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THE BIG STUFF:

Nintendo Reveals Plan to Develop Mobile Games: After years of holding true to its long-held strategy of releasing games only for its own hardware, Nintendo this week announced a landmark partnership with DeNA to bring its catalog of beloved IP to smartphones and tablets. The first of these games will be released by the end of the year.

First Details of Nintendo’s Next System, the “NX”: There was Nintendo news aplenty this week, as the company also confirmed that it had started work on a brand-new system. Unfortunately, we don’t know much at all about it. Nintendo will talk more about NX in 2016.

Kojima Expected to Leave Konami After MGS5, Insider Source Confirms: Is the veteran Konami designer, who created Metal Gear Solid, on the way out from Konami? It sure sounds that way, according to our source. Read the full story here to get all the details.

THE OTHER STUFF:

Here’s a juicy rumor. Sources have told Videogamer that Warner Bros. is preparing to enter the “toys-to-life” market with a game of its own based on the LEGO franchise. The market is currently dominated by Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and Amiibo. But LEGO is a juggernaut franchise itself that stands on its own. The game, believed to be called LEGO Dimensions, is rumored to launch later this year.

The first teaser trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 was released this week. It’s more of a recap of what happened in the first installment. But I’ll take anything I can get right now to keep me busy until the movie hits theaters later this year.

Where are games going in the future? No one really knows. But veteran industry designer Clint Hocking (LucasArts, Ubisoft) has offered his own take in this deep dive blog post.

Gaming media veteran Geoff Keighley has launched a new podcast series called Gameslice, and the first episode will be tough to follow. In the debut episode, Keighley talks with Valve’s Gabe Newell and Erik Johnson about Steam VR, Steam Machines, and the future of gaming. Before you ask, no, there is no talk about Half-Life 3. But it’s a great listen all the same.

Strike Vector is a ridiculous and beautiful dog-fighting game that the young teen in you has always dreamed of. It’s coming to PS4 and Xbox One.

The subtitle for the upcoming Hitman game may have been revealed. Publisher Square Enix has trademarked “World of Assassination,” which certainly sounds like it would fit with the decidedly violent Hitman series. Read more here.

Augmented reality is an exciting, if not far-off, technology concept. The folks at Magic Leap, a company that wants to “bring magic back into the world,” has released a concept video for its own AR technology. And it’s damn impressive. Check out the full video below.

Want to help NASA hunt for asteroids? Now you can! “Protecting the Earth from the threat of asteroid impacts means first knowing where they are.” Check out this app to help ensure that an Armageddon-style catastrophe doesn’t destroy the world, OK?

Own a copy of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD? If so, you can start playing the Final Fantasy XV demo right now. What are you waiting for?! Or buy a code on eBay.

Bohemia Interactive has announced that Arma 3‘s next DLC, called “Marksmen,” will arrive on PC starting April 8. The expansion adds more weapons, attachments, and gear. In addition, accompanying the DLC is a “major” game update that adds a new multiplayer mode, as well as fresh training courses and a new showcase scenario. The update also makes tweaks to weapon handling and sound, Bohemia says.

Electronic Arts has trademarked something called “Unravel.” Is it the name of their next game? It’s too soon to say, but with E3 just around the corner, you never know.

Curse has announced a new deal with upcoming Gladiator-style arena game Bloodsports to be its official wiki. As part of the deal, Curse is also giving away beta keys for the game–head here to get one.

If all your life you’d been waiting for someone to cover the Silent Hill 2 theme music with an accordion, today is your lucky day.

Gameloft’s mobile game based on the hit movie series Despicable Me has reached a whopping 500 million downloads. That’s the equivalent of about one in every 14 people in the world. It’s actually a pretty fun game; download it now here for iTunes, Google Play, or Windows.

The writing’s been on the wall for some time, but Microsoft has now made it official. The days of Internet Explorer are coming to an end. Microsoft is killing the brand, The Verge reports. Though Internet Explorer will have a minor place in Windows 10, Microsoft is going all-in with a new, better browser currently codenamed Spartan.

Curious about Microsoft’s controversial “parity” clause for Xbox One games? Eurogamer did a deep dive into the subject with ID@Xbox European boss Agostino Simonetta. Check out the full interview here.

Did you watch Showtime’s Dexter? Remember the intro scene, where Dexter is going through his morning routine? Can you remember exactly how it unfolded? That’s the focus of a new video game. Finish Dexter’s morning routine before the music ends or you lose. Check out a trailer.

Fallout developer Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming crowdfunded role-playing game Pillars of Eternity has gone gold. That means development on the game, the 10th most-funded Kickstarter project and the second most-funded game of all-time, is finished. The game has been in development for 2.5 years and is now ready to launch across PC next week.

Following last year’s news that Crytek might be facing financial hardship, the German-based developer/publisher now says it has lined up a “huge” licensing partner. “It was a huge one, probably the biggest one,” Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli said in a new interview with Develop. “I can’t say anything more in detail, but hopefully we’ll be able to announce it with the partner soon.”

Remember the “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” commercials from Snickers? Now there’s a video game version. Check out the funny spot in the video below.

Good news and bad news for Xbox One owners. Microsoft has heard your calls for a new feature that will let you listen to music while playing a game without having to use Snap functionality. This feature is in the pipeline for a future update, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer. The bad news? It won’t be here for a long time.

Celebrity modder/hacker/amazing person Ben Heck has revealed his latest creation. It’s a small contraption that lets people who only have one arm play pinball. Glorious. See how Heck created the adapter in the detailed video below.

VR isn’t just for games. It could also impact other industries, including film. If that happens, producers will need to be careful when making a horror movie for VR. According to Unfriended producer Jason Blum, horror movies in VR might be simply too scary to handle. “I think it would be too intense. I think you could honestly make something that would just be too much,” he said in a new interview with The Verge.

Have a great weekend!

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There was no shortage of disappointment being expressed online following this month’s debut of a RollerCoaster Tycoon World gameplay trailer (above). The graphics and cartoon-y art style were derided for not being much of an improvement upon 2004’s RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, but the game’s developer insists World is not complete, and that significant visual improvements are coming.

“Since the switchover of our development team this past fall, we have focused on core functionality and ‘under-the-hood’ engine work,” reads a blog post on the game’s official website. “This is why there has not been significant visual progress on the title.”

You might then ask why a trailer was even released, if it was only going to lead to the kind of reaction that ensued. “Our intention in releasing our pre-alpha gameplay as a trailer was to show that there is progress being made,” the developer says. “RollerCoaster Tycoon has meant so much to so many people over the years, and it’s entirely your prerogative to feel protective of the franchise, just as it’s ours to assure you that it’s in good hands. Our hope in releasing the trailer in its current state was to offer some reassurance that gameplay and features were coming along.”

The final version of World will sport improved graphics thanks to a move from a Unity 4.6-based engine to a Unity 5 engine. Describing the early results as “extremely promising,” the blog says we’ll be getting to see the new look “by this summer.”

“We know that today these words must ring hollow, but trust that we are doing everything we can to make the game look excellent,” the blog states.

As for the cartoonish art, changes are coming. “In response to requests and comments from our fans, we can confirm that our teams will be adjusting the art in the game to make it not only higher definition (taking advantage of our engine upgrade) but more believable/realistic overall, while still keeping the charm of RCT,” the developer says. “We want the rides to feel like they can be found in real life. Even though some of the rides may never actually exist, we want them to look like they could, and are constructed with real materials.

“Along with this, we are also taking a pass on our Americana theme to make sure those rides are closer to those you may find today when visiting your favorite amusement park.”

A release date for World had not yet been announced, though a “mid-2015” date is listed on the game’s Steam page. It now sounds as if that may not end up being the case.

“We will not release the game until we know that it is truly ready,” the developer says. “If the game needs to be ‘put back into the oven,’ then we will do it. We have waited for more than 10 years for the next great edition of RCT, and we plan to take the franchise to new heights with RCTW. We will take the time required to achieve that goal.

“We will communicate on the expected release of RCTW later this year.”

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