Yakuza Franchise Producer Tells He Would Develop A Different Take For Sonic The Hedgehog If Given The Opportunity

To give a sense for the direction of the mainline Sonic the Hedgehog series, majority of players were not satisfied with 2017’s Sonic Forces. While the title did attempt to hone the likeness of predecessors from before, the game falls flat on level design and the lack luster story that was told for the game. But of course, that is certainly not the last we will hear of Sonic the Hedgehog. In June last year, it was shared by Team Sonic head Takashi Iizuka that the next flagship game for Sega’s mascot franchise will be arriving sometime in 2021. Given that little details has still be provided as we are inching to the finish line for 2020, there is not much to expand upon. There was an investor advertiser that told a ’30th anniversary’ celebration will be in order coming next year. But while the next game is on low heat for now, Yakuza series Producer Daisuke Sato spoke on his opinion of Sonic the Hedgehog. While he has not worked on the game personally, he wishes to take on a game after more than two decades working at Sega. Even more, he wants to bring new life to the series as well. It’s an IP that I haven’t come to before. In the sense that I want to try it… well, Sonic. After all, when you hear Sega you think Sonic. I’d like to get involved once at least but for me, the so-called Sonic is, well, if I were to do it, I wouldn’t do Sonic as it was. I would like to make a completely different Sonic. For Sato, he is most recognized for his work at Sega on the Yakuza series being a careered producer for the line of entries from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Alongside that, Sato was also involved in the development of Super Monkey Ball and Shenmue as well. So for Sato to pursue a Sonic the Hedgehog game would not be arbitrary to previous work. In reference to Yakuza before the founding of RGG Studio, the series was seen to be a different experience for video games at the time and has proven to still be a leading franchise for Sega more than a decade later. So for Sonic the Hedgehog to receive a unique spin on the concept might benefit the series after witnessing how Yakuza stands currently. This month, Sega announced to be still pursuing its new initiative to bring more Atlus-developed titles to other platforms. After the success of Persona 4 Golden on Steam, the publisher is eager to expand the library to other systems. You can read the latest report by heading here. Would you play Sonic the Hedgehog if it was produced by Sato?

PlayStation 5 To Get The Nioh Collection This Coming February, Third Nioh 2 DLC Arriving Next Month

It has not been a year since the release of Team Ninja’s Nioh 2 and more details on the game is continuing to break for the March-released title. For those unfamiliar, the Japanese studio behind the projects has continued to pour in new content with two DLC additions to the game already. Now in a new blog post, the third add-on for Nioh 2 will be arriving in the middle of December. According to Team Ninja, the third and last expansion is called ‘The First Samurai’ and will offer new content, of course, for players to experience atop of an entirely new difficulty mode to push hardcore players looking to one-up their current personal record. “A flash of light from Sohayamaru whisks the protagonist back to the past as a Visitor for the third and final time, the synopsis reads for the DLC. “They are brought back to the place their mother spoke of when they were very young, the land of the fabled youth that defeated an oni. Otakemaru’s past, the secret of Sohayamaru, and the truth behind the first samurai. All of these mysteries will be revealed, and the protagonist’s long journey will finally come to a climactic end.” In addition to that, Team Ninja also reveal users on PlayStation 5 can acquire The Nioh Collection this February. You can watch the announcement trail for The Nioh Collection in the video below: In total, players that are interested in picking up The Nioh Collection will receive the following: Nioh Remastered Collection & Nioh 2 Remastered Collection. In addition to that, the respected add-on content for both games will be included in the next-generation exclusive package. With that, unique enhancements are to be provided. That includes 120 frames per second, 4K target resolution, and DualSense-unique features. Additionally, cross-save will be available alongside cross-gen play between PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5. For more on the latest entry, we recommend you read our full review for Nioh 2 by heading here. Do you plan to return to Nioh with The Nioh Collection? The Nioh Collection is set to arrive on February 5, 2021 for PlayStation 5. Source: PlayStation Blog

Report: Microsoft Wants Coming Bethesda Titles To Prioritize Xbox Ahead Of Other Platforms

To generally understand what Microsoft has planned for its acquisition of Zenimax Media and subsidiary Bethesda is still undetermined. That is, in the sense of software. Microsoft has clarified that the purchase will surely fuel the supply line for the Xbox Game Pass service with new games coming to the library, but the premise of coming software is still unknown for the time being. However, the relationship between Microsoft and Bethesda for years now has been very close and now with Microsoft helming the firm, that is only expected to grow from there as talent at Bethesda studios are giving near-unlimited resources to work on future projects. Recently, Phil Spencer while not sparing much detail did tell that the current unannounced work underway from the company is in an “incredibly exciting time for the work that Bethesda’s studios are doing.” When speaking at the Jefferies Interactive Entertainment conference this past week, Xbox Chief Financial Officer Tim Stewart disclosed Microsoft’s ambitions leading the purchase of Bethesda is to put Xbox first in preference for coming titles from the firm. What we’ll do in the long run is we don’t have intentions of just pulling all of Bethesda content out of Sony or Nintendo or otherwise. But what we want is we want that content, in the long run, to be either first or better or best or pick your differentiated experience, on our platforms. We will want Bethesda content to show up the best as — on our platforms. Yes. That’s not a point about being exclusive. That’s not a point about we’re being — adjusting timing or content or road map. But if you think about something like Game Pass, if it shows up best in Game Pass, that’s what we want to see, and we want to drive our Game Pass subscriber base through that Bethesda pipeline. Stewart virtually reiterates on previous statements made by Microsoft. Howbeit, he does add that Microsoft intends to offer the best experience on its ecosystem of platforms. While content will not be unique on the system to say, the games will be the best opportunity for potential consumers to migrate over based on the value provided by the Xbox company. Previously, Xbox division lead Phil Spencer disclosed that Microsoft’s pursuit now in ownership for Bethesda can be “recouped” after spending $7.5 billion on the purchase. While it is certain the firm can reacquire the capital spent making future releases unique on Xbox, that is not the patch Microsoft is taking leading forward. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you agree with Microsoft’s approach with Bethesda? Source: Seeking Alpha

Concurrent Player Count For Old School RuneScape Meets New Record This Month

While many deem Old School RuneScape to be a thing of the past based on the game’s inauguration back over two decades now, there is still a thriving player base that actively returns to the series. Ultimately, the same is said for the entirety of RuneScape including other iterations that released and are still live from Jagex. In January, it was reported that Jagex collectively brought in a record high amount of active subscribers divided between all forms of RuneScape. In total, gamesindustry.biz relayed that over 1.1 million recurring users paid and played either RuneScape or Old School RuneScape for the entirety of 2019. And now with many suggested to stay home, that number is only expected to increase. But for Old School RuneScape in particular, the game faced a new record-breaking amount of players this month. Disclosed by Old School RuneScape Lead Content Developer Mod Kieren, he announced on Twitter that the record was broken as part of the recent Leagues II: Trailblazer which went live. Collectively, Old School RuneScape has faced 157, 445 active players as of November 1 this month. Surely a milestone many would not anticipate to be occurring in 2020 for the title. For those unfamiliar with Leagues, the mode is available intended for veteran players looking for a challenge when exploring the game’s world. Elsewhere previously in regards to RuneScape, Jagex shipped the newer version of RuneScape for Steam. The studio disclosed Old School RuneScape will be added at a later date in 2021 outside of the traditional launcher offered by the developer. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you still playing Old School RuneScape? Old School RuneScape is out now for PC, Android, and iOS.

Sega Reiterates On Porting/Remastering More Atlus Titles To Other Platforms In Recent Financial Report

While it certainly cannot be forgotten, it was June of this month that Sega went on whim to abruptly launch Persona 4 Golden for Steam. Originally, the game was unique to Sony’s PlayStation Vita, but the chances of a PC port was virtually zero to none. At most, many fans anticipated a version to be curated for Nintendo Switch, but PC is a long-shot, or so we thought. Regardless, the game arrived with an unexpected amount of traction heading towards the 2012 game on Steam. Within its first month selling more than half a million copies, Sega commented that the firm would be pursuing to work in more entries from Atlus to other platforms later on. But now in a recent financial report from Sega, the publisher reiterates on the matter. While the firm is still ambitious to migrate more Atlus titles to other platforms as well as PC, Sega Sammy had this to say on the matters this month: As for Steam, while we haven’t been actively releasing Atlus titles on PC, we felt that there was much potential there and put out a direct port of Persona 4 Golden for PC, and the user response was far beyond our expectations. That being said, we hope to release Atlus catalog titles across various platforms, whether as direct ports or in the form of remasters or remakes. Haruki Satomi, Sega Sammy President and CEO Of course, Sega has for the past few years asked its user base as to what games they would like to see come to other platforms, in particular the Nintendo Switch. The firm polled users on over a dozen entries and a couple of those aforementioned titles already released or to be for the Nintendo eShop already. Similarly, Sega also has a separate pursuit to release other Yakuza entries in the west that are currently unique to Japan. With Rya Ga Gotoku Studio & Sega already handling some installments to PC and Xbox in the past year, it is entailed that these entries would face releases on newer systems as well. You can read the full report by heading here. Which Atlus game would you like to see be ported next? Source: Gematsu

Serious Sam Collection Launches Today For Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, And PlayStation 4

It was only in September that developer Croteam shipped the long-awaited Serious Sam 4 to PC & Stadia. Now today, the firm has returned once again with more Serious Sam content, however, it is not the latest entry. Instead, users on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch can find the Serious Sam Collection available on each of the respected storefronts. Originally, the bundle of Serious Sam titles was only offered on Xbox 360 when the anthology shipped back in 2013. Howbeit, fans later found the Serious Sam Collection returning with a surprise debut for Google-owned Stadia in April as part of a Stadia Pro monthly addition. Now, the collection is coming to other platforms, finally. In a new tweet on Twitter this month, Croteam announced that Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 are able to pick up the Serious Sam Collection on November 17, today. “Experience one of the most explosive shooter game series of all time as you save the world from a merciless alien invasion,” the overview reads for the game on the Nintendo eShop. “Visit the ruins of ancient Egypt and roam through the vivid arenas of South America fighting seemingly never-ending hordes of enemies using an extremely destructive arsenal including shotguns, heavy lasers, rocket launchers, a huge cannon and an iconic minigun.” In total, Serious Sam Collection will include Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter, and Serious Sam 3: BFE. The bundle of games will also feature both Jewel of the Nile & The  Legend of the Beast expansions for Serious Sam 3: BFE. Recently, Devolver Digital announced its purchase of Serious Sam studio Corteam. You can read about the acquisition by heading here. What system would you replay Serious Sam on? Serious Sam Collection is out now for Xbox 360, Stadia, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

343 Industries Confirms No Halo Infinite Appearance For The Game Awards, But A “High Level” Update Is To Come In The Weeks Ahead

In hindsight for the highly-anticipated Halo Infinite, developer 343 Industries is still planning to reveal more of the next big installment for the franchise in the coming weeks. Of course, with the game now being shelved until 2021 next year thanks to issues internally affecting the game’s outcome, many fans that got to sample some of the game back during the Xbox Game Showcase in July are surly hungry for more. Since the game’s pushed release, 343 Industries most notably recruited franchise veteran Joe Staten to helm the team with a leading position ensuring development is underway in a positive direction. Despite the later discovery of studio lead Chris Lee departing last month, the series is projected to still be in good hands despite Lee’s absence on the project. In anticipation for more to be revealed, it was told in this week’s Halo Weekly Discussion that fans looking forward to December’s Game Awards will be disappointed. However, there will be an update held by 343 Industry in the coming weeks. Right now we’re still going through the huge cascade of implications and ramifications to the release shift and the team is heads down working through nearly every facet of the game. Full disclosure we don’t have anything planned for the VGAs, but are hoping to offer at least a high level update within the next few weeks so we can kind of restart this journey together after the holidays. Pulling together something like a demo or big beat for the VGAs is an enormous amount of work and would cause challenges with current milestones of the holidays. I know it’s hard to wait, but the team is going to make the most of this extra time and we want to make sure we can put our best foot forward and commit to greater transparency and dialog on the road ahead. We’ll get there and get the train going again. Brian Jarrard, 343 Industries Community Director So while there will not be a traditional announcement to refresh players with Halo Infinite at the annual awards show, 343 Industries tells that fans can expect to learn more fairly soon. When gathering from the statement with reference of The Game Awards, it is suspected the update could drop around the same time as the Geoff Keighley-held show. One thing many fans are worried is how Halo Infinite will be distributed. It was originally disclosed that Halo Infinite was contemplated, but later brushed off to ship in different segments. But in a recent interview with Kotaku, Xbox lead Phil Spencer did offer that the idea is back on the table despite denouncing efforts to pursue the initiative. But if news is to come on the game soon, we might hear more on the matters then. In other Halo-related news as of recent, 343 Industries is shipping Halo 4 today for Halo: The Master Chief Collection this week. The addition is said to include an update for the console version updating the title for Xbox Series X|S and add cross-play to bridge all systems. You can read the latest report by heading here. Are you planning to keep your eyes peeled for this Halo Infinite update? Halo Infinite is scheduled to arrive sometime in 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Source: Reddit