Author: Trafficblast

Fortnite‘s newest limited time mode, Playground, will leave the game on Thursday, July 12, developer Epic Games has announced. Writing on Reddit, the developer said it appreciates all the feedback players have provided about this mode. It’s going away so Epic can “take it back under construction” before presumably bringing it back with some changes.

The next version of Playground is expected to feature new functionality that will allow players to select teams from within Playground. If Epic can deliver this, it will give players the ability to have things like:

• 1v1s and 2v2s
• Aim assist for controllers
• Editing other player’s structures
• Traps affecting teammates/enemies correctly
• Highlighting teammates on the map
• Damaging enemies with your pickaxe

Epic said it hopes to deliver a “full creative mode” inside Fortnite someday, and Playground is the “first step” towards that.

Playground is intended to be a “low-pressure environment” that acts much like a private server. It allows players to explore the map and play around with up to three friends, free from the risk of being eliminated by other people.

Each Playground match lasts for one hour, and the storm circle won’t begin closing in on the map until 55 minutes have passed. Friendly fire is enabled, although players will respawn immediately unless eliminated by the storm. There’s also much more loot to find, and it affords opportunities to screw around with the game that you could not in a regular match. Check out GameSpot’s video above to see what you can do in Playground.

Grand Theft Auto V developer Rockstar Games’ next project, Red Dead Redemption 2, is expected to be one of the biggest and best-selling games of 2018. But it’s not going to sell as well as Rockstar’s last game, GTA V, according to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick. Speaking to GI.biz, Zelnick said it would be unrealistic to think Red Dead Redemption 2–or any other game–would sell as well as GTA V. That game has shifted an astonishing 95 million units to become one of the most successful entertainment products of any kind in human history. Red Dead Redemption 2 will still do “incredibly well,” Zelnick said, even if it doesn’t match GTA V’s sales mark.

“It’s hard to expect anything to perform as well as the most profitable entertainment product of all time,” Zelnick said. “I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation. Our hope, and also belief, is that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be an extraordinary creative product and that it will do incredibly well. Beyond that I can’t say–I don’t think anyone can say. We have to release it and see what consumers think.”

Red Dead Redemption 1, which launched in 2010, was a massive success. It sold 13 million copies as of 2013, and that figure has no doubt risen higher since. Take-Two does not release sales projections, but one analyst believes Red Dead Redemption 2 will sell at least 15 million units.

In April this year, one analyst said Rockstar may never have a bigger hit than Grand Theft Auto V when it comes to sales. “Michael Jackson had a lot of hit albums but he only had one ‘Thriller,'” analyst Doug Creutz said.

Red Dead Redemption 2 launches at the end of October amid a busy release calendar for big-name games. Other huge games coming out in October and November include Battlefield V, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and Fallout 76, among others. Zelnick told GI.biz that while he is confident Red Dead Redemption 2 will sell well, he’s not going to claim success before it’s occured.

“We’re running scared too,” he said. “I think a healthy degree of paranoia and insecurity about releases is probably a good thing. I’m fond of saying that arrogance is the enemy of continued success. We don’t believe in our success until we deliver it. We never claim victory until it’s occurred. We have very powerful, smart, capable competitors bringing great products to market and we need to win–that means we have to work harder than the next guy.”

For lots more on Red Dead Redemption 2, check out all of GameSpot’s previous written and video coverage here.

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Niantic’s phenomenally popular mobile game Pokemon Go is celebrating its second anniversary this month, and the developer is commemorating the occasion in a number of ways. First, series mascot Pikachu and its pre-evolved form, Pichu, will appear much more frequently from July 6-31, and players will even have a chance to catch a special version of the Electric mouse for a limited time.

Throughout the remainder of July, a “summer style” Pikachu will also appear in the wild. Like the various hat-wearing Pikachu that were available during certain in-game events, this Pikachu only differs in appearance, sporting a straw hat and sunglasses. Additionally, players who have a gold Pikachu Fan medal will be able to purchase special items for their avatar, including a t-shirt and Pikachu ears.

Finally, Niantic has revealed that the Mythical Pokemon Celebi will soon make its debut in Pokemon Go. As was the case with Mew, Celebi will be the subject of a new Special Research quest. The developer hasn’t announced when the Celebi Special Research quest will kick off, only noting that it will be available “in the near future.” You can read more about Pokemon Go’s second anniversary celebration on the game’s official website.

In the meantime, players will soon have another chance to capture the Legendary bird Articuno. As a reward for completing enough Global Challenges during the recent Safari Zone event in Dortmund, Articuno is returning to Raid Battles for a very limited time this Saturday, July 7. The Pokemon will only be available during a three-hour window of time, and players will have a chance to encounter its Shiny form.

The following day, July 8, Niantic will host the next Pokemon Go Community Day. This month’s featured Pokemon is Squirtle; the classic starter will appear much more frequently for the duration of the event, and players who complete Field Research tasks will have a chance of finding a special Squirtle wearing sunglasses. Any Wartortle that evolves before the Community Day event will also learn the powerful Water attack Hyrdo Cannon.