Project Nomad, An Open-World Power Rangers Game Pitch, Shown Off

Jason Bischoff, formerly the director of global consumer products at Saban Brands and global franchise director at Hasbro, has revealed a pitch for an open-world AAA Power Rangers game that he was trying to successfully get off the ground around 2016. It was called Project Nomad. Bischoff tried to pitch the game to Saban’s business development department as an ambitious, open-world co-op adventure that captured the energy, teamwork, lore, and history of the iconic Power Rangers franchise.

He described it as basically the Power Rangers version of WB’s upcoming Gotham Knights. The game’s story would have taken place on Eltar, Zordon’s home planet. With the planet under occupation, it was up to different Power Rangers scattered across the galaxy to to free it.

Bischoff, along with some artists such as Jarold Sng, Carlos Dattoli and Lineage Studios, crafted the pitch further and even created some concept art for Project Nomad. This included individual reimagined portraits of the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, as well as the Red and White Alien Rangers.

Additionally, three alternate designs for the robot companion Alpha were drawn. Another piece of concept art shows Eltar with the Red Mighty Morphin’ Ranger commanding his Tyrannosaurus Rex Zord and the Silver Space Ranger flying alongside it. The Gold Zeo Ranger, Ninjor, and Goldar make an appearance in a separate art piece as well.

Unfortunately, he says there was quite a bit going on at Saban at the time, and therefore there wasn’t enough bandwidth or budget to support this video game endeavor. However, he was able to independently explore other options for funding.

Bischoff said that early discussions with different developers and publishers were promising, but ultimately timing and shifts in business caused any momentum for Project Nomad to fizzle out.

This all sounds very exciting, and it’s a shame that the game never materialized. For fans of the franchise, at least the fighting game Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid exists. Bischoff explained that he’ll share more info about Project Nomad at another time in the future.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Daily Deals: Save On LG Monitors, Switch Digital Games & More

This weekend of deals has brought with it quite the mix of items. Some of the best monitors that LG has to offer are on sale today, while Amazon has decided to place several different gaming books on sale, including several relating to Mario, Zelda and more. Let’s not also forget that Best Buy has a sale on various Nintendo Switch Digital games as well!

Daily Deals for August 7th 2021

Razer Is Holding Beta Tests for its RGB Face Mask, Zephyr

Razer’s Project Hazel RGB face mask is officially called Zephyr, and the company is now accepting community sign-ups that will give those interested a chance to test it out before its release.

Razer shared the news on Twitter, confirming that the Razer Zephyr is the latest evolution of its wearable air purifier.

Zephyr is designed to be “safe, social and sustainable,” and it also “sports 99% BFE, a secure silicon face seal and anti-fog coating.” For those interested in signing up, all you have to do is go to the Community Beta Test page and enter your name, country, e-mail, social media, and a brief explainer of why you’d like to be part of the test.

Razer first unveiled this RGB face mask concept at CES 2021 in January, and it confirmed that it was becoming a real product in March 2021. Razer Zephyr is still slated to release this year, but Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan warned that there would be limited quantities of the mask “from the getgo.”

Fortunately, Razer is planning on implementing a “sales by drops” strategy, meaning it will have a database of those interested in purchasing one and will let them know when units become available once again.

The Razer Zephyr is a “surgical N95 respirator” and has a high fluid resistance to protect against large droplets and splashes. It also features a clear and transparent design that will let others see you speak and pick up on facial cues easier. Its Voiceamp technology will also ensure your speech isn’t muffled via its built-in mic and amplifier combo.

It also supports replaceable filters, has rechargeable ventilators, comes with a wireless charging case with UV sterilizer, is meant for daily use, and can take advantage of 16.8 million colors and a suite of effects thanks to Razer Chroma RGB.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Ascent Patch Addresses Co-Op Bugs And Adds Ray Tracing

Neon Giant has detailed its newest patch for The Ascent, revealing that it not only addresses co-op issues, but also that it adds ray tracing to the Windows Store version of the game, meaning it will soon work for those with Xbox Game Pass for PC.

As stated by the latest patch notes, this update is available for the Steam version of The Ascent and will be released for Xbox and Windows 10 players shortly.

This ray tracing fix is a big one, as players quickly discovered that while The Ascent on Steam featured NVIDIA’s DLSS and ray tracing, the Xbox Game Pass for PC version did not. While there is no word yet on DLSS support, this is a welcome addition for Game Pass players.

It’s also important to reiterate that ray tracing and DLSS is only supported on the PC version of The Ascent, meaning Xbox Series X/S players are still without it.

The fixes to co-op include solving an issue where Player 1 and Player 2 have controller focus issues on certain menus, fixing some weapon replication issues in online co-op, fixing issues where the host leaving the game could cause the client to lose progress, and more.

The patch also includes a ton of stability fixes, save progress fixes, translation fixes, and much more.

In our The Ascent review, we said, “story isn’t its strong suit, but the rest of The Ascent delivers a wonderfully realized cyberpunk world mixed with satisfying twin-stick gunplay to create an enjoyable action-RPG.”

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

10 Games That Deserve A Remake Or Remaster

1. King's Field

1. King’s Field

From Software burst into mainstream gaming prominence thanks to Hidetaka Miyazaki and the Souls series. Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice were all instant classics, and some of the best games of the modern gaming generation.

But even before Miyazaki and Souls gained prominence, From Software had been around for a long time; its first game was a launch title for the Playstation 1. Since then, it has created a few properties that stood out, such as Armored Core and Shadow Tower. But what I think truly deserves the remake/remaster treatment is the King’s Field series.

When the first King’s Field was released in the US, many American critics dunked on it for being too slow and plodding, and not as fast-paced as Doom. Because back then, if it was a first-person game, it had to be compared to Doom. But the thing is, at their core, these games were absolutely fantastic. Leveling up and enemies were incredibly well-balanced, and exploration was always rewarding. The games did a fantastic job of managing risk and reward during exploration, with a plethora of weapons, armor, and equipment that your character could find, which genuinely helped in your progression without feeling utterly broken.

The games had an interesting and creepy vibe to their labyrinths, and with a healthy dose of imagination, many of these areas were truly haunting and spooky. But those blocky PlayStation-era graphics definitely don’t hold up today, especially in the first few games of the series. While there was a far better-looking PS2 sequel in King’s Field: The Ancient City, even that could use a nice boost.

With a graphical overhaul and a reworking of some of the dungeon design of the earlier games, I truly think a King’s Field Remastered Collection would be an absolute gem–and there are enough From Software fans today that it would find a big audience.

Fortnite Ariana Grande Rift Tour: Watch It Here

The Fortnite Rift Tour starring Ariana Grande has made its debut, and while it’ll be replaying at select times all weekend, you can catch the whole show right here. Grande’s performance was the headliner, but the complete in-game event took players on a spacetime-hopping journey through Fortnite’s illustrious history.

As players danced and emoted atop the party-themed Abductor hovering over The Aftermath, the countdown timer ticked away to zero and revealed a large Rift door at the center of the Abductor. Jumping into it took players on an expedition that showcased past Fortnite performances, like Marshmello, while also revisiting past story-heavy scenes like Kevin The Cube and The Devourer. There was even an aerial combat mini-game that kept score.

After the whole lobby defeated the last Big Bad and landed in a black void, they helped each other to their feet in a cinematic sequence that was meant to tug at the heartstrings and lay down the red carpet for the show’s main act. Down came a shooting star with some of the best high notes in both worlds–ours and the looping Fortnite realm alike. Ariana Grande hit the virtual stage and opened with Seven Rings as players floated around her massive avatar.

She went on to play segments of her other hits, including Positions, Be Alright, and The Way featuring her ex-partner, the late Mac Miller. With each song transition, Grande smashed her diamond-encrusted pickaxe and blasted the audience into different realms. One scene featured pink, fluffy trees like something out of a Seuss story. Another had players racing up Escher-like staircases as they moved and twisted unpredictably. It seems Epic Games set out to up the ante after 2020’s Travis Scott show, and though it’s a matter of taste, we’d say they nailed it.

You can catch the full Rift Tour video above or check the in-game tab for this weekend’s remaining showtimes. Make sure to set off into the Rift Tour playlist using your favorite character skin, as they’ll be integrated directly into the show in some fun ways we won’t spoil here. After the show, Epic Games chief creative officer Donald Mustard was elated and promised things like the Rift Tour are only the beginning.

While the Rift Tour has premiered, more Rift Tour Quests are on their way following the weekend of shows. Get in now to clean up the quests already available, then come back and finish off the list for more Ariana Grande- and Rift Tour-themed cosmetics.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Embattled Activision Blizzard Executive Steps Down as Women’s Network Sponsor

Activision Blizzard’s president for corporate affairs Frances Townsend has stepped down as an executive sponsor of the ABK Women’s Network as of two weeks ago. The embattled corporate executive has been criticized by employees within the company for several missteps following the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard was first publicized.

Townsend is no longer the executive sponsor of the ABK Women’s Network, a group for women employees at Activision Blizzard King. However, Townsend is still employed by Activision Blizzard.

In a statement acquired by The Washington Post’s Shannon Liao, Townsend “believes in doing what’s right for the Network, and will continue to support and advance the work of the Network as best she can.”

The news is just the latest surrounding Townsend as the firestorm around Activision Blizzard in the wake of the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing’s lawsuit for gender discrimination continues.

Townsend was previously criticized for issuing a statement shortly after news of the lawsuit broke calling the allegations “distorted” and “false.” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick sent a follow-up letter to employees calling this initial response “tone-deaf.”

According to The Washington Post, Townsend told employees over Zoom that her statement was following “legal counsel’s guidance on language, and that the end result no longer sounded much like her voice[.]”

Despite claiming the statement was not her voice, Townsend was criticized again for tweeting a link to an article titled, “The Problem With Whistleblowing,” on her personal social media account. The article which calls out whistleblowers was seen as inappropriate given many current and former Blizzard employees were sharing stories of their abuse online or to the press.

After being criticized for her tweet, Townsend seemingly began blocking Blizzard employees and journalists (myself, included) before deactivating her Twitter account altogether. A statement from Activision Blizzard to Kotaku said, “The company didn’t ask her to delete it. It was her decision.”

A coalition of Activision Blizzard employees has sent CEO Bobby Kotick and the company’s leadership team a letter that has criticized them for not responding to workers’ specific demands to built a healthier work environment. And while Activision Blizzard announced it hired firm WilmerHale to perform a neutral audit of company policies, the worker’s group has rejected the firm because of the friendly relationship between WilmerHale and the company’s executive leadership.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor.

Getty photo credit. Riccardo Savi / Stringer