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Ubisoft is reportedly remaking Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Kotaku has reported that Ubisoft is currently working on a remake for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Arguably one of the most liked Assassin’s Creed games will be getting the remake treatment and it seems to be weird timing with Skull and Bones still on the horizon. Should Ubisoft be focusing on another pirate themed game when they’ve been having difficulty on one for a number of years now? The two sources in connection to Kotaku shared the remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is still in its earliest stages and it wouldn’t be completed for a couple of years. They also said that a team at Ubisoft Singapore will be heavily involved in creating this remake. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag released in 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 then found its way to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Is there really a need for a remake of this title that is just barely 10 years old? Assassin’s Creed Mirage is what’s next for the franchise as it is set to ship this October for PlayStation 5 PC, and Xbox Series XlS. Source: Kotaku

Microsoft Lawyer During FTC Hearing Reveals Next The Elders Scrolls Title Projected For A 2026 Release

Much like Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios & the greater Bethesda as a whole announced The Elder Scrolls VI way to early in advanced. Whilst The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim remains one of the best-selling RPGs, let alone game of all time, excitement for the next installment grips onto every presentation and press event with the developer attached. However, year and year again reveals nothing on the next game. In the past, it was confirmed that The Elder Scrolls VI is still years away. Additionally, it went on to be revealed by Xbox head Phil Spencer following the Bethesda acquisition that The Elder Scrolls VI is to be a unique release for Xbox Series X|S – whenever it comes out that is. Back in 2021, it was said the project was still in the design phase suggesting it is years out from being fully playable. Well, the recent Microsoft v FTC hearings revealed new information on the latest title. As per a statement from the FTC, which The Verge transcribed, it is revealed that the next game is aimed to ship in 2026, a Microsoft lawyer revealed. Could I clarify one issue that council raised with you, when you were asking about Zenimax and asked him to find a game that was most similar to Xbox, he mentioned Elder Scrolls. That is incorrect. There are two Elder Scrolls games, one is online called Elder Scrolls Online — that is a multiplayer game, it is on PlayStation today. The game he’s talking about Elder Scrolls 16… the projected release is 2026 as a single-player game. It is not anywhere similar to Call of Duty, which as you know is multiplayer and multi-platform. To set things straight, it is evidently clear that the lawyer has mistaken the number of The Elder Scrolls games. Of course, he is suggesting The Elder Scrolls VI as we are a century behind from even considering being out a dozen releases for the mainline franchise. Furthermore, he references The Elder Scrolls Online which just shipped its Necrom expansion earlier in June this month. On other pressing The Elder Scrolls VI details, game director Todd Howard reveals that it might possibly be his last entry he works on. “If I do the math, I’m not getting any younger: how long is people played Elder Scrolls for? That may be the last one I do.” You can read the full report by heading here. Are you satisfied with a 2026 release window for The Elder Scrolls VI? The Elder Scrolls VI is listed for a 2026 release for Xbox Series X|S & PC.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Release Pushed Ahead On PC To “Where You’ll Have More Time To Play It” As Blockbuster Titles Fill Up The Fall Season

Over the course of June, it is revealed there will be a plentiful number of blockbuster releases coming this fall. This includes Starfield, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Forza Motorsport, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Alan Wake II, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and so on. There is more than many can consume at a healthy balance. Previously, developer Larian Studios after years of being in Early Access announced Baldur’s Gate 3 is ready to ship this August for PC & PlayStation 5. Noted, the game studio did address an Xbox version is in development, but that the build is facing technical issues resulting in an undated release – not tied to any exclusivity arrangement with Sony. Well, now Baldur’s Gate is being prepped for a new August release date – at least on PC that is. In a new announcement post, PC players can jump into the new full release whilst PlayStation 5 owners can expect the game to launch the following month. “This means the PC version of Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released at a time where you’ll have more time to play it,” the team writes. There’s a lot more where that came from, but this is already going to be a long one. We’ve been busy. We’ve grown, and so too has Baldur’s Gate 3. Let’s get into a little detail about what you can expect to see in the Panel From Hell: Release Showcase, just in time for the release of the game on August 3rd for PC, and September 6th for PS5. The PlayStation 5 version will be released roughly a week later than its originally scheduled date of August 31st. Baldur’s Gate 3 is targeting 60 frames-per-second and we’re close to achieving that on the platform but need a bit more extra time. We don’t want to compromise on quality, and feel it would be a shame to downscale to 30fps or make other compromises to hit an arbitrary date. “We understand that folks may be disappointed with this but we’re close enough to reaching new heights for RPGs on the system that the benefits of a short delay outweigh the downsides of rushing the PS5 release and having to downscale. The full Mac version will also be released at a later date, and we’ll update you as soon as we have a target.” Larian Studios continues: “More on those new heights: Baldur’s Gate 3 has more cinematic dialogue than three times all three Lord of the Rings novels combined. It has 174 hours of cinematics, making it more than twice the length of every season of Game of Thrones combined.” What has you excited for the new release dates for Baldur’s Gate 3? Baldur’s Gate 3 ships on August 3, 2023 for PC; September 6, 2023 for PlayStation 5. Source: Larian Studios

Microsoft CEO Shares Preference To Do Away With Console Exclusives Altogether

Over the course of this past week, many unearthed details in redacted documents and other published information revealed official plans or considerations on behalf of Microsoft to the greater public. Part of that is the numerous counts of potential acquisition candidates that was revealed in a presentation submitted as evidence. In that, over 100 different teams were noted for possible suggestion to join Xbox Game Studios. Additionally, Microsoft also considered an outright buyout of Square Enix. And whilst it would bolster the overall platform. The main intention of the deal would to firmly solidify xCloud as Microsoft’s mobile endeavor with a consistent stream of titles. Even more, Microsoft considered the current Activision Blizzard argument to be more beneficial for mobile/PC as it would not truly shift Xbox’s placement otherwise, Xbox boss Phil Spencer shared. According to a new statement from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, he believes that console exclusives as a whole could be done away with, TweakTown transcribes from the recent hearing. “If it was up to me I would like to get rid of exclusivity on consoles. The dominant player has defined market competition using exclusives. I have no love for that world,” Nadella states. Noted, Spencer in a similar statement expressed the same beliefs as well this week. In that, if the deal were to be processed Microsoft would not utilize the same ‘damaging’ exclusivity practices with its newly-acquired Activision Blizzard properties. However, Microsoft evidently has encouraged this for Xbox in the past well before.  Howbeit, despite the grander intentions to knock down the walls of this precedent, first-party exclusives – and even third-party too – have some positive aspects. Namely, when titles are focused for one system has shown to release in a better polished state than compared to multiplatform titles. Even more, there is no pot to split profits either, of course. Recently in one statement from Sega, it was revealed that the publisher & Xbox hold a strong relationship. After news broke out of the considered acquisition for the Japanese firm, vice president Shu Utsumi said the two are cordial and that Microsoft actually holds Sega in the highest regard compared to PlayStation & Nintendo. You can read the full report by heading here. What is your response to Nadella’s comments on platform exclusives?

Xbox Series X|S Global Sales & New Metrics Revealed By Microsoft Brazil

For roughly a handful of years now, Microsoft has not properly classified hardware sales for its console systems when it comes to Xbox. But despite the limited transparency in systems moved, the Xbox firm does spare details on the future of its platform. Recently, Microsoft did confirm price increases are coming to the latest Xbox Series X in more regions & Xbox Game Pass will find new pricing too. Additionally, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer elaborated that Xbox Series will not find itself a mid-generation refresh in the coming years. This marks the first time since the Xbox 360 a system will not be iterated following initial release. Another report also confirms Microsoft is fully embracing Xbox Series X|S as no more titles will be developed for Xbox One; only the newest duo of systems moving forward. Now through a new finding online, Microsoft does spare new details on the Xbox Series X|S sales in a presentation at BIG Festival this week. You can view the information in the image below: In total, the Xbox Series X|S is totaled at over 21 million units. What is also surprising is the cumulative counting with Xbox One revealing over 79 million units; which confirms that the last-gen machine sold over 58 million officially. Other new information reveals that so far, 48 percent of users that purchased Xbox Series S is new to the platform overall. Other recent Xbox news pertaining to the Xbox Series X|S revealed that this generation in its current state of the lifecycle has already exceeded Xbox 360 by two-fold when it was at this state. You can read the full report by heading here. What is your response to the Xbox Series X|S selling 21 million so far?

Niantic’s LA office will be shut down and the company lays off 230 employees

The company behind Pokemon GO, Niantic announced some difficult changes for the organization on Thursday. Niantic’s LA office will be closing and they made the difficult decision to lay off around 230 employees. This comes after the decision to narrow their focus on mobile game investments. “I have made the decision to narrow our focus for mobile game investments, concentrating on first party games that most strongly embody our core values of location and local social communities. The mobile gaming market is very mature and only the best and most differentiated titles have a chance to succeed. We also want to increase our focus on building for the emerging class of MR devices and future AR glasses.” John Hanke said. “Specifically, this means we will be closing our LA studio, reducing our game platform team and making additional reductions across the company. As a result, we will be sunsetting NBA All-World and stopping production on Marvel: World of Heroes. This means we are laying off around 230 Niantics.” There are a number of reasons as to why this happened. A reason for this move is due to the fact they allowed their expenses to grow faster than revenue. During covid they saw a surge in revenue and hired more employees to help at the time. This won’t impact Pokemon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Peridot, Monster Hunter Now or any recent launches. Source: Niantic