Nintendo's president says revenue from Super Mario Run was lower than expected, but he insists pay-to-play mobile games are here to stay at the gaming giant.
Super Mario Run, the first mobile game to feature Nintendo's star character, is free to download, but only a limited amount of content is free-to-play. To unlock the full game, players must pay US $10 / £10 / AU $15. By the end of January, the game hit a whopping 78 million downloads on iOS only, but only 5% of players had purchased the full game.
The game made its Android debut this week alongside the release of a major update for the iOS version. In version 2.0.0, Nintendo has expanded the free-to-play content in the game, which is included in the Android release.
While Super Mario Run has gotten more free content, it is another Nintendo game that is the company's smartphone "cash cow," according to Nikkei Asian Review. Fire Emblem Heroes, a more traditional free-to-play game, has been wildly successful in sales. Despite that, Nintendo insists pay-to-play is the preferred business model.
"Heroes is an outlier. We honestly prefer the Super Mario Run model," a senior company official told Nikkei.
In 2015, Nintendo announced an ambitious plan to break into mobile games. It has released two games so far, Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes. Animal Crossing, originally supposed to be released last year, is now delayed with a release sometime in the next fiscal year. Nintendo now says it plans to release 2-3 mobile games a year.
The big screen reboot of Power Rangers opens today, March 24, and is already off to a strong start. As Variety reports, it made $3.6 million in Thursday night previews--however, it is expected that Disney's Beauty and the Beast will maintain its dominance of the box office.
The Thursday night gross is nearly as much as Kong: Skull Island made two weeks ago, and that movie went on to make $61 million across the whole weekend. Power Rangers isn't expected to make that much, but it is estimated to earn $30-$40 million over three days.
This is some way ahead of the other new releases hitting screens today--the sci-fi thriller Life and cop comedy Chips, which have been predicted to take $15-$20 million and $10-$12 million respectively.
However, even if Power Rangers makes as much as $40 million, it won't topple the hugely successful Beauty and the Beast from the top slot. The live-action Disney remake is predicated to earn another $90 million in its second weekend, following last week's record-breaking $174.8 million haul.
Power Rangers has received mixed reviews so far--check out GameSpot's opinion here. And if you want to know what happens in the post-credit scene, click here--be warned though, there are major spoilers.
On PC, this is limited to just the standard free weekend event we're used to seeing on Steam. You can download and play the full version on until Sunday, March 26, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM GMT. Additionally, you can pick up the full version for half price ($15/£10) until Monday. If you have enough friends and want to fill out a full group, a six-pack version is $75 (£50), which works out to $12.50 (£8.33) per copy.
For those on PS4 in the US, you'll have a bit more time with the game. The free event lasts until Tuesday, March 28. However, with the game having debuted much more recently on PS4 than on PC, its accompanying sale only drops the price to $26.79 (from $40).
You can grab the game through the links below. For more, check out GameSpot's Killing Floor 2 review.
Power Rangers is now playing in theaters. You can read our review here. The movie rebooted the franchise and brought back the original Rangers--Jason, Kimberly, Billy, Zack, and Trini. Familiar elements from the original TV series were given a modern makeover as the teens came together to fight the threat of Rita Repulsa in order to protect the world.
The movie's producer has stated they have plans for a six-movie arc, and the mid-credits scene delivers a strong indication to what could happen next. If you haven't seen the movie yet, stop reading now. There will be spoilers below.
Members of the Power Rangers report to Saturday detention after saving their town of Angel Grove and the world. This is where they met each other at the beginning of the movie. The teacher in the detention room takes attendance and calls out Tommy Oliver's name. This student is not seen, but the camera pans to an empty desk with a green jacket on the chair.
Fans of the Power Rangers franchise know what this means. Tommy Oliver was the Green Ranger. In the original series, he was introduced as a new student who was forced to become Rita's agent against the Power Rangers. He was a powerful enemy and was eventually freed from Rita's control and joined the others to make amends.
In the new movie, it is revealed that Rita originally was the Green Power Ranger on Zordon's team, millions of years ago. She still possesses the Green Power Coin, which she uses in her scepter. She may have been defeated, but we all know a good villain always finds a way back.
Adding to the Green Ranger tease in the movie, Sabban also tweeted the following video.
It's pretty obvious we'll be seeing the Green Ranger if a sequel happens. Casting information hasn't been released. This means either the role hasn't been cast, or Lionsgate is keeping it under wraps.
Blizzard has taken the next major step to phasing out the classic Battle.net name it's used for the past two decades. With the release of a new update, the company's launcher app no longer bears the Battle.net branding.
Formerly known as the Battle.net app, the company's Steam-style launcher for its PC games is now simply known as the Blizzard app, as pictured below.
In terms of functionality and design, nothing else has changed about the app, which handles downloading updates and launching Blizzard's various PC games. The company announced its plans to eliminate the Battle.net name last year, and newer services--like Blizzard Streaming and Blizzard Voice--have launched with the new branding.
"When we created Battle.net, the idea of including a tailored online-gaming service together with your game was more of a novel concept, so we put a lot of focus on explaining what the service was and how it worked, including giving it a distinct name," Blizzard explained. "Over time, though, we've seen that there's been occasional confusion and inefficiencies related to having two separate identities under which everything falls--Blizzard and Battle.net. Given that built-in multiplayer support is a well-understood concept and more of a normal expectation these days, there isn't as much of a need to maintain a separate identity for what is essentially our networking technology."
For those of us with fond memories of playing games like Diablo II on Battle.net, it is somewhat of a sad thing to see the name abandoned after all these years. But hey, at least the Necromancer is coming back.
As part of a new, limited ban on some flights, many US-bound passengers will no longer be allowed to take large electronic devices--including the Nintendo Switch--into the cabin.
The US government recently approved a ban on large electronic devices on flights from eight Middle-Eastern countries. Passengers will be forbidden from bringing devices "larger than a cellphone" on board the cabin, meaning laptops, iPads, Kindles, and more will have to be stowed away in the hold.
The ban will be enforced on flights from 10 airports spread across Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The restrictions also apply to tablets and games consoles--including, presumably, the Nintendo Switch, 3DS, and PS Vita. Smartphones will be allowed into the cabin.
According to the Guardian, Trump administration officials told press that the ban had been devised after "evaluated intelligence" emerged stating terrorists favored "smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items."
The ban, which comes into action within the next few hours, is reportedly not a public regulation; airlines will be expected to enforce the rule themselves.
The ban has been criticized by some tech experts, who say that forcing a device into the hold rather than the cabin does not remove the risk that they could be used as explosives. "If you assume the attacker is interested in turning a laptop into a bomb, it would work just as well in the cargo hold," International Computer Science Institute researcher Nicholas Weaver told the Guardian.
"If you're worried about hacking, a cellphone is a computer."
Shortly after the US government announced their restrictions, the UK government announced a similar ban. Flights to the UK originating from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia will not allow devices larger than 16 cm long, 9.3 cm wide, or 1.5 cm deep into the cabin. However, large smartphones and games consoles, including the Nintendo Switch, are permitted--meaning the UK and US bans differ in that regard.
"The ban will apply to flights bound for the US, not the UK," a UK government spokesperson told UK news outlet i.
Sony has kicked off the latest flash sale on the PlayStation Store in the US to complement this week's deals, and it's a good one.
Dubbed the Everything Goes sale, this discounts a wide variety of games for all PSN members. There are some top-tier games in there, including Persona 4 Golden on Vita for a mere $9. If you play it nonstop, you might even be done in time for its sequel next month.
PS3 owners can pick up The Evil Within for $9 (also available on PS4), Deadly Premonition's Ultimate Edition (an ideal game to play with Twin Peaks returning soon) for $4, or Catherine for $5. The first two Jackbox Party Packs are also on sale for $5 each, while the third is $7.49.
The launch of Dark Souls III's final DLC expansion is just days away, and now Bandai Namco has released the official launch trailer.
Dark Souls III: The Ringed City takes players deep into a mangled, destroyed land. They'll discover the decrepit Ringed City, encounter nasty new enemies and bosses, find new armor and weapons, and cast new spells. The expansion marks the end of the Dark Souls III saga.
The Ringed City launches on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on Tuesday, March 28, and will cost US $15 / £11.99 / AU $22.95. It's also included in the season pass for US $25 / £19.99 / AU $37.95, which gives you access to the first expansion Ashes of Ariandel.
Dark Souls III's latest update just went live yesterday. It adds support for The Ringed City, increases Dark Souls III's frame rate on PS4 Pro, fixes severals bugs, and re-balances many items and weapons in the game.
He might be cinema's most famous space smuggler, but it seems Han Solo might not be his real name. According to Disney boss Bob Iger, the upcoming Star Wars spinoff focusing on a young Solo's adventures will reveal "how he got his name."
Iger spoke recently at the University of Southern California, and discussed the Solo movie, which releases next year. He said the film, "picks up with Han Solo when he was 18 years old and takes him through when he was 24. There are a few significant things that happen in Han Solo's life, like acquiring a certain vehicle and meeting a certain Wookiee that will happen in this film. But you will also discover how he got his name."
The Han Solo movie opens on May 25, 2018. The next entry in the series is this year's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which picks up immediately after 2015's The Force Awakens.
Splatoon 2's Global Testfire starts today, and the app is available to download on Nintendo Switch now.
You can grab the application from the Switch eShop, though until the event starts, booting the game up will just give you the following message: "The Splatoon 2 Global Testfire hasn't started yet."
You won't have to wait long, however. The first trial kicks off on March 24 at 12 PM PST / 3 PM EST / 7 PM GMT. Players have a number of limited-time slots in which to try the game, all six of which are coming March 24-26--check out all the times and details here, or take a look at this teaser video for more.
Available in the Splatoon 2 demo will be four main weapons, as well as "remixed" versions of the Splat Roller and Splat Charger. Take a look at the new guns in action here, or tune in to our livestream of the Testfire at noon PST.
Mass Effect: Andromeda's animation issues have been well-documented, and its dialogue scenes criticized by much of the game's community. Now, an ex-BioWare developer has provided some insight into why Andromeda's facial animations might not be as high quality as some other games'.
Jonathan Cooper, who is now an animator on the Uncharted series at Naughty Dog, explained on Twitter that "animating an RPG is a really, really big undertaking--completely different from a game like Uncharted so comparisons are unfair." He said that in a more linear series like Uncharted, every encounter with another character is "highly controlled," where the the developer can create "bespoke animations."
"Conversely, RPGs offer a magnitude more volume of content and importantly, player/story choice. It's simply a quantity vs quality tradeoff," he pointed out.
Cooper, who was the lead animator on the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, goes on to explain that in an RPG like Mass Effect: Andromeda, "designers (not animators) sequence pre-created animations together--like DJs with samples and tracks." Because of the amount of dialogue options, conversations, and order these can come in in an RPG, "dialogues are separated into tiered quality levels based on importance/likelihood," where "The lowest quality scenes may not even be touched by hand" and an algorithm covers the rest.
"Andromeda seems to have lowered the quality of its base algorithm," Cooper posits. He thinks BioWare may have "underestimated [the] task" of "hitting every line by hand."
The attention Andromeda has received "is exacerbated by us living in an era of Share buttons and YouTube," says Cooper, "Getting the lowest quality out to the widest audience." You can see the animator's full explanation at the bottom of this article.
In our review, critic Scott Butterworth said Andromeda "feels like a vision half-fulfilled."
"It contains a dizzying amount of content," he explained, "but the quality fluctuates wildly." Read more in our full Mass Effect: Andromeda review, or read what other critics thought in this review roundup.
The third episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 3 has been teased in a new trailer, which also reveals the episode's release date as March 28.
Episode 3 - Above the Law sees this season's new playable character, Javier, struggling to settle with his newly reunited family. Take a look at the video below to find out more before the new instalment arrives for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and mobile devices next week.
Both Clementine and Javier are playable in this third season. They come from different backgrounds but unite in their struggle to protect their loved ones. Executive producer Kevin Boyle previously said, "Javier will begin to unravel the mystery of who Clementine has become, as her story intersects with his--both of them still driven by the things they value most, long after society's collapse."
Publisher Sega has announced that its soccer sim, Football Manager 2017, is free to play this weekend on Steam. That means PC users can access "the full Football Manager experience" without charge until Sunday, March 26 at noon PST / 3 PM ET / 8 PM GMT.
In a blog post, Sega promises this free trial grants players "unrestricted access" to the game, including the stripped-down Classic Mode and the dream team-style Fantasy Draft. The latter has you manage a squad packed with the world's biggest stars, with the ability to challenge your friends online.
Once the free trial ends on Sunday, FM 2017 will be half price to purchase permanently, making it $25 / £17.50--and your progress from the free period will carry over if you decide to buy the full game. The game's tablet and smartphone versions (called Touch and Mobile, respectively) do not appear to be on offer.
Critic Richard Wakeling awarded the PC game a 7/10 in our Football Manager 2017 review, praising the match engine and overall presentation, but criticizing the lack of new features found in this year's title.
"Football Manager 2017 is not a game of revolution, but one of refinement," he said. "Transfers are smarter and more involved, and the faster player development and streamlining of information are welcome. The perennial strengths of Football Manager are stronger than ever, yet it's the furtive improvements to the match engine that really set Football Manager 2017 apart from its immediate predecessor. Sure, I still have gripes with the tactical interface, and there isn't anything new there worth writing about. But if your rear end has ever been entrenched in the virtual dugout or you're just a fresh-faced hopeful looking to begin your journey, Football Manager 2017 is easy to recommend to the budding manager."
An entry for Outlast 2 listed on the Australian Government's Classification Board website has confirmed that on March 21st 2017, Outlast was given the R18+ rating, with warnings of "high impact horror themes, violence, blood, gore, and sex."
The ruling comes roughly a week after the game's initial classification refusal, which stated that Outlast 2 was found to: "depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified."
In a report obtained by Kotaku, it appeared as if scenes of "implied sexual violence" were a significant factor in the board's original decision to refuse classification.
It's unclear what caused the Classification Board to alter their original decision, but what we do know is that the contents of Outlast 2 were not altered in any way during resubmission, and that Australia will receive the same game as everyone else.
In a statement provided to Press-Start, developer Red Barrels confirmed: "Outlast 2 has been rated R18+ by the Classification Branch in Australia and will be released 26th April 2017. There will be only one version of Outlast 2 available worldwide."
The Power Rangers are finally back on the big screen, and instead of being a camp, kiddie focused feature, this newest incarnation is like The Breakfast Club meets The Avengers, mixing a teen drama in a superhero origin story. Jason (Dacre Montgomery), the school's star football player meets Billy (RJ Cyler) and Kimberly (Naomi Scott) in Saturday detention. Billy is a technical genius, while Kimberly is a cheerleader on the outs with her squad. The ragtag group soon are joined by Zack (Ludi Lin), a reckless classmate who rarely attends school, and Trini (Becky G), the "new girl" and outsider in their their hometown of Angel Grove. The first two acts of the movie centers around the teens getting to know each other as they're chosen to become Power Rangers in order to protect the world from the villainous Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks).
During the group's journey to become true Power Rangers, we learn more about this band of misfits and the complications they face in their lives. The movie successfully establishes the team as flawed and makes them more relatable, compared to the uninspiring versions in the original series. The same could even be said for the Power Rangers' mentor, Zordon (Bryan Cranston), who the team find trapped inside an ancient spaceship. In part due to his slightly different backstory, Zordon comes across as a little harsh to the teens due to Rita's threat to the world and a surprisingly selfish motive on his part.
While the film is less campy than the original series, it's not a completely dreary movie. The chemistry between the actors is palpable, and there are plenty of moments of levity as they interact with each other and learn how to adjust to their new Power Rangers abilities. The inclusion of the quirky robot Alpha 5 (voiced by Bill Hader) further provides comedic relief as he helps train the Rangers.
Surprisingly, there's really only a few action scenes in the film, and there's also a lack of meaningful exploration of the character of Rita Repulsa. Having less action than expected in a big blockbuster movie and not fully fleshing out a villain are risky moves, but it does offer a strong payoff in the end here. A big-action movie like this needs an over-the-top villain like Rita, but it's the characters' bonds that carry the story in the film. Rita's motives are never fully explained--other than a villain's typical lust for ultimate power. Rita's character feels closer to the original TV incarnation instead of having a deeper take similar to the teens, Zordon, and Alpha 5. Elizabeth Banks delivers a fine performance with what she has to work with, though this Rita simply isn't a compelling villain.
The fight-scene visuals are heavy with CG elements--and a big departure from the original series' low-budget scenes. The CG scenes sometimes contain too much CG, giving an unbalanced feel when compared to those taking place in the teens' home and school. The effects to shine when the team morphs into their Power Rangers armor. Seeing the in-costume Rangers fighting Rita's Putty Patrollers does an excellent job of balancing the old-school cheesy vibe with modern movie visuals. The days of spandex clad and rubber creatures are over. The Rangers' hand-to-hand combat can also be displayed with more flare and on a grander scale compared to the past incarnations.
Despite convincing performances during the character bonding moments from the Power Rangers actors, the lack of big-action scenes are a letdown. Diehard fans will want to see the Rangers' Zords or the Megazord vehicles fighting giant monsters but that action is mostly contained in the climactic battle. The franchise is known for its over the top action, and there just isn't enough here.
Minimal gigantic Megazord action aside, Power Rangers may be just another big-budget Hollywood reboot, but unlike some like 2001's Planet of the Apes or 2010's Clash of the Titans, it's got plenty of charm. It's an appealing blend that captures the source material's essence while simultaneously making sure it stands on its own--and with characters you'll want to see return in a potential sequel.
If you want to know what happens next, click here.
Tomorrow Nintendo kicks off the "global testfire" event for its upcoming Switch shooter Splatoon 2, but you can get an early look at the game's weapons in action through the videos below (via the official Splatoon blog).
Inkjet
Tenta Missiles
Splashdown
Sting Ray
Splat Dualies
Splattershot
Splat Roller
Splat Charger
Curling Bomb
You can check out the full list of (very limited) opportunities to try out the game yourself during the testing phase here, but the demo version of the game is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for download right now. And in case you won't get a chance to play it yourself, you can watch us livestream the game on Friday, March 23 at noon PST by checking out our homepage.
Splatoon 2 is a Nintendo Switch exclusive, and it currently has a tentative release date of "summer" 2017.
Looking for a Nintendo Switch? You may be able to get one of the hard-to-find systems at retailer Toys R Us this weekend. A representative for the store tells GameSpot that stores across the US will receive shipments tomorrow, March 25, and will presumably be sold right away.
The Toys R Us representative said shoppers should get to their local stores early, as units are expected to "fly off [the] shelves."
This is at least the second time that Toys R Us has received a new shipment of Switch units following the hybrid console's release earlier this month.
Available for free, this is the first of "several" story-based missions for the game that feature "new playable characters, weapons, and items."
Titled "Drack's Missing Scouts," this first Andromeda Apex mission is available until March 27. To complete the task, you need to investigate the map, Firebase Paradox, to investigate a Kett threat. You can see the mission in action through the gameplay video embedded above.
If you already own them for Xbox 360, they should show up automatically in your Xbox One game library. Alternatively, you can buy them on your Xbox One or through the Xbox Store website.
In other news, Xbox boss Phil Spencer teased future backwards compatibility games, though he had nothing to say regarding the possibility of the much-requested Call of Duty: Black Ops II joining the lineup. With more than 215,000 votes, Black Ops II is far and away the most-requested game for backwards compatibility on the Xbox Feedback website.
@BestXboxGamerEU One of my most anticipated is coming in the next few weeks, some good ones tee'd up. <no comment on BO2>
— Justice League Movie (@justiceleaguewb) March 23, 2017
His poster can be seen at the gallery at the bottom of this post.
Update: Another teaser has now been released, this one featuring Batman. There's also a poster showing his new suit to go along with it, which you'll find further below.
— Justice League Movie (@justiceleaguewb) March 23, 2017
A new trailer for the DC team-up Justice League is due this weekend. In advance of that, a short teaser focusing on Aquaman has been released--check it out below:
Bungie has filled in some lingering details about Destiny's Age of Triumph update and released a launch trailer (above) for it ahead of its release next week.
This update brings new uses for Legendary Marks, many Tower vendors' stock will now cycle through different armor and weapon perks on a weekly basis. These include the Vanguard class vendors; the Vanguard and Crucible quartermasters; Lord Shaxx; and each of the faction vendors. Variks, Shiro, and The Speaker will each also continue to offer different options every week.
Everyone will have a new way to get their hands on the Exotic auto rifle Necrochasm, as there will be a new quest that leads to it. Additionally, every Primary weapon from each Raid will have both a Legendary version (with no elemental damage) that can be earned from the standard 390 Light level Raid every week. Alternatively, all of these weapons will have new Exotic Adept versions with elemental damage. However, weapons and armor from the normal-difficulty King's Fall won't be available from the 390 version, but non-Harrowed rewards can still be earned the same way as before.
As noted previously, patch notes will arrive alongside the update on Tuesday, March 28, at 10 AM PT. A preview of the notes was included in today's Bungie blog post and included a point about Crucible daily bounties being updated so that they no longer require you to use a specific subclass or be in a Fireteam.
There are two other notes that are important to be aware of as the release of the update draws near. One involves completing the weekly Heroic Strike and weekly Nightfall playlists without first receiving the update, which you can read more about here. On a related note, you'll still be able to access the weekly Crucible playlist after the reset at 2 AM, but the new rewards won't be available until after the patch is deployed.
Additionally, the Crucible questline The Mountaintop will no longer be available post-patch. If you're still on the quest come Tuesday, you'll only be able to complete that step but no further ones. As a result, this is your last chance to get the Legendary rocket launcher Hothead.
Earlier today, a leak suggested that Destiny 2 will arrive in September and that a beta is coming that will launch first on PS4. As expected, with Bungie focused on Age of Triumph, the studio had nothing to share on that front, although it did subtly acknowledge the leak with a message at the end of its blog: "p.s. You were expecting something else? One milestone at a time, Guardians..."
Disney CEO Bob Iger and actor Woody Harrelson have both shared new details about upcoming Star Wars films, and in Iger's case, a tease about the post-Episode IX future of the franchise.
Regarding this year's Episode VIII, The Last Jedi, Iger indicated that Carrie Fisher's passing hasn't resulted in any changes being made to the movie.
"We had to deal with tragedy at the end of 2016," he said during a talk today, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Carrie appears throughout VIII. We are not changing VIII to deal with her passing. Her performance remains as it is in VIII. In Rogue One, we had some digital character[s]. We are not doing that with Carrie."
As for the Han Solo anthology film, Iger said that it covers Solo's life when he's 18-24 years old. We'll also see him get his hands on the Millennium Falcon.
Harrelson, who was confirmed to be a member of the Han Solo movie cast earlier this year, shared some insight during an interview on The Tonight Show. According to him, he plays a criminal named Beckett who serves as a mentor for the young Solo. You can watch the full interview below.
Beyond these two movies and Episode IX, Disney and Lucasfilm is already giving thought to what comes next.
"We're starting [to] talk about what could happen after Episode IX. About what could be another decade-and-a-half of Star Wars stories," Iger said today, though he didn't share anything beyond that.
The Last Jedi is due out later this year, with the Han Solo movie to follow in 2018.
Update: GameStop's post-earnings conference call has concluded, and there was a good deal of talk about subjects like Nintendo Switch and Project Scorpio. We've broken out many of the interesting tidbits for you below.
Switch
Demand for Switch is "incredibly strong" and GameStop expects supply to be an issue for the entire year.
Its "multiple replenishments" of Switch stock have sold out within hours.
Counting both games and accessories, the attach rate for Switch has been over 5.5 per unit sold. As a result, it expects to see an "attractive share" of future Switch allocations.
Purchase intent for Switch and Project Scorpio is "at PS4 levels or higher."
GameStop has had a "very successful launch so far" for Switch, which has "real potential to be Wii-like in its ability to expand the category from core to broad audiences."
Scorpio
GameStop executives recently visited a studio and saw excitement for PlayStation VR. This leads the retailer to believe it puts pressure on Microsoft to answer with its own VR solution, which in turn bodes well for sales of a VR-capable Scorpio.
The retailer sees Scorpio as a "very gaming-centric, very powerful unit" that will see "great games" made for it.
With PlayStation VR selling out, GameStop CEO Tony Bartel says, "You have to believe others will want to get into that game. So that's one of the reasons we're bullish [on Scorpio]."
VR
VR is in "strong demand," spikes of which are driven by games like Resident Evil 7.
GameStop's limited allocation typically sells out in "less than a week," and it believes demand will continue to outpace supply during the upcoming year.
Business
For the upcoming year, GameStop expects hardware sales to be "roughly flat" as it doesn't know if Switch and Scorpio sales will be enough to "offset the expected decline in hardware sales resulting from recent trends and the decline in average hardware price point."
The store expects to see 40% of its operating earnings come from things other than physical games, and it's still on track to hit its goal of 50% by the end of 2019.
GameStop plans to "expand its space" for PC and indie games, as well as "linear in-game content" like GTA Online Shark cash and Madden/FIFA Ultimate Team.
Excluding Pokemon, the top eight physical games declined over 40% from October through December compared with 2015 (according to NPD data). This led to games being discounted more quickly than usual.
The 2016 holiday season was "more promotional than prior ones," resulting in average hardware prices being down 15 percent compared to previous years.
Console upgrades (likely referring to Xbox One S and PS4 Pro) were "not as meaningful" as GameStop had hoped.
GameStop believes 2016's physical game decline was "not caused solely by acceleration in full game downloads."
The original story follows.
GameStop today reported its earnings for both its fourth fiscal quarter and the fiscal year that ended on January 28, two periods that saw significant declines in sales.
During the fourth quarter, total global sales were down 13.6% year-over-year to $3.05 billion. The company blames its slow holiday sales period on "weak sales of certain AAA titles and aggressive console promotions by other retailers on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday," likely in reference to the $250-and-extra-freebie offers at places like Target and Best Buy. New hardware sales were down 29.1% for the quarter. Software sales also took a hit, both new (19.3%) and pre-owned (6.7%). GameStop also lamented weaker-than-expected sales during its last earnings report.
Two areas that did see growth during the quarter were collectibles (up 27.8% to $212.4 million) and its Technology Brand business (up 43.9% to $256 million). The latter is attributed to store growth, while collectibles were "driven by strong sales of Pokemon-related toys and apparel."
For the full year, sales were down 8.1% to $8.61 billion. However, 35.9% of the business's adjusted operating earnings came from non-physical gaming businesses. That's up from 24.5% during fiscal 2015.
"GameStop's transformation continued to take hold in 2016, as our non-gaming businesses drove gross margin expansion and significantly contributed to our profits," CEO Paul Raines said in a press release. "Meanwhile, the video game category was weak, particularly in the back half of 2016, as the console cycle ages. Looking at 2017, Technology Brands and Collectibles are expected to generate another year of strong growth, and new hardware innovation in the video game category looks promising."
GameStop's stock has been on the decline as of late, and it appears to be performing poorly in after-hours trading following the release of today's earnings. After closing out the day at $23.96 (down from a recent high of $26.52 in February), it now sits as $21.92. Gross margins for the company also reached a record high.
The retailer has a conference call with investors scheduled for today at 2 PM PT. We'll report back with anything of note it shares.
Corsair is best known for PC hardware components and accessories, but it's now also getting into the business of selling fully built computers.
The company today announced its first gaming PC, the Corsair One, which it says "brings together decades of Corsair memory, cooling, power supply, and chassis engineering with the latest in cutting edge PC hardware to create a PC unlike anything else available."
While that may sound a little over-the-top, there's no denying that the Corsair One features some high-end hardware. The cheapest version comes with a liquid-cooled 4.2 GHz Core i7 7700, an 8 GB GTX 1070, 16 GB of RAM, a 240 GB SSD, and a 1 TB HDD. As you'd expect, that comes at a high price--it's $1,800 before tax.
More expensive options are also available that provide higher-end GPUs (with liquid cooling) and more storage, among other upgrades. These are priced as high as $2,600 for a setup that features an i7 7700K, 11 GB GTX 1080 Ti, and a 960 GB SSD.
Each of these comes inside a small, sleek aluminum case with integrated blue lighting. Corsair says every component was picked specifically to fit inside the case, which measures only 200 mm x 176 mm x 380 mm (7.87 in x 6.92 in x 14.96 in).
With these Windows 10 systems being intended for gaming, they'll come with certain programs pre-installed--like Steam, Origin, GOG, Battle.net, and Uplay--but "none of the bloat" you might see on other PCs.
Provided you can stomach the price, the Corsair One systems are available for preorder now in North America, Europe, and Australia, with a release date of "late March."
Update: A PR representative has confirmed with GameSpot that Black Adam is indeed playable.
Original Story: NetherRealm Studios has released the latest trailer for Injustice 2, the highlight of which is Black Adam.
While he was playable in the first Injustice, Black Adam hasn't yet been confirmed for the sequel. The announcement accompanying today's video didn't indicate one way or the other, but the footage strongly suggests you will be able to step into his shoes.
And that's certainly good news, because the video showcases what appears to be a Super move of his that's particularly spectacular. You can check it out below.
This video is the third in the Shattered Alliances series; you can see the first two parts here and here.
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