Tencent announce new games console17/5/2016 Chinese investment holding company, Tencent, have announced a new console; the Tencent Games Platform (TGP) BOX. They also hold a majority stake in League of Legends developer Riot Games, and a minority stake in proprietor of the Unreal Engine, Epic Games.
Tencent is a major player in Asia, and with China lifting its 15 year ban on console gaming only last year, there's a huge potential market to tap into. The TGP BOX, or Blade to give it its proper title, runs on Windows 10 and has a TGP BOX mode. Whilst in said mode, players can quickly download or update massive games from the game store, start a local game and live stream gaming sessions. Many Tencent games have already been ported over, including League of Legends, FIFA Online 3, NBA 2K, Monster Hunter and Need for Speed. More games from third party developers will be introduced this year. It's not yet known if the Blade will reach western shores, but it’s an interesting concept none the less. A lot of people are buying games digitally now, so a console without a disc drive doesn’t seem as peculiar as it did a few years ago. What do think of the new console? Hoping it sees a release over here? Let us know in the forums. PTC Plays Overwatch16/5/2016 Good news, everyone! James has put together a video of the recent Overwatch community game night for your viewing pleasure. Rob will be bringing you our review, but if you can't wait until then to hear his thoughts, he recently attended a press preview event and his hands-on impressions can be found here.
There are sure to be plenty more Overwatch community game nights, as well, so be sure to pick up your copy and get involved on the forum. We'll see you there! Battlefront 2 set to release next year11/5/2016 EA CFO Blake Jorgensen has confirmed during an earnings call that Star Wars: Battlefront 2 will release next year. The next Star Wars film - a spin-off named Rogue One - is set to release at the end of the year. The director of Rogue One, Gareth Edwards, stated it will be similar to a war film, which would obviously fit well as the basis for a first person shooter.
Episode VIII is due in 2017. Depending on the exact release dates, we could see a Battlefront that revolves around both films. Jorgensen also said that EA will release one Star Wars game a year, for the next three or four years. Not many details were given but Jorgensen confirmed that Visceral Games, developers of Dead Space, are working on a Star Wars action game which is coming during the next year. There's also the third person action adventure title being made by Titanfall developers, Respawn Entertainment. Are you excited for more Star Wars titles? Let us know in the forums. Disney Interactive will no longer self publish console games. Avalanche Software is closing down and Disney Infinity will soon come to an end. Infinity didn't quite perform as well as Disney had hoped, and in their latest earnings report it notes that quarterly revenue for its Consumer Products and Interactive Media division fell by two percent to $1.2 billion.
Disney Infinity's general manager, John Blackburn, took to a blog post to thank fans for their support and thank the teams who made the game. "...And as we turn to the next chapter in our story, I want to thank everyone who helped bring Disney Infinity to life, particularly Disney’s Glendale-based production and publishing teams, our external development partners, and of course the incredible Avalanche team for their tireless dedication to this project." According to the Wall Street Journal around 300 jobs have been axed at Avalanche. This doesn't necessarily mean the end of Disney games, as the company can still license out titles to other developers and publishers. Were you one of Infinity's many fans? How do you feel about the end of the franchise? Let us know in the forums. Rainbow Six Siege’s roster is set to expand this week with the addition of two new operators. Valkyrie has the ability to deploy up to four “Black Eye” Gyro Cam Mk2s - sticky cameras that give team members a handy view of the surrounding area, while Blackbeard can make use of the TARS Mk 0 - a bullet proof shield that attaches to a primary weapon offering greater protection from headshots without reducing visibility. The new map, Border, will be available to all players for free and features a mix of old and new buildings with plenty of open air pathways, and according to Ubisoft it will be “the most destructible and open map to date.” Take a look at the two operators in action on Border in the trailer below. As with the previous Siege expansion, Operation Black Ice, Season Pass holders will have instant access to the two new operators, with other players able to unlock them with Renown Points or R6 Credits from 18 May.
Also included in the expansion are a number of updates to the gameplay experience and tweaks to existing operators.
The complete and rather sizeable list of updates can be viewed in their entirety here. Operation Dust Line will also add a few more cosmetic features, such as new weapon skins, head gear and the addition of ‘charms’ - weapon decorations that include miniature operators, Rainbow 6 medals, and even a unicorn. Lastly, a winning showcase will be added to the end of matches, with the victorious team’s operators getting to lord it over their vanquished opponents, and there will also be an MVP named. Let us know your thoughts on Rainbow Six Siege’s latest expansion over in the forums. Yesterday, DICE and EA revealed the next instalment in their Battlefield franchise will be set during WW1. Check out the impressive reveal trailer below. When it comes to multiplayer, one of the defining features of Battlefield has always been the vehicular combat, and Battlefield 1 looks to continue this trend by giving players access to battleships, bi-planes, the first ever tanks, and even cavalry, with up to 64 players supported in massive online battles.
Battlefield 1 will also feature a Persistent Squad System, meaning four players can form a squad and enter matchmaking as a team to be certain they’ll be playing together. As well as the expected bolt-action rifles, artillery, and bayonets, some of the other weapons available will include flamethrowers, spiked melee clubs, shovels, rapiers and early machine guns. The game will also make use of gas masks to counter mustard gas attacks, or players can avoid the hazardous chemicals altogether by trying to find another path around them. There’s even a soldier wearing what appears to be plate armour and wielding a machine gun briefly seen during the trailer. Despite WW1 being largely known for trench warfare, DICE say Battlefield 1’s campaign will feature a number of war zones from across the world, from close-quarters urban warfare in French villages, to more open areas such as the Italian alps and the Arabian desert. DICE Senior Producer Aleksander Grøndal had this to say about Battlefield 1: “The game will deliver a fresh experience full of what makes Battlefield great, with a multiplayer sandbox, immersion, epic scale, authenticity, team play and an ever-changing world full of unexpected Battlefield moments. We’re inviting players on an epic journey across a war-torn world, taking them to the Great War and providing something both varied and unique in Battlefield 1.” An open beta was also confirmed for the game, although not when it would take place. DICE are, however, offering early access to the beta to people who sign up to their Battlefield Insider program. Those attending the upcoming EA Play events, taking place on 12 June in Los Angeles and London, will get to see the first public gameplay footage of Battlefield 1, as well as getting the chance to go hands on with DICE’s shooter for themselves. A Collector’s Edition of the game is already on sale which includes a statue, steel book, cloth poster, playing cards, an exclusive patch and a messenger pigeon tube with exclusive DLC content. There’s also an Early Enlisters Deluxe Edition for those who want to play the game three days ahead of release. Other bonuses for this edition include the Red Baron Pack, Laurence of Arabia Pack, Harlem Hellfighter Pack and three vehicle skins. Anyone with an EA Access or Origins Access will also be granted early access to the game for a limited time. Battlefield 1 will release on 21 October on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Let us know your thoughts on the game over in the forums. Doom is almost here. To get you in the mood for some demon slaying, Bethesda have released a launch trailer with a hefty dose of gameplay, with brutal takedowns and big guns slaying even bigger enemies on show. Doom releases 13 May on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Be sure to check out what Rob thought of the recent multiplayer beta for an idea of how id Software’s reboot of the famous franchise is shaping up. Will you be picking up Doom next week? Let us know your thoughts over in the forums. As most of you are probably aware, yesterday was Star Wars Day. The news was announced by EA’s Executive Vice President Patrick Söderlund:
“Today, I’m thrilled to be able to announce that EA and the talented team at Respawn Entertainment have expanded our relationship to include the development of an all-new 3rd person action adventure game set in the Star Wars universe. They join our other great studios – Visceral Games, DICE, Capital Games, BioWare, Motive and more – who are currently working on Star Wars projects.” There’s little information known about the project currently under way at Respawn, other than it’s being led by Stig Asmussen, whose credentials include directing God of War 3. Asmussen took to a blog post on Respawn’s site to speak about his delight at being able to work on a brand new Star Wars game, and talked about how the Titanfall developer plans to stay true to the Star Wars legacy: “The entire company erupted in cheers when it was announced that this would be our next endeavour… but it’s not all fun and games — we promise to pay respect to the Star Wars legacy at all times, a fact that will be constantly reinforced and honoured as a central game design tenet.” As well as the newly announced Star Wars project, Respawn Entertainment are also working on a sequel to their debut game, Titanfall, with a reveal planned for 12 June. Let us know your thoughts on what Respawn’s Star Wars game could be about over in the forums. Far Harbor will be coming to Fallout 4 later this month, with Bethesda confirming the expansion will be available to download from 19 May on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Take a look for yourself in the trailer below. The largest landmass added to any Bethesda game via DLC, Far Harbor will feature new settlements, faction quests, enemies and dungeons, as well as giving players the chance to become more powerful via higher-level weapons and armour.
Far Harbor is the third DLC added to Fallout 4 after Automatron and Wasteland Workshop were released earlier this year, all of which are included in the game’s Season Pass. A Creation Kit allowing players to apply various mods to Fallout 4 was recently made available for free and is currently in open beta on PC, with consoles also receiving access to mods in the next couple of months. Let us know your thoughts on Fallout 4’s latest DLC over in the forums. Dishonored 2 release date confirmed4/5/2016 Bethesda have confirmed Dishonored 2 will launch on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 11 November. Here's that announcement trailer again. Not only is there a new setting, but you'll be able to choose your character this time around, either stepping into the shoes of Corvo Attano again or playing as Empress Emily Kaldwin, who has her own unique set of supernatural powers. Emily has grown up considerably since we last saw her; she's no longer the vulnerable little girl you once rescued. 15 years of education and training from Corvo, a master assassin, has honed her skills, making her more than capable of fighting off any would-be kidnappers. For more info about Emily and how the events of the previous game have shaped her life, you can watch this interview with Arkane Studios’ Co-Creative Director, Harvey Smith. Expect more information to come after the gameplay premiere in June.
Excited about the sequel? Who will you play as, Emily or Corvo? Let us know in the forums. |
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