From nowhere, The Pokemon Company has announced and released a new mobile game. Named Pokemon Rumble Rush, the free-to-play title is available now in Australia and is “coming soon” to the rest of the world.

Rumble Rush is a mobile entry into the brawler-focused Pokemon Rumble series. It was previously announced in 2017 under a different name–Pokeland–before disappearing into the abyss. The Pokemon Company has now re-revealed it and launched it simultaneously.

It appears Rumble Rush will include live updates, with the game’s official Play Store description stating, “The islands and seas explored during your adventures change every two weeks.” The mobile game is available to download now on Android in Australia; a worldwide release and an iOS version are listed as “coming soon” on the game’s official website.

Rumble Rush is developed by Ambrella, the same studio behind the four previous titles in the Rumble series. This means Rumble Rush is not the same Pokemon mobile game teased by DeNA just recently.

Pokemon Sword and Shield for Nintendo Switch are also due to launch in the next few months; no release date has been announced, but they’re scheduled to be released in 2019. We might learn more during Nintendo’s E3 2019 Direct presentation, which kicks off on June 11 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST (2 AM AET on June 12).

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-pokemon-mobile-game-announced-out-now-in-s/1100-6466908/

The oldest video game company in India, Dhruva Interactive, has been purchased by Rockstar Games from Starbreeze Studios for $7.9 million. According to a post on the company’s official website, Dhruva, which was founded by Rajesh Rao in Bangalore in 1997, “was India’s first ever game development studio.” Starting as a five-man team, the company grew to over 300 employees “specializing in every aspect of art and design.” Since then, Dhruva has contributed to a number of high-profile, AAA games, including Arkane Studios’ Prey, Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man, Rare’s Sea of Thieves, SIE Bend Studio’s Days Gone, and many more.

Dhruva will now get folded into Rockstar India, which houses approximately 500 employees “already working in Bangalore on Rockstar’s ground-breaking games.”

“Dhruva Interactive has been a beacon of Indian game development for decades and we are excited to bring them into the Rockstar family,” said Rockstar India’s studio manager Daniel Smith. “The addition of the Dhruva team to the existing talent at Rockstar India will expand the studio’s capabilities and reinforces our belief in and commitment to the local development community.”

Rao, who serves as the company’s CEO, shares Smith’s sentiment and is excited about the acquisition. “Rockstar Games are the undisputed leaders of innovation and creativity in modern game development,” Rao said. “Dhruva Interactive was founded with the aim of creating a world-class game development community in India, and so bringing the Dhruva team under the Rockstar Games label is further proof that we have succeeded in creating a talented team that can contribute to the best games in the world while helping to create a thriving local game developer community in India.”

Prior to the purchase, Dhruva was acquired by Starbreeze in 2016. Starbreeze is most well-known for 2007’s The Darkness, 2013’s Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and Payday 2, and last year’s OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead.

While the sale is “expected to close in the coming weeks,” whatever projects Dhruva is currently working on will remain unchanged and proceed uninterrupted.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rockstar-games-buys-india-studio-dhruva-interactiv/1100-6466895/

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, which was leaked ahead of its official reveal, was announced during a livestream on May 9. It serves as a direct sequel to 2017’s Wildlands and introduces new stealth and survival elements. We already had some small bits of information, but a new story trailer divulges the game’s narrative in more depth.

The trailer starts at 500 BC, with a voiceover explaining that the “mythical golem” was imagined as a depiction of artificial intelligence meant to serve and protect. The trailer blasts through the last 20 years–beginning at 1995 and concluding with the not-so-far-off future–showcasing various technological advancements such as driverless cars. We then see a silhouette of Jake Skell, who believes that “Skell technology will, quite simply, build the future.” Unfortunately, Skell’s technology goes awry, killing a political candidate and becoming a global threat. Communications with Skell cannot be established, at which point the Ghost Recon skull rips through the screen, indicating that the Ghosts will be sent to investigate the sudden radio silence. You can check out the story trailer below.

In our hands-on with the game, we thought it was both promising and concerning, saying that “Breakpoint is, for better and worse, an attempt to answer Wildlands’ critics.” Despite Breakpoint’s overt messaging, Ubisoft insists the game isn’t making any political statements. Ubisoft’s community developer Laura Cordrey said the company is “always inspired by what’s happening around us, and it’s always our goal to stay authentic … but the story does remain fictional.”

Ubisoft has announced that Breakpoint is skipping Steam in favor of Epic Store exclusivity. While the company confirmed the news to PCGamesN, Ubisoft didn’t disclose a reason for making the online tactical shooter exclusive to the Epic Store–though it may have something to do with the competitive deal Epic offers.

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is scheduled to launch on October 4 for PC (through the Epic Store), PS4, and Xbox One. Pre-ordering any edition will net you access to the upcoming beta. Those who go for the Gold, Ultimate, or Collector’s editions will get the game three days early.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-ghost-recon-breakpoint-trailer-unveils-a-globa/1100-6466891/

In an effort to help “promote healthy gaming behaviors,” PUBG‘s mobile version has introduced a new “Gameplay Management” system. Designed for people under the age of 18, the new system will send pop-ups to players that remind them to take a break.

Under the terms of the new system, players under the age of 18 are required to “acknowledge a gaming advisory” before they’re able to boot the game. At certain time intervals, which were not mentioned in the press release, pop-up notifications will appear to remind youngsters to “rest or stop the game.”

This new Gameplay Management system is live in Indonesia, India, Nepal, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. It will be released in other markets later, in stages.

According to the developer, PUBG Mobile is among the first mobile games to feature such a system. “As PUBG mobile grows into one of the world’s most trending mobile games, it is devoted to providing a better gaming environment and being proactive in building a balanced and sustainable online gaming ecosystem,” publisher Tencent said.

Tencent executive Vincent Wang said the game wants to allow players to “make informed choices” when it comes to how much time they spend playing PUBG mobile. “Today’s announcement is a proactive step in ensuring that hundreds of millions of players worldwide can continue to enjoy PUBG mobile in a sustainable manner,” Wang said.

Tencent will look into player feedback and make necessary adjustments over time as the system is released globally. The company is also undertaking educational measures to inform players about why they should care about the Gameplay Management system in the first place.

There is no word yet on if the Gameplay Management system will ever be launched for PUBG’s other editions on PC and console.

In other PUBG news, Tencent recently closed the game in China and replaced it with a a strange, patriotic version.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pubg-mobile-update-adds-new-feature-to-help-promot/1100-6466904/