Microsoft's latest round of deals has gone live on both Xbox One and Xbox 360, bringing discounts to Star Wars, Resident Evil, and Devil May Cry games, among others.
The usual Deals With Gold promotion this week combines with a spotlight sale on Capcom and Star Wars games. Only Deals With Gold discounts requires an Xbox Live Gold membership, though having Gold will ensure you get the lowest price on everything.
Head to Amazon's product page here to buy the bundle.
There is no word on when this deal will end, so if you're interested, you may want to act quickly.
Looking for more video game deals? Check out GameSpot's comprehensive roundup for all the best offers across every major platform.
GameSpot's gaming deals posts always highlight the best deals we can find regardless of retailer. We also occasionally use retailer affiliate links, which means that purchasing goods through those links helps support all the great content (including the deals posts) you find for free here on the site.
Tomorrow during a Twitch livestream, Bungie will share fresh details for Destiny's upcoming expansion, House of Wolves. While last week's live broadcast focused on the DLC's new social space, The Reef, tomorrow's will provide the first details on the game's new multiplayer event called Trials of Osiris.
This is a weekly 3v3 elimination event. Bungie explains: "The more wins your team accumulates, the greater your rewards." These prizes will include all manner of Osiris-themed gear.
Tomorrow's Destiny livestream will begin at 11 AM PDT / 2 PM EDT. Bungie community manager David "Deej" Dague will host the event live from Bungie's headquarters, while design leads Larks Bakken and Derek Carroll will also speak during the event. Community member tripleWRECK is also going to appear.
Check back with GameSpot tomorrow to watch the stream live.
Although Bungie isn't yet talking specifics about Trials of Osiris, the developer has shared a teaser video (above) and one image from the event, which you can see below.
Tomorrow's Destiny livestream won't be the last. Bungie will hold another video event on May 6 to reveal live gameplay from House of Wolves' new Prison of Elders multiplayer area, while the final presentation will take place on May 8. Bungie isn't yet saying what to expect from this one, telling fans only to "stay tuned!"
House of Wolves launches May 19 for all platforms. It's included with Destiny's $35 Expansion Pass--which also comes with the previously released Dark Below add-on--or can be purchased by itself for $20.
Square Enix is at work on an updated version of the demo for Final Fantasy XV--what it calls Episode Duscae version 2.0--though it remains to be seen how or if it will be released.
During the latest video briefing from Square Enix, director Hajime Tabata discussed various changes and fixes that are being made based on feedback from the demo, which was included with Day One editions of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. He also expressed a desire to allow players to see these changes for themselves before the full game was released.
"If possible, instead of presenting a master that will be like the final release, I really want everyone to see and feel how the game is improving toward the final release as we take in all of their feedback," he said.
Asked if he was talking about allowing players to try this out at an event, Tabata said that was the original plan. "We first thought it would be good to constantly upgrade Episode Duscae across various events," he explained. "But it would be more ideal from the dev team's perspective if we could distribute Episode Duscae version 2.0 to everyone who played the demo."
He clarified that he was talking about an update or patch for the existing demo, but noted that "from a first-party perspective, there's been no precedent of applying patches to demos, so we're currently discussing with them to see if it's feasible."
Tabata cited "mid-to-late May" as when the developers are hoping to release the update. If they're unable to do so, they plan on bringing it to events, though he didn't specify which ones.
In terms of actual changes you can expect to see in the update--assuming it's released--are "enhancements" to the Active Cross Battle system and "improvements to the camera and targeting system. There will also be additional combat actions and overall rebalancing."
More joint attacks will also be included, and the way in which they are activated "might be different than the one currently in the demo." A dodge roll--which will definitely be in the full game--may be in there, too. It was absent from the existing demo due to technical constraints. The "range of actions for each weapon" could be expanded in 2.0 as well, though that, like the dodge roll, isn't a definite for the demo.
The broadcast was recorded on April 10, so it's possible there has been some development in the meantime. We've contacted Square Enix to find out the latest and will report back with any details we receive.
Elsewhere in the video, which you can watch above, Tabata revealed plans for XV to largely skip E3 in June. Instead, the game's major promotional push will take place at Gamescom in August.
Electronic Arts has deployed the first major update for Visceral's cops-and-robbers shooter Battlefield Hardline. It includes a number of changes to weapons, balance, and gameplay, while also nerfing the game's killer couch.
The update, 1.02, is available now on all platforms. It doesn't wipe out the couch entirely, but it does reduce its health significantly and diminishes the rate at which it can be repaired.
The couch, called "The American Dream," can be found in Hotwire mode on the Dust Bowl map. It spawns in one of several different locations, but only a single time per round--once it's been destroyed, it's gone until the next game begins.
EA first announced that it would be changing the Hardline couch attributes earlier this month. Visceral decided to take action because the couch was actually proving to be reliably useful to some players, and not a throwaway joke vehicle as the developer had intended.
Outside of nerfing the couch, Hardline patch 1.02 makes a variety of changes to the game's vehicles, Battlepacks, user interface, and weapons, among other things. You can see the full patch notes for the various versions of Hardline through the links below.
Saints Row and Dead Island publisher Deep Silver on Tuesday announced a partnership with Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune and his studio comcept for his current project, the Kickstarter success story Mighty No. 9. Deep Silver will help publish the side-scrolling game at retail stores and digitally for its release this year.
We also learned today that Mighty No. 9 will arrive on September 15 in North America and September 18 worldwide. You'll be able to buy it as a download or on a disc for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U, as well as older consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Mighty No. 9 is also coming to PC, Linux, and Mac on that date, while PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS versions will be released "at a later date" and only digitally.
Deep Silver said in a press release that its partnership with Inafune and comcept extends beyond just the publishing arrangement. The publisher is providing "additional resources" to comcept to allow the team to create additional DLC and more for Mighty No. 9.
This includes the "Ray" DLC, which is a new stage that features an "epic battle" with the bad guy Ray. After you beat him, Ray will be added to your game as a playable character for the main campaign. The Ray expansion is included with all retail versions of Mighty No. 9 and is free for anyone who backed the game during its initial Kickstarter run. Everyone else will need to buy it.
Deep Silver's partnership with comcept also means Mighty No. 9 will now include Japanese and French voiceovers (alongside the standard English voiceover), as well as localized versions of the game--with subtitles--for Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese.
As part of the Deep Silver-comcept deal, comcept will retain ownership of the overall Mighty No. 9 brand. Deep Silver went on to say that it will lead the charge for sales and marketing campaigns for the game.
"This is a great opportunity for comcept: The partnership enables us to deliver Mighty No. 9 to a wider audience while adding some great extra value to the game," Inafune said in a statement. "We are confident that the extra content will be worth the wait."
Mighty No. 9 casts players as Beck, a hero character that bears something of a resemblance to Mega Man. The game has 12 stages, a New Game Plus mode that unlocks extra difficulty levels, and other modes like Boss Rush and two-player online challenges and races. Mighty No. 9 even lets you switch between 8-bit music and its standard soundtrack with the press of a button.
In the lead-up to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's release next month, developer CD Projekt Red invited some YouTubers to its offices in Poland to play the game and share their thoughts. One of those players has now published a new 1080p/60fps gameplay video showing off the open-world game captured on Ultra settings.
Something to note that you're watching the video is that the footage is from an in-development version of The Witcher 3, not the finished product. The narrator, ImAnderZEL, also explains that the PC this footage was captured on had one GTX 980 i7 4790. You can see The Witcher 3's full system requirements here.
Digital copies of Witcher unlock on May 19 at 1 AM CET, which means gamers in the United States can actually start playing at 4 PM PDT / 7 PM EDT on May 18. Boxed copies arrive May 19.
GameSpot also recently visited CD Projekt Red's offices in Poland. Check out this roundup of our previous coverage from the trip, which includes exclusive interviews with key developers and even more gameplay footage, among other things.
Following the stealth announcement and release of PC racing game Dirt Rally yesterday, we have captured four minutes of gameplay captured on Ultra settings. Take a look at the 1080p/60fps footage below.
On display are the game's gorgeous and varied tracks, its numerous cars, and its various presentation options, among other things.
The days of MMOs in the vein of World of Warcraft "are over." That's according to John Smedley, the president of Daybreak Games, previously known as Sony Online Entertainment before it split off from the PlayStation company back in February. He tells GamesIndustry International in a wide-ranging interview that the way people play games has changed--and games like WoW aren't long for this world.
"I firmly believe the days of the WoW-style MMO are over," Smedley said. "And that means we have to change with the times. Luckily, we were kind of early on that bus as opposed to late. But we're changing what we're making."
Smedley said Daybreak's new zombie game H1Z1 is, by definition, an MMO. But he explained that a better description for it would be a "session-based online game with a lot of people."
"And I say that because the average life expectancy in H1Z1 might be 45 minutes, and that's what today's gamers want. How many people do you still know that are still raiding in WoW every night, or EverQuest and EverQuest II? It's just the time commitment necessary has changed so much," Smedley explained. "That means we need to change with the times, and we are. So we're getting interested in a broader array of games and gaming styles."
H1Z1 released on PC through Steam Early Access back in January. Though the game experienced some server woes at launch, it has since gone on to sell more than 1 million copies in its unfinished state.
WoW is a huge success story in the PC MMO space. The game, which was released more than a decade ago, had 10 million subscribers at the end of 2014--and it's not likely to go anywhere soon. But Smedley sees changes afoot, and he makes a compelling case.
What do you make of Smedley's thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
And be sure to read the full GamesIndustry International interview for lots more on why SOE/Daybreak split off from Sony, the opportunity the company now has to develop games for Xbox, and lots more.
Daybreak has also launched a new website, which includes a fresh mission statement, career listings, and basically anything else you might want to know.
The PC version of professional wrestling game WWE 2K15, announced last week, will launch later today.
2K Sports has released a launch trailer for the new computer version, and the game's Steam page reveals that it will unlock at 10 AM PDT / 1 PM EDT. That's just a few hours from now. You can pre-buy the game now and save 10 percent ($45 instead of $50), but this deal is only good for a few more hours.
As announced last week, the PC edition of WWE 2K15 will offer the same experience as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions, which were originally released last year. The game is also available on last-generation consoles, including the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
WWE 2K15 for PC also comes with tons of free DLC, as you can see in the trailer above.
Can your PC run WWE 2K15? Check out the full minimum and recommended requirements below. If you're not interested in playing on console or PC, a mobile version of WWE 2K15 is also now available.
GameSpot reviewer Don Saas wrote in his 4/10 critique of WWE 2K15: "Although the series' combat has never felt better, WWE 2K15 fails to deliver on the pomp and pageantry of professional wrestling."
Minimum:
OS: 64-bit: Windows Vista SP2
Processor: Core 2 Duo E6600, AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 450 or AMD Radeon HD 5770, 1GB GDDR (DirectX11 compatible)
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 22 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Recommended:
OS: 64-bit: Windows 7 / Windows 8
Processor: Intel Core i5-3550, 3.30 GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GeForce GTX 570 or AMD Radeon HD 6970
Warner Bros. and Rocksteady Studios on Tuesday announced a DLC Season Pass for their upcoming Caped Crusader game, Batman: Arkham Knight.
According to a message posted on Twitter, Arkham Knight's Season Pass will offer up new content for six months after the game's release in June, meaning through the end of the year.
This content will take the form of "story missions, supervillains, and more," the developer said.
A subsequent press release from Warner Bros. reveals that new Batmobile skins, "advanced" challenge maps, alternate character skins, and new drivable race tracks are also included with the Arkham Knight Season Pass.
A special Arkham Knight Premium Edition will also be available. This comes with the game and the DLC pass, and will be sold only through digital channels.
The Season Pass will cost $40, while the Premium Edition will run you $100.
"After discussion with Valve, and listening to our community, paid mods are being removed from Steam Workshop," the company said on its blog. "Even though we had the best intentions, the feedback has been clear--this is not a feature you want. Your support means everything to us, and we hear you."
The release of this statement comes just hours after Bethesda published an in-depth blog post that outlined the company's reasoning behind offering paid mods for Skyrim in the first place. Bethesda at the time acknowledged that such a paid mod system had a ton of potential problems, but said the company was confident that these issues could be overcome.
"There are things we can control, and things we can't," Bethesda said. "Our belief still stands that our community knows best, and they will decide how modding should work. We think it's important to offer choice where there hasn't been before."
What do you make of Valve's decision to kill paid mods and Bethesda's statement? Let us know in the comments below!
Xbox One murder mystery game D4: Dark Dream's Don't Die is coming to PC. Director Hidetaka Suehiro, who is perhaps better known by his nickname, Swery, announced the news today in Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu and on Twitter.
"Yes. D4 will be release for PC. #ThanksObama," he wrote.
D4 was released for Xbox One in September 2014, and GameSpot gave the title a 7.0. Reviewer Kevin VanOrd praised its ridiculous story and atmosphere, while lamenting its stereotypical characters and several slow stretches that bogged down the pace.
Microsoft is breaking from the mold of past E3 showings and will try something different this year at the marquee industry event to be held this June in Los Angeles. We already knew that Microsoft was planning to focus more on first-party games this year, but now Head of Xbox boss Phil Spencer has teased even more ways in which the company plans to shake things up when all eyes on on the Xbox company.
Spencer speaking at E3 2015
Responding to a fan's question on Twitter about Microsoft's plans for E3 this year, Spencer said Microsoft will have "some interesting changes this year for briefing and the week."
"I like it when we test ourselves to do better each year."
Spencer went on to say that Microsoft will talk about not only Xbox One games, but also titles for PC. "We'll have some of both," he explained.
Microsoft has not yet announced when it will hold its E3 press conference. But the likely bet would the Monday morning of E3 week. That would mean sometime on June 15, after Bethesda's the night earlier, and before Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Sony later in the day.
What are you hoping to see from Microsoft at E3 this summer? Let us know in the comments below!
Retailer Best Buy has rolled out a new offer where shoppers can buy a new Xbox One for just $175. It's one of the best deals on Microsoft's new console we've ever come across, and here's how it works.
Trade in a working Xbox 360 (250 GB) or a PlayStation 3 Slim (120 GB) at a participating store in the United States (see all stores here), and you'll receive a $175 credit toward the purchase of a new Xbox One. This comes in the form of a $75 coupon towards the console and a $100 Best Buy gift card.
But what it ultimately means is that you'll be able to buy the $350 console for just $175.
To be eligible for the full trade credit, your console must include an AC adapter/power cord, it needs to be able to power on, and it must not be damaged or have its warranty seal broken. Best Buy also warns that "some stores may have additional limitations" and that there is a limit of one trade per person.
As always, it's a good idea to call your local Best Buy before heading out. Best Buy's Xbox One trade-in deal is valid now through May 2, and is good in-store only.
GameStop offered a similar deal earlier in the month, where shoppers could receive a $125 credit toward the purchase of a new Xbox One, meaning they could get the system for just $225. But this deal ended just last weekend.
By Rob Crossley on Apr 28, 2015 04:55 pm Following the recent release of the FFXV demo, Square Enix says it doesn't have time for a major E3 showcase.
Key new details on Final Fantasy XV will not be revealed at this year's E3 event in June, according to the game's director Hajime Tabata.
Speaking on the latest Active Time Report--a semi-regular video briefing presented by publisher Square Enix--Tabata explained that the team has instead targeted the Gamescom event in August for its next major promotion and marketing initiative.
"I think most people are expecting a big reveal around E3," he said in the video embedded below.
"E3 doesn't give us sufficient time to fully prepare [to release pertinent information about the game]. So I have been discussing with our marketing teams, and we've actually been considering Gamescom in August, instead of E3, as the target for the next major reveal.
"So we'll be taking a break from E3 this year," he said.
Sitting alongside Tabata in the video is Square Enix marketing manager Akio Ofuji, who added that Final Fantasy XV will not likely be completely absent from the Los Angeles event.
"I think we'll still prepare a short trailer for E3, but I think it'll serve as a segue into our Gamescom plans, and make you all excited for what's ahead," he said.
Tabata added that, while the FFXV development team will be relatively quiet in the months of May, June, and July, there are extensive marketing opportunities in the months that follow.
"Promotion for the main title will officially begin at Gamescom. Right after that, there is PAX Prime in North America at the end of August to early September. Then in mid-September, we have TGS in Japan. This group of events will be the platform for our reboot, or restart if you will, towards the release of the main game."
Elsewhere in the 84-minute video, Tabata and Ofuji outline fifteen feedback points that they are taking on board for the Final Fantasy 15 demo. A recent survey, issued to those who had access to the demo, sought feedback on what areas required more work.
Take a look below for the latest screenshots for Final Fantasy 15.
Click on the thumbnails below to view in full-screen
Developer Iron Galaxy has released a new trailer for Xbox One fighting game Killer Instinct that shows off the fiery fighter Cinder and even teases the new playable character, Aria.
The video, humorously narrated by Cinder himself, shows off some of his deadly moves. One move allows Cinder to launch fireballs that attach to his foes, which can be detonated at will. "I like this new me: stronger, faster, burn-ier," he quips in the video.
Cinder will be available in Killer Instinct on April 30 for as part of the Season 2 Ultra Edition, while the character will launch through the Season 2 Combo Breaker expansion on May 6.
Make sure to watch through the end of the video, as it culminates with a brief teaser for the game's next playable fighter, Aria. A creepy voicover says, "Oh no. Not. Just. Yet." Outside of her connection with the fictional Ultratech group, no further information about Aria is available.
Killer Instinct, a free-to-play game, was released in November 2013 as an Xbox One launch title. The game's original developer, Double Helix, was later acquired by Amazon. Now, Iron Galaxy is working on continued support for the game alongside Microsoft.
Developer Avalanche Studios has aired the world's first look at Just Cause 3 gameplay, with a video montage said to be captured directly from a console.
The video showcases the extent of Just Cause 3's potential for unrelenting destruction, with helicopter dog fights, high-speed car chases, planes ripping through pylon structures, and entire facilities going up in plumes of fire.
Between these scenes of destruction, the short trailer also hints at the exotic splendour of Just Cause 3's Mediterranean archipelago, Medici. Players are tasked with finding enemy bases within this fictional set of islands, as well as its propaganda billboards and loudspeakers, all of which must be destroyed. As the trailer shows, such obliteration can be approached creatively:
Publisher Square Enix said those who pre-order Just Cause 3 will be given the Weaponised Vehicle Pack, shown at the end of the trailer. This bonus content comes with three "exclusive luxury vehicles primed for action and fully loaded with the firepower to kick-start a revolution."
Electronic Arts has admitted that its refusal to provide refunds for games purchased digitally via Origin was against Australian consumer law and is amending its refund policy after being warned by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Kotaku Australia reports.
According to the report, the publisher will also be setting up a contact number for Australian consumers who digitally purchased a faulty video game via Origin after January 2012. At the time of writing, users are able to refund a game on Origin within 24 hours after it is first launched, within seven days from the date of purchase, or within seven days from the game's release date if it was pre-ordered; whichever condition comes first.
"Businesses such as EA selling digitally downloadable goods cannot avoid their responsibilities under the Australian Consumer Law just because they are located outside of Australia," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement.
"It is a breach of the Australian Consumer Law for businesses to state that customers are not entitled to refunds under any circumstances. Where a product has a major failure, consumers can insist on a refund or replacement at their choice. Representations that this right has or can be excluded, restricted or modified are false or misleading," Sims said.
In a statement sent to GameSpot, EA regional public relations manager for Asia Pacific Snezana Stojanovska said, "We're pleased to have worked co-operatively with the ACCC to resolve the ACCC's concerns and ensure our players in Australia have the best possible experience when purchasing and playing EA games. In addition to rights available to our players under the Australian Consumer Law, we are also proud to offer our global, industry-leading Great Game Guarantee that allows for digital returns within certain timeframes if anyone is not satisfied with a digitally-downloaded game from EA." More details on the EA's Great Game Guarantee can be found on the Origin website.
A new Five Nights at Freddy's game has been teased by creator Scott Cawthon via an image on his website. According to the image, the game will be out this year on Halloween and is titled Five Nights at Freddy's 4: The Final Chapter, which insinuates that it will be the final game in the series.
Drag the slider to see the brightened image.
The image features a creepy new take on Freddy Fazbear, the animatronic character featured in the previous games, holding a top hat. The text can be a bit hard to make out without bumping up the contrast, as I've done above. No additional details were revealed about the game.
Five Nights at Freddy's 3 is the most recent entry in the series and was released in March this year. The original Five Nights at Freddy's was well-received in GameSpot's review, praised for its dark humour, ability to invoke "heart-pounding terror," and story delivery. A film adaptation of the game is also in the works with Roy Lee (The Departed, The LEGO Movie) and Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg of KatzSmith Productions (the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel) signed on as producers.
The Five Nights at Freddy's Games are available to purchase on Steam and the iTunes Apple Store.
Valve has announced the removal of a Steam Workshop feature that allowed mod creators to place a price on their mods for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The feature launched last Thursday for Bethesda's role-playing game and was originally planned to be implemented for other games in the coming weeks.
Valve stated that the payment feature for the Skyrim Workshop will be removed, and players who have spent money on it will receive a full refund. "We've done this because it's clear we didn't understand exactly what we were doing," the statement said.
"To help you understand why we thought this was a good idea, our main goals were to allow mod makers the opportunity to work on their mods full time if they wanted to, and to encourage developers to provide better support to their mod communities. We thought this would result in better mods for everyone, both free & paid. We wanted more great mods becoming great products, like Dota, Counter-Strike, DayZ, and Killing Floor, and we wanted that to happen organically for any mod maker who wanted to take a shot at it," the post details.
The Skyrim Workshop's payment feature left it up to the mod creators to determine whether they wanted to put a price on their mods, or make them available for free. The revenue split paid on Skyrim mods gave the creator of the mod a 25 percent share of sales. Bethesda also updated the Skyrim Creation Kit to introduce new features aimed at supporting the new paid mods. This included the ability to upload master files and the removal of file size limit restrictions.
Steam users have earned over $57 million from creating in-game items since the Steam Workshop launched in October 2011. This came from in-game items created for Valve games such as hats for Team Fortress 2, skins for Dota 2, and weapon skins for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Earlier this year, Valve announced plans to expand the service to third-party developers.
Technology giant Apple on Monday announced financial results for its latest quarter, revealing that total revenue and profit was up year-over-year, but iPad sales continued to slide.
For the quarter ended March 28, Apple posted $58 billion in revenue and a profit of $13.6 billion. This compares to revenue of $45.6 billion and net income of $10.2 billion during the same period last year.
Year-over-year growth was led by strong sales of the iPhone and Mac line, as well as an "all-time record performance" by the App Store.
"We are thrilled by the continued strength of iPhone, Mac, and the App Store, which drove our best March quarter results ever," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "We're seeing a higher rate of people switching to iPhone than we've experienced in previous cycles, and we're off to an exciting start to the June quarter with the launch of Apple Watch."
But it wasn't all good news for Apple during the quarter. As you can see in the image above, while iPhone and Mac sales were up compared to last year, the same can't be said for the iPad. Total sales for the tablet line came in at 12.6 million, compared to 16.3 million during the same period last year.
"What you do see is that people hold onto their iPad longer than they do a phone," Cook said back in October. "Because we've only been in this business for four years, we don't know what the upgrade cycle will be for people."
"We believe mod developers are just that: developers," Bethesda wrote. "We love that Valve has given new choice to the community in how they reward them, and want to pass that choice along to our players. We are listening and will make changes as necessary."
Addressing Concerns:
Bethesda pointed out that it has for more than a decade now been a staunch supporter of mods, starting in 2002 with The Elder Scrolls Construction Set. Allowing mods in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, meanwhile, boosted the game's ESRB rating from T to M, which cost Bethesda "millions of dollars."
"It's our belief that our games become something much more with the promise of making it your own," it explained. "Even if you never try a mod, the idea you could do anything is at the core of our game experiences. While others in the industry went away from it, we pushed more toward it."
Bethesda went on to say it's always seeking out new opportunities to grow the modding community, and sees paid mods as a way to do that. Right now, only 8 percent of Skyrim players have ever used a mod, and fewer than 1 percent has ever made one, the developer said.
But when Valve first approached Bethesda in 2012 about the idea of paid mods, the developer said it saw this as an opportunity to bolster modding so that it could reach more players.
"Three years later and Valve has finally solved the technical and legal hurdles to make such a thing possible, and they should be celebrated for it," Bethesda said. "It wasn't easy. They are not forcing us, or any other game, to do it. They are opening a powerful new choice for everyone."
Bethesda further explained that it believes most mods "should be free," but also contends that the very best creators ought to be rewarded for their work, and the community should have the opportunity to support them. "We believe the best should be paid for their work and treated like the game developers they are," the company said. "But again, we don't think it's right for us to decide who those creators are or what they create."
Though paid mods for Skyrim has plenty of benefits, it is also a system "full of problems," Bethesda warned. However, problems are par for the course for any major business, a paid mods are no different.
"They are all the same problems every software developer faces (support, theft, etc.), and the solutions are the same," Bethesda said. "Valve has done a great job addressing those, but there will be new ones, and we're confident those will get solved over time also. If the system shows that it needs curation, we'll consider it, but we believe that should be a last resort."
On the subject of supporting modders through donations or other means outside of buying their work, Bethesda said it is "in favor of all of them." But the developer also pointed out that Skyrim paid mods have already proven lucrative, at least for one creator.
"In just one day, a popular mod developer made more on the Skyrim paid workshop then he made in all the years he asked for donations," Bethesda said.
The Profit Split:
Another issue some have brought up with Steam's new paid mod system is that creators aren't paid enough. Bethesda has now confirmed the revenue sharing setup: Valve gets a 30 percent, Bethesda gets 45 percent, and modders get the remaining 25 percent.
"Is this the right split? There are valid arguments for it being more, less, or the same," Bethesda said. "It is the current industry standard, having been successful in both paid and free games. After much consultation and research with Valve, we decided it's the best place to start."
Bethesda pointed out that 25 percent has been the standard cut for modders since the Steam Workshop opened its storefront years ago. In fact, the entire community has together made $57 million since 2011 at the 25 percent rate.
"This is not some money grabbing scheme by us," Bethesda said. "Even this weekend, when Skyrim was free for all, mod sales represented less than 1 percent of our Steam revenue."
"Our belief still stands that our community knows best, and they will decide how modding should work" -- Bethesda
At the same time, Bethesda also stressed that it may decide to alter its revenue sharing plan in the time ahead. "If it needs to change, we'll change it," the developer explained.
In addition, Bethesda's blog post today addressed the wider implications that a paid mod system might have; this has already been a much-discussed topic. Valve boss Gabe Newell has even chimed in. For its part, Bethesda said it has heard these concerns and is putting its faith in the community to figure things out.
"This is where we are listening, and concerned, the most," Bethesda stated. "Despite seeming to sit outside the community, we are part of it. It is who we are. We don't come to work, leave, and then 'turn off'. We completely understand the potential long-term implications allowing paid mods could mean. We think most of them are good. Some of them are not good. Some of them could hurt what we have spent so long building. We have just as much invested in it as our players."
"There are things we can control, and things we can't," the company added. "Our belief still stands that our community knows best, and they will decide how modding should work. We think it's important to offer choice where there hasn't been before."
DRM Concerns:
Finally, Bethesda responded to concerns about the potential for DRM to expand as a result of paid mods. This is not Bethesda's intent; in fact, the company said it is "anti-DRM as far as we can be."
"Some are concerned that this whole thing is leading to a world where mods are tied to one system, DRM'd and not allowed to be freely accessed," Bethesda said. "That is the exact opposite of what we stand for. Not only do we want more mods, easier to access, we're anti-DRM as far as we can be. Most people don't know, but our very own Skyrim DLC has zero DRM. We shipped Oblivion with no DRM because we didn't like how it affected the game."
What do you make of Bethesda's comments about paid mods? Let us know in the comments below!
Video game retailer GameStop on Monday announced new plans to support the Make-A-Wish charity this year by allowing shoppers to donate to the organization when they visit a GameStop store or shop online.
Starting May 1 and running all month long, people who shop at brick and mortar GameStop stores or through the retailer's website will be prompted at checkout with an option to donate $1, $5, or $10 to Make-A-Wish. If you decide to chip in, GameStop will give you a 10 percent off code code for your next pre-owned games purchase; PowerUp Rewards members, meanwhile, will receive triple loyalty points.
GameStop subsidiaries Spring Mobile and Simply Mac will also accept donations to Make-A-Wish at the register all month. In addition, GameStop's online games portal Kongregate will allow players to donate to Make-A-Wish.
Last year, GameStop raised about $300,000 for Make-A-Wish, while the retailer's goal this year is to do even better and bring in $500,000 for Make-A-Wish.
"We know the power of granting a wish to children in need and are honored to give our customers the chance to feel the joy in helping to make wish kids' wishes come true," GameStop CFO Rob Lloyd said in a statement. Lloyd is also a member of Make-A-Wish's board for its North Texas division.
The funds GameStop collects from its Make-A-Wish campaign will support shopping sprees for children facing life-threatening medical challenges. In 2014, GameStop granted some 335 "wishes." This year, GameStop worked with 12-year-old gamer Jahred Joyner, who has AGS leukodystrophy, to fulfill his wish.
He wanted to appear in a video game commercial, and GameStop and Make-A-Wish teamed up to make that happen. You can watch the commercial below.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that grants "wishes" to children with life-threatening medical issues. World of Warcraft and Diablo developer is also a regular supporter of the Make-A-Wish foundation.
This year's Call of Duty: Black Ops III is not only introducing a range of new gameplay changes aiming to push the formula forward, but it will also be the first entry in the core series to feature a female playable lead character. Female soldiers for Black Ops III were first revealed in the game's announcement trailer.
GameSpot editor Chris Watters, who recently visited Treyarch's offices in Santa Monica to play the game, writes in his in-depth preview that Black Ops III represents the first game in the series that lets players choose the gender of the campaign protagonist.
Black Ops III's campaign supports co-op for up to four players, so in theory, you could play through the game with a squad of four female fighters.
Campaign director Jason Blundell said Treyarch took inspiration from Mass Effect's hero, Commander Shepard, a character who can be played as a male or female. The overall script for that game didn't need to change to accommodate a player's gender--and Black Ops III's won't, either.
According to GamesRadar, Treyarch Studios head Mark Lamia described Black Ops III's story as being "gender neutral." He also referenced the script for Alien, which was originally written for a male to play the lead role before Sigourney Weaver ultimately got the part. "The emotions and dynamics between characters is kind of gender neutral," he said about Black Ops III's story.
For lots more on Black Ops III, check out GameSpot's in-depth hands-on preview from our visit to Treyarch's office in Santa Monica recently. You can also see some images in the gallery below.
Currently, Minecraft players on console can choose only the blue-shirted male character Steve when they start a new game. However, a new update coming to the PlayStation and Xbox versions of Minecraft this week will let people select a new character, a woman named Alex.
"Jolly old Steve doesn't really represent the diversity of our playerbase," Mojang developer Owen Hill said. "For that reason, we're giving all players opportunity to play with an Alex skin instead. She brings thinner arms, redder hair, and a ponytail."
Alex skins, which were already available in the PC version of Minecraft, will come to consoles for free via a new game update this Wednesday, April 29.
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