Riot Games scrapped an unannounced fighter codenamed Pool Party in May 2024 after executives became concerned it would struggle to win over consumers.That's according to a new report from journalist Mikhail Klimentov, who spoke with current and former Riot employees familiar with the situation.It's claimed around 70 to 80 staffers were developing the project, which was envisioned as a platformer-brawler set in the League of Legends universe. The project took some cues from Nintendo's flagship Super Smash Bros. franchise and was viewed by Riot as a means to bolster its presence in the esports scene.Riot reportedly pitched the title as a hardcore fighter, but eventually shifted the goalposts to incorporate party game mechanics and more casual elements. Those changes reportedly…
Nexon's The First Descendant has hit 10 million players within its first week.The Warframe and Destiny 2-alike launched on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation consoles on July 2. Like those two games, it's a free-to-play sci-fi shooter centered around PvE and a variety of characters with different abilities."Thank you all for your tremendous support and love," wrote Nexon. "It means everything to us."While the developer didn't highlight a standout console, Descendant sports a concurrent player peak of nearly 265,000 players on Steam. It's currently the platform's top-selling game, beating out the Steam Deck, Elden Ring, and Counter-Strike 2.
Cities: Skylines II was set to come to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in October, but Colossal Order has now said it'll be delayed out of that date. This is the second setback for that version, which was originally meant to launch this past spring.On its forums, the developer explained that it hasn't met the desired stability and performance targets. What's more, it claims there are "unresolved issues" that would severely hamper the player experience."We understand this is disappointing, and it’s not what we had hoped for either," wrote Colossal Order. "However, we are committed to keeping you informed throughout this development process, even if the updates aren’t always what we’d like."
A Way Out has now sold over nine million copies, said developer Hazelight Studios.While celebrating the game's success, the studio noted the co-op game about a pair of escaped convicts was already profitable when it first released in 2018. Within its first two weeks, it sold 1 million copies, and it's been a solid seller in the years since.That said, the Swedish studio's most recent game, It Takes Two from 2021, remains its top-seller. As of this past March, the co-op game (which is about divorced parents in the body of their child's dolls) sold 16 million units.Given how popular It Takes Two has become in the last three years, it stands to reason a little of that light shined on Hazelight's debut title.
Destiny 2 is getting a new change to its release model. Instead of weekly story drops, the second and third episodes for 2024-2025, "Revenant" and "Heresy," will have their story missions come all at once.Bungie revealed this news during a recent livestream, saying all three of "Revenant's" missions will drop when it starts in October. The move was made in response to player feedback about the still-ongoing "Echoes" episode, which has doled out its story each week since early June.On Twitter, the developer said this provides players "an opportunity to play at their own pace." Per narrative director Alison Luhrs, the new change is a "trial of something new" that may or may not stick around, depending on feedback.
Xbox is bringing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to Amazon Fire TV in over 25 countries.Those who subscribe to the premium Xbox Game Pass tier will be able to play games directly from the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices via the power of the cloud.Xbox said the partnership will give people more choice when deciding how to play their favorite games. It also represents another instance of Microsoft broadening the boundaries of its platform ecosystem beyond traditional console hardware—which, as the company recently admitted, isn't selling too well.Xbox Game Pass will initially be supported on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K, which retail for $59.99 and $49.99 respectively. Microsoft said those price points represent a "great low-cost, convenient, and portable option"…
Update (06/26/24): Midnight Society co-founder Guy Beahm (the streamer known as Dr Disrespect) has admitted he was banned from Twitch for messaging a minor.Beahm was ousted from the studio earlier this week after it learned of an 'allegation' against him. Midnight Society didn't disclose the nature of the allegation, but the decision was made shortly after The Verge reported the steamer had been talking to a minor via Twitch's now-defunct messaging platform Whispers before he was banned in 2020.Now, Beahm has addressed those allegations in a post on X and confirmed he sent messages to a minor in 2017."A lot of people have been left in the dark about what happened yesterday with midnight society and I, and we made the painful decision collectively, to have me step d…
Netflix recently discussed its long-term game plans, and Amazon has now followed suit in an interview with Variety.Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann spoke with the outlet about the retail giant's goals for the medium, which effectively boil down to being the reverse Netflix. Where the streamer is taking its steps into games with mobile titles, Amazon is diving first into the PC and console market."It’s just much more opportunities for the market to be on the PC market, on the console market," said Hartmann. Not only does it best fit his past tenure at 2K and Rockstar, he offered that PC and console players take those titles more seriously than the mobile crowd."If the company would say, Christoph, let’s do mobile games, I would have to hire someone," he contin…
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa doesn't believe the company's next console will be impacted by production issues.Consumers in some regions might have found it difficult to get their hands on a Switch over the years due to component shortages that also impacted other console makers.Despite those speed bumps, the Switch has sold over 141 million units worldwide, and Nintendo has confirmed it will unveil its successor during the current fiscal year (ending on March 31, 2025).Although nobody knows when the mysterious console—rumored to be another hybrid handheld like the Switch—will actually hit shelves, Furukawa has reassured investors it isn't anticipating production issues."Although we were unable to produce sufficient quantities of Nintendo Switch hardware last…
Guilty Gear Strive turned three years old in mid-June, and developer Arc System Works revealed the game has now crossed 3 million players worldwide.The anime fighter originally released for PlayStation 4 and 5 and PC in 2021, followed by a Japanese arcade release in July that same year. It finally came to Xbox One and Series X|S in March 2023, in addition to Xbox Game Pass.
3 million players, but how many sales?
It's unknown how this player milestone translates, sales-wise. As of last August, the fighter sold 2.5 million copies, and both Arc System and Bandai Namco have been mum on its commercial performance since.Strive was the first mainline…
Cities: Skylines II was set to come to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in October, but Colossal Order has now said it'll be delayed out of that date. This is the second setback for that version, which was originally meant to launch this past spring.On its forums, the developer explained that it hasn't met the desired stability and performance targets. What's more, it claims there are "unresolved issues" that would severely hamper the player experience."We understand this is disappointing, and it’s not what we had hoped for either," wrote Colossal Order. "However, we are committed to keeping you informed throughout this development process, even if the updates aren’t always what we’d like."
A Way Out has now sold over nine million copies, said developer Hazelight Studios.While celebrating the game's success, the studio noted the co-op game about a pair of escaped convicts was already profitable when it first released in 2018. Within its first two weeks, it sold 1 million copies, and it's been a solid seller in the years since.That said, the Swedish studio's most recent game, It Takes Two from 2021, remains its top-seller. As of this past March, the co-op game (which is about divorced parents in the body of their child's dolls) sold 16 million units.Given how popular It Takes Two has become in the last three years, it stands to reason a little of that light shined on Hazelight's debut title.
Destiny 2 is getting a new change to its release model. Instead of weekly story drops, the second and third episodes for 2024-2025, "Revenant" and "Heresy," will have their story missions come all at once.Bungie revealed this news during a recent livestream, saying all three of "Revenant's" missions will drop when it starts in October. The move was made in response to player feedback about the still-ongoing "Echoes" episode, which has doled out its story each week since early June.On Twitter, the developer said this provides players "an opportunity to play at their own pace." Per narrative director Alison Luhrs, the new change is a "trial of something new" that may or may not stick around, depending on feedback.
Xbox is bringing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to Amazon Fire TV in over 25 countries.Those who subscribe to the premium Xbox Game Pass tier will be able to play games directly from the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices via the power of the cloud.Xbox said the partnership will give people more choice when deciding how to play their favorite games. It also represents another instance of Microsoft broadening the boundaries of its platform ecosystem beyond traditional console hardware—which, as the company recently admitted, isn't selling too well.Xbox Game Pass will initially be supported on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K, which retail for $59.99 and $49.99 respectively. Microsoft said those price points represent a "great low-cost, convenient, and portable option"…
Update (06/26/24): Midnight Society co-founder Guy Beahm (the streamer known as Dr Disrespect) has admitted he was banned from Twitch for messaging a minor.Beahm was ousted from the studio earlier this week after it learned of an 'allegation' against him. Midnight Society didn't disclose the nature of the allegation, but the decision was made shortly after The Verge reported the steamer had been talking to a minor via Twitch's now-defunct messaging platform Whispers before he was banned in 2020.Now, Beahm has addressed those allegations in a post on X and confirmed he sent messages to a minor in 2017."A lot of people have been left in the dark about what happened yesterday with midnight society and I, and we made the painful decision collectively, to have me step d…
Netflix recently discussed its long-term game plans, and Amazon has now followed suit in an interview with Variety.Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann spoke with the outlet about the retail giant's goals for the medium, which effectively boil down to being the reverse Netflix. Where the streamer is taking its steps into games with mobile titles, Amazon is diving first into the PC and console market."It’s just much more opportunities for the market to be on the PC market, on the console market," said Hartmann. Not only does it best fit his past tenure at 2K and Rockstar, he offered that PC and console players take those titles more seriously than the mobile crowd."If the company would say, Christoph, let’s do mobile games, I would have to hire someone," he contin…
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa doesn't believe the company's next console will be impacted by production issues.Consumers in some regions might have found it difficult to get their hands on a Switch over the years due to component shortages that also impacted other console makers.Despite those speed bumps, the Switch has sold over 141 million units worldwide, and Nintendo has confirmed it will unveil its successor during the current fiscal year (ending on March 31, 2025).Although nobody knows when the mysterious console—rumored to be another hybrid handheld like the Switch—will actually hit shelves, Furukawa has reassured investors it isn't anticipating production issues."Although we were unable to produce sufficient quantities of Nintendo Switch hardware last…
Guilty Gear Strive turned three years old in mid-June, and developer Arc System Works revealed the game has now crossed 3 million players worldwide.The anime fighter originally released for PlayStation 4 and 5 and PC in 2021, followed by a Japanese arcade release in July that same year. It finally came to Xbox One and Series X|S in March 2023, in addition to Xbox Game Pass.
3 million players, but how many sales?
It's unknown how this player milestone translates, sales-wise. As of last August, the fighter sold 2.5 million copies, and both Arc System and Bandai Namco have been mum on its commercial performance since.Strive was the first mainline…
A Way Out has now sold over nine million copies, said developer Hazelight Studios.While celebrating the game's success, the studio noted the co-op game about a pair of escaped convicts was already profitable when it first released in 2018. Within its first two weeks, it sold 1 million copies, and it's been a solid seller in the years since.That said, the Swedish studio's most recent game, It Takes Two from 2021, remains its top-seller. As of this past March, the co-op game (which is about divorced parents in the body of their child's dolls) sold 16 million units.Given how popular It Takes Two has become in the last three years, it stands to reason a little of that light shined on Hazelight's debut title.
Destiny 2 is getting a new change to its release model. Instead of weekly story drops, the second and third episodes for 2024-2025, "Revenant" and "Heresy," will have their story missions come all at once.Bungie revealed this news during a recent livestream, saying all three of "Revenant's" missions will drop when it starts in October. The move was made in response to player feedback about the still-ongoing "Echoes" episode, which has doled out its story each week since early June.On Twitter, the developer said this provides players "an opportunity to play at their own pace." Per narrative director Alison Luhrs, the new change is a "trial of something new" that may or may not stick around, depending on feedback.
Xbox is bringing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to Amazon Fire TV in over 25 countries.Those who subscribe to the premium Xbox Game Pass tier will be able to play games directly from the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices via the power of the cloud.Xbox said the partnership will give people more choice when deciding how to play their favorite games. It also represents another instance of Microsoft broadening the boundaries of its platform ecosystem beyond traditional console hardware—which, as the company recently admitted, isn't selling too well.Xbox Game Pass will initially be supported on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K, which retail for $59.99 and $49.99 respectively. Microsoft said those price points represent a "great low-cost, convenient, and portable option"…
Update (06/26/24): Midnight Society co-founder Guy Beahm (the streamer known as Dr Disrespect) has admitted he was banned from Twitch for messaging a minor.Beahm was ousted from the studio earlier this week after it learned of an 'allegation' against him. Midnight Society didn't disclose the nature of the allegation, but the decision was made shortly after The Verge reported the steamer had been talking to a minor via Twitch's now-defunct messaging platform Whispers before he was banned in 2020.Now, Beahm has addressed those allegations in a post on X and confirmed he sent messages to a minor in 2017."A lot of people have been left in the dark about what happened yesterday with midnight society and I, and we made the painful decision collectively, to have me step d…
Netflix recently discussed its long-term game plans, and Amazon has now followed suit in an interview with Variety.Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann spoke with the outlet about the retail giant's goals for the medium, which effectively boil down to being the reverse Netflix. Where the streamer is taking its steps into games with mobile titles, Amazon is diving first into the PC and console market."It’s just much more opportunities for the market to be on the PC market, on the console market," said Hartmann. Not only does it best fit his past tenure at 2K and Rockstar, he offered that PC and console players take those titles more seriously than the mobile crowd."If the company would say, Christoph, let’s do mobile games, I would have to hire someone," he contin…
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa doesn't believe the company's next console will be impacted by production issues.Consumers in some regions might have found it difficult to get their hands on a Switch over the years due to component shortages that also impacted other console makers.Despite those speed bumps, the Switch has sold over 141 million units worldwide, and Nintendo has confirmed it will unveil its successor during the current fiscal year (ending on March 31, 2025).Although nobody knows when the mysterious console—rumored to be another hybrid handheld like the Switch—will actually hit shelves, Furukawa has reassured investors it isn't anticipating production issues."Although we were unable to produce sufficient quantities of Nintendo Switch hardware last…
Guilty Gear Strive turned three years old in mid-June, and developer Arc System Works revealed the game has now crossed 3 million players worldwide.The anime fighter originally released for PlayStation 4 and 5 and PC in 2021, followed by a Japanese arcade release in July that same year. It finally came to Xbox One and Series X|S in March 2023, in addition to Xbox Game Pass.
3 million players, but how many sales?
It's unknown how this player milestone translates, sales-wise. As of last August, the fighter sold 2.5 million copies, and both Arc System and Bandai Namco have been mum on its commercial performance since.Strive was the first mainline…
Destiny 2 is getting a new change to its release model. Instead of weekly story drops, the second and third episodes for 2024-2025, "Revenant" and "Heresy," will have their story missions come all at once.Bungie revealed this news during a recent livestream, saying all three of "Revenant's" missions will drop when it starts in October. The move was made in response to player feedback about the still-ongoing "Echoes" episode, which has doled out its story each week since early June.On Twitter, the developer said this provides players "an opportunity to play at their own pace." Per narrative director Alison Luhrs, the new change is a "trial of something new" that may or may not stick around, depending on feedback.
Xbox is bringing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to Amazon Fire TV in over 25 countries.Those who subscribe to the premium Xbox Game Pass tier will be able to play games directly from the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices via the power of the cloud.Xbox said the partnership will give people more choice when deciding how to play their favorite games. It also represents another instance of Microsoft broadening the boundaries of its platform ecosystem beyond traditional console hardware—which, as the company recently admitted, isn't selling too well.Xbox Game Pass will initially be supported on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K, which retail for $59.99 and $49.99 respectively. Microsoft said those price points represent a "great low-cost, convenient, and portable option"…
Xbox is bringing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to Amazon Fire TV in over 25 countries.Those who subscribe to the premium Xbox Game Pass tier will be able to play games directly from the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices via the power of the cloud.Xbox said the partnership will give people more choice when deciding how to play their favorite games. It also represents another instance of Microsoft broadening the boundaries of its platform ecosystem beyond traditional console hardware—which, as the company recently admitted, isn't selling too well.Xbox Game Pass will initially be supported on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K, which retail for $59.99 and $49.99 respectively. Microsoft said those price points represent a "great low-cost, convenient, and portable option"…
Update (06/26/24): Midnight Society co-founder Guy Beahm (the streamer known as Dr Disrespect) has admitted he was banned from Twitch for messaging a minor.Beahm was ousted from the studio earlier this week after it learned of an 'allegation' against him. Midnight Society didn't disclose the nature of the allegation, but the decision was made shortly after The Verge reported the steamer had been talking to a minor via Twitch's now-defunct messaging platform Whispers before he was banned in 2020.Now, Beahm has addressed those allegations in a post on X and confirmed he sent messages to a minor in 2017."A lot of people have been left in the dark about what happened yesterday with midnight society and I, and we made the painful decision collectively, to have me step d…
Netflix recently discussed its long-term game plans, and Amazon has now followed suit in an interview with Variety.Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann spoke with the outlet about the retail giant's goals for the medium, which effectively boil down to being the reverse Netflix. Where the streamer is taking its steps into games with mobile titles, Amazon is diving first into the PC and console market."It’s just much more opportunities for the market to be on the PC market, on the console market," said Hartmann. Not only does it best fit his past tenure at 2K and Rockstar, he offered that PC and console players take those titles more seriously than the mobile crowd."If the company would say, Christoph, let’s do mobile games, I would have to hire someone," he contin…
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa doesn't believe the company's next console will be impacted by production issues.Consumers in some regions might have found it difficult to get their hands on a Switch over the years due to component shortages that also impacted other console makers.Despite those speed bumps, the Switch has sold over 141 million units worldwide, and Nintendo has confirmed it will unveil its successor during the current fiscal year (ending on March 31, 2025).Although nobody knows when the mysterious console—rumored to be another hybrid handheld like the Switch—will actually hit shelves, Furukawa has reassured investors it isn't anticipating production issues."Although we were unable to produce sufficient quantities of Nintendo Switch hardware last…
Guilty Gear Strive turned three years old in mid-June, and developer Arc System Works revealed the game has now crossed 3 million players worldwide.The anime fighter originally released for PlayStation 4 and 5 and PC in 2021, followed by a Japanese arcade release in July that same year. It finally came to Xbox One and Series X|S in March 2023, in addition to Xbox Game Pass.
3 million players, but how many sales?
It's unknown how this player milestone translates, sales-wise. As of last August, the fighter sold 2.5 million copies, and both Arc System and Bandai Namco have been mum on its commercial performance since.Strive was the first mainline…