Both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X have a lot of incredible new features to bring into a new generation of gaming, but it looks like Sony is looking to make the PS5 more beefed up with official Denuvo integration. Team Blue has confirmed in a recent press statement that the PS5 anti-cheat tools are on the way with Denuvo's Tools and Middleware program. 

Announced by Sony and Irdeto, a leading company in digital security, the new implementation aims to protect games and studios of all sizes. This is a controversial move, something that many studios have been "called out" for when adding Denuvo to their titles (remember the Doom Eternal debacle?). 

For those that may be asking what this even is, the Denuvo Anti-Cheat program is one that is so rooted into a player's system that the level of invasion is seen as something to be concerned about by many in the gaming community. The topic of Denuvo becomes especially heated on PC where all information is accessed, including personal intel. With a console, the level of invasion isn't quite so high as it would be on a personal computer, and the latest announcement promises that no performance issues will be seen as a byproduct of this addition. 

While you have to wait a while longer to play Halo Infinite, Microsoft has released the latest Halo toys, and they look pretty nice.

The new World of Halo collection from Jazwares have arrived on store shelves, Microsoft announced on Twitter. The company further teased that more are coming. The four-inch figures include familiar characters like Master Chief and enemies like Grunts, as well as the new character from Halo Infinite--The Pilot. You can see a teaser for the new figures in the video below.

In addition to these figures, Microsoft has partnered with Mega Construx for a series of Halo toys, while there are Halo-branded Nerf guns, too.

After a quick tease showcasing new content coming to The Outer Worlds, developer Obsidian Entertainment has revealed the next story DLC, Murder on Eridanos, set for release on March 17. As the final DLC for The Outer Worlds, this endgame-focused expansion centers around a classic murder-mystery on the planet Eridanos, with your character having to solve a complex and strange 'whodunit' to uncover who assassinated the spokesperson for a new brand of space vodka.

Set for release on March 17, with the Switch version coming sometime later, the Murder on Eridanos DLC features new quests, gear, and a weird questline that seems totally in line with the bizarre plot of this space RPG. What makes Eridanos a stranger setting than the usual areas is that the planet's key locations are spread across a set of floating islands, each with its own points of interest, quests to find, and gear to add to your expanding inventory. Ahead of the announcement, GameSpot spent some time with the new DLC and uncovered the strange happenings on Eridanos.

With a likeable loser anti-hero, colourful high school hallways full of misfit teens and teachers to meet, and a snide remark at the ready for almost every interaction, Cyanide & Happiness - Freakpocalypse has all the ingredients to bring the caustic comedy of its comic strip origins to life in videogame form. But while this adults-only point-and-click adventure initially resembles South Park: The Stick of Truth minus the turn-based fighting system, the combat isn’t the only thing that it’s lacking.

Happiness is a Warm Pun

For the vast majority of its brisk four-hour runtime, Freakpocalypse’s plot centers around social outcast Cooper ‘Coop’ McCarthy and his quest to avoid bullies, woo his crush, and perform odd jobs for his grandma, whose raging libido is played for cheap laughs. That’s not to say Freakpocalpyse isn’t genuinely funny at times, and certainly I got a kick out of the mixed metaphor-riddled pep talks from Principal McNally and the freestyled song lyrics of the guitar-strumming Warren Wonderwall lurking outside of the school. It’s also endearing that desperately asking a character to be Coop’s prom date is an option in just about every dialogue tree.

El Psy Congroo!

The post Mages Teased a New Project in the Steins;Gate Franchise appeared first on Siliconera.

With a little over two weeks to go until the release of Monster Hunter Rise on Nintendo Switch, Capcom continues to release videos in order to give fans new and old some insight into the mechanics of the iconic adventure series newest entry.

One such video features a breakdown of an entire hunt, from its planning stages, through tracking, and finally a titanic showdown with the fearsome Goss Harag. The near 15-minute video gives new players an example of Monster Hunter Rise's gameplay, showing how the early stages of the hunt can be as important as the fight itself, while also spotlighting the need for quick wits and the need for adaptation in battle.

Atlas Coffee Club and Apple’s MacBook Pro lead Thursday’s best deals.

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Silver Rain Games, the new developer co-founded by BAFTA-nominated Assassin's Creed star Abubakar Salim, will become the next team working under the EA Originals label.

It means the studios' debut project will be funded by EA and be shown on the same stage as the publisher's biggest games, as well as fellow EA Originals such as A Way Out, Fe, and Sea of Solitude.

The announcement caps off a successful first year for Silver Rain Games, a remote studio headed up by former BAFTA Games programme manager Melissa Phillips and Salim himself - who you may know better as Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins or Father in the Ridley Scott HBO series Raised by Wolves.

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Electronic Arts has announced that it has partnered with Silver Rain Games, welcoming the studio's upcoming debut title into the expanding library of EA Originals. Silver Rain Games is an indie studio founded and now led by Abubakar Salim (who voiced Assassin's Creed Origins' Bayek and currently portrays Raised By Wolves' Father) and Melissa Phillips (who previously worked as the BAFTA games program manager). Prior to EA's announcement about the partnership, I had the chance to sit down with both co-founders.

"It speaks volumes--the fact that you can't actually define the genre of what [EA Originals] has built," Salim told me when I asked as to Silver Rain Games' reasoning for wanting to partner with EA. "That's the beauty of the art form of what they support and build. There's a freedom that the EA and the Originals team bring that allows you as the developer to truly find the strengths and weaknesses of what you bring to the table. At the end of the day, it's the developer's game."

Phillips said that "for now" Silver Rain Games and EA's partnership is only in regards to this first game that the studio is working on, which is still unannounced. During the interview, both Salim and Phillips remained tight-lipped about the game. "We want to tell you; we totally want to tell you," Phillips laughed after I jokingly admitted that, though I was trying my best, it was proving difficult to talk around a game that I knew nothing about.

Dinky horror game Little Nightmares 2 has hit a big sales milestone - of a million sales in under a month.

Tarsier Studios' sequel launched on 11th February and hit the million sales mark before its one-month anniversary, publisher Bandai Namco said this afternoon.

By comparison, the original Little Nightmares was announced as having hit a million sales over a year after its initial launch in 2017. Combined sales of the two games are now over five million copies.

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THQ Nordic has formally unveiled its new Spanish development studio, Alkimia Interactive. ...

Jay ‘Sinatraa’ Won suspended from the Valorant Champions Tour and Sentinels team

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GTA Online's latest update sees the return of savvy businessman Lamar Davis, who'll be handing out double cash rewards and Reputation Points all week long. Davis won't be the only game in town though as Martin Madrazo will also approach players with the same offer, so it'll be worth keeping your eye on your phone to see who calls you first.

Double cash rewards and Reputation Points will also be available in a number of other activities, as Transform Races and Business Battles will be vying for your attention with added financial bonuses.

Developer Tarsier Studios’ critically acclaimed sequel Little Nightmares II is proving a big commercial success. Today, a press release reveals the game has already exceeded 1 million units sold just a month after its launch.

The franchise as a whole –the original game, its mobile spin-off Very Little Nightmares, and now Little Nightmares II– has now surpassed 5 million total players.

Herve Hoerdt, senior VP of marketing, content and digital at Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe said in a statement:

“We’re very proud of the success of Little Nightmares and really grateful with how fans have embraced the universe through the games and the comics, putting their minds to work to find the wildest theories about Little Nightmares,

These are two important milestones for a franchise that we have nurtured and grown within BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe and would not be possible without the amazing support from the Little Nightmares community. We can’t wait to share with you what’s next in the Little Nightmares universe.”

Twinfinite reviewed Little Nightmares II last month and was thoroughly impressed, scoring it 4.5/5 and concluding:

“Chase sequences and the overall ambiance are as bone-chilling and thrilling as ever, while puzzles are even more challenging and satisfying to complete thanks to the tragic duo of Mono and Six. Even if you aren’t a horror fan, I’d highly recommend you play Little Nightmares II, as it currently sits as my favorite game of 2021 so far.”

The Amnesia Rebirth Mac port won't be happening, and Frictional Games explained why.

The post There Won’t Be an Amnesia Rebirth Mac Version appeared first on Siliconera.

The upcoming multiplayer PvPvE heist game, Hood: Outlaws & Legends, tasks players to work together as teams in order to secure valuable loot. You will be facing off against the vigilant AI, but also other human teams looking to pull off a quick one. In order to mix things up, players can take on different roles. Having already given us a look at the Ranger, Hood: Outlaws & Legends’ latest gameplay trailer is all about the Hunter.

In the gameplay trailer, we are introduced to the elusive and mysterious Hunter. This particular class is able to go invisible, use smoke grenades, and quickly take down enemies. Basically, she is an able assassin that can wreak havoc among your enemies.

Armed with a modified arm-mounted crossbow, the Hunter is able to fire off a deadly burst of three bolts at once. Be it mid-range or up close, she is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

The Hunter trailer for Hood: Outlaws & Legends also highlights her ultimate ability in the Shroud. This allows her to be covered in a near-invisible sheen, rendering her undetectable by any guards.

A potentially good electric-type Legendary has joined the fray

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Microids has announced that it will be bringing Revolution Software's cyberpunk adventure Beyond a Steel Sky to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in the third quarter of 2021. The dystopian adventure - a sequel to the 1994 DOS classic Beneath a Steel Sky - launched on PC and Apple Arcade in the summer of 2020.

"Signing this publishing deal with the renowned Revolution Software studio delights us!” said Microids CEO Stephane Longeard. "We're thrilled to give players the possibility to rediscover the long-awaited sequel to Beneath a Steel Sky on consoles by diving into a captivating story supported by clever gameplay mechanics and gorgeous graphics."

Leaders from Microsoft and Bethesda will talk about the future

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First Bag Free | Atlas Coffee | Promo Code KINJACOFFEE

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THQ Nordic is once again expanding its video game development efforts, though this time it’s creating a new studio rather than acquiring an established company. Called Alkimia Interactive, the new Spanish developer will be focusing on “high-quality RPGs,” with the Gothic Remake its first project.

The news comes by way of a Tweet from THQ Nordic:

We are beyond happy to introduce our new studio, Alkimia Interactive in Barcelona, Spain!@AlkimiaGameDev will focus on high-quality RPGs, their first project being the Gothic Remake.

Development is well underway and first results will be revealed in the next couple of months! pic.twitter.com/RR7ZgxPG2A

— THQ Nordic (@THQNordic) March 11, 2021

The Gothic Remake playable teaser was first revealed back in 2019 before THQ Nordic officially confirmed that a full remake build would be going ahead a few months later. If you haven’t played the teaser, it’s still available over on Steam; otherwise, check out the trailer below.

Special guests will also appear during the broadcast.

The post Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis Broadcast Scheduled for Next Week appeared first on Siliconera.

The latest entry in the long-running World Rally Championship series finally got the green flag on Switch today, as WRC 9 finally launches on the Nintendo platform, following its September 2020 release on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC

WRC 9 for Nintendo Switch comes jam packed with all of 2020's WRC content, including three rallies through Japan, New Zealand, and Kenya, along with 15 iconic vehicles, 14 environments, and a huge 110 special stages. WRC 9 also features a deep career mode, which adds mechanics such as staff and calendar management to the free-wheelin' action.

WRC 9 is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Switch platforms, as well as on PC via Epic Games Store. You can check out a new trailer for the Switch release below.

Next on Music Week, a look at how a specific movement in art and music might be an especially good fit for games.

Despite being considered the most important composer in the impressionist movement, Claude Debussy was not fond of the label. "I am trying to do something different, an effect of reality... what the imbeciles call impressionism," Debussy wrote in 1908."A term which is as poorly used as possible, particularly by the critics, since they do not hesitate to apply it to [J.M.W.] Turner, the finest creator of mysterious effects in all the world of art."

Debussy was probably wary of the term due to its dubious art world origins: coined by critic Louis Leroy, it was initially used in a derogatory manner to review an exhibition by painters including Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. "Impressionism" was used to ridicule the painters' loose brush-strokes and casual composition, which Leroy (and many others at the time) considered unfinished. The term was then applied to Debussy's music, with critics finding similarities between the painters' use of contrasting colours, light and blurred backgrounds, and Debussy's use of orchestral colour and harmony to make listeners focus on an overall "impression".

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Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were announced earlier this year, and while the remakes do look like a visual step up over the original pair of games released in 2007, the 3D chibi-style hasn't won everyone over. YouTuber Millenniumloops remade the trailer using assets from previous games, creating a more modern interpretation of the Sinnoh region journey. It's not a game that is being made, but a concept trailer that imagines what the remakes could look like with more recent Pokemon aesthetics applied.

"I decided to make a re-imagined trailer of the Brilliant Diamond and Shinning Pearl games the way I wanted them to be," Millenniumloops tweeted. "This is just my take on it. I have used models from previous Pokémon games as well as some things that I created myself."

The YouTuber's trailer shows off a version of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl that aesthetically more in line with recent games such as Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Confirming rumors, Microsoft has officially announced it will hold a "roundtable" event today at 10 AM PT where it will share more details on Microsoft's $7.5 billion buyout of ZeniMax. The deal was officially completed this week, paving the way for Bethesda to become part of Microsoft.

What To Expect

This won't be a news event where we find out more on The Elder Scrolls VI, Starfield, or the next Fallout game. Xbox marketing boss Aaron Greenberg said, "Note, this is NOT FOCUSED ON NEWS/REVEALS, but a great chance to learn more about the teams & people at Bethesda."

Microsoft confirmed that Bethesda will develop games that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC, but neither company has said more. Given Greenberg's statement that this roundtable is not expected to be a news event, we may not hear more, though it's possible we'll get some kind of commentary.

For his part, Bethesda's Pete Hines said the roundtable will introduce people to the "faces behind the Bethesda games and studios you know and love." The exact list of panelists for the roundtable has not been announced, nor do we know the length of the event.

EA is investigating allegations that some of its own employees have been selling rare FIFA 21 items to FIFA Ultimate Team players. ...

The Roblox Corporation, maker of the online game creation platform Roblox, went public yesterday, selling shares in the company on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time since it was founded back in 2004. It ended the day trading at just under $70, giving it a valuation of $45 billion, or approximately six…

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TV, TV, TV. Xbox One launched in a terrible state, with a half-finished dashboard, flaky Kinect controls and nebulous plans to make TV programs.

Part of its positioning as the "one" device you'd need connected to your telly was its ability to act as a TV pass-through, so you could hook up your cable box or your USB TV tuner.

Thankfully, all of that went away very quickly, along with many of the Microsoft execs who thought it was a good idea. But one element has remained until now: OneGuide, Xbox One's TV listings app.

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Bandai's line of Coo'Nuts toys now includes 16 Demon Slayer figures. You even have a chance of getting Inosuke with or without his mask.

The post Bandai’s Demon Slayer Coo’Nuts Toys Launch in Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

While 2020 was most certainly not a year to look back on with any great fondness, the trials and tribulations of what should have been a promising start to a new decade did not stunt the kindness and generosity of the gaming community. Games Done Quick, Pokemon GO Fest, itch.io, Extra Life, and many other events and companies donated/raised funds for a variety of important and worthwhile causes. And discount gaming store Humble Bundle was no different.

Over the course of the year, Humble Bundle raised a total of over $30 million USD via the sales of its gaming and book bundles, with the impressive total reaching a total of 224 global charities. Of this figure, some $8.1 million was donated to COVID relief and healthcare causes such as Direct Relief, Medecin Sans Frontiers, and Partners in Health, all of whom worked tirelessly in efforts to provide resources, PPE, and healthcare during one of the worst global pandemics the planet has ever faced.