Double Fine Productions Reassures Psychonauts 2’s 2021 Release Date Is Rock Solid For This Year

While the initial development for Psychonauts 2 exceeded well beyond the initially promised release date scheduled by developer Double Fine Productions, the game is still on its way. Previously back in July 2020, the Xbox Game Studios-acquired team shared that its coming sequel will be missing its release that year and to be delivered later on in 2021. But despite the setback, Double Fine Productions did deliver on other projects. In that, three legacy titles made its way to Xbox in late August: Day of the Tentacle Remastered, Full Throttle Remastered, and Grim Fandango Remastered. Now, fans patiently wait for the near two-decade long promise on a second game from the Psychonaut series. While quiet on the state of development, Double Fine Productions went to Twitter on Monday to reassure its patient fans that Psychonauts 2 is still set on releasing later this year. Noted that Double Fine Productions is part of the Xbox Game Studios network of developers, the development team also went on to elaborate that the game is still a PlayStation 5 release as well. When asked about planned support, the team responds with, “that is ‘part of the plan’ yes.” Howbeit, that was already confirmed for games beyond Psychonauts 2. In that, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty when speaking to Game Informer stated that multiplatform development from Double Fine Productions is to presume following the release of the upcoming sequel. Booty elaborates that releasing on systems outside of Xbox is to “make sense for the [betterment of the] franchise.” On the topic of what is after Psychonauts 2, studio founder Tim Schafer confirmed that the next game following will be a unique IP. “Let me tell you, next game is not going to be a sequel Schafer explains to Greg Miller during the interview. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited for Psychonauts 2 arriving in 2021? Psychonauts 2 is scheduled to release sometime in 2021 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Konami Files Surprise Trademarks For Metal Gear Rising, Castlevania

Although it surely has been quiet on behalf of Konami for a few years now, it appears that the Japanese publisher is planning to do big things with its properties coming later this year. Earlier in 2021, Video Game Chronicles reported that there will be a new Silent Hill project announced this summer. Even more, the endeavor is said to be an outsourced job from a different Japanese developer, interestingly enough. However, more recently it was rumored that Konami also has plans for its Metal Gear intellectual property as well. Coming from AngryCentaurGaming on the H.A.M. Radio Podcast, he claims that the publisher is licensing out the franchise for a new game. He continues by stating that source that offered the tip is reliable for previous accuracies for Far Cry Primal prior to its announcement. Not to mention that the Japanese firm will be attending E3 as a featured publisher during the virtual event in June, it is presumed that the company has big announcements to make. In a new discovery from Gematsu, Konami earlier in April filed trademarks for Castlevania and Metal Gear Rising that went public on Monday. The first happens to be the “Akumajou Dracula” which translates to the name Castlevania from Japanese. In 2020, there was a lingering rumor suggesting that Konami could potentially be selling the Castlevania publishing rights to Sony Interactive Entertainment in anticipation for a complete reboot, but, this new discovery on behalf of Konami appears to dismantle that claim. As to what might be the catalyst of the new trademarks could be the result from recent investments established by Nexon. The firm recently announced to be funding roughly $900 million to firms like Bandai Namco, Sega, and Konami to help build new properties and releases. You can read the full report by heading here. What are you hoping to manifest from the new finding? Source: Gematsu

343 Industries Next Project For Halo: The Master Chief Collection Is Mod Support, The Studio Confirms

Despite the unfortunate outcome of Halo: The Master Chief Collection initially back in 2014, the game has surmounted its criticisms and evolved into an ever expanding addition to Xbox as the times proceeded forward. Firstly, cross-platform play has been enabled for more than a handful of months bridging both Xbox & PC into on ecosystem. Additionally, the long-requested custom game browser is in active development. Currently, the feature is only unique to Halo Reach for the time being. But, 343 Industries presses that the tool will later on be incorporated towards other Halo titles similar to PC support was implemented for games previously. But to push for other requested features that Halo players are eager to toy with, the game studio announces that it will be pursuing mod support for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, to PC of course. As of right now, there are no plans to bring mods down to console from PC. Our goal for this year is to roll out and improve the modding experience on PC before we begin evaluating how we would, should we choose to, bring that to consoles. We have seen quite a bit of chatter around it and want to set expectations accordingly that as of right now, there is no official plan of record to make it so. This could possibly change in the future, but it is not in the current roadmap. Tyler Prince, 343 Industries Community Support & Engagement Coordinator While 343 Industries does elaborate that it is looking to pursue the new venture, the firm does clarify that the project is not set in stone. Namely, the pursuit is not part of the periodic roadmap/flight test for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The team also includes that the support for PC is not aimed to reach console anytime soon either. More recently, there has been chatter for mod support of another game on Xbox – S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. To keep its reputation that was cultivated on PC with its previous entries, developer GDC Game World shares to debut the feature for console when the sequel arrives later this year. You can read the full report by heading here. Would you be inclined to use mod support on Halo: The Master Chief Collection? Halo: The Master Chief Collection is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Source: Halo Waypoint

After Continuous Backlash Sony Cancels Its Plans To Dismantle PlayStation 3 & PS Vita Stores, PSP To Resume Its Demise

Just close to three weeks ago, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced to be severing support for three of its legacy platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita. Starting in July, storefronts for the aforementioned systems would be shut down; exception for PS Vita which would not be dismantled until the following month. But, that is not to say this was not a visible decision previously. Prior to the release of the PlayStation 5, Sony Interactive Entertainment did comment on behalf of the new PlayStation Store. In that, it was confirmed purchases for the three consoles could not be made for supported titles. In extension segued to the grimmer announcement that later took place in late March. Not to mention the outcry from users, it was also discovered in an analysis from Video Game Chronicles that more than 2,200 titles will be absent forever after the action is performed. But, Sony Interactive Entertainment surprising backpedals on the decision by announcing support to continue forward on Monday. Upon further reflection, however, it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here. So today I’m happy to say that we will be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices. PSP commerce functionality will retire on July 2, 2021 as planned. When we initially came to the decision to end purchasing support for PS3 and PS Vita, it was born out of a number of factors, including commerce support challenges for older devices and the ability for us to focus more of our resources on newer devices where a majority of our gamers are playing on. We see now that many of you are incredibly passionate about being able to continue purchasing classic games on PS3 and PS Vita for the foreseeable future, so I’m glad we were able to find a solution to continue operations. Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment President & CEO However, not all is saved unfortunately. In the statement from the Sony Interactive Entertainment boss, Ryan does clarify that the decision is being retracted for just the PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Vita. But, the PlayStation Portable store is to still face its demise later at the start of July. Most surprising is that Sony Interactive Entertainment actually pulled back on a decision. While the firm is very think-minded on its choices, it is virtually set in stone when the company makes an announcement. Similarly, Microsoft made a recall on its choice to double the price of Xbox Live earlier this year. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you happy that the PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Vita stores are to be preserved? Source: PlayStation Blog

Microsoft Announces Limited Beta For iOS & Windows xCloud Browser App Arrives On April 20

While Microsoft’s cloud-centered initiative xCloud has continued to grow over on Android since last autumn, the platform is not concluding just there. In fact, Microsoft aims to deliver the same cloud streaming experience to other adjacent hardware such as Apple devices and PC. In the past, Microsoft promised that the service would be delivered via a browser-based application aimed to arrive sometime in the spring later on in 2021. In the past month, Microsoft later went on to comment that the arrival of the version would be “not very far” which only left excited followers more anxious to get extended support to more devices. Not to mention the recent addition of original Xbox & Xbox 360 titles in March, there is more than users could imagine to do on systems that is not Xbox. In a new Xbox Wire blog post, Microsoft discloses that the browser-based application for PC & iOS is to officially arrive tomorrow, April 20. You can read the statement below: Our mission at Xbox is to empower you to play the games you want with the people you want, anywhere you want. Simply put, we believe games have the power to connect humanity and it’s our mission to make gaming more accessible to people around the world. As we shared at the end of last year, we’re bringing Xbox to more players on more devices via the cloud this year. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin sending out invites to select Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to start testing the Xbox Cloud Gaming limited beta for Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets via web browsers. We’re launching xbox.com/play where invitees can play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles through Edge, Google Chrome, or Safari. Offering cloud gaming through the browser and having a simplified, universal landing page presents a great opportunity to make cloud gaming approachable to more players in more places over time.Ca Catherine Gluckstein, Project xCloud Vice President & Head of Product Microsoft also tells that the forthcoming playtest for the xCloud browser application is to be supported in approximately 22 regions. The territories applicable are: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States. Recently, Microsoft announced a complete overhaul for xCloud which enables touch screen control support to now over four dozen titles. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you plan to get into the xCloud limited beta this week? xCloud is currently available for Android devices. Source: Xbox Wire

Newest Apex Legends Season ‘Legacy’ Announced, Scheduled Release For May 4

In the past couple of weeks, anticipation towards Apex Legends’ ninth official season swelled as game director Chad Grenier commented on the contents for the next addition for the battle royale. Derived from a panel held by BrownGirlGamerCode, Grenier asked fans to “hand on for Season 9.” He adds, “Next season, Season 9, you’re actually going to see a ton of Titanfall coming back into the game one way or another.” But while the wait continues to tick down on the clock, Respawn Entertainment announces a new milestone made for the 2019 title: over 100 million players played Apex Legends. In addition to the achievement for the growing battle royale, the developer also teased what is to come in the approaching season scheduled for the beginning of May. Now, a new Stories from the Outlands video, ‘Northstar’, got uploaded on Monday. In that, it reveals new Legend ‘Valk’ with more context behind the lore that surrounds Titanfall. You can watch the footage in the video below: Although the next addition is the previously leaked ‘Blisk’, Valk is proving to be an exciting addition for the game. Granted there is still no clarification on her abilities or ultimate, players can read up on the newest season, ‘Legacy’, on the official website. “Bold, brash, fiery and fierce, Kairi Imahara grew up in the shadow of her father’s legacy. But now she’s ready to launch her own,” the overview for Valk reads. Even more, there is a brief synapse for the makeover for the new ‘Infested Olympus’: “An infestation has sprung loose, strangling the city with roots and natural growths.” Most noted, however, is the newest weapon being added to the game – the Bocek Bow. “A powerful and deadly weapon, for those with the skill to wield it. Capable of inflicting tremendous damage at medium range, you’ll need to make each shot count.” Elsewhere today, Respawn Entertainment went on to press on its reach to mobile platforms. In that, the game studio unveiled that beta playtesting for Apex Legends is beginning later this month. You can read the full report by heading here. What are you most excited about the latest season for Apex Legends? Season Legacy kicks off on May 4, 2021; Apex Legends out now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Source: Respawn Entertainment

Respawn Entertainment announces Apex Legends Mobile regional beta tests

Apex Legends has been a hit in the battle royale genre the last 2 years and the game continues to grow and arrive on more platforms. In March, Apex had finally launched on the Nintendo Switch and right away fans were playing on the go. Today, Respawn Entertainment have announced that there will be Apex Legends Mobile regional beta testing happening and it will start this month. To start off they will be doing a series of smaller closed beta tests in India and the Philippines. Apex Legends Mobile won’t feature cross-play with the console or PC versions of the game since it’s being built specially for mobile.  “Apex Legends Mobile is specially designed for touchscreens, with streamlined controls and thoughtful optimizations that result in the most advanced battle royale combat available on a phone. “ Respawn Entertainment has a team filled with experts in mobile game development to lead the creation of this version of Apex Legends. It’s worthy to note that this version of Apex will indeed be free-to-play as expected.  Will you play Apex Legends Mobile? Source