There's a new Muv-Luv Verse English trailer following the 0.5 Japanese debut, which brings up plans for things like minigames and NFTs.
The post Muv-Luv Verse English Trailer Introduces the Virtual Space appeared first on Siliconera.
A Nintendo sale on games like Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition knocked the prices down to $39.99.
The post Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Xenoblade Chronicles Are on Sale appeared first on Siliconera.
Elden Ring is a huge task for both From Software and Kadokawa Games, who is bankrolling the operation: and it might not see the light of day for another year, at least.
So it's important to build the framework of the story here so you aren't asking "what does Kadokawa Games have to do with Elden Ring?! Well, From Software, of Souls fame, is owned by the Kadokawa Corporation, who also specializes in anime, manga, and many other cross-media projects. They are at the beck and call of their parent company, which includes financial allocations and directives.
Based on their latest financials, it's clear that in a fiduciary sense, games are not a huge focus for Kadokawa (based on their latest breakdown, it's the smallest division they have in terms of net sales when accounting for their publication, video, web service, and even "other" arms), and the pandemic has impacted the company heavily. The document indicates that Elden Ring will likely miss this fiscal year (throughout early 2022), indicating that it might not actually come out until mid-to-late 2022 at the earliest.
Interestingly, Kadokawa stresses that there is a "decelerated demand for repeating former works" in their games division, and cites "delayed development of new works" for gaming specifically. It's kind of a Catch-22! They want to focus on new stuff, but it'll have to wait. Elden Ring is also extremely ambitious, as Kadokawa calls it "From Software’s biggest title yet in terms of sheer volume."
Epic Games Store's one-year exclusivity deal is just about up, and Deep Silver's outrageous crime sim sequel Saints Row The Third: Remastered is getting set to bring its explicit carnage to the Steam platform. According to a quiet reveal on the official Twitter account, the remaster will launch on Steam May 22, joining its PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia siblings.
Nintendo has been busy this past year.
Switch stock was absolutely demolished due to overwhelming demand and the extreme desire for gaming consoles amid isolation. Plus, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which could end up as the number one all-time-selling Switch game overall, completely blew up and caused a further frenzy. Now, the publisher is aiming to get back on track.
Financial outlet Nikkei reports that Nintendo is severely ramping up their efforts to deliver more Switch hardware this year, aiming to push 30 million units this fiscal year (ending in March 2022). The outlet also reminds us that the Switch Pro rumor is still floating around, contending that releasing it this year could help them push toward that goal.
Of note, this gargantuan effort would put them at roughly 110 million hardware units sold, placing them squarely in the top five all-time console list. It's important to remember that this would allow the Switch to surpass the Wii, Nintendo's core goal for basically the past decade or so: and make the Switch the top-selling Nintendo console (only the DS and Game Boy/Color families are above it, system-wise).
Sony is still the one to beat in terms of the top spot of the console market, with roughly 155 million PS2s floating around.
Nintendo raises Switch output to record 30m on stay-at-home demand [Nikkei]
This week saw not one, but two major releases hit the market in the form of two shoot-'em-ups... kinda. Shutterbugs took shots in Nintendo's latest Switch release, New Pokémon Snap, while interstellar explorers focused on a whole different kind of shooting in Housemarque's fantastic Returnal, incidentally the PS5's first exclusive release in months.
In regards to the U.K.'s physical sales, it was New Pokémon Snap that debuted comfortably in the number one spot, edging out Selene's hardcore space-shooting action. This was somewhat inevitable given the popularity of the Pokémon brand, the family-friendly nature of the camera-snapping adventure, and the ongoing shortage of PS5 hardware in the UK scene. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, this new entry in the photogenic series sold four times as many launch copies as 2000 Nintendo 64 release, Pokémon Snap.
Flash is dead but good chunks of former Flash games have survived the end thanks to preservation projects like the Internet Archive or Flashpoint. Here's a whole 28 more games you may remember that have been re-released by their creator. The likes of Sugar Sugar, Factory Balls, Me And The Key and a lot more have been shined up and re-released today as The Bart Bonte Collection.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has invested a minority stake in the popular communication app Discord, SIE president Jim Ryan announced today in a blog post. The companies plan to “bring the Discord and PlayStation experiences closer together on console and mobile starting early next year.”
Microsoft added its FPS Boost to over 70 additional games today, letting players on Xbox Series X or S enjoy dramatically better performance in older Xbox One titles like Yakuza 6, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Alien Isolation, Far Cry 5, and Mad Max.
Watch Dogs: Legion is set to receive its first major update tomorrow, introducing a supernatural new character, two additional recruit types, and more online content.
Twitch’s relationship with misinformation is complicated. In 2020, platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter grappled with their outsized roles in the creation and cultivation of conspiracy movements like QAnon. Misinformation troubled Twitch in a different way, but the platform emerged curiously un-plagued by…
Sony has made a minority investment in chat platform Discord, and in doing so kicked off a partnership that will see the popular voice and text chat service connect with PlayStation in 2022. ...
Microsoft reportedly considered reducing the share it takes from digital game sales on console as well as PC, but eventually decided against changing revenue splits on Xbox. ...
SIE takes minority stake in Discord, says both teams already working together
Alien: Isolation, Far Cry 5, and five Assassin’s Creed games join the party
Just a few weeks ago, a buzzing report stated that Microsoft was conducting $10 billion acquisition talks with Discord. However, the situation came to a sudden close, with Discord reportedly ending all acquisition talks with outside parties. Today, a surprise announcement from Sony President and CEO, Jim Ryan reveals that Discord has indeed forged a partnership. Beginning early next year, Discord’s widely-used communication services will be integrated into the PlayStation social experience.
In a post published on the Sony Interactive Entertainment website, Ryan dove into the importance of the new agreement with Discord and how both companies share similar socially-focused philosophies:
In February, Microsoft announced FPS Boost, a perk for Xbox Series X/S that greatly improves the frame rate for select backwards compatible games. The first handful of games to benefit from the upgrade included Watch Dogs 2, Far Cry 4, and UFC 4. Today, a much larger batch of titles will get the FPS Boost treatment.
According to a tweet by Microsoft's Klobrille, over 70 additional backwards compatible games now support.. That brings the total of games to support the feature to 97. Many of the titles are available on Xbox Game Pass, which also include those available through EA Play. You can read the full list games of featuring FPS Boost, which also outlines their specific improvements, on Major Nelson’s blog but some standouts include the following:
We've got a The Last of Us TV series on the way, the Dota anime came in with full fandom support, and now it's League of Legends' time to shine. Riot Games has announced a new Netflix League of Legends TV series is in the works, an animated take that follows the origin story of two iconic champions and a "power that will tear them apart."
The new League of Legends TV series is set to premiere on Netflix worldwide sometime this Fall and will be set within the utopian location of Piltover, as well as the "oppressed" underground as Zuan. The new show is called Arcane and will allow a different view of the iconic world that Riot Games has built, a world that has grown exponentially through the years, now with various other experiences to go along with the original MOBA.
Sure, you’ve probably heard of Yoko Taro’s Nier series. However, you might not have heard of the next title in the franchise. Nier Reincarnation has been out in Japan for a little over two months. Of course, fans outside of Japan (myself included, of course) have been eagerly awaiting news about a worldwide release. And while details are still relatively sparse, it’s safe to say that Reincarnation might be coming to the West a lot sooner than anyone anticipated.
Our apologies for the long silence since the last update, but we'd like to share with you the development status regarding the English version of NieR Re[in]carnation.
Please check the director's letter for details.#NieR #NieRReincarnation #NieRReinEN pic.twitter.com/mFKP4XgOfN
As part of the Square Enix Store Golden Week sale, people can get discounted games, Bring Arts figures, plush toys, and merchandise.
The post Square Enix Store Golden Week Sale Discounts Games, Chocobos, and Bring Arts Figures appeared first on Siliconera.
Udon is taking pre-orders for The Art of Street Fighter hardcover and Udon Exclusive editions, and each one has Chun-Li on the cover.
The post The Art of Street Fighter Hardcover and Udon Exclusive Editions Will Debut in July appeared first on Siliconera.
Developer Awe Interactive announced that their wild and bombastic rhythm-action shooter BPM: Bullets Per Minute is currently lock 'n' loading for its long-awaited PS4 and Xbox One debuts, scheduled for summer 2021.
Launching on PC in the fall of 2020, BPM is a high-fantasy and very metal first-person shooter which sees players in the role of a heavily armed Asgardian Valkyrie, desperately fighting to keep the realm protected from a demonic invasion. BPM's gameplay sees players rewarded for meting out vengeance to the beat of a hard-rockin' soundtrack — bagging new weaponry and heavy-buffing power-ups while utilizing a complex traversal system to stay one step from harm, and look dang stylish while doing it.
It won't be too long before League of Legends has its own Netflix series alongside the many other video game adaptations on the service. A new teaser today announced that Arcane will arrive this fall.
Announced during Riot's 10-year anniversary stream, Arcane is a new animated series that is about two "iconic League champions," and the power that will eventually tear them apart. Following a delay last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, today we got confirmation that Arcane is coming to Netflix and a glimpse of the action, including what looks like current League of Legends champions Jinx and Vi.
The world of @LeagueofLegends is coming to Netflix.
Arcane drops this Fall. pic.twitter.com/7DJgqHpODM
While Yoko Taro continues to furrow his brow over his new mystery project, the NieR creator has at least revealed one small update in the form of the unnamed game's composer, Keiichi Okabe.
Almost a "no introduction necessary" situation, Okabe is an industry veteran who has written fantastic scores for titles such as NieR: Automata, Ridge Racer, Taiko no Tatsujin and the Tekken series. While Taro's project is expected to be a small-scale, digital-only title, having pedigree such as Okabe on board suggests that we're still looking at something pretty special.
Taro's project has been described by the man himself as being "off-beat" and "nostalgic yet new". Taro also noted that although others have told him the game is sure to be a best-seller, he is unsure of how to get it into the players' hands. One thing is for certain, Taro is doing a great job at being baffling and obtuse, as one would expect from the Drakengard writer. We're just going to have to be patient and wait until the new game is finally unveiled.
In the meantime, fans can check out the recently released NieR Replicant. The updated action-RPG — which includes tweaked combat, re-recorded voice-overs, updated visuals, and a small selection of brand new content — is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
New Yoko Taro title composed by Keichii Okabe [Gematsu / Games Talk]
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced today that it's partnering with Discord, the popular social platform and communication service, in order to integrate PlayStation and Discord closer together.
In a letter, SIE President and CEO Jim Ryan said that their teams are already hard at work connecting Discord with the social experience of the PlayStation Network. Ryan writes that the goal is to bring the Discord and PlayStation consoles closer together, on both console and mobile, starting early next year to allow those users to hang out and communicate more easily.
Announcing PlayStationâs new partnership with Discord: https://t.co/W9C8SR7OXx pic.twitter.com/LV4AhwbuBv
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 3, 2021
Sony Interactive Entertainment has also made a minority investment, as part of a Series H round for Discord. "From our very first conversation with co-founders Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy, I was inspired by their lifelong love for gaming and our teams' shared passion to help bring friends and communities together in new ways," said Ryan.
Resident Evil Village launches this Friday, but you can explore a bit of the game right now in a limited-time demo that's available until May 9th. You're only supposed to be able to play the demo for a total of 60 minutes, but of course PC players have found a way around that already. Now you can play the demo over and over through this weekend if you really want to. Photo mode is time consuming, right?
I made a mistake. Yesterday, I had to stop playing Returnal, a tough-as-nails action game released last week exclusively for PS5, mid-run to tend to some chores. You know, like shopping for groceries and drinking rosé on my roof. When I returned to my PlayStation 5 this morning, a pop-up notification informed me that …
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.
If you’ve witnessed open boxes at the grocery store, this is why
Batman’s son enters the Lazarus Island arena in his latest DC comic
Earlier this year, we got some very brief insight into the tone and visuals of From Software’s exciting upcoming IP, Elden Ring. The leaked seven-second clip showcased some horseback combat as well as open prairies and rugged landscapes, which Dan Tack expertly highlights here. Moreover, another Elden Ring leak has surfaced, and while it’s nowhere near as informative as the video that came before it, an interesting never-before-seen location is still on display.
Updated: The below footage has since been confirmed as fake, it has been taken from an artist via their ArtStation. Learn more here.
FFXIV PS5 offers striking, clear visuals, as well as some other little touches, that will give players a newfound appreciation for its world.
The post FFXIV PS5 Encourages a New Appreciation for Eorzea’s World appeared first on Siliconera.
As part of the Epic vs. Apple court case, documents have been unsealed that might contain clues about what's coming to Fortnite in the future, and this includes lots of new skins.
The new document, uploaded by The Verge, shows that a number real and fictional characters could get skins for Fortnite in the future, including Samus Aran from Nintendo's Metroid series, as well as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games (which itself is a franchise about real-life battle royale to the death), The Bride from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill series, and John McClane from Die Hard, among others.
You can see a list of these people and characters below, but bear in mind this information stems from a document that was presumably not intended to be made public, so some or all of the information might be outdated or inaccurate. With that caveat out of the way, these are the real people and fictional characters mentioned in the document that could get skins:
The Samus Aran skin, specifically, was displayed on a slide alongside Master Chief and Kratos from God of War, both of whom were previously added to Fortnite as skins.
The document also spotlights a new event for the non-combat Party Royale mode. An arcade-style basketball mode, featuring 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 modes, is mentioned. Players can shoot, steal, and dunk in this mini-game that is set on an outdoor basketball court.
Rainbow Six Siege's Y6S1.3 patch is live on all platforms, and the update brings some small but significant changes to the game. The patch's largest changes are focused at Tachanka, and they buff his Shumikha Launcher in almost every possible way, including increased magazine capacity, increased explosion radius, and decreased detonation time.
Jackal and Jager both receive minor nerfs, with the C7E and the 416-C weapons holding a few less bullets in their magazine than before. Ace and Thermite get slight kit changes, with the former's smoke grenades replaced with claymore mines, and the latter's claymore changed to smoke grenades.
The patch also removes the Tactical Realism playlist type from the game entirely. Similar to Call of Duty's Hardcore modes, Tactical Realism removed much of the game's HUD and disabled enemy marking. The style has been replaced with an "interface preferences" option that allows players to enable and disable HUD parameters as they desire. The patch also changes how ranked match cancellation works. Now, players can only cancel a match during the prep phase of the first round, with abstentions counting as no votes. Ties will result in a cancelled game.
Shumikha Launcher
Xerneas is making its Pokemon Go debut starting May 4. The Legendary Life Pokemon will appear in five-star Raids throughout the Luminous Legends X event, marking your first chance to catch it in Niantic's mobile game. If you need help adding it to your collection, here are some tips on how to beat and catch Xerneas.
Xerneas is a pure Fairy type, making it the first Legendary Pokemon of its kind in the series. This typing gives Xerneas two primary weaknesses, Poison and Steel, so your best bet is to use Pokemon of those types when battling it in Raids. Here are some recommended Pokemon of each type:
While any of those Pokemon will be helpful when battling Xerneas, especially if they know Fast and Charged Attacks of their respective type, Heatran in particular is a good choice to bring along if you have one. Since both of its types (Fire and Steel) resist Fairy-type attacks, Heatran will last longer in battle against Xerneas than most other monsters, and it can hit the Legendary back with super-effective damage.
Respawn has released the trailer for the Apex Legends Season 9: Legacy battle pass. This time around, the battle pass includes Legendary skins for Wraith, Rampart, and the Devotion. I'm a bit miffed that Wraith is getting yet another battle pass Legendary skin.
Overall, I think Respawn does a good job of balancing new Legendary skins for all of Apex Legends' characters, with the oldest characters obviously having the most skins because they've just been in the game the longest. In terms of leading the pack, at the start of Legacy, Wraith will have 23 Legendary skins, followed by Pathfinder at 21, Bloodhound at 19, and Bangalore, Octane, Caustic, and Lifeline at 18.
But there's a clear disparity when you look at where the Legendary skins are coming from. With Legacy, Wraith has four Legendary skins that could be unlocked by earning battle pass levels (Season 1's Night Terror, Season 4's Perfect Soldier, Season 7's High Class, and Season 9's Demon's Whisper). In comparison, Bangalore, Octane, Lifeline, and Pathfinder have two, and Mirage, Caustic, Wattson, Rampart, and Bloodhound only have one. The remaining seven legends still sit at zero Legendary battle pass skins.
