Author: Trafficblast

Nintendo Switch’s upcoming mech action game, Dameon X Machina, received a free demo last month following February’s big Nintendo Direct presentation, but you won’t be able to download it for much longer. Nintendo has confirmed the demo is leaving the Eshop on March 10.

The Protoype Missions demo, as it’s dubbed, gives players a chance to test out the game’s controls and mech customization options. It features four separate missions followed by a boss battle. Afterward, select players will receive a survey to provide their feedback directly to the development team.

If you’ve yet to, you can grab the Daemon X Machina: Prototype Missions demo either from the Switch Eshop or Nintendo’s website. The full game is still slated to release this summer and is directed by Kenichiro Tsukuda, who previously worked on the Armored Core series.

In Daemon X Machina, players pilot high-powered mech suits called Arsenals, which can be outfitted with a variety of different weapons. Players will need to use their Arsenals to take on missions and defend humanity against armies of rouge AI-controlled robots. Nintendo says the game will also support local and online multiplayer.

Daemon X Machina wasn’t the only Switch game to receive a free demo following last month’s Nintendo Direct; a demo of Yoshi’s Crafted World is also available to download from the Eshop. The full game is scheduled to launch on March 29.

THQ Nordic’s parent company has issued another apology for the publisher’s decision to hold an ‘ask me anything’ session on infamous message board 8chan last week. The website is known for hosting threads relating to subjects such as child pornography and white supremacy, so THQ Nordic’s AMA there drew criticism from across the industry.

“This letter is to offer my sincerest apologies and regret for THQ Nordic GmbH Vienna’s interaction with the controversial website 8chan last Tuesday, February 26,” said the company’s group CEO, Lars Wingefors. “I condemn all unethical content this website stands for. Even if no one within the THQ Nordic Group would ever endorse such content, I realize simply appearing there gave an implicit impression that we did.

“As co-founder and group CEO of [parent company] THQ Nordic AB, I take full responsibility for all of THQ Nordic GmbH’s actions and communications. I have spent the past several days conducting an internal investigation into this matter. I assure you that every member of the organization has learned from this past week’s events. I take this matter very seriously and we will take appropriate action to make sure we have the right policies and systems in place to avoid similar mistakes in the future.”

The statement follows an earlier apology from the company’s PR and marketing director, Philipp Brock, during which he was forced to say he “does not condone child pornography, white supremacy, or racism in any shape or form.”

THQ Nordic first announced the AMA in a tweet, saying “we’re doing an 8chan AMA and we have no idea why. Come join us!” After industry figures criticized the company for this move, it then replied to its initial tweet and stated “the opportunity was here and we took it, we got apporached [sic] in a very friendly and polite manner and were assured, said person (shoutout to Mark) will take care of the nasty stuff. So, here we are.” The tweets have since been deleted.

8chan content was blocked from appearing in Google searches in 2015. Google also warned 8chan contains “suspected child abuse content.” Since then, 8chan has become embroiled in various controversies surrounding gamergate, swatting, racism, and white supremacism.

THQ Nordic was formed in 2011 after Nordic Games acquired much of the intellectual property of the now-defunct publisher THQ. More recently it has acquired Goat Simulator developer Coffee Stain, the TimeSplitters series, and the Alone in the Dark and Act of War franchises.

Microsoft, founded by Bill Gates, was–and still is–a hardware and software developer and distributor. Largely known for it’s Microsoft Suite of tools, the company ventured into the nascent gaming scene in 2001 with it’s Xbox home console. While it went on to sell a total of 24 million worldwide, former Microsoft senior vice president Don Mattrick didn’t believe in the hardware.

According to a tweet posted by original Xbox creator Seamus Blackley, Mattrick “nearly blocked” Blackley “from addressing the company.” Blackley, who was hired by Microsoft in February 1999, saw Sony’s PlayStation introduction in the same year and came up with a console proposal for Microsoft: the original Xbox.

While Bill Gates approved the idea, Mattrick didn’t seem to buy in. As tweeted by Blackley, Mattrick “didn’t believe it was possible” and “it was tense,” Blackley explained. He didn’t go into further detail, other than replying “Yes” to a Twitter user praising Phil Spencer, who is currently heading up Microsoft’s Xbox division.

Mattrick had a storied history in the games industry. After kicking his career off in the ’80s, he began gaining traction in the early 2000s after joining Electronic Arts as the company’s president of worldwide studios. Mattrick left EA in February 2007 and became Microsoft’s senior vice president, overseeing the Xbox 360 and PC divisions. He remained at Microsoft, jumping between roles throughout his tenure, until July 2013, two months after the company’s Xbox One reveal. In the same month, Mattrick left Microsoft and joined Zynga as the company’s CEO, where he stayed until his swift resignation from the San Francisco-based mobile game developer in April 2015.

Phil Spencer, who started at as an intern at Microsoft in 1988, gained his first prominent role at Microsoft as the general manager of Microsoft Game Studios EMEA. After working there for nearly 30 years, Spencer became Microsoft’s executive vice president of gaming in 2017.

The full trailer for Game of Thrones Season 8 is here. After several months of build-up via teasers, images, and posters, we finally have a good look at what to expect from the last season of HBO’s long-running fantasy hit.

The trailer is all about setting up the epic battle against the Night King and his army of the dead at Winterfell. Most of the main characters feature, including Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and Arya Stark, together with a taste of the epic battles that we’ve been promised this season. Check it out above.

Although Game of Thrones is nearing the end, there is a prequel spin-off on the way. X-Men: First Class’ Jane Goldman will serve as showrunner and has developed the story with creator George RR Martin. This week it was revealed that the show will start filming early this summer.

While it’s yet to receive an official title, Martin suggested last year that it would be called The Long Night. He subsequently walked that back, perhaps due to pressure from HBO that didn’t want that name shared yet. In any event, it does provide some insight into what to expect. It is expected to premiere in 2020 or 2021.