Microsoft says its new studios will “focus on making games for our platforms,” with no further plans to release more Xbox exclusives on PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch.

The company has recently acquired a number of studios that either have or will release games on Nintendo Switch and PS4, including Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Obsidian. However, it looks unlikely that this partnership will continue with Xbox’s future releases.

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft outlined its plans for upcoming first-party titles, saying, “The past year has been an exciting time for us as we have more than doubled the internal creative teams making up Xbox Game Studios. As these new studios transitioned in, we were aware of some existing commitments to other platforms and will honor them. However, going forward these new studios will focus on making games for our platforms. We have no plans to further expand our exclusive first-party games to other consoles.”

This follows an announcement, via Nintendo, that previous Xbox One and PC exclusive Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition, will be coming to Nintendo Switch with Microsoft handling the publishing duties.

Nintendo and Microsoft have been collaborating on multiple projects over the past 12 months. Banjo-Kazooie was revealed as a DLC character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate back at E3 2019, and Microsoft also helped support the Switch releases for both Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Cuphead. The company has plans to bring Xbox Live to Nintendo’s machine in the future as well.

Meanwhile, games like Fortnite: Battle Royale, Rocket League, and Minecraft continue to support crossplay across multiple platforms, and Microsoft has no desire to halt these plans for current or upcoming titles. “We continue to believe deeply in crossplay and progression of games with the right flexibility for developers to ensure a fair and fun experience,” the statement reads.

Microsoft also has plans to make its IP accessible via other devices by using the company’s streaming service xCloud.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xboxs-new-studios-will-be-focused-on-making-exclus/1100-6469279/

Pokemon Go developer Niantic has rolled out an assortment of bonuses to reward players for completing all the Global Challenges during the recent Pokemon Go Fest event in Yokohama, Japan, but there are still more rewards on the way. Because players managed to clear all of the Global Challenges from this year’s three Go Fests, Niantic is releasing a variety of Ultra Bonuses in the game soon, and they include the return of several Legendaries–as well as the first appearance of some brand-new Pokemon.

The Ultra Bonuses will be released in waves over the next several weeks. First, from September 2-9, some Pokemon originally from the Johto region will appear in the game. During that week, players may hatch Unown letters U, L, T, R, and A from 10 km eggs, and the Legendary dogs Entei, Raikou, and Suicune will return to Raid Battles. On top of that, players will have a chance to find Shiny versions of Sentret and Gligar in the wild.

The next set of Ultra Bonuses will be available from September 9-16. During that time, some region-exclusive Pokemon like Farfetch’d, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime, and Tauros may hatch from 7 km eggs, and those who are really lucky may hatch their Shiny forms. All five forms of the Mythical Pokemon Deoxys will also appear in five-star Raid Battles. To help you challenge it, Pokemon that are effective against Deoxys will appear in lower-tier Raids.

The final wave of Ultra Bonuses, which will be available from September 16-23, will introduce the first Gen 5 Pokemon to Go. The Gear Pokemon Klink will appear in Raids, and players will have a chance to encounter Shiny versions of it, Patrat, and Lillipup. On top of that, Mewtwo that know Psystrike will appear in five-star Raid Battles, and you’ll have your first chance to catch a Shiny Mewtwo.

In addition to those three waves of Ultra Bonuses, all players will be able to undertake a new Special Research questline that leads to an encounter with the Mythical Pokemon Jirachi, and any Pokemon eggs placed in Incubators over these three weeks will hatch in half the time as normal. You can read more details about all of the Ultra Bonuses on the official Pokemon website.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-ultra-bonuses-will-feature-first-gen-5-/1100-6469271/

GameStop has announced that over a hundred employees have been laid off. These job cuts hit multiple divisions throughout the company, ranging from corporate headquarters to Game Informer magazine.

“As part of the previously announced GameStop Reboot initiative to transform our business for the future and improve our financial performance, we can confirm a workforce reduction was implemented impacting more than 120 corporate staff positions, representing approximately 14% of our total associate base at our company headquarters as well as at some other offices,” GameStop wrote in a statement to GameSpot.

The Reboot initiative was implemented after GameStop failed to sell itself in 2018, though the company has continued to struggle in the growing digital gaming market. The company has put a greater emphasis on used games and pop culture collectibles sales, but both seem to only be slowing GameStop’s descent, not stopping it.

“While these changes are difficult, they were necessary to reduce costs and better align the organization with our efforts to optimize the business to meet our future objectives and success factors,” the statement concluded. “We recognize that this is a difficult day for our company and particularly for those associates impacted. We appreciate their dedication and service to GameStop and are committed to supporting them during this time of transition.”

Unfortunately for several members of the Game Informer staff, the layoffs impacted them as well. Of the 19 full-time members on the editorial team, seven have announced on Twitter that they have been laid off–managing editor Matt Bertz, senior editor Imran Khan, senior associate editor Kyle Hilliard, senior associate editor Jeff Marchiafava, associate editor Suriel Vazquez, associate editor Elise Favis, and associate editor Javy Gwaltney. If you’re looking for talented writers and editors to join your staff, consider reaching out. All seven deserve to continue doing what they did for Game Informer.

“I am trying to get things right with my people,” Game Informer editor-in-chief Andy McNamara tweeted. “I love Game Informer, its people and its readers more than any corporation could, and I will address all the issues when I can, but for now I need to focus on my GI family.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/over-100-gamestop-employees-laid-off-including-mem/1100-6469270/