Author: Trafficblast

One of the best perks of an EA Access subscription is that you can play games from an ever-growing catalog–“The Vault,” as EA calls it–of free games. This catalog expands further this week with the launch of The Sims 4, which is now in the library.

The Sims 4 is not a new game, as it was originally released on PC back in 2014. The console edition is newer, having been released in November 2017. The life-simulation game was garnered mixed reviews, with GameSpot’s scoring it a 6/10 for PC.

Whatever the case, it’s a big-name franchise that console players may be happy to see added to the Vault to play for free on Xbox One. The Sims 4 was already released in the Origin Access vault of freebies. Additionally, all of The Sims 4’s expansions are 10 percent off.

For more, check out GameSpot’s roundup of all the EA/Origin Access games here.

In addition to free games, EA/Origin Access members can play some games (but not all) ahead of launch; most of the time, subscribers get a five-day headstart. Another benefit is that subscribers save 10 percent on all EA digital content, which knocks down the price of a $60 game to $54. The service costs $5/month or $30/year.

[UPDATE 2] The Fortnite servers are now officially back online, though you might have to wait in a queue before getting to play.

[UPDATE] Epic has yet to make a formal announcement, but here at GameSpot we were able to find a match just now. As always, your mileage may vary. Keep checking back for more.

The original story is below.

Epic Games has brought down Fortnite‘s servers today, the same day that of the battle royale game’s much-anticipated Season 5 debut. Epic discovered issues that impacted players’ ability to log in to the game and get into matches. The issues were so bad, apparently, that Epic made the call to bring the servers down entirely.

Before this happened, players were put into queues in an attempt to minimise server load. GameSpot faced a queue time of more than 28 minutes, while reports on social media claim the queue time was even longer.

We will report back with more details on these server issues as more information becomes available.

While you wait, you can check out GameSpot’s rundown of all of Season 5’s new gear and items. Season 5 changed the Fortnite map in a big way with a new area, Paradise Palms, and rifts that allow players to teleport, basically. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s new.

Actor Nathan Fillion has seemingly teased some kind of Uncharted-related news just days before San Diego Comic-Con is due to kick off. The actor, who is known for his roles on TV and in video games, posted some cryptic teasers on Instagram this week.

The first image shows rapper Drake with the caption “Sic Parvis Magna,” which means “greatness from small beginning,” along with a date of 16 July. Drake, of course, is the name of Uncharted hero Nathan Drake, and the Latin line is inscribed on his ring in the game. A second image posted on Instagram shows an Uncharted-style map and a magnifying glass, again referencing 16 July. You can see both images embedded below.

Given the timing with Comic-Con coming up, it might be that Fillion is teasing news about the long-in-development Uncharted movie. Fans petitioned for Fillion to play Drake in the film, but Spider-Man actor Tom Holland will play the character in the movie directed by Stranger Things veteran Shawn Levy.

Perhaps Fillion will be hosting a panel about the Uncharted movie at Comic-Con. We’ll know more soon, apparently. According to Variety, Fillion is not involved with the film.

Fillion is known for TV shows like Firefly, Castle, and Serenity. He also did voicework for the Halo franchise and more recently voiced Cayde-6 in Destiny.

The Uncharted movie is a prequel to the games. Inspiration was drawn from a sequence in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, which revealed the first encounter between Drake and his longtime buddy, Victor Sullivan.

An Uncharted movie has been in the works for years now, having been announced back in 2009. Actors whose names have been connected to leading roles over the years include Mark Wahlberg, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Amy Adams, and Scarlett Johansson. Chris Pratt is among those to pass on the role of Drake.

As for the Uncharted game series, the last entry was 2017’s Uncharted: Lost Legacy, which told the story of Chloe and Nadine, not Nathan Drake. Drake’s story is reportedly wrapped up, and Naughty Dog won’t make any more games in the series. However, future Uncharted games could be made by a different developer.

[UPDATE] The issues with the PlayStation Network appear to be fixed now, according to the PSN Status website. The original story follows below.

If you’re unable to play a game right now on PS4, it may not just be you. Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation Network is currently suffering from issues which may specifically impact your ability to get online and play games.

“We’re aware that users are having issues accessing some features on PSN,” Sony said through its official Twitter support account. “Thanks for your patience as we investigate.” It doesn’t offer any further specifics, but a look at PSN’s status page identifies the Gaming And Social services as being the problem area. The message there states, “You may have some difficulty launching games, applications, or online features. Our engineers are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, and we thank you for your patience.”

A variety of game developers have also noted the problems facing players of their games, including Bungie with Destiny 2. It’s unclear what’s causing the issue, though the biggest event of the day is no doubt the launch of Fortnite Season 5, which brought a major new update and all sorts of changes and additions to the popular battle royale game. That game is facing what appear to be its own, unrelated issues on PS4, as Epic’s status page notes that some players are unable to join a party with their friends. Across all platforms, the game is also facing in-game voice chat problems.

We’ll report back as new details are shared.

Microsoft’s stock price reached an all-time high at the close of market on Thursday. The Xbox company’s share price ended the day up 2.2 percent to $104.19 per share.

The surge in stock price comes just a week before Microsoft is due to report earnings next on July 19. As Investor’s Business Daily explains, analysts are projecting Microsoft to report strong earnings with earnings-per-share rising 9 percent for the period.

Microsoft is one of the biggest technology companies on this Planet Earth we call home. The company operates across a number of business sectors and segments, including Windows, Enterprise, cloud computing, and more, in addition to Xbox.

At E3 this year, Microsoft announced that it had begun work on the next home console to follow the Xbox One. No further details about this system have been announced, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer said he wanted to show fans–and analysts alike–that Microsoft is committed to the gaming space.

The next big gaming event of 2018 is Gamescom in August. We don’t know what Microsoft may have planned, or if the company is even attending, but all eyes will be on Cologne, Germany next month where some big announcements for the industry overall are expected.

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