September 2022

Detroit: Become Human Dev Quantic Dream Acquired by NetEase

1 year 6 months ago

Quantic Dream NetEase

Quantic Dream is now a part of NetEase Games. The companies announced the move on August 31, 2022. The France-based studio represents NetEase Games' first and largest European developer acquisition. According to the press release, Quantic Dream will continue to operate independently, "focusing on creating and publishing its video games on all platforms," and "supporting third-party developed titles". NetEase previously acquired a minority stake in Quantic Dream in 2019. The cost of the acquisition was not revealed.

In recent years, major China-based game companies like NetEase and Tencent (which alongside Sony grabbed a chunk of Dark Souls developer From Software) have gone on investment and acquisition sprees. Individual developers like Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and Suda51's Grasshopper Manufacture have all joined up with the publisher.

Author
Josh Tolentino

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Exclusive First Look At Marvel Strike Force's Original Spider-Verse Character

1 year 6 months ago

In 2021, Marvel Strike Force developer Scopely announced Kestrel, the first all-original character in the massive roster of its hero-collecting mobile RPG, designed in collaboration with Marvel. Kestrel is the long-lost founder of STRIKE, the in-universe organization for which the game is named. Later in that same year, the studio revealed Deathpool, a second original character that imagined what a child of Deadpool and Death would look and act like. While Deathpool originated as a part of Deadpool's 30th anniversary, the studio's third original character comes as a result of Spider-Man's 60th anniversary.

Author
Brian Shea

Rumoured Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla spin-off Mirage springs an art leak

1 year 6 months ago

What looks like promotional material for an unreleased Assassin’s Creed game is being shared online today, starring someone in assassin garb for the first time in seven years. The images show what’s purported to be artwork of something called The Forty Thieves Quest for the rumoured Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, also known by the development name of Rift.

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Author
CJ Wheeler

Project Code Name M, the mysterious new game from the Fata Morgana devs, shows a different side of Tokyo

1 year 6 months ago

Stories always came first for the team at NOVECT. The critical and commercial success of The House In Fata Morgana surprised many upon the title’s international release, including the developers themselves. Headlines were made when the game shot temporarily to the spot of most critically-acclaimed game of all time on Metacritic, despite being still relatively under the radar beforehand. Fata Morgana first released to the public in Japan in 2012, and gained a cult following before its eventual successful international release. The reason for it's acclaim? Storytelling. Every single review praised Fata Morgana's surprising and enthralling twists and turns as what made this visual novel a must-play title, even for non-fans of the genre.

At the time development started, NOVECT were less a development studio, and more of a group of univeristy friends with minimal coding experience but a love for telling stories; a hobby project run by friends on the side of university and normal jobs inside and out of the games industry, only becoming a fully-fledged studio later down the line. Fast forward to today, NOVECT are a firmly-established indie developer with games and multimedia adaptations of their work under their belt, and new project still mysteriously known as "Project Code Name 'M'" now in the works. Originally starting development in 2019 and announced earlier this year, Project M had its first public demo at this month’s Bitsummit indie gaming showcasing in Kyoto.

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Author
Alicia Haddick

GTA Online Adds New Declasse Vigero ZX Muscle Car, Free Shades, & More

1 year 6 months ago

GTA Online is bringing the muscle this week, as players will be able to get The Declasse Vigero ZX from Premium Deluxe Motorsport and Southern San Andreas Super Autos starting today. The Sprunk vs. eCola showdown is also heating up during its second week, and Rockstar is celebrating that competition with a free pair of Green Oversize Shades and an array of green vehicles available at the showrooms.

For a full breakdown of everything that is being added, you can check out more about this week’s update right down below.

Author
Andrew McMahon

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Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Mischievous Lemur, Grafaiai Revealed

1 year 6 months ago

Earlier today on Twitter, the official Pokemon account revealed a brand-new Pokemon that it has been teasing this week. It is now official that Grafaiai is coming to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet for the Nintendo Switch.

This small Pokemon has large otherworldly eyes that take up most of its face. It also has unnaturally long middle fingers that appear to either have berry juice or some kind of poison dripping from them.

Grafaiai is a Poison/Normal Pokemon that seems to love leaving its mark on the world wherever it pleases. Throughout the reveal trailer on Twitter, this Pokemon is seen marking up multiple trees with its fingers and apparently, it can even spew a blue liquid from its mouth.

Like many Pokemon names, Grafaiai is a pun. An Aye-aye is a type of lemur that has an abnormally long middle finger, much like this new creature. Then the obvious part of the name is that the new Pokemon loves to mark up trees with all kinds of graffiti.

The tweet from @Pokemon and the corresponding trailer can be found down below.

Author
Omar Banat

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Twitter Is Getting an Edit Button, No… Seriously

1 year 6 months ago

Good news, Twitter fans! It’s been on the cards for a while now, but it looks like Twitter users will finally be able to edit their own tweets after they’ve tweeted them… well, for a price that is.

Aptly, the news comes by way of a tweet from Twitter’s official account, which you can check out for yourself down below:

As you can see, the social networking company have began testing the edit feature internally, so it’s not yet been rolled out officially worldwide. However, it appears that this edit feature won’t be available to all Twitter users straightaway. Instead, the edit functionality will only be available to those who subscribe to Twitter Blue – a premium subscription service that costs $5 a month. Bummer, right?

From what we can gather, Twitter users who subscribe to Twitter Blue will have a window of 30 minutes in which they can edit their own tweets. All Twitter users will be able to see clearly whether a Tweet has been edited, much akin to edits on other social networking platforms like Facebook et al.

Author
Dylan Chaundy

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Flintlock: Siege of Dawn Showcases Slick ARPG Gameplay in Latest Gamescom Trailer

1 year 6 months ago

The latest trailer for A44 Games and Kepler Interactive’s upcoming ARPG, Flintlock: Siege of Dawn, has surfaced as part of the Gamescom festivities today, and it does a great job to showcase the slick combat mechanics that have put the game firmly on our radar since its debut presentation earlier this year.

If you’re not yet up to speed with the game, Flintlock fuses magic gunpowder-wielding as Nor and her fully voiced foxlike companion, Enki, team up to prevail against the Gods. The story takes place in a barren world flooded by tides of undead, where “players must combine the might of Nor’s destructive axe and flintlock weaponry with Enki’s mysterious mystical abilities.” You can read more over on the game’s Steam Page.

But the game isn’t just coming to PC via Steam; as we’ve discussed in our detailed guide, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn comes to Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X in early 2023. It will also be a day one release for Xbox Game Pass. When it releases, players will be able to flock to Flintlock’s vast battlefields, combining and mastering an arsenal of tools and magical abilities.

Author
Alex Gibson

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Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4’s First Teaser Image Appears on Nintendo eShop

1 year 6 months ago

A teaser image promoting the upcoming season of Fortnite has appeared on the Nintendo eShop as well as the app icon for the game itself.

The Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 teaser image was first spotted by popular dataminer and leaker iFireMonkey, who shared it with their followers on Twitter.

The image doesn’t give a huge amount away just yet, with a hand sticking out of some sort of liquid. While there’s not a lot to go on, fans already believe that the hand could belong to Paradigm, a member of The Seven that originally released in Season X back in Chapter 1.

However, Paradigm was only officially first mentioned in Chapter 3: Season 1 by The Scientist. While they’re a member of The Seven, Paradigm’s allegiance is unknown, as the skin’s in-game description points out.

A popular fan theory was that Paradigm was actually the Singularity, another character in the Fortnite lore that Donald Mustard himself had stated would “… have a big impact on the story,” and goes by many names other than Singularity. Given The Paradigm and the Singularity both share the same armor design, some fans believed that they were the same character.

Author
Chris Jecks

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How to Get More Ooblets in Ooblets

1 year 6 months ago

It’s in the name. You need more Ooblets in Ooblets if you want to be more efficient in your farm work, or if you want to expand your party whenever you head into new dance battles. Here’s everything you need to know.

Getting More Ooblets

There is pretty much only one primary way of getting Ooblets in this game, and that’s by participating in dance battles. The dance-offs are pretty easy to beat, and we’ve got a full guide here detailing how they work, along with some tips on how to perform well in them.

  1. While in town, interact with an Ooblet by pressing the A button, and choose Dance.

    Do make sure that you have the required resources to initiate a dance-off. Some Ooblets require Planklets, while others want food items like Oodles or Quib Tarts.

  2. Win the dance-off.

    Make sure you prioritize Hype and Fluster moves whenever possible, and steal points from your opponent if things get too dicey.

Author
Zhiqing Wan

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Assassin's Creed Mirage Officially Announced, Reveal Next Week

1 year 6 months ago

Update 9:05am: Ubisoft has officially unveiled Assassin's Creed Mirage following the leak earlier today. Announced on the franchise's official Twitter (below), Ubisoft also confirmed that more information would arrive at its Ubisoft Forward showcase next week.

A new image of the game was also revealed, showing presumably the protagonist (rumoured to be Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Basim) dropping in for, you guessed it, an assassination.

Ubisoft Forward begins on September 10 at 12noon Pacific / 3pm Eastern / 8pm UK (so 5am on September 11 AEST).

Original Story: An image from the long-rumoured new Assassin's Creed game, supposedly titled Assassin's Creed Mirage, appears to have leaked online.

As reported by Eurogamer, a now-deleted tweet from Assassin's Creed fan website The Codex Network shared artwork of the new assassin that allegedly leaked from Ubisoft's own store.

Author
Ryan Dinsdale

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Indie Hit Vampire Survivors Was the Most-Played Game on Steam Deck Last Month

1 year 6 months ago

Against some very big games, Vampire Survivors was the most-played game on Steam Deck in August.

Among a list of the top games played by Steam Deck owners, Valve highlighted excellent bullet hell-roguelike-RPG-thing Vampire Survivors as the top game last month, in terms of hours played. It's quite an achievement for an indie game that’s still in Early Access after an early release in December last year.

The game entered early access late last year, with player numbers dwindling in the months since according to Steam Charts, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped it from surging in popularity last month on the Steam Deck.

An update earlier this month added a handful of new achievements as well as the new playable character, Queen Sigma. The game’s addition to PC Game Pass back in May seems to have found it a whole new audience. In fact, the game was #2 in the most-played on Steam Deck for July, too.

Author
Ryan Leston

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Call of Duty Will Become Part of Xbox Game Pass, But Launch on PlayStation on the Same Day

1 year 6 months ago

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that Call of Duty - along with the likes of Diablo and Overwatch - is eventually coming to Game Pass but it'll still be released on PlayStation on the same day.

Announced in a Microsoft blog post, Spencer confirmed that Activision Blizzard's library of games is coming to Xbox Game Pass once the acquisition deal goes through, which includes Call of Duty and other blockbuster titles like Diablo and Overwatch.

Spencer said that Xbox's goal was to bring games to as many people as possible, and therefore reaffirmed alongside the Game Pass news that Call of Duty would arrive on PlayStation the same day as it launches elsewhere.

"We intend to make Activision Blizzard’s much-loved library of games – including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty – available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities," Spencer said in the blog post. "By delivering even more value to players, we hope to continue growing Game Pass, extending its appeal to mobile phones and any connected device."

It could be a while before Activision Blizzard's games arrive on Game Pass, of course, and Spencer didn't give any specific date or details regarding which games would be coming to the service.

As with other Xbox first party titles like Forza and Halo, future iterations of these Activision Blizzard franchises will presumably come to Game Pass on day one. Overwatch 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 both have 2022 release dates, however, while Diablo 4 is due next year, meaning they may have been released before the acquisition deal goes through.

Author
Ryan Dinsdale

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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Is, Genuinely, an Elden Ring and God of War Mash-up

1 year 6 months ago

There’s a majesty in Elden Ring that few other games can contend with. Its world is densely packed with a thousand waiting discoveries, its combat systems are richly layered, and its lore begs to be chronicled by a dozen YouTube scholars. But every now and again I can’t help but wonder what Elden Ring would be if it were not so beholden to FromSoftware’s own rules. What if it had the sense of cinematic spectacle that fuels Sony’s blockbusters? A story-rich narrative with the flashy, ability-augmented combat of God of War? The answer, it seems, may well be held in Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.

At Gamescom 2022 I sat down with a couple of developers from A44, the New Zealand-based developer behind Ashen, to watch them play around 30 minutes of Flintlock. They explained that their new Soulslike RPG, set in a fantasy world of ancient magic and blackpowder guns, is designed to sit somewhere between Elden Ring and God of War, taking the challenge and discovery of the former and combining it with the narrative-focused, glossy presentation of the latter.

Author
Matt Purslow

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UK Watchdog Wants 'In-Depth Investigation' Into Xbox-Activision Acquisition - Xbox Responds

1 year 6 months ago

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recommended an "in-depth investigation" into Xbox's intended acquisition of Activsion-Blizzard. Xbox has responded, saying it will work to address the watchdog's concerns.

After announcing a Phase 1 investigation in July, the CMA has released its initial results, citing several concerns about the effects of the deal. The CMA says, "it could harm rivals, including recent and future entrants into gaming, by refusing them access to Activision Blizzard games or providing access on much worse terms." It added that "Microsoft could leverage Activision Blizzard’s games together with Microsoft’s strength across console, cloud, and PC operating systems to damage competition in the nascent market for cloud gaming services."

It has now recommended a Phase 2 investigation, which would see an independent panel of experts providing a more intensive probe into those concerns. Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard now have 5 days to submit responses to prevent a Phase 2 investigation.

Microsoft president Brad Smith has responded directly to the announcement. In a statement provided to IGN, Smith said, "We’re ready to work with the CMA on next steps and address any of its concerns. Sony, as the industry leader, says it is worried about Call of Duty, but we’ve said we are committed to making the same game available on the same day on both Xbox and PlayStation. We want people to have more access to games, not less.” 

Author
Joe Skrebels

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Sony claims PSVR2 will be easier for developers to port games to

1 year 6 months ago

The PlayStation VR2 will be easier for developers to port the games onto, Sony has said.

The comments were made by Yasuo Takahashi and Kenjo Akiyama, two senior directors at Sony Interative Entertainment, at an event during Computer Entertainment Developers Conference (CEDEC) 2022.

The talk revealed new details about the software that will help developers in creating for or porting onto PSVR2 (reported by IGN).

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Author
Liv Ngan

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Trans superhero Dreamer joins Fortnite as part of Rainbow Royale Pride event

1 year 6 months ago

Fortnite has begun its second annual Pride event, Rainbow Royale, with a collection of free LGBTQ-themed cosmetics, and the arrival of DC's transgender superhero Dreamer.

Nia Nal, otherwise known as Dreamer, debuted in the fourth season of Arrowverse series Supergirl, and was the first trans superhero in a TV show. By extension, this also makes Dreamer the first character confirmed as trans in Fortnite.

Dreamer will be available via Fortnite's Item Shop later in the event, following a Zero Build Squads tournament where winners can collect the character early. Dreamer's TV actress Nicole Maines is also on board, and will be streaming Fortnite in-character next week.

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Author
Tom Phillips

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The Last of Us Part 1: all performance modes tested, which should you use?

1 year 6 months ago

The Last of Us on PS3 was a boundary-pushing title with stunning graphics and animation. Novel techniques - like capsule shadows and real-time bounce lighting - alongside ruthless attention to detail produced one of the most technically accomplished games in its time, even though it often failed to reach its 30fps target, frequently dipping into the mid-20s in combat and traversal sequences. Enter The Last of Us Part 1.

Some nine-and-a-half years after its original release, The Last of Us has been fully remade with modern technology on PS5 hardware. With an advanced suite of graphics tech in tow, does the remake also blow past its frame-time budgets? Or has Naughty Dog more sensibly balanced visual beauty with fluid frame-rates?

The Last of Us Part 1 offers players five genuine visual modes, engaged through various selections and system-level tweaks. With the PS5 set to 60Hz output, you get the option of a fidelity mode that offers 4K visuals with a 30fps target framerate, alongside a performance mode that advertises dynamic 4K visuals or native 1440p visuals depending on your output resolution - but actually delivers 1440p regardless. With 120Hz engaged, you get the same options, though the fidelity mode now promises a 40fps framerate target. As an additional modifier, engaging both 120Hz and VRR gives you the option to 'unlock' the 120Hz options, maximising frame-rate and using VRR to smooth out any inconsistencies.

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Author
Oliver Mackenzie

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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a Soulslike that's not afraid of difficulty settings

1 year 6 months ago

Recently we've seen a flurry of announcements and releases for Soulslike games. From the recently released Thymesia and next week's Steel Rising, through to 2023's Pinocchio inspired Lies of P it feels like everyone and their dog is jumping on the action RPG bandwagon at the moment.

After watching a 15 minute, hands-off presentation last week, I can also confirm that Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is most definitely a Soulslike action RPG too. However, this 'magic meets gunpowder technology' fantasy title seems to be a little braver than other games in the genre as it's not afraid to be releasing with optional difficulty settings.

This means anyone who wants to experience Flintlock without fear of being punished by some very intense action will be able to tailor the experience to suit their skill level. During the presentation the developers, A44 Games did stress that there is a specific default difficulty for the game though, and this will allow you to maintain the authenticity of the experience and play the game as originally intended.

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Author
Ian Higton

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Upcoming RTS Men of War 2 delayed into 2023

1 year 6 months ago

Men of War 2, the sequel to the original cult RTS Men of War, will now release in 2023.

Developed by Ukrainian studio Best Way, this release has been delayed in order to "accommodate new features and content suggested by its fans and improve the game itself". The development team noted that, due to the ongoing effects of the war in Ukraine, these improvements would not be possible to facilitate within the original timeframe.

Along with this announcement, the developer also shared a new trailer for Men of War 2. This is titled 'The Price of Victory', and can be watched below.

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Author
Victoria Kennedy

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Persona 5 the Stage #4 Final Will Complete the Original Story

1 year 6 months ago

Persona 5 the Stage episode 4 Final - Joker and Panther

Atlus has updated the Persona 5 stage play website with details about the upcoming fourth part, which it also marked as the last one. The company will hold Persona 5 the Stage #4 Final in late October, with six performances scheduled for four consecutive days.

When the first stage play appeared in December 2019, it only covered the first few hours of the game's storyline that takes place at Shujin High School. However, successive shows would continue the storyline as the series aims to complete the whole story. The second part in December 2020 went through the third arc in the game's story. The third iteration in December 2021 covered the fourth and fifth arcs starring Futaba Sakura and Haru Okumura, respectively.

As the title indicates, the upcoming fourth and final part will depict the climactic arcs of Persona 5. However, the original 2016 RPG title serves as the basis for this stage play series. As such, it will not include characters who debuted in the enhanced Persona 5 Royal and the direct sequel Persona 5 Strikers.

Author
Kite Stenbuck

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Japan to Relax Tourism Controls From September 2022

1 year 6 months ago

Japan tourism

After years of strict restrictions on tourism in Japan, it may soon become easier for people to travel to the country from abroad. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on August 31st that the Japanese government would begin allowing "nonescorted visitors" into the country starting from September 7, 2022. It would also raise the cap on daily arrivals from overseas to 50,000. Further loosening of Japan tourism controls would be considered based on prevailing conditions [Thanks, Japan Times!].

Since the outbreak of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Japan has maintained particularly strict controls on entry from other countries, especially for tourism. In 2019, Japan saw almost 32 million visitors from overseas. But after the imposition of border restrictions, travel and tourism dropped to a trickle. In 2021 less than 250,000 people entered the country from overseas for any reason. In June 2022 the government began allowing foreign tourists back in, but only under strict, guided tour programs. Just 252 tourists entered in June, with 7,903 in July 2022.

Author
Josh Tolentino

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PS Plus September 2022 Games Include Deathloop, Granblue

1 year 6 months ago

PS Plus September 2022 Games

More games are coming this month for PS Plus subscribers. In a blog post, Sony outlined the PS Plus September 2022 Games coming to the service. Leading the charge at the basic Essential tier of service are Ghost Games' Need for Speed Heat, Cygames and Arc System Works' Granblue Fantasy Versus, and Something We Made's BAFTA Award-winning TOEM.

Meanwhile, the PS Plus September 2022 games for the pricier Extra and Premium tiers include some hits both new and older. These include Deathloop, Chicory: A Colorful TaleRayman Legends, and Assassin's Creed Origins. Premium tier subscribers will also gain more additions to the Classic Games Catalog. Of particular note is Sucker Punch's Sly Cooper series. The Extra and Premium games arrive on September 20, 2022.

Players have until September 6, 2022 to claim the games from the August 2022 Essential-tier offering, which include Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2, and Little Nightmares.

Here's the full list of PS Plus September 2022 games, separated by tier. Higher tiers are entitled to all of the titles in the lower tiers. Note that these are the games for North American PS Plus subscriptions. Other regions' offerings may vary.

Author
Josh Tolentino

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Halo Infinite Campaign Co-Op, Forge Beta, And More Arrive In November

1 year 6 months ago

Halo Infinite’s long-awaited campaign co-op will finally arrive on November 8 as part of the game’s big Winter Update. 343 Industries released a video today running down what it calls its largest content update yet, breaking down the Forge Beta, new multiplayer maps, and more. 

Online Campaign Co-Op

The biggest addition in the update finally goes live following a beta period in July. Campaign co-op, which supports up to four players, features cross-platform support, shared progression, mission replay, and a batch of new achievements. 

However, campaign co-op will be online only. 343 announced that it has chosen to cease development on local splitscreen co-op to reallocate those resources towards quickly implementing online updates and improvements based on player feedback. 

Forge Beta

Despite launching in beta, 343 says Forge will be a fully featured creation suite. In fact, the two new multiplayer maps coming in the Winter Update were created entirely in Forge: Argyle and Detachment. 343 wouldn't share much more, but promises discuss Forge in greater detail via community updates in September and October.

Author
Marcus Stewart

Call Of Duty, Overwatch, And Diablo Will Come To Game Pass, Says Phil Spencer

1 year 6 months ago

In a new blog post, Xbox head Phil Spencer discussed Microsoft’s intentions for Activision Blizzard’s IPs following its ongoing acquisition of the company. Among those plans, naturally, is to bolster the value of Xbox Game Pass by adding Activision Blizzard’s library of titles, including Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Diablo.

Spencer discusses expanding player choice through Game Pass by offering library titles for an affordable subscription fee, appealing to players of various budgets. Spencer hopes that including Activision Blizzard games will make the service more appealing to existing and potential subscribers. 

We intend to make Activision Blizzard’s much-loved library of games – including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty – available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities. By delivering even more value to players, we hope to continue growing Game Pass, extending its appeal to mobile phones and any connected device.

Spencer also reiterates Microsoft’s promise to keep popular Activision Blizzard franchises multiplatform, citing its handling of Minecraft as an example. Additionally, the company hopes to expand Activision’s portfolio to mobile platforms and make them available to play on other devices via cloud streaming. 

Author
Marcus Stewart

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Officially Announced; Full Reveal Coming Next Week

1 year 6 months ago

Today Ubisoft announced that the next Assassin’s Creed Game is titled Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

The game was announced only with the title and an image, that showcases a likely Middle-Eastern setting.

More information is going to be shared at Ubisoft Forward on September 10. The livestream will be aired at noon PDT, 3:00 pm EDT, 8:00 pm BST, or 9:00 pm CEST, depending on where you live.

You can find the announcement below.

Some details about the game have been possibly leaked, but nothing else besides the content of the tweet above has been shared officially.

We don’t know when the game will release or on which platforms, but we’re likely to hear more next week during the reveal event.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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A Lousy Western That Critics Hated Is Putting the Competition Six Feet Under on Streaming Charts

1 year 6 months ago

For the most part, when a film comes out and gets lambasted by critics, it’s pretty much game over for the production as negative reviews largely impact box office numbers or streaming sales in a really significant way. That being said, thanks to streaming services and their huge digital libraries that can be accessed at the click of a button, sometimes critic reviews don’t make such a big difference.

Today, we have a movie that bucks the trend by galloping to the top of streaming charts despite a terrible critical reception. Said movie is 2021’s The Last Son, which has managed to duel its way to the seventh spot on Hulu’s most-watched movies list, according to FlixPatrol.

If you take a gander at review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it’s not looking too peachy for this action Western pic. From 11 reviews, The Last Son holds a truly awful 9 percent Critical Rating, though it does boast a much more palatable 55 percent Audience Score. Frankly, you know it’s bad when the Tomatometer is just a single digit, right?

Author
Dylan Chaundy

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Disney Hints at a New Membership Linking Theme Parks & Streaming

1 year 6 months ago

“Disney Prime” might become a thing sooner than you think, as it seems executives are discussing the idea of a membership program that would promote more crossover spending for consumers. If this plan is approved, customers will gain advantages and deals across the Disney+ streaming service, Disneyland theme parks, resorts, and merchandise.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the new Disney plan leverages technology’s ability to drive a deeper consumer experience. Key figures that have gone on record about the initiative include Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek and senior executive vice president and chief communications officer Kristina Schake.

There have already been special memberships like the “Disney+ Founders Circle,” previously offered as special 3-year membership back in 2019 at D23. Currently, there is an open program from Disney superfans on the D23 official website.

Author
Dennis Limmer

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Halo Infinite Dev Update – 3 Month Delay to Co-Op into November, Splitscreen Cancelled

1 year 6 months ago

Halo Infinite continues its pattern of rocky development and once again pushes the promised campaign co-op further into 2022. This news was delivered in a 343 Industries developer update video that covers “the studio’s priorities, player experience goals, what you can expect when Halo Infinite’s Winter Update arrives on November 8th, and more.” The current expected date for co-op to arrive will be Nov. 8 with the aforementioned Winter Update.

By the time co-op does arrive, the game will have been out for just about a year. A full year to implement something that every previous game had at launch is a tough thing to swallow, and doesn’t make Halo Infinite look any better.

On top of that, Halo Infinite will break series tradition and not even feature any sort of split-screen at all. No delay, no promise of work being done on it, it’s just not happening.

The other big thing discussed in the early bits of the video is the desire to “achieve seasonality.” The devs realize that two seasons a year is a bad move, but season three isn’t until March at this point, so it’s unclear how long getting to this “seasonality” will take.

You can find the full developer update below. Be warned it’s a pretty lengthy video coming in at a little over 31 minutes, so you might need to carve out some time to give this your full attention.

Author
Cameron Waldrop

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Animal Crossing’s DJ KK and Splatoon 3’s Deep Cut to Perform Live in Japan in October

1 year 6 months ago

DJ KK is taking you to paradise with a live performance in Tokyo, Japan this October. The concert will feature performances from DJ KK as well as the new group from Splatoon 3, Deep Cut. There will be six performances over the course of two days as well as exclusive merch.

Animal Crossing and Splatoon have a deep history with musical performers and performances. KK Slider is a legendary yet humble guitarist and performer that has been around since the first Animal Crossing game. His alter ego, DJ KK, will be taking the stage and bringing the sick beats, much like his performance in the Happy Home Paradise expansion.

Author
Chuy Bosque

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Halo Infinite Co-Op Campaign: Release Date, How to Play & More

1 year 6 months ago

There’s nothing better than playing through a Halo campaign with your friends, rather than riding solo. With Master Chief’s latest adventure taking players across Zeta Halo in an enthralling open-world experience, some players may be itching to dive into this with their pals by their side once more. Unfortunately, things aren’t crystal clear regarding Halo Infinite’s co-op campaign at the time of writing but fear not, we’re here to explain everything you need to know about the upcoming feature.

Halo Infinite Co-Op Campaign Release Date

Unfortunately, we’ve got quite a bit of time to wait. Halo Infinite’s co-op campaign has been pushed back to November 2022 at the earliest, to fall in line with the release of the game’s multiplayer ‘Season 3.’

This has originally been planned for a May 2022 release during Season 2. However, unfortunately, even though campaign co-op is currently in beta, the development team still feel they need longer to get this quite right.

Unfortunately, the bad news is that Halo Infinite’s couch co-op has been cancelled entirely and the development team will instead focus on “Halo Infinite’s live service.”

How to Play Co-Op Campaign in Halo Infinite

To play the co-op campaign in Halo Infinite, load up the game and select ‘Campaign’ from the main menu. At this point, once the update introducing co-op functionality goes live, you should find yourself in a lobby screen.

Author
Chris Jecks

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Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Is Park Eun-bin on the Autistic Spectrum in Real Life?

1 year 6 months ago

Netflix’s South Korean courtroom drama is making waves for all the right reasons right now. Not only is it a heartwarming tale brimming with quirky characters and a whimsical sense of humor, but it also tries to wrestle with some really weighty topics. Case in point: the titular attorney at the heart of the show is on the autistic spectrum. If you’re here, you’re likely wondering whether Park Eun-bin is on the autistic spectrum in real life. Here is everything you need to know.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo – Is Park Eun-bin Autistic in Real Life?

Interestingly, the actress who portrays Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) is not on the autism spectrum in real life. While her performance in Extraordinary Attorney Woo is very authentic and manages to capture the essence of how autism presents itself in real life, the South Korean actress is not actually autistic.

In an interview with ENA (the distributor of the show in South Korea), Eun-bin shed some light on her trepidation behind taking on such a challenging role:

I was very cautious and afraid that I might create prejudice. I kept wondering ‘Is it okay for me to act this and that?’. Then I found the answer that rather than thinking about acting, I need to understand how I feel about it first. I added Eun-bin’s sincerity to Young-woo’s sincerity.

Furthermore, Eun-bin also described how she prepared for the role in the lead-up to the show’s production:

Author
Dylan Chaundy

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Goddess of Victory: NIKKE Will Finally Open Pre-Registration this Month

1 year 6 months ago

Developed by Shift Up, best known for producing Destiny Child, Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is an upcoming mobile gacha game that fans have been eagerly waiting for for a while. The developers have just announced via Twitter that it’ll finally be open for pre-registration later this month.

While the game still doesn’t have a set release date, it being open for pre-registration suggests that the full release isn’t far behind, and we may very well see the full launch in a few weeks or so. The game’s had quite a few closed beta tests in the past year, and was praised for its beautiful and functional UI, as well as its striking character designs.

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Zhiqing Wan

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EWS podcast episode 200: the things we want 200 of in video games

1 year 6 months ago

Standing on the shoulders of giants (Brendy and Pip and everyone else who did the podcast before us) means we have reached episode 200 of The Electronic Show podcast! Wowzer! Thanks for being with us for this record-breaking feat. We asked for suggestions and received many excellent ones, but in the end we went with a suggestion from Jonathon which, at the time we recorded, I did not realise would be instantly revealed by the episode title. Cheers to you all!

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Alice Bell