Monthly Archives: January 2018
WoW: Battle For Azeroth Expansion Drops This Summer
Blizzard has finally confirmed a release window for World of Warcraft's next expansion, Battle for Azeroth, which is expected to drop this summer.
That's still a bit vague, what with the last Friday of the season falling on September 21, but the good news is pre-orders are now live.
Players who pre-order receive an immediate level 110 character boost, and can "begin the journey to unlock the expansion’s new playable Allied Races," Blizzard confirmed in an update.
UK Daily Deals: Xbox One X 1TB With Extra Controller, PUBG and Tom Clancy’s The Division for £450
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Xbox One X With Two Games and a Controller for £450
Snag the hottest Xbox One X deal at Argos and save £104.97. Not only will you get an Xbox One X 1TB console, but also Tom Clancy's The Division, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and an extra controller in orange or pink. You need to add everything to your basket separately via the below links.
Vermintide 2 Overhauls Loot System From First Game
Fatshark's sequel to Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide was announced last year and some big gameplay changes are planned for the sequel, including some much-needed improvements to the loot system.
In an interview with PC Gamer, game designer and producer Victor Magnuson said a lot of players felt the loot system in the first game was "too harsh or hard to get good loot." Despite addressing as many of the concerns as they could, ultimately their hands were tied because some elements "were inherent to how the system was built from the start."
Nintendo Switch Outsells Wii U Lifetime Sales in 10 Months
Nintendo's latest console has already outsold the Wii U - and in less than a year, shifting over 14 million units since its March 2017 launch, compared to the Wii U's 13.5 million lifetime sales.
The company's financials are a rousing tale of the Switch's success, which is the fastest-selling home console in US history, and managed to sell a whopping 7.23 million units in the last quarter alone, reaching 14.86 million consoles sold at the end of December.
Australian Government Finally Responds to 2016 Aussie Games Industry Report
The Australian Government has finally issued its response to the 2016 Senate Environment and Communications References Committee report on the future of Australia’s video game development industry.
The brief, 14-page response, which is littered with blank pages and white space, addresses the original report’s eight recommendations. Only one was supported “in principle” (a recommendation that the government should facilitate dialogue between the video game industry and other groups that could potentially benefit from the production of so-called ‘serious games’, like health care, education, and other sectors) but the government stressed that “it considers such developments are an initiative for industry to pursue.”
Looking Back at the Hearthstone World Championship: 5 Next Level Plays
The recent Hearthstone World Championship finals in Amsterdam saw the top 16 players in the world fight it out over four days of competition. There were some absolutely unbelievable games and series’, and while many of the players brought very familiar line-ups, the sheer skill and depth of knowledge on display ensured that it was hugely entertaining.
With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to highlight some of the plays that most impressed me while watching the tournament. These aren’t meant to be definitively the best. Instead, they’re an insight into the high level thinking of the top players, and also a good way for more casual Hearthstone fans to appreciate the incredible depth that this game offers. (More experienced fans can probably skip each “background” section below.)
Watchmen TV Pilot to Be Helmed by Leftovers’ Nicole Kassell
Nicole Kassell has been brought on board to direct the pilot of HBO's potential Watchmen series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kassell will executive produce the project alongside showrunner Damon Lindelof, who is also writing the script.
This isn't the first time Kassell has worked with Lindelof, as she directed a couple episodes of Lindelof's critically acclaimed HBO series The Leftovers. Check out IGN's "No Room at the Inn" and "It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World" reviews for our thoughts on her work. Kassell's directorial credits encompass a number of other shows, including Westworld, Vinyl, The Americans, Better Call Saul, and Castle Rock.
Overwatch League’s Best-Selling Jersey Is Shanghai Dragons
The Overwatch League jersey for the Shanghai Dragons appears to currently be the favorite among fans.
When sorted by "best selling" on the official Blizzard Gear Store, the top 10 Overwatch League jerseys are ranked in the following fashion:
1. Shanghai Dragons2. LA Gladiators
3. Dallas Fuel
4. Philadelphia Fusion
5. LA Valiant
6. Florida Mayhem
7. SF Shock
8. Houston Outlaws
9. NY Excelsior
10. Seoul Dynasty
There are a total of 12 different jerseys available for purchase on Blizzard's store. Check out the gallery below for a look at each one.
Respawn’s Star Wars Game Could Come by March 2020
Though EA hasn't announced definitive plans for the future of its Star Wars games and their releases, the company's executives offered some idea of when players might expect Respawn's upcoming action game, as well as the next Star Wars Battlefront sequel.
Speaking during today's EA Q3 2018 earnings call, EA's CEO Andrew Wilson and CFO Blake Jorgensen discussed the future of the company's Star Wars games. Specifically in regard to Respawn's already announced Star Wars game, Jorgensen said, while EA has "not announced our products for fiscal
yet," Respawn's title "most likely will drop in Fiscal 20 versus another
Battlefront."
Fiscal years are offset from the calendar year. Fiscal Year 2020 would not kick in until April 1, 2019, with an end on March 31, 2020. That fiscal year would be the timeframe EA is projecting, though not necessarily defining as exactly when Respawn's Star Wars title may be released.
Cloud9 Becomes First North American Team to Win a CS:GO Major
Following a series of massive upsets, North American Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team Cloud9 won the ELeague Boston Major 2018. This is the first time that a North American team has won a CS:GO Major.
This is also only the second time an NA team has made it to the grand finals of any Major, after Team Liquid lost in the finals of ESL One Cologne 2016. What’s more, this Cloud9 roster had previously never even made it to a top eight of a Major tournament.
To achieve the feat, Cloud9 defeated arguably three of best teams in the world during their playoff run, bringing down G2 Esports in the quarterfinals and SK Gaming in the semis. All three playoff wins were considered upsets.