Keywords Studios has acquired Certain Affinity

Keywords Studios has officially acquired video game developer Certain Affinity, the studio most known for its work on Halo titles along with work on Call of Duty and most recently Gotham Knights and Hogwarts Legacy. The studio was founded in 2006 by a group of former Bungie staff and has been led by CEO Max Hoberman. The acquisition will not impact any of its management team meaning CEO Max Hoberman and President and COO Paul Sams will remain in their positions. They will oversee its 180 employees across the United States and Canada. Below is a statement made by the leaders of Certain Affinity via GamesIndustry.biz: “At this most difficult time in the market, we’re thrilled to be able to provide stability and a supportive home for our team,” said Hoberman in a statement. “The respect for our talent and culture that Keywords has shown, along with a willingness to invest in our growth, is unparalleled. “Paul and I look forward to partnering with them to chart a course for careful expansion of our core co-development activities, refinement of our lead development capabilities, as well as championing the growth of the Create division.” This is Keyword Studios’ second acquisition this year as they also acquired Wushu Studios in August. It has been revealed via an employee’s LinkedIn profile that Certain Affinity was working on a Halo Battle Royale which was apparently a potential game changer for the franchise. The studio didn’t officially confirm this, but all reports indicate that this is true. This acquisition should not impact the projects Certain Affinity is currently working on. It seems this move will further help the studio grow on top of what they already have.

Xbox executive reportedly said “nobody cares about Banjo-Kazooie” to an audience

It feels like at this point we’ll never get a new Banjo-Kazooie game from Xbox Game Studios. The franchise developed by Rare has not seen a new game since Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts which was released on November 11, 2008. Recently there was a Microsoft Flight Simulator event that Xbox Games Marketing executive, Aaron Greenberg attended. During the event, a PR representative asked fans who attended which games they would like to see again. A fan yelled Banjo-Kazooie and Greenberg replied to the fan and the audience saying “Nobody cares about Banjo-Kazooie.” This is according to Spanish Youtuber “Puerta al Sotano” who attended the event and created a video about this situation. Like always we should take reports like these with a grain of salt. Aaron Greenberg has not publicly addressed this and there isn’t video proof of this actually happening. Either way, it’s an interesting statement to make after seeing the success of games like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Astro Bot over the last year. Nintendo announced earlier this week that Banjo-Tooie from Nintendo 64 will be playable through Nintendo Switch Online on October 25, 2024. The announcement definitely has fans excited to jump back into the late N64 game. Would you like a new Banjo-Kazooie game? Source: ResetEra via MyNintendoNews

Black Myth: Wukong has been rated for Xbox

Black Myth: Wukong, the action role-playing game developed by Game Science has been a huge success this year on PC and PlayStation 5. It sold over 10 million copies across all available platforms while also reaching over 2 million concurrent players on Steam. While it was having success on PS5 and PC there were reports of Black Myth: Wukong not coming to Xbox due to its “Platform Limitations”. This report was later denied and it looks like we will see the RPG come to Xbox Series X|S in the near future. ESRB has officially rated Black Myth: Wukong for Xbox Series X|S as you can see here. When ratings go live for games on ESRB especially, it usually means an announcement is near in the coming weeks or a couple of months. This might be something that comes up during The Game Awards which takes place on December 12. Microsoft or Game Science have not made an official statement or announcement regarding this. Source: GPN Game Pass News

Kiwi Design H4 Boost Halo Battery Strap Review – The Ultimate Comfort and Battery Life for Quest 3/3S

The Kiwi Design H4 Boost Halo Battery Strap offers superior comfort, fast charging, and up to 3 extra hours of playtime, making it a must-have for Quest 3/3S users.

Review: Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem

Developer – 3DClouds Publisher – GameMill Entertainment Platforms – PC (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 There’s nothing like the combination of Hot Wheels and Monster Trucks. GameMill Entertainment, 3DClouds, and Mattel have partnered up to create Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem. This new game features authentic Hot Wheels Monster Trucks such as Tiger Shark, Bigfoot, Bone Shaker, and a lot more. We’ve already seen a new Monster Truck game earlier this year with Monster Jam Showdown, but with this title, you are in the Hot Wheels atmosphere with unrealistic obstacles, stunts, and more.  Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem features a limited number of modes, including Career, Boss, Stunt, and Destruction Mode. The most enjoyable mode is the Career mode, offering diverse objectives, unique destructible objects in each level, and Monster Truck-specific events to look forward to. In Career, you’ll stumble upon different environments which adds some variety to the game, but you’ll notice that within each environment the layouts all stay the same. Yes, there are various things to destroy and slightly different objectives, but a lot of it is recycled. Each level will have a time limit of about 3 minutes and some give slightly less time for you to get the highest combo score possible. Just like any Monster Truck game players have to constantly do jump tricks, donuts, wheelies, cause destruction, and anything else that will give you points.  The controls for Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem is something you have to get used to whether using a controller or keyboard. For most of my playthrough, I used a keyboard. I experienced frustrations when the game wouldn’t let me recover from tricks, forcing me to respawn and lose my combo chain almost immediately without giving me a chance. Overall, the controls of the Monster Trucks are good, but there is room for improvement in performing certain moves. More times than not you’ll find yourself tipping over a ton with a ton after doing front flips, back flips, donuts, drifting, and anything else you can think of. On a more positive note, I have not encountered any dropped frames when playing on my PC, and everything ran pretty smoothly. It’s not too surprising, since this isn’t an overwhelmingly demanding game for any platform. Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem comes with seven different arenas you can play in. There are also over 20 different beasts you can unlock that also come with different variants. To unlock new trucks you’ll have to complete objectives through the Career mode and progress like you normally would in any game.  Visually, Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem may not impress you too much. The environments lack detail, but the Monster Trucks themselves are the best-looking part of the game. The variety of trucks stands out with their unique designs and bright colors, which is probably the most important aspect. The Hot Wheels aspect is definitely shown greatly here as well with the Mega Loops and the dozens of ramps. The audio is nothing spectacular either. The in-game commentator’s repetitiveness can be bothersome, but there are no issues with the truck’s audio or the destruction effects; they’re just not exceptional. The music featured during gameplay and in the menu is also uninspiring, to say the least.  Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem is an enjoyable game, but it lacks a variety of game modes and online multiplayer, which limits players in terms of gameplay options. I appreciate its focus on freestyle and the essence of Monster Trucks, but it would greatly benefit from the addition of a racing mode or other features to justify its price. It’s clear that this game is aimed at a younger audience, and for older fans of Monster Truck games, there are other options available.  

Bloober Team Reveals New Action Horror IP Cronos: The New Dawn, Coming 2025

Polish game studio Bloober Team for more than a decade has been notorious for its games with deep roots to horror. Even this month, the team delivered a new title that lives up to that reputation – Silent Hill 2. Despite the age difference of the original to the remake, the firm did confirm that this new adaptation offers a longer playtime compared to the classic 2001 release. Additionally, Bloober Team did confirm that horror is simply one aspect of the game studio. Back in July 2023, the developer confirmed that it is moving to other genres that exceeds its expected specialties. Even more, it was revealed that Bloober Team has partnered with Skybound Entertainment as part of an effort on a new IP under the Polish game studio. From the recent Xbox Partner Preview, Bloober Team unveiled the newest title from the team – Cronos: The New Dawn. You can watch the cinematic trailer in the video below: “Following the success of SILENT HILL 2, we are proud to present Cronos, an exciting new IP from Bloober Team. Our commitment to redefining the horror genre continues with this survival horror title, which represents a natural progression of our creative vision and our studio’s strategy. By merging the eerie atmosphere of horror with the boundless potential of science fiction, Cronos promises to deliver a fresh survival experience. We can’t wait to share it with the world in 2025,” CEO Piotr Babieno says. An excerpt for the game reads: “Cronos: The New Dawn is a twisted time travel story set in an unforgiving post-apocalyptic future in 1980s Poland. Players will take on the role of a Traveler, an agent of the enigmatic Collective with a mission to extract selected people who didn’t survive the apocalypse from the past. To complete the Collective’s mission, players will need to survive a deadly wasteland created by a cataclysmic event known as the Change, filled with monstrous abominations that will challenge players’ combat abilities.” Are you excited for Cronos: The New Dawn? Cronos: The New Dawn launches in 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Source: Bloober Team

Sea Of Thieves Season 14 Arrives Focusing On Stealth With Traps, Blow Darts, And The Grapple Gun

What was ground-shattering for many Xbox users is now already half a year old is Sea of Thieves on PlayStation 5. The game shipped back in April delivering the first proper Rare title on the Sony console. And although it was originally an Xbox exclusive, PlayStation users grew excited with the game climbing up to being the #1 most pre-ordered title at the time. Since then, the game has continued to remain in the top sales for PlayStation is multiple markets. Back in May & June, Sea of Thieves was #1 in the United States and United Kingdom. What’s more, the team also celebrated more than 40 million users as of this summer. Around the same time, Season 13 arrived bringing even more additions to the core game which helps with a new platform added to the experience. This week, Rare returns with a new influx of content for Sea of Thieves. Season 14 arrives with a big emphasis on stealth introducing new items like the Grapple Gun & traps as well as incorporating new disguises and even a mantling mechanic to add to the immersion. You can watch the trailer in the video below: “Introducing a range of stealth-focused abilities, weapons and items, this Season completely revitalises your options for approaching other players and emergent enemies, and provides more opportunities for creating mischief out on the waves,” Frances Addison, Rare editor writes. “The first two weapons of chaos arriving with Season 14 can both be added to your Armoury, though as you’ll discover, the Grapple Gun is less of a weapon and more of a traversal tool. “Modelled after the harpoons found on your ships, this portable device has the ability to haul loot and enemies towards you or, if fired at a solid surface, haul you towards whatever you were aiming at. This allows you to zip around the islands of the Sea of Thieves faster than ever, as well as offering a helping hand to close the distance between you and any ship that looks in dire need of boarding. Just remember you’ll have a limited number of shots before you need to start looking for an Ammo Crate… “Landing on the more traditional side of offensive capability is the blowpipe! Intended for stealthy applications, this weapon can be used to fire three different types of dart: the Poison Dart, which deals damage to enemies over time; the Black Powder Dart, which triggers a small explosion if it isn’t doused before the fuse burns down; and the Lure Dart, which glints like treasure to attract the attention of curious pirates and skeletons or other enemies in the area.” Addison adds: “ You can now crouch to move around much more quietly, and gain access to chest and barrel disguises that let you sneak into the midst of an unsuspecting crew. If you’re really well prepared, as the Season progresses you’ll also be able to lay down traps to damage your foes before you hide. Just don’t forget to eat an enchanted Merfruit first so a helpful mermaid doesn’t give you away…” Are you excited for Season 14 for Sea of Thieves? Sea of Thieves is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Source: Rare

Sega Adds More Story For Sonic X Shadow Generations With New ‘X Chao’ Manga

While excitement alone for the new Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film is unprecedented alone, Sega & Sonic Team is also ramping up anticipation towards Sonic X Shadow Generations as well. Not only will it feature a proper remaster for the 2010 release, but it also is set to introduce a new tangent of Shadow levels as well for players looking for their fix on the Ultimate Lifeform. Not only that, the developer also unveiled that a ‘Movie Pack’ based on the upcoming live-action film will be part of the new game. More specifically taking inspiration from events of the movie and even Keanu Reeves reprising his role for the add-on as well. Moreover on Shadow the Hedgehog, there was a trio of animated shorts that predates the events of the game – Sonic X Shadow Generations: New Beginnings. And now, there is also a separate story that follows the Chaos of the world during the events for Sonic X Shadow Generations. Released this Friday, Sonic X Shadow Generations X Chao is said to take place “when Sonic’s birthday party goes wrong and the Chao are scattered across time and space, the Shadow Chao and Sonic Chao step up to save the day! “ You can read the full manga below: On the topic of Chao & Sonic X Shadow Generations, the developer did confirm that the beloved Chao Garden will not be featured in the new release. However, that is not to say the mode will not make its golden return. In fact, studio head Takashi Iizuka did elaborate that him & the team is aware about the demand for a comeback and is considering options to do so in the future. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited with Sonic X Shadow Generations now with this new manga available? Sonic X Shadow Generations arrives on October 5, 2024 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Phasmophobia comes to Xbox Series X|S and PS5 on October 29

Earlier this week, during the Xbox Partner Preview, Kinetic Games announced that Phasmophobia will finally come to consoles in early access starting October 29. This comes just in time for Halloween and it will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S for the first time. Players across consoles, Steam, and PS VR2 can team up with friends to enjoy the exhilaration of hunting for and being hunted by ghosts. Kinetic Games also shared a huge milestone for Phasmophobia which has sold over 20 million copies globally since it was released on Steam in 2020. “We are so happy to see Phasmophobia enter console early access” Stated Daniel Knight, CEO and Lead Developer at Kinetic Games “the community has been asking for console versions, and has waited a little while for it to happen. The development team at Kinetic Games have worked exceptionally hard to make this request a reality.” Phasmophobia will have a Halloween Special Event for the first time that will include a community goal-oriented task where players can work together to unlock the Blood Moon weather in the game. Players will be able to earn a new badge and trophy by completing different community goals. Players can purchase Phasmophobia on PS5, PC via Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PS VR2 for $19.99 when it releases later this month.