Hideaki Itsuno is a seasoned veteran of the Devil May Cry series. Having served as director for Devil May Cry 2, 3, and 4, the developer has been with Dante, the son of Sparda, for a long time. With Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition out now, the creator has finally returned to the series once more.
Hideaki Itsuno
I got the chance to speak to Itsuno during E3 last week. The following discussion contains a variety of topics, including the challenges of adding new characters into Devil May Cry 4, his thoughts on DMC: Devil May Cry, and some of Itsuno's hopes for the series moving forward. But what was most intriguing out of all of this in our conversation was how the sales of Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition will not determine the future of the series. If anything, the game's existence is more of a message to fans that the main series is far from over.
What were some of the challenges introducing three new characters into Devil May Cry: Special Edition?
Itsuno: We always planned to have Virgil added to the game because he was in the special edition of Devil May Cry 3. That was there right from the start, but we were originally planning on having Lady and Trish be alternate re-skins of Dante, Nero, and Vergil. Then we looked at it and thought, "Maybe people don't want that." Even though we were already part way through the project, we already accounted time for making costume diversions of Lady and Trish, so we decided to go the the extra mile and add them in as full-fledged characters with their own unique move-sets. Though, the toughest part of adding them was having less time than we anticipated we would have to do more work, but we got there in the end.
Did Lady and Trish necessitate any sort of tweaks or changes to the original gameplay in terms of level design or balance to be able to put them in?
Rather than changing the game's level design, we put our effort towards designing Lady and Trish to be gameplay experiences that are different from Dante, Nero, and Virgil. The only thing we changed was some of the bosses in order to accommodate Lady and Trish's different play styles so they don't get caught in an attack exploit due to the new gameplay that wasn't anticipated during original development.
However, these changes are per character. So if you're playing as Dante, you'll get the same boss fight experience you had in the original game. But if you play Lady, for example, that's when the bosses become Lady compatible bosses so to speak.
Now that Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition is complete, do you have a favorite character that stands out for you of the five that are in the game?
I would probably say Lady. It's a real discovery I made myself when we created her. To put a long range character into DMC and to take on the challenge of making that work was clearly something very different from what we've done before. We worked really hard on her and I'm really pleased with the way she came out. The fact that something that is something totally new to existing players is really fun.
Is Lady a character that you think that is strong enough to support her own game, maybe, in some stage?
Yeah, as a matter of fact we considered that after making Devil May Cry 3. We thought we could have a Lady spin-off. It never happened, but she's definitely cool enough and strong enough character.
Something I read, and I wanted to confirm with you, is there a survey within the game for fans, which will help determine the future of the franchise?
I think it's a bit of a misunderstanding. At the time of Devil May Cry 4, I spoke to an interviewer in Japan and I had given a message to the fans at the end of the interview saying "Let us know what you want to see in the future of DMC." I spoke to the same guy this time around for the special edition and I kind of just made an off-the-cuff comment along the lines of, "We're always listening to your feedback, please buy the special edition." So I think the fans with internet have taken that there is a literal survey somewhere with check boxes that will feed into a future game, but it was just a general comment on my part saying that Capcom values fan feedback.
Because that headline read as the future of the franchise is dependent on this, and that's not the case, is that correct?
No, I have never said anything along the lines of holding anything in the future hostage to sales of this title.
The Devil May Cry series has a very dedicated fan base who are still playing Devil May Cry 4 to this day. What do you want to say to them in regards to what they can look forward to with the Devil May Cry series?
After Devil May Cry 4 came out and then Ninja Theory's DMC: Devil May Cry followed it, some fans were disappointed and felt the main series had ended. But I'm glad that the message is out there with Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition that the main series is not over, and that DMC: Devil May Cry did not kill it. But that isn't to say that the latter was just a one shot, that game also got it's own next-gen re-release earlier this year.
DMC: Devil May Cry
Speaking of Ninja Theory and DMC: Devil May Cry, at the time you had said that part of the reason you went with them was that you wanted a different sensibility around the franchise. What were your overall thoughts on the final product and the game?
I think I'm happy with the performance of the game. If it had been a world changing hit, it might have changed the course of the series by becoming the new DMC. But at the same time, if it was a lot less successful than it was, it might have just been a flash in the pan failure that never got followed through with the definitive edition this year. In a way, I'm actually really pleased of where we were able to hit between those two separate extremes.
So you see those, I guess, those two series games as fairly separate?
Yeah, they are a little bit apart in that sense that if you didn't look at it that way you couldn't release the DMC 4: Special Edition, for example.
Do you see yourself sort of taking that on internally again, or working with partners to develop?
I honestly don't know. I don't really know, to be honest, at this stage.
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition
You mentioned earlier before that you guys are always listening to fan feedback. How much does that influence your decisions about that game? The fan community is very vocal, but you still have to serve a broad audience. What do you pick up from fans and what do you try and stick to your vision about?
I like to listen to all the fan feedback that I can, but listening to it doesn't mean listening to it and doing everything that the fans request, because that would end up with a not very good game. That's not to say that the fan feedback isn't good, but if you took it all on board and put it all together then you would get a mess in the game. You have to make these decisions about what to include and what not to include. The high level play that we see from the really hardcore fans is something that we want to keep.
The high level play that we see from the really hardcore fans is something that we want to keep.
At the same time, I want to expand the base of that structure so that you have this very high peak that the fans can reach, but that you still have an accessible of enough base so that people who aren't as hardcore can still get in there and enjoy the gameplay. With that in mind, I like to listen to the fan feedback but not necessarily do exactly what they've asked. Instead I think "Well that's what they like and this is why they want that, but how can I even go above and beyond that with my own idea that will hopefully satisfy those fan desires?"
What are the most common things that fans keep asking you about apart from, "Where's my Devil May Cry?"
People ask me a lot if we can have more development of Sparda as a character, and also I get asked a lot if there's any possibility of co-op coming to the series, which is something we've flirted with in the past. In Devil May Cry 3, and its special edition, there's certain parts of the game where Dante would have a doppelganger on screen. You can actually plug in a second controller and press start, and a second player can take control of the doppelganger. It's kind of hidden co-op feature that maybe not many people know about. That also works for a boss battle in that game where Dante and Virgil team up against a boss. So it's definitely something we've had in our minds for a long time that I'd certainly be interested in exploring.
Do you think that the style of gameplay that you want is conducive to co-op?
Well, we wouldn't go as far to say that, because obviously if it was completely 100% suited to the gameplay we have, we would have put it in by now. Part of the reason co-op has appeared as a secret feature in bits and pieces is because there were problems with simply implementing co-op into Devil May Cry as it is.
The next downloadable character for Mortal Kombat X, Predator, will be available sometime in July.
Series creator Ed Boon, never one to shy away from teasing announcements on Twitter, tweeted this week saying, "Recreate the Predator Movie (Komplete with Carl Weathers Jax) in Mortal Kombat X. Koming Soon…" This was accompanied by the screenshot below, showing Predator and Jax squaring off with "July" in the bottom-right corner.
Predator will mark the third DLC character to be released for the game following Jason Vorhees and Sonya. All three characters were previously confirmed to be coming as DLC along with Tremor. So far, they've each been made available as their own individual purchases as well as in the $30 Kombat Pack.
If you want to try Predator without paying, you just have to be patient--like regular characters, DLC fighters may be featured in the game's challenge tower, allowing everyone a chance to fight as them.
At a number of retailers this week, you'll be able to buy an Xbox One and get your choice of free select games. Participating stores include Amazon, Best Buy, and the Microsoft Store, with eligible games including recent titles like The Witcher 3, Mortal Kombat X, and the just-released Batman: Arkham Knight.
Save $15 when you buy Batman: Arkham Knight and any of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, or The Dark Knight Rises) on DVD at Target. You can also get 10 percent off the game's season pass at Target.
Walmart is selling the Halo Master Chief Collection Xbox One bundle with a free second controller $349. You also get a free copy of Watch Dogs or Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, or you can pay a bit more to replace it with Need for Speed Rivals - Complete Edition ($5), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ($20), or Batman: Arkham Knight ($30).
Microsoft's latest Deals With Gold promotion is on, discounting a handful of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games, such as Evolve for $30, The Crew for $30, and Dishonored for $6.79. You can check out all the deals here.
The first episode of Telltale's Game of Thrones series is free on Xbox Live.
The new Humble Weekly Bundle is the latest in the Eye Candy series, featuring games like Where Is My Heart, Back to Bed, and The Dream Machine for just a few dollars.
HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset for PC & PS4 -- $90 (Amazon)
Amazon prices are accurate as of publishing, but can fluctuate occasionally throughout the day.
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.
Developer Digital Extremes has decided to add four emotes to its third-person shooter, Warframe, for free. This announcement comes just two days after Bungie revealed that it was selling a pack of three emotes and some in-game items for $20 for its shooter, Destiny.
Warframe, the free-to-play shooter that initially launched on PC in 2012 and later for PlayStation 4, is getting several new ways for players to express themselves. Players now will be able to shrug and clap, adding a new layer to interactions in-game. They will also be able to do two moves that look like martial arts stances, the Eclipse Narta and the Fathom Narta.
This announcement follows Bungie's announcement that three emotes, some shaders, and three class items would be sold in a $20 pack. Developer Bungie first stated that several emotes and other in-game items would be exclusive to people who buy the Collector's Edition of Destiny's upcoming expansion, The Taken King. This edition comes bundled with the base game and the first two expansions as well as the new content. Following backlash, Bungie stated that it would be making the several Collector's Edition items available for a separate purchase.
Prior to the first Splatfest event in North America next week, Nintendo is today delivering two new weapons to Splatoon's multiplayer mode.
The first of these new weapons is the Carbon Roller, which, as the name might suggest, bears a strong resemblance to the existing Splat Roller. According to the official Splatoon blog, the Carbon Roller excels in terms of mobility. Its fling attack has limited range, but you'll have access to Burst Bombs and the Inkzooka while using it.
Today's other new weapon is the Custom Dual Squelcher; Nintendo says it features both a high rate-of-fire and range. With it equipped, you'll be able to use Squid Beakons and the Killer Wail.
Both new weapon sets will be added to the game tonight at the usual time of 7 PM PT. That's the same point that we've seen new content introduced to the game previously, including a number of additional weapons.
Today's update comes about a week prior to the first North American Splatfest event. This is a special in-game event where matches take place in levels set at night with lights adorning them. The first Splatfest was supposed to take place back on June 20, but was delayed due to technical issues. Now, it will kick off on July 4 at 12:00 AM PT and run for 24 hours, ending at 11:59 PM PT.
Return home from E3 and one of the first questions you're likely to receive is, so what did you see? And while the biggest game expo on earth tends to give its attendees many answers to draw from, for me, there was only one game to start with this year.
Star Wars: Battlefront, or at least the carefully assembled demo that I played, provided so many moments of wide-eyed awe that I briefly forgot that EA had plunged me into another berserk and shouty pew-pew-fest. I was, in fact, in Hoth, blanketed in a white snow sparkling in the sunlight, gazing up at a Star Destroyer suspended in the sky, charging across the frozen plains with an AT-ST at my side, neutralising rebel scum. I might be done with online shooters--the grind, the murderous angst of waiting to respawn, the boys who spit abuse from their bedrooms--but I am absolutely not done with this.
Following an exhilarating demonstration of Battlefront's multiplayer mode, I sat with Patrick Bach, general manager at DICE, to discuss EA's biggest game of E3.
Patrick Bach, general manager at DICE
GAMESPOT: How has your E3 been? You must be very happy with the reception to Star Wars: Battlefront?
BACH: Yes it has been amazing. We have set very high standards, and you plan everything you want to achieve, and heading into E3 you focus on what you want to show, and you try your best to make sure it all works. So honestly, things have been very good.
It must be very hard to create demo build that is representative, not misleading, and also entertaining.
Yeah exactly, and also when you haven't even finished making the game yet. DICE has been going for quite some time now, and we have always been very proud of the fact that when we show our games, we are actually showing 'the game'. I don't think we've ever done a CG trailer. We've done in-game rendered cinematics, but we've always used the game's assets.
Now that you're showing it to the world, I gather that the response from fans has been rather strong. That must be uplifting, because there has always been a curse with Star Wars games, in that they tend to show so much missed potential.
Yes, you want it to be as good as the films, which means that if we don't do that, players will be very upset. They will be very clear about that fact.
How much pressure does that put you under?
It's a different pressure, and of course it's stupid for us to put ourselves under more pressure. There's a very... avid Star Wars following, who all want Battlefront to be great. I've never heard the expression "do not f*** this up" as many times as I have with this. So that's where it starts. We get it, "don't f*** this up".
"I would agree with you, our single-player has not been as strong as our multiplayer."
Patrick Bach
Have you reached a point in development where you're worrying less?
No, but I think we've reached a point where we're worrying less about what we are doing and what we have done. Before you show a game to the world, there's ongoing speculation about it. There are 10,000 ways to f*** this up, and people are super detailed on how we will screw up. And I read these posts and I think, hey, I think fans are going to be super happy with what we're doing.
So, to come here, and to show the game to real people. I mean, actual real people...
And not just Reddit threads...
[Laughs] Exactly, speculating on a trailer, or something. To actually show this to real people and to get their feedback, and to read their emotions, you realise that, oh, these fans are describing the experience that we actually wanted to make. Yes! Now we just need to finish it. But I think we have given people hope.
A New Hope.
[Smiles politely]
I'm so sorry. That was really, really bad.
Don't print that [laughs].
It's been a long week.
I've had a lot of Star Wars puns all week.
Have you smiled politely at them all?
Yes.
Click on the thumbnails below to view in full-screen
Okay, moving on. In the past 18 months, many next-gen games have been delayed, and I think it's quite clear why. By the final years of the last gen, studios had become so familiar with the tech that two-year turnarounds were totally achievable. Today, studios have the same deadlines, but need to build for completely new hardware, which is still quite exotic to them. And so, we have many delays.
So, considering that hard deadline and relatively quick turnaround, is this why there is no main single-player campaign mode?
"I've never heard the expression 'do not f*** this up' as many times as I have with this."
Patrick Bach
Well, I would say the deadline did influence our decisions early on, at least a bit. But I would like to argue that, a longer dev cycle does not equal a better game. Our experience is that, if you have too long of a development cycle, you will actually start to slip behind the competition, because the idea you started with will begin to become old. It means that you're getting passed on the inside.
So, we look for sweet spots in game schedules. Generally speaking, if you require more than three years to make a game, you need to reboot the project. What happened at E3 2012? If you decide to make a game at that stage, for delivery right now, it's going to look three years behind. The point being, compressing the development time, just enough, is super important. It allows us to be current and effective.
With regards to Battlefront's hard deadline in relation to the movie, y'know, honestly I don't know if that was discussed at all.
You could argue that there's no direct connection between what we're doing and what the movie is doing. Our game is based on a movie that was released in 1977. So, we're late [Laughs].
In the Hoth battle that GameSpot played at E3, one team fought side-by-side with the AT-ST
But there is a strong commercial incentive to release Battlefront around the same time as the film. One that's probably too great to pass on.
But I would also argue there is a strong creative reason to be fast too. You don't want to miss that party. Because it's an awesome party. We want players to experience episodes IV, V, and VI, before they are able to see VII.
The real challenge for us is, there have been so many Star Wars games in the past. There have been so many Hoth levels.
No exactly, we've done this many times before. What we want to do is create an experience that is emotionally on par with the movies. When you play it, it's supposed to be as awesome as watching the movies. We want to build the most authentic Star Wars experience.
And that's the key word I took away from the gameplay demo. It felt authentic. Everything, from the Star Destroyer in the sky to the smallest sound effects, screamed Star Wars. Look at it bare-bones, and it's forty people in a multiplayer arena with some AI. But you've detailed the world so excellently that it feels like you're in the movies.
Thank you.
But still, there's no single-player game to enjoy. And I wonder if you realised you actually didn't have the time for it under the strict deadline.
To be honest, single-player was never in the plan. It was never the concept. The concept for us was always that we wanted players to re-live the battles. We wanted them to play the battles from the original movies. And DICE, coming from its Battlefield background, knows how to make awesome battles in that context.
We were also thinking about the Battlefront franchise, which has multiplayer at its core.
DICE is famous for its multiplayer games. I don't think anyone would deny your team's pedigree for these amazing, modern, online shooters. And I don't wish to seem rude, but I would say that people aren't as enamoured by your single-player campaigns. It leads me to think that, because DICE is becoming more and more important to EA, and is taking on the big jobs, don't you think the studio needs that talent and personnel to create single-player games of a similar standard?
Yes absolutely, and it's not as though we haven't done single-player before. I would agree with you, our single-player has not been as strong as our multiplayer. But then again you could argue that we are comparing our campaigns with what some say are the greatest multiplayer games in the world. If you try to match that, you are probably doomed for failure. Or at least, it's very, very hard.
In Battlefront, players can pilot a whole range of Imperial and Rebel vehicles, including the AT-AT.
I must confess that I also ask this for selfish reasons, because I don't really enjoy playing online shooters anymore. For example, at the Battlefront booth I was transported to your vision of the Star Wars universe and I was blown away. The sights, the sounds; it all was so wonderful. Then someone camping at my spawn point shot me. And I thought, hmm, that's not really Star Wars.
[Laughs] Actually, if you're a Storm Trooper it very much is Star Wars.
Would you like to make a Star Wars single-player game, or would you rather stick to your strengths?
Hmmn, no, we don't want to stick to our strengths. That's boring. That's why we're making Mirror's Edge.
If you look at what Battlefront stands for, it's to recreate these battles. But we've also added in some offline missions, that you can play alone or with a friend. Because what you told me about what you loved about playing the game was not describing the story, it was about the world and the actions. The sights and the sounds. That is exactly what we're giving you.
I get it though, you also want a parallel Star Wars narrative experience. That is not what we're building. But we are building these small missions too. If you like our world and mechanics, but you don't want to play with strangers on the internet, then you can still enjoy this game.
One of my colleagues played the solo missions, and he explained it was rather like a horde mode.
That's Survival, which is one of the types of missions that we have, which is what we showed your colleague. But there are other types as well, such as Battles, where you and a group of AI will fight me and a group of AI, which makes it a sort of online-offline hybrid. So, killing all those AIs will make you feel very powerful, until of course, you meet me [laughs].
Changing the subject to something I'm sure you've been asked about many times already: How has it been working with LucasFilm?
"Generally speaking, if you require more than three years to make a game, you need to reboot the project."
Patrick Bach
Extremely exciting. Working with someone else's IP can of course be limiting, because you can't do all the crazy shit you might have in your head. But it's also good to be guided in a very clear way. I would say we probably have the same goal as LucasFilm.
When people ask that question, they often do so because they think that working with another IP is horrible. I think in this case, there's no conflict in interests. And we have been given access to things that will make this game much better, things that make us all giggly. So I would say the experience has been surprisingly smooth.
Well that is a surprise, certainly. My instinct would be that working with LucasFilm would be a nightmare. Even their own games division couldn't work with them. They must be, at the very least, a little precious about their IP.
Yeah absolutely, and obviously they are a bit precious and cautious about certain things. But that's what makes Star Wars, Star Wars.
Star Wars: Battlefront developer DICE has said it never thought about including a narrative-driven single-player component in its game, and stated multiplayer was always the focus.
Speaking in an interview with GameSpot, the studio's general manager Patrick Bach was asked whether the lack of a single-player mode was a consequence of needing to launch prior to the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens movie.
Bach responds by saying, although the release deadline "did influence [DICE's] decisions early on," it never reached the stage of concepting a single-player campaign.
"To be honest, single-player was never in the plan," he said. "It was never the concept."
He added: "The concept for us was always that we wanted players to re-live the battles. We wanted them to play the battles from the original movies. And DICE, coming from its Battlefield background, knows how to make awesome battles in that context."
Elsewhere in the interview, Bach discussed the quality of DICE's previous single-player campaigns. He was asked if the studio thought about hiring the talent required to improve its campaigns, given that publisher EA is becoming increasingly reliant on the studio for its big projects.
"Yes absolutely, and it's not as though we haven't done single-player before," he said. "I would agree with you, our single-player has not been as strong as our multiplayer.
"But then again you could argue that we are comparing our campaigns with what some say are the greatest multiplayer games in the world. If you try to match that, you are probably doomed for failure. Or at least, it's very, very hard."
Star Wars: Battlefront was the final demonstration at EA's E3 2015 press conference. The lengthy gameplay demo shown during the event depicted a large-scale battle on Hoth, and viewers were shown both ground-level and air combat. It culminated with the appearance of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader on the battlefield.
Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki has announced he will be discussing questions about the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter stretch goals during a Twitch stream due to air shortly.
The stream will begin at 7 PM Pacific on Friday, which is Saturday, June 27 at 2 AM for those in the UK.
A project update on the game's Kickstarter page also offered insight on how the stretch goals, which include three additional areas, were ordered.
"For the different areas that will make up the game, Yu-san felt that he should focus on making each area as fully immersive as possible before moving on to the next new one," reads the update.
"When it was decided Shenmue 3 would be a go on Kickstarter, Yu-san methodically structured how the game would fit together, knowing that it would change depending on how much could be raised here."
The update continues: "The different elements of the game would form a scaffold, building up from each new system and mechanic that would enhance the game as a whole."
FInal Fantasy 7 Remake director Tetsuya Nomura only realised he was in charge of the project when he saw his name in an internal presentation during the early stages of the project's inception.
Speaking in an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, as reported by Kotaku, Nomura recalled being approached by Square Enix executive Shinji Hashimoto about a new project.
"Mr. Hashimoto was involved with the advertising and marketing of the original, so like [Mr. Kitase and myself], VII has a strong place in his heart," Nomura explained.
"As preproduction went along and I offered my opinions on what I thought should be done, Mr. [Yoshinori Kitase, director of the original] would ask me how the individual elements should be adjusted in fine detail. It was very perplexing."
It wasn't until Nomura checked an internal company presentation that he realised he was director.
This came as a shock to Nomura. He is currently busy directing Kingdom Hearts 3, which doesn't have a release date.
"So I called up Mr. Kitase and said, 'It says that I'm the director for some reason.' To which he replied, 'Of course it does''" Nomura added.
Adam Boyes, VP of developer relations at PlayStation, revealed that the long-awaited remake of Final Fantasy VII during Sony's E3 press conference.
A CG trailer showed Cloud and Barret walking through the slums of Midgar. It also confirmed Tetsuya Nomura would be directing the remake, with scenario writer Kazuhige Nojima and producer Yoshinori Kitase also contributing.
In an interview with GameSpot, Nomura indicated that the story in the remake might deviate from the one set out in the original, suggesting the remake may be more of a reimagining.
"We've announced a HD port version on the PlayStation 4, and then we have the remake coming to PS4," Nomura said through a translator.
"You'll have this extremely, very, very pretty FFVII existing on the same plane. We feel that if that happens, it's like, why have the same exact game?
"We think that if a game is on a certain platform and that platform becomes obsolete, then we'd recommend playing the new port version," he added.
Click on the thumbnails below for more key images from the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trailer.
Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has said gaming--across Xbox One, PC, and HoloLens--belongs at the heart of his vision for the future of the company.
In a new mission statement sent to Microsoft employees, posted online by Geekwire, Nadella said gaming will be key in realising a "broader vision for Windows," as the company seeks to unite all its gaming-oriented initiatives.
"We will pursue our gaming ambition as part of this broader vision for Windows and increase its appeal to consumers," he said.
"We will bring together Xbox Live and our first-party gaming efforts across PC, console, mobile and new categories like HoloLens into one integrated play."
Nadella also said Microsoft will aim to deliver experiences centered on the mobility that is enabled by the cloud.
"We will build the best instantiation of this vision through our Windows device platform and our devices, which will serve to delight our customers, increase distribution of our services, drive gross margin, enable fundamentally new product categories, and generate opportunity for the Windows ecosystem more broadly."
Microsoft named Nadella as its chief executive in February 2014, following the departure of Steve Ballmer. When announcing his appointment, Microsoft highlighted Nadella's work in establishing the cloud infrastructure behind Xbox, as well as Bing and Office.
In January 2015, Xbox head Phil Spencer announced Windows 10 will support Xbox One game streaming, allowing games to be played on PCs and tablets running the latest version of Microsoft's operating system.
"We have to put the gamer at the centre of every experience," Spencer said at the time.
The Ultimate Edition is the most expensive version of the game, priced at $119.99 (£71.99), and includes exclusive Battlepacks, as well as early access to DLC content.
Multiple posts on the game's Battlelog forum, however, have indicated owners of this version are unable to play the Criminal Activity DLC, while owners of the Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition are unaffected.
Although the content can be downloaded, it is not registering as a validly purchased DLC, according to posts on the forum.
"Ok. it's not downloading it that is the problem, that works fine but once installed it doesn't register as a valid purchased DLC," said one forum user. "When told to do so it says 'no content' under 'My Downloads'."
Multiplayer producer Zach Mumbach has responded to complaints, assuring players that developer Visceral Games is investigating the problems.
"First off, I apologize. This sucks," he said. "Right now we are looking at all the digital versions on PS4 to make sure everyone can download. Best update I can give your right now."
Visceral Games previously detailed the content introduced in the Criminal Activity DLC. Weapons and attachments included were designed to enhance close-quarter combat, while two new vehicles were also added.
Sony has said it is investigating slow download speeds affecting PlayStation 4 customers.
Numerous reports of lengthy download times have emerged online in the past week, and, posting on the official PlayStation community forums, Sony has acknowledged the issue.
"We are aware of reports that some users are experiencing slower than usual download speeds from the PlayStation Store," it said.
"This has been reported to our network team for investigation. Please keep an eye on this thread for updates."
Anecdotally, GameSpot staff have encountered lengthy delays from downloading files of various sizes. On initiating a download, the estimated time of arrival begins at 99+ hours. This eventually drops, but not to a time that reasonably reflects the file size and internet speed.
After significant delays, the free version of Evolution Studios' PS4 exclusive racing sim was given a release date.
"We've spent a long time preparing for this launch after some difficult and unexpected set-backs," said Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony's worldwide studios.
"To make absolutely certain that all players have the smoothest and most stable experience possible we are going to be duly cautious about how we release the game this time around."
PlayStation Plus members can download the game and play it offline. Sony has said it will roll out online access and will "steadily bring more and more players online while continuously ensuring that all game systems are running smoothly."
Posting on the game's forum, on Reddit, and on Sony's community help pages, numerous players have said the game displays an error message instead of scores.
"A connection to PlayStation Network cannot be established. Gameplay will continue without Leaderboard access until a connection is made," reads the message.
The leaderboard is part of Batman: Arkham Knight's Gotham's Greatest meta-game, which collects and displays performance data in order to rank the best Batmen.
Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's last big game release, Mortal Kombat X, also had similar problems immediately following its launch.
"This is something that Rocksteady takes very seriously," it said. "We are working closely with our external PC development partner to make sure these issues get resolved as quickly as possible."
Rocksteady has said it supported Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's decision to suspend Batman: Arkham Knight sales from Steam in light of recent issues with the game.
Posting on Twitter, studio co-founder and director of the Batman: Arkham series, Sefton Hill, also said the studio has its "best engineers" helping to fix the issues.
Totally supported decision to suspend PC version. We have our best engineers at Rocksteady working like crazy to help fix the issues ASAP.
Shortly after its release, Batman: Arkham Knight players on PC reported significant and noticeable performance issues, including sporadic freezes, frame-rate stutters, and audio glitches.
Rocksteady previously released a statement saying the issues are something the studio "takes very seriously."
It added: "We are working closely with our external PC development partner to make sure these issues get resolved as quickly as possible."
Ahead of its patch, publisher Warner Bros. offered guidelines on which Batman Arkham Knight PC settings people should select to curb some of the problems.
The PC version of Batman: Arkham Knight was ported by a team at Iron Galaxy Studios, which previously worked on the equally compromised PC port of Batman: Arkham Origins.
This month marks the 15-year anniversary of The Creative Assembly's Total War strategy series, and to celebrate, the company is doing several things. This includes re-releasing the oldest games in the series on Steam, discounting most of the franchise, and allowing six games to be played for free this weekend.
The Gold editions of both Shogun: Total War and Medieval: Total War, the first two Total War games, are now available on Steam for $10 each. According to The Creative Assembly, this marks the first time they've appeared on the platform, and both are compatible with modern resolutions.
Total War: Attila
If you're looking for something more modern, you can play the most recent games in the series for free from now until Sunday, June 28, at 10 AM Pacific. The full list includes:
Should you want to keep playing beyond this weekend, discounts are being offered on Steam for almost every Total War game and their respective DLC. This includes Attila, released this past February, which can be had for $15.
One thing that isn't featured in the sale is The Last Roman expansion pack for Attila, which makes its debut today. In addition to this, Attila has received some new, free DLC consisting of a new faction and historical battle.
In a new Reddit post, GatorMacheteJr revealed that Bethesda community lead Matt Grandstaff had been in touch to say they would be getting a copy of the game in November. Separately, Grandstaff posted a picture (below) on Twitter of the boxes of bottle caps, confirming they were indeed mailed to Bethesda. He has also since tweeted to reaffirm that the Redditor will be getting Fallout 4.
Earlier this month, GatorMacheteJR posted several pictures on Reddit, explaining how they had become a Fallout 3 fan, which prompted them to save every bottle cap over the period of seven-plus years. Those were then shipped to Bethesda along with a note explaining how the bottle caps--used as currency in the Fallout games--were meant to be payment for a preorder of Fallout 4.
Lest you start trying to amass your own 11-pound pile of bottle caps, don't expect Bethesda to extend this offer to anyone else. Grandstaff said on Twitter, "[F]or being first, he deserves the recognition."
The multiplayer beta for Gears of War: Ultimate Edition has concluded, and to mark the occasion, The Coalition has shared an infographic running down some of the stats from the test.
Over the course of the eight-day beta, 786,415 unique players played just under 1.1 million total matches, adding up to 120 years' worth of playtime. Curb stomps were more commonplace than kills with the Lancer's chainsaw, but not by much--there were 1.725 million curb stomps to 1.645 million chainsaw kills. Frag tags, which I've always found to be among the most embarrassing and frustrating way to die in Gears, were performed 145,580 times.
With the beta concluded, you're free to delete the game from your hard drive. Any rewards earned by playing, like weapon skins, will be saved so that they're available when the full game launches on August 25.
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