Author: Trafficblast

Bethesda Boss Todd Howard Has A 1000G Xbox Achievement No One Else Can Unlock

The pop of an Xbox achievement unlocking can be a sweet sound, one that indicates that you’ve done something worth celebrating, and that your Gamerscore has changed to reflect it. But for Todd Howard, director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, there’s one Xbox achievement that’s particularly special–because he’s the only person in the world who will ever have it.

Following the news that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda for $7.5 billion, Howard spoke about his history with Xbox in a post to Bethesda’s website. In the post, he shares an anecdote about a bespoke achievement created just for him, which exists only on his account.

“When I received the Lifetime Achievement Award at GDC, I joked in my acceptance ‘I wonder how many achievement points this one is worth?’ At the end of the ceremony, some good friends from Microsoft congratulated me and said they’d find out,” Howard recalls.

“A few months later I was given a code to a game they had created, named after me and locked to my account,” he continues. “When ran, it unlocks a single achievement – ‘Lifetime – 1000pts.’ It still sits in my list when I check, and I smile every time.”

Now, Howard has another massive Xbox milestone to celebrate–they paid more for Bethesda than they’ve paid for any other studio acquisition.

Howard also talked about Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI, and how they’ll introduce an enormous engine overhaul.

Xbox Series X and S launch on November 10, and your Gamerscore will carry over to these new systems.

Now Playing: Xbox Series X – Official “New Way To Share” Trailer

Nolan North Is Pushing For Another Deadpool Video Game

Prolific voice actor Nolan North is nudging Marvel to make another Deadpool video game. The actor, who voiced Deadpool in Activision’s 2013 game, told Comic Book Movie that he wants the game to happen, and for Ryan Reynolds to have a cameo in it.

“I’m trying to get Marvel to do another Deadpool video game, and we could have Ryan come on and do a cameo in the video game,” North said.

Also in the interview, North said one of the producers, Craig Kyle, has remarked that Reynolds was a fan of North’s performance as the merc with a mouth in the video game.

“Craig Kyle, who was one of the producers, said that Ryan Reynolds was a long-time fan and actually praised what I did,” North said. “He really liked it, and I know he played the video game one time with Jacksepticeye and he had some high praise for me, and I started DM’ing with Ryan on Twitter, telling him, ‘You’ve made me cooler to my kids than I’ve ever been,’ and he’s a fan!”

Regarding the cameo, North joked on Twitter that he actually had someone else in mind. “I was actually hoping for the other Canadian, Ryan Gosling, and his dreamy blue eyes,” North said.

2013’s Deadpool was developed by Activision’s High Moon Studios, which would go on to support Bungie on the development of Destiny. After Bungie and Activision broke up, High Moon shifted back to contributing to the Call of Duty series.

The 2013 Deadpool game launched on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, before coming to PS4 and Xbox One in 2015.

GameSpot’s Deadpool review scored the game a 5.5/10. “Deadpool tries to hide its many faults behind the protagonist’s buoyant personality, but it doesn’t take long for the bigger problems to surface,” reviewer Tom McShea said.

The Deadpool movie series, meanwhile, has seemingly stalled following Disney’s acquisition of the property. The latest we heard is that Deadpool 3 is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Now Playing: 13 Things You Should Know About Deadpool

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

FIFA 21 Won’t Get A Demo, But You Can Trial It Through EA Play

FIFA 21 isn’t far away, but if you want to try it before you buy, you won’t be able to download a demo like usual. EA Sports has announced that they won’t be releasing a demo for this year’s FIFA, so as to better focus their time and effort on developing the game.

On Twitter, the official FIFA account explained that while there won’t be a demo, EA Play subscribers will be able to trial the game before purchasing. As usual, the EA Play trial gives players access to the game for 10 hours from October 9. The game will also be available to purchase on this date.

While it’s not explicitly mentioned in the tweet, the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the arrival of next-generation consoles, has presented challenges for annual sports games–and Madden 21 seems to have suffered.

This will apply to the PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the game. The Switch release of FIFA 21 is a Legacy Edition, meaning that the gameplay is unchanged from the first FIFA release on Switch.

A PS5 and Xbox Series X release date for FIFA 21 has not been announced yet, but if you grab the game for a previous-gen system, you’ll be able to upgrade to the next-gen version for free once it’s available.

FIFA 21’s cover star is Kylian Mbappé, and this version’s cover looks very different. Check out GameSpot’s hands-on preview for more insight into how it plays, and if you’re keen to get your hands on this year’s FIFA, we also have a preorder guide.

Now Playing: FIFA 21 – Best Goals From The Closed Beta

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Blizzard Announce Blizzcon Online For February 2021

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all hopes of Blizzcon taking place in person this year were thwarted months ago. But if you’ve been looking forward to updates on its games, the developer will now be hosting Blizzcon Online (or, as Blizzard calls it, BlizzConline) on 19-20 February 2021.

Blizzcon Online will take place over two days, with a host of events being conducted remotely. This includes Blizzcon staples such as contests for art, cosplay, digital storytelling and more. Blizzard are even finding a way of holding the traditional March of the Murlocs, encouraging fans to send in a few seconds of footage to be added to the lengthy video segment.

Of course, Blizzcon is also about the developer’s showcase, where it usually provides updates on all its projects. Although no details have been announced yet, it’s likely we’ll finally get more details on Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV, both of which were announced at last year’s Blizzcon. Blizzard also have the chance to talk more about Diablo Immortal, the spin-off coming to phones, and the future of World of Warcraft, with the latest expansion, Shadowlands, out later this year.

Blizzard says in the announcement that more details about the event will be shared soon. In the past Blizzard has offered digital passes for purchase to fans who couldn’t attend their expo in person, but no details about how this exclusively online event will be conducted have been hinted at yet.

Now Playing: Overwatch 2 – Official “Zero Hour” Announcement Cinematic

Animal Crossing Fans Are Using iOS 14 To Create Nook Phones, Here’s How To Do It

Animal Crossing: New Horizons‘ Nook Phones brought all the convenience of smart phones to the cute island towns we spend so much time in. Now you can get a Nook Phone in real life, too.

iOS 14 has given iPhone users the ability to customize their home screens and add widgets. Twitter user and designer okpng put together a number of Animal Crossing icons and wallpapers that make home screens look like they’re straight out of Tom Nook’s pocket. This works on both iOS (updated to iOS 14) and Android devices. You can download the icon pack here.

The icons are easy enough to replace. On iOS, go to the new Shortcut app and follow the button prompts to choose the app icon you want to replace to and pick a photo to replace it with. You should save your new icons to your phones photo app before trying to replace the icons. The wallpaper will need to be manually changed as well. Android users will need something like the Nova Launcher to replace their home screen icons.

Now all we need is a way to earn Nook Miles with these fancy new Animal Crossing phones.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Quibi May Already Be Up For Sale – Report

Quibi, the short-form mobile video streamer that launched back in April, is reportedly already exploring a sale. According to a Wall Street Journal report, “the company founded by Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg [has been] struggling to sign up subscribers in a competitive online-video marketplace.”

“Quibi has successfully launched a new business and pioneered a new form of storytelling and state-of-the-art platform,” a Quibi spokesman said, adding that the company does not comment on rumor or speculation. “Jeffrey [is] committed to continuing to build the business in the way that gives the greatest experience for customers, greatest value for shareholders and greatest opportunity for employees.”

However, founder Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman have cited COVID-19 as making Quibi’s plan for high-production mobile video incompatible with current production realities. Earlier this year at Denver’s SeriesFest–a Denver festival “dedicated to championing artists at the forefront of episodic storytelling”–Katzenberg reportedly described the pandemic as a “brick wall” the company hit.

Beyond an out-and-out sale, the Wall Street Journal also reports that Quibi is considering raising more money or going public through a merger.

If you’re still fuzzy on or generally curious about Quibi’s offerings, you can read our primer that we published back around its launch earlier this year.

Nintendo Switch Games On Sale For $40 Are Becoming Way More Common

Nintendo games, especially first-party titles, are notorious for sticking around $60 for years after release, only seeing significant discounts during major sales like Black Friday and Prime Day. However, that situation seems to be changing, at least for select first-party Switch games and pricey ports. For the past several months, games like Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Splatoon 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Super Mario Maker 2 have regularly been on sale for around $40, marking a major shift from recent years.

The growing trend seems to have started several months ago. For example, back in April, we covered a batch of Switch exclusives, including Breath of the Wild and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, going for $40 at Amazon. In June, many Switch exclusives were hovering around $42, but by July, they were back to $40 in a GameStop sale. Best Buy offered the same batch of games for $40 as part of its Labor Day Sale, and right now, as we near the end of September, both Amazon and Target are offering numerous Switch games for $40 each.

Pretty much every other major first-party Switch game you don’t see on that list is sitting at $49.94 on Amazon and Best Buy right now. Meanwhile, expensive third-party ports seem to fall in price faster these days as well. Three 2K collections–Borderlands: Legendary Collection, XCOM 2 Collection, and BioShock: The Collection–just launched in May at $50 each, and they’re already down to $30 at Amazon. Whether they’re $10 or $20 off, it’s incredibly strange to see so many major Switch games discounted at one time on a regular basis, but we seem to have reached the point in the Switch’s life cycle where this is now common.

Of course, we’re talking about Nintendo standards here. Some of these games are over three years old, and if they were PS4 or Xbox One games, they’d be going for 20 bucks at this point. But because Nintendo doesn’t need to drop the price on its games over time–people will keep buying them at $60, and you can’t play Mario on Xbox–spotting a $10 or $20 discount on a Switch game is a steal, even one that released in 2017.

The Nintendo Switch is currently more popular than ever before, with over 61 million systems sold as of August, so we don’t expect to see any of these games get a permanent price cut anytime soon–but if the last few months are any indication, $40 to $50 is now the new regular discount for first-party titles and other $60 Switch games. So if you’ve been thinking about picking up Super Mario Party or know someone who wants to buy Breath of the Wild, know that you don’t need to pay $60 for these titles anymore–chances are, you’ll find them on sale right now and may find them even cheaper within a week or two.

With Black Friday and Prime Day on the way, here’s hoping this means we see even bigger discounts in the near future. Last year, we saw a brief $30 discount on select Switch games that quickly rose back up to $40 during Black Friday, but with the $40 discount price being so common these days, we may see more Switch games going for $30 (and hopefully for longer) this holiday season.

The 5 Biggest Takeaways From Xbox’s Bethesda Acquisition

Microsoft shocked the gaming world this week with the announcement it had acquired ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda, in a $7.5 billion cash deal. The move adds eight more studios to Xbox’s first-party portfolio, including Bethesda Game Studios (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and the upcoming Starfield), id Software (Doom), Arkane (Prey, Dishonored), MachineGames (Wolfenstein), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within), and more.

There is a lot to digest here, both about the immediate deal itself as well as the short- and long-term fallout (yes, pun intended). For now, though, in the immediate wake of the announcement, here are my five big takeaways, thoughts, and questions.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=xbox-series-s-and-series-x-comparison-photos&captions=true”]

The Elder Scrolls 6 (Among Others) Might Be an Xbox Exclusive Now

We do know that the previously announced deals for timed PS5 exclusivity on Arkane’s Deathloop and Tango’s Tokyo Ghostwire will be honored, but beyond that, Microsoft will have a lot of options. Take The Elder Scrolls VI, the next game from Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda Game Studios following Starfield, which was revealed in 2018 and is expected in either late 2021 or sometime in 2022. While it’s technically been announced, nothing about it is known, let alone set in stone. Microsoft could opt to hold onto it forever as a console exclusive. Or it could make it a timed exclusive and release it on PS5 a year later. Or it could just make it multiplatform from the jump and offer the day-one Game Pass incentive for Xbox players. Odds are Microsoft will choose the most lucrative path – it’s got a $7.5 billion expenditure to recoup, after all – and there’s a case to be made either way. Microsoft could use The Elder Scrolls, already one of the biggest franchises in gaming, as a massive carrot to dangle at the end of the stick for players not yet in the Xbox ecosystem, particularly given that by the time Elder Scrolls 6 releases, it will have been more than a decade since Skyrim. Or it could just put it out on PS5, which is certain to have a very large installed base, and reap a publisher’s cut of every copy sold there. It’s going to be fascinating to see how it all unfolds.

Todd Howard Is Probably Contractually Locked-in

Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios Todd Howard was no doubt already making an excellent living at Bethesda, and deservedly so given his accomplishments. He’s also been an employee for 25 years. And while Bethesda was a private company up until now, it’s possible that Howard has equity in the company, given both his tenure and his stature. If so, he stands to make a lot of money out of this. Like, “F*** it, I’m going to go buy an island and live on the beach forever” kind of money. Odds are, this acquisition specifically locks Howard (and possibly some other senior creatives) in for a minimum number of years, with possible escalator payouts in place the longer they stick around as newly minted Microsoft employees. Simply put, Microsoft won’t want him to leave immediately. He is an immense part of BGS’s value to Microsoft. We seemingly saw something similar back when BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk both left their studio exactly five years after EA acquired it. Hopefully, Howard still wants to continue making games, but I’d set a reminder in your calendar for five years from now to see if we see a similar retirement announcement from him.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true”]

Did This Deal Come About After Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Came Off the Table?

It seems like just yesterday that Microsoft was in the mix to acquire Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and its handful of exceptionally talented studios, including Rocksteady, Monolith, and NetherRealm. Parent company AT&T seems to have pulled any possible deal off the table, and so it’s fair to wonder: did Microsoft move quickly on Bethesda in the aftermath? A trusted source tells me that, in fact, a Microsoft-Zenimax deal was almost locked  two years ago, but fell apart. It’s obviously done now, though, and so the question flips: is it possible that Microsoft could’ve had both Bethesda and WB?

Xbox Is Now the Home for Western RPGs

Sure, PlayStation’s got Final Fantasy XVI, but if you like Western RPGs, Xbox is now the definitive home for those. Microsoft now owns the following studios and IPs: Bethesda Game Studios (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Starfield), Obsidian (Avowed, Pillars of Eternity, The Outer Worlds), inXile (Wasteland), and Playground (Fable). That’s just nuts – particularly when you factor in the fact that every single one of those expansive RPGs will be available on Day One as part of your Game Pass subscription.

[ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/fable-xbox-series-x-announcement-trailer]

Any Argument Against Xbox Game Pass Is Null and Void

There simply is no argument against Xbox Game Pass left. While I’d see some folks online bemoaning the lack of AAA games as part of the service, that is now dead and buried. Regardless of whether or not Microsoft chooses to keep future Bethesda games off of PlayStation 5, the fact of the matter is that the following megafranchises will now see all future entries launch day and date into Game Pass: Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Starfield, Doom, Wolfenstein, Quake, etc. That’s on top of the Halos, Fables, Avoweds, etc. that are already on the way. If it wasn’t already, Game Pass is now a required $10 per month expense for all serious gamers, because the value in return for that $120 per year is through the roof.

No matter how you look at it, Microsoft acquiring one of the industry’s fellow major publishers and suite of developers is a seismic event – one whose ramifications could affect the industry for years to come. Just when we thought 2020 couldn’t possibly have any surprises left in store for us, this happens. Generation 9 is going to be a fun one.

 [poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

Marvel’s Spider-Man PS5 Remaster Will Not Get A Physical Release

During Sony’s PS5 event, the company revealed that a remastered version of Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PS5 will be included in the Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate edition bundle.

Developer Insomniac shared through Twitter a few new pieces of info about the remastered game. The PS5 version of Marvel’s Spider-Man will not be getting a physical release, and saves will also not transfer from the original game to the remastered edition, so you’ll have to restart Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered on the PS5 even if you’ve made progress on the original PS4 game.

Insomniac also acknowledged players who wanted to know if they could still upgrade the PS4 version of Marvel’s Spider-Man if they already owned it and did not purchase the game as part of the Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate edition bundle. Though the developers did not give an answer yet, they’ve promised to release more information regarding that specific situation soon.

The remastered version of Marvel’s Spider-Man will include improved facial features and animation as well as ray-traced reflections, ambient shadows, and enhanced lighting. Three new Spider-Man suits, new photo mode features, and new trophies will also be a part of the remastered game.

The Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate edition bundle, which, as stated before, includes Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered and three DLC packs that make up the Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps, retails for $70. The standard edition that only includes Spider-Man: Miles Morales retails for $50. Both will be released along with the PS5 on November 12. Preorders are now available and you can check out GameSpot’s pre-order guide to the standard and Ultimate editions of Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Now Playing: Spider-Man: Miles Morales Gameplay First Look | PS5 Showcase

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.