Yesterday, the US Department Of Justice filed a civil suit against Activision Blizzard, accusing the publisher’s Competitive Balance Tax of capping esports players’ wages and penalising Overwatch and Call Of Duty league teams if they exceeded the salary cap.
Everspace 2 is an arcade space shooter with an action-RPG style loot system and a distinctly early 2000s vibe, set entirely within a false memory of a Saturday morning cartoon that never existed, and featuring some obscenely shiny spaceships.
I don’t claim to understand whether this has something to do with “ray-tracing” or some manner of “screen space occlusion” or what have you – Digital Foundry, I am available for work – all I know is that there’s an option to crank up the gloss until you’re pretty much zooming around the galaxy in a big angry disco ball.
Sony released a new trailer for the upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse ahead of its release on June 2, 2023. This is the second trailer released for the film, with the previous one being shown in December 2022. Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jake Johnson reprise their roles as Miles, Gwen, and Peter B. Parker.
The new trailer shows us more of the context of the story and some of the conflicts that will arise. We see Miles encounter troubles with his home and school life, the appearance of interdimensional supervillian The Spot, and the trans-dimensional society of spider-people. Oscar Isaac plays Spiderman 2099, aka Miguel O'Hara, who founded the society but appears to clash with Miles later. They also get some more mileage out of the "Spider-man pointing" meme.
Here's the second Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse trailer.
[embed]https://youtu.be/shW9i6k8cB0[/embed]
One of the most recent Spider-Man games is Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales on the PS4, PS5 and more recently on PC. It includes an unlockable suit based on the first movie. A sequel is set to release on PS5 later in 2023.
People interested in the Android version of Final Fantasy IX won't find it in the Amazon App Store for the moment. Square Enix noted that the game is suffering from a cloud save issue. As a result, it is temporarily unavailable to buy from there. It remains on Google Play for $20.99 as usual.
This temporary removal only applies to new purchases of the Android version of Final Fantasy IX from Amazon. If someone already picked it up on the Amazon App Store, they can still play and redownload the game as usual. However, newcomers will find it impossible to purchase via that storefront until Square Enix fixes it. They also will be able to play and enjoy the game as usual, but can't use cloud saves properly.
Square Enix also confirmed that the company is working on a fix. However, on the official site it also noted, "We are currently looking into the issue and working on a fix, but we expect that it will take some time until it is resolved."
It’s the end of an era, as Bandai Namco announced that The Idolmaster SideM Growing Stars service will end on July 31, 2023. According to the time table on the official website, it will start reducing the number of staff on the team in April 2023. Basic updates such as events and the story will cease in May 2023.
Though there will no longer be any new events, there will be some re-runs in April. As well, there will be updates to some of the stories. Bandai Namco did not state on its website which ones it will update.
The Idolmaster SideM Growing Stars will no longer be growing, but The Idolmaster SideM will. Bandai Namco will hold its eighth live concert, as well as create new songs. These songs will be part of a new story update, as well as appear in a concert featuring 3D models of the characters. It will also post some of the story archives from SideM.
The Idolmaster SideM Growing Stars is a rhythm game based on The Idolmaster SideM. It’s similar to the difference between The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls and Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage. As an aside, Bandai Namco shut down The Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls (the production game) in March 2023 whereas Starlight Stage (the rhythm game) is still in service. It’s the opposite of what will happen to SideM.
The Idolmaster SideM Growing Stars will end service on July 31, 2023. Until then, the game is available on mobile devices in Japan.
The second character trailer for Sailor Moon Cosmos is now on YouTube and TikTok, and it focuses on Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter. As opposed to the analytical and intellectual way that Sailor Mercury fights, Sailor Jupiter is much more power-oriented. Their voice actresses from the show will return to reprise their roles. [Thanks, Comic Natalie!]
Here is the Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter trailer for Sailor Moon Cosmos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is5WJl02f-E
The music that plays in the background is the familiar tune of the original Sailor Moon opening. Sailor Mercury asks if you’ve properly previewed for your classes, whereas Sailor Jupiter claims that everyone who likes plants is a good person. The short trailer highlights Ami’s more aggressive side, as well as how Makoto is actually very girly under her rough exterior.
As a reminder, Hisako Kanemoto voices Sailor Mercury, or Ami Mizuno, in Crystal. She also previously voiced Erina Nakiri in Food Wars, as well as Lucky Chloe in Tekken 7. Meanwhile, Ami Koshimizu voices Sailor Jupiter, or Makoto Kino. Koshimizu’s previous roles include Kallen from Code Geass and Beidou in Genshin Impact.
Pokémon Stadium is coming to Nintendo Switch Online next week but without arguably its biggest feature: the ability to transfer Pokémon from Game Boy titles Red, Blue, and Yellow.
Snuck into its reveal trailer (in tiny font for no more than five seconds) was the statement: "Please note you cannot transfer Pokémon from Game Boy titles in this version." This means players will have to rent Pokémon instead, leading to what's generally considered a less enjoyable experience.
"The first video game I've ever played," said Zodyrus on Twitter. "One huge issue though. The question is will this be compatible with... anything? Cause you really cant get full enjoyment out of this game without using the Game Boy games alongside it."
Other Pokémon Stadium fans are still optimistic though. "The lack of transfers is a massive shame but I feel like there's still a bunch of stuff to tinker around and have fun with regardless," said another user FizzaClips.
While fans didn't expect their Nintendo Switch consoles to connect directly with a Game Boy, the issue has once again sparked debates around the lack of classic Pokémon games on modern consoles.
When it comes to fighting games, Arc System Works is at the top of the food chain. Between Guilty Gear Strive, BlazBlue, Dragon Ball FighterZ, DNF Duel, GranBlue Fantasy Versus, and others, ArcSys is the most active developer of quality fighting games in the business right now, and as such, there's no shortage of dream games that fans would love to see the developer tackle. At the Arc World Tour grand finals, I got a chance to sit down with Arc System Works CEO Minoru Kidooka to talk about some of those potential dream games, the future of BlazBlue, and his commitment to pursue new IP collaboration opportunities.
IGN: I believe we spoke at EVO last year and you mentioned that you wanted to be more aggressive about pursuing opportunities to collaborate with new IP owners. Is this still a major priority for you and in the intervening months, do you feel like you've made some progress in that regard?
Kidooka-san: I wouldn't necessarily say it's a priority at this point, but what we did say at Evo about trying to create more IP collaboration games is... Before EVO, during EVO, and after EVO, we're still making steps towards that goal. So as a goal for ourselves and for our company, we really want to make something that makes the fighting community happy. So whether that's using other IP or using our own games, we are just going to keep pushing forward to continue to make the members of the FGC satisfied.
Ahead of Earth Day later this month, Microsoft announced a new Xbox wireless controller "made partly" from reclaimed CDs, water jugs, and other Xbox controller parts.
Detailed in a new blog post, the Xbox Wireless Controller - Remix Special Edition features "recovered plastics with one-third of it made from regrind and reclaimed materials." Microsoft elaborated further on how it created the controller using some recycled plastics, noting that it mixed post-consumer plastics and reground spare Xbox One-era controller parts to develop the raw material used to create the controller.
Microsoft notes that the controller's design drew inspiration from natural landscapes and the "physical world around us," noting that the earth-tone colors create a "vibrant yet serene vibe."
Besides being made partially from recycled parts, Microsoft confirmed that the Remix Special Edition controller includes the Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack.
Crusader Kings 3's next expansion, Tours and Tournaments, arrives on May 11, adding a ton of lavish events to the game.
Leaving conquests for another day, Tours and Tournaments instead lets players change history by hosting grand activities like weddings and royal tours, and will be available for $29.99 / £24.99.
"Pack the royal baggage, get the carriage sorted, and don’t forget to gather your entourage, because royalty travels in style," reads the expansion's description. "Visit your vassals, travel to a grand foreign wedding or take your turn at the jousting lists: all potential occasions for intrigue or advancement."
Grand Tournaments can be used to improve your social standing and military prowess, Grand Tours let players increase their standing amongst their vassals (or extort them for higher taxes), and Grand Weddings are both demonstrations of power and calculated political plots.
Vacating your castle to attend these occasions comes with certain risks, of course, as leaving an ambitious regent at home can be perilous in itself. Beyond that, players must use the new travel system to plan their journeys, either safely through the likes of civilised lands or efficiently through forests and other dangerous areas.
Tours and Tournaments also adds Knightly Accolades, new armour designs, and new western clothing to let players host and attend these events with as much extravagance as needed.
It adds even more content to an already packed and critically acclaimed game, as IGN's 10/10 review of the base version said: "Crusader Kings 3 takes the throne as the new king of historical strategy by expanding on and deepening the best parts of what made its predecessor memorable and unique."
Pokémon Stadium, the classic 3D battler/minigame collection for the Nintendo 64, just got a Nintendo Switch Online release date. While the game's imminent arrival to the online service was announced at a Nintendo Direct in September 2022, today is the day we finally know when we can play it. Pokémon Stadium comes to Nintendo Switch Online Wednesday, April 12. As is the case with all N64 games, you'll need the expansion pack in order to play it. Check out the full trailer below.
While some fans may have hoped this port would include trading with Pokémon Home, they're unfortunately out of luck. The fine print in the trailer specifies that "Pokémon cannot be transferred to this game." That said, there is also a notable improvement: four-player online multiplayer will be available, so you can play Clefairy Says or Sushi-Go-Round with friends all over.
The PlayStation Store is about to get a solid sorting upgrade this week with accessibility tags, a new list of descriptors developers can pin to games to highlight their specific accessibility support, Sony announced in a blog post this week.
Niran “Lifeweaver” PruksaManee is Overwatch 2’s 37th hero, a support character who specializes in plant-based technology to heal and protect his teammates. He’s a fugitive on the run from the Vishkar Corporation who was close to DPS character Symettra while at the company’s Architech Academy. He’s the first character…
Another day, another wild showcase of talent in the new Unreal Editor for Fortnite. This latest one, titled “Cyber Rush,” is by a creator called CooliSushi and combines moody cyberpunk visuals and energetic electronic music with a speedy aerial highway action montage that easily brings to mind the opening of Star…
Most Funko Pops are worthless and getting shoveled into landfills right now. But some are extremely rare, going for exorbitant prices in face-to-face meetups. One recent trade gets at just how bizarre the market for certain Funko Pops has gotten, with one collector apparently swapping half a dozen ‘Freddy Venom’…
Xbox announced its first round of April Game Pass offerings in a blog post earlier today. I’ll cut to the chase and tell you the best part—you can play one of the more intriguing titles, Loop Hero, right now.
Capcom’s social media team has been hard at work churning out a cavalcade of fancams and thirst trap posts to generate buzz for the Resident Evil 4 remake. However, as is the case with most things, it’s work created by fans themselves that has more staying power than any corporate-generated meme ever could.…
Nijisanji released the first episode of its new VTuber variety talk show "We are Nijisanji" on April 4, 2023. In it, talents from the agency's Japanese and English branches interact to show that there is more in common than you might think. The show's hosts are Nagao Kei from the VΔLZ unit and Petra Gurin from the English branch's second wave Obsydia.
You can now watch the first episode of We are NIJISANJI from the official Nijisanji YouTube channel with English and Japanese subtitles. Here's the full episode.
https://youtu.be/IKigqYPc40o
In this first installment, the VTuber guests were Nishizono Chigusa and Luca Kaneshiro, representing the Japanese and English Nijisanji divisions, respectively. Each answered a few questions to introduce themselves to the viewers, with the caveat of answering in the opposite language. There was also a games segment, during which they had to give scores to names proposed by each one. Later, they had to complete idioms that had similar meanings in both languages. At the end, there was a preview of the next episode's guests. They appear to be Fushimi Gaku and Selen Tasuki.
Nijisanji is one of the biggest VTuber agencies currently, with over 150 members in the Japanese branch and 30 talents in the English division. Moreover, just recently, the company opened auditions for new streamers to apply until April 17, 2023.
When new characters join KOF XV, SNK tends to release a short story and Bellamy interview alongside their debut, and Kim Kaphwan is no different. The official site updated with both. The Bellamy interview is an “in-character” means of seeing what place he’s in ahead of his debut. However, the story offers more insight into why he’s taking part in this installment’s tournament.
The Bellamy interview points out how this DLC is a bit different than others That’s because while some add-ons featured teams of characters appearing, two did not. Both Kim and Shingo Yabuki appeared on their own. So in the interview, “Kim” said “he’d be a fun choice” as a teammate.
As for the Kim Kaphwan KOF XV story, it begins with him in the moments after Gang-Il went with him there to train. Kim protected the villagers there from bears and took part in various exercises. He ended up getting his KOF Special Invitation Letter while there, and headed off to compete after he'd finished his preparations.
Nanashi Mumei, a Vtuber from Hololive's English branch, returned to streaming with a new 3D model. She previously announced that she would be taking a 2 week break from streaming for health reasons. As well as showing off some features of her new model, she also announced that she will receive a new outfit on April 8, 2023. She has asked for fans to tag their predictions for the new outfit with the hashtag #Owlfit.
Mumei went on a two week hiatus after performing at the Hololive Super Expo 2023, citing health reasons. In her stream, she explained that while she is not totally recovered from her cough, she is excited to stream again. She also asked viewers not to worry if they hear her cough while live.
While Nanashi Mumei showed off her 3D model's a toggle-able hood, she has said that a more thorough look at the model would come "another day."
You can watch her return stream below:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0QBRuXPHr4&t=2106s[/embed]
Numskull announced it will sell a Silent Hill 3 Heather Mason figure later in 2023. Pre-orders are already open ahead of its debut. It is $139.99 and has a September 2023 release window at Big Bad Toy Store. It costs $129.99 and ships in October 2023 if someone buys it from Just Geek. Regardless of where you buy it, the figure also features a small Robbie the Rabbit on the stand.
Heather wears her standard vest and skirt for this figure. She’s also holding a gun. It is a hand-painted, static figure with no additional parts. It will be about 10 inches tall, including the base.
Here's a closer look at her:
[gallery size="full" ids="958279,958278,958277" link="file"]
And here's a closer look at the little Robbie the Rabbit that appears on the base. Like the larger versions seen in-game, it's bloodied.
[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="958276" link="file"]
There's also a trailer offering 360-degree views of the figure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA2SAU6KYDE&ab_channel=NumskullDesigns
Call of the Sea VR, the virtual reality adaptation of developer Out of the Blue's acclaimed 2020 tropical island mystery adventure, launches for Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro on 13th April.
Call of the Sea, if you're unfamiliar, tells the story of Norah Everhart (voiced by Firewatch and The Walking Dead: Season One's Cissy Jones), as she embarks on an adventure, circa 1934, across a beautiful but strange South Pacific island in search of her missing husband.
What follows is a bit of a delight - Eurogamer's Robert Purchese called the original a "dazzlingly different debut" in his review - melding story, exploration, and some surprisingly challenging puzzles into a thrilling, affecting yarn with a touch of cosmic weirdness about it.
There are around a million games about the Second World War for every one about the First, and The Great War: Western Front serves as a pretty good illustration of some of the reasons for that. The brutal, grinding, attritional conflict spanning from 1914 to 1918, as interesting as it is from a military history standpoint, is difficult to turn into a fun video game with any sort of authenticity. This RTS adaptation tries to find a satisfying balance point between historical reality and enjoyable gameplay. And while I think it did about as well as anyone could have hoped, it can't fully smooth out the challenges of gamifying these shell-pocked battlefields.
The Western Front, with its teeming trenches and relentless artillery bombardments was an excruciating stalemate that took years to resolve, only breaking with the advent of new technologies and tactics much later. And The Great War: Western Front doesn't do much to sugar-coat that, both for better and for worse.
The first big adjustment I had to make was to the sheer deadliness of even a modest defensive position. One regiment of standard infantry stationed in a trench can hold off three times as many attackers, and maybe double that number again if they have the support of a machine gun nest. This is certainly historically accurate, as so much of the early war was spent with commanders on both sides fooling around and finding out. And of the ways Western Front errs on the side of history, this one didn't bother me so much.
Activision Blizzard settled a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that the publisher imposed a limit on esports players' salaries paid by the Overwatch and Call of Duty leagues.
The department filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Monday, saying that Activision Blizzard, which owns the Overwatch League and the Call of Duty League, and the independently owned teams agreed to impose the Competitive Balance Tax. As its name suggests, the tax was designed to limit competition between the teams by suppressing the wages of esports players and fined teams for paying players above a certain threshold set by Activision Blizzard, which the department said violated the Sherman Act.
The DOJ added that Activision Blizzard dropped its salary limit rules in October 2021 following its investigation into the Competitive Balance Tax.
"The tax was never levied, and the leagues voluntarily dropped it from our rules in 2021," Activision said in a statement (per Reuters). "We have always believed, and still believe, that the Competitive Balance Tax was lawful, and it did not have an adverse impact on players."
In 1993, the Super Mario Bros. made their big-screen debut through a live-action adventure starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper. While that film has garnered a cult following in the decades since its theatrical release, it does little to truly pay homage to Nintendo's flagship franchise in the ways all the best film adaptations aspire. Fast forward 30 years, and Universal, Illumination, and Nintendo have finally delivered a cinematic adventure starring the iconic fraternal duo that is joyful, fun, exciting, and, perhaps most importantly, respectful of the source material.
Warning: While I try to remain as spoiler-free as possible, certain elements of the narrative and characters are mentioned throughout this article.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie toes a difficult line, balancing an origin story with the actual meat of a meaningful adventure. Mario and his brother Luigi are plumbers in Brooklyn when they get sucked into a mysterious pipe and arrive in the Mushroom Kingdom. Meanwhile, Bowser has begun his conquest en route to Princess Peach's castle. The setup is obvious and has certainly been done before, but it effectively sets the stage for the subsequent thrill ride of an adventure.
God of War Ragnarök is known for having excellent combat, a simultaneously epic and intimate story, great accessibility features, and a billion puzzles to solve. For many players, it wasn’t the puzzles’ difficulty that frustrated them the most. It was the frequency with which Atreus would provide hints at how to solve…
The reviews for The Super Mario Bros. Movie are in and they’re surprisingly polarized. Mario’s return to Hollywood may end up being a box office coup, but not all of the critics are in love with it. It’s currently under 50 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Welcome back, folks, to the ongoing battle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company. This week, the two are at it again, with DeSantis calling for a criminal investigation into Disney’s lawyers for out-maneuvering his goons and retaining control of the special district that contains Disney…
Kotaku reported on March 23, 2023 that Epic Games had outlined specific do’s and don’ts when it comes to what kinds of maps creators can build and publish using Fortnite’s new Unreal Editor. Essentially, any map from another game (including certain Fortnite maps from previous seasons), isn’t allowed. With Call of Duty…
A new mod for Elden Ring adds one of the most important things a game can have: a really hefty kick to boot people onto their bums and over edges. This has come with an update to First Person Souls, an impressive mod which gives FromSoftware's game a good first-person camera view. And thanks to the mod's recent update, you can now punt ragdolling baddies across The Lands Between, following in the bootprints of games like Deathloop and Dark Messiah Of Might & Magic.
Persona is a series that's done super well for Atlus over the years. Basically, a Shin Megami Tensei spin-off turned into an IP that is more recognizable to some than the original RPGs that spawned it. This does mean it might seem a bit overwhelming to hop into the series. Especially since there are numbered installments and spin-offs. However, it's all really quite approachable, and it isn't too difficult to jump in if you're wondering how to start playing through the Persona games.
First, here is the full list of Persona games. Only certain entries really should be played in order.
You should play Revelations: Persona/SMT Persona before Persona 2: Innocent Sin, then Innocent Sin before Eternal Punishment. There are overarching elements that all tie together here, as well as recurring characters.
With the later Persona games, it’s best to start with a Persona 3 entry, then move on to Persona 4 and 5. However, all three are completely self-contained, so you don’t have to play them all in order or worry about losing context if you only choose to go through one.
Now that Blizzard officially revealed Lifeweaver, the new Overwatch 2 Support Hero, his voice actor was also revealed. Phuwin Tangsakyuen will play the character. Overwatch 2 Lead Narrative Designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie revealed his identity. He also teased that there will be in-game "conversations" between Lifeweaver and Symmetra.
Here's a tweet from Tangsakyuen offering commentary on his character and sharing the newest trailer.
Spend every moment growing into who you truly are https://t.co/1RsSrpv5Tf
— phuwintang (@phuwintang) April 4, 2023
While Tangsakyuen’s role as the Overwatch 2 Lifeweaver voice actor is his first time playing a part in a video game, he’s been acting since 2014. Some of his more recent roles include Pi in Fish upon the Sky, Wifi in My Bubble Tea, and Nuengdiao Kiattrakulmethee in Never Let Me Go.
There are certain developers very well known for revisiting their games on as many platforms as possible. Idea Factory International is one of them! Primarily, it’s guilty of this when it comes to the Otomate visual novels. (Just look at Hakuoki.) Norn9: Var Commons is the latest otome game to return, and this is one of the more welcome Switch rereleases. This offers a fresh translation for an older visual novel ahead of the first-time debut of the Norn9: Last Era fan-disc. While it doesn’t fix any of the original issues with the story and its execution, it does mean an optimal experience before heading into the next part of the story.
The important thing to know about Norn9: Var Commons if you’re new to the game with the Switch entry is that this is one of the “experimental” Idea Factory otome games. This doesn’t mean odd gameplay mechanics, though. Rather, it means a split narrative that means multiple protagonists, certain love interests for specific characters, and an initial introduction with a young, time-traveling boy named Sorata Suzuhara that doesn’t really get explained until you finish every story and can finally reach the epilogue. So the story starts in the Heisei era (so modern times around the original PSP version’s 2013 debut), Sorata gets sent back in time to the Taisho era and meets an enigmatic young woman with pyrokinesis powers who can’t remember her own name. She’s waiting to be picked up by “people” and taken to “The World.”
Paradox Interactive's acclaimed grand strategy game Crusader Kings 3 is ready to hit the road, with its Tours and Tournaments expansion now confirmed to be launching on 11th May.
Tours and Tournaments - Crusader Kings 3's second major expansion, following last year's Royal Court - has something of an outdoor theme. Those "tours", for instance, arrive as part of a new travel system, giving players the tools to plot either a modest trip - perhaps navigating their realm, gifting or extorting their vassals along the way - or a far more elaborate globe-trotting jaunt, whether that be through dangerous or civilised lands, alone or with an entourage.
Tournaments, meanwhile, can be hosted around the map, their demonstrations of combat drawing nearby nobles and wandering knights, and potentially boosting players' social standing or military prowess. Additionally, players' best knights can be honoured with special titles and accolades granting bonuses to both them and the armies they lead.
Mario is, without a doubt, one of the most well known and iconic characters in any medium. He’s appeared in hundreds of games across about a dozen platforms, and has had at least twice as many jobs. Now with the arrival of the new Super Mario Bros. Movie, it's clear that the era of Mario is only just getting started.
At the end of the day, though, it’s been the core Mario platformer games that have kept players coming back for forty years. So, without further ado, these are our picks for the the 10 best Super Mario games of all time.
Note: This list was originally published in 2017, but has been updated to factor in newer games. We've excluded non-platformer titles like Super Mario Maker from our rankings.
Super Mario 3D Land was the clear front-runner for best handheld Mario game until the Nintendo Switch came along. The 3DS entry is chockfull of some of the most fun, bite-sized Mario levels and absolutely filled to the brim with content. Perfect for on-the-go play, Super Mario 3D Land dug through every trick in the Mario design handbook whether it was immaculate 3D platforming, or throwback retro 2.5D retro levels. It also took advantage of the system's glasses-free 3D in a way that no other game has come close to, making the game feel truly alive.
EA is currently the most popular games publisher across PlayStation and Xbox by monthly active users (MAUs), according to new data from Ampere Analysis. But Xbox stands to surpass it if the Activision Blizzard acquisition goes through.
According to Ampere Analysis, EA has consistently been the top publisher across PlayStation and Xbox based on share of MAUs since September, which is when Ampere Analysis started tracking. Speaking to IGN, analyst Piers Harding-Rolls says he suspects EA's dominance has gone on "for some time" prior.
Since September, EA has consistently held above 16% of the market share of MAUs. Epic and Activision Blizzard have battled over second place, hovering between 9% and almost 15% of MAU market share, with Activision Blizzard overtaking Epic in October and November thanks to the launch of Overwatch 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Epic, of course, continues to rely primarily on Fortnite.
As for the first-party platform holders, Microsoft has held between 6% and 8% of the MAU market share during that time, trailing Take-Two. Sony has been on Microsoft's heels, though it did overtake Microsoft briefly at the end of last year around the release of God of War: Ragnarok.
As someone who’s spent a good deal of time tending to The Entity’s beloved meat hooks in Dead By Daylight, I had high expectations about what developer Behaviour Interactive would work on next. And thankfully, they’ve delivered yet another fresh idea that I can’t stop thinking about with a unique first-person action game: Meet Your Maker. Pitting yourself against the creativity and cruelty of your fellow players in raids is tense and hilarious, and hours fly by while building your own playgrounds of destruction and watching players die to them. The options in your toolbelt are a little barebones, the world and story hardly even try to do anything interesting, and there’s plenty of bugs and general jankiness that need to be smoothed over. But I’ve never played anything quite like Meet Your Maker before, and even though it still feels a bit rough around the edges, the fact that it’s just so refreshingly different makes me want to spend all my time tricking my friends
Meet Your Maker takes place in a Mad Max-like post-apocalyptic world that’s as generic as they come. The flimsy story describes a world that’s fallen to an unnamed disease, leaving humanity fighting one another for uncorrupted genetic material to create a cure. You play a Custodian – a cool-looking robot with a sword, a grapple hook, and some sweet ninja moves – and spend your time raiding outposts to collect genetic material to bring back to your not-at-all creepy Chimera, who insists she has humanity’s best interests at heart as she encourages you to murder everything you see. If that sounds like an awfully convenient excuse for you to raid bases, that’s because it definitely is, and at least for now, the story doesn’t develop at all beyond this vague premise.
Overwatch 2’s next hero, Lifeweaver, is the series’ first pansexual character. When we talked with the Blizzard team about the new support hero in a roundtable interview, we were told by Lead Narrative Designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie that characters would be receptive to his advances during pre-match banter. However,…
A YouTuber was shot in the stomach on April 2 in a Virginia mall after attempting to play what he called a “simple practical joke” on a man.
Dragon is the tenth volume in the One Piece art book collection “Color Walk,” and it released in Japan on April 4, 2023. The latest entry in the collection includes a complete transcript of a conversation between One Piece author Eiichiro Oda and manga artist Gosho Aoyama, creator of the Detective Conan manga. It costs 2,970 JPY (roughly $22 USD) and is now available for purchase from select retailers in Japan. [Thanks, Natalie!]
One Piece Dragon is one of the largest art books in the Color Walk collection, coming in at 152 pages. It consists of over 200 illustrations from beginning to end of the Wano Country story arc of One Piece, along with several illustrations drawn for the One Piece Stampede movie and One Piece Film: Red, which released in Japan on November 2019 and August 2022 respectively.
The book also includes a complete version of the conversation Eiichiro Oda had with Gosho Aoyama. That was featured in issue number 34 of the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and issue 35 of the Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine. The book also contains three large posters and various postcards. Additionally, stickers are included in the limited first print of the book.
You can take a better look at some of the illustrations and postcards included in the gallery below.
[gallery columns="5" link="file" ids="958321,958320,958319,958318,958317"]