Wings Interactive Reveals Roughly $280,000 Donated For GDC Relief Fund Assisting Independent Studios
What might have seemed like months ago only happened to be a handful of weeks as organizers Informa Tech announced that the year’s annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) would be pushed to a later date aimed sometime in the summer. Later on, the orchestrators for the show announced that the event will commence the first week of August later this year. However, despite the new schedule established for the conference, the abrupt replanning for GDC ultimate affected developers negatively. While not specifically companies like Sony Interactive Entertainment and Oculus who retracted their attendance in advanced, but the smaller studios that couldn’t afford to pull their roll call from the show. The rescheduling unfortunately left several teams in a financial disadvantage due to the decision swayed by the novel coronavirus. Fortunately, Wings Interactive alongside GameDev.World partnered together alongside a dozen or more developers and organizations to form the GDC Relief Fund to assist those teams who were affected by the unprecedented timing last month. It was revealed today that after being established nearly a month ago, the GDC Relief Fund has accumulated $289,000 in donations. The games industry community, particularly through gamedev.world’s fundraising efforts, has shown astonishing generosity to indie game developers struggling with the impact of GDC’s sudden cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cassia Curran, Wings Interactive Head of Business Alongside the efforts put into place by Wings Interactive, it was revealed that the combined donations of $81,000 collected during the GameDev.World livestream fundraiser meets the nearly $290K accumulated altogether. The sum collected will surely help benefit the smaller independent studios that have fallen victim due to the untimely matter. With tensions that continue to gain a vice grip on people in the video game industry and those who avidly play during this crisis, charity organization Safe In Our World has established a COVID-19 Hub to help people who need assistance with their mental wellbeing. The new hub offers individuals in need advice to deal with the situation at hand and even recommends games to play to remedy your anxiety. To continue support for those affected by the ongoing global pandemic, Rectify Gaming will be hosting a day long Relief Stream to raise funds for people who’ve been troubled by the impact of COVID-19. You can read the full announcement by heading here. Did you help in the efforts for the GDC Relief Fund? Source: Gamesindustry.biz
Warzone For Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Ticks Over 50 Million Users In Its First Month
The craze that has tailed behind the previously dropped Warzone for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare certainly deserves the merit behind its popularity. Combining the well-refined and compact first-person shooter formula of the 2019 installment with a exceeding player count with battle royale instantly flocked over hundreds of thousands of players to drop into Verdansk. Even more, the newest addition is completely free: no prior payment or necessity to own the November-released game – anyone can play Warzone at their disposal. With cross-platform play also integrated between Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, this continues to open opportunity for players to continue returning to Warzone. And we have seen big results from the game’s performance following release. In its first day alone, Warzone received roughly 6 million players which broke records for games of that degree. Now a month in, Warzone has again broke the sound barrier as the game has welcomed over 50 million players in the first 30 days of going live. Activision on Twitter announced the new on the series’ official account. Not only to mention the positive effect that came from Warzone fundamentally, but also the added content that was subjected to the mode since then. Developer Infinity Ward has dropped client patches and title updates which continued to bring replayability to the player such as solos and now the recent return of trios earlier today. Furthermore, Infinity Ward in the roadmap for Warzone regarding the recently established Season 3 for Modern Warfare announced that two more operatives are expected to drop in the latter of the content season. The overview for Season 3 also shares that a new mode equipping players with sniper rifles and shotguns will debut later on also. To put the insanity in comparison to other like releases, look at Apex Legends when abruptly dropping back in February of last year. In contrast to the battle royal shipped by Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment, the free title under Electronic Arts received over 50 million players in 28 days in contrast to the same record that Warzone achieved in 31 days. Despite not overtaking the milestone placed by Apex Legends, Warzone is a game not to be shrugged off for larger potential. Have you played Warzone in the last month? Cal of Duty: Modern Warfare is out now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
“Thank You” Trailer For Final Fantasy VII Remake Shows PC Footage, Entails Version To Arrive Following Timed Exclusivity Deal
Today marks the official release for the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake; a day many could not believe to arrive even in the stress derived from the ongoing virus pandemic. Regardless of the current world problems, fans on PlayStation 4 can officially return to completely rework of the titular 1997 title. For the time being, the remake will be a unique addition to the PlayStation 4 platform for an entire year until April 10th the following year. However, with the thought in mind that the game will be coming to other platforms in particular after the listed date, that began stirring hopes of the remake migrating to other popular systems later on. More specifically, fans are eager to see the potential of the game’s debut on PC. Well luckily for the praying followers of the game, Square Enix in the recent ‘’Thank You’ trailer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake showcased some footage of the game running on the PC version of the game. You can view the trailer in full in the video below: Prior to the release of the game, or even before the arrival of the then-rumored official demo for the title, there were discoveries of the remake with elements of a PC version already in the works. Dataminers who got their hands on the demo ahead of properly releasing went digging in the source code to unearth traces of the port to PC which set off excitement for fans. Additionally, there has also been discussion of the game’s arrival to other platforms as well. When speaking with Game Informer last year, Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda shared that there is the off chance for the game to also ship for next-generation consoles as well in the coming future. “I believe that our teams have made it so that the game will support both the next generation and the current generation of consoles,” Matsuda stated in the interview. On the discussion of multiple systems that the game could potentially be expected for, the plural on the matter was not specified if he implied that the new PlayStation 5 would also receive the game or if the competing Xbox One and successor would also be receive a port too. There was a slip up by Xbox Germany on Facebook last summer of a possible Xbox version, but no further detail came to fruition after the instance. Are you planning on getting the game on PlayStation or will you wait it our for the PC version? Final Fantasy VII Remake is out now for PlayStation 4.
Trios Makes Its Way Back To Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Warzone, Infinity Ward Reveals
The still establishing Warzone for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has been the talk of the town for about a month since the abrupt debut of the addition back in March. Since then, developer Infinity Ward has shipped a handful of updates to tweak the game alongside inserting some added content to continue bringing life to the game mode. Most notably, Warzone did received solos matchmaking to even out the odds for the best of the best. But when reflecting on the other modes available for the battle royale, this led to questioning on other options as well. Previously, trios were introduced to the game for a brief time before being removed shortly after. But now that is a thing of the past after the latest announcement made today. In a tweet made by studio Infinity Ward, trios will be returning once again to Warzone for you and two other friends to take on the array of other three-player parties. In the midst of the reveal, it is uncertain if the game type will be around for a limited time or to be a permanent addition to Warzone. As of reporting, Infinity Ward only left the announcement with no further detail to ensure the stay of duos for the battle royale game mode. Elsewhere this week, Infinity Ward also drooped a new shipment of content with the inauguration of Season 3 for Modern Warfare. Alongside the added content for the base multiplayer, Warzone received an influx of attention as well. Instances like new operators alongside quads being added to beef up party counts online. You can read the full rundown by heading here. As for the full rundown of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, make sure you’re up to date on Rectify Gaming’s review for the game. David Rodriguez tells that game to offer “a lot of promise” creating a new title sharing the title of the 2009 game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is out now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
CD Projekt Red Clarifies That Upgraded Version For Cyberpunk 2077 Wont Arrive For Launch Of Next-Gen Consoles
Earlier in February of 2020, developer CD Projekt Red announced that alongside the upcoming release for Cyberpunk 2077, the team would also be releasing an updated version of the highly-anticipated title for Xbox Series X as well. Even more, the announcement made also confirmed that owners of the Xbox One version will be receiving the upgraded game for no additional cost. Now the company has revised on said upgrade for Cyberpunk 2077 to reveal that the arrival for the version will be coming sometime not only after the initial release for the game, but also following the launch of the new console as well. In the recent 2019 Financial Results Webcast for CD Projekt Red, company Senior Vice President of Business Development Michal Nowakowski tells that proper version for newer hardware won’t be available when the systems ship. In terms of Microsoft’s console, like I said, we have officially confirmed both the update and the cross-gen availability, meaning that you’ll be able to play the game from the get-go on the next-gen. However, when it comes to a proper, full-blown next-gen version, that’s going to come later, we haven’t announced when and I don’t have a new comment here on that. Nowakowski elaborates on the updated Xbox One version of the game to disclose that once the update goes live, anyone who owns the respected version can install the client for absolutely free. However, the likes of the PlayStation upgrade version is still unkown even for the company. “There’s no official announcement coming from PlayStation so we really can’t confirm or deny anything. “It’s PlayStation that first needs to address these issues and then we’re happy to make a comment, but we can’t jump the gun ahead of them.” On the matters of backwards compatibility for PlayStation 5, Nowakowski urged that Sony approaches the topic due to the initial limiting of titles that will be available essentially. Previously, Sony confirmed that only the ‘Top 100’ titles on PlayStation 4 will be playable on the succeeding system at launch. But the firm later went on to clarify the full catalogue will be supported at a later, undisclosed time. Elsewhere in the Q&A of the recent Webcast CD Projekt Red hosted, Nowakowski told that despite the restraints that have been put into place to battle COVID-19, they will not affect the launch of Cyberpunk 2077. You can read the report in full by heading here. What system do you plan on picking up Cyberpunk 2077 on? Cyberpunk 2077 will be releasing on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Stadia on September 17, 2020. Source: CD Projekt Red
CD Projekt Red Still Confident In September Release For Cyberpunk 2077, COVID-19 No Impact On Launch
Despite the very prominent digital presence that video games holds in the current economic market, anticipated projects still tend to be affected by the very tangible effects of the novel coronavirus due to the precautionary measures submitted to ensure the safety of the general public. With that, we have witnessed titles alike get suspended for release due to the matter at hand. For example, both of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Marvel’s Iron Man VR and The Last of Us Part II both have been postponed directly due to the inopportune timing of the release for the games. Even for a online-only launch, Sony clarifies that would not be beneficial to both the consumer and the company as internet is more limited in these troubling times. However, regarding the upcoming release for CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, the rescheduled release for September is still a go for the firm. The game initially slated for April was later ushered to this approaching autumn due to the additional development time required to capture the team’s complete envision. During the company’s Financial Results Webcast for 2019, the CD Projekt Red assured that the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 is unaffected by the restraints established to combat COVID-19. We don’t really see any major physical related or to any risk related to law that might impede us – or stop us in that way from launching in September. Michal Nowakowski, CD Projekt Red Senior Vice President of Business Development The question asked was directed by the potential compromised ratings for the game in different regions. In particular asking about the recent postponement of ratings by the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) in Japan, CD Projekt Red confirms to have already obtained most ratings in prominent regions of the globe for both prioritized and secondary-aimed nations already. The company then goes on to clarify that localization for some reasons has postponed recording due to the outbreak, but was reassured that the missing voicing could easily be patched in post-launch. It was told that the consumer would purchase the game and simply install an update with the additional voicing at a later time – the firm depicting how the localization would be inserted into the game. Do you plan on picking up Cyberpunk 2077 at launch this coming September? Cyberpunk 2077 is slated to arrive on September 17, 2020 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Stadia. Source: CD Projekt Red
New World Becomes Second Delayed Project From Amazon Due To COVID-19
While plenty of studios alongside game developers have taken the precautionary steps to ensure both the safety of its employees and the satisfaction of the game’s outcome, this also led to plenty of new hurdles that the teams had to take on when working remotely. Even then, the continuously brewing situation has then went to postpone anticipated projects due to the circumstance or poor opportunity for the company and the consumer. In particular, Amazon has been shafted by the situation once already in the past month. It was reported that the scheduled game streaming service, codenamed Project Tempo, was slated to arrive in the near future initially, but was held off due to the affects that was inflicted by the novel coronavirus. Now, the same can be said for one of the firm’s approaching title, New World. Originally scheduled to arrive sometime in May 2020 has now been pushed ahead to August later this summer. Like most of you, our entire team has been sequestered as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While we are still making great progress, developing an ambitious MMO like New World remotely has introduced some challenges. We want to make sure that we have the time needed to make New World the very best it can be for our players. As a result, we’ve chosen to delay the game’s release in order to reach our quality bar as we work remotely for the foreseeable future. Scot Lane, New World Game Director Despite the upsetting news for anticipating fans patiently awaiting to start playing next month, the Closed Beta for New World is still scheduled to commence this coming July (initially disclosed back in December). In the meantime, the studio reassures to keep players up to date on news concerning the project and continue to be consistent with pockets of information on the game leading to this approaching August. As of now, the Alpha for the game is also said to remain open for the time being. With the tensions that have got a vice grip on the studio, the ongoing Alpha is a direct source for where the team can interpret adjustments to the game’s momentum for full release. Are you excited for New World’s new release later this year? New World is slated for August 25, 2020 to arrive on PC. Source: New World
