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Deathloop Trailer Showcases Pre-Order Bonuses and Deluxe Edition Content

Bethesda Softworks and Arkane Studios have released a new trailer for Deathloop which shows off the snazzy pre-order bonuses and content available in the Deluxe Edition. Pre-ordering either the Standard or Deluxe Edition nets the Royal Protector Machete (exclusive to the PS5), the "Storm Rider" Colt skin and a trinket that provides a buff. Things take a James Bond-style turn with the Deluxe Edition.

Both Colt and Julianna receive 007-inspired spy suits dubbed "Party Crasher" and "Sharp Shooter" respectively. Unique weapons include the Eat the Rich Tribunal and .44 Karat Fourpounder weapons with aesthetics that call "The Man with the Golden Gun" to mind. Of course, there's another PS5 exclusive weapon here with the Transtar Trencher which is inspired by Prey (2017).

The Deluxe Edition also offers selections from the game's soundtrack along with two trinkets to equip. Deathloop is slated to release on September 14th for PS5 and PC. It will remain a PS5 exclusive for one year. Head here to check out its latest gameplay walkthrough.

Skull and Bones Has Cost Over $120 Million, "Too Big to Fail" – Rumor

It's no secret that Ubisoft's Skull and Bones has been in development hell. Announced way back in 2017, it's suffered multiple delays, reboots and even the removal of Ubisoft Singapore managing director Hugues Ricour due to sexual harassment and bullying accusations. Though Ubisoft proclaimed in May that the team "has been advancing well over the past 12 months," a new report by Kotaku paints a much more dire picture.

In development for almost eight years and already costing the publisher over $120 million (and counting), Skull and Bones first started out as a multiplayer expansion to Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. It would become an MMO-style spin-off called Black Flag Infinite but according to various anonymous sources that spoke to Kotaku, the project underwent a number of different iterations during pre-production. It was initially set in the Caribbean, then the Indian Ocean and even a fantastical world called Hyperborea with weeks-long branching multiplayer campaigns.

After a lot of time spent on concepts that didn't go past the prototyping stage, the studio settled on ship combat as its main focus. The changes would continue in earnest with PvE elements being implemented, aa shift towards a more survival-oriented title like Rust, and yet another reboot in 2020 (with the current build being even more different). The project's circumstances were reportedly so dire that it had to receive an internal financial write-off.

One developer said that, "No one wants to admit they f***ed up. It's too big to fail, just like the banks in the U.S." A former developer said that, "If Skull and Bones were at a competitor it would have been killed 10 times already." The reasons behind the troubled development include lack of a clear vision, toxic management (and "too many managers vying for power"), constant reboots and so on.

A developer currently on the project said, "The game is still evolving. Everyone knows what an Ubisoft game is supposed to be and the design simply isn't there yet." Ubisoft Singapore not being used to shipping triple A blockbusters, Ubisoft's Editorial division, clashes between different team members based on work culture – to say that blame was assigned all-around would be an understatement. Numerous experienced developers have left over the years when they discovered that the project was going nowhere.

Ubisoft did provide a statement to questions from Kotaku: "The Skull and Bones team are proud of the work they've accomplished on the project since their last update with production just passing Alpha, and are excited to share more details when the time is right. That being said, any unfounded speculation about the game or decisions being made only works to demoralize the team who are working very hard to develop an ambitious new franchise that lives up to the expectations of our players.

"Over the past year, we've made significant changes to our policies and processes to create a safe and more inclusive workplace and empower our teams to create games that reflect the diversity of the world we live in."

As it stands, Skull and Bones is still slated for Xbox One, PS4 and PC with a project release window of fiscal year 2023. Whether it reaches that point or suffers another drastic change to its technology, design and development remains to be seen.

Nintendo Wii U and 3DS Japan eShops Dropping Credit Card Support Next Year

Nintendo has now confirmed that customers in the Japan region won't be able to top-up their Wii U or 3DS eShop balance using credit cards as of January 18th, 2022. Nintendo announced it via a Twitter post and an accompanying blog post.

Credit card support for both of these eShops had already been dropped in many regions – including Europe, Australia, and New Zealand last year. However, customers will still be able to shop games digitally using other payment methods, so at least the stores aren't shutting down entirely.

Given that the 3DS and Wii U are almost 10 and 9 years old respectively, it isn't so big of a surprise that Nintendo would stop continuing support for these devices. Particularly more, since Nintendo Switch being a hybrid console combines the best of both worlds. Following the incredible success of the Nintendo Switch, the Kyoto-based giant also announced an OLED model of the console dropping later this year.

Tencent-Owned TiMi Studio Group Opens A New Studio In Montreal

TiMi Studio Group has recently opened a new studio in Montreal. As reported by Gamesindustry.biz, the Montreal studio is the third location of the Studio Group in North America. TiMi Studios group is owned by the Shenzen-based giant, Tencent.

TiMi Studio is behind many popular mobile games such as Call of Duty: Mobile, Honor of Kings, and Pokemon Unite. The Montreal studio is reportedly working on a new AAA title which will include live-service and open-world elements. The new studio will be working in tandem with TiMi Seattle, which is also a very recently opened studio

Given the amount of popularity games like Call of Duty: Mobile have garnered in regions such as Asia, it's no surprise that the studio would require more manpower than ever to support these games and work on new projects. TiMi Studio' Pokemon Unite is available to pre-load on the Nintendo Switch, and will be releasing on both Android and iOS platforms as well.

Greak: Memories Of Azur Gets New Trailer, Switch Demo Out Now

Publisher Team18 has recently released a new trailer for its upcoming platformer Greak: Memories of Azur. Along with some new details on gameplay, the Nintendo Switch demo for the game is also available now. Check out the video below for more details.

Greak: Memories of Azur is being developed by Navegante Entertainment, and features three swappable protagonists – Greak, Adara, and Raydel – and the player must switch between rapidly in order to nagivate the hostile environment of Azur. The game was initally announced in 2019, and will now be releasing on next-gen consoles as well.

The Nintendo Switch demo is also out now, and fans of platformers and metroidvanians such as Ori and the Will of the Wisps might find something to love. In addition to the Switch, the demo is also available now on Steam. The full game releases on August 17th, 2021 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

Lemnis Gate Delayed To September 28, Developer Ratloop Confirms

Developer Ratloop Games recently took to Twitter to announce a delay to it's upcoming first-person-shooter, Lemnis Gate. Originally scheduled to release this August, a delay to September 28 has now been announced.

The developers haven't revealed any solid reasons for the delay, but have said that they require more time to fully realize their ambition and polish the game. Many fans are understandably enough, disappointed at the delay but most seem to be considerate towards the developers. Of course, it's always best to delay a game than release in what is essentially an unfinished state. As Shigeru Miyamoto says, "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."

Lemnis Gate is a first-person shooter that mixes turn-based strategy and time-loops to create a unique experience. It will be releasing on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. The game will also come to Xbox Game Pass at launch.

Microsoft Flight Simulator and The Ascent Lead the List of Newest Additions to Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft has detailed the newest batch of games being added to Xbox Game Pass across PC, Xbox, and cloud, and there's quite a few major games coming to the service over the next few days- many of which we've known about for a while, of course. For starters, there's Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is releasing for Xbox Series X/S on July 27 and is going to be available with Game Pass right at launch. Meanwhile, there's also The Ascent, launching on July 29, which will be available via Xbox Game Pass on consoles, PC, and cloud on day one.

Cris Tales is out today and is also available via the service on all three platforms, while Battlefield 5 has been added to the cloud library via EA Play. Meanwhile, Raji: An Ancient Epic is being added to Game Pass on Xbox, PC, and cloud on July 22, while Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is coming to the cloud and console library on July 26.

Meanwhile, touch controls have also been added to over 80 games in the Xbox Game Pass cloud library, including the likes of Outlast 2, Darkest Dungeon, Fable Anniversary, Fable 2, Fable 3, and many more. Get more details through here.

Lost Judgment Gameplay Trailer Shows Combat, Minigames, and More

Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's upcoming Lost Judgment is just a few months away from launch, and ahead of its impending release, we've been getting plenty of new details to peruse and gameplay footage to look at. We recently got another major new gameplay trailer, showcasing several minutes of the game in action.

From investigations to combat to a variety of minigames, to several locations being shown off and some School sections getting the spotlight, the trailer is pretty packed. We also get glimpses of chases, lockpicking, boxing matches, and more, and all in all, at over five minutes long, it's a pretty packed trailer. Check it out below.

Lost Judgment launches on September 24 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4,and Xbox One. Recent reports have suggested that it could be the last game in the series, owing to a dispute between Sega and lead actor Takuya Kimura's talent agency over whether or not the game should come to PC. Read more on that through here.

F1 2021 Update Temporarily Disables Ray Tracing in PS5 Version

Codemasters' F1 2021 released recently for Xbox and PlayStation platforms along with PC, and though it's been running well on most platforms, the PS5 version is a different story. The latter suffered from performance issues due to its ray tracing. As a result, update 1.04, which went live for consoles recently, has temporarily disabled the feature.

This is being done to "aid stability" for the time being and Codemasters is looking to "re-enable this as quickly as possible." It will provide an update to fans "in due course." F1 2021 is the first title in the series to use ray tracing for its cutscenes, replays and Photo Mode along with the front end. It remains to be seen whether this issue can be fixed for the PS5 version.

F1 2021 is also available on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC along with PS5. You can check out review for it here. Along with several changes to the R&D tree and other mechanics, it adds a new story mode called Braking Point, co-op Career Mode and much more. Stay tuned for more details on updates in the meantime.

Road 96 Releases August 16th for PC and Nintendo Switch

Procedural narrative adventure Road 96 will be out on August 16th for Nintendo Switch and PC (via Epic Games Store, GOG and Steam). It will retail for $19.96 but you can also pick up the Hitchhiker bundle for $29.91. This includes the OST and the ebook "Road 96: Prologue" which contains stories set 10 years before the main game. Check out the newest trailer below.

As for what Road 96 has to offer, it sees the player embarking on a road-trip. However, because of the game's procedural nature and the choices made, every adventure is a completely different experience. You can meet different characters in different scenarios, become involved with them, run up against the Regime and much, much more.

For example, you'll run into a taxi driver named Jarod who, depending on how much he's angered, will try to kill you. This isn't the end of the adventure, though it remains to be seen just how many unique experiences Road 96 has to offer. Stay tuned for more details on the game when it releases next month.