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Ubisoft has three unannounced games coming in Early 2020 but they’ve delayed Skull and Bones yet again

Posted on May 15, 2019 by John Scalzo

Is Ubisoft hard at work on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 7? Nobody’s entirely sure, but the publisher has confirmed that they’ve got three unannounced “AAA” games in the hopper, all set to launch sometime between January 1 and March 31 in 2020.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot spoke a bit about these games, calling them “very distinct gaming experiences,” during the company’s most recent quarterly financial report:

We are coming with three very distinct gaming experiences. We wanted to give those games the development they needed because we know they’re long-term sellers, so it’s important that they come with the best opportunity.

We won’t say anything more today. You’ll know more soon.

Sadly, the publisher also said that players hoping to sail the high seas in Skull and Bones will have to wait a bit longer. The pirate-themed multiplayer was penciled in to launch this year, but now it won’t be released until sometime after April 1, 2020. This is the second major delay for the game (it was originally scheduled to be out in 2018), but the development team provided a short update via Twitter, promising that “[their] focus remains on quality”:

Skull and Bones will not be on display during Ubisoft’s presentation at E3 2019, but presumably the three unannounced games will be.

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Konami will add Japanese variants to Castlevania Anniversary Collection in a free update after launch

Posted on May 15, 2019 by John Scalzo

Konami will make the Castlevania Anniversary Collection available to download for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One beginning tomorrow, May 16, for $19.99. The compilation will include the North American versions of eight games from the early days of the franchise, as well as The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon, a behind-the-scenes look at the franchise in an ebook-styled format.

The publisher famously released different variants of their games in each region during the NES era, and they typically offered different difficulty options (Japanese gamers often got an easier version to play) and graphical styles. Though sometimes the changes were made to comply with Nintendo’s discomfort for religious imagery and references at the time.

Fans hoping to test out these different versions with the Castlevania Anniversary Collection were originally out of luck, but Konami has apparently had a change of heart. Writing on the PlayStation Blog, Brand Manager Benjamin Kinney said that these Japanese will be available in a free update “shortly after launch”:

Lastly, important news: we heard your calls and Konami will add Japanese title variants as a free update shortly after launch. Keep your eyes peeled for more details!

The Castlevania Anniversary Collection will include Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, Super Castlevania IV, Castlevania: The Adventure, Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge, Castlevania: Bloodlines, and the never-before-released-in-the-US Kid Dracula. It’s currently unknown which games in the compilation will receive Japanese variants in the future.

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Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 7 is in development and it’ll be announced at E3 2019

Posted on May 15, 2019 by John Scalzo

Sam Fisher is so stealthy, that even his new game announcements happen completely under the radar!

Julian Gerighty, the Creative Director on Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, revealed yesterday that he was in France working on the next entry in the Splinter Cell franchise with the team at Ubisoft Ivory Tower. He also implied that the currently unannounced Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 7 would make an appearance at this year’s E3 Expo in June That’s a lot of “Whoops!” for one tweet:

Ubisoft Ivory Tower is best known as the developer behind The Crew and The Crew 2, so Sam Fisher might want to brush up on his driving skills before his next mission. This year’s E3 Expo is happening in just a few weeks, so hopefully Gerighty is telling the truth and we’ll learn more about it then.

UPDATE: Ubisoft told Game Informer that Gerighty was “joking” and that they don’t have any Splinter Cell announcements to make at this time: “Julian was obviously joking as Julian likes to do. It looks like our creative directors are having fun right now. We do not have any announcements to make at this time.”

It’s possible that Gerighty was making a joke, but if he was, what’s the punchline? We won’t know for sure until next month, but I would not be surprised to see Sam Fisher stalking the halls of the E3 Expo this year.

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Space Invaders: The Board Game is looking for funding on Kickstarter

Posted on May 14, 2019 by John Scalzo

Taito’s Space Invaders celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2018, and now the classic arcade cabinet is being adapted into a board game by 612 Entertainment.

The developers behind Space Invaders: The Board Game are seeking $45,000 from backers on Kickstarter to produce several special editions of the game. A Limited Edition with basic components can be pre-ordered for $30 (or $20 through the “Early Bird” tier), while a Deluxe Edition with premium components can be supported for $55. As of this writing, more than $14,000 has already been pledged towards the game’s funding goal.

Just like the revolutionary video game, Space Invaders: The Board Game asks players to move their cannons across the board while blasting away at the Space Invaders at the top of the playing field. Players will also be able to collect Energy Cards and Action Cards to augment their alien-killing arsenal, and research new technologies in search of the elusive High Score:

Space Invaders: The Board Game combines today’s popular deck-building genre with a more traditional strategy board game by allowing 2-4 players to collect Space Invaders cards and add them to their hands, while moving across the board and shooting enemies with their laser cannons. The game’s visual presentation and atmosphere are as close to the original arcade game as possible, creating a brilliant retro gaming experience.

The Kickstarter campaign for Space Invaders: The Board Game will come to an end on June 15, and 612 Entertainment hopes to make it available to backers by the end of the year, before launching a Retail Edition in 2020.

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Blizzard will open the doors to World of Warcraft Classic on August 27

Posted on May 14, 2019 by John Scalzo

World of Warcraft is set to celebrate its 15th anniversary later this year, and Blizzard plans to kick off the festivities with the launch of World of Warcraft Classic, which will be available for free to all subscribers, on August 27.

This authentic re-creation takes players back to the beginnings of Blizzard Entertainment’s groundbreaking massively multiplayer online role-playing game, a time when Onyxia spread terror from her lair in Duskwallow Marsh, Leeroy Jenkins became a sensation after some ill-advised heroics in Upper Blackrock Spire, and only the bravest or most foolhardy quested alone in Stranglethorn Vale.

With World of Warcraft Classic, Blizzard has rebuilt the original WoW in its most polished and complete state—as it was at the time of the “Drums of War” update (patch 1.12.0), originally released August 22, 2006.

“Building and launching World of Warcraft back in 2004 was immensely challenging,” said J. Allen Brack, the President of Blizzard Entertainment. “A tornado literally tore the roof off one of the game’s data centers during the early days of testing—but Blizzard was fortunate to have hundreds, and then thousands, and then millions of people around the world cheering our developers on.”

Current World of Warcraft subscribers will get the chance to test out World of Warcraft Classic a few months early beginning tomorrow. According to Blizzard, a Closed Beta will begin on May 15th, and it’ll be followed by a series of stress tests over the Summer.

In addition to the impending launch of World of Warcraft Classic, Blizzard is also getting ready to release a special 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition for the MMORPG that’ll come packed with a “treasure trove of collectibles and in-game bonus items”:

This treasure trove of collectibles and in-game bonus items comes with 30 days of game time for World of Warcraft and includes an imposing statue of Ragnaros the Firelord that stands over 10 inches tall; a pin depicting the head of Onyxia, Broodmother of the Black Dragonflight; a mousepad adorned with a map of Azeroth; a set of fine art prints that illustrate Azeroth’s storied past; and a pair of mounts… the Alabaster Stormtalon, and the Alabaster Thunderwing… in honor of the moment WoW players first took to the skies.

The World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition will be available on October 8, and it’ll be priced at $99.99.

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Take-Two executives discuss big sales for GTA5 and Red Dead 2 while looking ahead to 2019 lineup

Posted on May 14, 2019 by John Scalzo

Take-Two Interactive delivered another celebratory quarterly financial report last night as the publisher’s latest releases have proven very popular with players.

Leading the charge is Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. More than 24 million copies of the game have been shipped to stores since its launch last October. Take-Two executives also revealed that they’ve shipped more than nine million copies of NBA 2K19 in a similar timeframe.

But the most surprising reveal from yesterday’s report might be the news that Take-Two shipped more than ten million copies of Grand Theft Auto V during the quarter, bringing its lifetime total to 110 million copies after six years on the market.

While the company was happy with their retail performance in 2018, they’re also looking ahead to 2019 with gusto.

According to CEO Strauss Zelnick, 2K Games has already committed to launching NBA 2K20 and WWE 2K20 this Fall:

Also this Fall, 2K will launch new installments of our highly successful annual sports franchises with the releases of NBA 2K20 and WWE 2K20. As always, the development teams behind these games are hard at work to deliver our trademark array of exciting new features and innovations that keep players coming back year after year. 2K will have more to share about these titles in the coming months.

Zelnick later confirmed that Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds and Patrice Desilets’s Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime this year through their Private Division label:

Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the Outer Worlds marks the reunion of Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, the original creators of Fallout, who are introducing an entirely new single player sci-fi RPG experience. The Outer Worlds will be showcased behind closed doors at E3 to select media and influencers, and more details about the game will be revealed over time. Last month, Private Division hosted press events for Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, where attendees got to play the game and meet its creators at Panache Digital Games, including the studio’s co-founder, Patrice Desilets, who was the original creative director of Assassin’s Creed.

More information about Take-Two Interactive’s full lineup for 2019 (including the previously-announced Borderlands 3) will be announced at this year’s E3 Expo in June.

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New Retail Releases: Rage 2, A Plague Tale, More

Posted on May 13, 2019 by John Scalzo

It’s time once again for a look at this week’s new retail releases.

Bethesda and id Software, along with an assist from Avalanche Studios, are bringing back the Rage universe this week with the release of Rage 2 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Rage 2 retains the original game’s Mad Max-inspired Wasteland, but adds in a dash of over-the-top zaniness and and a colorful new graphical palette.

Also set to launch this week is A Plague Tale: Innocence, a harrowing look back at the plague-ravaged French countryside of 1349. Taking control of a young woman who must protect a brother she barely knows, players will need to avoid the Inquisition and an army of deadly rats. A Plague Tale: Innocence will be available on retail shelves for the PS4 and Xbox One, while PC players will be able to download it through their favorite digital storefront.

Finally this week, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered gives fans of the franchise a chance to relive the second entry’s World War II setting. This Remastered version of the game (for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One) will include updated graphics, new playable characters from Rebellion’s Zombie Army Trilogy, and all previously-released downloadable content. Sniper Elite V2 Remastered will be available as a digital download on the PC.

You can find the rest of this week’s retail releases after the break. (more…)

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Big Block DLC adds a single-player Practice Mode and Marathon to Tetris 99; 3rd Maximus Cup scheduled for May 17-20

Posted on May 10, 2019 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has pushed out a big new update for Tetris 99 that finally gives players the option to play offline… but it’ll add a cost to the otherwise free-to-play game.

The Big Block DLC Pass has been priced at $9.99, and it includes a single-player Marathon Mode, as well as a CPU Battle Mode that gives players the chance to practice against the computer before venturing online against live competition. The Pass will also include access to a mysterious third mode that will be released sometime before the end of the year.

Tetris 99’s signature online battle royale will remain free-to-play with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

Nintendo also announced that Tetris 99’s third Maximus Cup will kick off on Friday, May 17. The competition will begin at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time) and continue until Monday, May 20, at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time). The third Maximus Cup will be another “Point Stacking Challenge,” and the consolemaker will award points to players who finish a match anywhere in the Top 80:

Points Table for Tetris 99 3rd Maximus Cup
1st Place: 100
2nd Place: 50
3rd Place: 30
4th-10th Place: 20
11th–30th Place: 10
31st–50th Place: 5
51st–80th Place: 2

In celebration of Tetris‘s 35th anniversary, players who collect at least 100 points will unlock a Theme that reskins Tetris 99 to more closely resemble the original Game Boy game.

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