Gaming - Page 715

The United States could raise its trade tariff with China to 25%, and video game companies could raise prices of consoles to offset the hike.

The U.S. is currently embroiled in a trade war with China that's starting to heat up. Right now the United States, which represents a sizable portion of console hardware revenues, has instated a 10% tariff on Chinese goods. A new proposal from the U.S. Trade Representative's Office could raise the toll to 25% and cast an ad valorem tax around more Chinese imports including video games consoles, the components found in gaming hardware, and even accessories like controllers.

The following game-related products and imports are included in the proposal:

Expect to see more of Deep Silver's biggest games get timed exclusivity on the Epic Games Store.

Metro Exodus' exclusivity deal on the Epic Store worked out quite well for THQ Nordic. The game not only helped skyrocket earnings by over 500% last year, but was the single best-selling title on all platforms and the biggest release in THQ Nordic's history. But how much of that revenue came from the Epic Store? Most of it, actually.

Previous comments from THQ Nordic's Lars Wingefors said Metro Exodus sold best on consoles and led gamers to believe the Epic deal backfired. That isn't the case. Console still reigns because of combined physical and digital sales, but THQ Nordic actually made more from Metro Exodus on Epic's PC store than it did from digital console revenues.

This year's Call of Duty game won't actually be called Modern Warfare 4, but instead just...Modern Warfare.

Multiple sources say Call of Duty 2019 will be called Modern Warfare, seeing Activision pull a similar naming scheme as EA with Battlefield 1 in 2016. Whether or not the game will be a reboot for the series remains unknown. Infinity Ward has been teasing the project for a while now and key Modern Warfare series vets have returned to make the new FPS.

Activision confirmed this year's Modern Warfare will have full singleplayer campaign with optional co-op. There's a possibility that Modern Warfare 2019 will also feature a free-to-play online mode for maximum engagement and monetization potential.

One of the newest titles to hit the Epic Games Store is Phoenix Labs' Dauntless. The title has seen quite the level of popularity as 500,000 players have jumped into the action in just 24 hours.

Dauntless released onto the Epic Games Store on May 21st, and since then the title has managed to pick up some major support player-base wise. This massive influx of players is mostly due to Dauntless releasing on the Epic Games Store with cross-play and cross-progression, meaning players on Xbox, PS4 and PC can enjoy the game together. This was a goal of Phoenix Labs right from the beginning.

Since the release of Dauntless on the PC, the game has seen 500,000 more players join the Shattered Isles, which has brought the total player count up to 4 million already. Since that is quite the amount of players, Phoenix Labs has taken to their Twitter account to explain that there could be some issues with matchmaking. They say that players should expect some delays until the server traffic is ironed out and stable. Phoenix Labs also express that they are working tirelessly on any and all issues that have been presented to them. For more information about Dauntless, check out the listing for the title on the official Epic Games Store here.

Turn-based strategy fans that haven't already picked up Mutant Year Zero are truly missing out on a fantastic title. Now that fantastic title is about to change things up a bit with a brand new DLC that will be adding a new character into the mix.

For those that don't know what Mutant Year Zero is, the game revolves around turn-based combat that captures the likes of interesting storyline, while also combining stealth and strategy. The game takes after that of XCOM, and allows for players to control mutant humanoids in a post-human world.

The new DLC titled 'Seed of Evil' throws a new playable character into the mix 'Big Khan'. Big Khan is a moose and is awfully good at dealing critical damage to his enemies. Khan also comes with some unique mutations such as Ground Pound and Flame Puke, both of these abilities are designed to change up the play style of players and encourage more diverse tactics. Mutant Year Zero: Seed of Evil will be released on July 30th.

If you are an owner of Dead Cells and enjoyed playing through the title and are after a bit more content, then you are in luck. As a new DLC has been released on all platforms, completely free of charge.

Dead Cells players who own a copy of the base game will soon be able to jump into the 'Rise of the Giant' DLC that is being released onto all platforms. This new DLC will allows for players to experience a whole new level of play that will include difficult and new enemies.

As players progress through the level they will eventually be faced with the final challenge, the giant we see at the end of the above launch trailer. Dead Cells developers, Motion Twin have also said that there is plenty of hidden pieces of content that can be found throughout the DLC. Dead Cells: Rise of the Giant can be downloaded on all respective platforms now!

Ready At Dawn is currently prototyping a big new AAA game, and it could release on Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5.

Ready At Dawn, the team behind the visually stunning but mechanically lackluster The Order 1886, is making a new console game that may harness the raw power of Sony's new PS5 system. In a recent interview with Venture Beat, Ready At Dawn CEO Ru Weerasuriya affirmed the new game would take lessons learned from The Order 1886 as well as the studios Lone Echo VR games.

"We're working on a triple-A console title right now as well. It's something we're developing internally, and funnily enough, a lot of the lessons we've learned about narrative and immersion and gameplay mechanics we're taking some of those lessons into console. It might not be the same [as VR], but the player agency we learned to do in Lone Echo...you're always there. You can never expect the player to do what you want them to do. They'll do whatever they want. That's something we're carrying with us to the console," Weerasuriya said.

THQ Nordic may have inadvertently revealed Dead Island 2's long-awaited release timing...and it could happen this year.

After years in development hell, Dead Island 2 could be ready for launch in 2019. THQ Nordic's recent financial briefing gave some interesting clues on the game's impending release. In a pipeline roadmap Dead Island 2 was grouped with games that're all releasing in 2019, and THQ's Lars Wingefors read through the list from left to right, corresponding to each game's release timing.

Dead Island 2 is nestled between BioMutant, which is TBA 2019, and Wasteland 3, which is slated to launch during holiday 2019. If it's not releasing soon why lump it in with games that are? Why include it on the roadmap between games that're strategically set for release this year?

CD Projekt RED is currently working on two big projects: the massively anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, and a brand new unannounced AAA RPG. The latter could be announced during its big E3 2019 event.

In its latest financial report, CDPR re-affirmed E3 2019 will be its biggest show ever. Cyberpunk 2077 will steal the spotlight of course, but we know the studio is also working on a new AAA RPG at the same time. Now company CFO Piotr Nielubowicz hints this new project could be part of its huge E3 plans, saying that it has an exciting lineup that may refer to multiple games. "The most important E3 fair in the group's history is upon us. We have a truly exciting line-up and cannot wait to present it. For the first time in our history we will also be showcasing Cyberpunk 2077 at our public stand."

The studio has set a hard 2021 deadline for both Cyberpunk 2077 and the new mystery RPG, so a teaser or announcement in 2019 could build up hype momentum as gamers also look forward to Night City's cybernetic chaos. As of Q1 2019 CDPR stands by its release targets for these two games. While nothing's been confirmed, past remarks indicate the new RPG will be a Witcher game but CDPR is adamant that Geralt's story is over.

CD Projekt RED might announce Cyberpunk 2077's release window at E3 2019, but the game probably won't launch this year on current-gen systems.

Cyberpunk 2077 demos will be held at E3, but attendees won't actually be able to play the game. Instead CD Projekt RED will hold gameplay presentation demos that're played by developers, a move similar to the closed-doors affairs at E3 2018. CDPR global community lead Marcin Momot confirmed the news: "To answer many questions about the demo and whether or not Cyberpunk 2077 will be playable at E3 -- we are going to be hosting gameplay presentations (game played by us) in that cinema."

Cyberpunk 2077 has changed considerably from the first gameplay footage, CDPR says, and they're eager to show it off in a more controlled environment.

Capcom, like other developers, is currently testing out PlayStation 5 devkits and sees exciting potential with the new hardware.

Sony's PlayStation 5 should be quite beastly. The system will feature all new customized AMD chips including a potent Navi GPU in tandem with a Zen 2 CPU to deliver high-end console gaming. Other features like full native backward compatibility with PS4 games will ensure a smooth transition. But Capcom also sees big opportunities with other features like the PS5's ultra-fast broadband SSD.

In a recent interview with Weekly Famitsu (as translated by Twinfinite), Capcom's games division head Jun Takeuchi says the PS5's beefy specs and blazing-fast memory can drastically improve immersion. Loading times break immersion and action games like Devil May Cry stand to gain quite a bit from the PS5's expanded hardware, and Capcom is eager to use the console to its full potential to optimize its games.

THQ Nordic is preparing for the industry's transition towards cloud streaming, and plans to bring its huge arsenal of games to subscription platforms.

One of the biggest worries about new cloud game streaming platforms like Google Stadia is content (well that and latency of course). Any service lives or dies by the content it offers, and Stadia will especially have to rely on third-party games to thrive. Luckily THQ Nordic has signed deals to offer its vast library of IPs, classics, and new releases on new streaming subscription services.

"We are operating in a dynamic market with increasing competition between new and established digital distribution platforms, which will benefit content producers, including THQ Nordic Group,"company CEO Lars Wingefors said in a recent financial briefing.

Metro Exodus is the biggest game THQ Nordic has ever released, and strongly contributed to a huge 500% jump in net sales.

THQ Nordic's yearly earnings are quite good. The company has a huge arsenal of games and IPs but sometimes bigger titles steal the show, and this time Metro Exodus is the star. 4A Games' latest AAA shooter helped the company's net sales rise astronomically by 507% year-over-year to 5.75 billion SEK ($596.3 million) in the 15 month period ended March 31, 2019. Also remember THQ Nordic acquired Deep Silver parent company Koch Media in 2018, so Deep Silver's full library of games contributed--especially Metro Exodus.

Throughout the 15-month period (the odd reporting schedule is due to THQ Nordic switching from a calendar model to fiscal year, so 3 months were tacked on), Deep Silver games made a disproportionate amount of sales earnings, especially during Q5 when Metro Exodus was released. While no exact per-game unit sales were revealed, Deep Silver accounted for 77% of total sales in Q5, driven by, you guessed it, Metro Exodus.

THQ Nordic has signed a deal for 4A Games' big new AAA project. Could it be the next Metro project?

Metro Exodus developer 4A Games is making a brand new big-budget game, THQ Nordic today confirmed in its yearly earnings report. "The Company invested SEK 305.2 million ($31.7 million) in its growing development pipeline that will be driving growth and profitability in the coming years. During the period multiple new projects were signed, among them a new development agreement with 4A Games, the developers of Metro franchise, for their upcoming, still undisclosed AAA-project," the company said in the report.

4A Games has enjoyed massive success with their game adaptations of Dmitry Glukhovsy's post-apocalyptic book series. Metro Exodus was a huge driver to the publisher's quarterly earnings, driving up net sales and operating profits. Given Metro is 4A Games' biggest cash crop, the new project could be another chapter in the franchise. But a new Metro game runs into one big problem: Glukhovsky isn't writing any more books. So the studio will have to come up with source material themselves. At the same time, Glukhovsky usually consults with the team to ensure authenticity.

Every gamer loves free games, and it doesn't really even matter what kind of game it is as long as its free. So what free game can gamers get their hands-on now? How about a copy of The Sims 4?

The Sims 4 was released back in September of 2014 and while most gamers would already have a copy of the title, those who don't now have a chance of grabbing one for free. The news comes from the official Sims Twitter account, and the announcement reads as follows; "Simmers, tag a friend who should get The Sims 4 for free!"

EA will be giving the game away for free for anyone that is on PC or Mac. Users will have to head on over to the Origin store to pick up their free copy. "The game is free on PC and Mac via Origin until May 28th". If you are interested in earning yourself a free copy of The Sims 4, head on over to the Origin website here.

A new announcement will see another great title ported over to the Nintendo Switch later this month. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons will be arriving on the handheld console on May 28th.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was released back in August of 2013 and was developed by Starbreeze Studios and written and directed by Josef Fares who is known for his recently released co-op title 'A Way Out.' When Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was released it was met with a fantastic response, so I'm sure that the Nintendo Switch community will welcome the title.

For those wanting to pre-order the title, there will be a 10% discount. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons will be released onto the Nintendo Switch on May 28th. For more information head on over to the official 505 Games website listing here.

World War Z publisher and developer Saber Interactive are proud to announce that their recently released title World War Z has managed to amass 2 million sales world wide.

World War Z, the zombie co-op shooter inspired by the Brad Pitt starred movie 'World War Z' has taken off to quite the bang. So much so that publishers Saber Interactive and Focus Home Interactive have released a accolades trailer to celebrate the titles achievements. The trailer contains many quotes from many different game reviewing websites, each giving their own spin on what they think about World War Z.

Josh Austin, SVP, WW Licensing and Interactive at Paramount Pictures commented on the success of World War Z. Saying "World War Z has fast become one of our most successful interactive games to date. It's a testament to both the incredible co-op action experience that Saber Interactive and Focus Home Interactive have crafted, as well as the strong appeal of our hit franchise with fans across the globe." World War Z is currently available on PS4, Xbox One and the PC. For more information head on over to the official website here.

A new leak has suggested that Microsoft will have a whole segment for Age of Empires at this years E3. The leak hints towards gameplay being shown off.

The leak comes from NeoGAF user Braldryr who has claimed he has insider information on Microsoft's entire E3 2019 press conference. For the purpose of this post I will be concentrating purely just on Age of Empires IV, which Braldryr says will have an entire dedicated segment throughout Microsoft's showcase.

Braldryr says that there will be a general "info dump" that will include a gameplay reveal and a release date of 2020. This certainly does make sense as we haven't heard anything about the coming Age of Empires IV for quite some time now, the original announcement trailer was released back in August of 2017 and it has basically been radio silence since then. Since this isn't an official confirmation and just a rumor, please do not take this information as gospel, it is merely an accurately guessed rumor.

We are only a couple of weeks away from E3 2019 and now we're hearing about what Microsoft has planned for the show, with a leak courtesy of NeoGAF user Braldyr. We will also see AMD's next-gen Navi GPU unveiled at its Next Horizon Gaming event just before E3 2019, with the new Zen 2 and Navi architectures both on 7nm, both powering the next-gen PlayStation 5 and next-gen Xbox consoles.

The post teases that we can indeed expect next-gen Xbox console announcements, new services like Microsoft's cloud gaming service Project xCloud, and a bunch of games both new and old to be unveiled at E3 2019. In terms of next-gen Xbox consoles we're looking at being introduced to both the next-gen Xbox Anaconda and Xbox Lockheart consoles (Next Xbox Streaming and Next Xbox X according to recent rumors).

We can expect Microsoft to unveil what's inside of the next-gen Xbox consoles, and I'm sure a big look into what they'll be capable of from the inside-out, through to truly next generation games. The rumors added that 'less confident predictions' of game unveils included a new Forza Motorsport game, new MechAssault game, and even a Perfect Dark reboot that would be overseen but not developed by Rare. All I want to see is a next-gen Battletoads, that would be freaking awesome.

The PlayStation 4 absolutely dominated this generation and this year it'll reach 100 million units sold worldwide. Although the next-gen PlayStation 5 is on the way, Sony isn't about to flip a reset switch and scrap all that progress. No, the PS4 will live alongside the PlayStation 5 for years to come and is expected to deliver strong earnings well into the PS5's lifecycle.

Sony has no plans to retire its massively lucrative PlayStation 4 any time soon. In a recent investor's meeting, Sony predicts the PS4 will continue as the main driver for profitability and engagement until 2022, or roughly two years after the PS5's planned launch. Although it's not explicitly outlined, this infers the PS5 won't pick up steam until its third year (the PS4 hit its peak of 20 million sales in four years).

This makes perfect sense given the console's massive 98.6 million install base and Sony's emphasis on a seamless generational transition. Although the PS5's Navi GPU and Zen 2 CPU hardware is a true leap ahead of current PS4 consoles, Sony has confirmed that the PS5 will play all existing PS4 games via native backward compatibility. The company has put great effort in ensuring a smooth changeover between the two consoles.