Blizzard's free-to-play card game Hearthstone is adding its first new hero since launch. Rather than functioning as a new class, this $10 hero serves as a cosmetic replacement for an existing one.
Dwarven king Magni Bronzebeard is coming to Hearthstone to take the place of the existing Warrior class character, Garrosh Hellscream. Like other new heroes on the way to Hearthstone, Magni costs $10 and provides you with several ways to distinguish yourself in-game without impacting gameplay. Blizzard makes it clear that new heroes don't offer new cards or hero powers, and thus "are not considered new classes."
Instead, playing as a new hero replaces your hero portrait, as well as your hero power animation. They also add new emotes, voices, themes for the play area, and a unique card back, the latter of which can be used with any deck.
Magni's hero power animation
A release date for Magni was not announced; Blizzard simply stated he'll be "coming soon." There's also no word on how soon we can expect the next hero, or whom that might be. Based on the switch from a Horde character to an Alliance one, we might also be seeing similar switches for other heroes in the future.
Surgeon Simulator developer Bossa Studios is bringing its wacky bread simulator I Am Bread to PlayStation 4, the London-based studio announced today. The game is set to launch this summer.
Accompanying Bossa's announcement today is a funny parody of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song because....well, we're not sure why.
Bossa isn't developing the PS4 edition of I Am Bread itself, as development duties have been handed over to Gravity Crash and Oddworld developer Just Add Water.
The PS4 edition of I Am Bread will be playable at Sony's booth at E3 later this month.
I Am Bread tells the "beautiful story of one slice of bread's epic and emotional journey as it embarks on a quest to become toasted." The game is currently available on PC for $13, while mobile versions are also in development. The game has not been announced for Xbox One.
"Ultimately, it's a game for the same folks who still cackle with glee whenever there is a new Sharknado, or that still watch Snakes on a Plane," reviewer Justin Clark wrote. "The joke is in the premise, in the title, and it won't stop winking and snickering with you for hours on end. But all it takes is one moment of clarity, one second-guess 'why was I laughing' for the whole thing to fall apart. And in this game's case, all it has to do is remind you of how irksome it can be and often is to go from being a goofy joke to a serious headache in a flash."
Following yesterday's unveiling of Fallout 4, Bethesda today shared a handful of 1080p screenshots from the trailer, which you can find below.
There's not necessarily anything new to glean from these images, but they're higher quality than grabbing screenshots of the paused video. As such, it should be easier to hunt down any lingering secrets that might still be hidden in them.
Based on the trailer, we do know that a dog will apparently play a significant role, and that familiar Fallout trappings like Vault-Tech, bobbleheads, and the iconic "war never changes" line are all here. It also looks as if Boston will be the game's setting, and as you can see in one of the screenshots above, the Mysterious Stranger appears to be making a return.
For more, check out our trailer breakdown in the video below.
Valve today announced the launch dates for the first official Steam Machines, as well as the Steam Controller and Steam Link. You can now preorder all of these devices, and by doing so, you can potentially get your hands on them early.
All of this will arrive on November 10 in the United States, though you can begin placing preorders today. For a limited time, if you preorder through Steam itself or GameStop, you'll be able to get Alienware's Steam Machines, the Steam Controller, or the Steam Link on October 16. In Europe and Canada, you'll be able to get the controller or Link early by preordering through Steam, GameStop, EB Games, Micromania, or GAME UK.
Steam Machines are essentially living-room PCs, meant to offer the PC gaming experience without having to worry about building a traditional computer. While Alienware's offerings are being highlighted as the ones you can get early, there are a number of alternatives that will also be available come November. These include boxes from Asus, iBuyPower, and Origin, with all of them ranging in power and price from $450 up to a whopping $5,000.
Alienware's Steam Machine
Steam Link ($50) is designed as a way of allowing you to easily stream PC games to a TV over a local network. The Steam Controller ($50), meanwhile, aims to make it possible to play PC games with a controller that were only designed for a keyboard and mouse.
The first trailer for the upcoming movie Macbeth has arrived, giving us a first look at Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in their lead roles. It's a powerful trailer. I've watched it twice so far.
Based on the trailer at least, Macbeth seems like it will feature all the treachery and pain you'd expect from an adaptation of Shakepeare's classic. Don't expect to leave the theater with a smile on your face after watching this one.
Macbeth has significant ties to the upcoming Assassin's Creed movie, as Fassbender and Cotillard will star in that film. What's more, Macbeth director Justin Kurzel is also directing the Assassin's Creed project.
YouTube user koalas4life1 (a most excellent account name) has published a video that documents a Witcher 3 bug that causes Geralt's sword to vanish from his hands. It looks especially strange and funny when Geralt performs his regular routine of stabs and pirouettes without his trusty blade.
But add in a metal track and Geralt becomes a one-man moshing machine. Look at him go!
The song is "Indictment" by All That Remains. For the sake of comparison, here is a video of real people moshing to that song.
Back in April, Square Enix confirmed Final Fantasy XV would skip E3 for Gamescom, but the developer was still hoping to release a short trailer at the June event in Los Angeles.
Now, those plans have been scrapped entirely.
"After internal discussions, we decided not to create an E3 trailer," Square Enix marketing manager Akio Ofuj said during a livetsream today. "Sorry for lying."
"It's unfortunate," Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata added. "We said we'd have something at E3, and there's nothing."
You're not missing much, however, as Ofuji said this trailer was going to contain old footage that would serve more as a segue of sorts for a bigger reveal at Gamescom.
Looking ahead to Gamescom in August, Ofuji teased that Square Enix is planning to show off "new, never-before-seen" gameplay footage during the event, which runs August 5-9 in Germany. In addition, Tabata shared the piece of concept art you can see below. He says it's related to some kind of announcement Square Enix is planning to make at the event.
Marvel: Contest of Champions developer Kabam has announced Star Wars: Uprising, a mobile game set in between Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Star Wars: Uprising is pitched as an RPG that allows players to create a unique character and embark on missions to develop skill while collecting gear.
Although the studio has released a teaser for the game, there is no actual gameplay in the video. It is currently unclear what the gameplay entails, though a very small screenshot on the game's website seemingly suggests it will be a Diablo-esque action game.
Players will also be able to gather a crew and cartel to partake in "large-scale sector-wide battles that dictate the future of the game universe." Real-time co-op will also be available.
"Star Wars: Uprising will introduce a new chapter of the Star Wars universe that will illuminate dramatic events in the Anoat Sector, inclusive of Hoth and Cloud City, following the Battle of Endor and the death of the Emperor," its developer explains.
Kabam is a prolific mobile development studio and has worked on tie-in games for a number of large properties including The Hobbit, Fast & Furious, and The Godfather.
In more concrete Star Wars game news, EA is expected to show off Star Wars: Battlefront at E3 on June 15.
Those who preorder will receive access to the free Battle of Jakku expansion on December 1, while everyone else will get to play it on December 7. This content is themed around upcoming movie Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.
Competitive gaming company Electronic Sports League, in partnership with ReedPOP and Twitch, has announced this year's ESL One, a tournament featuring eight of the world best Dota 2 teams with a prize pool of over $250,000. This year's event will return to Madison Square Garden, where it was first held in 2014.
ESL One will take place over October 3-4 in the Madison Square Garden Theatre. Fans who attend will be able to take part in strategy sessions with the professional players. Autograph sessions will also be held. The event is part of New York Super Week, which will feature various concerts, comedy shows, gaming events, lectures, and New York Comic Con. Tickets details for New York Super Week can be found on the official website, with prices starting at $59.
The event will take place after Valve's own annual Dota 2 tournament, The International, wraps up in August. At the time of writing, the prize pool for The International has surpassed $10 million.
The first inductees for the "World Video Game Hall of Game" have been revealed. No surprises here, as classics like Pong and Pac-Man made the cut, along with the relatively recent World of Warcraft.
The full list of first wave inductees from The Strong Museum's Hall of Fame is below.
These six games were pulled from a pool of 15 finalists. Games that were passed over include Angry Birds, FIFA, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, The Oregon Trail, Pokemon, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders. These games still have a shot at induction to the Hall of Fame, as nominations for the class of 2016 will be accepted through March 31, 2016, with voting to follow sometime later.
Inductees for the World Video Game Hall of Fame include games that "have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general." A panel of journalists and scholars ultimately decide which games make the cut.
The six newly minted Hall of Famers have been put on permanent display at The Strong's eGameRevolution exhibit. For more on The Strong Museum, head to its website.
Do you agree with The Strong's Hall of Fame inductees? Let us know in the comments below.
Back in February, GameSpot editors revealed their own picks for games that should be included in the Hall of Fame.
Sony has revealed first official details of its long-rumoured Uncharted trilogy remaster, with a trailer that confirms all three acclaimed PlayStation 3 titles will be bundled together for PlayStation 4 owners.
Officially titled Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, the set of three games (Drake's Fortune, Among Thieves, Drake's Deception) has been given a release date of October 9 in North America.
Also bundled in is first access to the multiplayer beta for Uncharted 4, Naughty Dog's latest entry in the series, which was recently delayed to Spring 2016.
Take a look at the trailer below.
Sony promises that all three games in the trilogy render at 1080p60, included with a new photo mode, and additional trophy support.
"Bluepoint Games is incomparable regarding their portfolio of ports and remastered releases," said Naughty Dog's Arne Meyer.
"We've been working closely with them to bring over our engine to make Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection an exemplary game."
Sony is incentivising preorders by offering up the Nathan Drake Pack, which includes single player skins of Drake's outfit, as well as the Golden AK-47 and Golden 92FS guns.
Preorders through the PlayStation Store will be rewarded with immediate access to an Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection PS4 dynamic theme, in addition to the skins and guns.
"[With] The Last of Us, we went to great lengths to try to create this reality, but we were still limited by the amount of overdraw the PS3 could handle, etc.," Straley said when the game was first revealed.
"Now, the PS4 is allowing us to push so much more density, so it's fun to go back and go like, 'Oh, look at the things we wish we could have done in Uncharted 1, it's just like, this is easy, let's just make this.' It's nice to be able to explore something and look back and go, 'Wow, remember when we couldn't do any of this?' It's kind of neat."
Naughty Dog's action-adventure Uncharted series, which debuted in 2007, has now sold more than 21 million copies, the developer revealed on Thursday. The new sales milestone was divulged as part of Sony's announcement of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, a PlayStation 4 bundle due this year.
The Uncharted franchise has spanned three core releases so far, beginning with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune in 2007. A sequel, Among Thieves, was released in 2009. Drake's Deception, the third entry in the main franchise, was released in 2011.
The update is expected to arrive June 9 starting at 8 AM PDT / 11 AM EDT / 4 PM UK across Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata announced during the video broadcast.
Episode Duscae 2.0 is expected to include a variety of changes and improvements, based on the volumes of feedback received from the first iteration of the demo.
During a previous Active Time Report in April, Square Enix developers revealed the top fifteen complaints about Episode Duscae. Tabata addressed them, one by one, offering his take for issues such as the game's Cindy character being "too sexy," as well as camera, frame rate, and resolution concerns.
GameStop's Make-A-Wish foundation charity drive for May, where shoppers could donate to the organization at the point of purchase, was a huge success, organizers say.
The Make-A-Wish foundation announced today that the in-store and online campaign raised more than $1.2 million, which will go toward helping grant "wishes" to children with life-threatening medical issues.
This wasn't GameStop's first year running a Make-A-Wish charity drive, but it was the first to include support from the retailer's subsidiaries like Game Informer, Kongregate, Spring Mobile, and Simply Mac.
"Our customers are simply amazing. Because of their generosity, GameStop collected more than $1.2 million during the month of May--setting a new record for in-store donations," GameStop CFO Rob Lloyd said in a statement. Lloyd is also a member of Make-A-Wish's Texas board of directors.
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.
Pixyul, a Montreal-based studio comprised of former Ubisoft and Eidos developers, has launched a "first person shooter with a twist" on Early Access.
The game, titled Bios, tasks players with completing a series of challenges in the fastest way possible, using any means they can find.
"We call it a racing first-person shooter," it's developer said. "Bios is a fast-paced, high-octane asynchronous competitive game. Your goal is simple, make it to the end alive and in the fastest way possible."
The Early Access for Bios will feature eight environments, with 24 map challenges. Pixyul has said it plans to introduce "more narrative elements and content ... with the development of the final game."
Pixyul is founded by Louis Pierre-Farand and Julien Cury, who previously worked at Ubisoft Montreal. Eidos Montreal programming director Philippe Leblanc also joined the studio in 2014.
Square Enix's latest Active Time Report, a video broadcast expected to bring news about Final Fantasy XV, will begin in less than two hours. The event kicks off at 6 AM PDT / 9 AM EDT / 2 PM UK. You can watch the entire event right here through the YouTube embed below.
Wasteland 2 developer inXile Entertainment on Thursday published a new video for Bard's Tale IV, showing off gameplay for the role-playing game for the first time. You can watch the video below, while some screenshots from the trailer follow at the bottom of this post.
Bard's Tale IV is in development using the Unreal Engine 4, the latest iteration of the technology.
The singer featured in the video is Julie Fowlis, who is singing lyrics from the original Bard's Tale poem translated into Gaelic. Fowlis is also one of the singers featured on the soundtrack for Pixar's Brave.
inXile is seeking to fund Bard's Tale IV through Kickstarter, having launched the game's crowdfunding campaign earlier this week. The developer is seeking $1.25 million to make the project a reality; if that goal is met, inXile will kick in $1.25 million of its own money to expand the budget.
At press time, funding stands at $936,121 from close to 22,000 backers. The campaign ends on July 10.
inXile is looking to go three-for-three on Kickstarter, as the studio previously successfully raised millions of dollars for Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera, which is still in development.
Ahead of Microsoft's appearance at the PC Gaming Show at E3 later this month, Xbox executive Phil Spencer has pledged to gamers that the mistakes of Games for Windows Live won't be repeated with Windows 10. Speaking with PC Gamer, which is hosting the event with Microsoft as a co-sponsor, Spencer started off by recalling the struggles of Microsoft's PC gaming past.
"We weren't fully committed as a company, and I've said that before. We made commitments to developers and consumers that I don't feel we lived up to," he said when asked about Games for Windows Live. "The key difference now is that the Xbox team is driving the Windows and console gaming efforts as one connected ecosystem."
If gaming on Windows 10 falls short, it won't be for lack of effort or resources.
"I can tell you definitively that our team has never committed more resources to making Windows better for game developers and gamers, and that means any gamer on Windows 10, regardless of storefront or device," Spencer explained.
"Windows is the most popular platform for games in the world and we are committed to doing more," he added. "Xbox needs to deliver meaningful, measurable improvements for games and gamers--both for existing games and services and new titles."
Asked if Microsoft's internal development teams, as part of the company's overall renewed focus on PC gaming, would develop PC-exclusive games, Spencer promised support for the platform, but didn't make any promises.
"The charter of Microsoft Studios is to develop games that showcase the best of every Windows device," he said. "You can absolutely count on us to invest in games for the PC. While we want to break down the walls between platforms, we also know that certain games are optimized for certain devices."
Of course a question about new Halo games coming to PC also came up in the interview. Spencer reminded fans that Halo has a history of supporting PC with games like Halo: Combat Evolved for the original Xbox and Windows 98; Halo 2 for PC; and Halo: Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike for Windows 8.
"There's definitely a legacy there," Spencer said. "So no, we wouldn't rule out more Halo coming to the PC."
The first-ever PC Gaming Show at E3 will be held Tuesday, June 16, starting at 5 PM PDT. GameSpot will have all the news from the show as it's announced.
Borderlands developer Gearbox Software on Thursday announced new details about its upcoming MOBA-like shooter Battleborn, which is currently in development for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
First, Battleborn will have 25 playable characters. As you'd expect, each has unique weapons and abilities, and can grow stronger by way of the game's "Helix System." This allows players to boost their character from level 1-10 in a single-player mission or multiplayer match.
Battleborn's story mode allows gamers to play alone or together with up to four others through co-op via splitscreen and online. Gearbox stresses, however, that the entire narrative can be played fully solo. You can also replay missions to score better loot a second time around.
Switching to multiplayer, three distinct modes will be available at launch. With descriptions courtesy of Gearbox, these are:
Incursion: Teams of heroes defend their base from waves of AI-controlled minions while working together, alongside their own minions, to destroy their opponents' base;
Devastation: Teams of heroes face off in a fast-paced death match and must capture and hold objectives on the map to win;
Meltdown: Teams of heroes protect their minions as they march to their death at the center of the map. Points are scored for minions who throw themselves into the incinerator, and the team with the most points wins.
Gearbox has also announced a "Persistent Progression System" for Battleborn. Here's how it works, courtesy of Gearbox:
Persistent Progression System: All experience points, whether earned through playing Battleborn's Story Mode or Competitive Multiplayer modes, contribute to leveling up individual Character Rank, as well as player profile Command Rank:
Character Rank: Each hero can permanently rank up from 1 to 10 outside of missions and matches, allowing players to swap out augments in their helix skill tree, as well as unlock skins.
Command Rank: Players can rank-up their own player profile, unlocking badges and titles to impress friends, and loot that can be used to benefit any hero the player chooses to command.
For lots more on today's Battleborn announcements, check out the video embedded in this post. In addition to Battleborn, Gearbox is working on Borderlands 3 and maybe a new Brothers in Arms.
Battleborn is scheduled to launch during 2K Games parent company Take-Two's fiscal 2016, meaning it should arrive before April 2016.
Gearbox previously described Battleborn as the "most ambitious" game the studio has ever made. The Texas-based developer is perhaps best known for the Borderlands series, but it also created the Brothers in Arms franchise and has worked on various entries in the Halo, Half-Life, and Duke Nukem series.
For a closer look at Battleborn, check out some images in the gallery below. What's more, Take-Two has teased that Battleborn will be at E3 next month "in a big way."
Rock Band 4 will launch later this year for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. A PC edition is not in the works, and now, developer Harmonix has explained why. Project lead Daniel Sussman tells Eurogamer in a new interview that there are a couple reasons why they're skipping a PC release, the first has to do with the series not having much of a footprint on computers to begin with.
"The library is not there on PC," Sussman said, referring to the songs released for previous Rock Band games. "The library is there on Xbox and PlayStation. So, for players who want it on PC, really you're looking at a new audience that hasn't played before, and I don't know to what degree there is an audience for new players who have never played Rock Band before on the PC. That's one piece of it."
Sussman went on to say that another reason Rock Band 4 isn't coming to PC has to do with security concerns, which could be a major issue for a game involving music rights.
"The other piece is all the security issues, to be perfectly frank," Sussman said. "There's something comforting about the closed network that comes along with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. That's important to our partners in the music industry. Not to say that's an unsolvable problem."
No Rock Band game has ever been released on PC, while some Guitar Hero games were available for PC. Ubisoft's Rocksmith franchise is also available on computers.
Although Harmonix definitely has concerns about bringing Rock Band 4 to PC, the studio hasn't entirely ruled it out. Read Eurogamer's full interview for more on Harmonix's take on PC gaming.
Update: Following the publication of this story, a Harmonix representative issued a statement regarding Sussman's comments, specifically his quote about security/piracy concerns. We have updated the story to reflect this statement.
"We're not concerned about software piracy on PC. We have and will release games for PC. In fact, last year we released A City Sleeps for PC, Mac, and Linux. As Daniel stated, the security in question is related to licensed music in the game. PlayStation4 and Xbox One have robust functionality in that area. It's added security that's handled by the platform holders. In the case of more open platforms like PC, we're responsible for that. It's something we can build. It's not off the table for the future, however we're first focusing on delivering Rock Band 4 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this holiday."
[UPDATE] The issue appears to be fixed, as the Xbox Support site no longer mentions any problems with The Witcher 3.
The original story is below.
If you're having trouble playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Xbox One right now, it's not just you. Microsoft has confirmed an Xbox Live issue is preventing players from accessing the game.
"Are you unable to launch or install The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? We're working to address this ASAP! Thanks for staying patient. We'll fill you in as soon as we know more," an update from 4 PM Pacific reads on the Xbox Live Status page.
Over on Microsoft's forums and Reddit, players are reporting that they're receiving the Error Code 0x87de2726.
Developer CD Projekt Red continues to update and tweak the game, with the latest patch--this one fixing an XP bug and more--due to arrive sometime soon.
Are you having issues with your copy of The Witcher 3 on Xbox One? Let us know in the comments below.
The Fallout 4 announcement yesterday led to a dramatic upswing in sales of the most recent entries in the series, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, at least on Amazon. The online retailer's Movers & Shakers Chart (via Videogamer) shows that Fallout 3 Game of the Year sales rose 1,163 percent, while the New Vegas Ultimate Edition enjoyed a dramatic 409 percent upswing in the wake of the reveal.
Fallout 4 is the latest project from Bethesda Game Studios, which most recently released The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in 2011. The game is at least partially set in Boston, as yesterday's reveal trailer showed a post-apocalyptic Fenway Park and USS Constitution, among other Beantown landmarks.
Todd Howard, the director of Fallout 3 and Skyrim, has returned to direct Fallout 4.
Bethesda has not announced a release date for Fallout 4, but the company's own website said the game will launch later this year. We're expecting to see and hear more about the game during Bethesda's first-ever E3 briefing later this month.
For more on Fallout 4, check out the game's reveal trailer and some images in the gallery below.
[UPDATE 2] Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection has now been officially announced.
[UPDATE] Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, the co-director for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, appears to have confirmed the The Nathan Drake Collection. An official announcement is expected later today.
Well... that hit a few hours too early. See you in the AM. G'night y'all.
Naughty Dog's Uncharted series will be getting a release in the form of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. Brought to our attention by Greg Miller (via Twitter) the game was spotted on the PlayStation Store briefly before disappearing.
No additional details of what the collection contains were revealed in the leak. GameSpot has reached out to PlayStation for comment and will update this story as more details become available.
The newest confirmed entry in the Uncharted series is Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. The game is scheduled for release sometime in the first quarter of 2016, much later than its original 2015 release window. Explaining the Uncharted 4 delay back in March, directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley said: "Giving us a few extra months will make certain that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End not only meets the team's high standards but the high standards that gamers have come to expect from a Naughty Dog title."
Multiple retailers have suggested that Fallout 4, the long-awaited open-world RPG from Bethesda, will be available in 2015.
Although its publisher Bethesda Softworks has not yet officially confirmed a release date or release window, it has provided a strong indication for a 2015 release.
Bethesda's own online store initially listed the Fallout 4 release date as "TBA 2015." This was later changed to "TBA."
Currently, both Amazon and GameStop have the game listed for December 31, most likely as placeholder dates, but nonetheless set in 2015.
Another listing comes from Australia retailer EB Games, which sent out promotional material following the announcement. The image, which was posted online by a NeoGAF user, states that Fallout 4 is "coming 2015."
UK retailer Game has also listed a 2015 Fallout 4 release date.
Bethesda left about a year between the first announcement and final release of both The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 3. However, Fallout New Vegas, the last Fallout game to be released, was available just seven months after its debut announcement.
Bethesda's other upcoming projects include the Doom reboot, which will be fully unveiled at E3 2015 and free-to-play multiplayer shooter Battlecry. However, both these games do not yet have release dates.
In April 2013 Bethesda confirmed its Skyrim development team, believed to also be the devs behind Fallout 3, had fully moved on to its next project, as it had reached the point where it required the studio's full attention.
With just a few more weeks to go before Batman: Arkham Knight's release, we have now learned the game's file size. Rocksteady's action adventure, its final entry in the Arkham series, will weigh in at around 45 GB across PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
Publisher Warner Bros. has also rolled out a special deal for the Arkham Knight Premium Edition. This bundle, which comes with the game's $40 DLC pass and other bonuses, will sell for $100 at launch, but you can buy it for $90 up until launch. This discount applies to all versions of the game.
[UPDATE] Notch has offered some additional insight into this story on Twitter.
"Half the bonus was completely unconditional," he said. "It's after tax. The bonus came from me personally, from my own personal money."
The original story is below.
Wired magazine has posted an excerpt from an upcoming Minecraft book that offers new details about Microsoft's blockbuster $2.5 billion acquisition of Mojang and the popular sandbox franchise. The excerpt is packed with fascinating inside information, including how Microsoft and Mojang kept employees from simply quitting their jobs once the deal was complete.
The answer, at least in part, was money. Lots of money.
"Everyone at Mojang was made the same offer: whoever stayed on board for at least six months after the sale would be rewarded with two million Swedish crowns, approximately three hundred thousand dollars, after taxes," reads a line from the book. "A small fortune was being tendered as a peace offering, in other words."
According to the book, all employees were also guaranteed their monthly salaries for two full years after the deal closed. This would be true even if Microsoft elected to close Mojang's office in Stockholm and move development to the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. The book states that at least one employee rejected the offer.
Another section of the excerpt covers the immediate aftermath of the Minecraft acquisition deal becoming public. As it turns out, not everyone inside Mojang was happy.
"News of the sale changed things at Mojang. Some felt betrayed by [Minecraft creator Markus Persson's] decision," reads another line. "Morale plummeted. 'People felt like the world was coming to an end,' one longtime Mojang employee told us shortly after the news broke."
Yet another part of the excerpt talks about a meeting that Microsoft Game Studios general manager Matt Booty held at Mojang's offices after the deal closed. It didn't go so well.
"According to people present at the meeting, Matt Booty misspoke several times when discussing Mojang's future," the book says. "Instead of saying Mojang, he referred to the company simply as Minecraft, quickly correcting himself. For the others in the room, it was awkward to say the least. Less than half of them worked directly with Minecraft. Every time the man from Microsoft confused the name of the company he'd acquired with the game it was known for, he inadvertently pointed to the elephant in the room. Yes, Microsoft had acquired all of Mojang. But it was only really interested in Minecraft."
The book is called Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus Notch Persson and the Game that Changed Everything -- Second Edition. It's a follow-up to the 2013 original installment and will be released on June 16.
German developer Shin'en Multimedia has released the first set of screenshots for its upcoming futuristic racer exclusive to the Wii U, Fast Racing Neo.
The game's official site lists a 2015 release date, and on Twitter the developer said we should expect more details at E3, which kicks off June 16.
As you can see in the screenshots above, Fast Racing Neo looks a lot like Nintendo's F-Zero, as did Shin'en Multimedia's previous futuristic racer released on WiiWare in 2011, Fast Racing League.
If you're looking for more futuristic racers, you should keep an eye on Formula Fusion, the new game from developers who previously worked on Sony's Wipeout series.
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