Playerunknown's Battlegrounds has continually been one of the most popular games on Steam and Twitch since its Early Access release in March, and its momentum still isn't slowing down. Recently, the game crossed a new sales milestone, hitting 5 million copies sold.
The news comes by way of the Steamspy tool, which collects data from Steam users. At the time of this writing, it shows Battlegrounds at around 5.19 million owners. This is quite the accomplishment for the game, especially since it's only been out since March and is currently available on PC exclusively (although it's coming to Xbox One later this year). It also has never been discounted from its $30 price.
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite features a deep roster of iconic characters from the two companies' storied histories, but certain Capcom characters have drawn criticism for the way they appear in the game. The most striking example is Chun-Li, who has been the object of much derision due to her rather odd-looking face. It appears Capcom has listened to this negative feedback and is making some improvements to her and other models.
At a Marvel vs. Capcom panel during San Diego Comic-Con, Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono revealed that the developers are improving Chun-Li and some other unspecified Capcom character models. According to Ono:
"The development team is hard at work finishing the game for the September 19 release date, and based off the feedback we heard, we are currently making improvements to Chun-Li as well as other Capcom characters. Since the work is still in progress, we don't have anything final to show you just yet, but stay tuned."
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is releasing for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 19. We got to speak with the game's associate producer Peter Rosas and producer Michael Evans at E3 2017 last month, and among the topics we discussed were the game's approach to accessibility and the possibility of fixing Chun-Li's face. You can read our full interview here.
While Comic-Con showcases upcoming television show and film, the show floor displays new products, and some of them will cost you a pretty penny. One booth that stopped many Comic-Con-goers in their tracks was Chronicle Collectibles, which displayed brand-new statues featuring some iconic characters.
A few of the highlights from the show floor were the Gremlin standing on a copier, which Gizmo is trapped inside of; a Freddy Krueger statue standing above a boiler room; and a couple of highly-detailed Guyver-related pieces. Price points were not listed for any of the statues; however, if comparing the size and scale of these new figures to ones Chronicle Collectibles have released in the past, these statues will more than likely start around the $600 mark.
Destiny 2's open beta has been extended, developer Bungie has announced. Things were supposed to come to a close a few hours ago, but instead you'll be able to keep playing for a little longer so the studio can carry out some "additional service testing." The beta will now end on July 25 around 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET / 2 AM BST.
The Destiny 2 Open Beta has been extended through Tuesday 7/25 for additional service testing. Expected completion is 6 PM PDT.
Destiny 2's open beta began on July 21, and offers players a taste of the campaign and multiplayer. The opening mission, Homecoming, is available and you can see some of the cinematics from the campaign. There's also the attack/defend Countdown mode on the Endless Vale map.
The Inverted Spire is also playable for those who want to try a strike. It's set in a Vex stronghold and can be played with two friends. Matchmaking is available to fill these slots for those that aren't using a pre-arranged Fireteam. Click here to see a video of the open beta in action. For PC players, an open beta is currently being planned for late August.
Those in the market for an Xbox One have some new options worth considering. In addition to a free game promotion, Microsoft has announced a new bundle centered around this year's Madden.
With Madden NFL 18's launch about a month away, Microsoft has revealed the details of a new system bundle that will debut alongside it. It consists of an Xbox One S with a 500 GB hard drive and a digital copy of Madden 18 for $279. There are also a couple of other, smaller bonuses included: a one-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass, a 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial, and a promo code that gets you 20% off an order at NFLShop.com.
At $279, this is slightly cheaper than the standard retail price of 500 GB Xbox One S systems, which tend to be $300 but are occasionally discounted to $250. Given that you're able to pick this up on August 25, the same day Madden 18 launches, it's not a bad deal. The bundle will be available in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
If you're interested in getting a system sooner, object to buying anything with Tom Brady's face on it, or simply don't care about Madden, Microsoft has also launched an unrelated promotion. Xbox One S systems with 1 TB hard drives currently come with a free game of your choice (up to $60), which comes in addition to any game the system might already be bundled with. This offer is available through Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, GameStop, the Microsoft Store, and other retailers in the US; it's unclear how long it will run for.
Of course, one thing to keep in mind as you consider purchasing an Xbox One right now is the impending launch of the Xbox One X. The upgraded version of Xbox One launches in November for $500, and pre-orders will apparently begin before long.
Capcom has revealed more DLC costumes for Street Fighter V. Unlike the retro fighter outfits the publisher revealed earlier this month, this particular batch is inspired by athletic competitions of a different nature.
On July 25, players will be able to purchase sports outfits for Ibuki, Laura, and Rashid. Ibuki's costume is a volleyball uniform, while Laura and Rashid both don soccer jerseys and shorts. Like other DLC costumes, the sports outfits retail for $4 each. You can take a look at them below.
The new costumes are releasing alongside the previously revealed retro DLC outfits for Alex, Ibuki, and Juri. These costumes are all inspired by older Street Fighter games: Alex and Ibuki's costumes are both based on their respective looks in Street Fighter III, while Juri's is taken from Street Fighter IV. The iconic Suzaku Castle from Street Fighter II is also being offered as a DLC stage.
Finally, Street Fighter V's newest DLC character, Abigail, also debuts on July 25. The burly bruiser hails from the Final Fight series and is available as part of the game's $30 season pass, which also includes Akuma, Kolin, Ed, and one more character who has yet to be announced. You can watch a trailer for Abigail at the top of this story.
Best Buy continues to pretend it's November. Following last week's Black Friday in July sale, the retailer has followed it up today with a Cyber Monday sale.
Among the new deals is one on Nintendo Eshop gift cards, which can be redeemed on Switch, 3DS, or Wii U: purchasing a $50 card entitles you to a $10 card for free. In light of how infrequent deals on the Switch's Eshop have proven to be so far--there's been, uh, one--this is essentially an opportunity to take $10 off the price of any game, letting you get, say, Splatoon 2 for $50 instead of $60.
Some offers are completely new or steeper versions of those from last week; you can find Horizon: Zero Dawn for $30 ($24 with Gamers Club Unlocked), MLB 17 for $20 ($16), or DualShock 4 controllers for $40.
A number of other deals are repeats from last week, though that doesn't make them any less worthwhile. PlayStation VR is $350, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is $10 ($8), Job Simulator is $10 ($8), Injustice 2 is $40 ($32), and Nioh is $40 ($32).
Games aren't the only thing on sale, either. The complete series of Parks and Recreation is going for $30 on DVD, the Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 router is $150, and various TVs and monitors are discounted. You can check the full sale here; it runs until 10 PM PT / 1 AM ET tonight.
PlayStation Network will undergo "routine maintenance" later this week, Sony has announced. Some services will be affected while the work is carried out on Tuesday, July 25, between 8 AM and 9 AM in your local timezone.
On the PSN service status page, Sony stated that PS4, PS3, and PS Vita platforms will all be affected by the maintenance. You'll still be able to sign in, play games, and use "most applications," the company said, but "you will not be able to access PlayStation Video, PlayStation Store, and Account Management."
Sony apologized for any inconvenience before explaining: "We strive to ensure that PlayStation Network services are available at all times, but occasionally we must take PlayStation Network offline to perform essential maintenance and implement feature enhancements. We are working hard to reduce the duration of each maintenance."
Sony recently announced that the PS4's 5.0 system update is on its way soon. Ahead of its release, you can sign up for the update's beta test right now. The trial will then begin in "early August."
There's no word yet on what the 5.0 patch will include. The last big PS4 update, 4.50, added Boost mode for PS4 Pro owners and external hard drive support, among other things. Subsequent updates haven't done much.
The Dark Knight and Inception director Christopher Nolan's newest film, Dunkirk, was the No. 1 movie at the US box office weekend--and by a large margin. Box office estimates posted by Entertainment Weekly show that the World War II film made $50.5 million in the US for the July 21-23 period, easily beating the No. 2 movie, Girls Trip, which took in an estimated $30.4 million.
Rounding out the top five were Spider-Man: Homecoming ($22 million), War for the Planet of the Apes ($20.4 million), and Valerian ($17 million).
Going back to Dunkirk, it is Nolan's fourth-biggest US opening ever, according to EW, behind The Dark Knight Rises ($160.9 million), The Dark Knight ($158.4 million), and Inception ($62.8 million). It compares favourably to other recent World War II films, beating out the opening-weekend figures for Allied ($12.7 million), Unbroken ($30.6 million), and Fury ($23.7 million).
You can see the full Top 10 list below, and be sure to go to EW to see a detailed breakdown of how the top films performed over the weekend.
July 21-23 US Box Office Figures
Dunkirk — $50.5 million
Girls Trip — $30.4 million
Spider-Man: Homecoming — $22 million
War for the Planet of the Apes — $20.4
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets — $17 million
If you're eager to reserve your Xbox One X, Microsoft says there's not long to go until you can order your unit. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has stated that it "won't be too much longer" until pre-orders are live for the upgraded Xbox console.
Replying to a query on the subject, Spencer wrote: "Our plan is set for this. All approvals are done so … [it] won't be too much longer."
Our plan is set for this. All approvals are done so now just landing the announce with all the info, won't be too much longer.
Elsewhere on Twitter, Spencer confirmed that the upcoming Xbox One / PC exclusive Crackdown 3--which also launches on November 7--will be at Gamescom in August, where Microsoft will "show more." He added: "We'll make sure we have a good demo."
The company only just revealed the character that Terry Crews will play in Crackdown 3. A new trailer, which you can watch above, showcased Commander Jaxon for the first time since the actor gave us a pep talk at E3.
For plenty more on the open-world title, check out all of our coverage here.
One of Ubisoft's big surprises from E3 2017 was the announcement of an ambitious-looking naval warfare game called Skull & Bones. We played it at E3 and came away generally impressed. Skull & Bones is clearly inspired in part by Assassin's Creed, and its main developer, Ubisoft Singapore, created the much-liked naval battles in Assassin's Creed III and Black Flag.
So why did Ubisoft decide to make Skull & Bones a brand-new IP instead of connecting it to the juggernaut Assassin's Creed series? GameSpot visited Ubisoft Singapore's office today and that question was among those put to Ubisoft Singapore managing director Olivier de Rotalier and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot in a roundtable interview.
"After Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, [we wanted] to stay in the pirate fantasy and to make it bigger and stronger," de Rotalier said.
The team at Ubisoft Singapore created a prototype featuring 1v1 naval warfare battles, and it was a lot of fun, though it was also "probably quite far from what Assassin's Creed want to do at the time," de Rotalier said.
So the decision was made to make Skull & Bones (or whatever it might have been called at the time), a brand-new IP, completely separate from Assassin's Creed.
de Rotalier added that Ubisoft's position is that the "pirate fantasy" is a hugely compelling idea, and when you add multiplayer to the mix, it can be even more exciting.
For his part, Guillemot said making Skull & Bones a new IP instead of an Assassin's Creed spinoff gives the team more freedom to do what it wants with the game.
"We didn't want the limits--creating a new IP gives you the chance to do whatever you want. It's a way to get more freedom," he said.
Also in the interview, de Rotalier said Ubisoft has high hopes for Skull & Bones. The publisher hopes to support the game and the brand overall for the next 10-15 years, the executive said. "We believe in Skull & Bones," he told the group of reporters.
Pressed for more details, de Rotalier told GameSpot, "We are building a game that we want to support in the long term, that relies on strong mechanics; RPG, online. We want to build a strong service to be able to support a long-term experience. We are convinced that the core gameplay that we are building is big enough to experience on the long term and keep people engaged. We have a plan to make it last."
de Rotalier added that Ubisoft Singapore learned a lot from Ghost Recon: Phantoms, the free-to-play PC shooter that was shuttered at the end of 2016. Specifically, de Rotalier said the team learned about how to best attract and retain players (even though it apparently didn't work out all that well for Phantoms).
Finally, Guillemot said Skull & Bones has seen a "huge" unprecedented fan response following its unveiling at E3. No other new IP in Ubisoft's history has tallied as many registered players following its reveal, Guillemot said. This is likely a reference to the Skull & Bones beta that you can register for right now through the game's website.
GameSpot is meeting with Ubisoft and its developers and management this week in Singapore and Shanghai. Keep checking back for the latest.
Ubisoft paid for GameSpot's travel and accomodation to Singapore and Shanghai
In its first week on sale, Nintendo Switch's Splatoon 2 has been beaten by the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. According to sales monitor Chart-Track, the remake trilogy is now tied with The Last of Us Remastered for the PS4 exclusive with the most weeks spent at No.1, with three. Nintendo's shooter sequel did outperform the original Splatoon's debut week, but it was not enough to help it to the summit of the physical sales chart for the week ending July 22.
In our Splatoon 2 review, critic Kallie Plagge said the shooter "seems very similar to the first game [at first glance]," but "all the small changes, and even the bigger ones in single-player and League Battles, make for a fresh take on the already unique shooter."
In our Crash remaster verdict, meanwhile, Peter Brown said developer Vicarious Visions has "succeeded in revitalizing Crash from an artistic perspective while preserving the charm that made him appealing when he first showed up." However, he warned that "Crash's original adventures aren't as inventive or surprising as they were 20 years ago." You can read more in our full Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy review.
Take a look at the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
This year's Doctor Who Christmas special, "Twice Upon a Time," has been revealed. Peter Capaldi, the 12th Doctor, will join David Bradley, portraying the first Doctor, for a moment stuck in what appears to be WWI.
The trailer, shown directly after the Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic-Con, shows both the first and 12th doctors uniting, trapped in a single moment in time. The trailer shows two men on a battlefield, frozen, pointing guns at each other. The camera cuts to a solider, played by Mark Gatiss, who asks Capaldi and Bradley if they happen to be doctors. The following camera cuts show both doctors working together, because of course, two is better than one.
Pearl Mackie, who plays Bill Potts, will return for this episode but will not be returning for the next season as a companion. "Twice Upon a Time" will be Capaldi's final episode as well, ending his three-season long run as The Doctor.
As for Gatiss, this episode marks his fifth appearance in the show. In the past, he's played minor roles such as Lazarus in "The Lazarus Experiment," Danny Boy in "Victory of the Daleks" and "A Good Man Goes to War," and Gantok in "The Wedding of River Song." This time around Gatiss will be playing 'The Captain,' though we're not quite sure what that means just yet.
The forthcoming Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, is believed to make her debut as the show's first female regeneration in this year's Christmas special, but she was not shown in the teaser trailer. "Twice Upon a Time" will air this Christmas Day on BBC.
Day of Infamy's Dunkirk update is live, just in time for Christopher Nolan's latest film Dunkirk. The free update includes two new maps and rendering changes to some of gaming's least appreciated models--grass.
On the Dunkirk map, instead of storming beaches, you'll be playing through the evacuation of Dunkirk, France where over 338,000 soldiers were saved by a civilian flotilla after being cornered by German forces in 1940. As the Wehrmacht, you'll push back the Commonwealth and take over the town.
Fast forward to 1944, just days after D-Day, the Bréville map focuses on another turning point of the war--the Battle of Bréville. You'll play as English paratroopers capturing the small French town of Bréville-les-Monts during the Normandy invasion.
Bréville's map also includes a much more in-depth look at one of the update's less noticeable features, because the star of the French countryside is indeed grass. Not only does this update add new details to the models, but it also adds custom shading, and you can even add more grass if it so pleases you with the "foliage_generate" command.
Make sure to keep an eye out for particularly dense patches--they might just get you out of a pinch in the heat of battle.
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