Category: Games

Microsoft says its new studios will “focus on making games for our platforms,” with no further plans to release more Xbox exclusives on PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch.

The company has recently acquired a number of studios that either have or will release games on Nintendo Switch and PS4, including Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Obsidian. However, it looks unlikely that this partnership will continue with Xbox’s future releases.

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft outlined its plans for upcoming first-party titles, saying, “The past year has been an exciting time for us as we have more than doubled the internal creative teams making up Xbox Game Studios. As these new studios transitioned in, we were aware of some existing commitments to other platforms and will honor them. However, going forward these new studios will focus on making games for our platforms. We have no plans to further expand our exclusive first-party games to other consoles.”

This follows an announcement, via Nintendo, that previous Xbox One and PC exclusive Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition, will be coming to Nintendo Switch with Microsoft handling the publishing duties.

Nintendo and Microsoft have been collaborating on multiple projects over the past 12 months. Banjo-Kazooie was revealed as a DLC character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate back at E3 2019, and Microsoft also helped support the Switch releases for both Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Cuphead. The company has plans to bring Xbox Live to Nintendo’s machine in the future as well.

Meanwhile, games like Fortnite: Battle Royale, Rocket League, and Minecraft continue to support crossplay across multiple platforms, and Microsoft has no desire to halt these plans for current or upcoming titles. “We continue to believe deeply in crossplay and progression of games with the right flexibility for developers to ensure a fair and fun experience,” the statement reads.

Microsoft also has plans to make its IP accessible via other devices by using the company’s streaming service xCloud.

When a low-budget horror movie with a mostly unknown cast and the seemingly generic title of Halloween hit theaters on the weekend of October 25, 1978, no one could have anticipated the impact it would have. John Carpenter’s film went on to become one of the most successful independent movies of all time, grossing $70 million worldwide with a budget of $300,000. And just as notably, it was a key part of the first wave of slasher movies that would dominate horror for the next few years.

Inevitably many sequels, reboots, and remakes followed, with varying degrees of critical and commercial success. But no matter how bad some of the later Halloween movies are, Michael Myers–aka The Shape–is truly one of the great horror characters, leading filmmakers to regularly look for new ways to kickstart the series for the next generation of horror fans.

The latest movie, simply titled Halloween once again, arrived in October 2018. It had been nine years since the last one–Rob Zombie’s much-maligned Halloween 2–which was the longest gap ever between movies. But there was much to be hopeful for. It was produced by Blumhouse, the production company with a long stream of horror hits behind them, including Get Out, Paranormal Activity, and The Purge. It was directed by acclaimed filmmaker David Gordon Green and co-written with comedian, actor, and horror fan Danny McBride. And most excitingly, both John Carpenter and original star Jamie Lee Curtis were involved.

Carpenter had not been involved with a Halloween movie since 1983, but in this case, he he was a creative adviser as well as writing a new music score. And Curtis returned to reprise her role as Laurie Strode, in a movie that would act as a direct sequel to the original film. Halloween 2018 proved to be a box office smash, making $255 million worldwide and setting the stage for an inevitable sequel.

After some teasing, not one but two new Halloween movies were announced in July–Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends. The announcement came from Carpenter himself, and while only a few details have been revealed so far, we know the titles of the movies, release dates, plus some of the cast and crew. So here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Halloween sequels…

Steam is on its way to China as a separate marketplace co-created by Valve and its Chinese partner, Perfect World. The Shanghai-based video game developer and publisher said Steam China will be “almost entirely independent of Steam.”

That’s according to a report by Technode. The bespoke marketplace is officially titled “Zhengqi Pingtai,” which translates to Steam Platform.

By creating a self-contained version of Steam specifically for China, it ensures Valve will be able to conform to the increasingly stringent rules Chinese regulators have placed on video games, without damaging its interests in other regions. Valve has come under close scrutiny in the past because of the violent and sexually explicit games it distributes on the marketplace, but an independent Chinese store should alleviate these issues in the future.

According to Perfect World CEO Xiao Hong, Steam China will be “tailored for Chinese users,” with “high-speed servers and high-quality operations teams.” Around 40 games will initially release on the new platform, all of which are currently available on the international version of Steam, including Dota 2 and Dota Underlords.

Nintendo devoted its pre-show presentation to a slate of indie games on Switch, but promised the week would be littered with new footage of its first-party 2019 lineup as well. The company has now delivered for The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, with an extended 30 minutes of gameplay.

The new footage features a lengthy look at the snap-together dungeon creator, highlighting how simple visual prompts let you know if your design works. It also takes a look at several mini-boss battles that will look very familiar to anyone who played the original.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening appears to be a very faithful remake of the 1993 Gameboy game of the same name. As highlighted in the trailer, Link’s Awakening was remains a very different kind of Zelda game, with cameos from Mario characters, short side-scrolling segments, and other oddities that would be a bit out of place in Hyrule.

The remake will come alongside a new Amiibo featuring Link in the game’s new art style. US customers can get the Dreamer Edition that includes a book of concept art, while Europe gets a Limited Edition with an art book and a steelbook case modeled after a Gameboy. You can check out more details in our Link’s Awakening pre-order guide.

While there have been many Stephen King adaptations over the past few years, it was 2017’s It that has proved by far the most successful. The movie took more than $700 million at the worldwide box office and within a few weeks of release, a follow-up had been announced. The first reviews of It: Chapter 2 are now with us.

The movie hits theaters next month. The movie picks up the story 30 years later and completes the adaptation of King’s classic 1987 novel. While the book interwove two timelines, the movies have separated them, with the story of the Losers Club and their childhood fight against the evil being of the title occupying the first film. It: Chapter 2 features the adult versions of those characters, as they reunite to fight evil once more.

The film is directed by Andy Muschietti and stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Isaiah Mustafa, and Bill Skarsgård. The first trailer was released in May, with another scary promo and exclusive footage shown during San Diego Comic-Con in July.

It: Chapter 2 has now been screened for critics ahead of its September 6 release. Opinion so far is mixed, with some critics praising the film’s ambition and dark themes, while others commenting that it falls short of the standards set by the first movie. Check back soon for GameSpot’s review of the film, and in the meantime, here’s what the critics are saying about It: Chapter 2 on Twitter:

Before its release later next month, you can begin your journey early by downloading a demo for Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition on the UK Switch Eshop and the US Switch Eshop right now.

All of your progress will carry over into the full game, allowing you to get a head start on the latest grand adventure in the Dragon Quest series.

The demo will also give you a taste of some of the new additions coming to the Definitive Edition on Switch. There’s a comprehensive host of changes and new content, including new character-specific stories, fully orchestrated field and battle music, side quests that allow you to journey into past Dragon Quest worlds, and the ability to switch between not only HD and retro-inspired 16-bit visuals adapted from the 3DS version, but Japanese and English voice tracks as well.

GameSpot reviewed Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age back in September last year when it was initially released for PC and PS4. Reviewer Heidi Kemps gave it 9/10, saying, “Innovation in games is talked about a lot, but it’s also great to see traditional gameplay formulas that have been around for decades presented exceptionally well. Dragon Quest XI is one of the best modern examples of this; its beautiful presentation, both visual- and story-wise, combines with a tried-and-true gameplay formula for a journey that’s full of heart and soul. Once you find yourself sucked into the world of Dragon Quest XI, it’s going to be hard to put down until you reach the grand finale.”

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition launches on Nintendo Switch September 27.