May 2021

Today marked the first day of the Epic Games vs. Apple legal battle where the former is accusing the later of holding a monopoly over the mobile market. The first day is just one of many and it was a circus. To start, the dial-in number was accidentally made public, so a large number of Fortnite fans called in to demand the game be brought back. One even yelled to the court, "I would suck you all to get Fortnite mobile back." Once the chaos died down and the dial-in number was continued, the proceedings began in earnest, including Epic CEO Tim Sweeney taking the stand. 

Epic Games vs. Apple Day One

For those that may not be caught up, the legal battle between the two mega-corporations began back in August 2020 when Epic Games snuck in a hotfix for Fortnite on mobile. This hotfix snuck past the iOS user agreement, cutting around the promised 30% cut to Apple, giving Fortnite players a chance to purchase in-game items directly from Epic. This was a deliberate goading to get Apple to act, a goading that was successful when Apple promptly removed Fortnite from the App Store. Google also followed suit, though that legal proceeding is still a far way off. 

SNK shared the KOF XV Team Orochi BGM, a new theme song called "Resonant Objects." Hear how it sounds and see a new stage.

The post Hear KOF XV’s Team Orochi BGM appeared first on Siliconera.

GOG are holding a Polish Games Festival this week, with savings of up to 90% on loads of games from Polish developers, including Frostpunk, Observer: System Redux, Dying Light and Yes, Your Grace, and even some brand-new games such as Ghostrunner and The Medium. The sale runs until May 10th, but an extra wrinkle in this year's festival is that if you buy a game and sign up to GOG's newsletter, then you'll also receive a 15% off voucher on peripherals from the Razer Store.

Read more

What a novel way to promote a novel. Sixteen Horses: Prologue is a short interactive experience designed to whet your appetite for a brand new crime thriller of the same name, released only a few days ago, and written by game alumni Greg Buchanan, whose credits include No Man's Sky: Atlas Rises and Metro: Exodus. And though I say "whet your appetite", I realise it probably won't do anything of the kind, because it's pretty grim. Don't play it while eating your lunch. This is about a discovery of dead things.

The Prologue isn't long, and it's free, somewhat obviously, and while it doesn't do anything inherently surprising or exciting, it shows how fundamentally powerful a few well-chosen words and slight interaction can be. There's a delicious moment in this experience, when you uncover the dead things, where you can choose how one of the characters reacts to the gruesome sight. Is it disgusting or is it beautiful? It's a stirringly dark thought. And your act of thinking about it: it's like a little poke at your imagination. It's a tiny moment of investment, an ever-so-slight leaning closer to the story. And when you wrap it up in music and sound effects, and a couple of nice pictures, it combines to strong effect. It's a great way of setting the scene for the book.

Epic boss Tim Sweeney has said Sony requires compensation from publishers for cross-play in certain circumstances.

In explosive comments made during the opening day of the Epic vs Apple trial, Sweeney said Epic agreed to the fees in order to get crossplay going in Fortnite.

"In certain circumstances Epic will have to pay additional revenue to Sony," Sweeney said, as reported by The Verge.

Read more

Nintendo Switch exclusive New Pokémon Snap sold almost three times as many physical copies as Returnal over its opening weekend.

The Pokémon photography game was top of this week's GfK Chart-Track physical games chart, while the PlayStation 5 exclusive Returnal was second.

Even looking at the raw money made, New Pokémon Snap (RRP £44.99) made double what Returnal (RRP £70) did.

Read more

The partnership hopes to bring easier communication on consoles and mobile starting early next year.

The post PlayStation Discord Partnership Aims to Bring Easier Communication in 2022 appeared first on Siliconera.

This month, an establishment calling itself “Esports Gym” will open in Tokyo. It claims to be the first in the country.

Read more...

The Demon Slayer feature film was a box office juggernaut in Japan, surpassing Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away as the biggest earning feature film in Japan. It’s also doing very, very well in the US.

Read more...

Demon Slayer continues to be popular, even among international audiences.

The post Demon Slayer Film Earns 34 Million Dollars at North American Box Offices appeared first on Siliconera.

The latest series of Monster Hunter Rise concept art focuses on Hinoa and Minoto, and the sense of community in Kamura Village.

The post Monster Hunter Rise Concept Art Features Hinoa and Minoto appeared first on Siliconera.

Dragon Age 4 is still a ways off yet, but BioWare are continuing to tease tiny bits of info about next instalment of their excellent fantasy series. So far, we've had a glimpse of the game's moody setting and a peek at a pretty cool magic archer. This time, executive producer Christian Dailey has offered up another new bit of concept art that suggests the Grey Wardens will be making a return.

Read more

The Epic versus Apple trial keeps on giving: this time we know how much Epic paid on a per title basis for the free games released during the first nine months of the Epic Games Store's life.

A document spotted and tweeted by GameDiscoverCo founder Simon Carless lists all the free games released on the Epic Games Store in the nine months to September 2019 - and how much Epic paid for each of them.

The list tells us, for example, Epic paid $1.4m to get Subnautica as a free game. Team Meat's wonderful Super Meat Boy, on the other hand, cost just $50,000.

Read more

A treasure trove of confidential Fortnite information has come to light as part of the Epic Games and Apple trial, revealing an unprecedented level of detail on cancelled or postponed events, collaborations and in-game modes.

One particularly-revealing document dating from June 2020 looks ahead to Fortnite's now-concluded bounty hunter season, which ran from December 2020 to March this year, and reveals it was once planned to include Nintendo's Samus alongside Xbox's Master Chief and PlayStation's Kratos.

Many fans had wondered whether Nintendo would join in Fortnite's new series of Gaming Legends characters, which now also includes Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn, Ryu and Chun-Li from Street Fighter, as well as Lara Croft. Epic's documents suggest this was indeed the plan, as of last summer, but do not detail what happened next.

Read more

There's a bunch of juicy information coming out of the Epic Games v Apple trial right now, with news that Sony charges publishers cross-play fees being just one of the main headlines. But before anyone had the chance to hear this, the trial started with a rather chaotic conference call. A public line for the trial allowed anyone to dial in to listen to the proceedings - and this was quickly flooded by rowdy Fortnite fans.

As reported by The Verge, the phone line saw more than 200 people dial in to listen to the trial. Many found they could actually talk on the line, and used this to scream "free Fortnite" (the hashtag started by Epic to protest the removal of Fortnite from Google Play and the App Store). Others pleaded with the judge to allow the game back onto mobile devices. Some simply used it to chat or play Travis Scott songs, while others took the opportunity to plug their YouTube channels.

If you want an idea of what this carnage sounded like, Quartz reporter Nicolás Rivero recorded a brief snippet. "I would suck all of you to get Fortnite mobile back," says one fan.

Read more

Its focus on its own version of Baby Yoda may be grating, but just wait

Continue reading…

Muv-Luv debuted as a visual novel way back in 2003. Now, in 2021, it’s getting a new anime series this fall. The official site has launched, and as one would expect, the character designs have changed.

Read more...

Set aside just over an hour of your day for the excellent first episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the latest animated show from Lucasfilm, creator Dave Filoni, and head writer Jennifer Corbett. You can catch this episode on Disney+, with new episodes premiering every Friday, beginning with episode two on May 7. The first season consists of 16 episodes, making it one of Disney+'s longest original shows.

Set within the aftermath of the Clone Wars, the show begins with the Jedi on the run from Order 66. We get a graphic look at the Emperor's bid to establish the first galactic empire, but also see a glimmer of hope in an unlikely place: among his own ranks. The Bad Batch are an elite squad of clones who have turned on their own and want to bring peace to the galaxy. Their ranks read like a squad in a cooperative video game, with each player playing a distinct role. Hunter is the leader, specializing in stealth and tracking. Wrecker is the tank, skilled in close-range melee. Tech is the gadget specialist. Echo is the hacker. And they are all provided cover by Crosshair, the sniper.

As we head into the second day of the Epic Games vs. Apple lawsuit, I urge you to check out our previous coverage here to learn more about the road thus far. From monetary blocking to crossplay protection, the first day in court was a wild one. And that's not even talking about the screaming kids demanding to Free Fortnite when the dial-in number was accidentally made public. Out of the numerous bits of information that was revealed yesterday, there is something that Fortnite and Nintendo fans can be excited for. With the inclusion of different heroes across various videogame universes, a few more have been spotted in recently-made public documentation, including a Samus Aran and Naruto for the battle royale game. 

There were a plethora of skins revealed in the documentation (via The Verge) showing off various collaborations with Epic Games for Fortnite, but my personal favorite is the Samus Aran skin seen below: 

Welcome aboard, Commander. With the Mass Effect Legendary Edition just ten days away, the Normandy crew is preparing to reunite right here on planet Earth to celebrate. Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer both shared the news, both voice actors behind the iconic Commander Shepard with this character's male and female counterparts. 

Hale shared the news on her Twitter about the May 15 panel, which will be a live cast reunion where fans can even get autographs: 

in 12 days 😎

link to stream will be out next week.
save the date 5.15.21 noon PDT
on my @YouTube channel @bioware @masseffect pic.twitter.com/2O9ehSFZN9

— Jennifer Hale (@jhaletweets) May 4, 2021

Many returning voices are joining the event, including Jack's voice, Legion, Ashley Williams, and more. Sadly, this Normandy is going to have to go without its pilot, because Joker's voice actor, Seth Green, doesn't appear to be a part of this livestream event. 

When Insomniac Games first unleashed the chaotic parody that is Sunset Overdrive, it was an Xbox One exclusive. This vibrantly colored, energy drink-fuelled open-world experience deserved a lot more love than it got, but now it looks like it could finally be making its way over onto PlayStation platforms due to a recent trademark seemingly filed by Sony. Which makes sense, given that the PlayStation company owns the studio that created this game to begin in. 

The trademark filing for Sunset Overdrive was spotted by @Nibel and looks to be registered with a status update of 26/04/21 (04/26/21, for those in America). The trademark is for the single phrase 'Sunset Overdrive', which some are connecting with an earlier leak that seemed to point to a remastered edition coming to PlayStation consoles. 

It appears that Sony has registered a trademark for Sunset Overdrivehttps://t.co/sUlKPPxfwT

(Insomniac owns the IP but the original game has been on XBO/Windows only so far) pic.twitter.com/CoPI4cAAwQ

In one of many tales of panicking billionaires surfacing this morning, Blizzard Entertainment is seeking to block FOX Media from its registration of the term "Diablo" as it pertains to tie-in merchandise related to upcoming animated series HouseBroken.

The new cartoon features a dog that shares a name with Blizzard's hellish video game franchise, and as such the latter is concerned that FOX's trademarking of the name will cause confusion among audiences. FOX' recent application for "Diablo" specifically concerns the usage of the character's name on crockery, beverage holders, pet treats, doggie bowls, and other merchandise — which has gotten Blizzard execs reaching for the 'phone.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Blizzard argues that FOX's registration of "Diablo" in regards to HouseBroken merchandise comes into conflict with Blizzard's own Diablo trademark, which the developer/publisher has held since it launched the hugely successful RPG series way back in 1996. Blizzard has requested that FOX' request, therefore, be rejected by the United States Patent Office.

"Members of the public will erroneously believe that [FOX's] goods offered under the 'Diablo' mark originate with, or are in some manner connected or associated with, or sponsored by, [Blizzard Entertainment], all to the harm of [Blizzard's] goodwill and reputation." reads part of Blizzard's notice of opposition, which was filed on April 25.

The Switch NIS Classics Volume 1 collection with Phantom Brave and Soul Nomad and a standalone Soul Nomad PC release are coming in August.

The post NIS Classics Vol 1 and Soul Nomad PC Arrive in August and September appeared first on Siliconera.

Buying a new gaming monitor can add quite a bit of extra cost onto a new PC build, but the good news is that there are plenty of great gaming screens out there for less than £300 / $300. In our round-up of the best budget gaming monitors you can buy today, we show you that it's perfectly possible to get a great display with all the modern conveniences you'd expect from a top notch gaming monitor, including high refresh rates and even a 4K resolution in some cases, without breaking the bank. Whether you're upgrading an old screen or buying one for the first time, here are our top gaming monitor picks for those on a budget.

Read more

Fortnite generated $9.1bn in revenue across 2018 and 2019, new documents from the ongoing Epic vs Apple lawsuit have shown.

This breaks down to $5.4bn in 2018 and a further $3.7bn in 2019, as reported in Epic's internal financial presentation dated January 2020 (thanks, The Verge).

In terms of how that all translates into profit, Epic has previously said it made $5.5bn overall profit across those two years, and a further whopping $5.1bn profit just in 2020. This is profit across the whole of the business, including other games and the Epic Games Store (though we know this currently makes a loss), though Fortnite brings in the vast majority of all proceeds.

Read more

If you think you're running out of things to play, think again. The latest eBay promotion is now live and slashes a massive 20 percent off some of this year's biggest releases so far when you use the code 'PRICEWINS' at the checkout. Games on offer include Returnal, Resident Evil Village, Nier Replicant and Monster Hunter: Rise - to name just a few.

That means you can buy Returnal for just £58.28, and pick up Resident Evil Village ahead of its release for just £44 or less on the PS5, PS4 and Xbox One.

Similarly, Nier Replicant is just £31.99 on all formats. You can buy it here for Xbox consoles or buy it here for PlayStation consoles.

Read more

If you want to team up with friends on both PlayStation and PC, there's good news for you, as Sony has announced a partnership with Discord to put the voice chat system on PlayStation Network.

In a blog post, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan announced that Sony is already working on integrating the service into PlayStation Network, and plans on bringing "the Discord and PlayStation experiences closer together on console and mobile starting early next year". Sony has also made a minority investment as part of Discord's Series H funding round. The post is a little vague on exactly what this integration will look like, but it still seems positive for those wanting an easier way to communicate when using cross-play.

The news is particularly interesting given the recent reports of talks between Discord and Microsoft over a potential acquisition. Discord was apparently on a call with several interested parties, and Microsoft reportedly made a $10bn offer to buy the company. A later report claimed Discord had decided to turn down the offer, but might still accept Microsoft's bid in the future.

Read more

We know Epic is burning through hundreds of millions of dollars trying to get its store off the ground. Thanks to its ongoing trial with Apple, we now know just how much is changing hands for some of the big games.

A document released as part of the trial, tweeted by GameDiscoverCo founder Simon Carless, shows Epic paid $146m in advances to secure six months of PC Borderlands 3 exclusivity from 13 September 2019.

The eye-catching deal ensured Gearbox's shooter did not launch on rival PC platform Steam until 13th March 2020.

Read more

Also notable: Epic paid Take-Two $146 million in advances for PC Borderlands 3 exclusivity ($115 million for the game + marketing + one-off fee) and recouped the minimum guarantee part ($80mil) in just the first 2 weeks. pic.twitter.com/3YThZuy5pJ

It appears that Sony has registered a trademark for Sunset Overdrivehttps://t.co/sUlKPPxfwT

It’s up to the Guardians to stop the Vex and bring daylight back to the last city

Continue reading…

Boba Fett is one of the best-dressed bounty hunters in the Star Wars universe, but what if he wasn’t? Coming this summer to a Target store near you, Hasbro’s Retro Collection Boba Fett Prototype Edition looks sorta like he’s made out of six molded crayons. I love him.

Read more...

As you’ve worked your way through Returnal’s procedurally generated exoplanetary hellscape, maybe you’ve come across a chamber that looks a bit like this:

Read more...

Goodness, is it season 14 already? Destiny 2's Season of the Splicer kicks off May 11, tasking players with hacking the Vex Network from the inside, revisiting the fabled Vault of Glass raid, and changing up their looks with an overly complex transmog system.

Read more...