Gaming - Page 860

Now-liquidated games-maker Terminal Reality is suing Microsoft for patent infringement that spans back to the Xbox 360 era.

According to the lengthy suite, Microsoft knowingly infringed on Terminal Reality's "Lighting and Shadowing Methods and Arrangements for use in Computer Graphic Simulations" patent (aka the '488 Patent) that the developer made as part of its Infernal Engine. The plaintiffs assert that Microsoft has and continues to employ unauthorized use of its lighting and shadow patent.

According to the document, the Infernal Engine was used in part or whole in a number of huge new and old Xbox games including Halo: Reach and even Halo 5 and Crackdown 3.

Twitch has announced extensions, a new in-stream add-on that allows viewers to participate in mini-games and other engaging activities by spending bits.

The new Twitch Extensions feature is essentially a kind of storefront for various content that spectators can play and engage in while watching a stream. How it works is streamers grab the extension from Twitch's growing offering and put it on their channel. These extensions are overlays that range from on-screen trivia to actual mini-games, and are monetized sort of like a coin-op arcade: viewers have to pay bits to play or participate every round.

Extensions give streamers and app devs alike new possibilities and potential to not only engage a millions-strong playerbase, but also monetize said engagement, which is where Twitch--and other streaming platforms--are aiming. It's an interesting way for users to interact with their favorite streaming personalities and gives streamers new ideas on how to return the favor with entertaining content.

Devilish Games has announced on their blog that they will be bringing Path to Mnemosyne to the Nintendo Switch as well as other game consoles.

Devilish Games announced that they have "reached [to] an agreement with Hidden Trap to bring Path to Mnemosyne to game consoles" For those that don't know what Path to Mnemosyne is about, it is a title that is "a hypnotic adventure created within an infinite zoom! Walk the path, explore your mind, and recover all lost memories by solving dozens of imaginative puzzles."

Path to Mnemosyne will be arriving on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch, there is currently no official release date as of yet but the co-founder of Devilish Games did comment on the porting process with Hidden Trap. Here is what he had to say "We are really excited about the agreement we have reached with Hidden Trap to bring the game to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Although they are a very young publisher, we have known their team for many years, we have a great relationship with them and we know that they will do a great job with the Path to Mnemosyne ports and will help us a lot to reach as many people as possible."

An announcement for Adventure Time: Pirates Of The Enchiridion has been spotted on Twitter from Outright Games, the post read that there will be some vital information released regarding the upcoming Adventure Time title this Thursday.

Last December we got confirmation that Adventure Time: Pirates Of The Enchiridion will be an open-world RPG, then we saw some gameplay leaked footage through a short video released on a YouTube channel. Now, Outright Games has tweeted that they have some "ALGEBRAIC NEWS ABOUT ADVENTURE TIME: PIRATES OF THE ENCHIRIDION" which could suggest that the date for the title will be revealed this Thursday.

Judging by the pre-alpha footage we saw about 2 weeks ago, this announcement will most likely either be a delayed release date as the gameplay footage we saw really did seem bare-bones. The announcement from Outright Games will arrive in 3 days on their Twitter page.

If you are one of the people that grabbed the God of War Special Editions you should of noticed by now that there is runes on the inside of the SteelBook case. These runes have already been translated thanks to a Reddit user.

The Reddit user Wolfstrong1995, translated the runes that have been used by Santa Monica studios which can be dated backed to the Germanic tribes of the 2nd to 8th centuries, called Elder Futhark. If you are wondering if there is any spoilers for the game, I can confirm now that there isn't, below you will find the an image translated as well as the translation in English.

The translation reads as follows: "This is the story of a bear and a wolf, who wandered the realms nine to fulfill a promise of one before; they walk the twilight path, destined to discower (discover) the truth that is to come."

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia has been gifted with a new cinematic trailer, the release by SEGA and Creative Assembly is titled Land of Hope and details the setting of the game.

For those that do not know about the next release of the Total War series here is a description from director of the title, Jack Lusted: "It was under Alfred the Great and his immediate successors that a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom was first forged. As the only major kingdom left standing after the Viking Invasion, it was under the banner of Wessex that the lands the Great Viking Army had conquered, known as the Danelaw, were retaken. The name of this kingdom changed from Wessex to England."

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia will be released on May 3rd and if you are interested in other news about the soon to be released strategy game check out the Northymbre trailer.

The largest shift for Battlegrounds is about to occur, with developer PUBG Corp. has announced the world's first global tournament for Battlegrounds, inviting 20 of the best PUBG teams in the world to compete in Berlin in July for a prize pool of $2 million.

PUBG Corp. boss Chang Han Kim announced: "The team at PUBG Corp. is working tirelessly to ensure that the PUBG Global International exemplifies the pinnacle of PUBG competition and brings to life all of the excitement, tension, and exhilaration of the highest level of PUBG play, not only to the fans attending the PGI 2018, but also those watching at home".

The company will choose 20 qualifying teams in the beginning of July, after a bunch of regional qualifying tournaments are held in the US, Europe, and Asia. PUBG players will fight in 4-player squad battles in both third-person and first-person modes, with the third-person qualifying rounds taking place July 25-26, and first-person between July 28-29.

PUBG is beyond a phenomenon in China and now Fortnite is going to join the fray, all thanks to a partnership between Epic Games and Chinese gaming giant Tencent.

Tencent has a 40% stake in Epic Games, with the company to distribute and publish Fortnite in China. Tencent also controls PUBG in China, so they will be doubling down with both Fortnite and PUBG in China which is a big, big deal. On top of that, Tencent will spend $15 million on marketing Fortnite in China, marketing the Battle Royale smash hit to Chinese gamers while stopping piracy and taking down illegal clones of the game which is a big problem for Battlegrounds in China.

Fortnite in China will be a big success due in part to Tencent spending time and money on the eSports scene in China for Fortnite, with the company reportedly building a dedicated app that will help gamers learn about Fortnite, watch live games, and more.

There are various theories about what Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's multiplayer is going to be like, with the latest tease that it will be similar to Overwatch from Blizzard, which falls under the Activision umbrella like Call of Duty.

Charlie Intel is reporting that Black Ops 4 will feature multiplayer that is inspired by Overwatch and even LawBreakers, with another mention that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will indeed not feature a single-player story. The report starts off with "New Multiplayer information has been confirmed by more than one source so I can now talk about that more publicly. As of two days ago Multiplayer was in the worst state you have ever seen a Call of Duty multiplayer mode".

It continues: "Sources who have play-tested the mode claim that it is less like a call of duty mode and more like a Call of Duty Overwatch or a Call of Duty Lawbreakers. The Lawbreakers reference is incredibly apt considering what he told me next. Remember how I said the game was simultaneously boots on the ground and advanced movement? Well I can elaborate on that a little more too".

About a month before its official release, Detroit: Become Human has gone gold and will get a nice demo for PlayStation 4 users to play.

Although David Cage's cinematic games from Quantic Dream often polarize gamers, I was quite piqued in the drama shown in Detroit: Become Human's E3 2017 showcase--it seemed gritty, raw, and emotional, and represented just one small part of the game itself. Now that the game has been finalized on a master disc the android dilemma simulator is ready for manufacturing...but we'll get an early taste of the QTE-fest a lot sooner than May.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog Quantic Dream co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumiere confirmed a Detroit: Become Human demo is launching tomorrow. "To celebrate this milestone, and to help you pass the time as you hold on just a little while longer for the game's release on May 25th, I am extremely happy to announce that the very first scene of the game, Hostage, will be available for download on the PS Store starting tomorrow, Tuesday, April 24 at 12:01 AM Eastern Standard Time," he said.

Despite strong pushback from consumers and enthusiast gamers and even legislative action, one analyst firm predicts the lootbox and cosmetic skin gambling sectors' earnings could rise to $50 billion across the next four years.

While the lootbox market has been disrupted with big events like the Battlefront II controversy, key publishers like Activision, EA, Take-Two Interactive and Ubisoft continue to make billions from microtransactions every year--and this year should be no different. According to a new report from analyst firm Juniper Research, lootbox and skin gambling revenues will continue surging across the next four years to reach a total spend of $50 billion by 2022--about a 67% increase from this 2018's forecast.

"A new study from Juniper Research forecasts that loot boxes and skins gambling, two emerging gaming growth sectors, will reach a total spend of $50 billion by 2022, up from under $30 billion this year," the report synopsis states. "Loot boxes are in-game packs which contain a random selection of items; while skins are in-game cosmetics which change the appearance of weapons or characters."

On the heels of Yakuza's long-running success, SEGA's internal first-party studio responsible for the series is branching out to a new unannounced series.

Like most games-makers SEGA is keen on continuing the linage of key franchises for as long as possible, but as time goes by it's extremely important to balance content out with new IPs. While SEGA's Yakuza dev team is indeed working on a new game in the series--Shin Yakuza--they're also making something brand new.

In an interview with Famitsu, SEGA Sammy CEO Haruki Satomi confirmed the Yakuza studio is laying the groundwork for a new IP for home consoles. SEGA has made quite a strong push for a more broad presence across mobiles, PC, and consoles. With initiatives like the SEGA Ages rollout on the Switch and the free-to-play SEGA Forever program on mobiles, the Japanese games-maker continues making good on its promise to resurrect classic IPs across today's gaming platforms.

Up until now Nintendo Switch skins were quite scarce, or if you found one it could possibly damage your Nintendo Switch in some kind of fashion. Dbrands has solved that issue by now guaranteeing that their skins for the Switch will not damage the device.

The announcement from dbrands came from Twitter where the company said that the problem with Nintendo Switch skins damaging the device has now been solved. The company said that "As some of you may remember, last year dbrand took a firm stance against skinning the Nintendo Switch due to potential damage upon removal of a skin. Since then, we've been working diligently alongside 3M to develop a unique adhesive - one which is engineered into every Nintendo Switch skin we offer and guarantees to remove with no damage to your Joy-Cons, Switch console, or Dock."

Dbrands is also offering other features that can be added to the Nintendo Switch, so if you are interested in purchasing one of the 7 new Switch skins, or some other add ons that are available, you can visit the official dbrands website here.

Microsoft is really giving Xbox One users a more PC-like console experience in the last few weeks with the addition of AMD FreeSync display support, but the tease of 120Hz is a far bigger deal.

Microsoft has announce that High Refresh Rate (HFR) support is coming in an update next month, something that will allow Xbox One owners to use 120Hz displays. In the 'Display and sound' options and video output menu, there is an option for the refresh rate to be increased from 60Hz to 120Hz.

The Xbox One will be able to drive up to 120Hz in both 1080p and 1440p monitors, which is pretty crazy for a console. The company talked about the upcoming update, and said: "In April, we added variable refresh rate, 1440p resolution support, and auto low latency mode. But we aren't done just yet. In May, we're adding support for additional panel refresh rates. Gamers with gaming monitors and televisions that support a 120Hz refresh rate can now turn on 120Hz support for 1080p and 1440p output resolutions. This high refresh rate option means you can now take full advantage of displays with 120Hz capabilities".

Campo Santo has announced on their website that their team of twelve has been acquired by Valve, the announcement read that this does not hinder or change any plans for their current project In the Valley of Gods.

The announcement explained that this agreement came after several "long conversations" and eventuated into a mutually beneficial decision. "In Valve we found a group of folks who, to their core, feel the same way about the work that they do (this, you may be surprised to learn, doesn't happen every day). In us, they found a group with unique experience and valuable, diverse perspectives. It quickly became an obvious match."

The team behind Firewatch is currently on their way to relocating at Valve's Bellevue Washington HQ, where they will continue working on In the Valley of Gods. "Yes, we're still making In the Valley of Gods (as a Valve game!); yes, we'll still support Firewatch; and yes, we'll still produce The Quarterly Review and our regular blog content. Thanks so much for your interest in our games and we'll see you in Washington. Cheers." If you are interested in reading the full blogpost check out the official Campo Santo website here.

There has been some rumors bouncing around that Microsoft will have exclusive rights to Borderlands 3's marketing, Randy Pitchford has addressed these rumors via Twitter.

The rumors began on a few smaller sites and included many other titles such as CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077, the new Battlefield and a new Splinter Cell game. The rumors suggested that all of these titles had all of their marketing rights signed over to Microsoft.

CEO of Gearbox took to Twitter to address this rumor for his unconfirmed title, saying "Where are you getting that? Gearbox signed no such thing with Microsoft. How are these things becoming propagated as fact when there is zero basis in reality?"

Creative Assembly has released a new video for Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia and it details how players will be able to make a comeback if they are at a disadvantage.

The video begins quite late into a campaign, the narrator is playing Mierce and displays how players should not loose hope if they are on the back foot. The video showcases strategies that players can use to regain some power, utilizing victories over their enemies while also appointing the correct officials can result in a complete turn-around for a faction.

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is planned for release on May 3rd and will only be available for PC.

As the release date for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze moves closer and closer Nintendo has released two new trailers for the upcoming title, meet the Kong family everyone!

Nintendo's release of two new trailers has a main goal of introducing potential players to the Kong family. The first trailer located above allows us to meet the very iconic Donkey Kong, we can see him progressing through the levels of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze with his pal Cranky Kong.

The second trailer showcases the very stylish Funky Kong and his trusty surfboard. Just like the first trailer, we can see quite a lot of gameplay of Funky Kong progressing through the levels. Funky Kong will only be available to play on the Nintendo Switch version of the game, which is planned for release on the 2nd of May.

Over the last year, Battlegrounds has added a new desert map titled Miramar, this map has caused some controversy amongst the community so the developers have announced that they will be adding a map selection tool "soon."

Some players have gone ahead and deleted the Miramar files from their game just to not play the map, this won't be needed in the future though as PUBG developers have heard the cries from the community and will be adding map selection for each region.

Here is what the Steam Community post read: "Map selection is something that players all over the world have continuously asked for. We take your feedback extremely seriously, but we also want to be thoughtful about how we implement changes to PUBG. And we knew that map selection posed a couple of problems we needed to seriously consider."

Modder 'jd941' created a Photogrammetry mod that updated the textures of the rocks found around the original Skyrim. Now, modder 'LupusHegemonia' has made the same mod available in the Special Edition version of Skyrim.

LupusHegemonia has released two versions of the mod, the first being the original authors creation "This is the author's original 4K-4K (and some 8K-8K too! ) textures files - defuse/normal maps/pumping maps etc." The second being a creation of his own "This is my personal version of the textures. I made them quite much de-saturated and most of them in grey-tones. Also, I added more grunge surface to most of the rocks' textures/normal maps. My version in 4K-2K resolution."

If you are interested in updating the textures of your rocks in Skyrim: Special Edition, here is the direct link to the Nexus Mod page where you can find many screenshots of the terrain.