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
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- BAFTA Games Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- With Grand Theft Auto 6 poised to take over the world, I reached out to Jack Thompson and it did not go well – PC Gamer (2026)
- Vib-Ribbon: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- Diablo IV PC Cooled With Real Human Blood Is Still Going Strong Two Years Later, Says Guy Who Won It – Aftermath (2026)
Most Recent: PS4
Star Wars: Battlefront has captured the most nominations at 2015 Gamescom Awards
Germany’s Digital Gaming Culture Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur) has announced the nominees for this year’s Gamescom Awards… and Star Wars: Battlefront has Force Pushed its way to the top of the pack. DICE’s shooter sequel was able to collection four nominations including “Best Console Game – PlayStation 4,” “Best PC Game,” “Best Action Game,” and “Best Online Multiplayer Game.”
Battlefront was able to move slightly ahead of the pack, as a small handful of games received three nominations apiece. Final Fantasy XV, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Super Mario Maker, Skylanders SuperChargers, and Guitar Hero Live are all up for three awards.
Even if you’re not one of the jury members for the Gamescom Awards, you can have an influence on the results. The general public can vote for any game on display at the expo for a Most Wanted Consumer Award using the Gamescom app.
The winners of this year’s Gamescom Awards will be announced on August 7. The full list of nominees can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Dark Souls III, Final Fantasy XV, Forza Motorsport 6, Gamescom 2015, Guitar Hero Live, Lego Dimensions, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, Skylanders SuperChargers, Star Wars: Battlefront, Super Mario Maker, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Unravel
Behind-the-scenes article paints Konami executives as Orwellian dictators
UPDATE: Nikkei has released an official English translation of the article.
Nikkei, a Japanese financial newspaper, recently published an article that delves into the struggles and horrible working conditions of employees at Konami. Basically, it is not pretty, and if anything, Hideo Kojima’s rumored departure can only be seen as a good thing.
The article is entirely in Japanese, and the website requires a subscription to fully access it, but volunteer translators have been working on the article and released some highlights this morning through NeoGAF. Additional translations are available at GamesIndustry.biz and Kotaku.
A number of anonymous employees spoke to Nikkei about life at Konami, describing a prison-like environment. Employees who are deemed “useless” are either sent to the assembly line to work on pachinko machines, or are reassigned to become security officers. Some are even forced to clean up the gym located in Konami’s headquarters. And this punishment isn’t just limited to low-level workers, producers and other prominent creators have also had this type of grunt work hoisted on them.
Lunch breaks are said to be regulated via time cards, and any employee who runs late is “outed” from the company. Konami’s employees are also said to be under heavy surveillance at all times. Even Solid Snake himself couldn’t dodge all the security cameras and punch clocks that line the company’s halls.
All these measures allegedly stem from the success Konami had with a mobile game known as Dragon Collection, which has made far more money and was much cheaper to develop than any console game the company produced in years. This news is certainly in line with Konami’s recent attitude, which has led to the cancellation of the majority of their console projects, including Silent Hills.
Nikkei’s report also states that, as of April 2015, Konami had spent $80 million on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Coupled with the publisher’s desire to move towards mobile games, this astronomical budget likely had something to do with Konami’s rift with Kojima.
Konami has already stated they plan on continuing with the Metal Gear series, as well as Pro Evolution Soccer, but beyond that, much of the company’s plans remain a mystery.
Vega claws his way into Street Fighter V and is playable at Gamescom 2015
Vega’s vain and dandyish style are on full display in his debut trailer, as Capcom has confirmed the character has officially joined the ranks of Street Fighter V‘s roster. Announced as part of the publisher’s pre-Gamescom activities, Capcom has even given “The Spanish Ninja” a no-claw fight style for the first in the franchise’s history:
Vega brings with him a brand new set of tricks, as well as a new appearance. Still possessing his trademark speed and quickness, he now has access to two distinct fighting modes: claw or no-claw. With the no-claw style giving him access to command grabs as well as new attack properties, players will need to toggle between both styles to pull off that winning KO at the end of the fight. Vega’s powerful V-Trigger is the Bloody Kiss, which sees him throw a rose at high velocity towards his opponent, before he charges at full speed right behind it, delivering a series of brutal attacks. This Spanish matador is definitely a fighter to keep your eye on, if you can.
Vega will be part of Street Fighter V’s playable Gamescom demo, which is available at Sony’s booth (C-020) in Hall 7. We’ll all get a chance to play the game when its released for the PC and PS4 in Spring 2016.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged Gamescom 2015, Street Fighter V
GameStop: Comcept or Deep Silver told us Mighty No. 9 will not be released in 2015
Last week, we told you that most retailers had removed Mighty No. 9‘s previously-announced release date of September 15, 2015 from their online storefronts. Today, GameStop revealed to Game Informer that their corporate policy states this type of release date change is only made at the request of the developer or publisher. Therefore, it is extremely unlikely that Mighty No. 9 will be released for any of its planned platforms (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One) by the end of the year. Mighty No. 9 is also in development for the 3DS and Vita, but its tentative “late 2015” release date has probably been erased as well.
Game Informer attempted to contact both Deep Silver and Comcept for comment, but the publication was unsuccessful. Publisher Deep Silver refused to comment, while developer Comcept didn’t reply to the request at all.
While it’s just speculation on my part (and Game Informer’s, for that matter), I believe Comcept is staying quiet about Mighty No. 9’s delay because the crowdfunding campaign for their next game, Red Ash: The Indelible Legend, is currently in its final hours. With just under three days to go, the game has only secured funding for 60% of its $800,000 target, and a delay to their high profile spiritual successor to the Mega Man franchise can only hurt the public’s confidence in the developer.
At this pace, it probably won’t reach its goal, but Comcept recently signed a publishing agreement with Fuze and will complete the game regardless.
“Dramatic changes” will be coming to the combat in Final Fantasy VII remake
We received hints of this at E3, but Square Enix isn’t planning to just give Final Fantasy VII a graphical makeover and call it a day. Speaking to Official PlayStation Magazine UK (via GamesRadar), Tetsuya Nomura said that “dramatic changes” will be made to the publisher’s most beloved RPG during development of the remake:
[G]ame director Tetsuya Nomura said that the team will be making “dramatic changes” to the game’s fights. “And of course, that being said we want to clarify: We’re not going to be changing it into a shooter or something like that. We are going to be bringing dramatic changes, but we want to make sure it’s still recognizable.”
If you are concerned about the game’s graphics, Nomura has suggested looking to Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, because that’s what he’s going to do:
Nomura stated that the team will be looking to the movie – which Nomura also directed – for visual references and inspiration, but that he and his team “don’t intend on utilising the 3D models of Advent Children as is because, well, it’s a different technology, and it’s actually been almost ten years since Advent Children was first released.”
Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII remake is likely still many years away and will launch “first” on the PS4. It’s widely assumed the remake will eventually be released for the PC and/or the Xbox One sometime afterwards.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Final Fantasy VII
Electronic Arts CEO reiterates that next Battlefield game will launch in Fall 2016
Electronic Arts delivered their quarterly financial report today, and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson had a bit to say about the next Battlefield game.
Wilson, who never referred to the game as “Battlefield 5,” and instead only used “a new Battlefield experience” in his remarks, stated once again that it would be released in Fall 2016. This same game was previously mentioned in EA’s October 2014 financial report, and while its possible that it’s some kind of spinoff, that seems unlikely. Especially since developers at DICE confirmed the existence of the game to The New York Times all the way back in 2013.
But speaking of financial figures, Electronic Arts had a pretty good quarter. Executives from the company confirmed that EA recorded $693 million in sales this past Spring, which was well above their expected revenue of $640 million.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Battlefield 1
The “Official Story Trailer” for Lego Dimensions is absolutely bonkers
- The Riddler riding a Balrog!
- Gandalf riding a hoverboard!
- Marty McFly fighting evil with “The Power of Love”!
- The Batman from the Lego Batman games arguing with the Batman from The Lego Movie!
Ladies and gentlemen, the Lego Dimensions “Official Story Trailer” has it all! This absolutely ridiculous look at WB Games’s massive crossover project seems to includes everything that made TT Games’s previous Lego projects great. But if the official plot description is anything to go by, there’s a lot more insanity to come:
In the game, there is an ancient planet at the center of the Lego Multiverse inhabited by an evil mastermind, Lord Vortech. It is said that he who controls the Foundational Elements that this planet is built upon, controls all of the Multiverse. Lord Vortech has vowed to be that ruler, summoning characters from a variety of Lego worlds to help him find these building bricks of Lego civilization. Some have agreed, others have rebelled, and only the combined powers of the greatest Lego heroes can stop him.
Lego Dimensions will mix together 14 Lego worlds including DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, Back to the Future, Scooby-Doo, Doctor Who, Jurassic World, Ghostbusters, The Simpsons, Portal, Lego Ninjago, Lego Chima, and The Lego Movie. WB Games will also add characters from Midway Arcade to the action, and if that means that I get to play as Lego Sub-Zero I will lose my freakin’ mind.
Lego Dimensions will be released for the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 27.
Comcept signs publishing deal with Fuze as Red Ash Kickstarter campaign struggles
With just three days to go, Comcept’s Kickstarter campaign for Red Ash: The Indelible Legend is struggling. The developer has only reached 60% of their $800,000 goal and things look bleak. However, a new development deal with Fuze Entertainment, a publisher based out of China, will allow Comcept to complete the game. Not only that, but the deal allows the team to also bring the game to the PS4 and Xbox One, in addition to the PC.
According to an update posted to the Kickstarter campaign, all money pledged towards Red Ash will go towards the development of additional content. While reaching their Kickstarter goal is far from a certainty, Comcept also said they will retain all franchise rights to Red Ash.
Comcept has also decided to go on the offensive and give their fans a small taste of Red Ash with a short mock-up demo. Instructions on how to download (and play) the demo can be found in a recent Kickstarter update.
Red Ash was pitched as a spiritual successor to Mega Man Legends by Comcept’s Keiji Inafune, and I’m sure fans are excited that the game is now assured to be completed.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Red Ash: The Indelible Legend