Category: Gameinformer

Rapper 2 Milly wants to “pursue legal action” against Fortnite developer/publisher Epic Games over the inclusion of the “Swipe It” emote.

2 Milly, most famous for the song “Milly Rock,” is the creator of the now-popular Milly Rock dance, a move wherein you swipe your hands back and forth – and which used to be available for purchase in Fortnite as an unlock for the season 5 battle pass (Fortnite is currently in its sixth season, and the previous season’s battle pass is no longer available). After 2 Milly saw his dance was available for purchase without his consent, he decided to begin to pursue legal action against Epic. “That’s when I really was like… ‘oh nah, this can’t go on too long,’” he told CBS News.

2 Milly did not disclose what, exactly, he wants to sue Epic for, only that the legal move is more defensive than anything else. “I don’t even want to bash them for all the millions,” he said. “It’s not really like that. I just feel like I have to protect what’s mine.”

The issue of whether dances can be owned and copyrighted in relation to Fortnite was first raised back in July, when Chance the Rapper tweeted a suggestion that Epic implement that actual songs the dances are associated with in the game itself, then pay the people who created or popularized those emotes. Many of the emotes used in Fortnite (as well as other popular online games) dances from recognizable sources – “The Carlton,” from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, for example, or “The Running Man,” frequently show up as emotes, but are clearly references to other media, usually music videos created by other artists. “Imagine the money people are spending on these Emotes being shared with the artists that made them,” he tweeted.

We’ve reached out to Epic Games for a statement on the matter and will update this article should they reply.

[Source: CBS News]

Powered by WPeMatico

Back in August PUBG began its “Fix PUBG,” campaign, focused on improving the overall quality of game’s matchmaking, server performance, anti-cheat detection and player bans, and more. As of yesterday, the campaign is over.

In a post on PUBG’s steam community page, executive producer Taeseok Jang outlined the results of the campaign. On the client performance front, the team saw fairly large improvements. “The average time to load 1 level has dropped significantly from 14.4 seconds to 5.6 seconds,” Jang says. “Environmental effects, vehicle destruction effects, hit effects and smoke effects have been improved and we are planning to add improvements on weapon related logic and effects as well.”

However, attempting to fix character movement spawned other issues, including the sound of footsteps being desynced from the actual movements of players, causing the team to revert the change. “We are preparing general optimization work and once it has gone through proper stability testing, we will apply it once again,” Jang says. However, desync is still occurring, though less frequently after a November 7 patch, and the team will continue focusing on keeping the game at a synced 30-fps tick rate (the number of times per second the game updates to the server, not the framerate).

Meanwhile, matchmaking has seen some improvements, though the team is looking into ways to display more info on matchmaking, and let players in the most difficult-to-match areas set preferences that will make it easier to match into a game.

And on the game’s cheating issues: with over two million cheating accounts banned, the team is still exploring solutions for some of the more prolific cheaters. “While breakthroughs and improvements aren’t ever fast enough to eradicate all cheating, our mission remains the same; to never back off in the fight against unauthorized programs,” Jang says. “In some regions, we have been able to work with local law enforcement to arrest the groups involved in the production and sale of unauthorized programs and we will continue to aid authorities in any way we can.” The team plans to delve more into this specific topic in a separate letter.

Overall, although Jang points out areas where the game has improved, he remains aware that there’s still a ways to go. “We acknowledge that in this process, we have overlooked issues that matter to you and we have reflected a lot on our mistakes,” he says. “Therefore, when designing the 2019 PUBG roadmap, we’ve changed our direction from this last year. Build stability and quality are now our most important value, and upon that base we will build new Battle Royale gameplay and new content.”

Jan mentions this process will be slow at first, but updates will become more frequent as the team reaches a new equilibrium where they’re able to deliver both new content and stability improvements.

As for how this affects the improvements of the Xbox and upcoming PlayStation versions, Jang provides a somewhat vague statement. “The direction of Xbox and PlayStation development will parallel with PC, continuing to focus on providing our console players a more refined game service to give the best experience.”

[Source: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Steam Community Page]

Powered by WPeMatico

With the recent news that Smite is coming to Switch next year, developer/publisher Hi-Rez Studios is doubling down on letting players play their games anywhere by announcing cross-platform play and progression is coming to Paladins, Realm Royale, and Smite.

Realm Royale, which has yet to fully release, will have it from the outset. Meanwhile, Paladins and Smite will receive an update enabling the feature in “mid-to-late” January. When this happens, there will be a 24-hour downtime, but after that, voice chat, leaderboards, and gameplay will be supported on Xbox One, Switch, PC, and Mac. “We are technically ready to support cross-play on other platforms as the opportunity arises,” the company states on its FAQ for the feature, hinting that while Sony announced crossplay for some titles, Hi-Rez has not yet able to implement it for the PS4 version.

As for how players will be matched: “By default, casual matchmaking will find the best matches for players regardless of platform or input method,” the company says on its FAQ for the feature. “Smite and Paladins ranked matchmaking will be divided strictly by input method. Players will only ever play against other players using the same input method in ranked. Realm Royale players will always be placed in cross-platform matchmaking.”

Players can also link up their platform accounts to their Hi-Rez account and have their progress synced across consoles. Platform-specific skins won’t be available outside those platforms, however, and some costumes may only be available on the platform on which they were purchased. And if you already have multiple accounts with different progress and skins? “When cross-progression is enabled, we will merge your owned content across platform accounts linked with your Hi-Rez Account, in accordance with platform provider policies,” the company says, though no refunds will be given for duplicate skin purchases.

[Source: Hi-Rez Studios]

Powered by WPeMatico

After the shuttering of Lawbreakers developer Boss Key Productions earlier this year, studio head Cliff Bleszinski mentioned that, rather than jump into another project, he’d be spending time with his family and reflecting on whatever may come next. As it turns out, it likely won’t be a video game.

Replying to a fan who was upset about the lack of refunds for the now-defunct Lawbreakers and that much of that money had been wasted, Bleszinski tweeted that that money went to paying employees’ 401ks, health care, and severances after Boss Key shut down. “I didn’t take a salary myself for two years,” he said. (He mentions paying for these employee expenses for “months” after the closure, though an employee responded by saying their own severance was only for three weeks. “Maybe I used hyperbole,” Bleszinski responded.)

He then pivoted to an informal announcement. “I get you’re sad, but god, this kind s— is another reason I am NEVER making another game.”

While that may seem flippant, he then confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that it wasn’t just an offhand comment. “I’m done,” he said. This would mark the end of Bleszinski’s decades-long career in the video game industry, which includes working on games like Jazz Jackrabbit, Unreal Tournament, and Gears of War at Epic Games, along with creating Lawbreakers at Boss Key.

Powered by WPeMatico

As Destiny 2 gears up for its next season, Bungie has announced a couple of changes it plans to implement to the game’s Gambit mode that should make matches more rewarding and less topsy-turvy.

When the Seasons of the Forge starts on November 27, bounties will be easier to complete, more rewarding, and a little more numerous. The amount of Infamy (the experience/ranking system in Gambit) each bounty offers will be doubled, and many bounties will have “their objectives retuned to take less time and be easier to complete,” Bungie says. There will also be a new type of bounty for scoring kills on Primeval Envoys, the enemies who accompany the Primeval (the enemy which teams must defeat to win a round), encouraging players to wipe them out first and weaken the Primeval before killing it.

Meanwhile, teams who summon their Primeval second will have their chances of making a comeback reduced. Currently, depending on how long the losing team is behind on summoning their Primeval after the leading team summoned theirs, the losing team would stacks of a buff called “Primeval Slayer,” depending on far ahead the opposing team was, increasing the amount of damage they dealt to the Primeval and making it easy to mount a comeback. Bungie has now limited the number of stacks to one, making comebacks much harder.

Finally, Bungie announced plans to reveal what else the rest of the year for Destiny 2, including a breakdown of the next three seasons of the game.

[Source: Bungie]

Powered by WPeMatico

We have a quite a few events to dig into as we head into Thanksgiving week. You’re going to be in full clock-out mode when you get into work on Monday anyway, so why not stay up late and watch some tournaments?

Smite is having its big world championship, pitting the scene’s best against each other for the right to call themselves the best. (Stream / Schedule)

The last Dota 2 major before the long-awaited 7.20, taking place in Kuala Lumpur, wraps up this weekend, as titans in the scene continue to prove themselves while a few new teams are making a name for themselves. (Stream / Schedule)

Meanwhile, the Red Bull Conquest tournament circuit has been going strong all year, but takes its final stop in Washington D.C. to cap off its circuits in Street Fighter V, Guilty Gear Xrd, and  Tekken 7. (Stream / Schedule)

If those aren’t your bag, you can catch Brawlhalla, Soulcalibur VI, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and several Super Smash Bros. events at Dreamhack Atlanta. (Streams and Schedule)

Also in Atlanta, the Halo 5: Guardians pro circuit comes to a head for the conclusion of its Championship series. (Stream / Schedule)

Gears of War 4 is having a charity event in Columbus, Ohio, with half of the $200,000 prize pool being donated. (Stream / Schedule)

Rainbow Six Siege is taking its Pro League Finals to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, so you can catch some great tactical shooter action all weekend long. (Stream and Schedule) 

That’s it for this weekend! Let us know if we missed an event, or if there’s a scene you’d like us to cover, in the comments.

Powered by WPeMatico

The office is full of hectic energy as we move towards Thanksgiving week. Most editors have barricaded themselves at their desks to finish their work before getting down to serious turkey-preparing business. Even so, we still have time for video games like Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee, Hitman 2, and Red Dead Redemption II.

Do you have any plans this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!

Brian Shea (@BrianPShea) – I just emerged from a review tunnel with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee, so I’m looking forward to getting back to Red Dead Redemption II. Outside of that, I’m planning on starting Fallout 76 and checking out Hitman 2. Also, Tetris Effect has served as the perfect end to my nights recently, so I’ll be sure to play more of that. Oh, and Overwatch. Always Overwatch.

Jill Grodt (@Finruin) – There is so much to wrap up before I can think about going home for the Thanksgiving holiday! Hopefully, I’ll have time to squeeze in some Red Dead and Pokémon: Let’s Go.

Suriel Vasquez (@SurielVazquez) – Trying to smuggle a Thunderlord into Miami for my girl J.J. Macfield.

Javy Gwaltney – This has got to be the most exciting, anxiety-inducing video game weekend of the year for me. I think I’ll spend a fair amount of it in a café catching Pokémon on my Switch, then exploring the wasteland in Fallout 76, before returning to my one big obsession this year: Red Dead Redemption II.

Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard) – Still making my way through Red Dead Redemption II. Turns out that’s a big old game that takes a really long time! Otherwise it’s home prep time for family visiting out of town for Thanksgiving and playing Lego DC Super-Villains with the kid. Might sneak some Let’s Go, Eevee in there, too, at some point.

Imran Khan (@imranzomg) – This week I’m at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest talking to Final Fantasy XIV fans, so if you see me, come up and say hi! I’m also playing Red Dead Redemption II in my hotel room occasionally, but don’t say hi to me there. I’m also playing more Valkyria Chronicles 4 on my Switch while I’m traveling, saying hi to me while I’m doing that might come down to the situation.

Jeff Cork – I’m still plugging away at Red Dead Redemption II, and I think I’m going to focus on the hunting part this weekend. I need to upgrade my satchels and all that business and picking off animals here and there as I move between mission points isn’t cutting it. It’s time to get serious. I’ll also probably check out Ashe in Overwatch. I play a lot of mystery heroes, so my time with her has been limited (and tragically brief). I think I like her?

Ben Hanson (@yozetty) – This weekend I’m committed to making as much progress as possible in Red Dead Redemption II. Come hell or high water or social engagement. I’m also watching the new Coen brothers Western to help get me get in the mood. I’m early in chapter 4 and am really loving the game now!

Powered by WPeMatico

Fallout 76 released just this week, but Bethesda is already hard at work on improvements it can bring to the online post-apocalyptic title. The first patch is set to hit on November 19, but the most requested fan updates aren’t hitting until later.

The November 19 patch will focus on game performance and stability across every platform, but will also fix some quests, UI elements, and more. Bethesda warns that the patch will be a large download, but future patches won’t be nearly as big.

Bethesda also wants to increase the stash limit in the next few weeks. The development team initially capped the stash to limit the number of items the game had to track moving through the world, but the team thinks it has ideas that will work to fix this oft-requested change to work in both short- and long-term.

In addition, the Fallout 76 team wants to add Push to Talk, ultrawide support, and a FOV slider for PC players before the end of the year.

The team also teased a bit of what to expect in 2019, including new content and in-game systems to improve the overall experience in Fallout 76. Bethesda teases that players will see new Vaults opening, new ways to improve your C.A.M.P.s, new multiplayer features, and more free add-ons they won’t detail just yet.

Fallout 76 is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

[Source: Bethesda]

Powered by WPeMatico

The mysterious, new mythical Pokémon Meltan is now able to be acquired in Pokémon Go through a couple of different methods. The initial announcement hinted that Meltan would only be obtainable through using the Pokémon Go integration in the newly released Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee, but Niantic has announced a more conventional route to adding the steel-type monster to your collection.

Must like the Mew, Celebi, and Spiritomb questlines, players can now acquire Meltan through Special Research tasks. The questline, titled “Let’s Go, Meltan” consists of nine stages. You may want to complete the quests sooner rather than later, though, as some of the Pokémon required to complete the stages will be more common through November 27.

Players who bought Pokémon: Let’s Go in hopes of acquiring a Meltan before everyone else can likely take solace in evolving the new creature faster than anyone else; Meltan requires 400 candies in order to evolve, and doesn’t cough up a single candy until you’ve walked 20 km with it as your buddy. With Let’s Go, you can get 30 minutes of Meltan spawns per week using the Mystery Box item provided when you trade a Pokémon from Pokémon Go to Pokémon: Let’s Go using the Go Park in Fuchsia City.

For more on Pokémon Go, check out our ever-growing guide here. For more on Pokémon: Let’s Go, head to our review.

[Source: Pokémon Go]

Powered by WPeMatico

Based on a new report, Microsoft is working on an Xbox One system without a disc drive for a 2019 release. According to the report from Thurrott, the digital-only device will carry a smaller pricetag – possibly as low as $200 – in an attempt to lower the cost-of-entry to the Xbox One family of systems.

Thurrott also states that Microsoft will introduce a “disc-to-digital” program, which will allow players to trade their discs in to participating retailers in exchange for a digital version of that game.

At E3 this year, Microsoft teased its next generation of hardware, which Thurrott originally reported was codenamed “Scarlett.” This disc-less Xbox One system is not a part of that family, according to this report.

Microsoft originally launched Xbox One in 2013 with a bundled Kinect sensor at $499, which was $100 more than PlayStation 4 at launch. While many reasons have been attributed to PlayStation 4’s sales lead this generation, the price point has been often cited as a contributing factor. Not long after launch, Microsoft began selling Xbox Ones without the Kinect at a lower price, before discontinuing the Kinect all together in 2017. Microsoft currently sells four Xbox One models: three different Xbox One S models (500GB, 1TB, and 2TB) and one Xbox One X model (1TB). The prices currently range from $299 for a 500GB Xbox One S to $499 for the Xbox One X.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft and will update this story if we receive a comment.

[Source: Thurrott]

Our Take
Platform holders have been pushing toward a digital future for a while, so this report makes sense. However, Microsoft needs to reduce the downtime errors for digital purchases before this is a completely viable option. Just last week, a widespread outage rendered many players unable to start any owned digital games on their hard drives for the majority of an evening. Still, if the reports are true and this new Xbox One is not only cheaper, but Microsoft begins an initiative allowing players to trade discs in for digital versions, it could resonate with players who haven’t yet pulled the trigger on Microsoft’s current console.

Powered by WPeMatico