Gaming in San Francisco. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

Ubisoft officially announced the Steam and PlayStation release date for its music-learning app. The game is already available on iOS and Android as well as on PC via Ubisoft Connect. However, it comes to Steam, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on June 6, and players can wishlist it now.

Good news, people whose day-to-day lives are woefully short on blingy Clancified squad-murdering. Ubisoft's elusive free-to-play shooter XDefiant finally has a release date, 21st May 2024. Or at least, that's when the preseason launches, providing six weeks of access to the modes, maps and factions from last month's server test.

Ubisoft’s XDefiant, a first-person shooter meant to take on the likes of Call of Duty, will finally get a wide release and enter its Preseason on May 21.

Free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter XDefiant will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Ubisoft Connect on May 21, publisher Ubisoft and developer Ubisoft San Francisco announced.

EVE Online needs little introduction. Created by Icelandic studio CCP Games, for over 20 years it’s been the poster child for the immersive, community-driven MMO scene.

Matthew Shell, a LucasArts and games industry veteran, has died.

Following the conclusion of XDefiant’s Server Test Session on April 19th to 21st, executive producer Mark Rubin says a release date is coming “very soon.”

Linden Lab, the developer of Second Life, has sold its payments business, Tilia, to Thunes.

2014’s The Crew was the first project for developer Ivory Tower, which was founded in Lyon, France, in 2007 and later acquired by Ubisoft in late 2015. While it may have been the debut game for the studio, a number of Ivory Tower’s staff formerly hailed from Lyon’s Eden Games (including Ivory Tower’s three founders) and had previous experience on the first three instalments of the V-Rally series, the PlayStation version of Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, and the trendsetting Test Drive Unlimited. As such, there was a good deal of optimism around The Crew.

Pokemon GO has announced a new edition of Sustainability Week. The upcoming Pokemon GO event will kick off on Monday, April 22.

Just as they received the Game of the Year prize at the GDC Awards in San Francisco, the developers of Baldur's Gate 3 announced through Larian CEO Swen Vincke that they wouldn't continue to make a sequel or even DLCs for the acclaimed cRPG.

Pixar’s 2015 movie Inside Outextended the studio’s proven story formula to its logical end point by asking the question What if emotions had emotions? The result is a poignant, whimsical adventure that delves into the mind of an 11-year-old girl grappling with some big life changes. The sequel, Inside Out 2, picks up a year or so after the first movie — and introduces new emotions as characters, which has raised a lot of questions for Pixar fans. During a press visit to the Pixar campus, we got a first look atInside Out 2, and got to talk to the filmmakers about creating a teenager’s emotional landscape.

Ubisoft's XDefiant seemed nearly ready to launch six months ago, but the game received a last-minute delay that left many fans puzzled. At the time, Executive Producer Mark Rubin explained:

Popular streamer Dr. Disrespect is heavily criticizing Activision in response to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's recent «Blaze Up» event, directly insulting the developers. Dr. Disrespect has long been one of the most outspoken creators within the online gaming space, gaining success for his skill at shooters like Call of Duty. Dr. Disrespect has built up a streaming empire that has seen him release a book, collaborate with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, and even start his own video game studio in Midnight Society. Now, Dr. Disrespect has some choice words for Activision.

iPhone maker Apple denied violating a court order governing its App Store and urged a California federal judge to reject a request by “Fortnite” developer Epic Games to hold it in contempt.

Fortnite video game maker Epic Games has urged a federal judge in California to force Google to open up its Play Store to greater competition after a jury found the U.S. tech giant had abused its power as a gatekeeper for apps on the Android mobile platform.

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Following Embracer Group’s sale of Gearbox Entertainment, Gearbox Publishing has rebranded to Arc Games. The newly minted label will handle publishing for Hyper Light Breaker when it launches, as well as other Gearbox projects.

Former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman were previously reported to have partnered up to develop a device that was dubbed the ‘iPhone of AI.’ While the exact nature of the product is unknown at this stage, the latest information states that the hardware being worked on is not a smartphone, but for the two individuals to complete their goal, they will require funding, which is what their aim is at this time.

Venture capital firm A16Z Games has invested $75 million into its third annual accelerator for pre-seed game startups.

Despite seemingly escaping the Embrace(r) of death through their sale to Take-Two at the end of last month, Gearbox Entertainment haven’t quite emerged unscathed. The studio has confirmed a number of layoffs shortly after the announcement of the sale, while clarifying that no positions related to the development of games were affected.

XDefiant, the free-to-play arena-shooter - a la Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, Valorant or the multiplayer team-based game of your choice - built around classes and factions from across the Ubisoft universe games from Splinter Cell and Far Cry to Ghost Recon and Watch Dogs, has been delayed. Originally outlined for a launch before the end of March - you’ll note that we’re now in April - the upcoming FPS will apparently now decide a release date after an upcoming stress test for its servers.

Take-Two has announced plans to acquire Gearbox Entertainment from the embattled Embracer Group, in a deal reported to be worth $460 million. The buyout makes logical sense, as Gearbox Entertainment will operate under the framework of 2K Games, which has long been the publisher of the popular Borderlands series. It’ll be led by founder Randy Pitchford.

has been largely praised for its engaging storyline and main characters, but as with many of the best RPGs, it's the side quests that bring the world of the game to life. These smaller interactions and unrelated adventures make Night City feel truly lived in, learning the plights of citizens from all walks of life, including a seemingly sentient vending machine.

An upcoming patch for the recently released MLB The Show 24 will nerf a character in the game who has apparently been overperforming. The Major League Baseball title has been plagued with problems since its launch.

XDefiant has been delayed again as it was previously scheduled to be released by the end of March 2024. Now, Ubisoft is aiming to "lock" down a release date after a short test period.

Insider Gaming has a serious new report about the goings-on behind the scenes at Ubisoft’s XDefiant.

Embracer Group finally confirmed that it is selling Borderlands studio Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive, but there’s a catch: Embracer Group will retain ownership of Gearbox Publishing.

More major changes are afoot on the business side of the video game world, as a notable name is changing hands once again. Take-Two Interactive (the parent company of Grand Theft Auto publisher Rockstar and others) has agreed to buy Gearbox Entertainment from the embattled Embracer Group. The deal is worth $460 million in stock and is expected to close by June 30. It had been rumored for several months that Embracer was planning to sell off Gearbox.

Embracer have announced that they're selling Borderlands developers Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive, owners of 2K Games and GTA 6 developers Rockstar, for $460 million in Take-Two shares. Three Gearbox Software studios - the flagship studio in Texas, together with Gearbox Montréal and Gearbox Quebec - will change hands as part of the deal. Take-Two will also acquire the Borderlands and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands franchises, together with Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms and Duke Nukem.

Troubled gaming conglomerate Embracer announced Thursday that it has agreed to sell Gearbox Entertainment, the studio behind the Borderlands games, to Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two for $460 million.

This year's Game Developers Conference saw nearly 30,000 people in attendance, its organisers announced.

Gearbox is now part of the Take-Two Interactive Family, in a deal that’s a fraction of what Embracer paid to originally acquire them.

Gearbox Software is officially splitting from the Embracer Group, acquired alongside Gearbox Quebec and Gearbox Montreal by Take-Two Interactive for $460 million. However, several studios under Gearbox Entertainment will remain with Embracer, including Gearbox Publishing San Francisco, formerly Perfect World Entertainment.

Gearbox Entertainment, the company behind the fan-favorite series Borderlands, confirms that it has been acquired by Take-Two Interactive/2K. While this is not necessarily surprising, as rumors have swirled around Borderlands and Gearbox's status within Embracer Group for some time, it does come in the middle of the night, almost literally, for many fans around the world.

Embracer has entered an agreement to sell Gearbox Interactive to Take-Two for $460m.

Take-Two Interactive Software will acquire The Gearbox Entertainment Company from Embracer Group in a $460 million deal, the companies announced (2).

Embracer Group has officially divested Gearbox Entertainment, selling the division to Take-Two Interactive for $460 million.

Embracer Group has been itching to sell some of its recently acquired studios for quite some time now, having seemingly had eyes bigger than its belly during its spending spree a couple of years ago. Borderlands creator Gearbox Software was one of the developers lined up for a potential sale, and it's now been confirmed that Take-Two is the publisher to have acquired the studio.

Gearbox Entertainment, the company behind the fan-favorite series Borderlands, confirms that it has been acquired by Take-Two Interactive/2K. While this is not necessarily surprising, as rumors have swirled around Borderlands and Gearbox's status within Embracer Group for some time, it does come in the middle of the night, almost literally, for many fans around the world.

During the Game Developers Conference 2024 in San Francisco, Funcom provided the first detailed Dune Awakening presentation to the press. For the full details of what was discussed in the open world survival MMO's overview, head to our previous article.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a choice-driven card game that allows the player to make their own choices of where their active team moves, says, and what attacks they will perform through the power of different cards. While playing the game, you will have different Marvel characters, including yourself, on the board, which might take place in a city or other location, and it will be up to you to figure out which cards you want to play in order to win the match.

An attendee of GDC 2024 says that her drink was spiked at a hotel bar, but authorities refused to investigate the matter. Snow Rui, president of the game publisher Hooded Horse, says that she was met with "complete indifference" from emergency services, with police reluctant to investigate and the hospital she was admitted to refusing to run tests for commonly used date rape drugs.

Recently Pocket Gamer Connects celebrated its tenth anniversary as part of the annual flagship event Pocket Gamer Connects London. However, we're not stopping there, as next up is The Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2024.

For a certain subset of angry gamers planted behind their keyboards, March 18 was just another day in the digital outrage mines.

It’s been a busy month for gaming enthusiasts. As last week’s Game Developers Conference wrapped up in San Francisco, PAX East kicked off for a fun weekend in Boston. We were on hand for the East Coast show, exploring the show floor to check out some upcoming games.

Larian's writing director is "so excited" for the studio's next game after Baldur's Gate 3.

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Toys for Bob has reportedly signed a deal with Microsoft after parting ways with the firm last month.

A Ubisoft executive has denied a newly emerged report suggesting that XDefiant is being delayed because of Call of Duty. The official also offered a minor status update on XDefiant as part of the move.

The gaming industry is in a terrible state right now. Just as we get some of the best games in living memory, the developers that make them are losing their jobs in endless layoffs. More than 10,000 jobs were cut in 2023, a figure that industry executives are already close to surpassing in 2024. It's so bad that it makes you want to scream - so that's exactly what some people did.

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Hello paranormal pals, and what an exciting time to be writing to you! Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has just hit theater screens and I’m delighted to announce our Frozen Empirecontent update for Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, coming to PlayStation VR2 as a free update on March 28. Let me give you a sneak peek at what we’ve been working on.

An early version of one of Baldur's Gate 3's most well-known characters, Astarion, has been shared by Larian Studios' founder Swen Vincke at the Game Developers Conference. GDC 2024 is currently underway in San Francisco, and game developers across the industry are gathering and discussing their experiences making the games millions of gamers have enjoyed over the past year, including Baldur's Gate 3.

During a talk at the Game Developers Conference 2024 in San Francisco, Starfield lead quest designer Will Shen discussed the title’s ending, explaining that it was created out of “necessity and urgency.”

The director of Baldur's Gate 3, Swen Vincke, was one of many to speak out on the recent mass layoffs within the video games industry at an industry awards show last night, blaming the job losses on corporate «greed» that had been «fucking this whole thing up for so long».

Even after all these years, the sheer processing power of your average smartphone can still surprise us. 

's lead quest designer has explained why the ending was so underwhelming for many. Prior to its launch, Bethesda marketed the game as being an epic space adventure, spanning over 1000 planets, and while it was extremely well received by critics at launch, its popularity soon seemed to dwindle with players, with complaints that many planets seemed empty and ultimately, there wasn't as much to do as they wanted.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2's climactic quick time event sequenced changed a lot of over the final few months of development, and Insomniac ended up scrapping months of work.

According to the game's lead quest designer, Starfield hit the «panic button» in order to finish its final quest in time for the September 6, 2023 launch date. Starfield has over 1000 planets for players to explore, but the final one in the game, Masada 3, was designed extremely last-minute during the development process.

could have had far more silly and bizarre elements, according to the game's creators. The title already saw the introduction of new power-ups that could transform the player into an elephant — something that Mario's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto reportedly wasn't a fan of in the early design stages, saying it didn't look like a Mario character -, provide them with a drill to burrow into the ground or up into the ceiling, or a bubble-spewing flower to capture enemies.

Baldur’s Gate 3 was the big winner at the 24th annual Game Developers Choice Awards.

Some of 's creators have talked about the challenges they faced when developing the game, and how they pulled off the impressive technical feat of making the entire game world physics-driven. Ultimately, such an idea paid off, with Link's Ultrahand ability becoming one of the more entertaining elements of the game, as players could essentially build anything they wanted, with many items ranging from genius to bizarre being shared on social media following the game's launch.

Starfield's action-packed ending came together in a last-minute scramble after the developers realized that the RPG was lacking a satisfying finale.

Epic today held its annual State of Unreal event at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, with new announcements for gamers and developers alike.

Xbox has launched the 'Gaming For Everyone Product Inclusion Framework', a series of resources and information on how to make games more inclusive.

Unreal Editor for Fortnite has received new assets that allow enthusiasts to make their own LEGO Creative Islands. Their arrival has been accompanied by the release of three additional LEGO Islands in Fortnite.

Epic Games is launching a set of tools for Unreal Editor for Fortnite that’ll let players create their own Lego Fortnite islands. Epic and Lego announced the tools during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Arkane founder Raphaël Colantonio has begun teasing his next game, which is described as a first-person “retro sci-fi RPG”.

Ubisoft has changed the way players will be able to interact with NPCs going forward. While serving the purpose of making a game world feel more lived in and immersive, NPCs could sometimes become one of the more annoying parts of an open-world title, spewing the same dialogue time and time again as players interact with them, with one of the most infamous examples being in Bethesda's, where players would hear the like "" many times on their adventures, because archers clearly seem to favor knee-shots in northern Tamriel.

Four years after its original announcement, developer MidBoss has revealed the sequel to 2064: Read Only Memories, titled Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER, will finally launch for PS5 on 16th May 2024. It will cost £12.79 / $14.99 and releases predominantly as a digital title on the PS Store, though a physical version is available for pre-order at Serenity Forge. While a PS4 version had been confirmed previously, it's mentioned nowhere in today's press assets, so it's likely been cancelled.

GDC 2024 is in full swing, and it looks like Inworld AI will be one of the hottest exhibitors at San Francisco's convention of game makers.

Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry publisher Ubisoft has unveiled ‘NEO NPCs’ at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot has discussed the company's strategy of experimenting with generative AI, as detailed in today's announcement of NEO NPCs — a new prototype project from Ubisoft designed to let video game characters respond with custom responses to players' speech input.

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Convai, the conversational AI NPC platform for games previously featured in NVIDIA's Kairos demo showcased at CES 2024, just shared a slew of announcements for GDC 2024.

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It's GDC week over in San Francisco at the moment, and such a high concentration of video game developers in one place can only mean one thing: The Maw has turned its ever-dribbling gaze to America's west coast, and is preparing to bask in all the fresh learnings being shared about how last year's best video games were made and created. Edwin is one the ground there for us, so we wish him well in his news gathering and interview appointments. Back home, the news cycle still continues apace, with lots of great releases big and small coming up over the next seven days. Here's what we've got our eyes on.

Reddit said Friday that the Federal Trade Commission has opened an inquiry into the social media platform's sale, licensing or sharing of its users' posts and other content to outside organizations for use in training artificial intelligence models.