Month: September 2020

AT&T, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s (WB Games) parent company, has changed its mind. Instead of selling its high-valued gaming unit, AT&T plans to hold onto WB Games for the foreseeable future.

According to sources who spoke to Bloomberg on the condition of anonymity because the information is still private, AT&T has removed WB Games from its list of non-core assets to sell off. The sale was initially sparked by AT&T looking to streamline its subsidiaries and pay off mounting debt, but the company has since realized WB Games’ potential, shrugging off the prices the division was attracting.

WB Games consist of studios like Avalanche Software (Cars 3: Driven to Win), NetherRealm Studios (Mortal Kombat 11), Rocksteady Studios (Batman: Arkham Knight), WB Games San Francisco (Harry Potter: Wizards Unite), and a few others. The newest titles attached to WB Games are Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, which are launching in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Since the announcement that AT&T was looking to sell WB Games in June 2020, a bevy of companies has expressed interest in the prolific gaming division. This includes Activision, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Take-Two Interactive, among others. The sale could have fetched a $4 billion price tag.

Following last week’s Legendary Banded Gator, Red Dead Redemption 2 added another Legendary animal in this week’s Red Dead Online update. The Milk Coyote has been sighted in Blackwater and is prone to traveling in vicious packs.

Like last week, completing the mission can get you discounts. You will receive 40% off any Novice or Promising Naturalist Item, and if you sample the coyote’s blood, you can get 40% off any Distinguished Role Item. If players decide to kill the coyote, Gus’ Trapper Store will create a wearable coat out of the pelt. Visit Harriet at her store to initiate the mission.

Aside from perks associated with hunting the Milk Coyote, players can also receive double the normal cash, gold, and XP if they play any of this week’s featured modes in Hardcore Shootout Series. All players that are rank 15 and below and that log in this week will also receive a free shirt of their choosing.

Wheeler, Rawson & Co. catalog has added the following new items:

• The Barelle Hat
• The Inkstone Hat
• The Farling Jacket

Red Dead Online will also reward bootleggers this week:

• Cost of moving Moonshine Shacks is waived
• 40% off all Novice and Promising Moonshiner Items
• 3 Gold Bars off Moonshiner Bar themes
• 5 Gold Bars off the cost of the Moonshine Shack through September 7

Prime Gaming Subscribers also have perks this week:

• 5 free Legendary Animal Pheromones
• 6,000 Naturalist XP
• A free Wilderness Camp
• A free Katata Coat crafted from the Legendary Elk Hide

Players who connect to Prime Gaming before September 14 will receive a Free Icahi Coat made of the finest boar’s hide, five rewards for a free box of Nitro Express Ammunition, and a reward for 50 rounds of Sedative Varmint Cartridges.

Prime Gaming is the new name for Twitch Prime, and anybody with an Amazon Prime account can receive the listed perks. Prime Gaming currently has 23 free games available to play, including Treachery in Beatdown City.

Super Bomberman R Online is now available exclusively on Google Stadia. The updated version of the Nintendo Switch launch title includes a new battle royale mode and is one of the six new games that are free for Stadia Pro members this month. Currently only available to premium members, Konami says it will announce “bundle availability for players without Stadia Pro” soon.

The biggest draw to Super Bomberman R Online is the new Battle 64 mode. This has 64 players competing in multiple stages at the same time until only one player survives. The Stadia exclusive supports Crowd Play, so streamers on YouTube will be able to get into matches with their fans.

Stadia Pro users will have indefinite access to the base version of Konami’s latest game. The Premium Edition bundle can be claimed for free between September 1 and November 30. This adds in 14 additional characters that have special abilities from a number of Konami franchises including Castlevania, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid, and Contra. The Premium Pack add-on will cost $9.99 after November 30 and will include all of the same content and the ability to create private online matches.

Super Bomberman R Online features over 100 customization options for players ranging from costumes to accessories. One new feature is bomb skins that can be equipped, which will affect how the bomb works and what kind of blast it has. GameSpot’s Super Bomberman R review called the Switch original “one of the best party games around.”

Chadwick Boseman, the actor best known for playing Black Panther, unexpectedly passed away over the weekend after a four-year battle with cancer. During a recent Marvel’s Avengers War Table livestream, Crystal Dynamics revised the broadcast to commemorate the late actor.

“Like many of you, we were shocked and saddened by Chadwick Boseman’s passing,” the stream reads, embedded below. “As members of the global Marvel family, our thoughts are with his loved ones in this difficult time. Please join us for a moment of silence in memoriam.”

The stream then shows a still of Boseman, as well as his birth and death year. Immediately after, Crystal Dynamics confirmed that the War Table livestream had been revised to respect the fallen hero.

“Marvel’s Avengers fans, out of respect for a fallen true hero, we have altered what we are showing today. We know you understand and are with us in commemorating him.”

It’s unclear what the latest Marvel’s Avengers livestream was said to feature, but rumors suggested the reveal of Black Panther, a Wakanda raid, or both. Dataminers also uncovered a swath of extra Marvel’s Avengers characters, which includes Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, and 12 others.

Since his sudden passing, people have been paying tribute to Boseman all over the world. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler and fellow co-star Michael B. Jordan both spoke about Boseman’s charisma, and Fortnite players are gathering at the Black Panther statue to pay their respects.

In other Marvel’s Avengers news, Crystal Dynamics announced that Hawkeye is coming to the game–but Clint Barton isn’t first. Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye comes before Clint and she joins Marvel’s Avengers as a Substation Zero event, one of the pieces of expanded content available through the Avengers Initiative menu. Spidey is also coming, but he’s exclusive to PlayStation. You can check out our Marvel’s Avengers pre-order guide to learn more about the bonuses and editions available before it launches on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One on September 4.

Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 4’s map is constantly changing. One of Week 2’s challenges will need you to track down Tony Stark’s constantly moving Quinjets in order to steal some of the Avengers loot. The challenge tasks you with searching SHIELD chests inside Quinjets. This guide will help you locate Quinjets, deal with the bots that guard them, and complete the challenge.

This challenge leaked early; check back later in the week to try it for yourself.

Where Are the Quinjets?

Fortnite’s Season 4 Quinjets change location with every match. You see them fly by when the battle bus starts crossing the map. Plane-shaped icons will pop up on the map once you land. Those are the locations of the Quinjets. Here’s an example:

Quinjet locations have multiple bots built by Tony Stark, drones carrying chests, and rarer chest spawns inside the plane itself. Land nearby a named location, get an assault rifle or sniper rifle, and make your way to one of the plane icons. Take out the bots from a distance–they should be easier to eliminate that way. You might get overwhelmed if you rush to fight the five bots up close.

Once you’ve dealt with the bots, which should net you experience for a Week 1 challenge, collect the chest inside the ship and shoot the drones hovering nearby. Be sure to head to a Quinjet location early as there is only so much loot. Other players could get there first. You’ll need to open seven chests overall but they don’t need to be in the same match.

If you haven’t dealt damage with the Tony Stark bot weapons, the Stark Industries energy rifle, be sure to pick one up and use that to complete a different weekly challenge.

What Do I Get For Opening Quinjet Chests?

You’ll get a hefty chunk of experience once you open seven chests. This will help you level up and unlock different style costumes for all the Marvel superheroes featured in the battle pass.

Mega Evolutions recently arrived in Pokemon Go, but many players have not been entirely happy with their implementation thus far. In order to Mega Evolve a Pokemon, users must first collect that monster’s Mega Energy. This, however, is typically locked behind Mega Raid Battles, making it difficult for many players to collect the required amount. Developer Niantic has acknowledged these concerns and promises to address them.

In a post on Pokemon subreddit The Silph Road, a Niantic representative wrote that the studio is keeping a close eye on players’ feedback regarding Mega Evolutions and is looking into ways to make the feature more accessible. In particular, the rep noted the studio has heard players “loud and clear” that they want additional ways to harvest Mega Energy outside of Raids, and that the current requirement feels too steep and not worthwhile.

“[P]lease know that we’re discussing how we can address these concerns, though we’re in the very early stages and it might be some time before you see changes implemented in-game,” the representative wrote. “We do have some changes in the pipeline already, but again we don’t have a set schedule just yet.”

Niantic did not go into further details about how it plans to tweak Mega Evolutions, but the studio asks players to continue sharing their feedback. Although Mega Energy is typically only earned through Mega Raids, this month’s Mega September event will feature limited-time Research tasks that reward players with Mega Energy, offering another way to harvest the resource.

To make it a bit easier to participate in Mega Raids, Niantic is also offering a cheap Remote Raid Pass bundle this month in Pokemon Go’s in-game shop. Meanwhile, the studio has a ton of other events lined up for the game over the next few weeks, including a new Victini Special Research line and a Go Battle Night. This month will also see a handful of different Legendary Pokemon like Cresselia and Articuno return to five-star Raids for a limited time.

Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 4 isn’t all Marvel-themed. Sometimes you have to keep it simple and find some bridges to drive under. This weekly challenge tasks you with riding a motorboat under different colored steel bridges. This guide will show you the location of three different colored bridges and how to best drive under them.

This challenge leaked early so check back on Thursday to try it yourself in Fortnite.

Where Are The Colored Steel Bridges?

There are all sorts of bridges spread out across the Season 4 map–some wood, some concrete, and some steel. Here are the locations of three steel bridges with different colors:

It’s best to land near Misty Meadows or Lazy Lake, grab some loot, and then hop in a boat near the water there. There are many you can grab so that shouldn’t be a problem. Hit the first bridge which is located near Catty Corner. It’s bright color is hard to miss.

Then move south to the next bridge just outside Frenzy Farm. Drive under this bridge and then turn around and head to the upper right corner of the map for the final bridge. Follow the river and you should be there in no time.

The last bridge is to the right of Doom’s Domain. Ride the boat under that one to complete the challenge.

What Will I Get For Driving Under Steel Bridges?

You’ll get another chunk of experience points to help you level up your battle pass. Check out our hub of Season 4 challenges if you’re curious to what you’ll unlock in the coming weeks.

The third title update for Madden NFL 21 is on the way. Ahead of its targeted release on September 10, Electronic Arts detailed the update on its official site. It’s set to fix a number of gameplay issues, improve navigation in Madden Ultimate Team, and improve the football game’s logic.

Madden NFL 21’s third title update will fix several defensive coverage issues, such as defenders in press-alignment not being able to backpedal properly. Tackle animations not triggering against juke moves will also be fixed, and so is an issue that caused receivers to warp into a tackle during a possession catch.

Madden Ultimate Team is also seeing a number of tweaks that mostly improve the speed of navigating menus. Players will be able to upgrade players quicker thanks to an improved user interface. An issue where roles didn’t work properly in MUT Squads is also being addressed.

Additionally, the update seeks to improve Madden 21’s artificial intelligence in several areas. This includes ensuring that only players with the strip specialist ability will cause fumbles with normal sacks on quarterbacks standing in the pocket in competitive play. Other changes include Cover 4 Quarters handling play action better, supporting QB Contain against play-action passes, and making it so that a quarterback won’t be able to throw the ball if his arm gets hit.

As noted in GameSpot’s Madden NFL 21 review, the franchise mode lacks any noticeable improvements this year. EA will attempt to address this by releasing three updates to the mode. The first won’t arrive with the upcoming patch, but EA says it will detail what improvements to expect from it prior to the NFL season starting. The only change in this patch is allowing X-Factor abilities to be tuned for players that start a franchise with an active roster.

Madden NFL 21 September Update Patch Notes

Gameplay Updates:

• Pass Rush
  • Fix to an issue preventing defenders in contain from staying in contain when being blocked by a running back in the backfield. The rusher will keep their contain behavior when blocked by any blocker on the line or in the backfield
• Fix to an issue causing the initial pass-rush move of contain players to take them to the inside gap instead of their assigned outside gap.
• Addition of logic to support QB Contain vs. play-action passing plays
• Fix to ‘On-Field Trainer’ issues related to pass rush
• Addition of logic so that defenders without the Strip Specialist Ability will no longer cause fumbles on QBs standing in the Pocket with Normal Sack animations on Competitive game-style only. Only defenders with the Strip Specialist ability will be able to force a fumble on a QB standing in the Pocket on Competitive.

• Defensive Coverage
  • Fix to an issue when using motion in a Twins/Slot formation vs. Nickel/Dime/Dollar defenses, defenders inappropriately swap assignments, leaving the receiver uncovered
  • Addition of logic to Cover 4 Quarters to better handle plays like PA Crossers
  • Fix to an issue preventing defenders in press-alignment from backpedaling appropriately
  • Fix to an alignment issue when flipping Nickel 2-4-5 SS Reno Zone
• Tackling
  • Fix to some tackling issues sometimes preventing tackle animations from triggering vs. Juke and Jurdle moves
  • Fix to an issue causing a receiver to warp up off the ground into a tackle during a possession catch
  • Fix to an issue causing the QB to not react after throwing an INT while being hit by a defender
  • Fix to an issue allowing ball carriers to fake-out defenders behind them when using the Spin Move
• Throw Out of Sack
  • Addition of new logic for when a defender is hitting a QB on his throwing arm the QB will no longer be able to throw the ball. The QB will be forced to tuck the ball or the ball will be fumbled
  • Increase to the fumble chance for QBs throwing out of a sack that are hit significantly before they have started their forward arm movement. The greater the Defender’s Tackle vs Quarterback’s Strength rating discrepancy is in favor of the defender, the higher the fumble chance
  • Fix to a throw out of Sack animation where the ball was not getting released by the Quarterback
    • DEV NOTE: Our goal with the Throw Out Of Sack Improvements was to provide more balance to this new feature that has a significant impact on Gameplay. There is more risk to trying to throw the ball every time a defender is close to the passer. Now it is upon the user to make sure they have started the pass in time or else a defender will be able to force a fumble when they are hit before the arm has started going forward. We have also ensured that when you do start the pass in time, you get the ball off appropriately with the correct distance and accuracy
• Blocking
  • Fix to an issue preventing the left tackle from blocking the correct defender when running HB Zone Weak plays against Nickel 3-3-5
  • Fix to an issue with graphical distortion occasionally being displayed over blocker-resistance bars
• General Fixes
  • Tuning to RAC-catch win-chances to reduce frequency of low-rated coverage defenders getting catch-knockouts vs. higher-rated receivers
  • Fix to an issue where Hitting RT/R2 + A/X at the snap would sometimes result in the Quarterback instantly throwing to the A/X Receiver
  • Tuning to give user control a little sooner after an interception
  • Fix to an issue causing Quarterbacks to use drastic turns on subtle movements
  • Fix to the run-speed for ball carriers on Triple Option and Speed Option, allowing sprint speed earlier
  • Tuning some celebration animation issues to clean up some minor hitching
  • Tuning to QB’s front elbow when inside the pocket to improve visual quality

Madden Ultimate Team Updates:

• Improvements to the speed in the menus of Madden Ultimate Team and returning from game modes
• Improvements the speed when interacting with your players and items including upgrades
• Address an issue where items in the lineup screen would initially show as 50/50
• Numerous miscellaneous improvements to MUT Menu UI
• Fix to an issue in MUT Squads where roles were not properly respected

Superstar KO Updates:

• Fix to an issue in Superstar KO where roles were not properly respected

Face of the Franchise Updates:

• General stability improvements
• Fix to an issue with users selecting “Let Fate Decide” option when getting drafted
• Fix to an issue with the user’s difficulty setting reverting to Rookie after every game

Franchise Updates:

• Tuning X-Factor abilities for users who select the “Active Roster” option when starting a new Franchise save.
• The next franchise update blog will be released around the start of the NFL season and will outline current plans and target timing for the first of three planned franchise mode updates for Madden NFL 21

The Yard Updates:

• Addition of “Frienderboards” to The Yard
  • These are leaderboards populated by your friends list that will display the Highest Score per event
• Addition of a pop-up to remind those playing VS CPU events that they need a full group to play
• When a user is offensive captain, control will now default to the QB even if their CAP is in another position group
• Fix to an issue where location icons may not appear
• Fix to an issue where full list of house rules may not appear
• Fix to an issue where users may erroneously see “Finding Teammates” after leaving a session
• Fix to an issue where Coach Cam always showed a CAP as being QB #12.
• Fix to the pass leading for the Slot receiver’s Drag Wheel Route in Crossfire
• Fix to a minor camera issue where the view was blocked by objects
• Fix to an issue allowing an extra play after a fumble that went out of bounds on the last play of the game
• Fix to an ‘On-Field Trainer’ issue displaying “Flick” above the ball carrier after catching a pass
• Online stability improvements
• General menu and interface improvements

Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 4’s Week 2 challenges are coming later this week. One challenge will send you to a specific Marvel location. It asks you to dance on top of different Sentinel Heads at the Sentinel Graveyard. This guide will show you how to find the Sentinel Graveyard and get the challenge done quickly.

This challenge leaked early; check back on Thursday to see it live within Fortnite.

Where Is The Sentinel Graveyard?

The Sentinel Graveyard is located in the E6 tile on the map near Lazy Lake and Misty Meadows. It has multiple giant robots laying around in a clearing. It’s easy to land directly there and loot the houses and camps nearby, but there won’t be enough for multiple players if you run into someone looking for a fight. Some players, however, will be trying to complete the challenge like you. Be friendly if possible. Check out the map below for an exact location:

How Do I Dance On The Top of Sentinel Heads?

This challenge is fairly simple. All you need to do is perform a dance emote on top of multiple robot heads. They are easy to get on top of by using the glowing pads on the robot hands. Here’s an example:

Dance on the top of three heads and the challenge will be completed. You don’t need to dance on three in one match; you can dance on one if you need to get to safety after landing. Be sure to complete the challenge before the end of Season 4, though.

What Will I Get For Dancing On Top of Sentinel Heads?

You’ll get 25,000 experience points to help you level up your battle pass and unlock Iron Man, Mystique, and other heroes in the coming weeks.