Her work is stunning, and includes fine details like the Witcher medallion on her sword and intricate chain mail. She even gave herself a make-up scar that looks quite convincing.
She explains on Reddit that The Witcher 3's Czech distributor funded her cosplay, but only under the terms that she also dress up as a female character.
Check out all of Aelirenn's impressive photos through the Imgur gallery below.
Ubisoft is planning to officially reveal the newest Assassin's Creed game next week, it announced today.
The unveiling will take place on Tuesday, May 12, at 9 AM PST, according to a tweet sent out this afternoon. No other information was made available, but the tweet did include the image below.
The existence of a new Assassin's Creed set in Victorian-era London--Assassin's Creed Victory for Xbox One, PS4, and PC--was leaked last year. Ubisoft confirmed that its Quebec studio was at work on the game, but it never formally announced it or confirmed any specific details. That's likely to be the game we see next week, though Ubisoft's tweet didn't use the Victory name.
With the release of its latest earnings report, Nintendo has provided an update to its list of best-selling games on 3DS. The Pokemon franchise continues to dominate the top of the charts, with two of the top four being Pokemon games despite them having been on the market for far less time than comparable sellers.
That's an impressive mark for Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, both because they are enhanced remakes of previous Pokemon games and because they've only been available since November 2014. That means these numbers account for just over four months of sales, and yet the game is quickly approaching Super Mario 3D Land (10 million since November 2011) and Mario Kart 7 (11.7 million since December 2011).
These aren't the only 3DS games to top a million sales; The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, for instance, has already sold more than two million units, Nintendo revealed.
Nintendo also today announced that it posted a profit for the year ending March 31, the first time it's accomplished that in four years. 3DS family sales (including 2DS and New 3DS) reached 8.73 million for the year, bringing the lifetime total to 52.06 million.
For a look at the best-selling Wii U games, head over here.
The new version of Payday 2 comes with more than two dozen DLC packs, including the Big Bank Heist, as well as the game's first female character, Clover. The Crimewave Edition also features enhanced visuals (compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, at least), including improved frame rate, better textures, and 1080p resolution.
The Crimewave Edition also has new heists featuring characters voiced by Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito and Mira Furlan of Lost fame, who plays a character named The Butcher. The game also packs in more weapons, including shotguns, sniper rifles, and grenades, among others.
For a closer look at the Crimewave Edition's new content, check out the video above.
505 Games has also announced preorder bonuses for the Crimewave Edition. Anyone who preorders (digital or physical) will receive access to the Hard Time Loot Bag. This comes with the following in-game content:
Red dot weapon sight modification available for use on all rifle weapons
Exclusive Skull mask
PlayStation 4- or Xbox One-exclusive mask
Unique mask pattern titled "I LOVE OVERKILL"
Unique color pattern, only available with this unlock
Bundle of in-game cash
Payday 2 was originally released for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 in summer 2013. For more, check out GameSpot's review.
After largely staying silent on the matter, Rockstar has finally issued a statement regarding the use of mods in Grand Theft Auto V on PC, with the company claiming it isn't banning players for the use of single-player mods.
"We have always appreciated the creative efforts of the PC modding community and we still fondly remember the awesome zombie invasion mod and original GTA map mod for GTA IV PC among many other classics," Rockstar said in a post on its website today. "To be clear, the modding policy in our license has not changed and is the same as for GTA IV."
A new patch was released for GTA V last week that broke support for Script Hook V, a tool used for running mods. Despite not being mentioned in the patch notes, some believed this was a deliberate attempt to curb the use of mods, which are not officially supported.
However, Rockstar chalks this up to "an unintended side effect" and claims it hasn't banned anyone for using single-player mods.
"Recent updates to GTA V PC had an unintended effect of making unplayable certain single-player modifications," the company said. "This was not intentional, no one has been banned for using single-player modifications, and you should not worry about being banned or being relegated to the cheater pool just for using single-player PC mods.
"Our primary focus is on protecting GTA Online against modifications that could give players an unfair advantage, disrupt gameplay, or cause griefing. It also bears mentioning that because game mods are by definition unauthorized, they may be broken by technical updates, cause instability, or affect your game in other unforeseen ways."
While some mods are used to cheat online--something Rockstar says it continues to fight--most of them are harmless.
Rockstar also noted it's taking steps to prevent videos from being published online that help players to game the system to earn extra money, duplicate cars, and so on. The company has updated its policy on publishing videos of its games online to note that "anyone who posts videos that encourage and promote ways to cheat your way towards gaining illegitimate RP or counterfeit in-game money or duplicating in-game items without having earned them may have their videos flagged for takedown with YouTube."
Deep Silver has announced an upgraded version of the Piranha Bytes-developed RPG Risen 3: Titan Lords will be released on the PlayStation 4.
The game was previously available on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Although it is now making its way to Sony's latest console, an Xbox One release has not been mentioned.
We contacted Deep Silver for clarification on its Xbox One plans for the game and it said "[Risen 3: Titan Lords] Enhanced Edition is confirmed for PS4 (only) at this time."
Risen 3: Titan Lords Enhanced Edition includes all post-release updates, as well as the Adventure Grab, Fog Island, and Uprising of the Little Guys DLCs.
According to its publisher, the graphical quality of the PS4 release is comparable to the Ultra setting on the original version for PC. In some areas, such as the resolution of textures and post-processing effects such as depth of field and HDR bloom, it surpasses the PC version. A new volumetric cloud system has also been added to enhance the presentation of sunsets in the dynamic day-night cycles.
The PlayStation 4 version runs at 1080p at 30 frames per second. It will also support Remote Play, streaming, recording, and Share Play.
In GameSpot's Risen 3: Titan Lords review we said the glitches and irritations "poke at your patience ... Risen 3 has the potential to sweep you away, provided all that driftwood doesn't keep you at shore." Check out the review for a more complete critical analysis of the game.
Minecraft for Xbox, comprising the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions, has now sold more than 20 million copies, Microsoft announced on Thursday. The Xbox 360 version was released three years ago this month, while the Xbox One edition arrived in September 2014.
We've followed up with Microsoft, asking how the 20 million figure breaks down between Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Last we heard, Minecraft for Xbox 360 had sold more than 12 million copies.
To celebrate Minecraft Xbox 360's third birthday, Microsoft is giving away free DLC to all Minecraft Xbox players. Now through May 17, players can download three skin packs. These are:
Mojang notes that Xbox 360 players may already have downloaded the older skin packs. However, this is the first time they're being made available on Xbox One.
Scottish outfit 4J Studios developed both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of Minecraft, along with the PlayStation versions.
Following Tuesday's monster-themed gameplay video comes another new trailer from CD Projekt Red--called "Rage & Steel"--that highlights the game's brutal combat (decapitation and blood everywhere), as well as its varied environments and beasts.
And be sure to stay through the end, as the video also provides a sneak peek at the new playable character Ciri, whose magical abilities are quite impressive (and deadly).
GameSpot recently visited The Witcher developer 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.
Digital copies of The Witcher 3 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 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.
Former Electronic Arts CEO and current top boss at Unity Technologies, John Riccitiello, has spoken out to say he thinks Sony "f**king nailed it" with the PlayStation 4 and deserves "victory" in the current console race against Microsoft and its Xbox One. Riccitiello made the comments during the GamesBeat Summit.
"There was a clash of ideas that really separated Sony and Microsoft," Riccitiello said, as reported by GamesBeat. "[The Xbox One and PS4] actually had very similar architecture that they were trying to bring to the table. But Microsoft focused … a lot on entertainment beyond gaming. Microsoft was trying to [compete against] Apple. They didn't feel gaming was big enough to justify the pent-up desire … to have the recognition they wanted as an innovator."
Riccitiello added that Sony, meanwhile, took a "gamer-first" approach with the PS4--something he says paid off. Microsoft's attempt to reach a broader market with its Xbox One TV integration was not necessarily an ill-advised move, but Riccitiello said Microsoft's "unfocused execution" was its downfall.
He used a billiards analogy to sum up the differences, in his mind, between Microsoft and Sony.
"Sony just said, 'We've made the best f**king game system we could' … partly because they didn't have the resources to do more about it," Riccitiello said. "Microsoft was focused on the shot after the one they needed to make, putting the 7-ball in the corner pocket, but they missed the first shot and didn't get another shot after it."
"Sony focused on the shot they needed to make, which was win the hearts and minds of the gamer. The broader scope of entertainment might be a bigger idea, but not with an unfocused execution," he added. "A tight execution on the 50 million people that matter, which are the people currently lapping up consoles … Sony f**king nailed it, and they deserve the victory."
Nintendo has announced its upcoming team-based shooter Splatoon will receive a free demo weekend, allowing Wii U owners to download and sample the game before its official release.
Announced during the Splatoon-themed Nintendo Direct, the demo version of the game is now available to download from the Wii U store. During specific hours over the coming three days players will be able to play what Nintendo is called the "testfire."
These periods are are split into one hour blocks, with the first scheduled for May 8 from 8 PM to 9 PM PST, and the second on May 9 from 4 AM to 5 AM PST. The final slot will be on May 9, starting at Noon and ending at 1 PM PST.
For participants in the UK, the demo will be playable on May 9 from 4 AM to 5 AM BST, noon to 1 PM BST, and 8 PM to 9 PM BST.
During the free weekend members of the Nintendo Treehouse staff will be playing and streaming the game on Twitch. These players will be identifiable in-game by the white lab coat their characters will be wearing.
Those that download the demo will also be able to claim a 10 percent discount off the full game when it is purchased from the eShop. The offer will begin on May 29 and last until June 4.
Following the initial reveal of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 earlier this week, Activision on Thursday formally announced the skateboarding game, revealing more gameplay details and offering new screenshots.
Pro Skater 5 aims to retain the franchise's iconic combo-driven gameplay, while also pushing the formula forward with a new online mode.
Tony Hawk himself definitely sounds amped.
"Skateboarding has always been about the freedom of ripping with your friends, and creating a game that captures that feeling has been a vision of mine since the Pro Skater series began over 15 years ago," Hawk said in a statement. "I'm beyond excited to see that dream finally come true with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, which takes the old-school attitude of the original games online in a big way."
Pro Skater 5 will feature new levels and "fine-tuned controls," while also introducing power-ups and even projectiles that should "change up the core skating experience." You can create your own character, or choose from a roster that includes:
Tony Hawk
Nyjah Huston
Riley Hawk
Aaron "Jaws" Homoki
Ishod Wair
Leticia Bufoni
Chris Cole
David Gonzalez
Andrew Reynolds
Lizzie Armanto
Pro Skater 5 also introduces a new online multiplayer mode. Players will be able to drop in and out of online sessions with friends and random people. While online, you'll be able to take on missions, go head-to-head, and unlock new content. Activision says you can also "level up," suggesting the game has some form of level/ranking system.
What's more, Pro Skater 5 has a park-builder feature that lets players create their own skateparks and then share them with the community.
Pro Skater 5 is currently in development at Robomodo and Disruptive Games. The game will be released later this year, first on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, before coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 later. Release dates will be announced in the coming weeks, Activision said.
For more on Pro Skater 5, check out some new images in the gallery below.
Bethesda has released a new trailer for Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited offering a glimpse at the gameplay opportunities the MMO offers.
The trailer provides an overview of the game's story, which casts players as the The Vestige, a murdered prisoner who returns to life and finds the Aldmeri Dominon, Ebonhart Pact, and Daggerfall Covenant locked in a civil war.
Gameplay for the Dragonknight, Sorcerer, Templar, and Nightblade classes is also shown, before the trailer delves into character progression and questing.
Tamriel Unlimited will feature all the content from original game "plus all the updates and content additions, including the exciting new Justice and Champion systems."
Bethesda has created ESO Plus for those that want to continue paying a regular fee for the game. Exclusive in-game bonuses and a monthly allotment of Crowns to use in the store, as well as access to all DLC game packs, are provided for paying the subscription.
[UPDATE] The stream has ended. As part of the event, Nintendo made a number of Splatoon announcements, including a free demo weekend. You can read more about that here. Below are some highlights from the event.
Nintendo is planning frequent free updates with new stages, a new weapon (an inkbrush), new gear for your character, and new rulesets for online modes.
Nintendo will add more online modes over time
In August, Nintendo will add an "enhanced matchmaking" mode for up to eight players. Before that update, you can only join friends who are already on a map, and you're randomly thrown in playing with or against them.
Splatoon will have an 8-bit arcade-style area with various minigames, including one that is basically an 8-bit version of Doodle Jump.
Splatoon Amiibo toys will unlock various in-game extras
There will be periodic online matches that make you pick a side and fight for a global group. The first will be cats vs. dogs (you just choose which one you like more). It will run from June 20-21 6 AM to 6 AM. Whichever team gets the most points will win the voting. In case you wanted to know, on a global scale, whether Splatoon players prefer cats or dogs. The winning team will get a super sea snail, which can be used for weapon upgrades.
Pre-ordering Splatoon at GameStop nets you a code for a Splatoon-themed Super Smash Bros. Mii character costume.
The original story is below.
Right on schedule, Nintendo's Splatoon-themed Nintendo Direct video briefing will take place today at 7 AM PDT / 10 AM EDT. You can watch the entire event through the Twitch embed below.
Nintendo listing The Legend of Zelda for Wii U as TBD doesn't mean the project is in trouble, only that the developer is not yet ready to commit to a release window.
The Legend of Zelda for Wii U was going to be one of Nintendo's biggest 2015 titles. The company still has more Wii U games for this year, of course, including Splatoon, Mario Maker, Star Fox, and Xenoblade Chronicles X, Yoshi's Woolly World, in addition to whatever surprises Nintendo may have in store at E3.
The recent delay for The Legend of Zelda Wii U was announced just days after Nintendo announced two other major developments. First, the company has reached a deal with DeNA to finally bring its franchises to smartphones. Nintendo also has announced its next platform, which is codenamed "NX."
inXile Entertainment has announced existing owners of Wasteland 2 on the PC will be upgraded to the upcoming Game of the Year Edition for free.
"We wanted to re-affirm our gratitude to our backers and our dedication to RPG fans, as we have been most fortunate to return to our roots," said inXile CEO Brian Fargo.
Wasteland 2's crowdfunding campaign launched on Kickstarter with a goal of $900,000, but managed to accrue a total of $2,933,252 in pledges.
According to its developer, Wasteland 2 Game of the Year Edition will include a number of improvements. In terms of gameplay changes, Wasteland 2 Game of the Year Edition will offer new Perks & Quirks that can be used to customize Desert Rangers. Each addition will come with its own set of bonuses and sacrifices.
In combat, individual body parts can now be targeted thanks to the new Precision Strike system. By focusing on specific body parts players can get the tactical edge and inflict grievous damage. Game balance, item drops, and combat encounters have also been tweaked.
Additionally, the game has been ported to Unity 5, allowing it to benefit from improved character models, environment textures, better lighting, and Physically Based Rendering. New lines of voice-over have also been recorded for the re-release.
Warner Bros. has released a new behind-the-scenes video for Batman: Arkham Knight that reveals the action game's celebrity voice talent, which includes Breaking Bad and Lord of the Rings veterans.
The lineup of celebrity actors confirmed for Arkham Knight, and their roles, is listed below.
Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) -- James Gordon
John Noble (The Lord of the Rings) -- Scarecrow
Ashley Greene (The Twilight Saga) -- Barbara Gordon
Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights) -- Nightwing
They are joined by returning voice actors Kevin Conroy (Batman), Troy Baker (Two-Face), Nolan North (Penguin), and Tara Strong (Harley Quinn). You can hear directly from the actors about their work on Arkham Knight through the video below.
As part of Activision Blizzard's latest earnings report, the megapublisher announced that Destiny has now reached 20 million "registered players," which is up from the 16 million figure announced in February. It's unclear how Activision Blizzard is counting "registered players" (Destiny allows you to create multiple characters, after all), but overall growth is something the publisher is no doubt happy about.
Activision also announced that Destiny continues to see "strong engagement." Active players are spending about three hours in Destiny every day, which is down slightly from a quarter ago, when Activision said active players were playing over three hours per day.
In addition, Activision said Destiny has seen "strong digital sales and expansion attach rates." But again, no specific sales numbers were announced.
Also during the earnings event, Activision laid out plans to support Destiny with even more content this summer and beyond. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg teased that Destiny has a "major content release" coming this fall that will be the biggest expansion the game has received to date.
Interestingly, that announcement came not long after developer Bungie registered a trademark for The Taken King, which is rumored to be connected to Destiny in some manner.
This post contains Batman: Arkham Knight spoilers.
Responding to criticisms about Batman: Arkham Knight's $40 DLC pass, Warner Bros. and developer Rocksteady Studios on Sunday announced more details about the offering, including the fact that it would come with an extra mission that lets you play as Batgirl. But at the time, we didn't know her exact identity. Now we do.
Arkham Knight director Sefton Hill explains on Twitter: "As a few of you have asked about the DLC, 'who is Batgirl?' I can confirm it is indeed Barbara Gordon."
She is the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon.
People who buy Arkham Knight's DLC Pass can play as Batgirl in a prequel story expansion called "A Matter of Family." In this content, you'll visit an "entirely new location," though further details are not available.
The first render of Batgirl as she'll look in Arkham Knight is embedded in this post. Arkham Knight's DLC Pass comes with six months worth of content, all of which you can read about here.
As part of Nintendo's rosy earnings report today, the company also announced a new lifetime Wii U system sales figure and updated its list of best-selling games for the console.
In terms of software, Nintendo has a handful of games that have sold more than 1 million copies. Leading the pack is Mario Kart 8, which has eclipsed 5 million units sold since its release in May 2014.
The top-selling Wii U Nintendo games are listed below. All figures are accurate as of March 31, and include bundled copies and digital sales.
New details about DICE's upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront shooter have emerged regarding the game's weapon aiming system and vehicles.
First, DICE executive producer Patrick Bach tells OXM (via GamesRadar) that Battlefront will not have ironsights, a staple of the developer's other major franchise, Battlefield. "There are no ironsights in Star Wars, on the ordinary blasters," he said. "You have scopes on some rifles, but there are no ironsights."
This matches up with previous Battlefront games, which had players firing from the hip instead of aiming down sights as they do in Battlefield and other contemporary shooter franchises.
Significant deviation from Battlefield in terms of weapon aiming was no accident. Bach explained that Battlefront, though it may carry some characteristics of other shooters, is being designed to feel "completely unique."
"We're not taking into account what we've done before, because I think that would be disrespectful to the fans, and to what we're trying to achieve here," he said. "A lot of the things you saw in the game have nothing to do with anything we've done before. Some features of course resemble [our other shooters], because we want to make the best possible shooter, but in general we've tried to do something completely unique."
In other Battlefront news, DICE has confirmed on Twitter that AT-STs ("chicken walkers) will be playable.
Alongside Nintendo's positive earnings report Thursday, the Japanese game giant announced a major partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts to bring the company's IP to theme parks around the world.
Details are light at the moment, but Nintendo said in a statement that it plans to create "spectacular, dedicated experiences based on Nintendo's wildly popular games, characters, and worlds."
These will include "major attractions" at Universal's theme parks around the world, featuring Nintendo's "most famous characters and games." No characters or franchises were named outright, but Mario and Zelda would seem to be likely candidates.
In addition, Nintendo called its new partnership with Universal "significant," noting that it should help extend the popularity of its IP beyond just games.
Don't expect to visit a real-life Nintendo Land anytime soon, however, as Nintendo cautions that it's currently working with Universal's creative teams to develop "concepts" for theme park attractions.
Universal Parks & Resorts is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company also operates theme parks in California, Japan, and Singapore.
Nintendo isn't the first major media partner for the theme park, as the company also operates the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at its Orlando park, as well as various rides and experiences based on The Simpsons, Despicable Me, Spider-Man, Transformers, and others.
Nintendo has announced it made a ¥41 billion ($350 million) profit for the fiscal year ending March 31, returning the company to an annual profit for the first time in four years.
According to its latest fiscal report, global sales of the Nintendo 3DS family, which includes the 2DS, reached 8.73 million units. The New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL were said to have "got off to a good start and continued to sell well." Previous models, however, "did not grow as anticipated."
Global sales of Wii U hardware reached 3.38 million units, while software was cited as 24.4 million units. Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U had sales of 5.11 million units and 3.65 million units respectively.
Looking forward, Nintendo's outlook for the fiscal year of 2016 involves maintaining the performance of currently available games that have strong sales potential. Additionally, it intends to continue releasing new games to expand its install base. Delivering more downloadable content for Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U is one of the ways Nintendo is aiming to keep its more popular games active.
Specific details on the performance of Amiibos were not provided, but new waves of traditional figures as well as Amiibo cards and yarn-knitted Amiibo will be used to stimulate demand. An NFC reader and writer accessory for all Nintendo 3DS and 2DS will also be released.
Along with this, the company expects Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, a new Rhythm Tengoku, the new Fire Emblem, and "a number of key titles from third-party publishers" to contribute to attaining its projected operating profit of ¥50 billion (around $420 million) and net profit of ¥35 billion (around $290 million).
Resident Evil and Street Fighter publisher Capcom has announced that the company's revenue was down 37.1 percent from the previous year.
During its latest fiscal year, which ended March 31, Capcom made ¥64.3 billion ($538.4 million). This figure represents Capcom's lowest yearly revenue figure since 2004, when it generated ¥52.7 billion.
In its official financial review Capcom highlighted sales of Monster Hunter 4G and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate as a key success.
On the digital front, Ultra Street Fighter 4's sales were described as "solid". Resident Evil Revelations 2, which only became available in February, was said to have made a "strong start." Dead Rising 3 was also mentioned as a successful title, however, this game was released in Capcom's previous fiscal year.
Digitally delivered content was spotlighted as a major focus during the fiscal year as Capcom attempts to diversify distribution channels. The company has indicated it will continue to dedicate itself to this strategy and expects it will "deliver a sustainable growth going forward."
By its own admission, Capcom did not have many major titles released on mobile devices, but profitability in this department was improved thanks to an "overhaul of the profit structure."
Elsewhere in the business, Capcom reported its operating income has increased 2.7 percent from the previous fiscal year, likely as a result of streamlining production costs and increasing general efficiency. Net income overall was ¥6.6 million, which is an increase of 92.1 percent from the previous year.
San Francisco-based social game studio Zynga on Wednesday announced an extensive cost-reduction plan that the company says should help it save around $100 million in the short-term.
As part of the process, the company revealed plans to lay off about 18 percent of its current global workforce.
A total of 364 people are losing their jobs. Zynga estimates that the layoffs will be completed by the end of its fiscal year and should result in about $45 million in annualized savings.
In addition, Zynga's restructuring process includes "additional cost reduction measures, including lowering costs and eliminating spend on outside and centralized services." This move, which should be completed by the third quarter of 2016, is expected to result in another $55 million in savings, the company said.
Zynga CEO Mark Pincus, who stepped into the role just last month after former Xbox boss Don Mattrick left, released a statement on the changes.
"For our people, we need to create an empowered, entrepreneurial culture that fosters more creativity and innovation," he said. "Over the years we've seen that tighter, more nimble teams can drive faster innovation and deliver more player value. As a result, today we announced a cost reduction program to focus, simplify and align us against our most promising opportunities."
"This was a hard but necessary decision and I believe this plan puts us in the best long term position for success."
The cost-saving plan was announced Wednesday as part of Zynga's latest earnings report for the quarter ended March 31. It was tough quarter, as the FarmVille company posted another net loss. On a GAAP basis, Zynga lost $46.5 million, while the non-GAAP loss was $7 million. Meanwhile, Zynga monthly unique payers, daily active users, monthly active users, and monthly unique users all fell year-over-year.
However, total Zynga revenue rose 9 percent to $183 million during the quarter.
During an Activision Blizzard earnings call this afternoon, the mammoth publisher offered a new tease about the "major content release" coming to the Destiny franchise this fall. The publisher said the project--whatever it turns out to be--will be the "biggest content addition to date" for Destiny.
The content, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said, is being designed to appeal to not only fans of the series, but people who have never even played Destiny before.
"We have a very robust content plan for Destiny starting with our second major expansion pack, House of Wolves, and then you'll also see content being dropped throughout the summer," Hirshberg said. "And then in the fall we will have a major release, which will be the biggest addition to the Destiny universe yet, across all modes of play. Unfortunately, I don't have more details than that today, but we're confident it's going to be incredibly appealing, not just to our current fans, but also to people who haven't yet joined the Destiny universe; it's going to be that big of an expansion."
Overall, Hirshberg said having a "constant stream of robust" content for Destiny is a key component of Activision's plan for the sci-fi series.
It's not much of a surprise that Activision would be planning to support Destiny for a long, long time, given the company's sizable investment in the series. On top of that, Bungie has itself spoken previously of having a 10-year, Lord of the Rings-sized vision for the game.
Interestingly, just recently, Bungie trademarked the name "The Taken King." The attorney on file for the trademark is the same attorney listed on The Dark Below and House of Wolves.
With today's reveal of the Prison of Elders and other House of of Wolves details, we talked with Bungie developers in both a roundtable and one-on-one interviews about how the new content will tie into the game's story.
Bungied creative director Matt Sammons said that House of Wolves will tell its own story in multiple ways. "From a high-level perspective, there are two big categories of content that you get in a story. There are the quests that take you throughout the world, the backbone of the story that has you chasing down Skolas. And then there are these wanted Fallen bounties. You'll notice when you're roaming around the world, we have specific named enemies all over the place, and among various destinations. Petra's bounties, not the quests, but the bounties, those are meant to send you out to go hunt those Fallen down."
Lead designer Christopher Barrett expanded on that point: "We absolutely want to sell that idea, give players that fantasy of hunting down bad guys, killing them, getting lots of loot, that real bounty hunter kind of feel of the 'Pirates of the Reef.' That outlaw feel."
Overall, Sammons said he wanted House of Wolves to have a "coherent, clear, thematically consistent story." That story is told through the dialogue and narration of story missions, but also by more "compelling and interesting characters." Sammson said, "You'll meet Petra and Variks; the Fallen characters will be your guides through the missions. There's some really interesting interactions that we get to have because Variks can speak Fallen, so you get to translate some of the stuff that the enemies are saying. You get a little bit of a deeper lore of the Fallen through that."
Sammons calls it an "evolution" from the previous Dark Below expansion. "We looked at what the Dark Below accomplished in terms of story, how that involved the Destiny formula. We really liked Eris Morn, and the voice that she gave to the Guardians struggle against the Hive, and talking a little bit more about the Hive in depth. We looked at that and said, 'What would be the next step past that?' Having two characters with different perspectives that can talk to one another mid-mission. Variks understands the story a little bit better, and Petra understands the Awoken side. We just think that fleshes out the world."
Barrett added that, "The sounds of any space, and the dialogue of the different vendors, can really help fill the blanks of some of the story. One important thing that we didn't have in the Dark Below was the introductory cinematic, which sets up the state of the world. It very quickly tells you what's going on, why it's important to you, and what you have to do next. That was one of the goals of the star map cinematic."
While it may not answer all of the lingering question that Destiny players have about the Destiny's mysterious world, it sounds like House of Wolves is primed to add some amount of additional depth to explore. For even more details check out the video embedded at the top of this story. And catch up on everything new for House of Wolves in our information round-up here.
In a statement to GameSpot, Green Man Gaming CEO Paul Sulyok explained that it tried to work with CD Projekt Red, but the developer chose to focus on its own platform, GOG.com, rather than give players more options for where they can buy the game.
"Following a six-month dialogue with [CD Projekt RED] about the launch of The Witcher 3, we were disappointed that despite the offer of significant cash advances, and other opportunities to officially work together, (we even offered to fly to Poland to discuss in detail how we could and wanted to support this launch), CDPR chose not to engage with a number of significant, reputable, and successful retailers, including ourselves, as they instead focused on supporting their own platform GOG. " Sulyok said.
"We, like millions of customers, are huge fans of The Witcher series, and have been eager for the launch of this amazing title. We believe that CDPR's desire to support their own platform by working with retail outlets that would not conflict with their own is greater than that of meeting the demands of their audience, therefore we made the decision to indirectly secure the product and deliver it to our customers."
Sulyok explains that GMG chose to essentially go around CD Projekt RED by acquiring digital copies of the game from third parties and retailers that were approved by CD Projekt RED. According to Sulyok, this means that CD Projekt RED is getting the revenue from sales of these games, and that any additional discount is absorbed by GMG. Earlier today, CD Projekt RED told GameSpot it was getting "zero" revenue from these sales.
"We would heartily welcome a renewed dialogue with CDPR, and are keen to continue to not only support the launch of The Witcher 3, but to keep celebrating and bringing the whole catalogue of CDPR titles to a worldwide audience, as we have done since 2011," Sulyok said.
We've reached out to CD Project RED and will update this story with anything we hear back.
Blizzard Entertainment's PC MMO World of Warcraft lost nearly three million subscribers in three months, publisher Activision Blizzard announced on Wednesday as part of its latest earnings report.
For the quarter ended March 31, World of Warcraft had 7.1 million subscribers, down 2.9 million from the 10 million subscribers it had at the end of 2014.
Although subscriber numbers are falling, Activision Blizzard notes that World of Warcraft remains the top subscription-based MMO in the world.
What's more, the publisher explained that things like price increases in select regions and "strong uptake of value added service" partially offset subscriber declines in terms of total revenue derived from the game.
Activision Blizzard is currently holding an earnings call to discuss its earnings and answer analyst questions. If the company provides more insight into World of Warcraft's subscriber downturn, we'll add that information here.
Some other highlights from Activision Blizzard's earnings report today:
Destiny and Hearthstone have combined for 50 million registered players. We already knew Hearthstone had 30 million players, leaving 20 million for Destiny. The publisher also says the games have together driven nearly $1 billion in revenue to date.
Call of Duty franchise sales rose by a double-digit percentage due to strong sales of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (a unit sales number was not announced) along with "growing online revenues per user across the franchise."
Call of Duty microtransactions were a bright spot, helping "drive increased engagement and monetization," Activision said.
On big change coming to Destiny following the release of the House of Wolves expansion later this month will add more variety to the game's Strike missions. Bungie revealed during a roundtable interview with GameSpot that, going forward, the Nightfall and Weekly Heroic Strikes will take place on different maps.
In addition, you're more likely to see a House of Wolves Strike for the Nightfall or the Weekly in the first couple weeks after the expansion launches. After that, the maps will return to a normal rotation.
Bungie also revealed that to upgrade non-Exotic armor/weapons to parity, you will need Etheric Light. This will elevate your new armor to the current maximum Light Level and your weapons to maximum damage for year one. You'll be able to get Etheric Light from the Nightfall Strikes as a supplementary drop, so it should not take away your chance at a Legendary or Exotic.
What happens after year one? Right now, Bungie isn't talking further details, but we should learn more soon.
To get up to speed on all of the additions and changes coming to the game in House of Wolves, including a full playthrough of the Prison of Elders mode, check out our Destiny expansion round-up.
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