MMO Week in Review: The Dual Universe disturbance

I can count on one hand the number of prominent MMORPG studios that aren't forthcoming with customers about who is actually in charge, and I'm afraid that's a bad list to be on, as Dual Universe seems poised to find out: This past week, the game's backers discovered that its founder had been relieved of […]

PvP Sandbox MMO Profane updates its alpha roadmap

We've been watching the emergence of Profane with some interest, especially considering that this PvP sandbox has eye-catching graphics and an aggressive development schedule. It also doesn't hurt that the dev team is all over Twitter, chatting up the game and keeping fans in the loop as to what's coming down the pike. Speaking of […]

The MOP Up: Neverwinter's April Fools dungeon

April Fools Day may be past, but its spirit lives on in Neverwinter! This past week's small patch opened up a mini-dungeon for goofy explorers to enjoy. It sounds like this one is poultry in motion. "Players level 40 and above may now queue for the Sewers Most Fowl in the Events category of the […]

Elyon hints that previous air combat mechanics from Ascent Infinite Realm may still be used

Before the MMORPG Ascent: Infinite Realm decided to pivot away entirely from its former airships and steampunk vibe and move to a different style altogether (as well as rename itself to Elyon), we were being teased with a whole lot of airship-centric gameplay features, promising things like single-player training airships, massive multi-crew ships, mechs, and […]

Global Chat: Dealing with Magic Legends

Now that Magic Legends is out, you can best believe that a lot of MMO gamers are checking out Cryptic's latest offering. Among those is Nogamara of Battle Stance, who shares a few first impressions. "The game looks OK, but I wouldn't call it overwhelming. I'm usually not one to criticize non-flashy graphics, but it's a […]

Temtem highlights new content coming April 13, still has no new launch window

It's been quite a busy year for Temtem, especially when fans take into account all of the updates made to the Pokemon-esque MMO during its early access… and how far the game slid off its roadmap after that whole PS5 launch pitstop and price hike. Undaunted, the devs at Crema Games have put together a […]

One Shots: The voyage home

When you've spent a whole lot of calories burning, pillaging, and looting villages, it's a welcome sight to see the rest and shelter of home on the horizon. Until, of course, another ambitious Norseman comes along to burn, pillage, and loot the homestead. "Three tired Vikings return home with a hold full of silver after […]

The Daily Grind: What mount type do you wish more MMOs would offer?

Here are some of my mounts in Final Fantasy XIV: a sheep. A flying pig. A giant moss-covered sneezing monster. A drifting stalk of a plant. An entire bed. All of these mounts are wonderful because there's nothing like the sheer impact of storming into battle whilst lying back and relaxing on a bed that somehow […]

Corepunk Q&A discusses the launch window, guilds, mounts, and more

If you're the type of person who respects short, direct, and to-the-point answers to specific questions, then you're going to like the first part of Corepunk's community Q&A session. Artificial Core posted fan-asked questions about this cyberpunk-themed MMO along with the studio's brief answers on each subject. The biggest question, clearly, was the issue of […]

Dual Universe is asking players to 'wreak havoc on planets' soils' in its latest PTS build

If you're among the backers of Dual Universe who are somehow not unnerved by the silent ouster of Novaquark's president and continuing lack of information on what's going on at the company, then you've got a new PTS build to play around with. Also, you should probably be a little concerned by those business matters. […]

Chronicles of Elyria, now back up to five devs, examines its development achievements and shortcomings

As work on Kingdoms of Elyria (and by extension Chronicles of Elyria, according to claims made by Soulbound Studio CEO Jeromy Walsh) continues to press forward, the latest dev blog from the game has decided to look back at what's happened over the course of what it's called Milestone One, which readers will recall is […]

The Stream Team: Bring on a Valheim Bonemass boss beatdown

The bosses in Valheim are the measure of story progression; you work your way up the bosses for Odin. Your reward? More dangerous spawns raid your homes. Massively OP's MJ has yet to face Bonemass, and that boss is on the docket for today. Join us live at 2:00 p.m. for the Bonemass boss beatdown! […]

The Game Archaeologist: Lifestorm, Japan's first MMORPG

In comparison to how widely that China and Korea's game development studios embraced MMORPGs right from the beginning, Japan's been curiously low-key in creating for this genre. Oh, don't get me wrong: The country's produced several notable MMOs, but it's not been quite the obsession with dev studios the way it is with its neighbors. […]

Playable Worlds' Raph Koster shares the secret of good social design in MMOs

Raph Koster, the game designer behind Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and Playable Worlds' upcoming project, has posted yet another essay about MMORPG design, all meant as preamble for the new game. In this latest piece, he challenges MMO players to re-examine and understand what social design is in games — and why it's so […]

WRUP: Insulting highways edition

Interstate 84: Hey, you! You're fat. You're stupid and fat. No one likes you. You smell like reclaimed caulk. Fat. Fat. Fat. Route 66: Ooh, look at me, a song was named after me! It was a different 66, you arrogant piece of turkey leavings. Everyone just pretends to like you when you're in the […]

The Daily Grind: What MMOs should be adapted to mobile?

Sometimes the success or failure of a game may come down to its availability on certain platforms and systems. Sometimes an MMO that didn't work that great on PC may be a smash hit on console, and sometimes a MMO may do way better on mobile than otherwise. I've long thought that there is a […]

Betawatch: Who in the heck is running Dual Universe's Novaquark?

Who is running Novaquark? Well, we know one person who is not, as the Dual Universe developer has finally admitted JC Baillie is not in charge. But who is? Could it be someone else associated with the company? Could it be me? Could it be you? All of those possibilities are equally likely! (They are not all equally likely. It's […]

The Stream Team: Stepping into AQ3D's Sandsea desert

AQ3D just opened up the vast Sandsea desert outside of Bastion, and Massively OP's MJ can't want to go explore it — be it by foot or by skiff! She also gets to know some of the NPCs better and help them out. Tune in live at 7:00 p.m. too see the largest area yet […]

Wizard101's spring update arrives to the test realm with new social features, balancing, and events

Players of Wizard101 are now able to kick the tires of the game's spring update, which will be adding a number of new features and updates to the game to help players make friends or fight foes. One of the main attractions in this patch is a couple of social-centered features like a new Friendly […]

Icarus is a session-based PvE co-op survival title on a dangerous Earth-like planet

We've got another PvE-centric co-op survival game on our hands, but this one trades a land of Viking myth for a deadly Earth-like planet instead. The game is called Icarus, which is described by developer RocketWerkz as a "session-based PvE survival game for up to eight co-op players." Players are tasked with surviving hostile wildlife, […]

AdventureQuest 3D continues the Sandsea Saga with a new area, new quests, and sand sharks

Did you really think that a desert realm in AdventureQuest 3D would be without its own version of a land shark? That's just one of the many things added to the MMORPG as the Sandsea Saga continues. The latest update has brought a new level cap to 33, some new main quests involving a search […]

ArcheAge tasks players with healing baby animals as the Pawesome Festival returns

ArcheAge has once more brought back its annual celebration of all things tiny animal friend. The 2021 Pawesome Festival is here, granting players the opportunity to heal a variety of doe-eyed digital animal babies for goodies and even the chance to take one home. The event area is located at the Windscour Savannah, where players […]

TitanReach previews character models, chat, and its WoW-esque UI

The TitanReach developer team has been pumping out blog posts all week, with two fresh one just since our last article. The first is stuffed with eyecandy that actually makes the game look damn appealing – and very WoW-like, or maybe more like "WoW but better." There's a flip through concept art of desert armor, […]

Skyforge turns six years old this week as the Aelion Day celebrations begin

My.games' Skyforge is having a big birthday this week: It's officially six years old, which means it's time once again for Aelion Day. Players can expect the usual round of activities and rewards. "You must be used to rescuing mortals by now, but this time it's a little different," My.games says. "During the celebrations, they […]

Elementia is an upcoming classless MMORPG planning a F2P alpha

Polygonal-style MMORPG Elementia popped up on our radar out of nowhere last month, and while it's clearly very early days for the game's development, it's pretty enough that it's worth bringing to your attention. According to the official website, the MMO promises a classless, weapon-based progression system that is fluid as you level up, with […]

Outriders offers players a care package to compensate for server outages and bugs

The launch for Outriders was messy because at this point it's just apparently de rigeur that every online launch is filled with connectivity issues and players angry about same. The developers appreciate the players having stuck it out through the launch problems, however, and as a show of appreciation a care package will be sent out […]

Neverwinter's second episode of Sharandar opens the Mended Grove to PC players on April 13

Players of Neverwinter on PC won't have long to wait for the next portion of Sharandar content, as the devs have announced on Twitter that the next episode is coming on Tuesday, April 13th. This next episode, subtitled The Soul Keeper, takes players to the Mended Grove, where some dire happenings can now be addressed […]

World of Warships announces still more reworks to its controversial captain skills

Naval warfare arcade World of Warships has certainly been busy lately, but not all of the recent changes nor announcements have been well-received. The naval MMO is in an interesting position in that Wargaming is trying to continually develop new ships with distinguishing features without completely upsetting the balance of a PvP-centric game. Easier said […]

Crowfall unveils a 10 event Hunger Dome PvP tournament, talks up new features in April ACE Q&A

We're still not quite sure when Crowfall will be making its official launch, but the fact that the game feels fit enough to showcase itself in a PvP tournament seems to suggest that it's probably close. That's right, ArtCraft's throne war MMO will be hosting the 2021 Eternal Champions Series, a 10 event-long PvP tournament […]

WoW Factor: Why WoW Classic players are mad about the Burning Crusade character boost

I'm not going to lie to anyone here: When the World of Warcraft: Classic team first announced the idea that you could boost a character up to be ready to go into The Burning Crusade right away, my reaction was a shrug and a big fat "so what?" But boy, if that didn't turn out to […]

Gamigo's next big thing is a 4v4 MOBA hybrid called Skydome

Gamigo's parent company's last investor report promised "an increased number of game launches […] on the roadmap for 2021," and now we know what at least one of them is: Skydome. Announced yesterday, Skydome is a Kinship Entertainment-build 4v4 MOBA-slash-tower-defense game – multiplayer, but not an MMO. Gamigo is publishing the title in North America […]

Final Fantasy XIV posts its patch notes for patch 5.5, Death Unto Dawn

Final Fantasy XIV's next major patch arrives in just four days, but it's time to find out exactly what's in the patch right now. Yes, as is tradition, the game has posted its preliminary patch notes for the update today, which means that players can get a good sense of most of the important additions […]

WoW's Burning Crusade Classic beta tops out level cap, gets into raiding

Another week, another big step forward for Burning Crusade Classic's test cycle. The beta finally raised the level cap to 70 for testers and opened up both the Eye of the Storm battleground and the arena to put PvP through its paces. Additionally, heroic dungeon modes are open for business. Come next week, testers are […]

Dungeons and Dragons' Festival of the Traveler breezes through town

If you haven't had your fill of eggs this week — plastic, hard-boiled, or virtual — then Dungeons and Dragons Online has an activity for you. The Festival of the Traveler has once again drifted into town, bringing with it an egg hunt to end all egg hunts. In this event, players rush to find […]

The Daily Grind: Do you usually pick low-pop or high-pop servers in MMOs?

The other day, MOP's Carlo posted a pic of Black Desert's server selection screen, showing a ton of servers flagged "crowded" even at a time in the day when you'd expect the servers to be a bit dead. I kinda miss the days when most MMOs would display that kind of info. Personally, I used […]

The Stream Team: A clucking fabulous April Fowls day in Neverwinter

A celebration of chickens? Oh heck YAH! Massively OP's MJ is ready to fly into that kind of feathery goodness. Neverwinter's April Fowls Day is a holiday made just for her. The event has a special new quest and a mount along with other limited-time chicken items. There's even a PvP option. (Please oh please […]

Massively Overthinking: Self-imposed 'rules' for MMOs

I have a couple of rules of thumb when it comes to MMOs. When I start thinking about watching a video while playing an MMO, it's boring enough to be over and I should move on. I don't buy gambleboxes, ever, no matter how much I want the foozle. I turn off toxic general chats […]

Dauntless adds a reward cache, Primal Behemoths, reworks to war pike mechanics, and trials goals

The multiplayer monster slaying RPG Dauntless has had a pretty sizeable update that applies adjustments to a variety of the game's systems, whether it's for the war pike, for trials, or even for the Hunt Pass. One of the marquee features of this update is the addition of a reward cache, which runs about the […]

Blade and Soul launches its third Summoner specialization with its next patch on April 14

Sometimes, you want a new specialization for a class in Blade & Soul that's grounded in something like a deep reflection on martial arts and secret techniques handed down through generations. Other times, you want cats flying UFOs and shooting neon star lasers across the sky. Those who want the latter will be very happy by […]

Everything we know about Path of Exile's Ultimatum league launching next week

Now you've done it: Path of Exile in giving you an Ultimatum… and you'll probably like it! It's time again for the big reveal of POE's next big league, with its new goodies, new systems, and new single-word moniker. And like the last time, Grinding Gear Games has been sharing its announcements globally on its […]

Wandering Wraeclast: Grinding Gear has finally taken the wraps off Path of Exile 2

"Like clockwork": I wouldn't be surprised to see an icon of Grinding Gear Games and Path of Exile in the dictionary when you look up that idiom. You can count on the studio to provide information on its next update and league every three months (pandemic notwithstanding). What you don't see regularly is information about […]

Fallout 76 details a new Daily Op mode, new mutations, and new rewards

Good news for Fallout 76 players: The next update is dubbed Locked & Loaded, and it expects you to handle loading and/or locking accordingly because you'll be fighting some new stuff in Daily Ops. Players will be facing off against Mothman Cultists, Scorched, and Mole Miners now, possibly while taking part in the new Decryption mode […]

World of Warcraft preps a new 'one-off' dungeon tournament

While World of Warcraft's competitive PvP scene is the backbone of its esports program, the MMO's Mythic Dungeon Invitational has grown in popularity and engagement over the last few years. This spring, the MDI is getting a "one-off tournament" that'll challenge the best of the best teams to conquer dungeons on their toughest difficulties. The […]

Working As Intended: There is no good reason for MMO gamers to fund Dreamworld

Not quite a month ago, we covered the Kickstarter for a wildly ambitious MMORPG, Dreamworld. We were, uh, pretty skeptical about the game's chances. As we noted, the game's 2.5 developers demonstrated no outreach in the MMORPG industry, no MMO dev pedigree or experience, and no understanding of modern Kickstarter failures. The website and Kickstarter […]

Magic: Legends updates fans on performance tweaks, tutorial progress, and the mid-April build

The soft launch of Magic: Legends doesn't mean the game isn't still in testing, and a new letter from executive producer Steve Ricossa to the community is all about the work still being done to bring the game through its current beta phase. Progress is being made on the game's performance issues and bug fixes, with […]

Pac-Man 99 is a real battle royale and it's really on the Switch now

Let's just stipulate that nothing is sacred and everything from your childhood, your parents' childhoods, and your kids' childhoods is going to be trotted back out and made into a weird video game at some point, usually in a genre that peaked three years before. Then we can safely move on to our subject here, […]

Final Fantasy XIV updates its patch site for Death Unto Dawn one more time with exploration and deliveries

Do you enjoy Explorer Mode in Final Fantasy XIV but wish that you could use it in a few more dungeons? You'll be able to do just that in the upcoming patch 5.5, as a new update to the special patch site promises that level 70 dungeons will become available for Explorer Mode ventures along with […]

The Soapbox: Lies I was told about World of Warcraft

A few months back, I was feeling restless in my MMO routine. Guild Wars 2 is my MMO "home," so I'm always in that one, but I like to have one or two other MMOs to play on the side. For a while, that had been The Elder Scrolls Online, but the Greymoor expansion was […]

Star Citizen plans more persistence, outlines dev on alpha 3.13 as CIG buys new office space

Yesterday, we reported that Star Citizen was going to have a lot to say this past Wednesday, and sure enough the devs at CIG certainly did. We'll begin with the alluded-to 'highly requested' features added to the roadmap, which sees development focus on persistent hangars (which also feeds into changes to the cargo gameplay loop […]

Vague Patch Notes: The myth of the days before MMO datamining

For those of you who don't know, this column was named after Final Fantasy XI. Specifically, it was named after the practice that particular game had for many years of making its patch notes vague to the point of uselessness, which included one of my favorite lines of all time as a bullet list entry discussing […]

How to Change Your Appearance in Outriders

Want to change how your Outrider looks? Here's everything you need to know.

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How to Get the Best Ending in Oddworld: Soulstorm

Grown attached to Abe and want to get the best ending in Oddworld: Soulstorm? We don't blame you. Here's how you do it.

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How Many Levels Are There in Oddworld: Soulstorm?

Making your way through Oddworld: Soulstorm and wondering how many levels there are? We've got the answer right here for you.

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How to Deactivate Land Mines in Oddworld: Soulstorm

Not sure how to get past those pesky land mines in Oddworld: Soulstorm without getting blown up? Here's what you need to do.

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How to Save Your Game in Oddworld: Soulstorm

Playing Oddworld: Soulstorm and wondering how you save your game? We've got all the information you need right here.

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Tips For Playing Outriders

If you're a little overwhelmed, never fear. Here are some tips to help you get started with Outriders.

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How Long Does it Take to Beat Oddworld: Soulstorm?

Thinking of playing Oddworld: Soulstorm and wondering how long it takes to beat it? Hopefully we can help you with that.

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Sades Battle Ram Wired Gaming Keyboard & Mouse Review

The Sades Battle Ram is a great, budget-priced mouse and keyboard pairing, with a bonus feature for sniping-enthusiasts.

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PSA: Complete the Outriders Legacy Mission if You Want a Haul of 10 Legendaries

TEN! LEGENDARIES!

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The Best Loot-Based Games on PS5

Love games that reward your efforts with piles of color-coded gear? These are the best loot-based games you can get on PS5.

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How to Mark Enemies in Outriders

In Outriders, several class skills and perks rely on marking enemies. But how do you mark an enemy? Here's what you need to know.

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How to Get Shards in Outriders

If you want to upgrade the attributes on your weapons or armour in Outriders, you'll need shards. But how do you get them? Here's what you need to know.

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Dead by Daylight: Best Perk Builds for The Blight

The Blight is one of the more recent Dead by Daylight additions and he's got some pretty cool perks. 

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Upcoming Outriders Patch Promises to Address Server Issues and More

Yesterday Square Enix released details of an upcoming patch that, along with several other things, will address some of the server issues players have been facing.

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The Fermi Paradox Will Make You a Galactic God

Upcoming narrative sci-fi game The Fermi Paradox will put you in charge of galactic development. What could possibly go wrong?

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More Streets of Rage 4 is Coming This Year

Streets of Rage 4 is getting a new free update, as well as DLC that adds three new characters.

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Deathloop Has Been Pushed Back to September

Groundhog Delay

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How Long Does it Take to Beat Outriders?

Wondering how long it takes to beat People Can Fly's excellent Outriders? It's not an easy question to answer, but we'll do our best.

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What The Dub?! Review

If you're a fan of Jackbox party games, then you'll get a kick out of What The Dub?!.

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13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim's Narrative Craftsmanship is Light Years Ahead of Its Contemporaries

With an epic sci-fi story incomparable to anything else, the 29-person team at Vanillaware created something really special with 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.

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Nintendo Intends to Make More New Franchises in the Future

Nintendo logo

One criticism that's been levelled at Nintendo quite often over the years is how the company tends to focus primarily on its established major properties like Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon, often at the cost of creating new IP. Though Nintendo has certainly introduced new properties in recent years, with the likes of Splatoon, ARMS, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Ring Fit Adventure being notable examples, that's a criticism they still haven't been able to shake.

Going forward, however, it looks like Nintendo will be looking to change that. Speaking in a recent interview with Nikkei (translated by VGC), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said that in order to remain competitive, Nintendo is going to focus on creating more new original IP going forward. The company will, of course, also continue to invest in the likes of Mario and Zelda at the same time.

"Games are not a necessity of life," Furukawa said. "In order for customers to choose games in their finite time, they have to be interesting. Competition is tough, and I am not optimistic. I myself am looking at and studying various forms of entertainment. In the future, we will focus on creating new game series as well as long-sellers such as Mario and Zelda."

Of course, whether or not these new properties manage to break into the top rungs of Nintendo's hierarchy of properties remains to be seen, but it'll certainly be interesting to see what they come up with.


Resident Evil Village Will Have an Unlockable Harder Difficulty Mode That Will Randomize Enemies, Items, and More – Rumour

Resident Evil Village

Replay value has always been a crucial component of the Resident Evil franchise, and one of the primary ways it encourages that in each of its entries is by having excellent unlockables to encourage players to go back and play the game. It seems Resident Evil Village is going to have that as well, and with a pretty unique spin as well.

Known Resident Evil insider AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem recently took to Twitter and stated that similar to Resident Evil 7's Ethan Must Die mode, Resident Evil Village will also have an unlockable harder difficulty- though it will allegedly do much more than just making the game more difficult. Apparently, it will have some roguelite elements, and in addition to making the game more open-ended, it will also randomize enemies and placement of items in the world.

This is unverified information right now, so take it with a grain of salt. That said, Dusk Golem has been very reliable with his Resident Evil information in the past, so there's a good chance we end up hearing concrete details about this in the near future.

Resident Evil Village launches on May 7 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. More details and gameplay footage from the game will be arriving in a new showcase on April 15, and it's likely that the game's second demo will also go live then. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for all the updates until then.


Everything on Phil Spencer's Shelf Meant Something, Including the Switch, Journalist Says

nintendo switch

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been known to hide teases of major reveals and announcements in plain sight, and he tends to do that most frequently by putting stuff on shelves behind him during livestreams and videos. For instance, his shelf had an Xbox Series S in many livestreams several weeks before the console was even unveiled. Most recently, fans spotted everything from Kojima Productions' Ludens figure to a Nintendo Switch on Spencer's shelf, leading many to speculate that those could also be hinting at future announcements.

Recent developments have suggested that at least one of those indeed going to happen, with Microsoft apparently on the verge of finishing a deal with Hideo Kojima for his next game. According to GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb, however, it's not just the Ludens figure- in a recent GamesBeat Decides podcast, he said that pretty much everything on Spencer's shelf means something. And that includes the Switch as well.

On top of this, known insider Shpeshal_Ed also took to Twitter not long after Grubb said that, and added that "the cat seems to be out of the bag" where the Nintendo and Xbox news is confirmed, before stating that more information on this will be arriving in the Fall. Whether that's something like xCloud coming to the Switch, ports of Microsoft games on the Nintendo platform, or something else entirely remains to be seen.

Of course, if everything on the shelf does mean something, perhaps it's time to get our magnifying glasses out and start analyzing said shelf in even greater detail.


Kojima Went to Sony for His Next Game First, But They Turned Him Down – Rumour

Kojima Productions

Hideo Kojima has been closely associated with the PlayStation brand for as long as the former has been around. When he broke ties with Konami and reformed Kojima Productions as an independent studio, he immediately signed on with Sony for Death Stranding, a PlayStation console exclusive. Recent reports, however, have suggested that there might be a major paradigm shift coming soon, and that allegedly, Xbox and Kojima are close to signing a deal for the studio's next game.

That's a pretty surprising twist, if it does end up happening, and many have been left to wonder why Kojima is pivoting from Sony to Microsoft. Well, apparently, that may not have been his first choice. In the recent episode of the Xbox Era podcast, insider Shpeshal_Ed stated that Kojima Productions originally went to Sony with a pitch for their next game. Sony, however, was not satisfied with how Death Stranding did commercially, and as such, turned down the offer to work with Kojima again.

He also suggests that Kojima may have been in talks with Google and Stadia for a while, owing to the fact that his game apparently makes a lot of use of cloud technology, but that ultimately, talks with Microsoft progressed further. The Microsoft-Kojima deal is apparently close to being completed, so if it does happen, we might be hearing about it quite soon.

Kojima Productions' art director Yoji Shinkawa did recently mention that the studio's next game would be announced in the near future, so here's hoping we don't have to wait too long.


Epic Has Lost Over $450 Million on the Epic Games Store

Epic Games Store

The Epic Games Store launched in December of 2018, and since then, the digital PC storefront has seen massive growth. Though it's still lagging behind Steam when it comes to usability and features, its exclusivity deals and attractive weekly giveaways have been major factors contributing to its growth. The storefront currently has over 160 million registered users (of whom 56 million are monthly active users)- but even so, it hasn't yet turned a profit for Epic Games.

In a recent court filing (via ResetEra), it was revealed that since its launch about two and a half years ago, the Epic Games Store has lost Epic over $450 million- $181 million in 2019 and $273 million in 2020, with projections of losses for 2021 currently standing at $273 million. As with any new venture, those losses are attributed to the heavy investments Epic has made in the storefront to capture a larger piece of the marketshare, and though they will continue to lose money on it for the foreseeable future, they expect it to become profitable starting in 2023.

Meanwhile, other interesting details have also emerged from the court filing. The 12% revenue cut that Epic takes from each game sold on its storefront has been one of its headlining factors, especially for developers, since a 30% revenue cut is the standard across the entire industry on pretty much all other digital storefronts. That smaller revenue cut, however, is apparently been enough to cover operating costs for the storefront.

Interestingly enough, Epic has recently said that the Epic Games Store is going to have more exclusives over the next two years than ever before, so the company is still aggressively making investments to ensure a larger userbase. It remains to be seen how well that will pay off.


SIE London Studio's Next Game Will "Show the Exciting Potential" of the PS5, as Per New Job Ad

blood and truth

It's been a couple of years since SIE London Studio's PSVR first person shooter Blood and Truth came out, but there's been next to no updates on what their next game is going to be. Even in the absence of official announcements though, there have been a few details here and there. The developer itself is quite excited about the project's potential, while it's also looking like the game is going to have a multiplayer component.

Now, a couple of new job ads on the developer's website (spotted by Push Square) have dropped a few more hints about what we can look forward to. For starters, a listing for the position of Principal Online Gameplay Designer once again hints at an emphasis on online multiplayer. The ad states that the person in the position will need to be "up for experimenting and working in uncharted design territory", and that the game itself is going to "show the exciting potential of the latest PlayStation hardware."

Meanwhile, another ad for the position of Lead VFX Artist mentions delivering "diverse and rich content", and suggests that the studio is aiming to craft "the next generation of rewarding gameplay and cinematics."

SIE London Studio has been heavily invested in virtual reality development, and it's unlikely that they'll be stopping any time soon. Even in the absence of an official announcement, it's likely that their next game will be another VR title, especially with PSVR 2 coming up.


Sony is Looking to Bring "PlayStation's Most Popular Franchises" to Mobile

PlayStation logo

A recent report shed light on Sony's shifting priorities, and how PlayStation no longer wants to make smaller games as it instead pivots to save all of its time and resources for larger AAA blockbuster productions. Outside of the console market though, it seems as if they're still willing to expand and try new things. A new job listing was recently posted by Sony for the position of the head of PlayStation Studios' mobile division, which suggests that Sony is looking to enter the mobile gaming scene in a big way.

The job ad in question states that Sony is looking to "develop the mobile games strategy for PlayStation Studios and help build a foundation for future growth opportunities" and is working toward the "expansion of our game development from consoles and PCs to mobile & Live Services with a focus on successfully adapting PlayStation's most popular franchises for mobile."

Of course, when you think of PlayStation's biggest franchises, you think of the likes of God of War, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Gran Turismo, and more. It should be interesting to see how some of those make the jump to the modern mobile gaming scene (if they all do indeed make the jump).

That said, it's not surprising that Sony is taking this step. There's huge potential in the mobile gaming scene, especially from a commercial perspective. As games such as Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile have shown (to name just a couple), there's a lot of money to be made in the mobile gaming space.


Resident Evil 9 Might be the Last Numbered Entry in the Series – Rumour

resident evil

Resident Evil Village might not technically have an "8" in its name, but Capcom have made it abundantly clear that it is the eighth mainline numbered entry in the series. For starters, it obviously has the roman numeral "VIII" in its logo, while Capcom have also mentioned on no few occasions that the game serves as a direct narrative sequel to Resident Evil 7. Now, according to new potential details dropped by an insider, that story is going to carry forward and conclude in another mainline numbered sequel, but following that, Capcom might start adopting different naming conventions for the series.

Known Resident Evil insider Dusk Golem (or AestheticGamer) recently took to Twitter and stated that Resident Evil 7, Village, and the upcoming (which he has previously mentioned is already in development) have a single, connected story with a main arc running throughout all of them. The story for the trilogy was apparently mapped out collectively, supposedly since all three of their development cycles were so close to each other.

However, Dusk Golem goes on to add that Resident Evil 9 will likely be the final mainline numbered entry in the series, and Capcom will adopt a new naming convention. He suspects that this is being done so that Capcom can tell more focused and self-contained stories with a single game rather than having to plan out larger narrative arcs that span multiple games.

This is, of course, unverified information, and it's talking about things that are way off in the future, which means nothing is set in stone yet. Dusk Golem has a solid track record when it comes to Resident Evil leaks, but either way, take this with a grain of salt for now.

Resident Evil 9 is still probably several years off though, and we've got plenty else to look forward to before that. Resident Evil Village launches on May 7 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.


Final Fantasy 16 Tops Famitsu's Most Wanted Charts

final fantasy 16

Famitsu's latest weekly charts for the most highly anticipated upcoming games (as decided by votes from their readers) are in, and Final Fantasy 16 has topped the charts. Typically, Monster Hunter Rise has had a stranglehold on the top spot in these charts for some time now, but with it now having been released, Final Fantasy 16 moves up to claim the throne. It is followed in second place by fellow upcoming action RPG Tales of Arise.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's sequel has also been a permanent fixture in the top 5 of these charts for many weeks, and takes the third spot here. It has a lead of over 30 votes over the game placed fourth, which is Resident Evil Village. The only new entrant in the top 10, in fact, is Samurai Warriors 5, which comes in at eighth position.

Meanwhile, with the likes of Bayonetta 3, Rune Factory 5, Shin Megami Tensei 5, and New Pokemon Snap also factoring in the top 10, the rest of the table is pretty familiar for anyone who's been following these of late.

You can check out the full top 10 below. All votes were cast by Famitsu readers between March 18 and March 24.

1. [PS5] Final Fantasy 16 – 636 votes
2. [PS4] Tales of Arise – 581 votes
3. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 – 437 votes
4. [PS5] Resident Evil Village – 401 votes
5. [NSW] Bayonetta 3 – 398 votes
6. [NSW] Rune Factory 5 – 389 votes
7. [NSW] Shin Megami Tensei 5 – 323 votes
8. [PS4] Samurai Warriors 5 – 225 votes
9. [NSW] New Pokemon Snap – 207 votes
10. [NSW] Ushiro – 205 votes

[Via Nintendo Everything]


Monster Hunter Rise Guide – All Silkbind and Switch Skills, and Choosing the Best Weapon

monster hunter rise

Monster Hunter Rise mixes up the classic formula by introducing new Silkbind attacks. These rely on the Wirebug to execute certain moves and as such, they share a cooldown with the same. However, along with Silkbind attacks, there are different Switch Skills which provide an alternative move in that slot. For example, the Great Sword's Tackle can be switched out for Guard Tackle which is a slower tackle used to guard against attacks before transitioning to a True Charged Slash.

Check out all of the different Silkbind and Switch skills below in Arekkz Gaming's video. It's also worth noting the different weapons in Monster Hunter Rise. Like previous games, there are 14 archetypes to choose from. There is no true best weapon in the game – it all depends on your play-style and how you'd like to approach hunts. But regardless, you can find success with any weapon type if you know how to use it properly.

Here's a brief rundown of each weapon and which play-styles they suit the best.

  • Longsword – Great combos and exceptional damage along with decent counter-attacks. The Longsword is capable of some diverse movesets and is relatively easy to pick up.
  • Dual Blades – Quick attacks and exceptional dodging, the Dual Blades are for those who favor hit and run tactics instead of defense. Great for elemental damage and status builds due to its quick attack speed.
  • Hunting Horn – Often labelled a "support" weapon, the Hunting Horn is capable of providing buffs while also dishing out heavy damage and K.O.s. Its changes in Rise make it easier to pick up and manage than before.
  • Charge Blade – Perhaps the most complex weapon in the game, the Charge Blade's default form is a sword and shield. It can transform into an axe and, when its phials are filled, release a powerful discharge attack. Great for a variety of play-styles though takes a while to master.
  • Sword and Shield – A well-balanced weapon that can be geared towards DPS, defense, support and so on. It's main advantage is being able to use items without sheathing the weapon.
  • Hammer – Heavy blows but still decent mobility, the Hammer is capable of combos and K.O. hits. Perfect for those who want to knock-out monsters and deal big damage.
  • Switch Axe – A transforming weapon that offers mobility and good damage in axe mode and slightly less mobility but even more damage in sword mode. Sword mode can also deliver Elemental Discharge explosions for big burst damage.
  • Insect Glaive – A glaive that boasts incredible mobility and a Kinsect which can be used to target individual parts of a monster and gain buffs that enhance the glaive's combos.
  • Great Sword – Slow mobility but delivers heavy charged blows which require some timing for exceptional damage. Also has some decent damage reduction abilities thanks to its Tackle.
  • Lance – The strongest shield in the game, the Lance can block almost every attack and deliver powerful counter-attacks. Though it doesn't have the best mobility, it's exceptional for those who favor a more tanky play-style.
  • Gunlance – Offers a great defensive option like the Lance but also some strong damage with its explosive shells. The Gunlance also has Wyrmstake, which deals burst damage to a monster, and stronger mobility options thanks to new skills in Rise.
  • Bow – A ranged weapon that utilizes different coatings for different arrow types. Consistent damage and varied options along with good mobility, though it lacks in defenses.
  • Light Bowgun – Another ranged weapon which requires reloading after a set number of shots, it boasts good mobility and a variety of options thanks to its ammo types. Can also release some strong explosive damage.
  • Heavy Bowgun – The highest damage ranged option, the Heavy Bowgun is capable of dishing out some serious pain from a distance thanks to charged shots and ammo types like Cluster Bombs. New skills in Rise provide counter-attacks and more mobility.