Destiny 2 Ascendant Challenge Location Week 4 (March 12-19): How To Complete The Week 4 Challenge

The Season of the Drifter is here, which means the Power level has been raised once again, this time to 700. You’ll need lots of Powerful gear to push up to the new Power level cap–luckily, each week brings a shuffling of content to Destiny 2, and this week that includes the new Exotic weapon quest to reclaim the Destiny 1 hand cannon, Thorn. The Ascendant Challenge, on the other hand, is not actually new; we’re actually back to the fourth week of the cycle of challenges. But whether you’ve done it before or not, there’s good reason to give it a shot, as Powerful gear awaits you as a reward. Here’s where to go and what to do to complete the current Ascendant Challenge.

Before you try to tackle the Ascendant Challenge, the same requirements as always hold true; most notably, you need a Tincture of Queensfoil. This is a consumable item that you’ll happen upon while playing in the Dreaming City, although you can also buy them. Using a Tincture gives you the Ascendance buff, which allows you to see a Taken portal. It’s this portal you must go through to complete the Ascendant Challenge. Along with a Tincture, you have to grab the Ascendant Challenge bounty from Petra in the Dreaming City; it’s through this that you actually get your Powerful gear.

For the current challenge, the portal is located in Rheasilvia. In the northeast corner, head inside a building and go straight as far as you can. Turn right, and then go left in the next area to reach Harbinger’s Seclude. Go up a set of stairs and out the doorway on the right. Head straight through this area, through another doorway, and continue straight in the next zone. At the end of a bridge you’ll see a statue covered in Taken Blight balls; look for hidden Ascendant platforms to appear in the big open area in front of the statue starting on the right side of the room that will take you to the top, or jump up the blights themselves to reach the portal on top of the statue’s head. Check out the video above for a walkthrough. If you struggle to get up, take out your ghost and you’ll see some invisible platforms just off the slide of the area that can help you get up.

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Going through the portal transports you to the Keep of Honed Edges in the Ascendant Plane. Platform your way across a series of rocks and you’ll find an area with three knights who are immune to damage. Kill all of the other enemies and the barrier protecting a sword will go away, allowing you to pick up the relic.

At this point, more enemies spawn in and one knight will begin attacking you. Kill the knight, and the other two will join the fray along with additional enemies. Take them all out, and you’ll again have to platform across a series of rocks, now with enemies to make things more challenging. There is debris moving through the area, and at least certain things you step on will disappear after a short period of time, so make sure not to linger. Make your way toward a platform with a large blue object on it to complete the challenge.

As in previous weeks, the chest you receive at the end of the Ascendant Challenge isn’t anything special. But the bounty you get from Petra offers Powerful gear for completing it; this can help to boost your Power level, so ensuring you have the bounty is essential.

Meanwhile, the quest for Thorn should keep players busy for a bit. It also represents another step forward in one of the biggest, most interesting running stories in all of Destiny lore–check out our lore catch-up guide for everything you need to know about the famous gun, its famous wielder, and what’s going on with the Drifter as the Season of the Drifter continues.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2-ascendant-challenge-location-week-4-marc/1100-6462031/

Apex Legends Dev Says No Plans For Reconnect Feature

Apex Legends is off to a running start, but one often-requested feature isn’t in the works. Respawn has confirmed that it isn’t developing any ability to reconnect to a match after you’ve been disconnected, and explained its reasoning why.

In a post on Reddit, community manager Jay Frechette said the team isn’t pursuing it for two key reasons. The first is that a reconnect feature is very easy for unscrupulous players to abuse, presumably by intentionally disconnecting to avoid a death and then reconnecting to the match right afterwards. The second reason is simply that implementing the feature would be resource-intensive, and Respawn feels that energy is better spent on stability improvements to avoid disconnects in the first place.

This came alongside an announcement that Respawn had banned 355,000 cheaters on PC. It said that for the time being it uses the pre-made Easy-Anti-Cheat toolset, but it’s working on its own custom solutions to address cheating as well. It’s keeping these cards close to its vest, however, as it doesn’t want the cheaters to use any public information to help them circumvent the new measures.

Meanwhile, the studio has released a new weapon balance patch to make adjustments to Peacekeeper and Wingman, primarily. Another upcoming update will address concerns of unequal hitboxes. We’re also expecting details on the battle pass sometime in the near future, which will add new cosmetic options and other additions to earn through play, for a fee. The first battle pass is set to launch sometime in March.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apex-legends-dev-says-no-plans-for-reconnect-featu/1100-6465517/

Microsoft Announces 13 Indie Games Coming To Xbox One And PC

Microsoft announced a large round of indie games coming through its ID@Xbox. The 13 newly announced games will join others for a grand total of 30 indie games being shown at Microsoft’s GDC booth.

The new additions on Xbox One include Beholder 2, CrossCode, Dead Static Drive, Door Kickers: Action Squad, Mowin’ & Throwin’, Starcrossed, and Totem Teller. Another handful were announced for both Xbox One and PC: Boomerang Fu, Hyperdot, Stela, The Forgotten City, UnderMine, and Unrailed. You can check out a full list of all 30 games being shown at GDC at the Xbox blog.

On top of its ongoing indie support through the ID@Xbox program, Microsoft has been shoring up studio acquisitions. It’s also one of the few remaining big publishers planning a big showcase at E3. A host of rumors and reports have begun circulating, including word of a disc-less Xbox option and a reveal of its next-generation console.

Whatever Microsoft has in store, Halo Infinite appears primed to be the centerpiece. We know it will be shown, and that it’s targeting PC and Xbox One rather than waiting for the next generation of consoles. We’ve also recently gotten some indication that it could adopt a games as service model, though 343 Industries has had to assuage concerns about microtransactions.

The Game Developers Conference runs March 18 through March 22. It will include a keynote presentation from Google, which may debut its own entry into video games.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-announces-13-indie-games-coming-to-xbox-/1100-6465516/

Doom Studio Makes Very Clear It Has Nothing to Do With New Doom Movie

Doom developer id Software has officially stated that they have no involvement with Doom: Annihilation, a new direct-to-video adaptation of the storied franchise.

Yesterday, a new trailer was released for Doom: Annihilation and the reaction was not overly positive. This prompted GeorgeTheRaven to tweet at id Software and the official Doom account and ask for their “most honest opinion.”

In response, the official Doom account quote tweeted the question and said, simply, “We’re not involved with the movie.”

Continue reading…

source http://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/12/doom-studio-makes-very-clear-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-new-doom-movie

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 Adding Free Map, Modes, Blackout Update, And More

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 continues to evolve, and this week the game will change once again with the addition of some delicious free content. A new map variant, mode, and event are all on the way, as well as some changes to Battle Royale game mode Blackout.

First up, a Hurricane variant of the Contraband map is coming, along with a new multiplayer game mode named Stockpile–developer Treyarch says this is a reimagining of the Black Ops 3 mode Fracture in which players must defeat opponents and deliver their dog-tags to a deposit site. Black Ops 4’s multiplayer portion is also getting a St. Patrick’s Day event named Shamrock & Awe, though it remains to be seen what this entails.

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Blackout will see its map updated for spring this week, while a Hardcore game mode is also on the way. This removes armor, vehicles, zombies, and players’ HUD for a more punishing experience.

Finally, Zombies will also be updated with a new Gauntlet named Hellcatraz. The Zombies portion of Black Ops 4 will also boast host migration, which will hopefully reduce instances of games dropping out due to one player’s poor connection.

Many of the changes will go live in the next few hours, though some are exclusive to PlayStation 4 for the time being; check out the graphic above for more details on platform availability.

Black Ops 4’s Operation Grand Heist started just recently, adding a new Specialist and three weapons. Blackout gained a spooky Ghost Town area, while another Gauntlet came to Zombies.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-black-ops-4-adding-free-map-modes-bla/1100-6465512/

Dragon’s Dogma Anime Headed to Netflix

A new anime series is headed to Netflix based on Dragon’s Dogma, Capcom’s action RPG that was originally released in 2012 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Announced by Netflix, the Dragon’s Dogma series is one of the new productions announced following the streaming giants new partnerships with Anima, Sublimation, and David Production.

The Dragon’s Dogma series will be based on the title from Capcom and “the story follows a man’s journey seeking revenge on a dragon who stole his heart. On his way, the man is brought back to life as an ‘Arisen’. An action adventure about a man challenged by demons who represent the seven deadly sins of humans.”

Continue reading…

source http://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/12/dragons-dogma-anime-headed-to-netflix

Fortnite to Introduce an ‘Undo Purchase’ Button

Epic plans to allow Fortnite players to return a purchase made in the last five minutes – although it’s not clear when.

In a Reddit thread (via VG247) which pointed out that, unlike western versions, the Japanese version of Fortnite includes a “confirm purchase” button before payment goes through, Epic Vice President of Engineering Daniel Vogel explained the decision:

“We neither want to add friction for players,” he wrote, “nor do we want to benefit from accidental purchases or players regretting a purchase.”

Continue reading…

source http://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/12/fortnite-to-introduce-an-undo-purchase-button

Fortnite Update 8.10 Adds The Baller Vehicle; Patch Notes Revealed

Fortnite‘s latest update, version 8.10, is live now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. The patch adds a new vehicle named The Baller, overhauls Vending Machines, and makes a few other tweaks, too.

The Baller is a hamster ball-like vehicle that comes equipped with a Boost and a Grappler for rapid mobility. While inside this single-seat ball, you’re protected from damage, but the vehicle itself can see its 300 health depleted by enemy fire. Find The Baller at Expedition Outposts and around pirate camp loot stashes.

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Vending Machines now work slightly differently since the 8.10 update; they no longer cost anything to activate, but they will self-destruct after one use. They are also rarer now, as common and uncommon Vending Machines have been removed from the game.

Heavy Assault Rifles have also had their rarities adjusted: they can now be found in common, uncommon, and rare varieties–the epic and legendary editions are no more. Finally, a new LTM named The Getaway is now live, and you can see all the details about that and the rest of the changes to Fortnite’s Battle Royale portion at the bottom of this story; for the full patch notes of other modes, check out the Fortnite blog.

Fortnite’s Season 8 started just recently, introducing new skins and other cosmetics. A subsequent update has also introduced buried treasure maps. The new vehicle doesn’t exactly fit in with the current season’s pirate theme, although Epic tends to release a wide variety of skins and items, regardless of the general theme.

Week 2 challenges for Fortnite Season 8 are now available. Among the trickiest of the season so far are those that task players with visiting the new Pirate Camps and finding a giant face in the desert, jungle, and snow. You can see the complete list of this season’s objectives in our full Season 8 challenges guide.

Fortnite: Battle Royale Update 8.10 Patch Notes

Weapons And Items

  • Baller
    • This single seat vehicle is found at Expedition Outposts and around pirate camp loot stashes
    • Use the attached Grappler and Boost functionality to pull yourself up cliffs or swing through the trees
    • The driver is protected from damage, but The Baller is vulnerable to enemy weapon fire.
    • 300 Health
  • Infantry Rifle
    • Removed Common rarity
  • Heavy Assault Rifle
    • Adjusted rarity from Rare/Epic/Legendary to Common/Uncommon/Rare
    • Base damage scaling for Common/Uncommon/Rare 36/38/40
  • Clingers
    • Reduced max stack size from 10 to 6.
  • Vending Machines
    • Removed the material cost.
    • Each Vending Machine will be destroyed after claiming an item.
    • Common and Uncommon Vending Machines have been removed.
    • Removed Mounted Turret from Legendary Vending Machine
  • Reduced availability of Treasure Maps from floor loot .53% to .27%.
  • Reduced availability of Treasure Maps from chest loot 3.25% to 1.65%.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed rocket smoke trails disappearing instantly on explosion.
  • Fixed an issue where the popping audio for Balloons would continue to play after using Balloons to get to max build height while using a vehicle.
  • Fixed an issue where Buried Treasure would not auto pickup when the Auto Pickup Weapons setting was enabled.
  • Fixed an issue where Buried Treasure chests could be placed on the Starting Island.
  • Fixed an issue where using an Impulse Grenade or a Shockwave Grenade while jumping on a Hoverboard causes the player to rapidly rotate.

Gameplay

  • Battle Royale Crossplay Matchmaking
    • Combined Xbox One and PS4 pools.
      • This requires you to opt-in to cross-play.
      • Players opt-ing out are restricted to Creative Mode and Playgrounds.
    • Combined Mobile and Switch pools.
      • Before, Switch players were combined with Xbox One and PS4 cross-play parties.
      • We expect an on-average better per-game experience for both Mobile and Switch players.
    • Motivating factor is unlocking optimization potential allowing us to run more playlists during more hours of the day while supporting more data center locations. Please provide us with feedback on your experience!
  • Reduced infinite dab duration from 12 hours to 11 hours in the front end
  • Just kidding, Increased Infinite dab duration from 12 hours to 13 hours in the front end
  • Elimination credit is now awarded to last damager in cases of logging out, self-elimination, and eliminations due to Storm damage. Current threshold timer is 15 seconds.
  • Added visual effects for the siphon on elimination.
  • Players can now build as soon as they impact anything after being launched by a Pirate Cannon
  • Players can dance while holding a balloon
  • Added Pirate Cannon’s audio visualizer HUD icon to be a cannon.
  • Players automatically enter the driver seat when entering an empty vehicle.
  • Added custom consume animations for the following items:
    • Bandages
    • Medkit
    • Small Shield Potion
    • Shield Potion
    • Slurp Juice
    • Chug Jug

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed Pirate Cannon collision that would block bullets for a passenger inside of the cannon
  • Fixed Pirate Cannon not being able to shoot when moving backwards
  • Fixed an issue where a player may lose functionality when shooting themselves out of a Pirate Cannon.
  • Fixed Pirate Cannon player impact explosion effects sometimes being delayed
  • Fixed an issue where Pirate Cannons flipped onto their side, sliding across the ground for too long
  • Fixed Pirate Cannons dealing damage to itself if fired in close quarters
  • Fixed an issue where players wouldn’t break through structures when fired from Pirate Cannons at close range
  • Traps are no longer triggered by vehicles that are empty or carrying only friendly players.
  • Fixed an issue in extreme camera flicking situations that would cause an incorrect first shot when firing weapons.
  • Fixed an issue with the Conga emote not respecting environmental surfaces like Lava
  • Fixed an issue where a player may briefly stop their skydiving animation unexpectedly
  • Fixed an issue allowing emote-cancelling during door open/close animations.
  • Fixed players holding Buried Treasure map upside down
  • Fixed an issue where pressing Build and Edit buttons in quick succession would enter edit mode on the blueprint piece instead of build the structure.
  • Driftboards no longer explode when exiting one near a Mounted Turret.
  • Fixed PS4 players being unable to adjust mouse sensitivity.

LTM: The Getaway

Summary

Welcome to The Getaway! In this mode, players will race to find a Jewel and take it to a getaway van before everyone else to win the match!

Mode Details

  • Jewels can be found in special supply drop safes, located along the edge of the first storm circle. The safes take a long time to open, so make sure the area is clear before attempting to claim a Jewel!
  • Four Jewels will be in play on the map at all times. If a player escapes with a Jewel or one is lost in the Storm, a new Supply Drop will bring a replacement.
  • Four total getaway vans will be on the map, three that arrive early in the match and one more that shows up near the end.
  • The goal is to find or steal a Jewel and take it to one of the vans in order to secure a Victory Royale.
  • Once they arrive, Safe drops and getaway vans will be visible on the map at all times.
  • When a Jewel is picked up, it will be visible on the map to everyone for 30 seconds.
  • Carrying a Jewel will give players health & shields over time, but also slow them down by 10%.
  • Getaway vans float in mid-air, Jewel carriers must build up and then interact with them in order to complete a Getaway.
  • 10 red “Pursuit” supply drops land at the very beginning of the match. These carry a variety of longer-range weapons and other items, and are the only way to obtain the new Grappler in this mode.
  • Only Rare weapons or better will be found in this mode.
  • Rifts, Rift-to-Go and Launchpads have been removed to reduce mobility for healthier Getaway Van engagements.
  • Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are tracked in this mode, but Umbrellas are not awarded for wins
  • The ATK has been temporarily brought back in this mode as it is the only 4 person ground vehicle.

Events

  • Tournament Update: Gauntlet Solo Test Event & Gauntlet Duo Test Event
    • Added another extended session, which will run 24 hours a day and concludes on March 19 at 12 AM ET.
    • Matchmaking:
      • Matchmaking will no longer wait to create a match with closest scoring players available after 8 minutes, and will now require enough players with similar scores to start.
      • Adjusted matchmaking point expansion to increase likelihood for high scoring players to be matched against other high scoring players.
      • Note: Due to the playlist featuring matchmaking based on your score, the quality or availability of matches may differ at certain times of day.
  • Updated Scoring:
    • Solo
      • +2 Points will now be awarded after reaching 15th Place (previously 10th Place).
    • Duo
      • Increased Bus Fare from -2 Points to -3 Points.
        • This is a temporary solution for the Duo event granting too many points to players due to eliminations, causing an inflation of points over the course of the event.
      • +2 Points will now be awarded after reaching 7th Place (previously 5th Place).
  • New Tournament: Scallywag Duos Cup (March 16th & 17th) [$100,000 in Cash Prizes!]
    • As a test of our prize payment systems leading into the Fortnite World Cup, we’ll be holding a $100,000 Duos tournament on March 16th and 17th. The prize pool will be distributed across all server regions, with official rules and details released later this week.
    • Participation in this event requires players to be in the Top 3% (global) of either the Solo or Duo Gauntlet Test Event as of 12 AM ET on March 16th.
    • Format:
      • Round One: All Eligible Players
      • Round Two: Top 3000 Players from Round One

Performance

  • Fixed some instances of packet loss that could occur with certain ISPs that are prone to re-ordering UDP network packets.
    • Find more context in the Reddit Post we made last week.
  • Improved file I/O performance for Xbox One. This reduces the occurrence of late streaming meshes.
  • Fixed a regression in hitches on Switch due to GPU timing
  • Improved performance on Switch by reducing the likelihood of particles triggering when the day changes phases
  • Optimized the Ship Cannon
  • Optimized UI elements for large team modes
  • Improved performance for the Quick Bar
  • Fixed hitches that occur on the Match Stats screen due to synchronously loading assets

Audio

  • Added new audio for Balloons while in-air.
  • Reduced volume of small prop destruction sounds (chairs, beds, fences, etc).
  • Removed reverb from pickaxe swings.
  • Removed outdoor ambient sounds when gliding.

Bug Fixes

  • The Glider deploy sound no longer plays twice when using Glider Redeploy.
  • Fixed Glider land/open sounds ducking the Victory Royale music.
  • Improved music volume when previewing Gliders with music while in the lobby.
  • Pirate Cannon movement sound no longer stops after sprinting for over 10 seconds.
  • Fixed looping Balloon pop sound after going through a Rift.

UI

  • Key Bindings – The keyboard bindings are now categorized to make finding actions you want to rebind a lot easier.
  • Marker System:
    • Added hover details for in-world markers, actions a player may take on a marker will appear in these details. Marker details will appear when the reticule is placed over the marker.
    • You can now mark vehicles and found consumables such as apples.
    • Reworked display of Item markers to increase readability across all platforms.
    • Items will display as a large icon for a short time when first marked, and will reduce in size when a player aims near their location.
    • Markers are now sorted by distance.
    • Reduced screen size of squad waypoint markers to reduce view obstruction.
    • Minimap markers updated to match in-world markers.
    • On keyboards there is now a keybind option to specify a dedicated key for placing a danger marker.
    • Double-Clicking the ping button to place a danger marker, is no longer blocked by items on the ground.
    • You can now ping while riding in a vehicle reliably.
    • You can now Mark While Bush.
    • Please continue to let us know what improvements you would like to see for the marker system!
  • Squad nameplates and team arrows now become more transparent when aiming down sights.
  • Restored the ability to view all of your current Challenges while in a match.
  • Wrap things up in a hurry! You can now apply a wrap to all slots by choosing “Apply To All” when picking a wrap in the Locker.
  • Enabled camera control on some reward types when viewing Challenges
  • Challenge Info panel in the lobby now defaults to Party Assist while you are in a Party.

Bug Fixes

  • The Luxe bundle is now displayed in the Challenge Screen along with the Blackheart and Hybrid bundles.
  • Wraps are now previewed on the highest resolution version of the vehicle or weapon in the lobby.
  • Fixed an issue on consoles where you couldn’t select “Party Assist” for the last challenge in a bundle.
  • Fixed an issue where the next Stage of a Challenge was not automatically set to “Party Assist”.
  • Fixed an issue where the animation and sound effects would play twice when selecting Challenges on a controller.
  • Fixed an issue where scrolling with the mouse in the Challenge Screen would sometimes jump around unexpectedly.

Replay

  • Added bus paths to the minimap.

Mobile

  • Introduced an Auto Fire tuning feature to allow adjustments per weapon. This was done previously for other weapons, but we’ve now added this for pistols.
  • Added occlusion to footsteps on Android.
  • Improve the quality of some sound effects on Mobile/Switch.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue with the shoot button getting stuck in a continuous fire loop or being unable to fire without being able to reset.
  • Fixed an issue that caused touch players to need a more specific crosshair location to interact with the Use button.
  • Fixed turbo build not starting when going from edit to build mode with the input held.
  • Fixed Left Trigger action getting stuck when using a Bluetooth controller
  • Fixed weapon stats on the inventory panel for mobile
  • Fixed autorun not fully sprinting if “Sprint by Default for Controller” is set to ‘OFF’ on mobile
  • Fixed build mode being exited if a build piece is selected before releasing the build/combat mode button
  • Fixed dragging an item off the hotbar triggering use actions on mobile.
  • Fixed Throwable items’ trajectory line persisting when a player is driving different vehicles on Mobile

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-update-810-adds-the-baller-vehicle-patch-/1100-6465511/

The Best Nintendo Switch Deals Right Now

The Nintendo Switch has notoriously held its value since its release, bar Black Friday when Amazon reduced it to £249. If you’re one of those that are looking to get a Nintendo Switch on the cheap but didn’t jump in on the Black Friday deal, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve highlighted my picks on what I feel are the best and cheapest Nintendo Switch bundles, games and accessories below (updated weekly). It’s good to note that Nintendo Switch bundle deals right now aren’t as good as they are in promotional periods such as Black Friday, but if you can’t wait to get your hands on one, then these deals are currently your best bet.

Best Cheap Nintendo Switch Bundle Deals Right Now

Continue reading…

source http://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/12/best-nintendo-switch-deals-bundles-uk-2019

New Xbox Studio Releases Hype Video

The new Microsoft game development studio, The Initiative, has released a hype video that begins to explain what the company is all about. Based in Santa Monica, the studio aims to bring in talent from other nearby industries like TV, film, and music, according to studio head Darrell Gallagher, who himself is a veteran of Square Enix and Activision.

As you’ll see in the video, The Initiative really is a new studio that only just recently moved into an office. People often talk about joining a company at the ground floor, and it appears that’s where The Initiative’s at right now. The video also clarifies some of the positions its employees hold. God of War veteran Brian Westergaard is the director of production, Drew Murray (Sunset Overdrive, Resistance 3) is a lead designer, William Archbell (343 Industries) is the technical director, and Blake Fischer (Xbox) is director of world and narrative. Daniel Neuburger, who worked on Rise of the Tomb Raider, is The Initiative’s game director. He says in the video that The Initiative plans to stay “small,” but it remains to be seen what that means in practice. Others developers in the video talk about how The Initiative plans to “push boundaries,” “challenge convention,” and take risks as they make something “spectacular and unique.”

Though they are not in the video, The Initiative also hired Rockstar Games veteran Tom Shepherd, while among the other high-profile hirings include Red Dead Redemption 1 writer/designer Christian Cantamessa.

The Initiative’s website shows the company has more than a dozen open positions across a number of disciplines including art, designer, engineering, production, and operations.

The Initiative was announced at E3 2018 as part of Microsoft’s wider announcement of new studios and acquisitions. The company, which is based in Santa Monica, says its ambition is “about craft, creating story, innovating, and looking ahead to the next big thing.” While the company is owned by Microsoft, it claims to operate independently.

The Initiative is just one of seven studios that Microsoft either set up or acquired in the past year. At E3, Microsoft announced that it acquired Playground Games (Forza Horizon), Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Ninja Theory (Hellblade), and Undead Labs (State of Decay). At Microsoft’s X018 event in Mexico City, Microsoft announced the acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout: New Vegas) and inXile Entertainment (Wasteland 3).

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-xbox-studio-releases-hype-video/1100-6465510/