Activision is releasing new DLC for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, the publisher announced today. The Variety Map Pack, which is the same name that Activision gave to Modern Warfare DLC nine years ago, includes remastered versions of the maps that came with the original DLC.
The expansion pack comes out on March 21, first on PS4, with Xbox One and PC getting the expansion at a later date. Call of Duty DLC launches first on PlayStation as part of a timed-exclusivity deal between Activision and Sony.
The four maps are Broadcast, Chinatown, Creek, and Killhouse; click through the images in the gallery above to get a closer look at all of them. Full descriptions are available on Activison's blog.
The new Variety Map Pack sells for $15 and also comes with 10 "Rare" supply drops, which contain cosmetic items. These are normally unlocked through gameplay or by spending real money.
The next round of weekly PlayStation Store deals are now live for PS4, PS3, and Vita.
There's just a single themed sale this week, and it centers around Call of Duty. PlayStation Plus members on PS4 can pick up Infinite Warfare for $40 ($44 without Plus), Infinite Warfare's Legacy Edition with Modern Warfare Remastered for $54 ($70), or Black Ops III's Gold Edition for $35 ($40).
Actor Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, has been cast as the new captain for CBS' upcoming Star Trek: Discovery. Isaacs will play Captain Lorca, who leads the crew aboard the new spaceship, Starship Discovery, according to Deadline.
He's just the latest actor to play a Star Trek captain, following William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, and Scott Bakula, among others.
Discovery has been in the works for a long time and has been delayed on multiple occasions. It was penciled in to premiere in January 2017 but was then pushed to May and then again to an unspecified point in the future. It is currently without a premiere date.
The first episode will air on CBS, with all subsequent ones appearing on the company's All Access digital subscription service.
Discovery stars James Frain (True Blood), Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead), Anthony Rapp (Dazed & Confused), Doug Jones (Hellboy), and Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Showrunner Bryan Fuller stepped down last year, though he remains attached to the project as an executive producer.
Disclosure: CBS is owned by GameSpot parent company CBS Corp.
Starting with the new maps, these include Diner and Old Town. Diner is a smaller-sized map that will feel "intense and claustrophobic," developer The Coalition said in a blog post. The sniper spawns in the diner, so teams will likely fight to control this part of the map in particular. Outside, there is a parking lot where ranged combat is key. The Coalition made a point to say Diner was developed over the span of the past 18 months.
The other new map is Old Town, which isn't entirely new, as it is a reimagining of the map of the same name from Gears of War 3. It sports the same layout as the original, and features power weapons like the torque bow and sniper.
Diner and Old Town are available to Gears of War 4 season-pass owners in the game's Developer Playlist, which pays out double XP and 20 percent bonus credits. The maps will join the regular map rotation for all players starting on March 14. Watch the videos in this post to get a closer look.
The Gears of War 4 March update also introduces ranked lobbies for Core and Competitive playlists, a feature that fans had asked for, The Coalition said.
"When matchmaking for any Core or Competitive playlist, you will now be placed into a pre-game lobby complete with map voting, bounty selection, and customization options," the studio explained. "If a player quits prior to the match beginning, the pre-game countdown will cancel and continue searching to keep matches balanced."
When a match ends, players will return to the lobby for their specific playlist without needing to launch a new search.
Not included with the Gears of War 4 March update are tuning tweaks for the Core and Competitive playlists; these unspecified changes will arrive in "the next couple of weeks."
Also coming to Gears of War 4 sometime later this month is a new legacy character (a Locust creature teased in the image at left), as well as more weapons skins.
Additionally, The Coalition is rolling out monthly events, the first of which begins on March 24 and will be themed around Versus modes. A Horde-themed weekend event will kick off on March 31.
"We will continue to add Versus and Horde weekend events with every third Friday after an update featuring a Versus-themed event, followed by a Horde-themed event the weekend following that one," The Coalition said. "We'll reveal more about each weekend in the week leading up to the event, but we're pretty sure Versus Snipers are going to be particularly happy this month."
In other Gears of War 4 news, toy company Funko today announced a new line of Pop figures based on the game. Due out this spring, the toys include "older and more grizzled" versions of Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, Damon Baird, Augustus Cole, and Oscar Diaz. A Brumak figure is also being produced.
Click through the images in the gallery below to see all the new figures.
You can read more about the toys here on Funko's blog.
Since the backlash that ensued in the wake of its launch, No Man's Sky developer Hello Games has been mostly silent outside of when it has news to share regarding an update. That's the case again today, as Hello has announced the new Path Finder Update.
Due out sometime this week, its primary feature is the addition of a new vehicle that "will aid home planet exploration." It says this "build[s] on the Foundation Update to hint at a path ahead for the future."
Beyond that, it had no details to share about the update. Full patch notes will be released whenever the update itself arrives.
"Shortly after we launched the Foundation Update, we released a number of patches to address issues reported by players before beginning work on the Path Finder update. We were surprised and excited by the response to Foundation, and we have been listening carefully to community feedback since then," Hello said in a post on its website. "To those of you who have spent time sharing feedback, whether positive or negative, we are listening."
No images or other information regarding the vehicle or update were shared, but we'll report back as it's announced.
Mass Effect: Andromeda's multiplayer missions, which reward you with items and XP that carry over to the main game, are skippable--but you can still grab some rewards.
On Twitter, Andromeda producer Fernando Melo and lead designer Ian Frazier revealed some new information about the game's multiplayer missions.
On the 6th day of MP-mas, the MP dev team gave to you: Strike Teams. Don't want to play Missions in MP? Send STs out from either SP or MP. pic.twitter.com/s0LlO6pNLk
Melo said that, instead of playing missions in multiplayer, you can send out a Strike Team (an AI-controlled group of allies) to attempt the mission for you. This group, if successful, will still gain XP and can level up, increasing the chances of them finishing tougher missions. If you were to play these missions in multiplayer, it appears you would gain XP for yourself, as well as some in-game currency--though these details are a little unclear.
Lastly, the pair of developers says Strike Teams will have different traits, which will dictate which missions they're good or bad at. You won't get to choose the makeup of any one team, but you can decide which team tackles any one mission.
@TheRandomGamer Depending on the mission and if they succeed/fail, they may acquire traits that affect their performance in the future.
BioWare had planned to let a group of people play Andromeda's more traditional multiplayer modes through a beta, but those plans were scrapped. However, people who attend PAX East can play the modes this week. Some good news emerged recently that the game will receive free DLC multiplayer maps after launch.
An illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is on the way--and the cover has now been revealed. Posted by Scholastic on Twitter, the cover shows Harry Potter encountering the triple-decker Knight Bus and its driver, Ernie Prang, from the third entry in the magical series.
Jim Kay, the official illustrator of the Harry Potter series, is behind this new cover. Harry Potter is taking the Knight Bus from his aunt and uncle's home on Privet Drive to Diagon Alley.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Illustrated Edition arrives in bookstores in the US on October 3.
Illustrated versions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets are already available. Their covers are incredible-looking as well--you can see them here. Those books featured a number of illustrations based on events from their stories.
Apart from the Knight Bus, there is no word on what illustrations may be in the Prisoner of Azkaban book, but, like all Harry Potter books, there are a lot of possibilities. I'm hoping to see an inflated Aunt Marge, Dementors, and Buckbeak.
Presumably, the four remaining Harry Potter books will receive illustrated editions as well.
EA has introduced a new game to its On the House promotion, letting you download it for free for a limited time.
This time around it's Syberia II, the 2004 adventure game follow-up to the acclaimed Syberia. Grabbing it while it's free will allow you to keep it forever, as with other On the House games. You will, however, need to use Origin in order to do so.
We don't know how long it will be available for, but you can claim it right now on Origin. It normally costs $13.
The system requirements, as you might expect for an older game, aren't especially demanding. They call for a 1.5 GHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and a 128 MB DirectX-compatible video card. How quaint.
In what's likely not a coincidence, Syberia II's release comes at an opportune time: A long-awaited sequel to it finally arrives next month. Syberia III launches for PC on April 20.
Right on schedule, Microsoft today announced the release date for Voodoo Vince: Remastered. The HD remake of the 2003 original will launch for Xbox One and PC on the Windows Store and Steam on April 15. The wacky puzzle-platformer is priced at $15 on all systems.
It's an Xbox Play Anywhere title for Xbox One and Windows 10, meaning buying it once on one platform gives you access to it on the other at no extra cost. Achievements and progress are shared between platforms. This does not apply to the Steam version.
Voodoo Vince is set in New Orleans, with players taking on the role of a voodoo doll named Vince. You'll travel through places like "crawfish-laded swamps," graveyards, and the French Quarter as part of a journey to find Vince's owner, Madam Charmaine.
The original was developed by Beep Industries, and that studio is also behind the remaster.
The remaster runs at 1080p/60fps with a 16:9 aspect ratio and "updated rendering and visual effects." Also new for the remaster is Xbox Live integration and achievements, as well as rumble support.
If you're attending PAX East this week in Boston, you can play Voodoo Vince: Remastered at the Xbox booth. Series creator Clayton Kauzlaric, who now works at Microsoft, will be at the show.
Kauzlaric said in an Xbox Wire post that he pitched Voodoo Vince to Microsoft twice and they rejected it each time before eventually agreeing to publish the game. Voodoo Vince was never made available on Xbox 360 through backwards compatibility because its game engine "used some convoluted custom code," Kauzlaric said.
A new update has been detailed for the Public Test Realm version of Overwatch, adjusting balance for a handful of characters--including the newest addition, Orisa.
Orisa has not yet been released in the live game, but she's been available to PTR players since last week. Blizzard has apparently deemed her too powerful as-is; her weapon's magazine size has decreased from 200 to 150, while the cost for her Ultimate, Supercharged, has increased by 15 percent.
Ana sees the other big changes in this patch, as her damage is taking a hit. Her Biotic Rifle now does 60 damage (down from 80), while Biotic Grenade's damage has dropped from 60 to 30. The grenade's healing is also now much less effective, going from 100 to 50.
Other changes include Junkrat's explosions no longer dealing self-damage, the cooldown on Winston's barrier starting when it's placed (rather than when it expires), and the range of Sombra's sound effects and voice lines when entering or exiting stealth has been reduced.
You can check out the full patch notes below; the update will be live on PTR servers today. There's still no date for when any of these, or Orisa, will arrive in the full game.
Overwatch PTR Update Patch Notes
Ana
Biotic Rifle
Damage decreased from 80 to 60
Biotic Grenade
Impact damage reduced from 60 to 30
Impact healing reduced from 100 to 50
Junkrat
No longer hurts himself from his own explosions. (Effect added to current passive: Total Mayhem)
Orisa
FusionDriver
Magazine size lowered from 200 to 150
Supercharger
Cost increased by 15%
Sombra
Stealth
Sound effects and VO distance for entering and exiting Stealth reduced to 15 meters.
Translocator
Cooldown reduced from 6s to 4s
Winston
Barrier Projector
Cooldown now starts when the barrier is placed, instead of when it ends
[UPDATE] The Nintendo Switch also did well in Europe over its launch weekend. According to MCV, the console sold "more units in its launch weekend than any other piece of Nintendo hardware in the company's history." Like in the Americas, Breath of the Wild is now the best-selling Nintendo launch title in Europe ever for Nintendo. It even outsold Wii Sports, MCV said.
[UPDATE 2] In France, the Switch sold 105,000 units at launch, outpacing the Wii, according to LeFigaro.
The original story is below.
The Nintendo Switch is off to a hot start, it seems. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told The New York Times reporter Nick Wingfield this week that initial sales (for March 3 and 4) in the Americas exceeded the first two-day sales in the region for any system in the company's history.
Fils-Aime added that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the best-selling standalone launch title for a Nintendo platform ever. He did not share a specific unit sales number, though it outperformed Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64.
Wii Sports for the Wii surely did better than Super Mario 64 or Breath of the Wild, as it was bundled with console, but this statistic is for non-bundled titles. The Switch has no bundled games.
According to Famitsu, as translated by Kotaku, the Switch sold 330,637 units in its first three days on sale in Japan. Breath of the Wild shifted 190,060 physical copies over the same period, the report said.
The bundle comes with a white system and a digital copy of Battlefield 1, as well as a one-month subscription to EA Access and a 14-day Xbox Live Gold membership.
Amazon has also discounted the $350 1 TB Battlefield 1 system, as it's now available for $293. This includes a military green console and a digital version of Battlefield 1 and other in-game bonuses, as well as the EA Access and Xbox Live Gold memberships mentioned above.
In other Xbox One news, Amazon has launched its own bundle for Ghost Recon: Wildlands, which comes out today. The $300 system comes with a white Xbox One S and a digital copy of the game's $100 Gold Edition (which includes the game and its DLC pass), as well as $10 credit for Amazon Music Unlimited and Amazon Video.
Ion, the game announced in 2015 by DayZ creator Dean Hall, has reportedly been canceled.
Neither Hall's company, RocketWerkz, nor co-developer Improbable are currently working on Ion, according to a report from Eurogamer.
"We're not actively working on Ion," Hall stated. "I am not involved in that. Nor is RocketWerkz."
For its part, Improbable declared, "We can definitely say that Improbable is not currently working on Ion."
"Ion was initially conceived as a project for co-development between Improbable and RocketWerkz," the former said. "A lot has changed since then. Dean Hall moved back to New Zealand from London, RocketWerkz has started work on a number of other games, and we have grown increasingly into a platform for games to be deployed on.
"We currently have no plans to develop or release a game ourself," the company concluded.
Since 2015, little has been said about the sci-fi experience. We know it was due to launch for Xbox One and PC first, but now it appears the title will not launch on any platform.
Elsewhere in the Eurogamer interview, Hall confirms active development ceased on Ion when he moved from London to New Zealand between August and October last year. He also gives a clue as to why the project is no longer being built upon.
"Ion could only happen with a company like Improbable, with the scale of technology like that, and that's not a game we could do alone," said Hall, who left DayZ publisher Bohemia Interactive in 2014 to set up RocketWerkz.
"Games get paused, cancelled, pulled back all the time in the industry," he added, before concluding that he wants RocketWerkz to have greater control over its future projects: "The whole idea of setting up RocketWerkz was to try a lot of different stuff. Part of what we were doing with RocketWerkz in the early days was experimenting around and saying, 'How do we want to make games?' Do we want to focus on partnering, do we want to look for other people to do technology? And the decision we've made is to very much focus on the projects we control in their entirety ourselves."
id Software hasn't said much about its upcoming PC shooter Quake Champions in recent weeks and months. But that changes today, as the studio released a new gameplay trailer and announced that sign-ups are now open for the upcoming closed beta.
To sign up, all you have to do is provide your email address here and confirm that you are at least 18 years old. The Quake Champions closed beta is set to begin "in the coming weeks."
In other news, id Software said it will release a new gameplay video for the character Nyx on Wednesday, March 8, with another video for the Blood Covenant map to follow on March 9.
If you're attending PAX East this weekend in Boston, you can play the game at Bethesda's booth.
"We want to make sure that we have as many people as we possibly can," id boss Tim Willits said previously. "You'll be able to turn down your specs and get a decent game at lower-end. But we want to shine on good systems."
For more on the series, be sure to check out GameSpot's feature, The History of Quake.
The newly announced Overwatch character Orisa did not receive an official short or a comic as previous DLC characters Sombra and Ana did, leading some to believe Blizzard was backing away from storytelling and exposition. This is not the case, according to Blizzard.
You can expect more story-focused content for the game this year, lead writer Michael Chu said in the official Overwatch forums recently (via Chris Puckett).
"We have a lot in the works, with Orisa and her story being the first release of the year," he explained. "One of our goals for 2017 is to try to have more frequent story-related updates and content, so we're very busy with that."
Chu went on to tease that Blizzard has "a little something else" for an Overwatch story update coming out very soon, though he did not get any more specific than that.
Blizzard did release an origin story of sorts for Orisa in video form (watch it above). However, based on what Chu said, it sounds like Blizzard is planning even more for her.
Orisa is currently available on Overwatch's Public Test Realm, with a wider release to come later. She is a Tank-class character whose "gameplay is engineered around protection." Her weapon is the Fusion Driver, an automatic cannon that deals constant damage but slows her movement speed. The alternate fire is Halt, which launches a charge that she can detonate to slow enemies and pull them towards the explosion.
The new Warner Bros. monster movie, Kong: Skull Island, arrives in theaters this Friday, March 10. Now, a TV spot for the action movie has arrived, showing off some new shots of the big and powerful King Kong himself and highlighting the dueling ideas about killing or saving the beast.
Samuel L. Jackson's character loudly proclaims in the trailer, "We're going to bring that ape down. It's time to show that man is king." Tom Hiddleston's character, however, has other ideas.
In one sequence, his character says, "We're going to save Kong." Also in the trailer, we see Hiddleston standing in front of a presumably injured Kong, holding people back and saying. "Kong was just defending his territory."
"It's such a beautiful thing to have a boss fight where you feel sad after you've killed the boss," he said. "And the way those creatures lumber around was such a huge, huge part for me... the colossi in those games have such a slow, melancholy, morose quality to them. And the sense of scale. Honestly, Shadow Of The Colossus was one of the biggest influences on this film. Just the vibe the creatures have. I think and I hope that Kong has a similar vibe in the film."
In other news about Skull Island, Jackson appeared on The Today Show this week and talked about what it was like filming in places like Vietnam and Hawaii. He said he preferred the Hawaii shoots, as there were more opportunities to go shopping and play golf. In fact, he says that his contract states that he must be allowed to play two rounds of golf per week. Here's the video:
The period adventure Robin Hood: Origins is currently in production, and will be joined by another movie set in the world of the legendary outlaw. It has been reported that Suicide Squad actress Margot Robbie will star in a new film focusing on Maid Marian.
As reported by Variety, Robbie will star and produce the film, which currently has the title Marian. The script was written by newcomer Pete Barry and was bought by Sony after a bidding war.
According to the site, "in this new take, Marian picks up the cause to lead her people into a pivotal war after the love of her life, Robin Hood, dies. She comes to power, charging into a battle that will not only decide the fate of the kingdom, but also see her don the mantle of the man she loved."
The story of Robin Hood has been told numerous times in film, but this is the first time that a movie will focus on Maid Marian. The character will played by Eve Hewson in Robin Hood: Origins, which is set for a March 2018 release.
Outside of the EA deals, the celebrated RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Game of the Year edition, containing the main game and its two expansion, is marked down to just $25. Additionally, Rise of the Tomb Raider can be had for $20 and Dead Rising 4 for $39.
Interestingly, Call of Duty: Black Ops II is the lone Activision game featured in the Xbox 360 sale, marked down to $20. Whether or not this is a signal of a forthcoming release in the Xbox One's backwards compatibility catalog remains to be seen.
Go to Major Nelson's blog to see a complete rundown of the week's Xbox One and Xbox 360 weekly deals, some of which require an Xbox Live Gold membership.
Additionally, Microsoft will sell Xbox gear, including limited-edition shirts inspired by Halo Wars 2, Gears of War 4, and Minecraft.
In terms of giveaways, Microsoft created a number of cool-looking custom Xbox One controllers for PAX East (pictured above). To win one, you need to tweet or Instagram a photo from the Xbox booth of your favorite custom design. Alternatively, you can rewteet an @Xbox tweet about the giveaway.
You can see the full terms and conditions of the sweepstakes here.
As for the Xbox panels, Microsoft is hosting three of these at PAX East, including one that will have details on Halo Wars 2 DLC. Here is a rundown, with descriptions courtesy of Microsoft:
Major Nelson's Podcast on Saturday, March 11 at 1:30 PM in the Albatross Theatre
They've been there since the beginning of PAX East in 2010. Seven years later they're still being allowed in. Quick, come see this live show before someone figures it out! Join Larry Hryb, Xbox Live's Major Nelson, lollip0p, and JEF United as we record an episode of the award winning officially unofficial Xbox-centric podcast "Major Nelson Radio" LIVE in front of you, our studio audience. It will be an hour of awkward audience participation, Xbox prizes, guests, and maybe some fun.
Halo Wars 2: Creating the Story, Art, and Content Yet to Come on Saturday, March 11 at 4:30 PM in the Main Theatre
Join the 343 Team as they host a discussion on the Story, Art, and content yet to come for Halo Wars 2. The team will host an entertaining talk on what it took to bring a captivating story, characters, and art to the next chapter in the Halo Universe.
Streaming 101: Staring Your Quest on Sunday, March 12 at 3 PM in the Albatross Theatre
Every streamer has to start somewhere. Seasoned streamers share the tools you need to begin your journey into the world of livestreaming. Join us as we go over how to setup your channel, choose the right moderators, and go live with style.
PAX East runs March 10-12. Tickets for the show are completely sold out, though a lot of the panels will be streamed live.
GameSpot is sending a team to the show and will report back with all the big news as it's announced.
Interested in HBO's Westworld? You can now download and keep the first episode for free from a number of digital storefronts.
VUDU, iTunes, and Google Play all have Episode 1, "The Original" for free right now. It's not clear if this is some kind of timed promotion, so if you're interested, you may want to act quickly (via Slickdeals).
The PlayStation Store updates for the first time this month today, March 7, adding this month's free PlayStation Plus games.
There are a total of six games available across all platforms, with cross-buy support getting PS4 owners a total of three games: Tearaway Unfolded, Disc Jam, and Lumo. Disc Jam is a new release but will be free right out of the gate for Plus members.
You can see the full PS Plus lineup for March 2017 below. Also coming online today is the next set of weekly deals; we'll have a roundup of those later.
BioWare continues to tease Mass Effect: Andromeda's multiplayer mode. After sharing new images and details about the mode in recent days, the developer has now confirmed there will be DLC maps.
BioWare had planned to let a group of people play Andromeda's multiplayer mode through a beta, but those plans were scrapped. However, people who attend PAX East can play the mode this week.
Horizon Zero Dawn's latest patch is out now, bringing with it a bunch of crash fixes, says publisher Sony.
Update 1.03, which apparently weighs in at 228 MB, introduces "multiple crash and progression fixes," according to Wccftech. The patch should download automatically if your PlayStation 4 is connected to the internet. Some users have been experiencing numerous bugs and performance issues since the game's release on February 28. A few players have even reported that the game crashes during the opening cutscene.
In response, developer Guerrilla Games said, "We are aware that a small number of users are suffering a crash during cinematic sequences when playing Horizon: Zero Dawn, most notably in the opening cinematic. We are investigating the issue with the highest priority."
In our verdict, critic Peter Brown called the title "one of the best open-world games of this generation, and redefined its team's reputation in the process." Read more in our full Horizon Zero Dawn review.
The first clip from Power Rangers has arrived. The big screen reboot of the classic '90s TV show hits theaters later this month, and this first clip shows the movie's teen stars exploring a mysterious underground lair. Watch it below:
Power Rangers opens on March 24, 2017. It stars Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, and Ludi Lin as the Rangers. Bryan Cranston portrays the Rangers' mentor, Zordon, while Elizabeth Banks plays villainous Rita Repulsa.
In a recent interview with SyfyWire, Banks spoke about how her portrayal of Rita would differ from the TV show. "The filmmakers wanted a Rita who felt modern, edgy, and 'with it' when it came to tone," she said. "There are very real stakes but a sense of play because that's what people loved from the original series. There's an element of humor to her so she's very unpredictable. She feels very dangerous but it's all about this unpredictability and a wry sense of humor that I think they hoped I would bring to it."
Nevertheless, Banks did reveal that there were definite links back to the classic TV version of the character. "We did try to pay attention to the classic Rita lines that you might want to hear," she sad. "And her attitude, which is really loud. She has a cackle and loves to laugh. There's a wildness to her eyes, so I paid attention to it all so I could incorporate little things."
Sega has acquired Bulgaria based developer Crytek Black Sea and renamed it Creative Assembly Sofia. It will serve as a sister studio to Total War developer Creative Assembly and is working on a "multitude of unannounced titles."
Speaking to GamesIndustry, Creative Assembly studio director Tim Heaton said the expansion is "in support of our commitment to creating high quality, authentic gaming experiences."
"Now in our 30th year of games development, with an army of multi-million selling titles to our name and a history of world-renowned partnerships, Creative Assembly is proof of the UK games industry's potential for global success," he said.
"Due to this success, we are further expanding our UK base and developing additional projects overseas, whilst pursuing top talent from across the globe to join us, all in support of our commitment to creating high quality, authentic gaming experiences. Our continued growth allows us to be dynamic with our future projects, constantly seeking new opportunities and reaching a wider audience with our games."
Prior to its acquisition, Crytek Black Sea developed a MOBA called Arena of Fate. Crytek hasn't discussed what will become of the game. A message posted on the Arena of Fate Twitter page points to a statement about its future but provides no actual details on its status.
Avni Yerli, Crytek's managing director, said the sale of Black Sea studio to Sega "is a part of the essential steps we are taking to re-focus on our core competencies and ensure Crytek is a healthy and sustainable business moving forward." In December Crytek shut down five studios amidst financial difficulties.
Creative Assembly, a subsidiary of Sega, is known primarily for the Total War franchise. However, in recent years it has partnered with 20th Century Fox for Alien: Isolation, and with Microsoft for Halo Wars 2.
Sega Europe executive Jurgen Post said "the acquisition of Crytek Black Sea further enhances Sega Europe's development capabilities and strengthens our ability to output diverse and engaging content for our IP."
He continued: "Creative Assembly Sofia will be working exclusively on content for Creative Assembly and will prove an invaluable asset given the multitude of unannounced titles currently in the works. This acquisition represents another step in the right direction for the growth of our global business, underlining our commitment to add value to our existing studios and our continued support for the UK games industry."
Creative Assembly's last project was Halo Wars 2, which launched for Xbox One and PC in February. According to Heaton, the studio has been looking to expand its operation for some time now.
"[We] have actually been eyeing potential studios specifically to expand CA's output for some time," he told GamesIndustry. "Parties have been discussing this deal over the last few months, since the opportunity arose to purchase Crytek Black Sea, and integrate them into CA's operation.
"While Sega are always looking out for acquisitions that fit with the rest of the business, this addition has been motivated by the growing CA output, and the need to support that growth with talented and experienced teams."
In GameSpot's review, critic Jason D'Aprile called the multiplayer title "one of the best party games around." Read more in our full Super Bomberman R review. Other Switch launch titles have also seen reviews go live; check them out below.
For more on Super Bomberman R, meanwhile, take a look at the review roundup below--or check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic for a wider view of critics' opinions.
Game: Super Bomberman R
Developer: Konami, HexaDrive
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release: Out now
Price: US $50 / £45 / AU $90
GameSpot -- 7/10
"In almost every respect, Super Bomberman R plays it safe with its tried-and-true formula. The story mode is short (less than two hours at most), but fun with some creative boss battles and plenty of nostalgic throwbacks. The heart of the game--the battle mode--is a welcome retro rush, and decades since the franchise debuted, it's still one of the best party games around." -- Jason D'Aprile [Full review]
IGN -- 6.2/10
"Super Bomberman R's multiplayer versatility and boss-filled story mode are laudable retreads of classic gameplay, but its depth and customizability are disappointing. By contrast, the aforementioned Bomberman Live was a brilliant, fully featured Bomberman for Xbox 360 that came out 10 years ago, and it only cost $10. It's reasonable to expect a bit more from a $50 Bomberman game in 2017." -- Ryan McCaffrey [Full review]
Game Informer -- 5/10
"With a skippable story mode, a poorly implemented in-game currency system, and shallow multiplayer offerings, Super Bomberman R is not worth your time. It's a better multiplayer game than a single-player game, but it's not a particularly good multiplayer game either." -- Brian Shea [Full review]
Destructoid -- 7/10
"It's Bomberman, man. It feels like an arcade game with a $50 price tag. The campaign isn't as strong as it could be, but there's enough here to keep the series going until Konami can muster up a little more for the next iteration." -- Chris Carter [Full review]
We've already learned that the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller can connect to your PC, but YouTube user DreWoof confirmed yesterday it's also possible to pair Joy-Cons to your other devices via Bluetooth as well.
As the video above shows, because Joy-Cons use Bluetooth to communicate with the Switch, they can also be paired as controllers to other Bluetooth-capable devices. At this stage, each Joy-Con will pair as a single controller, meaning it's only possible to use one each for two-player games. Using them both as a single controller—as per the Switch in handheld-mode—isn't supported by default, though it's possible third-party software or driver updates could be used to solve that problem in the future.
Currently the controllers can be paired to PC, Mac, and Android devices with Bluetooth. Because iOS devices use a different wireless specification, you unfortunately won't be able to use Joy-Cons to control your iPhone or iPad games any time soon.
One of the coolest-sounding elements of Fargo Season 3 is that actor Ewan McGregor will play two characters. Today, FX released the first teaser for the third season, showing off one of the characters, Ray Stussy, a parole officer.
With makeup on, he looks basically unrecognizable alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character, a recent parolee named Nikki Swango. Here's the video (via EW):
McGregor's other character is Emmit Stussy, the "Parking Lot King of Minnesota." According to the season's official description, Ray has lived in the shadow of his brother his whole life. Something bad is going to happen, as what begins as sibling rivalry escalates to murder, according to an official description for Season 3 posted by Deadline.
Other new cast members for Fargo Season 3 include David Thewlis (Harry Potter series), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man), Carrie Coon (Gone Girl), and comedian Jim Gaffigan.
Production on Fargo Season 3 took place in Calgary. The show was created by Noah Hawley (Bones, Legion); Joel and Ethan Coen, the directors of Fargo the movie, are executive producers.
Intel Extreme Masters Season 12 kicks off on May 6 and 7, with the first leg to be held in Sydney, Australia.
IEM Sydney will be the first time the massive e-sports tournament has held a leg in Australia, and will feature an international Counter Strike: Global Offensive tournament, with a prize pool of AUD$260,000.
The event has attracted globally renowned teams including the Renegades (bought by Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko in August), and SK Gaming, winners of the CS:GO Majors at ESL One in Cologne, and runners-up at the ESL Pro League Finals in Sao Paulo in November.
"Having been to five different continents is a badge of honor for our historic competition," said VP of pro gaming at ESL Michal Blicharz in the associated press release. "Australia has been an attractive market for us as part of our global expansion of the Intel Extreme Masters brand. We look forward to bringing Intel Extreme Masters to new global audiences and making history for esports in Australia."
Attendees at IEM Sydney will not only be able to watch matches live on stage, but also take part in other "fan experiences" such as player signings, giveaways, and an attached Intel Experience Zone expo showing off the latest products from Intel and its partners.
Tickets for IEM Sydney go on sale with Ticketek at 10am AEDT on Monday March 13, 2017. Telstra customers can buy tickets early through the company's pre-sale service.
If you're looking to pick up additional controllers for your new Nintendo Switch, the Pro Controller may not be an option right now--at least not without paying a premium.
In a move that we perhaps should have seen coming, the $70 Pro Controller is sold out at numerous retailers in the US. Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, and Target all list the controller as being sold out on their respective websites (or only available in stores, where your miles may vary).
Amazon and Walmart both allow third-parties to sell items, so you can pick up the controller from resellers on those sites for anywhere from $90-$120. EBay is, of course, also filled with controllers being sold by those who were fortunate enough to get their hands on one, with the going price in the $80-$100 range.
Now, with the system out, the controller isn't proving any easier to find. The system itself is also routinely selling out at many major retialers, though we've already seen some offer additional stock since launch on Friday.
Still, that a new game system would be sold out is no real surprise, particularly in light of the NES Classic Edition supply issues which persist almost four months after launch. The Pro Controller is very nice, features excellent battery life, and reportedly even works with PCs. But for a controller to be so hard to come by--particularly when the system essentially ships with two--is awfully strange.
We've reached out to Nintendo to see when more Pro Controllers can be expected, and we'll report back with any information we received.
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