All Articles: GDC 2016

Microsoft enables Cross-Network Play for Xbox One, Windows 10, and “other networks”

ps4-xboxone-controllersidebysideChris Charla is the Director of Microsoft’s ID@Xbox initiative and he made a rather surprising announcement today on the Xbox Wire. With the Game Developers Conference set to kick off today, the executive revealed that a new feature will soon be available to ID@Xbox developers… Cross-Network Play.

Developers who choose to implement Cross-Network Play within their games will give Xbox One and Windows 10 players the opportunity to compete in online multiplayer matches against each other. Best of all, Microsoft will also open up this service to any “other networks” who choose to participate, essentially inviting Sony and Nintendo to come play in their sandbox.

This invitation is especially interesting as the first game to offer Cross-Network Play is Psyonix’s Rocket League. Will Sony take them up on it? Let’s hope so…

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Sniper Elite 4 will be released for PC, PS4, Xbox One this year

Rebellion has announced that Sniper Elite 4 is in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Best of all, the sniper simulator will be released this year. This time out, “elite marksman” Karl Fairburne is behind enemy lines in Italy in 1943:

Italy, 1943. Covert agent and elite marksman Karl Fairburne must help free Italy from the yoke of Fascism and defeat a terrifying new threat that could halt the Allied fightback in Europe before it’s even begun.

From sun-drenched Mediterranean coastal towns, to colossal Nazi megastructures, daunting forests, and giddying mountain monasteries, Sniper Elite 4 will offer breathless emergent stealth action and unrivaled sniping freedom across maps many times the size of those seen in Sniper Elite 3.

In addition to the supposedly massive single-player campaign, players will be able to team up with friends for a co-operative or compete in an adversarial mode. Rebellion doesn’t want to waste any time and plans to reveal more information about Sniper Elite 4 during next week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

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Nominees for the 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced

gdcawardsBloodborne, Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Rocket League, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will all be competing for “Game of the Year” honors at this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards, which will be held on Wednesday, March 16.

With four nominations apiece, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt became the most-nominated titles this year. In addition to “Game of the Year,” The Phantom Pain is also up for “Best Audio,” “Best Design,” and “Best Technology.” Meanwhile, The Witcher 3 will attempt to also take home “Best Visual Art,” “Best Narrative,” and “Best Technology.”

Fallout 4 and Bloodborne were just a step behind both titles with three total nominations of their own. However, they have a lot of company as Star Wars: Battlefront, Splatoon, Her Story, and Undertale all received a trio of nominations as well.

Viewers at home will be able to watch the 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards through Twitch, and a complete look at this year’s nominees can be found after the break. (more…)

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Mini Metro, Her Story lead all nominees at the 2016 Independent Games Festival Awards

independentgamesfestival-header

The Independent Games Festival has announced the nominees for their 18th annual awards, and two very different games lead the pack as Mini Metro, a tranquil public transportation sim, and Her Story, a detective story that uses 90s-era full motion video, will both be competing for the “Seumas McNally Grand Prize.”

The minimalist Mini Metro collected three other nominations including “Excellence In Visual Art,” “Excellence In Design,” and “Excellence In Audio.” Meanwhile, Her Story also racked up three additional nominations including “Excellence In Narrative,” “Excellence In Design,” and the “Nuovo Award.” Both games will be competing for the “Grand Prize” against Darkest Dungeon, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Superhot, and Undertale.

The 2016 Independent Games Festival Awards will be held on Wednesday, March 16, during this year’s Game Developers Conference. If you aren’t going to be in San Francisco to attend the show in person, you can watch the festivities live through Twitch. However, if you are attending GDC 2016, all of this year’s finalists will be playable on the show floor at the IGF Pavilion.

A complete list of the nominees and honorable mentions for the 2016 Independent Games Festival Awards can be found after the break. (more…)

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