Ruling For Microsoft’s Acquisition Of Zenimax Media To Be Decided By EU Before March 5th

While it is hard to really forget what happened back in September last year, the industry was shaken upon discovering that Microsoft’s plans to fully acquire Zenimax Media – essentially engulfing ownership of publisher Bethesda and its most notable franchises. Series such as Doom, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Dishonored are planned to reside under the Xbox banner. But, the official acquisition has yet to still take place. In that, there still has to be a proper ruling which dictates the pursuit to purchase the firm and its assets to be suitable and just in the eyes of legal establishments. But while it is said to take place sometime in 2021, now it is certain that the decision will be made by the first week of March. In a new report issued by Reuters, the publication discloses efforts for the acquisition to be settled by March 5th. According to the outlet, antitrust regulators part of the European Union will go to vote on the acquisition. On the European Commission domain, it is revealed that Microsoft submitted a request to process the purchase. As per word-of-mouth within Bethesda studios internally, many of its teams show to be in favor of the deal. For one, Arkane Studios Austin director Harvey Smith disclosed that he viewed the legal conjoining to be a “fit” for both Bethesda and Microsoft. In that past, the two firms collaborated and proved to hold a close relationship that reoccurred time and time again. Elsewhere in regards to Microsoft’s ambitions with the acquisition, it was disclosed that the firm plans to refocus on its Xbox platform with Bethesda titles and those to come. In a interview with Xbox Chief Financial Officer Tim Stewart, he elaborates on the matter by including that the Xbox platform will be the best option for Bethesda titles in the future. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you hoping the ruling will go in Microsoft’s favor or no? Source: Reuters

Mojang Studios Reveals Late February Release For Minecraft Dungeons’ Flames Of The Nether Add-om, Presses On New Free Content

While Minecraft Dungeons eased into its release back in May 2020, the continued support from Mojang Studios in the form of post-launch content has been immeasurable to say the least. Not only did the firm ship two campaign expansions – Jungle Awakens and Creeping Winter – but, the team also bridged all supported platforms that the game is available. Yes, players that own the game on, let’s say, Nintendo Switch can enjoy the same cooperative mayhem that comes with Minecraft Dungeons. Aside from traditional cross-play support for the game, players can also find their progress carry over as well with cross-platform saving also being activated as well no matter the system. Now in a new blog post, the next major downloadable content for Minecraft Dungeons is set to arrive in the latter parts of February. Announcing Flame of the Nether, players alike previous add-on campaigns will find an assortment of missions and other additions to indulge in. “The Flames of the Nether DLC will take you on a journey to the blazing heart of the Nether itself,” writes Kelsey Howard, Mojang Studios Senior Creative Writer. “Six new missions await you – featuring familiar biomes as you’ve never seen them before! Those who survive the adventure will collect new artifacts, weapons, and gear! I personally can’t wait to play these new missions.” Also, Mojang Studios presses on upcoming free content coming to Minecraft Dungeons. In that, the studio will be welcoming aboard Ancient Hunts: a new end-game mode which drops players into the Nether for possible opportunities to retrieve hidden artifacts and even gold, a new in-game currency. The team also mentions Apocalypse Plus and tells to issue more information at a later date. Are you planning to return to Minecraft Dungeons later this month? Flame of the Nether arrive on February 24, 2021; Minecraft Dungeons is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Source: Mojang Studios

Lord Of The Rings: Gollum Faces Delay Into 2022, Secures Co-Publishing Deal With Nacon

Last time entertaining the conversation in regards to Lord of the Rings: Gollum, it was disclosed that the game would be coming to new consoles. In that, developer Daedalic Entertainment issued new screenshots for the upcoming title alongside revealing the title arriving to Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation 5 at launch as well. While its approximate launch date is not officially open intel, the developer is transparent enough to issue that the game is scheduled to launch sometime in 2021, at least. Or, that is what was presumed. But now, a new announcement took place recently which unveils the game is now arriving in 2022. As per a press release from Nacon, the game is set to arrive one year later now. However, the project although facing a new release window more than a year later is receiving new backing which is reaffirming. Publisher Nacon announced to struck a deal with Daedalic Entertainment to co-publish the licensed title. NACON and Daedalic Entertainment are pleased to announce that they have signed a co-publishing and distribution agreement for the game The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. The two companies decided to join forces to ensure that the game will meet the expectations of fans of The Lord of the Rings and fully leverage the power of the new generation of consoles. The universe will be faithfully represented thanks to the partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises, the company that holds the adaptation rights to the novel series by J.R.R. Tolkien. More interesting, at least on Nacon’s behalf, is that this new information is another plus for the publisher in recent weeks. The French publisher recently announced to be settling yet another publishing deal with Crea-ture Studios on continuing development for skateboarding simulator, Session. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you fine waiting an additional year for Lord of the Rings: Gollum? Lord of the Rings: Gollum arrives sometime in 2022 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. Source: Nacon

Forza Horizon 4 Becomes The Franchise’s Inaugural Title For Steam, Arriving March 9th

While Microsoft is still clamping down on new talent for its first-party label of developers, the firm is also working to expand availability of its titles. As many are aware already,  the plenty of games that already release and those planned ahead are not only up for purchase on console, but also on PC. The firm has proven that its own integrated Windows 10 storefront is a fine enough foundation to feature new release. However, the Xbox company continues this new tradition to other realms of the keyboard & mouse platform. In that, we witnessed namely franchises and entries arrive to Valve-owned Steam in the past couple of years. Most recently, Microsoft welcomed Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, and even the entirety of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. But, the list is to continue. In a new announcement on Monday, Forza Horizon 4 will be added to the Steam roster as well. The 2018 title will be the first in the Forza franchise to hit Steam. You can watch the announcement trailer in the video below: “Dynamic seasons change everything at the world’s greatest automotive festival,” reads the description for Forza Horizon 4 on Steam. “Go it alone or team up with others to explore beautiful and historic Britain in a shared open world. Collect, modify and drive over 450 cars. Race, stunt, create and explore – choose your own path to become a Horizon Superstar.” One of the last major additions in regards to Forza Horizon 4 dropped back in December. In that, developer Playground Games welcomed Super7 – a new mode enabling players to draft their own custom tracks and submit to a community social hub for other users to download and play on. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you planning to drop onto Forza Horizon 4 on Steam? Forza Horizon 4 ships to Steam on March 9, 2021; out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows 10. Source: Xbox Wire

ESA Reported To Organize Digital Show For This Year’s E3 Later In June

Surprising to believe it has been almost a year now, but at the time it happened to be a first in history for the video game industry: the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was cancelled. The group that organizes the annual show, Electronic Software Association (ESA), made the tough decision after plans for an in-person show could not be held as growing cases for COVID-19 claimed the United States. Although there were hopes for a potential virtual show to take place, the project never manifested more than just an idea. However, the ESA did later disclose that it would be planning to introduce a “reimagined” E3 the following year in June 2021. But it was not indicated if the show when held the following year if it will return to the traditional, in-person format or to a digital-based showcase that sprouted from the epidemic. In a new report done by Video Game Chronicles, it is told that the yearly event would be taking place through the means of a digital presentation. Howbeit, the publication continues to issue that ESA is still looking for publisher backing to fuel this year’s show. We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021 and will soon share exact details on how we’re bringing the global video game community together. We are having great conversations with publishers, developers and companies across the board, and we look forward to sharing details about their involvement soon. The article continues to elaborate that a virtual show is the main focus for the ESA even though a physical event is not entirely out of the picture. For the premise of an online showcase, E3 2021 is said to feature livestreams weeks in advanced of the namely show and even host remote demos for participants to sample alike at a real event. Noted, contributor Geoff Keighley who periodically held the titular E3 Coliseum would not be making a return. As per a private message conversation with Keighley himself, he confirms to be missing the 2021 show as well. Keighley in 2020 announced his first year in two decades to miss attending E3. You can read the initial report by heading here. Are you hopeful to see E3 materialize for 2021? E3 2021 is said to take place from June 15 – June 17. Source: Video Game Chronicles

The Key Gaming Release Dates Of 2021

In their infancy video games were viewed as a fad that will surely pass in coming years. The game industry crash of the early 1980s gave those voices even more legitimacy. But they could not foresee the impact that the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) would have on the industry when it launched in 1984. Nintendo was hailed as a savior and people rejoiced by walking Mario through every castle in search of his lost princess. After a bumpy start in the ’80s, the industry saw a huge rise in the coming decade. The tech behind video games was growing at an exponential rate and thus the console wars had begun. Nintendo and Sega were in fervent competition throughout the ’90s until finally, Sega called it quits and stopped making consoles. The downfall of Sega created ample opportunity for Sony and Microsoft to swoop in with their own consoles which are to this day dominating the market. Nowadays with hundreds of millions of consoles and PC’s sold, video games are definitely here to stay. The Anticipation Today, big video game titles have enormous budgets. An AAA title (the best of the best) can cost hundreds of millions over many years of development. The wait makes people increasingly excited for the launch of the game. This concept is known as hype. Any video game developer will tell you that hype is at the same time a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because true fans will generally pre-order the game before it even comes close to launching. This offers more financial stability to the developers and also gives them confidence. After all, what’s not to like about people being excited by the work you create? Well, for starters, hype can quickly transform itself into the aforementioned curse. Sometimes big projects will need more time in the oven before they are completed, leading to outcries over the internet from disgruntled fans. Hype will also create false expectations. There have been recent titles that were so over-hyped that in spite of the final product quality, fans still lashed out at the developers. How dare they not create the perfect and immaculate game that we all envisioned in our imagination? All of this can put a lot of pressure on developers and will sometimes create strife and turmoil within the studio. But the fans are not entirely at fault either because marketing campaigns will generally help in creating false expectations. Big titles of 2021 Without further ado, here the main titles expected to make it big this year: Little Nightmares 2 – A sequel to the horror puzzle platformers that placed you in the shoes of a small child trapped in a mysterious and violent world. Take the lead again in the quest to escape your fate. Outriders – This is a looter shooter that has some promising features. Fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic world filled with Sci-Fi elements. Resident Evil 8: Village – The Resident Evil series has taken a turn for the better since the last iteration. Take control of Ethan again and try to figure out the mysteries of this new setting. Back 4 Blood – Left 4 Dead is back, baby! And it has a brand new name. Grab three of your best friends and prepare for another co-op zombie romp that will leave you wanting more. Deathloop – What if we combined a third-person assassin game with a Groundhog Day-inspired loop mechanic, you would get whatever Deathloop will end up being. Keep an eye out for this one since it promises some very interesting gameplay mechanics. The Gambling Boom While the video game boom happened a long time ago, the online gambling industry boom is still in full swing. More and more online casinos are popping up everywhere with hundreds of available casino games at the touch of a “button”. Developers of these types of games have been taking notes from their video game counterparts, especially when it comes to settings and characters. Why play a normal-looking slot machine when you could play one where Greek gods shoot lightning bolts at the screen every time you win. And if computers are not your thing, maybe you would prefer swiping instead of clicking. All of your favorite types of games can now be enjoyed from the comfort of your smartphone. Whether it is classic games (Poker/Blackjack/Baccarat) or slot machines, mobile apps have got you covered. Gamble whenever you want, from whatever location you desire. It is exactly this aspect that has increased revenues immensely for the online casino industry. People are more willing to spin those reels from their comfy couches than ever before and mobile devices are helping them every step of the way. Market estimates show that the online gambling industry was worth $44 billion in 2019 and it is forecasted to hit somewhere close to $66 billion in 2025. The number of online casinos is also steadily growing, currently sitting at around 2800 different companies. The switch to smartphones has also impacted regular video games. There are literally hundreds of new titles available every month and the figurative tidal wave of games does not show any signs of stopping. Conclusion Whether you are into regular video games or games of chance, there is a game out there for every type of player. Even if you prefer the classic experience of a regular casino, you cannot deny that the proposition of being able to spin your favorite reels while sitting at home is appealing. Why travel when the best casino experience is at your fingertips?