Epic Store Will Stop Going After Exclusives If Steam Makes A Big Change

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has laid out an ultimatum in regards to securing further exclusive titles for the Epic Games Store. If Valve offers a revenue share for developers on Steam that matches Epic’s, Sweeney tweeted out, then the Epic Games Store will stop signing exclusivity agreements that keep games off of Steam.

“If Steam committed to a permanent 88% revenue share for all developers and publishers without major strings attached, Epic would hastily organize a retreat from exclusives (while honoring our partner commitments) and consider putting our own games on Steam,” Sweeney wrote. “Such a move would be a glorious moment in the history of PC gaming, and would have a sweeping impact on other platforms for generations to come.”

The Epic Games Store has made a habit of securing major triple-A and high-profile indie games away from Steam. The Souls-like game Ashen was one of the first to leave Steam for an exclusive offering on Epic, but it was followed by more prominent titles like Metro Exodus and Borderlands 3. Ubisoft has entered into a partnership with the Epic Games Store and moved most of its PC releases over from Steam to Epic, starting with The Division 2 and extending to Anno 1800 as well.

There’s been plenty of discontent for the Epic Games Store, especially when games that have been sold on Steam are moved to Epic during the pre-order phase. In most cases, this has caused outrage on Twitter and Reddit, as well as Steam users review bombing games that have sequels launching on Epic. Both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light were hit hard in the aftermath of Metro Exodus’ move to Epic. The same happened to Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel after the reveal that Borderlands 3 would be launching on the Epic Games Store.

Steam users’ harsh reactions to games leaving Steam for Epic and Valve’s slow response on some of the review bombings have rubbed some developers the wrong way. “Ironically, that this misuse is possible and that Steam has no interest in correcting this misuse makes me kind of happy about 2K’s decision and makes me want to reconsider Gearbox Publishing’s current posture on the platform,” Gearbox studio head Randy Pitchford wrote.

Apex Legends Season 2 Includes Map Changes And New Character; Details Before E3

Respawn will share the first concrete details of Apex Legends Season 2 at the EA Play event taking place just before E3 in June. A statement from the company acknowledges some of the shortcomings of this first season battle pass and goes on to tease some of the new content that will be coming, including the first changes to the map.

“We’ve seen all the feedback on Season 1 and look forward to showing you the improvements we’re making,” the studio said in a note on the EA blog. “For Season 2 you can expect a Battle Pass with more meaningful content, the introduction of a new Legend, the debut of a new weapon… and you didn’t expect Kings Canyon to stay the same forever, did you?”

The seasonal roadmap also said that Season 2 would begin in June, so there likely won’t be much time between the announcement and the update. The roadmap had also suggested new characters, items, and weapons would roll out in addition to each season’s battle pass. But Respawn hasn’t spoken much about changing the map–something that’s been a big part of Fortnite’s seasonal updates, with major new areas and elements being introduced in lieu of an entirely new map (as we’ve seen in PUBG).

This is part of the studio’s new commitment, as stated in the blog, to “provide more visibility into the future.” That doesn’t mean we’ll hear about everything, they warn, but it’s attempting to be more transparent and put out “fewer surprise drops.”

Also along those lines, it explained the current studio slate and how it’s prioritizing its projects. Respawn is currently split into two teams working on Apex Legends and Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. But to keep from stretching itself too thin, the studio is pushing back its plans for future Titanfall games. This would seem to suggest that it’s no longer planning to put out multiple games this year.

A recent report claimed that Fortnite, Apex’s chief competitor which offers weekly content drops along with larger seasonal changes, has developed a culture of crunch because of the sheer workload of such frequent updates. Without mentioning Fortnite by name, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella said that Apex will stick with seasonal drops, referencing “quality of life for the team.”

EA won’t be holding a traditional press conference again this year, but will be holding its EA Play event the week prior. Check out our full roundup of all the press conferences scheduled for this year’s event.

Fortnite Avengers Endgame Gameplay: Grabbing A Battle Royale Victory

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Avengers Endgame Fortnite Gameplay: Victory For Thanos And His Chitauri

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Fortnite Week 9 Guide: Where To Dance Between Ice Sculptures, Dinosaurs, And Hot Springs (Season 8 Challenge)

The world of Fortnite is in turmoil. Through a little bit of cross-promotional magic between Fortnite and Avengers: Endgame, the mad titan Thanos has once again appeared on the island, and this time he’s brought an army of Chitauri with him. All is not lost, however, as the iconic weapons wielded by the Avengers have also appeared, and players can use them against the power-crazy villain. But before you do any of that, there are the weekly challenges to complete, and one of them involves dancing at various locations on the island.

As always, the exact locations aren’t spelled out; instead you’ve got little clues that point you in the general direction. These include “between three Ice Sculptures”, “between three dinosaurs”, and “between four hot springs.” Some of you may know exactly where to go, but for those that don’t have an intimate layout of the island in their head, we’ve put together a quick guide that’ll get you where you need to be pronto.

For the first one, “between three Ice Sculptures,” your destination is the snow biome–naturally. Specifically, it’s just to the east of Frosty Flights, where you’ll easily spot the three sculptures. For “between the dinosaurs,” you’ll need to head south of Paradise Palms and, on the bend towards the lower part of the area, you’ll spy the red, purple, and green dinos hanging out–bust a move there. Finally, the four Hot Springs are just east of Risky Reels. There are two larger springs and two small ones, and you’ll need to get right in the middle of them all before gettin’ down.

No Caption ProvidedGallery image 1Gallery image 2Gallery image 3

Fortnite Ice Sculpture, Dinosaurs, Hot Springs Locations

  • Ice Sculptures: East of Frosty Flights at grid reference C8
  • Dinosaurs: South of Paradise Palms at grid reference I9
  • Hot Springs: East of Risky Reels at grid reference G2

If you’ve completed the weekly challenges and are thirsting for more, there’s a special set of Avengers: Endgame challenges that will task you with completing specific objectives in the LTM. These include hunting down the Infinity Stones and even using Iron Man’s iconic repulsors. In return, you’ll get cosmetic unlocks. New challenges are going to be added regularly, and you’ll want to complete those too as the Quinjet is awarded to those that finish 10 of them.

New Horror Movies Coming To Shudder In May 2019

If you’re on the lookout for new horror movies to watch this May, you may want to check out what the AMC stream service Shudder has to offer. Next month, there are some new original series you should check out, along with a growing selection of horror flicks watch.

There are a few movies you may have missed coming next month, including the second and third movies in the V/H/S series. Much like Creepshow in the ’80s, V/H/S is a horror anthology featuring different stories and directors. The third film in the franchise, Viral, is the weakest of the lot, but still very much worth your time. Also headed to Shudder in May are 2008’s Doomsday, 1996’s Fear, and 2015’s Predestination, all on the first of the month.

As for other programming, Shudder is continuing to put out more original and exclusive content on its service. The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs will air live on Fridays, continuing the Thanksgiving specials he did on the service. Briggs introduces the movies and occasionally pops up to talk to the viewers at home. He’s been doing this gig since 1986 with Drive-In Theater on TMC.

On May 8, the Shudder original movie The Ranger arrives. The film follows a group of teens on run from the police. They end up in the woods and find themselves terrorized by a crazy park ranger. On May 23, The Night Shifter hits the service, following a man who works at a morgue during the graveyard shift. The man can talk to the dead, which somehow releases a curse.

Shudder is available on iOS, Android, FireTV, Roku, and Xbox One. An annual membership costs $4 a month–billed yearly for $47.88–or monthly for $5. Below, you’ll find a full list of everything arriving to Shudder this May. For more streaming service selections for May, check out what Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video has in store.

Shudder Original Movies

  • The Ranger (2018, Jenn Wexler)–available Thursday, May 9 (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)

Shudder Original & Exclusive Series

  • The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs–Fridays at 9 PM ET/ 6 PM PT (Most titles available live on Shudder Canada; select titles also available on demand on Shudder UK)

May 2019 Highlights

  • Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, Season 3–available Thursday, May 16 (Also available on Shudder Canada)
  • Eli Roth’s History Of Horror: Uncut Podcast–premieres Friday, May 3

Additional May Releases

May 1

  • Bad Dreams (1984, Andrew Fleming, also available on Shudder Canada)
  • Doomsday (2008, Neil Marshall)
  • Fear (1996, James Foley)
  • The Other (1972, Robert Mulligan, also available on Shudder Canada)
  • Predestination (2015, Peter Spierig)

May 6

  • Bloody Birthday (1981, Ed Hunt, also available on Shudder Canada)

May 13

  • V/H/S/2 (2013, Simon Barrett, Jason Eisener, Gareth Evans, Gregg Hale, Eduardo Sanchez, Timo Tjahjanto, Adam Wingward)
  • V/H/S: Viral (2014, Justin Benson, Gregg Bishop, Todd Lincoln, Aaron Moorhead, Marcel Sarmiento, Nacho Vigalondo)

May 15

  • White God (2014, Kornél Mundruczó, also available on Shudder Canada)

May 20

  • 100 Bloody Acres (2013, Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes)
  • Effects (1980, Dusty Nelso, also available on Shudder Canada)

Nintendo Switch Has Officially Outsold The N64

Nintendo’s lastest financial earnings results are now out, giving us a look at the company’s hardware and software sales for the past fiscal year. Not only did Nintendo’s recent spate of Switch exclusives sell an impressive number of copies, the Switch console itself has also hit a new sales milestone.

During the fiscal year ended March 31, Nintendo moved 16.95 million Switch consoles. While that missed the company’s ambitious plan to sell 20 million units during the fiscal year, it did represent a 12.7% year-on-year increase. Moreover, it brought the system’s global sales thus far up to 34.74 million, surpassing the lifetime sales of the Nintendo 64, which stands at 32.93 million.

The Switch has been an impressive rebound for Nintendo after the poor performance of the company’s previous home console, the Wii U, which moved 13.56 million units over its lifetime. The hybrid system, on the other hand, has been selling remarkably well since launching back in March 2017, managing to outsell its predecessor in just 10 months. However, it remains to be seen whether or not it’ll match the company’s best-selling home console, the Wii, which stands at 101.63 million.

This past fiscal year was also a big one for Nintendo in terms of software sales. The company released a handful of notable exclusives for Switch, which have all moved some impressive numbers. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sold more sold more than 13.81 million units, making it the series’ best-selling installment and Nintendo’s third best-selling game for Switch, while Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee sold a combined 10.63 million copies. Those numbers have quickly rocketed both titles up Nintendo’s list of the 10 best-selling Switch games.

This fiscal year has the potential to be even bigger for Nintendo. The company has a number of major exclusives lined up for Switch in 2019, including a new pair of Pokemon games, Sword and Shield. There have also been numerous reports that Nintendo will release a cheaper Switch model this summer. While not necessarily denying that a new version of the system is coming, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa responded to those rumors, saying the company has “no plans to announce” any new hardware at this year’s E3.

Smash Bros. Custom Stages Are Getting Pretty Crazy

Weeelcoooome to NVC, IGN’s Nintendo podcast! I’m temporarily taking over as host this week (for the first time!) as we talk about SteamWorld Quest, Mortal Kombat 11 on Switch, and some of the craziest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate custom stages we’ve seen so far! We’ll also be taking look at recent news – with a message from the FUTURE! – talking about some games we’ve been playing recently, and taking YOUR questions during Question Block!

Here are some topic timecodes for your convenience:

  • 00:00:01 – Hello!
  • 00:01:50 – SteamWorld Quest is out! Let’s talk about it.
  • Continue reading…

Fortnite Week 9 Secret Battle Star Location Guide (Season 8 Discovery Challenge)

We’re quickly coming up on the end of Fortnite Season 8, but Epic still has a few more challenges in store for players before Season 9 officially begins. Week 9’s challenges are now live across PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, and mobile, which means you have another chance to earn Battle Stars and unlock more of this season’s skins and other Battle Pass rewards.

If you’re familiar with how Fortnite works by now, you’ll know there’s an added incentive to complete as many challenges as you can; if you finish all of the ones from a given week, you’ll also clear a Discovery challenge, which will reward you with a special loading screen. These screens typically feature a cool or humorous piece of artwork, but the real reason you want to unlock them is because they each hide a subtle clue that points you to a free Battle Star (which levels your Battle Pass up by one tier) or Banner (which can be used as a profile icon) hidden somewhere around the island.

Once you’ve completed nine weeks’ worth of challenges, you’ll unlock the loading screen pictured below. This one features Season 8’s best new skin, Peely, rather unwisely trying to retrieve a treasure chest from a river of lava. Look in the background directly above the treasure chest, however, and you’ll be able to spot an etching of a viking ship. This is the clue to where this week’s free Battle Star can be found.

No Caption Provided

As it turns out, there’s a large wooden viking ship in the snowy mountaintop village located just southeast of Snobby Shores. Make your way to the area and you’ll be able to easily spot the boat sitting near the edge of the waterfall. Approach it and the Battle Star will appear inside. Collect it as you would any other item, then finish the match and your Battle Pass will level up by one more tier. You can see the ship’s exact location on the map below. We also walk you through exactly where to find it in the video at the top of this guide.

If you’ve been keeping up with all of this season’s free Battle Stars and Banners, you’ll know there are a few caveats before you can find them in the game. Specifically, the items won’t appear around the map unless you’ve first completed the necessary number of challenges and unlocked their corresponding loading screen, so you can’t simply waltz to the right location and expect to find it unless you’ve done all of the other steps.

No Caption ProvidedGallery image 1Gallery image 2

If you still have any outstanding challenges from this season, be sure to check out our complete Fortnite Season 8 challenges guide. We’ve put together tips to help you finish all of this season’s trickier missions. You can also see all of the cosmetics up for grabs in our Season 8 Battle Pass rewards gallery.

Fortnite’s 8.50 update arrived on April 25, and it marked the start of the anticipated Avengers: Endgame crossover event, which encompasses new Avengers-inspired cosmetics–like a cool Black Widow skin–and a Fortnite Endgame limited-time mode that features its own unique set of challenges to complete and rewards to unlock. The event is slated to run through to the end of Season 8, which formally wraps up on May 8.

Apex Legends Devs Address Update Plans, Tease Season 2 Content

Respawn Entertainment has addressed its plans for future updates coming to Apex Legends, teasing what’s to come in Season 2.

Revealed in an EA blog post by executive producer Drew McCoy, Respawn is “100% committed to the long-term growth of Apex Legends” and has so far had to “react and direct resources to play whack-a-mole with lots of unexpected issues.” He also noted Apex Legends’ continued development isn’t impacting Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and that Respawn is “pushing out plans for future Titanfall games” to fully support Apex Legends.

The team’s plan moving forward is to prioritize fixing slow server performance that can occur at the beginning of matches, addressing some audio issues, dealing with cheaters, and resolving hit registration issues.

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