Gaming - Page 583

The rumors were 100% true. Gaming's second best-selling title of all time Grand Theft Auto V is the next free game on the Epic Store.

Epic is about to get a ton more account signups. GTA V is now totally free on the Epic Store, allowing anyone with a PC to access this generation's best-selling game. Everyone's trying to download it right now, crashing the Epic Store. Which is something they should've expected. The game will be available for free on the Epic Games Store until May 21.

This is a massively strategic move for Take-Two Interactive, and it's mostly predicated on one thing: Bringing more players into the digital GTA Online economy. GTA Online is a revenue monster that's generated over $1 billion in monetization earnings four years after launch, and last year alone the game raked in over $500 million from microtransactions and game sales.

Ubisoft once again teases a new Far Cry game could be a part of its huge FY2021 release slate, accompanying big games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs Legion. But COVID-19 may force a delay to next year.

Today Ubisoft announced its full FY2020 earnings, and outlined the future of its games. The company still plans a massive slate of titles to release from now until March 31, 2021. Some games, like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, are set in stone to launch alongside next-gen consoles. Other games could be delayed to the next fiscal year due to COVID-19 complications.

In the earnings brief, Ubisoft says it'll reveal another major AAA game from its "biggest franchises," and reports say this is a new Far Cry title. But it's not 100% certain that the new Far Cry will meet its FY2021 target.

The world's first real-time PlayStation 5 gameplay footage was a dazzling tech demo that pushed the hardware to its limits. How far? The PS5 devkit was able to steadily maintain 1440p 30FPS "most of the time" with cinematic-quality 8K textures, global illumination, and other new advanced techniques.

The new Unreal Engine 5 footage was absolutely incredible and gave us a taste of next-gen console gaming. But there's a few caveats. For one, it's a tech demo, not an actual game. Yes, it's playable with live source code on a PS5 devkit, but it won't actually ship. And two, the demo required intense horsepower for its Nanite system to render the billions of triangles needed for the scenes, and wasn't able to hit 60FPS on the PlayStation 5's 10TFLOP Navi GPU. It also required dynamic resolution scaling, which adjusts resolution on-the-fly to lock in a consistent frame rate. For reference, most of the PS4 Pro's 4K games have dynamic resolution scaling and few are native 4K.

Epic's VP of Engineering Nick Penwarden says the demo hit 1440p 30FPS on PlayStation 5 with dynamic resolution scaling enabled--the resolution spot between 1080p and 4K but at the lower FPS range for these kinds of action-adventure experiences.

Fortnite is coming to next-gen consoles (it's a service game that drives billions in revenues, so of course it is) and Epic will use it to experiment with its new Unreal Engine 5 tech later next year.

Today Epic Games announced Unreal Engine 5, a new powerhouse toolset that enables high-end visuals on next-gen consoles. Epic was the first to show real-time PlayStation 5 gameplay via a tech demo that uses the new Nanite geometry tech to inject cinematic-quality 8K texture assets into game scenes in real-time without texture pop-ins, and also uses Lumen, new global illumination tech. But there's just one issue: Unreal Engine 5 doesn't release until 2021.

Epic plans to bring Fortnite to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X at launch in 2020, but the game will use Unreal Engine 4 and not the beefy new graphics might of UE5. It'll be fully cross-progression between the console generations and it won't actually be a new version of Fortnite--although the next-gen version will take advantage of the new hardware.

Today Microsoft accidentally confirmed a ton of info about the Mafia Trilogy, a new definitive collection of 2K's crime drama series.

2K Games today announced the Mafia Trilogy, a collection that packs in Mafia, Mafia II, and Mafia III in one bundle that spans 40 years of organized crime across Illinois, New York, and New Orleans. 2K was light on details and planned to save announcements for a May 19 stream, but a now-deleted Microsoft Store listing confirmed a bunch of info.

The biggest surprise is how the first old-school Mafia game from 2002 has been completely remade. The game originally launched for the Xbox and PlayStation 2, and has been re-done from the ground up with enhanced visuals, textures, graphics, and improved animations. The results deliver eye-catching lighting effects, immaculate textures, and impressive environmental effects. "Faithfully recreated, with expanded story, gameplay and original score. This is the Mafia you remembered and much more," reads the listing.

Epic Games' Tim Sweeney praises the PlayStation 5's raw power and storage tech, calling Sony's next-gen hardware 'unprecedented' and 'absolutely phenomenal.'

Today Epic announced Unreal Engine 5, and showed the first-ever real-time gameplay running on a PlayStation 5 console in the form of an advanced tech demo. The Unreal Engine 5 looks to push the PS5 to its limits with 8K texture rendering alongside high-end and ultra-versatile Nanite tech, which allows for cinematic movie-quality assets to be injected right into a game using virtual geometry. To create these kinds of dev tools, Epic has nurtured an intimate relationship with the PlayStation 5 and knows its ins and outs.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney had some choice words about the PS5 that come from an actual understanding of the hardware itself instead of marketing hype-speak.

Today Epic Games announced Unreal Engine 5, a new toolset that's specifically optimized for next-gen consoles, and debuted the first-ever PlayStation 5 gameplay.

The new Unreal Engine 5 footage is a tech demo, but it showcases what the PlayStation 5 can do. And the results are stunning. The footage is amazingly technical and has a cinematic quality, using 8K textures via virtual texturing in the new high-end geometry polygon technology called Nanite. And it's all fully playable with live code on a PS5 devkit.

The demo runs over a billion polygons in every frame that are condensed into 20 million triangles per frame, and the demo clocks in at hundreds of billions of triangles. Epic says Nanite allows for limitless geometry and photorealistic visuals and allows devs to get to the sub-pixel level of quality and adequately portray the original high-end cinematic-quality assets that were scanned, all without any LoD or texture pop-ins.

Diablo II Resurrected, a remastered version of the old-school classic, is coming to PC in Q4 2020, sources tell ActuGaming.

It looks like best Diablo ever made is coming back in a big way. As a die-hard Diablo II fan, this news is tremendously exciting. But there's still a lot of details we don't know, and we need clarification. On the heels of Warcraft 3 Reforged's terrible port, I asked Blizzard not to remaster Diablo II. But sources tell ActuGaming that Vicarious Visions, the team that's helping Blizzard make the remaster, is taking D2 Resurrected very seriously.

The main questions I have center around Battle.net, mod support, and what version of Diablo II will be supported. Can we expect a remaster of the base Diablo II and the Lord of Destruction expansion? Base D2 isn't really worth playing with LoD's massive improvements--synergies, runewords, stash expansion, etc. Also what about Battle.net? Will there be cross-play between the original D2 and D2R? Are there chat lobbies? Are there game lists? Those are super important for ladder trading on Realm.

The PlayStation 5 won't be delayed and will meet its holiday 2020 launch, Sony today confirmed in an earnings report.

Despite previous warnings to investors, Sony now says coronavirus hasn't had a major impact on its console hardware production lines. The company said the PS5 is still "on track for launch in this

holiday season" and games haven't been disrupted either: "no major issues in game software development at this point."

Respawn Entertainment and EA have just kicked off Season 5 of battle royale giant Apex Legends, introducing an all-new character, a modified version of Kings Canyon, balances, tweaks, and so much more.

The new character hitting the roster in Apex Legends is Loba, which we've known about for a little while now: but now she's official, and you can play with her now that Season 5 is here. Loba is a master thief, where she has the ability of seeing rare loot through walls -- as well as being able to suck up loot in vicinity to herself, and even teleportation.

Loba isn't the only major new thing in Season 5, with Respawn making some big changes to Kings Canyon by introducing a totally new area: Skull Town. Normally there were a bunch of buildings hanging out in the middle of the desert, but now there is a military facility and underground base for you to have battles in -- and most of all, explore for loot.

I'm about sick of hearing about coronavirus as it is, but we will have long lasting effects from it -- even in the technology and gaming worlds.

In a new interview with Business Insider, Xbox boss Phil Spencer talked about how COVID-19 coronavirus is impacting the gaming world -- ramping up into the release of Microsoft's next-gen Xbox Series X console.

Spencer said: "Through the summer, early fall? I feel pretty good about those games. Games that were targeting a year from now or beyond? There'll be some impact, but they'll be able to react. Mocap is just something that's basically stopped. We're not going into mocap studios".

We are just 6 months away from the release of Microsoft's next-gen Xbox Series X console, with plenty to look forward to including proper 4K gaming support, 120FPS support, ray tracing, and so much more.

Microsoft recently unveiled its new 'Optimized for Xbox Series X' badge -- where it will continue to add games to its list that include upgrades over their last-gen versions. This will include up to 4K resolution support, 120FPS where supported, ray tracing, HDR, and Smart Delivery.

Not all games will receive a new injection of graphics and frame rate on the suped-up Xbox Series X console, as this is very different to the regular backwards compatibility we're used to. The "Optimized for Xbox Series X" label can see developers either building their game from the ground up for the Xbox Series X, or dabbing a bunch of fresh paint onto exiting games with improved graphics or higher frame rates like 120FPS.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick today confirmed the company plans to hire more than 2,000 employees this year alone, signalling big projects in development.

We've known for a while that Activision-Blizzard is working on a number of huge projects. Blizzard in particular has a stronger slate of new IPs than its ever had before, and there's also Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV in development. Activision's working on the new Vietnam-based Call of Duty 2020 and planning for more games into the future. Its segment is once again pulling in thunderous earnings thanks to Call of Duty Warzone, a new free-to-play BR game that's not only making millions in microtransactions, but boosting full game sales of Modern Warfare too. This is just the beginning of the #2 publisher's mighty leap into stronger billion-dollar earnings.

Now two years after laying off nearly 800 employees while simultaneously earning a record $7.5 billion, Activision is ready to reinvest in its workforce. The company wants to hire over 2,000 employees in 2020, which would push its total headcount above 11,200. And it's all to serve an ambitious new multi-faceted plan that will further cement its games into the lucrative live games-as-a-service market.

It's happening: 2K's fan-favorite Mafia sequel is getting remastered for current-gen consoles (and even Stadia).

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security in Brazil has rated Mafia II for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia, pretty much outing a re-release. Predictably the game is rated as 18+ in the country. The filing date also matches the original game's 2010 filing, but this is likely a placeholder of some sort.

This isn't a surprise. Fans have anticipated a remaster ever since the official Mafia Twitter account started posting one-word taglines like family, power, and respect. Everyone saw this one coming. Neither 2K nor Take-Two have officially announced anything regarding the Mafia II remaster, but expect a big reveal soon enough with screenshots, trailers and more showing side-by-side visual improvements.

Xbox exec Aaron Greenberg clarifies the Xbox Series X's standard 60FPS output, confirming developers will have total freedom over frame rates in their games.

Microsoft might be talking too much about the Xbox Series X and it's gotten them into hot water. A bit ago, Xbox's Aaron Greenberg said 60FPS is the standard output for the next-gen Xbox Series X, leading many to believe that was the minimum FPS performance on the system. That's not the case. Developers won't be forced to push their games to 60FPS on the system, and the Xbox Series X won't automatically upgrade every single game to at least 60 frames-per-second.

Confusion set in when Ubisoft confirmed Assassin's Creed Valhalla would run at a minimum 4K 30FPS on the Xbox Series X. Apparently everyone expected 4K 60FPS performance, which is an extremely tall order. But then again, Microsoft has hyped up 4K 120FPS gaming on the next-gen Xbox.

Today Activision confirmed the Tony Hawk 1 & 2 remaster bundle, which packs enhanced visuals, original tracks, skate maps, and more.

After the failure of Tony Hawk 5, Activision is going back to its roots with a fully-on remaster of the first two Tony Hawk games. The remaster bundle releases September 4, 2020 on PS4, Xbox One, and the Epic Games Store for $40, and comes with all the classic skaters you know and love. It also packs the series' best feature: Create-a-Park map editing. This was my favorite thing in the series and gamers will be able to create their own custom maps, share them with friends, and download other maps online.

"New to Create-A-Park this time around is a robust editor enabling new ways of customization. Players will be able to share parks online with friends and outfit skaters with customization options."

Sony takes cues from Microsoft and forms its own first-party PlayStation Studios banner that ties all of its game studios together.

Today Sony announced PlayStation Studios (not to be confused with PlayStation Productions), a new collective that brings all of its first-party developers like Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, Sucker Punch, Sony Santa Monica, and Guerrilla Games together in one designated place. The new PS Studios formation is part of Sony's big marketing push for the cross-gen environment. Future first-party PlayStation 4 and upcoming PlayStation 5 games will be marked with a special label on their boxes, but some games like The Last of Us II and Ghost of Tsushima won't have the new designation (these boxes have already been manufactured for store shelves).

"We are really excited about this. Over the last few years--and even the last decade--the strength of the titles coming out from our studios has been stronger than ever. We have been thinking about how we unite all of these great games under one brand, and really the purpose of that is to make the consumer understand that, when they see this brand, they're getting ready for a robust, innovative, deep experience that they've come to expect from games coming from PlayStation. So we came up with PlayStation Studios," SIE's Eric Lempel told GamesIndustry.biz.

A recent Sony Japan job listing flat out says the PlayStation 5 will release October 2020, but Sony confirms this isn't accurate.

No, the PlayStation 5 isn't coming in October. Sony tells Japanese publication Famitsu the job listing was an error and is still set for an undisclosed Holiday 2020 launch time (likely sometime in November). The listing itself was for Sony's materials acquisition department, which lays out the supply path for console hardware including the next-gen PS5.

"We will select the best suppliers from domestic and overseas parts partners, and adjust the specifications of the hardware parts and the production capacity in cooperation with the design department and the quality assurance department to create the PlayStation 5 scheduled to be released in October 2020," the erroneous job opening states.

Capcom wants to break its all-time game sales record this year, and it'll probably use Resident Evil 8 to do it.

Back in 2019, we predicted Capcom was gearing up for next-gen. Now we're seeing that plan mature. The company today revealed that it plans to sell 28 million games this fiscal year. That's more than it sold during Monster Hunter World's launch year, and that game is the company's best-seller of all time with 15.5 million sales.

Clearly something big is on the way, and for Capcom, it doesn't get any bigger than Resident Evil.

If you've been waiting there patiently twiddling your thumbs, then you're going to be disappointed to hear that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still many years away from release. Bethesda's senior VP of global marketing, Pete Hines, confirmed the news in a tweet:

Hines was asked a question by Quinton Meyers on Twitter, on when we can expect some information released by Bethesda on The Elder Scrolls 6. Hines replied that Elder Scrolls 6 is coming "after Starfield", reminding us that we "pretty much know nothing about". He then continues, adding "so if you're coming at me for details now and not years from now, I'm failing to properly manage your expectations".

I personally think that was a pretty harsh response, and then noticed that Mark Campbell - who writes for Overclock3D, tweeted a response that hits the nail in the head: