Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA Soccer, and Silent Hill are the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
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Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- We Pitched a Museum a 1993 Game Hint Line (And They Actually Said Yes) – Yarn Spinner (2026)
- The History Of The Word “Metroidvania” And How It Spread – A Critical Hit (2025)
- Creator of Hit Game Shovel Knight Is at a ‘Make or Break’ Moment – Bloomberg (2025)
- Shadow of the Colossus: An oral history – Design Room (2025)
Most Recent: PC
BioWare Austin is now hiring for an original new game
After the unceremonious cancellation of Shadow Realms a year ago, BioWare Austin was a studio without a major project to call their own. But after providing development support for Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda, it looks like they’re ready to strike out on their own again.
According to a number of new job listings on BioWare’s Careers page, the Austin team is currently recruiting developers to assist in the creation of a brand new intellectual property. While the game is still mostly shrouded in mystery, a few kernels of information are hidden in each job listing.
For example, we know the game will feature a heavy emphasis on online play as BioWare is seeking a Lead Server Software Engineer with expertise in implementing “significant online elements” on the PC and consoles. We’ve also learned that “the former Mass Effect team” will lead development on this new title, thanks to a job listing for a Senior Software Engineer.
Hopefully, we’ll learn more about BioWare’s next project soon.
Doom’s single-player campaign will take 13 hours to complete
It’s hard to explain just how much of a vice grip the original Doom had on gamers back in 1993. The game’s grueling single-player campaign was 36 levels of blood and horror, but it’s still fondly remembered by those of us who fought all the way to the gates of Hell.
More than 22 years have passed since the release of the original Doom, but the id Software of 2016 is just as concerned with creating something epic. Responding to a fan on Twitter, the developer said that this Spring’s Doom will feature a single-player campaign that clocks in at over 13 hours:
.@Unreal389 The difficulty level plays a factor, but folks playing at the office average 13+ hours in the campaign
— DOOM (@DOOM) February 11, 2016
Obviously, this kind of pronouncement should be taken with a grain of salt. But it is a good sign that we’ll all be knee-deep in the dead on May 13.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Doom (2016)
2016 Writers Guild Award for Videogame Writing goes to Rise of the Tomb Raider
The Writers Guild of America announced the winners of the 2016 Writers Guild Awards this weekend, and Square Enix’s Rise of the Tomb Raider took home the prize for “Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing.”
Lara Croft’s latest adventure was written by Rhianna Pratchett, with Narrative Design by John Stafford and Cameron Suey, and additional writing by Philip Gelatt. Pratchett is one of the gaming industry’s premiere storytellers, but this is her first win at the Writers Guild Awards. She previously wrote 2013’s Tomb Raider, as well as Heavenly Sword, Mirror’s Edge, and Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians.
The writing team beat out some strong competition this year including Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity, and CD Projekt’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Developed by Crystal Dynamics, Rise of the Tomb Raider was released last year for the Xbox One and Xbox 360, and is now also available for the PC. It’ll launch for the PS4 sometime this Fall.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Rise of the Tomb Raider
Watch the first six minutes of The Walking Dead: Michonne right here
Telltale gave their fans a bloody Valentine yesterday in the form of a video preview of the first six minutes from the upcoming The Walking Dead: Michonne. The three-episode miniseries will dive into the backstory of one of the comic’s most popular characters and reveal the reasons behind her self-imposed exile from Rick’s group in issues #126 through #139 of the comic book series.
The Walking Dead: Michonne’s first episode, “In Too Deep,” will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on February 23 (followed by an iOS/Android release on the 25th). Future episodes will be available in March and April.
New Releases: Street Fighter V, Fire Emblem Fates, Project X Zone 2, More
This week’s new release report has “Made in Japan” written all over it.
After upgrading and enhancing Street Fighter IV nearly half-a-dozen times, Capcom is finally ready to move on to Street Fighter V this week. The PC and PS4 fighting game will include 16 characters, and the publisher plans to add new characters to the roster every few months as downloadable content. Fans have been waiting for this one for a while, but I’m very interested to see how the Street Fighter franchise will change without the promise of a “Super” or “Ultra” expansion in the future.
Nintendo brings back another long-awaited sequel this week with the release Fire Emblem Fates on the 3DS. To give players a choice in how the story proceeds, the massive game was actually split into two parts, Birthright and Conquest, so players lead a rebellion or smash it. A third path, pitting both sides against an even greater evil, will be available as a downloadable expansion later this Spring. A beautifully-rendered New 3DS XL: Fire Emblem Fates Edition can also be picked up on store shelves, but it won’t include a copy of either Fire Emblem Fates game.
Speaking of complex strategy games on the 3DS, Fire Emblem Fates will get some competition this week from Project X Zone 2, Monolith Soft’s ridiculous quad-company crossover. Beloved characters from games published by Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega, and Nintendo are joining forces to battle a dimension-hopping foe.
Finally this week, Nintendo will re-release Bayonetta 2 in a single-disc version that drops the Bayonetta bonus disc. If you’ve been waiting to pick up one of the best action games the Wii U has to offer, now’s your chance.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Wii U
Tagged Bayonetta 2, Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright/Conquest, Project X Zone 2, Street Fighter V
Microsoft wants to make PC/Xbox One Cross-Buy a “platform feature”
Yesterday, Microsoft kicked off their own Cross-Buy program with the announcement that Quantum Break will receive a simultaneous launch on the Xbox One and PC on April 5. Xbox One owners who pre-order the game will receive a free copy of the Windows 10 version, and both games will include Cross-Save support, so progress you make on one platform will carry over to the other. Though I guess I should break in here and point out that not everyone is happy about this news.
Hopefully, those Xbox fans will come around as it looks like Microsoft has no plans to make Quantum Break’s Cross-Buy promotion a one-off. Posting on Twitter, the Head of Microsoft’s Xbox Division, Phil Spencer, has confirmed that Cross-Buy will be a “platform feature” for the PC and Xbox One going forward because he sees it as being “good for gamers”:
@Nahkapukki @MSFTY @Nicodemus9 @DCNationSlade We'll make it a platform feature. We think it's good for gamers.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 11, 2016
Microsoft has a large number of PC and Xbox One games in the works for 2016 including Halo Wars 2, Killer Instinct Season 3, ReCore, and Sea of Thieves, so I wouldn’t be surprised if any or all of them are announced as Cross-Buy titles in the near future.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Quantum Break
Call of Duty: Black Ops III marches to the top of January 2016’s list of best-selling games
The NPD Group recently delivered their monthly report on the state of retail video game sales, and the market research firm once again crowned Call of Duty: Black Ops III as the best-selling game of the month. The military shooter’s January 2016 victory is its third straight, but the industry as a whole is in a bit of a slump due to last month’s lack of new releases.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, retail sales for new games totaled $212.7 million last month, down from $235.6 million in 2015. The NPD Group speculated that the lack of a highly-anticipated new title like Techland’s Dying Light might be the cause for the dip, which makes sense when you realize that only one new release, Lego Avengers, was able to crack the top ten. Across the entire industry, US consumers spent $605.2 million on games, consoles, and accessories in January 2016, which was slightly down from January 2015’s total of $627.6 million.
Grand Theft Auto V, Fallout 4, Minecraft, and a few others continue to tally impressive sales. And you can find them all in the full top ten list of January 2016’s best-selling games, which is available after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Fallout 4, FIFA 16, Grand Theft Auto V, Lego Avengers, Madden NFL 16, Minecraft, NBA 2K16, NPD, Star Wars: Battlefront, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Activision confirms Skylanders 6, new Call of Duty from Infinity Ward, Destiny expansion in 2016; Destiny 2 coming in 2017
Activision revealed a first look at their 2016 release slate during today’s quarterly financial report… and you’ll never believe what they announced. Nah, I’m just kidding, even an amateur prognosticator could figure out what Activision has in store for this year.
First up, the publisher confirmed that Infinity Ward will develop the next entry in the Call of Duty franchise, which will be released this Fall. The developer’s most recent game was 2013’s Call of Duty: Ghosts, and right now it’s unknown if they’ll continue with that story or move in a different direction. But we do the currently untitled Call of Duty 2016 will be Infinity Ward’s first in Activision’s new three-developer cycle for the series.
Activision is also aiming to launch the sixth entry in the Skylanders series in Fall 2016. Skylanders 6 is in development at Toys For Bob and will be released alongside Skylanders Academy, a new television series based on the franchise.
Bungie’s Destiny will receive more content in 2016, but don’t expect a full-fledged sequel just yet. Another “large” expansion to the original game will be released this year, and the famed developer announced they’ll launch Destiny 2 in 2017.
Finally, Blizzard got a chance to discuss their plans for 2016, but the developer just reiterated a release schedule that we’ve known for a while. Overwatch, their upcoming hero shooter, is on track for a Spring 2016 release on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And World of Warcraft: Legion, the sixth expansion to the world’s favorite MMO, will be released this Summer, just after the June premiere of the Warcraft movie.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Destiny, Destiny 2, Overwatch, Skylanders Imaginators, World of Warcraft