will mimic one of Stadia's most transformative features: Click-to-play gaming.

On the surface, Project xCloud is set to absolutely annihilate Google Stadia. xCloud simply has a better value proposition. It will be an extension of Game Pass, complete with all-you-can-stream games on phones, consoles, PCs and laptops, and it'll also let you stream games you already own and connect directly to Xbox LIVE. Rather that starting from scratch like Google is with Stadia, xCloud lets you message and play with your friends wherever you are.

And now Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed xCloud will utilize the massively innovative click-to-play feature that will open a new dimension of access. This is absolutely huge for the instant-access versatility of game streaming service. With click-to-play you'll basically be able to click a link on Facebook or Instagram and jump right into a game without downloading anything.

Developers don't have to lift a finger to leverage the PS5's ultra-fast 5.5GB/sec PCIe 4.0 SSD, and their games are booting and running incredibly fast without any patches or optimizations.

A few months ago, Mark Cerny said the PlayStation 5's custom 12-channel SSD is so fast that devs may have to make their games run artificially slower so gamers aren't disoriented. This is a pretty crazy claim and for a while we haven't really heard developers talk about the PS5's solid state drive tech. But now devs are starting to chime in, and the claims are pretty huge.

On the PlayStation Blog, Crystal Dynamics' chief technology officer Gary Snethen says developers don't have to lift a finger to get faster speeds on the PS5. By virtue of its specialized flash memory, ultra-fast streaming channels, synergized hardware, and seek-less loading, the console's SSD will natively boost speeds by orders of magnitude faster than the PS4's slow mechanical HDD.

PS4 and Xbox One gamers who buy Crystal Dynamics' new Avengers game will get the next-gen version for free, the devs recently confirmed.

Square Enix is taking a friction-less and more streamlined route with next-gen upgrades. The new Avengers live game is getting two different versions: One for PS4 and Xbox One, and one for PS5 and Xbox Series X. Anyone who buys the game for current-gen systems also gets a free copy of the PS5 and Xbox Series X version too. This initiative also lets gamers easily transfer their saves between consoles, and cross-gen support ensures a wider pool of players

The devs at Crystal Dynamics promise Avengers will be massively enhanced on next-gen systems. The game aims to push the PlayStation 5's hardware to its limits, including the ultra-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD with its 5.5GB/sec data transfer rates. Avengers is also continuing the awesome trend of performance vs resolution modes--similar to the new Demon's Souls remake, Avengers has two separate settings that prioritize frame rates or higher resolution. The high frame rate option targets 60FPS with dynamic resolution scaling.

Uh, so Secretlab just teased a new gaming chair -- what appears to be a limited edition custom Cyberpunk 2077 gaming chair. Check it out:

We know absolutely nothing about this chair, but it is a 2020 series gaming chair from Cyberpunk 2077 -- but it seems as though it is in the current red/black theme and not the Cyberpunk 2077 theme of black and yellow. We might be early here, but the Secretlab logo is in the iconic Cyberpunk 2077 yellow/black theme.

Secretlab teases "June 26" which is when we should hear more about this new Cyberpunk 2077 gaming chair... until then, stay strapped in to your chair -- which you might want to upgrade later this year when the game drops.

You can't escape the political machines of BLM and COVID-19 -- even hidden away in games, with Gearbox Software offering a new in-game face mask in Borderlands 3 to anyone who donates to Direct Relief to provide aid to medical workers responding to COVID-19.

All you have to do is donate $5 or more on Gearbox's own merchandise website, which then you'll receive a shift code that unlocks a new Antisocial head cosmetic for Borderlands 3. The donation you make goes go Direct Relief, providing aid and personal protection equipment (PPE) to medical professionals.

Thomas Tighe, president and CEO of Direct Relief, explains: "This campaign and these contributions are coming at a critical time in the pandemic. While states are opening, we continue to see surges in the spread of Coronavirus and there is still a need to provide PPE for frontline healthcare workers. Direct Relief is deeply grateful to Gearbox for its partnership".

The Order: 1886 developer Ready at Dawn has just been acquired by Facebook, and will be pushed into the warm, and waiting arms of Oculus Studios.

In a blog post on the official Oculus website, VP of AR/VR Content at Facebook, Mike Verdu, explains: "Having shipped titles to multiple platforms in the past, Ready At Dawn is a veteran game developer with some serious chops-as well as a VR pioneer. They've created four titles for the Oculus Platform, including Lone Echo, Echo Arena, Echo Combat, and Lone Echo II, which is currently in development".

Verdu continues: "In addition to setting the bar for narrative VR experiences, Lone Echo re-wrote the playbook for VR movement mechanics with the debut of Ready At Dawn's signature innovative continuous locomotion system and full-body IK (inverse kinematics). The zero-g mechanic is used throughout the Echo Games franchise and lends itself well to VR beginners and competitive VR esports alike".

The last couple of Battlefield games have not caught my attention, and with DICE splintered apart from the developers who made classics like Battlefield 1942, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 3 -- there is a glimmer of hope that Battlefield 6 could be an all-out chaos fest unlike anything we've seen before.

The hype is real, where EA recently teased what I think is an entire building collapsing during its recent EA Play 2020 event -- where during the event EA boss Laura Miele dialed the hype meter for Battlefield 6 up to 11. She said: "Our studios are taking their crazy ambitious ideas and making them real".

Miele continued, adding: "Every console generation DICE sets the bar for excellence in audio and visual presentation. We are creating epic battles at a scale and fidelity unlike anything you've experienced before".

SuckerPunch's cinematic open-world samurai epic Ghost of Tsushima is 100% finished and ready to meet its July 17 release date.

As Sony readies the PS5 for holiday 2020, Ghost of Tsushima may be among the last major PS4-exclusive games to come out. The stylish samurai slasher combines a stunning worldscape right out of 13th century Japanese history and chronicles a bloody story of Jin Sakai, a lethal swordbearer. As you play, you're essentially forging his legend and legacy with your actions. Choose to play as the dishonorable and stealthy ninja, or stand tall as an unflinching samurai as you slice your way through enemies.

"We're thrilled to announce that Ghost Of Tsushima has gone GOLD! This is the culmination of years of hard work from our team and we can't wait to get it into your hands-on July 17!" SuckerPunch said on Twitter.

Fortnite isn't just a game. It's a platform. Fortnite is the place you go to advertise an IP, movie, or entertainment property, or to even hold an interactive concert. It's a billboard that can broadcast a huge message. Even still, Epic is taking a somewhat muted stance against the civil unrest in the United States.

As the world's biggest companies rally against police brutality and proclaim black lives matter, some like Epic Games have yet to use their powerful billion-dollar megaphone to do the same. But Epic is doing something in their own way. Today Epic has removed all police cars from Fortnite's in-game map as a symbolic protest against the slaying of George Floyd and the resulting riots, protests, and civil revolution that's surging across the United States.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Epic doesn't feel this move is explicitly political. "I wouldn't say it's a political statement. I think it's just us being sensitive about the issues many people in our audience are dealing with," an unnamed Epic rep told the WSJ's Sarah Needleman.

Digital gaming generated $10.2 billion in May 2020, driven by heavy-hitting monetization from games like GTA Online, League of Legends, and the PUBG China mobile release Peackeeper Elite.

Digital game sales, subscriptions, DLC and microtransactions made $10.2 billion in May 2020, analyst firm SuperData reports. These earnings represent a 14% YoY growth spike on the heels of two massive months of revenue surges: First in March, and then a record-breaking $10.5 billion in April 2020.

Console earnings were down a pretty substantial 27% from April, but year-over-year spending was greater than May 2019. Consoles generated 23% more earnings than last year, mobile was up 14% and PC revenues jumped by 8%.

WB Montreal's new Batman game is apparently called Gotham Knights, a plural title that strongly corroborates past reports of multiple playable heroes.

A new domain registration for GothamKnightsGame.com has outed the name of WB Montreal's mysterious new Batman game. The website was registered by MarkMonitor Inc, the same company that handled WB's mainsite registration. MarkMonitor also registered Rocksteady's new Suicide Squad game.

The Gotham Knights title actually speaks volumes. Gotham Knights was originally an older 2000s era comic series that specifically focused on the adventures of the Bat Family, including Damien Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Barbara Gordon.

Rocksteady Studios, the team behind the fan-favorite Batman Arkham series, is currently developing a live service game centered around the Suicide Squad.

New reports have finally pinpointed Rocksteady's next game, and it's not a Superman or Justice League game. Well not really. Sources tell Eurogamer that Rocksteady's next project focuses on the Suicide Squad's ragtag group of antiheroes, complete with online-based play and live game elements.

Gamers will apparently take control over the villains as they try their best to hunt down the Justice League. Past reports said Rocksteady was working on a Justice League live game but it turns out this is only half-true. It's unknown whether or not the Justice League will be playable and whether or not the game will be a kind of good vs. evil online battler similar to something like DC Universe Online.