Month: March 2019

Google has finally given the world its first look at its big video game initiative: Stadia, an ambitious cloud gaming platform that will allow players to stream games across smartphones, tablets, computers, and TVs. The company has already announced a handful of third-party titles coming to the platform, but it’ll also be venturing into game development with its own internal studio.

During its Game Developers Conference presentation, Google announced the formation of Stadia Games and Entertainment, a first-party studio that will develop titles exclusively for the platform. No projects have been announced just yet, but Google revealed the studio will be led by Jade Raymond, a former studio head at Ubisoft and EA.

We first learned that Raymond was hired by Google last week, when she announced she was joining the company as a vice president. At the time, her exact role was unclear, but her hiring further signified Google was making a serious attempt at entering the video game space.

Few other games have been announced for Stadia at this juncture, but Google also showed off Assassin’s Creed Odyssey–which was the same game the company used for its Project Stream test last year–running on the platform. We also got confirmation that Doom Eternal is coming to Stadia, as is a new game from Star Fox co-creator Dylan Cuthbert’s studio, Q-Games.

Google says it will share more details about Stadia’s launch lineup this summer. The platform is slated to launch later this year and will initially be available in the US, Canada, the UK, and “most of” Europe. You can read more about how cloud gaming works and check out all of the Google gaming news from today’s event.

Google announced its cloud gaming platform, Stadia with an in-depth presentation detailing the tech and its features. The idea promises to open up high-fidelity gaming to everyone regardless of whether they can afford a gaming PC or console. Still, some areas of the US have low broadband penetration, which is why Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot says the platform is likely to be used alongside consoles and PCs, not as an outright replacement–at least for the time being.

“You have to look at Stadia as complementary,” Guillemot told GameSpot during an interview at GDC. “If you get internet you play on the machine that gives you a chance to experience your game. What’s good in this industry, either you play on the mobile or you play on PC, and now it’s starting to be the same game. I think this is a way to play differently depending on where you are as well.”

He said Ubisoft recognizes that quality internet isn’t available everywhere, but that the studio will be able to “scale the game to the quality of the internet experience.” He also suggested that 5G, the next generation of cellular communications tech, could be a big boon and that cities will have to compete with each other for it.

“I think 5G has to come fast, but what we see is there will be lots of possibilities to use it,” he said. “So if cities are really putting 5G, the oldest cities will have to react quite fast if they want keep all the people they have in cities. So this, I think, is going to push 5G a lot.”

Ubisoft partnered with Google last year for Project Stream, a practical test of the tech used ultimately used in Stadia. That allowed testers to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for free, but they needed a 25 Mbps connection. That benchmark may give us an idea of what to expect for optimum performance when Stadia launches later this year. Guillemot also shared thoughts on how Ubisoft could price its games for Stadia.

To catch up on the news surrounding Google’s cloud platform, read all we know about Stadia. Plus check out why cloud gaming is the next big thing, which companies are investing in cloud tech.

With the end of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the horizon, Marvel Studios come up with a very fitting name for the group of films that stretch from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame. The new moniker is also another sign that there are some big changes coming to the film series shortly.

As revealed in Empire Magazine (via IGN), the first 22 films in the MCU will become known as The Infinity Saga. Explaining the decision, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said, “We wanted to bring to a conclusion a series of movies in a way that had never been done before. Harry Potter had an ending because there were only so many books. Lord of the Rings too. But we thought, 22 movies in, wouldn’t it be fun to bring some finality to the storyline.”

The word finality is a scary one where this particular saga is concerned. After Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped half of the universe out of existence in Avengers: Infinity War, it seemed only logical that by the time Endgame’s credits rolled, some members of the MCU would be dead for good. At this point no, there’s no telling who it is–though one major theory posits that it’s Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) that will bite the dust once and for all.

Whatever happens in Endgame, though, it will be the end of the Infinity Saga. Whether that means it’s the end of Infinity Stones in the MCU is a question that will be answered in time. Though we have some thoughts on what the future of the MCU will look like. Until then, get ready for Avengers: Endgame’s April 26 release by checking out our latest trailer breakdown and deep dive into the character Kate Bishop and whether she’ll appear in the movie.

Angry Birds developer Rovio has announced a new game in its popular bird-flinging franchise. Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs, the series’ first-ever step into augmented reality, is coming exclusively to iOS devices in late spring, with pre-orders opening in the App Store today, March 19.

Like other Angry Birds games, the object of Isle of Pigs is to slingshot your small flock of birds at increasingly complex block towers, toppling them over and crushing the pigs lurking within. The game is divided up into four themed worlds and is “initially launching with at least 40 levels,” according to Rovio, suggesting more may be on the way.

Where Isle of Pigs differs from most other Angry Birds games is that it reinterprets the series’ gameplay in a 3D space. Using Apple’s ARKit technology, the game overlays the levels onto your surroundings, making them appear as though they were in the real-world. You still drag your finger on the screen to draw the slingshot back and fire your birds, but like the series’ VR spin-off, you’ll be doing so from a first-person perspective rather than a side-on view.

The AR tech also allows you to get a 360-degree view of each level. You can maneuver your iPhone or iPad around to better angle your shots, and many levels feature explosive blocks and other items hidden around the back, encouraging you to play around with the angle in order to clear the stages in as few shots as possible.

Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs will be free to download when it launches, with optional in-app purchases. The game will be compatible with any iOS device that supports ARKit, meaning it can run on iPhone 6 and newer models, as well as fifth- and sixth-generation iPads and all iPad Pro devices.