Originally Posted by Destuctoid

Nintendo is confirming reports that it will not be attending E3 2023. Today, the company says the event doesn’t fit into its plans for the year.

“We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans,” said Nintendo in a statement, via IGN. “Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA and E3.”

IGN previously reported that Nintendo, alongside Sony and Microsoft, would not be attending this year’s E3. Xbox will be hosting its own event in Los Angeles, but it won’t be on the E3 show floor in the Los Angeles Convention Center ...

The overall wariness is notable, though. It might just be an issue of timing; Nintendo will have launched Tears of the Kingdom already by June, leaving just Pikmin 4 left on the docket. Sony hasn’t been part of E3 for years now. But that does raise the question: who will be at E3 2023?

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Shown as part of today’s February 27 Pokemon Presents, Pokemon Sleep is a lifestyle app that tracks your sleep data. By simply activating the app and going to sleep,

You’ll be able to unlock different Pokemon and their sleep styles. You’ll start with styles like Dozing, Snoozing, and Slumbering, and gradually pick up more as you sleep.

This app will also work with the Pokemon Go Plus+ device announced today, helping you track sleep and even hear lullabies from special monsters.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Planned server downtime

To allow for as seamless a process as possible, Bungie has announced that it will be taking the Destiny 2 servers offline for a full 24 hours. During this period, preloading Lightfall will become available. Luckily, Bungie has also detailed the install sizes needed for each platform. Starting at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM GMT on February 27, the Destiny 2 servers will be taken offline, with players being removed from activities 15 minutes prior to this. Players have until this time to wrap up any Season of the Seraph objectives as well as earn the seals for any of the seasons since the launch of The Witch Queen a year ago. This includes Season of the Risen, Season of the Haunted, Season of the Plunder, and Season of the Seraph. After this time, all of this content will be removed from the game.

Lightfall install size

Bungie has warned that the install size for Lightfall will be quite hefty, but following the initial load, the game will take up less space and see improved loading times. Most notably, Bungie has warned that anyone playing the PlayStation 4 version will need additional space to install the game, around 80GB, but that the old files will be removed after the installation is complete. PC users on both Steam and Epic Games Store will need at least 223GB of free space in order to preload Lightfall. There’s a helpful article on Bungie’s website that details this in full.
PlayStation 5

Install size: 102.6GB
Storage space required for the preload: 102.6GB

Xbox Series X|S

Install size: 108.59GB
Storage space required for the preload: 108.59GB

PlayStation 4

Install size: 88.21GB
Storage space required for the preload: 184.64GB

Xbox One

Install size: 89.21GB
Storage space required for the preload: 89.21GB

Steam

Install size: 102.50GB
Storage space required for the preload: 233.2GB

Epic Games Store

Install size: 101.51GB
Storage space required for the preload: 223.3GB

Microsoft Store

Install size: 102.13GB
Storage space required for the preload: 223.3GB

Players should note that the install size may vary dependent on the languages installed, and the install size shown is the maximum that may be needed.

So when can we play?!

Destiny 2: Lightfall servers will go live on Tuesday, February 28 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM GMT. All players are required to download and apply the latest updates available for Destiny on their platform whether they have purchased Lightfall or not.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

The suit is directed at Sony rather than FIFA publisher Electronic Arts because the FUT packs were purchased on the PlayStation Network, which makes the sales contract with Sony, and not with EA itself.

The court decreed that players being able to sell FUT cards on a secondary market added elements of value to many randomized items. The court argued that this action gives FUT players the opportunity to access a profit margin for their randomly accessed products, which is what violates Austria’s gambling laws. As such, the court has ordered Sony to refund Austrian FIFA players who have made FUT purchases on PlayStation Network.

Padronus, a law firm specializing in recovering losses from online casinos, reports that over 1000 FIFA players have contacted them looking for compensation, with individual purchases ranging from three to five figures. It seems, however, that there is a cap on the amount Sony will have to refund any one player, and it should also be noted that Sony has the option to appeal the verdict, which it most likely will.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

In a document submitted to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) filed in late February, as spotted by The Verge, Sony raises concerns about what Microsoft may do with Call of Duty. This includes concerns that Activision could even create a worse COD experience on a competitor’s console. Here’s the slice where Sony lays out this possibility:

“For example, Microsoft might release a PlayStation version of Call of Duty where bugs and errors emerge only on the game’s final level or after later updates. Even if such degradations could be swiftly detected, any remedy would likely come too late, by which time the gaming community would have lost confidence in PlayStation as a go-to venue to play Call of Duty. Indeed, as Modern Warfare II attests, Call of Duty is most often purchased in just the first few weeks of release. If it became known that the game’s performance on PlayStation was worse than on Xbox, Call of Duty gamers could decide to switch to Xbox, for fear of playing their favourite game at a second-class or less competitive venue.”

Though this doesn’t quite allege intended sabotage, the concern seems to be that the PlayStation version would become second fiddle. Sony alleges that even if Microsoft were to operate in good faith, it would be incentivized to support and prioritize development of the Xbox version. Sony also other ways in which Call of Duty could skew towards Xbox, including the price of the series going up and making it available on a subscription service only through Game Pass. It concludes by saying that the transaction should be either prohibited, or subject to a “structural remedy.”

Originally Posted by Destructoid

All you need to do to get access to the Diablo IV beta is order a Double Down “sandwich” from KFC.com or their delivery app. No one says you have to eat it. Simply buying the “sandwich” will grant you a code, which you just plug into your Battle.net account. Then, the beta runs from March 17 to March 20. As far as I can tell, this is only for the U.S. I’m in Canada, and I installed the app for “research purposes,” and the Double Down “sandwich” is not even available.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

We look at what the game has to offer. I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience. The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game. This isn’t a price point that we’ll necessarily have on all our titles. It’s actually a fairly common pricing model either here or in Europe or other parts of the world, where the pricing may vary depending on the game itself

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Disco Elysium developer Studio ZA/UM has, to various effect, resolved numerous lawsuits filed against it within the past year. These include a case with the game’s executive producer, Kaur Kender, as well as several Unfair Dismissal suits filed by several key members of the studio, who left the team in fall 2022.

The Kaur Kender lawsuit saw the former ZA/UM producer sue the studio’s majority shareholding company Tütreke, claiming that ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus had essentially “cheated” him out of €1 million, while also trying to illegally wrest control of the studio away from the founding members of the team. However, the case will no longer be progressing, as per a statement from Kompus offered to GamesIndustry.biz ...

The unfair dismissal suits were filed following the revelation that Disco Elysium designer Robert Kurvitz, writer Helen Hindpere, and art director Aleksander Rostov were no longer at the studio, having been “involuntary” pushed out of the company by its owners. While initially offering a more diplomatic statement, Kompus and business partner Tõnis Haavel would eventually allege that the departing members had been “creating a toxic environment”, and “belittling co-workers”, with the party also accused of “intending to steal the IP”.

Studio ZA/UM now says that Kurvits and Rostov have dropped their respective suits, with the studio claiming a lack of evidence prevented the cases from progressing. The studio notes that it expects further accusations and cases to be brought forward by former employees, and it expects these cases to meet similar fates. In addition, Studio ZA/UM has received a €4.8 million payment from its owner, Tütreke.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

“The press release quotes Kender admitting that he has filed a ‘misguided’ lawsuit against ZA/UM in late 2022. We disagree,” reads the duo’s response. “Kender’s lawsuit was based on the misuse of ZA/UM’s funds (€4.8m) by the majority shareholders Kompus and Haavel to increase their own stake in the company. In the press release, Kompus and Haavel admit to this misuse, arguing only that the money has been “paid back to ZA/UM”.

“Paying back stolen money, however, does not undo the crime; here, it does not undo the majority that Kompus and Haavel have illegally gained in ZA/UM […] Kompus and Haavel silenced Kender on this matter, but they will not silence us. Unlike Kender, we have not participated in the looting of ZA/UM, and Kompus and Haavel have no power over us.”

Originally Posted by Destructoid

As we near the launch of Resident Evil 4, Capcom has released the first episode in a series of (very) short anime (mis)adventures detailing the events of one Leon Kennedy and his journey through the strange, European countryside — For your approval: Leon and the Mysterious Village.

Produced by Nippon Animation and stylized in a colorful & sunny style, not unlike the cheery work of Hayao Miyazaki and classic “globalized” anime shows of the ’80s, episode one “Looking for Ashley” sees Leon stumble across a strange town occupied by a party of friendly locals. It works out incredibly well for our young hero, as you can imagine.

Originally Posted by Emperor Smeat (Post 5604695)

Today's News:

* Filming for the sequel to 2006 Silent Hill film, Return to Silent Hill, reportedly is currently scheduled to start next month, according to Deadline. It was reported that Christophe Gans will be the director and Jeremy Irvine was casted as the lead star portraying James for the upcoming film. In terms of plot, this upcoming film is currently believed to be based on the Silent Hill 2 game.
Link: https://deadline.com/2023/03/return-...ls-1235299997/

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Developer Arkane Austin has confirmed that its incoming monster-masher Redfall was initially planned as a multi-platform title, but was asked to drop the PS5 edition once Microsoft acquired the studio in the ZeniMax Media purchase — which took place back in the summer of 2020.

The somewhat unsurprising revelation was made by studio director Harvey Smith in an interview with IGN France. Smith describes the Microsoft purchase as “Change with a capital C”, noting any plans for a Playstation edition of the vampire-hunting multiplayer title were instantly scrapped by the new owners. “They came in and they said ‘No PlayStation 5. We’re focusing on Xbox, PC, and Game Pass.”

Smith notes that he thinks it was a good idea, with the dropping of Redfall on PS5 allowing the studio to focus on one less platform and add further polish to the project. Smith also points to Xbox Game Pass’ 30 million subscribers as a solid install base for the multiplayer-focused shooter, which will hopefully provide Redfall with a ready-made community of players. A Monster Squad, of sorts.

Originally Posted by Reuters

Britain's competition regulator said Microsoft's (MSFT.O) 69-billion purchase of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) would not harm competition in gaming consoles, removing a major obstacle to the deal.

In findings based on new evidence, the Competition and Markets Authority said on Friday that it would not make financial sense for Microsoft to make "Call of Duty" exclusive to its Xbox console, and it would instead still have the incentive to continue to make the game available on PlayStation.

The regulator, however, said it was still looking at the impact of the deal on the cloud gaming market.

The takeover, the biggest ever in gaming, remains subject to the scrutiny of regulators in the United States and Europe.

The CMA had noted Activision's flagship "Call of Duty" franchise was important in driving competition between consoles, and it worried that Microsoft could benefit by making the game exclusive to Xbox, or only available on PlayStation under materially worse conditions.

But Microsoft has since offered Sony a licence deal to address those concerns.

"Our provisional view that this deal raises concerns in the cloud gaming market is not affected by today's announcement," the CMA said, adding that its overall investigation was on course for completion by its April 26 deadline.

A Microsoft spokesperson said: "We look forward to working with the CMA to resolve any outstanding concerns."

Originally Posted by Fignuts (Post 5605824)

Hasn't sony been in the process of trying to buy rockstar, to add gta to their already extensive list of exclusives? And they're seriously trying to make claims of microsoft having an unfair advantage?

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Released in 2020, TMNT: The Last Ronin tells of a single turtle — wearing a black mask and wielding the iconic weaponry of all four Heroes in an Half-Shell — as they pick their way through a dystopian, futuristic take of New York, seeking revenge for their fallen brethren. The identity of the turtle remains something of a mystery until its revelation further in the tale, making The Last Ronin a particularly grim entry to the TMNT pantheon.

Originally Posted by Eurogamer

"We haven't pulled any games from PlayStation. In fact, we've expanded our footprint of games that we've shipped on Sony's PlayStation since our acquisition of ZeniMax, and the first two games we shipped after closing were PlayStation 5 exclusives. We did the same thing since our closing of Minecraft as we extended the reach of that franchise.

All of the games that were available on PlayStation when we acquired ZeniMax in March 2021 are still available on PlayStation, and we have continued to do content updates on PlayStation and PC. We have always said that future decisions on whether to distribute ZeniMax games for other consoles will be made on a case-by-case basis."

Originally Posted by Hollywood Reporter

Legendary is ready to unleash a sonic boom, with the studio acquiring the film and TV rights to the classic beat-’em-up game Street Fighter. The studio will work with video game company Capcom on future projects ...

Hollywood has made moves on Street Fighter in the past, with Universal releasing an ill-fated 1994 film that starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as Col. Guile and featured a cast including Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na Wen and the late Raul Julia. More than a decade later, 20th Century Fox released Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009), which starred Kristin Kreuk in the title role. Like its predecessor, it was a commercial and critical bomb. An assortment of animated adaptations have also made their way to the screen.

Legendary, which has a film distribution deal with Sony, has Dune: Part Two due out Nov. 3. Its deal for Street Fighter comes as video game adaptations have found success in recent years, with Paramount’s Sonic films, Sony’s Uncharted and HBO’s The Last of Us all cutting through to various degrees. And on Friday, Universal will try its luck with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the first time in 30 years that gaming giant Nintendo has teamed with a Hollywood studio to put one of its prized properties on the big screen.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Sony has issued a new statement regarding the Competitions and Markets Authority, or CMA, and its recently narrowed scope of concerns over Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The paper, submitted last month and recently publicized, sees Sony describing the CMA’s “reversal” of its position on its consoles theory of harm as “surprising, unprecedented, and irrational" ...

Sony’s response goes into several errors it believes the CMA has made in its findings, including an assertion that Minecraft, which is already on multiple platforms, says “nothing” about whether Microsoft would pursue Call of Duty exclusivity.

In one instance, Sony cites a recent quote from Arkane’s Harvey Smith to IGN. In it, Smith said that Redfall was in development for PlayStation 5 prior to Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda.

“We got bought by Microsoft and that was a huge sea change,” Smith said. “They said, ‘No PlayStation 5. Now we’re gonna do Game Pass, Xbox, and PC.'”

Sony asserts that this provides compelling evidence of Microsoft’s ability, and incentive, to “foreclose rivals to acquired games.” The company also brings up a point it’s mentioned before: that any degradation of performance or quality of play on PlayStation, or delays in release, would harm Sony’s reputation.

It ultimately calls on the CMA to revisit its analysis of Microsoft’s incentives and partial foreclosure. “In conclusion, SIE respectfully submits that the Addendum does not justify the CMA’s U-turn on the consoles theory of harm,” Sony’s statement concludes ...

Microsoft also had a response, issuing the following statement today (via Eurogamer):

“The Provisional Findings Addendum correctly confirms that Microsoft has no incentive to withhold or degrade access to Call of Duty. As Microsoft has explained throughout the course of the CMA’s investigation, such a strategy makes no commercial sense and would result in Microsoft writing off billions from the deal value.”

The CMA is expected to deliver its final decision on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard no later than April 26.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Following a recent interview with Team Ninja lead Fumihiko Yasuda, reports swirled that the studio had another game in the works, set to arrive before 2024’s Rise of the Ronin. But Koei Tecmo confirms those rumors aren’t accurate to Team Ninja’s plans.

Speaking to Famitsu, Yasuda discussed Team Ninja’s upcoming docket of games. The previously announced Rise of the Ronin is set for 2024. Yasuda also expresses a desire to release something new in 2025. The confusion arises around a certain phrasing, though.

“‘Rise of the Ronin’ has been under development for about 7 years and is scheduled to be released in 2024,” Yasuda said. “This work will be released in 2023, and I feel like I want to release a new title in 2025.”

Famitsu’s interview was published online on March 11, after the release of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty earlier this year. This, alongside mention that the game in question was in development, led to speculation and reports that Team Ninja has another game planned for 2023.

Koei Tecmo clarifies

As noted in Famitsu’s article, though, this interview was conducted on February 14, 2023, prior to the launch of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. And the interview itself is about Wo Long, too.

We reached out to Team Ninja parent company Koei Tecmo to clarify, and a spokesperson confirmed that “this work” refers to Wo Long. The spokesperson also confirms their 2023 game is Wo Long, and Team Ninja does not have another full game planned for 2023.

Which, considering Wo Long still has a season pass’ worth of content on the way alongside Rise of the Ronin and thoughts of a 2025 game, is probably a good thing. Team Ninja has had a steady cadence over the last few years.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

South Africa looks set to be the latest territory to offer its approval in Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The South African Competition Commission has approved the deal without conditions, joining nations such as Brazil, Japan, and Saudi Arabia in backing the deal.

Unsurprisingly, the Competition Commission’s investigation focused primarily on the fate of Activision franchise Call of Duty, and whether or not the industry would be severely hampered by the possibility of the billion-dollar military shooter becoming an Xbox exclusive. The Commission was ultimately satisfied with Microsoft’s intent to approach its competitors with deals pertaining to Call of Duty, and thus offered its approval to the $68.7 billion USD sale.

Of course, there are still many hurdles to clear before Microsoft can pop the champagne corks. The publisher still has to win the favor of other major markets, including Europe and the United Kingdom, and will then face its biggest challenge in the form of the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which has gone as far as to file suit in order to prevent the Activision Blizzard sale from taking place. The case is set to go to court this summer. The option to appeal will also be available to the losing side, suggesting that this ongoing situation is still far from reaching closure.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

The DLC, which was launched by Guerrilla Games on April 19, was generally well-received by critics and Horizon fans — And while some players were left understandably frustrated by Guerrilla’s decision to only publishing the DLC on PS5, (leaving the PS4 community behind), it seems that this is not the main point of contention for a portion of the players who left negative user reviews.

A lot of the negativity, (veiled or otherwise) is weighted toward the fact that, over the course of the story, Horizon hero Aloy meets another woman, Seyka, while on her journey through the new world. As the two characters spend time together over the course of the DLC, Aloy finds herself drawn to the Quen tribe warrior, ultimately resulting in a scene where the player can, should they choose to do so, bring the two characters together for a passionate kiss. And it seems that this, of course, is a cause for concern among the angriest and loudest of the gaming community.

Last week saw the User Review section inundated with both massively negative written and numerical reviews, leading the DLC to sit at a current score of 4.0 (actually higher than it has been previously). While most of the more homophobic of the site’s 254 negative reviews have since been removed, many remaining reviews choose to mask themselves a little better, simply claiming that the DLC is “poorly written” or that “the world is boring”, before following up with a flat score of zero out of ten — somewhat raising eyebrows.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

The video then ends with a cryptic clip, featuring a torrent of sand trickling from the hourglass of the time-twisting boss of Mortal Kombat 11, Kronika. After the final grain leaves the hourglass, its shatters into endless grains, which would perhaps suggest a full restart of the timeline, or even a shakeup into multiple timelines. While Mortal Kombat‘s reboot, which began in 2011, definitely redefined storytelling in the fighting game genre, there’s no denying that the timeline very quickly painted itself into a corner, struggling through the events of MKX and really hitting the wall in MK11.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Speaking on an earnings call today, Warner Bros. head David Zaslav confirms that Mortal Kombat 12 is in the works. The comment arrived during a section where Zaslav was discussing the success of gaming efforts under WB:

“[…] And there’s lots more to come, including the highly anticipated Mortal Kombat 12 and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, games also set for release this year with ambitious launch projections.”

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Modus Games and Secret Base are teaming up to beat Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons right into our faces this summer.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons brings back the brothers Lee, as well as a couple more dragons to make quadruple dragons. Marian joins the brothers, after becoming tired of bad guys constantly carrying her off. Meanwhile, I hope Uncle Matin is actually their uncle. There’s reportedly going to be a total of 13 playable characters, but the gameplay only supports two-player local coop. That’s probably a bummer for a lot of people, but I’m okay with it. I don’t like playing games with people who are out of Charlie Horse range.

The big combat change here is that it’s all “tag team combat.” You select two characters and can switch between them freely. There are co-op combos and other moves to pull off between your pair.

Secret Base is best known for Streets of Red: Devil’s Dare Deluxe. They’re applying a twist to the main campaign of Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons. You select the order you’ll tackle the levels, and that will affect the length and difficulty of the following stages. You can also gain cash by performing special KOs and upgrade your fighter.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

As reported by The Game Post, Bungie filed suit against Romanian Claudi-Florentin in 2021, accusing the website owner of committing copyright infringement and tortious interference through the development selling of various hacks and cheats, distributed through the VeteranCheats domain. The key software allows players to see through walls and auto-aim, alongside other in-game advantages.

Bungie argued that the sale of VeteranCheats had caused significant harm to Destiny 2 and its community, frustrating users and undermining the game’s intent. Bungie sought default judgment of just over $12 million USD, including statutory damages of $2,000 for each of the cheat’s 5,848 downloads, as well as an additional $146,000 for copyright violation, and payment for the studio’s legal fees.

The District Court of Washington found in favor of Bungie’s claim, and ordered a total damage reparation of $12,059,912.98. In addition, Claudi-Florentin was barred from engaging in any activity that opposes Bungie’s copyright act and DMCA rulings. As of this writing, the VeteranCheats website is still operational, selling cheats for other popular video games including Call of Duty and PUBG. The Destiny 2 hacks, obviously, have since been removed.

Originally Posted by Destructoud

In the video game sphere, O’Brien performed the array of wild and madcap sounds that Crash makes as he barrels his way through the Wumpa Islands, offering the zany hero personality through chaotic screams and yells, as well as the memetic “Whoa” that is still intrinsically linked with the series and its characters to this day. O’Brien would voice Crash and other characters, including Tiny Tiger, Dr. N. Gin, and Dr. Nitrus Brio in earlier Crash titles including Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, CTR: Crash Team Racing, and Crash Bash.

A fascinating element of O’Brien’s legacy lies in the fact that, while he never really delivered any actual dialogue as Crash Bandicoot, he infused the personality and character that would lead to the platform hero becoming a huge success, during an era when many such characters would be left by the wayside. And while O’Brien would eventually leave the character in his past, he helped the franchise — one that shape the formative years of so many players — find the heart and success that endures today.

Originally Posted by VGC

Sega Sammy CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa were asked about the possibility of raising game prices during a Q&A session following the publication of the company’s full-year earnings in April.

“In the global marketplace, AAA game titles for console have been sold at $59.99 for many years, but titles sold at $69.99 have appeared in the last year,” Sega said in a newly published English transcript of the event.

“We would like to review the prices of titles that we believe are commensurate with price increases, while also keeping an eye on market conditions.”

In August 2020, Take-Two’s NBA 2K21 became the first current-gen game to be priced at $70. Sony and Activision quickly followed suit by charging $70 for big new releases, followed by the likes of EA and Square Enix, with the Final Fantasy publisher even bringing the increased price point to some of its PC games.

Microsoft and Nintendo released their first $70 games this month, while Ubisoft has said its long-delayed Skull & Bones will be its first $70 title.

Originally Posted by Destructpid

"Fiscal 2025 is a highly anticipated year for our company. For the last several years, we have been preparing our business to release an incredibly robust pipeline of projects that we believe will take our company to even greater levels of success,” said Zelnick.

“In fiscal 2025, we expect to enter this new era by launching several groundbreaking titles that we believe will set new standards in our industry and enable us to achieve over $8 billion in net bookings and over $1 billion in adjusted unrestricted operating cash flow. We expect to sustain this momentum by delivering additional growth in our operating results in fiscal 2026 and beyond."

Originally Posted by Destructoid

In a report from The New York Times, Blizzard’s tool has been trained on assets from games like World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch. The machine, dubbed Blizzard Diffusion, could then produce new concept art for new ideas.

In an email seen by The New York Times, Blizzard chief design officer Allen Adham told employees about the new initiative dubbed last month.

“Prepare to be amazed,” said Adham in the email. “We are on the brink of a major evolution in how we build and manage our games.”

Blizzard Diffusion is reportedly being used to help generate concept art for game environments, characters, and outfits. The internal email also reportedly mentions possible tools for procedurally assisted level design, A.I.-assisted voice cloning, game coding, anti-toxicity, and “autonomous, intelligent, in-game NPCs.”

Blizzard has already been experimenting with A.I. tools in the past. According to the NYT’s report, Blizzard has already abandoned a machine-learning technology it had patented to create environmental textures, as it was taking up too much of artists’ time to be effective. Meanwhile, another tool was assisting with fitting headpieces to players in World of Warcraft.

“The goal is to remove the repetitive and manual process and enable artists to spend more time on creativity,” Blizzard’s vice president of global insights Andrew Guerrero told The New York Times. “Our goal with A.I. has been, and will continue to be, to try to make creative work easier.”

Originally Posted by Destructoid

CD Projekt is shutting down any rumors of it being acquired. President and CEO Adam Kiciński said in a recent investor Q&A that CD Projekt is not for sale.

The question came up during the Q&A portion of CD Projekt’s Q1 2023 results. The caller asked about recent rumors that Sony is interested in CD Projekt; for context, they seem to stem from a Destiny leaker, with a screenshot in an accompanying thread alleging PlayStation plans on “buying” CD Projekt Red.

“Nothing has changed on our end,” Kiciński said. “I can repeat what we’ve been saying throughout the years: CD Projekt is not for sale. We want to remain independent; we have–I believe–an excellent strategy. For sure it’s not easy to execute, but it’s very exciting to follow our own path, so it’s a pure rumor.”

Originally Posted by Destructoid

For all you B.J. Blazkowicz fans out there, it’s possible that Wolfenstein 3 could currently be in development. While Cyberpilot and Youngblood came out in 2019, the last mainline entry in the revitalized series was back in 2017. Since then, many of you have wanted to see more exploits from the Nazi-killing protagonist.

The existence of a new job opening comes from Reddit user Hard2DaC0re, who points to a new vacancy posted by developer MachineGames. The studio has been responsible for the modern wave of Wolfenstein games, so the fact that the company is advertising a new position suggests something is on the horizon (indeed, the MachineGames website shows a number of job openings). The senior animator listing specifically states that applicants must be familiar with the developer’s prior releases.
Is B.J. back?

It’s still early days to say for certain if Wolfenstein is poised for an immediate comeback. At the time of writing, there’s been no confirmation from official parties about whether Wolfenstein 3 is currently in the works. We already know that MachineGames is making an Indiana Jones game. These new positions could be related to that project. But it’s really just a matter of when in terms of Wolfenstein’s triumphant return.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

According to a report from Abema Times, (as translated by VGC) Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka is facing 2.5 years in prison — in addition to receiving a $1.2 million (USD) fine — for his role in insider trading schemes that took place during his time at developer Square Enix.

The punishment is being requested by the prosecutor’s office at the Toko District Court, who argue that Naka had violated Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, stating Naka had shown “no signs of remorse” for the offense. Naka was first arrested in November 2022 under suspicion that he had used insider knowledge in order to draw large sums of money on the stock market. Naka was then re-arrested again a month later on additional charges.

The prosecution argues that Naka, alongside fellow former Square Enix employee Taisuke Sazaki, knowingly invested in Japanese developer ATeam Entertainment, ahead of the announcement that the studio would be developing 2021 mobile release Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. Naka reportedly purchased 120,000 shares in ATeam at a cost of around ¥144.7 million yen (roughly $834,000 USD).

In a separate incident, Naka, Sazaki, and a third employee, Fumiaki Suzuki, were charged with purchasing stock in another studio, Aiming, ahead of Square Enix revealing that it would be working on Dragon Quest: Tact. In this instance, Naka was accused of having purchased ¥47 million (roughly $336,300 USD) of shares before the public announcement. The prosecution believed Naka ascertained the details ahead of time by accessing an internal website containing meeting transcriptions.

Naka’s defense team is hoping to reduce the fine and is currently seeking a suspended sentence in the hope of preventing Naka from serving any jail time. A final verdict is expected in July.

Naka left Square Enix in 2021, following the critical and commercial failure of lurid platformer Balan Wonderworld. After the fact, Naka would also file suit against the publisher, arguing that he had been removed from Balan’s development six months ahead of its much-maligned release.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

The Resident Evil franchise has been on top of the world lately, especially with the release of the Resident Evil 4 remake. Now, not wanting to stop this juggernaut, Capcom is asking you which other game in the iconic survival horror series you’d like to see get remade, if any.

The recent survey poses a few questions about how well people know what’s happening in the world of Resident Evil. For example, people are asked whether they follow any of the official social media channels, as well as how familiar they are with the entries, be they games or movie adaptations. One of the final questions then gives you the chance to suggest which installment you’d like to see a remake of.

With Capcom flying high in terms of sales, no doubt the studio is interested in where to take things from here. It should be pointed out that the survey results won’t necessarily mean there’ll be another RE remake in the pipeline. However, there have already been rumors that the series’ 2009 release, Resident Evil 5 could be getting reimagined, but there’s no solid evidence for that yet.

Given that the remake of Resident Evil 4 has sold millions of copies, it’s not surprising that Capcom wants to keep bringing back older entries. At this point, however, anything past the fourth entry doesn’t quite fit the “classic” status of the earlier installments. RE5 is certainly a mainline series entry but arguably may not necessarily warrant a full remake.

Originally Posted by ClockShot (Post 5616483)

If Sony wants to look at big name companies, join the other vultures circling Ubisoft.

Originally Posted by Sepholio (Post 5616922)

Also would not be surprised if Sony was secretly going after SquareEnix. Imaging a Legend of Dragoon remake being co-developed by Sony/SE. mmmmmmmmmmmmm:drool:

Originally Posted by Destructoid

Today was the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, and as predicted, Tim Apple Tim Cook finished the event with the reveal of the new Apple headset. Called Apple Vision Pro, the headset is more AR than VR, utilizing a system of cameras to project screens and objects into the world around you. It’s arguably the most exciting piece of tech to come out of Apple since the iPod. Looking at the Vision Pro and how it works is some real sci-fi shit, technology I thought was still years away. But it’s actually less than a year away.

There is a lot going on under the hood with Apple Vision Pro, including two chips (the M2 and the R1), 23 million pixels across the device’s two screens, eye-tracking, gesture tracking, and 4K video resolution that will be rendered at scale. As if it wasn’t hard enough to get people to look away from their screens, one device feature is EyeSight, which reveals your eyes when you start talking to somebody else in the room. Because heaven forbid you take it off your head when talking to others.

While the showcase focused more on how Apple Vision Pro will take your apps off your iPhone, iPad, and iMac and display them as virtual screens in your real world, it also emphasized that gaming will be a part of the experience. One hundred Apple Arcade games will be available on day one, and the device is compatible with standard video game controllers. The feature I’m most excited about is being able to watch movies on virtual screens of any size. While I still prefer going to a real theater to watch films, something like that will greatly improve the home theater experience. If you’re wondering about battery life, you can run this thing for two hours before needing to recharge or you can plug it in for continuous use.

Originally Posted by Destructoid

It sounds like things are shifting at Electronic Arts and BioWare. A new report from IGN says EA is nearing an agreement to hand development and operation of Star Wars: The Old Republic to a third-party studio.

According to IGN’s report, Broadsword Online Games—developer of Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot—would take the reins. The deal is expected to be final as soon as this month.

Over half of the 70 to 80 people on the core Old Republic team are expected to move to Broadsword. Those remaining with EA will reportedly have an opportunity to look for other roles in the company, but could otherwise see layoffs.

Star Wars: The Old Republic will keep getting updates, including the upcoming 7.3 patch, and EA would remain publisher.

On the BioWare side, the team will focus its resources on current single-player efforts. This includes both Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and the next entry in the Mass Effect series ...

Star Wars: The Old Republic has been running for quite a while, having launched back in 2011. It added free-to-play options a year later, and has since rolled on with expansions and content updates.

It’s not surprising that EA wants to keep its Star Wars MMO running. But moving it from BioWare does draw some attention back to the developer.