Halo Ship Comes To Sea Of Thieves During E3 2019, And It Looks Pretty Cool

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During the Inside Xbox stream this week at E3 2019, Microsoft announced a unique crossover event between Sea of Thieves and Halo. A Halo-inspired Spartan Ship Set is now available in Sea of Thieves, and it looks pretty rad.

To get the Set, all you need to do is play the Sea of Thieves Arena mode before 23:59 BST on Saturday. Alternatively, everyone who plays The Arena at E3 this week gets it.

The set includes a Spartan Hull depicting Master Chief, as well as Spartan Sails that have the UNSC logo on them. The ship overall has a green tint fitting of Halo. Check out the video embedded above to see what the Set looks like in game.

Sea of Thieves appeared on GameSpot’s E3 2019 stage show today where the developers talked about the struggles and successes of the game’s first year, as well as what’s on tap for Year 2. Check out the video at the top of the page to see more.

As for the Halo series, it was a big E3 for Microsoft’s big shooter series. Microsoft showcased a new story trailer for Halo Infinite during its E3 briefing, while Microsoft also confirmed the game is coming to Project Scarlett as a launch title in 2020.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-ship-comes-to-sea-of-thieves-during-e3-2019-a/1100-6467770/

E3 2019: Untitled Goose Game Dev Explains Why They Went With Epic Games Store As An Exclusive

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Earlier this week at E3 2019 it was confirmed that indie developer House House’s wacky and wonderful-looking Untitled Goose Game will launch on PC as a timed-exclusive for the Epic Games Store. Some people got upset about this. Now, House House has explained why it decided to go with Epic for the launch of Untitled Goose Game on PC.

Posting on Twitter, the studio reminded fans that it is a small, four-person team that has worked over the years on a “tight budget.” As such, working Epic gives the Melbourne, Australia-based team a level of security it didn’t have on its own.

“House House is a small independent studio that has been operating on a tight budget for years, so a partnership like this gives us a means to make games sustainably for the foreseeable future,” it said. “In an industry like ours, this kind of stability is huge.”

Untitled Goose Game will be released on other PC platforms in the future, after the Epic Games Store exclusivity period ends.

Untitled Goose Game has you controlling a goose who is a jerk. The game gives you a “to-do” list of tasks to complete, and you’ll need to manipulate objects around the environment to figure out how to clear each objective. One, for instance, is to enter a garden, but the gate is closed. You need to pick up a nearby radio with your beak to get the groundskeeper’s attention, then slip in when he opens the gate to investigate.

It is House House’s second game, following the well-received title Push Me Pull You which is a co-op game where players share a worm-like body and are joined at the waist.

Untitled Goose Game is also coming to Nintendo Switch. The game was originally set for launch in early 2019 but it was later pushed back to an unspecified release date later in the year.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-untitled-goose-game-dev-explains-why-they-/1100-6467769/

E3 2019: Wolfenstein: Youngblood Has Optional Microtransactions

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Wolfenstein: Youngblood will feature microtransactions. Senior game designer Andreas Ojerfors confirmed this at E3 2019 in an interview with VG247.

He explained that players can purchase “gold bars” with real money that can be used as shortcut kits to purchase things like skins and emotes, as well as weapon upgrades and attachments, apparently. These extras can acquired through gameplay, too.

“I’ve been playing through the game at work for the last two weeks and I haven’t done any microtransactions,” Ojefors said. “You don’t really need to, but they are there if you want to, if you want to speed things up. But I never felt the need to do that. When I play the game it doesn’t even cross my mind.”

There is no word yet on specific price points or further details on Youngblood’s microtransaction system.

Youngblood launches in July for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Presumably the microtransaction system will be available on all systems.

GameSpot had an opportunity to play Youngblood at E3 this week. For more, check out our impressions in the story linked below.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-wolfenstein-youngblood-has-optional-microt/1100-6467768/

Xbox At E3: Phil Spencer Confirms Project Scarlett Is Not Microsoft’s Last Console And Lots More

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Xbox boss Phil Spencer sat down with GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb for an extended interview at E3 2019, and the executive shared a lot of interesting insight on the goings-on at Xbox. He had a lot to talk about, of course, as Microsoft just announced a new console platform, Project Scarlett, and further detailed the new game-streaming service, xCloud.

In the 40-minute interview, Spencer also talked about competition with Sony and Nintendo, saying that while he wants Xbox to be No. 1, he thinks everyone can win at the same time and work together to lift gaming’s overall profile. He said he doesn’t see the business as a fight, but instead an opportunity to create things that people love.

He wants to get rid of the “friction” that exists between competitors, and recent examples of that include Banjo coming to Smash Bros. Ultimate and Sony and Microsoft working together on cloud-streaming technology. He also called out The Master Chief Collection as an example of Microsoft doing something new in bringing the game to PC on Steam.

In regards to Project Scarlett vs. the PlayStation 4, Spencer said he wants Xbox to be No. 1, and he’s “as competitive as anybody.” But that doesn’t mean he wants to see Sony suffer.

Regarding Project Scarlett, Spencer said raw power is “very important.” He doesn’t know how Project Scarlett’s specs compare to the PS5. It’s expected they will be similar, so at the end of the day, competition may come down to price and brand loyalty. Whatever the case, Spencer said Microsoft is “aiming for first place,” and that being a leader in the console category is something that the Xbox team is committed to achieving.

Spencer also spoke about how Microsoft is not planning for Scarlett to be the company’s final console. He said Microsoft doesn’t know yet what form the next system will take, but Microsoft as a company is committed to making more hardware after Scarlett. He’s also not committing to a schedule, saying there is no regular cadence for when new hardware launches will come out. The challenge for Microsoft is to think about what the next evolution of gaming will be, and then to design a console for that.

Additionally, Spencer said in the interview that Microsoft hasn’t settled on a name for Project Scarlett as of yet. “I honestly don’t know what the name is; we don’t have a list of names,” he said. Project Scarlett is rumored to be the overarching name of Microsoft’s next-generation console strategy, comprising both a high-end system, codenamed Anaconda, and a lower-spec model reportedly codenamed Lockhart. Microsoft has only talked about the higher-end model so far.

And in regards to pricing for Project Scarlett, Spencer said Microsoft has a “window” that it’s looking at, but nothing is locked down yet. One issue that could complicate the matter is President Trump’s proposed 25% tariff for electronics made in China and shipped to the United States, Spencer said. Nintendo just recently moved production of the Nintendo Switch from China to Southeast Asia to avoid the potential tariffs.

Also in the extended chat, Spencer talked about how backwards compatibility is important going into the Project Scarlett generation. He said he wants to respect the purchases people have made on older platforms, and as such, Project Scarlett will support “thousands” of games from across four generations of Xbox systems. Not every older game may work on Project Scarlett, however, due to licensing deals and other business arrangements. However, Spencer said the new deals that Microsoft is making with developers and publishers today factor in backwards compatibility more than before. Publishers and developers now see the value in legacy content, Spencer said, and these matters are playing a role in new licensing deals.

Spencer also spoke about Xbox Game Pass, and he said it’s creating a situation where developers may come to Xbox in particular because they know they can launch a game into a catalog that has millions of subscribers who are only a button press away from downloading their new game. At the same time, this could put a new challenge on some developers because they need to ensure their back-end infrastructure is capable of supporting potentially millions of people playing right away, Spencer said.

The Microsoft executive also touched on xCloud, which is the new Xbox game-streaming service launching in October. Spencer said it’s probably still a number of years away from streaming becoming the most popular and prevalent way people play games. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, Spencer said playing games on local hardware in your home will be the best way to experience big new games such as Cyberpunk 2077 which Spencer specifically mentioned. However, for those who want to play games on the go on their phone or another device and are OK with comparably lower resolutions and frame rates, they’ll be able to do that with xCloud.

Intriguingly, Spencer also mentioned that he sees a number of interesting possibilities emerging when Xbox streaming takes off, one of which involves users being able to rent their systems to act as streaming boxes for other people. It remains to be seen how this would work, but Spencer talked about a potential future scenario where people could theoretically let strangers “rent” their local box to stream from when the main user is away. Spencer said he’s excited about the possibility of streaming to create additional value for consumers beyond the traditional means, and this is one potential example of that.

Lastly, Spencer talked about the ongoing relevance of E3. He said the show remains relevant and important to the gaming world. It’s a time in the year when the whole world is watching gaming, and that’s very important today when the industry is coming under criticism and judgment. One recent threat, Spencer said, was the World Health Organization’s designation of Gaming Disorder as a recognized disease. He also said E3 is an important time of year to show the world that gaming is not just kids in a basement. And without juggernauts like Sony and Activision, E3 could take a hit in terms of prominence, Spencer said.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-at-e3-phil-spencer-confirms-project-scarlett-/1100-6467766/

E3 2019: Every New Game Release And Update From Assassin’s Creed To State Of Decay 2

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E3 2019 is packed with announcements for the coming year and beyond. Many of the biggest games won’t be released until late summer or the fall at the earliest, and this year many more were slated for 2020. But if you’re watching from home, you can still try some new games yourself before the week is out–and possibly even right now.

In recent years, many publishers have been leaning into the fan spectacle of E3 by preparing at least a few of their surprise announcements to go live during the week, or even during their press conference. From games you hadn’t heard about before to ones that are surprisingly closer than you realized, here are all the games, DLC, and big free updates you can play during the games industry’s biggest week.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Creator Mode (Free, Now Available)

An update to the massive open world game Assassin’s Creed Odyssey makes it even bigger. A new Creator Mode application is available for PC, letting you create dialogue trees and mission objectives with a tool-set similar to the one the developers at Ubisoft used. Though the tools are only available through a PC app, the actual missions can be accessed on any platform.

Borderlands 2 DLC (Free, Now Available)

Though it had leaked beforehand, the announcement of free DLC for Borderlands 2 was still a treat at the Microsoft conference. Commander Lilith & The Fight for Sanctuary tells one more story in the Borderlands 2 world, setting the stage for Borderlands 3. And as it so happens, it’s compatible with The Handsome Collection, which is included this month on both PlayStation Plus and Game Pass.

Cadence of Hyrule ($25, Releasing June 13)

Nintendo is lending its iconic Legend of Zelda characters and music to Crypt of the Necrodancer developer Brace Yourself, for a rhythmic Zelda spin-off called Cadence of Hyrule. It will launch on June 13, the last day of the E3 festivities, so you can unwind with some toe-tapping combat.

Contra Anniversary Collection ($20, Now Available)

The Contra Anniversary Collection was stealth-released during the Nintendo Direct presentation this year. It includes several classic games in the shooter series, including NES and Arcade versions of Contra, Super C, Contra 3: The Alien Wars, Hard Corps, and more.

Collection of Mana ($40, Now Available)

The Seiken Densetsu series is one of the most revered in RPG canon, and this collection of classic games includes one rare gem. The Collection of Mana compilation brings together Seiken for the Game Boy–previously released in America as Final Fantasy Adventure–along with Secret of Mana and the hard-to-find Trials of Mana. Meanwhile, an HD remake of Trials of Mana is on the way next year.

Fallout 76 Free Trial (Free, Now Available)

Fallout 76 released last year to a largely negative reception, but Bethesda isn’t giving up on the game. The studio detailed some upcoming additions to the persistent online wasteland, and invited players who may be skeptical to try it for themselves for free this week.

Forza Horizon 4 Lego Speed Champions Expansion ($20, Releasing June 13)

Following in the footsteps of Forza Horizon 3’s Hot Wheels expansion pack, the latest in the racing series is getting toy-ified. The Lego Speed Champions expansion for Forza Horizon 4 adds a garage full of Lego cars like the McLaren Senna, Ferrari F40 Competizione, and the 1967 Mini Cooper S Rally. Plus you can compete in Lego challenges and collect hidden bonus cubes.

Game Pass for PC ($10/month, Now Available)

After teasing its plans, Microsoft expanded Game Pass to PC with a large swath of newly included games and a bundle that includes the console and PC services together, along with Xbox Live Gold.If you’re curious, you can try out the Ultimate version of the Game Pass subscription service for just $1 for the first month.

The Last Remnant Remastered ($20, Now Available)

The 2008 RPG The Last Remnant makes the jump from PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to the portable Nintendo Switch. You can play this remastered version with enhanced graphics and game engine on the go.

Octopath Traveler PC ($60, Now Available)

If you missed out on the classically styled RPG from Square Enix on Nintendo Switch, it has now launched on PC. Octopath Traveler follows the stories of eight separate adventurers, each with their own unique set of skills, in a beautifully rendered style that modernizes the 16-bit RPG aesthetic found in games like Final Fantasy 6.

Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Phantom Sight ($30 Year 4 Pass, Now Available)

A new expansion for Rainbow Six Siege called Operation Phantom Sight, which is available now for Year 4 Pass holders. It adds two new Operators and various updates. Those without a Year 4 Pass will be able to unlock the Operators starting next week, on June 18.

Roller Champions Pre-Alpha (Free, Now Available)

Ubisoft’s foray into esports is a stylized take on roller derby. But you don’t have to wait to try it out. The company made a pre-alpha version available for PC this week, ending on June 14 so you can hit the rink and try Roller Champions for yourself.

State of Decay 2: Heartland ($10, Now Available)

The Xbox zombie survival management sim (whew) State of Decay 2 got its biggest expansion yet this week, titled Heartland. The trailer featured a pair of survivors both searching for someone–one for her missing father, and another for a legendary operative.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-every-new-game-release-and-update-from-ass/1100-6467721/

E3 Is Not As Good Without Sony, Microsoft Says

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Sony is not at E3 2019 this week. Neither is Activision. Other companies have dropped out as well. Xbox boss Phil Spencer says E3 is just not the same without Sony and Activision and he wants them back.

Appearing on GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb’s livestream at E3, Spencer spoke about the ongoing relevance of E3, and he suggested that the show’s profile is hurt by Sony and Activision not being there. “I wish Sony was here,” Spencer said. “E3 is not as good when they’re not here,” Spencer said about Sony and Activision dropping out of the big annual gaming show.

E3 remains relevant and important to the gaming world, Spencer said. It’s a time in the year when the whole world is watching gaming, and that’s very important today when the industry is coming under criticism and judgment. One recent threat, Spencer said, was the World Health Organization’s designation of Gaming Disorder as a recognized disease.

He said E3 is an important time of year to show the world that gaming is not just kids in a basement. And without juggernauts like Sony and Activision, E3 could take a hit in terms of prominence, Spencer said.

Spencer is on the board of directors at the Entertainment Software Association, the group that runs E3 every year, so he seemingly has a vested interest in seeing the show continue and flourish. Other board members include Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Grand Theft Auto parent company Take-Two, and Bethesda owner ZeniMax’s CEO Robert Altman.

Explaining why it didn’t come to E3 this year, Sony said it wanted to “innovate, think differently, and experiment with new ways to delight gamers.”

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-is-not-as-good-without-sony-microsoft-says/1100-6467765/

Halo Infinite Will Be On PC At Launch, Microsoft Confirms At E3 2019

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Microsoft has shared some new details on Halo Infinite. Appearing on the Inside Xbox livestream, Halo FPS director Chris Lee started off by confirming that the “Discover Hope” segment that Microsoft showed at E3 2019 was in fact the game’s opening sequence from the campaign. He also confirmed that it was not CG, but rather it was captured in-engine.

Halo Infinite runs on the brand-new Slipspace engine, which Lee said Microsoft has “heavily” invested in. It’s clearly very important, as Lee said it serves as the foundation for the “next 10 years of Halo experiences.” It’s the “most powerful” toolset that Microsoft has ever made for Halo. He added that Microsoft’s ambition for Halo Infinite could not be achieved or realized with the company’s previous engines.

The Pilot

Halo Infinite is a launch title for Project Scarlett in Holiday 2020, but the game is also coming to Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X. Additionally, it’ll launch on PC alongside the other versions, Lee confirmed.

Lee teased that Halo Infinite will make use of the “power of Scarlett,” though he did not share any specifics on how the game will utilize the system’s beefier specs.

Also in the interview, Lee spoke briefly about the new “Pilot” character from the Halo Infinite story trailer. He confirmed that the Pilot is a new character in the Halo universe. At the start of the trailer, the Pilot thinks he’s going to die. He’s recording a message to his family. When things seem the bleakest, he finds Master Chief floating in space. Everything changes, with Master Chief coming back online presumably to save the world yet again.

Lee said Halo Infinite will spend a lot of time “carefully” explaining who the Pilot is and what he means to the story. The Pilot will feature more in the Halo Infinite campaign, but Lee didn’t say anything more about the character.

Master Chief’s new design

Finally, Lee spoke about Halo Infinite’s art direction. He said the game will embrace the “full legacy of Halo.” Specifically for Master Chief’s new suit design, Lee said it’s mainly inspired by his look in Halo 3, with some flourishes based on Halo 4 and Halo 5, as as well as the Halo Legends novel. Overall, Lee said Microsoft is aiming to make Master Chief look “distinct, new, and special.”

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-infinite-will-be-on-pc-at-launch-microsoft-co/1100-6467764/

New Nintendo Switch Consoles Entering Production, It’s Reported At E3 2019

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A new report from The Wall Street Journal published this week during E3 2019 reveals new details about Nintendo’s rumored new Switch models. Specifically, the report states that Nintendo has decided to produce the new systems in Southeast Asia instead of China over concerns about potential United States tariffs on electronics made in China.

As we reported previously, President Trump’s proposed import tax rate of 25 percent would span video game consoles, as well as smartphones and computers. In theory, this could lead to price increases on game consoles–from Nintendo, as well as Microsoft and Sony–as companies pass on the cost to consumers.

Game consoles are not historically where the money is made in the games business. Oftentimes, systems are sold at a loss, with profits instead coming from software and services.

Should the 25 percent tariff go into effect for Switch consoles shipped into the United States, that would impact how much money Nintendo–and other companies–make on console sales. Nintendo has been the outlier in this area, however, as the company maintained from day one of Switch sales in 2017 that it makes money on each console sold.

If the 25 percent tariff goes into effect, that could cut into the Switch’s profit profile, which is likely why Nintendo has elected to move production of the console outside of China.

According to WSJ’s report, Nintendo has already moved production of the existing Switch model, as well as the two new rumored ones, to Southeast Asia. Regarding the new systems, one is said to have a similar form factor to the existing model but feature better components, with the other expected to have a different look and lower specs that make it less expensive. Given the systems are now reportedly in production, they could release soon, WSJ said.

Nintendo declined to comment on the report when approached by WSJ.

It’s unclear when Nintendo may announce the new Switch models, if they are indeed real. The company said before E3 that it would not announce the new systems during E3. Instead, Nintendo made a series of software announcements, including The Witcher 3 for Nintendo Switch and a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-nintendo-switch-consoles-entering-production-i/1100-6467763/

Isabelle Can Show Up In Animal Crossing: New Horizons — E3 2019

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During Nintendo’s E3 2019 Direct, the company announced that the new Animal Crossing game has been delayed to March 2020. Though the news is a bummer, we did learn what the game’s official name is–Animal Crossing: New Horizons. We also learned that fan favorite Isabelle isn’t leaving the franchise behind.

Polygon spoke with game director Aya Kyogoku on the show floor at this year’s E3. As Kyogoku explains it, the Shih Tzu could make an appearance in the game depending on how the island develops. “At first on the deserted island, you have Tom Nook, Timmy and Tommy, and a few other animals that have moved to the island through Getaway Package with you,” Kyogoku told Polygon. “Depending on the population, the development level of the island will change, so you may start to see more new characters added to the island.”

Though Kyogoku didn’t give specifics on how Isabelle will show up, she did reassure fans that the Leslie Knope-type is always willing to lend a helping hand. “One thing that I could definitely say about Isabelle is that as the island develops a little more and it needs a little bit more support then Isabelle might see some sort of use on the island.”

Pre-orders for the life sim are now live ahead of the game’s new March 20, 2020 release date. In case you missed it, check out Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ latest trailer below.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/isabelle-can-show-up-in-animal-crossing-new-horizo/1100-6467762/