Author: Trafficblast

Numantian Games’ They Are Billions has been out for a couple of years now, launching on Steam Early Access back in December 2017. Since then, despite receiving a “very positive” reception on Steam, the post-apocalyptic RTS has lacked a full campaign mode–until now. They Are Billions’ campaign will arrive just after E3 for free to those who own the game.

The news comes via a tweet from the independent studio. The campaign for They Are Billions, titled The New Empire, launches on June 18. Check out the official two-minute trailer below.

Alongside the campaign addition, They Are Billions will receive two new scenarios for its Survival Mode: The Deep Forest and The Caustic Lands. The Deep Forest is the easier of the two, while The Caustic Lands will provide more of a challenge with players facing the Doom Colony that can take up to 30 percent of the map, according to the game’s Steam store page.

In a separate tweet, Numantian announced that They Are Billions will make its way to PS4 and Xbox One on July 1. Porting studio BlitWorks–who’s responsible for ports of Bastion, Fez, Spelunky, Wargroove, and many more–will handle the console port of They Are Billions.

Back in March 2018, we wrote that They Are Billions picks up where Starcraft 2 left off. We said that the game “took the PC world by surprise, providing fantastic real-time strategy elements and a nuanced take on the seemingly endless horde of zombie games,” and our editor Mike Mahardy argued that They Are Billions continues the legacy of stellar RTS games like Age of Empires and Command & Conquer.

E3 is just a couple days away. Google already held its Stadia Connect Event, and EA Play starts on Saturday, June 8. The official show kicks off with Xbox’s press conference on Sunday, June 9 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST (6 AM AET on June 10).

The Epic Mega Sale kicked off a few weeks ago with some great discounts on PC games, and it’s also been giving away a free game on a weekly basis. The latest freebie is available now: Kingdom: New Lands, which builds on the story and gameplay of 2015’s Kingdom. Kingdom: New Lands is selling for $15 elsewhere, but you can claim it at no cost from now until June 13, which is also the last day for the Epic Mega Sale. You’ll just need a free Epic account to claim the game.

Kingdom: New Lands released in 2016 as a new, updated version of Kingdom with added content and various gameplay improvements. The game is a kingdom-building simulator where you control a monarch who must build up their kingdom across six unique islands, traveling via boat or various mounts. The screen is two-dimensional, and you can only move the monarch left or right, gathering coins and resources as you go. Exploration is key, but the further you move away from your central kingdom, the more dangerous the environments become.

Starting June 13, Kingdom: New Lands will be replaced by Epic’s next free game, Enter the Gungeon. At that point, Epic will resume giving away free titles every two weeks, rather than every week, as it’s done during the Mega Sale. So go ahead and grab Kingdom: New Lands while it’s available; once it’s added to your account, it’ll be yours to keep.

Get Kingdom: New Lands for free »

Create a free Epic Store account »

And if you haven’t checked out the Epic Mega Sale yet, don’t miss out on the great PC game deals available for just one more week. The store is offering discounts of up to 75% off some games, and all games over $15 are available for $10 off. That includes pre-orders for upcoming games, like Borderlands 3, Control, and Afterparty.

Last year’s reboot of the classic horror Halloween was one of 2018’s biggest horror movies, making more than $225 million at the worldwide box office. Given this was already the 11th movie in the long running franchise, it’s expected that producers Blumhouse Films will want to make another one. Now, studio boss Jason Blum and star Jamie Lee Curtis have hinted that work has started on a sequel.

Blum posted an image on Twitter of him and Curtis with the caption “We’re discussing stuff,” as Curtis holds a doll of her character Laurie Strode. While it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re discussing a new Halloween movie, let’s face it, it’s a very high possibility. Check it out below:

This isn’t the first time that a Halloween sequel has been (possibly) discussed. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly last year, co-writer Danny McBride spoke about how he and director David Gordon Green had initially considered shooting two Halloween movies simultaneously.

“We were going to shoot two of them back-to-back,” he said. “Then we were like, ‘Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This could come out, and everyone could hate us, and we’d never work again. So, let’s not have to sit around for a year while we wait for another movie to come out that we know people aren’t going to like.’ So, we were like, ‘Let’s learn from this, and see what works, and what doesn’t.’ But we definitely have an idea of where we would go [with] this branch of the story and hopefully we get a chance to do it.”

Curtis herself has spoken about returning to the role that she first played back in 1978, in John Carpenter’s hugely influential first Halloween, but admitted that finding a reason for the character to appear in yet another movie might be an issue.

“I’d be happy to do it, sure,” she told EW in December. “This 2018 40th anniversary [movie] was Laurie’s story, and obviously there are now other people’s stories that would need to get told. But Laurie’s story was told beautifully this year, and I would have no way of knowing how they would incorporate her into future.”

For more on Halloween, check out our list of Michael Myer’s most brutal kills and our ranking of every movie in the series.

Google has revealed much more about its Stadia video game streaming service, including price, launch information, and a partial game lineup. You can get in on the ground floor by getting a Founder’s Edition to launch this November. But if you do put down your money, what you can you expect right out of the box?

The Founder’s Edition is the high-end version of the service and hardware rolled into one package, so if you purchase it you can expect the full functionality of the Stadia service. It will cost you $130, and it’s already available for pre-order. Unlike a traditional console like Xbox or PlayStation, the Founder’s Edition doesn’t include a large hardware box. Instead, it will pack a relatively small Chromecast Ultra streaming dongle and a limited-edition Night Blue Stadia controller–both of which are regularly priced at $70.

Pre-order Stadia Founder’s Edition now »

Since Stadia is a streaming service, the real functionality comes through playing online. Right out of the box, the Stadia should be able to stream any game in its library, either through a direct purchase or through free games included in the three-month Stadia Pro subscription included in the Founder’s bundle (regularly $10 per month). Stadia Pro allows you to stream at 4K and 60fps with 5.1 surround. The only announced game included with Pro so far is Destiny 2, with all previous expansions and an annual pass to include the upcoming Shadowkeep expansion. If you’ve already started Destiny 2 elsewhere, you can import your character to Stadia.

A separate Stadia Base tier won’t launch into 2020. That version will be able to play games at 1080p with stereo sound, and there is no subscription fee. You can just buy your games a la carte, similar to any other digital marketplace, and play them through the cloud. This can be done on any Chrome browser, and you can use most existing controllers or purchase a Stadia controller separately.

Any game in the Stadia launch library will be available to stream on day one. Google has already announced a partial list of its launch games, which you can see below. The company has suggested that more launch games will be announced at a later date, including some from Capcom, EA, and Rockstar at their own discretion.

For more on Google Stadia, check out our wrap-up of all the news out of the recent event.

Google Stadia Launch Games

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Borderlands 3
• Darksiders Genesis
• Destiny 2
• Doom 2016
• Doom Eternal
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
• Farming Simulator 19
• Final Fantasy XV
• Football Manager
• Get Packed
• GRID
• Gylt
• Just Dance
• Metro Exodus
• Mortal Kombat 11
• NBA 2K
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
• Rage 2
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Samurai Shodown
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• The Crew 2
• Thumper
• Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
• Trials Rising
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Yooka-Laylee developer Playtionic Games has been relatively quiet since launching the mascot-platformer back in 2017. It’s been two years since Playtonic mentioned working on anything new, and while the independent studio is remaining quite tight-lipped, Playtonic did tease something slated for tomorrow, June 7 ahead of E3.

The tease is nothing substantial. It’s a short, 30-second video of various comments aimed at the indie studio with a similar message: what is Playtonic working on next. Halfway through the clip, a myriad of emoji eyes fills the screen before fading to black. Playtonic isn’t saying anything, other than something of some sort is coming from the studio on Friday, June 7.

This tease suggests Playtonic will unveil something new before the chaos that is E3. This year’s E3 started a little earlier than normal, with Google leading with its Stadia Connect Event. Similarly, EA Play will be held on Saturday, June 8 just before E3. The main show starts with Xbox on June 9 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST (6 AM AET on June 10).

Yooka-Laylee launched in April 2017 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. In December of the same year, the bat-chameleon duo made their way to the Nintendo Switch. The mascot-platformer has surpassed more than 1 million sales since then. In our Yooka-Laylee review, we said, “If you’re looking for a faithful return to the Banjo-Kazooie formula, Yooka-Laylee certainly delivers–from the font to the music to the wealth of collectibles, it’s worthy of the title of spiritual successor.”

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E3 2019 is about to begin, so of course that means the rumor mill is in full swing. And out there on Twitter fanning the flames is Doug Cockle, the voice actor behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s Geralt of Rivia. The Witcher 3 was already rumored to be coming to Nintendo Switch, and now Cockle has put greater weight behind those rumors with a suggestive tweet.

Sharing a fan’s wish for The Witcher 3 to be announced for Switch at Nintendo’s E3 Direct presentation, Cockle teased, “Who else wants to see this,” adding a suggestive smiley at the end of his message.

Previously, The Witcher 3 was listed for Nintendo Switch by French wholesaler WTT, which also reportedly leaked the Assassin’s Creed 3 port shortly before that was announced. Additionally, a job listing from The Witcher publisher CD Projekt Red referenced Nintendo Switch as part of GOG Galaxy’s ecosystem. GOG Galaxy is a storefront and gaming client–akin to Steam–developed by retailer GOG, which is owned by CD Projekt Red. The company told GameSpot it does not comment on rumors.

The Witcher 3 was critically acclaimed when it launched for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2015. “This is one of the best role-playing games ever crafted, a titan among giants and the standard-setter for all such games going forward,” wrote critic Kevin van Ord in our 10/10 The Witcher 3 review. “Where The Witcher 2 sputtered to a halt, The Witcher 3 is always in a crescendo, crafting battle scenarios that constantly one-up the last, until you reach the explosive finale and recover in the glow of the game’s quiet denouement. But while the grand clashes are captivating, it is the moments between conflicts, when you drink with the local clans and bask in a trobairitz’s song, that are truly inspiring.”

Everyone might be distracted by E3, but Epic Games continues to update Fortnite: Battle Royale, as it always does. The new 9.20 content update adds a throwable item named the storm flip and brings back the sword fight limited-time mode. You can read the full patch notes, via Epic Games, for update 9.20 below. The patch will be live on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile after the current server downtime is over.

The storm flip is a new weapon that, according to Epic, “explodes on impact and creates a sphere-shaped zone.” This zone brings Fortnite’s evil storm to any safe zone, and makes any storm zone safe. You can therefore use it in a pinch if the storm has caught up with you–or throw it at an enemy to subject them to the storm’s damage-dealing abilities, even when they would normally be safe.

This flipped zone lasts for 20 seconds and is only available in Epic rarity, from floor loot, chests, and vending machines. Storm flips come in stacks of one, which is also the maximum number you can hold at any time.

This week’s LTM is Sword Fight, which will be familiar to many Fortnite fans. The mode is largely unchanged from when it was last seen, and yes, the Infinity Blade is available in some treasure chests.

Elsewhere, update 9.20 vaults the hunting rifle, which is no longer available in game. Epic explained the decision by saying the weapon “has become somewhat outclassed by the infantry rifle after it was changed to hitscan.” The developer continued: “There are a few sniper rifle options available and we feel it doesn’t currently fill a necessary role in the item lineup.”

In other Fortnite news, players have recently spotted a giant eyeball encased in ice within the game. The eye can be found underneath Polar Peak. It’s still unclear just what this means for the game, although fans are theorizing it could lead to some kind of community event or even a Godzilla: King of the Monsters tie-in, which certainly wouldn’t be out of the ordinary, as Epic has previously held tie-in events for John Wick and Avengers: Endgame. You can watch some footage of the eyeball here.

Fortnite: Battle Royale Update 9.20 Patch Notes

Weapons And Items

• Storm Flip
  • Thrown item that explodes on impact and creates a sphere-shaped zone.
  • Where the sphere overlaps the storm, it will create a safe zone.
  • Where the sphere overlaps a safe zone, it will create a storm zone.
  • The Storm Flip deals the same damage as the current storm.
  • The zone lasts for 20 seconds before dissipating.
  • Available in Epic Rarity.
  • Can be found from Floor Loot, Chests, and Vending Machines.
  • Drops in stacks of 1.
  • Max stack of 1.
• Vaulted
  • Hunting Rifle all variants
  • While we value the variety of longer range sniping options, the Hunting Rifle has become somewhat outclassed by the Infantry Rifle after it was changed to hitscan. In addition, there are a few Sniper Rifle options available and we feel it doesn’t currently fill a necessary role in the item lineup.
• Loot Carrier
  • Reduced sniper package availability from 12.5% to 8.45%
  • Reduced explosive package availability from 12.5% to 7.04%
  • The chances of getting high-powered, rare items from Supply Drones was higher than felt appropriate, so we’ve reduced their availability slightly
• Mounted turret
  • Overheat now takes 20% longer.
  • The Mounted Turret’s usage has decreased over time. By slightly increasing time before Overheat, the goal is to help increase its risk/reward.
• Increased max charge time on Boom Bow from 1s to 1.25s
  • The Boom Bow is a bit stronger than we’d like. This adjustment should reduce frequency between shots, making misses riskier. We’d like to evaluate the impact of this change before making any additional adjustments, and it’s possible that more tweaks will be necessary if this doesn’t have the desired effect.
• The Slipstream’s audio, pink ring, and spinning blades turn off when disabled during the fifth phase of the Storm.
• Players revived from a Reboot Van will lose invulnerability upon shooting or building.
• Air Vents are now more forgiving in order to prevent fall damage when players jump on them from high places.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue in which weapons that previously had no ammo would be unable to be automatically reloaded.
• Fixed an issue where players would take fall damage after exiting a Baller quickly rolling downhill.
• Aim assist can no longer be used to fire at players using a Shadow Bomb.
• Fixed an issue where players could damage teammates who were disconnected from the match.
• Fixed an issue where the Flying Disc Toy would get caught on Ballers in mid-air.
• Fixed an issue where Slipstream audio and visual FX would continue to occur after the player exits.
• Fixed an issue where Air Vents’ sound and visual effects occurred more than once.
• Fixed an issue in which Driftboards were unable to exit Slipstreams.
• Exiting a vehicle that had entered a Slipstream no longer causes players to skydive.
• Vending Machines no longer become unusable when a player using one gets eliminated.
• The Flint-Knock Pistol is now consistently able to knock targets and the shooter the correct distance.
• Dynamite audio no longer gets stuck on a loop during replays.
• The lava bounce visual effect no longer persists if a Baller bounces from lava to water.

Limited-Time Mode Rotation

Sword Fight

Treasure chest contain Epic or better weapons as well as the occasional Infinity Blade! Fight your opponents to find out who is worthy of the Blade… and who is not.

Gameplay

• Auto Swap Material option was removed and is always on.
  • Removing the option allowed us to optimize Auto-Swap behavior, primarily reducing rare cases in which materials did not swap properly.
• Increased duration for how long elimination credit can be granted to the last damager.
  • Fall damage from 15s to 60s
  • Self-elimination from 15s to 60s
  • Storm elimination from 5s to 60s
• Added support for foot controller devices to the Accessibility options.
• Adjusted Invert Aircraft Controls setting info to better describe the option.

Bug Fixes

• Gamepad custom build controls now consistently allow players to turbo build when using the ‘Place’ action while simultaneously having the ‘Stair,’ ‘Wall,’ ‘Roof,’ or ‘Floor’ action bound.
• Players outside closed enemy structures can no longer build inside them.
• Fixed an issue in which the destruction of a building could be interrupted by reconnecting it to its base.
• Fixed an issue in which players would hang in the air if they disconnected during the bus drop phase.
• Certain Fortbytes requiring a specific cosmetic item now correctly unlock for players who have it equipped.

Audio

Bug Fixes

• The storm damage sound effect no longer ends prematurely.

Mobile

We’ve noticed iOS patches have experienced delays appearing in the App Store recently. Apple has stated that any application can take up to 24 hours to appear in the App Store. If no update is available, be sure to check our social channels for more info.

• Introducing Quick Heal
  • Allows for Shield and Health consumables to be used more easily.
    • When health or shields are below 100 (max) – the quick heal button will display on screen.
  • Separate button that needs to be added manually from the HUD Layout Tool.
  • Button Icon displays the current priority items from the player’s inventory
    • Priority 1 – Chug Jug over all other healing items
    • Priority 2 – Health over Shield items
    • Priority 3 – MedKit over Bandages.
    • Priority 4 – If shields are below 50, Small Shields
    • Priority 5 – If shields are greater or equal to 50, Shield Potions
• Added an “X” (Exit) button to close several screens where the “Close” button was too small.
• Players will now get an error message if they try to update the game but have insufficient storage space.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where outfits wouldn’t be displayed properly after logging out and back in.
• Aim assist and Auto fire can no longer be used to fire at players using a Shadow Bomb
• Fixed an issue for Android players encountering an error when trying to watch live matches.
• Fixed an issue with doors and ziplines being interactable from long distances.
• Centered Events and Challenges screens on devices with a 4:3 display.
• Fixed an issue with the Combat/Build Mode button bringing players back into combat mode mid-animation.
• Fixed an issue where the names of an eliminated team remained under the spectated player.
• Controller blueprint appears correctly when viewed with devices with a wider screen.