Cancelled Stadia Projects Including Journey To The Savage Planet 2, Unannounced Harmonix Title, And New Multiplayer Game Learned In New Report

For Stadia, the service is taking an unappealing turn for the future of its platform since the closure of its internal game development division, Stadia Games and Entertainment. Google without reason announced at the start of February that the developers residing under the Stadia banner will effectively be no more. A follow-up report on the matters later issued that the reasoning for the decision spruced from Microsoft’s acquisition for Zenimax Media, parent company of Bethesda. And with the teams alongside its projects that were in development for Stadia are now cancelled, the same is also said for its partnered endeavors as well. Upon learning initially for Stadia Games and Entertainment to shut down, it was gathered that Google’s arrangement with Harmonix, Supermassive Games, and Uppercut Games would also be relinquished as well. But in a new report, the project from Harmonix is said to already be ‘virtually complete’ as relayed by Video Game Chronicles. Harmonix following the publishing of the report issued that the untitled game is still active and aims to bring the project to other platforms hopefully. While Google has shifted its strategy, we remain incredibly excited about what we’ve been working on for Stadia and if the project isn’t released for Stadia we will take it to other platforms. Steve Janiak, Harmonix CEO In a broader sense of other endeavors that were underway at Stadia Games and Entertainment predating its demise, Video Game Chronicles also reports that Journey to the Savage Planet 2 was in line for a sequel as well. While not indicating the state of the project itself, the follow-up was said to be a more ambitious venture for the series with a larger world, rendered cutscenes, and an overall larger budget than the original. Additionally, a separate multiplayer-oriented title was also mentioned to be in the pipeline at Stadia with former Ubisoft Producer Francois Pelland helming the team. Codenamed Frontier, the project would be a byproduct of the experience that Pelland obtained at Ubisoft working on the Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed franchises. The report also told of a rejected episodic horror game pitched by Hideo Kojima and the producer’s self-named developer, Kojima Productions. But, Google later commented in a report by GamesRadar denying the claim and only deems the game to be in discussion as it never properly entered development for the Stadia platform. In a separate report issued this past week, Bloomberg discloses Google’s high-spending pursuit to bring AAA titles to Stadia in the past year. The firm’s ambition includes the spending of “tens of millions of dollars” ensuring big budget titles make it to the platform. You can read the full report by heading here. Which of these games were you hoping to see come to fruition? Source: Video Game Chronicles

Google Issued “Tens Of Millions Of Dollars” For Big Publishers To Bring Games To Stadia, New Report Tells

While Google proceeds with its direction for Stadia, the firms’ approach to the video game industry, the cloud-streaming platform continues to unveil more unappealing truths that were dealt internally at the tech giant. At the beginning of February, Google announced the division’s internal game studio – Stadia Games and Entertainment – will be relinquished as Stadia pursue outsourcing its tools to publisher and developers. Abrupt as the news came, the discovery emerged to be just as surprising to the roughly 150+ developers who were employed under the Stadia label. A separate report from Kotaku issues that sources familiar within Stadia’s operations learned of the layoffs around the same time of the announcement. Stadia Vice President Phil Harrison days earlier praised the progress of Stadia Games and Entertainment before closing its doors via email to its developers. To source the decision, on source tells that the finalizing for Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda’s Zenimax Media is to blame for it as Google aimed to purchase the firm later in 2021 originally. To elaborate more on the ambitions at Stadia, Google already pour “tens of millions of dollars” into helping ease publishers welcome is titles to Stadia. Already, we witnessed the response of the capital invested with games like Red Dead Redemption II & Cyberpunk 2077 on the platform. The reports namely mentions Take-Two Interactive and Ubisoft for Google’s party of choice for more game to the platform. Even more, Google’s efforts proven to be in favor as a result at the time. Previously, Ubisoft featured an exclusive timed demo for Immortals: Fenyx Rising on Stadia. If that is not enough, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick also commented on the “transformative” direction Stadia is heading in which he said to show striking results in a few years. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you surprised the amount of money issued for Stadia to bring praise to its platform? Source: Bloomberg

Development For Monster Hunter Rise Reported To Ship PC Version Later In 2022

In less than a month, Monster Hunter Rise will finally be making its way to the Nintendo Switch. Running off of the momentum from 2018’s Monster Hunter World, the new entry will surely be a big mover of units despite its unique release for Nintendo’s platform. But, that is only for about a year or so says Capcom. Similar to its predecessor, Monster Hunter Rise is to expect a PC version following its initial release. Monster Hunter World just half a year following its arrival to console welcomed a PC port later the following summer. But, it appears that the version for Monster Hunter Rise is expected to arrive later. It is presumed Nintendo holds a timed exclusive agreement for the game on its platform. Speakign with FanByte, Capcom Japan Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and Capcom Japan Director Yasunori Ichinose verify that Monster Hunter Rise is arriving to PC in early 2022. The duo goes on to elaborate that the port for keyboard & mouse players is “still very much into development”. Expanding more on the game’s ties with Nintendo, Monster Hunter Rise is receiving a specialized Nintendo Switch model and Nintendo Switch Pro controller. The bundle initially was revealed to be unique to Japan and Europe, but recently Capcom & Nintendo issued that North American fans can pick it up as well later this March. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you planning to get Monster Hunter Rise on PC or no? Monster Hunter Rise arrives to Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021; comes to PC sometime in early 2022. Source: FanByte

Next Dragon Age Reported To Hone In On Being A Single-Player Experience

More than half a decade already, BioWare has still yet presented much detail on its next installment for the Dragon Age series. It latest release, Dragon Age: Inquisition, sits to be its most infamous yet scoring the 2014 title a Game of the Year award from multiple outlets and more. So, there is a certain threshold that BioWare must meet to exceed the anticipation building for this new project. In the past at December’s The Game Awards, BioWare issued its first official nod to the coming title which only spruced more excitement for its fans. But, there is still plenty of territory left unanswered for the sake of the title. Coming from a new report constructed by Bloomberg, the next Dragon Age game initially aimed to be a heavily-influenced multiplayer experience. However, the title is said to be aiming more in favor of a single-player-oriented title, the reports tells. The reasoning for the decision is based off of the performance of other Electronic Arts titles. Releases such as Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order following the glowing reception and praise for the game’s unique storytelling in a solely single-player world. Adding on, Anthem is also another driver for the decision. In the opposite direction, the 2019-release proved to be deficient in its ambitions to be an expansive online-focused project shortly after arriving to store shelves. Most recently, BioWare announced to be slashing its continued revamp for the game, Anthem Next, and to push focus on the coming Dragon Age & Mass Effect projects already underway. The report also presses on the inception of the next Dragon Age dating back to 2015, but, development was rebooted in 2017 following the departure of then-Creative Director Mike Laidlaw. An announcement for the game later took place in 2018. Internal sources familiar with the project relay that developers argued the direction of the game and only recently decided to honor its single-player roots for the next release. Are you contempt with a single-player-only Dragon Age game once again? Source: Bloomberg

Report: Electronic Arts Delays 2021’s Need For Speed To Aide Development For This Year’s Battlefield

What felt like eons ago is only 2018 with the release of Battlefield V. The game attempting to grasp its roots with a World War II release only left beloved fans with a sour taste in their mouth biting into the latest entry of the series. With that, it only makes speculation for the next release only more exciting as fans piece together what could possibly be on its way. Recently, it is suspected the next project will be a definitive reboot of the brand. While Electronic Arts nor DICE is not ready to discuss much on the coming release paved for 2021, there is some clarity on when we might hear about it though. In the most latest earnings call for the publisher, CEO Andrew Wilson told that the first instance for Battlefield details will be issued later on this coming spring. Already, we understand that DICE is turning on all cylinders for development towards this year’s Battlefield following the abrupt conclusion of content flow for Battlefield V & Battlefront II last year. However, more is suggested to be on its way following a recent interview with Polygon. Electronic Arts tells that it is holding off the coming Need for Speed with focus emphasized on Battlefield for the majority of 2021. [Battlefield] is shaping up great, the team has been working incredibly hard, they pushed hard last year, and yes, we have been working from home. And it’s hard; it’s hard to make games from home, and the [EA DICE] team is fatigued a bit. There’s no way we would have made a decision like this without including [Criterion] and discussing this with them first, and the impact that they could have on [Battlefield]. They’ve worked on [Star Wars] Battlefront, they’ve worked on Battlefields, and they have a really tight, close collaborative partnership with DICE. I’m really confident that this is going to be a pretty positive win for them. Laura Miele, Electronic Arts Chief Studio Officer Previously, it was reported that Criterion Games is to handle the coming Need for Speed title. After an entire console generation, Ghost Games hands the keys back to the Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012) team as the next installment enters development. In extension, Criterion Games went on to comment that the game is already in development back in 2020. Electronic Arts did also issue previously that both Need for Speed and Battlefield are scheduled to arrive around the same timeframe later in 2021. However, thanks to emphasis on the development for the unnamed Battlefield entry, focus is pitted towards the latter until its arrival later this fall. In a separate interview recently, Electronic Arts also issues its continued support for developers to take its franchises into its own hands. The pursuit is said to leave the growth of the properties to its respected studio and the community that shapes the title. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you welcoming the idea of Need for Speed being delayed in favor for Battlefield? Source: Polygon

March 2021’s PlayStation Now Welcomes Ace Combat 7, Infamous: Second Son, Superhot, And World War Z

Like clockwork, new additions for PlayStation Now are already administered thanks to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s consistency with new titles filtered into the monthly video game streaming service. This past February, the PlayStation company already welcomed Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Detroit: Become Human, and Little Nightmares to name a few. But, that work continues in the following month. For March 2021, Sony Interactive Entertainment offers more games alike previously, just in a smaller batch. Regardless, all featured games for the newest month are namely releases worth expanding your backlog for if not played already. You can view the full list of games below: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Infamous: Second Son Superhot World War Z Noted, both games from Saber Interactive & Bandai Namco respectively are only available on PlayStation Now for a limited time. In that, World War Z is on the service until September 6, 2021 while Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is active until May 31, 2021 arrives. For more leeway to some of the aforementioned games, Rectify Gaming has constructed reviews for a few. Such as Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown where our own David Rodriguez pens the game “returns to the tried and true gameplay of it’s forefathers and delivers a familiar, but solid return for the classic franchise”. Similarly, World War Z also received parallel praise for the rooted nostalgia that many hungry Left 4 Dead players are looking for, says our own Ryan Welch. “When I compare World War Z to Left 4 Dead, I mean it with the utmost respect.”He continues, “World War Z is action-packed and features plenty of fun moments in both the campaign and PvP modes.” Even more, Superhot also received well upon its original review as well. “SUPERHOT is fantastic. I believe that it is a terrific game that just didn’t have enough levels. The rest of the content is great, and I do believe there is enough here to keep you entertained for hours.” You can read the full review by heading here. What games are you most intrigued to sample first? Source: PlayStation Now

Epic Games Acquires Fall Guys Developer, Mediatonic

Epic Games have acquired Tonic Games Group who are the developers behind 2020 hit, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. This will mean another big hit will be joining the Epic Games family who of course own Fortnite. It’s safe to assume we will expect collaborations between the two games. https://twitter.com/FallGuysGame/status/1366811607213481985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1366811607213481985%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamespot.com%2Farticles%2Fepic-games-buys-fall-guys-dev-mediatonic-expanding-its-battle-royale-empire%2F1100-6488300%2F Fall Guys will remain purchasable on Steam and other platforms and is still coming to Xbox & Nintendo Switch. There is nothing to announce regarding going Free-To-Play and they are hoping to bring Fortnite’s cross-play in the future. What does this acquisition mean for Fall Guys? “Your gameplay isn’t changing and Epic will continue to invest in making the game a great experience for players across platforms,” Epic said. “Your favorite colorful beans will still stumble through the chaos on PC, PlayStation, and soon Nintendo Switch and Xbox.” Not only does Fall Guys join the same family as Fortnite, but Rocket League is there too in the Epic Games family which could mean a collaboration somewhere there. The potential for cross overs between games is huge. Source

6 Ways to Better Manage Your Productivity Versus Gaming

It’s no secret that many people struggle to balance productivity with gaming time. For some, it can be challenging to resist the urge to stay glued to the screen for hours on end. However, there are ways to manage your time better and ensure that you’re getting the most out of both worlds! In this blog post, we will discuss six strategies that you can use to help you achieve balance in your life. 1) Set realistic goals   When balancing productivity and gaming time, setting realistic goals is essential. Don’t force yourself to cut out all gaming time completely – this is unrealistic and is likely to lead to failure. Instead, try setting smaller goals that you can achieve daily or weekly. For example, make a goal of only playing for two hours each day, or try not playing at all on weekdays. It’s also important to be flexible with your goals. If something comes up and you need to adjust your schedule, don’t worry about it! The most important thing is that you’re trying your best to stick to your plan as much as possible. 2) Create a schedule for each day Creating a schedule for each day is another excellent way to help you balance productivity and gaming time. This can be especially helpful if you find it challenging to stick to specific goals. By creating a daily schedule, you can ensure that everything in your life has its place and there are no clashes between different activities. For example, try setting aside specific work, studying, gaming, and other activities. This will help keep you organized and on track. Don’t overload yourself with too many activities! It’s essential to make sure that you still have some free time to relax and rejuvenate. Otherwise, you’ll quickly become overwhelmed and stressed out – not exactly ideal conditions for productive living! 3) Take breaks When trying to balance productivity and gaming time, it’s important to take breaks. This will help prevent you from becoming too overwhelmed or stressed out. It’s also an excellent opportunity to take care of other areas of your life, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. Make sure to schedule regular break times throughout the day to avoid getting too caught up in one activity. For example, try taking a break every hour or two when working or studying. And when you’re gaming, make sure to take five-minute breaks every 20 minutes or so. This will help improve your focus and concentration levels and reduce the risk of developing eye strain. 4) Keep up your appearance It might seem like a small thing, but keeping up your appearance can help you balance productivity and gaming time. When you look good, you feel good, which can boost your confidence levels and motivation. Make sure to take care of yourself both physically and mentally. Eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and take breaks when you need them. This will help improve your focus and concentration levels and your overall energy levels. So go online, invest in nice outfits, find the best watches under 5000 and show everyone what you’re made of in the professional environment. In turn, this will make it easier for you to stay productive and resist the urge to game for hours on end! 5) Find a healthy balance between work and fun One of the best ways to balance productivity and gaming time is to find a healthy balance between work and fun. When you’re working, make sure to focus on your tasks at hand and don’t get distracted by games or other activities. However, don’t forget to take breaks and enjoy yourself! Fun activities can help improve your mood, creativity levels, and motivation – all of which can be helpful when it comes to staying productive. Again, balance is key – try not to focus too much on either work or play, but instead find a happy medium that works for you. 6) Inform your friends of your limitations Finally, another great way to balance productivity and gaming time is to inform your friends of your limitations. Let them know that you’re trying to cut back on gaming or that you need to focus on work for a while. This will help hold you accountable, and it will also prevent you from feeling left out when your friends are playing without you. Informing others of your goals is a great way to stay motivated and track. Plus, it’s always nice to have people who support your endeavors! Productivity versus gaming time doesn’t have to be a battle – there are many things you can do to strike a healthy balance between the two. By following these tips, you can ensure that you’re being productive during the day and still enjoying your favorite games in the evening.