May 2023

Screen Australia has announced the creation of the First Nations Game Studio fund, with applications already open.

Announcing the initiative yesterday, the funding body said it will support studios "currently operating and primarily under the leadership and creative control of First Nations people."

The fund will particularly be targeting established studios that "invested in creating a culturally safe space for First Nations people to grow their skills in game development."

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Captain Velvet Meteor was the second game released by the cross-continental indie gaming studio Momo-pi.

Founded in 2018 but working together on a small prototype project in the years leading towards the group’s official foundation, this loose collective of developers has crossed cultures from Europe to Japan and worked on award-winning titles for both mobile and consoles, both alone and with major Japanese publishers.

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Nintendo has announced that Nintendo Live 2023 will run from Friday, September 1, to Monday, September 4.

The event will coincide with this year's PAX West, which is organized by GamesIndustry.biz parent company ReedPop and will be located at the Seattle Convention Center.

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Sony is shutting down PixelOpus, the studio announced on its Twitter account Friday.

"Dear friends, our PixelOpus adventure has come to an end," the studio said. "As we look to new futures, we wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to the millions of passionate players who have supported us, and our mission to make beautiful, imaginative games with heart."

The San Mateo-based PixelOpus arrived on the scene at E3 2014, with the surprise announcement and release of its first game, Entwined for the PS4.

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Out of all the news that came out of this year's bumper GDC, there was one story that stood out to me personally: Nightdive being acquired by Atari.

As a person of a certain age, I am very fond of Nightdive. They have made a plethora of excellent remasters of 1990s video games. These include famous names such as Quake, Doom, and Turok, and some lesser-known gems, such as Powerslave and Shadow-Man.

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The launch of Hogwarts Legacy on PS4 and Xbox One has fired the Harry Potter spin-off back to No.1 in the UK boxed charts.

The game delivered record breaking launch numbers when it arrived on PS5 and Xbox Series S and X. The PS4 and Xbox One launch isn't anywhere near that scale, but these versions are still the fourth biggest releases of the year, behind Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Resident Evil 4 remake, but ahead of Dead Island 2.

That means that Star Wars' one-week stay at the top of the UK boxed charts is over. The game is down to No.2 after a 68% drop in sales week-on-week.

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It can be difficult keeping track of the various comings and goings in the games industry, which is why we compile them in semi-regular round-ups.

If you have new appointments or transitions in your company that belong here, please send the names of the appointees, new role and company, and prior role and company to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.

Louise Gaynor has joined marketing agency Diva as executive director of media.

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Yes, you can find shiny Bellsprout in Pokémon Go

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Some like it sunny

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Home of the Sheikah and ring ruins

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How to complete the An Uplifting Device challenge

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Search the four ring ruins around Kakariko Village

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Where to find star fragments in Hyrule

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You can now preorder it following its $1 billion-plus box office conquest

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For bonus points, set your ride to country music

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Hateno Village is located in Lanayru

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All of the players currently logging countless hours into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are uncovering more and more new secrets and tricks hidden in every corner of Hyrule’s massive map. This time around, it’s no longer about just obtaining treasures and overcoming powerful enemies, but seeing just how crazy you can get with construction. It’s literally getting to the point where soon enough, the Zelda series will be able to add ‘building simulator’ to its resume.

Players are getting especially creative with Link’s Ultrahand, building all manner of contraptions and structures from an actual skate park to a flying war machine, and are now showing off the fruits of their labor in the form of hilariously long bridges used to cross immense gaps. After all, who needs a well-constructed and perfectly safe Wing airplane to get around when you can just throw together a not-very-stable, miles-long pathway from one sky island to another?

As initially reported by IGN, the bridges in question are not just a form of architectural bragging, but they’re actually helping folks reach new locations and solve some puzzles. While some surprisingly hold up well, others tragically (and hilariously) collapse, plummeting to the surface below where they hopefully don’t hit any innocent bystanders.

Legend of Zelda fans have been having a field day with the Ultrahand creations, constructing creative devices fit for the long journey of Hyrule. From skateparks to epic flying builds, anything you can think of can be crafted in Tears of the Kingdom, no matter how big or small, including Twitter user RobFletch1393’s clever design of the legendary Trojan Horse.

With the wooden boards and wheels found throughout the land, the user was able to craft the sneaky device from the great Trojan War, deriving from the classic legends of Greek mythology. He also performs the same infiltration tactic as them, where the player uses the Ascend ability to go inside it.

Shortly after, RobFletch1393 used the wheels to roll down the hill to unleash a surprise attack on an enemy base, lessening the dangers of Ganondorf’s destruction. We only hope Link doesn’t have weak heels, or he may end up meeting the same bloody fate as Achilles.

It has been reported that Brendan O’Brien, the voice actor responsible for bringing Crash Bandicoot to life on the PlayStation back in 1996, has died. He was 60 years old.

Earlier this morning, it was revealed that the actor had passed away on Mar. 23 of this year, with the news of his death not being made readily available until today. The cause of his death is unknown, and his family has made no official comment on the subject.

Brendan was best known for voicing Crash in the original Crash Bandicoot, but he also lent his vocal talents to several other characters in the game. These included Dr. Neo Cortex, Dr. Nitrus Brio, and Tiny Tiger, and he reprised the roles in all three games from the original trilogy. He would continue to provide voice work for the Crash series until the early 2000s, upon which he was replaced by Jess Harnell.

He was also credited with several other roles which spanned film and television. These included works such as the Spawn Animated Series and the action-horror film Grindhouse. While many of them were from the ’90s and early 2000s, others such as his role in the CW series Riverdale were more recent.

Fans of both the Crash Bandicoot series and Brendan himself have shared an outpouring of grief via Twitter and other social media outlets. Most all of them have spoken to the impact his voice acting had on their enjoyment of the games, and to their sadness at his passing.

Our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones.

The freedom bestowed on players in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom means innovative fans are rewarded for their ideas. We’ve seen players create an epic flying war machine to wreak havoc across Hyrule and, now, one Redditor has shared the medieval torture device they’ve created to get revenge on Koroks.

The Koroks are a long-standing species in the Zelda franchise, featuring in Breath of the Wild among others. They do return in Tears of the Kingdom, despite being slightly divisive among the Zelda fan base. Protectors of their relevant forests, they wear leaf masks and can be kind and friendly – but also deviant and annoying.

On the latter, Zelda players have been realizing that you can essentially wage war on the Koroks in Tears of the Kingdom if you choose. Combine that with the fusing ability and host of consumables players can acquire and it’s no surprise to see some pretty creative – and dark – ways to punish the Koroks.

One player shared their medieval torture device, skewering multiple Koroks and rotating them above an open flame in truly barbaric medieval style.

When I tell my friends that Fortnite is the best ongoing game out there – or at least my favorite – I don’t mean only in terms of fun and gameplay but also how the microtransactions work. The game is entirely free but, you know, it’s Fortnite, so if you want to play as Spider-Man or a Stormtrooper, you’ll have to spend money at least once to get the battle pass. In theory, that’s the only time you need to put real money in-game, as battle passes pay themselves off and give you more V-Bucks than what you had before, letting you buy the next one without spending a dime – which is something Overwatch 2 should learn from.

But for skin enthusiasts like me, on December 2020 Epic Games came up with the greatest deal of all: the Fortnite Crew, an $11.99 monthly subscription that grants players 1,000 V-Bucks and new cosmetics every month. Since then, 30 new outfits were added to the game, although not all of them were very appealing, we certainly got some hidden gems that will become pretty rare in the long run, as players only had one chance to purchase them – so here’s some of the best.

One aspect of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that players have found to be a tangible upgrade on Breath of the Wild is the freedom players are granted to build their own items and machines, fusing items found and powering them via batteries and other consumables. It’s a revolutionary system and lets the most innovative players thrive, producing creations the rest of us can only dream of.

That’s certainly the case with one player, who shared a levitating war machine that’s straight out of Apocalypse Now or a similarly epic war movie. They even captioned their post: “I love the smell of Zonaite in the morning”, a tweak on Apocalypse Now’s famous “I love the smell of Napalm in the morning” line.

Beginning with a long-distance wide shot, the player’s machine powers up and possesses rotating blades most similar to a futuristic helicopter. As it flies across Tears of the Kingdom’s beautiful landscape, it wreaks havoc on the environment and enemies, blowing them to smithereens.

Decision-making titles have continuously expanded in recent years, diving into different territories with RPG elements and QTE intervals. The same change can be seen with Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, as it brings the concept of logic into the classic pathway system of choice-based games.

Instead of unlocking various scenarios blindly, you’ll get a glimpse of the paths beforehand with the valuable gift of foresight. Considering my experience with these games, it’s refreshing to see something new added to the beloved genre, where players can plan out their actions and possibly get the ending they most desire.

At the story’s beginning, we are introduced to the main protagonist, Polly, who revisits her hometown of Atina after many years. She seeks to unravel the secrets behind her mother’s recent disappearance, despite their complicated relationship. But, just as Polly starts her case, she transports into an alternate dimension, Reverie.

Once you dive into Reverie, things really start to kick off as you discover the potent clairvoyant powers within you and the godlike beings known as “Aspirations.” Polly is no longer her former human self and transforms into “Harmony,” a goddess who can shape the destiny of two universes.

Fan service in an anime is a fan’s guilty pleasure. Some use it to enhance the overall “visuals” of the anime, some rely too heavily on fan service to the point where it feels cheap and exploitative, and some provide the perfect balance that improves the story and viewing experience. So grab some popcorn as we dive into a cultured topic of ranking the best and worst fan-service anime. Respectfully.

10. Rent A Girlfriend

This anime is a realistic depiction of a misguided 20-year-old virgin, albeit with an unrealistic execution. It follows the story of Kazuya, the ultimate trash protagonist. He is a college student who has just been dumped by his first girlfriend, and later on proceeds to use a rental girlfriend service.

The Tears of the Kingdom Ultrahand ability gives players the creative freedom to customize their own builds, from expansive treehouses to decked-out cars. A few users have taken it a step further with unique designs, especially with Reddit user Plastered_Crab’s tubular skatepark that transforms Link into a full-fledged skater.

With this skill, Plastered_Crab constructed a ramp and rail system to travel around Hyrule in an entirely new way. They also performed a few sick combos to go along with the skateboarding theme, using the Fuse ability to maximize their equipment.

The Call of Duty rumor mill is always spinning, even at the most unsuspecting times of the year. We’ve become accustomed to fall releases being preceded by spring and summer leaks, often throwing a host of details the way of CoD fans turning their attention towards the series’ next instalment. 2023 has been no different, promising Modern Warfare 3 and removing any lingering possibility that Modern Warfare II will receive a two year life-cycle.

Since Activision’s insistence that a “full” and “premium” Call of Duty title would drop in late 2023, we’ve come to expect a Sledgehammer Games-developed sequel to Modern Warfare II. It’s maybe an acknowledgement of the lacklustre reception SHG’s last two titles – WWII and Vanguard – have received, but it’s also a promising sign that Call of Duty wants to build on content and IPs they know players enjoy.

More leaks, finding their way into the public domain on May 11, have fostered even more community excitement. They certainly sound encouraging but, given Call of Duty’s turbulent last few years, it’s perhaps better to be cautious and avoid a disappointment that would only be heightened by the fact we – and CoD – have been here before.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Leaks and Rumors

The major rumor that emerged on 11 May was that Call of Duty 2023 will be titled ‘Modern Warfare III’, all but confirming it’ll be a direct sequel to MWII (2022) and continuing the rebooted IP. This broke via Insider Gaming who, it should be said, have a pretty solid record with leaking CoD information ahead of time.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a game with huge levels of exploration and discovery, letting you do what you want and follow your own path. However, after completing the initial tutorial and starting quests, it can be quite difficult knowing where to start or what to do first. Luckily, we’ve prepared a list of things you may want to consider doing first, from objectives that will benefit you in the long run to fun and creative side quests or activities to help you get used to the game. Without further ado, and in no particular order, here’s our recommendations for 10 things to do first in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

I’m completely new to the Zelda franchise, but I’ve been meaning to play one of the games for a long time. I had always wanted to play Breath of the Wild after watching many of my friends and family enjoy it, but unfortunately, I never managed to get around to it, and that game became one of many on a much too large ‘must play’ list, buried under the rubble of my favorite franchises.

And then Tears of the Kingdom was announced, and I decided it was finally time. I was going to jump into my first Zelda game and enjoy all the franchise had to offer. As far as I knew, it would be Breath of the Wild but with improvements, right? I’d have absolutely nothing to lose.

I dived right in the moment I got my hands on the game. I lost my phone in the process, too, but that didn’t matter. I didn’t need to know what time it was anymore — Tears of the Kingdom was my only objective, and nothing would get in my way. Not this time.

I booted up the game and was thrown into the intro sequence. I had always enjoyed Breath of the Wild’s art style from what I had seen online, but playing it yourself is an entirely different experience, so the moment I took control of Link in Tears of the Kingdom, the graphics immediately caught my attention and got a big checkmark of approval.

With Tears of the Kingdom being as epic of a game as it is, it’s only natural to want to make sure if there are things you should know before starting Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. And the answer is a resounding yes. These helpful tips will make sure that after you’ve been playing the game for a while, you don’t regret not properly using these gameplay features later. So read on and learn about these spoiler-free tips that will prepare you for the grand adventure ahead.

A lot has changed since the release of Breath of the Wild on Switch, but not so far as to ruin the familiar experience. After all, as the old adage goes, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? That being said, new innovations in any game help keep interest alive. And with this game’s trailers and previews, there are already significant things to address. So let’s take a look at what’s changed so far in the latest installment of the Zelda franchise, Tears of the Kingdom.

The Legend of Zelda has captivated players for decades, weaving together tales of heroism, adventure, and magical worlds. With the highly anticipated release of Tears of the Kingdom finally on the horizon, fans are eagerly awaiting the next installment in this beloved franchise.

From the awe-inspiring landscapes of Hyrule to the heart-pounding battles against formidable foes, there are countless moments that have left a mark on our gaming experiences. Before we start a new journey in Tears of the Kingdom, let’s remember 10 iconic moments from the Zelda series.

Legend of Zelda fans, rejoice! That’s right, Tears of the Kingdom’s reviews have finally gone live and, as to be expected, they’re incredibly positive. Much like 2017’s Breath of the Wild, are we looking at another bonafide masterpiece from Nintendo? It sure looks like it.

For a broad view of what the press are saying about Link’s latest open-world adventure, we thought we’d gather together a bunch of the top critics’ reviews for your reading pleasure over your morning cup of joe. So, without further delay, let’s find out how critics are taking to Tears of the Kingdom.

Destructoid — 10/10

“The real kicker that helps separate Tears from Breath of the Wild is its power set. I felt like I was in control at all times, and had the ability to create my own path. For a series known for sequence-breaking, that’s not just a perk; it’s a strong argument for why Tears of the Kingdom will be talked about for years on end.” — Chris Carter [Full review]

IGN — 10/10

“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an unfathomable follow-up, expanding a world that already felt full beyond expectation and raising the bar ever higher into the clouds.” — Tom Marks [Full review]

While Zelda fans around the world wait patiently for the twentieth main installment in one of Nintendo’s most beloved franchises, one Zelda buff has taken it upon themselves to put together a trailer to celebrate the rich history of the series.

Taking said fan 85 hours to stitch together, the video clocks in at four and a half minutes long and is a gorgeous look back at the trials and tribulations that Link has had to endure over the years. Go ahead and take a gander at the footage yourself down below:

There are so many reasons to fall in love with Dreamlight Valley, with its rich characters, intriguing questlines, and endless things to do. It’s easy to jump into because you have full control over how you play, whether it be farming, hanging out with friends, or furnishing the Valley. Even after finishing all of the missions, there’s always something to come back for. As great as it is, it isn’t the only game that’s full of content.

After completing all of your duties, you might be looking for another world to explore. Whether it be a game that’s equally as cozy, or one with characters as lovable and quests to keep you engaged, here are some of the best games like Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Stray, last year's adorable game where you play as a cat in a cyberpunk world, looks to be pawing its way onto Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in the near future.

The game - currently a PlayStation console exclusive - has now received a new Xbox rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

As spotted by Twitter user @MACOS380, Stray has been rated as E for Everyone 10+, with the ESRB noting the game features animated blood and fantasy violence. "Players sometimes encounter parasitic blobs/mice-like bots that can attack and kill the cat. Players can access a UV light to defeat the mice-like bots, causing them to explode and emit splashes of coloured liquid," the rating summary explains.

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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom includes a cute little nod to Breath of the Wild's Champion's Ballad DLC.

It will only show up, however, if you're playing Tears of the Kingdom on a Switch with a Breath of the Wild save file including DLC.

Some story spoilers for both games follow.

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Microsoft has now sold 2m Xbox Series X/S consoles in the UK.

Combined sales of the two consoles passed the 2m milestone this week, after 128 weeks on sale.

By comparison, PlayStation 5 passed the same milestone last October, after only 98 weeks on sale.

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Five years after competitive multiplayer mech shooter Hawken shut down, a new game will invite us back to stomp around in its scrappy mechs. Announced last night by developers and publishers 505 Games, the free-to-play Hawken Reborn will launch into early access tomorrow. This time, it's a PvE game, with story missions plus open patrol zones to explore and complete jobs. I was enamoured with the jetdashing scrappy mechs and greeble-covered apartment blocks of the first game but always wished it had a singleplayer or co-op campaign, so I'm certainly curious about this.

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Amazon Games are taking another stab at creating an MMO based on The Lord Of The Rings world, this time partnering with the Embracer Group who recently bought the entirety of Middle-Earth - the IP, not the realms, though I wouldn't put it past them. The untitled project is currently in early development for both PC and consoles with Orange County - the folks behind MMO New World - leading the charge.

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It's easy to be cynical about After Us, and I am indeed quite cynical about After Us. Created by Barcelona-based Piccolo, the studio behind Arise: A Simple Story, it's an ecologically themed platformer about a child goddess rescuing animal souls from ravaged cities full of petrified human beings. As I learned from Piccolo, the overall aim is to restore hope to discussions of environmental catastrophe, without waving away the hard facts. But the game couches all this in vague, "universal" terms, as though it were trying to avoid entangling itself in the very debates it wants to channel.

Based on a couple of hours with a pre-release build, it risks becoming a Game with a Message but not necessarily anything to say. Rather than specifics about the workings of phenomena such as climate change, After Us prefers to deal in heavy symbolism - the hub area is called the Ark, and your character's mum is a talking tree - and well-travelled eco-fable cliches such as oil oceans and burned-out cars. It amasses some historical context in the shape of recoverable memories of a bygone world, but the storytelling is largely wordless and somewhat cheesy. The protagonist, Gaia, certainly lays it on thick: she looks like she's permanently on the brink of crying her eyes out.