Rockstar Games Co-Founder Dan Houser Registers New Company For ‘Absurd Ventures In Games’

Although the interactive entertainment conglomerate that is Rockstar Games continues to flourish with the continued success of Grand Theft Auto V since 2013 now entering a new decade, there is one takeaway from the game studio. In that, co-founder Dan Houser has walked away from the operation. In that, Houser back in February last year announced to be departing from Rockstar Games by March the month following. And while it is unsure where the future leads for Rockstar Games or where Houser will be next, it was understood Houser is to embrace retirement after founding a tent pole developer since the late 1990s. But, a new report from GTAForums reveals that Houser is starting a new company within the video game industry. Over on Companies House, a government-operated domain for filings, Houser is a “persons with significant control” for a new venture, ‘Absurd Ventures in Games’. Additionally, Houser is also listed as a Producer and Creative Director for the new pursuit. Grasping further understanding for this new pursuit, the filing is submitted under 62011 which is acknowledged under “Ready-made interactive leisure and entertainment software development.” While Absurd Ventures in Games is filed as an LTD in the United Kingdom, Houser also filed the same name as a LLC in the United States residing Delaware. In regards to Houser’s previous work, Rockstar Games in a recent announcement shared that GTA Online for Grand Theft Auto V is to shut down later this summer. However, the decision will only be put into effect for the PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 versions of the game. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested to see what Dan Houser is orchestrating for Absurd Ventures in Games’? Source: GTAForums
The Coalition To Present New Unreal Engine 5 “Alpha Point” Project At GDC Later This Month

At least understanding what developer The Coalition is underway currently, it is easy to presume the team is constructing the foundation for the next Gears of War title. According to a previously posted job listing from the Canadian game studio, the developer is in search for candidates that are eager to “forge the future” of the Gears franchise. Even more, industry-recognized leaker Jeff Grubb noted that a potential reveal for the next game could be on the way to this past E3 showcase in June. However, before the date was revealed for the annual presentation, The Coalition revealed no new announcements will be made for quite a while. The reasoning is for the developer acquiring Unreal Engine 5 prematurely to its release to work on its next project. But, The Coalition is now told to be featuring a technical presentation for a prototype titled ‘Alpha Point’ which will be running on Xbox Series X. The appearance is said to take place later this month on July 20 during GDC, the listing reads. The Coalition will debut a UE5 Technical Demo “Alpha Point” on Xbox Series X, created to internally evaluate UE5. The talk will cover the learnings the team had while creating Nanite-resolution assets and incorporating them into a fully real-time lighting scenario with Lumen and Virtual Shadow Maps. Performance and memory observations will be covered for Xbox Series X and S, as well as VFX, Blueprint, material setup, Temporal Super Resolution, and Virtual Texture findings. The Coalition will also cover some preliminary findings on next-gen character creation and MetaHumans integration, demoing a next-generation character test running on Xbox Series X. “Attendees will learn more about the inner workings of UE5’s new visual systems. They will learn viable workflows that have been proven in a technical demo for UE5 including Nanite, Lumen, Megascans, and MetaHumans,” additional details on the presentation reads from the listing. Previously, Epic Games offered a second showcase for Unreal Engine 5 earlier in May. Additionally, the firm also welcomed an early access build of the game is now available as well. However, the release for Unreal Engine 5 was unfortunately ushered to a 2022 launch window now. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested to see what Alpha Point is? The Alpha Point Unreal Engine 5 Demo is said to be held on July 20, 2021 at 1:20 PM PST / 4:20 PM EST. Source: GDC
Letter Of Intent Reportedly Arranged Between Hideo Kojima & Microsoft

In the stretch of announcements that came and went during the previous Xbox-Bethesda E3 Showcase last month, one in particular never made it on to the stage. The project at mention is a reported pursuit from developer Kojima Productions. In May, GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb claimed that the Death Stranding team is to work on a new project exclusively for Xbox. But, of course, not details on the claim arose despite hinting at a reveal in June. However, Grubb in a later report told that the unnamed project is still being negotiated. Instead, he later follows-up by disclosing the game to be part of Microsoft’s new ambition to deliver xCloud-exclusive games to its platform. In that, the Xbox team welcomed former Left 4 Dead & Portal developer Kim Swift to the new initiative. According to a new report, the arrangement between Hideo Kojima & Microsoft is progressing well. The report now indicated that the two parties arranged a Letter of Intent which signifies the plans to be fulfilled for the unannounced project. Grubb continues by elaborating that the partnership is to establish the ambition, but details on what will deliver from Kojima Productions are still unknown. In terms of official plans from Kojima Productions currently, Death Stranding is finding a new version being crafted for PlayStation 5. Dubbed ‘Death Stranding: Director’s Cut’, the game is expected to welcome direct enhancements for the 2019-released title next year. A later ESRB listing reinforces the uniqueness to PlayStation 5 and other details. Additionally, there is still hope for a follow-up to Silent Hills since its disbandment in 2015. While Death Stranding happened to be the game that birthed from the decision, manga artist Junji Ito never worked with Kojima on a game. But, Ito in a previous interview explained that the he and Kojima are talking on possibilities. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you believe Kojima Productions is working with Microsoft or no? Source: GamesBeat
Bluepoint Games Rebuttals Acquisitions Claims For PlayStation Studios By Labeling Itself “Full Independent” Online

While Sony Interactive Entertainment is already recognized for its highly-received repertoire of titles this past console generation on PlayStation 4, the PlayStation company is in search to continue the rollout of software through complete acquisition. Similar to Microsoft’s ongoing campaign to deliver unique releases on its platform, the PlayStation firm is already making moves on the industry. In that, the firm most recently welcomed the addition of Housemarque to PlayStation Studios. Additionally, PlayStation Japan on Twitter disclosed that developer Bluepoint Games is another subsidiary being welcomed to the internal team. But, it appears that despite the now-deleted post making its way into public eye, the team was not intending to be under the PlayStation banner. On Twitter, Bluepoint Games has listed itself as “fully independent”. As for when the team made the change of its social media bio goes back as far as March 2021. Additionally, the firm also includes itself as the same status in recent job listings for the team, Reddit poster u/fabiopazzo2 indicates in one thread. “Bluepoint Games, an independent studio renowned for the remakes of Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus, and many more like the remaster of The Uncharted Collection, is seeking industry leading talent to join us in crafting our next high-profile AAA title,” the description reads for a Lead Environment Artist posting online. Elsewhere recently in terms of Sony Interactive Entertainment purchasing talent, the firm announced to be welcoming Nixxes to PlayStation Studios. In that, the PlayStation company tells the new arrangement is intended to improve the quality of its games that arrive uniquely to PlayStation systems. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you surprised Bluepoint Games still claims itself to be isolated from Sony Interactive Entertainment? Source: Reddit
Sony Interactive Entertainment Purchases Nixxes To “Further Elevate PlayStation Exclusive Titles”

While the reign of the PlayStation platform continues to proceed with the launch of the PlayStation 5 and the respected software unique to the platform, Sony Interactive Entertainment is investing heavily to resume the ongoing momentum from the Japanese company. In that, acquisitions are to be expected after remarking on $200 million to be invested for the video game division. Already, the PlayStation company welcomed Team Asobi following the fallout of developer Japan Studio earlier this spring. But, this past week welcomed two new acquisitions reportedly. One being Returnal developer Housemarque and the other said to be Bluepoint Games (Demon’s Souls). The latter was mentioned in a now-deleted tweet from PlayStation Japan. In a new press release from Sony Interactive Entertainment, the purchases continues now with Nixxes to further evolve the development process of coming first-party projects, the firm tells. I highly respect Nixxes and am excited for this very experienced team to become part of the world-class development community at SIE. They have a passion for improving games and for delivering the best possible experience for gamers. Nixxes will be a strong asset for everyone across PlayStation Studios, helping our teams focus on their most important goal, which is to create unique PlayStation content at the best possible quality. Hermen Hulst, PlayStation Studios Head Nixxes Founder & Sr. Director, Jurjen Katsman adds, “We can’t wait to get to work and are so excited to bring our technical and development expertise to an IP powerhouse like PlayStation Studios. We’re looking forward to working with some of the most talented teams in the industry to deliver the highest-quality gameplay experiences for PlayStation fans.” While not through complete acquisition, Sony Interactive Entertainment previously filed a minor acquisition into Discord earlier in 2021. The decision is to ultimately welcome a dedicated app to the platform sometime in 2022 next year. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested what Nixxes will welcome to the future of PlayStation? Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Ghost Of Tsushima: Director’s Cut Announced For Release Date Paved For Next Month

For the future of the Ghost of Tsushima series, it is anticipated that the Sucker Punch Productions title will be finding a sequel in the coming year, possibly two perhaps. In that, one employee on LinkedIn listed to be “presently working on the Ghost of Tsushima game for Sony PS5”, but removed the information once sparking attention. Already, the PlayStation Studios team administered a next-generation update for the game back last year for Ghost of Tsushima. So if a new project is expected to hit PlayStation 5, the title is presumed to follow-up on the July 2020 release. However, ESRB listed Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut and more interesting also included PlayStation 4 at the time as well. In a new announcement on Thursday, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut finally became official as Sucker Punch Productions reveals the game to release next month. You can watch the reveal trailer in the video below: Earlier in the past week, one insider claimed that a new expansion, ‘Ghost of Ikishima’, will be hitting the game later this year. Now, it is clarified that the add-on is available through the Director’s Cut or as a separate purchase. “We’re excited to reveal that a whole new chapter in Jin’s journey is coming and will take place on Iki. In this new story, Jin travels to the island to investigate rumors of a Mongol presence. But soon, he finds himself caught up in events with deeply personal stakes that will force him to relive some traumatic moments from his past.” Andrew Goldfarb, Sucker Punch Productions’ Communications Manager adds, “We’ll have more to share about the story of Iki soon, but today we can confirm that beyond a whole new story and new characters, this new island also features tons of new content including brand new environments to explore, new armor for Jin as well as his horse, new mini-games, new techniques, new enemy types, and much more. There are even new animals to pet!” What was not included in the initial PlayStation 5 update for Ghost of Tsushima is promised to hit the Director’s Cut. So, features like native haptic feedback for DualSense controllers and enhanced 3D audio will also be included as well. Are you interested in picking up Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut? Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut arrives on August 20, 2021 for PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5. Source: PlayStation Blog
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, A Plague Tale: Innocence, And WWE 2K Battlegrounds Welcomed To PlayStation Plus For July 2021

For the past couple of years, companies like Sony Interactive Entertainment, Microsoft, and now Google are offering free monthly increments of titles to its users through respected subscription services on each platform. From the PlayStation company, name-sharing PlayStation Plus for the month of June offered Operation: Tango, Star Wars Squadrons, And Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown. But, in contrast to its competitors, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to lead in the most exciting additions for the past couple of months. For this month, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown has been an eye-opener namely for the game hitting the service at day one alongside other featured releases in the previous months that fell under the same fate. Now for the month of July, there is a total of three titles coming to PlayStation Plus: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, A Plague Tale: Innocence, And WWE 2K Battlegrounds. However, with the release of the PlayStation 5, Sony Interactive Entertainment has divided up how titles are distributed. In that, certain titles are available on one platform, but not the other. For July 2021, A Plague Tale: Innocence is unique to PlayStation 5. This is most likely to blame for the game’s next-generation update arriving next week. As for both Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 & WWE 2K Battlegrounds, those are said to be distributed to PlayStation 4 users. In recent weeks, Sony during its annual report unveiled that roughly 48 million active users on PlayStation are PlayStation Plus subscribers. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited for any of the additions for this month’s PlayStation Plus lineup? Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, A Plague Tale: Innocence, And WWE 2K Battlegrounds arrives to PlayStation Plus from July 6, 2021 to August 2, 2021. Source: PlayStation Blog