GTA Parent Company’s Indie Label Ends Publishing Deal For New Game From Battlefield Dev

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Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption parent company Take-Two made headlines in 2017 when it announced an all-new publishing label devoted to indie games. The company, Private Division, announced publishing deals with four different games, all of which come from big names in gaming. Now, one of those games won’t be coming from Private Division after all.

The first of the four games included is Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey from Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Desilets; another title was Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto’s sci-fi FPS Disintegration. A third was The Outer Worlds, the role-playing game from Obsidian Entertainment, with original Fallout developers Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky at the helm. The fourth title announced for Private Division was Project Wight, an action-fantasy game from Battlefield 3 lead designer and Payday 2 director David Goldfarb and his new studio The Outsiders.

The game, which was re-revealed as Darkborn in April this year, is now moving ahead with a different publisher. Private Division confirmed to GameSpot that it ended its publishing arrangement with The Outsiders in 2018.

“Private Division ended our publishing agreement with The Outsiders at the end of last year,” reads a line from Private Division’s statement. “We supported the studio financially for several months after ending the deal, and we wish David Goldfarb and the rest of the talented team the very best with the game and their future endeavors.”

It is not immediately clear why Private Division and The Outsiders split up, or what financial considerations might have been in place related to the business separation. Private Division declined to share further insight on the matter, while The Outsiders CEO Anders Pettersson tells GameSpot that the Swedish studio plans to share more details “after the summer.” Also unknown is if The Outsiders will or already is seeking a new publishing arrangement, or if the studio will self-publish Darkborn.

The Outsiders’ website is currently down, but Petterson said that’s only coincidental, as the team is working on a “rebranding.” The Outsiders has also changed its Twitter handle to “Monstery Games,” but whether or not the studio is planning a name change is unknown. What has definitely changed at the studio is its top leadership, as Pettersson took over that role from Ben Cousins. Cousins, a former DICE developer, said in a blog post that he remains a “major” shareholder in the company, though he has exited to become the CEO of Isbit Games in Sweden.

Private Division’s website has been scrubbed of references to The Outsiders and Project Wight/Darkborn. However, the label’s announcement video is still there, featuring Goldfarb and Cousins talking about their new studio and its ambitions.

In Darkborn, you play as a menacing beast, but the usual power fantasy is reversed. The monster you play, a Darkborn, is hunted by a horrible faction called The Pale Enemy that torture Darkborn and perform blood rituals with their corpses, according to a Game Informer preview. “Be the monster in Darkborn. Experience life on the other side of the sword,” reads the game’s official description. You can watch 16 minutes of gameplay in the video above. No release date or platforms have been announced for Darkborn.

Private Division’s three other publishing arrangements appear to continue to be in place. In fact, V1 Interactive, the developer of Disintegration, just announced it will show more of the game at Gamescom in August with the support of Private Division.

One thing that has changed is that, following the formation of Private Division, The Outer Worlds developer Obsidian was purchased by Microsoft. Private Division remains the publisher of the game, and it is still scheduled to release on PS4 despite the fact that its studio owner is Microsoft.

Private Division is also the publisher of Kerbal Space Program from Mexico City-based developer Squad. In fact, Take-Two owns the studio and the game. Private Division is based in New York City and has offices in Seattle and Munich. It is Take-Two’s third label, joining Rockstar Games and 2K Games.

Private Division Games Lineup

  • Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey (Panahce Digital Games)
  • The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment)
  • Disintegration (V1 Interactive)
  • Kerbal Space Program (Squad)

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-parent-companys-indie-label-ends-publishing-de/1100-6468437/

Those Pricey Arcade Cabinets Get A Steep Discount For Prime Day

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Amazon Prime Day 2019 is well underway, offering Prime members deals on hundreds of products across the online store, from movies and TV shows to video game consoles and accessories. Amazon isn’t the only retailer holding a big sale this week, however. Walmart is also offering discounts on a variety of products to compete with Prime Day, including some that will appeal to the retro gamers among us.

For a limited time, you can pick up a variety of Arcade1Up’s replica arcade cabinets at a nice discount from Walmart. The cabinets each stand four-feet-tall and come pre-loaded with several different arcade classics, from early arcade hits like Centipede, Asteroids, Missile Command, and Pac-Man to Street Fighter II and Golden Tee.

The cabinets typically retail between $200-$400 USD depending upon which games are included, but nearly all of the ones that are available at Walmart have been discounted to some degree. Some, such as the Pac-Man arcade machine and Galaga arcade machine, are available for $30 off of their regular retail price, which is a decent savings, but others have been discounted by a whopping $100 or more, making this a good opportunity to pick one up if you’ve had your eye on it.

We’ve rounded up the best arcade machine deals from Walmart below, but you can find the full list of classic arcade products here. Of course, there are a lot more deals to be had during Prime Day, be it from Amazon or other retailers; for instance, Walmart has a great deal on Red Dead Redemption 2, dropping the price of Rockstar’s acclaimed Western to just $30 USD. Be sure to check out our full Prime Day 2019 coverage below.

Best Classic Arcade Machine Deals

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Golden Tee Arcade Machine — $398 ($500)

See it at Walmart

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Deluxe 12-in-1 Arcade Machine with Riser — $300 ($400)

See it at Walmart

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Street Fighter 2 Arcade Machine — $199 ($299)

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Centipede Arcade Machine — $175 ($299)

See it at Walmart

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Asteroids Arcade Machine — $165 ($299)

See it at Walmart

More Amazon Prime Day 2019 coverage:

Best Prime Day Deals

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/those-pricey-arcade-cabinets-get-a-steep-discount-/1100-6468430/

Nintendo Switch, Xbox One Digital Edition Bundled For $400 In Prime Day’s Craziest Deal Yet

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Amazon Prime Day is filled with ridiculous deals, and with numerous other retailers jumping on the commercial bandwagon to host their own sales, there’s a whole lot of bargains out there. Arguably the best we’ve seen so far, however, comes from Google Express. Seller AntOnline is offering an Xbox One with three games and a Nintendo Switch for $400.

The Xbox One in question is the smaller, quieter Xbox One S All-Digital model in white, along Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon 3, and Minecraft–which are included with the All-Digital edition as standard, but are great games nonetheless. Also included in the bundle is a standalone Nintendo Switch, without any games. Still, $400 is a great deal considering it’d ordinarily cost around $550 for all those together, saving you $150.

See the Xbox One and Switch bundle deal on Google Express

If you want to complete the console trifecta and get a PlayStation 4, Amazon has the PS4 Slim version with Spider-Man and Horizon Zero Dawn for just $250. You can find more bundles, and standalone game discounts, in our Prime Day PS4 deals round-up.

There’s way more than just consoles on sale right now as, between all the retailers trying to cash-in on the thirst for discounts, pretty much anything you can think of is on sale, whether that’s headsets, keyboards, mice, laptops, speakers, arcade machines, or collectibles. We’ve gathered all the best deals and put them in our Amazon Prime Day hub, and we’ll be continuing to update the hub with more offers as they appear, so check back regularly.

More Amazon Prime Day 2019 coverage:

Best Prime Day Deals

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-xbox-one-digital-edition-bundled-f/1100-6468434/

PS4’s PlayStation Hits Games On Sale For Prime Day (US)

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Amazon Prime Day is on, marking some deep discounts on games, hardware, Funko Pops, and tons of other goods. If you’re looking for some games that are even cheaper than cheap, the PlayStation Hits line is on sale. The budget-priced PlayStation 4 games usually cost $20, but for Prime Day they’re even less.

Some of the deals include Until Dawn for $13, Uncharted Collection for $14, and Yakuza 0 for $16, among others. Other assorted games in the Hits line are discounted by a dollar or two, as well.

Browse PlayStation Hits on Amazon

As part of Prime Day, these deals are exclusive for Amazon Prime users. If you aren’t a member yet and you want in on the deals, you can always sign up for a one-week trial for $2. Be sure to cancel before it auto-renews into an actual subscription, though.

If you’re in the market for PlayStation 4 games, lots of PS4 games (and even hardware) are on sale too. Plus you can snag a new console, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch games, and much more with some of the ongoing sales. Plus lots of Amazon competitors are setting up their own discounts to compete with the online retailer. Check out all the deals below.

More Amazon Prime Day 2019 coverage:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4s-playstation-hits-games-on-sale-for-prime-day-/1100-6468433/

Fire Emblem: Three Houses – ‘Welcome to the Golden Deer House’ trailer

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Fire Emblem: Three Houses - 'Welcome to the Golden Deer House' trailer

Meet Claude and students from the Leicester Alliance.

source /news/8729-fire-emblem-three-houses-welcome-to-the-golden-deer-house-trailer

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Review

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Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Review

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is, mechanically, the strongest entry in the franchise but the narrative falls short of being truly great.

source /preview/8728-final-fantasy-xiv-shadowbringers-review

Red Dead Redemption 2 Is $30 During Prime Day Sales

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Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 is an impressive achievement in video game design and development. It depicts an open-world that envelops you and fills it with characters and stories that will stick with you long after the credits have rolled. If you haven’t already played it–and a gritty, emotionally powerful wild west story sounds appealing–there are a couple of discounts as part of the Amazon Prime Day sales that will get you the game for cheap.

Ironically, the game is actually cheapest at Walmart, which–like many other retailers–is capitalizing on the increased desire to spend money created by Amazon’s Prime Day by having a sale of its own. The upshot is that Red Dead Redemption 2 is available at the retailer for just $30, which is half the usual $60 asking price. If you’ve got a Walmart nearby you can have it ordered to a store and pick it up for free so you’re not spending extra on delivery.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Sale Prices

See Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4) at Walmart

See Red Dead Redemption 2 (Xbox One) at Walmart

Red Dead Redemption 2 received a 9/10 in GameSpot’s review. Kallie Plagge said that, while the game focuses on Arthur Morgan’s story, it’s also “about the entire Van der Linde gang–as a community, as an idea, and as the death rattle of the Wild West. It is about Arthur, too, but as the lens through which you view the gang, his very personal, very messy story supports a larger tale.

She continued: “Some frustrating systems and a predictable mission structure end up serving that story well, though it does take patience to get through them and understand why. Red Dead Redemption 2 is an excellent prequel, but it’s also an emotional, thought-provoking story in its own right, and it’s a world that is hard to leave when it’s done.” Read our full Red Dead Redemption 2 review for a deeper analysis of the game.

In addition to Red Dead Redemption 2, Walmart is also one of the few retailers offering a discount on the Nintendo Switch. It also has games like Destiny 2, Skyrim, Fallout 76, Metro Exodus, NBA 2K19, and more on sale. Check out our full list of deals at Walmart on Amazon Prime day for everything noteworthy. For more Amazon Prime Day deal content take a look below.

More Amazon Prime Day 2019 coverage:

Best Prime Day Deals

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/red-dead-redemption-2-is-30-during-prime-day-sales/1100-6468429/

Fortnite Week 10 Secret Fortbyte #33 Location Guide (Season 9 Utopia Challenge)

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Fortnite‘s Week 10 challenges have arrived, which means Season 9 of Epic’s popular battle royale shooter is finally winding down. Before Season 10 arrives, however, there’s another new Fortbyte up for grabs, and the clue to where you can find it rests within the special loading screen you’ll unlock when you complete this season’s tenth Utopia challenge.

The Fortbyte in question is number 33. Much like the secret Battle Stars you can collect after completing odd-numbered Utopia challenges, the only in-game hint you’ll receive to the item’s whereabouts is tied to the aforementioned loading screen, which you can take a look at below. However, the clue isn’t within the loading screen itself, but rather in its description, which reads, “You’re a long, long way from Lonely Lodge…”

Naturally, this means Fortbyte #33 is hidden in Lonely Lodge, which is located on the eastern edge of the island. However, the Fortbyte isn’t with the main lodge, but rather inside a smaller cabin to the east of it. We’ve marked its exact location on the map below. If you need a more visual guide, you can watch us collect the Fortbyte in the video above.

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Unlock the aforementioned secret Battle Stars you can collect for completing this season’s Utopia challenges, you don’t actually need to finish the corresponding tasks before you can find these Fortbytes; you simply need to own a Season 9 Battle Pass. That means you’re free to go collect the item even if you haven’t unlocked the above loading screen. However, you will want to complete as many challenges as you can this season, as that’s the only way to quickly level your Battle Pass up and unlock rewards. If you need help, we have tips and guides in our complete Fortnite Season 9 challenges roundup.

Ahead of Week 10’s challenges, Epic released Fortnite’s third 9.30 content update. Much like the previous week’s, this update was a minor one, introducing a single new item to Battle Royale mode: the Air Strike, a throwable canister that calls in a hail of missiles on opponents and structures. Season 10 still isn’t slated to start for a few more weeks according to Epic’s website, but the developer has already announced the game’s minimum PC requirements will be changing as of next season.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-week-10-secret-fortbyte-33-location-guide/1100-6468366/

Devotion’s Dev Has Bad News For Fans Of The Horror Game

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Red Candle Games has released a statement in regards to the current status of its latest game, Devotion. The Taiwanese developer pulled its first-person horror title from Steam following the discovery of a controversial in-game art asset. Unfortunately, Red Candle Games’ latest news on Devotion isn’t particularly promising and it seems like the game isn’t coming back to Steam any time soon.

“While mediation is still in progress, Red Candle’s co-founders have reached a unanimous decision to not re-release Devotion in the near term, including but not limited to obtaining profit from sales, revision, IP authorization, etc. to prevent unnecessary misconception,” Red Candle wrote in its statement, which is linked below. “If, in the future, the public would be willing to view this rationally and allow us the opportunity to rebuild trust with our players, Red Candle would reconsider re-releasing Devotion.”

The art asset in question was a hidden reference that compared China president Xi Jingping to Winnie the Pooh, a joke that is censored in China. Upon the asset’s discovery, Devotion received heavy review-bombing from Steam’s Chinese playerbase. Though Red Candle implemented a patch that removed the asset almost immediately after it was discovered, the developer ultimately pulled the game from Steam after it was apparent the review-bombing was not going to stop.

In regards to the incident, Red Candle wrote in its latest statement, “We made a critical and unprofessional error during the game’s production. It saddens us that the focus of the game has shifted drastically since the erroneous art asset was found.” Red Candle concluded its statement with the hope that fans will give the developer a second chance, explaining that all it wanted was to “create a great game.” The thing is, Devotion is a great game and it’s a shame that there’s currently no way to play it unless you downloaded it to your PC before the game was taken off Steam.

In our Devotion review, Richard Wakeling gave the game a 9/10, writing, “Devotion doesn’t quite match the anxiety-inducing frights that permeate each cautious step forward in games like P.T. and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but its domestic terror burrows deep inside your psyche long after the final credits have rolled. The sorrowful story it tells meshes malice with tenderness, metaphor with stark truths, and achieves it all with the nuanced kind of environmental storytelling other games can only strive for. There are moments when it jumps out of the genre completely, surprising you with a sudden tonal shift, and others where the oftentimes clichéd presence of a children’s doll is used to signal a character’s poignant detachment. Everything Devotion does is in service of this story and its character development; you learn about these people’s lives, empathize with their plight, and come to understand their actions, even if you don’t agree with them. Home is where the heart is, and Devotion is a shining example of what the horror genre is capable of.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/devotions-dev-has-bad-news-for-fans-of-the-horror-/1100-6468428/

Nintendo Switch Gets A Nice Prime Day Deal (US)

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Amazon Prime Day 2019 is finally upon us. For those unaware, it’s basically Amazon’s own version of Black Friday. As such, there are plenty of great gaming deals to be found. While Nintendo Switch isn’t often given many big discounts, there’s a nice offer to be taken advantage of in the US right now.

One such deal is this new one for a Nintendo Switch console plus $35 of Nintendo Eshop credit for a total of $300. Assuming you put the Eshop credit to good use, that means you’re ultimately getting a Switch for $265. Not bad. What’s nice about Eshop credit is you can put it toward any game you want, including those that won’t be discounted in this sale, like the upcoming Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Alternatively, the credit can be used on a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, letting you play Switch games online, get access to free NES games, and more.

Nintendo Switch + $35 Eshop credit – on sale for $300 at Amazon

See Nintendo Switch bundle at Amazon

It’s a notable deal given how rarely the Switch–or anything from Nintendo–is discounted. The deal works for both the Gray console and the Neon Blue / Red variant, but you’ll need to be a Prime member to see the discount, which is applied at checkout.

There’s plenty more going cheap on the hybrid console. For a list of all the best promotions, check out our complete rundown of the best Nintendo Switch deals this Prime Day. You can see more of our Prime Day coverage, including some initial deals, below.

More Amazon Prime Day 2019 coverage:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-gets-a-nice-prime-day-deal-us/1100-6468425/