Rocket League’s National Football League DLC and limited-timed mode have been brought back to the soccer-with-cars game to celebrate the ongoing NFL Draft.
This includes the NFL Fan Pack and the Gridiron limited-time mode, both of which are available in the game now. Additionally, there are brand-new NFL-themed items available to unlock by completing new challenges. Double XP is also available all weekend.
It’s @NFL Draft Weekend and we are celebrating with the return of the NFL Fan Pack and Gridiron LTM! Check it out IN GAME NOW! Plus, earn NEW @NFL items by completing new challenges as well as 2XP ALL WEEKEND LONG đ pic.twitter.com/k8KoxJeuKD
The Gridiron mode is a 4v4 mode where the ball is replaced by an NFL football. When you come into contact with the football, it attaches to the roof, simulating a ball-carrier in the NFL. The Fan Pack, meanwhile, is a store bundle that comes with decals for all 32 NFL teams. It’s not exactly clear, however, what the brand-new NFL items are.
The NFL Draft began on Thursday, with the Jacksonville Jaguars selecting Trevor Lawrence as the No. 1 overall pick. The Draft continues through Saturday.
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Despite assurances that it would be microtransaction-free, two more paid cosmetic packs have been added to store pages for Doom Eternal across platforms. The packs include skins that were previously offered to players for no cost. Doom Eternal’s first paid cosmetic pack, the Rip And Tear Pack, was released nearly two months after the game’s original release and includes preorder exclusive content.
The Series One Cosmetic Pack includes items that were available to players during Doom Eternal’s first season. Players can purchase various nameplates, icons, weapon skins, and character skins by purchasing the pack for $9.
The second pack, the Doomicorn Master Collection Cosmetic Pack, dresses up the Slayer as a pretty pink unicorn. It also includes other skins, new podiums, animations, and other cosmetic items. The pack was originally available in March 2020 for free to anyone that had a Twitch Prime account. It now retails for $5.
The Doomicorn Cosmetic Pack was previously offered to Twitch Prime subscribers for free
Prior to Doom Eternal’s launch, fans of the series were assured that the game would be microtransaction-free, specifically when it came to skins and other cosmetics. That guarantee came straight from Hugo Martin, the game’s creative director. “Eternal is a $60 game, not a free-to-play game or a mobile game–we are giving you a complete experience with no store just like you’d expect,” Martin said on Facebook.
“Unlocking skins with XP is a part of the experience if you care about that stuff or you can completely ignore it and it will have no impact on your experience at all and it’s all free.”
The launch of these cosmetic packs has also apparently come with some issues according to consumers. Reviews for both packs on Steam report that purchasing one pack, for example, the Doomicorn Master Collection Cosmetic Pack, will result in the other being added to your library.
Doom Eternal is now available to any Xbox Game Pass subscriber, along with a slew of other titles from Id Software, Bethesda, and more.
Developer Mediatonic has made some big announcements about the future of Fall Guys. The Nintendo Switch and Xbox versions of the whimsical battle royale game will no longer release on schedule this summer, while cross-play is now a confirmed feature that’s coming down the road.
“We’ve realized that our previously announced Summer 2021 Switch and Xbox release schedule is unfortunately just too soon for us to include all of the tasty new features we’re working on,” the studio said in a blog post.
“While we want to launch on these platforms as quickly as possible, we believe the Switch and Xbox releases are really going to be worth waiting for and we’re super grateful for your patience,” the statement went on to say. “This delay gives our team some time to add features like cross-play, so when we add new platforms, players will be able to stumble in harmony with their pals, regardless of their platform of choice.”
While the Switch and Xbox versions of Fall Guys have been delayed, Mediatonic said it continues to expand its development team to “deliver top-notch future content.”
“Fall Guys will keep rolling out new Seasonal content releases, fresh Shows, Costumes, Rounds and all the other delicious things you know and love. The rapidly approaching Season 4.5 update is no exception, with both a fiendish new Round and a funky fresh Final heading your way, plus delicious Fall fashion for your Season 4 wardrobe,” the studio said.
A new release date for Fall Guys on Switch and Xbox has yet to be confirmed.
Dave Bailey, the co-founder and CEO of Mediatonic, believes the team has “just scratched the surface” of what’s possible for Fall Guys. The original pitch for the game was to create the “greatest game show on Earth,” and Mediatonic plans to deliver on that ambition.
“When you think about it in that way, there’s a million different ways we can take this and I hope people will see that come through in future,” Bailey said.
In other news, Mediatonic has been acquired by Fortnite studio Epic Games, giving the company yet another battle royale game. Fall Guys is still available on Steam, though fans are wondering if a day may come when the game moves to the Epic Games Store.
Fall Guys launched on PlayStation back in 2020 as a console exclusive.
Resident Evil Village could have skipped last-gen platforms entirely, with the developers waiting to make sure it ran well enough before committing to making a PS4 and Xbox one version.
Resident Evil Village is gorgeous on next-gen platforms and PC, but recent demos and IGNâs own hands-on time have indicated that the game also looks great and runs smoothly on last-gen platforms, the PS4 and Xbox One. However, according to producer Tsuyoshi Kanda, Capcom did not decide to release the game on last-gen platforms until after Village was announced in June last year.
âWe developed Village as a game for next-gen hardware, but in order to make it accessible to more players, we went through a lot of trial and error to somehow provide a comparable experience on last-gen hardware,â Kanda told IGN. âIn the end, we were able to deliver a high-quality product for last-gen hardware as well. That being said, if the quality hadnât been sufficient, I donât think we would have released it.â
âIf there was a big difference in graphical quality or framerate, it would not have been something we could deliver to players, so we did our best to make sure it would be satisfying on any platform,â added director Morimasa Sato.
Fans were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the PS4 Pro footage IGN exclusively revealed earlier this month, which was captured by us from a preview build of the full game. With the recent demos, players have been able to directly test a cut-down version of the game on their platform of preference.
If youâre not sure whether to get Village on last-gen or next-gen consoles, donât worry, as Kanda emphasizes that the last-gen versions can be upgraded to next-gen free of charge, if you buy a next-gen machine later.
The DC/Milestone Comics character Static Shock is on its way to the big screen, with Michael B. Jordan producing. During a recent interview with Collider, Jordan revealed Randy McKinnon (Chambers, Grand Army) is working on a draft currently.
Jordan said he was excited about working on the upcoming project during the interview. “As a kid growing up, watching Static Shock, it was something that inspired me,” Jordan told Collider. “And had that type of representation at a young age, it was really important to me. And I know it would be important to a lot of other kids today. So to be able to adapt the live-action version of that, I’m really, really excited about. So no real timelines, and I guess no real updates or anything like that. But we’re in the process of building that out.”
The actor/producer went on to say he’s excited to have more to reveal at a later date.
The Static Shock character made his debut back in 1993 at DC Comics under the Milestone Comics banner. The character was created by Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, Derek T. Dingle, and Dwayne McDuffie.
The story follows teenager Virgil Hawkins, a boy who had been bullied by a gang member. During a battle between all the gangs in the city of Dakota, Hawkins showed up hoping to get some sort of revenge. However, police show up and tear gas the crowd with a tracking device so no one would escape arrest. However this tracking device was radioactive and Quantum Juice in it–a mutagen–and those who were exposed to this gained superpowers. Hawkins gained the ability to control electromagnetism, going by the name Static.
The character is most known for the Static Shock animated series, which aired in 2000 on Kids’ WB for four seasons. While the beloved cartoon is no longer on TV, every episode is available to stream on HBO Max. The stream service continues to grow, adding movies like Tenet for the month of May. As for Jordan, he’s currently starring in the Amazon Prime Video original Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, which is the origin story of John Clark.
Miniature retro consoles have been all the rage over the past few years, with Nintendo, SEGA, and Sony releasing micro-sized replicas of some of their most iconic retro gaming consoles. Filled with a small catalog of pre-loaded games, these offer a great way to replay games from your childhood, or experience classics for the first time. But, what if you already have a large collection of retro games and youâre looking for a more modern way to play them? Thatâs where Hyperkinâs Retron Sq comes in.
Built specifically for GameBoy, GameBoy Color, and (most) GameBoy Advance games, this small cube-shaped box allows you to play those handheld games on the big screen with relative ease â assuming you have a worthwhile collection to take advantage of.
The Retron Sq is a small, handheld box thatâs just as much a delight to look at as it is to hold. Built from a lightweight, transparent plastic, it instantly evokes 90âs nostalgia, harkening back to an era when almost every Nintendo peripheral had a similar look. Fans of the retrowave aesthetic will further appreciate the Hyper Beach colorway, which features transparent teal plastic and magenta accent buttons on the front.
The plug-and-play nature of the Retron Sq is where it really shines. It features a single slot on the top thatâs compatible with GameBoy, GameBoy Color, and GameBoy Advance cartridges, and inserting games has a familiar satisfying click. On the front are two large, circular buttons: one for power and one to reset the unit. Below that is a single USB port for the included controller, or for a wireless receiver paired with one of Hyperkinâs bluetooth controllers (sold separately). Unfortunately, itâs only compatible with Hyperkinâs own controllers, which means plugging in a Xbox Core Controller or DualSense or another third-party controller is a no-go.
On the rear is a USB-C port for power, a microSD card slot that contains the systemâs software and will allow you to update the firmware in the future. Thankfully, it connects to your gaming TV or gaming monitor with HDMI, allowing you to use it with modern displays. Games are displayed in their original 4:3 format, however, thereâs also a switch on the back that lets you toggle to a widescreen 16:9 format, if you prefer. To round it out, there are four small rubberized âfeetâ on the bottom that prevent the unit from sliding or scratching whatever surface itâs placed on.
The included controller is made from the same transparent plastic and perfectly compliments the main unit. Itâs modeled after an SNES controller, featuring a D-pad, four face buttons, L/R shoulder buttons, as well as start and select buttons in the center. While itâs certainly a familiar and comfortable format, itâs an odd choice given that GameBoy and GameBoy Advance games only ever use two face buttons.
While the design is largely the same as an SNES controller in shape and size, it does feature one key difference. On the back of the controller are two small protruding plastic grips that give your fingers something to latch onto, and are much more comfortable than the flat back of a traditional SNES controller. It also has a long 10-foot cable, allowing you to sit back and relax while you play instead of having to sit just feet from your television.
Hyperkin Retron Sq â Software
The Retron Sq is different from other micro consoles in that it doesnât come pre-loaded with a selection of games. Instead, it relies on you having an existing library of games to choose from. While this is no different from modern consoles, or gaming in general, finding specific GameBoy or GameBoy Advance games these days can prove difficult â and costly. So while the console itself is relatively inexpensive to get into, the games themselves may prove to be a more expensive barrier to entry.
That being said, there is a bit of software built into the Retron Sq, but only whatâs required to run the unit. However, beyond a simple Hyperkin-branded splash screen upon startup, itâs largely something youâll never interact with.
According to Hyperkin, future firmware updates will be delivered through the included microSD card. This will require inserting it into a computer, but shouldnât prove to be a difficult process otherwise.
Hyperkin Retron Sq â Gaming
Playing actual games couldnât be more straightforward. Simply insert your cartridge, press power, and your game will begin running automatically. Officially, the Retron Sq supports GameBoy and GameBoy Color games out of the box, while GameBoy Advance games are currently still in beta. Out of 20 games tested, 18 games worked without any input delay or audio/visual issues. The two in question were both GameBoy Advance games â Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and WarioWare: Twisted! â and itâs possible they arenât currently supported in beta. The latter technically ran, but due to its unique gyro sensor built into the cartridge, I was unable to control it. (Yes, I even tried holding the Retron Sq unit and spinning it around, but to no avail.)
For what is essentially a modern GameBoy Player, though, itâs concerning that games donât start instantaneously like they do on their handheld counterparts. Instead, youâre greeted with a Hyperkin-branded splash screen upon each boot that lasts for about 15-25 seconds before the game actually loads. Even worse, if youâre inserting a cartridge for the first time, thereâs an additional loading screen with a progress bar that lasts for another 10-15 seconds. Add in the splash screens from the actual game itself and sometimes itâs upwards of a minute before youâre actually playing something. While this isnât terrible by any means, it is worth noting if youâre planning to quickly hop between games.
Games are displayed in 720p and default to their original 4:3 standard format. Even playing on a 4K TV, pixels were sharp and colors were vivid, and itâs surprising how many games still hold up today. Audio was crisp, and hearing so many chiptune soundtracks from my childhood was a delight. That said, the audio from some games can be a bit jarring when heard on large surround sound systems.
As for the controller itself, the D-pad is responsive and feels good to press, although when compared to a SNES controller it doesnât feel quite as tight. That said, each directional input ends with a satisfying click, giving you an audible cue that youâve reached the bottom. The four face buttons feel good, too, each responding to inputs instantly and springing back up quickly after being pressed. The A/B buttons feature a convex design, while X/Y are concave â once again taking cues from the SNESâs controller layout. Even though the GameBoy and GameBoy Advance didnât have X/Y buttons, they can be used interchangeably with A/B, depending on your preference. The L/R shoulder buttons feel a bit lower profile than usual, but still have a satisfying click when pressed. The diagonal pill-shaped start and select buttons on the face are made from a soft plastic and feel solid overall.
According to director Morimasa Sato, the development of Resident Evil Village started on August 8, 2016. For the 8th main entry in the series, thatâs an interesting date for sure (8/8/16!), but the real surprise lies in the fact that this was almost six months BEFORE the release of Resident Evil 7.
âWe were still busy developing Resident Evil 7, but my boss told me to start planning for the next entry in the series,â recalls Sato, who was also the director for Resident Evil 7. âAt the time, we had no idea how users would react towards the new horror experience and characters of 7 yet.â
Resident Evil 7 took the series back to its survival horror roots, but it was much more than a simple throwback. As the first mainline entry played from a first-person perspective, it was seen as a fresh start for the franchise.
âWe had no idea how the change of perspective would be received, so at first we were quite worried. But when we released Resident Evil 7 about half a year after the development of Village started, it was received very well. This helped us decide to make Village a direct sequel,â Sato says.
After seeing the success of Resident Evil 7, Sato decided to have protagonist Ethan Winters make a return as the hero in Village, and kept the first-person perspective.
âAs the original creator of Ethan, Sato really wanted to bring this characterâs story to completion,â says producer Tsuyoshi Kanda.
âIf you look back, you can see that Resident Evilâs systems have drastically changed after every three titles. In that sense, Resident Evil 7 was a title that came with some big changes,â says Kanda. âFor us, it was a sincere attempt to deliver a true horror experience once more, focusing on an experience played in first-person. In the process, we brought Ethan to life.â
While Sato initially imagined that it would be more difficult to depict a main character in first-person, he became more and more attached to the character. In Village, he wanted to take this further, and show how Ethan has grown as a person.
âAfter somehow surviving the events of Resident Evil 7, Ethan and his wife Mia gave birth to Rosemary, their daughter. They were living a quiet life together, but then suddenly Chris Redfield â a familiar character for fans of the series â appeared, killed Mia and took Rosemary away. The game starts with Ethan making his way to the village to save his daughter. While Ethan was just a young man who had somehow found himself in this house of maniacs in Resident Evil 7, this time I wanted to portray him as a father,â Sato explains.
Kanda adds that family functioned as a theme for Villageâs story, to which Sato nods. With the Baker family as the main villains in Resident Evil 7, family was an important theme in that game as well, but this time Ethan will be protecting his own family.
While Village is indeed a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7, Kanda and Sato say itâs much more than that. Sato explains that during the planning phases, he had already come up with the idea of a village as the gameâs location, and that he was inspired by Resident Evil 4.
âIf Resident Evil 7 was like a reboot that inherited the DNA of the original Resident Evil, then you could say that this time weâre doing the same for Resident Evil 4,â Kanda says. âWeâve designed the game and its structure with Resident Evil 4âs essence in mind, so I think that youâll be able to find a lot of elements that remind you of that game.â
âIn the history of the series, I believe that Resident Evil 4 is where the action and combat evolved the most,â Sato explains. âInterestingly, Resident Evil 4 was also set in a village. For Resident Evil Village, weâre bringing the essence of Resident Evil 4, while Resident Evil 7 functions as the base for the game. Itâs not a reboot of Resident Evil 4, but the offspring of both Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 4.â
If Village succeeds in combining the horror of Resident Evil 7 and the action of Resident Evil 4, it might become one of the most beloved entries in the series â but these two elements could also stand in each otherâs way. If being haunted by the Baker family was frightening because you felt so weak, wonât a more action-focused approach disrupt the balance of that experience?
âThat is indeed something we need to be very careful with,â Sato admits. âIf you increase the action, it quickly turns into a game that allows you to kill enemy after enemy. That is not what I want. Itâs important that the player constantly feels afraid of the enemies, and the experience should be all about overcoming that fear.â
Sato says that he believes that resource management â a traditional feature of the series â will prevent the action from diminishing the sense of fear. Conserving bullets and health items, being forced to advance to dangerous areas to stock up on supplies and wisely using items at the right moment all contribute to that traditional survival horror experience. For this, Sato used the 2018 Resident Evil 2 remake as a reference, which he sees as a perfect example of well-balanced survival horror.
Kanda says that for Village, the team didnât just want to create a scary horror game. While Resident Evil 7 satisfied fans of the genre, some players found it too scary to even play. For Village, the team went for an experience that is still scary, but in a way that more players can enjoy. To achieve this goal, they came up with two key phrases that would shape Villageâs identity: âa theme park of horrorâ and âultimate survival horrorâ.
A horror theme park thatâs yours to explore
The village that you will be exploring is much more than just a collection of streets and houses. The player will be discovering four different areas surrounding the village, with one of four Lords (the gameâs main villains) awaiting the player in each area. From a gothic castle with a giant countess to a reservoir area ruled by a merman-like creature, the variety of characters and locations shape what Capcom calls âa theme park of horrorâ.
âBy implementing a wide array of horror elements within one game, Village is not only one of the most voluminous entries in the franchise; it also offers different kinds of horror experiences within one package,â Kanda explains.
Sato says that this aim for variety was inspired by Resident Evil 4. By delivering variety in its scenarios, locations and gameplay, Resident Evil 4 managed to feel fresh until the end. For Village, Sato says that he sought to continuously create new experiences for the player.
âAlso, when you think of the characters, I think that (Resident Evil 4âs) Ramon Salazar is the kind of character that everyone still remembers,â says Sato. âThe appeal of a character like that is something very powerful, so we aimed to design characters with the potential to resonate with players like that. Seeing how well Lady Dimitrescu has been received made me confident that this had indeed been the right approach.â
While in size theyâre quite the opposite, what Ramon Salazar and Lady Dimitrescu have in common is the fact that their appeal goes beyond pure creepiness. With such characters, Sato hopes to target a broader audience than just the typical horror fan. That being said, the element of horror definitely isn’t going anywhere.
âWhile aiming for a broader experience, I didnât want to lower the gameâs peak of fear,â Sato says. âKeeping the peak intact is essential, but if the game is tense throughout, it can become too much for certain players. Thatâs why we needed a change in pace, and included elements that afford the player a feeling of safety.â
With more freedom of exploration than in previous entries, the player can â to a certain extent â pace his or her own experience.
âThe village is a more open and expansive location which the player can freely explore and get lost in,â says Sato. âAs you play, youâll gain access to more parts of the village. Making sure that the player knows where to go next in a larger environment is something we had to be really careful about. We consciously designed it so that you would see and notice the right things from the right locations.â
âIf you give the player freedom in a wider area, it becomes easy to lose track of the next objective. On the other hand, if you guide the player too much, you lose that sense of freedom. We went through a lot of trial and error to get that balance right,â Kanda recalls.
While Resident Evil games have always had plenty of secrets, until now the series has offered more narrow and focused experiences. With more detours and optional elements, Village seems to be different.
âThis is indeed one of Villageâs newest evolutions,â Sato says. âWeâve prepared a more open environment, and basically we just tell the player to go and have fun with it, which is something Resident Evil hasnât done before. While the main story still advances in what we think is the best order to experience it, it is totally possible to ignore the objectives and just get lost in the gameâs world. There are many houses you can completely ignore, but as we feel itâs important to reward the playerâs eagerness to explore, there will always be something interesting to discover. We really put a lot of effort into making Villageâs exploration worthwhile.â
Sato believes that this freedom of exploration will create a different experience for each player, and hopes that it will become a reason to make players want to come back to the village again and again.
âThe fact that Village has so many optional things to do makes it very different from previous installments in the series,â says Sato. âIâd almost go as far as to say that we prepared too many detours, so if you want to experience everything, itâs really going to take you a long time.â
On top of all that, the entirety of Village is explorable without coming across any loading screens, regardless of your platform of choice.
âFor the PS5 and Xbox Series X, thereâs no loading at all, as the area is completely connected. On the PS4 and Xbox One, the game is loading at certain points, but itâs always done in a way the player wonât notice, so youâll be able to enjoy a seamless experience â like Resident Evil 7 was â on those platforms, too,â Sato assures us.
While itâs up to the player to decide how thoroughly to explore the village, systems have been created to stimulate and reward exploration, which connects to the gameâs other main theme: âultimate survival horrorâ.
Overcoming your fears
âBy âultimate survival horrorâ, we mean that this time you wonât just be experiencing fear like in the previous game; youâll also have to find ways to overcome it,â Sato explains.
Just like in Resident Evil 7, Ethan is constantly hounded by terrifying creatures and characters, but Village offers more options in how to defeat them. âGiving the player more options means that we had to evolve the action,â says Sato. âThis is where we really learned a lot from Resident Evil 4.â Sato and his team attempted to capture the essence of Resident Evil 4âs action, and then reworked it to suit Villageâs first-person perspective.
âFor example, you could block attacks in Resident Evil 7, but in Village you can block, then kick the opponent away, then follow up with a counterattack with your gun,â Sato explains. âThe environments have more verticality as well, so the player can climb up rooftops or barricade themselves into a house. With some of Resident Evil 4âs staple elements adapted for a first-person view, the player can come up with more strategies and use the environments to their advantage.â
If you have played the demos released over the past couple of weeks, you probably noticed that Villageâs enemies are tough. However, with the right strategy it becomes possible to defeat multiple enemies at once. But if even that doesnât do the job, you can always upgrade your weapons or increase the stats of your character; another element that Resident Evil 7 didnât have.
âWe wanted to offer multiple ways to play the game, which is where weapon merchant The Duke plays an important role,â Sato says.
Resident Evil 4 also had a weapon merchant, and in similar fashion, The Duke allows you to buy weapons, ammo and health items, and to upgrade weapons. But thatâs not all.
âThis time, youâll be able to increase Ethanâs own character stats,â says Sato. âInside the village, you can find animals like chickens and pigs that have been left out in the open. By hunting those animals, you obtain ingredients, which can be brought to The Duke. He can then cook meals for you, which will increase your stats.â
You can increase stats like health and attack power through these meals, and these upgrades will remain throughout the game. Even if you donât feel comfortable with Villageâs first-person action elements, it should be possible to beat it by leveling up your character as you would in an RPG. That said, given Villageâs intricate action systems, Sato hopes that players will enjoy trying out the wide array of available strategies.
âThe amount of weapons available has increased, too,â he says. âQuickly switching from a handgun to a shotgun and then a sniper rifle within the same battle and figuring out which weapon is best for each moment should be a lot of fun.â
The village as a lead character
While Resident Evil Village primarily portrays Ethanâs story, Sato sees the village itself as the gameâs second lead character.
He recalls that for Resident Evil 7âs visual presentation, the team set out to portray the filthy locations as beautifully as possible. This time, he went for the exact opposite: portraying the beautiful as something horrific. This can be said for the village itself, too.
âThe traditional depiction of horror is dark, narrow and dirty. But there are plenty of horror movies with beautiful visuals that are scary at the same time,â Sato says. âI think that beauty and horror donât have to be mutually exclusive. Castle Dimitrescu, for example, is gorgeous at first sight, laden with beautiful furniture. However, if you take a close look there might be something eerie lying on the table. When you see a patch of blood on an otherwise elegantly decorated wall, the beauty of the wall gives the blood a stronger impact.
âBy adding a sense of beauty that wasnât present in Resident Evil 7, I think we can make the presentation and atmosphere even more horrific.â
The main aspect of the villageâs beauty has to be the snow. As a natural element that is often beautiful and terrifying at the same time, snow was the perfect choice for the theme of Villageâs visual presentation. That being said, the village wasnât covered in snow in its original design. Chance played a crucial role in what undoubtedly became the locationâs most iconic characteristic.
âWe went to a country in Eastern Europe for research during spring that year, but we encountered a record-breaking cold snap. We had to continue our research under -13°F conditions in the midst of a blizzard. I really thought we were going to die!â Sato recalls, laughing. âThe circumstances were so extreme that our guide â a local â proposed we call it a day.â
Reminiscing on this trip, Sato says it completely reshaped his vision for what the village would look like â and without this extreme experience, the village would have been a different place.
âTo this day, I still wonder what the village would have looked without it,â says Sato.
Given Satoâs original goal to portray both the horror in beauty, wouldnât it be creepy if the cold snap was an act of fate?
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
You can grab games like Jedi Fallen Order, Star Wars Squadrons, Star Wars Episode 1 Racer, and more with this Xbox Live sale.
May is coming, and that can only mean one thing: a bunch of Star Wars-related sales to celebrate the fan holiday “May the 4th.” Microsoft has jumped the blaster a little early this year so its Star Wars Day deals are already available, offering more discounts than you can shake a gaffi stick at.
If you happen to own an Xbox Series X|S now or plan to sometime soon, keep in mind that Jedi Fallen Order will be getting a free upgrade this summer. You can pick it up now for cheap and then be ready to see it with all the whizbang next-gen improvements.
Before Bungie agreed to a landmark publishing deal with Activision for the Destiny franchise, the studio considered signing with Microsoft or Sony for the franchise. Speaking to GamesBeat, former Bungie higher-up Martin O’Donnell said Bungie rejected the partnership opportunities with Microsoft and Sony because those companies apparently wanted to own the IP and this was a non-starter for Bungie.
Working with Activision allowed Bungie to retain ownership of the Destiny IP, and this was part of the reason why Bungie signed with the Call of Duty publisher, O’Donnell said. In his remarks, O’Donnell used air quotes when saying Activision “allowed” Bungie to own Destiny, alluding to the reportedly strained relationship between Bungie and Activision.
Former PlayStation Worldwide Studios boss Shawn Layden was also featured in the group interview, and he had a huge grin on his face as O’Donnell was sharing his story.
“We almost stayed with Microsoft. We almost went to Sony, believe it or not,” O’Donnell said. “Both Microsoft and Sony, and Shawn can probably confirm this, pretty much want to own the IP if they can. So Activision allowed us [air quotes] to own the IP, and how successful that turned out to be is a whole different thing.”
This is not the first time that O’Donnell has spoken about the early days of Destiny and why it chose Activision as the publisher. In 2020, O’Donnell remarked, “The reason why we went with Activision was not just the money, but it was because as part of the contract–they didn’t own the IP.” He confirmed back then that Bungie almost signed with Microsoft for Destiny, but this is seemingly the first time we’re hearing that Sony was also in the running.
O’Donnell said owning the Destiny IP was a “non-negotiable” item in discussions about potential publishing partnerships for the series.
“That was probably my biggest disappointment–we worked for a decade to make sure we could be in a position where we could stand up to the publisher and say, no, we own the IP–you can’t mess with it. And I was overruled and eventually let go,” he added.
O’Donnell also shared a juicy story about a dinner he had with Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick and a CFO that O’Donnell referred to as an Austrian man from the “Vienna School of Economics.” He never mentions a name, but Activision’s former CFO was Thomas Tippl, an Austrian man who was involved in the deal to sign Bungie for Destiny.
O’Donnell shared that he has a saying, “be nice to the goose,” which means you should be nice to the goose because that’s where golden eggs come from. In this analogy, Bungie is the goose that lays the golden egg that is Destiny. This unnamed Austrian business executive told O’Donnell, “Yeah, I like that story … golden eggs … the goose. But sometimes there’s nothing like a good Foie gras.”
Foie gras is the French cuisine that is made from goose liver after the bird is fattened by forced feeding. O’Donnell was spooked that Activision saw Bungie as a goose to be fattened and then killed off, and today he wishes he had raised concerns to his colleagues.
Bungie and Activision broke up in January 2019, with Bungie retaining ownership of the Destiny series and moving forward in a self-publishing capacity.
Greetings from The Big Boy Flapjack Squad. Cardy, Matt and Joe are back to unpack the gorgeous gameplay from the Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart State of Play this week as well as indulging in the gory delights of Mortal Kombat. But the blood explosions don’t stop there as early impressions of dino-blaster Second Extinction are shared alongside the ultra-violent Invincible. Excitement for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is also shared as Cardy can’t wait to bathe in the technicolour glory of it all.
Plus, the return of Chain Brain and of course, your feedback.
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