PC/Mac version of Minecraft has sold 25 million copies

Posted on January 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

A few years ago, Microsoft acquired Mojang, the developers behind Minecraft, for $2.5 billion. That sounds like an absurd number even today, but it’s possible that Microsoft may have gotten a bargain.

Over the weekend, Mojang updated Minecraft’s Sales Statistics page and confirmed that more than 25 million copies of the popular sandbox game have been sold on the PC and Mac platforms. As I write this, the real-time counter has currently ticked up to 25,079,420. Several more copies will be surely purchased by the time I finish writing this news report. And its sales figures will be even higher by the time you finish reading it.

Back in June, Mojang revealed that the game had sold 100 million copies across all platforms… with no signs of slowing down. I think it’s safe to say that Minecraft has become a sales juggernaut. And yes, Microsoft definitely got a bargain.

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Nintendo Download: Pokemon Snap, Spheroids, and more

Posted on January 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

Before Pokemon Go let fans take pictures of their Pokemon in the real world, Pokemon Snap offered a similar “Pokemon on Safari” experience on the Nintendo 64. Originally released in 1999, players wandered the game’s countryside and used a camera to “capture” wild Pokemon on film. Pokemon Snap owners could even take their Memory Card to Blockbuster Video and print out a copy of their prize-winning photograph.

While you might be shaking your head at “Memory Card” and “Blockbuster Video,” Pokemon fans will probably be happy to learn that Pokemon Snap is now available to download through the Wii U eShop as part of today’s Nintendo Download.

Also available to download for the Wii U today is Spheroids, a side-scrolling platformer where blockheaded humans battle spherical aliens.

More information on Pokemon Snap, Spheroids, and the rest of this week’s new releases can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U |

Mass Effect: Andromeda’s CES 2017 trailer includes a look at combat and menu options

Posted on January 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

Gaming gadgets became a rare sight at the annual Consumer Electronics Show after the organization of the first E3 Expo in 1995.

But a few companies still make the trek to Las Vegas, and this year, Nvidia offered BioWare a chance to show off the latest Mass Effect: Andromeda gameplay trailer on the big stage. The new trailer features a heavy focus on combat, but fans also got a glimpse at the game’s upgrade tree and menu options.

And in case you missed it yesterday, BioWare confirmed that Mass Effect: Andromeda will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on March 21.

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The Plague announced by Focus Home Interactive and Asobo Studio

Posted on January 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

Asobo Studio isn’t a household name to most gamers, but there’s a very good chance that you’re familiar with their work. Since 2002, they’ve provided production assistance to a number of publishers on several high-profile games. Asobo has lent their development skills to the completion of The Crew, Quantum Break, and ReCore over the last few years.

More recently, the developer decided to take the lead on their first wholly original project. Asobo will release The Plague, an action-adventure game for the PC and consoles, in a partnership with publisher Focus Home Interactive.

“It is a great pride for Focus to accompany Asobo on an original creation of the studio,” said Focus Home’s President, Cedric Lagarrigue. “This new signature confirms our results and know-how on the support of talented independent studios such as Dontnod, Deck13, Giants Software, Cyanide, New World Interactive, and Larian on increasingly ambitious projects worldwide. There is a real upscaling of our catalog and The Plague will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the next years of Focus.”

We’ll learn more about The Plague in February. For now, Asobo has unveiled some very stylish concept art from the game.

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Sony sells 6.2 million PS4 consoles during holiday season to bring total to 53.4 million

Posted on January 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

About a month ago, Sony announced that consumers had purchased more than 50 million PS4 consoles since its launch in November 2013. It’s an incredibly impressive figure, so naturally, the consolemaker is back with a new report detailing the PS4’s sales performance over the holiday season.

From November 20 through January 1, Santa put in a lot of overtime to help Sony sell 6.2 million PS4 consoles to consumers around the world. This brings the total number of PS4 consoles sold since launch to 53.4 million.

“We are truly grateful for the tremendous support from our fans and partners, which has helped to make this holiday season one of the best in our history,” said Andrew House, the President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “We will aim to continue the momentum this year by broadening the PS4 title portfolio, further enriching the revolutionary gaming experiences on PlayStation VR and high quality gaming experience on PlayStation 4 Pro, while also expanding network services. We will remain steadfast in making the PS4 the best place to play.”

In addition to welcoming a huge number of new players to the PlayStation family, Sony also sold a massive amount of software during the holiday season. According to the consolemaker, 50.4 million games were purchased in retail stores and as digital downloads through the PlayStation Store.

For Sony, the most popular PS4 title of the year was Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which sold an astonishing 8.7 millions since its launch in May.

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Mega Man Mobile re-releases coming to iOS and Android devices today

Posted on January 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

Capcom has confirmed that Mega Man‘s NES adventures will be available to download for mobile devices beginning today. The re-releases are launching for all iOS and Android devices, and each game can be purchased for $1.99 apiece:

  • Mega Man Mobile – The evil Dr. Wily must be stopped in this classic action platformer, the original Mega Man!
  • Mega Man 2 Mobile – Dr. Wily resurfaces to threaten the world again! Only Mega Man can stand in his way.
  • Mega Man 3 Mobile – Fight berserk robots on uncharted planets. Mega Man must set a course for space to resolve this mysterious crisis.
  • Mega Man 4 Mobile – A year has passed since Mega Man’s battle in space. A new enemy appears – Dr. Cossack.
  • Mega Man 5 Mobile – Manic robots cause chaos in the city. How is Proto Man involved? Only Mega Man can find out!
  • Mega Man 6 Mobile – The Global Robot Alliance is formed, but this newfound peace is threatened by a new foe – the enigmatic Mr. X!

Unfortunately, Capcom decided against including controller support in any of the Mega Man Mobile games. Instead, each title will feature touchscreen controls with the square NES image in the center of the screen. You can get a good look at how it’ll work in the trailer embedded above.

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It’s Official… BioWare will release Mass Effect: Andromeda on March 21

Posted on January 4, 2017 by John Scalzo

Writing on the game’s official website, BioWare’s General Manager, Aaryn Flynn, revealed that Mass Effect: Andromeda will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on March 21.

In addition to confirming the launch date, Flynn also thanked fans, praised the development team, and hyped up the next entry in the Mass Effect franchise in his letter:

Mass Effect: Andromeda is our most ambitious Mass Effect game to date. We’re telling completely new stories, creating new characters, new planets, new species, and introducing new gameplay systems. And for the first time, we’re bringing Mass Effect to the Frostbite game engine, an incredible engine that’s delivering a tremendous graphical jump from the trilogy to Mass Effect: Andromeda. To deliver on this, we’re taking all the time we can to make sure you’re getting the best possible experience.

While this is great news for PC, PS4, and Xbox One owners, BioWare announced earlier this week that Mass Effect: Andromeda isn’t in development for the Nintendo Switch.

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Inside leads the way with six nominations at 2017 GDC Awards

Posted on January 4, 2017 by John Scalzo

gdcawardsThe organizers of the Game Developers Conference have announced the nominees for the 2017 Game Developers Choice Awards, which will be held on March 1 at 9:30 (Eastern Time). Playdead’s Inside tallied six nominations, including “Game of the Year,” “Best Narrative,” “Best Design,” “Best Visual Art,” “Best Audio,” and the “Innovation Award.”

Competing with Inside for “Game of the Year” honors this year is Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Blizzard’s Overwatch, Arkane’s Dishonored 2, and Campo Santo’s Firewatch.

Double Fine’s Tim Schafer will host the GDC Awards this year for the sixth time. He previously hosted the ceremony in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015.

The full list of nominees, and a huge number of Honorable Mentions, can be found after the break.

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