Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee sells over 3M copies first week

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Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee sells over 3M copies first week 1

Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee has received a mix of both praise and criticism for changing the game formula. However, the new pair of titles in the Pokemon series is still doing well in sales numbers on the market. The initial sales of the games have been revealed through a tweet on the Japanese Twitter account @poke_times:

Now, we can see how the games performed, and it appears that the two Pokemon titles had a level of success on greater than expected. The tweet announced that Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee have collectively sold over 3M units in the first week of the game’s short history.

This is a very successful launch for the Pokemon series itself, which is still going after all these years, though isn’t as quite popular as before. The launch has now become the bets first-week release in the entirety of the Switch sales history.

However, the fact that the user base for the Nintendo Switch has grown since other games like Super Mario Odyssey and Zelda: BotW have definitely contributed to these sales figures for getting the users pooled together for the next major release.

Regardless, these two games are now the leader in week-one sales on the Nintendo Switch’s relatively short history. The only other game that I can see breaking this record in the coming weeks is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

We’ll report back to see how they compare soon after launch in early December. There’s a lot to be excited for Switch fans.

Rumor: Two new map variants coming to Black Ops 4; Firing Range Night, Seaside Sunset

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Rumor: Two new map variants coming to Black Ops 4; Firing Range Night, Seaside Sunset 2

Two new maps have been leaked and will be coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in the near future.

Well, they’re not exactly new maps, but rather, map variants. Variants are nothing new to CoD games, as Modern Warfare Remastered had multiple seasonal variants of game maps. This feature is also coming to BO4 as two new game files have been leaked from the game’s data.

Call of Duty fanatic NecrosCinema claims that a friend reported information about two new map variants added to the game after the latest Black Ops 4 update:

  • Firing Range Night
  • Seaside Sunset

From these map names, we can already see which newly modified maps and what variant they’ll receive. Firing Range will get a Night mode and Seaside will get a Sunset mode.

And he claims to have footage of these new variants. You can see the footage attached to the end of this post- straight from NerosCinema. There’s no set release date for these maps right now, but they’ll likely be going live soon enough because they’ve been added to the game already and there’s no point in keeping them there to hog up resources and make download unnecessarily lengthy for players, right?

These are the first few map variants in Blacks Ops 4, following the launch of Nuketown which is a whole new map released for all platforms last week- with PS4 owners getting the map a week ahead as part of a Sony/Activision deal.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is available on PS4, PC, and Xbox One and is now a little over a month old. You can check it out on Amazon here.

This post contains affiliate links where barrelrolled may receive a small commission upon sales. (This helps us feed our writers the good brand of ramen noodles rather than the generic, store brand.)

EA’s Origin software had a bug that could expose user data

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EA's Origin software had a bug that could expose user data 3

EA’s Origin software was found to have a bug that could allow malicious users to gain access to user account data.

The bug was found by a person named “beard” on Twitter, who’s a security researcher. Beard confirmed in an interview with ZDNet that they originally found this bug on October 1st. Apparently, when users try to edit their account details on EA.com using the Origin client, it’ll automatically generat3e an auto-login URL which has the users’ username and password in the URL. This is a practice that should obviously be avoided and isn’t exclusive to Origin. Many older sites and software use still use this method of authentication.

Usually, IP addresses or cookies are stored during the authentication, so no one can access the account other than the user. But in this exploit, the auto-login URL doesn’t use either of these processes, so the URL would work no matter who’s logging into the account. This could be an issue for users who access their account via WiFi that’s unsecured such as those in stores, malls, cafes, and anywhere else.

They can also be collected by bots without notice. This means anyone with the URL on any device could log in to the exploited user’s Origin account. Beard shows off a demo of the bug in action and says that attackers can access user info like real names, credit card last 4 digits, phone number digits, and more:

The article states that EA already knew about this bug earlier this month and worked on a fix, which was rolled out this month. They also report that no user data has been accessed through this bug. Regardless, be wary about sharing your information and always safeguard your data. Never give out more than you have to.

Media Molecule announces Dreams livestream; Public beta release date “later this year”

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Media Molecule announces Dreams livestream; Public beta release date "later this year" 4

Media Molecule, the company behind their upcoming project Dreams, has since faded behind the veils of “we’re working on something but we can’t tell you anything about it until we’re ready.” Besides the recent release of their Dreams recreation of a level in Little Big Planet, there hasn’t been much news about them. In fact, I already forgot about them until their “demo” came out to show off what their latest project is capable of.

They’ve announced that their Dreams game would get a public beta, but we haven’t heard anything in regards to when. It was originally dated back for 2016 and now it’s nearly 2019, and still no beta.

But in a post on their page (a very recent one), Media Molecule basically reaffirmed that the Dreams beta is still scheduled to roll out before 2018 is over. There will be a new upcoming stream for Dreams that’ll take place on November 28, with one of Media Molecule’s members creating a world that players can access during the beta that will occur later this year.

Media Molecule says that they won’t tell when the beta will launch during the stream, so if you’re one of the fans that have been waiting for the past 3 years, don’t hold your breath. You’ll be able to see the game in action during the stream (probably), but you won’t be able to play it until later when the beta rolls out. With only about a month left in 2018, you’ll get your hands on it soon enough on your PS4.

Dreams is scheduled to release (the full game) sometime in 2019 exclusively on the PS4. Stay tuned for updates regarding the beta test date.

Black Ops 4 major update 1.07; Weapon balancing, Nuketown, and bug fixes

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Black Ops 4 major update 1.07; Weapon balancing, Nuketown, and bug fixes 5

Another huge update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has been dropped today that features some major game changes to every single mode. The update spans 9GB on PS4 and 10.95GB on the Xbox One. PC players will get a delayed update that’ll come later today.

Treyarch released a number of game improvements for Blackout, Multiplayer, and Zombies mode. Nuketown has also been added to both Xbox One and PC as the 7-day mark has now been completed and the rest of the playerbase can now get their hands on the Russian map. For those unaware, Sony and Activision have a partnership where PS4 owners get content one week earlier than other platforms.

For the Multiplayer mode, various Scorestreaks were adjusted. The Dart and Lightning Strike were both reduced while the Hellstorm and RC-XD were buffed. Zombies mode was adjusted like crazy with a huge list of bug fixes that relieve game crashes (over 70) and enhanced stability.

The update includes bugs across all four maps, UI enchamcents, and more. Treyarch states that they want to “take care of the remaining stability issues in high-round play” and that they’ve “bolstered our ability to research and investigate these issues” and that they have “several fixes int he works that will be rolled out in the near future.”

The update has some major weapon balancing. On consoles, the ABR 223 and the Swordfish have received buffs to diminish recoil, which is what Treyarch originally planned for that specific class of weaponry. They also noted that SMG buffs from the previous balance patch were too powerful for PC users and thus nerfed them again. They stated that this is “best [to] suit the needs of [the] PC community.”

 

Here are full patch notes for the 1.07 BO4 update:

Today’s title update is another big one, and we’re celebrating the long holiday weekend with our first QUAD FEED in Black Ops 4! Starting 10AM PT tomorrow, all players get 2XP in MP and Zombies, 2X Tier Boost, 2X Merits, and 2X Nebulium Plasma on all platforms through Monday, Nov. 26. Now, onto what’s coming to the game today…

Nuketown arrives on Xbox One and PC! Join the chaos in the dedicated Nuketown Featured Playlist this week, featuring 6v6 Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Domination, and Hardpoint in Nuketown. Also live on Xbox One and PC: Zombies invade Nuketown Island in Blackout for a limited time, and Blackjack’s Shop opens in the Black Market.

Big improvements to Multiplayer are here with today’s update! We’ve fixed several MP-specific crashes, increased the delivery speed of Care Packages, updated several modes and Challenges, enabled Mastercraft camos instantly on Signature Weapons, updated the visibility of Clan Tags and Kill Counters, adjusted the costs of several Scorestreaks based on current performance to ensure players are getting the most bang for their buck, and more. Remember to visit the Scorestreaks selection menu to adjust your equipped Scorestreaks accordingly after downloading today’s update.

We’ve also added TDM 100 as our latest Featured playlist on all platforms, bumping up the score limit for Team Deathmatch to 100 by popular demand. Hardcore Mercenary Moshpit, Mercenary Moshpit, and Gun Game round out the Featured category for the week. Jump into this week’s Featured playlists today and get those wins.

For our Zombies players, we’re delivering 70+ crash fixes and gameplay improvements today, making this stability pass even bigger than last week’s major update. See below for the full list, including fixes for crashes and bugs across all four maps, UI improvements, and more. As we continue to identify and address more specific Zombies gameplay scenarios that could cause the game to crash, our primary focus is now on taking care of the remaining stability issues in high-round play. We have bolstered our ability to research and investigate these issues, and have several fixes in the works that will be rolled out in the near future.

In Blackout, we’ve addressed issues with screen jittering when moving and changing attachments or healing, and made the Bowie Knife now available in Equipment Stashes, as a random drop from killing Zombies, and as a randomized item spawn in Zombies-themed locations on PS4, with other platforms to follow.

Finally, our PC update is coming later today, including its own set of unique changes in addition to the ones listed below. In this update, we’ve decided to roll back the SMG balance changes from last week’s update that did not translate as well to the PC meta. See below for full details in the dedicated PC section of the patch notes.

XBOX ONE / PC

The following updates are now live on Xbox One, with PC to follow shortly:

Multiplayer

  • Nuketown added to rotation in MP playlists.
  • Nuketown Featured Playlist added (6v6 Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Domination, Hardpoint).

Blackout

  • To celebrate the launch of Nuketown, Zombies now spawn on Nuketown Island with a new Zombies Stash spawn location behind the Nuketown sign for a limited time.

Black Market

  • Blackjack’s Shop added to the Black Market.

ALL PLATFORMS

We’ve made the following updates to the game on PS4 and Xbox One, with PC to follow shortly:

Multiplayer

  • General
    • Nuketown added to rotation in MP playlists.
    • Updated Clan Tag and Kill Counter Weapon Prestige rewards to use an LED display for higher visibility on weapons.
    • Players can now equip Mastercraft camos on their Signature Weapon as soon as they acquire the Signature Weapon.
  • Playlist Updates
    • TDM 100 added to Featured Category (Team Deathmatch with a score limit of 100).
    • Mercenary Moshpit added to Featured Category (Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint, and Domination, no parties allowed).
    • Hardcore Mercenary Moshpit added to Featured Category (Hardcore Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, and Domination, no parties allowed).
    • Gun Game remains in Featured Category.
    • Endurance Chaos Moshpit remains in Featured Category (PS4).
  • Stability
    • Fixed crashes that could occur:
    • When using the Reactor Core.
    • When a Firebreak player left the game after using their Reactor Core.
    • When a Nomad player left the game after using their Mesh Mines.
    • While freezing in the water in Icebreaker.
    • When piloting the Hellstorm.
    • When selecting a Specialist in the Specialist Draft.
    • When the player picked up a weapon in Multiplayer.
    • If the Transport Helicopter was destroyed while delivering a Care Package or Mantis.
    • Related to the Drone Squad’s wing-drone turrets animating incorrectly.
    • When failing to play a sound when picking up dog tags in Kill Confirmed.
    • When a player left a match while being shocked by the Tempest.
  • Scorestreaks
    • Care Package
      • Adjusted delivery chopper entry and exit points across all maps to reduce delivery times.
      • Increased the entry and exit speeds for the delivery chopper.
      • Reduced how often high-end Scorestreaks can be received in Care Packages.
      • Reduced the amount of roll on the smoke marker to ensure that the end position is a more accurate representation of where the Care Package will drop.
    • Score Adjustments
      • Dart reduced from 500 default to 450 / 350 with COMSEC Device.
      • RC-XD increased from 450 to 500 default / 400 with COMSEC Device.
      • Lightning Strike reduced from 900 to 850 default / 600 with COMSEC Device.
      • Sentry reduced from 950 to 900 default / 700 with COMSEC Device.
      • Hellstorm increased from 850 to 950 default / 750 with COMSEC Device.
      • Sniper’s Nest reduced from 1100 to 1050 default / 850 with COMSEC Device.
      • Mantis increased to 1100 default / 900 with COMSEC Device.
      • Thresher reduced from 1250 to 1200 default / 950 with COMSEC Device.
      • Attack Chopper increased from 1200 to 1300 default / 1000 with COMSEC Device.
      • Reduced score given for all Scorestreak kills from +25 to +10.
  • Game Modes
    • Hardcore
      • Resolved an issue where teammate names were not displaying properly in Hardcore Search & Destroy.
      • Teammates that die to a friendly bombsite explosion will no longer count toward the teamkill kick limit.
      • Care Package team kills will no longer count towards the teamkill kick limit.
    • Hardpoint
      • Reduced the score given for Hardpoint Secured to +50.
      • Resolved an issue that would prevent players from owning the Hardpoint while using the Lightning Strike tablet.
    • Search & Destroy
      • Silent Plant setting in Custom Games should now make planting and defusing the bomb completely silent.
    • CWL Custom Games
      • Addressed an issue where Specialist Weapons and Equipment would not update when players switched Specialists.
  • Specialists
    • Seraph’s Tac Deploy will now only allow 1 respawn per use in Free For All.
  • Challenges
    • Atomic Drop
      • The player’s death by their own Reactor Core will no longer track toward this Challenge.
    • Spotter
      • Kills in Free For All will no longer track toward this Challenge.
    • Air Cover
      • Resolved an issue where progress was not awarded in Hardpoint or Control.
  • Miscellaneous
    • Manually destroying the Tac-Deploy now gives Score.

Weapon Balance (MP Only)

Burst Tactical Rifles have been adjusted slightly to better define their role as ranged power-position weapons. With these changes in place, weapon balance on consoles is where we want it to be after the first month of changes, and we’ll allow the meta to stabilize before making additional balance passes.

  • Tactical Rifles
    • Swordfish
      • Reduced upward recoil to achieve a more accurate burst.
    • ABR 223
      • Slightly reduced upward recoil.
      • Extended 4-hit kill range from 25m to 32m.

Zombies

  • Stability
    • Global – Fixed crashes that could occur:
      • While Zombies spawned into the map.
      • While the Mystery Box loaded into the map.
      • When interacting a second time with an object that should only be used or interacted with once.
      • When an enemy climbed or mantled over railing or terrain in order to spawn into the playable space.
      • When updating player stats in the After Action Report screen.
      • When disconnecting and reconnecting the controller during a match, leaving the player stuck on the “Please reconnect controller” message.
      • After disconnects while one player was reviving another.
      • When triggering the Winter’s Wail explosion FX.
      • When a player disconnected within a certain time after joining the game.
      • When Zombies were moving away from downed players.
      • When a player was downed while using the Ragnarok DG-5.
      • When a Bot decided to kill the last enemy in the round.
      • When the player disconnected after using Point Drops and before they were picked up.
      • When a player disconnected as the Hellfire’s Infernal Tempest disappeared.
      • When a player used the Burned Out Elixir.
      • When the inventory updated while picking up an item.
      • When a player’s grenades were restored as the next round started.
      • When a player disconnected while a power-up dropped.
      • When the player disconnected from their party while in the Custom Games screen.
      • When calculating the player’s final score at the Game Over screen.
      • When interacting with the crafting table to craft any item for the first time.
      • When Dying Wish and Winter’s Wail cooldown UI elements were on-screen.
      • When updating the player’s stats and score when tracking Rush multipliers.
      • When the player disconnected while opening a door.
      • When killing Zombies with the Ragnarok DG-5.
      • When triggering Kill-O-Watt’s FX.
      • When triggering Frostbite’s FX.
    • Blood of the Dead – Fixed crashes that could occur:
      • When a player disconnected as the next Hellhound round was being determined.
      • Related to the UI at high rounds.
      • While following the Warden from the cellblock during the Main Quest.
      • When a player disconnected while looking at the bird during the Main Quest.
      • When killing Zombies during the banjo ghost event in the Main Quest.
      • When the player disconnected while following the ghost dog during the Main Quest.
      • When the player disconnected while riding the gondola.
      • When player was downed as they grabbed the Magmagat from the fireplace.
      • While running the unfinished Magmagat across the map.
      • When the furthest player in the catwalk during the gauntlet event disconnected.
      • For the host during the final boss battle.
      • When a power-up was dropped.
      • When loading into Blood of the Dead.
    • Classified – Fixed crashes that could occur:
      • Related to the UI at high rounds.
      • When the metal detector sounds played as the player walked through them.
      • When the player exited a teleporter.
      • When a player disconnected after being the first one to teleport into the Panic Room.
      • When a player disconnected while in a metal detector.
      • During a match of Classified Rush.
      • While the Mystery Box moved.
      • When placing the teleporter modifier while playing splitscreen with 3 or 4 players.
    • Voyage of Despair – Fixed crashes that could occur:
      • When spawning enemies in the first round of the boss battle.
      • When reaching the first Stoker-spawning round with the Wonder Weapon quest disabled in Custom Mutations.
      • When using the Kraken upgrade table.
      • When the Flying Car takes damage during the Upgraded Shield Quest.
    • IX – Fixed crashes that could occur:
      • When special enemies spawned during certain parts of the Main Quest.
      • When helping other players complete their challenges.
      • When a player disconnected and their Blade Trap became deactivated.
    • Tutorial
      • Fixed a crash that could occur with Bots in the tutorial.
  • Gameplay
    • Global – Resolved issues where:
      • Text for XP earned from each challenge tier was missing from the After Action Report.
      • The player could be permanently stuck when grabbed by the Blightfather’s tongue.
      • Concoctions UI remained on screen when switching from the Laboratory to the Identity screen.
      • UI incorrectly indicated to the player that Prestige unlock tokens could be spent on permanently unlocking Custom Class slots.
      • If a Prestige Master player did not gain any XP during a match (by launching the game and immediately quitting, for example), the displayed ranks would be incorrect, the XP bar would be completely filled, and there would be no indication of how much XP was required until the next level.
    • Blood of the Dead
      • Resolved an issue where the Hell’s Retriever could not pick up a power-up when thrown at certain angles.
      • Fixed incorrect subtitles stating that the voice for obtaining power-ups is the Warden.
      • Closed an exploit in Michigan Avenue that allowed players to use the Ragnarok DG-5 to jump on the railing on the top floor.
      • Resolved a rare issue where players were unable to progress the New Industries Portal in the Main Quest, despite having a fully-drained ghost killed in the Blade Trap.
    • Classified
      • Closed an exploit in the War Room that allowed players to use the Ragnarok DG-5 to jump on a terminal.

Blackout

  • Gameplay
    • Resolved an issue causing screen jittering when moving and changing attachments, or when moving and healing.
    • Bowie Knife now available in Equipment Stashes, as a random drop from killing Zombies, and as a randomized item spawn in Zombies-themed locations on PS4.

PC

In addition to the global changes above, the following updates are coming to the game on PC later today:

Weapon Balance (Multiple Modes)

We strive to provide a similar experience between PC and console whenever possible, making platform specific changes when appropriate. In our last weapon balancing pass, we made critical SMG balance changes that were needed on console. These changes did not translate as well to PC, where mouse-and-keyboard players already saw success with SMG weapons. We’re rolling these changes back to best suit the needs of our PC community, and taking it a step even further for the Spitfire. The above changes to the Swordfish and ABR 223 also apply to PC.

  • Submachine Guns
    • Spitfire
      • Reduced damage within 9m range. (MP only)
      • Restored previous ADS move speed.
    • Cordite
      • Reduced damage within 3m range. (MP only)
      • Restored previous ADS move speed.
    • MX9
      • Reduced damage within 6m range. (MP only)
      • Restored previous ADS move speed.
    • GKS
      • Reduced damage within 3m range. (MP only)
      • Restored previous ADS move speed.

General

  • Gameplay
    • Tilde key (~) can now be assigned in the keybinds menu.
    • Removed the slight camera roll from head bobbing when sprinting.
    • Resolved multiple issues with the Gesture Wheel.
    • Updated the recommended NVIDIA driver version to 416.81.
  • Stability
    • Fixed a source of hitching when video memory is full.
    • Fixed a rare crash during the first seconds after the game window appears.

Multiplayer

  • Resolved an issue where spawn selection would not be set to the Tac-Deploy by default when available.

Blackout

  • Added an in-game UI indicator for when a Perk is being activated.
  • Resolved an issue where a Stash would close when dropping a weapon.

-Treyarch

 

Fortnite Winter Royale Tournament puts $1M up for grabs

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Fortnite Winter Royale Tournament puts $1M up for grabs 6

Fortnite has announced that they’re offering up to $1M USD to all players in its Winter Royale Tournament. If you think you’re good at Fortnite, but never could make it into the pro leagues, think again.

Epic Games now lets you put your skills to test with its next upcoming official tourney where a nice chunk of cash will be up for grabs for all contestants. A test event will be held later this month that’ll emulate the World Cup Qualification process for 2019, so it’s kind of like a beta test for it. The Solo test events come in two parts:

  • Part one: Winter Royale Qualifiers
  • Part two: Winter Royale Finals

Part one opens up on November 24, which is just 4 days from now. In this phase, players will attempt to achieve a high score during any event session and the highest score you get will be the one that qualifies you. So you need to get the best score possible in any event because this is what’s used to rank you against other players and qualify you for the Winter Royale Finals.

For players within the US or EU, you’ll be automatically qualified to contest other players. If you’re good enough, you’ll be invited to play and take part in the Winter Royale Finals for your specific region.

Players outside of North Ameria or Europe won’t be able to participate, but Epic Games has said they’re looking to expand this tournament for the future.

Fortnite has already updated their in-game menus to reflect this information and has listed the following deadlines that you should be aware of:

  • Winter Royale Qualifier (Open): 11/24/2018 – 11/25/2018

  • Europe Winter Royale Finals: 11/30/2018 – 12/1/2018

  • North America Winter Royale Finals: 12/11/2018 – 12/12/2018

So, if you think you’re good at the game, it’s time to prove it and put your money where your mouth is! Epic has the right mentality for offering pro league gaming for everyone. This will surely get players more competitive. Get ready for the trash talking and rage-quitting.

Skybound updates progress on The Walking Dead: The Final Season

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Skybound updates progress on The Walking Dead: The Final Season 7

Telltale Games announced that it would shutting down a few months back and has since dissolved into pretty much nothingness. On September 21st, they released news that they would no longer be able to continue making games due to not enough sales figure to support the company. They said they would lay off staff and keep a skeletal staff of 25 or so, but they’ve been laid off also.

Fans were upset and wondered what would happen to their project they were working on- The Walking Dead: The Final Season. Robert Kirkman then came in to the rescue with Skybound Entertainment, which announced that they would complete the series with the original developers of the game for consistency and complete the game.

Since then, all we’ve heard is that they’ve picked up the title and nothing much else- other than Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode series on Netflix getting delayed and failed to launch on debut day.

Today, Skybound has come around and updated fans on their official page announcing that they’re resuming development for the final episode of the game:

“It’s been a ton of work logistically and legally to get us to a place where we’re able to roll up our sleeves and get to the actual work. We’re excited to let you know that many of the talented, passionate team members who originally worked on the game are resuming development efforts today!”

Skybound will release the details about both episodes, including release dates, shortly and make it clear to fans that they’re working on finishing up the game. Fans who’ve bought the entire season before Telltale shut down won’t have to buy the same episodes again. The wheels are in motion now for sure.

Telltale’s final project will be completed and we’ll get a final closure to Clementine’s story. Although Telltale is no more, their developers still have the same touch and probably are finding new jobs elsewhere- with the community being very supportive of these ex-employees and some even offering jobs to them.

With Skybound picking up the original developers, we should get a good, emotionally-gripping storyline that fans have come to expect from The Walking Dead: The Final Season. Stay tuned for updates.

Riot Games and Marvel partner up to release full-length comic featuring Ashe

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Riot Games and Marvel partner up to release full-length comic featuring Ashe 8

A new partnership between Riot and Marvel Games has just been forged. The announcement was made today and will soon put out one of League of Legend’s most popular character fusing with a comic book.

Marvel will begin a new series of comic books based on the League of Legends universe. It’ll kick off with everyone’s favorite tutorial champion: Ashe. The story will center around her as a narrative to serve as an origin point and tells the story of Ashe as she becomes the Iceborn Warrior like she is in the MOBA. It’ll be called League of Legends: Ashe: Warmother and the graphic novel will be written by Riot’s Odin Austin Shafer and drawn by Nina Vakueva with Cardinal Rae on lettering.

An article posted by Marvel details this full-length feature:

“Marvel and Riot Games are teaming up for an epic collaboration to bring the world of “League of Legends” to comics! A graphic novel published by Marvel and Riot Games will be released in May 2019, making this the first full-length comic based on “League of Legends” games. This complete collection will be the culmination of a series of monthly graphic novels based on the hit game that will be available on digital platforms beginning Wednesday, December 19!”

Riot Games had the following thoughts on this crossover:

“We love comics as a way to tell stories because it gives League of Legends fans an opportunity to see the world of Runeterra and not just read about it. We see similarities between the League of Legends Universe and the Marvel Universe, as both of them feature an array of characters with compelling and diverse backgrounds. Marvel’s success at developing a world through comics and creating great stories is industry-defining, and we’re thrilled to be working with them to bring our own stories to life.”

Editon-in-Chief of Marvel, C.B. Cebulski spoke about the partnership that many didn’t see coming:

“Many fans of the Marvel Universe and comics share their interests and passion for storytelling with the gaming community. League of Legends is one of the most well-known games in the industry, and their unique world and extensive roster of rich characters and are a perfect fit for comic books. We’re excited to partner with Riot and help build the League of Legends Universe for fans and players around the world.”

With Riot’s League of Legends already being one of the most popular MOBA games on the planet and many of the players also being into comics and interested in the backstory of the champions (fanfics), it makes sense to document and official work from Riot themselves. Combined with the production quality of Marvel, this is a partnership with a solid foundation and tons of potential for storytelling opportunities.

Ashe: Warmother releases May 2019. We’ll see the fruits of this partnership then.

Source: Marvel.

Featured image via Marvel.

You can ride Stink Bombs like rockets in Fortnite; Viral video shows it off

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You can ride Stink Bombs like rockets in Fortnite; Viral video shows it off 9

Rockets and Fortnite, what could be better?

Remember back then when players found out you can ride the rockets from the Rocket Launcher? That was awesome. Now, players have found out that you can ride the Stink Bombs also. Yup. That yellow throwable can be jumped on just like the rockets from the Rocket Launcher.

The Stink Bomb was added a few months ago in June as part of the V4.4 update and is typically used as a gas grenade to make players come out of hidden structures in nooks and crannies. But this post on Reddit just may have given them a new purpose.

A Reddit user named “kuzner” proved the concept with a recording. He records another player named “Zolo II” jumping onto the grenade after his teammate tosses. The window that you can jump on it is very narrow and your timing needs to be precise. But once you hop on, it’s pretty cool as you follow the arc of the throwable until it lands.

Stink bomb ride! WtF and a snipe! from FortNiteBR

You can’t compare the rocket and the Stink Bomb as they’re completely different modes of “transportation.” The throwable doesn’t hold a candle to the rocket’s distance in travel, but it’s still cool, nonetheless. I mean, imagine your enemy turning around to see you flying towards them on a ‘nade and then getting blown to bits in a cloud of smelly gas.

Zolo II then rides it until he hit a sniper shot on the final baddy and secures the Victory Royale. The video’s timing is epic and the Reddit post went viral with over 200 comments and 12K upvotes at the time of this writing. Not many players knew that you can ride the Stink Bomb in Fortnite, but this post will likely spread the word to the masses from now on.

Meta? Probably not. Hilarious? Definitely.

Winemaker Lot18 releases lineup of Assassin’s Creed-themed wines

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Winemaker Lot18 releases lineup of Assassin's Creed-themed wines 10

Winemaker Lot18 has released a special collection of wine with themes from the Assassin’s Creed series. They’re named after a various assassin’s from the game and you can choose between various types of wine- including cabernet sauvignon, blends, and even a whole case of whatever you want.

Each wine is based on notable characters from the entire series like Bayek, Ezio Auditore, and Connor Kenway. They range from $20 up to $192 for a full case. So far, the wines only range from Assassin’s Creed 2 and 3 plus Origins, with none named after the newest characters Kassandra and Alexious. There could be another lineup to come.

Winemaker Lot18 has done this before with Lord of the Rings and The Walking Dead, so they’re not new to combining games and wine into one world. They make a good gift for someone who’s obsessed with Assassin’s Creed, which is just in time for the holidays. Who wouldn’t want a bottle of wine from an awesome ninja to add to their collection? If you know someone who likes wine and Assassin’s Creed, this makes the perfect gift.

Here’s the lineup from this offering:

  • 2017 Aveline de Grandpré Appellation Côtes du Rhône Contrôlée – $20
  • 2017 Arno Dorian Qualitätswein Niederösterreich Zweigelt – $20
  • 2017 Altaïr Ibn-La’ahad Loire Valley IGP Cabernet Franc – $20
  • 2015 Bayek of Siwa Spanish Tempranillo – $20
  • 2016 Connor Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon – $20
  • 2015 Ezio Auditore Super Tuscan Red Blend – $20
  • Half Case – $108
  • Full Case – $192

And you can check them out here at their store page.

H1Z1 Pro League shutting down; Dwindling viewer numbers and negative earnings

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H1Z1 Pro League shutting down; Dwindling viewer numbers and negative earnings 11

The H1Z1 Pro League is shutting down for good according to a report from news giant ESPN. After viewer numbers have constantly decreased and failed stiped payments to teams participating in the Pro League, there’s not enough support to hold this program afloat.

Teams including Team SoloMid, Cloud 9, and Echo Fox were all previous participants in the ladder but received repeated stipend payment failures. basically, your favorite players aren’t getting paid by the League and there aren’t enough viewers to support the show and brand.

Twin Galaxies Co-Chairmen Jace Hall wrote in a public statement that went out to players:

“It’s with a heavy heart that a letter has been sent to the League’s team organizations providing notice that the 2nd Split has been suspended indefinitely, and that a second league season will not be renewed or scheduled at this time,”

So now that the H1Z1 Pro League is officially suspended (i.e. canceled), they’re working on getting players their overdue stipends and will be paid across the 15 teams totally about $3M with about $250K going towards player salaries. With not enough income from viewers and sponsors, the League will be at a net loss after payments are made. It’s pretty much safe to say that the H1Z1 Pro League is gone for good. With many other games in this saturated genre, there’s just not enough support for this quickly-evaporating title.

H1Z1 was one of the first games ever to start the whole battle royale genre but has now been “replaced” by many other games such as Fortnite. H1Z1 just can’t keep up and has lost many players to these newer titles.

Who knows? If H1Z1 can pull a massive turnaround and make their game more relevant (and more fun) than the current giants, then there just may be a miracle. But at this point, you shouldn’t hold your breath.

H1Z1 is available for PS4 and PC. Although it doesn’t have a professional-level setup, you can still play it casually as a stress-free alternative to competitive titles.

Fortnite action figures hitting shelves December 1st

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Fortnite action figures hitting shelves December 1st 12

Donald Mustard, Worldwide Creative Director of Epic Games, has announced that Fortnite will be releasing a series G.I. Joe action figures next month right before the holidays.

Since Fortnite is dominated by the younger crowd, this makes sense. Growing up, I was never really into playing with figurines others than the odd ones here and there. But all my friends at school knew G.I. Joe and I’d “tag along” to pretend I was totally into it. Kids grew up with small action figures, and although G.I. Joe isn’t as huge as it once was, Fortnite is a prime target to create action figures from. Kids love Fortnite, so they’ll surely like Fortnite action figurines.

Donald Mustard announced via his Twitter account that he’s partnering with Jazwares to create these Fortnite figures. And they want to create the “very best action figures possible.” You can see from his posts that quality was a priority:

He posts a few pictures of the toys and they look stunning. Attention to detail looks amazing. Mustard states that they’ll be out soon- by December 1st- which is enough time to grab one or two and stuff stockings with them. With the popularity of Fortnite, they’ll surely sell like crazy. You can’t escape Fortnite (or Halloween flossing). They’ll hit shelves soon.

Fallout 76: Nukes for days, terrible lag, and “stuck” Power Armor. Oh my!

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Fallout 76: Nukes for days, terrible lag, and "stuck" Power Armor. Oh my! 13

Fallout 76’s launch was less-than-spectacular. And now with a share of bugs, terrible lag, and weird visual glitches, the game needs a lot of work from developer Bethesda.

One of the most exciting things about Fallout 76 were the nukes. Now, a few users have made the process of acquiring parts of a nuclear launch code and deciphering them to launch a nuke has become like a free-for-all, mundane activity.

Two programs have already been released which allows players to skip the decryption once you have all the pieces of the code. A Reddit user named joshuadaleadams created a program that lets you automatically cycle through possible codes. All you need are all the pieces of the code (all 8) and then type a question mark (?) in empty fields and it’ll automatically decipher the code. He states:

Another program called nukacrypt created by Waffle_Cop allows users to essentially do the same thing and makes the process much easier. Nukes just may be going off a lot more than we thought.

Besides nukes for everyone, another problem is that Xbox One players become stuck in the Power Armor and can’t escape it. Basically, once they take off the armor, their character’s body gets warped and stuck as if they were still wearing it. The UI is still viewable, but the character acts as if they have the armor donned. You can see that fans on Twitter are posting about it:

Other various glitches, bugs, and lag plague the game.

Some users also reported that the $200 version of the game that comes with the special Power Armor helmet had some serious quality problems. The helmet reeks of paint with a poor paint job. The voice changer and headlamp also work poorly.

We can expect Bethesda to release a patch very soon that addresses many of these problems. Nukes are bound to get nerfed in one way or another. I can smell it. Regardless, I’m still playing and don’t care. The game just came out.

Do you have any strange bugs that you’ve encountered? Let us know in the comments.

SMITE confirmed for the Nintendo Switch; Closed beta, Founder’s Pack, cross-play

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SMITE confirmed for the Nintendo Switch; Closed beta, Founder's Pack, cross-play 14

Hi-Rez Studios officially confirmed that their third-person MOBA, SMITE, will be coming to the Nintendo Switch. The announcement was made during the keynote at DreamHack Atlanta.

SMITE will enter closed beta starting January 24, 2019. Players can join the closed beta by purchasing the SMITE Founder’s Pack, which is available on the Nintendo eShop. The game is free to play, but buying the Founder’s Pack grants you all playable characters now and in the future, Dashing Deceiver Loki, Dragon Empress Scylla, and 400 gems (in-game currency).

The Founder’s Pack is available for pre-purchase starting today. SMITE will also have cross-play and cross-progression starting next year. Players can access their account between the PC, Xbox One, and Switch no matter how and where they play. The game is also on the PS4, but there’s been no word on cross-play with Sony yet.

SMITE will be a free to play game on the Switch (as with all platforms). It’ll be the handheld hybrid’s second MOBA title following Arena of Valor. Nintendo and Hi-Rez Studios should do well with this release, as free games on Nintendo’s eShop usually do pretty well. SMITE has a professional esports league, and the cross-play between consoles should allow players to queue up quickly.

DualShockers reports that A.J. Walker, the Lead Designer, said that cross-play would not be available in Ranked Conquest by default. Rather, a separate control mechanism with the Console League and PC League existing as separate events.

You can check the SMITE trailer for Switch below:

Microsoft releasing (another) Xbox One refresh Spring 2019; Disc-less, $100 cheaper

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Microsoft releasing (another) Xbox One refresh Spring 2019; Disc-less, $100 cheaper 15

A report released earlier today claims that Microsoft is working on a new disc-less Xbox One console in 2019 by Thurrott. This would be the third console refresh for the Xbox One so far, with the original being the Xbox One, followed the Xbox One S, then the Xbox One X. Do we really need that many refreshes? Why not just make the next-gen Xbox and compete with the PS5, which has already garnered some attention with its (finally) backward compatible emulation.

There hasn’t been any solid confirmation regarding this from the big M, but the report details show that the console will release sometime next year and not allow users to insert any physical discs into the Xbox. Microsoft is also releasing a new “disc to digital” program that allows users to turn the physical discs magically into a digital format. Well, not actual magic is involved in the process. It’s just swapping a code at specific retailers.

Why would Microsoft be doing this when they could just release the next Scarlett console? The report states that they want to lower the price of a new console by $100 due to no disc drive. But would people still want to buy this current-gen when they can go next-gen? We’ll have to see.

The report also states:

“The company also has a revised Xbox One S SKU that is targeted for later in the year that focuses solely on cost reduction but does feature a disc-drive for those who still prefer the traditional way to buy your games.”

Microsoft still hasn’t decided on whether Scarlett will come with disc drives or not, but a decision will be made “shortly.” right now, the disc-less Xbox One will arrive Spring 2019 and is already in production according to the report. Then again, we haven’t heard news from many other media outlets so this could be a dud entirely. We’ll find out soon enough.

Source: DualShockers.

Nintendo not against releasing an “N64 Classic”

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Nintendo not against releasing an "N64 Classic" 16

With the release of the NES Classic and the SNES Classic, it’s only natural to ponder about whether or not if Nintendo will roll out the N64 Classic. The former two plug-and-play consoles miniatures both feature some of the best and most popular games of all time during their respective eras. They’ve been a huge success with both fans and scalpers buying up the consoles and pre-order lists getting maxed out. They were both extremely rare and hard to find when they first came out.

Other companies, like Sony, even took place with their own creations around the same idea.

This year, Nintendo just may continue the trend with their once-a-year retro console release with the N64 Classic- another miniature featuring some of the best games from the N64 era. But, this never was confirmed and never happened. Despite not being annoyed this year, Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime says that Nintendo isn’t against the idea of an N64 Classic.

Fils-Aime explained a bit more about how the whole “Classic” series came about in the first place in an interview with Kotaku. Fils-Aime said that they would help players bridge between the original console to the Wii U:

“We were clear when we did the first two Classic series that, for us, these were limited time opportunities that were a way for us as a business to bridge from the conclusion of Wii U as a hardware system to the launch of Nintendo Switch. That was the very strategic reason we launched the NES Classic system.

So while consumers may have been anticipating something, we view these as limited time opportunities. We’ve also now been very clear that as the consumer looks forward to engaging with our classic content that is going to happen more and more with the subscription service.”

Nintendo at this point doesn’t have to make any more Classic consoles, especially that now they’ve fulfilled the “bridge.” However, they seem to be confusing on the Switch now more than releasing classic consoles as they’re “limited time opportunities.” But Fils-Aime says he’s still not against another Classic- “I would not ever rule something out.” But ends it by saying that’s they’re not currently planning to make any more Classic consoles.

So form all this, we can gather that Nintendo doesn’t currently have any plans to make the N64 Classic, but the idea isn’t completely ruled out. We’ll have to stay tuned for more news. Nintendo has been known to change their mind.

New teaser trailer released for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite; Details and speculations

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New teaser trailer released for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite; Details and speculations 17

Portkey Games released a new trailer showing off the latest in the line of augmented reality games to the newly announced Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. The game was nothing more than a rumor to be some kind of Harry Potter RPG a few months back, but in recent weeks news surfaced on the web with more solid evidence.

Now that we have a full-fledged trailer, we can truly get excited over something.

From the trailer, we can see that there currently isn’t much anything about the gameplay released. It’s teased from the viewpoint of a security camera with various text and timestamps watching an unknown woman cast a magical spell on a snitch. Then she disappears inside a hanging poster requesting help to keep Hogwarts and the Wizarding World a secret from the public eye.

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is co-published and co-developed by WB Games and Niantic. They released a teaser trailer for the Portkey Games label- the same one used for the current mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.

The game is set to go live sometime in 2019. WB Games states the game will have “players will be able to explore real-world surroundings to unravel a global mystery, cast spells, and encounter fantastic beasts and iconic characters along the way.”

So far, we’re not sure if this will be a global MMORPG or rather a single-player game. But they do talk about the game and its players working on a “global mystery,” which could be anything that involves all the players working and roaming around the castle together to defeat some boss via raids and instances, or it could just be a generic tag for some mystery players have to solve by themselves.

The original rumor said the game was an RPG with multiplayer elements. But we still don’t have any solid evidence of that.

You can get more information about the game here.

Are you stoked for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite? What do you want to see in this game? Leave a  comment and let us know.

Fortnite: Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes II killed by another player wearing his jersey

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Fortnite: Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes II killed by another player wearing his jersey 18

The Fortnite and NFL teaming up with NFL player jerseys available in-game have produced some weird results. The new event kicked off just last week spawning a flurry of players playing as their favorite football player. The crossover produced one, very specific and personal issue that made headlines (so far).

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs QB and early MVP frontrunner, expressed his “concern” on Twitter detailing his own thoughts on the NFL and Fortnite crossover. Apparently, after he played Fortnite for the first time in a while, he was killed in the game by another player wearing his own jersey:

Fortnite seems to be the favorite among athletes over the past year as many teams even gone ahead and banned Fortnite from being played in their locker room.

While it’s that addicting, this case with Mahomes is one strange story. He probably won’t be emotionally scarred by it, but being killed in a game with someone playing as yourself is definitely one odd experience. On one hand, you got killed by yourself in a video game. On the other hand, someone likes you enough to represent you in the world’s most popular battle royale game. Just like Mahomes, I’d be confused just as much as he was.

NFL skins have already been removed from the game as it was a limited time event.

Fortnite (V.6.30) Week 9 loading screens leaked; A.I.M skin is the hunter

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Fortnite (V.6.30) Week 9 loading screens leaked; A.I.M skin is the hunter 19

Fortnite’s V.6.30 update released today, November 14, shows some new data for the Week 9 Hunting Party. This new update featured the official release of the Mounted Turret and the Food Fight LTM.

Data miners have already uncovered the Hunting Party loading screen by completing challenges that took place throughout Season 6. The challenges are the extra ones like the Blockbuster and Road Trip challenges that spanned over the the current and previous season. Players who complete all 7 weeks worth of challenges got the A.I.M robot skin as a special reward.

Right now, data miners have dug up the Week 8 loading screen and leaked it. It features the A.I.M skin who appears to be using a handheld map to look for something specific. The Week 9 loading screen features the same character with a Calamity skin and another character. The Calamity skin is in a nature field enjoying some the scenery while the A.I.M skin is standing in the background, seemingly plotting something at the Calamity skin and the other character- who happens to be saluting the sunset. You can see it below:

Fortnite (V.6.30) Week 9 loading screens leaked; A.I.M skin is the hunter 20

While A.I.M is clearly in view through a gap in the foliage, we can’t tell exactly what he’s doing. Is he hunting these two characters enjoying the scenery? Or is it the other way around? With a leaked loading screen like this, we can only assume for now. But common sense says that A.I.M is the bad guy and he’ll be here to take down Calamity and her friend. You can clearly see that A.I.M is carrying something while appearing to be “hunting” for someone or something. And there are only two other characters in the loading screen, so it’s safe to assume who’s the prey and predator, right?

A.I.M could actually be the “bad guy” who’s hunting the two characters. This would kind of give way tot he Hunting Party titles for the S6 challenges and make a lot of sense. The “Hunting Party” title would imply that A.I.M is hunting Calamity, but he’s not a party. He’s just one dude. So then who’s the “party” in “Hunting Party?”

Subnautica confirmed for PS4; Xbox One gets a full release (V1.0)

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Subnautica confirmed for PS4; Xbox One gets a full release (V1.0) 21

Subnautica has been confirmed for the PS4 and the release date has been announced in a news post on the game’s official page. While PC and Xbox One owners can already experience this amazing title, PS4 players have been shut out- until now.

Subnautica has garnered plenty of media attention and received positive praise for its gameplay, which is mainly an underwater survival game. The game has players finding themselves in an alien world after escaping from a sinking ship with an escape pod.

Players then have to explore, collect, build, and attempt to get rescued with the game’s storyline. The game is a survival game at its core with a basic storyline that tells the lore of the game and is mostly communicated via radio transmissions.

Although the game isn’t an endless exploration title, it sure does feel like it when you’re playing it for the first time. As you wander farther from your pod, you’ll start to encounter some deep underwater caves and creatures that lurk where light can’t even shine. You’ll have to build up the tech tree in order to explore dangerous areas.

Subnautica has been received plenty of positive feedback for being a game that’ll immerse you into its world and is plenty scary with its creatures- even though it’s not regarded as a horror game. There have been many content updates from the developer (for free) Unknown Worlds Entertainment based on community feedback.

The game is currently only available for PC, but PlayStation owners will be able to snag a copy of Subnautica next month on December 4, 2018. Developer Unknown Words Entertainment said they plan for this release date given that no delays take place:

“We’re very confident we will hit December 4th, but we can never be 100% sure of any date, ever. Game development is a wild ride. Unexpected issues could still cause a last minute delay. If something happens, we will keep you updated.”

Subnautica for PS4 will be available digitally on the PS Store and on physical disks for collectors. North American players should see discs in major retailers on the release date. European players will have to wait for just a tad for the physical disc to be released on December 7, 2018.

The game will also get the much-anticipated Below Zero standalone expansion at a later date for the PC. As for the Xbox One and PS4, it’s currently unconfirmed whether or not the expansion will be rolling out on the platform.

Subnautica is currently released as a full game for PC and in early access for Xbox One. The PS4 and Xbox One will both be getting a physical disc or digital download on the same date- December 4, 2018. Xbox One owners will get a full update to the full 1.0 release on launch day. PS4 owners will get the complete game.

The developer is also “super excited” about this upcoming console game release for PS4:

“This is going to be Unknown World’s first console release. We are traditionally a PC game developer. So we are super nervous, and super excited. We are thankful to Panic Button & Gearbox Publishing for working with us to bring Subnautica to PlayStation.”

PS4 players can now get immersed in the horrifying, yet beautiful experience that is underwater with Subnautica. If you haven’t played the game before and want to check out some more details, you can head over to Steam. The game retails for $24.99 at the time of this writing. Xbox One owners can get it on the Microsoft Store for the same MSRP. PS4 players will likely pay the same price (or get a steep discount on launch, as the dev is known to do).

Here’s the official post from Unknown Worlds:

“The wait is nearly over. Subnautica is coming to PlayStation 4 on December 4th, 2018. You will be able to buy Subnautica digitally or on a physical disk. If you are in Europe, physical disk sales will start three days later, on December 7th.

Want a reminder on launch day? Sign up to the Subnautica Playstation newsletter, and we will email you the moment Subnautica is available.

It’s important we be honest about dates. We’re very confident we will hit December 4th, but we can never be 100% sure of any date, ever. Game development is a wild ride. Unexpected issues could still cause a last minute delay. If something happens, we will keep you updated.

This is going to be Unknown World’s first console release. We are traditionally a PC game developer. So we are super nervous, and super excited. We are thankful to Panic Button & Gearbox Publishing for working with us to bring Subnautica to PlayStation.

Thank you to everyone that pushed us to release on PlayStation. Your tweets, emails, and other messages were instrumental in bringing about the decision to bring Subnautica to consoles. We are grateful for your patience as we have navigated the unfamiliar waters of PlayStation development.

Come launch day, we will need your help to spread the word that Subnautica is available on PlayStation. If you want to share the news, follow @SubnauticaPS on Twitter, Subnautica Playstation on Facebook, and sign up to the Subnautica Playstation newsletter.

– Unknown Worlds“

Fortnite updates Save the World mode with “Fork Knife” character named “The Major”

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Fortnite updates Save the World mode with "Fork Knife" character named "The Major" 22

Fortnite, while being the most popular game in the world right now, is still hard to spell. The most common misspelling is “Fornite” which I myself constantly have to retype when I go back to proofread. With the game being so popular, you can assume a share of memes have spawned over the game’s spelling and pronunciation.

One way to say the name is “Fork Knife,” which I presume all the cool kids are saying these days. If you’re not a Fortnite player or you don’t keep up with gaming news, you’ll probably be confused when a group of players are talking about playing with their “Fork Knives” all last night.  Isn’t that funny?

Regardless, Epic Games seems to know about this and they’re updating the Save the World portion of the game (the paid part) to get a new UI. This update includes a character featured with a “fork knife” arm. Literally. His arms are a fork and knife. And he shows up in the menus screens.

He’s debuted as “The Major” and he’ll be the ref of the game’s Training Room after you meet him in the game’s campaign. He’ll help you unlock your character’s abilities, level, do expeditions, and even customize loadouts.

He’s part of a massive UI update for Fortnite that makes the whole game a little more user-friendly with character names, story-driven personalities, and a little more surreal with an in-game event that had a cutscene.

Fortnite is really trying to be more than just a battle royale game. Even though it is the most popular battle royale game on the market right now, the Save the World mode has a lot of offer even if it’s paid and not part of the core game.

Epic seems to be mixing real-life concepts into the game, with its recent deal with NFL jerseys so players can play as their favorite NFL player in a battle royale. Halloween costumes, realistic cutscenes, and real-life gear are all becoming a part of the game. Fortnite is seemingly blending real life and game life into one experience.

Where are they taking this, exactly? We’ll have to find out. While we’re waiting, I need to get back to saving the worl- I mean, playing Fortnite.

PlayStation users in Chicago will be paying a 9% “Amusement Tax” starting November 14

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PlayStation users in Chicago will be paying a 9% "Amusement Tax" starting November 14 23

Sony has confirmed that PlayStation users in Chicago will be subject to the 9% “Amusement Tax.” Starting on November 14, the tax will be applicable to purchases of PlayStation Plus, PS Now, PS Vue, PS Music, PS VOD, and PS Video Live Events. The tax is also called the “Hamilton Tax” after its effect over the musical Hamilton, a Broadway musical, which is also taxed in Chicago.

Sony began enforcing local tax policies on PSN since 2016 and local taxes can affect literally any purchase you make depending on the current city’s situation and conditions.

What this means is that users in Chicago will have to pay an additional 9% on all cloud services- including a PS Plus subscription, which will run it at about $5 more than other states in the US. The tax isn’t popular in the city of Chicago, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel says that they’re necessary for the city’s pensions. Other companies like Netflix and even Xbox are all subject to the tax. Netflix has already raised prices in Chicago in order to negate the tax for their profit margins.

Sony has joined the tax group alongside other giants and will start collecting taxes from gamers tomorrow. Some companies like Apple are taking action against the city for the taxes saying it’s unconstitutional and a violated of the Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998 which prohibits counties, states, and municipalities from adding taxes on electronic commerce.

Sony doesn’t seem to be fighting the tax at this point and PlayStation gamers will now be subject to the same tax as other amusement activities until changes are made (if any).

At this point, only Chicago is subject to the cloud tax. No other city has been reported to be enforcing such a tax. Speculation says that this local tax could affect New York City.

PUBG confirmed for PS4; Release date, exclusive gear, details

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PUBG confirmed for PS4; Release date, exclusive gear, details 24

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has been speculated to release on the PS4, and now we have solid details- including a release date, which is December 7. With a confirmed release for PUBG this close, PS4 fans may want to hold off on their Black Friday purchases and save some cash for the game.

PS4 owners will also get some excluded goodies for their copy of the game. For starters, they’ll get Uncharted and The Last of Us items when they buy PUBG, which is already available for pre-order. Players can snag Nathan Drake’s outfit from Uncharted and Ellie’s backpack from The Last of Us.

Upon launch day, the game will already have Orange, Miramar, Sanho for play. PUBG for the PS4 will also have event mode, achievements, and even the ranked system- all available on launch day.

PUBG for PS4 will be available in three different pre-order bundles, which are listed below:

  • Looter’s Edition $30 USD / $38.99 CAD

    • Base Game

  • Survivor’s Edition $50 USD / $64.99 CAD

    • Base Game

    • Survivor Pass: Vikendi*

    • 2,300 G-Coin Pack

    • 20,000 BP

  • Champion’s Edition $60 USD / $77.99 CAD

    • Base Game

    • Survivor Pass: Vikendi*

    • 6,000 G-Coin Pack

    • 20,000 BP

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds arrives December 7 for PS4 and pre-orders are available now. You can check out the reveal trailer below:

Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics

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Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 25

The new Deep Freeze bundle for Fortnite will get you a physical copy of Fortnite Battle Royale, which has been known to be extremely hard to find nowadays. But the Deep Freeze bundle will get you a nice hard copy of the game (as a sentimental souvenir) to keep forever to remind you what was once the world’s most popular game. There’s also a digital version available on all platform store.

If you decide to snag yourself a physical copy of Deep Freeze, you’ll get four exclusive cosmetics and a bunch of V-Bucks. Fortnite was previously available as a physical disc before the battle royale mode was even developed and the game was just PvE. Nowadays, if you want to get yourself a disc, you’ll be paying about $400 on eBay for a pristine copy.

This new Deep Freeze bundle will run you $29.99 from major retailers or the in-game Fortnite store with 1,000 V-Bucks (worth $10) and cosmetics valued at about $20. Considering that this bundle itself will also be hard to find, later on, it’s worth the price. Even if you already own the game and you’re just looking to collect the physical hardware so you can display it in your room.

The cosmetics are seasonal as we head into the coming winter (in real life) and given the name of the bundle, they’re all about ice. All items are exclusive to the bundle and you can get your V-Bucks that fans will go buy the bundle just for the cosmetics and not the game.

Here’s what’s included in the Deep Freeze Bundle:

Deep Freeze Bundle

  • 1000 V-Bucks
  • Legendary Frostbite Outfit
  • Legendary Freezing Point Back Bling
  • Uncommon Chill-Axe Pickaxe
  • Uncommon Cold Front Glider

Jump in to Fortnite Battle Royale with the Deep Freeze bundle. Guaranteed to keep you warm on the battlefield, despite its chilly name!

You can buy theDeep Freeze bundle now on Amazon, at any major physical retailer, or buy from the Fortnite online store.

Here are some screenshots of the cosmetics:

Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 26 Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 27 Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 28 Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 29

This post contains affiliate links where barrelrolled may receive a small commission upon sales. (This helps us feed our writers the good brand of ramen noodles rather than the generic, store brand.)

Five Nights At Freddy’s coming to Switch (and other consoles) in 2019

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Five Nights At Freddy’s (FNAF), the viral animatronic horror point-and-click game developed by Scott Cawthon, is coming to the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, iOS, and Android sometime in 2019 based on a news post on the Steam Community page of Ultimate Custom Night.

The game series has been extremely popular with the younger crowd and has spawned many different adaptations. FNAF will likely start with the original game followed by the sequels on the consoles and other platforms. There will be HD ports of the original games alongside the entire series and possibly the spinoffs.

Scott Cawthon states on the latest update post:

“I’m working closely with the people at Clickteam to create new, improved, HD ports of all of the original games! They will be released on Android, iOS, Switch, XBox and PlayStation!”

Five Nights At Freddy’s is a game released back in 2014 that has been played by famous internet celebrities and popularized by the content creators who screamed in fear when they were fazed by the game’s creepy-looking animatronic robots.

Players attempt to survive five nights at an eat-in diner called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, which is essentially like Chuck E. Cheese went horribly, terribly wrong. The place is swarmed with animatronics that have taken new life and you control a camera monitor and must keep watch to survive by acting various mechanisms and such.

The series has evolved to an entire media franchise complete with fan gear, toys, and 6 major entries with 2 spin-off titles and even had novels written to tell the story. The’res also been a film adaptation by Warner Bros. Pictures to recreate the game but has since then gone through multiple delays. The game has been covered by major internet celebrities, including Markiplier, PewDiePie, and jacksepticeye.

Cawthon also says that there will be new books, new games, and of course, the movie. You can check out the whole post below:

 

“Upcoming Projects Mega-Thread!
Updated 11-12-18

Hey everyone!

I’ve been promising an update, so here it is! There are a lot of great things being worked on, and most of them will arrive in 2019, including new ports, new games, and new books. The movie progress is still slow, but that’s OK because I want to get it right. Everything else however is moving full speed ahead.

Movie News:

Five Nights at Freddy’s (first movie): New script being worked on

OK guys, I had a script written; Jason liked it, and Chris Columbus liked it too, but I tossed it. I had a different idea for it, one that I liked better. I take responsibility for this delay; it’s my fault.

It’s been a real challenge for everyone, including myself, to come up with a good screenplay for this. But I’m determined to find the right story. I’m sticking to what I’ve always said, either the right movie gets made or no movie gets made. I hate delaying a project that’s already seen so many delays, but I have to go with my instincts on what I think will be exciting and interesting, and what I think the fanbase will really want to see. If that means that I have to start over ten more times, then that’s what I’m going to do. The good thing is that each attempt gets better and better, in my opinion. So, despite the delays, it’s going in the right direction.

One thing that most of you might want to know is that the movie (and sequels I hope) will take place in the universe of FNAF 1-3 only. The games after Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 will not exist in the movie universe. Like it or hate it, I felt that this was the best portion of the storyline to really focus in on.

Game Projects:

FNAF VR: (40% complete)

This game is looking terrific. I’m working with a company called Steel Wool to bring the VR game to life, and these guys are making some crazy stuff. If you liked repairing Funtime Freddy up-close in Sister Location, just wait until you try to do something like that in VR, up close, personal, with these huge animatronics that are just one mistake away from jumping at you. I refused to test it the first time and had my son Braden test it instead. (The repair section is one small part of the game.) And, for the first time, you’re going to all get to see an actual stage performance from the classic band!

FNAF AR: (10% complete)

The AR game is well under way, and while I’m not going to reveal any gameplay details yet, I will say that the impending doom of something hunting you will keep you up at night.

FNAF: Into Madness (0% complete)

This is the next game that I want to work on myself someday, a compilation of several previous gameplay ideas in the same vein as Update 2; just a free game for the fanbase. There isn’t a guarantee that it will happen though; I’m still recovering from the first four years! 🙂

Console Ports: (20% complete)

I’m working closely with the people at Clickteam to create new, improved, HD ports of all of the original games! They will be released on Android, iOS, Switch, XBox and PlayStation!

AAA Game: (0%)

There is a BIG deal in the works to create an incredible big-budget game! I can’t reveal any details yet as this project is still in its planning stages, but I’m working closely with the studio involved to ensure that it delivers what (I think) FNAF fans will want to see!

New Book Series: (20%)

There is a new line of books on the way from Scholastic! This will be very different from the original book series, as it will be a collection of short horror stories that takes place in the FNAF universe. The series will launch with five books, each containing three different short stories with unique characters and plot lines, some connected directly to the games, and some not.

That’s everything for now! Time for more coffee!”

Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode debut delayed on Netflix

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Telltale's Minecraft: Story Mode debut delayed on Netflix 31

Minecraft: Story Mode was supposed to debut on Netflix a few days ago on November 7- but it (still) hasn’t.

The show is an interactive show aimed at younger audiences on Netflix. Viewers could tag along with the adventure and make decisions that affect the outcome of the story- just like the video game. It’s pretty much an interactive TV show of the video game released by Telltale Games, which has shut down since the announcement.

Without going into too much detail, Telltale Games wasn’t getting enough sales from its story-driven, decision-based games and had to dissolve itself. It was working on a final project (The Walking Dead: The Final Season) but only completed Seasons 1 and 2. Another company then picked up the rights to the game and hired the original team to complete the project.

As for Telltale, they had a skeletal staff on board which has now been fired as well. Telltale is no more.

Minecraft: Story Mode was one of the very last things the company released. However, the show didn’t debut on time and there’s been no word on when it’ll be coming out. Netflix currently shows that it’s still “Coming Soon” on their own page with no other details at this time. We’ll update you with any news.

Bethesda posts warming “thank you” letter for the creation of Fallout 76

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With the explosive launch of Fallout 76 just two days away on November 14, Bethesda Games posted a very emotional letter (posted below) on their Twitter account with a Fallout-themed photo.

The letter isn’t really a promo material, but rather a “huge thanks” to everyone at Bethesda and ZeniMax and to all the fans who helped give community feedback during the Fallout 76 BETA. It’s basically an opening credit to the game thanking everyone who took part in the development of Fallout 76 and their proud heritage of creating epic games.

The final paragraph of the letter mentions that they’re going to build future content for Fallout 76, which is a given whether it’s in the form of DLC, expansion packs, season passes, or just plain free content for the game.

New “features” will also be added like Vaults, character respecs, gear, quests, and even a freakin’ faction-based PVP system, which is the one thing I’m most excited about after reading this letter. This may be what Pete Hines was referring to in regards to the game lasting “forever.”

With the BETA program completed, community fired up, and the game ready to launch in just under two days, this is truly an exciting time for both fans of the series and Bethesda themselves for such an accomplishment.

Fallout 76 will be the ninth entry into the Fallout series and the first ever online-only Fallout game for PS4, Xbox One, and PS4. The game’s Day One patch will be larger than the actual game, so a pre-load may be handy. You can pre-order it on Amazon here.

The letter reads as follows:

“It’s with great excitement that we’re finally launching Fallout 76. A Fallout game unlike anything we’ve done. Really, it’s a game unlike any we’ve ever played.

It’s been our privilege and passion to build games that transport you into new worlds and new experiences. With Fallout 76. we’ve woven together parts of our past Fallouts, the survival genre, and massive online games, to create something unique. A game where you share in the story, and the struggle to survive, with your friends, with strangers, and with us.

A huge thanks to everyone at Bethesda and ZeniMax who supported us in making this game. Creating a new style of game has taken the best from not just our own producers, programmers, artists, and designers – but great efforts from across the company. Special thanks to our friends at ZeniMax Online, id, and Arkane who helped us. And thanks to everyone in publishing, IT, Bethesda.Net, Customer Service, Admin, and our incredible partners in QA.

And a special thank you to all our fans who participated in the BETA, with your help we’ve made the game better each week. And this is just the beginning. We have an incredible list of updates we’ve begun work on, from CAMP building improvements, new quests and events, new Vaults opening, character respecing, a faction-based PvP system, and much more.

We hope your journey in Fallout 76 is as fun and as rewarding as it was for us to build it. We can’t wait to see where the country roads take you.

All our best,

Bethesda Game Studios”

 

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New Nuketown trailer released for Black Ops 4; Live tomorrow for PS4

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Treyarch will be releasing their signature map Nuketown for Black Ops 4 tomorrow. After teasing fans with Russian tweets a few times with various captions welcoming players back to the map, Treyarch finally released a full-fledged trailer showing off the map in snowy Russia.

Nuketown is one of the most popular maps in every single Call of Duty: Black Ops entry. The map is known for its claustrophobic environments and fast-paced gameplay. Black Ops 4 developer Treyarch has hinted that it’ll feature a winter theme and that it’ll take place in Russia with Russian language tweets. There was no solid confirmation about this nor enough screenshots to go around to actually confirm this speculation- until today.

Treyarch posted a new trailer to their official Call of Duty account and the trailer gives a nice collage of scenes showing off the new Nuketown map. I’d have guessed that the map would be slightly more evening-like from the screenshots, but it takes place in high noon from the trailer. There also seems to be a lot more solid objects with less imposing architecture than expected. But this makes for some fast-paced action given that the objects you can take cover behind are just basic shapes.

You can check out the trailer below:

The tiny map looks extremely hectic and the Russian setting only makes it more chaotic. A few Specialists are showcased in the trailer taking cover and firing in this Cold War setting. The pair of houses are also back and rendered with extreme quality this time around. We can also see a secret tunnel that you can drive your RC-DXs through for some sneak attacks. And there may be a way to launch the actual nuke in the center of the map- that’d be freakin’ awesome.

Nuketown is set to launch tomorrow for PlayStation owners, then a week later for Xbox One and PC players as part of Sony and Activision’s partnership.

State of Decay 2 getting a free DLC pack called Zedhunter – Stealth, crossbows, and gear

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A new DLC called Zedhunter was announced for State of Decay 2. The DLC is free and was announced during the X018 event.

From the announcement trailer, we can confirm that the free DLC pack will have new weapons, gear, and a stealth-based approach this time around. Crossbows are also being added as a stealth weapon to slay zombies alongside melee weapons and new gear that all let you play ninja-like and kill zombies silently.

We don’t know for sure what kind of gear we’re getting, but a night vision mode was hinted during the sneak peek.

There’s also a new jeep-type vehicle that lets players run over hordes of zombies together. State of Decay 2 still has a huge playerbase of 4M active players and 5B zombies killed so far. The game is still going strong. Undead Labs are also planning on adding an update in early 2019 that’ll get the community together, as announced during the X018 preview.

Fans of the game were thrilled to see more content updates- and free ones at that. Nice to see that the developer is still pushing out content after a so-so game launch. This is how you please the community.

The free Zedhunter DLC Pack will be available November 16 for everyone who owns the game. State of Decay 2 is also available on Xbox Game Pass- a $9.99/month subscription for access to over 100 titles. You can check out the trailer here:

Final Fantasy Dissidia NT: Yuna revealed to be the next DLC fighter

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Final Fantasy Dissidia NT: Yuna revealed to be the next DLC fighter 35

Final Fantasy X’s Yuna is making her return in Final Fantasy Dissidia NT. She’ll be the next DLC character released coming this December, which was revealed through a brand new trailer that shows off her new magical abilities and the awesome summoning of Valefor for some extra damage. She’ll be joining Jecht and Tidus as the representation for FFX in this new crossover fighter.

The trailer shows off her moves and we can see that she’ll likely be a ranged fighter with plenty of combo abilities that combine her magical spells, abilities, and Valefor. She can do some homing abilities for fast-moving targets and ranged burst attacks.

Yuna seems fitting because there aren’t many other characters that can both home on enemies and link combos together from a distance. The DLC release will confirm this assumption we can only wait and see! She’ll be excellent for matchups that require lots of zoning.

Yuna will have an extra costume to go alongside her basic, default one. She’ll get her wedding dress with Seymour from FFX. She’ll be the second-to-last DLC character from this season pass. As of the next and last character for this season, there’s no solid speculation as of yet.

Final Fantasy Dissidia NT is available for the PS4. The game is a crossover fighter that features more than 20 playable characters. Stay tuned for the next reveal. You can check out Yuna’s trailer below: