Author: Trafficblast

GameStop was once a total juggernaut in the video game space, but thanks to the rise in digital game sales and other factors, it’s been relatively tough sledding for the company of late. Last June, the company announced that it was exploring the option to sell itself to another company, and now it appears a deal might be coming soon.

The Wall Street Journal reports that at least two companies are bidding for GameStop, and a deal to buy the retailer could become public by the middle of February. Citing a person familiar with GameStop, WSJ reported that private equity companies Sycamore Partners and Apollo Global Management are interested in buying GameStop.

Both companies declined to comment when approached by WSJ, and GameStop itself refused to elaborate on acquisition discussions.

Sycamore, which raised a further $4.75 billion USD in capital last July, specialises in consumer and retail investment, so going after GameStop makes sense.

Apollo, meanwhile, is a firm that prides itself of making investments in companies that have fallen out of favour–and this would also cover GameStop in theory. Apollo Equity co-president and lead partner Scott Kleinman says Apollo is looking for investment opportunities that “others are unable or willing to figure out.”

An example of a company Apollo might go after would include one that has missed earnings for a few quarters, or a company that the market has given up on, or a company that operates in sector that has fallen out of favour. In periods of transition, some investors pull back, but Kleinman says Apollo is an investor with “conviction.”

Longtime GameStop CEO Paul Raines died in March 2018 at the age of 53. He was replaced by Michael Mauler, who himself left after just three months for “personal reasons.” Shane Kim, the former boss of Xbox during the Xbox 360 days, is GameStop’s current CEO.

One of the benefits of subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online is that you get access to a library of classic NES games to play as much as you want. Nintendo is adding two (or three, depending on where you live) to the service in January, and now they’ve been announced.

Arriving January 16 are two games from 1998: Blaster Master and Zelda II: The Adventures of Link. In Japan, subscribers get a third game, Joy Mech Fight.

The NES library for Switch Online subscribers launched with 20 big-name games, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Dr. Mario, Ice Climber, Metroid, and Donkey Kong.

Nintendo Switch Online costs $4 USD/month or $8 USD for three months. A 12-month subscription goes for $20 USD, while a Family Membership for up to eight Nintendo Account members costs $35 USD for a year. New subscribers can sign up with a seven-day free trial. In addition to free NES games, subscribers get access to cloud saves, online player for many titles such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Ultimate.

Nintendo has announced the release dates for two upcoming exclusives games. First, the adorable-looking Yoshi’s Crafted World will launch for Nintendo Switch on March 29. Another game with a handcrafted style, Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn, is due out on March 8 for 3DS, Nintendo announced.

You play as Yoshi, of course, in Yoshi’s Crafted World, with the goal of solving puzzles, collecting eggs and throwing them, and jumping around to make it through levels. Stages can be played backward for another challenge, while the game also supports two-player co-op.

Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn, meanwhile, is an “enhanced” edition of Kirby’s Epic Yarn from the Wii. As its name suggests, Kirby is brought to a universe where everything is made of cloth and yarn, and the objective is to use the yarn to defeat enemies and solve puzzles.

All of the stages from the Wii version are included in the 3DS edition, while the game also boasts new features like “Ravel” abilities and new mini-games. There is also a new “Devilish” mode that makes each stage more challenging.

In other Nintendo news, some Nintendo Switch and 3DS games are now available through the Humble Store in the United States.

After Marvel Games changed its social handle to “Marvel G4mes,” the company has now further teased a Fantastic Four-related announcement for one of its games.

During a livestream today, Marvel boss Ryan Penagos teased that “something fantastic” is coming to Insomniac’s Spider-Man game for PS4. “I can’t tell you anything more right now…but you’ll want to keep an eye out for this. It’s going to be amazing and fantastic,” he said, according to IGN. Developer Insomniac playfully teased the announcement with the eyes emoji, so it looks like an announcement may be coming soon.

So what is this all about? Nothing is certain at this stage, but one possibility is that Insomniac is adding a new suit to Spider-Man on PS4. Spider-Man was a member of the Fantastic Four, sort of, as part of the spin-off group Future Foundation.

Some of the previously released Spider-Man PS4 DLC outfits have included the Spider-Clan outfit from Marvel’s Mangaverse, Spider-UK from Edge of Spider-Verse, and his look from the Sam Raimi movies.

In other Spider-Man PS4 news, Sony just recently announced that the game reached 9 million in sales as of November 25.

We’ll report back with more details on the new Spider-Man PS4 Fantastic Four news as soon as it’s announced. What are you hoping to see? Let us know in the comments below!