Gaming - Page 750

In a strange move, FOX will piece together Alien: Isolation's CGI cutscenes to make a "show" out of. But why? If we're right, their motivations are quite interesting.

Today IGN announced it'll have exclusive premiere rights to a 7-episode Alien CGI series centered around Amanda Ripley. But rather than being totally original, the series will use pre-existing footage from Creative Assembly's Alien: Isolation masterpiece. "20th Century Fox has expanded on Alien: Isolation by taking the cut scenes from the 2014 game and adding in new story beats to bring the tale of Amanda Ripley to life in a whole new way," IGN writes.

This is a tactical decision on FOX's part, one that ties into its big plans for the Alien game universe. The show is the "watch" part in the company's recent "read, play, watch" Alien marketing campaign. The company is likely re-releasing this footage to remind everyone about Ripley's story and re-engage the audience, ramping up visibility before it drops its big new Alien online multiplayer shooter that's in development at FoxNext for consoles and PC.

After two months of monetization, Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode isn't making nearly as much revenue as Grand Theft Auto V's multiplayer mode...but this is to be expected.

Despite selling 23 million copies and amassing over $700 million in three days of sales, Red Dead Redemption 2 shouldn't be expected to beat or even match GTA V. Take-Two certainly doesn't expect it to, nor does it expect Red Dead Online to overtake GTA Online's huge $1 billion in microtransaction earnings. But how well is Red Dead Online actually doing?

According to the latest findings from SuperData, Red Dead Online is earning 500% less than GTA Online. The game's monetization system, which sees players spending money for premium gold to unlock weapons, skins, and even emotes, hasn't caught fire the same was GTA Online did.

It's official: Nintendo Switch's new big Pokemon duo is called Sword and Shield, and brings a bunch of new gen 8 Pokemon, new starters, and a new region called Galar.

Today Nintendo announced Pokemon Sword and Shield for the Switch, two fresh mainline entries into the landmark RPG series. The games will introduce a bunch of never before seen Pokemon in a new generation throughout the Galar region, a colorful land of whimsy and adventure. The three starters are absolutely adorable additions to gen 8, and follow the traditional Grass, Fire, and Water archetype.

First up we have Grookey, a mischievous chimp that uses his charm and grass powers to topple foes. Then there's Scorbunny, a fire-rabbit with tons of energy and speed. Last but not least we have Sobble, the amphibian water-lizard who's more defensive and uses his powers to blast combatants and hide in pools.

A press release from Funcom has revealed that the studio is partnering up with Legendary Studio to begin pre-production on a new 'open world multiplayer' game based in the DUNE universe.

DUNE, which is a science fiction novel created by American author Frank Herbert in 1965 encapsulates a desert-like world set in a distant future feudal interstellar society. The book grabbed the attention of many readers and even went on to win numerous awards, such as the 1966 Hugo Award and 2003's best-selling science fiction novel. Herbert then went on to write five more novels, each diving deeper into the DUNE universe.

Now, Conan Exiles, Age of Conan and The Secret World developer 'Funcom' have announced a partnership with Legendary Studios to create a brand new "open world multiplayer" game based in the DUNE universe. According to the press release, the partnership between the two companies will last six years and will produce "at least three titles on the PC/Console platforms", one being the "open world multiplayer" game. The full press release can be found within the entirety of this post.

It seems Nintendo Switch users will most-likely never see the day of smooth 60FPS in Fortnite.

The Nintendo Switch version of Epic Games' immensely popular battle royal experience 'Fortnite' takes some considerable losses in the performance department compared to the other platforms its available on. Unfortunately, don't expect this is going to get better with time. In a recent Reddit AMA with Fortnite's developer Epic Games, a fan asked the company if the Nintendo Switch version of the game would see an update that would increase the FPS to 60FPS, the response wasn't promising.

According to the developer, increasing the FPS cap in Fortnite for the Nintendo Switch is just "not in the cards". In fact the developer chose to remove the video game capture last year to help increase performance for the struggling Switch. This has also led to reasoning for Epic choosing not to add that feature back either. The leap from the current 30FPS on the Switch to the expected 60FPS is not a small feet, and would require large levels of optimization.

Square Enix has shined a light back on 2017's hit success NieR: Automata, as the company has announced a 'Game of the YoRHa Edition'.

We first heard about the 'Game of the YoRHa Edition' back in November of last year when the Entertainment Software Rating Board revealed the title of the edition before an official announcement could be made. Now, Square Enix has officially announced the new edition for both PC and PS4 with a brand new launch trailer which can be found above.

The Game of the YoRHa Edition doesn't come with any new content to enjoy, but will arrive with all previously released DLC's plus some added bonuses. The added bonuses are added cosmetics, avatars for PS4 users, skins, and wallpapers. I have provided a full list of what players will receive when purchasing for their respective platform. The NieR:Automata Game of the YoRHa Edition is currently available now, a link to the Steam listing for the title can be found here.

The controversy surrounding the whacky unfinished release of OVERKILL's The Walking Dead is coming to an end, as Skybound Entertainment has simply had enough.

The release of OVERKILL's The Walking Dead simply did not meet The Walking Dead IP owner, Skybound Entertainment's standards, nor the standards of players who pre-ordered the title on PC. Unfortunately, Skybound Entertainment has "terminated our contract with Starbreeze Studios and will discontinue all efforts on OVERKILL'S THE WALKING DEAD" which effectively means that all work towards a console release for the game will now be canceled.

This makes sense considering Sony began refunding gamers who pre-ordered the title via PSN Store last week, but also contradicts the statement that 505 Games made, saying that the console version of the game is not canceled and just "postponed". Since Skybound Entertainment is the IP holder of The Walking Dead and this is more updated statement on the current affairs, I would say that a console release for OVERKILL's The Walking Dead won't be happening. In fact, PC support for the title will most likely end as well since all ties to publisher Starbreeze Studios and OVERKILL have been cut.

Microsoft has made some interesting changes in the latest Windows 10 preview build, something that hints towards a world of Xbox and PC gaming being closer than ever before.

In the latest Windows 10 preview build Microsoft is giving out a free copy of State of Decay, asking users to test out an install phase of the game, and then report any issues that they discover. The reports of issues surround the installation of the game, not the actual playing of the game or any issues from once it's loaded up.

State of Decay has some Xbox One extensions on Windows in the form of .xvc files meaning PowerShell can now install Xbox games, and that's a really, really big deal. The game already has some PC like parts where during the installation of the game it'll update the DirectX runtime, something you don't see on Xbox.

Anthem is now out in the wild and the damage control from EA will start soon, but ahead of that are bad to worse reviews on console and PC, as well as some harsh words from Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

During a chat with CNBC, the analyst had some harsh words to say about EA, so much so Pachter said Anthem simply wasn't meant to be a PC game. He said that EA had "made a mistake", adding: "My personal view is that this is just not a PC game - there is flying in the game, and maneuvering your flying character is like driving a car; the controls just don't work well for that on PC, and they work flawlessly on (video game consoles)".

EA allowed early access to Anthem for PC gamers through its Origin Access Premier program, which contributed towards the bad reception and negative reviews of the game. Personally, I'd say reviews aren't the issue... A bad game is a bad game, and BioWare are on a roll in that regard.

Visceral's Star Wars project was deep in development before it was cancelled by EA, but the studio's progress won't be wasted.

EA has killed multiple Star Wars projects lately. First it cancelled Visceral Games' ambitious third-person story-driven game Project Ragtag, closing the studio in the process. Then Project Orca, which was built on the bones of Ragtag and in development at EA Montreal, was killed off so the studio could morph to a smaller-scale project. While the publisher didn't explicitly outline its reasoning, its focus on billion-dollar live services played a part in the decision.

Now we have more visibility into Visceral's Project Ragtag and how far along it was before EA axed it. In a recent interview with VentureBeat, Amy Hennig, who helmed development of the third-person singleplayer Star Wars game, talked about the process and confirmed the project was pretty far along when EA decided to kill it. "We were very far into development. We had a lot of material. I just think that there was a shift that started feeling inevitable," Hennig said in the interview.

Anthem is a curious game that always fights itself. Like the cataclysmic storms that blast the world's surface, Anthem has a lot of inner conflict. The genre-melding mechanics often clash with each other; the live elements and incessant loot grind directly pull against the deep lore and sci-fantasy story. So to really enjoy Anthem you have to treat it as an old-school BioWare game in some ways...but that's easier said than done. Here are a few tips to enjoy Anthem as a die hard BioWare fan.

Anthem is way different than any game BioWare has ever made. But in many ways it's quite similar. Sure it's online-only and predicated on insanely randomized loot, engagement, and repeating missions to the point where you simply don't care about the story, but it also has that signature BioWare magic (more on that in another article). There's something special in Anthem, but to see it you need to brush away EA's microtransaction-focused influence.

The trick to really enjoying Anthem is to betray the game's core focus. Don't let the grind consume you. Anthem was built from the ground up to be a live game that's immensely replayable and grindy with lots of min-maxing gear and pressure on obsessing over that loot hunger. The game loses its soul and magic once you get swallowed up in that loot quest and becomes a rote, sometimes boring and predictable experience. Instead you should enjoy Anthem at a slow and steady pace to really understand and revel in its beauty.

Nintendo will finally reveal more info on this year's big Pokemon game for its handheld-console hybrid.

Not much is known about the Switch's upcoming Pokemon RPG, but Nintendo plans to show off new tidbits during a special Pokemon Direct tomorrow at 9AM EST. The video presentation will last around 7 minutes, and we could get a closer look at starter Pokemon and unique Switch-exclusive features (and maybe some Pokemon GO integration too).

So what do we know about the game? We know it's a mainline RPG that will deliver a "traditional find, battle, train type experience," and it's slated for a late 2019 release (likely during Nintendo's critical Q3 holiday quarter). The game could also have specially-modified JoyCon attachable controllers or wireless Pokeball devices for more interactive play, and these peripherals may be used with the Switch and smartphones too.

CD Projekt RED's wholly-owned storefront GOG.com is missing earnings targets and is close to operating loss, anonymous sources tell Kotaku.

As the PC Game Store Wars rage on with Epic, Discord, and Steam battling it out for dominance with different revenue splits, GOG is having some trouble raking in cash. CD Projekt RED's digital store recently fired about a dozen employees, or 10% of its staff, and one person affected by the layoffs told Kotaku it was a financial decision.

"GOG's revenue couldn't keep up with growth. The fact that we're dangerously close to being in the red has come up in the past few months, and the market's move towards higher revenue shares has, or will, affect the bottom line as well," the source told Kotaku's Jason Schreier.

In a world separated by the sea of digital store fronts, there needs to be a hero that steps forward and says "no more". My friends, that is developer CD PROJEKT RED.

CDPR is currently developing Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most anticipated games of all time, and has officially confirmed the game will not be exclusive to any store front. Yes, that means it will NOT be exclusive to the likes of Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, or even its own digital store front.

Unlike Deep Silver and its dog move of pulling Metro Exodus out of Steam and making it an exclusive to the Epic Games Store for more profit, CDPR is foregoing additional revenue it could make from a digital store front exclusivity deal, and making it easy for gamers to play their game on as many platforms as possible.

ArenaNet has confirmed that the company is currently going through job lay-offs and internal restructuring due to their parent company NCSoft seeing a lack of business revenue.

It is a sad day for both fans of the games ArenaNet has developed and more importantly the employees at ArenaNet, as the company has confirmed that they are currently undergoing job lay-off and internal restructuring. This confirmation followed last weeks internal email sent out to employees from NCSoft's - the parent company of ArenaNet - CEO, Songyee Yoon saying "Our live game business revenue is declining as our franchises age, delays in development on PC and mobile have created further drains against our revenue projects, while our operating costs in the west have increased. Where we are is not sustainable, and is not going to set us up for future success."

According to the Linkedln page for ArenaNet the company currently has about 400 employees, and now NCSoft will be restructuring that due to a lack of business revenue from its released franchises. Here is what NCSoft said in a statement to GeekWire, "This is part of a larger organizational restructuring within NCSoft in the west, but the Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 game services will not be affected, nor is any upcoming game content canceled."

If you missed the fiasco of Metro Exodus' launch, then luckily you missed a huge amount of controversy that hit the gaming industry. Despite the controversy around Exodus, Steam reviews are overall extremely positive.

Before I get into why positive Steam reviews for Metro Exodus is not expected, I will give a quick recap on what happened with the titles launch. It all began when 4A Games' Metro Exodus, published by THQ Nordic and Deep Silver diverted their launch platform of choice extremely close to the announced release date. This decision came from the publishing side of the game and the decision that was made was that Exodus would skip the Steam Store and instead be a timed exclusive on the Epic Games Store. As expected, this decision came with extreme backlash from the community.

The decision to be a timed exclusive on the Epic Games Store was obviously done for monetary reasons due to the Epic Games Stores policy of having 88% of the revenue returned to the developers and publishers, while Steam takes a hefty 30% cut. There was so much upset amongst the Metro community that I even wrote a news post regarding fans of the series review bombing the other Metro titles on Steam to express their disgust with the publishing decision. You would expect that since the Steam page for Metro Exodus is still available that fans would be review bombing that as well, shockingly enough, that isn't the case.

Capcom has announced that three brand new Resident Evil titles will be coming to the Nintendo Switch on May 21st. Switch owners should prepare their handheld consoles for some classic horror action.

Yesterday Capcom announced via their official Resident Evil Games Twitter account that they would be bringing three new Resident Evil games to the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Switch eShop on May 21st. The games chosen to debut to Nintendo's hybrid console are; Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil 4 and the HD remaster of Resident Evil 1.

It should be noted that European owners will be able to get all three games as separate digital downloads through the European eShop. North American owners can pick up 'Resident Evil Origins'at retail, but that bundle will only include Resident Evil HD Remaster and Resident Evil Zero. Unfortunately there is no known retail release date for Resident Evil in Europe. Pre-orders for these Resident Evil games begin on February 28th. For more information about the classic Resident Evil titles arriving on the Nintendo Switch, visit the official Resident Evil website here.

Sometimes its just fun to jump into a sandbox title and quite literally just start reaping havoc upon its occupants, and what better title to do that in than Saints Row: The Third - The Full Package?

Deep Silver have taken to their official Twitter account to announce that Saints Row: The Third will be arriving on the Nintendo's handheld console with its "Full Package". Deep Silver will be bringing the game over to the Switch with a slew of downloadable content for players to enjoy, in-fact all of the post-DLC content that was released for the title will be included within the Nintendo Switch version.

What can you do in Saints Row: The Third? Well, I think a better question would be what can't you do. Players will be able to disrupt numerous crime mobs in a variety of unorthodox ways; riding hover jets, whacking them with human size sex toys, over the top destruction and much more. There will also be co-op mode added as well, so Switch players can double the strange level of fun if they so desire. Switch players will be able to jump into the action of the City of Steelport on the 10th of May this year.

My childhood was filled with hundreds of hours of my brother and I playing on our Sega Mega Drive (Sega Genesis in the US) and now one of my favorite consoles of all time is being made into the Mega Drive mini, with Sega Japan asking gamers what games they want to see on the shrunken-down console.

Sega Japan took to its official Twitter account to ask gamers what they want to see on the Mega Drive mini, with a choice between Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 being a hard decision. Not only that, but it's also between Puyo Puyo vs Puyo Puyo Tsu and Shining Force vs Shining Force II. The Twitter voting is for the Japanese version of the console, but I'm sure we'll see those votes count towards the Western version of the console when it drops later this year.

What games would you choose?

We knew it was coming, and now we are getting a small taste of what to expect from the latest hero that will soon join the ranks of Overwatch; Baptiste. Check out his origin story teaser trailer below.

Baptiste is a new combat medic for Overwatch, with his back story telling us that he was one of the millions that was orphaned during the Omnic Crisis. He joined the bad guys in Talon, regretting this decision and then leaving. Talon sent operatives after Baptiste, but then they went missing as well, leaving Baptiste on his own helping people whether that means healing them, or ending them.

We don't know what abilities or weapons that Baptiste will have, but at least we know that Blizzard is offering up a new combat medic to Overwatch, something I've wanted for a while now. Is he enough to pull me away from being a Mercy main... well, I guess we'll have to wait and see. We should expect Baptiste to pop his head up in the PTR soon enough before joining the ranks in ranked matches in the coming weeks and months.