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Halo Infinite’s August ‘Inside infinite’ Reveals Post-Launch Plans For Co-Op Campaign And Forge Mode

While the wait time for Halo Infinite dwindles closer to the end of 2021 with more than half of August behind us now, fans continue to count down the days leading towards ‘Holiday 2021’ projected for the release. But, it is difficult to do so following the impressive Tech Preview Flight that took place previously. With more than 100K that registered (with some complications during the process), many players are wanting in on the new game. Although Halo Infinite is on the road to being the true sequel that many fans are still waiting to arrive, 343 Industries has elaborated on its plans for the game prior to the full release. As per July’s ‘Inside Infinite’, the team explained the early demonstration will decide what changes are to be applied for the anticipated overflow release for the free-to-play multiplayer version of the game. Now on Friday, 343 Industries has opened up about the results for Halo Infinite weeks after the first Tech Preview Flight was held. In that, the team shares its next plans for the second Tech Preview Flight that is planned to take place very soon. You can definitely expect another big scale flight like this with even more people invited. We’re gonna include the same content we had this time, the bots and the weapon drills, but we’re also targeting a full release of 4v4 PvP action and we’re going even bigger and have big team battle. So those are out targets for the next flight. Sam Hanshaw, Halo Infinite Live Operations Producer During the conversation, Hanshaw goes on to elaborate further on the stress from the initial Tech Preview Flight. With establishing the number of players participating with bots taking the place of opponents in matches, he does indulge that possibly twice the amount of users ‘flighting’ can be expected for the next test. In terms of what is coming to launch for certain, Head of Creative Joe Staten does verify that local splits-creen for multiplayer is on the way – at least for console. However, he presses the post launch can expect the same support for the PC version of Halo Infinite. By extension, Staten continues on co-op – campaign co-op – and reveals that despite the hallmark Halo story modes with friends is, the feature will be part of the post-launch roadmap. “Like multiplayer is this burning heart of Halo, campaign coop is fundamental to the Halo experience as well,” Staten explains in the video. The experience playing campaign together with your family or friends, whether network or split-screen really is [essential]. Unfortunately, as we focus the team for shutdown and really focused on the quality experience for launch, we made the really tough decision to delay shipping campaign co-op for launch and we also made the tough call to delay shipping Forge at launch past launch as well. As for when players can anticipate each mode to make its way to Halo Infinite, Staten discloses co-op campaign is planned to release in Season 2 for the game while Forge mode is slated for Season 3 following. He further elaborates that the timing of release is based on a three-month interval: three months for co-op campaign & six months for Forge mode. Additionally, it is pressed those in the Flight program can likely find the modes accessed premature to its official release respectively. In terms of what is aimed for the Halo franchise, Xbox lead Phil Spencer explained to IGN that the series is to last for a decade down the road. “The future of the franchise I think Halo will be here ten years from now. Is Infinite like the lynchpin whether it survives that long? Absolutely not.” You can read the full report by heading here. What are your thoughts on the recent decisions by 343 Industries? Halo Infinite is planned to ship sometime in holiday 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Sea Of Thieves Faces Highest Player Turnout This Past June Thanks To ‘A Pirate’s Life’ Update, Rare Shares

While Sea of Thieves kicked off lesser than many anticipated, developer Rare truly turned the ship around through its free update content campaign in post-launch. Slowly, the release grew in player size as more and more users logged in to see what is so interesting about the 2018 release. By March of this year, Sea of Thieves has accumulated more than 20 million users in the near three years it released. As the game continued to evolve, so did how content get administered. In that, Rare revealed that structured updates will now be periodically added seasons which falls under the same lines as other live-service titles. Notably, Rare during the June Xbox-Bethesda E3 Showcase shadowdropped a crossover update with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, A Pirate’s Life. Thanks to the new experience being a free download for all Sea of Thieves owners, the add-on happened to draw in an impressive amount of users, says Rare. That being more than 4.8 million users logged in back in June – which is a new high for the release. It’s been over a month since we released Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life into the wild blue yonder as part of Season Three, and since that emotional launch day we’ve been bowled over by the response from the Sea of Thieves community. From your reactions on social media to your fan art and stories of exploring the five new Tall Tales, it’s been amazing – and all this excitement resulted in our busiest ever month on the seas, with June seeing 4.8 million active pirates out on the water! To all of you who’ve recently cast off for the very first time, jumped back in after a break or simply never stepped away from your regular Voyages, thank you from all of us and we hope that Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life (and the surprise of its unveiling!) was everything you could have wanted from a crossover on this scale. Joe Neate, Sea of Thieves Executive Producer Neate also elaborates on the continued support to Sea of Theives, “Of course, the Sea of Thieves team have also been listening to your feedback and working hard to improve and balance the gameplay throughout the new Tall Tales, with a string of downloadable hotfixes released since Season Three’s launch – and our August update continues to make improvements across the board. Our players’ support has been invaluable in helping us determine what to focus on as we continue to fine-tune the whole Sea of Thieves experience.” For those that might have missed, our critic Shay gave her interpretation with Sea of Thieves for an ‘Accessibility Review’. Citing, “Sea of Thieves is truly a hit-or-miss game for gamer without sight accessibility. It’s best played with a group of people who are good at communicating. What we can do is limited, and there are still some things that could be improved on, but overall I enjoyed my experience.” You can read the full feature by heading here. Are you one of the millions that played Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life? Sea of Thieves is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Source: Rare

NHL 22 Announced For October 15 Release Later This Fall

As you can easily presume, it is only a matter of time until Electronic Arts starts turning the wheel for the next line of annual sports video game releases for this year. So far, the publisher already announced and this week released Madden NFL 22. For this year’s version, fans can find both Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Quarterback Tom Brady & Kansas City Chiefs’ Quarterback Patrick Mahomes sharing the cover for the game. Additionally, FIFA 22 is on the way for release later on in October. For this year’s entry, Paris Saint-Germain and the France football player Kylian Mbappé once again is featured as the cover athlete for a second year in a row. However, that is not the last we will hear from EA Sports this year. Of course, NHL is to also make an announcement later on for its yearly release. On Thursday, publisher Electronic Arts unveiled NHL 22. For that, Toronto Maple Leafs’ Center & Alternate Captain Auston Matthews is the cover athlete for this year’s game. You can watch the reveal trailer in the video below: “For the first time ever, the Frostbite engine comes to the EA Sports NHL franchise, making NHL 22 the biggest leap forward in graphics and game play in franchise history,” Electronic Arts shares in a press release. “Players will be brought to life via overhauled player likeness, cloth animations and uniform micro-details, all delivered in higher resolution to make every stitch visible. “Alongside these advancements will come enhanced spatial awareness for players to track and react to the world around them. In addition to enhanced player detail and visual fidelity, on-ice gameplay will see an upgrade as well with new physically accurate stick interactions, just one of many gameplay improvements coming to NHL 22.” Aside from the change in appearance with its proprietary engine, NHL 22 is also introducing ‘Superstar X-Factor’ which mimics athlete’s playstyle in-game accurately. “Superstars will distinctly feel like their real-life counterparts in NHL 22 with the introduction of Superstar X-Factors, a game-changing system that unleashes unique abilities for the best players in the game, with traits inspired by their individual real-world skills. […] Players like Edmonton Oilers Forward Leon Draisaitl, whose “Tape to Tape” ability reflects his elite core passing; or Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy’s “Contortionist” X-factor that boosts his ability to make wild, body-twisting saves with ease will make a profound impact on NHL 22 gameplay.” Are you excited for NHL 22 later this fall? NHL 22 ships on October 15, 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Source: Electronic Arts

Recent Watch Dogs: Legion Trailer Reveals New Assassin’s Creed Crossover

For the post-launch segment of Watch Dogs: Legion following the game’s arrival back in October last year, developer Ubisoft Toronto steadily delivered its promises for the next step in the Watch Dogs IP. This past spring, the developer shipped the online component to the game, but, there was an extended wait for the addition shortly before its promised release. Noted that this is the first time the game was dropped with no attached online connectivity, the game did not face heavy interference when finally supported like its predecessors. Additionally, July also welcomed the highly-anticipated Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodlines which ties original protagonist Aiden Pierce & sequel character Wrench in a new experience. As part of the post-launch campaign, Ubisoft Toronto confirmed that Assassin’s Creed will tie into Watch Dogs: Legion with a playable character, Darcy. In a recent trailer uploaded this week, the team showcases what’s coming with the character’s arrival. You can watch the crossover trailer in the video below: “Play with the futuristic assassin in the Main game or Online and bring her signature hidden blade in the ultimate stealth-based Watch Dogs: Legion experience,” reads the description for the Watch Dogs: Legion/Asssassin’s Creed crossover trailer. The game studio also includes that two new story missions will be on the way to Watch Dogs: Legion presumed to be tied into the welcoming of Darcy. Previously, Ubisoft Toronto shared that the team is tackling a zombie mode for the game, Watch Dogs: Legion of the Dead. The mode is currently in alpha unique to the PC version for Watch Dogs: Legion. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested to try the Assassin’s Creed character for Watch Dogs: Legion? Watch Dogs: Legion Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Stadia, and Luna.

Saints Row Reboot Teased For Gamescom Reveal Next Week

Although the beloved Saints Row franchise surpassed expectations ranging up to four mainline entries and a spin-off experience, the series has been on hiatus for more than half a decade now. While the team at Volition went on to ship Agents of Mayhem in 2017, the game studio has been quietly working on its next major release currently. In a 2019 financial report from THQ Nordic, Saints Row is back on the menu for Volition. But since the first details broke a new game is on the way, neither THQ Nordic nor Volition pressed on the project since. Notably, the game has later went on to be denied any reveals at following events like Gamescom 2019 & E3 2021 this past June. But, that is not to say fans did not get any form of a Saints Row fix. Previously, team Spearasoft & Volition delivered Saints Row: The Third Remastered. Recently, the game received a next-generation upgrade for Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation 5. Now on Friday, Gamescom Opening Night Live host Geoff Keighley hints that Saints Row is receiving a reboot. He teases such with a tagged wall reading ‘rebooting’ with the iconic Fleur-de-lis next to the writing. The announcement does make sense in the amount of time passed since the project’s initial reveal. Additionally, Gamescom organizer Game previously revealed the attendance list for the virtual event taking place later this month. In that, Koch Media – owner of subsidiary THQ Nordic – is to be present at the show. Outside of the announcement for Gamescom Opening Night Live, Microsoft announced to be holding a livestream for Xbox during the week of the event. The digital presentation is said to feature updates on upcoming first-party projects from Xbox Game Studios. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited to see what the new Saints Row has to offer? Gamescom Opening Night Live is to take place on August 25, 2021 at 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST.