07-07-2023, 07:30 PM | #15041 | |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Today's News:
* SEGA reportedly has dropped all of their plans related to blockchain and NFT gaming for the foreseeable future, according to Bloomberg. It was reported that SEGA will no longer be offering their biggest franchises to third party blockchain developers in order to not "devalue" their IPs. It was also reported that they are also currently reassessing its approach to their big-budget online multiplayer-focused "super games" involving Web3 tech that is currently planned to start arriving in 2026. Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...inter-persists , https://www.destructoid.com/sega-hit...ckchain-plans/ * IO Interactive recently announced that they will be opening a new studio in Brighton, England as a support-level studio for their upcoming Project 007 and Project Fantasy games and help with the development of their Hitman series. Link: https://ioi.dk/careers/ioi-brighton * In some somber news, the creative director of Beyond Good & Evil 2, Emile Morel, recently passed away at the age of 40. Prior to his passing, Morel had spent the past 14 years working at Ubisoft and among the notable games he worked on included being the senior designer of Rayman Legends. Morel also had taken over as the creative director of Beyond Good & Evil 2 earlier this year following the departure of several high level directors for the project. Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/emile-m...suddenly-at-40 , https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ubiso...01294336-I853/ * Nintendo recently sent an official warning telling people to stop blowing their Nintendo Switches and instead just "suck it out" in regards to issues with dust getting into the cartridge slot of the console. The company also warned to not use a cotton swab either due to how sensitive the terminal reader is for Switch carts and jamming anything in there could seriously damage it. Their solution is to use a vacuum cleaner if you needed to clean out any dirt or dust. Quote:
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07-10-2023, 08:49 PM | #15042 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Today's News:
* EA confirmed the recent rumors of a new Black Panther game currently in development and a new studio called Cliffhanger Games as its developer. This new studio is located in Seattle, Washington and is lead by former Monolith Productions boss Kevin Stephens. Link: https://www.destructoid.com/ea-revea...by-new-studio/ , https://www.ea.com/news/meet-cliffhanger-games * Elias Toufexis, current voice actor of Adam Jensen from the Deus Ex series recently revealed on Twitter that he might not be returning as the voice actor for a potential future Deus Ex game due to him currently being busy with several gaming projects. This new Deus Ex game is currently rumored to be development but in response to a fan question on Twitter, Toufexis stated that he not been contacted at all regarding work for this potential new game. Link: https://twitter.com/EliasToufexis/st...76530758594561 , https://twitter.com/EliasToufexis/st...84138999549952 , https://www.destructoid.com/a-new-de...n-voice-actor/ * According to IGN Japan, Sonic series co-creator Yuji Naka was recently given a suspended prison sentence for his conviction of insider trading charges against him related to his time in Square Enix. Naka was recently sentenced to 2.5 years in prison but will have his sentence suspended for four years before it goes into effect. Naka was also given two fines of $14,000 and $1.1 million as part of his sentence. Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/sonic-c...nsider-trading |
07-10-2023, 09:54 PM | #15043 |
TPWW Fire Pro Champ
Posts: 33,998
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God I hope they don't move on from Adam Jensen in the Deus Ex series. But nice to know Elias Toufexis is keeping busy.
I was just thinking about it the other day we're just about due for a new entry. |
07-11-2023, 02:28 PM | #15044 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,281
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Microsoft's acquisiton moves forward
Initial injunction DENIED - things can move forward for now.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/11/2...-ftc-trial-win |
07-12-2023, 12:06 AM | #15045 | |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Today's News:
* Besides Microsoft's victory over the FTC, the UK's Competition and Market’s Authority also agreed to pause their litigation against MS over issues regarding MS' attempted purchase of Activision Blizzard for a new round of negotiations. Despite the loss, the FTC stated they will still continue to fight against MS's attempted purchase of AB. Link: https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/11/2...ors-cma-appeal , https://www.gamesindustry.biz/micros...tion-in-the-us * SEGA's U.S. employees recently voted to form a union with the next step being official recognition by the National Labor Relations Board. The final tally was 91 votes in favor of unionization to 26 votes against it. This new union will end up being the largest in the video gaming industry and cover Sega of America’s Irvine, California branch. In an interesting note, Sega of America could have potentially avoided this whole thing had they just given their employees a 30% pay raise like Sega of Japan did for their employees earlier this year. Link: https://twitter.com/takesAEGIS/statu...81056520101889 , https://www.destructoid.com/sega-of-...in-union-vote/ * Niantic, developer of Pokemon Go, is currently facing a lawsuit filed by a former female employee accusing the company of purposely underpaying their female employees and creating a toxic "Boys Club" work environment. Quote:
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07-12-2023, 04:06 PM | #15046 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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Well the FTC has super easy grounds for an appeal of the decision (or whatever their next move is if not an appeal here). The judge's son works for Microsoft. Clear conflict of interest. Should have recused herself when that came up in the initial hearings a couple weeks ago but refused to do so.
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07-12-2023, 04:08 PM | #15047 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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Fwiw, her logic for why her sons employment didn't matter was that he doesn't work in the Xbox division. Seems like a dumb line of thinking though considering if Xbox benefits from the deal that it will make the company more valuable across the board.
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07-12-2023, 04:52 PM | #15048 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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On the flip side, the judge also pointed out how flawed the FTC was with their handling of their lawsuit by telling them they don't work for Sony over how heavily pro-Sony their arguments were instead of being pro-consumers.
For FTC to be successful with an appeal, they'd need to rethink and rework a lot of their arguments and handling of it. The CMA's case against MS was a lot more tighter since they were not doing what the FTC was doing when it came to blocking MS's deal and looked at it from a pro-consumer standpoint and not a pro-Sony or others standpoint. |
07-12-2023, 08:20 PM | #15049 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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FTC has appealed, as expected.
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07-16-2023, 01:29 PM | #15050 |
TPWW Fire Pro Champ
Posts: 33,998
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Microsoft & Sony have cut a deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation if/after the Activision-Blizzard sale goes through.
https://www.ign.com/articles/xbox-ha...ision-blizzard |
07-17-2023, 04:31 AM | #15051 |
Wrestling Marks Rejoice!
Posts: 10,146
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Why does it seem like that is actually a loss for Sony?
I mean, really: that was their major argument against Microsoft. If you have the rival company put pen to paper to legally bind something they already promised to begin with, didn't you just shoot yourself in the foot? Seems more like something is telling them this legal business isn't going to stand up, and they want to guarantee it isn't going to backfire by MS turning petty afterwards... again, a thing Sony would totally do themselves if all this were running in the opposite direction. |
07-17-2023, 10:34 AM | #15052 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,281
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It'll all be a nothingburger at the end of the day.
You bet your ass after the 10 year agreement is up, they will make COD a "timed exclusive" the way Sony already does CoD and Destiny (at one point, unsure if this is still a thing). As an Xbox console owner, I cannot play Final Fantasy XVI until after 12/31/23 - but that's okay. I don't understand the fuss tbh. |
07-17-2023, 05:03 PM | #15053 | |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Quote:
If CoD ends up having another downturn period or goes to the wayside in the future, it won't hurt MS as much as it will Sony since MS' still gets to dip in AB's IPs catalog and as exclusive releases while Sony doesn't have that same privilege. The funny thing, the biggest winner out of this whole legal mess and bickering has been Nintendo since they got the CoD series back on their consoles without having to lift a finger and since MS doesn't have any real bad blood with them unlike with Sony, it opens the door to MS being even more friendlier when it comes to the next Smash Bros game and getting a Halo or Crash rep for it. Nintendo even got an easy win over the FIFA & EA feud since EA already promised to put their new non-FIFA game onto the Switch and not as some sort of lazy "Legacy" edition situation. |
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07-17-2023, 08:17 PM | #15054 | |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Today's News:
* The Last of Us series composer Gustavo Santaolalla recently teased that Naughty Dog is currently working on a new version of The Last of Us: Part 2. In a recent interview with BLENDER, Santaolalla accidentally revealed that this game is currently in development when talking about his cameo character in the original Last of Us Part 2 game. Link: https://www.resetera.com/threads/gus...art-ii.741999/ , https://www.destructoid.com/the-last...n-of-the-game/ * As part of the recent FTC vs. Microsoft court case that was decided in favor of MS, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart had stated in a testimony that MS was predicting about 10 million in sales for Starfield and the upcoming new Indiana Jones games on Playstation platforms before they made the decision for both to be exclusive to Xbox platforms instead. Stuart had also stated that MS made that decision due to them feeling they can recoup those lost sales costs via Game Pass and extra Xbox consoles sold because of those two games. Link: https://twitter.com/stephentotilo/st...07950706372611 , https://www.destructoid.com/starfiel...ays-microsoft/ * Microsoft recently revealed a new version of their Xbox Game Pass called Xbox Game Pass Core which is meant to be a replacement for their Xbox Live Gold subscription service and is currently scheduled to launch this September. It was also announced that those with active Xbox Live Gold accounts will automatically be changed into Game Pass Core accounts once this new service launches. Quote:
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07-18-2023, 03:18 AM | #15055 | ||
Wrestling Marks Rejoice!
Posts: 10,146
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Quote:
Quote:
And again, it's Sony doing all the bitching: the same place who wilfully tries to gather every actual console exclusive they can, nevermind timed exclusives. Same company doing the majority of cross platform play stonewalling. Methinks thou doth protest too much. |
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07-18-2023, 03:26 AM | #15056 | |
Wrestling Marks Rejoice!
Posts: 10,146
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Quote:
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07-18-2023, 06:43 AM | #15057 | |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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Quote:
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07-18-2023, 06:50 AM | #15058 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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like they are throwing away a predicted 10 million in sales for Starfield on PS5 for....absolutely zero sales of it on Xbox because it'll be on Gamepass. Why would they throw that money away?
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07-18-2023, 01:55 PM | #15059 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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And like clockwork a letter from the head of Bethesda to ole spencer and co is expressing a bit of frustration and confusion about why they were stopped from making multiplat games lol
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07-18-2023, 02:14 PM | #15060 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,281
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Thought that was reported on a month ago in an e-mail chain from 2022? Or is this something totally new?
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07-18-2023, 02:18 PM | #15061 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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It might be the same thing, not sure. The way the report I saw read was as if it was a new one though.
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07-18-2023, 02:19 PM | #15062 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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Yea it seems it probably the same one actually. IGN trying to pass it off as new news.
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07-18-2023, 02:24 PM | #15063 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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Here's another weird IGN report this morning: Microsoft trying to extend the deadline today so that Activision isn't wooed by another buyer. Who else was/is even in the market for them?
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07-18-2023, 02:25 PM | #15064 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,281
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Extend? I think there was some hubub about the date the legal processes have to finish. I cannot remember all the info, but something like the judgment giving them "exactly" the time needed to close things up legally, but only if there weren't any further issues//delays.
See if I can find that story again. |
07-21-2023, 12:46 PM | #15065 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,281
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07-24-2023, 03:35 PM | #15066 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,281
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Xbox Welcomes AntStream Arcade
Antstream, a decent arcade subscription service, has arrived on XBox.
Here's a complete list of the 1,470 ORIGINAL arcade games they have. Highlights such as: Bad Dudes Gauntlet Double Dragon Spy Hunter tons and tons more, I'm sure you can find your own. https://www.antstream.com/games |
07-27-2023, 06:40 PM | #15067 | |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Today's News:
* ESRB recently responded to the online criticisms over a recent application they filed with digital identity firm Yoti to the FTC in regards to a new potential Facial Age Estimation App for phones that would be used to verify that children do not buy age-restricted games. In an email sent to IGN, the ESRB clarified their application for this potential new app stating "First and foremost, this application is not to authorize the use of this technology with children. Full stop. Nor does this software take and store ‘selfies’ of users or attempt to confirm the identity of users. Furthermore, this application makes no mention of using age estimation to prevent children from purchasing and/or downloading restrictively rated video games, nor do we intend to recommend its use in that way." The ESRB also claimed that this would only be used with parental consent and also claimed this is not a facial recognition system since the photos are not stored and does not work the same way as those systems nor would these scans be used for AI training or shared with anyone. Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/esrb-fa...-tech-response * CD Projekt RED is currently in the process of laying off around 9% of its total work staff which is around 100 people in total as part of a larger restructuring and change in developmental process for the company. Link: https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/media/n...tional-update/ , https://www.destructoid.com/cd-proje...-of-its-staff/ * VGC and Kotaku reported that their sources stated that Ubisoft recently cancelled all development for a sequel to Immortals Fenix Rising. It was reported that this project had been in early development at Ubisoft Quebec studio before Ubisoft's management pulled the plug on it. Link: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/...rising-sequel/ , https://kotaku.com/assassins-creed-r...uel-1850677731 * In a potential interesting Did You Know Gaming type fact, Half-Life 3D artist Gordon Freeman revealed in a recent interview with TheGamer that the inspiration for the notable/iconic old white haired and mustache man scientist in the game was not based on Albert Einstein but instead George Washington. Jones also revealed that the iconic G-Man was based on the Cigarette Man from the X-Files. Quote:
Link: https://www.thegamer.com/half-life-c...ge-washington/ , https://www.destructoid.com/one-of-h...ein-after-all/ |
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07-27-2023, 06:43 PM | #15068 |
TPWW Fire Pro Champ
Posts: 33,998
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Oh man. Just keeps getting worse for Ubisoft.
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08-01-2023, 07:29 PM | #15069 | |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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According to a report from the VGC, Nintendo is currently expected to release the successor for the Switch in the second half of 2024.
Several of Nintendo's key partners and studios reportedly already have dev kits for this new console that will retain the hybrid console & portable model like the Switch and will also feature a LCD screen instead of an OLED screen to help keep costs down. Also similar to the Switch, this new console will also contain a cartridge slot but it is currently not known if this means the new console will be backwards compatible with the Switch. Quote:
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08-05-2023, 02:36 PM | #15070 |
The Classic Dylan Staples
Posts: 51,194
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I know they don't want to make it backwards compatible so that people will have to buy their games again, but I feel like plenty of people just won't buy it if they can't play the games they own on it.
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08-05-2023, 08:26 PM | #15071 |
TPWW Fire Pro Champ
Posts: 33,998
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What bothers me is that they came out with the OLED Switch.
One would think that's a step in the right direction with the next Nintendo console coming along. Instead, they're going the LCD route. So, why even bother creating an OLED switch in the first place? |
08-07-2023, 08:34 PM | #15072 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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In a recent investor's meeting, Square Enix stated that the recently released Final Fantasy XVI game has not met their high-end sales expectations.
Main reason is due to the huge sums of money they spent developing the game that they had expected would have been very quickly recouped. Some of the blame was also put on their year-to-year net sales decline in their MMOs division and also the PS5 since they were expecting a higher PS5 userbase by now and game sales from that platform when they made the decision to release the game only for that console. There was also some confusion regarding some translation-related issues from Bloomberg over what Square Enix's President Takashi Kiryu had stated with some people and gaming websites being under the assumption that the game failed to hit SE's general sales expectations for it. Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...mobile-setback , https://www.destructoid.com/final-fa...-expectations/ |
08-08-2023, 08:36 AM | #15073 |
TPWW Fire Pro Champ
Posts: 33,998
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It's a good game. There was some chatter going around that some DLC might get cooked up since there was a few things that went unresolved.
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08-10-2023, 06:54 PM | #15074 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Microsoft recently slashed the length of their $1 deal for a trial of their Game Pass service from being one month long to now just being 2 weeks long.
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08-11-2023, 10:03 AM | #15075 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,281
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meh... not news
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08-11-2023, 08:16 PM | #15076 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Guess the forum didn't save the edit I made to that news post right after since its missing the stuff about the speculation that MS only did that trial slash due to Starfield being released soon and them not wanting to give away the game for practically $1 or have people plow through as much of the game as possible in a month for a $1 either.
Now onto Today's News: * Nintendo recently released a plushie toy of Wiglett for sale at their official Pokemon Center Stores and that Pokemon ended up looking a lot more like a dick than before. For those wondering, the plushie is 10.25 inches long which is 2x above average dong size. Link: https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-wig...hy-suspicious/ * The Associated Press reported that the writer of the Metro 2023 novel series, Dmitry Glukhovsky, was recently sentenced by a Moscow court to 8 years in prison for criticizing the Russian Army's actions and alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Making matters worse for Glukhovsky was that the Russian government had labeled him as a "foreign agent" last year due to his criticisms of President Vladmir Putin and the Kremlin. Glukhovsky was convicted under a law that was passed last year that made it a crime to spread "fake news" about the Russian military, which basically included any criticisms of it during its on-going invasion of Ukraine. Link: https://apnews.com/article/russia-cr...a076bb1544fe4a , https://www.destructoid.com/metro-20...rediting-news/ * THQ Nordic confirmed reports of a game based on the TNMT The Last Ronin comic series currently being in development and released the debut trailer for the game as part of today's THQ Nordic Digital Showcase stream. The game was announced to be arriving for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S but no other details were given. |
08-17-2023, 07:13 PM | #15077 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Today's News:
* The Japanese Cabinet Office recently announced that the country generated a 2.8% increase in GDP for the past fiscal quarter (April to June) compared to the previous fiscal quarter. The government also stated that they currently believe that the massive sales of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Capcom’s Street Fighter V, and Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XVI were the main contributors for this growth. In regards to Tears of the Kingdom, MyNintendo reported that a lot of people on social media had mentioned that they took a holiday day off from work on the day of the game's release to play it. Link: https://mynintendonews.com/2023/08/1...-gdp-increase/ * Famous film director Guillermo del Toro recently reached out to Konami on Twitter to gauge their interest in a potential revival of horror game P.T. following last week being the 9 year anniversary of the game's development being canceled. Link: https://twitter.com/RealGDT/status/1690528967802167296 |
08-21-2023, 07:56 PM | #15078 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,602
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Nintendo announced that Charles Martinet will be stepping down as the voice actor of Mario but will still work as an ambassador for the company.
No official reason for the decision was given. Prior to the announcement, Martinet had been the iconic voice of Mario since 1994.
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08-25-2023, 05:02 AM | #15079 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
Posts: 29,692
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MS has waived it's "feature parity" requirement for Series X/S in regards to Baldur's Gate 3. Game will arrive later this year with split screen co-op on X, and without it on S.
Hope this leads to them reversing this policy in it's entirety. |
08-25-2023, 09:48 AM | #15080 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,281
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It'll probably depend on how well BG3 does on X/S - which I have zero doubt it will be a wild success.
Then, they can have "data" that shows players will still buy stuff if they want it, regardless of the parity "requirements" they set forth. I get why they did it, but surely they had to see something like this coming.... |