December 2020

Today we hear that a new studio was founded by developers who recently left Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Studio.

The team named Bokeh Game Studio is led by Keiichiro Toyama, whom you may know as the director of Gravity Rush, Silent Hill, and Siren.

Together with Toyama-san the new studio will count on Kazunobu Sato and Junya Okura, who also worked Gravity Rush and on games like The Last Guardian and Puppeteer.

Below you can check out the video launched with the announcement, introducing the studio.

The video also mentions that “many people” who have worked with the developers mentioned above are also joining the new studio.

Keeichiro Toyama covers the role of chief executive officer. Kazunobu Sato will act as president and chief operating officer, on top of producer. Junya Okura will act as game director and chief technical officer.

We also know that the studio aims to develop games for consoles and PC

The company was officially formed in August 2020, so their departure from Sony Interactive Entertainment likely isn’t entirely recent.

In an end-of-year video, Rare shared some impressive figures about Sea of Thieves' ongoing growth – over 11 million people played the game in 2020 – and spoke about its shift to a battle pass model.

In 2021, Sea of Thieves is moving away from meaningful updates to the competitive Arena mode, though it will still be supported and playable going forward. In another understandable move, Rare is switching over to a seasonal content schedule for the main Adventure experience. That means there will be a major update every three months or so headlined by "a new experience or way of play." After each season kick-off, the game will get "regular and featured live events" and quality-of-life patches.

Of course, a seasonal format wouldn't be complete without a battle pass – "the biggest change to our progression system since launch," according to Rare. In this case, there's a free tier with 100 levels of Pirate Renown progression and a premium Plunder Pass with "unique rewards" and exclusive items from the Pirate Emporium. Rare wants players to achieve "tangible" progress in "shorter sessions."

It's hard not to associate passes with FOMO – there are a lot of games trying to get us to do a lot of things in specific time frames – but a progression path beyond the Trading Company grind sounds fine.

Once Season 1 begins in January, Sea of Thieves players will be able to undertake a clue-gathering "detective" voyage with the Merchant Alliance. Creative director Mike Chapman also says that "big things" are planned for 2021 and they're "inspired" to freshen up the open-sea sandbox experience.

Filters. Everyone uses 'em, and that's why everyone has a dog nose or big anime eyes. A photo doesn't make its way online anymore without some touchups and enhancements. That's life in the Insta-age.

Most everyone expects Cyberpunk 2077 to look great, but the photo mode is going to take it to a whole new level. CD Projekt Red released a trailer that showcases all the photo mode's features, and there are a lot of ways to gussy up your screenshots.

Here are the various effects and customization options across all of photo mode's categories:

Sea of Thieves has made a boatload of improvements since its shaky launch in 2018, but next year will see the game’s biggest change with the introduction of seasons. The switch brings a new progression model, regular live events, and, of course, a ton of that sweet (pirate) booty. 

Each season will last around three months, with a special live event kicking off each one (and three events in total during each Season). Season One begins in January with a new Merchant Alliance quest. The event tasks players with locating a missing shipwreck by collecting clues scattered across land and sea. 

As with many live service games, Rare promises seasons will reward players for simply engaging in Sea of Thieves’ various activities including Pirate Trials, which offer new ways to play existing content. That way, they’re always progressing regardless of how many quests they actually complete. Dedicated players can also purchase the new Plunder Pass, Sea of Thieves’ take on the paid season pass, to earn exclusive rewards as well as a featured live event each month. Rare promises each season will dole out “hundreds” of rewards as well as feature regular quality of life updates to maintain smooth sailing throughout. 

The Turks are about to turn up in Dissidia FFOO. FFVII's Reno will show up next week, and Rude's debut isn't far behind.

The post Dissidia FFOO’s Reno Will Appear Next Week appeared first on Siliconera.

Earlier today, I wrote about how I’ve been playing a whole lot of Destiny 2 these days. I messed around with Bungie’s hilariously good-vs.-evil shooter at launch, then dipped out. Returning after a few years away for the recent Beyond Light expansion meant reacquainting myself with a whole lot of stuff, but nothing…

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After The Guardian ran a story earlier this year on gamers inverting their controls, a group of scientists—who have shifted their studies into online stuff during Covid—are now going to do a little research to try to find out why some people play video games the normal way, while others try to play them backwards.

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FIFA 21 released for PS4 and Xbox One earlier this year, and players picking the game up those versions have been told they'll be able to upgrade to the next-gen version within the same console family. Now, the update is live ahead of the December 4 release date that was initially promised, meaning that you can experience next-gen FIFA earlier than expected.

As Press Start has noted, multiple players have found themselves able to download the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game right now. While you cannot buy this version of the game yet, the free upgrade is available, and players can test out how the game looks and runs when it's using the full grunt of new systems.

If you want to buy the next-gen versions of the game, they'll cost $70--it's cheaper to buy a previous-gen version and then get the free update. The PS4/Xbox One version of FIFA 21 was good enough to earn an 8/10 in GameSpot's review.

Immortals: Fenyx Rising presents a vast open-world inspired by Greek mythology, filled with ancient beasts and monsters and deities. If you're just getting started, the huge open-world can be daunting. Making your created hero into a powerhouse is a long journey but we can get you started on the right path.

We've compiled a list of beginner's tips to help you get started. For more, check out our picks for the best abilities and godly blessings to get first, and read our Immortals: Fenyx Rising review.

Climb the Four Statues

This is an open-world Ubisoft game, so naturally, you'll need to do some climbing. In this case, it's the four statues of the gods, representing their respective regions on the maps: Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, and Hephaistos. Each has a special sync point at the top that de-fogs that portion of the map. And while you're up there…

Wallace and Gromit studio Aardman and the game publisher Bandai Namco are working together again. Following their partnership on the game 11-11: Memories Retold, the companies have now announced they will create a new IP together.

This new project will cover "multiple media," according to a press release from Aardman. The company said they will reach out to "partners" in 2021 to discuss the project, though the news release did not mention any companies by name for who may work on the project.

What they did say is that Aardman's "talent in creating characters and worlds" will be employed in the development of the project, while Bandai Namco will contribute with its "expertise in publishing and development." The partnership covers "stories tailored for current and future platforms."

Cyberpunk 2077 is finally nearly upon us, with a release date set for December 10, and it's anticipated that some players will get their games early. Between copies that shipped early, retail mistakes, and press/influencer copies, it's possible that information will be out there ahead of launch--and developer CD Projekt Red is asking that anyone with a copy holds off on streaming. It also hinted that videos would be removed if players don't follow this request.

In a tweet on the official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account, the devs have asked people not to stream the game ahead of launch--and warned, in their own way, that action will be taken against anyone who does.

"We kindly ask you NOT TO stream/let's play, or release similar content before December 9th, 12PM CET / 3 AM PST," the post reads. Otherwise, they joke, in-game organization MAX-TAC will be sent after you (which means, probably, they'll take action to have the video removed or stream ended). It's possible it could also cause players to get a copyright strike.

Genshin Impact has, in terms of both spending and impact, been one of the biggest games of 2020. The title, which took top honors in Google Play and Apple's game of the year lists, has reportedly brought in a huge amount of money every day since its release.

According to SensorTower, which tracks mobile spending and engagement, their stats suggest that Genshin Impact has brought in $393 million since it launched on September 28. which averages out to over $6 million every single day. Despite releasing late in the year, it's reportedly the second-highest grossing mobile game of the year, behind Honor of Kings ($467 million).

$120 million of this revenue is said to have come from China, and $98 million of it from Japan. It's worth noting that these numbers are based on SensorTower's estimates, rather than hard figures released by developer miHoYo, so they might not be the exact numbers.

The PlayStation 5 has finally arrived, ushering in the next generation of gaming from Sony. The console is selling very well, and stock has sold through at most retailers. As such, this video we're about to share might be difficult to watch for those who remain in the hunt for a next-gen system.

Someone has acquired a PS5 only to place it into one of those machines that destroys everything. It is a terrifying video, with the cracking and crunching sounds standing out as particularly painful to hear as the console gets literally shred to pieces. Have a look:

Sony has promised that more PS5 units will be available for purchase later this year, so if you've been shut out thus far, there is still hope. You can follow GameSpot's PS5 ordering page to stay up to date on how to get a console for yourself when they become available.

As 2020 comes to an end, stores and outlets are starting to release their game of the year lists. Both Google Play and the Apple App Store have weighed in and announced the game of the year on their platforms, and the same game has taken top honors for both storefronts--Genshin Impact.

Google Play has given the game top honors, citing the game's size and enjoyable combat as factors "Genshin Impact blew us away with its sheer scale and ambition," the description reads. "Combat is fast and fluid, with each fight a spectacle to behold. Quite simply, this is the best game we’ve played this year."

Animal Crossing: New Horizons received its big winter update a couple of weeks ago, and its companion NookLink app has now gotten an update of its own. Nintendo has added a handy new Catalog function to the mobile service, letting you more easily track all the items you've obtained in the game.

Through the newly added Catalog function, players can quickly look up furniture, clothing, and other items that they've acquired in New Horizons. The feature displays information about the items, including which color/design variants players have obtained, how much the item costs to purchase from Nook's Cranny, and whether or not it can be customized. The Catalog function also has a section displaying your 20 most recently acquired items in the game.

Wildfire, a slow-going platformer where fire is your best friend, launches on consoles this week. Its bite sized levels require you to find the best way to get from one point to another while completing various missions.

The Sneaky Bastards-developed stealth sidescroller originally launched on Steam in May and is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One on December 3. It'll cost $14.99 on all platforms.

Wildfire puts you in the shoes of a villager who's town is burnt to a crisp by a "villainous force" of strange Amazonian women. You must find and saved your friends who have been captured by completing short, Celeste-like levels that are connected by an overarching narrative.

Fortnite's new season brought a ton of big changes to the battle royale with the addition of a new bounty system, a Mandalorian skin, and new game mechanics. It also brought a number smaller changes that players have been sifting through. Epic Games doesn't include patch notes anymore, so players have to find out about most changes themselves.

"I love that we are finally getting lore for a lot of the skins like Burger Boss and Bunker Jonesy," said Redditor JackBoyEditor about how NPCs interactions with players change depending on what skin they're wearing. "Somebody has to go around wearing one of The Seven to see their reactions."

Season 5 introduced a bounty system where players can start missions given to them by one of 40 different NPCs scattered across the map. Some NPCs will have special dialogue if they interact with players using specific character skins. Kit, for example, will purr if you talk to him while wearing the Meowscles skin.

A few days ago, Larian announced in a Baldur's Gate 3 pre-patch update that players would have to restart their campaigns from the beginning if they updated their game to the latest patch. Considering the game is in early-access, this isn't exactly a surprise. Now that patch is out and Larian took to Steam again to explain everything in Patch 3, now called Inspiration, Freedom & Pacifism.

You've probably seen pretty much everyone you follow online posting their 2020 Wrapped info from Spotify, detailing everyone's stats for time listened, top artists, genres, podcasts, and more. Well gamers, we haven't been excluded from the trend. This year, Spotify recorded an almost 55% increase globally in streaming from game consoles, both Xbox and PlayStation, as revealed in a special Wrapped that highlights what those users were listening to this year.

Video game soundtracks did particularly well, unsurprisingly. Minecraft, Doom, and Death Stranding all had their soundtracks in the top streamed category this year, and the soundtrack for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 spiked more than 316% once the game launched.

If you don't currently have a Spotify Premium subscription but do have a Game Pass Ultimate membership, you can get a free three-month trial of the music service.

Fortnite is no stranger to crossovers with other franchises, and the next one has--as is often the case--already leaked. With Season 5 underway, it looks as if a character from a major PlayStation franchise will be showing his face in the battle royale game in the near future: God of War's Kratos. If a leak is to be believed, Kratos will be getting a Fortnite skin, although exactly when it's coming and how you'll get it--or indeed, its very existence--have yet to be confirmed.

Popular Fortnite leaker HypeX tweeted out an image of Kratos, saying that he'll be added to the game "soon." It hasn't been confirmed by Epic Games yet, but HypeX has a notable track record of leaking credible Fortnite news early. It's unclear how soon the skin will be released or if it might be an exclusive to PS4 and PS5 in some fashion. Season 5 will run for the next two-plus months.

More hunters are supposed to be added as Season 5 plays out, so Kratos could be added as part of a new set of characters at any point in the season. He will most likely be available in the item shop for around $20 (with a back bling and other cosmetics included). That's been the price of other recent characters like Ghost Rider, Venom, and Daredevil, although it's worth noting that those tied into last season's theme and weren't a part of one specific platform's IP.

Back in January, December 2020 felt like a lifetime away. Today, January seems like it was eons ago. Twenty-twenty was the year where time truly became a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. Hours felt like days, days felt like weeks, and something that happened just a few weeks prior felt like a lifetime ago. I mean, the election was less than a month ago. Doesn't it feel like that took place back in August?

What a weird year this has been, and while we can't blame it all on COVID, it certainly played its part in making these 366 days we'll never forget. It upended the lives of people around the world, forced businesses to offer work-from-home solutions, and pointed out who you should unfriend on Facebook. I know we have some frontline workers who frequent Destructoid, so to them, I just want to say thank you and sorry for having to deal with the troglodytes of our society.

I honestly don't know how I'll explain the year that is 2020 to my kids. Where do you start? All the canceled movies? All the delayed games? All the people arguing that crunch "is not that bad because they're getting paid?" Remember the awfulness that was the never-ending Summer of E3? Or how about watching Microsoft and Sony see who'd blink first in showing off their next-gen consoles? Or Ubisoft and all the shit that went down there this year?

I can't wait to say good riddance to bad rubbish, though I know the clock striking midnight on December 31 won't magically make everything better. Twenty twenty-one is going to be just as much a hassle of a year as this one but without the unfortunate sight of Rudy Giuliani's hair melting onto his face. I'm happy to mostly be through this year, and happy to have one more shot at answering your questions for the Podtoid team. Chris, Charlotte, Dan, Occams, and I are all on this week, so please leave your questions below. And remember, the more creative the question, the more likely it is we'll ask it on air.

Update (12/03/2020, 5:06 p.m. ET): According to several users, the Vita store is working again. Our own testing confirms this as well. Kotaku has still received no word from Sony on the matter. Our original story follows below.

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Open-world adventure game Genshin Impact has made its developer miHoYo around $393 million in revenue since launching in late September, according to mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower. The wild part? That number only accounts for the game’s mobile income.

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Madden NFL ‘21 (PS4) | $25 | GameStop
Madden NFL ‘21 (XBO) | $25 | GameStop

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The Atelier Ryza series has become very popular, and figure manufacturers are definitely taking notice.

Today two new figures have been made available for pre-order. The first is Ryza from Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, while the second is Lila from the original Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout.

Ryza is manufactured by Wonderful Works (and is the same sculpture that is being used for a life-sized statue) and can be found on Good Smile Company’s American shop for $217.99 or on Ami Ami for 18,900 yen (which translated approximately into $181).

Lila is manufactured by Alter and is available for pre-order on Ami Ami for 19,600 yen, which translates into $188.

They will be released respectively in July 2021 (August in the west) and in January 2022.

Both come in 1/7 scale. Ryza’s prototype was sculpted by SAKAKI Workshops and Rei Amagai, and painted by Hiroshi Michikawa. Lila’s prototype was sculpted by Amato Motomiya and painted by Emi Hoshina.

Below you can see pictures for both figures and read an official description for Ryza. If you’re interested in Atelier Ryza 2, you should definitely read my hands-on preview.

The UFC has launched its partnership with the Esports Fight League (ESFL), kicking off two tournament series to determine the best EA Sports UFC 4 players on the planet. The first partnered event happened this past Sunday, with more to come soon.

The tournaments, which feature more than 30 players duking it out to become the inaugural UFC esports champions, will take place over four weeks during December and January. The match-ups air on the UFC Twitch channel Sundays at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT and include players from both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. If you head to that channel during non-tournament hours, you can expect to find classic fight footage, original streams starring fighters, and video podcasts.

EA Sports UFC 4 launched on August 14 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For more on our impressions of the game, check out our review. For more information on how EA Vancouver has updated the game since launch, check out the September and October updates. 

Today D3 Publisher revealed a new batch of screenshots of its upcoming JRPG Maglam Lord.

We learn that when the demon lord (the protagonist of the game, who can be male or female) discovers that they can regain their power by defeating demons, they also find themselves with an issue.

They cannot fight in their current state, and their allies are either weak or inadequate. The only way is to turn into a weapon and let strong people wield them.

Among those are the hero siblings Daris and Sharm, the mechanical doll Mauve, the “Assault Adventure Beastgirl” Juliet, the saint Aklao,

We also learn about the DG gauge, which fills during battles. Once it’s full, the demon lord can temporarily regain their powers and rampage on the battlefield for a while.

Lastly, we take a look at the “Deco” feature, which lets you customize the look of a weapon, also adding attributes and special effects.

You can check out all the images below.

Maglam Lord is developed by Summon Night 5 studio Felistella, while the scenario and the world view are by Summon Night series writer Kei Miyakozuki.

The character design and illustration are by lack, who is known for having worked on Fate/Grand Order (for instance, the art for Izou Okada).

The soundtrack is by Puresound, which worked on the Summon Night and Metal Max series.

I don’t often replay games, and if I do, it is because they are good. To complete NieR: Automata, you need to replay the game three times. Normally, I’d hate a game’s guts for doing this to me, but you know what? I’d do it three more times for NieR: Automata (actually, maybe not because it is quite long, but let’s go along with the idea that I would).

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Square Enix released new official screenshots of the next Final Fantasy XIV update titled “Futures Rewritten” and numbered 5.4.

The screenshots showcase a variety of new content and features coming with the update, including the new (and last) chapter of the Ishgardian Restoration and the Navel Unreal, which will pitch veteran Warriors of Light against a crazy hard version of Titan.

We also see the new Treasure Hunt dungeon “The Shifting Oubliettes of Lyhe Ghiah,” the update to Ocean Fisging, to Triple Triad, and Doman Mahjong.

More screenshots sow the Explorer Mode, the addition of violins to the Bard’s performance, and more New Game + quests with the addition of story quests from patch 5.1 to patch 5.3 and level 80 job quests and role quests.

Last, but not least, we see new gear (that you can purchase with Allagan Tomestones of Revelations) a new mount, new minions, and a new emote.

You can check all the screenshots out below while you wait for the update’s releaseon Dec. 8.

EA Sports has surprise launched the FIFA 21 PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S free upgrade a day before the next-gen version goes on sale on 4th December.

The upgrade lets existing FIFA 21 players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One upgrade to their respective next-gen console versions.

To get the next-gen version, log into your PS5 or Xbox Series X or S with the platform account associated with your last-gen copy of FIFA 21, pop over to your game library, and you should see the icon for the free PS5 upgrade. Buy this (it should be free) and then you can download the next-gen version. On PS5 you're looking at a download of around 50GB.

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Today Sony Interactive Entertainment hosted the 2020 edition of the PlayStation Partner Awards for Japan and Asia.

If the name doesn’t ring a bell, you may know the event simply with the name PlayStation Awards, which it had until last year. That being said, several changes have been made to the lineup of awards offered.

The awards aim to honor the developers that have created the best-selling games across the PlayStation ecosystem with a focus on Japan and Asia.

The awards were introduced with a speech by Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan who unleashed his Japanese for the occasion. You can watch it at the bottom of the post.

Below you can read the winners of all the awards, alongside an explanation for each.

Grand Awards

Awarded to the top three titles developed in the Japan / Asian regions with highest worldwide sales between October 2019 and September 2020.

Winners:

• eFootball PES 2020
• Dragon Ball Z Kakarot
• Final Fantasy VII Remake

Partner Awards

Awarded to titles developed in the Japan / Asia region with top-ranked worldwide sales between October 2019 and September 2020, with particularly noteworthy activity results.

Winners:

• Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2
• Black Desert
• Nioh 2
• Resident Evil 3
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Persona 5 Royal
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Special Awards

Awarded to the following 2 titles:

With the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator, third-party developers have been launching many add-ons including scenery, aircraft, and more.

Despite the fact that the concept is similar to DLC, their number and pricing may be unfamiliar to those approaching the flight simulation hobby for the first time. The result is that it’s often challenging to know where to invest to improve your experience.

For that reason, we have decided to start reviewing an ongoing selection of add-ons, hopefully providing you with a clearer picture of what to expect before purchasing a certain airport or aircraft.

Orbx recently released Newcastle Airport (EGNT), portraying the 11th-busiest international airport in the UK, located near Newcastle upon Tyne.

Keiichiro Toyama first made a name for himself, writing and directing the first Silent Hill while at Konami. In 1999, he joined Sony’s Japan Studio, and today he’s announced that he has left to form his own studio.

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Sliding about on a bedrock of blancmange, moving past boulder-sized strawberry slices and mountains of pink-tipped whipped cream, I pinball myself off chunks of milk chocolate straight into a gooey, molten vat of the stuff. The strange but friendly creatures lounging at the sides appraise me silently, unconcerned that I didn't get the memo that it was Giant Fruit-Shaped Hat Day - I am shamelessly sporting a snorkel and a nightcap - and sigh contently. I'm a little envious as they slip a little further into their delicious hot tub.

I spend the next ten minutes or so doing a whole lot of nothing much. Phogs! - a sweet, if peculiar, puzzler that stars an elasticated, two-headed dog (now there's a sentence I never thought I'd write) - doesn't intervene. Like my hot tub companions, its calm and unhurried, content just to wait for me to noodle about and work it out on my own. I know pulling the (marshmallow) cork free from the (chocolate) cauldron up above must have done something but... ah! Wait! I didn't know I could grab onto this fountain!

Phogs! is full of those "ah!" moments. Mostly it's exclaimed in delight, incited by the whimsy of it's sweet, dreamy environments and sharp puzzling, and sometimes it's uttered through clenched teeth like a curse word. This, my friends, is a physics game, where you can solve a puzzle properly, bumble your way through and cheese it, or end up sacking it off entirely because you've wedged yourself between a jammy dodger water wheel and a giant Victoria Sandwich cliff-face.

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Amazon's Prime Gaming service offers free games each month, and this one is pretty noteworthy: Battlefield 3, the modern shooter classic that many consider the untouchable high point of the franchise.

Don't worry about signing up for yet another monthly subscription service - Prime Gaming is included with Amazon Prime for no extra cost (if you link your account to Twitch), and those who haven't tried Prime before are eligible for a free 30 day trial. So you could, theoretically, sign up for the free trial, get Battlefield 3, do all your holiday shopping, then carefully hit "do not auto-renew" in settings before the month is up. We're not saying you should, of course. Purely theoretical.

That being said, Prime Gaming might be a good thing to have if you're big into PC gaming and do a lot of online shopping, as it comes bundled free with Prime anyway. There's regular games given away, as well as numerous exclusives in certain games aligned with either Amazon or Twitch. Again though, you can always test it out through the free trial and let it go afterwards if it's not your thing.

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UPDATE 7/1/21: Fall Guys has fully now revealed its long-teased Doom crossover, in a new trailer showing off Doom Guy and a couple of other familiar faces. The skins will become available next week, on Tuesday 12th January.

Here's a look at the lot in action:

ORIGINAL STORY 3/12/20: Lovable bean battle royale Fall Guys will soon play host to the guy from Doom.

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Toyama's new studio will make new games for more console platforms, including PC.

The post Keiichiro Toyama Left SIE and Founded Bokeh Game Studio appeared first on Siliconera.