Harry Potter fans may be relieved to find out that according to WB games–parent company of Hogwarts Legacy developers Avalanche and Portkey Games–series author J.K. Rowling did not have a direct role in creating the new game.
In its FAQ, WB stated, “J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game, however, her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World.” It goes on to note that Hogwarts Legacy “is not a new story from J.K. Rowling.”
Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world RPG set in 1800’s Hogwarts, before both the Fantastic Beasts films and the original series. Fans have been waiting a long time for a AAA Harry Potter game, but the announcement may have come too late.
Rowling has stirred up a good amount of controversy over her repeated transphobic takes on Twitter, the most recent of which caught her mocking a headline that used the phrase “people who menstruate.” She also decided to “explain” her position through a lengthy blog post that pretty much just dug her heels in, including a comment on trans men being included in radical feminism because they were “born women.” These statements have led to many people calling her a TERF (trans exclusionary radical feminist). This is troubling for some given that her latest book centers around a man who dresses as a woman to commit murders.
These beliefs and statements from Rowling have led to a divide in the Harry Potter fandom. While some are calling for boycotts of the game, others feel it would be unfair to punish the developers for the author’s sins. Regardless of what actions consumers decide to take, Rowling’s actions and words caused enough of a stir for WB to issue a statement after her initial comments, and now to officially announce her limited involvement in Hogwarts Legacy.
While she may not be directly involved, it’s safe to assume she will still be raking in royalties as Rowling still profits from the Wizarding World IP in its entirety. With these lasting fingerprints, it’s clear WB has felt the need to address her influence, but it seems like the game won’t be able to fully escape the shadow Rowling now casts.
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PlayStation 5 preorders went live earlier than expected, and many eager gamers are running into difficulties getting one from various retailers, including Walmart. The company, which previously said PS5 preorders would be available in its stores on September 22, has now changed these plans.
Though online preorders at the retailer started yesterday, the new way for gamers to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 in time for its November 12 launch date from Walmart is to wait until the console drops on November 12. Previously, Walmart planned to take PS5 preorders, with people able to choose between the Digital and Standard editions. Now, Walmart’s site states the PlayStation 5 is “coming soon,” with no option to preorder available.
This change was likely put in place to follow CDC guidelines on maintaining social distance during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as well as to keep steady control over in-store traffic.
“Walmart has decided not to proceed with the planned store pre-order to control store traffic and keep our customers safe and socially distanced,” a company spokesperson told GameSpot over email. “Customers can still get the console on November 12 when it’s released. Apologies for any confusion.”
The PlayStation 5 retails for $400 for the Digital edition and $500 for the Standard edition when it arrives this November. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about Sony’s upcoming next gen system, including where to preorder and what its launch games are.
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The next game in the Little Big Planet series arrives as a PlayStation 5 launch title on November 12. Sackboy: A Big Adventure, which trades side-scrolling for 3D platforming, will also release on PS4 on the same day. Though it’s not Little Big Planet 4, Sackboy does appear to be the closest to a mainline entry we’ve seen of the numerous spin-offs. As of now, only the PS5 version is available to preorder and no preorder bonuses have been announced.
For those who don’t plan on getting the PS5 at launch, you should know that the PS4 version has a free upgrade to the PS5 edition. The only exception to the free upgrade offer is if you purchase a physical PS4 edition of Sackboy and the PS5 Digital Edition.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure PS5 preorders are live now at multiple retailers for $60.
Developed by Sumo Digital, Sackboy: A Big Adventure takes on an isometric 3D perspective similar to what we saw in Super Mario 3D World. Throughout the adventure, you’ll jump your way through 3D levels, topple baddies, and solve puzzles. Sackboy will have new moves and a collection of gadgets to utilize on his journey.
In the announcement trailer, we saw that Sackboy will be accompanied by a pirate, though her identity and story details have yet to be revealed.
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Sackboy: A Big Adventure Announcement Trailer | Sony PS5 Reveal Event
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Sackboy: A Big Adventure will support local and online co-op, including the ability to play through the whole adventure cooperatively. There will also be co-op only levels scattered throughout the campaign. On PS5, Sackboy will make use of the PS5’s new tech, with haptic controller feedback, 3D audio, and fast load times.
Xbox Game Pass‘s xCloud streaming service is now in beta for Android mobile devices, and the arrival of a new cloud-based streaming platform again highlights how intriguing the streaming idea can be. But streaming games from the internet, rather than playing them on your own hardware, has been around in various forms for a while, and it has always suffered from something of a practicality gap between conception and execution. Sure, if you’ve got a stable enough internet connection, it’s nice to play video games without having to spring for expensive hardware–especially in the often-confusing, technical world of PC gaming. But if you’re already pretty interested in video games, you’re probably already pretty invested in video games. For the largest audience of people who like games, what’s the real upshot of streaming if they’ve already bought in?
Playing with xCloud on an Android device, the thing that struck me most was how much the service can unlock you from the traditional places where games have to be played. It’s the thing that has most endeared me to my Nintendo Switch: I can wander around my apartment with it, I can take it outside or to bed, and I can play it without tying up a TV or computer that other people sharing space with me might also want to use. Firing up xCloud on an Android phone and jumping into a Halo: Master Chief Collection multiplayer match, I had the same feeling–a feeling we’ve all come to enjoy.
I’m speaking, of course, about enjoying a full-fledged AAA video game from the toilet.
The xCloud service is now in beta for Android devices (sorry, Apple users), and it’s very easy to set up and use. You’ll need the $15-a-month Game Pass Ultimate subscription to use it, but once you have that, it’s just a matter of downloading and signing into the Xbox Game Pass app on Android to get into games. Apart from the cost, the biggest barrier of entry to xCloud is its controller requirement. Minecraft Dungeons sports touch controls, but few other titles do right now (something Microsoft says it expects to change as the service ramps up), so you need a gamepad with Bluetooth support or compatible USB connections. I spent way more time struggling to get an Xbox One controller to pair with my Android phone using Bluetooth than I ever did actually firing up a game. Once you’re signed in, however, it’s a matter of two taps to start playing something: one to open the app and another to pick the game you want.
The thing that immediately made xCloud seem useful to me was what it gains in using Microsoft’s existing gaming architecture on PC and Xbox One with Game Pass. Already, Game Pass has revitalized my interest in my Xbox One, opening up a big library of games both on console and PC. I’ve found myself playing and enjoying a lot of games I wouldn’t otherwise have the time or drive to bother with because they’re so readily available, and specifically available in multiple locations. Microsoft’s cloud streaming service adds a lot to that versatility.
It’s not just that you can stream a game onto an Android phone with xCloud, although that’s the most immediately obvious aspect of the service. Yes, I streamed a bunch of full games without downloading them onto a device ostensibly incapable of otherwise handling them, and that’s cool. But what impressed me about xCloud was that I was able to stream Ori and the Will of the Wisps and leap immediately into the save file I’d started on Xbox One. I fired up Spiritfarer and seamlessly picked up the game I’d started on PC. I was able to start a Halo: Reach campaign on the phone, then switch back to a bigger screen when I felt like it. What makes Microsoft’s offering stand apart from, say, Google Stadia, is that in transferring games between platforms, I’m not stuck always streaming–I can stream for a bit on a phone and then switch to a more stable game running on my PC or Xbox if I prefer it, or need more responsiveness.
The upshot of cloud gaming for me isn’t really about having another device to play games on. I play a lot of games on a lot of things, across all manner of different hardware. Even in 2020, though, the trouble is that all those devices tend to play different games. I have a handful of titles on my Switch, a few interesting mobile games on my phone, exclusives I play on my PlayStation 4, exclusives I play on my Xbox, PC games I get from Steam or Epic. Even if games are available on multiple platforms, there’s rarely any overlap.
Game Pass opens up those doors a bit, so now I’m playing Halo on Xbox and PC, but I’m still stuck in one of those two spots, or lugging hardware back and forth between rooms to play certain games. And the cool thing about xCloud is the inkling that I don’t have to be in a specific spot with a bunch of specific gear in order to play a specific game. I can play Ori in any room of my apartment, including the commode, and I don’t have to do any frustrating uploading of save files or downloading of games.
It’s worth noting that while I haven’t tested xCloud as extensively as I might if I were reviewing the service, I spent the better part of a day just testing games and found, at least on my Los Angeles internet connection, that they all ran pretty damn well. Input lag, aliasing, and frame drops are common problems with streaming games, and I noticed minimal issues on all three fronts. I even managed to hop into a Halo 3 multiplayer match and not get the bottom score, despite being very out of practice with its 2007 control scheme. I played Spiritfarer, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Halo: Reach, Halo 3, Batman: Arkham Knight, Gears 5, and Journey to the Savage Planet, and everything worked pretty well. I felt a little input lag and saw some aliasing in Reach, but it was far from being unplayable, and that was the worst of it.
We should also note that while the Game Pass library is pretty extensive, it still does have some fracturing. Not every Xbox game is playable on PC and vice versa, and neither of those two libraries is wholly available to stream through xCloud. So while I’m lauding what the service adds in jumping from platform to platform and gaming setup to gaming setup, we have to acknowledge that that’s still not possible even with every Game Pass game. Even with the strides forward on this front, there’s still a long way to go.
Having messed with xCloud, my stance on cloud gaming is still more or less that, just as with services such as Stadia or PlayStation Now, this is a novelty with useful aspects that I don’t really need. Really, most of what I like about xCloud is what I like about Game Pass. But I do have to say that beating up thugs in Arkham City and tending my boat-farm in Spiritfarer while pooping is an intoxicating, heady freedom. It makes me wish I could play every game I own while pooping–among, you know, other things. I’m hoping xCloud leads to more possibilities like it, from more gaming companies.
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Sony finally announced the price and release date for the PlayStation 5, putting an end to the long wait for head-to-head next-generation console details after Xbox outlined its own hardware plans last week. Despite indications from Sony indicating otherwise, preorders unexpectedly opened shortly after, leading to confusion and frustration amid canceled orders and scrambling retailers. How did it go so wrong?
Sony’s messaging around preorders was sloppy and inconsistent. Shortly after the widely publicized presentation, the company noted in a separate announcement on the PlayStation Blog that preorders would begin the following day, September 17. Then we learned that some retailers planned to open preorders early–but with no word of which ones or when. What followed was a chaotic mess, with retailers opening their stock at different and largely odd times. Even buyers who were quick on the draw were sometimes met with out-of-stock notifications, leading many to flock from one retailer to another as they subsequently opened. Some fans wasted a long time refreshing Twitter or retailer sites, only to end up with nothing. Those who planned to preorder at a retail store had to rush for limited allocations.
It’s unclear how much of this is on Sony, and how much retailers took their own initiative and jumped the gun on preorders before the planned time. But given that Sony never detailed when that time was supposed to be, it’s hard to tell.
In this environment of uncertainty, it should be no surprise that scalpers are running rampant. Sellers on the auction site Ebay offering the promise of a future PlayStation 5 are currently asking for $800-$1000 for a console that retailers are selling for half that much.
Meanwhile, PlayStation fans have been left without clear messaging on when and how they can purchase a PS5 legitimately. Retailers have not announced ahead of time when they plan to put up stock, and some have even changed their previously stated plans. Walmart notably planned to host in-store preorders, but changed to online-only, anticipating that the crowds would make it difficult to maintain social distancing guidelines.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Following one of the earliest PS5 showcases over the summer, a rumor circulated that preorders would be dropping any minute. PlayStation worldwide marketing head Eric Lempel responded to reports of eager PlayStation fans lining up at retail stores with reassurances that sound downright comical in light of recent events.
“We’ll let you know when it will happen,” Lempel said in an interview with The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley. “It’s not going to happen with a minute’s notice. We’re going to, at some point, let you know when you can preorder PlayStation 5. So, please, don’t feel like you have to go run out and line up anywhere until you receive official notice on how that’ll work.”
But fans had to do exactly that, and some still missed out. Lempel was technically correct that fans didn’t have a minute’s notice. It was more like an hour.
This preorder email only reached select people several hours after other retailers lifted the lid on its PS5 preorders.
Sony even created its own mechanism for managing preorders. Fans were invited to register for PlayStation Direct, Sony’s own store portal, and the company promised it would be “inviting some of our existing consumers to be one of the first to preorder.” But this wasn’t accurate. While you can preorder some games and accessories through the PlayStation Direct site, the console itself hasn’t gone on sale yet, well after retailers have opened their preorders.
Twenty-four hours later, we still don’t know when or where the PlayStation 5 will be available to preorder next, or when sold-out stores are expecting to get more stock. Our preorder guide is keeping tabs on the situation for those still looking for one, but Sony hasn’t been clear or consistent in its messaging.
By contrast, Xbox preorders have not yet gone live, even though Microsoft announced its price and release date a week ago. The company has already clearly indicated exactly when we can expect preorders to begin, 8 AM PT on September 22, giving fans two weeks to prepare. Xbox head Phil Spencer said the original roadmap was to announce its console plans a week later–which would have put it right next to the Sony announcement–but even then Xbox fans would have had almost a week of warning time before preorders go live. That’s a far cry from the mad dash caused by Sony’s starter pistol of an announcement.
I know it’s been a wait for price, date, pre-order date. Thanks to the community for their support and encouragement 🙂 Great to see the reactions, really proud of how the team handled the unscripted announce (was supposed to be next week but oh well…). Can’t wait for launch. https://t.co/CxXWDVmmNw
Microsoft has capitalized on Sony’s messy rollout by posing itself as poised and professional. A recent tweet from the official Xbox account threw some subtle shade by promising that an exact time for preorders would be revealed soon. The message was ambiguous enough, but it’s hard not to interpret it as a shot across the bow in response to the gamers’ frustration with Sony.
Pre-order 👉 September 22 Worldwide launch in 36 countries 👉 November 10 Hype 👉 9000+ (don’t worry – we’ll let you know the exact time pre-orders start for you soon) pic.twitter.com/SLUrrtszyN
It may very well be that Xbox preorders are equally chaotic next week, and it’s almost certain that scalpers will try to take advantage regardless. And naturally, a lot of gamers aren’t platform-agnostic–they may have specifically wanted a PlayStation 5, so if Xbox is readily available and easy to preorder, it doesn’t really solve their problem.
Any large tech rollout is going to come with its share of issues, but these wounds appear largely self-inflicted. Sony could have simply been clearer and more consistent, and stuck to the promises it already made regarding how it would distribute both consoles and information about the consoles. Sony’s PS5 presentation was a well-produced showcase with lots of great-looking games. Excited fans may have been left frustrated or even missed their opportunity to preorder without realizing. Now those negative could sour them to jumping onboard, at least for the time being, or even drive them to take a closer look at the competition. Long-term damage is unlikely, but it’s a disappointing stumble. What should have been Sony’s shining moment was undermined by a preordering fiasco.
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At long last, WB Games revealed its upcoming Harry Potter RPG, Hogwarts Legacy. But given the recent controversies around series author J.K. Rowling, WB Games clarified that Rowling has no direct involvement with the magic RPG developed by Avalanche.
The basis for Hogwarts Legacy comes from the Harry Potter young adult novels written by J.K. Rowling who has come under fire recently due to beliefs she’s made public that are considered transphobic.
Rowling’s various comments on gender, as well as plot points in her Cormoran Strike mystery novels that she writes under the pen name Robert Galbraith, have been accused of transphobia and have faced public backlash. Actors from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films such as Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Eddie Redmayne have come out in support of trans rights, publicly disagreeing with Rowling’s comments. Some book stores have also stopped stocking Harry Potter novels in protest.
Amid this wider public controversy with the author, some have wondered what her involvement with Hogwarts Legacy is. In the official FAQ page for the RPG published by WB Games, the company confirmed that “J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game,” but adds that “her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World.”
WB also confirmed that the story in Hogwarts Legacy is not written by Rowling nor is it an adaptation of any Harry Potter book or film.
However, WB declined to comment on whether Rowling will receive royalties from sales of Hogwarts Legacy. And the video game license will have undoubtedly gone through Rowling at some point in the development process.
Hogwarts Legacy is the long-rumored Harry Potter RPG developed by Avalanche and published by WB Games under their Portkey Games label. The project had a high-profile leak in 2018, which made the project known, though WB refused to talk about the RPG until its official reveal at this week’s PS5 event.
Hogwarts Legacy is not meant to tie into any of the existing Harry Potter novels specifically, but instead is set in the same universe, except during the 1800s – a time period that has not yet been seen in any Harry Potter or Fantastic Beast stories. Players will create characters who enroll in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and experience what it is like to be student witch or wizard.
Nintendo showcased a variety of third-party Switch games during today’s Nintendo Direct Mini. In addition to big surprises like Monster Hunter Rise and Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny, the video presentation gave us our first look at Rune Factory 5, the next entry in Xseed’s fantasy RPG sim series.
Whereas past installments primarily featured a top-down viewpoint, Rune Factory 5 lets players explore a full 3D world. The game casts players as an amnesic hero who recently arrives in a small but bountiful town, where they are recruited into a band of rangers who help keep the peace.
Like Story of Seasons, the series from which it was spun off, farming plays a major role in Rune Factory 5. In addition to defending the town from monsters, you’ll be able to tend crops, go fishing, and get married. The battle system also has a few new wrinkles; you can now team up with other characters to unleash powerful combo attacks.
Rune Factory 5 does not yet have a release date, but it is slated to launch on Switch sometime in 2021. You can check out the first screenshots and gameplay trailer for the game above.
Rune Factory 5 is the first new entry in the series since Rune Factory 4, which originally launched on 3DS back in 2013. An enhanced version of that game was released on Switch this past February.
There was a lot of other news out of today’s presentation. In addition to Monster Hunter Rise, we got our first look at Monster Hunter Stories 2, a sequel to the series’ 3DS RPG spin-off. You can catch up on all the biggest announcements from the presentation in our Nintendo Direct Mini recap.
Currently on sale for $45.49, The Dark Horse Deluxe Mass Effect Alliance: Normandy SR2 is a small-scale figurine of Commander Shepard’s shop from probably the most acclaimed Mass Effect entry. The figurine is just like the in-game ones you can collect and display in your personal quarters, with a metallic N7 symbol to really stand out when on show. Check it out below.
The listing specifically mentions that this is a “Remastered Edition” of this model, which could line up with a potential trilogy remaster soon. The replica is set to launch on November 25, but a previous retailer leak suggested that the trilogy is coming to current-gen consoles and PC this October. EA, Mass Effect’s publisher, has yet to formally announce anything.
Mass Effect: Andromeda was the last entry in the series, with BioWare Montreal attempting to spin-off the franchise in a brand-new galaxy with a whole new cast of characters. While a good game, it failed to capture the splendor of the trilogy before it. “As a Mass Effect game, Andromeda falls well short of the nuanced politics, morality, and storytelling of its predecessors,” critic Scott Butterworth wrote in GameSpot’s Mass Effect: Andromeda review.
Growing up, you probably heard the old “my dad could beat up your dad” line from some random child on the playground. However, on a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, guest host Samuel L. Jackson took that idea a step further, asking the star of Tenet, John David Washington, if his character could beat up one of his father’s characters.
Washington has known Jackson his whole life, so it was a very friendly and down-to-Earth interview, like two old friends having a chat. Then, Jackson asked if Washinton’s character in Tenet–called Protagonist–could beat up Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer. “Because of the rules of inversion, Protagonist [would win],” Washington told Jackson. “There’s a sci-fi element that we have that Equalizer didn’t have—that gives him the edge.”
Washington tried to dance around a little about why his character could beat up his father’s character, as he can’t say much about the film. “So you’re hitting us with a riddle,” replied Jackson. “So now we got to go to the movie and make up our own minds whether The Equalizer can kick your ass or not.”
Washington replied with a solemn, “Yes, Uncle Sam.” Tenet is out in movie theaters globally, even though many movie theaters in the United States are not open because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, the film passed the $200 million box office mark worldwide. Because of the pandemic, it is extremely doubtful that Tenet will be that $1 billion global money-maker for Warner Bros. Studios, regardless of positive critic reviews.
In GameSpot’s review of Tenet, Eddie Makuch said, “Tenet is a mind-bender of a movie that has action galore, characters you can for the most part connect with and understand, and a time travel story that doesn’t get bogged down in the details and just lets you enjoy the spectacle.”
You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry–or litigating. Progress is being made on the She-Hulk live-action series, which was first announced at the D23 convention in 2019, even though you might have forgotten it was happening. According to a new report, the title role of She-Hulk has been cast.
Deadline says that Tatiana Maslany, who most will remember as the star of Orphan Black, has been picked to take on the role of Jennifer Walters, an attorney and the cousin of Bruce Banner. She becomes She-Hulk after a transfusion gives her some of Bruce’s blood.
Don’t expect another rage monster like what MCU fans have seen for most of Mark Ruffalo’s run as the Hulk, though. Instead, Jennifer Walters is a lot more like the Hulk, as portrayed in Avengers: Endgame, allowing her to keep her personality and mind for the law even when hulked out.
Marvel Studios seems to be putting a big focus on She-Hulk lately, as this is the second piece of news this week to be revealed about the series. It’s also been reported that Kat Coiro (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) is currently in talks to direct the pilot episode of the series, as well as a number of future episodes.
As for whether Ruffalo would reprise his role as Bruce Banner/Hulk on the show, the Avengers star has said in the past that it’s not out of the question. “There’s some talk of having Banner/Hulk show up in She-Hulk. If we come up with something good, that would be really interesting,” he said in an interview with Variety. “Right now that’s about it. That’s all there is on the table.”
