Eugene Schmidt

Freelance journalist and part-time gamer. I specialize in indie games as I think they don't get the attention they deserve. I'm just your typical consumer who has some opinions to share. I've been reviewing games since I was 12. I started out reviewing them with friends on old forums that now no longer exist. Then I went to online VoDs, which I've lost interest in. And now I'm here to deliver my thoughts in written format!

Phil Spencer negotiating with Japanese creators to bring games to the States

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Phil Spencer negotiating with Japanese creators to bring games to the States 1

Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, is over in Japan right now. But not for leisure- he’s actually responding to the drove of fan requests wanting to play Japanese games on the Xbox One (actually, probably a little bit of leisure). He’s meeting with developers, publishers, and other key figures in order to talk about bringing these much sought-after titles over to the west.

Often, Japanese games are presented during conferences like E3, but players in the rest of the world can only see what they can’t have. Every now and then, we get the odd port and translation, but we miss out on the AAA stuff.

Spencer mentioned in a tweet that he’s going back to Japan for more meetings. He plans to negotiate with local Japanese game devs and pubs to talk about game development and reveal the progress he’s made with local game creators.

Spencer says that he’s already been “making progress with creators” in Japan, so just from that, we can take away that there’s some hope for Japanese titles to finally be released in States.

He’s not doing this solo, either. Xbox Games Marketing General Manager, Aaron Greenberg, talked about similar concepts during an interview at Gamescom 2018. This is good news for those who have been wanting to get their control sticks on a copy of Powerstone.

Japan’s Xbox presence isn’t nearly as strong as the rest of the world, and Japanese gamers tend to stick to Sony, so there aren’t really that many exciting titles. Regardless, it may be an attempt to stay competitive for the PS5’s launch, where Sony is rumored to go all out- complete with backward emulation alongside other features.

Nightdive releases October update for System Shock remake

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Nightdive releases October update for System Shock remake 2

Nightdive Studios’ System Shock remake is making some excellent progress even with the few obstacles the studio has encountered this year. Stephen Kick, CEO of Nightdive, talked about some development issues they were going through.

They had to pause everything and reevaluate their approach for this remake- possibly straying from their previous path. Then, after a long hiatus, they went back on track with their original plan.

The October update for the remake looked pretty good. Fans who backed the project got a small taste of the final remake- they were able to roam around Citadel Station’s retro environment and do a variety of basic things like “pick up items, listen to audio logs, read emails and complete the game’s objectives from start to finish.”

Although this isn’t that impressive for a game that’s been in development with crowdfunded capital for so long, it’s still progress given that they’ve had some turmoil over the past year or so.

The update was posted by Kick, and he stated the following:

“We launched the Adventure last week to the first round of backers and so far the reception has been extremely positive! Our dedicated group of Adventurers helped us track down a number of issues such as malfunctioning doors, missing key cards, holes in the geometry that lead to the infinite void of space, etc! We’ve been hard at work patching up the issues and will be pushing a new build today and will be selecting more backers to join in!”

Players could view a screenshot of various objects in Citadel Station, such as doors and walls. Compared to the original game, the remake looks amazing. Nightdive has remained true to the original System Shock even when the graphics are rendered in Unreal Engine 4.

Backers will be getting an invite the System Shock remake alpha soon.

DC’s Arkham Universe: Next Batman game leaked?

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DC's Arkham Universe: Next Batman game leaked? 3

Batman: Arkham Knight was released three years ago, which seemed like a proper ending to the small series of titles. But recent reports have surfaced the web that Rocksteady may have another Batman game up its sleeve- and this time around, they’re going all in.

A post on Reddit two days ago contained a list of information about this next entry into the Batman series. The account is now wiped, but an archive set up at ResetEra compiled everything about this title. From the information, we gathered that it’s set to be announced at X018, which takes place next month.

The title of the game is speculated to be called DC’s Arkham Universe. The game will be quite different from the previous game, with a focus on multiplayer and multiple playable characters than any of the previous Arkham games. The whole lineup from the Batman series is in, with Tim Drake as Robin, Nightwing, Batwoman, Batgirl, and more.

Arkham Universe will be about 1.5 times the size of the Gotham in Arkham Knight with complete neighborhoods and areas going under complete overhauls in order to make the city more live and persistent. The gameplay will be similar to the previous games with the co-op mode to allow special abilities and takedowns complete with stealth segments which have players working together to avoid danger and combat segments which have them bashing baddies as a team.

Characters in this game will also move much faster than previous titles. The storyline is inspired by the many Court of Owls storylines and the Batcave is present as a main hub for the player to upgrade, change characters, and take on new missions and game modes.

DC’s Arkham Universe is scheduled for release in Fall 2019 for PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox One X, and PC. No word on Nintendo Switch yet. Stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks as we’ll quickly learn if this is real or just a rude Joker.

This is the original post (archived via ResetEra):

“Let me start off by saying that Rocksteady isn’t making that Harry Potter game. That’s Avalanche Software, WB’s new studio they purchased last year. To all those who were hoping that Rocksteady was moving on from the Arkhamverse and making a different type of DC game, I’m sorry, but they aren’t. There’s no Justice League or Superman game in development.
Rocksteady’s new multiplayer Batman game is scheduled to get announced at X018. Here’s everything I know:

  • Title: DC’s Arkham Universe
  • Release Date: Fall 2019
  • Current Gen: XB1/1X/PS4/PS4Pro/PC
  • Single player/Co-op/Multiplayer(specific modes)
  • Characters include the entire Batfamily: Batman, Robin(Tim), Nightwing, Batgirl, Batwoman, Catwoman, Red Hood
  • Gotham is about 1.5x the size of AK. Districts and neighborhoods have gone through complete overhaul.
  • Gotham is now a “living, breathing city”
  • Set Time of Day/Weather(Rain,Overcast,Snow)
  • There are random crimes such as car chases, bank robberies, muggings, and so forth.
  • Main Villain: Court of Owls
  • Story takes inspiration from the different Court of Owls storylines.
  • Every character is available in free roam.
  • Batman has a redesigned Batmobile(transport only) and the other characters have their cycles
  • Batcave serves as main hub for upgrades, character swaps, new missions, game modes
  • Game plays similar to past Arkham games, but there are new options for co-op: Dual takedowns in combat/stealth.
  • Stealth segments make you work together
  • Parkour has been expanded. Characters move a lot quicker and more fluid.
  • Main gadgets are the same except for a couple new additions.
  • New enemy types include Talons and Pilots(enemies that hover the battlefield, you have to either use a gadget or dual takedown to get them down)
  • Talons are the same as the ninja types from Arkham Knight. They can counter your counters and also have their own gadgets(knife, throwing knife)
  • Game takes place in the Arkhamverse, obviously
  • This is supposed to be Rocksteady’s true “last hoorah” of Batman games.”

Skybound Games takes over Telltale’s The Walking Dead: The Final Season

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Skybound Games takes over Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season 4

Skybound Games is jumping to rescue Telltale Game’s The Walking Dead: The Final Season.

After the first announcement that Telltale is going out of business and being left with a skeletal staff of about two dozen employees, followed by the tweet that said they were all laid off a few weeks later, Telltale has pretty much abandoned its development of their final project.

Now, Skybound Games has stepped in and announced on Twitter that they’ve reached a deal with Telltale and going to “wrap up Clem’s story right!”

Skybound Studios was the original creator of The Walking Dead. Founded by Robert Kirkman, the company was established and made the deal with Telltale. Now, they’ll be taking over the publishing and development of the game and trying to continue the previous Telltale influences to the game by “ensuring” that the dev team completes the story. Kirkman, at Comic-Con facing a New York audience:

“We’ve successfully negotiated with Telltale Games for our company Skybound to come in and see Season 4 of the Telltale game to completion, we can’t lose Andrew Lincoln and Clementine in the same year.”

A different team taking over the reins could mean a vastly different second half of the game. So it makes sense to use the same group of developers.

Skybound Entertainment was originally founded in 2010 and helped develop titles for film, games, and TV. They worked on projects like Overkill’s The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Road to Survival, and The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners were all published by them.

Skybound Games was then created in order to make it easier to develop video games, which has now taken over Telltale’s project. Fans can now rejoice that they’ll get to finish the game, even if it means another company has to complete it.

CoD: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode will have 120 FPS Cap; Pre-load details

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CoD: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode will have 120 FPS Cap; Pre-load details 5

With Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on the way, releasing on October 12th, PC fans have been debating about when the pre-load launch would be available and what FPS the Blackout mode would be running on launch day. Hardcore fans want the details, and we’ve done some research to find out some of this prized and glorious detail.

The PC pre-load will go live on Tuesday, October 9th. The game will be available on the Battle.net launcher for the first time in the history of the CoD series.

Treyarch also confirmed that the FPS cap will be a decent 120 FPS on PC. Although this may not appeal to those 240Hz gamers, it’s still decent for the majority of players. Treyarch will likely raise the cap (or uncap it) later on. This is to ensure server stability and prevent lag and crashes rather than getting players the best-looking gameplay.

Update: Treyarch plans to raise the cap to 144 FPS when the servers become stable and then uncap it after the first few days of launch.

Fans of the regular multiplayer modes will be running uncapped as soon as the game launches. This only applies to Blackout.

CoD: BO4 is the first game in the series to not have a single-player mode, as fans dig the multiplayer and that’s what Treyarch is focusing on.

Here’s a copy of the announcement from Treyarch regarding FPS and pre-load on PC:

Black Ops 4 Launch on PC

October 12th is rapidly approaching – not fast enough, we know. We can’t wait to get the game in your hands either. We’ve been working really hard together with our partners at Beenox, to optimize the game on PC in preparation for day 1 and beyond.

Over the last few weeks, there are a few questions that have risen to the top of your list, so we’d like to get to them here…

Pre-Loading: Players who have pre-ordered via Battle.net can begin pre-loading on Tuesday, October 9 (PDT).

Blackout on PC: We’re really looking forward to players dropping into Blackout on day 1 – we’ve made a number of updates to the game, all based on your feedback, and we can’t wait to show you how hard we’ve been at work. One thing we’ve seen and heard people ask about is the PC framerate…

Part of our commitment to the PC is to support uncapped framerate in the game.

During the Blackout Beta, we made the decision to cap it at 90fps to monitor performance and online stability. The reason for this approach was that as a Beta we had a lot of testing to do. It made sense for getting the game right for the whole community, and we were happy with the end result and the data we pulled from this approach.

We’ve come a long way since the Beta, thanks to all your feedback, but we still want to roll things out carefully.

Since the framerate affects the load on the servers, we want to ensure that the game delivers a great playable experience for everyone who dives in those first moments.

So, our plan: 

• At launch, we will start Blackout with a 120fps cap on PC

• Ensure the moment the game launches that it has high stability for every player

• Raise to 144fps as soon as the servers are stable

• And assuming all looks good, enable uncapped framerates within the first few days (Zombies and Multiplayer modes will be uncapped starting immediately on day 1.

This is the right plan to ensure a smooth, playable game for the whole community out of the gate.

As always, we are listening and hear you loud and clear. Please share your feedback, and stay tuned for frequent updates on our progress here and on twitter @treyarchpc

/Rob

 

Fortnite’s Dark Bomber skin rolling out today; Epic Games “confirms” with tweet

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Fortnite's Dark Bomber skin rolling out today; Epic Games "confirms" with tweet 6

The Dark Bomber skin is a Fornite skin that was first teased on the loading screens of Fortnite Season 5’s Battle Pass. The skin is finally here after a month-long wait.

Dark Bomber is a doppelganger to the Bright Bomber that was first released to Fortnite back in January of this year. The skin has a lore connection to Kevin, the cube with a glowing aura that has been present in the past few weeks.

Other than that, no details were given, even with the loading screen that was first released last month. But Epic went ahead with a tweet on their Twitter account using a set of emoticons to signal the new Dark Bomber skin.

The clouds and lighting must be the opposite o the rainbow and sun. There’s no doubt about it hat’s they’re referring to the Dark Bomber skin that’s now going to finally be released. The comments range from excited remarks from fans already, which means that Epic is rolling in it. Fans can now purchase the Dark Bomber skin tonight during a launch with a Thunder Crash pickaxe and Dark Glyph glider, which were both detailed in the leaks earlier this week for the V6.01 patch notes.

The game shop updates in about 30 minutes from the time of this writing. Get ready for the slew of new, awesomely grotesque skin this patch. Here comes 6.01! Are you ready for some flashy, dark skins?

SoulCalibur VI: Inferno screenshots and character reveal trailer

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SoulCalibur VI: Inferno screenshots and character reveal trailer 7

Bandai Namco recently announced that the evil Inferno will be joining the roster of playable characters in SoulCalibur VI. To follow up with the burning news, the publisher released a press release with some artowkr and screenshots- to answer some burning questions from fans.

Inferno is the burning embodiment of Soul Edge’s will which is a fusion of many souls its absorbed in its evil lifetime. He has no goals, but he likes to fight and get more souls.

SoulCalibur VI: Inferno screenshots and character reveal trailer 8 SoulCalibur VI: Inferno screenshots and character reveal trailer 9

The screenshots released were more than concept art. They’re fleshed out and almost look like beta footage, but they better, because the game comes out in just a few weeks. The released artwork is likely the near-final concept of Inferno for the game. He’s shrouded by burning fire. The flames that surround him range from orange to purple and he’s definitely on fire.

You can get more info about the game from producer Motohiro Okubo on the current and past situation of the SoulCalibur titles and why the sixth game took so long to create. He was interviewed at Gamesom with DualShockers.

There are also rumors that one of the DLC characters could be a guest character from another franchise, specifically, Geralt from The Witcher series.

SoulCalibur VI rolls out on October 19th for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Solomon’s Key, Super Dodge Ball, Tournament Golf coming to Switch Online

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Solomon's Key, Super Dodge Ball, Tournament Golf coming to Switch Online 10

Nintendo Switch Online launched last month and we’re just a few weeks into the new service by Nintendo. The service allows players to save cloud games, play NES classic games, and play online- of course. A trio of new NES titles will be added to the online library on October 10th:

  • NES Open Tournament Golf
  • Solomon’s Key
  • Super Dodge Ball

Each game will have online multiplayer so players can compete against each other in these retro classics that were previously only local multiplayer capable.

NES Open Tournament Golf was released for the NES back in 1991 and a Famicom Disk System version was released in 1987 in Japan. This game was the predecessor for Mario Golf and allows you to play as Mario and Luigi across three courses with Donkey Kong as the accountant and Princess Peach and Daisy as golf caddies. Pretty cool, huh?

Solomon’s Key is a puzzler that came out in 1987 by Tecmo for the NES. Since then, it’s been available on every Virtual Console and the PS4 as an Arcade Archives game.

Super Dodge Ball is exactly what it sounds like. The game is a sports title released back in 1989 by Technos Japan Group for the NES. The game is based on the arcade cabinet of the same name and features a special “bean ball” mode where six players duke it out until only one remain. The game features the full roster of ten teams each with individually-named players respective to each team. This was a lesser-known title, but still was a blast to play.

Nintendo Switch Online can be paid for different lengths, but the yearly subscription is the best deal at $19.99. Buying the service allows players to purchase special NES Joy-Con controllers that work with the NES titles. They’re replicas of the classic NES controllers for some real retro gaming. You can get more details about Nintendo Switch Online here.

Harry Potter action RPG leaked; Game details and trailer

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Harry Potter action RPG leaked; Game details and trailer 11

A Harry Potter action RPG game has been rumored and news has been surfacing the web today. Harry Potter hasn’t made any headlines lately, but he’s back in an online video game that’s been leaked and the gameplay sounds pretty awesome with all the rumors surrounding so far. But then again, it’s all rumors and speculation at this point. The game could just be a cheap phone game for all we know.

The leak was posted on Reddit earlier today with some basic details that the upcoming game is an ARPG (action RPG) set in the 19th century and will allow you to create your own character with unique abilities. The plot is something along the lines of being accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but a late acceptance. From there, you carve your own adventure.

Here’s the post from the original Reddit thread:

Set in the 19th Century (1800s) Wizarding World, this third-person open-world action RPG game centers around your character with unique abilities who has earned a late acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are a newly arrived fifth-year student to Hogwarts that demonstrates a latent gift for magic with a unique ability to track and identify remnants of a pottant ancient power.

Upon arrival, strange events begin to materialize In the Forbidden Forrest and trouble begins to brew within the castle walls. Together with Professor Elezar Fig, you embark on a journey through both familiar and never before seen locations to bring to light the truth behind these mysterious occurrences.

On your quest you will craft potions, master new spells, and discover fantastical beasts, you will battle Dark Wizards, Goblins, and other supernatural enemies and uncover the truth about your destiny. The Fate of the Wizarding World lies in your hands.

And here are some key features from the game from the same post:

  • Journey to Hogwarts to become one of 8 different Wizard types.
  • Experience Hogwarts, make new friends, uncover new secrets, and change the fate of the Wizarding World.
  • Experience a new magic system that creates countless possibilities to master magic.
  • Freely explore the Wizarding World for the first time.
  • Choose your house and friends at Hogwarts, and decide to pursue a path of good or evil.
  • Create your own witch or wizard, and experience an all-new story separate from the books or films.

From this, we can assume it’s going to have online capabilities from the “make new friends” feature, unless they mean specifically through NPCs.

Warner Bros. Interactive was seeking senior writers back in 2017 for Avalanche Software with  “with a deep understanding of British culture and grammatical presentation,” which could mean that the Disney Infinity developer could be responsible for this game. Another theory is that this is being developed by RockSteady. Awesome online ARPG or cheap phone game? Who knows.

Here’s a video going around talking about the development of the game and some base concept footage:

https://youtu.be/2-HER1xKQl4

 

Super Hyperactive Ninja coming October 25th to the Switch

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Super Hyperactive Ninja coming October 25th to the Switch 12

The hyperactive platformer Super Hyperactive Ninja is making its way onto the Nintendo Switch.

After a release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, the game will be coming to the Switch on October 25th. Super Hyperactive Ninja is a game built for speedrunners where players control one of several ninjas that are fueled by society’s favorite energy beverage- a steaming cup of coffee!

You’ll have to speed through the many levels by jumping, running, and even wall-climbing as you try to collect all the cups of coffee before falling asleep. As you drink coffee, your ninja will enter Hyperactive Mode, which lets you run even faster and kill enemies even faster than your hyped-up self. Don’t run out of coffee or else the game’s over.

The game also has a one-on-one fighting mode that’s somewhat hidden. The mechanics of it is similar to Super Smash Bros where you fight on platforms rather than a sidescrolling fighter. The mode also has some guest characters like Aragami, Jack from Caveman Warriors, and Ice Cream Surfer’s Ace.

Here’s a trailer of the game:

Devil May Cry 5 will run at 4K and 60 frames per second

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Devil May Cry 5 will run at 4K and 60 frames per second 13

Devil May Cry 5‘s Matt Walker of Capcom just confirmed that the next-gen game will run at a smooth 4K 60FPS.

Many fans will be stoked. Running this visual glory at a smooth 60FPS for that silky-smooth and enjoyable experience would be amazing for fans of the long-running series. Now, it’s really coming this March 2019.

But the catch is that it really depends on what system you get the game on.

PS4 Pro owners won’t be able to play it native 4K. Capcom will be using the checkerboarding to upscale the resolution to 4K. But the 60FPS is true 60FPS. Combine that with upscaled 4K means a smooth, visually applying (just judging by the screenshots so far), and glorious gameplay experience. Whether or not DMC5 will offer a “performance” or “visuals” preference toggle is still unknown at this point in time. So basically, DMC5 will be PS4 Pro enhanced.

Xbox One owners have less information to go on at this point. It may get the same upscaled 4K, but the Xbox One X is already more than capable of running it at native 4K with 60FPS. At this point, we’ll have to only speculate that native 4K with 60 frames per second will be offered for the Xbox One X console, granted that the system has no issue handling the game.

PC players will likely get the naive 4K resolution with 60FPS (to no surprise).

Devil May Cry 5 rolls out March of 2019 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

Patch 1.06 is now live for Marvel’s Spider-Man – What’s new?

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Patch 1.06 is now live for Marvel's Spider-Man - What's new? 14

Marvel’s Spider-Man gets a new patch on the PS4 today. Insomniac Games has released patch version 1.06 and the download went live earlier today.

The patch varies in size, but the full patch notes are available on Reddit (and for your convenience, listed below). The game is still going strong in sales, especially in the UK, and there will be continual updates for the web-slinging hero and new DLC rolls out next month.

Here are the full patch notes:

New Features
-Added the option to invert the camera horizontally

Fixes & Updates
-Addressed an issue where the game could on load of a save game
-Addressed an issue where players could get stuck inside the Empire State Building spire
-Addressed various issues with Research Stations locking incorrectly
-Addressed an issue where puzzles would be locked out in the lab after investigating an audio recorder.
-Addressed a progression stopper when completing Demon Bases and quitting out of the end
-Addressed a progression stopper when knocking Mr. Negative out of the arena during his boss fight.
-Addressed a progression stopper during point launch tutorial
-Further improved stability
-Addressed various UI issues
-Addressed various animation pop issues
-Addressed various additional issues

Spider-Man was released this month and has been shattering records on the PS4- being the fastest-selling PS4 game of all time and beat out all other games for the PS4’s history. There have also been rumors of more Marvel games coming out due to the success of Spider-Man. This could be the beginning of something awesome.

Anyway, patch 1.06 went live today. Sign in and download the update and get your sling on!

Telltale may be releasing more episodes for The Walking Dead: The Final Season

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Telltale may be releasing more episodes for The Walking Dead: The Final Season 15

Last week’s news about Telltale shutting down its studio upset many fans who’ve experienced their narrative, cinematic, and storyline-driven works of art. One main concern was whether or not fans will be getting a continued work on their latest project The Walking Dead: The Final Season. Rumors were surfaced that the game would be abandoned from multiple reports, including Melissa Hutchison, Clementine’s VA.

A few hours ago, Telltale Games released a new statement and wrote that the game may end up getting a conclusion after all. Even though the studio will be shut down, multiple partners have approached the company offering help to allow them to finish their latest project that’s on the brink of a shutdown. Telltale said they hope to release episodes three and four later on in the coming future- or as they wrote, “in some form.”

This doesn’t mean that the final two episodes are confirmed. But it’s news for many who are looking for some confirmation that the company still has some hope for finishing their final project. Telltale said they’ll release more info soon.

Right now, The Walking Dead: The Final Season is still scheduled for release tomorrow on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Telltale Games on its final chapter – Possible shutdown imminent

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Telltale Games on its final chapter - Possible shutdown imminent 16

Telltale Games’ co-founder Kevin Bruner released a report earlier today where one of the studio’s co-founders has officially confirmed that the future for the studio behind epic, narrative-driven, emotional games such as The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead may be ending its final chapter- in other words, Telltale Games may be shutting down.

Kevin Bruner, the former co-founder of the company, posted a personal statement on his blog titled “Telltale closure” and goes over some of the issues the company has undergone, including huge layoffs and is in the thoughts of shutting down. Bruner said that the news comes from various sources that they’re shutting down due to financial struggles in the past few years. Bruner says:

“[He was] saddened at the loss of a studio that green-lit crazy ideas that no one else would consider [and] sometimes it seemed like we had more than we could handle but we stuck together and forged ahead”

Bruner is no longer working for the studio, but he cites very different visions between him and the company’s Board of Directors. He left over a year ago but notest hat he and the Board had different ideas for the direction to take the company and he also filed a lawsuit against Telltale seeking damages for his removal from the Board.

Sources say that the lawsuit is still ongoing between Bruner and Telltale, but his statement does cite various sources that Telltale is about to shut down with only a small staff remaining on the drawing board and is facing major financial struggles.

No official word has been reported from the official company at this time. Stay tuned for updates.

CoD: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode will have at least 100 players (possibly 115)

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CoD: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode will have at least 100 players (possibly 115) 17

The beta test period for Black Ops 4′s Blackout mode has officially ended. From more player feedback and game optimization, Treyarch has raised the player count to 100. Before, it started at 80. During the beta, it was raised to 88. Now, it’s finally at 100 players.

For the battle royale genre, 100 players is the norm. Treyarch understands that this is the sweet spot to be competitive with other popular battle royale games like Fortnite, so having 100 players will at least get their foot in the door, whether or not they plan to challenge the top dogs in the battle royale world.

After all, Blackout is just a piece of the pie for Black Ops 4 and isn’t the core gameplay. The game is still largely a tactical shooter with the Blackout mode being an alternative, experimental mode.

Treyarch seems to be happy with this number, especially on consoles where performance is an issue. They said they experiment with 115 players but didn’t confirm whether or not this will make the cut when the game launches officially next month. The beta was extended for an extra two hour period of time beyond its original scheduled time.

A few other changes were made before the beta was over.

For starters, the damage players receive from being outside the collapse in the map saw an increase. The Cargo plane will be harder to shoot down for airdrops- it’ll have increased HP and not take damage from regular bullets. The wingsuit also underwent some changes, as it can’t gain altitude at fast speeds and steep dives now and increased the time it takes to pull up from one.

Other fixes like players getting stuck, multiplay players spawning in the same location, collision detection, and killcam issues were also fixed. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 releases next month on the 12th of October.

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition “Internet Download Required” rumors debunked

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Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition "Internet Download Required" rumors debunked 18

Bandai Namco Entertainment recently announced that they’ll be releasing Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition on consoles and PC. This isn’t a remake, but rather a remaster of one of the best Tales games ever made- on par with Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Symphonia.  The Definitive Edition comes with new content and exclusives that will be only available in the remaster.

Just earlier today, they announced new premium and anniversary editions of the game for North America and Europe releases.

However, rumors started surfacing around the web from folks who noticed that the Nintendo Switch version had something “strange” about the box art for the North American Anniversary Bundle.

The speculation was that the Switch box art appears to have small disclaimer warning players that the game will require additional, mandatory download. These warnings appear on other Switch games like LA Noire and NBA 2K18 which read “Internet download and microSD card required” or a similar disclaimer.

What this means for the players is that they’ll have to get an external drive in order to download and play the game since it’s too large to fit onto the Switch’s cartridge. Cover art and game preservationists both also cringe at the fact that the game has a huge warning label over the box art.

After several Twitter users sent questions to the official Tales of Vesperia Twitter account, they replied that the EU Switch version won’t need an additional download as it’ll be sold on a 16GB Switch cartridge. If publishers use the larger carts, there won’t be a need for an SD card.

Soon after this confusion spread about, Bandai then clarified that the box art they released earlier today isn’t the final version and that the physical versions of the game across all regions will ship on a standard 16GB cartridge and won’t require any additional downloads in order to play the game. Fans were relieved.

Nintendo Switch Online: Required check-ins and no grace period?

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Best indie games. Ever. Nintendo shows off their list.

Nintendo just released an online FAQ page with updated information about their Nintendo Switch Online service. After a rather vague description that was released on Nintendo Direct, a much more detailed page was created to make some necessary clarifications. But the wording is still subject to interpretation.

For starters, it turns out that players will lose their cloud saves if they choose not to renew their Switch Online subscription. While some games, like NES games, will be available offline, there will be an online check-in with a frequency of once per week. This seems to be required or else access will be blocked to the game. A “check-in” is possibly required in order to preserve this data.

Compared with other consoles, cloud saves on Xbox One are completely free. PS4 requires a PS Plus subscription but players have half a year for players to access it should they choose to subscribe again within that grace period. The Switch seems to be the worst of the bunch- it costs cash to save to the cloud and possibly has no grace period.

After my Nintendo Switch Online membership expires, will my online save data and my Nintendo Entertainment System™ – Nintendo Switch Online data be erased?

Save data stored via the Save Data Cloud backup is available for as long as you have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership.

Can NES – Nintendo Switch Online games be played offline?

Yes, these games can be played offline for up to 7 days as long as you have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership.

As for classic NES games, the FAQ states that players will have offline access to the classic titles for seven days if the subscription is active. But doesn’t clarify on what exactly will be required- a check-in? However, data will be saved locally unless the user chooses to do so manually. An online subscription is still required in order to play the games.

Marvel’s Spider Man is the fastest-selling game in the UK right now

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Marvel's Spider Man is the fastest-selling game in the UK right now 19

Spider-Man was released last Friday, but the game already is shattering records in 2018- given that the holiday season is still yet to come. In the United Kingdom, the game licensed by Marvel is the fastest-selling game so far in all of 2018.

GameIndustry.biz reports that Marvel’s Spider-Man surpassed many other titles in sales, including Far Cry 5, which is the fastest-selling game in the UK on the scale of the entire year. Not to mention Far Cry 5 came out on multiple platforms including the PC, Xbox One, and PS4. And this game is just a PS4-only title. This was the same case with LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, which is another Marvel-branded title.

Spider-Man also sold twice the amount of units that God of War sold during launch back a few months ago. Given that the game continues to sell, it could be the best-selling PS4 game of 2018- provided that it beats out other popular titles coming out soon for the holiday season like Fallout 76, just to name one.

The previous game to shatter records was Call of Duty: WWII back in 2017. Spider-Man beat it out in terms of sales volume over time. However, these records only count physical game purchases at UK retailers. Digital sales are a whole other story, which would easily inflate the number to even greater extents.

Regardless, Marvel’s Spider-Man is currently the hottest selling game- if anyone asks.

Image: PlayStation.

 

Gone Home for Nintendo Switch includes real, licensed SNES titles

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Gone Home for Nintendo Switch includes real, licensed SNES titles 20

Gone Home fans will remember that the emotional and atmospheric indie game had some various NES cartridges (carts) scattered around the house that you explore. In the mid-90s time period, you play as a female character discovering and uncovering the ties between her and her friend.

You’ll find fitting objects that take place within the same slice of time, including older furniture, toys, and appliances. The SNES cartridges were blank, with no specific Nintendo games used on them as there was no licensing granted to the developer Fullbright.

However, for the Gone Home Switch release, players will be delighted to see that real SNES carts have replaced the fake carts. Some classic and fan-favorites have now taken the spotlight, including Donkey Kong Country, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Super Mario Kart.

Developer Steve Gaynor of Fullbright recently posted on Twitter confirming the licensing gig Nintendo has granted them. They’re now able to use real SNES games from the 90s to put in the Switch version of Gone Home.

Although it doesn’t do much to change the core gameplay, it’s like an easter egg for those who care.

Gone Home has been released on the Nintendo Switch last week. It’s available through the Nintendo eShop now. Pretty awesome of Nintendo to cooperate with Fullbright.

Thanks to liamdohertee for the featured image on this post!

WWE 2K19: Lana shows disapproval with her character’s outfit

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WWE 2K19: Lana shows disapproval with her character's outfit 21

Lana, the WWE wrestler is finally available as a playable character in WWE 2K19. The issue is, the real actual Lana seemed to be somewhat unhappy with her character’s attire in-game.

In previous titles, she was only selectable as a manager. Now, she can actually be used a wrestler the ring which is pretty awesome. 2K Games announced that Lana will be playable for the first time ever since it’s pretty exciting news.

Lana’s character model wears an attire she never once wore inside the ring. It’s an attire she wore during a photoshoot when the WWE were partying Oscar-nominated shows/movies. Lana was parodying Margot Robbie’s “I, Tonya” based on the ice skater Tonya Harding. Lana then tweeted about it with disapproval and her rating score of 70:

This isn’t an issue because Lana and Lana fans will be able to change her attire in the game easily. 2K Games is just offering a preset costume, but the players will be able to use whatever they wish currently available in the skin pack.

2K Games may release an updated character attire before the game releases on October 9th for the PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

Forza Horizon 4 promo event in Australia goes all out

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Forza Horizon 4 promo event in Australia goes all out 22

Xbox Austraila is giving players the chance to play video games on a huge screen. To be exact, they’re giving players the chance to play on a movie screen, but limited to just one AAA game- Forza Horizon 4.

They announced all of the details regarding this earlier this week:

“Xbox is celebrating the launch of Forza Horizon 4 in Australia with a real-world Forza Horizon Drive-in Cinema!

For one night only, we are giving fans the chance to be amongst the first in Australia to explore the fourth addition to the open-world playground racing series. This event promises to be part car show, part game experience and part cinema.

Start your evening with a GamePlay session to trial the game or watch game demonstrations on the big screen, played live from a Forza McLaren 720S! Check out some demonstration vehicles from our partners at McLaren and Porsche and visit the OMEN Rig for some additional GamePlay opportunities. Then grab some food or movie snacks available for purchase from the Forza Diner, before settling back into your car for a screening of the award winning 2015 Action film Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Fans of the series will be the first in Australia to play through the game in a real-world Drive-in Cinema. Players will be able to play the game in a movie theater for one night only. They’ll be able to watch game demos live from a Forza McLaren 720S complete with food, movie snacks, and beverages followed by a screening of Mad Max: Fury Road.

Ben Penrose, Art Director for Playground Games, will also be at this event to answer fan questions. The event takes place at the Skyline Drive-In Blacktown on Septemeber 7th in Blacktown, Australia. Entry is $20 with a car and additional riders cost 410 per person. The game will release October 2nd for PC and Xbox One.

More details can be found here.

Pokemon Essentials shut down by Nintendo

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Pokemon Essentials shut down by Nintendo 23

Pokemon Essentials, a free fan-made mod, just got the axe from Nintendo.

It’s a game that was started back in 2007 and provided many tools that allowed developers to build a near true copy of a handheld Pokemon game. It had graphics, music, maps, and tilesets that were nearly identical to the original games. The toolset has been used many times in the past and created games like Pokemon Uranium. The community behind it was also huge- involving folks at the PokeCoummunity forum and a dedicated wiki, which has also been shut down via DMCA.

The shutdown was due to a copyright claim by Nintendo of America, according to a post on the PokeCommunity by a moderator who goes by Marin. Marin stated that everything related to Pokemon Essentials will no longer be distributed by the community, including derivate works like Essentials GS and Essentials DS which were used to create fan games like Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Pearl.

Marin also asked the community to not go after Nintendo and fight for the engine. He wants to keep this as a peaceful cease and desist:

 “Please don’t freak out about the claim.”

“There’s no reason to get angry with Nintendo or anyone else involved. It doesn’t need to be a bigger deal than it should be.”

The Verge also reports that a representative from the wiki stated the following:

“[The] fandom received a DMCA notice on behalf of Nintendo notifying us of content that was in violation of its copyright holdings. After carefully assessing the violations in regards to the Pokémon Essentials wiki, we came to a decision to take it down.”

We shouldn’t be surprised. Nintendo will aggressively protect their copyright from fan games or modified games. They’ve taken down games like Pokemon Uranium and the Metroid 2 remake AM2R. They’ve even attacked Game Jolt and GitHub for providing fan games in their databases and blocked HD remakes of games like Super Mario 64.

Alexa and Cortana integration slightly different than planned

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Alexa and Cortana integration slightly different than planned 24

Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa can now communicate and interact with one another. The collaboration between the two virtual assistants was announced in 2017 and was originally planned to be released in the same year. After some delay, it’s now possible to have them talk to each other.

Microsoft showed off how the integration would work at its Build conference earlier in 2018. The feature rolled out on the 15th of August and it seems to be a little different from what was demoed at the conference. Cortana devices (PC, Xbox, the exclusive Harman Kardon speaker) can launch Alexa by saying “Hey Cortana, open Alexa” to switch the user over to Alexa, which allows the user to shop, ask for the weather, and so on.

The opposite interaction on an Alexa to Cortana can be activated by saying “Alexa, open Cortana” which will launch Microsoft’s VA to launch your to-do list, check your calendar, or even check your emails.

Over time, we can expect that improvements will shorten the incantation users must say before interacting with the other device. If an Echo device would simply let you speak directly to Cortana and a Windows PC directly to Alexa without the switch, it’d be a lot more convenient for users without needing to affix the VA’s name.

After all, users need to say the name of the device they want t interacts with anyway- so why bother going through more hoops just to switch.

There have also been rumors that Windows PCs may ship with Alexa support in the near future.

Souce: ArsTechnica

Image: Amazon

Steam copies Discord’s chat system; Discord copies Steam’s store

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Steam copies Discord's chat system; Discord copies Steam's store 25

A few weeks ago, Steam rebuilt their chat system and added some features that looked like they were ripped right out of Discord. Now, the VoIP giant for gamers is retaliating by releasing a game distribution platform. That’s right, Discord now sells games.

The Discord Store is an experience that’s built by curated content that’ll automatically suggest games based on player interests. It’s like the Steam front page, but more personalized and catered for each individual player instead of the general population’s tastes. Discord staff curates the content that appears in the store in order to prevent Steam’s issue with game saturation and competition for virtual sell space.

Right now, players can buy a variety of games like Hollow Knight, Moonlighter, Starbound, This is the Police 2, The Banner Saga 3, and more.

Discord is making a bold move by competing directly with Steam, but they probably would’ve done so regardless of whether or not Steam copied their chat system’s layout and design.

The most interesting news is the First on Discord section. They plan to show off indie games they’ve helped support and develop and launch them exclusively only on Discord fora limited period of time. This is typically a period of 90 days before the game devs can sell it anywhere else, like Steam. Discord also takes 30% of sales just like the DRM giant. So far, the only game that’s premiering on this program is Bad North, an indie real-time roguelike. The post states:

“To be very clear, First on Discord games are temporarily exclusive. They’re literally first on Discord — usually 90 days and then the developers can sell anywhere else they want. This beta won’t have any First on Discord titles, but we’ll be showing off some soon.”

Discord Nitro is also getting revamped. Subs will see a curated list of popular titles picked by the staff, such as Super Meat Boy and System Shock Enhanced Edition. And the new Discord also has a Universal Library tab that scans your computer for games on all platforms like Steam, UPlay, and Discord itself. It then links them to this singular tab so you can play directly from Discord no matter where the game is housed. It’ll just launch the other launcher and then continue the game automatically.

Discord Store is currently in beta and will roll out worldwide slowly over time. It’s currently available to Canadian users only at a cap of 50K players. US players should soon be able to try out the full version.

Spyro Reginited Trilogy: Two games are DLC, what about the last?

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Spyro Reginited Trilogy: Two games are DLC, what about the last? 26

Spyro Reignited Trilogy will be releasing in about a month and fans will be able to return to familiar nostalgic locations like the Summer Forest or Artisan’s World. Their official Twitter account has been teasing fans with updated box art of the game.

A few changes were obvious on the official pre-order page compared to the older design.

For one, Spyro cover the majority of the face of the box with his face being zoomed in on a lot more than previously. Perhaps this will bring attention to fans who’ve wandered from the Spyro series and haven’t been keeping up with the news. Seeing the family purple dragon’s face may just get more sales for players who weren’t expecting another Spyro game to be rolling out- especially if they used to like the game. The background shows off the games included in the trilogy, with a selection of levels that represent their final bosses: Gnasty Gnorc, The Sorceress, and Ripto. This may bring back some nostalgia for older players who grew up with Spyro.

Spyro Reginited Trilogy: Two games are DLC, what about the last? 27

The design the art is also eager to let players know that will require content to be downloaded in order to play with a bold “requires content download” and a lesser-bold “original 3 games remastered.” Spyro’s horns divide the backdrop into their respective games with the logo and branding right in the middle. It’s hard to miss this title with the contrast of bright colors.

The latter two games will require an internet connection and fans seem to be taking this very negatively They’re asking why the physical release is necessary if 2/3 of the games are available via download. It could be single-use code or it’ll act like a patch for the game.

Activision Gameinformer received this response from the company:

“The global launch date of Spyro Reignited Trilogy is Sept. 21, and we’re excited for fans to play all three reignited games on that day, As with most games today, downloading an update after purchase is quite common. The language on packaging and on the web is to let players know the requirements for Spyro Reignited Trilogy.”

But then that means if the entire games will be downloaded, or if it’s a day one patch, or if the games are split between disc and download. Activision has done this before with games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater where only a portion is on the actual disc and the rest requires a download. The Twitter account also continues to release news about the trilogy, but as for actual details about the download situation, none yet.

Commodore 64 Mini (THEC64 Mini) launches on October 9th

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Commodore 64 Mini (THEC64 Mini) launches on October 9th 28

ThECE64 Mini (yes, that’s how it’s spelled), it’s coming out later in October. Like the Nintendo and Sega retro systems that have recently been released, the Commodore 64 is about to come out with its own spin on the retro take and jump on the bandwagon.

Based on a press release from the manufacturer, they’ve secured a release date of October 9th, 2018. It was first announced in 2017 and has now been updated with the confirmed release date.

For those who’ve never played with a Commodore 64 before, it’s a very complicated and fascinating setup. For starters, it was a home computer that used cartridges like you see in consoles like the SNES and NES. It also could run floppy discs. And it had a gigantic keyboard that had the ability to expand the capabilities of the system using add-ons. It also housed all the electronics of the system inside the keyboard, which explains the size.

PC gaming wasn’t really as mainstream as it nowadays during that time, so the C64 was one of the first systems to have a huge library of games for players to choose from and play inside the house. Some of these classics have now been ported to this system so players can experience a mini version one of the most popular computer systems ever built. For 90s kids, that’s hard to believe. But that was the case.

THEC64 Mini will come with 64 games and include a joystick. It’ll also have an HDMI cable for crisp retro gaming and USB cable for power. Updates for the computer will be uploaded via USB. There’s a flash drive attached to the Mini, which lets you add your own games to the device. They’re not as regularly as Nintendo it seems.

A number of retailers will carry the system and some already have it for pre-order. The North American version hasn’t announced any partners yet, but one can expect it to show up at GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, or even eBay for scalpers. A price hasn’t been annoyced either, but stay tuned for updates.

The Clone Wars gets a 12 episode commission on Disney’s streaming platform

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The Clone Wars gets a 12 episode commission on Disney's streaming platform 29

At this year’s Comic-Con, a panel celebrating the 10-year anniversary of The Clone Wars had a special announcement at the end of it- a surprise season of 12 episodes has been confirmed and commissioned to run on Disney’s streaming service which launches in 2019.

Back in 2003, there was the first animated series of the Clone Wars with Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2D take that ran until 2005 with a few Emmy awards in the process. The Clone Wars then came out in 2008, this time another fully-animated but 3D series of episodes developed by Dave Filoni which ran for 5 seasons on The Cartoon Network and got a final 6 episodes on Netflix in 2014.

Now that Disney is competing directly with Netflix and developing its own streaming platform, we’ll be getting another full season of 12 episodes. With Disney’s demonstration on Netflix, there’s definitely fan demand for their shows with its Marvel series.

Whether or not the 12 episodes will be reruns is unsure. Now that Disney has the own platform, they may create some original content. Besides The Clone Wars, there will be some live-action Star Wars directed by Jon Favreau that takes place somewhere between Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens.

It’s a good time to be a Star Wars fan.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance games pulled from digital stores

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Marvel: Ultimate Alliance games pulled from digital stores 30

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 have been pulled from all digital purchasing platforms- Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, and Steam. A user on Reddit reported the rude awakening earlier on the 26th.

This isn’t the first time Marvel games pulled a game from online stores. Deadpool is another example that’s exhibited this behavior multiple times already- twice from Steam and is still currently not available for purchase on the platform at the time of this writing.

The Marvel universe consists of many titles in many different series. It consists of big-name heroes, villains, and dozens upon dozens of lesser-known ones. The Ultimate Alliance games allowed players to team up fantasy selections of these characters and battle the villains. The games were known for their attention to detail, artwork, level system, and the game’s cosmetic costumes.

But regardless of these features, Ultimate Alliance and its Ultimate Alliance 2 can’t be purchased at the moment on those platforms. Players can still buy it in a bundle on HumbleBundle, but there’s no telling if and when it’ll be pulled from there also. If you’ve been thinking about getting this game, you should buy it now because it could disappear for some time if it’s anything like the Deadpool game. Seriously.

Pathfinder Kingmaker delayed – Announces editions and what’s included in each tier

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Pathfinder Kingmaker delayed - Announces editions and what's included in each tier 31

Pathfinder: Kingmaker developed by Owlcat Games has promised further updates for backers. It was delayed until September and the devs posted the plans for the extra content for the game, especially the pre-order versions of the game and clearing up confusion.

There will be 4 total versions of the game and each of them will include several goodies, like a Season Pass for major DLC after the game rolls out. The basic edition is called the Explorer Edition which consists of the base game and some minor DLC. It retails for $39.99. Next up is the Noble Edition which is priced at $54.99 and includes the base game, a digital art book, soundtrack, two in-game portraits, and some premium in-game items. The Royal Edition is next at $64.99 and comes with a digital map of the game’s world, Stolen Lands, and an in-game pet and tabletop RPG Adventure Module written by Chris Avellone.

The Imperial Edition is the biggest daddy of them all. Priced at $84.00, it comes with everything and the Season Pass. A lot of the game’s content will be released through several DLC packs, with 3 included in this edition. Backers have requested races, classes, and other content as there are no current details about what’s int he DLC packs. Owlcat will likely be adding these fan suggestions to the game.

Owlcat also points out that there will be about $40 of DLC. Backers who pledge $95 or more for beta access or $110 for pre-order sessions will get the season pass free.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is based on the Kingmaker Adventure Path and is the first real game made by Paizo with official rules. The game will launch in September for the PC.

Netflix may have hit its saturation point

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Netflix may have hit its saturation point 32

Netflix didn’t make its subscriber growth targets in the three months ending in June. It missed by about a million subscribers, which scared off some investors. There are rumors that the streaming giant may have finally hit a saturation point, where it strikes a balance between subscribers subscribing and subscribers leaving. In other words, Netflix has reached all the interested audiences available and there aren’t enough people to make any significant growth for the platform overall.

Following this missed target, the stock dropped a huge 14% as reported by the BBC. This came after an impressive run that the stock was gaining over the past year.

Currently, the giant as 130M subscribers globally and projected 6.2M, but only hit about 5.2M instead. The streaming service is expected to face even more competition in the coming year. HBO Chief Executive John Stankey told his employees that the company needs to move away from prestige-programming and focus on Netflix’s high-content volume strategy. Apple also plans to launch a competing streaming service that’s in direct competition with Netflix. Disney, which currently dominates Hollywood’s landscape in properties like Marvel and Star Wars and brands with high-value will launch its own streaming platform following Netflix.

Netflix currently accounts for 8% of TV viewing overall, but it’s nothing to consider a dominant force. It’s been an investor darling in the past and many who thought it would take over TV, but that’s not the case. Netflix is often thought of as the service that’ll take over cable, but the landscape is looking for something like the old cable model in a custom built your own package. Subscribe to your channels and pay a fee. It’s not possible to bundle all of it into a service and sell it for $15/mo like Netflix.

CEO Reed Hastings told investors that they can expect good news regarding frequency and length of viewing sessions. CNBC suggests that subscribers watch an average of 10 hours per week and traditional viewers watch 20 hours, with cable being the top dog.

Netflix will spend up to $8 producing TV shows and films this year. Several series are yet to be announced, but some include Disenchantment, House of Cards, and Making a Murderer.