EA reveals plans to build "connected Battlefield universe" across multiple games and studios
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 663 words
| Arica Deslauriers
EA has announced plans to build a "connected Battlefield experience", spanning multiple titles and studios, alongside news of a senior management shake-up that will see DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson depart the studio and Respawn's Vince Zampella taking on the role of Battlefield franchise boss while retaining his existing managerial duties.
Zampella revealed EA's plans to create a multiple-game "connected Battlefield universe" in an interview with GameSpot, explaining it would feature an interconnected world with shared characters and stories, and "
[Read More]Ex-BioWare writer discusses dropped ideas for Mass Effect trilogy ending
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 703 words
| Fernande Dalal
Drew Karpyshyn, ex-BioWare developer and lead writer of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, has revealed in detail how his original idea for the trilogy's ending could have played out. The potential plot focused on the spread of Dark Energy - a fact alluded to by several characters in Mass Effect 2 but then never mentioned again.
Karpyshyn departed from the Mass Effect team shortly before the conclusion of Mass Effect 2 and was replaced by Mass Effect 3 lead writer Mac Walters.
[Read More]Firewatch review-bombed following PewDiePie racism incident
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 394 words
| Trudie Dory
Indie adventure Firewatch is being review-bombed on Steam after the game's developer, Campo Santo, filed a DMCA against YouTuber PewDiePie.
Last week Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg, owner of the most subscribed-to channel on YouTube, came under fire for using the N-word on during a PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds stream. He said: "What a f***ing n*****! Geez! Oh my god! What the f***? Sorry, but what the f***?"
This was the final straw for Firewatch developer Sean Vanaman, co-founder of Campo Santo, who denounced PewDiePie on Twitter and stated Campo Santo would file a DMCA takedown of PewDiePie's Firewatch content.
[Read More]Fortnite cheater forced to pay up after Epic lawsuit
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 410 words
| Trudie Dory
Epic has taken a Fortnite cheater to court in Australia, resulting in said cheater being forced to pay damages, close down their shady business selling cheats, and publicly apologise for their actions. Documents obtained by GameSpot reveal Brandon Despotakis, or BlazeFN as they are known online, violated the Fortnite end user license agreement and its terms of service, and infringed Epic's copyright by unlawfully selling in-game accounts and cheats to other Fortnite players.
[Read More]Glorious rhythm game Voez gets 16 free new songs on Switch
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 324 words
| Patria Henriques
Developer Rayark is updating its superb Switch rhythm game Voez once more, this time adding 16 free new songs to the already gargantuan 185-strong track list.
Version 1.6, as the update is known, pushes Voez's song roster over the 200 mark, doubling its size since the game's launch on Switch in March 2017 - not bad for an initial outlay of £20, particularly given that all updates have been completely free.
[Read More]Halo Infinite radar tweaked to feel more like the motion tracker of old
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 551 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Halo Infinite developer 343 has tweaked the game's radar so it feels more like the motion tracker seen in previous Halo titles.
Infinite's combat sensor sparked a debate within the Halo community after it made its debut during the recent technical preview.
The combat sensor is the radar that sits in the bottom-left of your HUD. In the classic Halo games, the radar shows all movement except crouch-walking. But Halo Infinite's radar worked differently - it only displayed enemies when they were sprinting or shooting - a change that made it similar to Halo 5's Threat Tracker.
[Read More]Here's a photo of the PlayStation 5 in real-life
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 420 words
| Arica Deslauriers
The PlayStation 5 comes out in just six weeks, and yet here I am looking with interest at a photo of Sony's next-gen console in real-life.
A dozen Japanese YouTubers are set to publish hands-on PS5 content tomorrow, 4th October, and in the setting up of these videos we see an actual PS5 in the wild, next to an actual human being.
The image below is from YouTuber Pocky's channel, and shows the enormous next-gen console on a table.
[Read More]How a counterfeit NES console opened up the Russian games market
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 9 minutes
| 1832 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Back in the 90s, if you had mentioned the names Nintendo and Sega to a kid in America, Japan or Europe, their face would have likely lit up. They'd instantly know what these words represented; the colour and excitement of a game on the TV screen in their front room, and a sense of fun. But if you said these words to a child in Russia, they'd have looked at you blankly.
[Read More]Overwatch executive producer Chacko Sonny leaves Blizzard Entertainment
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 451 words
| Fernande Dalal
Chacko Sonny, executive producer on Overwatch, has announced his departure from Blizzard Entertainment - the latest high-profile departure from a studio still embroiled in multiple legal wranglings stemming from a California lawsuit alleging a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination within the company.
News of Sonny's departure comes via Bloomberg, which says the Overwatch producer told staff his last day would be this Friday, describing his time at Blizzard as "
[Read More]Pokémon Go Fest leak points to surprise Mythical tease
Posted on January 18, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 573 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Pokémon Go's big annual Go Fest event is this weekend - and it includes a surprise Mythical creature tease as part of its storyline, according to a new leak.
Details were spilled online last night by the ever-reliable datamining group PokéMiners - which then prompted a hurried response from developer Niantic, seemingly aiming to quickly set expectations.
Go Fest 2021 is themed around the Mythical creature Meloetta, which will become available in-game for the first time.
[Read More]