Steam Next Fest Demos Provided A Major Boost To Game Sales

Valve shared news of how it generated sales from their successful digital event with a reminder to developers and publishers to register their games since October’s Steam Next Fest is upon us.

With the absence of in-person game demos and events in 2020, Valve created the Steam Next Fest to offer multitudes of game demos for fans to download. Several developers used it as an opportunity to talk about their games via livestreams during the event. The Next Fest garnered hefty player participation that led to increased engagement and profit, according to Valve’s data.

Now Playing: Spiritfarer – Game Of The Year 2020 Nominee

Last year, “The median game saw daily wishlist additions jump 421% during the fest, compared to the two weeks leading up to the event,” Valve explained. About a month after Next Fest, the rate of daily wishlist additions was still 15% higher than it was two weeks before the event.

Valve concluded that the median released game noticed an increase of 292% in turning the Next Fest wishlist additions into sales “compared to converting wishlist additions made in the two weeks leading to Next Fest.”

Earlier this year, Steam Next Fest June edition partnered with ID@Xbox Summer Game Fest Demo Event after E3 2021. Next Fest offered over 700 new demos for players to test out from the comfort of their homes. It included the 40 game demos from ID@Xbox such as Tunic, an isometric adventure game with an adorable fox protagonist, and Sable, a mesmerizing open-world game set in a Moebius art-inspired desert landscape.

The week-long Steam Next Fest October 2021 edition will run from October 1 to October 7.

PUBG: New State Gets Second Alpha Test In Asia, Middle East, Egypt, And Turkey

PUBG: New State, the futuristic counterpart to PUBG Mobile, is getting a second alpha test for iOS and Android. The second alpha test takes place August 27 through August 29 in Asia, the Middle East, Turkey, and Egypt.

Set in 2051, PUBG: New State is a free-to-play battle royale game, meant to bring a near future experience to mobile devices. The alpha takes place on the game’s only announced map, the 8×8 rundown Troi. PUBG: New State includes some features not currently in PUBG Mobile, like the ability to customize weapons during a match. It will also include multiple new futuristic vehicles.

Now Playing: PUBG: New State – Official Launch Teaser (46″ ver)

While the game does not have a set release date just yet, it is supposed to launch before the end of the year. Developer Krafton has announced that the game has over 25 million pre-registrations on the Google Play Store and that it will be available for pre-registration on the Apple App Store before the end of August.

Anyone interested in participating in the alpha can sign up on PUBG: New State’s official website. Regular PUBG Mobile is still kicking, with update 1.5 launching last month, adding the new Clan Clash mode and a drivable Tesla.

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Back 4 Blood Won’t Have One Of Left 4 Dead’s Most Popular Modes

Back 4 Blood developer Turtle Rock Studios has confirmed that the game won’t include a campaign versus mode, a popular feature from its spiritual predecessor Left 4 Dead.

Turtle Rock made the announcement on the Back 4 Blood Discord, first spotted by Eurogamer.

“We do not have plans to have a campaign versus mode at this time,” Turtle Rock said.

There’s a few distinctions to be made here: Back 4 Blood will feature a versus mode that’s smaller in scope, letting two teams duke it out as either Cleaners (humans) or the Ridden (zombies). Left 4 Dead’s campaign versus mode let players try to make it through a lengthy campaign level as either a human or zombie, ending at a safe house. Turtle Rock Studios did promote Back 4 Blood’s versus mode in behind-the-scenes footage, but didn’t claim it would be identical to Left 4 Dead’s.

When asked why the feature wasn’t in Back 4 Blood, Turtle Rock co-founder and design director Chris Ashton said. “We have a lot of defensive equipment and our specials are good at ambushing. Defending worked far better for our game than running from A-B.”

Some players expressed a large sense of disappointment on the Back 4 Blood subreddit, while others defended Turtle Rock and blamed fellow fans for unrealistic expectations. Despite the negative reception, Back 4 Blood’s beta is performing admirably on Steam, reaching heights of 100,000 concurrent players.

You can read IGN’s thoughts on the Back 4 Blood beta, including our impressions of the new Swarm mode. You can also check out gameplay from Back 4 Blood’s first act missions including Blue Dog Hollow: The Sound of Thunder and The Devil’s Return: The Crossing. Here’s how to access the Back 4 Blood beta if you want to hop in and murder some zombies.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/meatbag for IGN.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Rumored To Be Revealed Later This Year

Rumors that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is in development are picking up steam, with an announcement possibly due before the end of the year.

According to a new report by Fanbyte, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was set to be revealed earlier this year, but as with many other games it has reportedly been hampered by issues related to the pandemic.

Monolith Soft has also reportedly had difficulties optimizing the game for Nintendo Switch. It is said to be aiming for more character models on screen than any game in the series to date.

The rumors are supported by earlier comments by voice actress Jenna Coleman, who plays Antiqua in the original Xenoblade Chronicles. In a video first released back in June, she talked about how she first got the role, and hinted that a third game might be in development.

“It was through my voiceover agent and I did it… god, when was the first game? Ten years ago? It was a long time ago,” Coleman said. “I did it pre-Doctor Who days and then when they did the second one, they asked me to come back.”

“And I think they’re going to do another,” she added. “Common knowledge? Don’t know… Yeah I think they’re going to do another… Not sure if I’m allowed to say that.”

First released in 2010, Xenoblade Chronicles has found success over the past decade as one of Nintendo’s flagship RPGs. A sequel was released shortly after the launch of the Nintendo Switch, with a Definitive Edition remaster launching last year.

The Definitive Edition’s Future Connected DLC heavily hinted at the possibility of a sequel. According to Fanbyte, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is unlikely to make its original 2021 target, but it could arrive in the first half of 2022.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN.

Morbius Director May Have Just Spoiled a Tom Hardy Cameo

The director for Morbius might have spoiled a cameo that would further connect the movie to other films in Sony’s version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This news comes by way of The Direct, which translated an interview MovieZine conducted with Morbius director Daniel Espinosa. In the interview, Espinosa appears to reveal a potential cameo by Tom Hardy, who plays Eddie Brock in the Venom films.

“It usually feels strange before the day begins, when you look at the schedule and stand on the set yourself,” Espinosa said. “When you walk around there, the recording looks just like a Swedish production, but then when you look at the schedule and read names like Michael Keaton, Jared Leto, Tom Hardy, then it feels cool and very exciting.”

As you can see in Espinosa’s quote above, the director might have let a certain name slip that was previously unknown to audiences. We did already know about Michael Keaton – he’s in the trailer after all, presumably reprising his role as Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, from the MCU — but what we didn’t know was that Hardy was going to make an appearance.

It seems Hardy’s Eddie Brock is set to make an appearance in Morbius. Now, the question is whether or not his more symbiotic side makes an appearance. It’s not like Espinosa’s schedule would say “Venom” instead of “Tom Hardy” if Venom was set to make an appearance.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that Espinosa accidentally slipped up and said a name that wasn’t actually on the schedule. Maybe he had just watched the latest trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Maybe Hardy actually will be in Morbius. It would certainly make sense, at least, considering Morbius and the Venom movies take place in the same universe.

Hardy plays both Eddie Brock and Venom so only time will tell if we’ll see just one of those characters or both when Morbius is released on January 28, 2022.

While waiting to see if Hardy is in Morbius or not, read about why the movie was recently delayed and then check out IGN’s list of every Spider-Man movie in development. Read about how Sony and Netflix have struck a deal for upcoming streaming rights after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Taika Waititi Is Free Guy’s Secret Weapon, Here’s How He Was Cast As A Perfect Villain

Free Guy, the new movie starring Ryan Reynolds as a non-player character in a Grand Theft Auto-like video game, hits theaters on Friday, August 13. When it does, there will be plenty of over-the-top action and an unending stream of laughs thanks to its heroes. If you don’t believe that, check out GameSpot’s review of the film. However, Free Guy will also introduce the movie’s bad guy, a villainous but utterly ridiculous and hilarious video game designer named Antwan, played by none other than Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi.

While Antwan exists in the movie’s real world, rather than inside of the game with Reynold’s character Guy, the distinct energy Waititi infuses into the role is unmistakable and so engaging that even though they’re not face-to-face, it’s hard to imagine a better foil for the hero. According to director Shawn Levy, though, Waititi was definitely not someone he had in mind for the role, originally.

“I had a list of Antwan ideas and one day [Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively] reached out to me, they’re like, ‘Okay, here’s a crazy idea. I don’t know if it’s going to work. Don’t know if you like it. What about Taika Waititi?'” he remembered, while speaking to GameSpot. “And I’m like, ‘Wait, the director whose movies I love?’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, yeah, but he’s also a sometimes actor. But more to the point, he’s just like a unicorn of strange uniqueness. You should meet him.'”

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Levy took their word for it and arranged a meeting over FaceTime. Luckily, that was all it took to realize that he was the right person for the part.

“In the course of a 12-minute conversation, he was like lounging upside down on a couch.” the director recalled. “He was in down dog, he’s doing yoga, he’s upside down in a handstand. He was so kinetic and unusual. But also, by the way, smart, charismatic, and with such presence. I was like, ‘This is going to be one of the most memorable movie villains that I’ve ever seen.'”

And, ultimately, Levy got more than he could ever ask for. “He shows up on set, we had a really funny script, but then he would improvise. And he’s like, ‘Is that cool?’ I’m like, ‘Give me another one,'” he said. “And literally by day two, much less day 14 or whatever, he was doing 20 alternates for every joke.”

From Waititi’s point of view, it’s easy to see why he was enjoying making Antwan as hilariously detestable as possible. “I feel like my characters are usually quite nice. Like, I just play versions of my mom in all my characters,” he explained during a press conference for the film. “So this was sort of like there’s a version of my mom who I think had not grown up, I suppose.”

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Now we just have to get our hands on the extra-long cut of the movie, filled with Waititi’s ramblings, in-character. Eventually, Levy hopes to release a 30-minute supercut of the character’s best improvised moments. Until then, though, enjoy the minute-and-a-half clip above for a taste of what to expect when you see Antwan on the big screen.

Free Guy is in theaters Friday.

Fortnite Prop-ifier: How To Get The Prop Gun

A new Fortnite patch is just around the corner, and it’s bringing a new gun to the island with some very special features. The Fortnite Prop-ifier, or “Prop Gun” as it was referred to in a leak, will start to appear in Fortnite from August 10. Here’s what you need to know about the brand-new Prop-ifier.

Fortnite Prop-ifier

The Fortnite Prop-ifier is a new gun used for covert play. While it doesn’t offer players any offensive abilities, when used smartly, it can be a devastating tool for late-game loopers. The Prop-ifier runs on a cooldown and allows its wielder to morph into an inanimate object. You may have seen such gameplay already from when some NPCs would sell prop disguises.

As of today, no NPCs have that feature on offer anymore, so you’ll need to find the Prop-ifier if you want to blend into the landscape as a nondescript mailbox, Slurp Barrel, or more. The Prop-ifier will be sold by any NPCs who are aliens disguised as humans. That means this gun’s location changes with each match because so too do the identities of aliens in disguise.

The Prop-ifier can turn any looper into a Trojan mailbox.
The Prop-ifier can turn any looper into a Trojan mailbox.

You can tell when you’ve come upon such an alien because their dialogue will include them doing a poor impersonation of a human, saying things like “hello, fellow human.” They’ll also only offer a Kymera Ray Gun, the Prop-ifier, and a dialogue tree which, when selected, will eventually turn the NPC hostile against you–so don’t choose that option if you plan to buy a gun from the NPC.

It seems the Prop-ifier won’t be found in chests, but if we find evidence to the contrary, we’ll update this guide. If you find yourself using the prop disguise, note that every 30 seconds while you’re hidden, nearby enemies will be pinged and made aware of your close proximity. They won’t see exactly where you are, but they’ll have a vague idea, so watch out and blend in–mailboxes don’t belong inside restaurants, after all.

The Prop-ifier will cost 600 gold bars per purchase, but if you’re completing NPC gold bar quests, opening chests, and smashing sofas and beds, you should make at least that much in every round or two, keeping your balance well above zero. Make sure to use our NPC location guide to keep track of where everyone is across the island these days.

We’ll be sure to cover the full Fortnite 17.31 patch notes as they’re revealed tomorrow. In the meantime, catch up with the Rift Tour replay, or chase the Week 10 Alien Artifacts beginning this Thursday.

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New Super Mario Movie Could Bring Back One Of Nintendo’s Most Obscure Characters

Illumination’s upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie is bringing back one of the Mushroom Kingdom’s most obscure characters: Foreman Spike from 1995’s NES and arcade game Wrecking Crew.

First reported by VGC, comedian Sebastian Maniscalco appeared on fellow comedian Bert Kreischer’s podcast (yes, of the shirtless stand-up fame) and claimed he was voicing Mario’s little-known boss in Illumination’s CG film.

“I’m in the movie Super Mario Bros., an animated movie,” Maniscalco said. “I’m playing Spike, their boss.”

Spike first appeared as the foreman of Mario in 1985’s Wrecking Crew, serving as an antagonist of sorts to the lowly plumber, as pointed out by Twitter user @eponge2L.

Spike also appeared in the 1988 Japan-only sequel Wrecking Crew ‘98 for the Super Famicom.

Maniscalco has worked as a stand-up comedian since 1998, releasing five comedy specials throughout the years. He’s more recently transitioned to sizeable acting roles, including Italian mobster “Crazy” Joe Gallo in Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman and a supporting role in Green Book.

If Maniscalco’s comment is true, it’s the first bit of casting info for Illumination’s take on the Mushroom Kingdom. Further details are still scarce, even with the film being revealed in early 2018. All we know thus far is that Nintendo and Illumination are targeting a 2022 release date, though it’s possible the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted expectations. Universal and Nintendo are co-producing the project, with Universal being responsible for the film’s distribution.

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto commented back in early 2020 on why now was a good time for another Mario film.

More recently, Nintendo has added Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri to its board of directors in order to help with future Nintendo films.

Illumination is the studio behind CG films like Despicable Me, The Life of Pets, and 2018’s The Grinch.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/despicable person for IGN.

Third Xenoblade Chronicles Game Reportedly Nearing Final Stages Of Development

According to Fanbyte, a third mainline entry in the Xenoblade Chronicles series is reportedly currently in development and is nearing completion. Back in June, Jenna Coleman, who voices Melia Antiqua in the series, recalled her time working on Xenoblade Chronicles in a video chat with a smaller gaming YouTube channel called Din’s Meteorite.

“It was a long time ago, I did it pre-Doctor Who days and when they did the second one, they asked me to come back,” she explains. “And I think they’re going to do another. Common knowledge? Don’t know. Yeah, I think they’re going to do another. Not sure if I’m allowed to say that.”

Fanbyte’s sources say that the third mainline game is a sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and takes place much farther in the future. Melia would be a returning character in the game, as she is of the High Entia race which ages far slower, and as a result, she has outlived her human companions. Furthermore, Coleman would be aware of a third game if she was already asked to reprise her role.

The game was also reportedly supposed to be revealed earlier this year, but development during the pandemic has been difficult. However, it may still be revealed before the end of this year. Optimization for the game on Nintendo Switch has reportedly been hard as well. In particular, the game is trying to incorporate more character models on screen than previous titles in the series, which includes both playable party members and enemies.

Additionally, YouTuber Direct-Feed Games has corroborated the report, saying that Monolith Soft and Nintendo originally planned to reveal the game several months ago. The game is also aiming to push the Nintendo Switch’s hardware to its limits. While plans change, it seems likely that the game will launch during the first half of 2022, but nothing has officially been announced yet.

2017’s Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the best-selling game in the franchise so far. Pyra and Mythra from the game were added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s playable roster earlier this year too. Melia was one of the main characters in Future Connected, a brand-new epilogue in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition that Monolith Soft head Tetsuya Takahashi had teased was “linked to the future” of the Xenoblade series.

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Apex Legends Cross-Progression is a ‘Gnarly Problem’ That Won’t Be Solved Until At Least 2022

Cross-progression in Apex Legends is a “gnarly as hell” problem for Respawn that won’t be solved until 2022 at the earliest.

This is according to Respawn director of communications Ryan Rigney, who spent some time in a Reddit AMA thread last week answering questions directly from players. Rigney explained that cross-progression is “a mess” of challenges, but that the team is committed to making it happen.

“Cross-progression is gnarly as hell in terms of being a problem to solve,” Rigney said. “It’s not only that you have to solve the technical challenge of merging existing accounts, but there are also legal and contractual issues to navigate with purchasing on other platforms.”

Rigney said that different regions have different laws that Respawn has to navigate and that cross-progression is a mess as a result.

Cross-progression would be especially useful in a game like Apex Legends due to its availability on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Cross-progression would allow players to play on PC, and then pick up with the same account on Switch while laying in bed, or on a PS4 in a different room. Add in that Apex Legends has well over 25 million players, and that the game has been so popular that EA is doubling down on live-service games, and it’s easy to see why cross-progression would be a big deal for the battle royale.

Elsewhere in the AMA, Rigney said that the team is very excited about a next-gen update for Apex Legends.

“Oh man, I WISH I had an update to share but we can’t say anything definitive at the moment — so can’t spoil anything here,” he said. “Trust us though, it’s in the works and we’re excited about it too.”

It would seem that big news about Apex Legends, be it a next-gen update or cross-progression, is due for 2022 at the earliest. Only time will tell, though.

While waiting to hear more, read about how Respawn has seemingly been working on its next-gen release of Apex Legends for over a year if a job listing from April 2020 is anything to go b. You can also read about how EA is handling all of its PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrade plans. Check out this Apex Legends Season 10 explainer after that, and then read about how EA is doubling down on live-service games as full game sales drop.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.