GhostWire: Tokyo Former Lead Forms Her Own Independent Studio
When it was announced with a spooky trailer, GhostWire: Tokyo made quite the splash. It ended up not being exactly what people expected it to be, but it also gained notoriety for introducing the world stage to Ikumi Nakamura. She was the lead on the game and introduced it at that year's E3. She's since left Tango, and people have wondered where she would end up landing. As it turns out, she's looking to break out on her own.
In a lengthy documentary on the YouTube channel Cutscenes, she spoke about her reasoning for departing Tango due to her poor health at the time, as well as working at Capcom before that (she began as an artist on Okami). After leaving the studio she looked at various different offers, before deciding to start her own Independent studio. You can check out the full documentary below.
As of now it seems the studio has no name, at least publicly, and there's no word on what Nakamura is planning. Since her last projects have been horror-oriented, it's probably not too bad a bet to think this will be similar. We'll wait for what she does next.
Dark Moonlight Interview – Combat, Exploration, Story, and More
We're always down for a good horror game, and though it's too early to say anything definitively just yet, Silent Bear Studio's upcoming Dark Moonlight definitely looks like it could be yet another survival horror game to watch out for. A classic combination of combat, horrifying enemies, psychological horror elements, inventory management, and puzzle solving- it sounds like Dark Moonlight is bringing together all the elements that make this genre tick in one single package. The elements for something interesting are definitely all there, and to learn more about the game, we recently reached out to its developers. You can read our conversation with Dark Moonlight lead game designer Marcin Kłosowski.
"We are huge fans of big horror titles where puzzles and exploration are very important factor in the gameplay. Obviously we are preparing a lot of content in that matter, but let's be clear- we don't want the exploration and riddles to completely dominate in the game."
Dark Moonlight's narrative premise is an interesting one, with its protagonist being burdened by a number of fears and phobias being one of its most intriguing aspects. How will that particular element play into the story? Can we expect this to have an impact on the gameplay as well?
Well, that element is extremely important for us, because we would like the player to make the deepest possible connection with our protagonist, which allows to intensify player's fear to the limit. It'll have a huge impact on the gameplay, however we don't want to reveal too much in that matter for now.
Puzzles and exploration are usually core pillars of most survival horror experiences. What sort of a balance does Dark Moonlight strike between those two areas?
The answer is simple. We are huge fans of big horror titles where puzzles and exploration are very important factor in the gameplay. Obviously we are preparing a lot of content in that matter, but let's be clear- we don't want the exploration and riddles to completely dominate in the game.
Dark Moonlight promises encounters against all manner of demons and monstrosities. Given that, what can players expect from the game in terms of boss fights?
Players can expect a lot of fighting with various creatures in most unexpected moments, every encounter with a monster in Dark Moonlight we can call a boss fight.
"We are all tired of running simulators. It's time to face the fears, even with melee weapons."
How much of an emphasis does Dark Moonlight put on combat?
A lot! We are all tired of running simulators. It's time to face the fears, even with melee weapons.
Inventory management can be a tricky thing to get right in horror games. You don't want to give the player too many resources, but you also don't want to give them so little that they feel constantly helpless. How does Dark Moonlight approach inventory management, and what sort of a balance does it strike between those extremes?
We are preparing a flexible inventory system that can work on different difficulty levels, in short terms there will be limited space for player's items with store chests placed here and there in the world.
Dark Moonlight's visuals have caught the attention of many, and it's impressive to see the kind of graphical fidelity the game is promising. How are you working to ensure that the final game lives up to the high bar it has set with its first impression?
First of all we are happy that you like graphical side of the game, however we want the game to look even better and we are constantly improving it visually.
Roughly how long will an average playthrough of Dark Moonlight be?
8-12 hours.
"Soon after the PC release, we are bringing the project to all available platforms such as PS4, PS5, Xbox, and who knows, maybe Nintendo Switch."
Do you have any plans to bring the game to more platforms down the line?
Of course, soon after the PC release, we are bringing the project to all available platforms such as PS4, PS5, Xbox, and who knows, maybe Nintendo Switch.
Amazon Games Opens New Studio in Montreal, Working on New Online IP
Amazon has been attempting to make big moves in the games industry for a while not, and it's just made another one. It's announced the opening of a new studio in Montreal, Canada, named simply Amazon Games Montreal. It becomes Amazon's fourth game development studio, joining studios in San Diego, Seattle, and Orange County.
Amazon Games Montreal is focused on the development of a new online multiplayer IP, and it's certainly hired talent that has experience in that area, bringing in several people in leadership roles who were previously involved with Ubisoft's immensely popular Rainbow Six Siege. That includes creative director Xavier Marquis (who takes on the same role here), fellow former creative director Romain Rimokh (who joins as content director), former development director for technology group Luc Bouchard (who is now the head of productions), and former brand and esports director Alexandre Remy (who is the head of product at Amazon Games Montreal).
"Building upon 8 years of experience with Siege, we are excited to start with a blank page and the creative freedom to create a completely unique experience in the multiplayer space," says Xavier Marquis. "From our first discussion, we felt a true connection with the people at Amazon Games, their approach to gaming and the sheer amount of knowledge, expertise and technology available there. It is quite humbling and we couldn't be more excited to start a studio with them."
Amazon's track record in the games industry has been far from the best. Free-to-play multiplayer third person shooter Crucible launched in May of 2020, but proved to be a failure of all fronts, being shut down merely months later. Amazon is currently also working on the ambitious MMORPG New World, which is due out this August.
Xbox Game Pass Will Allow us to Remain Creative – Arkane
With Bethesda now officially a part of Microsoft, Xbox has suddenly added a bunch of incredibly talented studios to its first party portfolio, and one of the most exciting among those is Arkane. The studio behind the likes of Dishonored and Prey, Arkane's teams have consistently put out excellent games built on unique ideas that are executed with near-perfection, and the prospect of seeing more of these on Xbox in the future is an exciting one.
Of course, as it the case with all Bethesda studios (and really, any Microsoft first party studio), Arkane's primary goal moving forward is going to be to provide compelling new content for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, and the studio itself is quite excited about that. Speaking recently with Press Start, Dinga Bakaba – director of the upcoming Deathloop – said that being part of the Game Pass ecosystem will allow Arkane to remain creative and keep making the kind of games they like making.
"Being able to be apart of the Xbox Game Pass ecosystem makes things a bit different for us, because we can occupy a space in that service, and we will continue to make the kind of games that we make and make them well," he said. "If you've looked on social media, you'll see that games like Prey and Dishonored 1 and 2 coming to Xbox Game Pass, a lot of people are saying that you need to play these games and have no excuse not to, so it's been very encouraging."
"It's a service that will allow us to remain creative and have the audience and build that relationship over time and that's really exciting."
Microsoft has often spoke about wanting to let its studios remain creatively independent, which, under the right circumstances, should mean that Arkane will continue to release exciting new games in the future. We've also heard about how the development of major first party releases such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, Tell Me Why, Gears Tactics, and Bleeding Edge has been affected by Game Pass for the better, so it should be interesting to see how Arkane is impacted going forward as well.
Arkane's Deathloop will launch for PS5 and PC on May 21. The studio is also working on a couple of new unannounced games, one of which seems to be a new fantasy IP.
Magic: Legends Open Beta is Now Live on PC
Magic: Legends, Cryptic Studios' action RPG spin to Magic: The Gathering, has entered open beta on PC. It's available through Arc Games and the Epic Games Store. Downloading from the Epic Games Store will provide two drop boosts, a summon skin and a free costume for the Moorland Ranger till April 6th. Arc Games players can claim the Gavony Vigilante costume, Ogre Mortar Bruiser skin, two mission boosts and two drop boosts for free.
Magic: Legends is unique in that it allows for creating a deck of cards that serve as one's attacks. These cards are drawn at random during battle and can be upgraded. The open beta offers five starter classes – Geomancer, Mind Mage, Beastcaller, Sanctifier and Necromancer – each with their own unique abilities and play-styles.
Players will traverse across five regions in four planes and also build up their Spark. This serves as a "personal fragment" to the Meditation Realm which provides "countless secrets." Magic: Legends is out later this year for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Stay tuned for more details and updates for the open beta in the coming months.
Destiny 2 Hotfix 3.1.1.1 Fixes Eyes of Tomorrow, Nerfs Stasis Sub-Classes and Abilities
Bungie's latest hotfix for Destiny 2 is now live, bringing the long-awaited fix to the Exotic rocket launcher Eyes of Tomorrow. Earned from the Deep Stone Crypt raid, the weapon was bugged to deal less damage than intended against Elite foes. This should now be fixed.
Perhaps the biggest part of this hotfix are the changes to Stasis. Sub-classes like Revenant have had abilities like Shatterdive nerfed with damage resistance being removed and each use having a four second cooldown. Withering Blade's damage and slow stacks against players has also been reduced. As for Titans, Glacial Quake no longer create an AoE freeze on players in PvP.
Its damage reduction has also been reduced from 60 to 50 percent and the cost of using Shiver Strike has gone from three to seven percent of Super energy. Shadebinder Warlocks have seen some changes with Winter's Wrath projectiles having improved tracking, though Penumbral Blast's damage in PvP has gone back down to 30. For more details on all of the changes, check out the full patch notes here.
Destiny 2 Hotfix 3.1.1.1
Activities
Presage
- Fixed an issue where players could respawn into the void, instantly bringing an end to their feeble attempts to survive this activity at Master difficulty.
Wrathborn Hunts
- Fixed an issue where "Immune" text appears when players deal damage to the High Celebrant.
Destinations
- Fixed an issue where players would die instantly if they stood in a particular spot of the Quitter's Well in Tangled Shore.
- Fixed an issue that prevented Scan and Heroic VIP patrols from appearing on Europa.
Battlegrounds
- Fixed an issue where players could regenerate infinite Super energy from teammates running through hallways.
- Fixed an issue where players would incorrectly receive an "online privileges" dialog when trying to launch specific Battlegrounds activities or the Battlegrounds playlist with a fireteam member who hadn't unlocked the activity.
- Fixed an issue where the Cabal Pyro Flamethrower projectile generated a lot of network usage, leading to strange combatant behaviors within Battlegrounds activities.
Tekken 7 Has Sold 7 Million Copies
Katsuhiro Harada, director and producer of the Tekken series, revealed that Tekken 7 has sold seven million units. The updated figure was revealed on Twitter in response to a fan. It comes roughly six months after its last reported milestone of over six million units sold.
Tekken 7 first launched in 2015 for arcades and would come to Xbox One, PS4 and PC in June 2017. Despite some issues, it's become one of the best fighting games currently available. Multiple updates and additional characters have been added over the years including Geese Howard from Fatal Fury, Noctis from Final Fantasy 15 and Negan from The Walking Dead.
Currently, the title is on Season 4 with a new character, Karateka Lidia, now available. As the Polish Prime Minister, Lidia battles with some very straightforward yet devastating martial arts. Along with Lidia, the new Island Paradise stage has been added. Stay tuned for more details on Tekken 7 content in the coming days.
Now, one of 7 million
— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 22, 2021
Watch Dogs: Legion Will Have Free Trial Period From March 25 To 28; Gets Updated Roadmap
Last year saw the release of Ubisoft's newest game in one of their many open world series, Watch Dogs: Legion. The game was unique in the sense that it allowed you to play basically anyone and everyone as you could recruit almost every NPC in the game to battle a fascist takeover of near-future London. The game has continued to be updated, as per usual with major Ubisoft titles, and now you can try out Legion for free.
As you can from the trailer below, you can try Watch Dogs: Legion free of charge starting this Thursday and going all the way to the end of the weekend. You'll have full access to the base game during this period on your preferred platform. The game will also be discounted if you enjoy what you play. Alongside this, Ubisoft also saw fit to release an updated roadmap, showing you the upcoming DLC schedule, such as a story expansion and new playable heroes, including a pseudo-crossover with the Assassin's Creed franchise.
Watch Dogs Legion is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and Stadia. The free trial period will last from March 25th to the 28th.
Bloodline, new Online content, Character Customization, and much more; take a look at our roadmap of what's coming to Watch Dogs: Legion! pic.twitter.com/AvzpQakTZA
— Watch Dogs: Legion (@watchdogsgame) March 23, 2021
Genshin Impact Mobile Has Surpassed $1 Billion In Player Spending In Under 6 Months
Despite the game being a free to play title, Genshin Impact was not a cheap title to make. Regardless, it seems the game isn't having an issue raking a lot of that money back. At the beginning of the month, it was reported the mobile version of the game had pulled in over $800 million in revenue. Well, now, less than a month later, it's broken another barrier.
As reported by Sensor Tower, the game has now surpassed $1 billion in player spending. Keep in mind this is only on the mobile version, so it does not include the console or PC version. It also does not include third party apps on Android that is common in China. This has also occurred in less than six months. You can read more details through here.
Genshin Impact is available now on PlayStation 4, PC and playable on all compatible iOS and Android devices. The game's latest update, 1.4, also released earlier this month and you can read more about it through here.
The Medium And Observer: System Redux Will Get Physical Releases
Bloober Team ended up putting their fingerprints all over the new generation consoles this go around. Not only was Observer: System Redux a launch title for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, The Medium was the first high-profile next gen exclusive title for Microsoft's new machine that came out at the beginning of this year. Now they also will both see physical box releases.
Bloober Team announced via a press release that they would be partnering with Koch Media to release physical retail versions of both horror titles. Koch Media is part of the ever expanding Embracer Group. There is no date or time frame given for when to expect these releases or under which label they will be published under, only that Koch will be handling the publishing duties worldwide.
Until then, Observer: System Redux is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC and The Medium is available on Xbox Series X/S and PC via digital means, with the latter still being on Xbox Game Pass.