As part of a newly-announced partnership between Rockstar Games and Twitch, Amazon Prime subscribers will be rewarded with exclusive bonuses and deals for Grand Theft Auto V Online and Red Dead Redemption 2 Online, starting right now. All you need to do in order to collect the rewards is link your Twitch Prime account with your Rockstar Games Social Club membership, and you’re good to go. The immediate rewards include the following:
Grand Theft Auto Online
GTA$1,250,000
Bonus GTA$ on all purchases of Shark Cash Cards
Red Dead Online
Supposedly this is only the beginning, as Twitch promises that this will be one of their “longest-running offers to date,” with more exclusive goodies and discounts available for Rockstar games in the coming months, although no details are yet available on what else that might entail.
The announcement of Rockstar and Twitch’s new partnership comes right on the tail of Twitch announcing its plans to celebrate Amazon Prime Day, which is coming up on July 15-16. In addition to everything from Rockstar, Prime subscribers will also receive exclusive skins for Apex Legends and other in-game items for 2K sports titles in the coming months. Twitch will also be hosting high-profile Apex Legends and FIFA 19 tournaments right before Prime Day, as well as running two, twelve-hour streams called “Twitch Sells Out,” in which popular streamers will sell gaming products that are on sale for Prime Day in the style of home shopping television shows.
The NPD Group has published an updated list of this console generation’s best-selling games in the United States. With figures hovering around 110 million units shipped worldwide, it comes as no surprise that Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V leads the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One lists. But the rest of the results are both curious and predictable.
Mat Piscatella, a video games industry analyst for The NPD Group, posted a series of tweets revealing the lists. There are a couple of things to note. First, the list is “life to date through May 2019.” Second, while the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One lists include digital and physical game sales, nine out of the 10 Nintendo Switch games–with the exception being Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle–don’t include digital sales.
On the predictable side, both Marvel’s Spider-Man and God of War from 2018 take up the sixth and eighth spots on PlayStation 4, with Marvel’s Spider-Man claiming the trophy of Sony’s best-selling console exclusive this generation. Rockstar’s magnum opus, Red Dead Redemption 2, finds itself in the second spot on PlayStation 4 and the fifth spot on the Xbox One. Though every game on the Nintendo Switch list is a console exclusive, Mario Kart 8 takes first place over both Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (second) and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (third).
What’s curious to me is, while Call of Duty is a successful franchise, five different entries–2017’s WWII (second), 2015’s Black Ops 3 (third), 2018’s Black Ops 4 (fourth), 2016’s Infinite Warfare (sixth), and 2014’s Advanced Warfare (ninth)–take up five spots on the Xbox One list. 2017’s NBA 2K18 sits in the ninth spot on PlayStation 4. DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront from 2015 occupies the eighth spot on Xbox One, and strangely, not a single console exclusive even lands on the list. Destiny 2 does come in at a solid tenth place on Xbox One though.
With Amazon Prime Day 2019 on the horizon, Prime subscribers are saving up for the biggest shopping event of the season, but one particular perk for Prime members will cost you nothing this month: Twitch Prime’s free PC games, which are available to claim now through July 31. And once you claim them, the games are yours to keep. July’s offering of games is very good (likely due to Prime Day); here’s a look at what’s available now.
—Yooka-Laylee is a Banjo-Kazooie-inspired platformer where you hunt for collectibles, solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and more, all while playing as Yooka the chameleon and Laylee the bat. The duo is searching for “Pagies,” pages of their magical golden book that is stolen at the beginning of the game.
—Cultist Simulator is what it sounds like–a game where every action you take will influence others and possible generate a cult-like following. Gameplay-wise, Cultist Simulator is a roguelike narrative card game where the cards you play determine your actions, attributes, emotions, wealth, items, and more. With a 1920s-themed setting and plenty of secrets, Cultist Simulator has no tutorial–it’s best to just dive in and experience it for yourself.
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—The Escapists is also free this month–the top-down strategy game places you in the role of a prisoner aiming to break out of various prisoner (there are six total, plus additional DLC prisons). The game is a sandbox experience, allowing you to get creative with how you plan your escape, whether that’s by digging a tunnel, organizing a riot, stealing a guard uniform, or some other clever tactic.
—For the King is a single-player or multiplayer RPG with turn-based combat that pulls from multiple genres, such as tabletop and roguelike adventure. The game begins with the death of the king, which inspires citizens of the kingdom (such as yourself) to rise up and oust enemies from their homeland. You can control your own party or partner with up to three people online, or you can set off on your own, fighting monsters, exploring new locations, braving the elements, and more.
As a reminder, to claim all these free games, loot, and services, you have to link your Amazon account to your Twitch account; that’ll unlock all of Twitch Prime’s benefits. It’s a great month to sign up for an Amazon Prime 30-day free trial if you’re not already a member, as Prime Day 2019 officially kicks off on July 15, and we’re expecting some great gaming and entertainment deals as in previous years. Plus, Twitch Prime is offering additional freebies and perks for members this month, including free Apex Legends skins and EA Sports content. After the 30-day trial, an annual Prime membership costs $119 a year (or $59 a year if you’re eligible for Prime Student).
Nintendo has announced the next in-game competition for Switch’s free battle royale-like Tetris game, Tetris 99. The fifth Maximus Cup kicks off next week, on July 12, and this time around, the event will be a collaboration with another first-party Switch game: Splatoon 2.
To commemorate Splatoon 2’s final Splatfest event, which takes place later this month, the next Maximus Cup will be themed after the colorful shooter. The event runs until 11:59 PM PT on July 15. Players who amass at least 100 event points during that time will unlock a special in-game Splatoon theme in Tetris 99.
Tetris 99 is free to download and play for everyone who has a Nintendo Switch Online membership. Subscriptions for the service are available for $4 USD per month, $8 USD for three months, and $20 USD for 12 months. Nintendo recently released a $10 Big Block DLC that adds two offline modes, so non-members can also play Tetris 99 (provided they purchase the DLC). However, you’ll still need a membership to take part in the game’s Maximus Cup events and to play against other players online.
Splatoon 2’s final Splatfest, meanwhile, kicks off the following week, on July 18. Fittingly, the final event features an apocalyptic theme, pitting Team Order vs. Team Chaos. The Splatfest will also last much longer than normal, running for 72 hours. During the first 48, each Shifty Station stage from previous Splatfests will return to the rotation, with a brand-new stage appearing during the final 24 hours. Following the Splatfest, Splatoon 2 will receive a 5.0 update in late July.
Tetris 99 surprise launched this past February and garnered attention for its novel battle royale-inspired take on the puzzle series, but it won’t be the only Tetris game of this kind for much longer. A 100-player Tetris game called Tetris Royale is in development for mobile devices. The game is slated to launch in beta form in “select territories” later this year and will feature leaderboards, as well as daily challenges and a solo Marathon mode.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, President of Square Enix, Yosuke Matsuda, spoke about the success they are hoping Marvel’s Avengers will see, specifically in comparison to Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4.
“Spider-Man was a huge title and a major success, so we would like to work hard to have that kind of success,” Matsuda said. “So I guess it did increase my expectations
. I do believe you have to have high goals. I thought that Spider-Man was fantastic, but we don’t want to be bested by them. We are working very hard on the development effort right now, so that we are able to provide a new experience.”
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With Amazon’s Prime Day coming in just two weeks, you might think deal-land would be a little sparse. Thankfully that’s not the case. And if your Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC, or other device could use some extra storage space for games and other files, you’re in luck. Amazon has great deals available on digital storage solutions of all kinds right now. Here’s what you can get and for how much.
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While 4K TVs are just starting to become fully mainstream, TV manufacturers aren’t resting on their laurels. The first 8K consumer TVs are already here and with Sony and Microsoft both touting 8K output on their upcoming consoles (whatever that means for actual games), folks are already abuzz about what the new standard of resolution means for gaming. Here are the 8K TVs you can buy today…and some guidance on whether you should.
Sony is considering acquiring more development studios as it gears up for the launch of PS5.
Talking to Nikkei (translation via Gematsu), Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan said that “content is more important than ever before”. In order to secure more content, the company is considering the merger and acquisition of game developers.
The thought comes to Sony as it observes new companies enter the industry, such as Google with its Stadia streaming platform. But while Sony no doubt needs to work ever harder to ensure it is competitive, the gaming giant welcomes new players in the space.
The start of the new month is always an exciting time for Xbox Live Gold members, as a new batch of free Xbox One and Xbox 360 Games with Gold will be available to claim and add to your library. July’s first two free games are available to claim now, with the second two games becoming available halfway through the month. Here’s what’s on deck for Gold members in July:
First up is Inside, Playdead’s critically acclaimed puzzle-platformer and follow-up to Limbo. Inside features a creepy, mysterious environment where you control an unarmed boy as he makes his way through a strange facility. The setting is dark and largely monochromatic and noise is minimal, but Inside’s ending is one you won’t soon forget. It’s available to claim now on Xbox One.
Also available now is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which initially released in 1997. Considered one of the best 2D action side-scrollers of all time, Symphony of the Night is a cult classic and a must-play, especially if you’ve been enjoying the newly released Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Thanks to backward compatibility, you can play Symphony of the Night on both Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Starting in mid-July, two more games will become available. The first is Meet the Robinsons, which is based on the animated film of the same name. You’ll play as Wilbur Robinson, who’s in the midst of some time travel chaos that requires him to track down a villain called the Bowler Hat Guy. The action-adventure game includes 40 missions and six different environments in which Wilbur must solve puzzles and battle enemies while armed with various scientific gadgets. You can play Meet the Robinsons on both Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Big Crown: Showdown is the fourth and final game Gold members can claim in July. Available to play locally or online with up to four players, Big Crown: Showdown pits you and your friends against each other across three wacky medieval worlds and 15 insane courses. The goal is to stay on the course as it constantly shifts and throws hazards your way while also attempting to shove your friends off. Big Crown: Showdown is available to play only on Xbox One.
July 2019 Games with Gold
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night — July 1-15 (Xbox One, Xbox 360)
Inside — July 1-31 (Xbox One)
Meet the Robinsons — July 16-31 (Xbox One, Xbox 360)
Big Crown: Showdown — July 16-August 15 (Xbox One)
