Category: Games

Apex Legends players on PS4 and PS5 can now pre-load the upcoming Legacy update on both platforms, which goes live May 4. Developer Respawn announced the move on Twitter on Monday, but several players on Twitter, Reddit, and other social media platforms have complained that the pre-load isn’t working for them.

We already know a ton about what’s coming in the Apex Legends Season 9: Legacy update. As you might expect, it introduces a new character named Valkyrie who specializes in recon and aerial attack. (She has a jetpack, which is pretty wild.) As the patch notes reveal, Legacy makes a ton of changes to the game, including nerfing the recent changes to Lifeline’s kit, while also improving her heal drone and care package abilities.

Legacy will also introduce Arenas to the game, a 3v3 round-based team deathmatch that’s very similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and fellow CS-like Valorant. There’s a new weapon in Season 9 too, a marksman bow called the Bocek Bow that, similar to the G7 Scout and Triple-Take, is designed for mid-range and relies on precision hits. Since it uses arrows, players can retrieve ammo from downed foes and loot fired arrows from the ground. As usual, Legacy introduces new skins and other cosmetics to the game, including a Wraith skin that not all of us are happy about.

Minecraft shows no signs of slowing down, with Microsoft revealing in an April 2021 earnings call that the popular sandbox game’s monthly active users increased by 30% year over year. The title has reached some 140 million users to date.

This latest figure comes from a new fact sheet Microsoft published. It contains various other milestones Minecraft surpassed, including generating more than $350 million to date through selling mods, add-on content, and other experiences. Microsoft also noted that Minecraft has sold more than 238 million copies so far in just about every country and territory in the world. This includes Antarctica and Vatican City.

Other stats include players downloading 1 billion pieces of content from the Minecraft Marketplace, the average player in North America and Europe being 27 years old, and more than half of kids aged 9-11 in the same continents play the game. More telling, 90% of those online in the US are “aware of the Minecraft brand.” Also, it was the most-watched game on YouTube in 2020 with over 200 billion views.

There are some stats on the Education Edition, as well, like 35 million students and teachers using the game in 115 countries. According to Microsoft, Minecraft: Education Edition saw a 150% increase in the number of players year over year.

In other Minecraft news, the upcoming Caves & Cliffs expansion has grown in scope, with developer Mojang splitting it into two parts. Part one arrives this summer while the second part, which contains much bigger changes, is planned for the holiday.

So far, it doesn’t look like the next major game patch is coming to Fortnite this week, as they usually arrive on Tuesdays with leaks arriving on Mondays. But Fortnite fans still have an update to look forward to by way of today’s hotfix, which unvaults two fan-favorite weapons, the Infantry Rifle and Tactical Shotgun, alongside a small list of other fixes.

The Tactical Shotgun was most recently seen in Fortnite Season 5. Meanwhile, the Infantry Rifle has been in the vault since the start of Chapter 2, meaning it’s been over a year since players last got their hands on it in Battle Royale. For anyone who jumped in after Chapter 2 kicked off, this will be their introduction to one of the game’s most beloved weapons.

Alongside this lethal pair of weapons come some other boons for players scavenging in the game’s last-player-standing mode. Epic said it is once again doubling the chance to find crafting parts in floor loot. This was not nerfed since the last tweak to drop rates, meaning the likelihood of players finding crafting parts in this way continues to surge as the season goes on.

As you’re crafting, you may also notice Mechanical Parts drop at a 50% higher rate from vehicles. While fishing or searching Bunker Chests or Supply Drops, you’ll now also enjoy better drop rates for loot, with Epic explaining that these improved drop rates will favor Classic weapons. Players who like the accuracy of the traditional Forty firearms may want to bring a fishing pole deeper into their rounds of Battle Royale going forward.

Fortnite Hotfix Notes

Here are all the changes Epic laid out in a tweet alongside the hotfix:

• Two favorites return! Unvaulted the Tactical Shotgun and Infantry Rifle
• Doubling chance of Crafting Parts in floor loot (again!)
• Mech Parts dropped from cars increased 50%
• Improved loot chances for fish spots, Supply Drops, and Bunker Chests – favoring Classic weapons

With an update heavily focused on the Mechanical side of Fortnite, don’t forget you can still craft the less accurate but more powerful Primal weapons using our Fortnite crafting guide. The Week 8 challenges will be live on Thursday, May 6. Check out the full list so you can plan ahead.

Watch Dogs: Legion’s first major update drops May 4, and it brings some new content to the game. For Season Pass owners, the patch will introduce a new playable hero character named Mina Sidhu, a former test subject who uses the powers of mind control to manipulate her enemies. Season Pass owners can also play a new DedSec Stories mission that focuses on a minister who is selling London’s antiquities to the highest bidder.

For those who don’t own the Season Pass, there’s still plenty of free content to enjoy, including two new operatives and enhanced operative customization. The online mode also has added three new co-op missions, five new solo assignments, and two co-op gadgets, including offense and defensive drones. Check out the trailer below for more details.

As part of the rollout for this new update, Ubisoft has detailed some of its plans for further Legion updates. Free players will receive access to two new PvP modes at the end of May: Extraction and Invasion. Season Pass owners will get a new storyline in late June titled Bloodline, which introduces Aiden Pearce back into the world of Watch Dogs, as well as Wrench from Watch Dogs 2. Darcy from Assassin’s Creed will also make an appearance in August as part of a crossover update featuring new missions and an Assassin’s Creed-themed world event.

It’s a new week, and that means Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is getting new playlists, store bundles, and more. Perhaps the most notable new addition this week is a brand-new tactical rifle that certainly looks unique. Activision ran through all the new new content, some of which is also available in Warzone, in a blog post, and we’re highlighting the key points here.

New Weapon: CARV.2

The CARV.2 Tactical Rifle is coming to Black Ops Cold War and Warzone this week. To unlock it, you’ll need to complete a new in-game challenge, though Activision did not provide any information on what that will entail. Alternatively, players can buy it outright through the “Plastik Prototype” DLC bundle.

“This burst-fire weapon stands out in the tactical rifle class with its high bullet velocity output, offering powerful damage, solid recoil control, and a large ammo pool from the start,” Activision said in its description.

New Playlist

A new playlist called Yamantau + Diesel 24/7 arrives this week. As its name suggests, this playlist lets you play the new Season 3 maps to your heart’s content. The playlists supports Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint.

The Gunfight Blueprints playlist also comes back as Black Ops Cold War’s “featured” playlist this week.

Finally, Activision teased that a new version of the Party Games playlist is “coming soon.” Whether or not it will release this week is unknown, but we do know it will feature Sticks and Stones, Gun Game, and Prop Hunt. The Yamantau and Diesel maps will be added.

New Store Bundles

Players looking to spend some cash this week have a pair of new bundles to choose from, starting with the Alien Infestation Mastercraft bundle. It comes with the Incubator tactical rifle and the Sterilizer SMG. The bundle also features the Infected Ship charm, the Exploratory vehicle skin, the Hive animated calling card, the Lifecycle animated emblem, and the Life Reading watch.

Another new bundle is the previously mentioned Plastik Prototype, which includes the new Konsole version of the CARV.2, as well as the Lazer Gun emblem, the Launch Control sticker, and the Brick cell phone charm.

Other new bundles include the Gilded Age IV, which comes with six items in total, including the Counter Offer assault rifle and the Subtle Threat SMG, and the Angels and Demons Anime Reactive bundle. This one features the Cursed Angel assault rifle and the Divine Blossom sniper rifle blueprint, as well as a themed calling card, emblem, and charm.

Finally, the previously announced new Call of Duty Endowment charity bundle is going on sale to mark Military Appreciation Month in May. Proceeds from the DLC bundle, which features a new skin based on a real-life military veteran, will go toward helping place veterans in jobs.

In other news, Raven Software has acknowledged new map exploits on Verdansk ’84 and is working to fix them now.

Rainbow Six Siege’s Y6S1.3 patch is live on all platforms, and the update brings some small but significant changes to the game. The patch’s largest changes are focused at Tachanka, and they buff his Shumikha Launcher in almost every possible way, including increased magazine capacity, increased explosion radius, and decreased detonation time.

Jackal and Jager both receive minor nerfs, with the C7E and the 416-C weapons holding a few less bullets in their magazine than before. Ace and Thermite get slight kit changes, with the former’s smoke grenades replaced with claymore mines, and the latter’s claymore changed to smoke grenades.

The patch also removes the Tactical Realism playlist type from the game entirely. Similar to Call of Duty’s Hardcore modes, Tactical Realism removed much of the game’s HUD and disabled enemy marking. The style has been replaced with an “interface preferences” option that allows players to enable and disable HUD parameters as they desire. The patch also changes how ranked match cancellation works. Now, players can only cancel a match during the prep phase of the first round, with abstentions counting as no votes. Ties will result in a cancelled game.

Rainbow Six Siege Y6S1.3 Patch Notes

OPERATOR BALANCING

ACE

• Replaced Smoke Grenades with Claymore
• The S.E.L.M.A. Aqua Breacher destroys Mira’s Black Mirror window

JACKAL

• Reduced the C7E magazine capacity to 25+1 bullets (from 30+1)
• Reduced the C7E damage to 42 (from 46)

JÄGER

• Reduced the 416-C magazine capacity to 25+1 (from 30+1)
• Increased the 416-C vertical kick

TACHANKA

Shumikha Launcher

• Increased the magazine capacity to 7 (from 5)
• Increased the fire duration to 7s (from 5s)
• Reduced the detonation time to 0.75s (from 1s)
• Increased the fire area radius to 1.9m (from 1.7m)
• Increased the projectile “distance to start drop” to 20m (from 8m)
• Increased the projectile speed to 30 (from 20)

DP27

• Reduced the equip time to 0.65s (from 0.9s)
• Reduced the unequip time to 0.3s (from 0.42s)

THERMITE

• Replaced Claymore with Smoke Grenades

TWEAKS AND IMPROVEMENTS

GAME BALANCING

Designated Marksman Rifle (ATTACKERS)

• Removed access to 1.0x scopes
• Gave access to 1.5x, 2.0x, and 2.5x scopes
• Added 3.0x as default scope

PLAYER COMFORT

Removal of Tactical Realism

• Removed the Tactical Realism playlist type from Custom Games.
• Added Interface Preferences to the Options menu that allow players to enable and disable some HUD parameters.
• All Tactical Realism playlists that have been saved by players will be removed.

Ubisoft Connect

• Stats micro-app is coming to Ubisoft Connect overlay.
• Discover your stats and compare them with your friends.
• Discover your playstyle as an Attacker and as a Defender.

GAME HEALTH

Ranked Match Cancellation

• A vote to cancel a match can only be triggered during the Preparation Phase in the first round of the match.
• When a player refrains from voting, it is considered a “no” vote instead of not being counted.
• The vote is still decided by the majority, with ties going in favor of a cancel.

BUG FIXES

GAMEPLAY

• FIXED – Attackers can use 2 drones to push the planted defuser inside the objective room.
• FIXED – Environmental destruction is not replicated for a player who joins an in-progress match.
• FIXED – Players who leave a Ranked or Unranked match are sometimes unable to rejoin and get infinite loading.
• FIXED – Players are able to get double MMR if 4 players leave the match and rejoin.
• FIXED – Explosions can destroy Bandit’s Shock Wire through reinforced walls and indestructible floors.
• FIXED – Cancelling a Ranked queue may result in an Abandon Penalty, even if the player never joined a match.

LEVEL DESIGN

• FIXED – The drone can see through the curtains above the window near 1F Red Stairs on Villa map.
• FIXED – Doorway on the eastern side of 2F Bedroom is blocked if the player is AFK on Club House map.
• FIXED – Player is able to glitch inside of the car located in Garage on House map.
• FIXED – Drones get stuck inside the pile of wood in EXT Stable on Villa map.
• FIXED – Payphones have no collision with Operators on Outback map.
• FIXED – The spotlight in 1F Waiting Room no longer illuminates the environment when looking at it from 1F Customs Inspection on Border map.
• FIXED – Defenders can be detected outdoors when they stand near the door frame in 1F Waiting Room on Border map.
• FIXED – Collision issues around windows on Consulate map.
• FIXED – Player is able to plant the defuser between the bomb sites in 1F Main Lobby on Border map.
• FIXED – Attackers have unfair line of sight through a drone vent from EXT Office Balcony to 1F Bedroom on Skyscraper map.
• FIXED – Various LOD issues on Outback map.
• FIXED – Multiple collision issues on Chalet map on Xbox Series X.

OPERATORS

• FIXED – Echo’s Yokai and Mozzie’s captured drones lose their signal on the stairs in B Snowmobile Garage Corridor on Chalet map.
• FIXED – When Flores’ RCE-Ratero Charge detonates, its HUD remains on screen.
• FIXED – Player with RFF is able to eliminate Caveira while she is interrogating an Attacker.

USER EXPERIENCE

• FIXED – Minor cosmetic and UI issues.
• FIXED – Localization issues throughout the game.
• FIXED – Various Audio, SFX, and Animation issues throughout the game.
• FIXED – Infinite loading present if the player starts a match replay and enters the Options menu before the Operator reveal ends.
• FIXED – Error is received when attempting to purchase currency packs or digital content from the first party store in-game on PS5.
• FIXED – Inconsistent difficulty for Flores in the Battle Pass section and the Operators section
• FIXED – Player is kicked from Squad after changing their spoken language on Xbox.

A clash of industry titans is taking place inside a California district courtroom. Epic Games Inc. v Apple Inc. is ongoing. The case is estimated to take place over three weeks, with the hearing taking place daily Mondays through Thursdays from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM PT / 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET

So far both sides have presented their opening arguments and Tim Sweeney has testified, and already we’ve seen lots of interesting revelations through various pieces of evidence submitted at the trial. Check below for all of the updates we’ve received so far. Check out how to follow along with the trial if you’d like to hear the proceedings yourself, and for background on how we got here, read our primer on the Epic v Apple suit.

May 3

New Fortnite Skins Leaked In Epic Vs. Apple Case: Samus, Naruto, The Rock, And More

A document obtained from the trial revealed several potential characters coming to Fortnite. These may not all come to pass, but it’s a unique look inside Epic Games and its expansive plans to keep wrapping up more popular characters into its Fortnite metaverse. Those included additions like Nintendo’s Samus Aran, musicians like Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga, and actor The Rock. Some of these were presented as part of Fortnite’s “Icons” series, which so far has centered around professional Fortnite players.

Epic’s Attempts To Secure Fortnite PlayStation Cross-Play Revealed In Emails With Sony

Among the disclosures revealed at the start of trial, we saw a series of emails exchanged between Epic Games and Sony in 2018 related to Sony’s reluctance to allow cross-play on its platform. Epic courted Sony with offers of ideas like a unique character for PlayStation Plus subscribers, and said their partnership could “make Sony look like heroes.” SIE senior director Gio Corsi rejected the proposals, saying they were good ideas but unconvinced that they showed cross-platform play would be good for the PlayStation platform.

Epic V Apple Case Reveals Fortnite Made $9 Billion In Two Years

As part of Epic’s financial disclosures in the trial, the company revealed that over 2018 and 2019 its headline game Fortnite made $9 billion. We don’t know how much of that is profit, however.

The financial revelations didn’t stop there, as we also learned how much Epic paid out to various platform partners between January 2017 and October 2020. In that time, it paid approximately $237 million to Apple, $246 million to Microsoft, and $451 million to Sony. This was presented by Apple as evidence that iOS is not the biggest platform for Fortnite.

Epic Games v. Apple Trial Starts With Audience Screaming “Free Fortnite”

The court proceedings got off to a rowdy start as listeneers who had dialed into the Zoom call to listen in were accidentally left unmuted. This being the Internet, the more than 200 participants started shouting “free Fortnite” (the slogan introduced in Epic’s PR efforts) or even promoting their own YouTube channels. After roughly 20 minutes, the court got the mute functionality working so that the trial could proceed.

Pre-Trial

Fortnite Earns Almost Half Its Revenue On PS4, According To New Court Documents

As part of the pre-trial court documents, we learned that despite the massive install base of iOS device users, it’s not the largest Fortnite platform by a long shot. In fact, PS4 was the biggest driver of Fortnite revenues from March 2018 through July 2020, with Xbox One following in second. Apple’s iOS devices accounted for only 7% of total Fortnite revenue during the period.

Epic Games Reveals Intentional Withholding Fortnite From Xbox’s xCloud Service

In its disclosures before the trial began, Epic Games indirectly revealed that it is intentionally withholding Fortnite from appearing on Xbox’s streaming service. The service, which was called xCloud in testing, has not received Fortnite because Epic views the service to be in competition with Epic’s own PC offerings.