Monthly Archives: June 2018
Amy Hennig Confirms She Left EA in January
Amy Hennig, known for her work on the Uncharted series, has officially confirmed that she is no longer with EA and that she has begun building an independent studio.
This news comes from Eurogamer, who interviewed Hennig at the Gamelab conference in Barcelona. Hennig confirmed that she left EA back in January, though she hasn't had the chance to officially announce her departure.
"I have not worked at EA since January, technically, legally," said Hennig. "I get along with all those people, I consider even the guys on the exec team friends. I never got the chance to announce that I'm not at EA so I need to just pull off that band-aid at some point - but also had nothing to announce. It makes it sound like I just went home! But I'm doing all this stuff, working on all kinds of things."
Xbox Games With Gold for July 2018 Announced
The lineup of games available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers in July 2018 has been revealed.
Per Xbox Wire, the following titles will be available to download for Xbox Live Gold members next month:
- Assault Android Cactus - July 1-31 (Xbox One)
- Death Squared - July 16-August 15 (Xbox One)
- Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown - July 1-15 (Xbox 360, Xbox One)
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction - July 16-31 (Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Assault Android Cactus is a twin-stick shooter first released in 2015. Players assume the role of an android cop as you blast a variety of enemies while protecting your spaceship. The game features a storyline and mulitplayer. We scored Assault Android Cactus an 8.8.
Incredibles 2 Crosses $500 Million at Worldwide Box Office
Incredibles 2 continues to prove to be a major box office success for Disney and Pixar.
Per Box Office Mojo, the animated sequel has now surpassed $500 million worldwide, earning an estimated $508 million. It's now the third highest-grossing film domestically of the year with $373 million earned, only trailing behind Avengers: Infinity War ($670 million) and Black Panther ($699 million).
Incredibles 2 has also now passed Solo: A Star Wars Story's total gross in just two weeks. The standalone Star Wars film only managed to make an estimated $355 million worldwide since it opened in theaters back in late May, according to Box Office Mojo.
Halo TV Series Finally Coming to Showtime in 2019
Halo is finally coming to TV. Showtime has announced a series pickup for a live-action adaptation of the epic Xbox game franchise (under the working title of "Halo"), with Kyle Killen (Awake) serving as executive producer, writer, and showrunner. Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt will helm multiple episodes and also executive produce.
The scripted drama will feature 10 hour-long episodes in its first season, and is expected to begin production in early 2019. According to Showtime, the adaptation of Halo "will take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001, dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. Halo will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future."
State of Decay 2 Gets Independence Pack DLC
State of Decay 2 is celebrating a new player milestone with a new DLC pack, available now for players on PC and Xbox One.
Microsoft revealed today that, after surpassing three million players, Undead Labs has released the Independence Pack DLC, which costs $4.99 includes new weapons, vehicles, supplies, and fireworks.
The pack is available now on Xbox One and PC and also includes zombies dressed up in American Revolution garb, allowing for what Microsoft describes as "history that you can blow up...with fireworks." The full content includes:
Where to Buy PlayStation Hits, Sony’s Budget PS4 Classic Game Line-Up
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Last week, Sony announced PlayStation Hits, classic PS4 games at a new, low price point of $19.99. The new branding is officially live today, with 15 games available as part of the new PlayStation Hits line-up, and more games promised for the future.
It's a little bit confusing, because some of the games still aren't at the $19.99 price point if you buy the physical disc. Specifically, Yakuza Kiwami hasn't fallen in price for the physical version (Walmart lists it at almost $40 right now, for example). Weirder still, some retailers don't have them in stock at all. This list will change as those discount red-cased classics come into stock, and as more games are added to the PlayStation Hits line-up.
Pokemon Let’s Go Screenshots Show Off Pokemon Cosmetic Customization
New Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee screenshots show some of the customization options for the eponymous pocket monsters.
Pikachu and Eevee can apparently wear items like flowers and ribbons that can be affixed to their tail, body, and ears. Check the screenshots out below.
The screenshots were shared on the official Japanese website along with a short video of Pikachu and Eevee sporting their accoutrements, via Serebii.
The two titles are not a part of the core series of Pokemon games, but they do share some of the same features, as well as a number of similarities to Pokemon Go, with which the game is compatible.
Obsidian Open to Other Developers Doing Pillars of Eternity Games
For Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire director Josh Sawyer, one of the most valuable things a game company can hold onto isn’t just its employees or the hardware it develops, but the original worlds they create that can be used throughout the future to create different games. In this month’s IGN Unfiltered, Sawyer says that Obsidian is open to the idea of other developers using the Pillars of Eternity IP to create their own games set within the same universe.
“I as an individual designer, I try not to design outside the boundaries of what we're actually putting in the games because I want other teams and other designers
-- or heck, maybe someone would license this from us,” Sawyer says, citing a hypothetical Pillars of Eternity tactics-based game as an idea that Obsidian might not have the interest in or means to produce itself. Sawyer suggests that a different developer could possibly license the Pillars of Eternity IP and software to start their own project.
Fortnite’s Playground Mode Planned to Return Today
Epic Games is aiming to re-release the Playground limited time mode in Fortnite later today.
Over on Reddit, the Fortnite developer gave a brief overview of why Playground was pulled yesterday and the new release plans for the mode. "So many of you rushed in
to create and play that our matchmaking service fell over," Epic stated. "We’ve since separated the Playground matchmaker from the one that affects the default modes and made large improvements to assist with the number of players.
"We plan to push these changes and improvements live later today to bring the Playground LTM back online."
First Look at DC’s New Streaming Service, From Titans to Young Justice
Digital streaming platforms are a dime a dozen these days, but DC Entertainment's new subscription service aims to be more than just another TV network vying for your loyalty - DC Universe is positioning itself as a one-stop shop for all your comic book obsessions; not just a place to watch exclusive new shows (and revisit beloved old ones), but also to dig into a library of classic movies, keep up with your comics pull list, and connect with fellow fans, all in one place. It's a model that Disney is also hoping to utilize with its own streaming service, reportedly launching next year, as more content creators rush to provide their shows and movies direct to viewers, cutting out the need for pricey cable subscriptions.