Content For Dirt Rally 2.0 Comes To An End As New Entry Shared To Be Announced “Very Soon”, Developer Shares

Within the short amount of time that has surmounted for Codemasters’ Dirt Rally 2.0 since its initial release last February, the game has received a handful of seasonal content updates which continued to pour more intuitive gameplay into the core experience for the ongoing racing series. Even more, the game also managed to take a place in PlayStation Plus’ April 2020 free titles on top of that. Now entering May more than a year later, Comemasters reveals that there are no more plans for additional downloadable content to ship for the year-old rally racer. While there are still updates and other “surprises” planned to ship for the game in the later months, the team shares that its sight is looking towards a new project. Prepare to see something new roar to life in the world of DiRT, very soon. Developed by a separate Codemasters studio to the DiRT Rally team, we’re incredibly excited about what’s around the corner. We invite you to be part of a brand new experience, while also continuing to enjoy our definitive Rally offering. PJ Tierney, Codemasters’ Social Media Manager tells that players can expect something in a fairly short amount of time. However, the new announcement will be coming from an isolated team in Codemasters not involved with the current Dirt Rally series. So perhaps the next entry shared will imply the race taking place back on the tarmac? That is only left for speculation as it was not expanded upon following the initial statement. As for the spotlighted team behind the development for 2.0, Tierney tells that studio is currently brainstorming on the next project in the meantime, but will be worth keeping an eye out for. “We have a few things in mind. We have big plans, driven by a passionate development team, solely tasked with taking the Rally series to even greater heights. You won’t hear about that for a while, but when you do… oh boy, will you be excited for what’s coming.” Current Dirt Rally 2.0 players can still expect the influx of challenges that take place during their respected, pre-scheduled timeframes following the announcement. Alongside the established foundation for incentive objectives in-game, Codemasters also reinforces that the competitive scene for Rally 2.0 is still expecting more in the coming future. What do you hope the next installment for the Dirt series to be? Dirt Rally 2.0 is out now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Source: Codemasters

Google Cuts The Cord For Stadia On PC As Wireless Controller Support Comes This Week

Reflecting to the events prior of the release for Google’s video game streaming service Stadia, there happened to be following controversy leading up to the platforms launch. While people named instances where the cloud-based system would be plagued by noticeable input lag or controller latency, the biggest issue happened to be the limited support for wireless controller functionality. Granted, there was the option to play wirelessly with the controller when using the Google Chromecast Ultra with the respected branded controller, but aside from that users had to link a USB-C wire to play on PC or mobile. Which became a larger issue since this is a primitive trait that was squandered over a decade ago already. Regardless, Google has come to reveal that the issue has been lifted for PC users this week. In a recent community blog post, Google has announced that Stadia controllers will no longer required a wire-bounded connection to play any software on the service for either desktops or laptop users. Starting this week, you can now use the Stadia Controller to play wirelessly on your laptop and desktop. You no longer need to connect your Stadia Controller physically to your computer to play your favorite games. You’ll be able to link your Stadia Controller and Stadia.com through your Wi-Fi network and play without a USB-C cable connection. The statement as you have read does not fortunately share details on additional controllers of preference outside of Google’s brand. So users who currently play Stadia with gamepads to the like of Microsoft, Sony, or even Nintendo will still be reuqired to link the controller with a USB-C cord. The announcement comes as a surprise alongside the new entries that will greet Stadia Pro subscribers. The firm shared that Zombie Army 4: Dead War, SteamWorld heist, and The Turning Test will be arriving this month for May 2020’s free games for the service. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you regularly use the Stadia controller? Source: Google

Zombie Army 4, SteamWorld Heist, And Turning Test Headline Stadia Pro May 2020 Free Games

For Stadia followers who might not have been paying attention recently, Google hosted this year’s first Stadia Connect presentation showcasing some big additions that made its way to the platform. One big entry is PUBG Corp.’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds which dropped the same days as its announcement. Offering unique Stadia-themed cosmetics, the game was also a fast addition to the Stadia Pro free game library. Another title happened to be Zombie Army 4: Dead War which arrived the following Friday. Google also revealed that Rebellion’s latest zombie-filled installment will also be yet another game being listed for Stadia Pro when the game arrived. However, we learned this week that the announcement happened to align with the next shipment of games for the monthly subscription. Google recently shared that alongside Zombie Army 4, both SteamWorld Heist and The Turning Test will both be free titles for players to take on as well. The Image & Form game is best described by Google to incorporate “robot space pirates” into one eventful experience for the 2016-released title. Moving onto the puzzling release from Bulkhead Interactive, The Turning Test while in space does not offer the zaniness of space pirates like the latter. Instead, players will be imprisoned in a set of enigmatic trials where they must use their wits and intellect to uncover the answer to each puzzle that is laid ahead in their journey when playing. Noted, Google still has some recommended titles to sample as well which shipped during last month’s batch for Stadia Pro. Namely the Serious Sam Collection, Spitlings, and Stack On Stacks (On Stacks). You can read the full report by heading here. What game has you itching most from this month’s new Stadia pro titles? Source: Google

Epic Games Celebrates 350 Million Registered Fortnite Players With Party Royale Premiere, Weekend Online Concert Revealed

The current atmosphere surrounding Epic games continuously growing battle royale Fortnite is going to be a little more lenient on the core gameplay as Party Royale has just debuted for the game this past week. The new mode offers a social hub for players to take a break from the high intensity moments accumulated from playing online matchmaking for a smoother change of pace. Now, the developer looks to already be hosting its first venue on the new mode as the company will be celebrating the new landmark achievement of accumulating 350 million registered players. Epic Games made the announcement on Twitter to share the upcoming Party Royale Premiere scheduled to take place later this coming weekend. Starting this Friday on May 8, players can expect entertainment from the likes of Dillon Frances, Steve Aoki, and deadmau5 throughout the course of the three-event concert. The venue itself will be taking place on Friday at 6 PM PST / 9 PM EST and will run until 7 PM PST / 10 PM EST. However, players who join the event between Monday and Friday can expect to receive the Neon Wings Back Bling unique to the Party Royale premiere. Epic Games also shares that other attractions such as aerial obstacle courses and boat racing are some activities to be found outside of the ongoing concert. Additionally, players can also find to pick up the Paint Launcher to help establish the mood as you cover the scenery and other players with your artistic envisions. Just last month, Epic Games hosted a separate concert featuring Travis Scott. Astronomical at the time was reported to wrangle in 12 million concurrent players for Fortnite, a new record never before seen for the game. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you plan on dropping into Party Royale later this weekend? Fornite is out now for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. Source: Epic Games

Microsoft Reveals The Next Bulk Of Additions Coming To Xbox Game Pass For May 2020

Alright, you already know what time of the month it is – time for more additions to Xbox Game Pass. Each month happens to be a exciting time for Game Pass subscribers as Microsoft ships new additions that will be making its way to both iterations of the game streaming service. And for the month of May, this happens to host a couple monumental introductions to the service. Console users can expect to be graced by Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 starting tomorrow. During the initial announcement, it was revealed that the open-world, action western would take the place of the currently placed Grand Theft Auto V. So prepare to shift settings from the bustling streets of fictional Los Santos to the five counties in the coming day. On the PC side of the coin, Xbox Game Pass users for the platform can expect to indulge in the next addition of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Just yesterday, Microsoft announced that Halo 2 Anniversary will be introduced as the next piece of the Halo anthology this coming Tuesday, May 12 for PC. Here is the complete lineup shared for the month of May: Console DayZ – 5/7 Red Dead Redemption 2 – 5/7 Final Fantasy IX – 5/14 Fractured Minds – 5/19 PC Endless Legend – Coming Soon Final Fantasy IX – Coming Soon Halo Master Chief Collection: Halo 2 – Coming Soon (May 12) If you were busy during the month of April, Microsoft introduced some interesting additions such as Gato Roboto, HyperDot, and Deliver Us The Moon. You can read the full announcement post by heading here. What ambitious title has you most excited for Xbox Game Pass this month? Source: Xbox Wire, (1)

Summer Game Fest Lists Upcoming Game Reveal For Tuesday May 12

Last week, Game Awards host Geoff Keighley came out from nowhere to reveal the Summer Game Fest. The new online event will take place over the coming months running from this month in May to the coming August at the other end of this summer. Upon the announcement, it was uncertain when exactly we will expect the first reveal for the new show with it commencing sometime this month. Now the website has been updated revealing that the Summer Game Fest will be showcasing a new, unannounced title this coming Tuesday May 12. Dubbed Sunrise #1, the reveal reads “join Geoff Keighley for a surprise game reveal.” However, that is where the trail ultimately ends. Essentially it is unknown where this will lead primarily due to the fact that several studios and publishers are involved with the digital event. Listed publishers such as 2K, Electronic Arts, Blizzard Entertainment, and Private Division are mentioned to be partnered with Summer Game Fest. But followers are only let with speculation until the announcement next week. One possibility that might be showcased comes from a surprising featured publisher on the list: Bungie. Although the firm has finally established its presence as a self-dependent publisher, the former Halo developer has yet to share what its future plans are. One thing for certain is that the team does have a new property going by the name Matter. While unsure what it is exactly, it is certain to be the next project and potential franchise for the studio. Another prediction to pull out of the hat is potentially an announcement from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The publisher has been reported previously to be hosting its own E3 press conference, but that plan was scrapped as the show was shelved for 2020. The report mentions projects like the leaked Harry Potter title from Avalanche Software and unannounced Warner Bros. Montreal Court of Owls entry for the Arkham series. You can read the full report by heading here. What do you have hopes to be announced at the show next week? Summer Game Fest will be taking place this coming Tuesday May 12 with Sunrise #1. Source: Summer Game Fest

Cinematic Trailer For Ghostrunner Reveals Limited Demo On PC running From May 6 – May 13

Through the bulk of anticipated announcements that took place back at Gamescom back in August of last year, nothing truly stood out like the ambitious and glowing Ghostrunner from developer One More Level. The team most known for its 2019 top-down shooter God’s Trigger revealed the first-person, cyberpunk, sword-wielding experience and initial reception asked for more to be revealed. And that wish has finally has been granted as a new trailer has been revealed for the approaching title. One More Level this time ships a CGI cinematic trailer showcasing what players can expect from the myriad of different enemies and unique locations that players will traverse over in the ‘great tower city’. You can watch the trailer in full in the video below: One nice reveal from the cinematic trailer is that One More Level will be releasing a demo of the game for a limited time. Exciting for those who have yet to play, I highly encourage you do so as the demo is live from today May 6 until next Wednesday on May 13. Even more, RTX 2080 owners can also enjoy the extra visual features as Ghostrunner supports NVIDIA GeForce components. Rectify Gaming during this most recent PAX East featured Ghostrunner and learned the game to be a reiteration of previous software releases from One More Level. Speaking with the game’s Director Radoslaw Ratusznik, he shares that the team wanted to pursue implementing aspects related to God’s Trigger in the first-person perspective and do so through the lens of high-production visuals. You can read the full feature by heading here. Are you planning on sampling Ghostrunner in the coming days? Ghostrunner is listed to arrive in Q3 2020 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Respawn Entertainment Hosts New Job Listing For Apex Legends Sharing Ambitions To Bring To New Consoles

As we know already, this year happens to be a very eventful time period for Respawn Entertainment’s Apex Legends. Publisher Electronic Arts granted the developing battle royale to be the focused first-person shooter for 2020 during a previous earnings call which gives plenty of room for the game’s developer to really flex the capabilities of truly expanding to new horizons. While talking in the sense of content, this can also be applied to other means as well. In particular, the next generation of console hardware. While players can enjoy the current game through Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, it looks that support for the 2019 game will be expanding to the next iteration of commercial systems. According to a recent job listing on Electronic Arts’ website, Respawn Entertainment is in search for a likely candidate to take the position as a Senior Rendering Engineer. The listing specifically asks for an individual to “push next-gen platforms and the PC to their limits on Apex Legends. “ The job vacancy page as of reporting has been delisted, showing that the team might have already found a culprit for the position. The instance also looks to align with the recent statement made by Electronic Arts as the firm is looking to pursue bringing games to newer systems with a “free update.” Not only does Respawn Entertainment share ambitions to pursue integrating the revolutionary battle royale to the suspected Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, but studio is also in hindsight to incorporate cross-platform play as well. Perhaps this also leaves room to speculate cross-generation play as well with this new report surfacing as well. In other Apex Legends-related news, Respawn Entertainment revealed the next addition to the roster of Legends, Loba. You can catch up on the full announcement by heading here. What next-generation system would you like to play Apex Legends on? Apex Legends is out now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Source: Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Confirms “Multiple” Titles Shipping For Nintendo Switch Later This Year In Recent Earnings Call

Looking at the Nintendo Switch library regarding Electronic Arts-published titles, the eShop is lacking in more games from the American publisher. Despite the amount of financial wealth that the myriad of projects that ship under the company each year racks in, it does not show to be shining on Nintendo’s side of the pond. However, the firm is aware of that and is planning to tackle the system heavily coming later on this year. During the latest Earnings Call for the publisher, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson shares to be eager in providing more software to Nintendo’s latest iteration. “And we’re also planning to deliver for more Nintendo fans, with multiple EA games set to launch on Nintendo Switch this year,” Wilson expresses on the matter of more support on the platform. For more details, it looks that we might already have an understanding on one title that will be coming thanks to a post on Twitter. Known insider Liam Robertson shared to be excited for BioWare’s Mass Effect 3 to ship to Nintendo Switch in a post recently. Before jumping to conclusion based on a tweet, there is some likeliness that the game will hit the Nintendo eShop for Switch. Many might not remember, but the third installment in the Mass Effect series actually released on Nintendo’s Wii U back in 2012. And from the current status of Nintendo porting prior generation software to the Switch, it’s pretty high as you can tell especially with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe being the most sold property for the platform to date. Currently, the only title slated to ship to Nintendo Switch is the upcoming Burnout Paradise Remastered, but that looks to be only the start of a larger wave if Wilson states that “multiple” projects will be making its way to the platform in the coming months. This reveal is part of a bigger initiative that goes alongside the recent partnership between Electronic Arts and Google to bring more games to recently released Stadia. In the same Earnings Call, Electronic Arts also shared that the publisher is planning to ship free updates for next generation hardware when the new consoles arrive later this year. You can read the report in full by heading here. What Electronic Arts games would you like to see debut on Nintendo Switch? Source: Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Hints At Cross-Gen Upgrades For Published Titles For New Consoles In Latest Earnings Call

As we continue to inch closer to the next wave of console hardware this coming holiday season, different aspects of the new units from both Microsoft and Sony are expected to unravel along the way. One being the ability to continue playing already purchased titles on the new consoles which as of yet is being pioneered by Microsoft with Smart Delivery. Although both platforms will support backwards compatibility to some extent, Microsoft’s new initiative tends to the consumer directly without requiring to buy an updated version for the new system. Instead, users who own games – for instance Cyberpunk 2077 – via Xbox One can install a free update on the upcoming Xbox Series X and play the game to the new standards on the newer machine. Alongside CD Projekt Red’s upcoming title, Infinity Ward has also recently tossed the idea of cross-generation support for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Warzone as well. Now, publisher Electronic Arts has shared to be dabbling in the efforts as well according to the latest Earnings Call for the company. During the latter segments of the Prepared Remarks provided by the firm, Electronic Arts reveals to be pursuing a task to gift a ‘free update’ for upcoming projects for the next generation of systems. Note that this year the phasing includes the effect of revenue recognition from the games we are launching for the current generation of consoles that can also be upgraded for free for the next generation. Blake Jorgenson, Electronic Arts CFO & COO Taken from the official document, this is the first that the firm has brushed upon the idea for cross-generation buying regarding both Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. Even more, this is also another first that directly addresses the same support to Sony’s approaching platform as well since we are already familiar with Microsoft’s in-house initiative. Provided by the current circulated popularity from Electronic Arts’ lineup, it is expected that projects such as Respawn Entertainment’s Apex Legends & Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order alongside the myriad of EA Sports titles to be supported when the new consoles ship later this year. However, this is only speculation since nothing has been confirmed as of yet, so take the previous statement as conjecture until properly addressed. What games do you want to be supported for the newer consoles? Source: Electronic Arts