Cyberpunk 2077 – Over 50% of Sales Expected to be Digital, CDPR Says

cyberpunk 2077

Digital media has seen massive, exponential growth in most entertainment media over recent years, and the games industry is no exception there. More and more we've been seeing games that have seen the majority of their sales (or at least a huge chunk of their sales) coming through digital storefronts rather than through physical copies sold- and it seems CD Projekt RED is expecting a similar ratio for Cyberpunk 2077 as well.

Speaking during CD Projekt's latest quarterly investors call (transcribed by Seeking Alpha), the company's CFO Piotr Nielubowicz said that it is "definitely" expecting the digital sales ratio for Cyberpunk 2077 to be higher than The Witcher 3, and to be higher than 50%. 

"The expected ratio between digital and physical on our sales, as we see it on preorders digital is very strong, so definitely we are more into moving potential split digital/physical, and more on the digital side," Nielubowicz said. "How far we'll go? We honestly speaking do not know, definitely farther than we had on The Witcher 3 and definitely more than 50% should come from the digital channel."

Cyberpunk 2077 launches for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia on December 10 (for real this time, CDPR promises). You can check out its PC requirements through here.

CD Projekt RED has given assurances that even though there will be some "low-level" bugs in the game, Cyberpunk 2077's performance will still be "surprisingly good" on the base PS4 and Xbox One. Meanwhile, details on the game's post-launch expansions and DLC will be revealed in early 2021.

Monster Hunter Rise Clip Shows off Palamute Gear Designs

Monster Hunter Rise

The Monster Hunter franchise has a history of pairing its players with adorable fuzzy companion characters, and the upcoming Monster Hunter Rise is going to proudly continue that tradition. In addition to the feline Palicoes that fans of the series will be used to, in Rise, you will also have a canine Palamute as your companion.

We've seen customization options and some rather good looking concept art for them up until now, and now, in a new clip shared by Capcom via the official Monster Hunter Twitter, we get a brief but interesting glimpse of Palamute gear designs as well. There's a variety of Palamutes and a variety of gear pieces shown off, all of which are looking great- check them out below.

Monster Hunter Rise releases exclusively for the Switch on March 26, 2021, and Capcom has some really high expectations from the game as far as its sales are concerned. A recent leak has suggested that the game will be making its way over to PC as well.

If that leak is to be believed, there's a lot more Monster Hunter content coming down the line following Rise, with an Ultimate (or G) version of Rise planned for the Switch Q4 FY 2022, and Monster Hunter 6, the mainline sequel to World, planned for Q2 FY 2023. Read more on that through here.

Genshin Impact Character Trailer Highlights Xinyan's Rocking Style

Genshin Impact - Xinyan

Genshin Impact has already seen the release of update 1.1 which added new quests, a new reputation system and numerous quality of life improvements. However, the main appeal is its new characters including Xinyan. As a 4 star Pyro user, Xinyan is all about performing and rocking on. Check out her character demo below.

Seeking her next big performance, Xinyan is capable of igniting the battlefield and setting enemies ablaze. She's still capable of dishing out damage with a longsword when necessary though, so don't worry. Along with Xinyan, update 1.1 also added Childe and Zhongli, two 5 star characters, and Diona, a 4 star character.

The update also added support for Genshin Impact on the PlayStation 5 where it runs at a smooth 60 frames per second. Otherwise, the free to play action RPG can also be experienced on PS4, PC, iOS and Android with a Nintendo Switch port in the works. Stay tuned for more details on the next update, which adds the Dragonspine region, in the coming weeks.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.04 is Live, Improves Performance and Adds New Features

assassin's creed valhalla

The latest update for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla is now live. Download sizes range from 4.3 GB on PC to 2.5 GB on PS5 and 5.3 GB on Xbox Series X/S. As the development team confirmed before release, the update adds Quality and Performance modes for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, allowing players to choose maximum resolution at 30 FPS or adaptive resolution at 60 FPS.

A number of other fixes and improvements have also been added like the option to automatically assign any skill points that haven't been spent. The limit on fabric has also been increased to 82 while traders in your settlement will now offer the material at level 6. Xbox Series X/S players facing screen tearing should also see the issue fixed.

Check out the full patch notes here for more details. Assassin's Creed Valhalla is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One and Google Stadia. To learn more about it, check out our official review here.

Quality/Performance Mode Introduction

  • Added an option to the game that allows players to choose between Performance or Visual Quality.

Feature breakdown:

  • This option is available for Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation 5.
  • Choosing Performance allows the game to adapt the resolution and graphic settings to maintain 60 FPS.
  • Choosing Quality enables the game to run maximum resolution and graphic settings while maintaining 30 FPS.
  • Default values since the launch of the game are as follows:
  • Xbox Series X / PlayStation 5: Performance
  • Xbox Series S: Quality

Miscellaneous

  • Added a new background image to the title screen.
  • Added various VFX to enhance visuals.
  • Added an option to automatically assign unspent skill points. This option is available from the center of the skill tree / Fate.
  • Added "Weapon Runes" and "Armor Runes" as titles to their respective sections. (*)
  • Added a warning when switching from a language that supports TTS to one that doesn't.
  • Sliders can now be moved with left/right arrows on M&K and controllers.
  • Increased fabric limit to 82.
  • Added fabric to traders once the settlement has reached Level 6.
  • Added offering altar requirements to the world map.

Balancing

  • Updated gear quality and gear to their correct values.
  • Added Assassination damage stats on the character stats page.
  • Removed duplicate gear from inventory.
  • Heavy and light attack stats will now adjust correctly based on acquired skill nodes.
  • Heavy attack modifiers will no longer be applied to range attacks.

Game Improvements

Performance and Stability

  • Improved stability and performance.
  • (Xbox Series) Improved experience on Xbox Series S | X consoles including screen tearing
  • (PC) Addressed a VRAM/RAM leakage issue when alt tabbing to desktop.

Cyberpunk 2077's DLC And Expansions Will Now Be Revealed After Base Game Release

Cyberpunk 2077_05

It feels like we've been hearing about Cyberpunk 2077 in some form for about 10 years (in reality, it's been closer to 5, but bear with me). The game is now set to finally release next month after several high profile delays. Like CD Projekt RED's previous hit title, The Witcher 3, 2077 is also planned to have DLC and expansions after the main title releases, and you're going to have wait until after that before you see any of it.

The game is set to have a lot of post-launch DLC, both of the free and paid type. While we knew that material had been delayed when the main game got pushed back, it was still initially planned for some of it to be unveiled just before the game's launch. As CDPR President Adam KiciƄski detailed in the most recent earnings call that they will now wait to reveal information about that until post-launch at a later date, in similar fashion to the game's multiplayer (thanks to Seeking Alpha for transcribing).

"The initial plan was to do it before release, but after the recent delay, we decided to wait for the release to provide gamers with the game and then start talking about future projects. So, after release."

It's probably a wise enough strategy to just focus on getting the base game out for now, considering how long it's been and the delays already. If the game is even remotely like their previous, there's going to be tons of content in that as is. Cyberpunk 2077 is set to release December 10th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia.

Square Enix's Plan For Marvel's Avengers Turnaround Is "Ample Additional Content"

marvel's avengers image

By now, it's no secret that Square Enix's live service title based on the Avengers did not perform well. The game was said to be the major reason behind a $62 million loss for the company in the last financial year. While on one level it's shocking to think an IP seemed to be a slam dunk ended up here, the reality is that the market is flooded with these types of games nowadays. The question now is how will Square pull the nose up on this one? Well, it seems the answer is pretty obvious.

In their most recent financial report, as the losses and underperformance of Avengers was noted, President Yosuke Matsuda did give some insight into what the plans are. When talking about the recovery plan, it was simple, saying "to make up for slow initial sales by offering ample additional content" in the second half of the companies fiscal year that continues to run until March 31st of next year. We know some of that content already, such as the upcoming Kate Bishop character arriving December 8th.

One of the key criticisms of the title was that it lacked content to come back to on a consistent basis, which is the backbone of any type of live service game. The question really is will that be enough to bring people back? In an industry filled with live service, can just throwing more content out and hoping it gets picked up be enough? Only time will tell.

SNK Signs Deal For Future Majority Shares Transfer To Saudi Crown Prince-Backed EGDC

samurai shodown neogeo

2020 has been a strange year, no doubt. It's been one that has been sad, enraging, heartbreaking and just plain odd. It's brought many folks, and one could argue international society at large, about as close to the edge as one can imagine before tipping over. Also, guess it's going to be the year when the Saudi Crown Prince kind of bought SNK?

As reported originally by Korean site Bloter and translated by the folks on the ResetERA gaming forums, apparently the majority shareholder in SNK is a games company based in Saudi Arabia called Electronic Gaming Development Company, or EGDC for short. What's interesting here is that the majority shareholder in that company is the current Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, often shortened to MBS. While it was said SNK announced the deal, neither they nor the EGDC have made any public statements as of yet. It also seems the deal will not take effect until the beginning of next year (January 12th, to be specific), making the whole thing even odder.

SNK has been on something of a comeback as of late, releasing a new entry in their popular Samurai Shodown series to revive that franchise and was looking at releasing multiple games a year before COVID hit. There are…a lot of questions about this deal and the logistics of it seem strange, to say the least, so we'll have to wait and see some more details about this in the future. But hey man, it's 2020. SNK effectively being bought by the Saudi Crown Prince is…sure. Sure.

Keanu Reeves Has Played Cyberpunk 2077 And Apparently Loves It, Says Developer

Cyberpunk 2077_Keanu Reeves

Cyberpunk 2077 is set to finally release next month, and this time the developer promises it is for real this time, for real, real. We've been hearing about the game for roughly half a decade now, and it feels like we've seen and heard so many things at this point it's kind of incredible to think it's almost here. Maybe the most shocking thing, at least in recent memory, was Keanu Reeves to be revealed as being cast in a key role in the game. And you know what? He's played it.

In CD Projekt RED's post-Q3 earnings call (transcribed by Seeking Alpha), President Adam KiciƄski was asked about the actor and what he thought of the game he's become a part of. KiciƄski responded, "He played the game. But as far as I know haven't finished yet. So — but definitely, he played the game and he loves it." And really, who has finished this game that has played it, so can't blame Keanu there. 

Now look, here's the deal, we all know that Reeves is probably being paid more from this single Cyberpunk 2077 gig than most people reading this will ever see in their entire lifetime, so it's easy to play the cynic and say of course he "loves it." And you're probably right, but you know, let the fluff envelop you for a moment and try to imagine Keanu Reeves playing Cyberpunk 2077 and interacting with in-game Keanu Reeves with no context or thought for why. It'll help you sleep at night.

 

The Medium Video Goes Behind the Scenes With Its Spooky Sounds

The Medium

Bloober Team's The Medium may have been delayed to early next year but it's provided an opportunity to learn even more about it. A new behind-the-scenes video highlights the process of creating music and sound with composers Arkadiusz Reikowski and Akira Yamaoka of Silent Hill fame explaining their processes. Check it out below.

As Yamaoka notes, it's not just about creating scary sounds or startling the player but also on music and sound that's completely out of place. Combining both makes for a terrifying experience but Reikowski also emphasizes his love for silence and minimal sounds. How both styles work in unison is something we're looking forward to hearing in the final game.

The Medium is slated to release on January 28th 2021 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. It focuses on a medium named Marianne as she explores the real and spiritual worlds – sometimes both at once – to unravel a mystery. Recently, Bloober Team teased a new character based on actor Marcin DorociƄski – check that out here.

GreedFall is Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S

greedfall

Among the many big role-playing games to release over the years, Spiders' GreedFall has managed to stand out. The high fantasy setting, which saw players venturing to a strange island called Teer Fradee in the 17th century, was unique and emphasized one's choices. It clearly made an impression since over one million copies were sold worldwide as of August.

Thanks to fan feedback, Spiders has now announced that GreedFall will be coming to Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Additional content is also coming, which is good news since the developer didn't initially plan for the same. Expect more details on a release window, how it will leverage next-gen consoles and much more in the coming days.

Along with next-gen ports for GreedFall, Spiders is also working on Steelrising which is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. It takes place in alternate history France with King Louis XVI sending out hordes of killer robots on the populace. It's up to Queen Marie-Antoinette's robot bodyguard Aegis to take them down. A release date has yet to be announced so stay tuned.