Author: Trafficblast

EA Sports was scheduled to formally announce Madden NFL 21 on June 1, but the developer has changed plans in response to recent events in the world. Not only that, but Xbox, Bethesda, Riot Games, and Summerfall Studios have responded as well.

EA Sports said in a statement on Twitter, “We stand with our African American / Black community of friends, players, colleagues, and partners. Our immediate attention is on actions we can take to drive change against the unjust treatment and systemic bias that is plaguing the nation and our world.”

The statement goes on: “We’ll find another time to talk football with you. Because this is bigger than a game, bigger than sports, and needs all of us to stand together and commit to change.”

It’s not immediately clear when EA will now unveil Madden NFL 21. The company’s E3-style show, EA Play 2020, is scheduled for June 11, so we expect to see and learn more at that time.

EA is not the only major game company or individual that has responded to the ongoing issues in America related to the death of George Floyd. Riot Games, the developers of League of Legends and Valorant, also issued a statement, as did the studio behind David Gaider’s new game, Chorus. The Last of Us studio Naughty Dog and The Elder Scrolls publisher Bethesda also added their own message of support for Black Lives Matter, while Star Wars and Marvel did as well.

“Now is not the time for any of us to be silent,” Naughty Dog’s statement says. “For too long too many have suffered under a systemic problem in America. Too many have lost sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers. We stand in solidarity against racism and injustice.”

“Now is the time for all to do our part and end anti-Black racism and violence,” it goes on. “Many of us at Naughty Dog are donating to national and local organizations. Please consider donating yourself. We hope to see the beginning of lasting change for POC in America. Black Lives Matter.”

Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann and co-founder Evan Wells donated money to various charities, and studio owner PlayStation matched their donations.

Additionally, Xbox marketing executive Aaron Greenberg shared his thoughts. He asked people to speak up and support the petition to help find justice for George Floyd.

Madden NFL 21 is due to launch later this year, featuring Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson on its cover. The game has so far only been confirmed for Xbox One and Xbox Series X, but it’s also expected to release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.

People in Australia who bought Fallout 76 and felt misled by a refund policy can now request one from one of the largest retailers in the country.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced that EB Games–which is owned by American games retailer juggernaut GameStop–has begun to send out refunds to customers after admitting that the store “likely” misled consumers. Specifically, the ACCC’s announcement states that EB Games acknowledged that it was “likely to have misled consumers about their consumer guarantee rights in relation to faults with the online video game Fallout 76.”

The issue here is that EB Games reportedly told consumers who asked for a refund that they were not allowed one after they experienced bugs and other issues with the always-online RPG.

EB Games said it will pay refunds for those who requested them from November 14, 2018 through October 31, 2019 and were denied one. Eligible consumers are expected to request their refund by August 1, 2020 by emailing the retailer at an address you can find here.

This appears to be an extension of the refund period, as the ACCC previously said that the eligible refund period would end in June 2019. Everyone who accepts a refund will lose access to Fallout 76.

“The Australian Consumer Law provides consumers with the right to ask for their choice of a repair, replacement or refund when they have purchased a product that has a fault which amounts to a major failure,” ACCC commissioner Sarah Court said in a statement. “Retailers must ensure that they train their staff so they do not misrepresent to consumers their consumer guarantee rights under the Australian Consumer Law, including the right to obtain a refund in certain circumstances.”

Fallout 76 was released in November 2018 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and the reviews were generally unkind to the role-playing game. Unlike previous entries in the series, Fallout 76 adopted an always-online, multiplayer-focused approach, which did not resonate with everyone.

At E3 2019, Bethesda boss Todd Howard spoke candidly about Fallout 76’s struggles, saying the game “missed the mark.” The developer continues to support the title, most recently releasing the large-scale Wastelanders update that finally brings NPCs to the game.

The Outer Worlds is coming to Switch on June 5, and we’re starting to get some idea of how Obsidian’s RPG will run and play on Switch. Although we have not seen footage of the game running on Nintendo’s console yet, we now know that it will target a frame rate of 30FPS, and a few other facts about the port.

Speaking to Nintendo Everything, the game’s production director Eric DeMilt spoke about the changes being made for the Switch version. To aid accessibility and the ease of playing, the developers “tuned sensitivity, exposed some inputs to users in the settings menu, tweaked and iterated aim assist values, and added support for gyro aiming, and sticky targeting.”

Gyro aiming has been featured in a few Switch FPS ports, including Doom, Wolfenstein II, and the recently released Borderlands games. DeMilt added that Obsidian is “very happy with how the game looks and plays”.

Publisher Private Division also confirmed to the site that the game targets 30FPS, and that it’ll run at 1080P when the Switch is docked at 720P undocked.

The Switch port of The Outer Worlds is being handled by Virtuos, which recently released excellent ports of XCOM 2 and BioShock: The Collection.

The Outer Worlds received a 9/10 in GameSpot’s review. Reviewer Edmond Tran played the game’s PC version, and called the game “a superb example of how to promote traditional RPG sensibilities in a sharp, modern experience.”

The first-ever PGA Tour 2K game, PGA Tour 2K21, releases this year, and developer HB Studios has now announced some new details about what to expect.

The developer answered fan questions on Reddit, and started off by confirming that there will not be cross-play support for multiplayer. However, the courses made with PGA Tour 2K21’s level editor can be shared across all systems. The game is releasing on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, and Stadia.

Additionally, PGA Tour 2K21 will allow players to import their custom courses from The Golf Club 2019 to the new game and use its new tools and assets with the new game.

HB Studios also confirmed that it’s removing the “Club Sets” feature from the previous game that included different difficulty levels. In PGA Tour 2K21, the developers are taking a different approach–but we’ll have to wait to learn more.

“The concept of Club Sets have been removed from the game,” the studio said. “There will be more information as we approach launch about the depth of control each user will have over the way the game will play for them. Online play matchmaking will ensure that all players are using the same settings.”

A big change for PGA Tour 2K21 is that it will feature real-life professional golfers. Justin Thomas is the game’s cover star, and he’s one of 12 pro golfers in the game. The remaining 11 have not been announced yet, and HB Studios confirmed that it won’t release additional golfers for purchase. “There will not be Tour pros available for purchase,” the developer said.

You can read the full Q&A here on Reddit.

PGA Tour 2K21 launches on August 21, and it will enter the market with little to no competition in the officially licensed golf simulation market. EA stopped developing its own PGA Tour games after it parted ways with Tiger Woods. The company tried to rebrand the franchise with Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, but that franchise was dumped after one release.

Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries has posted its latest behind-the-scenes video that shows how the audio team captured sounds for the next-generation Halo game.

The team used the industrial explosives ANFO and TNT to capture sounds for the game. They planted the charges six feet underground inside of barrels that were blown to bits, leaving giant smoke plumes and pieces of the barrels launching high into the sky and crashing back down to Earth.

The audio team conducted these recordings out in the middle of the desert with 85 microphones that were placed at various points across an entire mile of distance.

Microsoft has been steadily releasing these “Sound Design Saturday” videos for more than a year. Previous videos showcased how the team captured real bullets flying overhead and a propane cannon to capture sounds of explosions. The team also showed off how they recorded a Chevy El Camino, helicopters, and jet engines for the sounds of vehicles in Halo Infinite. And who could forget this delightful video featuring a pug whose guttural gruffs will be heard in Halo Infinite.

Halo Infinite releases in Holiday 2020 as a launch title for Microsoft’s next-generation console, Xbox Series X, as well as PC. The game will also be playable on Xbox One as well as the other variations of the next-generation Xbox that might be coming.

Microsoft will show more of Halo Infinite during the Xbox 20/20 event in July. Ahead of that, Microsoft has warned people to stay vigilant online, as bad actors are creating fake leaks about Halo Infinite.

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Halo 3 will be added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC soon, and now developer 343 Industries has shared some of the first images of the game running on PC.

Two of the images showcase the multiplayer map Snowbound, and it looks very crisp. Another image shows off the Avalanche map with a super-sized Elephant vehicle on it. The fourth image reveals what looks like the Foundry multiplayer map in the Forge map-making suite. You can check out all the images in the gallery below–click each image to see it in full-size.

343 Industries also outlined what fans can expect from the update Halo 3 PC beta test, or “flight.” The Forge mode will be available, along with Theatre, which is a feature that lets you watch past gameplay clips. The beta test will also show off new customization options and a new “challenge” system that calls on players to complete certain objectives.

Halo 3’s beta will include a variety of multiplayer options, including custom games, social, and competitive. Here is a rundown of the playlists and maps:

• Social Games: 4v4, 8p FFA, 12p Infection, 8v8
• Competitive: H3 Team Hardcore (4v4), H3 Team Slayer (4v4) H3 Team Doubles (2v2)
• Halo 3 Multiplayer: Construct, Guardian, Last Resort, Narrows, Sandtrap, The Pit, Valhalla, Foundry, Standoff, Avalanche, Sandbox, and Heretic

For the campaign, the missions Sierra 177, The Storm, The Ark, The Covenant, and Halo will be available in the test.

343 also announced what players can expect in terms of Halo 3 settings and options. These include:

• Settings – Controls: Configure Mouse & Keyboard and Configure Gamepad
• Settings – Video: Field-Of-View, Vehicle Field-Of-View, Gamma, Window Mode, Aspect Ratio, Resolution Scale, V-Sync, HUD Anchoring, Unified Medal Display, Framerate Limit, and Graphics Quality
• Settings – Audio: Game Volume including Menu Music Volume, Game Music Volume, Effects Volume, Voice Chat Volume. Also, Voice Chat Channel, Push to Talk Voice Chat, and Multiplayer Game Sounds
• Settings – Gameplay: Crosshair Position, Show Invite Notifications, Enemy Player Name Color, Multiplayer Game Timer, and Credits
• Settings – Network: Network and Relays
• Settings Accessibility: Subtitles, Change Language, Convert Text-To-Speech, and Convert Speech-To-Text

The first Halo 3 beta test is scheduled to start “within the first weeks of June.” The beta will begin small before expanding to a wider pool later. You can sign up for the free program here.

With Disney theme parks having lost $1 billion due to coronavirus closures, and tentative plans in place to reopen Walt Disney World Resort in Florida this July, Disney World’s shopping district, Disney Springs, in Orlando, recently reopened to the public back on May 20…with some added advice from a pair of Stormtroopers.

The following video comes from the Disney Springs YouTube account and it shows a couple of First Order Stormtroopers performing a handful of pre-recorded balcony skits about social-distancing and protecting oneself and others by using masks. Take a look…

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“Yeah, I’m going to need you to move one male bantha’s length away, please,” says one Stormtrooper as she suffers the aggressive arrogance of her cocky co-worker.

When Walt Disney World Resort starts up again next month, the company’s plan outlines a limited capacity for the park, with visitors having to secure a reservation for the day they wish to attend in advance. The capacity of the park will then incrementally increase as the county furthers its reopening phases.

Looking for more Star Wars news floating around the galaxy? There’s a new “#MakeSolo2Happen” movement online, a new Star Wars movie from Taika Waititi in the works, and some new quotes from Mark Hamill about if he’d ever want to play Luke Skywalker again.

If you’re looking to travel way back in the realm of Star Wars fandom, check out these pictures and video from A New Hope’s first ever tour of the sci-fi fan convention circuit back in the summer of 1976.

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.