Bethesda says Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim paid mods “didn’t pan out”

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Josh Griffiths

elderscrollsvskyrimboxYesterday, Bethesda’s Pete Hines sat down with GameSpot to talk about the paid mods feature that came to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim back in April. Whether it was due to the ludicrous money revenue split that resulted in modders only receiving 25% per, the lack of quality control, the fact that modders where stealing assets from one another, or simply the fact that people had to suddenly start paying for things that used to be free, no one seemed to like Steam’s paid mod feature. Needless to say, the monetization model proved controversial and received criticism from nearly every corner of the Steam and Skyrim communities.

As a result, Bethesda suspended the program almost as soon as it started, amidst accusations that the Art of the Catch mod was using stolen assets from another mod. In his conversation with GameSpot, Hines explained that Bethesda came up with the idea for allowing modders to charge for their mods after receiving a request from the modding community:

“We had creators who said, ‘I’ve been asking for donations for years and never saw anything, and I made more in one day.’ So why would I not support that?”

In addition to probing Hines about the fairness of the revenue split, GameSpot also asked if there was any way the program could come back. Hines diplomatically said it was possible, but that the company was focused on “bigger fish” (like Fallout 4) at the moment:

“I honestly, genuinely, don’t know what it means for the future. It was an idea we worked on with those guys for Skyrim; it didn’t pan out. It came back down.”

[…]

“I think our stance on it is we’re going to re-evaluate it going forward. I think that we feel like there is a case to be made that people who spend a lot of time working on mods ought to be able to have a way of monetizing what they’re doing.

[…]

“Honestly, [we have] bigger fish to fry right now than sorting that out.”

Even if the program returns in some form, Todd Howard, the Game Director of Fallout 4, previously said (to Kotaku) that there are “no plans” to add paid mods to Fallout 4.

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Batman: Arkham Knight stands watch atop the best-selling games list for June 2015

Posted on July 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Rocksteady’s Arkham trilogy went out with a bang last month, and it looks like a lot of fans went along for the ride, as The NPD Group has confirmed Batman: Arkham Knight was the best-selling game for June 2015.

Aside from the problems with the PC version, WB Games had a pretty good month as four of the publisher’s titles placed in the top ten. Newcomer Lego Jurassic World joined Arkham Knight near the top of the list in the #3 spot, while The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (#4) and Mortal Kombat X (#8) held over from May. NPD’s Liam Callahan told GamesIndustry.biz, “Warner Bros. Interactive is the top corporate publisher so far in 2015, with dollar sales growing 217% versus the first half of 2014.”

But WB Games wasn’t the only company having a nice Summer as Bethesda has a hit on their hands with The Elder Scrolls Online. It was also a good month to be a squid as Nintendo’s Splatoon held strong at #5, and became the only platform exclusive to crack the top ten.

The industry as a whole should be very happy about last month’s sales as consumers spent a lot more than they did last year. Overall sales were up 18%, $869 million versus $734 million, over June 2014. And that includes increases in hardware (+8%), software (+21%), and accessories (+34%).

The complete top ten list of best-selling games for June 2015 can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

The Flock will live as long as its players do this Summer

Posted on July 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

The Flock is a “first-person asymmetrical multiplayer horror game” from Dutch developer Vogelsap (it literally means “Bird Juice) scheduled for release this Summer. Players will be divided into two groups, The Flock and The Carrier, as they battle for control of the Light Artifact…

The Flock is a first person asymmetrical multiplayer thriller game for three-to-five players. All player start out as monsters, called the Flock. When the coveted Light Artifact is grabbed by one of the players that player transforms into the Carrier, and the hunt begins.

The Carrier is slower, smaller and more vulnerable. It has to protect itself from the Flock that try to gain the Artifact for themselves, using the intense light that is emitted from the Artifact. The Flock are vulnerable to the light, and will burn to death if they don’t stand still when shined upon. If a Flock stands still, it will turn into stone and be safe from the light.

If one of the Flock succeeds in attacking the Carrier, that player will turn into the new Carrier, and the attacked player returns as one of the Flock. The player that can stay being the Carrier long enough wins the game. The gameplay in combination with the dark and ghastly atmosphere makes for a thrilling psychological experience.

However, Vogelsap has an interesting plan to turn The Flock’s PC launch (via Steam) into a limited-time event this Summer. Each time a player dies, their lost life from be subtracted from The Flock’s total population. When the game’s population reaches zero, the game will permanently go offline and, though players who have already purchased it will get to participate in a “climactic finale.” This could take years… or it could take days.

“A multiplayer game can take players to incredible heights, but at some point gamers will start to play less, get disinterested and stop playing altogether,” said Jeroen Van Hasselt, the Creative Director of Vogelsap. “In opposition to other multiplayer games, we want The Flock’s experience to inspire a sense of awe, to keep players eagerly anticipating what is coming next and to end with a memorable climax.”

The Flock will be playable at this Summer’s Gamescom expo as part of the Indie Arena Booth.

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Daily Scoop: July 16, 2015 – New Kickstarter bundle at Humble

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Nicole Kline

Humble has a brand new weekly bundle, and this one’s the Kickstarter Edition. Pay what you want for Guns of Icarus Online Collectors Edition, AR-K, and Full Bore. Pay more than the average to unlock Among the Sleep and Retro Games Crunch. Pay $13 or more to unlock Lords of Xulima and Warmachine: Tactics.

Steam’s Weekend Deal is on the Alien franchise. You can get Alien: Isolation for $12.49, Alien: Colonial Marines for $3.74, Alien vs. Predator for $3.74, and more. The Daily Deal is Gear Up, which is free-to-play. You can get the basic version for $7.49 or the premium version for $14.99.

There aren’t too many shirts today…

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Nintendo Download: Tiny Galaxy, Blaster Master, Airport Hero Narita, more

Posted on July 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Six titles were added to the Nintendo eShop today. In no particular order, they are…

  • Tiny Galaxy (Wii U) is a side-scrolling platformer that takes place on a variety of planets of different size, each with its own gravity and rotation.
  • Blaster Master (Wii U) is a beloved NES side-scroller that is now available on the Wii U’s Virtual Console for the first time.
  • Airport Hero Narita: I Am An Air Traffic Controller (3DS) is an air traffic controller sim.
  • I Love My Dogs (3DS) is a pet ownership sim.
  • G.G. Series: Score Attacker (DSi) is a vertically-scrolling space shooter.
  • G.G. Series: Vector (DSi) is a falling block puzzler.

More information on all of these games can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii U |

The Elder Scrolls Online’s Imperial City expansion will be available soon

Posted on July 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

Bethesda has announced that the first downloadable expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online will be available next month. The Elder Scrolls Online: Imperial City will be released for the PC on August 31 (a PS4 and Xbox One release will follow on September 15), and it’ll be a free download for all ESO Plus members. Everyone will be able to purchase the add-on through the Crown Store for 2,500 Crowns.

Here’s what players can expect to find in the Imperial City:

Description
The Imperial City, the heart of the Cyrodiilic Empire, has fallen to Daedric Prince Molag Bal and now all three alliances must battle not only against the Daedric forces, but each other. Imperial City, the first DLC game pack for The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, adds hours of additional gameplay featuring new areas, quests, enemies, and exclusive items for those adventuring on their own, in small groups, or with hundreds of others.

Features

  • New PVE and PVP Content: Featuring six distinct Imperial Districts, battle against the forces of Molag Bal as well as the other Alliances.
  • Additional Dungeons: The extensive Imperial Sewers network offers new PVP and PVE challenges for small groups of adventurers, while White-Gold Tower and Imperial Prison challenge PVE adventurers with Normal and Veteran versions.
  • New Quests, Enemies, and Characters: Whether participating in massive PVP battles in the Imperial Districts, or adventuring in one of the new dungeons, players will be introduced to new quests and enemies, including the Xivkyn.
  • Addition of New Currency, Weapons, and Armor: Fight the forces of Molag Bal to plunder Tel Var Stones, a new form of currency you can use for exclusive Veteran Rank 16 weapons and armor, or search for new Treasure Vaults containing other rare finds.
  • Imperial City-Exclusive Collectibles and Items: Exploring Imperial City or visiting the Crown Store will reward the player with a host of new collectibles including pets, mounts, costumes, and polymorphs!

The first trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online: Imperial City has been embedded above.

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Telltale will release Game of Thrones: Episode 5 on July 21

Posted on July 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

Things aren’t looking good for the Forrester family in this trailer for the fifth episode of Telltale’s Game of Thrones adaptation. Hopefully, things will turn out better once Game of Thrones: A Nest of Vipers is released next week:

In this penultimate episode, the actions of every Forrester are vital to the survival of the house. Rodrik’s alliance with House Glenmore, and his defiance of the Whitehills, has drawn the ire of an even greater threat: Ramsay Snow. Far across the Narrow Sea in Essos, with Meereen now a free city, Asher is close to securing the army he desperately needs to return home, and save his family. In King’s Landing, Mira’s activities at Tommen’s coronation have not escaped the attention of Margaery Tyrell, and Cersei has realized that the handmaiden may prove useful in her political games. Finally, beyond the Wall, Gared’s unlikely allies are reluctant to help in the search for the North Grove… but this far into the frozen wilds, Crows and Free Folk have a common enemy; and Winter is coming.

As usual, Game of Thrones: A Nest of Vipers will be available through a number of digital storefronts. Here’s the release schedule, courtesy of Telltale:

  • Tuesday, July 21: PC/Mac, PS3, PS4
  • Wednesday, July 22: Xbox One, Xbox 360
  • Thursday, July 23: iOS, Android

The final episode of the series, Game of Thrones: The Ice Dragon, will likely be released sometime this Fall.

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Angry Birds 2 will be released on July 30

Posted on July 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

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I know what you’re thinking… How can Rovio be announcing Angry Birds 2? Isn’t there already more than a dozen games in the Angry Birds series?

To that I say, you’re not wrong. Since the launch of the original Angry Birds in 2009, Rovio has released seven games in the main series and seven more spinoff titles. But that hasn’t stopped the Finnish developer from announcing that the first numbered sequel will be available for iOS and Android devices on July 30.

Rovio has promised (on their official blog) to reveal more about Angry Birds 2 “during the next couple weeks,” but I assume it’ll feature birds attacking pigs after being launched out of a slingshot. Call it a hunch.

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