Rockstar’s open-world game Grand Theft Auto V continues to soar. Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games, announced during an earnings call that the game has now shipped 150 million copies.
This is up by 5 million from the 145 million figure reported three months ago. Not only is the game selling well, but its GTA Online mode is cruising. Management reiterated that its new Los Santos Tuners update helped propel the game to new player and spending records.
Rockstar’s latest game, Red Dead Redemption II, continues to succeed too, with its own sales rising to 38 million. Combining the first game and the sequel, Red Dead Redemption franchise sales have now climbed to nearly 60 million.
GTA V will continue to grow, as Rockstar is releasing the open-world game on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in November. A standalone version of GTA Online will also release in November, and it will be free on PS5 at launch.
For the quarter ended June 30, Take-Two pulled in $813.3 million in revenue, which was down 2% compared to $831.3 million during the same period last year. Total net income, however, rose by 72% to $152.3 million. Recurrent consumer spending, which is money from microtransactions like virtual currency, DLC, and in-game purchases, increased by 15%.
Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games, has delayed two of its upcoming “core immersive” titles. As part of the company’s latest earnings release, management confirmed that these two games–whatever they might be–will now be released later in fiscal 2022 than previously announced.
Take-Two did not announce what these titles were, so we can only guess. One of Take-Two’s unannounced immersive core titles is coming from its 2K Games label, which could mean the new BioShock game, but this is not confirmed.
During an earnings call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said he does not expect any more of the company’s announced titles to be delayed. Zelnick also confirmed that the titles were delayed so the development teams could focus on polish. He added that the delays were not related to COVID; he pointed out that teams have been able to work efficiently at home during the pandemic.
Take-Two also announced during its earnings release that Grand Theft Auto V has shipped 150 million copies, while GTA Online continues to set records ahead of GTA V’s launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in November.
Linux has always been a popular operating system for a certain kind of user, but it’s always presented complications if you want to play a wide variety of games. Now, however, the number of monthly active Steam users running Linux has risen to 1%, according to the Steam Hardware Survey.
As spotted by the Linux site GamingOnLinux, the percentage of Linux users on Steam has increased and decreased over the past three years, but the overall line of fit tends towards the positive. This is the first time that the tracker has shown above a 1% Linux share since at least September 2018.
Since Valve reported 120 million users back in January, this means that there are roughly 1.2 million monthly active Linux users on Steam, assuming that those numbers are still accurate. Some Linux users have speculated that the recent reveal of the Steam Deck–which runs Linux–has driven interest in the operating system.
The Steam Deck uses Valve-developed software called Proton, which is designed to allow Windows-based games to play on Linux. Proton is based on a fork of Wine, the famous “compatibility layer” that allows Windows software to run on Unix-based operating systems like Linux. According to fansite ProtonDB, the most popular games on Proton include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
New Pokemon Snap is receiving a free content update on August 3. The update introduces three brand-new areas to explore as well as 20 additional Pokemon to photograph, and The Pokemon Company has now given us another look at the new areas ahead of their arrival.
The company shared brief videos of each of the three new areas on Twitter. The first area, Mightywide River, takes you down a jungle river, where newly added Pokemon like Swampert and Feraligatr can be seen swimming in the water around you.
The second area, Barren Badlands, is an arid desert punctuated with poisonous swamps and large canyon walls. The area is home to a handful of new Pokemon, including Tepig, Swalot, Rockruff, and Onix.
The final new area is called Secret Side Path, and it’s a new variation of the Nature Park level. This time, your Neo-One shrinks to a microscopic size, letting you view the area and the Pokemon that inhabit it from an insect’s perspective. You can watch a clip of the area below.
Like the other levels in the game, all three of the aforementioned areas will feature day and night versions. The free New Pokemon Snap update is schedule to go live at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET on August 3, according to the official Pokemon website.
New Pokemon Snap launched on Nintendo Switch back in April. We gave the photography spin-off an 8/10 in our New Pokemon Snap review, with critic Jenae Sitzes writing, “20 years later, taking photos of Pokemon in the wild remains as fun and exhilarating as it always was, and though it’s been a long time coming, New Pokemon Snap was worth the wait.”
As a Halo fan from the beginning, I’ve approached every post-Bungie entry with some degree of trepidation. With Halo Infinite, that feels especially natural after our first look at the game left many feeling underwhelmed–at least concerning its visuals–but I’m pleased to say my time spent with Infinite so far has me enthusiastic about playing more. Or at least, as enthusiastic as one can be after spending several hours doing nothing but killing bots.
The first of Halo Infinite’s betas (or technical tests/multiplayer previews, as 343 Industries calls them) is now over, and I played a bunch of what was generally available: 4v4 Slayer matches against a team of AI. Without the chance to try other modes or PvP matches (which were only playable for a brief period of time), there’s only so much to glean from the test, but I walked away feeling quite positive about the experience.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Now Playing: Halo Infinite Technical Alpha Gameplay Livestream
The bots, for their part, were generally competent. Their difficulty setting ramped up throughout the test, and while they were pushovers in every match–it was Steaktacular after Steaktacular–they at least served as decent fodder to let me get a feel for the game. They wouldn’t be my preferred means of playing Infinite unless they could pose a more meaningful threat, but it looks as if fighting bots will serve as a good training ground for newcomers or a fun diversion for those interested in a low-stakes, relaxing multiplayer experience.
Bots occasionally exhibited some unnatural behavior; the way they’d sometimes group up (making themselves an easy target for grenades) or perform the same actions almost in unison screamed, “I’m a bot,” as did moments where an enemy would seem to almost be stuck in place, as if paralyzed by decision. We know this is a months-old build of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer, so I didn’t find this too troubling, especially since there were other moments where I wondered if a 343 developer had snuck themselves onto the opposing team.
The ability to aim down sights in a Halo game will always feel wrong to me at first blush, but I quickly grew accustomed to it here, even when using the Sidekick, your default pistol and the closest thing here to the classic M6D. Another potentially contentious aspect, the return of sprinting, also felt like a natural inclusion, perhaps due in part to the fact that you just don’t run that much faster while sprinting. The modest increase in speed is useful for rushing to a power weapon or equipment when there are no enemies around, but given the size of the three maps that have been made available so far, it felt just handy enough to warrant its inclusion.
Matches during the beta, and the accompanying Academy mode, offered a chance to try out some new additions to the Halo arsenal, including the Commando, a sort of assault rifle/battle rifle hybrid, and Skewer, a sniper-style weapon that fires a single metal spike which annihilates anything it hits, but can only fire once before being reloaded. It’ll take time to come to grips with all of the new weapons available, but these newcomers all felt like worthwhile additions, with the Skewer being a favorite of mine thanks to its punchy sound effects and the accompanying satisfaction of taking out an enemy in such devastating fashion.
But easily my favorite addition is one of the new pieces of equipment: the grappleshot. As shown off in previous looks at the game, the grappleshot is a grappling hook that you can use to either pull yourself around the environment or, by attaching it to an enemy, pull yourself directly to a foe. The latter scenario puts you at risk of being killed, though a well-orchestrated use can send you flying into your opponent’s back, making for an easy melee kill.
The ability to navigate levels with the grappleshot is what’s most thrilling about the item, though, and my limited time doing so suggests that 343 hasn’t made a big enough deal about just how major an addition it is. Swinging around a map, launching yourself down corridors or up into the air, can leave you exposed, but it also allows you to catch an enemy off-guard or move around far quicker than the modest sprint permits. Beyond that, it’s just fun as hell to use, as any Titanfall 2 player can attest.
With a grappleshot in hand, the on-foot movement in Halo Infinite feels the best it ever has in a Halo game, and it feels like it could have a much more meaningful impact on a fight than the dashes in Halo 5. The major difference between this and Halo 5’s dash is that the grappleshot is a limited-use piece of equipment that you’ll need to find after spawning, and it’s only available on certain maps. That’s for the best, as widespread, constant use of the grappleshot might quickly turn Halo into something more closely resembling Tribes (without levels sufficiently large to accommodate that sort of thing). I nonetheless look forward to some special game modes or custom games where they’re available by default to everyone.
It’s early days yet, but this promising look has eased virtually all of my concerns about Infinite (including whether its soundtrack would rise to the bar set by Bungie; so far, so good). If this test is indicative of the wider experience, it’s easy to imagine Halo recapturing its former glory and, combined with the decision to make the multiplayer free-to-play, becoming more popular than ever.
A new update arrived today for Call of Duty: Warzone, and Raven Software detailed several fixes in the patch notes, which include several bug fixes for Warzone’s new Payload limited-time mode.
Many of today’s tweaks are for situations that might have been rare occurrences for Warzone players, such as collision issues with various elements on the map, but it’s good to see a fix nonetheless. This update also removed the Juggernaut Suit field upgrade from Red Door rooms in Warzone’s Plunder.
For Payload, the update addresses one of the community’s biggest complaints about the new objective mode, which was being forced to listen to their entire team’s chatter. The patch notes now state that the audio issue that caused players to hear the entire team has been corrected, and now players should only hear their direct squad. This also resolves a bug where only one of the two convoy trucks was pushed backwards by the enemy team.
Shortly after today’s update, some players began receiving a Dev Error on Warzone, but Raven Software tweeted that the issue has been resolved.
You can find the full list of patch notes for August 2, as shared by Raven Software’s blog.
General
Removed the Juggernaut Suit Field Upgrade from Red Door rooms in Plunder.
Bug Fixes
Fixed additional collision issues with various elements across Verdansk allowing Players to exploit/peek/shoot through them.
Fixed an issue causing the Stopping Power Field Upgrade to reduce recoil while using the Milano 821 (BOCW).
Fixed an issue where Killstreak tablet rewards were stacking on top of one another.
Fixed an issue where Players could favorite the Random Operator choice but could not unfavorite it.
Fixed an issue where the Random Operator option would move to the wrong position.
Fixed an issue where Players would take some Loadout Perks from the prematch lobby into matches.
Fixed an issue where the Power Surge Reactive Bundle image did not reflect the included Bundle items.
Fixed an issue where Players downed while holding the Sentry Turret would have no Weapon in hand when revived.
Fixed an issue with the OTs 9 (BOCW) where the unlock criteria inconsistently tracked when using any BOCW SMG Blueprint.
Fixed an issue with Two Factor Authentication that required a client restart if a Player activated it while ingame.
Payload fixes:
Fixed an issue where only the rear truck would be pushed backwards by the enemy team.
Fixed an issue where out-of-bounds zones would not be the correct size.
Fixed an issue where Players could hear the entire Team rather than only their direct squad.
Fixed an issue where spawn points would disappear on uneven terrain.
Fixed an issue where the camera would get stuck in the terrain at the end of a match.
Fixed an issue where the Player’s camera would be tilted when exiting a vehicle.
PlayStation Now is Sony’s game streaming service, and it adds new games every month to its lineup. August’s new PlayStation Now games consist of three heavy hitters, and if you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of at least one of them.
Nier Automata is perhaps the most notable addition to PlayStation Now in August. One of the most critically-acclaimed games of 2017, Automata is a character-action game that follows the strange adventures of androids and robots in a post-apocalyptic world. The smash hit Undertale is also coming to PlayStation Now in August. One of the most notable indie games of all time, Undertale is a charming JRPG with a unique hook: You can beat the entire game without killing a single enemy.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Now Playing: Nier: Automata – Hacked Allies Gameplay
The last addition to PlayStation Now for August is Ghostrunner, a precise action game where you pilot a cyber-ninja who flips and slices their way through an army of opponents. Demanding and exacting, Ghostrunner was well-received when it first came out back in late 2020. Last month’s games included the high-fidelity adventure A Plague Tale: Innocence and the multiplayer shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
When Venom came out in 2018, it was a fun, box office smash, making over $850 million, worldwide. Critically, it was a bomb, receiving a 35 on GameSpot sister-site Metacritic and 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, moviegoers were headed to see it in droves, and one moment people couldn’t stop talking about was the post-credit sequence where Woody Harrelson played Cletus Kasady–the serial killer who would eventually get a symbiote of his own and be named Carnage.
What’s exceptionally memorable about that scene is Harrelson’s hair: a big, curly red wig that took all the focus off of Harrelson. Many people laughed about it online, as it was hard to take a serial killer with a giant floppy head of hair seriously. However, I found myself really enjoying that hair choice.
When the first and the latest trailers for Venom: Let There Be Carnage arrived, there was something missing. It was Kasady’s beautiful mop of red hair. What was once a glorious set of curls has now been turned into an unkempt discount haircut.
Left: Kasady in Venom. Right: Kasady in Venom: Let There Be Carnage
The new haircut does match Kasady’s comic book counterpart–depending on the comics you read because comics tend to change things up quite a bit. But the bummer here was Sony not committing to that dark amber Shirley Temple hair. Imagine Kasady staring directly into the character, while escaping prison, with those amber curls of grain and saying, “Let there be carnage.” Now, imagine high fiving your buddy sitting next to you real hard after Kasady says that.
The movie Venom may have been a little bit of a departure from its origins at Marvel Comics. However, all adaptations are a departure, but one thing Venom did well was just deliver something fun that pokes fun at itself. Yes, it was a popcorn-popping summer blockbuster, but it was also self-aware that it’s all a little silly.
With the stakes being raised in Venom 2, why not keep the hair we couldn’t stop talking about? We all know the movie is going is going to have a good sense of humor about itself. I mean, the movie is called Let There Be Carnage, something that may have sounded cool during the mid-90s, but sounds a bit bizarre today. Give us the floppy red hair we deserve, surrounded by monstrous CG fights. The global audience can handle it all. If F9 can go to space/retcon a fan favorite character who died/turn the characters from Tokyo Drift into lovable, bumbling idiots, the Venom 2 can give us that beautiful wig.
Haircut or not, Venom: Let There Be Carnage hits theaters on September 24. I encourage all moviegoers to see the movie in a red wig, and while you’re waiting for it, make sure to check out other moments you may have missed from the trailer.
Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington has discussed one of his favorite experiences working on the epic fantasy show, but it might not be what you’d expect. Speaking to Jess Cagle on Sirius XM, Harington said one of his fondest memories was during a filming break when he left the set to relieve himself. That’s pretty ordinary stuff, except he was on a glacier, in Iceland.
He was blown away by the natural beauty, and he thinks back on this when he’s feeling down to help pick himself back up again.
“I remember shooting up on this incredible glacier in Iceland, and I went off to take a pee, just in… somewhere in the wilds of Iceland,” Harington said (via Entertainment Weekly). “And I just looked out over this glacier and I thought, ‘God, I got the best job in the world.’ And that always sticks out to me because if I’m ever feeling grumpy about my lot, which, believe me, I can do amazingly, I think of that. And I think, ‘Now you’ve got a pretty special job.'”
Harington also met his wife, Ygritte actress Rose Leslie, on the set of Game of Thrones. They are married now and have a child together.
Also in the interview, Harington discussed the controversial final season of Game of Thrones. He said it “had a real cultural impact,” and for that, he’s proud. He also offered his best wishes to HBO as the network films a new prequel show, House of the Dragon. “I really with them luck with what they’re doing next. I’m going to watch it,” he said.
Apex Legends Emergence has finally come out, and the Season 10 of the competitive battle royale game brings exclusive new cosmetics for Seer, Valkyrie, and Horizon along with it as part of the Emergence Battle Pass. As usual, the battle pass itself costs 950 Apex Coins.
Free rewards for the battle pass include a Bloodhound skin, seven Apex Packs, 11 weapon skins, four load screens, a Season 10 win tracker for all Legends, 300 Apex Coins, a season badge, and a music pack. The pack also includes a lot more holosprays to show off your favorite Legends’ attitude, including one for the new legend Seer.
Step out in style with the Apex Legends: Emergence Battle Pass. Reach triple digits and unlock the Reactive Volt’s Symbiotic Relationship and Fatal Injection recolor. Step into the spotlight starting tomorrow with the launch of Emergence. pic.twitter.com/u9YXn0ClQM
In addition to the exclusive sets for Seer, Valkyrie, and Horizon, the pass includes rare sets for Bloodhound, Gibraltar, Lifeline, and Pathfinder. The exclusive gold skin for Seer is particularly eye-catching, and it comes rather early in the battle pass, too.
Respawn recently said that it has no plans to bring back old battle passes to allow players to receive the exclusive sets from previous seasons. Exclusive sets that are tied to seasonal events that come into the game every now and then are generally available if you missed them the first time, though. Alongside new Legend Seer, Season 10 adds a new Ranked Arenas mode and several major buffs and nerfs for various Legends.
