Bandai Namco has released a new dev diary for Digimon Survive, an upcoming survival strategy RPG based on the franchise about digital monsters. The video acts as a lead-up to both the game's release and the upcoming 20th anniversary for the international debut of the original Digimon Adventure anime, recounting the history of Digimon and how it has influenced the development of Digimon Survive. This video is linked below.
"At present, the Digimon Story series is acting as our core property since we believe that it's our best property to further expand Digimon's reach, but we also have another series known as Digimon World that while strongly supported by our core fans, is rather specialized in its game mechanics making it somewhat harder for more casual fans and customers to get into, leading us to spend some time thinking about how we can change this, how we can keep the unique gameplay style and feeling of a new game while also creating a Digimon game that's a new approach, and this is what led us to develop Digimon Survive," producer Kazumasa Habu said.
"We also looked at one of the key features of the Digimon Adventure anime, where Digimon grew stronger to reflect people's hearts, and wondered what would happen if we incorporated that element into a game," he continued. "We thought it would be fun to have the drama between the characters factor into how the Digimon evolve within the game." Habu went on to describe how Digimon Adventure played a huge role in Digimon Survive's development, citing the anime as inspiration for the game's storytelling, art style, and character designs.
In this regard, the Bandai Namco team turned to the original source when it came to building Digimon Survive's world--director Hiroyuki Kakudō. "One of the most interesting things I heard from [Kakudō] was that Digimon, as titled, were not born because humans created computers but instead became visible to human beings only because they created computers and digital technology," Habu said. "He told me that he wrote the world of Digimon with this in mind, that Digimon have been living alongside humans throughout history and that Digimon in the past may have been manifested through magic or sorcery or in Japan, via the ancient art of onmyo, subjugating them as shikigami, or as yokai, or even as demons… One of the concepts we have for this game is whether or not we can bring to life and expand on this challenging fictional world [Kakudō] has envisioned."
Bandai Namco's contribution to Digimon's lore seems to be the end of the Digital World or at least some sort of implication that it undergoes a cycle of destruction and rebirth. Habu describes Digimon Survive's world as a place of "severe ruin, the sort of tragic place so broken that it might vanish at any given moment."
Even though we still don't know much about Digimon Survive, it's my most anticipated game of 2019. The game is expected to launch on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
E3 2019 is just around the corner and the GameSpot team will be ready to bring you the best coverage and so much more! If you are in Los Angeles from June 11 to June 13 you should stop by our Base Station, located at the Chick Hearn Court, between Staples Center and the Microsoft Theater.
The GameSpot Base Station will be open to the general public for all ages. You won't even need a badge to enjoy non-stop live gameplay on the eSports truck, hit the Galactic Gaming Station for some arcade gaming, take some memorable pictures at the Jack in the Box Fuel House Photo Opp, or get some exclusive swag from the Jack in the Box Loot Box. Be sure to stop by from 3 pm to 8 pm.
Remember to follow us on Twitter to find out the latest updates on our meet & greet schedule, keep up with surprises, and for the best coverage of E3 2019.
Only one weekend remains before Destiny 2 receives its next content drop: Penumbra, the final content addition covered under the game's Year Two annual pass. June 4 starts the Season of Opulence, the last new content addition before Bungie outlines the "next chapter" of Destiny--and since it's the weekend, that makes this the last visit by Exotics peddler Xur before the start of the new season.
Xur is hanging out in the Tower this week. Head to the Hangar and turn left from the stairs, past Dead Orbit, to find Xur up on the catwalk near the edge of the area. Things are a bit out of character for Xur this week: He's not carrying a weapon for you to buy, but only three pieces of armor.
For Warlocks, Xur offers the Wings of Sacred Dawn chest armor, which you can use with the Dawnblade Super. When you're using the Exotic, aiming your weapon will let you hover in midair, and landing weapon hits while you're up there will extend the effect. Titans can snag the Aeon Safe gauntlets, which grant grenade and class ability energy to your allies and even more energy if they're wearing Aeon Cult gear themselves. Finally, Hunters get the Frost-EE5 boots, increasing your sprint speed when you dodge and speeds up your ability regeneration while sprinting.
Frost-EE5 (Exotic Hunter leg armor) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Wings of Sacred Dawn (Exotic Warlock chest armor) -- 23 Legendary Shards
If you're bummed about not getting a gun from Xur this week, you can also buy a Fated Engram, if you can afford it. Dropping 97 Legendary Shards on the item will grant you one Year One Exotic you don't already have for that character. Xur also offers the Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.
And if you haven't finished all nine of Xur's Invitations of the Nine, you can snag one of those as well. The bounty was new in Season of the Drifter, dispensing Powerful gear rewards, a bit of story about the Nine and the Drifter, and a lore drop.
E3 2019 is fast approaching, and the biggest publishers are preparing to show off their slates of games for the upcoming year and beyond. Square Enix is holding a press event on Monday, June 10 at 6 PM ET / 9 PM PT. Regular show watchers will recognize that time slot as one that usually belongs to Sony, which is forgoing the conference this year.
We already know some of Square Enix's plans, while others are less clear. The company has teased a reveal of its long-anticipated Marvel's Avengers game. Some details have purportedly already leaked, but seeing it announced live is almost certain to reveal more information. Square also recently announced it will show off Dying Light 2 from Techland at its E3 event. And while it isn't quite confirmed, the latest State of Play presentation showed of the Final Fantasy VII remake with an intriguing "more to come in June" teaser, which probably means it will be part of the E3 presentation too.
Make sure to check out all of GameSpot's coverage of E3 2019 for the latest breaking news, and read our full E3 conference schedule to plan your watching for the weekend. Below is a standing list of all of the confirmed Square Enix games we know are slated to make an appearance at the show, so far.
Robert Pattinson has won the role of the Dark Knight. It has been reported that Warner has approved Pattinson as the star of The Batman, the upcoming DC movie to be directed by War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves.
According to Deadline, the studio has decided to move forward with Pattinson as Batman after considering him and X-Men star Nicholas Hoult. The news that Pattinson was the front-runner was first reported earlier this month. Deadline states that both actors were impressive contenders, but ultimately the studio went with the former Twilight star. The site also reports that DC is intending to make a trilogy of Batman movies with Pattinson in the lead. An official announcement is expected soon.
Pattinson is best known for his role as Edward in the Twilight series. He also appeared in two Harry Potter movies as Cedric Diggory, and has more recently starred in a series of acclaimed indie movies, such as Good Time, High-Life, and the upcoming The Lighthouse. He is also set to appear in Christopher Nolan's next film, the thriller Tenet, which is now in production.
The Batman hits theaters on June 25, 2021. The movie has been in the works for several years, with Ben Affleck originally set to star and direct it. Affleck stepped down as director in early 2017, and more recently confirmed that he was no longer involved at all, stating that he had "tried to direct a version of it, but couldn't crack it."
In a recent interview, Reeves hinted at what fans could expect from the movie. "It's very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale," he said. "It's told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He's supposed to be the world's greatest detective, and that's not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been."
Larian Studios, the developer behind Divinity: Original Sin and Original Sin 2, has dropped what appears to be a teaser for a new Baldur's Gate.
The official site has updated with a "III" logo, though the stylized lettering isn't quite unique enough to necessarily identify it as belonging to Baldur's Gate. As some savvy Twitter users have pointed out, though, the metadata refers to the image as "BaldursGate_logo_III_retouched." It's possible this wasn't meant to be seen and is something of an inside joke, but it could also mean the studio is bringing Baldur's Gate back. The timing of this tease could suggest that the studio is preparing a reveal at E3 2019.
The series has been relatively quiet recently. An Enhanced Edition port of the original Baldur's Gate was released in 2013, and a new expansion was released in 2016, under Atari and the Canadian publisher Beamdog. The last numbered Baldur's Gate game released in 2000, developed by BioWare.
The Divinity games have gained critical acclaim of their own. GameSpot's review of Original Sin 2 awarded it a 10/10, which would make the studio a good fit for reviving the classic series.
"From lonely farmhouses through pitched battles with gods in far-flung dimensions, Divinity: Original Sin II is one of the most captivating role-playing games ever made in both its original and Definitive incarnations, with the latter proving that even the most complicated role-players can be ported successfully to gamepad-limited consoles," Brett Todd wrote. "This immaculately conceived and emotion-wrought fantasy world, topped by brilliant tactical combat, make it one of the finest games of recent years, and it remains an instant classic in the pantheon of RPG greats."
Netflix is to raise the price of its subscriptions in the UK for the first time since 2017, the company has said. Two of its three membership options will go up in price, with the other remaining the same.
The two options affected are the mid-range standard tariff, which will soon cost £9 per month, having previously cost £8 per month. This popular option allows you to stream HD TV and films to two devices at a time.
The premium option, which currently costs £9 per month and allows you to stream ultra HD content to four devices, will increase to £11 per month, while the basic SD-only package will remain at £6 per month. The new prices will be rolled out over the coming weeks for existing customers, but are effective immediately for new members.
Netflix told BBC News the price hike was necessary "to reflect the significant investments we've made in new TV shows and films." The new prices take Netflix's standard tariff above the £8 per month Amazon charges for Prime Video, while NowTV ranges from £8 to £34 per month, depending on the type of shows you like to watch. Other UK streaming services are funded by advertising or license fees.
Netflix recently overtook Sky TV as the most popular TV service in the UK. However, things could be shaken up in the coming months: the BBC and ITV plan to launch a joint BritBox service in the UK soon, while Amazon Prime will begin showing live Premier League matches from next season. Apple and Disney also have streaming services in the works.
The Witcher is one of the most anticipated upcoming shows over the next few months. The show, adapted from the popular novels turned video game series, is set to hit Netflix in the last three months of 2019, and it has now been confirmed that production has finished on Season 1.
The news comes via star Henry Cavill, who plays Geralt of Rivia. He took to Instagram to post about the "incredible journey" of making the show. "Season 1 of The Witcher has finally come to an end," he wrote. "And although I'm pulling a face here it has been an incredible journey! The cast and crew worked tirelessly throughout, everyone pitched in and brought their A game to set and I couldn't be more proud of you all." The post was accompanied by a picture of Cavill in a make-up chair--check it out below:
The Witcher's showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich also marked the end of production on Twitter. "That's a wrap on season one," she wrote. "I have enough gray hair to play Geralt now, but it's been the best year of my life. So grateful to the writers, the cast, and the exceptional crew who worked their asses off to make the Continent come to life."
The Witcher will run for eight episodes, and is based on the fantasy novel series written by Andrzej Sapkowski, from which the games are also adapted. Sapkowski has worked on the English language drama series as a creative consultant.
As for the Witcher game series, the newest instalment was 2015's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. No new projects in the series have been announced, and developer CD Projekt Red is now working on the much-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077.
Disney has released a set of new character posters for the upcoming Lion King remake, and they're quite a sight to behold. As you will have noticed from the first trailer, the new Lion King utilizes cutting-edge technology to make characters like Simba, Mufasa, and Scar look eerily life-like. That's still the case with the new character posters; they almost look too good.
Click through the images in the gallery below to see all the major character posters. To me, Zazu is the most unsettling of the bunch; see for yourself:
The Lion King opens in theatres on July 19. It is directed by Jon Favreau with a script from Jeff Nathanson, who previously wrote the Steven Spielberg movie Catch Me If You Can starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
The cast is led by Donald Glover as adult Simba. James Earl Jones returns as Mufasa, while Chiwetel Ejiofor voices Scar. Seth Rogen voices Pumbaa with Billy Eichner taking on the role of Timon. Singer Beyonce plays Nala, while John Oliver voices Zazu.
A new TV spot for The Lion King was just released--check it out below.
Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian's new RPG, The Outer Worlds, seems like it'll have something new to show at E3 2019. The game's Twitter account today posted a cryptic message that suggests some kind of E3 announcement/showing is coming up.
"The Board wants to let you know to pay attention to broadcasts from Los Angeles, California, Earth, in the coming weeks for [REDACTED]," reads the message.
The Board wants to let you know to pay attention to broadcasts from Los Angeles, California, Earth, in the coming weeks for [REDACTED]. pic.twitter.com/aSiwVkgHf1
The Outer Worlds is being published by Grand Theft Auto parent company Take-Two Interactive's new indie games label, Private Division, and it'll be released on Xbox One, as well as PS4 and PC.
The 14 Xbox Game Studios games that Microsoft is bringing to E3 2019 is more first-party titles than the company has ever had at E3.
The PC edition of The Outer Worlds will be released on the Epic Store and Windows Store first, before coming to Steam a year later. Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, who worked on the original Fallout, are heading up the team making The Outer Worlds. The game is showing a lot of promise, and as mentioned, it's set for release sometime in 2019.
The first trailer for Pixar's newest movie, Onward, has arrived. The film takes place in a fantasy world and stars two teenage brothers who are elves.
Together, they "embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there." Here's the magical first trailer:
The brothers, Ian and Barney, are voiced by Spider-Man actor Tom Holland and Star-Lord actor Chris Pratt, respectively. Octavia Spencer and Julia Louis-Dreyfus also voice characters.
The movie is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae; they worked together on Monsters University. Onward releases in theatres in March 2020.
Pixar's next movie is the much-anticipated Toy Story 4, which debuts in June.
[Update: John Vignocchi has now revealed where he's headed post-Gearbox. On Twitter, he revealed he's now working at Nintendo. According to his LinkedIn page, Vignocchi is working at Nintendo on third-party publisher and developer relations. A subsequent tweet explains, "I'll be driving developer and publisher relations for North America so that Nintendo can continue to bring amazing content to all fans. I plan to help continue the tradition of building memories through Nintendo that will last a lifetime.]
Dear industry and personal friends: It's official: I've joined Nintendo and could not be more excited! pic.twitter.com/NoVJQHAO2J
Ahead of the release of Borderlands 3 in September, Gearbox Publishing boss John Vignocchi is heading out. The games industry veteran announced on Twitter that he's left Gearbox for his "dream job" somewhere else.
"Leaving the company was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make and I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for the love and support of everyone there," Vignocchi said on Twitter. "They understood and encouraged me to take this role as it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime gig."
Vignocchi said he had a great time working at Gearbox, where he served as executive producer for Gearbox Publishing for about a year. He specifically praised Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford and head of publishing Steve Gibson, saying they both know "how to bring out the passion and excellence of all the amazing [developers] that work there."
Vignocchi didn't say where he's going after Gearbox, but he noted that he is going on a "bit of a road trip," which suggests the new job is not close to Gearbox which is in Frisco, Texas.
Vignocchi joined Gearbox in October 2018 after a long run at Disney where he oversaw Disney Infinity and other products and projects. He spent less than a year at Gearbox before leaving. Pitchford said goodbye to Vignocchi in a post of his on on Twitter in which he wished Vignocchi well in his new job.
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