Gaming News - Page 9

Thanks to Kraken's compression tech, Alan Wake Remastered is half as big on PS5 as it is on PS4.

Some cross-gen games are smaller on PS5 than they are on PS4--Avengers, Hitman 3, Control Ultimate Edition--and Remedy's new Alan Wake Remastered is no exception. The game's install size is roughly 28GB on PS5 versus 57GB on PS4, which is a reduction of nearly 50%. The PS5 version includes 4K textures and all the hardware-based optimizations intact.

The significant shrink is all thanks to the PS5's utilization of RAD Game Tools' powerful Oodle Kraken compression technology, which is also now owned by Epic Games--the same billion-dollar company who's publishing Alan Wake Remastered on PS5 and PC.

Netherrealm boss Ed Boon will attend this year's DC Fandome event on October 16, and based on recent leaks, he could tease a new Injustice sequel.

Warner Bros. just revealed a star-studded schedule for DC Fandome 2021, including big names like Jason Mamoa, Kaley Cuoco, JJ Abrams, and The Rock. Among these names was Ed Boon, who leads the studio responsible for mega-hits like Mortal Kombat and Injustice.

While it's entirely possible Boon's appearance doesn't mean a new game reveal--last year he was part of a panel discussing how the Injustice games were made--there's more credence the possibility now more than ever. A recent GeForce Now database leak listed Injustice 3: Gods Will Fall as part of its catalog. Netherealm has also been hiring for multiple projects that should include a new Mortal Kombat and Injustice game. We believe that Mortal Kombat 12 will come first but we could get some sort of indication, confirmation, or teaser trailer for the next Injustice at the event.

Konami has enlisted Virtuos to lead development of a Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake, sources tell Video Game Chronicle.

Virtuos, a Singapore-based game developer mostly known for excellent ports of games like The Outer Worlds and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD, is currently making a MGS3 remake. Contrary to popular belief, Sony's newly-acquired Bluepoint apparently isn't working on Metal Gear. The project is in early phases of development and underlines Konami's reinvigorated focus on premium AAA releases, which is something the company outlined in 2019:

"Even with new platforms coming out, we believe high-end console games are the most important. We challenge for innovative ideas and technology within our console games and apply them to other devices, so we will continue to put effort into our console games. We also plan to increase our portfolio. In addition to the multi-device titles for PES and Yu-Gi-Oh, we plan to work on projects with other globally known IPs in the near future," Konami Europe president Masami Saso said at the time.

Some of gaming's top companies will discuss the industry's next evolution--the mysterious metaverse.

The metaverse is hailed as the future of video games. It's a somewhat-confusing concept centered around a kind of total immersion where all of gaming's current facets combine into one multi-dimensional experience: social interactions, online multiplayer, digital avatars, advertising, etc. So far no one can aptly describe or really explain the metaverse (outside of essayists like Matthew Ball) because it hasn't necessarily been established by any games-makers yet. The closest thing we have right now are titles like Fortnite, which has become a huge interactive advertising billboard and melting pot for media's biggest properties, and Roblox, which has a distinct meta-realm focus by hosting a platform of player-created experiences.

This could change as more game developers start talking openly about the metaverse. NVIDIA's GTC 2021 showcase will be a stage where one such talk will take place. The GTC '21 program schedule confirms big players like Epic Games and Roblox will attend a panel discussing the metaverse.

Capcom reiterates its strong emphasis on PC games, promises to continue simultaneously launching games on consoles and PC.

In a recent interview with Nikkei, Capcom's Chief Operating Officer Haruhiro Tsujimoto underlines how important PC gaming is for the company by saying it wants PC and console gaming to eventually hit a 50:50 even split. Tsujimoto reaffirms Capcom's commitment to both simultaneous and staggered PC releases of hit games, and strongly hints that pretty much all games moving forward will release on PC at some point (the most recent example is Monster Hunter Rise, which is scheduled to launch in January 2022).

Capcom has been investing heavily into PC gaming for a while now. There's a big reason for this: PC gaming is basically all-digital, and Capcom wants to reduce its spending while maximizing revenues. Digital gaming is the best way to do this. There's also the added bonus of instant distribution via downloads. The plan is paying off big: Capcom has had multiple years of record operating revenues because of its focus on digital gaming. For emphasis, Capcom sold 20.5 million digital games in 2020; in 2021 it hopes to push that number to a record-breaking 23.5 million.

Final Fantasy 16's development is going according to plan, game director Naoki Yoshida says.

Tons of games are getting delayed but Final Fantasy 16 may not be one of them. In a recent Tokyo Game Show stream, Final Fantasy 16 director Yoshi-P confirms the main storyline (what Square Enix refers to as the "main scenario") has been completed and finished. Right now the team is finalizing character models using motion-captured animations, which is one of the most time-consuming parts of any game. Yoshida-san reassures fans that FF16's dev team is currently polishing the core experience but there's still no release date just yet.

Yoshi-P also hints that Final Fantasy 16 has been in the works for some time. The RPG has a medieval-style scope that sees the franchise returning to its roots, complete with modernized hack-and-slash action combat reminiscent of Final Fantasy 15's energetic fighting sequences.

Illfonic might be making a new multiplayer game based on the Ghostbusters franchise.

Illfonic, the devs behind Friday the 13th: The Game and Predator: Hunting Grounds is apparently developing a new Ghostbusters game. The news comes from studio co-founder Raphael Saadiq who might've let an announcement slip out ahead of an official reveal.

"Friday the 13th is out there and Predator and we're working on Ghostbusters right now," Saadiq said in a recent podcast with musician Questlove.

Hideo Kojima is leading a new Silent Hill game with PlayStation footing the bill, sources tell Gematsu.

Hideo Kojima and Konami have reportedly set aside their differences and gotten over their contentious 2015 breakup, and are currently on talking terms. According to VGC, Konami and Kojima are communicating but aren't bedfellows just yet--e.g. they may not be working together.

Now sources tell Gematsu this isn't the case. The games outlet has heard Kojima Productions is making a new Silent Hill game with Sony Interactive Entertainment producing and funding the project.

If you've been binge-watching Ted Lasso and wanted to get into the world of football more, then I would hesitate in buying Konami's just-launched eFootball. The game is so bad that the developer has pretty much apologized for it:

Not only that, but according to steam250.com we have eFootball being the worst-rated Steam game in history. The game has a myriad of issues from blurry graphics to pathetic animations, with the developer moving from Fox Engine -- the graphics engine that powered Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, over to Unreal Engine 4.

This hasn't helped them it seemed, I'm sure the screenshots below will show you exactly what you need to see. Embarrassing for Konami, especially in the tail end of 2021 and with next-gen Microsoft Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles now in the hands of millions of gamers across the world.

Hideo Kojima and Konami are currently on talking terms and no longer at odds with one another, sources tell VGC's Andy Robinson.

Back in 2015, Konami cancelled Silent Hills, fired Hideo Kojima, and removed Kojima's name from Metal Gear Solid V. Kojima found a new home with Kojima Productions and went on to make Death Stranding with Sony's help. Now six years later the dust has settled--and so has the bitter breakup.

According to VGC, who has talked with members of Konami Japan, Hideo Kojima and Konami have somewhat set aside their differences and are on agreeable terms. This however doesn't mean Kojima is working on a Konami game. It's said a high-profile Japanese game developer is working on a new Silent Hill project, and it's true Kojima does want to make a new horror game, but VGC was careful to say that they are not currently bedfellows--.e.g working on projects together.