Videogame News Thread

[Fignuts]

Far cry from Omikron The Nomad Soul

[DAMN iNATOR]

become human was real good

I'd heard it was pretty MEH.

[Fignuts]

Seems to be a love it or hate it game.

[Emperor Smeat]

If the game was just the Hank-Connor stuff, it arguably would have been David Cage's best game ever. The other two stories are not as good overall and start to fall apart in quality around mid-way depending on your choices, especially the Markus "Moses" stuff.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Marvel announced they will be revealing more details regarding Square Enix's Avengers game during their panel at the San Diego Comic-Con event later this month. Also will be revealing new details for Ultimate Alliance 3 and Iron Man VR games.
https://www.destructoid.com/marvel-will-give-us-more-info-on-the-elusive-avengers-game-at-san-diego-comic-con-559395.phtml

* Update on the recent Shenmue III Epic Games Store controversy news as both Deep Silver and developer Ys Net recently backed down from their stance on offering no refunds to those upset at the PC version being exclusive to Epic's store. They also updated the options available for game keys to include Steam for those willing to wait an extra year.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/2553891
https://www.destructoid.com/after-massive-shenmue-iii-epic-exclusive-kickstarter-backlash-ys-net-and-deep-silver-are-allowing-pc-refunds-559387.phtml

* According to a recent report from Poland, CD Projekt Red is currently working on three Cyberpunk series projects with one being Cyberpunk 2077, the second as a standalone multiplayer game rumored to be launching close to Cyberpunk 2077's release, and a unannounced third game planned for a 2021 release date.
https://www.destructoid.com/oh-you-thought-cd-projekt-red-was-only-working-on-one-cyberpunk-game--559341.phtml

[DAMN iNATOR]

Seems to be a love it or hate it game.

I mean, I'm thinking of giving it a chance, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if I just "nope" it right back off my PS4 out of boredom before I see the story wraps.

I'd also heard tell that one of the voice actors' performances is pretty flat, but like I said, I suppose I can give it at least a fair chance.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Update on the recent CD Projekt Red Cyberpunk series news as the company clarified they are not actually working on multiple Cyberpunk series games but instead have multiple studios currently working on Cyberpunk 2077.
https://www.pcgamer.com/cd-projekt-says-its-not-actually-working-on-multiple-cyberpunk-games/

* As part of the fallout from the recent Shenmue III PC version controversy, Epic Games announced going forward any crowdfunded game that later becomes an Epic Store exclusive will have all of its crowdfunded refunds fully covered by them.
https://twitter.com/TimSweeneyEpic/status/1146104185332649985?s=20
https://www.destructoid.com/epic-games-will-fund-cost-of-refunds-for-crowdfunded-games-that-go-epic-games-store-exclusive-559500.phtml

* WayForward Studios recently released the debut trailer for their new River City Ransom inspired game called River City Girls.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/40MRASC-Ndw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Fignuts]

River City Girls looks mint.

[ClockShot]

That's a sweet tribute for River City Ransom.

I know Arc System Works snatched up the Technos Japan IPs from Million. But if some of the key people still alive gave their blessing for this, then that's even better.

[Fignuts]

So Activision/Blizzard is hiring for the same positions they vacated when they laid off 800 employees following their most successful financial year ever.

Jesus man, this industry.

[Emperor Smeat]

Didn't help that when the former community manager of Hearthstone brought this up on Twitter, she got blocked by the game's current community manager.

Her main issue was the lack of effort or care by Activision & Blizzard to first hire back as much of their old staff as possible and former employees only finding out about this via outside reports.

[Emperor Smeat]

Cuphead was recently revealed to be the next video game IP getting the television series treatment.

The animated TV series is being produced by King Features studio for Netflix and plans for a potential 2020 release at the earliest.

https://www.destructoid.com/you-know-cuphead-has-reached-peak-popularity-when-it-s-getting-a-netflix-show-560137.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Nintendo recently confirmed rumors of a Switch Lite model is currently in production.

Unlike the regular Switch, the Lite model is portable-only, has an actual d-pad, and has a smaller screen size (5.5 vs. 6.2 inches).

In terms of improvements, it weights around 1/4th less, has a stronger battery, and an upgraded chip design for performance boosts and less overheating.

In terms of pricing, it will be $199.99 and launches on September 20th.

https://www.nintendo.com/switch/compare/
https://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-is-upgrading-the-switch-with-new-and-probably-better-components-560326.phtml

[Fignuts]

How about the WiFi chip? Cause the one on the regular switch is trash.

[Fignuts]

Joe Taslim playing Sub Zero in the Mortal Kombat movie. That’s the protagonist from The Raid.

[Kalyx triaD]

Very good.

[Fignuts]

Gives me hope that we finally get a fighting game movie with fight choreography that can rival first rate martial arts flicks.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Gives me hope that we finally get a fighting game movie with fight choreography that can rival first rate martial arts flicks.

Road House.

[Fignuts]

Road House.

...is not a fighting game.

In other news, the writer of Mortal Kombat's script said on twitter that it will be rated r, and feature fatalities.

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, the only way to get the game's DLC packs is by purchasing the game's Season Pass. It will cost $19.99 and covers 3 DLC packs with the first arriving this Fall.
https://www.destructoid.com/marvel-ultimate-alliance-3-goes-the-black-ops-4-dlc-route-it-s-season-pass-or-bust-560496.phtml

* For those interested in Marvel's Avengers, Square Enix reportedly will not be releasing the game's debut gameplay trailer to the public and instead it will be a San Diego Comic Con exclusive for attendees.
https://www.dualshockers.com/marvels-avengers-gameplay-comic-con/

[Fignuts]

All of that news update fucking sucks.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Ubisoft recently revealed the entire list of games that will be available to play when their Uplay+ paid subscription service launches this September.
https://www.destructoid.com/these-are-all-the-games-on-uplay--560936.phtml

* Tetris Effect and Zombie Army 4 were recently announced as the next notable games to get Epic Game Store exclusivity for PC. In regards to Zombie Army 4, developer Rebellion Developments studio admitted it was only due to the ton of cash Epic gave them for this deal.
https://www.destructoid.com/surprise-tetris-effect-is-coming-to-the-pc-as-an-epic-games-store-exclusive-this-month-560842.phtml
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-12-jason-kingsley-epic-is-paying-through-the-nose-to-build-its-store

* According to a report from Deadline, Warner Bros is actually working on two video game-based films with the one as the new Mortal Kombat film and the other based on Space Invaders. MK film lead writer Greg Russo is also working on the script for the Space Invaders film.
https://deadline.com/2019/07/space-invaders-movie-new-line-taito-arcade-game-new-line-greg-russo-mortal-kombat-1202645635/

[Emperor Smeat]

* Streets of Rage 4 developer DotEmu studio announced they have recently hired original series composer Yūzō Koshiro to help work on the soundtrack for the game.
https://twitter.com/Dotemu/status/1151477958915317762

* For those interested in getting the PS4 version of Metal Wolf Chaos XD, publisher Developer Digital announced the physical version of the game will be GameStop and Special Reserve Games retailer exclusive.
https://www.destructoid.com/-update-gamestop-will-be-the-exclusive-retailer-for-ps4-physical-copies-of-metal-wolf-chaos-xd-561004.phtml

* Besides the Switch Lite, Nintendo also recently announced a new Switch base model featuring improved battery life. This new base model is currently set to be released in late September.
https://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-officially-announces-improved-base-switch-model-561058.phtml

[Fignuts]

How about the WiFi chip? Cause the one on the regular switch is trash.

[Emperor Smeat]

Going to assume no unless whatever is causing those problems are Tegra chip related.

The Lite and new base model are using upgraded Tegra X1 chip designs for the incremental improvements.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Based on NPD sales numbers, the top 3 highest selling super hero games of all-time are Spider-Man (PS4), Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight. In regards to the Top 10, six of the games feature Batman as a main character while the other 4 games feature Spider-Man in a similar role.
https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1151891795573219328
https://www.destructoid.com/spider-man-and-batman-dominate-the-all-time-best-selling-superhero-games-list-561274.phtml

* Gameplay footage of Square Enix's Marvel Avengers game was leaked from today's San Diego Comic Con event. Square originally planned for this demo to be exclusive to SDCC attendees but later changed those plans and will now hold a public demo at next month's Gamescom event.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HJQKiOXlHgw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

* Also shown off at today's San Diego Comic Con event was the debut trailer for Netflix's upcoming live-action The Witcher series.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cSqi-8kAMmM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[DAMN iNATOR]

So there MIGHT be a WWE SmackDown!: Here Comes the Pain remake in the works.

https://media1.tenor.com/images/a6c0d89f503a5d4796c890a770311093/tenor.gif

[Kalyx triaD]

How exactly would that work..?

[Fignuts]

Yeah, liscensing alone would be a nightmare.

Where exactly did you hear this rumor?

[Destor]

Currently our source is daminator. No reason to doubt that at all

[DAMN iNATOR]

Yeah, liscensing alone would be a nightmare.

Where exactly did you hear this rumor?

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/comicbook.com/gaming/amp/2019/07/19/wwe-smackdown-here-comes-the-pain-ps2-remaster-remake/

Also, please note, I did say "MIGHT" in all caps, I didn't just say it was definitely going to happen.

[Kalyx triaD]

Seems more like a tease for another WWE game, though it was a very specific mention. The gameplay engine of the WWE series has improved to a degree since HCTP, as well as all the Create-A additions. Given the music and wrestler contractual nightmare, I can't see why or how they'd remake that game.

[Fignuts]

I think they're making a seperate, more arcadey game, and taking inspiration from HCTP, since it's cited so much as people's favorite.

[Sepholio]

Yeah that seems the more reasonable assumption ^^^

[Destor]

I dunno guys. I think a game with crash holly will totally sell in 2019

[Kalyx triaD]

On Ebay maybe.

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested, the PC version of Wolfenstein: Youngblood got its release date pushed ahead by one day. PC version now releases on July 25th while console versions still arrive on July 26th.
https://twitter.com/bethesda/status/1153395459244920832

* According to EVO's president, Smash Bros Ultimate will be headlining next month's EVO 2019 tournaments in Las Vegas, Nevada.
https://www.destructoid.com/smash-bros-ultimate-is-gonna-headline-evo-this-year-561560.phtml

* Add Wargroove to the pile of games where a developer's plan for cross-play support on PS4 was denied by Sony.
https://www.destructoid.com/wargroove-is-out-on-ps4-but-did-not-make-the-cut-for-sony-s-beta-cross-play-program-561520.phtml

* The official box art for Death Stranding was recently revealed at the San Diego Comic Con over the weekend. The box art for the steelbook version was also revealed.
https://blog.us.playstation.com/2019/07/20/death-stranding-hideo-kojima-reveals-cover-art-more-at-sdcc/

[Emperor Smeat]

During a panel at last weekend's San Diego Comic Con event, Hideo Kojima revealed the original plans for Death Stranding included Keanu Reeves being cast for the role of the villain Cliff character.

Kojima rejected the plan and wanted Mads Mikkelsen for the role instead which is how Mikkelsen got involved in the project.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/death-stranding-keanu-reeves-could-have-starred-in/1100-6468601

[Fignuts]

To anyone else playing gta online again for the new casino content:

Don't buy a penthouse suite. You can just go sign up to twitch prime, link it to your rockstar social club account and you will get the master penthouse and 1.25 mil for free. First month of twitch prime is free, so you can sign up and then cancel after youve claimed your rewards.

[ClockShot]

Sega & Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio are gonna reveal all the new details on their new Yakuza game on August 29th.

I didn't think they'd scratch that itch again so soon. But, bring it on.

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to a report from Vice, Nintendo is rumored to be currently working on plans to offer free repairs for Switch Joycons suffering from "drift" issues and refunds for those who were charged for repairs in the past. The official reason related to the recent class action lawsuit filed against the company regarding this problem.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xzzva/internal-nintendo-memo-instructs-customer-service-to-fix-joy-con-drift-for-free

* Despite the PC version being exclusive to the Epic Game Store, Tetris Effect will still require Steam VR in order to play the game in VR mode.
https://www.destructoid.com/epic-game-store-exclusive-tetris-effect-requires-steam-vr-for-its-vr-mode-561768.phtml

* Based on the newest Xbox Insider beta program, a new dashboard for the Xbox One will be arriving this Fall. According to Microsoft, this new dashboard will have less clutter and be quicker in terms of navigation.
https://www.destructoid.com/another-new-xbox-one-home-screen-is-on-the-way-561804.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/ul/561804-Xbox-One-new-dashboard-home-screen.jpg

[Kalyx triaD]

I like it.

[Destor]

Cross between the ps4 and the 360. Nice. Current UI is real bad.

[Emperor Smeat]

Microsoft announced they have recently hired three lead level designers from Sony Santa Monica's studio for their brand new The Initiative studio. All three were the lead level designers for 2018's God of War game.

The most recent acquisitions to the new studio, which was first announced to the world back at E3 2018, are the trio of Ian Miller, Ray Yeomans, and Kai Zheng, all of whom were responsible for the level design in 2018's masterpiece God of War for Sony Santa Monica. The three new employees have signed up to a crew that already includes Annie Lohr - formerly of Electronic Arts and Respawn - and Rockstar alumni Christian Cantamessa and Tom Shepherd.

https://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-studio-the-initiative-continues-to-bolster-ranks-adds-former-god-of-war-developers-561850.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Spiritual successor to classic wrestling arcade game WrestleFest is currently in development by indie studio Retrosoft Studios for the Nintendo Switch.

The new game is called RetroMania Wrestling and features a mix of 80s, 90s, and current wrestlers.

RetroMania Wrestling will be a “pick up and play” arcade wrestling game with beautiful 2D sprites, incredible backgrounds and fast-paced arcade style game play.

• 12 – 16 Unique, distinct playable wrestlers at launch (adding more post launch via DLC)

• 2-8 player local multiplayer (Online TBD)

• Several match types, including One-on-One matches, Tag Team matches, and the Battle Royal
​
• Ring entrances with entrance music

• Multiple entrance attires for each wrestler
​
• Strategic gameplay that is easy to pick up and play

• Beautiful 2D pixel art animated sprites with over 700 frames of animation and animated backgrounds

• Crowd chants that react to the action on screen
​
• More features still to be added!

https://www.retromaniawrestling.com/uploads/1/2/2/2/12225243/d-o5spcvaaayi6d-jpg-large_orig.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/yfwNXym.png

https://www.retromaniawrestling.com/latest-news/retromania-wrestling-announced-for-nintendo-switch
https://www.retromaniawrestling.com/about.html

[ClockShot]

Looks fun.

But these guys at Retrosoft must be a bunch of jokers or love their parodies if almost half their roster so far is the bWo.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Based on Nintendo's recent fiscal report, Super Mario Maker 2 sold around 2.4 million copies during its launch week and the Switch is currently at around 36.8 million consoles sold since its launch in 2017.
https://www.destructoid.com/super-mario-maker-2-already-off-to-a-good-start-with-2-42-million-sold-in-just-over-a-month-562334.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-still-happy-with-3ds-sales-as-they-hit-200-000-this-past-quarter-switch-pushes-over-two-million-in-same-time-period-562333.phtml

* Based on Sony's recent fiscal report, the PS4 became the newest member of the 100+ million sold club for console & handhelds at around 100 million sold since its launch in 2014. The PS4 also broke the record held by the PS2 for fastest to reach 100 million sales.
https://www.destructoid.com/playstation-4-has-now-shipped-100-million-units-and-is-the-fastest-console-to-do-so-562329.phtml
https://twitter.com/ZhugeEX/status/1156086524397727745

* A new online documentary based on the Hitman series from Noclip studio was recently released. During the documentary, I/O Interactive announced that Hitman 3 and a new unannounced IP game are currently in development with Hitman 3 planned to be in an episodic format.
https://www.destructoid.com/io-interactive-planning-third-hitman-title-and-entirely-new-ip-562326.phtml
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_stW6JvB4SI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

Respawn Entertainment reportedly is currently developing a brand new "AAA" status game and its official debut to occur at this year's Oculus Connect event in San Jose, California.

Yep, on September 25-26, during the conference, Oculus has informed Destructoid that they will showcase "the latest from game developers around the world," which includes a "new AAA first-person combat title" from Respawn Entertainment, made in partnership with Oculus. Evidently the project won't be all talk or a cinematic tease, as a hands-on playable demo will be available at the show. For the record, we vaguely knew about this back in 2017, but the info real info we have on it is that "it's not Titanfall."

https://www.oculus.com/blog/oc6-news-registration-now-open-plus-first-wave-of-sessions-announced/

[Fignuts]

RIP Titanfall 3

[Fignuts]

Fucking damn it, I saw news of "King of Fighters X Tekken" and got a power surge of hype before reading it's just a few Tekken guest characters in SNK's dumb mobile game.

Fucking cunts.

[Emperor Smeat]

Based on a recent email sent by the company, Capcom is currently developing a new game in the Resident Evil series and will be holding a beta test for it in early September for Biohazard Ambassador members.

At the moment, the offer appears to be Japan only though.

Based on an email from the Biohazard Ambassador program obtained by the website Biohaze, the publisher sent out a request for current members and RE fans to try out "a new Resident Evil game that's in development." The tests will occur sometime in early September, and the project does involve Capcom Division 1 proper: making it less likely that this is just a throwaway spinoff like Umbrella Corps.
https://www.destructoid.com/capcom-is-sending-out-emails-asking-fans-to-test-a-mystery-resident-evil-game-562694.phtml
https://biohaze.com/capcom-recruiting-re-ambassadors-to-test-game-currently-in-development/

[Kalyx triaD]

Outbreak. Outbreak. Outbreak. Please.

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to 2K Games, this year's Showcase and My Career modes for WWE 2k20 revolves around the Women's Evolution movement and Four Horsewomen. Also announced was Chnya will be making her debut as a playable character in the 2K series. In regards to DLC, the release schedule was overhauled to allow for more DLC packs and shorter gaps between packs.
https://blog.us.playstation.com/2019/08/05/wwe-2k20-is-all-about-firsts-hits-ps4-october-22/

* During this past weekend's EVO 2019 tournament, Arc System Works announced a new Guilty Gear game is currently in development and SNK announced The King of Fighters XV is also currently in development.
https://www.destructoid.com/a-new-guilty-gear-game-is-coming-next-year-562893.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/the-king-of-fighters-xv-announced-at-evo-2019-562876.phtml

* According to reports, the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) recently suffered a massive data breach resulting in the personal info of over 2,000 gaming journalists being exposed online. The ESA blamed the incident on the data being improperly stored and not secured on their website.
https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/03/e3-data-breach-media/

[ClockShot]

But the BIG news out of EVO is that SNK and Bandai Namco hooked up and are doing character swaps for Samurai Shodown and Soul Calibur 6.

Samurai Shodown gets Mitsurugi at a date to be determined.

Soul Calibur 6 gets Haohmaru early next year as part of their season 2 DLC characters. He'll actually be the 2nd character released.

[Kalyx triaD]

Perfect crossovers.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Sega recently teased they will be revealing an "all-new AAA game" currently in development at the Gamescom 2019 expo later this month.
https://www.destructoid.com/sega-is-teasing-a-mystery-aaa-game-for-gamescom-563127.phtml

* The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) announced they are partnering with Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft on new industry-wide policies regarding games that feature loot box systems. The new policies will require (albeit voluntarily) that publishers and developers openly disclose the odds rates for their loot box systems. It was also announced that most notable publishers are expected to be on board with these new policies by the end of 2020.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-08-07-nintendo-sony-microsoft-to-require-loot-box-odds-disclosure
https://www.theesa.com/perspectives/video-game-industry-commitments-to-further-inform-consumer-purchases/

* For those interested, Infinity Ward announced that this year's Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare, will feature support for keyboard & mouse controls for console players and dedicated servers for online multiplayer.
https://www.destructoid.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-console-players-can-use-mouse-keyboard-563121.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-has-dedicated-servers-to-go-with-its-full-cross-play-program-563129.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Apparently the recent data breach from the ESA was a lot larger than previously assumed. Not only did the personal info of journalists who applied to be at this year's E3 was exposed, lists containing personal info from the past two E3 expos were also exposed online.

Besides the expected class action lawsuits, the ESA is also currently looking at a potential fine of up to $20 million for violating the European Union's GDPR laws in regards to data protection and privacy.

Making things even worse for the ESA was the revelation that it wasn't just gaming journalists and Youtube personalities who had their personal data exposed. Also included in the lists were employees from big financial firms like Goldman Sachs, Amazon, and Chinese company Tencent.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Based on a recent investors meeting, Activision is currently working on plans to make more remasters of their classic IPs. The sales success of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled motivated them to go ahead with more remasters in the future.
https://www.destructoid.com/activision-wants-to-do-more-remasters-thanks-to-crash-bandicoot-and-spyro-563373.phtml

* For those interested, Skybound Games announced a definitive edition of The Walking Dead series called The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series will arrive on September 10th for PS4 and Xbox One. Besides containing all four main seasons and the spin-off season, it will also contain about 10 hours worth of bonus content.
https://www.destructoid.com/the-walking-dead-the-telltale-definitive-series-is-packing-10-hours-of-bonus-content-563245.phtml

* Update to recent Capcom working on a new Resident Evil game news as it turns out the upcoming beta test will not just be limited to Japan but will also be open to US members of their RE Ambassador program. The US beta will be held on location in Los Angeles on September 20 or 21 and in New York City on September 23 or 24.
https://twitter.com/Anaris82/status/1159748300553297921

[Emperor Smeat]

* Update to recent Sega revealing a new game at GamesCom 2019 news as it is currently rumored this mystery game might be Total War Saga: Troy based on recent trademark filings in the UK.
https://www.destructoid.com/total-war-saga-troy-trademark-filed-by-creative-assembly-563553.phtml

* For those interested, Nightdive Studios announced they are currently working on a remaster of System Shock 2.
https://twitter.com/NightdiveStudio/status/1160740078685057025

* Update to recent ESA working on new policies for lootbox system news as Nintendo announced they will be taking a hard line stance in regards to demanding the disclosure of drop rates for loot box items in all Switch games that use the system.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-08-07-microsoft-sony-nintendo-wont-allow-loot-boxes-on-consoles-unless-publishers-disclose-drop-rates

* A new game in the Need For Speed series is currently expected to be revealed on August 14th based on a recent update by EA on the Need For Speed official website.
https://www.ea.com/games/need-for-speed/onetime-37-qrx

[ClockShot]

:lol:

Fortnite World Champ got swatted. That didn't take long at all.

Fame's a bitch.

[OssMan]

:lol:

Fortnite World Champ got swatted. That didn't take long at all.

Fame's a bitch.

wtf did he do to you... why laugh at that... goober

[Emperor Smeat]

For those interested, Nintendo is currently rumored to be working on plans to add SNES games to their Switch Online subscription service based on a recent filing to the FCC.

The filing revealed plans for a SNES style controller to be released for the Switch and likely in time for the launch of the SNES suite section.

https://www.destructoid.com/thanks-to-an-fcc-filing-it-seems-like-switch-snes-functionality-could-be-on-the-way-563652.phtml

[ClockShot]

So, reports are going around that last night that a pro SSB: Ultimate went on Twitter and posted what was pretty much a confession that he's guilty of a couple instances Sexual Misconduct. He was also drunk at the time.

This pretty much blew the lid off in the fighting game community and others have come forth and have subsequently been banned from various tournaments.

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/08/13/multiple-sexual-misconduct-allegations-rock-the-fighting-game-community-following-evo-2019

[Kalyx triaD]

lol

[Emperor Smeat]

* Google announced they will be holding a Stadia Connect live stream event on August 19th and will be revealing new details regarding their upcoming gaming streaming service.
https://gematsu.com/2019/08/stadia-connect-set-for-august-19

* Bungie announced an upcoming update for Destiny 2 will feature a major expansion and a bigger focus for the Eververse microtransaction in-game store.
https://www.destructoid.com/bungie-doubles-down-on-destiny-2-s-microtransaction-eververse-even-without-activision-in-the-picture-563741.phtml

* Update to EA teasing a new Need for Speed game news as EA announced the new game is called Need for Speed Heat and will be released on November 8th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Some early details include the game featuring open world gameplay, a "rouge police force" as the antagonists, and Ghost Games studio as the developer.
https://www.destructoid.com/need-for-speed-heat-is-coming-in-november-once-again-focuses-on-open-world-street-racing-563755.phtml

*Microsoft-owned The Initiative studio announced they have recently hired several more notable high profile developers. They are Sean Slayback (Apex Legends designer), Ryan Trowbridge (Uncharted 4 artist), Ryan Duffin (Bioware's lead animator), and Justin Walters (2016's DOOM artist).
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xboxs-new-studio-signs-yet-more-experience-from-respawn-bioware/

[Emperor Smeat]

Apparently Warner Bros once had plans for a fifth Batman game to be made for the Arkham series.

The project was codenamed "Project Sabbath" and would have featured Bruce Wayne's son, Damian Wayne, as the lead character.

Warner Bros' Montreal studio, developer of Batman: Arkham Origins, was working on the game prior to its cancellation.

According to the anonymous poster, the new game was to feature Damian Wayne, son of Bruce and Talia al Ghul, donning the cowl of the Dark Knight for another open-world adventure, likely set for release after the most recent game in the Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Knight. The leaked images - branded "Project Sabbath" - reveal two shots of the glowering metropolis that is Gotham City, as well as several villain designs.

On display in this rogue's gallery that never was is an older and more opulent looking Two-Face, a punky Poison Ivy (somewhat raising questions as to where this entry would fit in the Arkham timeline), a very creepy, elderly White Rabbit, and a sophisticated and badass female version of Black Mask. Also on show are a plain clothes Dick Grayson and, of all characters, Gorilla Grodd. The 4chan post also claims that The Penguin and the BatBike were to be featured, along with a system similar to Shadow of Mordor's "nemesis" mechanic.

The original poster goes as far as to state that WB Montreal was also hard at work on a Suicide Squad title, which makes sense given Arkham Origins' post-credit sequence.

https://i.imgur.com/5RvUwjq.jpg

https://www.destructoid.com/supposed-concept-art-surfaces-from-cancelled-damian-wayne-batman-game-563844.phtml
https://www.reddit.com/r/BatmanArkham/comments/cpxk69/concept_art_from_cancelled_damian_wayne_game/

[ClockShot]

Gamescom is currently underway and Sony has announced it as acquired Insomniac Games.

Nice!

[Emperor Smeat]

Sega's mystery reveal for Gamescom 2019 ended up being a new game called Humankind.

Some early details include being a historical-based RTS style game, Amplitude Studios as its developer, and currently planned for a 2020 release for PC.

Humankind is described as a "historical strategy magnum opus. Developed by Amplitude, you can expect to start building civilisations, directing the human race through Ancient Egypt, Rome and The Vikings, among others, whilst making historical discoveries in culture and science, and shaping the people to build upon their foundations.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yl7YKppgaiY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

* Microsoft announced the Switch port of Ori and the Blind Forest will be the last published game from them for non-Xbox consoles for the foreseeable future.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-08-20-microsoft-has-no-plans-to-release-more-xbox-exclusives-on-ps4-or-nintendo-switch

* Oddworld Inc studios announced they have recently signed a deal with Epic Games for the PC version of Oddworld: Soulstorm to be sold exclusively on the Epic Games Store. Official reason was due to them needing more funding in order to finish the game's development.
https://www.destructoid.com/oddworld-soulstorm-is-the-latest-game-to-go-epic-games-store-exclusive-564337.phtml

* Speaking of Epic Games, the company is once again dealing with controversy involving the EGS. This time it involves the revelation of Epic not allowing indie games to be sold on their store unless an exclusivity deal is signed.
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/epic-games-wanted-darq-as-an-exclusive-developer-refused-the-offer-in-order-to-keep-his-word/

* 3D Realms and Voidpoint studios are currently dealing with online backlash regarding recent transphobic and sexist remarks made by members of Voidpoint's staff. As well as, the recent discovery of a hidden homophobic slur contained in Voidpoint's recently released Ion Fury game.
https://www.destructoid.com/3d-realms-and-voidpoint-issue-apologies-for-ion-fury-developer-s-transphobic-sexist-comments-564272.phtml
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-08-19-ion-fury-studio-apologises-for-sexist-and-transphobic-comments-from-staff

[Emperor Smeat]

For those interested, CD Projekt Red announced they will be holding an official live stream on August 30th for Cyberpunk 2077.

The stream will be around 15 minutes long and revealing new gameplay details for the game.

"Expect a lot of insight into the thought process behind creative decisions, information about Pacifica - one of the districts of Night City - and TONS of stuff on playstyles you’ll be able to adopt when you launch Cyberpunk 2077 next year," said CDPR in a new blog post ...

The live stream will take place on August 30 at 11:00 PT / 14:00 ET / 19:00 BST and can be watched over on the official CD Projekt RED Twitch channel. Cyberpunk 2077 launches April 16, 2020 on PS4, PC, Xbox One and Google Stadia.

https://www.destructoid.com/cyberpunk-2077-will-reveal-more-gameplay-on-august-30-564522.phtml
https://www.cyberpunk.net/en/news/29533/gameplay-stream-announcement

[Roman777]

PUBG and WCC2 is my favorite game.

[Emperor Smeat]

A company called LCG Entertainment announced they have recently purchased assets, trademarks, tech, and select IPs from Telltale Games. As part of the deal, LCG Entertainment will also be legally assuming the name of the former company and currently have plans to re-release select games from Telltale's catalog.

Key staff members from the original Telltale Games were also announced to be getting hired to work for the new Telltale company.

LCG Entertainment, a holdings company based out of Los Angeles, has announced that it has purchased the assets, trademarks, technology, and select IPs from Telltale Games and will assume the name going forward. Looking to revive the brand for the future, select titles from the studios back catalog will be getting re-released with new titles being developed in some of Telltale's best-selling brands.

https://www.destructoid.com/lcg-entertainment-acquires-telltale-games-will-revive-select-games-565088.phtml

[ClockShot]

SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku announce the newest installment in the Yakuza series. Yakuza: Like A Dragon.

New protagonist is Ichiban Kasuga. Big news here is that the brawling style that's been used in all the games has been swapped out with a turn-based interface they're calling a "Live Command RPG Battle System"

https://www.playstationtrophies.org/news/news-28800-Yakuza--Like-A-Dragon-Formally-Announced--Releases-16th-January-in-Japan.html

[Emperor Smeat]

According to a new official website launched by Capcom, the next Resident Evil game will be officially revealed on September 9th at 10AM EST.

Capcom will also have a playable demo of the game available for attendees at next month's Tokyo Game Show event.

https://www.project-resistance.com/en/
https://www.destructoid.com/capcom-will-reveal-the-next-resident-evil-game-right-before-tgs-565203.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to reports, multiple high profile game developers and executives in the gaming industry are currently facing sexual harassment and assault allegations. Among those facing allegations are Elder Scrolls series composer Jeremy Soule, Night in the Woods developer Alec Holowka, and Oculus co-founder Michael Antonov.
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/349504/New_allegations_of_sexual_assault_surface_against_established_game_devs.php

* For those who own or are interested in Control, Remedy Entertainment announced they are currently working on a patch to fix the game's serious performance issues on base model PS4 and Xbox One consoles.
https://www.destructoid.com/remedy-is-working-to-fix-control-s-performance-on-consoles-565348.phtml

* CD Project RED recently revealed several new details for Cyberpunk 2077 including character creation being very flexible in terms of gender-related choices and the game's class system also being very "fluid" or flexible in terms of gameplay design.
https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/23/cyberpunk-2077-gamescom-2019-interview-paint-picture-let-player-interpret-10618408/
https://www.destructoid.com/cyberpunk-2077-players-will-be-allowed-to-eschew-gender-choices-for-character-creation-565245.phtml

[ClockShot]

* According to reports, multiple high profile game developers and executives in the gaming industry are currently facing sexual harassment and assault allegations. Among those facing allegations are Elder Scrolls series composer Jeremy Soule, Night in the Woods developer Alec Holowka, and Oculus co-founder Michael Antonov.
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/349504/New_allegations_of_sexual_assault_surface_against_established_game_devs.php

Reports going around the internet say that Alec Holowka committed suicide this morning. His sister announced it on twitter not long ago.


https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/08/31/night-in-the-woods-developer-accused-of-sexual-assault-dies

[Emperor Smeat]

* Next DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros Ultimate is currently rumored to be a guest character from one of SNK's series based on a recent update (now deleted) to Nintendo UK's website.
https://www.destructoid.com/we-may-know-where-the-next-super-smash-bros-ultimate-dlc-fighter-hails-from-spoiler-warning--565524.phtml

* Epic Games announced they are rehauling their roadmap plans for the Epic Games Store following complaints of the company failing to follow their promises for store improvements. The company also announced they will also be providing status updates for the store on a more frequent basis going forward.
https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/news/trello-revamp-tracking-features
https://www.destructoid.com/epic-games-reworks-their-roadmap-following-complaints-that-they-didn-t-hit-targets-565553.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Former WWE wrestler Batista recently revealed he helped work on Gears 5 and will be a playable character for the game's multiplayer modes.
https://twitter.com/DaveBautista/status/1168916756100014081

* For those interested, WWE wrestler Asuka recently launched her own video game channel on Youtube called KanaChan TV.
https://www.destructoid.com/wwe-star-asuka-opens-youtube-gaming-channel-kanachan-tv--565622.phtml

* In non-wrestling related news, Nintendo announced they will be holding a new Direct episode tomorrow starting at 3PM PST. The episode will be around 40 minutes long and features new details on Pokemon Sword & Shield and Luigi's Mansion 3 along with other game announcements.
https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1168886367650119680

[Emperor Smeat]

Highlights from today's Nintendo Direct episode:

Release date for Animal Crossing: New Horizons was announced to be March 20, 2020
Xenoblade Chronicles announced to be getting the remaster treatment for the Switch.
Nintendo confirmed the rumors of SNES games being added to their Nintendo Online subscription service. First set of games arrive tomorrow and similar to the NES Suite, a special SNES controller to play the games will be available for $30.
https://www.destructoid.com/snes-games-are-finally-being-added-to-nintendo-switch-online-tomorrow-565823.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-switch-is-getting-an-official-snes-controller-for-30-565824.phtml
Cult classic Deadly Premonition was announced to be getting a Switch port for the eShop and was also released today. Also announced was a sequel to the game is being made for the Switch and arrives next year.
https://www.destructoid.com/is-this-real-life-deadly-premonition-2-is-on-the-way-565817.phtml
Bethesda was announced to be re-releasing Doom 64 for the Switch (and likely other platforms).
The mystery new DLC fighter from SNK for Smash Bros Ultimate was revealed to be Terry Bogard from the Fatal Fury series.
https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1169374098897526784
Nintendo confirmed the rumors of Overwatch getting a port made for the Switch and arrives on October 15th.

[KIRA]

A heads up Asuka has started a gaming channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZFzfw5Idu6qC1ub3eVl2YA

[OssMan]

Why are they remaking Xenoblade Chronicles what th efuck

[Kalyx triaD]

HD version of a rather popular title.

[Sepholio]

Yeah Chronicles was awesome. When I first saw the announcement I thought they were remaking Chronicles X, which would have sucked in comparison.

[Destor]

Ive not played x so i would have preffered it but as to why chronicles 1 its a title that many missed out on and after the success of 2 it'll sell well for sure

[Sepholio]

X is the same type of game but its basically completely unrelated and isn't nearly as good imo. They tried to make it more of a real world tie in version.

[Destor]

The clips ive seen make it look cool...seems like an easy port imo

[OssMan]

Xenoblade X looked really cool and was really boring...

[Emperor Smeat]

* Hideo Kojima announced he will be showing a new gameplay trailer for Death Stranding at this week's Tokyo Game Show expo. Kojima also announced this new trailer is 49 minutes long.
https://twitter.com/HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN/status/1171326994253893632?s=20
https://www.destructoid.com/we-ll-see-over-an-hour-of-death-stranding-at-tokyo-game-show-566480.phtml

* According to Geoff Keighley, Naughty Dog will be revealing new details for The Last of Us: Part II on September 24th.
https://twitter.com/geoffkeighley/status/1171160948914061313

* Capcom recently released a new trailer and several new details for their upcoming new Resident Evil game code-named "Project Resistance." Among the new details includes a new cast of playable characters and the return of Mr. X and other classic Resident Evil series enemies.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jlx6zWE5kIA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Big Vic]

Nintendo is taking forever to fix my joycon :(

[Emperor Smeat]

Capcom recently revealed several more new details for their upcoming Resident Evil game.

The game is being co-developed with Neobards Entertainment, runs on the RE Engine, and is similar to Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th: The Game in terms of gameplay concept.

Capcom will be holding a closed beta from October 4-7 and signups are currently open till September 18th. Only requirement is to be either a member of Xbox Insider Program or RE Ambassador.

In the new gameplay overview trailer posted below, Capcom shows off how a scrappy quartet of survivors will face off against the Mastermind, a fifth player who is definitely not Albert Wesker - but I wouldn't put that past the developers. As the Mastermind, this adversarial player will be able to set traps for the survivors, unleash zombies, and take control of the entity known as the Tyrant ...

If you're unfamiliar with the asymmetrical survival-horror genre, it's something that has picked up steam over the past few years thanks to the expansion of streamers. These games -- which included titles like Dead by Daylight, Friday the 13th: The Game, and Last Year: The Nightmare -- require a handful of players to utilize their character's skills to escape some fortified location before time runs out.

In addition to the co-op team, there is one other player who controls the villain of the game, stalking players and gruesomely murdering them. It's a genre that has come a long way since Evolve tried and failed to kickstart it back in 2015. Project Resistance looks to be putting its own spin on the formula with the Mastermind tracking players with the use of CCTV in addition to attacking them directly through zombies or the Tyrant.

Link to sign up for closed beta: https://www.project-resistance.com/

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QYTi1U9TC_A" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to Microsoft, Gears 5 had the highest launch week in terms of playerbase for a first-party game in the Xbox One gen. Gears 5 had around 3 million players and doubled what Gears of War 4 did for its launch week.
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2019/09/16/gears-5-breaks-records-as-biggest-launch-for-any-xbox-game-studios-game-this-generation/

* For those interested, Square Enix announced Switch ports of Dragon Quest I, II, and III will be arriving on the eShop on September 27th for both North America and Europe.
https://www.destructoid.com/dragon-quest-i-ii-and-iii-on-switch-will-be-available-worldwide-567044.phtml

* Longtime Pokemon League loser Ash Ketchum managed to finally win a major league and be crowned Pokemon Master for the first time in Pokemon animated series history after yesterday's newest episode.
https://www.destructoid.com/after-failing-for-over-two-decades-ash-ketchum-is-now-a-pokemon-master-567014.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* A recent government report from the UK ruled that loot boxes are a form of gambling and should follow similar regulations as other forms of gambling. The report was also very critical towards gaming publishers for their poor handling of the issue and for developing systems that purposely target minors.
https://www.engadget.com/2019/09/12/uk-government-loot-boxes-regulation/

* Based on recently leaked memos, the ESA is currently working on plans to drastically rehaul E3 into becoming more of a festival-like event starting with next year's expo. Current plan revolves around the idea of having "experience" hubs and special attractions spread around the convention floor to draw people to every booth area and keep them entertained at the same time.
https://www.destructoid.com/leaked-esa-communications-outline-plans-to-morph-e3-from-a-trade-show-to-a-festival--567142.phtml

* Rockstar is currently giving away free copies of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PC for those that install their newly improved PC launcher, which is now called the Rockster Games Launcher.
https://socialclub.rockstargames.com/rockstar-games-launcher
https://www.destructoid.com/rockstar-rolls-out-its-new-pc-launcher-gives-away-san-andreas-to-anyone-who-installs-it-567136.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Rockstar is currently rumored to be working on an Undead Nightmare expansion pack for Red Dead Redemption 2 based on a recent teaser update and/or glitch issue on Red Dead Online.
https://www.destructoid.com/red-dead-online-zombies-undead-nightmare-tease-or-unfortunate-glitch--567278.phtml

* Former Sonic the Hedgehog lead programmer Yuji Naka revealed recently on Twitter that he is currently working on a new unannounced action game for Square Enix.
https://twitter.com/nakayuji/status/1173893519125049344?s=20

* During a recent interview with Inside Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Shuhei Yoshida revealed that Sony recently purchased all of the rights to Insomniac Games' IPs including Sunset Overdrive. As part of the deal for Sunset Overdrive, Microsoft got to keep the publishing rights for the game.
https://www.destructoid.com/sony-owns-sunset-overdrive-now-567160.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Next Batman game from Warner Bros is currently rumored to be based on the Court of Owls comics saga from 2011.

Warner Bros. Games Montréal appear to be openly teasing their next Batman title, with the narrative for the new project seemingly pointing - at least in part - toward the Dark Knight's "Court of Owls" arc, which was published by DC Comics in 2011.

The first hint from the Batman: Arkham Origins developer came this weekend on "Batman Day", when the studio published an image of the bat-signal projected on the side of a Gotham City skyscraper. Said image flickers between several symbols, one of which resembles the mask worn by Court of Owls assassin William Cobb. While this initial tweet set tongues wagging, the mystery has deepened with a second tweet - posted within the last half-hour - that displays several mysterious symbols alongside a simple message "Capture the Knight".

The Court of Owls - in DC Comics lore - are an underworld criminal syndicate, with roots stretching back to the earliest days of Gotham City. In the 2011 arc, this dormant society of assassins (known as "Talons") come out of hiding to embark upon an all-out assault on Batman, with aims of destroying his legend and restoring themselves as both the blood veins and rulers of Gotham.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Capture the Knight / Cape sur la nuit <a href="https://t.co/yMFXMd4djU">pic.twitter.com/yMFXMd4djU</a></p>&mdash; WB Games Montréal (@WBGamesMTL) <a href="https://twitter.com/WBGamesMTL/status/1176182754712727554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

https://www.destructoid.com/wb-games-montreal-seem-to-be-teasing-new-court-of-owls-batman-game-567719.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

New trailer and a February 21, 2020 release date for The Last of Us II was revealed during Sony's State of Play episode earlier today.

Besides the regular game, five collector's editions of the game will also be available at launch.

Unsurprisingly, Naughty Dog is going all out with collector's editions. I mean, this game is bankable.

I've included photos in the gallery below, but the gist is that there are five different versions of The Last of Us Part II – standard, special, digital deluxe, collector's, and Ellie Edition – with various digital and physical bonuses like a PS4 dynamic theme, a bracelet, a statue of Ellie, and even a little backpack.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/II5UsqP2JAk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://www.destructoid.com/the-last-of-us-part-ii-is-coming-home-on-february-21-2020-567839.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Oculus Studios announced they are collaborating with Respawn Entertainment on the development of a new Medal of Honor game called Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.

Some early details includes a planned 2020 release and will be exclusive to the Oculus Rift.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ARC4_Rp01-U" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://www.destructoid.com/respawn-is-bringing-medal-of-honor-back-for-vr-567954.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Game composer Bobby Prince is currently suing Gearbox and Valve over allegations of unpaid royalties and unlawful use of his musical work in Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour. Apparently when Gearbox bought the rights to the Duke Nukem series in 2010, they did not get the rights to the series music since that was under a separate contract.
https://www.destructoid.com/composer-bobby-prince-sues-gearbox-valve-over-duke-nukem-3d-music-568330.phtml

* Hideo Kojima revealed that Death Stranding includes a feature where the baby character can be heard during the game via the Dualshock 4's built-in speaker.
https://twitter.com/HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN/status/1177599817553301505

* According to a report from Deadline, Sony recently hired the director of the Transformers spin-off film Bumblebee, Travis Knight, to be the new director for their upcoming Uncharted film. Knight becomes the third director hired following the previous departures of Dan Trachtenberg and Shawn Levy from the project.
https://deadline.com/2019/09/uncharted-travis-knight-direct-tom-holland-sony-playstation-movie-nathan-drake-bumblebee-1202744152/

[Fignuts]

https://i.imgur.com/TBKeFm7.png

[Destor]

Its a role only nathan fillion could play

[Sepholio]

I dunno, I think the actual voice actor (Nolan North) could pull it off. He pretty much fits the look too.

[Destor]

Fillion or bust

[Sepholio]

PS4 crossplay is "out of beta" and now available for all developers to implement. Can finally put that shit to rest.

[Kalyx triaD]

We'll see.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Sony announced that Shawn Layden, Sony Worldwide Studios boss, is leaving the company. No official reason was given and prior to his departure, Layden had spent the past 32 years in the company.
https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1178808151962816514

* AlphaDream studios, developer of the Mario & Luigi series, announced they have recently filed for bankruptcy with the official reason due to their serious financial situation ($4.3 million in debt).
https://gonintendo.com/stories/345904-alphadream-developers-of-the-mario-luigi-series-file-for-bank

* Bethesda is currently rumored to be working on a Fallout series collection set called Fallout Legacy Collection based on a recent listing on Amazon's German website. The set includes six games, a rumored October 25th release date, and only for the PC.
The set - currently listed only for the PC platform - includes 1997's Fallout and its 1998 follow-up Fallout 2, 2001's Fallout: Tactics, 2008's Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition, 2010's Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition, and finally 2015's Fallout 4. Not included are 2004's Brotherhood of Steel or last year's Fallout: 76.
https://www.destructoid.com/fallout-legacy-collection-listed-on-amazon-germany-568501.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Update on recent Gearbox being sued by its former head attorney news as a settlement was recently reached between both sides. Terms of the settlement were not revealed but this lawsuit is notable for being the source of the controversy regarding a lost USB drive containing company files and questionable porn owned by Gearbox's CEO Randy Pitchford.
https://www.destructoid.com/randy-pitchford-lawsuit-ends-with-a-whimper-and-a-handshake-568763.phtml

* For those interested in the Switch port of Overwatch, Blizzard announced this version of the game will not feature amiibo support, cross-save support, nor cross-play support.
https://www.destructoid.com/overwatch-on-switch-won-t-have-amiibo-functionality-or-most-importantly-cross-progression-568742.phtml

* Rockstar recently confirmed the rumors of them currently developing a PC port of Red Dead Redemption 2 with a release date of November 5th and a $20 discount for pre-ordering the game's special editions on the Rockstar Game Launcher.
https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/61153/Red-Dead-Redemption-2-Coming-to-PC-November-5th

[Emperor Smeat]

* EA is currently dealing with potential serious legal issues after it was recently discovered the personal data of at least 1600 people who signed up for their FIFA Global Series program was leaked online.
But this was the least important news around the EA offices this weekend, as it was also revealed (via Dextero) that the publisher accidentally leaked the private details of a glut of players who signed up for the FIFA Global Series. Reports came in that fans attempting to register for the league were being presented with the personal details of previous signees on-screen - including some of the pro-scene's star players - in just the latest in a long line of security breaches within the gaming industry.

Once the glitch was realised, EA quickly removed the registration page, but estimate around 1,600 players were affected.
https://www.destructoid.com/fifa-20-holds-the-top-spot-in-the-uk-charts-but-ea-accidentally-leaks-players-private-data-568928.phtml

* Sony announced that as of today, they are dropping Facebook support for PS4's screenshot and video sharing feature. Unofficial reason due to Facebook no longer allowing Microsoft and Sony access to friend data as part of a recent $5 billion settlement with the FTC.
https://support.playstation.com/s/article/Removal-of-Facebook-Integration-from-PS4?language=en_US
https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/24/facebook-ends-friend-data-access-for-microsoft-and-sony-the-last-2-of-its-legacy-partners-under-ftc-deal/

[Sepholio]

Apparently Sony just randomly announced that PS5 is confirmed for Q42020.

[Sepholio]

Knew it was coming obv, but seems weird to just randomly announce it one Tuesday morning.

[Sepholio]

The new controller has full haptic feedback instead of rumble and it also has adaptive triggers that developers can program to have differing amounts of resistance. Solid state. Ray Tracing done via hardware. 4k Blu-ray drive with 100GB capacity discs.

[Destor]

Am i the only one who would never buy a console at launch? Big price tag and nothing to play. You could wait a year and find one slightly cheaper and have some titles.

[Destor]

Thats said ps5 will be dope.

[Sepholio]

Am i the only one who would never buy a console at launch? Big price tag and nothing to play. You could wait a year and find one slightly cheaper and have some titles.

I always buy the one next gen console I'm most hyped for once it has the first game that draws my attention. Usually it's at launch or shortly after as it works out. I'll buy the other consoles later on down the line though.

This time it's different though. No way in hell I'll buy the next Xbox. XB1 is the only console I've ever bought that I actually regretted.

[Destor]

I do regret owning an xb1 but they will assuredly have games on their system next gen so maybe it wont be as bad of a purchase

[Emperor Smeat]

* Bluepoint Games, developer of Shadow of the Colossus remake, recently teased they are currently working on a big unannounced project for the PS5.
https://www.destructoid.com/bluepoint-teases-a-big-one-for-playstation-5-following-shadow-of-the-colossus-569048.phtml

* id Software announced that Doom Eternal has been delayed till March 20, 2020 and the official reason due to them needing more time to work and polish the game. Also announced was all Doom 64 ports being delayed till that date due to it now being offered as a pre-order bonus for the game.
https://twitter.com/DOOM/status/1181569967562612736

* Blizzard is currently dealing with online backlash after banning a Heartstone eSports player from future tournaments due to his support for protesters in Hong Kong regarding the on-going controversy over China's attempts at eroding civil rights in the city. The company also fired two eSports broadcasters for conducting an interview with the player which kicked off this backlash.
https://www.destructoid.com/blizzard-bans-hearthstone-player-for-supporting-hong-kong-because-china-s-money-is-more-important-569054.phtml

[ClockShot]

So long as that PS5 has a good size hard drive in it this time, it's all good.

[Sepholio]

I do regret owning an xb1 but they will assuredly have games on their system next gen so maybe it wont be as bad of a purchase

Stupid to ever buy another Xbox as far as I'm concerned now. Company policy mandates all exclusives have to be on PC as well so I'll just play any games they release there on superior hardware and any other games I can just get on PS5.

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to a report from Video Games Chronicle, Sony's European branch was recently hit with a wave of layoffs. Supposedly it was due to the growing influence and control of Sony's US branch over the company's global plans.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playstation-eu-put-dozens-up-for-redundancy-on-day-of-ps5-announce/

* Sony is rumored to be currently working on wireless Playstation VR headset for their upcoming PS5 based on recent patent filings.
https://www.destructoid.com/playstation-vr-patent-suggests-the-new-ps5-vr-headset-will-be-wireless-569160.phtml

* For those interested in the PC version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game, Activision is currently recommending needing at least 175 GB of free space on the hard drive. Game itself is a lot smaller but they recommend reserving the extra space for all the post-launch content being planned.
https://www.destructoid.com/-update-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-is-a-175gb-install-on-pc-569159.phtml

[ClockShot]

Public service announcement:

If any of ya got an EA account, either something from the past or a present day Origin account, keep an eye on your e-mail or activity.

Opened my e-mail yesterday and got a notice that someone was trying to log in. I only ever had it for Star Wars: The Old Republic. So, I got in touch with customer service and closed my account.

[Kalyx triaD]

Never made an Origin account but I did have some kind of account on EA related to Battlefield so I will check on that.

All these brands asking us to create accounts and sign in for this or that is really starting to bite us in the ass.

[Tom Guycott]

Am i the only one who would never buy a console at launch? Big price tag and nothing to play. You could wait a year and find one slightly cheaper and have some titles.

Also, the penchant for console makers to push out the first launch batch or two with major issues dating back to about the Dreamcast. I think the PS2 was the the last console to launch without an initial massive failure rate. And I worked retail back then, so thank God.

[Tom Guycott]

Public service announcement:

If any of ya got an EA account, either something from the past or a present day Origin account, keep an eye on your e-mail or activity.

Opened my e-mail yesterday and got a notice that someone was trying to log in. I only ever had it for Star Wars: The Old Republic. So, I got in touch with customer service and closed my account.

Never made an Origin account but I did have some kind of account on EA related to Battlefield so I will check on that.

All these brands asking us to create accounts and sign in for this or that is really starting to bite us in the ass.

In one way or another.

I was always more paranoid about stuff like that, so I make a different/unique login to all of those accounts instead of a generic universal and bullshit a fake name and such in the "required field" spots. Problem there is I can never remember any of them, so when the accounts go unused, anything there may as well be so much vapor. Pretty sure I still have a second Steam account I opened the last time I was in college linked to that school's student email, and I don't even remember the address.

[Emperor Smeat]

Update to recent Blizzard Heartstone eSports controversy news as the company recently announced they have reduced the punishments given to a Heartstone eSports player and two commentators for their involvement in an interview that brought up the Hong Kong protests.

The pro eSports player had his suspension reduced to six months and will be allowed to keep all of his prize money earned while the two commentators had their punishment reduced to just a 6 month suspension instead of an automatic firing.

Even with the reductions, Blizzard is still facing a lot of online backlash due to releasing two different official statements on the issue. The statement in English mentioned the punishments were not done to appease China and were mostly due to taking the focus away from the game's event and broadcast.

The statement in China however was a lot more harsher towards those punished and included a line where the punishment was due to needing to "defend the pride and dignity of China at all costs."

https://www.destructoid.com/blizzard-halves-banned-hearthstone-player-s-suspension-gives-back-prize-money-569369.phtml
Blizzard's official statement: https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/blizzard/23185888/regarding-last-weekend-s-hearthstone-grandmasters-tournament
Blizzard's Chinese official statement: https://i.redd.it/nflv6tzldpr31.jpg

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested, Google announced their Stadia gaming streaming service will launch on November 19th for paid Pro tier subscribers. The free Base tier of the service is still planned for 2020 release.
https://www.destructoid.com/google-stadia-will-launch-for-pro-subscribers-on-november-19-569615.phtml

* Infinity Ward is currently denying rumors of them working on a loot box system for this year's Call of Duty game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-10-14-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-developer-insists-infinity-ward-is-not-working-on-loot-boxes

* Meanwhile CD Projekt RED recently stated in an interview with Gamespot that they still have zero interest in adding any sort of microtransaction system to Cyberpunk 2077. They feel adding one would be a "bad idea" for the game and also don't want to upset their loyal fans and customers.
https://www.destructoid.com/cd-projekt-red-further-condemns-concept-of-microtransactions-569582.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested in the physical version of The Outer Worlds, the Day One patch was revealed to be around 38 GB for Xbox One and 18GB for PS4 while digital versions will have the patch included in the pre-load.
https://www.destructoid.com/the-outer-worlds-has-a-big-day-one-update-569749.phtml

* For those who own Fallout 76, Bethesda recently announced they have delayed the NPC expansion pack for the game till early 2020 and the official reason is due to them needing more time to work on the pack. Bethesda also announced they are working on new plans for the game's microtransaction system.
https://www.destructoid.com/fallout-76-s-big-npc-expansion-delayed-into-2020-bethesda-says-it-wants-to-add-more-non-cosmetic-purchases-569827.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested in Google Stadia, wireless controller support for the service will be limited at launch to just televisions using Chromecast Ultra, according to a report from website 9to5Google.
https://9to5google.com/2019/10/16/stadia-controller-wireless/

* For those interested in Pokemon Sword & Shield, the Pokemon Company revealed that the game's Wild Area region is around the size of two regions from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
https://www.destructoid.com/pokemon-sword-shield-s-wild-area-is-about-the-size-of-two-regions-from-zelda-breath-of-the-wild--569841.phtml

* According to a report from Business Wire, Nintendo has sold over 15 million Switch consoles in North America since its launch and this year's sales is currently tracking at around 20% higher than last year. For some comparisons, Wii U's lifetime global sales are around 13.5 million.
https://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-switch-has-sold-over-15-million-units-in-north-america-569881.phtml
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191017005908/en/

[Emperor Smeat]

* Naughty Dog announced The Last of Us II has been delayed from its planned February 2020 release to now a May 29, 2020 release and the official reason is due to them needing more time to finish development.
https://www.destructoid.com/the-last-of-us-part-ii-officially-delayed-to-may-2020-570446.phtml

* Ubisoft announced Watch Dogs: Legion, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Gods & Monsters have all been delayed till April 2020 at the earliest. Official reason is them needing more time for all three games and also to boost the number of AAA releases for their next fiscal year.
https://www.destructoid.com/rainbow-six-quarantine-watch-dogs-legion-hit-with-delays-570448.phtml

* Former Xbox Corporate Vice President Mike Ybarra announced that he has recently joined Blizzard to become their new Executive Vice President and General Manager starting this November.
https://twitter.com/Qwik/status/1187180133095899137

[Emperor Smeat]

According to a report from Kotaku, Ghost of Tsushima from Sucker Punch studio is rumored to have been delayed due to the side effect of The Last of Us II being delayed till May 2020.

The game is currently rumored to have been pushed back from an early 2020 release to now a late 2020 release.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BTW, Ghost of Tsushima doesn't have a public release date yet, but it'll also be bumped later into 2020 to account for this delay. Don't expect them to suddenly turn it into a PS5 game or anything, but it was originally planned for the first half of the year - not anymore</p>&mdash; Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1187378783315210243?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested in the PC version of Death Stranding, publisher 505 Games announced it will be arriving in Summer 2020. PS4 version still set for a November 8th release.
https://www.destructoid.com/death-stranding-is-coming-to-pc-summer-2020-570751.phtml

* Based on recent code digging, EA is currently rumored to be working on plans to sell their games again on Steam for the first time in roughly 8 years.
https://twitter.com/RobotBrush/status/1186528263985946624
https://www.destructoid.com/ea-games-may-be-making-their-return-to-the-steam-platform-570742.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those who own a Playstation Vue device, Sony announced they are dropping all support for the device starting on January 30, 2020. The official reason due to the very competitive market for television streaming services.
https://blog.us.playstation.com/2019/10/29/sony-interactive-entertainment-to-shut-down-playstation-vue/

* Based on recent job postings, Square Enix is currently working on plans for a new Kingdom Hearts series related project.
https://www.destructoid.com/square-enix-hiring-for-a-future-kingdom-hearts-project-570837.phtml

* Update to recent EA bringing their games back to Steam news as the company confirmed they have recently signed a deal with Valve and the first of their published games will arrive on Steam next month. Also announced cross-play support between Origin and Steam for their games.
https://www.ea.com/news/ea-and-valve-partnership

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to Sony's recent fiscal report, the PS4 recently surpassed the Wii and PS1 to become the second highest console of all-time. As of September, PS4 sales were at 102.8 million while Wii was at 101.63 million and PS1 at 102.49 million sold.
https://www.destructoid.com/ps4-sales-finally-beat-out-the-ps1-and-the-wii-570931.phtml

* According to EA, they currently have no plans for a new game in the Battlefield series to be released next year and hinted its due to wanting to holding off till after next gen consoles arrive.
https://www.destructoid.com/battlefield-won-t-be-returning-until-at-least-2021-570920.phtml

* Marvel recently released a new gameplay video for Square Enix's Marvel's Avengers showcasing the game's loot and upgrade system. Developer Cystral Dyanmics revealed that the game's co-op mode will be accessible after the A-Day intro level and save fie progress is shared between every game mode.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LuNYts14bUo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
https://blog.us.playstation.com/2019/10/30/a-look-into-the-original-world-of-marvels-avengers/

* An almost 8-minute launch trailer for Death Stranding was recently released by Sony.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tCI396HyhbQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Kalyx triaD]

Avengers game starting to look appealing.

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested in the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar stated it will require around 109 GB of free space on the hard drive.
https://www.destructoid.com/you-can-now-pre-load-red-dead-redemption-2-on-pc-at-a-whopping-109gb-571006.phtml

* Based on Nintendo's recent fiscal report, the Switch has sold around 41.67 million consoles since its launch in early 2017. In regards to game sales, Super Mario Maker 2 sold around 3.93 million copies and Zelda: Link's Awakening sold around 3.13 million copies since their respective launches.
https://www.destructoid.com/the-switch-hits-over-40-million-sold-worldwide-what-will-its-lifetime-sales-be--571001.phtml

* According to Ubisoft, they are currently working on next gen console ports for Watch Dogs: Legion, Gods & Monsters, and Rainbow Six: Quarantine.
https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/10/31/ubisoft-reveals-five-games-are-in-development-for-playstation-5-and-xbox-scarlett

[Sepholio]

DIABLO 4 UNCE UNCE UNCE UNCE

[Destor]

Only interested in it if it will be on cell phones

[Emperor Smeat]

* Bioware is currently rumored to be officially revealing Dragon Age 4 on December 4th based on a recent teaser tweet.
https://twitter.com/bioware/status/1191052436095393793

* According to GamesIndustry.biz, Luigi's Mansion 3's launch sales in the UK were both around 140% higher than Dark Moon's launch and the highest for a Nintendo published game this year in the region.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-11-04-uk-charts-luigis-mansion-3-is-the-biggest-switch-launch-of-2019-so-far
https://www.destructoid.com/luigi-s-mansion-3-makes-a-successful-sales-debut-in-the-uk-charts-571398.phtml

* Nintendo is currently considering the idea of remaking more of their past handheld games for the Switch based on the Q&A portion from their recent investor's meeting.
https://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-says-that-it-s-open-to-more-remakes-on-switch-like-zelda-link-s-awakening-571411.phtml

[ClockShot]

If Dragon Age 4 does turn out to be true, I wonder if this will be BioWare's last hurrah.

Bet everything on it being a huge success.

[Kalyx triaD]

It's almost certainly gonna fail.

[Emperor Smeat]

Microsoft is currently rumored to be purchasing Playtonic Games, developer of the Yooka-Laylee series. Also currently rumored to be working on a new game in the Banjo-Kazooie series with Playtonic as the developer.

The basis for this speculation is a trail of breadcrumbs that's scattered in every which direction. The most substantial clue comes from Playtonic hiring former Rare character designer Ed Bryan. Alongside the announcement of his new employer, Bryan tweeted a photo of a Microsoft messenger bag with the caption "Well, I never really had any plans to use this again." He later added that the bag has "come out of retirement."

There's more, though. In September, Playtonic registered a new company in the UK that's called Playtonic Games Development Limited. Lastly, co-owner Gavin Price updated his LinkedIn to note that the studio is set to make its third, fourth, and fifth games -- one of which is the game he always thought Playtonic would make first.

https://www.destructoid.com/rumors-are-flying-that-microsoft-s-set-to-acquire-yooka-laylee-studio-571571.phtml

[Kalyx triaD]

That's full circle.

[Emperor Smeat]

* During a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan stated that the company currently has no interest in expanding their Playstation Now service to include first-party games when they launch unlike Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service. He stated the main reason is due to them wanting to keep first-party game launches "pure and clean."
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-11-07-sonys-jim-ryan-we-had-to-make-changes-to-deliver-our-ps5-dream
https://www.destructoid.com/playstation-has-no-interest-in-following-xbox-game-pass-approach-to-first-party-games-571842.phtml

* Valve is currently rumored to be working on a new cloud-based gaming streaming service similar to Google Stadia according to recently updated distribution terms sent to Steam's partner companies.
https://www.destructoid.com/valve-might-be-working-on-a-cloud-gaming-competitor-to-google-stadia-571736.phtml

* According to a report from Digital Trends, Super Smash Bros Ultimate recently surpassed Super Street Fighter II as the highest selling fighting game of all-time at 15.71 million copies sold. Super Smash Bros series also dethroned Street Fighter series as the highest selling fighting franchise of all-time at 54 million total sales.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/super-smash-bros-ultimate-best-selling-fighting-game/
https://www.destructoid.com/in-under-a-year-super-smash-bros-ultimate-is-the-best-selling-fighting-game-of-all-time-beating-nearly-three-decades-of-street-fighter-ii-history-571678.phtml

[Kalyx triaD]

Sony 1st parties have done very well so they have no reason to sell them any other way.

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the game won't have an early "Play First" option for Access and Origin subscribers and the official reason due to EA not wanting the game's story to be spoiled prior to the official release.
https://www.destructoid.com/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-won-t-have-a-play-first-trial-572190.phtml

* Microsoft announced they will be holding a new episode of their Inside Xbox series on November 14th as part of this week's X019 event in London, England. Included in the episode will be new details on current games in development, new game reveals, upcoming updates for Xbox Game Pass, and new details regarding the next Xbox console.
https://twitter.com/Xbox/status/1192849261261516801
https://www.destructoid.com/xbox-has-a-lot-of-reveals-planned-for-x019-571935.phtml

* Google recently announced the entire launch lineup of games for their Google Stadia gaming streaming service. Google also revealed the next batch of games expected to arrive before the end of the year. Launch lineup:

Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Destiny 2: The Collection
Gylt
Just Dance 2020
Kine
Mortal Kombat 11
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Samurai Shodown
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Thumper
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

https://www.blog.google/products/stadia/lineup-games-coming-to-stadia/
https://www.destructoid.com/these-are-google-stadia-s-12-launch-games-572166.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Highlights from Microsoft's X019 event earlier today:
* Microsoft announced their Project xCloud gaming streaming service will be expanding to support Windows 10 PC at some point next year. Currently the service is only available for Android-based mobile devices. Microsoft also added another 53 Xbox One games for the service's preview program.
https://www.destructoid.com/project-xcloud-is-branching-out-to-windows-pc-next-year-572442.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/these-53-xbox-one-games-are-free-to-stream-in-the-project-xcloud-beta-572413.phtml

* For those interested, Micorosft announced the Halo Reach update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be arriving on December 3rd. It will also be available to purchase as a standalone game for $9.99.
https://www.destructoid.com/halo-reach-hits-the-master-chief-collection-really-soon-572417.phtml

* The next game from Dontnod Entertainment, Life is Strange series developer, is called Tell Me Why. It is an episodic adventure game featuring identical twins as playable characters and a story based on the recollection of their childhood in Alaska but with the twist of one of the twins being a transgendered individual.
https://www.destructoid.com/tell-me-why-is-dontnod-s-next-project-a-game-about-identical-twins-and-transgender-identity-572458.phtml
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JVXqGQC9J2o" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

* Debut gameplay trailer for Age of Empires IV was released along with the announcement of Microsoft's dedicated dev team for the series is now called World's Edge studios.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rAbI0fewc7w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

According to a report from Kotaku, Bioware is currently rumored to be working on plans to completely overhaul Anthem and hold a special re-launch for the game once everything is done.

For years now the idea of "saving" your game and re-launching it in a better state has been called "The Realm Reborn treatment," named after Final Fantasy XIV's initial disastrous 1.0 launch. Basically new management came in, took control, and completely re-tooled FFXIV into the amazing state it is today. No Man's Sky had a similar re-awakening. That could happen to Anthem, according to sources at Kotaku.

Although EA declined to comment on the matter, BioWare is apparently going to overhaul everything, including "its mission structure, its loot [and] its world." According to those sources BioWare is still working out the details, like whether or not it'll be an actual Anthem 2.0 (this is their best bet, marketing-wise) or a series of sequential updates that make the game better: another name thrown out is "Anthem Next," and it's "unlikely" that 1.0 users will be charged full price if it's a new SKU entirely. As Kotaku points out, the game has not been abandoned completely either way, so if they actually follow through with this and deliver, props.

https://kotaku.com/sources-bioware-plans-a-complete-overhaul-for-anthem-1839892415
https://www.destructoid.com/bioware-is-allegedly-going-to-give-anthem-the-realm-reborn-re-launch-treatment-everyone-wanted-572626.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Valve recently confirmed rumors of them working on a new game in the Half Life series called Half-Life: Alyx. This game is set to take place after Half-Life 2 and will be officially revealed this Thursday.

It was also revealed to be a VR-based game for the Valve Index VR headset and currently rumored to have a March 2020 release date.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We’re excited to unveil Half-Life: Alyx, our flagship VR game, this Thursday at 10am Pacific Time.<br><br>Can’t wait to share it with all of you! <a href="https://t.co/BupFCxSrTw">pic.twitter.com/BupFCxSrTw</a></p>&mdash; Valve (@valvesoftware) <a href="https://twitter.com/valvesoftware/status/1196566870360387584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

https://www.pcgamer.com/rumour-valve-are-about-to-announce-a-vr-game-called-half-life-alyx

[Emperor Smeat]

Geoff Keighley recently revealed the list of nominees for all of the awards at next month's The Game Awards show.

In regards to the Game of the Year award, a potential conflict of interest could end up happening if Death Stranding takes the award due to Keighley's very close ties and friendship with Hideo Kojima and the game's development.

2019 Game of the Year category:

Control
Death Stranding
The Outer Worlds
Resident Evil 2
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4axLHMNXzu8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://thegameawards.com/nominees

[ClockShot]

That group of nominees for Game of the Year bothers me.

Feel like a few other games that came out were better than some of those on that list.

[Fignuts]

https://i.imgur.com/FwPSBcb.png

[Destor]

FE is my pick for GoT

[DAMN iNATOR]

https://i.imgur.com/FwPSBcb.png

AND BL3, let's be real here.

[Emperor Smeat]

Producer and lead designer of MMORPG game EverQuest, Brad McQuaid, passed away this past Monday at the age of 51 according to Visionary Realms studios.

Prior to his passing, McQuaid had been working on a new MMO game called Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It is with deep regret we share that Brad McQuaid passed away last night. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by gamers worldwide.<br><br>Thank you for bringing us together through your worlds. Rest in peace <a href="https://twitter.com/Aradune?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Aradune</a>.<br><br>VR offers our deepest condolences to Brad’s family.</p>&mdash; Pantheon �� (@PantheonMMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/PantheonMMO/status/1196943965028802561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Emperor Smeat]

* Square Enix recently denied rumors of them currently working on a port of Final Fantasy XIV for the PS5.
https://www.destructoid.com/-update-final-fantasy-xiv-in-development-for-ps5-says-director-573105.phtml

* According to a report from CNET, Amazon is currently rumored to be joining the gaming streaming market next year and their service will be powered by AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud-based tech.
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-stadia-wants-to-be-the-future-of-gaming-so-do-microsoft-sony-and-amazon/

* Valve recently released the official debut trailer and initial details for Half-Life: Alyx. The game is currently scheduled for a March 2020 release and will cost $59.99 on PC or free for Valve Index VR headset owners.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O2W0N3uKXmo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
https://www.destructoid.com/here-s-your-first-look-at-the-new-half-life-alyx-free-for-valve-index-users-573115.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Capcom is currently rumored to be working on a remake of Resident Evil 3 and also rumored to arrive at some point next year.

According to the YouTube channel Spawn Wave (who successfully leaked the existence of Elden Ring), and corroborated by VGC, a "number of sources" claim that a Resident Evil 3 remake is coming in 2020.

https://www.destructoid.com/a-resident-evil-3-remake-is-allegedly-coming-next-year-573197.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

For those interested in picking up some relatively cheap extra PS4 controllers, both Amazon and Walmart are currently selling them for $39 as part of their Black Friday week sales.

https://www.destructoid.com/playstation-4-controllers-are-down-to-39-right-now-573414.phtml

[ClockShot]

Gearbox raises the white flag on Battleborn.

Some features getting turned off staring late February 2020, total shutdown will happen before January 2021.

[Kalyx triaD]

A genuinely sad story. No controversies involving loot boxes, bugs, or politics - just bad timing

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested, Steam is currently holding their annual Autumn Sale with discounts going as high as 75% off for games and 90% off for a Steam Controller.
https://www.destructoid.com/catch-up-on-recent-hits-with-the-steam-autumn-sale-573496.phtml
https://store.steampowered.com/

* Similar to Valve, Epic is also holding a Black Friday sale on their Epic Games Store with discounts going as high as 75% off.
https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/collection/november-2019-sale

* Humble Store is currently selling a Sonic series bundle of games featuring 11 games and two DLC packs.
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/sonic-bundle-2019

* According to reports, a new game in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series is rumored to be currently in development.
https://www.destructoid.com/multiple-murmurs-point-to-new-tony-hawk-s-pro-skater-project-573465.phtml

[Sepholio]

I will mark tf out for a new Tony Hawk game.

[DAMN iNATOR]

A genuinely sad story. No controversies involving loot boxes, bugs, or politics - just bad timing

My thoughts exactly. Although, also, even though I never touched a battle royale game, I could tell Overwatch was just objectively leaps and bounds better than Battleborn.

[Kalyx triaD]

The genre is 'Hero Shooter', but yeah Overwatch had way more polish (being that the assets were already made for an abandoned project). After they saw the reception and attention OW's reveal got they should have delayed it. Like a year.

[Sepholio]

There was another hero shooter around the same time too that fell victim to the same fate. Had interesting traversal mechanics and was very vertically designed to accommodate that. Trying to remember the name now.

[Kalyx triaD]

Was that the Lawbreakers game?

[Emperor Smeat]

Black Friday Sales:
* Nintendo eShop (available until December 4th) - https://happyholidays.nintendo.com/cyber-deals/
* PC (various retailers) - https://www.destructoid.com/black-friday-pc-game-deals-cheaper-than-steam-rdr2-borderlands-3-outer-worlds-and-more-573528.phtml
* Xbox One games and consoles - https://www.destructoid.com/roundup-all-the-xbox-one-black-friday-deals-currently-live-573365.phtml

Freebies:
* Playstation Plus for December - https://blog.us.playstation.com/2019/11/27/decembers-free-ps-plus-games-titanfall-2-and-monster-energy-supercross-the-official-videogame/
* Games With Gold for December - https://majornelson.com/2019/11/27/xbox-live-games-with-gold-for-december-2019/

[Emperor Smeat]

For those interested in buying a Nintendo Switch at Gamestop for Black Friday sales, avoid the Mario Kart bundle due to it containing the older Switch model and not the newer one with the better battery life.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GameStop employee here<br><br>AVOID the Black Friday Mario Kart Nintendo Switch bundle. <br><br>Nintendo is making stores move OLD stock. These are OLD models with a much lower battery life than the NEW models. We at GameStop normally don't even sell the old models new. Please be informed.</p>&mdash; Kaede @ Three Houses (@Remnoct) <a href="https://twitter.com/Remnoct/status/1199382242897870850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is something customers can do. Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/XtherealdhsX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@XtherealdhsX</a><a href="https://t.co/eV5Lhjcq4V">https://t.co/eV5Lhjcq4V</a></p>&mdash; Kaede @ Three Houses (@Remnoct) <a href="https://twitter.com/Remnoct/status/1199388132082421760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Sepholio]

Was that the Lawbreakers game?

Yeah that sounds right I think that is the one.

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to a report from GamesIndustry.biz, Codemasters recently purchased Slightly Mad Studios, developer of the Project CARS racing series, for around $30 million.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-11-28-codemasters-buys-slightly-mad-studios-for-usd30m
https://www.destructoid.com/codemasters-acquires-project-cars-developer-slightly-mad-studios-573828.phtml

* Capcom is currently rumored to be revealing at least one new game at next month's Jump Festa 2020 convention in Japan.
https://gematsu.com/2019/11/unannounced-capcom-titles-to-be-playable-at-jump-festa-2020

[Emperor Smeat]

* Apparently the $5 clearance sale for Steam Controllers during Steam's Autumn Sale last week ended up being a huge success for Valve. Only problem was Valve forgot how many of those controllers they actually had in stock and took way too many orders for it and now can no longer guarantee people who bought one will actually get it.
https://www.destructoid.com/valve-kind-of-let-those-5-steam-controller-pre-orders-ride-and-they-overbooked-574058.phtml

* According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, the on-going gender discrimination class action lawsuit against Riot Games was recently settled for $10 million and set the record for largest payout in California law history for this type of case. Prior to the settlement, Riot Games had been accused of committing gender discrimination and fostering a very toxic workplace environment. Riot's management also attempted to force their employees to waive their rights to file a lawsuit against the company via a Forced Arbitration court filing.
https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2019-12-02/riot-games-gender-discrimination-settlement
https://www.destructoid.com/riot-games-to-pay-out-10-million-in-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-settlement-574050.phtml

* Based on an accidental leak from Sony's Japanese PSN store, Capcom is currently working on a Resident Evil 3 Remake. The artwork leaked featured redesigns for Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliveira, and Nemesis.
https://gematsu.com/2019/12/resident-evil-3-remake-covers-appear-on-playstation-store
https://www.destructoid.com/this-could-be-our-first-look-at-the-resident-evil-3-remake-574067.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/ul/574067-RE3.jpg

[DAMN iNATOR]

Yeah that sounds right I think that is the one.

And then bafflingly, after that massive flop, Boss Key thought it would be a good idea to get into the already oversaturated BR genre and brought out Radical Heights and promptly went out of business about a month after it released.

[Kalyx triaD]

It was released in beta state, way too early. Apex had no issue introducing itself in the BR market. Fact is, you can't ask people to trust things will get fixed with so many games out now. RH had decent ideas, but we weren't gonna wait for them to work.

[Destor]

Battle royale isnt a genra its a game mode...1st/3rd person shooter is the genre

[Destor]

Would be lile saying death match or capture the flag is a genre

[Kalyx triaD]

Sub-genre, I'd say. Sometimes I say genre as short hand.

There's enough going on in BR for it to be its own sub-genre. I say this as a former naysayer who was not impressed by the concept for years until I dived in.

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to Nintendo, this past Thanksgiving week managed to be the highest selling week for the Switch since its launch. Around 830k Switch consoles were sold in the US during that week.
https://www.destructoid.com/thanksgiving-week-was-the-best-week-in-nintendo-s-u-s-switch-sales-history-574289.phtml

* Sony announced they will be holding a new Direct-like State of Play episode on December 10th and it will be over 20 minutes in length.
https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1202936041113604096

[ClockShot]

Ghost of Tsushima news has been silent since that debut back at E3 2018. Just a news bit or an update on that Sony State of Play coming up would be nice.

[Emperor Smeat]

2K Games announced they have recently formed a new studio called Cloud Chamber and their first project will be a new game in the Bioshock series.

This morning, when 2K Games revealed the existence of a new studio, Cloud Chamber, it also took the opportunity to unveil the developer's first title. It's the fourth BioShock game, a series that has been largely dormant since BioShock Infinite released in early 2013.

According to a report from Kotaku, 2K Games has spent the past 5 years working on plans for this new game although its current development started in 2017.

The fourth BioShock originally started in 2015 (but possibly even earlier than that) at Certain Affinity in Austin, Texas. Certain Affinity is a studio that has made a name for itself supporting triple-A shooters. It has assisted on franchises like Call of Duty, Halo, and Doom.

Nothing will ever come of Certain Affinity's time with BioShock because 2K took the project in-house in 2017 and rebooted the whole effort. That's when 2K originally formed what's now Cloud Chamber. Back then, it was a mysterious small team next to Mafia III developer Hangar 13, and the rumbling was that it was working on something BioShock-related. Hangar 13 employees competed with one another to switch teams -- both because BioShock is one of 2K's biggest properties, and because Hangar 13 didn't have a great sense of job security; it underwent an aggressive round of layoffs in February 2018.

https://www.destructoid.com/the-new-bioshock-game-is-nearly-half-a-decade-into-development-574625.phtml
https://kotaku.com/sources-the-new-bioshock-has-been-in-the-works-for-yea-1840314561

[ClockShot]

For those of you who are game renters or might be looking for a bargain for the holidays, Redbox will be phasing out video games from their kiosks before the year is over. Doing strictly movies.

Games still available at kiosks will be available to purchase at a reduced price.

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/12/10/redbox-will-no-longer-rent-video-games-after-this-year

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to the game's official box art, Final Fantasy VII Remake will remain as a PS4 exclusive until March 3, 2021.
https://www.destructoid.com/want-to-play-final-fantasy-vii-remake-on-something-other-than-a-ps4-just-wait-until-2021-574645.phtml

* Among the new indies games announced for the Switch from today's Nintendo Direct episode were Axiom Verge 2 which has a planned Fall 2020 release and Sports Story, sequel to Golf Story, which has a planned mid-2020 release. Other game announcements in the link.
https://www.destructoid.com/watch-nintendo-s-indie-world-showcase-right-here-574670.phtml

* Capcom officially confirmed they are currently working on Resident Evil 3 Remake and its scheduled for an April 3, 2020 release for PS4, PC and Xbox One. Also announced the formerly teased online multiplayer game Project Resistance will be included and now goes by the name of Resident Evil Resistance.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LxDm9T1TKvU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

Next Xbox console got officially announced at tonight's The Game Awards show.

Will be called Xbox Series X and arrives Holiday 2020.

Hell Blade 2 from Ninja Theory was the first game revealed for it.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qJWI4bkD9ZM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

Godfall revealed for PS5 and its being developed by Gearbox.

Holiday 2020 release date and will also be available for PC but as an Epic Games Store exclusive.

According to the developers, the game is a new IP set in a fantasy universe with gameplay they're describing as "looter-slasher."

Godfall can be enjoyed as a solo experience but you can also tackle it in co-op or three person teams. Gameplay will feature "high-impact," third-person combat and plenty of loot to score from enemies and bosses that will reward players with "head-turning loot."

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7HhUpLqHyv4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

Bravely Default II also got revealed and its for the Switch.

Just a generic 2020 release date announced.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DsjTKIt3z8A" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Also this year's Game Awards show still has the same problem as with past shows. Most of the awards are just quick throw-away announcements solely so there is more time for ads and stuff.

[Emperor Smeat]

Also this year's Game Awards soo far has the same terrible pacing problem like every other past show. First 30 minutes were pretty great overall and past 30 minutes or so has been mostly very dull.

Even the pre-show had the same exact problems going on and that was just 30 minutes long.

[Emperor Smeat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">everyone shut the fuck up this guy's nappin <a href="https://t.co/wxBOBt6h1J">https://t.co/wxBOBt6h1J</a> <a href="https://t.co/nmpJDtqBpW">pic.twitter.com/nmpJDtqBpW</a></p>&mdash; �� bob �� (@bobvids) <a href="https://twitter.com/bobvids/status/1205331955736367106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Could legit chop off half of the time its had soo far and this year's Game Awards show would be more entertaining and less of a slog its been outside of a few moments here and there.

[Emperor Smeat]

The Wolf Among Us 2 was officially announced with the new Telltale Games and AdHoc Studio as its developers.

This awards show legit might have had way more time spent playing ads than was given for actual awards announcements. Not in the sense of world premiere trailers but in the amount of ad breaks that got stuffed into the latter half of tonight's show.

[Emperor Smeat]

:eek: Death Stranding didn't win Game of the Year award. Guess Kojima should have slipped a few more bills towards his buddy Geoff Kegley's way.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice took the Game Awards' top award instead.

[Tom Guycott]

Didn't know where else to slip this:

Wasteland 2 is free on GOG for a few more hours. Of course I had to take the opportunity to get it again. Only other person I can even think gives a shit (Destor) already played it forever ago as well, but hey, free is free.

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested, Nintendo recently launched a Switch year-in-review website that tracks your most played Switch games, total number of hours spent playing, total number of Switch games played, and other stats for this year.
https://switch.nintendo.com/year-in-review/

* During a recent interview with Australian gaming website Stevivor, Xbox division boss Phil Spencer stated that Microsoft is once again considering plans to hold a "1 vs. 100"-like community-based trivia series for their Xbox brand in the future.
https://stevivor.com/features/interviews/xbox-exploring-alternatives-1-vs-100-says-phil-spencer/

* Capcom reportedly will be holding a playtest for a new unannounced game within the near future based on a recent email sent to Resident Evil Ambassador program members.
https://www.destructoid.com/resident-evil-ambassadors-have-been-invited-to-playtest-an-unannounced-game-575553.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those interested, the Metro Redux collection set is currently rumored to be getting a Switch port based on a recent European PEGI ratings report.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/01/nintendo_switch_version_of_metro_redux_rated_by_pegi

* According to a report from Deadline, Sony's production on the Uncharted film recently hit another delay as another director has dropped out of the project. Director Travis Knight reportedly has recently left due to a scheduling conflict with the new Spider-Man film and became the sixth director to drop out of the film's production.
https://deadline.com/2019/12/uncharted-travis-knight-exits-movie-tom-holland-mark-wahlberg-1202818615/

* According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, Respawn Entertainment's co-founder Vince Zampella has been promoted by EA to become the new boss of DICE's LA studio. EA is also reported to be expanding the studio beyond its current role as a support studio for DICE.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-01-02/respawn-went-from-titanfall-to-star-wars-and-is-just-getting-started
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/respawn-boss-to-lead-ea-dice-la-studio/1100-6472474/

* Nintendo is currently rumored to be holding a new Direct episode later this month and rumored to feature several new game announcements and Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei series.
https://www.destructoid.com/new-gamestop-switch-skus-and-an-atlus-teaser-tweet-all-point-to-a-new-potential-nintendo-direct-very-soon-576906.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Platinum Games announced they recently signed a partnership deal with Chinese company Tencent.

Details regarding the partnership were not disclosed beyond Platinum saying they got a boost in funding from Tencent for projects and their new partnership will not impact their independence as a company.

Chinese conglomerate Tencent now has a hand in Platinum's dealings, as the company just announced today that they "have received a capital investment from Tencent Holdings Limited as a basis for partnership." The exact nature of this partnership has not been disclosed, but according to Platinum, their independence as a company will not be impacted, and they will "continue operations under [their] current corporate structure."

Going on, the company states: "We hope to use this capital to strengthen our foundation as a business and expand from game development into exploring self-publishing. We also hope that this partnership can give us a wider global perspective, while still creating high quality games that stay true to our name." Translated for marketing speak: dollar dollar bills, y'all.

This is a good move in theory for Platinum as they finally found someone to just hand them money to be self-sufficient (instead of kowtowing to the whims of publishers that hold their IP hostage and cancel their games), but Tencent is a powder keg of a partner. Over the past five years or so they've gotten their hands into nearly every form of media from gaming to films, slowly taking over the entertainment and tech worlds in the process. To paint a picture, they have a stake in Ubisoft, Blizzard, Epic Games, Paradox, Miniclip and a whole lot more. In another five years or so they could stand to be the Disney of the gaming industry, if they quietly aren't already.

https://www.platinumgames.com/news-january-7-2020/
https://www.destructoid.com/platinum-games-partners-with-global-powerhouse-tencent-no-independence-at-risk-577251.phtml

[Kalyx triaD]

For the love of god.

[Emperor Smeat]

Warner Bros once again rumored to be working on a new Batman game based on the Batman comics Court of Owls arc from 2011.

This time it involves a mysterious logo posted by Warner Bros' Montreal studio on their official Facebook and Instagram pages.

While many people were expecting more details on WB Games Montreal's mysterious new Batman project to emerge before the end of 2019, fans were unfortunately left wanting; as The Dark Knight failed to spread his wings at The Game Awards 2019 as hoped.

That hasn't stopped the clues and teasers from coming in however, as fan page Arkham Videos has just spotted this clear reproduction of a sinister emblem, which seems to be further teasing the rumoured "Court of Owls" project that emerged from the shadows back in September.

Other than the ominous — and strangely governmental — looking symbol, posted by WB Montreal on both its Facebook and Instagram pages, there's nothing new or substantial to go on. But in this quiet new year news period, it would be a pretty savvy move to drop a major announcement and grab the world's attention.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Full logo teasing the new WB Games Montreal's project <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CaptureTheKnight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CaptureTheKnight</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qwd4cOvqAK">pic.twitter.com/Qwd4cOvqAK</a></p>&mdash; Batman Arkham Videos (@ArkhamVideos) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArkhamVideos/status/1215296524395188226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[ClockShot]

Court of Owls?

That's an Eagle.

[ClockShot]

Second year in a row Sony is going to pass on E3.

[Fignuts]

https://i.imgur.com/ON8dqCq.png

[Destor]

E3 is obsolete. Its only value is to small studios and even that could be circumvented by being in a direct/stateof play/etc.

[Destor]

Its a relic of a bygone era

[Sepholio]

They made a mistake when they started letting everyone in a couple years ago too.

[Sepholio]

Bet money they show off ps5 at a state of play event or whatever they are called just before E3 takes place.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Nintendo announced a new Direct episode will be airing on January 16th focusing on Super Smash Bros Ultimate and the game's newest DLC fighter.
https://www.destructoid.com/smash-ultimate-is-getting-a-new-direct-this-week-which-will-reveal-the-new-dlc-character-577831.phtml

* Square Enix announced both Final Fantasy VII and Marvel's Avengers games have been delayed with FF VII Remake being pushed back to an April 10th release date and Avengers being pushed back to a September 4th release date.
https://twitter.com/finalfantasyvii/status/1217085226641510402
https://crystald.com/news/important-marvels-avengers-update

* According to Gamestop's recent fiscal report, the company saw around a 27.5% drop in sales during the 2019's holiday sales period compared to the year before. Also appears that Gamestop's plan to shut down under-performing stores to fix their declining sales revenues didn't work and the company is now expecting around a 19-21% overall loss in sales for the current fiscal year.
http://news.gamestop.com/static-files/6f86ba06-4fc7-4f02-8f9c-b0edbbfa22fd
https://www.destructoid.com/gamestop-is-so-screwed-577893.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Sony is currently rumored to be holding a major event next month for the PS5.

Back in 2013, Sony formally unveiled the PS4 with a giant dedicated event in New York City called a "PlayStation Meeting." Ahead of the PS5's release later this year, there's expectation that Sony will put on a repeat performance by hosting a similar event that showcases the new console's capabilities and some launch games.

While nothing has been revealed yet, there's a bit more evidence that another PlayStation Meeting might be upcoming. Journalist Mike Futter has confirmed that Sony has handed over responsibilities for its annual Destination PlayStation event. Destination PlayStation is a behind-closed-doors meeting held in February where Sony reveals plans for its year ahead to key business partners including publishers, distributors, and retailers. This year, it'll be run by "a major distributor" rather than Sony.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The event is usually in February, which could mean that Sony wants the spotlight (and doesn't want to do a second event in the same window) when it does its full reveal for PS5. <br><br>Makes sense. PS4 event was in Feb 2013 in NYC for reference.</p>&mdash; Mike Futter (V.2020.41) (@Futterish) <a href="https://twitter.com/Futterish/status/1217111627968937986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

https://www.destructoid.com/this-might-be-evidence-that-sony-is-planning-a-ps5-event-in-february-578002.phtml

[ClockShot]

I heard February 12th somewhere that Sony was doing a big to-do.

All signs pointing to the PS5 reveal.

[Fignuts]

https://i.imgur.com/a3MyQAK.png

[ClockShot]

Cyberpunk pushed to September.

Currently contemplating getting FF7 remake. But, tough to justify paying full price for a partial game.

[Fignuts]

https://i.imgur.com/cDodyQY.png

[Emperor Smeat]

Valve recently denied rumors of them working on a new Left 4 Dead game for their VR headset nor for anything else.

Following the reveal of Half-Life: Alyx, there have been rumors that Valve will follow it up with a VR-focused Left 4 Dead. That speculation heated up this morning when HTC Vive's president in China gave a presentation at an awards show, where he stated "Half-Life: Alyx and Left 4 Dead 3 will drive consumer and triple-A studio interest [in VR]." ...

In a statement to IGN, Valve says "We've seen rumors to this effect for the last couple of months. We did briefly explore some Left 4 Dead next-gen opportunities a few years ago. But we are absolutely not working on anything Left 4 Dead-related now, and haven't for years."

As it turns out, HTC's guy didn't have the insider info you'd expect from an executive at a major virtual reality headset manufacturer. He was going off a report from Valve News Network, which often publishes inaccurate and speculation-laden stories.

https://www.destructoid.com/valve-shoots-down-talk-of-a-new-left-4-dead-578243.phtml

[Sepholio]

If they still ain't pulled off HL3 then you can assume L4D3 is never happening.

[Sepholio]

Valve is clearly afraid of the number 3

[ClockShot]

Splinter Cell creative director Maxime Beland returns to Ubisoft after working for just about a year at Epic Games.

New game, please. The easter eggs in Far Cry: New Dawn were enough to hold me over.

[Emperor Smeat]

Apparently two Mortal Kombat films are currently in production from Warner Bros.

One film will be live action and currently has a planned theatrical release of January 15, 2021. This is the same film that was originally announced to be in production this past summer.

The kountdown has begun for the release of Warner Bros. all-new Mortal Kombat movie which has just wrapped shooting in Australia. The latest live action adaptation of NetherRealm Studios' gooey fighting game will hit the silver screen on January 15, 2021.

To mark the one-year countdown actor Ludi Lin - who plays classic MK protagonist Liu Kang - tweeted out an image from the set, which shows a slate emblazoned with the new release ...

The movie will feature iconic series characters such as Raiden, Kano, Sonya Blade, Jackson Briggs, Mileena, Shang Tsung and, of course, Sub-Zero and Scorpion. While lacking somewhat in Hollywood A-listers, Mortal Kombat has cast a host of talented stuntpersons and martial artists, and is also looking at an R-rating to allow for gore galore.

The other is an animated film called Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge and has a planned release of first half 2020.

Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon has announced the existence of a new animated adaptation of his notorious fighting game series, premiering in the first half of 2020.

The Hollywood Reporter fills in the hot deets. Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, (which sounds like an unreleased title in the ill-fated MK Mythologies PS1 series), is penned by Jeremy Adams, who has previously written episodes for Supernatural and Teen Titans Go!

The movie will star Community's Joel McHale and Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter as Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade respectively. All of the original MK alumni set to put in appearances, with roles cast for Kano, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Shang Tsung, Raiden, Liu Kang, Goro, and even that prick Quan Chi.

There are no specific details regarding plot, release date, or whether Scorpion's Revenge will be a theatrical or streaming release

https://www.destructoid.com/mortal-kombat-movie-reveals-new-spin-on-the-famous-dragon-logo-578187.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/mortal-kombat-is-getting-a-brutal-animated-movie-this-year-578429.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Nintendo is currently rumored to be working on a new game in the Paper Mario series similar in gameplay to the original games and a new 2D style Metroid game. The new Paper Mario game is also rumored to be getting released later this year.
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/01/rumour_prolific_leaker_says_well_get_paper_mario_and_a_2d_metroid_this_year

* The developer of DC Universe Online, Daybreak Games, announced they have recently opened three new studios with one studio currently working on a new "high-profile action MMO" project.
https://www.destructoid.com/daybreak-games-creator-of-dc-universe-online-forms-three-new-studios-578500.phtml

* During a recent interview with TV Tokyo, Capcom revealed they are interested in the idea of porting Mega Man Battle Network games for modern consoles although also stated the chances of a new game in the series ever being made is slim to none.
https://www.destructoid.com/mega-man-developers-will-take-note-of-fan-requests-for-modern-day-battle-network-ports-578501.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Sony's Uncharted film reportedly got hit with a delay from its planned December 2020 theatrical release to now a March 2021 release.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/uncharted-movie-release-date-pushed-back-3-months-1272805

* Street Fighter series producer Yoshinori Ono recently debunked rumors of Capcom currently working on a Street Fighter V port for the Switch. The rumor originated from a recent announcement by retailer EB Canada that was later pulled.
https://www.destructoid.com/street-fighter-v-for-nintendo-switch-leak-refuted-by-yoshinori-ono-578986.phtml

* For those who have pre-ordered Final Fantasy VII Remake, Square Enix recently announced that all pre-orders made via their online store have to be reconfirmed due to issues related to the game's delay. The company also announced all pre-orders not reconfirmed on their store by February 28th will be cancelled.
https://www.destructoid.com/psa-final-fantasy-vii-remake-delay-means-square-enix-store-customers-must-re-confirm-pre-orders-578912.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

River City and Double Dragon series collection set is currently rumored to be in development by Arc System Works.

Western fans of the River City/Kunio-kun series should perhaps get themselves in shape for another downtown rumble, as it appears that the Japanese release Kunio-kun: The World Classics Collection might be preparing for a western localisation in the near future.

As spotted by Gematsu, a recent entry on PlayStation database hunting website GameStat, (the same site that outed the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo), listed an upcoming release titled Double Dragon & Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle. This listing includes an image which features a compendium of classic Kunio-kun artwork. All in, the The World Classics Collection contained 15 Kunio-kun titles and three Double Dragon games. Exciting stuff.

https://www.destructoid.com/river-city-kunio-kun-double-dragon-collection-seemingly-headed-west-579312.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Platinum Games announced they are currently holding a Kickstarter fundraiser to help with the development of a remaster of The Wonderful 101 for the Switch, PS4, and PC. The Switch version is currently rumored to be arriving on April 2020 while the Kickstater is rumored to have been done to fund the game's other planned platforms.

Originally published by Nintendo and released on the Wii U in 2013, Platinum is now turning to crowdfunding for a Switch remaster. The bar is super low, though. Platinum is only asking for $50,000 to make it happen; mere minutes after the campaign went up, it's already sitting at $26,000 as of time of writing. So yeah, The Wonderful 101 is coming to Switch. [Update: It's already well over $50,000.]

Other platforms are in the mix too. The Kickstarter's stretch goals include a PC release on Steam if $250,000 is raised, and a PS4 port if it hits $500,000. The Wonderful 101 is a strong cult classic, and this campaign is off to a blazing start; both of these stretch goals are a good bet. [Update 2: It hit $250,000 within an hour, meaning the PC port is officially going to happen.] [Update 3: And...it has now passed $500,000, so we officially have a PS4 port too. That clears out all the current stretch goals, but Platinum has added a time attack mode at $1 million, and Luka's First Mission which is "a brand new 2D side-scrolling adventure starring a young hero" at $1.5 million.]

In terms of contribution tiers, $36 will net you a digital copy when it releases; bumping it up to $41 will get you a physical copy. There are many tiers, all the way up to $5,000, but one of the more eye-popping rewards comes at $102. That's where Platinum's famed director Hideki Kamiya will block you on Twitter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/platinumgames/the-wonderful-101-remastered
https://www.destructoid.com/-updates-platinum-is-remastering-the-wonderful-101-but-only-if-fans-fund-it-through-kickstarter-579692.phtml


Platinum also recently launched a new teaser website for an unannounced project currently in development with the code name of "4"
https://four.platinumgames.com/

[M-A-G]

The cruelest bit of 'news' that I got from one of my friends was Street Fighter 5 coming to the Switch. Then he tells me later in the day that they retracted that...and then proceeds to piss me off further by saying Konami is continuing with Silent Hill.

[Sepholio]

Well here's some news for you. Dan Houser, co-founder, co-president of Rockstar games and the man who wrote Red Dead and GTA has left the company.

[Sepholio]

He took a bit of a hiatus after RDR2 and when he came back I imagine he was probably doing early work on GTA6. He has said publically in the past that working on GTA6 is basically impossible and he doesn't know how to go about it with the extreme polarization and overreaction of liberals and conservatives alike. I wonder if it ended up being too much for him and he just got fed up trying to thread the needle.

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to a report from IGN, Sony is currently not expected to announce an official price for their upcoming Playstation 5 until after Microsoft announces the price for their Xbox Series X first. It was also reported that its currently rumored Sony likely doesn't have a price tag in mind for the PS5 at the moment.
https://www.ign.com/articles/ps5-price-will-likely-be-determined-by-xbox-series-x-price

* Based on Sony's recent fiscal report, PS4 has sold around 108.9 million consoles since its launch in 2013. Sony also revealed that their Playstation Plus service is currently at around 38.8 million subscribers.
https://www.destructoid.com/playstation-4-sales-slowing-as-sony-hits-108-9-million-units-579733.phtml

* MediEvil 2 is currently rumored to be getting the remaster treatment based on a recent teaser tweet from the MediEvil's composer Andrew Barnabas.
https://twitter.com/AndrewBarnabas/status/1224053504022585351
https://www.destructoid.com/ambiguous-tweet-hints-at-medievil-2-remaster-579745.phtml

[Kalyx triaD]

He took a bit of a hiatus after RDR2 and when he came back I imagine he was probably doing early work on GTA6. He has said publically in the past that working on GTA6 is basically impossible and he doesn't know how to go about it with the extreme polarization and overreaction of liberals and conservatives alike. I wonder if it ended up being too much for him and he just got fed up trying to thread the needle.

I can guarantee the progressives within Rockstar are a bigger problem than the red/blue politicians he spent 20yrs telling to fuck off. GTA's way too big to get hit by cancel culture for such a worry to makes sense. What makes sense is something is going on within the company regarding potential characterizations and side stories in GTA6, because that's likely the most complete part of the game at this point and *something* made him call it quits.

[Fignuts]

https://i.imgur.com/5G9Azzb.png

[Emperor Smeat]

* Sony announced they are shutting down their studio in Manchester, England which mainly had been in charge of VR projects for their Playstation VR headset.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-02-04-playstation-to-close-manchester-vr-studio

* Netflix announced Season 3 of their animated Castlevania series will be arriving on March 5th. Unlike last season, this upcoming season will be 10 episodes in length.
https://twitter.com/NXOnNetflix/status/1224754478680657920

* Arc System Works recently confirmed rumors of them working on a River City and Double Dragon collection set which will arrive on February 20th for Switch and PS4.
https://twitter.com/ArcSystemWorksU/status/1225071583464570880

[Kalyx triaD]

https://i.imgur.com/5G9Azzb.png

That is a very curious addition. It's not like its tourny circuit was blowing up recently so unless Evo is trolling the Melee crowd with adding a game that meets the same standards Melee had when they canned it....

[ClockShot]

* Sony announced they are shutting down their studio in Manchester, England which mainly had been in charge of VR projects for their Playstation VR headset.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-02-04-playstation-to-close-manchester-vr-studio

* Netflix announced Season 3 of their animated Castlevania series will be arriving on March 5th. Unlike last season, this upcoming season will be 10 episodes in length.
https://twitter.com/NXOnNetflix/status/1224754478680657920

* Arc System Works recently confirmed rumors of them working on a River City and Double Dragon collection set which will arrive on February 20th for Switch and PS4.
https://twitter.com/ArcSystemWorksU/status/1225071583464570880

Sweet. Castlevania coming in right after Altered Carbon. Even better they tacked on a couple extra episodes too.

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to Kotaku, Ubisoft's mystery games teased to be currently in development based on their recent fiscal report are new games in the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry series. Both are currently expected to arrive before April 2021.
https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1225479419944370176

* Gears of War series executive producer, Rod Fergusson, announced that he is leaving Microsoft and The Coalition studio to join Blizzard starting next month. Fergusson also revealed he will be the lead producer for Blizzard's Diablo series.
https://twitter.com/GearsViking/status/1225198634112704512
https://www.destructoid.com/gears-of-war-head-rod-fergusson-leaves-to-work-on-diablo-at-blizzard-579889.phtml

* Based on Take Two's recent fiscal report, Red Dead Redemption 2 has managed to sell around double of the original game's sales since its release. RDR 2 sales currently are around 29 million while the original had around 15 million for lifetime sales.
https://www.destructoid.com/red-dead-redemption-2-has-nearly-doubled-the-sales-of-the-original-579981.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* For those that have been interested in System Shock 3, developer OtherSide Entertainment is currently rumored to have recently laid off the game's entire dev team and completely dropped the project.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-system-shock-3-team-is-no-longer-employed-its-been-claimed/
https://www.destructoid.com/the-whole-system-shock-3-team-might-have-been-let-go-580222.phtml

* Netflix and Capcom are currently rumored to be making an official announcement soon regarding a Resident Evil live-action series for Netflix. Basis for the rumor is Netflix accidentally posted a synopsis for the series before quickly taking it down.
https://www.destructoid.com/netflix-briefly-publishes-description-for-resident-evil-tv-series-580155.phtml

* Bioware announced that they are currently completely revamping Anthem with this new version to potentially arrive later this year.
https://blog.bioware.com/2020/02/10/anthem-update-february-10/

[Tom Guycott]

Don't know where to put this, so decided to put it here: Division 2 is $2.99 on XBONE. I mean, pretty sure most people aren't like me and if they were interested they already got it when it dropped or just still won't bother, but three dollars made me a lot more susceptible to giving it a whirl.

Only the standard version, though. The deluxe and fuckoff massive collections are still listed under $100 and $120. I don't need additional backpack skins and "iconic" jackets that badly.



Cyberpunk pushed to September.

Currently contemplating getting FF7 remake. But, tough to justify paying full price for a partial game.

https://i.imgur.com/cDodyQY.png

(late reply is late, I don't wander in here as often as I used to)

I think what ClockShot was getting at is the idea that they're divvying up the remake of FF7 across multiple releases. The idea of paying full price for each chunk of the remake like some bastardized Telltale title release or the original idea behind the last Hitman game queered me away from salivating over this game back when that first came to light. It would be like Nintendo remastering Super Mario Bros 3, but saying you will have to buy each of the 8 worlds separately at $20 apiece for a remake of a game that you can find in a pawn shop for about ten bucks at most because it's going to look so sexy on current gen hardware.

[Sepholio]

But it's not like it's the same game anymore. There is way more content here. I could understand if it was a shot for shot remake with no additional content but that ain't this.

[ClockShot]

Ended up preordering because I traded in Jedi: Fallen Order at Gamestop and they were running some sort of promotion with preorders. Anyway, girl working there said there was a lot more stuff to this time around than in the first game even though you're only getting a certain amount of the game.

We'll see how it goes.

[Destor]

Until ive played the combat im not interested in the remake

[Tom Guycott]

Until the whole thing is finished, released, and in a bundle, I'm not interested in the remake. We'll see about the combat system in that far flung future.

I don't care how sexy it looks or how much content they added to try to justify squeezing more money out of their grandest cash cow. I don't care how sexy they crossdress Cloud or how elaborate they make him getting gangbanged for underwear. I don't even care if they somehow cram the entirety of that one side game where you're The Turks and the other PSP game I'm blanking on with Zack and the combat system that's like Tifa's limit break. I'll let everyone else subsidize the eventual price drop for me. Not paying $60 just to be cockteased by Midgar and nothing else.

[Destor]

Im a sucker for good turn based combat so ill forgive them if it holds up

[Emperor Smeat]

* According to a report from Bloomberg, Sony is rumored to be spending around $450 per console for the Playstation 5. Main reason is due to a scarcity issues regarding the type of memory Sony wants as part of the specs for the console.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-14/sony-is-struggling-with-playstation-5-price-due-to-costly-parts
https://www.destructoid.com/the-playstation-5-allegedly-costs-a-minimum-of-450-per-unit-to-make-causing-a-price-panic-for-sony-580623.phtml

* Sega announced they are holding a Nintendo Direct-like event called Sonic Station Live on February 20th and are currently planning to hold new SSL episodes every two months afterwards.
https://www.destructoid.com/the-first-ever-sonic-station-live-broadcast-which-is-kind-of-like-a-nintendo-direct-for-sonic-debuts-next-week-580622.phtml

* Untitled Goose Game was recently announced to be the winner of this year's Game of the Year award from the D.I.C.E. Awards. The game also took the awards for Outstanding Achievement in Character and Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game.
https://www.destructoid.com/untitled-goose-game-steals-itself-the-top-prize-at-the-d-i-c-e-awards-580586.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Nintendo announced their next Nintendo Direct episode will be arriving on February 20th and will be focused on the upcoming Animal Crossing New Horizons game. The episode was stated to be around 25 minuted in length.
https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1229888341769744385

* Sony announced they are shutting down their official Playstation Forums on February 27th. Gamespot reported that other Sony-related support forums are also in the process of being shut down.
https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/community.topic.html/announcement_commun-zRTI/
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-official-playstation-forums-are-being-disconti/1100-6473808/

* Activision is currently rumored to be launching Call of Duty Modern Warfare's Warzone battle royale mode as a standalone free-to-play game in early March.
https://www.destructoid.com/new-modern-warfare-reports-say-warzone-will-be-free-to-play-support-200-players-and-launch-in-early-march-580884.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* Sony announced they have pulled out of this year's PAX East convention due to issues related to the on-going coronavirus outbreak. The virus is also being blamed for the recent slowdown in Switch production and global shortages expected to hit by this April.
https://www.destructoid.com/playstation-pulls-out-of-pax-east-because-of-coronavirus-concerns-581051.phtml
https://www.destructoid.com/there-s-already-a-switch-hardware-shortage-in-japan-and-it-could-impact-the-rest-of-the-world-by-april-580836.phtml

* Platinum Games recently teased they will be making a major announcement on February 27th which is currently expected to be the official debut of their "Platinum 4" game project.
https://www.gematsu.com/2020/02/platinum-games-teases-major-announcement-for-february-27-due-issue-of-weekly-famitsu

[Emperor Smeat]

Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently confirmed and revealed some new details for Microsoft's Xbox Series X console.


Next Generation Custom Processor: Xbox Series X is our most powerful console ever powered by our custom designed processor leveraging AMD’s latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures. Delivering four times the processing power of an Xbox One and enabling developers to leverage 12 TFLOPS of GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) performance – twice that of an Xbox One X and more than eight times the original Xbox One. Xbox Series X delivers a true generational leap in processing and graphics power with cutting edge techniques resulting in higher framerates, larger, more sophisticated game worlds, and an immersive experience unlike anything seen in console gaming.

Variable Rate Shading (VRS): Our patented form of VRS empowers developers to more efficiently utilize the full power of the Xbox Series X. Rather than spending GPU cycles uniformly to every single pixel on the screen, they can prioritize individual effects on specific game characters or important environmental objects. This technique results in more stable frame rates and higher resolution, with no impact on the final image quality.

Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing: You can expect more dynamic and realistic environments powered by hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing – a first for console gaming. This means true-to-life lighting, accurate reflections and realistic acoustics in real time as you explore the game world.

SSD Storage: With our next-generation SSD, nearly every aspect of playing games is improved. Game worlds are larger, more dynamic and load in a flash and fast travel is just that – fast.

Quick Resume: The new Quick Resume feature lets you continue multiple games from a suspended state almost instantly, returning you to where you were and what you were doing, without waiting through long loading screens.

Dynamic Latency Input (DLI): We’re optimizing latency in the player-to-console pipeline starting with our Xbox Wireless Controller, which leverages our high bandwidth, proprietary wireless communication protocol when connected to the console. With Dynamic Latency Input (DLI), a new feature which synchronizes input immediately with what is displayed, controls are even more precise and responsive.

HDMI 2.1 Innovation: We’ve partnered with the HDMI forum and TV manufacturers to enable the best gaming experience through features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). ALLM allows Xbox One and Xbox Series X to automatically set the connected display to its lowest latency mode. VRR synchronizes the display’s refresh rate to the game’s frame rate, maintaining smooth visuals without tearing. Ensuring minimal lag and the most responsive gaming experience.

120 fps Support: With support for up to 120 fps, Xbox Series X allows developers to exceed standard 60 fps output in favor of heightened realism or fast-paced action.

Four generations of gaming: Our commitment to compatibility means existing Xbox One games, including backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, look and play better than ever before. Your favorite games, including titles in Xbox Game Pass, benefit from steadier framerates, faster load times and improved resolution and visual fidelity – all with no developer work required. Your Xbox One gaming accessories also come forward with you.

Smart Delivery: This technology empowers you to buy a game once and know that – whether you are playing it on Xbox One or Xbox Series X – you are getting the right version of that game on whatever Xbox you’re playing on. We’re making the commitment to use Smart Delivery on all our exclusive Xbox Game Studios titles, including Halo Infinite, ensuring you only have to purchase a title once in order to play the best available version for whichever Xbox console they choose to play on. This technology is available for all developers and publishers, and they can choose to use it for titles that will be release on Xbox One first and come to the Xbox Series X later.

Xbox Game Pass: In addition to games from across four generations of consoles, our leading game subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, will continue to have our first party games, like Halo Infinite, included at their launch. We look forward to millions of you experiencing the Xbox Game Pass portfolio and immersing yourselves in a deep library of high-quality games, playing those you love now and also discovering your next great adventure.


In regards to Smart Delivery, both Halo Infinite and Cyberpunk 2077 will support the feature when they launch.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/02/24/what-you-can-expect-next-generation-gaming/
https://www.destructoid.com/phil-spencer-shares-more-details-on-what-to-expect-from-the-xbox-series-x-581489.phtml

https://www.destructoid.com/these-games-have-free-xbox-series-x-upgrades-581515.phtml

[Kalyx triaD]

Few of those are really big deals, but ultimately it falls on devs to exploit them. And honestly that's very rarely the case until the latter years of the console's life cycle. I doubt any XBone game fully tested the console, and in fact this generation was rife with incomplete or busted games at launch and nothing about those specs addresses that.

[Emperor Smeat]

* Gamestop is currently offering $65 in rewards for those who subscribe to their Rewards Pro program as one of their last ditch attempts to save the company. Like most things with Gamestop, it comes with a big catch in the sense that you only get $5 in discounts per month and the coupons don't stack.
https://www.destructoid.com/gamestop-tries-to-save-itself-by-giving-65-in-store-credit-to-15-rewards-pro-subscribers-581623.phtml

* PC digital distributor GOG announced that they recently updated their store terms to now allow 30 day refunds for PC games purchased from them.
https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006129837?_ga=2.268086029.282323719.1582744737-1070020206.1573075258&product=gog

* Based on recent market valuations, CD Project RED is currently the second largest gaming studio based in Europe. In terms of value, they are currently worth $6.8 billion while the top ranked European studio, Ubisoft, is worth $9.6 billion.
https://www.destructoid.com/cd-projekt-red-is-now-the-second-largest-european-game-studio-only-behind-ubisoft-581592.phtml

* Based on a report from Kotaku, EA is currently rumored to be working on two new Star Wars games while a third was cancelled around a year ago. In regards to the cancelled game, it was planned to be a Battlefront series spin-off but was canned due to development being way behind schedule.
https://kotaku.com/sources-ea-canceled-a-star-wars-battlefront-spinoff-l-1841840704
https://www.destructoid.com/ea-canceled-another-star-wars-game-but-it-happened-nearly-a-year-ago--581535.phtml

* For those interested, Platinum Games announced The Wonderful 101 Remastered launches on May 19th in North America and May 22nd in Europe for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC.
https://twitter.com/platinumgames/status/1232685217548251136

* Platinum also revealed that their mysterious "Platinum 4" game is a hero-style action game called Project G.G. with Hideki Kamiya as its lead director.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s6inZzkZmiI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
https://www.gematsu.com/2020/02/platinum-games-announces-hideki-kamiya-directed-hero-game-project-gg

[Sepholio]

Final Fantasy 7 Demo out on playstation WOOOOOOOOO

[Emperor Smeat]

* Game Developers Conference announced that this year's expo has been delayed till this summer due to issues regarding the coronavirus outbreak and the amount of companies that had pulled out as a result.
https://www.destructoid.com/gdc-2020-has-been-postponed-until-later-this-summer--581956.phtml

* For those interested, the PC port of Death Stranding will arrive on June 2nd and features both a Half-Life series crossover and new Photo Mode as bonus goodies.
https://www.destructoid.com/death-stranding-will-hit-pc-in-june-with-a-new-photo-mode-and-half-life-crossover-582173.phtml

* Koei Tecmo is currently dealing with online backlash regarding recent changes made to Dead or Alive 6's micro-transaction system. Main issue is the company is now charging for the ability to change your character's hair color and for every change made afterwards regardless if you already owned the hair color.
https://twitter.com/DOATEC_OFFICIAL/status/1232425034590736384
https://www.destructoid.com/dead-or-alive-6-now-charging-players-to-change-character-hair-color-re-charges-for-each-change-582165.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

*After being delisted last year, Capcom announced that Ducktales Remastered is available for sale again on all platforms it was originally released on.
https://twitter.com/CapcomUSA_/status/1234899202276241408
https://www.destructoid.com/wayforward-s-ducktales-remastered-is-no-longer-delisted-582308.phtml

* According to a report from Variety, director Ruben Fleischer and actor Antonio Banderas have recently joined the production of Sony's Uncharted film. Fleischer is the 7th director to join since the start of the film's production in 2010.
https://variety.com/2020/film/news/antonio-banderas-uncharted-movie-tom-holland-1203520345/

* The ESA announced that this year's E3 expo is still scheduled to take place in early June despite industry concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Last month's PAX East expo suffered from several companies pulling out over health concerns while this year's GDC expo has been delayed till the summer due to similar issues.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qjde3m/game-developers-conference-cancelled-due-to-coronavirus-fears
https://www.destructoid.com/the-esa-says-e3-2020-still-on-schedule-despite-coronavirus-concerns-582260.phtml

[Fignuts]

https://i.imgur.com/vnHlReh.png

[Emperor Smeat]

EA is currently rumored to be working on a new Star Wars game called Star Wars: Project Maverick based on a recent accidentally leak from the European PlayStation Store.

An unannounced Star Wars title seems to have mysteriously popped up on the European PlayStation Store database. Star Wars: Project Maverick was revealed by Twitter account @psnrelease, a bot that scours the depths of the database for recent additions.

Other than a title image, which features a Star Destroyer and a few X-Wings in flight, very little info is available on the title - which one would assume is coming from Electronic Arts as they currently hold the rights to produce Star Wars video games. As noted by Gematsu, the Content ID listing does suggest that Project Maverick is not a VR title, but that it does feature multiplayer.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The game Maverick has been added to the european PSN! <a href="https://t.co/H0wmojX4S1">pic.twitter.com/H0wmojX4S1</a></p>&mdash; PSN releases (@psnrelease) <a href="https://twitter.com/psnrelease/status/1235166862591352832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

https://www.gematsu.com/2020/03/unannounced-star-wars-project-maverick-playstation-store-listing-leaked

[ClockShot]

Ghost of Tsushima drops June 26th.

So, any hope of this being a PS5 launch title is now put to rest.

[DAMN iNATOR]

https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/borderlands-2-update-advertising-borderlands-3-breaks-game

SMDH...

[Emperor Smeat]

According to a report from the Hollywood Reporter, HBO recently approved plans for a The Last of Us television series.

Craig Mazin, Chernobyl series, and Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us series, were revealed to be the writers for this new tv series.

Sony also confirmed that they dropped their plans for a Last of Us film in favor of a tv series instead.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, HBO has greenlit a television adaption of The Last of Us. It's being written by Craig Mazin, who achieved fame recently for creating the award-winning HBO limited series Chernobyl. The Last of Us writer Neil Druckmann is also attached as a co-writer and executive producer.

Although this is new territory for the PlayStation Productions division of Sony Pictures Television, The Last of Us' TV series won't take aim at any untold stories within the Cordyceps-ravaged America. It'll simply tell the narrative from the original game, meaning that Joel and Ellie will be the two central characters. It's said that a successful debut could lead to The Last of Us Part II being adapted for TV too, a second season so to speak.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Look for the light. <a href="https://twitter.com/clmazin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@clmazin</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Neil_Druckmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Neil_Druckmann</a> to develop the series adaptation of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheLastOfUs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheLastOfUs</a>, coming soon to HBO: <a href="https://t.co/z9c2h86EYw">https://t.co/z9c2h86EYw</a> <a href="https://t.co/AkT6fET4Im">pic.twitter.com/AkT6fET4Im</a></p>&mdash; HBO (@HBO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HBO/status/1235619786278572032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/last-us-series-works-at-hbo-chernobyl-creator-1282707

[Emperor Smeat]

* Bethesda recently released the specs for the PC version of Doom Eternal although for some unknown reason removed the listing from Steam afterwards.
Minimum Settings:
OS: 64-bit Windows 7 / 64-bit Windows 10
CPU: Intel Core i5 @ 3.3 GHz or better / AMD Ryzen 3 @ 3.1 GHz or better
RAM: 8GB
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 (4GB), GTX 1060 (6GB), GTX 1650 (4GB) / AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB), RX 470 (4GB)
HDD: 50GB available space

Recommended Settings:
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K or better / AMD Ryzen 7 1800X or better
RAM: 16GB
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB), RTX 2060 (8GB) / AMD Radeon RX Vega56 (8GB)
HDD: 50GB available space

https://store.steampowered.com/app/782330/DOOM_Eternal/
https://www.destructoid.com/you-kinda-need-a-bfpc-to-run-doom-eternal-at-the-recommended-settings-582638.phtml

* Based on a recent tweet, Gamescom officials are still going ahead with plans for this year's Gamecom expo. This year's expo is currently scheduled to take place from August 25-29 in Cologne, Germany.
https://www.destructoid.com/gamescom-is-still-happening-this-year-as-far-as-we-know-582584.phtml

* The creative director for this year's E3 expo, iam8bit studio, announced that they have pulled out of the event although no official reason was given.
https://twitter.com/iam8bit/status/1235686367264301056
https://www.destructoid.com/e3-loses-its-creative-director-three-months-before-the-show-582545.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

SEGA announced that due to this year's SXSW event being cancelled over coronavirus concerns, they have delayed their annual Sonic series panel till this April.

SEGA had originally planned to hold this year's Sonic series panel at SXSW, which was expected to include the official debut of the next game in the Sonic series.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We're sad to see SXSW cancel, but we respect the call and we're working hard to bring our Sonic Panel content to you all in a new format this April!</p>&mdash; Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) <a href="https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1236100389679722496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[ClockShot]

Former Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Amie joins the Gamestop board of directors.

Another one of their last ditch efforts to save the company.

https://www.ign.com/articles/reggie-fils-aime-joins-gamestop-board-of-directors-to-help-save-the-struggling-retailer

[Emperor Smeat]

Sony recently confirmed rumors of Horizon Zero Dawn getting a port for PC.

The PC version was announced to be arriving this summer for Steam and includes the Frozen Wilds expansion pack and some extra DLC goodies.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1151640/Horizon_Zero_Dawn_Complete_Edition/
https://www.destructoid.com/horizon-zero-dawn-is-coming-to-pc-since-it-s-a-great-fit--582962.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

According to a report from Ars Technica, this year's E3 expo has been cancelled and unofficial reasons related to the declining support from the industry and coronavirus health concerns.

Multiple sources familiar with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA)'s plans have confirmed to Ars Technica that the organization, which is responsible for the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), will soon cancel the three-day expo. Like in prior years, E3 2020 was scheduled to play out in early June as a three-day event at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Shortly after we received the tip, indie game publisher Devolver Digital posted a brief, ominous message on Twitter: "Cancel your E3 flights and hotels, y'all." The ESA had not made any announcements about E3 2020 at that time.

One source who spoke to Ars on background said they'd heard the news of E3 2020's cancellation "directly from ESA members" and that an official, public statement on the matter "was supposed to be today [Tuesday, March 10] and slipped."

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/03/e3-2020-has-been-canceled/

[Emperor Smeat]

ESA confirmed Ars Technica report of this year's E3 being cancelled and the official reason due to coronavirus health concerns.

Also stated they are considering plans for E3 to be a potential digital event instead this year.

"After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry - our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners - we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles," announced the ESA in a statement posted on Variety.

"Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today."

The ESA will reach out to exhibitors and attendees with further information regarding refunds and cancelled plans The group is also "exploring options" with regards to delivering news via an online event in E3's stead.

https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/e3-2020-canceled-coronavirus-1203529992/
https://www.destructoid.com/-update-e3-2020-canceled-due-to-coronavirus-concerns-583019.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

* The leader writer of Overwatch, Michael Chu, announced that he has recently left Blizzard and the official reason due to wanting to go in a new direction for his career.
https://twitter.com/westofhouse/status/1237842966846160897

* Based on a report from Kotaku, Microsoft and Ubisoft are currently considering plans to hold digital events to replace the cancellation of this year's E3 expo. Warner Bros reportedly was also planning to hold a major press conference at this year's E3 prior to the cancellation announcement.
https://kotaku.com/e3-2020-cancelled-1842267356
https://www.destructoid.com/following-e3-cancellation-microsoft-and-ubisoft-are-looking-into-digital-events--583168.phtml

* CD Projekt RED announced that they are currently working on plans for a new game in the Witcher series and development will start after current work on Cyberpunk 2077 is finished.
https://www.gamesradar.com/new-witcher-4-ps5-xbox-series-x-cyberpunk-2077/