Pages

▼

Splitgate Developer 1047 Games Wants To Become The Next Riot Games

Splitgate developer 1047 Games recently revealed in an interview with TechCrunch that it wants Splitgate to be 1047 Games' League of Legends. The developer recently raised a $100 million in funding, which would of course – be utilized largely in future development of Splitgate.

Splitgate has been a massive hit for developer 1047 Games, who has ambitious plans for the future of the franchise. In addition to support for newer platforms, 1047 Games also wishes to add a Forge mode and a single-player campaign. The developer wishes to go big with Splitgate, and in turn, wish to achieve the stature of Riot Games and League of Legends.

"There's so much we couldn't think about because we were a tiny team with a tiny budget, but now everything is on the table," said the co-founder of 1047 Games. "We're focusing on the long term—I look at the game as being 25% done. We don't need to be Fortnite tomorrow, but now it really is about building the next Riot Games, the next big games business."

Live-service games have been soaring in popularity as of late, with studios such as Norsefell and 1047 Games trying to tap into this space with relatively smaller budgets.

Apex Legends Server Issues Will Take A Couple Of Days To Fix, Respawn Says

Apex Legends players have been experiencing a number of connectivity issues recently, and developer Respawn Entertainment has acknowledged the problem with a fix. However, issues still persist – which will be addressed with a future patch scheduled to be landing on September 22.

Respawn Entertainment revealed this information in a tweet on the official account. The developer mentioned that connectivity issues are three times higher than the original, which is a concern worth looking into. The developer also mentioned that it would be extending the current rank split by a week, possibly until these issues get resolved.

Respawn Entertainment has been the subject of many hacks and technical difficulties as of late. Titanfall has been plagued by hackers for a long time now, and Apex Legends recently got DDoSed for the very same reason. While hopes for fixing Titanfall are dampening by the day, Apex Legends should be playable again very soon.

Diablo 2: Resurrected Runs "Like Butter" on Nintendo Switch – Blizzard

Among the many high-profile releases out this week is Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo 2: Resurrected. As a remaster of the classic action RPG looter, it sports improved visuals, 4K resolution support and several quality of life features. All this and it doesn't replace the original game like Warcraft 3: Reforged. But for as good as it's looked on other platforms, how does it hold up on the Nintendo Switch?

It's an important question since the Switch was the only platform to not be included in the recent open beta. But speaking to VentureBeat,  principal designer Rob Gallerani said that's it's running "like butter." "I like playing it in the undocked portable mode. But yeah, with all of our consoles, we built them for that experience. We didn't want it to feel like we just ported a PC game to the console. We wanted it to be what was right for that console. We've taken a lot of things into consideration with the Switch, especially if you play it in portable mode. Everything is a lot tinier. Just the overall attention to things like, how big is the font? How are things laid out on the screen? Those are all things that had to cater to that device to play up its strengths."

Lead graphics engineer Kevin Todisco continued: "Same goes for a lot of the 3D visuals. It's tailoring the experience for that smaller screen, the handheld screen that can be swapped out for a larger screen if you dock the console. With every platform we make sure that we tailor the technology to give the best experience on that particular platform. The Switch version is very good. I think people are going to enjoy it, being able to take it on the go for the first time."

As far as the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions go, the development team wanted them to look "the best they possibly can." "It's all about pretty graphics. We want them to look the best they possibly can, to represent those platforms, and also perform likewise. I think people are going to be happy with the next-gen versions of the game giving them the best visual experience we can possibly give them."

Diablo 2: Resurrected releases on September 23rd and will be available for Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Nintendo Switch. Recently, Blizzard Entertainment released trailers showcasing each class including the Barbarian, Assassin, Paladin and more. For additional details on the title and what to expect, head here and stay tuned for more information.

Updated Disney Classic Games Collection To Include SNES Version Of Aladdin, Among Others

An updated Disney Classic Games Collection of retro games will include the SNES version of Aladdin alongside GBA and Mega Drive versions of The Jungle Book. This claim comes from Vooks, which also mentions that it will be releasing across all major platforms in November this year. 

Of course, as fans might already know – Aladdin had two completely different versions of the same game on the SNES and the Sega Mega Drive. While the latter was present in the Disney collection that was released in 2019, the SNES version(developed by Capcom) was lacking that was missed by fans. 

Now that Disney has seemingly acquired the rights to these versions of games, the updated collection will include these titles – which should make for some meaningful additions to this already great collection. Different versions of the same game built for different platforms was a prevalent development practice in the past, and a plethora of similar releases made their way onto handheld platforms like the GBA at the turn of the century. 

Hackers Have Already Ruined Call of Duty: Vanguard's Open Beta

As soon as Activision opened the cross-platform play for the Call of Duty: Vanguard's open beta, hackers seem to have flooded into servers. Many fans took to Twitter and other forums to express their views on the matter, which has caused a fair bit of ruckus in the fanbase.

Of course, Call of Duty: Vanguard will be operating on a new anti-cheat system, which has further exacerbated these concerns. This new anti-cheat system will also be incorporated into Warzone with a future update. Call of Duty has already been fighting an uphill battle with cheaters in Warzone, with issues of hacking persisting after several waves of account bans.

Activision also responded to these concerns by saying that bans will be issued to those found guilty of cheating, and the duration of the open beta has also been extended to September 22 across all platforms. Call of Duty: Vanguard releases for most major platforms on November 5 this year.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits Physical Version Releases In November This Year

Ember Lab's upcoming open-world adventure, Kena: Bridge of Spirits will be releasing tomorrow. However, those wanting to get their hands on a physical copy for the game will have to wait until November this year. Ember Lab is partnering with Maximum Games online store for this release format, and pre-orders for the same are live for now, as revealed in  a recent press release. 

The physical version comes with a soundtrack for the game, which is also included with the digital release as well. The physical release will only have the Deluxe edition with all the goodies, and will cost fans $49.99. 

Of course, the situation showcases the demand for a physical version in today's day and age. Many fans and creators (such as Hideo Kojima) have been vocal about the problems with digital media, and how they would rather keep collecting physical editions for the media they love. Either way, it's great that fans of Kena: Bridge of Spirits will at least get an option to choose for a purchase.

Neil Druckmann Confirmed To Be a Director For Some Part of The Last of Us HBO Series

A recent update on the Director's Guild of Canada has listed Neil Druckmann as one of the directors for The Last of Us HBO series. Neil Druckmann is of course, the creative director for both The Last of Us Part 1 and The Last of Us Part 2.

As reported by VGC, this update implies that Druckmann would be directing part of the series' first season – although no specifics about episodes are confirmed as of now. Kantemir Balagov has directed the first episode, the filming for which has been wrapped.

Given how big of an impact Neil Druckmann has had in the creation of both The Last of Us 1 and 2, it's great to see him reprising his role in an entirely different format. Of course, it also helps that The Last of Us is a cinematic experience, and a lot of his learnings from the game could be utilized efficiently in the TV series.

Genshin Impact Trailer Highlights the Hydro-Wielding Sangonomiya Kokomi

While the hype for Genshin Impact's Raiden Shogun is still strong, miHoYo Games has another 5-star character coming up. This time, it's Sangonomiya Kokomi, a Catalyst-wielding Hydro user who has negative Crit Rate but focuses on healing. Watch her wax philosophically in the trailer below.

Kokomi has her fair share of attacks, including a charged attack that deals Hydro damage in an AoE. Using her Elemental Skill "Kurage's Oath" will heal all allies at certain intervals (based on her max HP) while also dishing out Hydro damage to enemies. The Elemental Burst "Nereid's Ascension" also deals Hydro damage and bestows "Ceremonial Garment" which increases the damage of Kokomi's attacks and Elemental Skill based on her max HP (with normal and charged attacks healing nearby allies).

Overall, she possesses a strong amount of utility and damage to go with her healing, making Kokomi an interesting alternative to current healers. Her character banner goes live tomorrow so stay tuned for a more in-depth video detailing her passives and abilities. Genshin Impact is currently available for PS4, PS5, PC, iOS and Android.

Far Cry 6 Trailers Feature "Tips and Tricks", Fan Mail and More With Giancarlo Esposito

With September almost wrapped up, Ubisoft's Far Cry 6 is looking to be one of the major new releases in October. Plenty of gameplay footage has already been showcased but today, the publisher is offering something different. It's Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Yara's "El Presidente" Anton Castillo, answering fan mail, deconstructing guerrilla weaponry and offering some gameplay tips.

Of course, the so-called "tips" are very tongue-in-cheek. Commandeering a tank will cause it to explode and kill Dani; the Fangs for Hire shouldn't be used at all because they'll grow tired and "run away"; and perhaps the most hilarious is the Resolver Backpacks that function as squirt guns instead of rocket launchers. Again, these are all highly questionable tips but it's very fitting given the source.

And in case there was any doubt, Castillo's son Diego is not a younger version of Vaas from Far Cry 3. Far Cry 6 is out on October 7th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia. For even more details on, including PC requirements and post-launch content, head here.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Remaster Discussions Seemingly Underway Between Capcom, Disney, and Digital Eclipse

It hasn't been that long since Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite came out, but it's fair to say that it wasn't exactly the kind of game that series fans had hoped to see. Of course, said series fans have rallied behind getting the franchise back into the limelight one way or another, and demands for the beloved 2000 fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 2 to be brought back have, in particular, been rather loud.

And it seems that there may actually be a chance of that happening. Digital Eclipse, as you might remember, was the company responsible for developing the game's digital-only PS3 and Xbox 360 port in 2009 (which, of course, has long since been delisted), but speaking in a recent interview with GamerHubTV, studio head Mike Mika said that the developer has actually approached Capcom and Disney (both of which they have a good working relationship with) to begin discussions on possibly bringing back Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

"We've begun some discussions on that right now, and we're trying to see how far we can go," Mika said. "But ultimately, at the end of the day, it's really not up to us. Parts of that are owned by two different, really large entities that have a lot of reasons why they would want or not want to do some of that, that we're not privy to. So all we can really do is just make the best case possible, and try to make it easy for them, and see if they're interested."

Of course, whether or not Capcom and Disney end up liking Digital Eclipse's pitch and decide to finally do something with the beloved fighter again remains to be seen, but it's excellent to see someone seeing the initiative regardless. Here's hoping something actually comes out of this.