Sea of Thieves Streamers Quit Due to Ongoing Toxicity and Harassment

Sea of Thieves Sails of Union

While the popular Rare title Sea of Thieves generally promotes pirate-like bad behavior due to the focus of its gameplay, many players have been expressing their displeasure at the high levels of toxicity and harassment they've been face. Even more so, they feel that such behavior from a significant portion of the player base has been largely ignored by Rare.

Several Sea of Thieves streamers, including SayHeyRocco, Carrillo, Jason Sulli, and GullibleGambit, announced they were quitting over Rare's lack of response, which resulted in the reemergence of these issues. Said issues involve "players targeting individuals based on their gender, race, and sexuality; purposefully loading into the same servers as streamers to disrupt their broadcasts; and taking their issues from the game out in the real world."

Signs of this began emerging back in 2018 when popular streamer Jaryd "Summit1G" Lazar brought in plenty of new players but also clashed with community members due to his behavior. Examples included highlighting criticism of him which resulted in targeted harassment by his fans, encouraging his fanbase to send information about alliance servers to invade on stream which also resulted in harassment outside of the game, broadcasting long rants about the game and developers, and other examples.

Despite much of this behavior violating Sea of Thieves' community guidelines ("Disputes are settled on the seas"), they did not directly address said behavior and instead invited Lazar to an official community livestream in 2019.

Earlier this year there was another streamer named Pace22, Lazar's crewmember, who was implicated in a targeted abuse and doxxing campaign against the couple behind the Twitch streaming personality Rocco. Pace22 denied his involvement and Lazar also became involved with a direct rant against the couple. Later on after lashing out at Rare for the lack of response, they were removed from the Partner Programme. This resulted in other streamers leaving the program in solidarity.

Streamers Gambit and ComradeMolly, who both stream under the LGBTQIA+ tag, have also been vocal about their own experiences with harassment. In response a Rare spokesperson responded with two statements regarding some of these concerns:

We have already implemented changes within the Partner Programme to ensure that our creator community remains a positive and welcoming space, and we will work closely with our partners to ensure it remains so.

We're committed to supporting our LGBTQ+ partners, streamers and creators—diversity only enriches our larger-than-life pirate community, and makes Sea of Thieves' world a far more interesting one to explore and enjoy.

As stated in our Code of Conduct, Sea of Thieves is a game for everyone regardless of age, gender, race, sexuality, nationality, creed or disability. Prejudice of any kind is totally unacceptable. We will continue to support and promote our LGBTQ+ community of creators with our activities across our community, within the game, and with the events we run our partners.

Other than these statements, it is still unclear how much they have been working toward making these statements a reality. That remains to be seen.

These issues being addressed is especially important since Sea of Thieves has been growing in its audience at a steady pace. According to Beinji-Sales, during the last 7 days, the player count for Sea of Thieves on Steam has increased by almost 20,000 players. To be more specific, it has increased from 41,110 on June 7th (four days since it released on the platform) to 59,404 on June 13th.

In total Sea of Thieves has now topped 15 million players altogether. This means that in a little over six months, the game's community has grown by 50%, which is pretty staggering for a title that released over two years ago at this point.

The post Sea of Thieves Streamers Quit Due to Ongoing Toxicity and Harassment by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.

Payday 3 Gets First Screenshot, Confirms Switch to Unreal Engine

Overkill Software, Payday, Payday 3, PC, PS4, PS5, Starbreeze, Xbox One, xbox series x, payday 2

After years of little news surrounding the highly anticipated next installment of the popular franchise, Payday 3 finally received its first screenshot directly from the officially Payday Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/PAYDAYGame/status/1312356279596220416?s=20

If those are fully in-game graphics, they look absolutely fantastic and bodes well for the game's progress. And here's the full screenshot if you want a closer look:

Overkill Software, Payday, Payday 3, PC, PS4, PS5, Starbreeze, Xbox One, xbox series x

Other than the screenshot, we find out another important piece of information: that Overkill Software has switched over to Unreal Engine. As though we still don't have a locked in release date, this is still phenomenal news that will absolutely facilitate a much faster and more efficient development cycle.

Back in 2017, Payday publisher Starbreeze confirmed that production of Payday 3 had started, with the game at the "full design stage" at that point. According to CEO Bon Andersson Klint, the game will get as much time as it needs, as it is the company's single most important brand today, and the cornerstone of its business. The news came after the publisher revealed its financial results, showing that the company earned SEK 345.5 million in revenue — up 58% from the SEK 218.4 million posted over the same period the previous year — while profit climbed 45% to SEK 57.1 million.

Last year saw the next update concerning Payday 3. The Swedish company stated that it will be releasing Payday 3 sometime in 2022 or 2023. According to Eurogamer, during a brutal reconstruction of the company that has seen a staff exodus and subsidiaries sold off, the company still has plans to continue with its popular series.

Overkill's The Walking Dead on Steam released last November to middling reception from both critics and players and the development studio has been under threat ever since. Since the game didn't sell so well, it has caused financial problems and the exiting of Bo Anderson, the previous CEO of the company. Not to mention that Starbreeze had some major legal troubles at the end of last year when the company's offices were raided by Swedish authorities under the suspicion of insider trading, leading to the arrest of one individual associated with the charges brought forth.

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Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix Is a Video Game Coming Out This Week

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2 Grand Prix Review

Here's the deal jack; there is a lot of PS5 and Xbox Series X news that is popping up this week. But why is nobody talking about the imminent game of the year, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix? In case you weren't aware, it is definitely a video game that is absolutely coming out sometime this week. And that 'sometime' is Tuesday.

In case you haven't ever heard of Nickelodeon Kart Racers, what have you been doing with your life? We originally covered the 2018 prequel, originally wondering how the game ever got greenlit after some horrific-looking screenshots. After getting some hands-on time with the game, DualShockers specifically noted "Nickelodeon Kart Racers is a sin masquerading as a video game, and now we must all wish for forgiveness."

With that said, let's not let the sins of the father fall on the son, and take a look at Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix. Developer Bamtang games has been hyping up the additions to the formula — namely the addition of 18 new playable racers (one being JoJo Siwa, objectively the worst JoJo behind Giorno Giovanna). In fact, current marketing brags that NKR2:GP has the "largest collection of Nickelodeon characters ever in a Kart game!" You know, similar to how Mortal Kombat: Armageddon has the most Mortal Kombat characters in a fighting game.

More important to this is the changes that the developers have been noting to the racing engine, which is undoubtedly going to make this game more palatable than the original. When stacking against games like Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, they will have some stiffer competition this time around. Add-in 4 new stages and 70 crew members and the game is definitely one to follow, especially if you fancy yourself a hardcore Nickelodeon fan.

Last but not least, we have some server support for Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix — for the first time, you will be able to play the game online with other people out there in the real world.

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is coming out on October 6, 2020 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One; the game will later be coming out on December 1, 2020 for PC. Check out later next week for a review from DualShockers. Many thanks to Chris for following up about our coverage on the game.

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Minecraft's Next Update Titled Caves & Cliffs Releases in 2021

Minecraft Caves and Cliffs

Last year we got an update to the Nether regions in Minecraft, this year, Caves & Cliffs will be getting the update.

During Minecraft live, the update was announced and will release in the summer of 2021. Microsoft stated that this update is going to take longer to develop and on top of that, Minecraft would not be receiving a Christmas update as it has in the past.

Mojang stated: "This is a massive update with a large variety of features to truly have something for all players, and we're excited to release it for all supported platforms next summer. Due to the massive size of the update, the team needs more time to work on it than usual, which is why there will not be a traditional game update this holiday."

Caves & Cliffs will include new cave types with different types of mobs, items, and more.

Copper ore is being introduced as a new resource that can be mined and crafted into items. A telescope will be craftable by utilizing crystal geodes. Mojang described the crystals as being "near-mystical" so they might be a pretty rare item to find.

Caves will stare to vary more in size. Some will include huge caverns, underground lakes, and waterfalls.

Stalactites and stalagmites are being introduced in the update and will cause damage if you touch them.

Players will now be able to find buried ruins that can be dusted off to find artifacts thanks to a new archeology system that was mentioned by Mojang.

Those ruins will feature new mobs. The Warden is an enemy that can sense your movement. Axolotl fish are friendly and will even help in fights.

Finally, cliff faces will look more similar to actual mountains thanks to a redesign, and mountain goats will be added to the game.

Minecraft is currently available on basically every device that has a screen at this point. Oh yeah, Steve is also coming to Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

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PS5 Fan Noise Reportedly Whisper Quiet, Unlike the PS4

PS5 japanese youtuber hands on quiet fans playstation 5 order preorder

While it's a foregone conclusion that the PS4 is one of the most beloved pieces of hardware from this generation, it isn't without criticism — notably the volume of the system's fan under strain. With this in mind, one of the leading questions for the PS5 has always been how effective the heat management would be, and would it be "quiet." Following reports from 4Gamer's hands-on preview, we now know that the system is nearly whisper-quiet — even when playing graphically demanding games like Godfall.

As noted above, the report comes from 4Gamer (and transitions from YouTuber Mystic) that have been lightly edited for readability. In the quotes, the previewer notes his subjective breakdown of the fan noise while under load.

In the quote below, the previewer is testing the system while playing the upcoming PS5 game Godfall, all the while noting that the system is indeed getting hot. While the studio itself was registering around 86° F during recording, the console itself was getting as hot as 140° F. Even still, it was described that the air coming from the exhaust was "gently" and not extremely hot. Even better, 4Gamer notes that they "could hardly hear what seemed to be the rotating noise of the fan."

"What is the temperature of the main body with the cooling mechanism of PS5? I started playing one of the launch titles, Godfall. After a while I checked it, but the wind coming out of the exhaust was gentle and didn't feel extremely hot. At the time, the temperature of the studio was around 30° C  (86° F). From the specifications of the installed SOC, it is considered that it operates at around 55-60° C (131-140° F). When it is running that hot, you might wonder, "Isn't the noise of the fan goign to be loud?" But the opposite is true. As mentioned above, the exhaust was gentle, and I could hardly hear what seemed to be the rotating noise of the fan."

Reiterating this point, 4Gamer confirms that they were relieved that the final build's exhaust heat and noise "aren't noticeable":

I introduced the development machine this time, but when I summarized the PS5 that I actually saw, the balance between specs, appearance and price was strange, and it was a finish that made me want to say that it would be too cheap. I could only look at the PS5 itself, but I'm relieved that the exhaust heat and noise aren't noticeable. If anything, I was surprised at the finish of the DualSense.

Worth noting, this wasn't just an impression of the console from a distance away from it. While checking the fan noise, 4Gamer notes that they got up close to the exhaust. However, unlike the PS4, there was no discernable "roar" that typically occurs when the PS4 is under load:

At that point, I noticed that the operating noise of the main unit is also very quiet. I tend to forget it because I concentrate during gameplay, but it didn't make a 'roar' when I went near the main unit. The PS4's rfan noise becomes more noticeable as soon as the load increases, but the PS5's impression is less noticeable. Of course, I didn't really focus on 'fan sound only' in a testing envirnoment.

The quote above also mentions that there wasn't a formal control test on the sound of PS5's fan — and to a degree, it is the subjective opinion of the previewer. However, until Digital Foundry does a breakdown, 4Gamer seems to keep an air of certainty that their opinion isn't hyperbole (absent control testing):

Even if you put your ears close to the back of PS5's body, you only think "Oh, fans are turning around." Subjectively, the impression that 'the console is much quieter' is not a mistake.

This is obviously fantastic news for the PS5, and addresses one of the major concerns that Sony came away with from the current generation. While a 'quiet console' and heat management is not normally on the top of the list when it comes to next-gen features, it speaks to how well future games will run and the overall quality of the hardware build itself.

The PS5 is set to launch on November 12, 2020; the console has been perpetually sold out since pre-orders were surprise-dropped, but keep an eye on Amazon as more stock becomes available.

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Minecraft Dungeons to Add Console Crossplay Next Month, Including PS4

Minecraft Dungeons Nintendo Switch PS PS5 Xbox One Crossplay Cross Play

It's amazing to see how crossplay has evolved over this gaming generation. While it was once impossible to think we might see multiplayer that mixed Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4 fans in one server, it is becoming more and more a gaming reality. And as we get closer to PS5 and Xbox Series X | S, it has been revealed that Minecraft Dungeons will allow crossplay for all current gen devices.

News comes by way of the official Minecraft Twitter account, that revealed that Dungeons would allow for crossplay on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One next month. While there isn't an official date on when crossplay will start, it is undoubtedly good news and a great way to welcome in the next console generation:

While the news is all well and good, there is already conversation popping around on whether this is indicative of a broader strategy from Microsoft. With the recent news that the Xbox brand has swallowed up Bethesda, there is many a fear that The Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield may never make it over to PlayStation. Perhaps this is an indication of continued goodwill between the hardware developers and a nod that they aren't locking out PlayStation players.

On the other side of that debate, Minecraft properties have always enjoyed broad crossplay and anti-exclusivity support. In short, reading too much into this news might be a pointless exercise.

Minecraft Dungeons has been a long-time coming, first revealed in 2018 for PC. After a series of delays and inclusions of a console port, the game finally released in May 2020 to Great critical reviews. The developers have been continually supporting the game since launch, with the "Creeping Winter" DLC having just been released last month.

Minecraft Dungeons is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One; if you haven't picked up the game yet, feel free to grab it from Amazon to help support DualShockers.

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PS5 X Button Confirm Change Sparks Worries From Asia, Japan Players

dualsense ps5 x button confirm change ui feature

Sony held on October 4 a hands-on event for the PS5, where multiple Japanese outlets and popular (Virtual) YouTubers got to try out the next gen console, and one thing that came out in particular is how the PS5 and its DualSense controller now use X button for confirm in the UI menu.

As a reminder, while in Europe, American and western PlayStation games in general, X button is used for confirmation, in Japan and Asia it's the O button instead. On Nintendo consoles too, the A button used for confirm is where PlayStation controllers' O button would be. This is a culture difference in how in Japan, X (Batsu) is false, while O (Maru) is correct. You can easily notice this for example when characters in anime and manga show their school test results. Meanwhile on Xbox controllers, the A button used for confirm is at the same place as the PlayStation X button, following the western pattern.

Sony Interactive Entertainment public relations explained (thanks, Famitsu) this is a change happening in all the Asia region including Japan, to solve the discomfort where games use either the X or O button as confirm but the console's System Menu uses the other button as confirmation.

One of the first Japanese blogs who shared this change on Twitter is Game's Talk, re-sharing an event report article from AV Watch (Part of the Impress group like Game Watch, which we often quote). Many players expressed their discontentment towards the change by replying/quoting this tweet or event report articles from Famitsu and other outlets.

Many Twitter users noted it's puzzling Sony decided to do this change now even though this regional difference has been a thing for years now. Needless to say there are some Japanese players happy with the change too, as everyone has a different opinion, and the internet doesn't accurately reflect reality. In particular, western games like Apex or Dead by Daylight are incredibly popular in Japan, and multiple Japanese players noted they're already used to X button as confirm after playing these games.

It's also interesting to note that many Japanese studios developing games on PlayStation might adapt this change in their future games too. Making the X Button as the confirm button. Tales of Producer Yusuke Tomizawa noted on Twitter "The age of X Button confirmation is coming…". So maybe X Button is how we'll confirm things even in the Japanese version of Tales of Arise. It's also worth mentioning certain games already do that, such as Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, already available on PS4 in Japan.

Lastly, if you'd like to hear my Unneeded Opinion™ on the matter, I couldn't care less about the PS5 X button confirm change in itself. Well, for now I couldn't care less about PS5 altogether, since it's not like niche Japanese games gonna release on it any time soon, but that's another story. As someone regularly playing Japanese games on a French PS4 console, I'm already used to switching between both patterns and hitting the wrong button sometimes. Multiple Japanese players on Twitter shared that point too, and how they're used to playing both Western and Japanese games.

With that said, I believe it's a huge shame Sony decided, after over two decades, to force Asian players to adopt the same button scheme as western standards. It would have been nice if for once other people didn't have to do everything in the same way as western culture. It could have been the other way, with O Button becoming the confirm button for everyone. Things could have also stayed the way they've always been too. Or better yet, Sony could have simply added an option to let players choose between X or O button in the PS5 configuration menu. This sadly doesn't seem to be the case judging from the event reports.

In the land of Freedom and Justice, the PS5 will release on November 12 for $499. The All-Digital Edition version will be $399.

The post PS5 X Button Confirm Change Sparks Worries From Asia, Japan Players by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.

First PS5 Hands-On Demos Showcase Hardware and Games

PS5 japanese youtuber hands on quiet fans playstation 5 order preorder

Sony invited many Japanese publications and YouTubers to go hands-on with the upcoming PS5. This is the first time anyone had gone hands-on with the system and the first time we are seeing the hardware outside of some leaked images or promotional material. Those who got to see the new console in action provided both images and videos detailing how big the new system really is and gameplay of certain titles like Astro's Playroom and Godfall.

Below you will see photos published from 4Gamer (via The Verge) that showcase the PS5 standing vertically as well as horizontally. On top of that, some of the other photos demonstrate how the PS5 will cool itself. 4Gamer pointed out that the fan inside the system was extremely quiet and it was not able to hear it. It also pointed out that the system did not exhaust much heat during the hands-on session.

PS5 Vertical

 

 

There was one photo that 4gamer had published that showed off a little silver latch that is hidden in the upper-right section of the PS5. This may be where PS5 owners will be able to expand their storage capacity with regular SSD drives. However, that is yet to be the confirmed reasoning behind the bolt or latch.

PS5 Bolt

We know that the PS5 is going to be one chonker of a console, but now some images can give us some clarity on how big it really is next to a TV. This photo from Dengeki Online demonstrates how big it is compared to a TV while the system is standing vertically.

PS5 Vertical TV

Sadly we were not able to see a demonstration of the PS5 dashboard or UI elements. We did get what was possibly a taste of it back in June. But I believe that might have just been the initial boot-up screen. Sony has promised a fully redesigned PS5 dashboard so I am hoping we get a glimpse of it sooner or later.

Finally, we got a glimpse at some gameplay of Astro's Playroom, Godfall, and Balan Wonderworld, three games that we have already seen plenty of in the past. I wish we got to see some footage of some other titles that we haven't seen much of and could better demonstrate the fast SSD inside the console. You can take a look at footage of those three titles running on the PS5 in the video below.

The PS5 is set to launch later next month on November 12 for $499. The PS5 also will have an All-Digital Edition that lacks a disk drive and will cost $399. Pre-orders have mostly all been taken back during the great PS5 pre-order wars of 2020, but stock has become available every now and then at some retailers. If you are still looking to secure an order, you will have to be quick.

The post First PS5 Hands-On Demos Showcase Hardware and Games by Grant Huff appeared first on DualShockers.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare No Longer Fits onto a 250GB SSD on PC

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has steadily grown ever since the game released. Season after season, the game just gets more and more content. This leads to ever-growing file size. It looks like the game has gotten so big on PC it can't fit onto a 250GB SSD.

BattleNonSense tweeted a screen capture of their SSD with the latest Call of Duty title loaded onto it, at least almost loaded onto it. Turns out, if you have less than 250 GB of storage, you just won't be able to play the game because it will not fit. You can take a look for yourself in the attached tweet below.

File sizes for some games have gotten pretty huge, but I think Modern Warfare is the one title that is just unacceptably large. The game not only is huge on PC but its console counterparts as well. Just having the game installed greatly interferes with what else you can have downloaded to your system.

With Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releasing here pretty soon, I hope that we won't be having the same issues with this next game. I have to imagine that Activision has heard all of the cries from their player base. Splitting up single-player, multiplayer, and Warzone would probably be the best option. Luckily enough, it looks like splitting up and deleting parts of games will be a feature for the Xbox Series X that developers can utilize if they choose to do so.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is currently available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The 6th season just dropped for its multiplayer game modes and Warzone.

The post Call of Duty: Modern Warfare No Longer Fits onto a 250GB SSD on PC by Grant Huff appeared first on DualShockers.

Tetris Twitter Jokes on Possible Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Inclusion Following Minecraft Steve's Reveal

Nintendo Switch, Switch, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Minecraft, Minecraft Steve

To say that the reaction to Minecraft Steve's inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate garnered some extreme reactions on social media (most notably Twitter) is somehow still an understatement. And while there are plenty of people worried about what this inclusion may mean for possible fighters, the official Tetris Twitter account seems (jokingly) hopeful about the whole ordeal:

While the tweet was made in jest, it's still a hilarious idea to consider that technically the iconic Tetris blocks could be announced as the next Smash fighter. I mean at the very least it's one of the few choices that would garner more controversy than Steve's inclusion (and somehow look more hilariously out of place than him on the mural).

Minecraft Steve was revealed by Nintendo as the next fighter on October 1st. Steve comes from the world's best selling game, Minecraft and will also be accompanied by a trio of alternative skins in the form of Alex, Zombie or Enderman. The aesthetic of Steve and company very much maintains that of Minecraft, rather than adapting to the look of Super Smash Bros. The characters appear to use a range of weapons and items familiar to the Minecraft series as well as being able to construct buildings to their advantage.

And for fun, check out our DualShockers reaction to the big announcement as it happened, as well as our afterthoughts. Our own video manager Mario Rivera was joined by one of our friends and Super Smash Bros. super fan Grant Callahan to watch the Steve reveal as it happened this morning. The two recorded themselves watching the video itself (which notably featured creator Masahiro Sakurai at its end) while also breaking down why Steve makes sense to be brought into Smash in the first place.

If you want a more in-depth analysis of what Steve's inclusion means for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate moving forward, check out our editorial here.

The post Tetris Twitter Jokes on Possible Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Inclusion Following Minecraft Steve's Reveal by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.