Category: Gamespot

With rumors swirling about possible new Xbox devices, Microsoft has now teased it will soon talk about things “beyond” the Xbox One and Windows 10.

In a message posted on Xbox Wire, Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who heads up and oversees all of Microsoft’s gaming endeavors, offered this teasing statement:

“Over the next few weeks and months, we’ll be sharing more of our plans for gaming on Xbox One, Windows 10, and beyond.”

This message was posted in a news release regarding the discontinuation of the Xbox 360. Spencer also encouraged Xbox fans to continue to send in their feedback through the Xbox Feedback site.

It is possible the “beyond” mention is in reference to HoloLens, but Spencer not mentioning it by name is curious. As for the “next few weeks and months” line, that could be a reference to E3, which takes place in June. Microsoft recently announced exactly when its briefing would be held.

Earlier this week, a report claimed that Microsoft was testing a “variety” of new Xbox prototypes, including apparently ones that can be upgraded like a PC.

Before that, Spencer talked about how Microsoft will eventually “come out with new hardware capability during a generation.” The executive never said it would be this generation, and has made it clear that you won’t be opening up your Xbox One with a screwdriver to install new parts.

Additionally, Spencer has said Xbox fans should not expect an Xbox One and a half.

“I’m not a big fan of Xbox One and a half. If we’re going to move forward, I want to move forward in big numbers,” Spencer said recently. “For us, our box is doing well. It performs, it’s reliable, the servers are doing well. If we’re going to go forward with anything, like I said, I want it to be a really substantial change for people–an upgrade.”

What would you like to see from Microsoft “beyond” Xbox One and Windows 10? Let us know in the comments below!

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A live-action movie adaptation of the classic anime film Ghost in the Shell has been a long time coming, but now that production has begun, it is proving somewhat controversial. The decision to cast Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson as the lead character, Japanese cyborg Motoko Kusanagi, has led many to accuse the filmmakers of “whitewashing” the role. Now Kodansha, the publisher of the original Ghost in the Shell manga, has commented on the issue.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Sam Yoshiba, director of Kodansha’s international business division, explained that he believed the casting would in fact benefit the film. “Looking at her career so far, I think Scarlett Johansson is well-cast,” he said. “She has the cyberpunk feel. And we never imagined it would be a Japanese actress in the first place.

“This is a chance for a Japanese property to be seen around the world.”

THR also reported that Yoshiba had visited the movie’s New Zealand set, and that he was “impressed by the respect” being shown for the source material.

Ghost in the Shell was one of the key anime films to break through to a western audience during the 1990s. It was created by Masamune Shirow, and began as a manga series in 1989.

The popularity of the manga led to four anime movies, the latest of which, Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie, was released last year. There have also been a number of video games.

Ghost in the Shell is set to be released on March 31, 2017.

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There is a new top video on Microsoft’s Xbox YouTube channel. With more than 8.5 million views, the first official trailer for upcoming Xbox One shooter Gears of War 4 is now the most popular video on the channel. The previous record-holder was the Xbox One unveiling video, which has 7 million views.

The Gears of War 4 video, titled “Tomorrow,” was released earlier this month on TV during the Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 broadcast, before being published on YouTube.

It’s a powerful, emotional trailer that has been praised by many (the like/dislike ratio is overwhelming in favor of likes), while original Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski has also spoken out to praise the video.

By comparison, the most-viewed video on the PlayStation YouTube account is original PlayStation 4 announcement video, which has more than 32.5 million views. In fact, Sony has six videos that have passed 10 million views, while Microsoft has none.

Gears of War 4 launches on October 11 for Xbox One. The game’s multiplayer beta is currently underway for people who played Gears of War Ultimate Edition before April 11. The Gears of War 4 open beta, which will be available to all Xbox Live Gold members, will begin April 25 and run through May 1.

For lots more on the Gears of War 4 beta, check out this post to find out how to get in.

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It looks like Quantum Break and Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment is deep into development on an unannounced new game. Online resumes for two Remedy developers claim work has been underway on the project since August 2015, suggesting the title has been in the works for almost nine months.

Gamer Center Online and VideoGamer.com spotted the LinkedIn profiles, which are for the game’s lead design and executive producer. No further details about the game are mentioned in the profiles.

Remedy, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, has stated time and again that it is open to the idea of returning to the Alan Wake franchise. Additionally, creative director Sam Lake recently teased that a future Remedy title might include multiplayer; the studio’s games have historically been single-player only.

Earlier this month, Lake said Remedy has “all kinds of ideas floating around” for future games, some of which involve multiplayer functionality.

“Certainly there are discussions about multiplayer,” he said at the time. “There are discussions about all kinds of ideas. We want to evolve with the times as well; try out new things that push ourselves, and always come back and question, ‘What is a Remedy game and how can we evolve it into something even cooler?’”

Quantum Break, Remedy’s latest game, was released on April 5 for Xbox One and PC.

What would you like to see Remedy work on next? Let us know in the comments below!

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The president of Bayonetta and Scalebound developer Platinum Games has stepped down. That’s according to Japanese gaming site Game Business, which reports, according to a translation from Kotaku, that Tatsuya Minami stepped down from his role at the end of March.

He was reportedly replaced by Kenichi Sato, but it is unclear if Minami remains with Platinum in some other capacity. This management shakeup, which also involved some new internal additions to the company’s board of directors, comes during Platinum’s 10th anniversary as a studio.

Minami, who worked at Capcom before joining Platinum, continues to be listed on the Platinum website as the studio’s president. Platinum did not respond to a request for comment by Kotaku and the company has not offered a public statement as of yet.

Platinum’s latest game is Star Fox Zero for Wii U, which it worked on alongside Nintendo. The company is also behind upcoming Xbox One exclusive Scalebound, which is coming in 2017 after a delay.

For lots more on Platinum, you can check out GameSpot’s feature, “Inside Platinum Games: Japan’s Most Unique Game Development Studio.”

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Rainbow Six Siege fans don’t have much longer to wait to learn more about the team-based tactical shooter’s next expansion, it seems. Asked by a fan on Twitter when the game’s next DLC would arrive, Ubisoft teased that a “special reveal” is planned for this coming Friday, April 22 (via VideoGamer).

The reveal itself will take place during the 22APR Pro League livestream, which can be seen here on Twitch.

Siege’s first DLC, Operation Black Ice, was released in February (it was originally due in January, but was delayed). It added new Canadian operators to the game. The next one is coming sometime this month, according to the roadmap image below, and will introduce new USA-themed content.

Further expansions will follow in June (Brazil) and October (Japan). Check out the image below to learn more about the content coming to Siege.

Siege was released in December 2015 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.GameSpot’s Siege review scored the game an 8/10.

“My experiences weren’t always perfect, but when Siege works, there’s nothing else like it,” editor Scott Butterworth said. “It’s not designed to appeal to all players, and that’s exactly what allows it to be something special. With so much strategic depth, those periods between firefights actually become some of the most rewarding, while firefights themselves are made all the more intense by the knowledge that you’re fighting for your life, not just your kill/death ratio.”

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With the next Battlefield game scheduled to come out relatively soon, it looks like publisher Electronic Arts is now showing it off to people. One person who apparently got a peek at the game was Joe Brammer, the executive producer of World War 2 first-person shooter Battalion 1944.

In a tweet, which has since been deleted but was captured on NeoGAF, Brammer said, “I’ve seen things #BF5 things and I am beyond excited.”

After receive an onslaught of responses, Brammer deleted the tweet. He has since said, “Ha, clearly a mistake on my part! A massive oversight on the desperation for squeezing information! ;)”

Some have also theorized that Brammer’s tweet about Battlefield 5 is evidence that the game is set in World War 2. Brammer said he doesn’t follow this line of thinking.

“Yeh there is like 0 logic in this analysis lol,” he said when presented with the idea that because Battalion 1944 is a World War 2 game, Battlefield 5 would be as well.

In February, a Swiss retailer reportedly listed Battlefield 5 as being set in World War 1. EA has not yet confirmed any official details about the game, but with its release approaching, we’re expecting more information soon.

Battlefield 5, or whatever EA decides to call the game, will launch during the second half of EA’s fiscal year. That translates to sometime between October 2016 and March 2017. This is the same release window for Titanfall 2 and Mass Effect: Andromeda.

It’s possible EA will share more details on Battlefield 5 during its E3 briefing in June, but this is not confirmed.

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