Tag: game news

Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV have No Planned Release Dates

This weekend is Blizzcon, Activision-Blizzard’s annual event, where they showcase new Blizzard content, games, and events. This years big showcase is Overwatch 2, World of Warcraft Shadowland expansion and Diablo 4. While Diablo 4 was an anticipated title, fans were surprised about the leak becoming true that Blizzard would release Overwatch 2. Overwatch 2 isn’t an actual sequel to the team based shooter but rather an expansion which includes more story elements and PvE rather than PvP.

Despite fan excitement, neither titles have a launch date. This is pretty disappointing to fans but the games look like they have are based the Alpha stages. Some people online are speculating that Blizzard announced the two titles without release dates to earn good press after the recent controversies facing the company.

What?

During a professional Hearthstone player interview, a player wore clothes similar to protesters at Hong Kong. Ng “Blitzchung” Wai Chung said at the end of his interview  “Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution of our age!” The stream then quickly cuts to a commercial break. This resulted in the player receiving a year long ban from playing competitively, revoking his winnings from the tournament, and firing the two interviewers.

Blizzard stated cited a competition rule which states that players aren’t allowed to do anything that “brings [them] into public disrepute, offends a portion or group of the public, or otherwise damages [Blizzard’s] image. At Blizzcon, the President  J. Allen Brack stated that “We moved too quickly in our decision-making and then, to make matters worse, we were too slow to talk with all of you,” said Brack. “We didn’t live up to the high standards we set for ourselves.

Blizzard has reduced his penalty to six months but fans were still outraged over the company’s decision. They felt that China’s influence made the company ban Blitzchung. There are several protesters at Blizzcon who support Blizchung’s opinion. With Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 coming out eventually, many Blizzard fans seem to have forgotten the issue and focusing on the company’s future titles. Whether intentional or not, Blizzard has dramatically reduced the spotlight on the Hong Kong issue and has moved it towards their new games. Whether people will still speak out against Blizzard remains to be seen.

 

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Xbox Live comes to Nintendo, iOS, and Android

You’re reading that correctly. Xbox Live services are coming to Nintendo and phones. Microsoft announced that they will release their own SDK (Standard Dev Kit) that will allow game developers to integrate Xbox Live into any titles that run across PC, Xbox, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch. It will be fully announced during GDC (Games Developer Con) in March 22nd.

What will this do?

Xbox Live will provide achievements, friends list and Xbox Live functionality to existing mobile video games. Microsoft has been trying to reach out to a broader audience outside of PC and Xbox Users. Last year they announced their CloudX services that will provide will stream Xbox games to PCs, consoles, and mobile devices later this year.

It’s clear that Microsoft is moving toward a subscription-based service. They are one of the biggest revenue generating services in the industry (think Amazon Prime and Netflix). While Xbox has been losing in the exclusive game markets, perhaps this will be their new competitive advantage. The mobile gaming market makes over $1 billion in comparison to the hundreds of millions in consoles.

Sources:

GDC Schedule

Gamespot

The Verge

Eurogamer

CAUTION FOR SMASH Players! Avoid playing Piranha Plant in All-Stars Mode

Piranha Plant has just been released for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate but there’s a glitch with it. Reported on GameFAQs and Twitter users, if you use Piranha Plant in All-Star Mode, your Save File will corrupt and you’ll have to reinstall and unlock everything again. This has been reported only for digital copies but I advise being cautious until Nintendo has released an official patch or update. I will revise the article once it has been. In the meantime, why not watch the new character be played by pro-players?

If you pre-ordered the game, the last day to download Piranha Plant for free is tomorrow, January 31st. 

Resident Evil 2 Remake Receives free DLC

Resident Evil 2 Remake just released last week and Capcom aims to deliver more content for players…for free! First, you can download retro outfits for Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield starting February 15th. They aren’t as sharp as they were back then but their fingers are still rectangles of survival.

Alongside the retro costumes, you’ll be able to play three “what-if” characters who unfortunately got caught in the Racoon City mess. The gunshop owner, the mayor’s daughter, the soldier.