Category: Gamespot

The announcement earlier this year that Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac Games would be working with retailer GameStop on its latest game may have caught some by surprise. A retailer-development arrangement is not very common. But it turns out GameStop has bold plans in the publishing space.

The company today announced a publishing label called “GameTrust.” It’s not just Insomniac that has signed up, either, as other independent developers including The Order: 1886 developer Ready at Dawn, Tequila Works (Deadlight, Rime), and Frozenbyte (Trine series) are among the initial partners.

GameTrust is not to be thought of as a traditional publisher, GameStop VP of Internal Development & Diversification Mark Stanley told GameSpot in a recent interview. He explained that GameStop will not have any form of creative control over the games and studios it works with.

“We do not involve ourselves in the creative process because at the end of the day, that is what our developer partners are passionate about,” he explained. “By allowing developers to fully focus on their craft, GameTrust can focus on all other aspects of bringing a new IP to market, leveraging our deep expertise and retail channel leadership to support each developer and connect their games with a broader global audience.”

GameStop has bold ambitions for GameTrust, saying in a release today that the program will “revolutionize the game development and distribution process” by way of giving developers another option to help bring their games to market, leveraging GameStop’s leadership in the retail channel (including marketing and more) to help bring games to a larger audience.

Overall, Stanley describes GameStop’s relationship as “light-touch.” He also tells us that publishing arrangements, including GameStop’s total investment and marketing spend, will vary by project

“We do not involve ourselves in the creative process because at the end of the day, that is what our developer partners are passionate about” — Stanley

The plan is for GameTrust to support games for an array of platforms, including digital, physical, console, PC, and virtual reality. You can also expect the size and scope of these projects to vary substantially. GameTrust plans to support basically everything–“from casual to serious, console to PC, triple AAA titles to independent games.”

These games will be available through all of GameStop’s retail channels, as well as a variety of popular digital storefronts including Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, the eShop, and others. This is to say, GameStop won’t be the exclusive seller of GameTrust titles.

The formation of GameStop’s GameTrust program comes at a time when digital is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the equation for GameStop and others in the retail business. Just recently, the company announced that it expects physical sales to continue to slide. By 2019, it’s estimated that 50 percent of GameStop’s revenue will come from non-physical sources.

GameTrust would conceivably further extend GameStop’s reach and awareness in the digital space–something the retailer is no doubt likely to see happen as the world goes digital.

A list of studios signed up for the GameTrust program, and the games they are working on, can be found below. In addition, our full interview with Stanley is at the bottom of this page. It touches on the genesis of the program, GameStop’s goals for it, future partners, and more.

GameTrust Initial Partners Include:

• Insomniac Games: Song of the Deep
• Frozenbyte: Unannounced
• Ready at Dawn: Unannounced
• Tequila Works: Unannounced

Interview:

Many were surprised when it was announced that Insomniac was working with GameStop on its new game. What was the impetus for the formation of GameTrust?

The idea of GameTrust has been cooking for quite some time. We are always thinking about how we can diversify and strengthen our business in areas where we have deep competency, where we can further excite and engage even more gamers, and where we can deliver greater shareholder value.

In-depth developer discussions began well over a year ago. More and more discussions with game developers shed light on some of the challenges that they face with publishing small-to-medium, AAA-quality independent games. We saw this as a great opportunity to leverage our video game, retail, and digital expertise to help launch games that might otherwise struggle to find the global audience they truly deserve.

What are you hoping to achieve overall with GameTrust? And how are you measuring success?

As we’ve said many times before, we will continue to pursue new and exciting business opportunities that will grow our global video game business. That said, we believe the independent games category is growing dramatically, and represents a great opportunity for GameStop to provide gamers exclusive and exciting new content.

“We believe the independent games category is growing dramatically” — Stanley

In what ways will GameTrust “revolutionize the game development and distribution process” as you say it will?

GameTrust will revolutionize the game development and distribution process by offering a new way for independent developers to create and introduce their own IP to a broad gaming audience. We will provide a new platform for gamers to discover and enjoy exclusive new video game experiences–from console to PC to VR games.

The new venture will help bring new game projects to life through leveraging GameStop’s global expertise and retail channel in introducing exclusive game content and related merchandise to fans.

What does it mean that GameStop won’t be part of the creative process? And why is that important to you?

GameTrust is not a traditional video game publisher. We do not involve ourselves in the creative process because at the end of the day, that is what our developer partners are passionate about. By allowing developers to fully focus on their craft, GameTrust can focus on all other aspects of bringing a new IP to market, leveraging our deep expertise and retail channel leadership to support each developer and connect their games with a broader global audience.

What kind of response are you seeing from developers so far? Are studios banging on your door to sign up?

The reaction has been very positive and we’re in dozens of conversations right now. Many of our publisher and developer partners, industry leaders and analysts are starting to see our vision and how it makes sense for GameStop to be involved with bringing fresh new game content through GameTrust.

What is your criteria for accepting a game into the GameTrust program?

Each of the studios we are working with have a wealth of talent, innovation, and creativity. We’ve already announced what Insomniac Games is working on–Song of the Deep–which typifies a great example of the type of games we want to support, with unique storylines, innovative play mechanics, and visually stunning graphics that are incredibly fun to play. The criteria is simple: chemistry and vision. If we have good chemistry, and we have a shared vision, then there’s a good chance we can partner for long-term success.

At a high level, what are the publishing arrangements like? Do you fully fund projects or only partially? Does it vary by project?

Each partnership is customized and structured in a way that ensures the ultimate success of each specific game and supports the long-term vision of each of our development partners.

What can GameStop offer to developers that a traditional publisher may not be able to?

We believe in great game craftsmanship, and providing independent developers with a trusted platform for the long-term success of their studio and their games. We provide a light-touch partnership where developers have the creative freedom to deliver on their vision.

We recognize the deep challenges and skills that are required to make great games, and we will leverage our vast and multi-dimensional business expertise to not only bring these great games to market, but also to give them the extra support and firepower they need to reach the masses. All GameTrust games will be available to customers through GameStop’s multiple retail channels, in addition to many of the leading global digital ecosystems (Steam, Xbox Live, PSN, eShop, others).

Has GameStop formed a new team internally to run GameTrust, or are its members re-assigned from other positions?

GameTrust is an independent vertical within GameStop composed of numerous individuals, some of whom are new to the company.

The lineup of development partners so far is impressive (Insomniac, Ready at Dawn, Tequila Works, Frozenbyte), but what are your plans for the future?

Our plans are to focus on bringing great independent game content to the world. We are exploring opportunities with several other developers; however, we are not in a position to discuss those at this time. We will announce those partnerships once they have been finalized.

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Ubisoft has indicated it will punish The Division players that have used an exploit in the game’s first raid mission, Falcon Lost. Posting on the game’s official forum, community manager Natchai Stappers said using the exploit was a violation of its Code of Conduct.

“We are working on fixing the exploit,” he said. “Obviously, it is against our Code of Conduct and the team is looking into what can be done in terms of punishment for those who have exploited.”

Falcon Lost was introduced in the game’s April update, and is designed to dish out high-level completion rewards once a week. However, by using a riot shield players have been able to phase through a wall and repeatedly run the mission, thus granting them loot drops at a much faster rate than intended. The method can be seen in the video above.

In response to Ubisoft’s statement, some players have said they shouldn’t be reprimanded for a mistake in the developer’s design and coding. Some have noted the Code of Conduct isn’t prominently available in the game.

“As someone that has done the incursion both ways on hard, I will say that dealing out a punishment to players blindly is ********,” said forum user Cipher_Sierra. “I have never read the terms, they’re never referenced in the game, I’m never warned anywhere.

“But now I’m reading that you consider your faulty code to be on US, as players? Am I to be punished for using a mask that regens constantly having no idea why for the first day? What about the reckless talent? Or running on the side of a mission area to avoid mobs?”

On the game’s sub-Reddit, meanwhile, another player also said Ubisoft should shoulder the blame, instead of the players.

“It absolutely sickens me that a Community Manager has stepped forward not to apologize for the complete mess of code that has been delivered as a finished product, but rather to deflect blame for any balancing issues that may arise due to their shoddy production onto their paying customers.”

Others have suggested Ubisoft simply implement a system to punish players for future transgressions, since the exploit shifted the balance of multiplayer to force many to use the exploit so they can remain competitive. Punishing them for keeping up with community is unreasonable, they argue.

As of yet, Ubisoft hasn’t revealed what the punishment will be or when it will be implemented.

The April update to The Division resulted in numerous problems. Some players discovered their characters had gone missing and the game’s Daily Challenges also vanished. These issues have since been resolved.

The patch was the first major update to the game since launch in March, and added new content and features, all of which you can see in the official patch notes here.

The Falcon Lost Incursion was included among these, and is the first in a series of upcoming raid-style missions. The next one is Conflicts and launches in May. Following this Ubisoft plans to release paid expansions further into the summer and beyond.

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Klei Entertainment’s turn-based stealth game, Invisible Inc., is set for release on PlayStation 4 on April 18. Ahead of its launch, a list of its Trophies has appeared online via Exophase.

Among them are a few stealth focused achievement, including Ghost Moves, which is awarded for “beating a level without ever being spotted by a guard or camera on Beginner or Expert difficulty.”

Another, called Never Look Back, encourages flawless play by awarding a Gold Trophy for beating the game with rewinds set to zero on expert. Take a look below for the full list.

• All Trophies Collected – All Trophies Collected
• Ghost Moves – Beat a level without ever being spotted by a guard or camera on Beginner or Expert difficulty.
• Meat Machine – Install 4 augments on an agent.
• Contact Re-established – Survive for 24 Hours.
• Daemon Code – Beat the game with Faust and Brimstone.
• Time Attack – Beat the game in Time Attack mode
• Training Wheels – Beat the game on Beginner difficulty.
• Nearing Confidence Threshold – Survive for 48 Hours.
• Target Resolved – Survive for 72 Hours.
• Ant Society – Beat the game on Experienced difficulty.
• Fully Equipped – Unlock every agent, agent alternate, and starting mainframe program.
• Rebuilding the Firm – Survive 5 days in Endless mode.
• Powerful Toast – Beat the Contingency Plan extended Campaign on Experienced difficulty
• Attention to Detail – Steal from every safe in a level.
• Invisible Inc. – Beat the game on Expert difficulty.
• The Limit – Beat a level after reaching Alarm level 6 in the level on Expert difficulty.
• Never Look Back – Beat the game with rewinds set to 0 on Expert difficulty.
• Technical Macguffin – Beat the Contingency Plan extended Campaign on Expert difficulty
• Acceptable Host – Beat the game on Expert Plus difficulty.
• Smooth Operator – Survive 5 days in Endless Plus mode.
• Surprised Face – Beat the Contingency Plan extended Campaign on Expert Plus difficulty
• Empire builder – Survive 20 days in Endless mode with the Contingency Plan content
• Corporate Ladder – Survive 10 days in Endless mode.

Klei first launched Invisible Inc. on PC through the Steam Early Access program in January 2014. Since then it has been updating the game with new features, tweaks, and balance changes, some of which were the result of the input from its community. Invisible Inc. was officially released in May 2015.

The console release will include the Contingency Plan DLC released post-launch. Other key gameplay features for the console release can be found here.

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The PlayStation Network servers will be impacted for a period of two hours next week as Sony completes regular maintenance for the online network, the company has announced.

The maintenance period, which will also see Sony deploy some “improvements” to the PSN, will take place on Monday, April 18, starting at 9:30 PM PST. As stated, it’s expected to take two hours to be completed.

“Anyone who already has an account can still sign in to their PlayStation Network profile, play games, and use most applications while this maintenance is carried out,” Sony explained.

However, during the maintenance period, users will not be able to access account management, PlayStation Video, and the PlayStation Store.

“We apologize for any inconvenience, ” Sony said. “We strive to ensure that PlayStation Network services are available at all times, but occasionally we must take PlayStation Network offline to perform essential maintenance and implement feature enhancements.

“We are working hard to reduce the duration of each maintenance.”

This maintenance period follows the PS4’s big 3.5 update that was released earlier this month. Check out this post to see all of the features that it came with.

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The PlayStation MVP program will soon be no more. Users are reporting receiving an email from Sony (via NeoGAF) informing them that the program will effectively shut down this coming Monday, April 18.

“As of Monday, April 18, PlayStation will no longer actively support the MVP Program,” reads a line from the notice. “We want to thank you for your participation in the program and your enthusiasm in making PlayStation the best place to play.”

Though the MVP program is going away, Sony said it remains committed to finding new ways to “empower the vibrant PlayStation community across our on-console and digital ecosystem.”

It was also explained that the shutdown does not affect the MVP program’s support services.

What exactly was the PlayStation MVP program? Here’s the official description for the program, which users had to apply to if they wanted to be accepted:

“As a member of the PlayStation MVP, you’ll help host exclusive game events and tournaments, create content such as walk-throughs and help articles for fellow PlayStation gamers on the PlayStation Forums, and share your expert opinions on PlayStation products through exclusive panels and discussion sessions with the PlayStation Community Management team.”

As explained by NeoGAF member aristotle, the writing had been on the wall.

“Since about January or so, the MVP program has been in a state of confusion,” they said. “No one really knew what was going on, but we had assumed something would be changing.”

You can read more about the PlayStation MVP program here. We have also followed up with Sony in an attempt to get more details.

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Each week we search and gather up the coolest comic book art you won’t see in actual comics. The reason you won’t is because professional artists often draw sketches for fun or commissions and post them on their websites, blogs, and Tumblrs. Some artists even arrange commissions through their sites so be sure to check them out. This is a way to see the artists working on one book draw characters from other comics or publishers.

Todd Nauck posted some commissions from Emerald City Comicon on his Tumblr.

Ron Salas must have enjoyed the new Doctor Strange teaser. He posted this sketch on his Tumblr.

Ryan Stegman also posted a Doctor Strange sketch along with some others on his Tumblr.

Marco Rudy posted some sketches last week from Edinburgh Comicon on his Instagram.

Rod Reis posted commissions from Emerald City on his Instagram.

Dustin Nguyen posted new sketches on his Tumblr.

Derek Fridolfs drew this Jason Todd sketch in the hotel lobby last weekend in Seattle.

Phil Noto couldn’t resist drawing a Rogue One “poster” on his Tumblr.

Chrissie Zullo also posted a Jyn Erso sketch along with a Tomb Raider pic on her Facebook page.

Francesco Francavilla also posted Star Wars pics on his Tumblr.

Guess what? Franco posted a Jyn Erso sketch and more on his Instagram. You can buy his original art here.

Marcus To posted some commissions from Emerald City on his Tumblr.

Marcio Takara posted some warm up and cool down sketches on his Tumblr.

Chris Burnham posted some commissions and quick sketches on his Twitter page.

Jim Cheung posted more sketches on his Instagram.

Skottie Young posted new art from last weekend on his Tumblr.

Brett Booth posted some sketches on his Twitter.

Paolo Rivera posted a new Batman sketch on his blog.

Agnes Garbowska posted new sketches on her Tumblr.

Kevin Wada posted some recent commissions on his Tumblr.

Peter Nguyen posted new art on his Tumblr.

Mike Henderson posted new art on his Instagram. You can buy his original art here.

That’s it for this week. Let us know which ones you really dug.

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Captain America: Civil War is the latest installment in the Cap franchise, and another puzzle piece in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. We’ve seen a lot of #TeamCap versus #TeamIronMan on social media, with a massive “choose your side” theme in the lead-up to the film’s release.

So who’s right in Civil War? Well…everyone.

In Civil War, our heroes are forced to stand and be held accountable for the death and destruction they’ve caused after the events of the first two Avengers movies. A coalition of 117 nations have banded together to create the Sokovia Accords, which would effectively retire the Avengers unless specifically called upon. Captain America (Chris Evans) worries putting their powers into the hands of people/countries with political agendas would be disastrous, while Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) gets a close-up look at the terrible cost of these battles and decides to sign.

The disagreements in Civil War build up like a Katamari (sadly, the King of All Cosmos is not an Avenger…yet), starting as a basic verbal disagreement and culminating in full-out war between Cap and Iron Man, with a slew of Avengers on each side fighting for what they believe in.

If you’re worried about Civil War serving as a sort of Avengers 3 instead of a Captain America movie, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover that’s not the case at all. While we get a lot of Avengers action, this is absolutely, at its core, a story about Steve Rogers and his friendships with Tony Stark and Bucky Barnes.

Bucky is the catalyst for a lot of the movie’s more personal beats, with the plot revolving around his transformation into The Winter Soldier…and one mission in particular. Cap really believes Bucky can be saved, but after a global act of terrorism places Bucky square in the crosshairs of Team Iron Man, Black Panther, and the rest of the world, Team Cap chooses to protect Bucky, making them fugitives in the process.

I won’t say more about the plot, because I don’t want to spoil it for you, but every hero acts in their own self-interest, choosing which side they’re on based on their personality and individual reasoning. Nobody makes dumb choices to push forward the plot in Civil War, and the film is better for it. Emotional beats play true to both the fictional characters in the film, but they also play true to us as an audience. It’s also a terribly funny film; there were more than a handful of times the laughter of the premiere audience drowned out the next few lines. If you thought the airport fight looked amazing in the trailers…well, let’s just say you’re in for a huge surprise when you see how it plays out on the big screen.

The introductions of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman playing King T’Challa of Wakanda) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland in his first outing as a teenage Peter Parker) played to huge cheers and applause in the theater. After seeing Boseman and Holland play their respective characters, you’ll be frantically looking up when Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming hit theaters (we’ll save you the trouble: Spider-Man: Homecoming will arrive on July 7, 2017, and Black Panther bows on February 15, 2018). Boseman is regal, yet relatable. Kind, yet terrifying. As for Holland, I’ve never seen a better Spider-Man portrayed on the big screen. Sorry Tobey and Andrew, this kid’s got it.

Marvel has spent the last six years laying the foundation for Captain America: Civil War, and it pays off huge here. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and the other characters we know and love have spent a lot of time honing their characters into finely tuned machines, both literally and emotionally; indeed, without seeing that history play out on the big screen in previous films, their big showdown in Civil War would feel hollow and contrived. To see Tony and Cap’s friendship fall apart is heartbreaking, because you buy it. You buy Tony’s weariness. You buy Cap’s unwavering loyalty to his friend Bucky, even in the face of international consequences.

It’s like I said earlier. Tony and Cap are both on the right side in Civil War. And you’ll agree with both of them because of how damn likable they all are.

Civil War? More like Charisma War!

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