Author: Jordan Middler

NME

Blizzard has announced that it’s working on a brand-new survival game for PC and console.

• READ MORE: What the hell has happened at Activision and why should you care?

“Blizzard is embarking on our next quest.” begins the statement on its website titled “Create a new universe with us”.

“A place full of heroes we have yet to meet, stories yet to be told, and adventures yet to be lived. A vast realm of possibility, waiting to be explored.”

The team is currently hiring for several positions as development on the game gets underway.

“Do you like survival games? Do you want to join a collaborative team of experienced developers at the early stage of a new project in a new world…and help write the next chapter in Blizzard’s story?”

The publisher is recruiting for the following positions:

Art

• Environment Artist (Associate to Senior)
• Senior Character Artist
• Technical Artist (FX Pipeline)
• VFX Artist (Associate to Senior)
• Senior Concept Artist

Design

• Associate Level Designer
• Level Designer

Engineering

• Lead Software Engineer, Engine
• Senior Software Engineer, Audio
• Senior Software Engineer, Server
• Senior Software Engineer, Tools.

Microsoft recently acquired Activision Blizzard, in a deal that is estimated to cost around £50billion ($68billion USD).

This has led to speculation that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will be out of his position and possibly the company as well, following claims that he knew and chose to hide the ongoing misconduct and harassment taking place at the company.

Activision Blizzard has now also begun removing employees accused of misconduct, and Kotick allegedly told people he waited until the new year for fears that the company’s problems would “seem bigger” than is known.

Elsewhere, EA has confirmed that Respawn Entertainment is working on a series of titles in the Star Wars franchise, including “the next game in the Star Wars Jedi” series.

The post Blizzard announce new “survival game” coming to console appeared first on NME.

NME

Blizzard has announced that it’s working on a brand-new survival game for PC and console.

• READ MORE: What the hell has happened at Activision and why should you care?

“Blizzard is embarking on our next quest.” begins the statement on its website titled “Create a new universe with us”.

“A place full of heroes we have yet to meet, stories yet to be told, and adventures yet to be lived. A vast realm of possibility, waiting to be explored.”

The team is currently hiring for several positions as development on the game gets underway.

“Do you like survival games? Do you want to join a collaborative team of experienced developers at the early stage of a new project in a new world…and help write the next chapter in Blizzard’s story?”

The publisher is recruiting for the following positions:

Art

• Environment Artist (Associate to Senior)
• Senior Character Artist
• Technical Artist (FX Pipeline)
• VFX Artist (Associate to Senior)
• Senior Concept Artist

Design

• Associate Level Designer
• Level Designer

Engineering

• Lead Software Engineer, Engine
• Senior Software Engineer, Audio
• Senior Software Engineer, Server
• Senior Software Engineer, Tools.

Microsoft recently acquired Activision Blizzard, in a deal that is estimated to cost around £50billion ($68billion USD).

This has led to speculation that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will be out of his position and possibly the company as well, following claims that he knew and chose to hide the ongoing misconduct and harassment taking place at the company.

Activision Blizzard has now also begun removing employees accused of misconduct, and Kotick allegedly told people he waited until the new year for fears that the company’s problems would “seem bigger” than is known.

Elsewhere, EA has confirmed that Respawn Entertainment is working on a series of titles in the Star Wars franchise, including “the next game in the Star Wars Jedi” series.

The post Blizzard announce new “survival game” coming to console appeared first on NME.

NME

Blizzard has announced that it’s working on a brand-new survival game for PC and console.

• READ MORE: What the hell has happened at Activision and why should you care?

“Blizzard is embarking on our next quest.” begins the statement on its website titled “Create a new universe with us”.

“A place full of heroes we have yet to meet, stories yet to be told, and adventures yet to be lived. A vast realm of possibility, waiting to be explored.”

The team is currently hiring for several positions as development on the game gets underway.

“Do you like survival games? Do you want to join a collaborative team of experienced developers at the early stage of a new project in a new world…and help write the next chapter in Blizzard’s story?”

The publisher is recruiting for the following positions:

Art

• Environment Artist (Associate to Senior)
• Senior Character Artist
• Technical Artist (FX Pipeline)
• VFX Artist (Associate to Senior)
• Senior Concept Artist

Design

• Associate Level Designer
• Level Designer

Engineering

• Lead Software Engineer, Engine
• Senior Software Engineer, Audio
• Senior Software Engineer, Server
• Senior Software Engineer, Tools.

Microsoft recently acquired Activision Blizzard, in a deal that is estimated to cost around £50billion ($68billion USD).

This has led to speculation that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will be out of his position and possibly the company as well, following claims that he knew and chose to hide the ongoing misconduct and harassment taking place at the company.

Activision Blizzard has now also begun removing employees accused of misconduct, and Kotick allegedly told people he waited until the new year for fears that the company’s problems would “seem bigger” than is known.

Elsewhere, EA has confirmed that Respawn Entertainment is working on a series of titles in the Star Wars franchise, including “the next game in the Star Wars Jedi” series.

The post Blizzard announce new “survival game” coming to console appeared first on NME.

NME

Ryan ‘Fwiz’ Wyatt has announced that he plans to depart from his role as YouTube’s Head of Gaming.

• READ MORE: ‘OlliOlli World’ preview: heaven is more than a halfpipe in Roll7’s expanded skater

In a tweet posted on January 25, he revealed that he will be leaving the company in order to join Polygon Technology as its CEO. In a statement, he thanked YouTube boss Susan Wojcicki and talked about his history with the company.

“I came to YouTube almost eight years ago to help give gamers a voice and represent the gamers’ needs every day.”

He continued; “I am proud knowing that YouTube Gaming serves over 250million logged-in users every single day, and drives hundreds of billions of hours of gaming watch time each year.”

Speaking on his new role, he said;

“I am fascinated by blockchain app development and am beyond thrilled to enter the Web3 space,”. He continued;

“I will be focused on growing the developer ecosystem through investment, marketing and developer support and bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3.”

Before joining YouTube, Wyatt was a popular caster for Major League Gaming, making his name casting events for games like Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. 

He would later join Machinima in 2011 as their head of live and eS\sports content, before returning to MLG. He would then join Google in October 2014. More recently, in 2016  Wyatt collaborated with the esports team and gaming brand OpTic Gaming to co-author the book OpTic Gaming: The Making of Esports Champions which took readers through the careers of the successful Call Of Duty team. The book became a New York Times best-seller.

Elsewhere, EA has confirmed that Respawn Entertainment is working on a series of titles in the Star Wars franchise, including “the next game in the Star Wars Jedi” series.

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NME

Star Wars Battlefront 3 is not currently in development at DICE according to a new report.

• READ MORE: ‘OlliOlli World’ preview: heaven is more than a halfpipe in Roll7’s expanded skater

Following the news that three new games in the Star War franchise are in development at Respawn Entertainment, a new report has suggested that publisher EA may be done with the Star Wars license once these games have been completed.

According to VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb; “But beyond the Bit Reactor game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s sequel, and the FPS project, EA is done with Star Wars.“

He continued; “DICE, which is still putting out fires with Battlefield 2042, is focusing on the Battlefield franchise going forward. And EA is looking to once again emphasize its own properties.”

Among the three games announced to be in development at Respawn is a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Game director Stig Asmussen, will be in charge of the game’s sequel. There is currently no official word if this game will be a direct sequel to Fallen Order and follow Cal Kestis, or if it will go in a slightly new direction.

A first-person shooter is also being developed by another Respawn team, this time headed by Peter Hirschmann, who has experience working on the original Battlefront games at LucasArts.

The third game announced is a tactical strategy game set in the Star Wars developed by a new studio, Bit Reactor.

“Building on the previous successes of our EA relationship, this new collaboration highlights the trust and mutual respect shared between the world-class teams at EA, Respawn and Lucasfilm Games,” said Sean Shoptaw of Walt Disney Games in the post. “Fostered by the expertise and passion within each team, we will create thrilling original games for diverse audiences across the Star Wars galaxy.”

In other news, Final Fantasy 14 finally has an Oceania data centre.

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NME

Sony‘s Firesprite studio will take over from Lucid Games in the development of the rumoured Twisted Metal reboot, according to a new report.

• READ MORE: The best RPGs: The definitive list of the best RPGs you can play in 2021

It was reported last year that a new game in the Twisted Metal series was in development at Lucid Studios, the team behind Destruction AllStars. It would be the first game the series has had in over a decade. VGC reported that the revival would be built around a free-to-play model, as Destruction AllStars made a last-minute transition to become a PlayStation Plus title instead of a premium release.

VGC is now reporting that Sony has moved the development to Firesprite:

“We now understand that UK-based Firesprite – which was acquired by Sony last year – is the developer which has taken over the Twisted Metal project.”

Sony is still yet to announce a Twisted Metal reboot or respond to any of these rumours, but considering its plans to adapt the series into a television series, slated to release in 2023, it’s a safe bet that the publisher will be looking to rekindle interest in the property.  The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, star Anthony Mackie will reportedly don the iconic mask of John Doe – the Twisted Metal series lead.

VGC suggested that the change in developer could be as a result of poor reception to Destruction AllStars. The game was originally planned to be a full price PS5 launch game, but Sony delayed its release and announced it would be free on PlayStation Plus for two months instead. When it did release it was priced at £17.99.

PlayStation Now subscription cards are being removed from UK retailer GAME according to an internal email.In an internal message shared with GamesBeat, GAME leadership informed store teams that they would no longer be selling the subscription cards after January 21.

The post Sony’s Firesprite will reportedly develop new Twisted Metal reboot appeared first on NME.

NME

PlayStation Now subscription cards are being removed from UK retailer GAME according to an internal email.

• READ MORE: How ‘Thief: The Dark Project’ sidelined action in favour of shadow-clinging tension

In an internal message shared with GamesBeat, GAME leadership informed store teams that they would no longer be selling the subscription cards after January 21.

“Stores have until the close of day Wednesday 19, January to remove all POS and ESD cards from all customer-facing areas and update their digital bays in line with this week’s upcoming commercial update….”

Sony has not responded to a request for comment from VentureBeat, but many are speculating that this is in anticipation of the rumoured Xbox Game Pass-like “Spartacus” which was reported on by Bloomberg last year.

Bloomberg suggests that “Spartacus”, which is speculated to launch in spring 2022, will merge PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now into one package. The result is expected to be something similar to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which offers the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and an increasingly extensive library of games to download and play as part of the subscription.

Currently, PlayStation Plus costs £6.99 per month, or £49.99 per year, while PlayStation Now costs £22.99 per three months or also £49.99 per year. An £8.99 monthly option for PS Now currently shows “not available for purchase” on the UK PlayStation Store.

Conversely, Xbox Game Pass costs £7.99 per month for either the console or PC plan, or £10.99 monthly for the Ultimate package that includes console, PC, Xbox Live Gold, and EA Play. Ubisoft recently announced that its Ubisoft + subscription service would be coming to the Xbox platform “soon”.

Elsewhere, the Stalker 2: Heart Of Chernobyl developer has announced that it’s delaying the release of the title to December 8, 2022. Stalker 2 was supposed to be released April 28 but GSC Game World has now confirmed that it needs more time to finish the game.

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NME

2K has revealed an in-depth look into the next season of the MyTeam mode in NBA 2K22,  as well as what’s new in career mode, and more.

• READ MORE: How ‘Thief: The Dark Project’ sidelined action in favour of shadow-clinging tension

“Hunt For Glory” will tip off on January 14 and bring with it new MyTeam items, animations and clothing items for your MyPlayer in career mode.

MyCareer players can work towards new Level 40 rewards including a new jumpshot animation, an artfully crafted Victor Solomon Kintsugi ball, Hunt 4 Glory Varsity Jacket, Artcamo Go-Kart, and a special Hunt 4 Glory Suit, along with the first opportunity to claim Legend status for players who have ​​reached Level 40 in four different Seasons.

In a post on the NBA 2K22 website, it was also revealed that players would be able to earn a special Candance Parker item:

“WNBA superstar Candace Parker, is coming to MyTEAM as a Diamond Coach. This 2-time WNBA champion & 2-time MVP has an all-time resume, and can now lead your best lineup in MyTEAM! You can earn her card by reaching Level 35 this season.”

Players that reach Level 40 in MyTeam during the season will earn Galaxy Opal Yao Ming. Players who have completed Unlimited’s Showdown Tier in Season 3 will be able to unlock the player on day 1.

Players can earn 8 more Galaxy Opal reward cards in Season 4 of NBA 2K22. Earn Danny Granger by completing the Galaxy Opal tier in Unlimited, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for earning 6 rings in Limited, Terry Cummings for reaching 1,000 total wins in Triple Threat, and the first Galaxy Opal Token Reward player, Baron Davis! Plus, look for Maurice Lucas at the top of the Season Ascension, and Spurs legend Tony Parker in Draft.

Elsewhere, the Stalker 2: Heart Of Chernobyl developer has announced that it’s delaying the release of the title to December 8, 2022. Stalker 2 was supposed to be released April 28 but GSC Game World has now confirmed that it needs more time to finish the game.

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NME

PlayStation has revealed its top downloads via the PlayStation store in 2021.

• READ MORE: 10 games to look forward to in 2022

The list reveals the top games in the EU region, as well as the US/Canada region, which shows off the different tastes between gamers across the pond.

In the EU, FIFA, unsparingly, dominated the list, with both FIFA 22 and FIFA 21 at the first and third spot respectively for PS5 games. In the US, basketball-themed slot machine simulator, NBA 2K22 topped the charts, with Call of Duty: Vanguard coming in second in both regions.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales placed high on both lists, likely thanks to the huge success of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Battlefield 2042, the troubled shooter from DICE, placed fifth on both the EU and US list.

PS5 exclusives Deathloop and Returnal came in low on the PS5 list, perhaps hinting that sales for the games haven’t been as positive as Sony might have hoped, however, this is also undoubtedly a result of the lack of PlayStation 5 consoles.

The eternal best-seller, Grand Theft Auto V topped the US list for PS4 games, while it came in second in the EU, only behind FIFA 22. 

You can read the full list here.

The platform holder also revealed the most popular PSVR games, with rhythm game Beat Saber topping the charts in both regions. Job Simulator and SUPERHOT VR came in at second and third respectively on both lists.

Fortnite, topped both the US/Canada and EU charts when it comes to free to play games. Notably, in the EU, the poorly received eFootball 2022 managed to outrank both Genshin Impact and Apex Legends. 

Elsewhere, the Stalker 2: Heart Of Chernobyl developer has announced that it’s delaying the release of the title to December 8, 2022. Stalker 2 was supposed to be released April 28 but GSC Game World has now confirmed that it needs more time to finish the game.

The post PlayStation reveals the top downloads of 2021 appeared first on NME.

NME

The 17th Team of the Week for FIFA 22 has been revealed, and it features England and Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham and PSG sensation Marquinhos.

• READ MORE: 10 games to look forward to in 2022

The new items, which will be put into packs at 6PM UK on January 12, feature unique upgraded versions of the best performing players of the week.

Following his performance for Borussia Dortmund against Eintracht Frankfurt during which he scored a late equalizer, which ultimately lead to Dortmund picking up the win, Jude Bellingham earns an 84 rated in-form item.

Brazillian defender Marquinhos receives an upgraded item, which is significant due to his normal Gold card being one of the most popular items in the entire game.

This week, the full list of players is:

84 – Aitor (GK)

89 – Marquinhos (CB)

87 – Hernandez (LB)

87 – Bastoni (CB)

83 – Lainer (RWB)

87 – Milinkovic-Savic (CM)

84 – Tchouameni (CDM)

84 – Bellingham (CM)

87 – Oyarzabal (LW)

86 – Beradi (RW)

86 – Andre Silva (ST)

This week’s FIFA 22 Team of the Week reserves are:

83 – Benitez (GK)

82 – Raum (LWB)

82 – Hector Bellerin (RB)

82 – Puertas (RM)

82 -Ajorque (ST)

84 -Under (RW)

81 – Caprari (CF)

70 – Armer (LB)

79 – Lincoln (CAM)

77 – Ndiaye (ST)

75 – Dani Escriche (ST)

67 – Song Wenjie (LW)

Recently, EA Sports apologised for the recent FIFA 22 hacking issues and has provided an update on how they plan to improve account security.

The publisher revealed how the accounts were accessed in a statement, confirming previous reports that the hackers were exploiting EA’s live chat.

“Over the last few weeks, we’ve been made aware of reports that high-profile player accounts are being targeted for takeover. Through our initial investigation, we can confirm that a number of accounts have been compromised via phishing techniques. Utilising threats and other “social engineering” methods, individuals acting maliciously were able to exploit human error within our customer experience team and bypass two-factor authentication to gain access to other player accounts. ”

Elsewhere, the Stalker 2: Heart Of Chernobyl developer has announced that it’s delaying the release of the title to December 8, 2022. Stalker 2 was supposed to be released April 28 but GSC Game World has now confirmed that it needs more time to finish the game.

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