Gaming - Page 773

Nintendo has had a total blast with its Switch console, taking the world and gamers by storm with huge releases in its Mario and Zelda franchises, as well as the massively successful release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Now we have analysts from some of the largest gaming industry firms including the ever-vocal Michael Pachter, NPD Group's Mat Piscatella and Dr. Serkan Toto answering questions that GamesIndustry.biz asked about the Nintendo Switch and its dominance in 2019. IHS Markit's Piers Harding-Rolls said: "Switch will be the best selling console in 2019 as PS4 and Xbox One shift into the late stage phase of their sales lifecycles".

Kantam Games' Dr. Serkan Toto predicted last year that "2018 will be another successful year for Nintendo: Largely correct with Nintendo's year-end run".

Project CARS 3 should be one of the best racing titles ever made when its released, with developer Slightly Mad Studios acquiring talent left, right, and center for the latest installment in the franchise.

Slightly Mad Studios CEO Ian Bell has been in the headlines recently teasing that Project CARS 3 will be a "spiritual successor" to Need for Speed Shift, but in another post on the GTPlanet forums he said: "We're still at the design on paper stage... This is very early pre-production". The studio is changing the tune of the game slightly, trying to draw more gamers in with more 'focus' and 'fun'.

Bell continued, saying: "I'll let you know that Project CARS 3 will be more 'focused'... More 'fun'... We went to insane lengths with variation in pCARS2 and with that comes infinite balancing issues. We've learned a lesson here and although we have no intention of reducing content, we know what we need to fix, where we made design decisions that were, let's call it, 'sub-optimal'... Project CARS 3 will be more of a spiritual successor to Shift, but with all of the sim goodness everyone appreciates... The key focus though is on fun and not biting off more than we can properly chew and digest".

Max Payne and its sequel are two of my favorite games of all time, with a mix of ridiculous slow-mo action and awesome story telling but the third one in the franchise was just not in the same vein and felt like it was too story oriented with so many breaks between the action. The original has been teased in Unreal Engine and it has never looked better, which is what we're here today to talk about.

The above two videos are by Wojciech Chalinski, an Environmental Artist at Bulkhead Interactive who has been playing around with using Unreal Engine to recreate a map inspired by Max Payne. The map in question is the Roscoe Street Station, and it has truly never looked better. The videos themselves are just mere teases and go for a few seconds, while there are detailed screenshots for your viewing pleasure below.

There are some more screenshots below, which just make me want to play the game even more. I want to see a full-blown reboot by Remedy, and no one else, with the updated Northlight engine that has powered the recent Quantum Break and the upcoming Control. We would have to have the same somewhat destructible environments from the original Max Payne games but improved for 2019 and beyond.

Although Fallout 76 is a hazardous waste zone right now, Bethesda isn't giving up on it and will continue to mop up the radioactive spillover.

Fallout 76 has a lot of problems. Some of these, like the addition of new events and engagement opportunities, can be fixed easier than others--some, like no NPCs or meaningful quests, are the result of big design flaws. Despite these shortcomings the devs at Bethesda won't abandon the live service game. Sure it may never flourish like it should as Bethesda has to constantly play catch-up to fix major launch problems that continue to escalate, but that doesn't mean it can't get better.

In a recent blog post, Bethesda confirmed that 2019 will be a big year for Fallout 76. The game will morph and change with new additions, including more quests, a brand new PVP mode, and even the ability to sell items to other players via vending machines.

The talented team at Beyond Skyrim are re-creating the entirety of Tamriel's huge continent-spanning cultures with the Skyrim games engine, and now we get a look at their next province: Morrowind.

The new Beyond Skyrim: Morrowind trailer shows just a snippet of the region itself, focusing on the northern areas of Sheogorad and northwest isle of Bleakrock. As such the footage is filled with icy and snowy areas reminiscent of the Nordic homeland, all with the familiar and bizarre architectural designs of the Dunmer ash-people. The content looks very much like the Dragonborn DLC for Elder Scrolls V, which saw Vvardenfell's climates radically shifted after Red Mountain's eruption.

As a huge Morrowind fan I'm eager to see how this plays out, but I'm much more interested in venturing into the heart of the region itself and pushing beyond Vvardenfell, the island that served as the mainland for Elder Scrolls III. I want to see other capital cities and strongholds like Necrom in the Heartlands and Telvannis in the Telvanni Isles. So many possibilities!

In a strange twist of fate, Slightly Mad Studios is making a games console aimed at the 4K gaming market.

Project Cars devs at Slightly Mad Studios are planning The Mad Box, a next-gen console that's touted to deliver enthusiast gaming performance. Exact details and specs haven't been published but studio founder Ian Bell says The Mad Box will be equivalent to a higher-end PC from 2021. It'll hit 4K gaming and VR in 120 FPS, and support today's latest VR headsets, hinting it'll be more of a PC-like Steambox console than a consolidated ecosystem like PlayStation or Xbox. This really sounds like a bad idea.

"What is the Mad Box? It's the most powerful console ever built... It's literally 'Mad'... You want 4K, you want VR at 60FPS? You want a full engine for free to develop your games on it? You have it," the founder wrote on Twitter, then clarifying the Mad Box hits 60FPS per eye.

Although key analysts predict Nintendo could launch a handheld-only Switch variant in 2019, we make some predictions that the upgrade path will go the other way instead.

History tells us that Nintendo does best when it simultaneously operates two main hardware platforms: handhelds and consoles. But the Switch, which combines both handheld and console gaming into a single hybridized device, kicks off a new age for the Japanese titan. By joining home console gaming with on-the-go handheld portability, the Switch redefines Nintendo, and so we should redefine our expectations from the company. Although many predict a cheaper, kid-friendly Switch will be offered sometime soon, I think these predictions are on the wrong side of the spectrum (the handheld side versus the home gaming side).

The more I think about Nintendo's business moves and the Switch's potential, I think the Switch's future major hardware iterations will be focused more around docked gaming. There's many reasons for this, including Nintendo joining its handheld and console dev teams together, its partnership with NVIDIA and using the Tegra X1 chip, and a more synergized future-proof roadmap. But it comes down to this main point: instead of getting more handheld iterations, the Switch could get Expansion Pak-style add-ons that plug right into the dock and boost power.

Nintendo may launch a handheld-only version of its Switch hardware in 2019 to eventually replace the 3DS, analysts predict.

We've reported on the possibility of a Switch Mini or Switch Lite for a while now, and this isn't the first time key analysts have made these calls. Back in 2017, Citigroup analysts said the Japanese games titan could release a cheaper kid-friendly version of the Switch to help the 3DS' end-of-life transition. While nothing's been confirmed, Nintendo appears to be doing something with the Switch. Back in October, sources told The Wall Street Journal that a newer Switch refresh would roll out in 2019, possibly with an enhanced screen.

Now more analysts are echoing previous forecasts of a handheld-only Switch. The Switch Mini or Switch Lite wouldn't feature a dock and would effectively break the main selling point of the Switch, all in favor of re-capturing the potential lucrative handheld market. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, two prominent figures both support the possibility: Dr. Serkan Toto, whose Japan-centered Kantan Games keeps a close watch on Japanese gaming, and Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter.

Hideaki Itsuno, the creator behind Devil May Cry, has been working on his new game for a while now but has been very secretive about it. Well, he has said that once Devil May Cry 5 is released on March 8, he will be ramping up into his 'next title'.

During a chat with 4Gamer, Itsuno said that he is excited to release "the first numbered title in the series in 11 years" and that he is "putting everything [he] has into it". After the release of Devil May Cry 5, Itsuno said there will be no rest as he and his team ramp into their new game. He added: "After its release on March 8, and after checking the free update coming in April, I'm going to refresh and prepare for my next title. I hope to work hard so that my next title meets everyone's expectations, and so that I can announce it as soon as possible".

We have E3 2019 to look forward to six months from now, where the new game could be teased. It would've been three months since the release of Devil May Cry 5 at that time, so Itsuno and his team might be ready to show off their new game since it has been in development for a few years now. We'll have to wait and see.

Cliff 'CliffyB' Bleszinski left Epic Games back in 2012 and then announced his new game studio Boss Key Productions, and then shortly after their first game LawBreakers, which didn't do well at all and saw the studio closed for good.

CliffyB announced during the Christmas break he has stepped on-board with the Broadway run of Hadestown, where he is an investor at an undisclosed amount and a co-producer in the process. Why did Bleszinski leave the gaming world? Well, CliffyB said that gaming culture can be "toxic AF" at times and while he's not wrong, I love gaming and tech so much I will never leave the industry. Even if I was a millionaire like CliffyB, I'd still be involved in the industries in some form... even more so because I'd have the funds to do things others haven't or can't.

As for Hadestown, it's a musical that handles two intertwining love stories ripped out of Greek Mythology: Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone. The official website explains: "HADESTOWN is the acclaimed new musical by celebrated singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and visionary director Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) that reimagines a sweeping ancient tale as a timeless allegory for our world".

Sony has had the most successful time this console generation with the PlayStation 4 selling over 90 million units according to a new report from Paul Hunter, who is the Senior Gaming, Tech, and Media Editor of Walmart Canada.

The last time we heard about Sony's sales of the PlayStation 4 they were at 88 million and that was a week before Christmas, so the company is on target to hit 100 million PS4 sales this year for sure. Nintendo on the other hand has sold over 25 million units, which is a huge achievement for Nintendo as that is close to twice the sales of the previous-gen Wii U console sales.

These numbers aren't official by any means, so we'll wait for Sony and Nintendo to chime in once we're over the New Years break. I'm sure they're both going to be shouting these achievements from the roof tops, especially Sony as it gets closer to the 100 million PS4s sold milestone. The perfect marketing leading into the next-gen PlayStation 5 console.

Jack Black has only released two videos onto his new gaming channel on YouTube, with Jablinski Games rocking 2.4 million subscribers at the time of writing, with both videos having 7.2 million and 6.2 million views, respectively. I reported on the channel within hours of its creation and it had racked up 500,000 subscribers, but it's just an unstoppable train at this point.

This video is just an update from Jables, and it has amassed 6.2 million views which most YouTubers would beg for. It's a great achievement for the rock star, who launched his Jablinski Games channel with his son the only one producing everything behind the camera. At the time, Black said: "I am proud to announce the launch of my new channel, Jablinksi. This channel will have games, food, and life".

SocialBlade tracks YouTube accounts and has predictions that Jablinski Games will have over 100 million subscribers (at this rate) by the end of the year and 128 million by January 1, 2020. The site predicts Jables will rack up a huge 24 billion views (that's with a 'b') by the New Year, which if it happens, I'm sure would set records for YouTube without a problem.

With a lot of patience and a little tech know-how, hardware modder Shank Mods transforms a Nintendo Wii into a handheld.

YouTuber Shank Mods's latest creation is a little less crazy than his previous portable Wii made out of an Altoid's tin. The PiiWii is still small, but it's a lot more functional and ergonomic than the mad scientist Altoid monstrosity...and it still borrows parts from other consoles, Frankenstein's monster-style. The PiiWii sports Gamecube face buttons alongside 3DS circlepads, and houses a fully-functioning Wii console inside a plastic base.

What's great about the PiiWii is that it can do everything a Wii can do: it plays Wii and Gamecube games as well as Virtual Console and WiiWare content. You can even sync Wiimotes to it or hook them up directly via a Gamecube USB adapter. It's about the size of a Gameboy Advanced handheld, and took 3 years to design and create, Shank Mods said.

With major games like Anthem, Metro Exodus, and maybe even The Last of Us II and Death Stranding on the way, 2019 is an exciting year for gaming. The action masters at PlatinumGames will add to that list with some big new games and announcements.

PlatinumGames is pretty busy these days. The NieR: Automata developers announced their big new IP Babylon's Fall at E3 2018, an action RPG being co-developed with Square Enix for release in 2019. There's also marquee titles like Bayonetta 3 for the Nintendo Switch on the way, as well as an action RPG version of Granblue Fantasy. Plus Hideki Kamiya and his team are working on something secret. There's even talks of self-publishing its own games to help keep the studio independent.

So it's no surprise when PlatinumGames' executive producer Atsushi Inaba says 2019 is going to be intense. But that's to be expected when a company is A) independent and must take on multiple projects, and B) makes high-quality games that shine above the competition. Inaba says 2019 will bring multiple announcements...maybe even a Bayonetta 3 release window.

Activision's Chief Financial Officer will soon move over to Netflix, sources tell Reuters.

In an SEC filing put out last night, Activision confirmed it plans to terminate its CFO Spencer Neumann for then unspecified reasons. Speculation despite Activision's assurances that the situation wasn't financial- or business-related. Now key sources tell Reuters that Neumann is being poached by Netflix to serve as the media titan's new Chief Financial Officer in 2019.

In this role, Neumann will oversee company finances as Netflix pushes farther into producing original TV shows, films and series, including this year's The Witcher.

Project CARS 3 is in development right now, following the success of Project CARS 2 in September 2017 with developer Slightly Mad Studios teasing that Project CARS 3 will be a "spiritual successor" to Need for Speed Shift.

Need for Speed Shift came out in 2009 and was developed by Slightly Mad Studios alongside EA, and then went to work on the Project CARS series on their own with publisher Bandai Namco. SMS seems to be fanning the faint flames of hype for Project CARS 3 with studio boss Ian Bell telling GTPlanet: "We've learned a lesson here and although we have no intention of reducing content, we know what we need to fix, where we made design decisions that were, let's call it, 'sub-optimal'. pCARS3 will be more of a spiritual successor to Shift, but with all of the sim goodness everyone appreciates".

This is the first news for Project CARS 3 that I've seen, and I'm sure we will see it announced and detailed this year with a possible re lease this year, or in 2020. I can see a next-gen game like this with constantly improved graphics on the PC being a huge release on next-gen consoles in 2020 like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett consoles due in 2020 and beyond.

343 Industries ignites the beacon of hope by looking back at the magic of previous Halo games.

Halo is and always has been a story of hope. The series was always built around the hope for survival against an indomitable foe from the stars, a merciless alien force that burns galaxies and reaps souls like a space-faring tide of death. The games chronicle a brutal, bloody war where humanity is on the brink of extinction and forced to fight up against a wall. Even amid these impossible odds one thing gave humankind hope: the Spartans. Born to kill and inspire, these warriors served as a breakwater against a bloody tide, and the games took players along for a fiery crusade of chaos as John-117. Now with its next big Halo: Infinite game (aka Halo 6), 343i wants to bring back that old feeling of hope and triumph.

I've long thought Halo was dead. Halo 5 was a weird and jarring experience that just didn't feel like Halo, didn't bring back those old themes and feelings. But 343i's Dan Chosich has made me believe in Halo again, and it's all thanks to a recent Halo 6 Mixer stream. In the stream the dev discusses the main principles behind Halo: Infinite's premiere trailer, which include hope and connecting to Halo's old-school legacy. Infinite's premiere trailer was inspired largely in part from Halo: Combat Evolved and other themes found in previous games, making it a callback that longtime fans can answer.

Humbled by tons of issues and instability, Grapeshot Games affirms that Atlas is far from finished.

In a recent Steam update post, the devs behind the hotly contested Sea of Thieves competitor Atlas promise the game will be continually tweaked over time. It's no secret that Atlas is badly optimized on PC, and the devs acknowledge the game's dearth of connectivity, stability, and functionality issues. But like any service game (especially one that's in early access), Atlas will continually evolve over time with tons of updates, patches, and new content aimed at fixing and buffering the storm-battered ship.

"We're going to continue to iterate at a very rapid rate, you can generally expect daily deployments and updates to both servers and clients, and sometimes even multiple if we feel like a change is significant enough to warrant it," the devs said in the post.

Remedy Entertainment's new game Control brings even more bizarre X-Files meets Twilight Zone vibes with a fresh trailer.

There's a lot to like about Remedy's new IP Control. First off, it's set in a strange haunted house that's the nexus of countless inter-dimensional gateways, and channels major pop-culture sci-horror like Twin Peaks, Outer Limits, X-Files, Twilight Zone, and even some Matrix-style world-bending manipulation.

Secondly, even though it's primarily a third-person action-based game with genuinely chaotic-looking combat, it's steeped in otherworldly weirdness that's often intriguing as well as creepy and macabre. We have freaky environments with strange dimensional growths that're frozen in time and strange multi-armed abyssal horrors roaming around like a modern-day Lovecraft novel.

Soulja Boy is no longer selling its array of gaming hardware after possible cease and desist letters from popular games-makers.

Earlier this month Soulja Boy announced a new fleet of "SouljaGame" hardware--a handheld, a mid-tier system, and an enthusiast-style console called Fuze--to a bewildered gaming community. It was quickly found out the rapper was just re-selling cheap emulator systems imported from overseas at higher prices, and worse, said hardware came pre-loaded with ROMs (the Soulja Game console came with 800 classic titles). Confronted with the thinly-veiled ruse and warned about copyright infringement, Soulja Boy taunted companies like Nintendo: "Nintendo ain't gonna do SH*T."

Obviously the rapper doesn't know Nintendo very well. The company is fiercely protective over its IP and recently waged war on emulators and ROMs by taking two site owners to court (who lost, of course). Now Soulja Boy is no longer selling the systems, and they've been removed from his SouljaTech and SouljaWatch shops.