Nintendo Reiterates On Claims Of Alleged 4K Nintendo Switch To Be Untrue
While Nintendo is still preparing for the release of the approaching Nintendo Switch OLED Model, claims continue to surface in regards to a sleeper unit underway at Nintendo. With both Microsoft & Sony both targeting to a market for higher resolutions with improved refresh rates, the Nintendo Switch goes by managing with its hybrid console handheld infrastructure. The most prominent claim comes from a previous report made by Bloomberg previously. However, despite Nintendo only confirming the Nintendo Switch OLED Model to be its current aim for new hardware, speculation continues to grow for another SKU later on. Much so that corporate Nintendo took it to Twitter to dismantle any momentum for the claim at the time. “[We] have no plans for launching any other model at this time,” the Japanese company told. According to yet another lingering report that unearthed this week from Bloomberg, corporate Nintendo once again returns on Wednesday to issue that plans for another model is in the pipeline. More specifically, the development for a 4K capable model is not being pursued. Now with Nintendo reiterating on its initial statement for the Nintendo Switch OLED Model to be its current focus, and not handling 4K Nintendo Switch developer kits, it is best to leave the story behind following continuous inaccuracies that surfaced from similar stories. Last year, Bloomberg reported that Nintendo was flagging developers to prepare its projects for the improved resolution output, but, Nintendo did not hammer down the claims like recently. What is confirmed for Nintendo Switch is the addition of Nintendo Switch Online to feature both the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis for the service’s virtual library respectively. The pair are also welcoming wireless controller compatible with Nintendo Switch too. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you surprised Nintendo had to make another statement on the 4K Nintendo Switch rumors?
Life Is Strange: True Colors Wavelengths DLC Out Today
Despite the couple of years that Life is Strange went on hiatus from Dontnod Entertainment and Deck Nine Games, the pair in late 2021 prepares two helpings for patient fans – Life is Strange: True Colors & Life is Strange Remastered Collection. The first is a new entry that branches off the main series while remaining in the universe as the latter reintroduces the original game and prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm for newer systems. However, the two have met some troubling news. Firstly, True Colors despite supporting the new Xbox and PlayStation only has a 30 frames per second refresh rate and Deck Nine Games intended on the decision, it shares. Secondly, the reworked bundle of Life is Strange games is now said to release later in 2022. Adding on to that, the Nintendo Switch version for True Colors is also pushed to a later launch for this year. Despite that, plans for the promised ‘Wavelengths’ DLC for Life is Strange: True Colors is still in the developer’s playbook, Deck Nine Games reassured then. On Thursday, the add-on officially releases. You can watch the launch trailer in the video below: “Step into Steph’s radio booth in an all-new prequel story. Become the host for KRCT: Haven Springs’ best – and only – radio station. Over four seasons, discover more about Steph’s past and her relationships as she makes her mark on the record store and uncovers its secrets,” the press release gives for the overview. Although Deck Nine Games continues to expand the plot for the Life is Strange IP, creator Dontnod Entertainment is looking to step away from the series. In an interview with IGN, the studio explained that Life is Strange is not a priority for the developer moving forward. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you plan to revisit Life is Strange: True Colors for Wavelengths? Life is Strange: True Colors is out now for Life is Strange: True Colors is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC; comes to Nintendo Switch in late 2021. Source: Square Enix
Tango Gameworks Founder Shares Work For Next Game Following GhostWire: Tokyo Already Underway
For Microsoft, the Xbox company has still yet to establish a prominent position for itself in Japan within the video game industry. Although the firm has organized continuous partnerships with Japanese developers and publishers in the past, there’s still yet a large market for Xbox over in the region. But, the recent Bethesda acquisition could potentially change that. According to Xbox lead Phil Spencer, he told previously that the firm is eager to work with The Evil Within’s Tango Gameworks as the Tokyo-based developer could signify Xbox’s first “great step” to opening itself to that market. Currently, the developer is finishing up development for GhostWire: Tokyo which is slated to arrive early next year. Speaking during the Xbox 2021 Tokyo Game Show livestream, Tango Gameworks founder Shinji Mikami shares that the team is already working on the next major project after GhostWire: Tokyo. Upon referencing The Evil Within 2 game director John Johannes, Mikami responded with, “Right now John is in the middle of working energetically on a new game,” IGN translates. While still speaking to Spencer, Mikami elaborates on his desire to offer opportunity to green, yet ambitious developers over seasoned individuals experienced with the industry. Spencer interjects, “One of the things you and I have talked about is the importance of young people in our industry, bringing new voices onto our creative teams, and hearing from a new generation of creators.” Adding, “As a studio that tries to give young people big opportunities, we’re always taking on the challenge of creating new games.” One example of this approach is GhostWire: Tokyo director Kenji Kimura. “He is a young creator who is working hard and doing his best as a director. He really has a lot of ability,” Mikami expresses his opinion towards Kimura. More prominently, Ikumi Nakamura illustrates Mikami’s decision to include younger minds to these AAA projects who worked on both The Evil Within and its follow-up. Nakamura earlier on announced to be forming her own independent game studio and already began work on the new venture. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited what Tango Gameworks is to deliver next? Source: IGN
AI: Somnium Files and Mighty Goose Announced For Xbox Game Pass, Scarlet Nexus Launches For The Service Today
In September 2021 alone, Xbox Game Pass further populated its library for the monthly video game subscription service with a plentiful lineup of games for its users. At the start of the month issued Final Fantasy XIII alongside The Artful Escape then. Later on, Microsoft turned on the heat with more games such as Sable and SkateBIRD also making entry to Xbox Game Pass later on. Establishing a diverse lineup for later on this year, Microsoft went on to announce more games slated for Xbox Game Pass for the approaching fall. So far, the Xbox team went on to share that Bassmaster Fishing 2022 is one member attending the welcoming party. This week, the firm went on to share that Marvel’s Avengers is also set to hit the service at the end of September. Additionally, Echo Generation is set to launch for the service as well coming mid October too. From the scheduled 2021 Tokyo Game Show livestream held by Microsoft, a greater slew of titles is also shared to be making its way to the service. In that, the firm starts by immediately launching Scarlet Nexus for Xbox Game Pass alongside promised additions upon launch. We also showcased an array of exciting titles, including Scarlet Nexus, Back 4 Blood, AI: Somnium Files and Mighty Goose which will be available with Xbox Game Pass. We announced that fans will be able to play Scarlet Nexus today with Xbox Game Pass from the award-winning team at Bandai Namco Entertainment in Japan. The title is playable on console, PC, tablet and Cloud Gaming, where available, with touch controls. Jeremy Hinton, Head of Xbox Asia “Scarlet Nexus’ stunning anime and science-fiction-inspired new-gen visuals can be enjoyed in stunning 4K resolution and smooth 60 fps to give you a gaming experience that’s optimized for Xbox Series X|S. With Xbox Smart Delivery, you’ll be able to seamlessly play the best version of the game on your Xbox console,” Jennifer Huang, Bandai Namco Entertainment America Digital Marketing Manager adds to Scarlet Nesux’ addition to Xbox Game Pass. Previously, it was already shared that Back 4 Blood was coming to Xbox Game Pass. The Turtle Rock Studios’ Left 4 Dead successor was leaked to be coming to the service before officially being announced for the monthly service. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited for more games arriving to Xbox Game Pass? Source: Xbox Wire, (1)
Echo Generation The Next Launch Release Coming To Xbox Game Pass This October
Xbox Game Pass, the service that follows Netflix’s structure expands how users explore video games and find familiar franchises and experiment with other releases they might not have tried without the service. It was earlier this summer in a report derived from Microsoft’s earnings call that disclose Xbox Game Pass users are 40 percent more likely to play more and 50 percent more inclined to buy games over those not subscribed. To further fuel and diversify the Xbox Game Pass library, Microsoft continues to work out more partnerships with game studios and publishers to bring more games to the service. This month, the Xbox company already told that Football Manager 2022 and Bassmaster Fishing 2022 are to hit the service upon release respectively. In addition to that, Microsoft on Wednesday told that Echo Generation is yet another example of this. With that announced that the game will launch with its welcoming to Xbox Game Pass next month. You can watch the release date trailer in the video below: “Set in the ’90s, Echo Generation is a heartwarming story about the supernatural, family, and the nostalgia of growing up in a small town. It has a charming blend of exploration, quests, and unique characters inspired by some of our favorite adventure games we’ve played growing up,” Vanessa Chia, Cococucumber Producer and Art Director offers for a synapse of Echo Generation. “There’s a lot to experience in Echo Generation and we wanted to create our take on the old-school, Paper Mario-style, turn-based combat, crafted with a special Cococucumber twist. With over 30 unique minigames and a charming cast of characters and pets to level up, there are many ways to customize your build to take on dangerous enemies and bosses.” Noted, Echo Generation is one of the featured ID@Xbox titles that was playable during the second annual Summer Game Fest Demo Event that took place earlier this June. Expanding on the significance of the showcase, titles from the feature also went on to Xbox Game Pass such as Sable which released for the service this month. Elsewhere this week, Microsoft went to state that Marvel’s Avengers is also slated for its addition to Xbox Game Pass. Adding on, the game is to also release for the service with all story DLC for the game at no additional charge. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you planning to try out Echo Generation when it launches in October? Echo Generation ships for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 21, 2021. Source: Xbox Wire
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Rated In Korea, Reported To Launch This November
In the recent slew of news for Grand Theft Auto V, the most successful game of the past decade is releasing once again. As you might suspect, Rockstar Games is preparing versions for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X & Xbox Series S. At the time it was said to release this coming November. However, Rockstar Games in a later reveal shared a new release window for this March instead in 2022. Elsewhere, Rockstar Games appears to be slowly inching out more for the franchise with a throwback collection on the way. In a report from Kotaku earlier this summer, claims surfaced in regards to a remastered bundle of legacy Grand Theft Auto games are on the way, including: Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. On Thursday, a new discovery over in Korea from The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea provides a new rating for the alleged Grand Theft Auto trilogy. The finding spares a new name, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. Which further establishes legitimacy for the listing is Take-Two Interactive applied he registration for the listing. Adding on to the original reporting from Kotaku, the outlet as per sources familiar with the project told that the game was projected to ship this fall. Now, the same sources that spoke with Kotaku is confident with a November launch for major console platforms including Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile devices. Recently established Rockstar Dundee is also slated to be involved with the game directly using Unreal Engine 4. It appears that this ongoing reporting could string from a previous discovery more than a year prior. Over in Australia, the Australian Classification listed Grand Theft Auto III at the time. While it was uncertain the direction the game was heading, it was presumed that Xbox and Nintendo Switch could find the game with a dedicated port since PlayStation 4 already has a version. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested about the new Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition? Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is reported to release sometime in November. Source: Gematsu
Bluepoint Games Officially Acquired By Sony Interactive Entertainment
In the recent months for Sony Interactive Entertainment, the firm continues to commit for more acquisitions for its already-thriving first-party network of studios. Most notably is the buyout for Returnal developer Housemarque earlier this year. Additionally, the announcement at the time went on to note PlayStation Studio’s addition of Bluepoint Games as well. However, the statement was later deleted after breaking the sound barrier. Through a discovery by an eagle-eyed fan over on Reddit, Bluepoint Games went on to redo its Twitter description emphasizing on the team’s independent status from its partnered platform holder. Since, Sony Interactive Entertainment went on to also buy the likes of Nixxes Software for its venture in PC alongside the acquisition of Firespite Games that appears to establish a better footing into the virtual reality market as well. On Thursday, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced to be officially welcoming Bluepoint Games to the first-party family over at PlayStation. We’re thrilled to have officially joined PlayStation Studios! Austin, Texas has been home base for Bluepoint from when we first founded the studio back in 2006 and we’re now a team of close to 70 super-talented creatives and growing. While the studio has certainly grown over the past 15 years, our cultural beliefs have remained the same- to always push the envelope and create the highest-quality games possible all while having fun doing it. The focus on culture has been instrumental to our success and we’re excited that PlayStation Studios shares a similar culture and vision. PlayStation has such an iconic gaming catalog and for us there’s been nothing better than to bring some of gaming’s masterpieces to new players. Becoming a part of PlayStation Studios, empowers our team to raise the quality-bar even further and create even more impactful experiences for the PlayStation community. Marco Thrush, Bluepoint Games President Thrush continues his statement by concluding with, “Thanks to everyone who’s supported us throughout the years – we can’t wait to bring you more amazing games in this next chapter for Bluepoint Games!” Elsewhere, Thrush in an interview with IGN expands on the acquisition. In that, the firm is said to be working on a new, original project that is already in the pipeline. “Our next project, we’re working on original content right now. We can’t talk about what that is, but that’s the next step in the evolution for us.” He goes on to include that, “The transition from remasters to remakes was to test ourselves and push ourselves harder for the next step.” However, it should be noted that Thrush’s statement on original does not directly determine an entirely new IP is on the way, but a new approach to a property already familiarized. This week, previously acquired Firespite Games made an acquisition of its own as well. The developer announced to be purchasing game studio Fabrik Games; a team that worked on The Persistence alongside Firespite previously. You can read the full report by heading here. What are you most excited to see come from Bluepoint Games next? Source: PlayStation Blog
Firespite Games Buys Up Fabrik Games In New Acquisition Announcement
In the recent year or so, much of the discussion for new acquisitions comes to be aimed at Microsoft with the purchase of Bethesda and parent company Zenimax Media in September 2020. Since, fans of the Xbox company goes on to continue predicting what purchase might follow next. However, in 2021, Sony Interactive Entertainment appears to be buying more talent this year altogether. So far, the PlayStation company has went on to buy up Nixxes Software as the firm is expected to carry over many first-party titles from PlayStation Studios to the PC platform. Additionally, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues the pattern with the purchase of Firespite Games: the purchase appears to be further solidifying the platform’s future for exclusive titles in the realm of virtual reality. This week, developer Firespite Games announced to making its own purchase for Fabrik Games. The team is responsible for assisting in development of The Persistence with Firespite Games and will be to increase the staffing of Firespite Games with the new acquisition. I’m delighted to announce that we will be bringing Fabrik Games and Firesprite together as part of our exciting next step with PlayStation Studios. They are a team of passionate and committed developers, led by industry veterans who have worked on many AAA franchises. We’re looking forward to bolstering our creative talent as we continue on our journey to offer truly unique experiences for PlayStation fans. Graeme Ankers, Firespite Games Managing Director Errol Ismail, Fabrik Games Studio Head adds, “We have a history working and collaborating closely with Firesprite.” He continues, “There’s a huge amount of creative and cultural alignment already and the entire team is excited to be on board. We can’t wait to show everyone what we’re capable of.” Recently, Sony Pictures head Tony Vinciquerra commented that corporate Sony’s decision for more acquisitions is to favor the video game division over other mediums. What appears to be direct evidence purchases made by Sony Interactive Entertainment so far is the recent announcement for Uncharted 4: A Theif’s Legacy Collection. The game is planned to release for PlayStation 5 alongside PC which is understood to be handled by Nixxes Software. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested to see what the purchase of Fabrik Games will deliver? Source: Firespite Games
Google Launches Phone Link Support For Stadia Turning Your Smartphone Into A Controller
Although the idea of a cloud infrastructure oriented for intense video games appears to be a very complex and difficult task to manage, it is reassuring that a company like Google is responsible for the ambition. Despite the underwhelming release of the service back in late 2019, Google remains to offer more exciting additions to the platform with AAA titles and smaller teams also shipping ports for the platform as well. Noted, Google also happened to deliver on extended support for Stadia as well. Previously, the firm shipped an extension of native TV applications for Stadia to offer compatibility for Hisense, Onn, Philips, and Xiaomi, displays at the time. Also, the tech giant went on to launch the beta for YouTube Crowd Play which enables viewers to join the games respected streamers are playing in real-time. This week, Google announced that it is further supporting Stadia with a new Phone Link feature for the service. In that, users at home can launch the Stadia and link their smartphone to use as a personalized controller which can be mapped to their liking. Even more, you can use the new tool to link your preferred controller to Stadia as well. We’re always working on bringing you more ways to play Stadia on your TV. With Phone Link, you’ll be able to connect your phone to your compatible TV as a touch controller, or even use your phone to link your favorite compatible third-party controller and play away. While Stadia does not support Bluetooth as Google has mentioned prior, the new Phone Link enabled the ability to use any of your game paddles that require the functionality. Additionally, those that play on a VPN might want to take caution in using Phone Link as Google does go on to suggest turning off the service to enable the feature for Stadia. Elsewhere in the Phone Link FAQ, Google discloses that the feature is also available for tablets as well. “You can connect your controller through any mobile device that can run the Stadia app Stadia icon on Android or the web app on iOS.” It is refreshing to see more mobile support for cloud initiatives from the likes of Google. Already, Microsoft has launched support for touch screen controls for dozens of titles on xCloud. You can read the initial report by heading here. Are you interested to try Phone Link for Stadia? Source: Google
Stadia Pro For October 2021 Refreshes With Five New Titles Including Control: Ultimate Edition
Coming this November will be the second full year since the release of Google’s cloud-based video game streaming service, Stadia. Although many judgments of the platform appears to be scrutinizing any efforts for Google’s attempt to enter the video game market, the firm remains persistent and has delivered on its promises with supported features only unique to the platform. Of those, the most recent happens to be for Crowd Play: if watching a YouTuber playing a multiplayer game, you can use the tool to launch the respected game to queue or even load into that game via Stadia. However, the mechanic is still in beta as of writing. Google also continues to deliver on Stadia Pro with this month’s additions welcoming Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition and more to the service. For October 2021 now, Google emphasizes on more games coming to the service at the start of the new month this Friday. In total, there are five games to choose from to keep players invested in Stadia: Cake Bash Control: Ultimate Edition DreamWorks Spirit Lucky’s Big Adventure Hello Engineer – Early Access Unto the End Although Stadia is not the most prominent platform players return to, Google has remained consistent with providing more anticipated titles to its monthly service. Even in August 2021 is where the firm headlines Stadia Pro with Grime, Killer Queen Black, and Valkyria Chronicles 4 at the time. September 30th will be the last day for subscribers to install Humans Fall Flat before it is removed from Stadia Pro, Google noted. Relevant to Stadia, the service officially comes to Xbox – sort of. In that, the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge launched this week and browser offerings like the Google system is available to use on console now. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you planning to sample any of the October 2021 games for Google Stadia? Cake Bash, Control: Ultimate Edition, DreamWorks Spirit Lucky’s Big Adventure, Hello Engineer – Early Access, and Unto the End arrive to Staida Pro on October 1, 2021. Source: Google
