December 2019 – Page 86

Sony’s MLB The Show Series Is Ending Its PlayStation Exclusivity

Big news for the future of professional baseball video games today, as Major League Baseball has announced a new deal that will see the MLB The Show series extend beyond PlayStation systems. For the first time in the history of the series, MLB The Show won’t be a PlayStation-exclusive, but it’ll be a while before that happens.

MLB, the Major League Baseball Players Association, Sony, and Sony’s San Diego Studio announced the new, multi-year agreement on Monday.

The MLB The Show series will come to “additional console platforms beyond PlayStation” starting as early as 2021. That’s all that was said, but MLB said more details will be confirmed “at a later date.”

It remains to be seen what those “additional console platforms” might be. Nintendo of America’s Twitter accounted retweeted the news with the baseball emoji. Xbox boss Phil Spencer responded as well, saying, “Great to see the game is coming to more players.”

This is not total confirmation that MLB The Show is coming to Switch and Xbox, but it seems something is indeed brewing.

Sony remains the publisher of the MLB The Show series, but it remains to be seen if this would continue to be the case if/when the franchise comes to new platforms. Specific terms of the deal between MLB and PlayStation were not disclosed.

NPD analyst Mat Piscatella remarked in a tweet that he sees the upcoming decade as being about “ecosystems and player choice, not locking people to one specific piece of hardware.”

It wouldn’t be unheard of for a publisher to publish one of its titles for a rival platform. Microsoft publishes the Minecraft series on competing platforms, including Switch and PS4. In fact, Spencer has said Microsoft is one of the biggest publishers on PlayStation already thanks to Minecraft.

MLB The Show 20 is launching in March for PlayStation 4, and it features Chicago Clubs standout Javier Baez on the cover. 2020 marks the 15th anniversary of the MLB The Show series.

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Crisis on Infinite Earths: Why Lex Luthor Is Key

The CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover features an enviable lineup of TV superheroes, including both Arrowverse mainstays and fan-favorites like Tom Welling’s Clark Kent and Kevin Conroy’s Bruce Wayne. But the crossover also features a major villain making their return to the Arrowverse stage. Jon Cryer’s Lex Luthor is alive and well, and he’s already made a big impact on the DC multiverse.

We had a chance to chat with Cryer over the phone to learn more about his return to the Lex Luthor role and the surprising events of Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 2. Read on to learn more, but beware of full spoilers for the first two episodes of Crisis!

American Horror Story: The Best Of Kathy Bates

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All the Ghostbusters: Afterlife Clues That Point to Gozer’s Return

The team who you’re gonna call is not QUITE back in the first trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but there are plenty of clues that point towards the return of an old friend.

First up we get this symmetrical book stacking just like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947 AND the New York Public Library in the original Ghostbusters film. While this isn’t a trademark of Gozer, it did mark the beginning of a very busy time for ghosts in 1984 that culminated in the return of the Gozerian.

Of course, the most telling clue is the Shandor Mining Company. Ivo Shandor was the architect and Gozer worshipper who designed Dana Barrett’s apartment complex on central park west. That building was an antenna of sorts, a gateway to bring Gozer into our world. It would seem that Ivo Shandor had another location that served a similar purpose as the one in Manhattan.

Crisis on Infinite Earths Resurrects the Lazarus Pit to Save [Spoiler]

This story contains spoilers for “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 1 and 2,” aka Supergirl Season 5, Episode 9 and Batwoman Season 1, Episode 9. Check out our review of “Crisis on Infinite Earth Part 2” and interview with Lex Luthor himself, Jon Cryer.

The Arrowverse’s fearless leader, Oliver Queen, died during “Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 1.” His death came as quite a shock to both his daughter Mia, his fellow heroes, and likely plenty of viewers at home who were watching the Crisis unfold. Oliver sacrificed his life to save billions of people on Kara’s world of Earth-38, just as the anti-matter wave consumed the planet. The Monitor was able to bring Oliver’s body back to Earth-1, but he didn’t survive the battle.

Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 2 Review

Warning: this review contains full spoilers for Part 2 of Crisis on Infinite Earths! If you need a refresher on where we left off, here’s our review for “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 1.” Plus, check out our spoiler-filled Lazarus Pit breakdown, and our interview with Jon Cryer on Lex Luthor’s part in the Crisis.

BioShock Creator Ken Levine Not Involved With New Game

Ken Levine created one of the most memorable and beloved video game franchises with BioShock. As the series moves on with a new studio, Cloud Chamber, Levine is stepping away from the series he created, it seems. Cloud Chamber’s boss Kelley Gilmore tells GameSpot that Levine is “not involved” with the new BioShock title; instead, he is focused on his own studio and projects.

“Ken has his new company called Ghost Story Games. From what I understand, they’re pretty immersed in creating whatever great thing they’re working on, which we all know something will come out of there that’s amazing as usual,” Gilmore said. “So he’s involved with that and he’s not involved with this project.”

It’s unclear if Levine was already aware of the new BioShock game’s development, of if he will eventually contribute to the project in any unofficial capacity. GameSpot has contacted Levine for comment.

While Levine may not be involved with the new BioShock game, Cloud Chamber has recruited a number of BioShock veterans for the project, including Shawn Elliot, Hogarth de la Plante, Scott Sinclair, and Jonathan Pelling. Additionally, Cloud Chamber has hired developers who worked on the Assassin’s Creed, Star Wars, and Call of Duty franchises.

Levine’s new studio, Ghost Story–which is owned by 2K’s parent company Take-Two–is focused on developing narrative-driven gaming experiences. Little is known about what the studio is making, but in October a job posting described it as a “creatively ambitious project in the immersive sim genre,” which is something that Levine, and no doubt others on the team, have experience with.

Don’t expect to be playing the new BioShock game soon, as it is still years away from release. For lots more, check out GameSpot’s extended interview with Gilmore about the new BioShock and starting the new studio.

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Oculus Quest’s Surprise Update Has Added Hand Tracking

Oculus Quest has received a surprise update that has added a feature that was not expected until 2020. The Quest is now capable of hand tracking as of update v12, which will allow you to handle applications and eventually games without the need for controllers–instead it’ll follow the movement of your hands.

The Oculus Quest, which does not require a powerful PC to run, is now capable of some more advanced VR immersion. A video in the tweet that announced the new hand tracking update showing off how you can easily control a video playing in VR without a controller now–all you need to do is turn on hand tracking in the Experimental Features menu.

In an announcement post on the Oculus Blog, Oculus has also promised a new developer SDK, so that this technology can move beyond the first-party apps that currently make use of the new function. This will allow developers to modify their games for hand tracked controls. “We’ll continue to add new features and functionality to improve the experience of hand tracking on Quest in 2020,” the post promises.

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“We hope hand tracking will make VR more approachable for newcomers to try by removing the need to learn controller functions. And for those who own Quest, when the hardware melts away you can be fully immersed in the magic of VR while connecting with others in a seamless, intuitive way.”

This makes the Oculus Quest the first commercial VR headset with native hand tracking on the market. Hopefully developers will find interesting ways to use this in their games in 2020.

What Netflix’s Golden Globes Nomination Domination Means for the TV Landscape

With the reveal of the nominations for the 77th Golden Globes Awards (airing on NBC on January 5, 2020), it’s never been more apparent just how impactful movies and TV shows from streaming services are. For the first time in the award show’s history, a single studio (Netflix) is leading in both the TV and film categories with 17 nominations for critically-acclaimed titles The Irishman, Marriage Story, The Crown, and more. Only rival HBO comes close with 15 nominations for shows like Chernobyl and Succession.

New BioShock Game Brings On Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey Writer

A few more details about the newly announced BioShock game have emerged following the announcement of the project and the new studio developing it, Cloud Chamber.

Writing on Twitter, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey writer Melissa MacCoubrey revealed that she is working on the new BioShock game as an associate creative director. “Very proud to be working with this fantastic team,” MacCoubrey said.

So… I told you surprised would be on the horizon. Surprise!
I can now reveal that I have joined Cloud Chamber Studios with 2K as Associate Creative Director on the next iteration of the Bioshock franchise.♥️
Very proud to be working with this fantastic team. https://t.co/18PsmR3OIb

— Mel 👽 (@Melqartiii) December 9, 2019

Additionally, it’s been revealed that the new BioShock’s lead game designer is Shawn Elliot, who previously served as a level designer at Irrational Games on earlier BioShock titles.

I don’t do much social media outside of miniature painting, but it appears the project I’ve been working as lead game designer on has been announced as the next Bioshock. More excited about this than anything I’ve shipped so far and I was totally thrilled with those.

— ShawnElliott (@ShawnElliott) December 9, 2019

BioShock veteran Hogarth de la Plante is the new BioShock game’s creative director, while another series veteran, Scott Sinclair, is the art director for the new game. Jonathan Pelling, who previously worked on BioShock games at Irrational, is contributing to the new game in an unspecified role.

Along with these people, 2K also hired developers who worked on the Call of Duty and Star Wars franchises.

One person who is not involved in the new BioShock game is series creator Ken Levine. He is currently working on another project for 2K at his studio Ghost Story Games.

Very little is known about the new BioShock project. All that publisher 2K Games has confirmed is that it’s in development at a newly formed studio, Cloud Chamber, which has offices in San Francisco, California and Montreal, Quebec.

The game itself has not yet been titled, nor do we have a release date, platforms, or anything else–at this point, we simply know it’s in the works. According to 2K and Cloud Chamber, the BioShock title will be in “development for the next several years,” so don’t expect it to release anytime soon, or even necessarily for the current generation of consoles.

Both Cloud Chamber studios will be headed up by Kelley Gilmore, who has significant experience in various aspects of game development and publishing. At 2K in particular, Gilmore has worked on the Civilization and XCOM franchises.

For lots more, check out GameSpot’s extended interview with Gilmore about the new BioShock and starting the new studio.