God of War slays all comers and emerges as the best-selling game of April 2018

Posted on May 23, 2018 by John Scalzo

You might say that Kratos returned with a vengeance last month, and that’s because Sony’s God of War reboot climbed to the top of The NPD Group’s list of best-selling games for April 2018. According to the NPD (via GamesIndustry.biz), God of War was also the “best ever launch for a PlayStation exclusive.”

Sony and Kratos weren’t done setting records, and the former “Ghost of Sparta” helped sell a lot of PS4 consoles too. Thanks to a push from the newly-available PS4 Pro 1TB + God of War Limited Edition Bundle, Sony’s console was propelled to the top of the NPD’s Hardware Chart for both “units sold” and “dollar sales.” The PS4 also set a new record for console sales during the month of April, besting the previous mark set in April 2008 by Nintendo’s Wii.

While Nintendo lost out on one record, they almost stole Sony’s thunder by placing six games in the NPD’s Top 20 last month, including the Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit (#4), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (#5), Mario Kart 8 (#6), Super Mario Odyssey (#9), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#13), and Kirby Star Allies (#19).

You can find the full list of The NPD Group’s best-selling titles for April 2018 after the break.

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Kickstart This! Guide to Getting Your Game Funded (Part 1)

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Andrew Rainnie

It has been five long years since I crafted Kickstart This! How To Get More Coin For Your Game, my first guide to crowdfunding for game developers. Since then, we have seen a smorgasbord of game projects launch into the crowdfunding seas, some reaching the legendary Land of the Funded, while most turned back. Those who went in without a map were suddenly lost at sea or smashed against the rocks of failure.

During this period, I launched two film projects on Kickstarter. The first, The Illuminant Midnight Project, crashed and burned, raising a paltry £874 against a target of £15,000. It was a trio of short films that were, in retrospect, far too ambitious, with a lofty goal on a project that I had I not put enough work into (and I had put in a lot of work).

Several years later, I took what I learned from those first mistakes and launched The Water Rat, a short film with a single location and only three actors. The constraints allowed a much smaller initial target of £500. We passed this in three days, ending our 30 day run at the start of April with a total of £1750, enough to make two short films.

With that in mind, it seemed like an ideal time to revisit my original guide, as well as its sequel (Kickstart This! 10 Pointers To Get More Gold For Your Game). I’m going to address new features that Kickstarter has launched, and look at old ideas in a new light, especially in developing an audience or community before launch.

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Posted in Features, Top Story |

Lego sets and Nerf guns based on Overwatch are coming soon

Posted on May 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

Licensing Expo 2018 is being held this week in Las Vegas, and it looks like Activision Blizzard wants everyone to celebrate by filling their playrooms with Overwatch toys.

First, the publisher struck a deal with Nerf to produce a line of “Nerf products, games, and more” inspired by the world of Overwatch. Nerf’s first Overwatch-branded toys will include a new line of Nerf Rival guns in January 2019 and “additional product categories” in Fall 2019.

“We are thrilled to announce this partnership with Blizzard for the Overwatch franchise,” said Samantha Lomow, the Senior Vice President at Hasbro. “The roster of bold, diverse characters, and a passionate following of more than 40 million players have inspired our teams to create an amazing product line that will not only appeal to the passionate Overwatch fan base, but also attract new fans into the Overwatch universe.”

Nerf guns inspired by Overwatch weaponry seems like a no-brainer, as does Activision Blizzard’s second deal of the day, a series of Lego sets based on the popular multiplayer shooter. It’s unknown when the first Overwatch Lego sets will be released, but Lego is working on “multiple” sets at “various price points.”

In addition to Nerf guns and Lego sets, Overwatch fans can also expect to see additional licensed products on store shelves including Halloween costumes (from Spirit and Disguise), books for younger readers (from Scholastic), and a cookbook (from Insight Editions).

Does Overwatch have a cooking minigame I’m unaware of?

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The Golf Club 2019 will feature official PGA Tour Career Mode

Posted on May 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

EA Sports parked the PGA Tour franchise in the clubhouse after the release of Rory McIlroy PGA Tour in 2015. But it looks like official PGA Tour golf is coming back to the PC and consoles this August with the release of The Golf Club 2019.

HB Studios has announced that the next entry in their golf simulation series will include a PGA Tour Career Mode with official events (including the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the John Deere Classic, and the Waste Management Phoenix Open) and courses (such as TPC Boston and TPC Sawgrass).

The developer also has a bagful of other new features lined up for The Golf Club 2019 on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One:

The Golf Club 2019 Features

  • Game Modes: Our fans have asked for it, and we have heard them. In response to popular community demand, Skins and Alt-Shot have been added in alongside all of The Golf Club’s previous game modes.
  • Course Designer: The award-winning Course Designer just got bigger and better! Design, build, and share your courses online.
  • Character Editor: Our robust Character Editor has also received a massive update. A vast array of new customization options will allow The Golf Club players unprecedented opportunity to create highly realistic, fun, and dynamic golfers.
  • Online and Solo Societies: Grow your members, upgrade your Clubhouse, run tournaments and earn virtual currency. Can you build and maintain the top Society in The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA Tour?
  • Gameplay: The most authentic golf simulation experience just got deeper, more realistic, and more fun. The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA Tour is about a level playing field for everyone, endless single player fun and an online social experience competing with friends and rivals across the globe.
  • Online Matchmaking and Privates Sessions: More tools to empower players and help streamline their playing preferences.

A new trailer highlighting The Golf Club 2019’s PGA Tour Career Mode has been embedded above, and even more information about the game can be found at its official website.

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EA releases Teaser Trailer for Battlefield V’s upcoming Live Reveal on May 23

Posted on May 21, 2018 by John Scalzo

There have been five “numbered” entries in DICE’s Battlefield franchise, as long as you count 2016’s Battlefield 1. But it looks like the developer has decided to reclassify Battlefield 1 as a spinoff, because DICE recently confirmed that Battlefield V will be released this Fall.

Fans will get their first look at Battlefield V during a special Live Reveal event on Wednesday, May 23, at 4:00 PM (Eastern Time). The event will be hosted by The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, and you’ll be able to view a livestream on Battlefield’s YouTube channel.

EA and DICE have also released a short (very short) Teaser Trailer for Battlefield V, and it’s been embedded above.

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Resident Evil 7 is coming to the Switch… only in Japan… as a cloud-based game

Posted on May 21, 2018 by John Scalzo

What do you do if you’re a publisher and you want to bring your beefy PS4/Xbox One game to the Nintendo’s lower-powered Switch? If you’re Capcom, you throw together a “Cloud Version” and ask players to be always connected to the Internet to play it.

As you may have gathered from the headline, and the creepy trailer embedded above, that’s exactly what Capcom is doing with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The horror game will be coming to the Switch… only in Japan… on May 24th. But players will need a constant Internet connection (just like Sony’s PlayStation Now service) to play this streaming-powered “Cloud Version” of the game.

Resident Evil 7’s “Cloud Version” will be available to download through the Switch eShop for ¥2000 (about $18), and players will receive a 45MB download that serves as their “Play Ticket” to access the game’s streaming server. Each “Play Ticket” expires after 180 days, after which players will need to purchase another one to keep playing.

Capcom has yet to announce if this special “Cloud Version” of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be released for the Switch in the rest of the world.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

NBA Playgrounds 2 won’t be released this week after all

Posted on May 21, 2018 by John Scalzo

Saber Interactive’s NBA Playgrounds 2 was originally set to launch for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on May 22. But according to a new post from the developer on Facebook, the game’s upcoming release has been temporarily benched because “exciting things [are] brewing” for the franchise:

We’ve got some news to share, but we want to start by saying ‘good things come to those who wait.’ There are exciting things brewing with the NBA Playgrounds franchise that we think will take arcade basketball to new levels.

We can’t tell you everything now, but we can tell you that this means our launch date of May 22nd will be moved out. Please be patient with us, we promise that NBA Playgrounds 2 will be better than ever. We’ll have more details to share soon.

Saber Interactive didn’t elaborate on what these “exciting things” might be, nor did they announce a new release date for NBA Playgrounds 2.

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New Retail Releases: Detroit: Become Human, Dark Souls Remastered, Runner 3, More

Posted on May 21, 2018 by John Scalzo

Two big re-releases headline this week’s New Retail Releases, as well as the latest PS4 exclusive from Sony…

David Cage and Quantic Dream have been trying meld the cinematic storytelling of movies with the interactivity of video games for more than two decades now. Their latest experiment, Detroit: Become Human, will be released this week for the PS4. Based on a tech demo from the PS3 era, Detroit asks players to take control of three androids and discover what it feels like to experience human emotions for the first time.

Also available this week are a pair of re-releases that have gamers very excited. Bandai Namco will bring Dark Souks Remastered to the PS4 and Xbox One with upgraded visuals, the Artorias of the Abyss expansion, and dedicated servers.

Switch owners will have to wait a bit longer to play Dark Souls Remastered, but they’ll get their first chance this week to dig into Mega Man Legacy Collection + Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, which contains all 12 games from the “Mega Man Classic” franchise, as well as new Challenges, and multiple graphics filters.

Speaking of side-scrolling platformers and Nintendo’s newest console, Switch owners will also be able to pick up Runner 3 this week. Dozens of new levels await Commander Video as he returns in another rhythm-powered running game from developer Choice Provisions.

Several other new games will also appear on store shelves this week including The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset (PC), the latest expansion to Bethesda’s MMO; Tennis World Tour (PS4 and Xbox One), a tennis simulation from Bigben Interactive; 7’sCarlet (Vita), a visual novel from Aksys Games; and Space Hulk: Deathwing – Enhanced Edition (PS4), a tactical first person shooter based on the popular tabletop game.

Finally, Xbox One owners who skipped the “Ultimate Edition” for State of Decay 2, the zombie survival sim from Microsoft and Undead Labs, can pick up the Standard Edition this week.

That’s all for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at all the new additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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