September 2020

2020 has been a tumultous year for Ubisoft and its studio culture. After numerous reports of toxic behavior, stories of abuse, and HR inconsistencies, the studio at large opened a company-wide investigation into the reports that have come in and all new reports that continue to become known. This upheaval has also resulted in several upper level fires of Ubisoft executives. 

Earlier this month, Michel Ancel announced that he was leaving the studio to work at a wildlife sanctuary, but now a new report alleges that he left due to an ongoing investigation into his behavior at the company. Ancel has now responded to those reports. 

The initial report began from a French publication called Liberation, an article that cited Ancel's alleged toxic and abusive behavior towards his team as a reason why an investigation was launched against him. It was that investigation that the site states was the reason why Ancel departed from the company. 

A translation, courtesy of Kotaku, shed further light on the allegations, stating that Beyond Good and Evil 2 has been essentially in development hell, a state that was spurred on by Ancel's reported leadership style. Ubisoft has since confirmed that the investigation into Ancel has been ongoing.

Depression, burnout, and exhaustion are all linked in the initial report, something that Ancel himself vehemently denied. In a lengthy statement on his Instagram, the former dev began with the "Fake News" mantra. 

The over-confident, obnoxious Dan Hibiki has returned to the ever-expanding world of Street Fighter V. In this new preview trailer, you can see his entire moveset which includes signature abilities like his Ryu-inspired fireball. Street Fighter fans consider Hibiki to be a weak, spoof-character, but the new gameplay footage looks to prove all of Hibiki's doubters wrong.

Dan Hibiki arrives this winter and is set to be Street Fighter V's first fifth season character. Rose, Akira, Oyo, and an unannounced fifth fighter will follow suit. 

[Source: Destructoid]

Destiny 2: Beyond Light is almost here and with even more expansions on the horizons and tons of new features on the way, there is a lot to look forward to as a Guardian in the skies. One thing players can't look forward to, however, is a new game engine for Destiny 2. Bungie confirms that th is will "never" happen because it's just not needed. 

From character customization details to rotating content, there are a lot of changes ahead for the Bungie shooter. That being said, a common question these devs get is: Will there be a new engine? While Bungie has upgraded the current engine from Destiny 1 to Destiny 2, there hasn't been a need for an entirely new one to be implemented. 

The question again came up during a recent AMA on Reddit, to which Bungie engineering manager Chris Kosanovich responded:

“Regarding the engine, Aldridge may speak to this more but every engine I’ve ever used has strengths and weaknesses. I certainly would not classify the Destiny engine as archaic and I certainly wouldn’t want to try to build Destiny in any other engine. Of course there are processes that are slow and we’re making improvements to address our tech debt. Not totally sure what you mean about a ‘new engine in future titles’ but we updated the engine from D1 to D2 and continue to update the engine during D2 development. We’ll never make a whole new engine and move destiny to it, but any future games that Bungie makes wouldn’t necessarily need to use the Destiny tech if it doesn’t make sense for that game.”

The month of September is coming to a close in the real world and in Animal Crossing: New Horizons as well! Those warm nights will soon be gone in exchange for cool, breezy autumn weather. You can already taste the sweet Halloween candy and pumpkin spice.

Not only are the seasons changing in Animal Crossing, but there are also new fish and bugs to catch in October, but that also means that some critters are going away too.

Before the month closes out, you want to make sure that you can catch all that you can. If you check out the lists below, you can see all of the fish, bugs, and sea creatures leaving in September in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Go catch ’em all!

Today Square Enix released a new trailer of its mobile JRPG Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent.

We get to see the story focused on “Herminia, the Greedy Witch,” one of the three stories featured in the game.

Said three stories will lead our characters to face off against those who have mastered “wealth,” “fame,” and “power.”

Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent is set a few years before the original Octopath Traveler released for Nintendo Switch and PC, which has now shipped 2 million units on both platforms worldwide.

At the moment, there is no information on whether this mobile prequel will come to the west, but we know it’ll release in Japan in exactly a month, on October 28. It’ll come for both iOS and Android.

In the meanwhile, you can check out the trailer below. You can also check out the full-size artwork for Herminia herself.

Today  Codemasters released a brand new gameplay trailer of its upcoming racing game Dirt 5.

This time around we get to see new gameplay set in the Cape Town Stadium in South Africa.

You can check it out below.

Here’s how Codemasters describes the track.

“Taking inspiration from arena-based action in previous DIRT games, this stadium complex is the perfect setting for some close-quarters racing with jumps, crossovers and a roaring crowd. Take the action through the stadium, the parking lot, and the outer area for a thrilling route, available in Career, Arcade and online play with up to 12 cars on track.”

We also get a comment from development director Robert Karp.

“Cape Town Stadium in South Africa is ideal for both our Playgrounds custom arena creator mode, and atmospheric, technical and flat-out fun races. Going from the perimeter through the parking lot and into the stadium is an exhilarating experience”

All kinds of the latest game discoverability/platform news - from Amazon Luna analysis to front-page Steam explanations and more. ...

In this 2020 GDC Summer session, Derrick Morton & Daniel Widner discuss the benefits of incorporating social responsibility as a business strategy for free-to- play games. ...

Xbox chief Phil Spencer has indicated that Microsoft still intends to release new consoles following the launch of the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. ...

Zynga is shutting down the original FarmVille at the end of this year, over a decade after the popular Facebook title launched. ...

Rebecca, 43, is raising her daughter in Oakland, California, with her longtime partner, while working full-time and overseeing virtual kindergarten. 

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I mean there’s a reason they call it that

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His performance in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is terrific

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Megapixel Studios' 2020 remake of classic Sega Saturn title Panzer Dragoon is now finally available on PS4, following its earlier releases on Nintendo Switch, PC, and Stadia. It can be purchased from the PlayStation Network right now, priced at around $25.

Back when Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition was first revealed on Sony's recent PS5 stream, there was a lingering question: what will become of the previous generation?

That query was briefly answered, buried near the bottom of the PlayStation Blog post, stating: "And if you own DMC5 on PS4 stay tuned, the Playable Character: Vergil Paid DLC will be available at a later date." Vague! And neither hide nor hair of the Xbox One edition. But thanks to a recent TGS Live stream from Capcom, we now have a definitive answer.

The stream confirms that the playable Vergil component, arguably the most important piece of the new Special Edition package, is coming to PS4 and Xbox One eventually as "premium DLC." Capcom says that much of the actual visual upgrades are exclusive to the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but at least original Devil May Cry 5 buyers will be able to experience the main attraction down the line.

Just (weirdly) don't expect it to come to PC in the near future.

Capcom TGS Live [YouTube via VG247]

Sony kicked off their recent PS5 event right: with confirmation of Final Fantasy XVI. But it wasn't just any old Square Enix trailer, though. It actually had gameplay! According to producer Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida, that was deliberate.

According to a new panel during TGS (translated by Twitter user Audrey), the team was "pressed for time" to make the trailer, but also wanted to ensure that it had in-game visuals. As a result, the team says that they couldn't "fine-tune the graphics," and will reveal a "more polished version" in the future.

Yoshi-P hints that the publisher wanted to avoid the backlash of just showing a shiny CG trailer and a logo: something Square Enix is notorious for. He even jokes that people would have said "see you in 2035!" if they had done that. I hear that!

I mean, I'm satisfied with what we got. I thought it was brutal and unique, yet familiar with the crystal and summon iconography. It did its job and I'm stoked to play the new entry, especially with Yoshida at the helm.

Square Enix Presents [YouTube via Audrey]

UPDATE: Sometimes, we just can't leave well enough alone. I returned to Xbox Series X to take a look at more Xbox One and Xbox One X titles running under backwards compatibility, as Microsoft releases more games to journalists in its preview programme. It's an opportunity to check out some of Xbox One's most challenging games, including one of the most CPU-limited games of the generation - Just Cause 3. Can the power of the Zen 2 CPU architecture rid an excellent title of its terrible performance problems? The answer is yes. On top of that, we look at games like Ark: Survival Evolved and Assetto Corsa Competizione - the hardcore driving simulation that fails to impress mostly because of its performance issues.

On top of that, we take a look at games that don't benefit so much from the new machine - mostly owing to them already being well optimised for the performance targets they have - Red Dead Redemption 2 being a good case in point. However, this does mean that some big opportunities for genuinely transformative experiences don't happen. So, Batman: Return to Arkham is still limited to 30fps in Arkham City while Arkham Asylum retains its baffling 45fps frame-rate cap. Clearly, it's still the games that have unlocked frame-rate modes that benefit most: The Evil Within 2 delivers a night and day improvement, while The Vanishing of Ethan Carter can finally be enjoyed at a locked 60fps at native 4K resolution.

A new #Zombies story begins.

The next Yakuza game is coming this November on a date that was first leaked, then confirmed, and now changed. Yakuza: Like A Dragon is now launching on November 10th to match the Xbox Series X launch date. That’s three days earlier than planned that you’ll get to suit up and hit the streets of Yokohama as a criminal with a heart of gold.

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Final Fantasy Brave Exvius' Kei Hirono and Hiroki Fujimoto talked about the game, its events, and keeping it fresh for players.

The post Interview: Talking Final Fantasy Brave Exvius After Its 4th Anniversary appeared first on Siliconera.

Spend some time with Sinon this fall in the Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris Ancient Apostles update. There's even a trailer showing it off.

The post SAO: Alicization Lycoris Ancient Apostles DLC Stars Sinon appeared first on Siliconera.

The Genshin Impact anti-cheat will changed to ensure it isn't running when the game isn't and make it better at catching cheaters.

The post Genshin Impact Anti-cheat Will Be Adjusted and Improved appeared first on Siliconera.

Lupin III the First will be in theaters in the United States in October 2020. There are also new dubbed and subtitled trailers to watch!

The post Lupin III the First Theatrical Release Set for October 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

It's the game everyone wants to compare to Breath of the Wild. And maybe they should! Genshin Impact includes a ton of open-world exploration with a multitude of RPG progression systems in a free-to-play format. Genshin Impact is live now on mobile devices, PlayStation 4, PC, and it's coming to Switch at some point. Command a cast of characters and master the elements to explore dungeons, take on bosses, and solve puzzles.

Is it worth taking the trip into this mysterious and magical world? How predatory are the monetization tactics? Does that even matter when you get a ton of hours of gorgeous gameplay for free? Come chat with us and find out!

We went live earlier, but if you still have burning questions, be sure to check out our second day of streaming! If you can't get enough of our live shows, remember to subscribe on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook to get notified when we go live each week!

Two massive titles are launching this Friday: Star Wars: Squadrons and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. 

Star Wars: Squadrons

In Star Wars: Squadrons, players take to the stars in space battles during the obscure time period between the prequel and sequel trilogies. If you've been wanting to live out your galactic dog-fight fantasies, then Squadrons is the game for you. In addition to a single-player campaign and cooperative player vs. AI scenarios, there are head-to-head multiplayer modes that range from small 5v5 skirmishes to larger, multistage fleet engagements. 

Poke Lids are Pokemon-themed manhole covers that have been popping up over several regions of Japan. They were first introduced in late 2018, with the installation of an Eevee Poke Lid in Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture.

We reported earlier this year on other new Chansey-themed Poke Lids that were being installed in Fukushima Prefecture and now there are new Sandshrew and Sandlash-themed lids coming to Tottori Prefecture.

These Pokemon were chosen for the area simply because of the large sand dunes that occupy the prefecture, making it the perfect home for Sandshrew and Sandslash.

If you were wondering what exactly these Poke Lids are for, they’re meant to revitalize Japanese cities and towns while also promoting more tourism.

And for those that enjoy playing Pokemon GO, you’ll be happy to know that each Poke Lid also acts as a Pokemon Stop, allowing folks to obtain rewards and check out more info on the specific design of the lid.

You can see some of the adorable designs down below for yourself:

Sega clarified that those who purchase the physical PS4 disk of Yakuza: Like a Dragon will still get a PS5 upgrade at no additional cost.

The clarification came after the wording of the announcement (including the press release) of the PS5 release date of the game seemed to indicate that only digital copies would receive the upgrade.

Turns out that if you buy the PS4 disk, you’ll still be able to upgrade to the PS5 version, so you won’t be left out.

That being said, we also hear that save data won’t transfer between PS4 and PS5.

You can read the official tweet below.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon will launch in the west for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox One Series S/X, and PC via Steam November 10, 2020. The PS5 version will release later, on March 2, 2021.

Maneater

Easiest PS4 Platinum Trophies of 2020 So Far

Have you ever wanted to know how it feels to be the big bad in the big blue? Of course you have, and Maneater allows you to live the life of a big sharky boi (TM) and eat up anything that swims in your line of sight.

What makes this oceanic adventure even more delightful is that the platinum trophy is more or less within reach once you’ve wrapped up the story.

It’s then a case of grabbing any collectibles you missed along the way and building your Infamy up to the maximum of 10.

Yes, you do need to eat humans.

No… we don’t know how that’s a negative either.

It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then, we ask your take.

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At an indoor, largely maskless victory party in August, Marjorie Taylor Greene had a message for her detractors. Greene, a bargain-basement conspiracy theorist, had handily won her primary runoff, despite warnings from a handful of spooked Republican activists. In her heavily red corner of Georgia, the nomination…

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GBBO had its own Nailed It! moment

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A perfectly OK sequel that delivers more of what’s expected

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Spooky quests and Rexxar’s backstory in one event

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Microsoft has been selling us on the solid state drive being a key component of the Xbox Series X. It's all about speed. A lightning fast SSD unlocks the ability to boot games incredibly quickly, and to go through them without obtrusive loading screens.

There's another perk to the SSD that won't necessarily make any of marketing's bullet points. We learned last week that Xbox Series X's proprietary expandable storage will be rather expensive, clocking in at $220 for a 1TB SSD card. An alternative to paying through the nose for a second SSD is to use a USB 3.1 HDD to store your games. However, an HDD can't actually run the next-gen games; it can only run backward compatible games. Instead, users will have to store the games they don't play on the HDD and then transfer them to the SSD when they want to play them.

This morning, a blitz of Xbox Series X previews ran as a lot of tech-focused outlets had access to prototype units. Most of the coverage centered around how the console runs backward compatible titles. There were a few revelations about other aspects of the Xbox Series X, though.

One of them comes from GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb who tested how long it takes to transfer files between various drives. In the video embedded above, Grubb moves Assassin's Creed Origins (which is a 49GB file) around his storage locations in different configurations. Here's what the tests found.

Publisher City Connection has announced that it will release a compendium of classic Psikyo arcade shmups on PS5, following the titles' previous releases on Steam and Nintendo Switch.

The Psikyo Shooting Collection will include 12 titles from the Psikyo series, include both Gunbird and Gunbird II, Sol Divide, the Samurai Aces games, and the Strikers 1945 trilogy. As per the Steam/Switch releases, each title in the collection will feature original arcade dip switch settings, a selection of visual filters, and screen orientation options.

Additionally, City Connection plans to release the titles one-by-one on PS4 and Xbox One, in much the same way it has done for PC over the course of the year, however no dates were announced for any of the above releases. In related news, the publisher recently announced that DeathSmiles I & II will also be putting an appearance on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch in 2021. You can check out the full list of games below.

Another day, another lightning-fast Bandai Namco trailer. This time we get our first look at YuYu Hakusho's Hiei, as he prepares to wage war in the publisher's anime crossover fighter Jump Force.

We've seen a lot more of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in recent weeks, but what about Zombies? It's coming – and yes, I've also been thinking about the possibility of an undead Reagan stomping around.

Treyarch is planning to lift the lid on Cold War's Zombies at 10:00 a.m. Pacific on September 30.

Zombies. Are. Back. #BlackOpsColdWar

📺 https://t.co/h49FpibkFJ
📅 10am PT on September 30. pic.twitter.com/D8DIv9fK2n

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) September 28, 2020

Semi curiously, Treyarch describes this showcase as the beginning of "a new Zombies story." For people who have kept up, that could be good or bad depending on your view of the two sagas.

Here's a super short teaser, and here's a house-sized skeleton to get you in the spooky mood.

Systemic Reaction, the Avalanche-owned company behind moody robo-shooter Generation Zero, has announced that its next foray into co-operative shooter action, mutant dinosaur shooter Second Extinction, will be entering Steam early access on 13th October.

Second Extinction is not developed by the Generation Zero team, but a new team of around 35 people based in Malmö.

For whatever reason, dinosaurs (a mutant variety, no less), have returned to Earth in Second Extinction, intent on reclaiming their place as alpha predators on the now frozen planet. In response, players can join forces with up to two other friends in order to journey across the multi-region map, complete missions, and bring down their prehistoric opponents.

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Tensions escalate when a village caught between two rival kingdoms is brutally raided. Eivor, warrior and daughter of wise King Styrbjorn, dispatches the raiders, rescues the villagers, and claims the settlement for her father. She also seizes a prisoner—a woman, Gull, left behind by the rivals—who declares she possesses the secrets of Asgard itself. But there is more to Gull than meets the eye, and her capture will bring death and destruction to Eivor's family. In disgrace and lured by the promise of treasures and glory, Eivor undergoes a dangerous quest to regain her honor, but what terror awaits in the forgotten temple of a powerful god? All the time, her brother Sigurd forges his own legend while searching for fortune in the lands of the East.

"At night on a river, the Viking longships emerge from within thick fog. They land on a sandy shore, the blonde Viking's eyes shift upwards, the sky begins to glow. A mass of fiery arrows rain down, the Vikings raise wooden shields; a flaming arrow strikes a man's neck."