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It's Souls farming time! Wait, is that actually on a t-shirt? Anyway, we're back today with more Super Replay and more Bloodborne! The journey has been a terrifying one, and with many bosses behind them, the crew is about to face some of its biggest challenges yet. Join us for part eight of the Bloodborne Super Replay today at 2 PM CT!
Are you ready for a chilling thrill ride through FromSoftware's masterpiece? Bloodborne is a dark horror action/RPG that tasks the player with navigating through haunted streets full of werewolves and shuffling, shambling ghouls – and that's just the first hour. Bloodborne showcases immaculate environments dripping with atmosphere, creative and cruel monster designs, and terrors ripped from the great beyond. And we're going to play through it! Super Replay, the legendary Game Informer series that pairs pro players with even more professional commentary, is back.
Click here to watch embedded mediaAs the flagship revival title, Bloodborne is going to be live and uncut every Friday at 2 PM CST. So won't you come join us for a blood-tinged brawl? How many times will I choke during boss fights? Will I even remember how to use the parry guns? (Probably not).
But I have faith that together, we will make it through, even if that includes farming up a mess of blood vials to get past a grotesque pig and other creatures of the night. This is a raw, organic playthrough at its finest, as I haven't really touched the game since my second playthrough of The Old Hunters shortly after it launched. In short, it's the perfect way to bring all the fun and intensity of the Super Replay directly into your eyeballs, shot live and beamed into reality via livestream.
"Bloodborne is a blood-drenched horror gem that has only the faintest of cracks in its façade. Bloodborne succeeds through sparse storytelling, lush atmospheres (conjuring up notions of the best of Lovecraft’s work), and tight combat that forces you to be aggressive," I said in my Game Informer review. "While this new IP doesn’t stray far from the established Souls franchise, it is a magical, wondrous work that admirably instills both terror and triumph in those brave enough to delve into it."
Checkout the entire Replay series here and get started with the Bloodborne run in epic fashion here.
Do you like Super Replay? Are you glad to see it back? What other games would you like to see featured in the future? Let us know in the comments!
A Dungeons & Dragons podcast with Jeff Goldblum as an elf? We're calling it now, we're rating it 10 out of 10 Goldblums. In this new D&D podcast, Goldblum takes on the role of a sorcerer that goes by the name of Balmur as part of the Dark Dice podcast. This makes a new season for the ongoing D&D campaign, which is slated to kick off next month.
The Jurassic Park star is getting in touch with his magical side for his latest role alongside five other characters. Just like with any other Dungeons & Dragons campaign, we have no idea how his character will fare until the dice are rolled. The plot thickens, and so does our excitement because Goldblum is a national treasure.
As reported by Deadline, the newest season of the Dark Dice podcast is called The Long March and is set to air on May 12. This is an audio-only podcast, so we can't see his exaggerated expressions as an elf in person, but his voice can be recognized from a mile away. You can catch up on the journey thus far right here.
We are proud to announce that JEFF GOLDBLUM will be joining the cast of Dark Dice, starting May 12th, as an Elven sorcerer named Balmur.
— The Dark Dice Podcast (@DarkDicePod) April 28, 2021
More Info here:https://t.co/xGI3z3hEDW pic.twitter.com/frVVA4ubQR
Interested in learning more? Dark Dice is a horror podcast that centers on the Dungeons & Dragons universe and uses incredible sounds, music, and other special audio effects to create an immersive experience for listeners to enjoy. The main scope of this horror adventure focuses on six travelers that set forth on a journey into the "ruinous domain of the nameless god." The podcast creators promise that there are plenty of twists and turns, and that "they will never be the same again."
I honestly haven't heard this podcast myself until writing this, but listening to the first season while typing this up and imagining Goldblum in the mix has me excited. The audio craftsmanship is impeccable. I genuinely can't wait to dive deeper into this D&D experience more in detail this weekend.
Are you excited to see how Goldblum takes to the world of Dungeons & Dragons? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!
May is Military Appreciation Month, and Activision is lending a helping hand to veterans in need by launching the Call of Duty Endowment Medical Heroes campaign. The initiative aims to raise money to place combat veterans, such as medics and hospital corpsmen, into high-quality jobs. Beginning today, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone will feature a special battle pack with proceeds from its sale helping fund the initiative.
This pack, dubbed the Call of Duty Endowment Battle Pack (posted above), includes a new Operator skin created in partnership with Timothy Hobbs Jr., an Army Veteran Combat Medic and Call of Duty fan. Endowment helped find Hobbs a job once he returned home, and all net proceeds from the pack will fund the campaign with $2 million being the goal. You can get a look at the battle pack and hear all about Hobbs’ story in the short video below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaAlso beginning today is the Revival Challenge. Until May 9, reviving five people while playing Warzone unlocks the unique Endowment calling card. If one million players complete the challenge, all Warzone players will be treated to a double-XP day. Furthermore, Activision will donate $1 to Endowment for every completed challenge up to $1 million.
Activision hopes to raise $3 million total between the Battle Pack and Revival challenge, which would be enough to help $5,800 veterans find work. The Call of Duty Endowment program has used similar events through the years to help place over 81,000 veterans into quality jobs and hopes to raise that number to 100,000 by 2024.
Helping veterans successfully transition back into the workforce has been a growing issue in the U.S. for decades. If you’re interested in helping veterans get back to work beyond this specific campaign, you can visit the Call of Duty Endowment webpage to learn other ways of providing aid.
Destiny 2 Season 14 is just around the corner, which means a ton of new features and gear to look forward to. With the return of the epic Vault of Glass raid from the first Destiny game, some have questioned how Bungie is going to handle the World's First event that puts prizes on the line for the fireteam that can run it blind first. Since Vault of Glass isn't new, will there still be a World's First? Or are there enough changes to justify this tradition? Luckily, Bungie has given Guardians some answers.
It's time to take the fight back to Antheon once more and the ability to do just that is least an a month away! While the overall story of Vault of Glass isn't being touched at all, that doesn't mean that the raid mechanics are staying the same. "Our goal is to keep the feeling similar to how you remember, but we have made some updates to bring this content to Destiny 2 standards," said Bungie in its latest update blog post.
Tweaks are expected, but what does that mean for the event that hardcore Guardians crave? Ignoring that I hilariously failed even remotely placing with Deep Stone Crypt's arrival, which I documented here, it's a little tricky doing a World's First when many of the competing Guardians took part in the raid when it was first released. Not to worry, Bungie planned for that. While the overall raid hasn't evolved beyond recognition, there have been changes that players will have to adapt to. According to Bungie, here is how the team is "shaking things up" a bit:
It wouldn't be a World's First without prizes, right? Bungie made a belt, seen below, to commemorate those that place, but the studio also wanted to do something special for those that took part in the original World's First for Vault of Glass. Because of that, you'll notice the OG World First fireteam emblazoned in the belt below:
Both the Tempo's Edge Triumph and Challenge Mode will only be available to players for the first 24 hours of the race to World's First before it disappears. If you miss out, don't worry; Bungie promises that those challenges will make a comeback later on in the season. Rewards, a shiny new emblem, the adrenaline of just kicking ass? It's going to be glorious. The adventure begins on May 22 at 10 a.m. Pacific.
Are you excited to see who wins the latest Vault of Glass World's First? Are you going to be joining your fireteam to try to be the Guardian that secures the win? Sound off in the comment section below. Zavala would want you to.
Resident Evil Village could have skipped last-gen platforms entirely, with the developers waiting to make sure it ran well enough before committing to making a PS4 and Xbox one version.
Resident Evil Village is gorgeous on next-gen platforms and PC, but recent demos and IGN’s own hands-on time have indicated that the game also looks great and runs smoothly on last-gen platforms, the PS4 and Xbox One. However, according to producer Tsuyoshi Kanda, Capcom did not decide to release the game on last-gen platforms until after Village was announced in June last year.
“We developed Village as a game for next-gen hardware, but in order to make it accessible to more players, we went through a lot of trial and error to somehow provide a comparable experience on last-gen hardware,” Kanda told IGN. “In the end, we were able to deliver a high-quality product for last-gen hardware as well. That being said, if the quality hadn’t been sufficient, I don’t think we would have released it.”
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“If there was a big difference in graphical quality or framerate, it would not have been something we could deliver to players, so we did our best to make sure it would be satisfying on any platform,” added director Morimasa Sato.
Fans were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the PS4 Pro footage IGN exclusively revealed earlier this month, which was captured by us from a preview build of the full game. With the recent demos, players have been able to directly test a cut-down version of the game on their platform of preference.
If you’re not sure whether to get Village on last-gen or next-gen consoles, don’t worry, as Kanda emphasizes that the last-gen versions can be upgraded to next-gen free of charge, if you buy a next-gen machine later.
Resident Evil Village will be released on May 7. Learn how the game was inspired by both Resi 7 and Resi 4 in our interview with the developers, and be sure to check out our in-depth preview of the first five hours as well as our impressions of extra mode The Mercenaries. If you can’t wait to get your blood drained by Lady Dimitrescu, don’t miss our feature on the towering villain and her daughters, and also be sure to check out our reveal of the game’s other main villains. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan.
“After somehow surviving the events of Resident Evil 7, Ethan and his wife Mia gave birth to Rosemary, their daughter. They were living a quiet life together, but then suddenly Chris Redfield – a familiar character for fans of the series – appeared, killed Mia and took Rosemary away. The game starts with Ethan making his way to the village to save his daughter. While Ethan was just a young man who had somehow found himself in this house of maniacs in Resident Evil 7, this time I wanted to portray him as a father,” Sato explains. Kanda adds that family functioned as a theme for Village’s story, to which Sato nods. With the Baker family as the main villains in Resident Evil 7, family was an important theme in that game as well, but this time Ethan will be protecting his own family. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=resident-evil-village-ethan-clothing-gallery&captions=true"] While Village is indeed a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7, Kanda and Sato say it’s much more than that. Sato explains that during the planning phases, he had already come up with the idea of a village as the game’s location, and that he was inspired by Resident Evil 4. “If Resident Evil 7 was like a reboot that inherited the DNA of the original Resident Evil, then you could say that this time we’re doing the same for Resident Evil 4,” Kanda says. “We’ve designed the game and its structure with Resident Evil 4’s essence in mind, so I think that you’ll be able to find a lot of elements that remind you of that game.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/02/resident-evil-village-first-ever-ps4-pro-gameplay-4k-ign-first"] “In the history of the series, I believe that Resident Evil 4 is where the action and combat evolved the most,” Sato explains. “Interestingly, Resident Evil 4 was also set in a village. For Resident Evil Village, we’re bringing the essence of Resident Evil 4, while Resident Evil 7 functions as the base for the game. It’s not a reboot of Resident Evil 4, but the offspring of both Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 4.” If Village succeeds in combining the horror of Resident Evil 7 and the action of Resident Evil 4, it might become one of the most beloved entries in the series – but these two elements could also stand in each other’s way. If being haunted by the Baker family was frightening because you felt so weak, won’t a more action-focused approach disrupt the balance of that experience? 
“That is indeed something we need to be very careful with,” Sato admits. “If you increase the action, it quickly turns into a game that allows you to kill enemy after enemy. That is not what I want. It’s important that the player constantly feels afraid of the enemies, and the experience should be all about overcoming that fear.” Sato says that he believes that resource management – a traditional feature of the series – will prevent the action from diminishing the sense of fear. Conserving bullets and health items, being forced to advance to dangerous areas to stock up on supplies and wisely using items at the right moment all contribute to that traditional survival horror experience. For this, Sato used the 2018 Resident Evil 2 remake as a reference, which he sees as a perfect example of well-balanced survival horror. Kanda says that for Village, the team didn’t just want to create a scary horror game. While Resident Evil 7 satisfied fans of the genre, some players found it too scary to even play. For Village, the team went for an experience that is still scary, but in a way that more players can enjoy. To achieve this goal, they came up with two key phrases that would shape Village’s identity: “a theme park of horror” and “ultimate survival horror”.
Tsuyoshi Kanda (left) and Morimasa Sato.[/caption] Resident Evil Village will be released on May 7. Be sure to check out our in-depth preview of the first five hours as well as our impressions of extra mode The Mercenaries. For those curious about the last-gen version, take a look at our PS4 Pro gameplay footage. If you can’t wait to get your blood drained by Lady Dimitrescu, don’t miss our feature on the towering villain and her daughters, and also be sure to check out our reveal of the game’s other main villains. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. He thinks that Ethan should start wearing gloves outside.IGN UK Podcast #590: The Big Boy Flapjack Squad
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IO Interactive is still celebrating the successful launch of its most recent Hitman game, but that doesn't mean that the studio is resting on that alone. In a new report, it is revealed that the studio could very well be working on a brand new fantasy IP for Xbox (in addition to the James Bond game that is also in the works).
The latest report comes via Windows Central in the video below. In the video, it is revealed that Microsoft has a few exciting projects in the works concurrently, among them being a fantasy game from IO. This is interesting because several weeks ago I had an anonymous message tell me through the social app Tumblr that a game with "dragons" (likely saying this knowing my love for fantasy games) was coming from the Hitman studio, though my trail ended there. Now, Eurogamer is stating that their own sources have seemingly corroborated that message, and the report from Windows Central, stating that it is a AAA game and is years away from being revealed.
Click here to watch embedded mediaIO working on a new IP isn't a surprise. IO's own Hakan Abrak previously spoke on what's next as part of the GameIndustry.biz keynote when looking back on self-publishing the Hitman franchise. In that video, which you can see here, Abrak talks about the trials and success of the Hitman series and teased that the team is working on a "third universe" that is a "bit different" but something the studio is excited about. With the most recent Barcelona IO location opening up, the dev team is heads-down on working on its next big adventure, including a new James Bond game.
Whatever the new game aims to be, it's reported that it will be under the Xbox Games Studio umbrella. This will give the studio more resources and more support to see their vision flourish. Xbox, under the leadership of Phil Spencer, has pivoted sharply in the last few years, taking a more aggressive approach to game development that was significantly lacking in the Xbox One era. Aggressive in terms of being unafraid, yet maintaining a creative distance from studios working under its name so that the process remains undisturbed and true to original ideation.
So what do you think? A fantasy game with dragons? A medieval fantasy game about dragons? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below, we'd love to hear what you think!
The Cyberpunk 2077 launch was one of the most anticipated launches in recent years, making its post-release hardships all of the more shocking. From mismarketing to veiled review restrictions to even game-breaking bugs where many felt last-gen version of the title was something else entirely, it's been a tumultuous post-launch period for the Polish company. With sales-tied bonuses acting as a light at the end of the tunnel, how that bonus was allocated has been made public and sees top-level executives winning big with other employees receiving less than what was expected.
The report broke over at Bloomberg about post-launch Cyberpunk 2077 bonuses. While the entire staff is expected to get the promised incentives, the numbers don't add up to what was expected. Keep in mind that the gap between executives and the rest of a company is nothing new, but that doesn't mean it's right. More than that, however, the gap between what the execs are getting and what the devs are getting is raising more red flags. Especially given the talk leading up to the game's launch, including members of the team calling out leadership and shareholders on the development road leading up to this point. Before diving into the numbers a little bit here, I do want to call attention to the fact that the original report even states that it's "not all bad," and that the attention surrounding everything that went wrong with Cyberpunk 2077 beyond its glitches has put an effective spotlight on the studio's culture. Mixed messaging, a "wing it" attitude, and poor planning are all just some of the many puzzle pieces that made up this chaotic picture. However, that is changing, and the higher-ups are looking at restructuring to make CDPR a healthier place to work for retentive purposes. This was publicly acknowledged during the financial call, as well.
Despite a rocky launch and even being de-listed from PSN by Sony, Cyberpunk 2077 was still the biggest selling game for the studio. An annual report document has been released, citing that CDPR CEO Marcin Iwinski is netting a $6.3 million bonus, with co-CEO Adam Kicinski making the same. Board member Adam Badowski is slated to take home an estimated $4.2 million.
It was relayed to the broader team that the profit-sharing bonuses would range between $5,000 - $9,000, with senior personnel netting anywhere between $15,000 to $20,000. A spokesperson told Bloomberg that there was a total of $29.8 million allocated for bonuses across nearly 870 employees. That number seems odd, given that five CDPR board members netted a total of $28 million. The former number, the $29.8 million, breaks off to be around $34,000 each, according to the spokesperson, in addition to smaller bonuses that were granted earlier this year, including the stock bonuses that were allocated late 2020.
That being said, even the higher level members of the board took some financial hits as CDPR stock took a sharp dive following the launch chaos and formal investigations into the studio. Even with the knocks, the bonuses that executives received are astronomical and were, according to the CEO, just. "We earned this money and the company earned this money," said Kicinski when he was asked if the top-level bonuses were "appropriate." He added, "But more net profits, more bonuses."
This isn't the first studio to suffer mismanagement, but the many layers as to why the launch went so wrong dives into several deeper issues within many industries, not just gaming: Management not effectively caring for those that work under them, non-transparency with the public (though they did a phenomenal job at making it look the opposite), and the refusal to make adjustments when certain aspects along the process no longer made sense (e.g. the base PS4 and Xbox One launch).
The studio has promised to correct the issues the Cyberpunk 2077 launch faces, and has done just that with countless patches post-release. Still, the board of directors needs to be clear about how they are going to make the work environment safer and better for employees; now is not the time for vague replies. That being said, after speaking with a few developers ourselves, there are some that are reporting a feeling of hope that the changes ahead will be good.
Sports Interactive wrote, "Today, we join the EFL and English football in a united stand against online abuse. Social media companies must do more to #StopOnlineAbuse. Join us and switch off too, as we collectively demand change." The boycott follows repeated racist and discriminatory hate speech used towards football players, and the boycott aims to put pressure on social media platforms to do more to clamp down on abuse.Football is for everyone. Our social channels will be silent from 15:00 (UK) on Fri. April 30 until 23:59 (UK) on Mon. May 3.
No #TopBinsLive Community stream this week. pic.twitter.com/KN0i0T3XMD — EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) April 30, 2021
To learn more about the boycott, the Premier League has put together a piece on why it's taking place, and what the movement hopes to achieve. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.Today, we join the EFL and English football in a united stand against online abuse.
Social media companies must do more to #StopOnlineAbuse. Join us and switch off too, as we collectively demand change.#StopOnlineAbuse pic.twitter.com/sNFCKI6Yp6 — Football Manager (@FootballManager) April 30, 2021
New Pokémon Snap is out today, and while we've gotten some good looks at most of the game's main characters and a number of its Pokémon, The Pokémon Company has remained rather precious about a major cameo that happens early in the game: the appearance of Todd Snap.
If you're not familiar with Mr. Snap, he's the main protagonist from the original Pokémon Snap, who also makes a few appearances in the Pokémon anime and manga. Back in the original Pokémon Snap days, Todd was a goofy kid with a big camera who Professor Oak hired to take photos of wild Pokémon. Over the course of the game, he discovered mysterious "Pokémon Signs" that Professor Oak somehow connected to constellations in the night sky, leading him to send Todd to space (???) to take photos of Mew.
In New Pokémon Snap, those Mew photos have launched a promising career for Todd, and now he's a world-famous photographer. He's also an adult now, with marginally better hair and far better fashion sense than he had as a kid in those giant cargo shorts.
Yes, I know it sounds like Todd's appearance should be a major spoiler, but I promise it's not. Todd Snap shows up within the first hour or so of New Pokémon Snap and hangs out with you and your photography friends the rest of the game. He mostly shows up in cutscenes alongside Professor Mirror and research assistants Rita and Phil to give you direction and photography tips.
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Unfortunately, he doesn't get much of a plot role despite his apparent success as a photographer. Phil initially seems to treat you as a photography rival vying for Todd's attention, but this never really plays out in a way that matters. The only other role Todd has during New Pokémon Snap is to offer "Todd's Tips" on the loading screens to help you take better photos. Oh, and a bit of lore suggests he had a critical role in helping Professor Mirror develop and name the Neo-One vehicle you take photos out of, which makes sense given that it's just a nicer version of the Zero-One from Pokémon Snap.
Still, it's genuinely cool that good old Todd Snap is lurking around the Pokémon photography scene and helping uplift the next generation of young photographers. Glad to have you back, Todd. You're looking good.
New Pokémon Snap is out now on Nintendo Switch, with our review finding it to be a delightful photography adventure that adores the creatures on the other side of the lens, even if some of its progression systems could be a bit clunky at times.
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Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
Xerneas as a final boss is a bit of a strange pick given that Pokémon X is nearly a decade old now, and we don't seem to be set up for remakes anytime soon the way we are with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. There's a Pokémon GO event featuring Xerneas going on right now, marking its first appearance in the game alongside its Y counterpart Yveltal, but that's likely been timed explicitly because of New Pokémon Snap. Still, the Illumina Xerneas encounter makes sense in the context of New Pokémon Snap, as you meet it in a ruined temple surrounded by a lush forest, and it emerges from a tree similar to its appearance in Pokémon X. It's the most challenging Illumina Pokémon to catch on film, requiring a multi-stage puzzle just to get it to emerge to be photographed, but the gorgeous glowing shots at the end are well worth it. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=our-favorite-photos-from-new-pokemon-snap&captions=true"] That said, Xerneas isn't the only legendary Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap. We won't spoil who else shows up, but once you get a photo of Xerneas and roll the credits, more legendary monsters from multiple Pokémon games will appear in stages you've already visited. Some will show up unprompted, while others will be a bit more challenging to coax out. These aren't major, stage-wide encounters like Xerneas, but they can be quite cool and provide a good chunk of post-game content to work through. We reviewed New Pokémon Snap and found it delightful, with far more content than the original and a surprising variety of different takes on some of our favorite Pokémon. The game is out now on Nintendo Switch, and if you're struggling to get the perfect shot of any of the Illumina Pokémon including Xerneas, we have guides for that. We also have a guide for all the post-game legendaries to help you in your hunt for each elusive monster. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
When the Epic Games Store announced its low cut from games sold through its storefront, it was a big deal. This is the first time in a long time that Steam has had a viable competition on the business-facing side, and it looks like that studio-positive step has encouraged Microsoft to do the same. Microsoft is now reducing its own PC cut to match that of the Epic Games Store, further putting more of a spotlight on Steam and Valve's refusal to tweak its monetary demands.
In a recent Xbox Wire blog post, Microsoft has confirmed how it is "helping developers deliver an exceptional experience," including more resources for these teams with a smaller sales cut. "As part of our commitment to empower every PC game creator to achieve more, starting on August 1, the developer share of Microsoft Store PC games sales net revenue will increase to 88 percent, from 70 percent," reads the new post. "A clear, no-strings-attached revenue share means developers can bring more games to more players and find greater commercial success from doing so."
Head of game creator experience & ecosystem at Microsoft Sarah Bond went into more detail about the revenue shift over on LinkedIn, including further breaking down Game Pass PC stats and outreach initiatives for indies. The shift to 88 percent from 70 percent is an exact match for Epic Games Store, with the previous 70 percent matching Steam's current quo.
The Epic Games Store itself is very developer-friendly when with its sales cut, especially with the boom in the indie scene in recent years. Valve has been the epitome of PC clients through the years, and while there have been challengers to that space, such as GOG, Valve has largely remained untouched by the need to change its monetization model in relation to studio cuts.
CEO Tim Sweeney has previously addressed the company's decision to come into the space with the smaller cut number and how exclusives play a part in that, saying, "This question gets to the core of Epic's strategy for competing with dominant storefronts. We believe exclusives are the only strategy that will change the 70/30 status quo at a large enough scale to permanently affect the whole game industry."
More money in the studios' pockets that create these amazing adventures means more resources for continuations, expansions, and more support. It's a great move on the industry side, a move that will also positively impact consumers.
Thoughts on the recent changes that Microsoft has detailed? Thoughts on Epic Games Store and its part in the evolution of the industry? Sound off with your hottest of hot takes in the comment section below!
Lost Soul Aside seemed like it was lost in the wind for years now, but the stylish action game created by a single developer is very much alive. Creator Yang Bing shared 18 minutes of brand-new footage during a recent Chinese Sony conference, showing off how far the game has come. We also learned that it's also heading to PlayStation 5.
If you need some catching up, Lost Soul Aside first emerged in 2016 and turned heads for its fast-paced action and triple-A presentation despite Bing being its sole developer at the time. It was so impressive that Sony stepped in to publish the game, turning Lost Soul Aside into a timed PlayStation 4 exclusive. Subsequent gameplay showings over the years continued to impress, and Bing now has a team working on it called UltiZero Games. Today’s footage marks our first real look at the game since August 2018.
Lost Soul Aside has always been compared to Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy XV in terms of its action and presentation. That hasn’t changed much, with the protagonist Kazar ripping through all manner of foes using a variety of weapons (courtesy of his transforming dragon companion) including swords, lances, and even melee-focused claw/boot weapons à la Dante. The flashy, combo-heavy combat is dazzling to watch, and the video also provides a few story beats to boot. Check it out below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe reason Lost Soul Aside looks even sharper than you remember is because it's running on PlayStation 5 in this demo, according to the game's official Twitter account. We wondered if it would make the jump to Sony’s current platform, so the confirmation, while unsurprising, is good to have. Not to worry, PS4 owners; Lost Soul Aside is still slated to launch on last-gen as well.
Unfortunately, there’s still no release window for Lost Soul Aside. In the meantime, we’ll continue to salivate over its wicked action and hope we’re now closer to getting a release date.
How do you think Lost Soul Aside is shaping up so far? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Activision BlizzardCEO Bobby Kotick has been in the headlines for his leadership practices and inflated salary, especially back in 2019. During that time, Activision Blizzard laid off more than 800 employees despite a profitable year, only to have it revealed that Kotick's salary came in at $30 million. Since then, more layoffs have occurred and big names at Blizzard have been moving on to pursue other ventures. The state of Blizzard following its absorption into the Activision Blizzard umbrella has been a constant source of scrutiny in the gaming community, especially in regards to Kotick and his extravagant salary. Now, the CEO has agreed to a 50 percent bonus reduction and a salary cut moving forward, in addition to several other key changes that could be a positive step for the folks at Blizzard.
The move came to light when a portion of the extension agreement filed with the SEC went public (via WoWhead). In the documentation, it was revealed that Kotick both agreed to slashing his salary and cutting his bonus by 50 percent. In addition to the pay changes, he also agreed to terminate the Transformation Transaction Award and the Shareholder Value Creation incentives.
According to the SEC filing, "Under the Extension Amendment, effective January 1, 2021, the Compensation Committee and CEO agreed to reduce his contractually agreed-upon base salary by 50 percent to align with targets established at the bottom 25th percentile of the Company's peer group, despite the Company's strong relative performance."
The base salary for the executive has been slashed from $1,750,000 to $875,000 on an annual basis. The 50 percent bonus reduction also has a ceiling of $1,750,000 for each fiscal year, both for 2021 and for 2022. The moves made with the CEO's reductions are based on feedback from shareholders after a steady incline of concerns from the games industry, both on the consumer and the business side.
Back in 2017, Kotick netted $28,698,375 even after a pay cut, which is around 300 times more than the average employee. While a massive pay increase is nothing normal for a person in a CEO position, eliminating 800 employees only to immediately turn around and say, "Just kidding, we need 2,000 more to fill those spots" is not normal. At least, it shouldn't be. Seeing this new agreement is a positive first step, but one of many that must be made to ensure the integrity of Blizzard and to start the long road ahead of reparative actions following a declining public perception around the work culture.
There will be another earnings call with stakeholders on May 4 to discuss the next steps for the brand and what is coming for Activision Blizzard and all of the properties under that name.
Want to know what you can expect from the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons May update? We have the return of several events, including the May Day celebration, Museum Day, and the arrival of the Wedding season. That being said, seasonal events that are making a comeback aren't going to quite be what players will expect, because Nintendo was very careful to tell fans that these returning festivities will have "new twists" to enjoy. Additionally, we also have the full patch notes for what's new starting today.
There are a few events on the way, including one that begins today! For those interested in those extracurricular celebrations while living out that island fantasy, here are the dates you should be paying attention to:
May Day - April 29 through May 7
International Museum Day - May 18 through May 31
Wedding Season - June 1 through June 30
Nook Shopping will have special new items throughout the month of May and June, including furniture and DIY recipes to celebrate Mother's Day, Cheese Rolling, and more.
The usual changes can be expected as well, including new bugs and fish making their way into the game. Nintendo has also said that there will be differences noted in the returning events, giving players a fresh reason to jump back into island life and the ability to play new content.
The most recent update includes the following, courtesy of Nintendo:
General updates
Fixed issues
Thoughts on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons May update? What has you the most jazzed up about what's on the way? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!
