Author: Trafficblast

THQ Nordic’s new interim report has casually dropped a few big announcements on us about some major game series we have not seen in a while.

The first quarter report, focused on April-June 2019, explains that THQ Nordic – along with Deep Silver and Coffee Stain – achieved a 33% year-on-year sales growth, with a total net sales figure of SEK 641 million (about $67 million). It’s a strong figure, and the company followed it up with several announcements.

The first is that Volition is working on the first new Saints Row game since 2013’s Saints Row IV (not counting spin-off Agents of Mayhem). The team is “deep in development” on the next title, which they have called a “full entry”. Basically, it’ll be Saints Row V, whether in name or not. No further details were given, but it’s the most concrete confirmation we’ve had that a new game is coming.

THQ Nordic also announced that Dead Island 2 is, as promised, still happening. The game is now being worked on by Dambuster Studios, the studio behind 2016’s Homefront: The Revolution. Dead Island 2 has had a troubled development: it was originally in development at Yager Development, before Sumo Digital took over work on it in 2016. It’s not clear if they are still involved.

The report also speaks to Deep Silver’s acquisition of the TimeSplitters license last year, saying that Steve Ellis, one of the series’ original creators, has joined to “help plot the future course for this franchise”. The last TimeSplitters game was 2005’s TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. The report also states that Fishlabs, known for their Galaxy on Fire game series, is working on several unannounced projects and new IP.

Furthermore, THQ Nordic announced their acquisition of Gunfire Games, the developers of Darksiders III. In a press release, group CEO Lars Wingefors stated that they are “strengthening THQ Nordic’s footprint in the US and are adding an experienced and talented development team that we know very well from having collaborated on Darksiders.”

Hopefully we’ll hear more details for all of these games before the year is out.

It was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that The CW’s upcoming show Batwoman would introduce an iconic Batman villain. Tommy Elliot, known to many DC Comics fans as Hush, will arrive in Batwoman’s first season. That’s exciting news, but it’s also a bit confusing. After all, Hush has such a personal connection to Batman, as a childhood friend-turned-enemy of Bruce Wayne’s and Wayne isn’t on the show.

Speaking to GameSpot at the TCA press tour showrunner Caroline Dries cleared up exactly how the show will tackle the character. “In the comics, he’s obsessed with Bruce Wayne, and you get to understand a little tease of that relationship. And what helps us is that Kate and Tommy knew each other from growing up, because Kate was intimately engaged in Bruce’s life,” Dries explained. “And so Tommy is the perfect villain for the time of the series, which [is when] Kate put on the [Batman] costume. People are just seeing little snippets of this person, and they think it’s Batman. That’s great for people who love Batman [because] Batman is back. But if you’re a Batman villain, you’re thinking, ‘Is that good?'”

The arrival of Batwoman, bringing a familiar Batman vibe back to Gotham City, is sure to catch the eye of several notable villains. Tommy, though, having such a close connection to Bruce, and by extension Kate, should prove to be interesting. According to Dries, it should also serve as a bridge between Kate and her cousin.

“Tommy, as you’ll see the way the story unfolds, is sort of the perfect marriage between a Bruce Wayne/Batman/Kane Kane story,” she said.

Hush won’t be the only familiar Batman character making an appearance on Batwoman. It was also revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that Burt Ward, who played Robin on the original Batman TV show, would take part in the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. He’ll be joined by Kevin Conroy, the Batman: The Animated Series star, who has been cast as an older version of Bruce Wayne.

Batman premieres October 6 on The CW.

Pokemon Go is bringing back another fan-favorite Legendary for a limited time this weekend. As a reward for completing enough Global Challenges during the recent Pokemon Go Fest event in Yokohama, Japan, Suicune, one of the three Legendary dogs from Pokemon Gold and Silver, is returning to the game for a special Raid Day on Saturday, August 17.

Suicune hasn’t appeared in Pokemon Go very often, which makes this weekend’s Raid Day a good opportunity to add one to your collection if you’ve previously missed it. That’s not the only reason to be excited for the event; you’ll also be able to encounter a Shiny Suicune in Raids. The Legendary will only be around for a brief time, however, so to help you prepare for the event, we’ve rounded up all the most important details about this weekend’s Suicune Raid Day below.

What Time Does Suicune Raid Day Start?

Much like Pokemon Go’s monthly Community Days, this weekend’s Suicune Raid Day will take place around the world for three hours, from 4-7 PM local time. During that window, the Legendary Pokemon will appear in Gyms as a five-star Raid boss. Once the event ends, Suicune will leave the game again, giving you only a couple of hours to catch it.

Shiny Suicune

Suicune will be a common sight in Gyms during Saturday’s event, so you should have no trouble finding a Suicune Raid during the aforementioned hours. Even if you’ve previously captured Suicune, you’ll want to participate in a few Raids, as you may come across a rare Shiny Suicune during the event. This variant sports a blue mane rather than a purple one, making it look even more majestic.

However, the odds of finding a Shiny Legendary in Pokemon Go are quite rare, and there’s no definitive way of knowing in advance if a Raid will produce a Shiny Suicune. If you’re hoping to snag a Shiny one this weekend, you’ll need to be persistent and participate in as many Suicune Raids as you can during the event.

How To Participate In Raids

Before you can jump into a Raid Battle, you’ll first need to have an item called a Raid Pass. Fortunately, you can get one of these for free from the first Photo Disc you spin at a Gym each day. You can typically only carry one of these free Raid Passes at a time, but Niantic will be giving out up to five free Raid Passes during the Suicune Raid Day, so everyone should be able to participate in a few Raids without any trouble.

Once you’ve gotten a Raid Pass, you’ll need to physically head to a Gym where a Suicune Raid is taking place and challenge the Legendary to a battle. Five-star Raid Bosses like Suicune are very powerful, so you’ll need to team up with several other players in-person if you’re hoping to bring the Legendary down. If your group manages to defeat Suicune, each player who participated in the Raid will receive a handful of Premier Balls along with a chance to catch it.

Tips For Battling Suicune

Suicune is a pure Water-type, which makes putting together a team of counters fairly easy. Water Pokemon are vulnerable to Grass and Electric Pokemon, so you’ll want to use as many of those types as possible when challenging the Legendary. Magnezone, Luxray, Electivire, and Leafeon should all prove to be effective against Suicune; however, you’ll need to be careful when using Grass-types, as Water Pokemon typically know Ice-type attacks that hit them for super-effective damage.

While Dragon Pokemon don’t have a type advantage over Water Pokemon, they do resist Water attacks, which makes them a good option for rounding out your team. However, Fire, Rock, and Ground Pokemon all have a significant disadvantage against Water-types, so you should avoid using those when challenging Suicune.

Other Pokemon Go Bonuses

In addition to the Suicune Raid Day, Niantic has made a few other bonuses available in Pokemon Go as rewards for completing the latest batch of Global Challenges. From August 13-20, you’ll earn triple the normal amount of Stardust for each Pokemon you capture or hatch. You’ll also receive 3,000 Stardust for participating in Raids, and any Star Pieces you use during the week will last for an hour rather than 30 minutes.