Category: Gamespot

While Guillermo Del Toro remains on board as executive producer of Pacific Rim 2, his involvement in the sequel to his 2014 monsterfest is somewhat reduced. Earlier this year it was announced that former Daredevil showrunner Steven DeKnight would direct, and now it has been reported that Jurassic World‘s Derek Connolly is to work on the script.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Connolly is the latest writer to join the film. Del Toro himself has written one draft, with Zak Penn and Jon Spaihts also contributing. It is unknown whether Connolly will be rewriting the script from scratch, or working from an existing draft.

Connolly is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand screenwriters–his other upcoming credits include Kong: Skull Island and Star Wars Episode IX.

DeKnight’s directorial role was announced in February. The status of Pacific Rim 2 has changed over the past few months, with various press stories and its disappearance from release schedules suggesting that the movie was far from a sure thing. However, Del Toro has always insisted that the project is moving ahead.

In January, Legendary Pictures was bought by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, for a massive $3.5 billion. Although the domestic gross for the first Pacific Rim was disappointing, in China it proved extremely popular. It opened with the sixth biggest gross ever for a Hollywood movie, and ultimately earned more than a third of its entire international gross in China.

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Activision is re-releasing all of the Modern Warfare Call of Duty games in one Trilogy Pack for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, according to a listing that recently popped up at retailer Best Buy.

According to the listing, the $30 game will come with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011). Modern Warfare 2’s Stimulus Package DLC (featuring five multiplayer maps) is also included, but that appears to be the only add-on content available.

The listing shows a May 17 release date. Activision has yet to formally announce the Modern Warfare Trilogy, so for now, bear in mind that the description/price/release date may not be official. We have contacted the company in an attempt to get more details on the unannounced package.

According to VideoGamer.com, the Modern Warfare Trilogy also popped up on Amazon UK last month, suggesting it will see a release across the pond as well.

In 2010, Activision released the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Collection, which featured the first two games.

The Modern Warfare Trilogy pack appears to be exclusive to last-generation systems, as no listing for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One has showed up.

In other news, Activision’s Modern Warfare Remastered, a new and improved version of Modern Warfare, is included with the premium versions of Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. It will not be sold separately, however. Infinite Warfare launches on November 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Sega has detailed its financial results for the 12-month period spanning April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016. With fewer video games being released, sales showed a decline. However, its focus on mobile games and Pachislot have helped improve profits over the same period in the previous year.

The Tokyo-headquartered company listed sales at $3.1 billion, which is a five percent drop over 2015’s $3.3 billion. Profits, meanwhile, showed a slight upturn by rising to $161 million, an increase of 0.7 percent.

In its statement, Phantasy Star Online 2, which launched in 2012 for PC, was described as having “robust” sales. Chain Chronicle, Puyopuyo!! Quest, and Hortensia Saga were also highlighted as key titles.

Sales of packaged games were “lower than the level in the previous fiscal year, despite the launch of Football Manager 2016.”

Sega noted noted a slowdown in the spread of smartphone games in Japan. Popular mobile titles continue to dominate, which means the performance of medium to lower tier titles is in decline.

Looking ahead, Sega intends to give mobile title longer development time and spend spend more money on them, so that it can compete with the more popular titles.

In terms of video games, it is aiming to improve profitability by launching Phantasy Star Online 2 for PS4, along with launching Persona 5 for PS4 and PS3, Yakuza 6 on PS4, and Total War: Warhammer on PC.

For more on the health of other video game companies, check out summaries of recent reports below.

• Activision Blizzard
• Konami
• Capcom
• Electronic Arts
• Microsoft
• Sony
• Ubisoft
• CD Projekt
• Square Enix

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Marvel’s Agent Carter will not get a third season. ABC have officially cancelled the show, and are also no longer moving ahead with Marvel’s Most Wanted, a spinoff from Agents of SHIELD.

Agent Carter‘s low ratings have meant that a third season has looked unlikely for some time, but The Hollywood Reporter have now confirmed that ABC has axed the adventure series, which stars Hayley Atwell. Its second season premiered in January to underwhelming figures, pulling in just 3.2 million viewers, less than than half of what season one’s first episode managed.

Marvel’s Most Wanted reached pilot stage, but the network has decided not to order a full series. The show was set to focus on special agents Mockingbird and Lance Hunter, who are regular characters on Agents of SHIELD.

Agents of SHIELD is currently on its third season, and is now the only Marvel show screened on a network. ABC renewed it for a fourth season in March.

Despite Marvel’s struggle to find a mainstream TV audience, the studio’s darker, more violent Netflix shows continue to thrive. Last month it was reported that the streaming giant will produce a Punisher series, following the character’s acclaimed role in the recent second season of Daredevil. Luke Cage arrives in September, with Iron Fist, The Defenders, and a second season of Jessica Jones all expected over the next few years.

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Blizzard will be kicking off the Heroes of the Storm Australia and New Zealand Summer Championship finals tomorrow from 11AM AEST. Australian and New Zealand teams Fusion, Gust In 5, Negative Synergy and Tutsis will be battling it out to determine who will take home their part of the USD$20,000 prize pool.

The event will live-streamed from the Blizz Heroes Twitch channel, and matches will be played in a best-of-three format in a double elimination bracket. The team who places first will score the opportunity to go on and compete on the world stage in Jonkoping, Sweden on June 18. There, teams from all around the world will compete for a share of the $500,000 prize pool and the title of Summer Champion.

Heroes of the Storm will be getting a new hero next week in the form of Chromie the bronze dragon, who enters the arena in her gnome form. Chromie is a Keeper of Time, which means most of her skills are time-oriented. We break down more details in this article.

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Capcom’s CEO has spoken up to acknowledge that the underperforming Street Fighter V had a “lack of content” and “needed more polish” when it launched. The frank comments from CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto were made during the company’s earnings report recently, the English translation of which was published today.

Tsujimoto explained that Capcom has learned over the past year that “it’s best to spend a little more time in developing and running a high-quality title that will perform well globally,” even if that takes longer.

He specifically cited Street Fighter V as an example of a game that could have benefited from staying in development longer

“Some aspects of Street Fighter V needed more polish, such as the lack of content and server issues at launch,” he said. “Accordingly, we feel it’s better to give a little more time to development than before, and have made slight adjustments to our portfolio.”

Tsujimoto warned investors and analysts that taking this approach might mean diminished sales in the short-term. However, he still expects an annual growth rate of at least 10 percent, and stressed that taking more time to make a great product will eventually result in the “strengthening” of core titles.

Street Fighter V sold 1.4 million copies across PlayStation 4 and PC for Capcom’s fiscal year ended March 31. This was 600,000 copies below the 2 million figure that the company was expecting.

As Tsujimoto mentioned, Street Fighter V faced server issues during its beta and at launch. Additionally, people criticized the game for its perceived lack of content and missing features, including the non-existence of penalty program for rage-quitters.

Looking ahead, Street Fighter V will receive a free story expansion in June.

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Japanese publisher Square Enix today reported earnings for its recently concluded fiscal year (April 1, 2015-March 31, 2016). The results were strong, with Rise of the Tomb Raider and Just Cause 3 specifically called out as top performers in the console category.

In terms of money, Square Enix pulled in ¥214 billion, which is up 27.5 percent from ¥167 billion during the same period last year. Profit was also on the rise, coming in at ¥19.8 billion, which represented a 102.3 percent increase year-over-year.

Square Enix’s Digital Entertainment unit, the company’s video game division, also saw its revenue increase compared to last year. Total net sales wee ¥158 billion, up 42 percent compared to last year. Additionally, profit was ¥27.4 billion, an increase of 58.9 percent year-over-year.

As mentioned, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Just Cause 3 each enjoyed a “solid start,” Square Enix said, though it did not share any specific unit sales. Smartphone games like Mobius Final Fantasy, Hoshi No Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, and Grimms Notes also had “successful launches.”

Additionally, games like Final Fantasy XIV and Dragon Quest X are “sustaining their strong performances,” Square Enix said.

As part of the earnings report, Square Enix also released a slide that lists off its “major” games coming during the current fiscal year. Some of these include Final Fantasy XV (September 30), Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (August 23), and Rise of the Tomb Raider for PS4 (holiday 2016).

Check out the slide below to see more.

For more on the health of other video game companies, check out summaries of recent reports below. Check back soon for more, as Ubisoft will announce its latest earnings later today.

• Activision Blizzard
• Konami
• Capcom
• Electronic Arts
• Microsoft
• Sony

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Following the game’s announcement earlier this week, the first screenshots and initial details on Madden NFL 17 have emerged. The Xbox.com product page for the pro football game was recently updated with screenshots showing off NFL superstars Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, and Von Miller.

The product page also provides the official description for Madden NFL 17. It teases that the game will feature a “renewed focus” on Franchise mode and plenty of other tweaks.

“Arm your team for gridiron glory on both sides of the ball with the most balanced gameplay to date, featuring all-new ball carrier feedback cues, defender fake out mechanics and an innovative, authentic defensive AI system. Madden NFL 17 is the most complete Madden … ever,” the description says.

EA will broadcast the first gameplay footage for Madden NFL 17 on the 6 PM EST edition of SpotsCenter later today, May 12. The game’s cover star will also be announced during the show. Just because these screenshots show off Gronkowski, Brown, and Miller, that doesn’t mean one of them will be on the cover.

For the first time since 2009, EA is not holding a fan vote to decide the cover athlete, but instead making the choice itself.

“With this election year upon us, we don’t want you to lose sleep over another big decision,” EA said about this decision. “So, we decided to take the pressure off this year and hand-select someone for the job.”

We have also learned that there will be at least three different versions of Madden NFL 17. In addition to the standard $60 version, EA will offer an $80 Deluxe edition and a $100 Super Deluxe edition. The premium bundles come with things like one-month access to EA Access and various Ultimate Team items.

Madden NFL 17 launches on August 23, before the start of the 2016-2017 season, and is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

What do you make of the first screens? Let us know in the comments below.

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