With Destiny 2‘s Shadowkeep expansion launching this week and years of content for the game already mapped out, it’s clear the MMO shooter franchise is very much the backbone of Bungie’s plans moving forward. However, it appears the studio’s ambitions are not just limited to Destiny–Bungie is also looking to release at least one other IP in the next several years.

In an interview with IGN, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons discussed the developer’s plans to become one of the industry’s “best entertainment companies” by 2025, and part of that vision involves not just continuing to redefine Destiny 2, but also establishing other franchises.

“So, by 2025 we have a pretty specific path to make sure we transform Destiny and that we have other franchises within the marketplace,” Parsons said. “We need to build our publishing group, but part of our vision is also to become a multi-franchise entertainment company.”

Parsons didn’t share any details about Bungie’s potential non-Destiny franchise(s), but the studio has planned to branch out from the MMO series for some time now. In 2018, Bungie received $100 million from Chinese internet giant NetEase, part of which would help it establish one or more separate internal teams beyond the one currently working on Destiny.

In the meantime, Bungie continues to make big changes to Destiny. The studio is releasing a free-to-play version of the game called New Light, while the aforementioned Shadowkeep expansion arrives tomorrow, October 1. Ahead of Shadowkeep’s release, Destiny 2 has gone offline until the expansion launches at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. You can read more in our Destiny 2: Shadowkeep pre-order guide.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-will-release-a-new-non-destiny-game-by-2025/1100-6470190/

Microsoft has added another option for your Xbox One digital assistant, expanding to include Google Assistant. The public beta is available today for English customers, and it will expand more broadly later this fall.

Instructions for how to join the beta are available in the official announcement. It involves joining the Google Group with the account you plan to use, and then adding your Xbox One with your Google Home app for mobile devices. Once it’s set up, you can use the assistant to perform actions like starting a game or app, turning on or off your Xbox, adjust the volume, or take a screenshot. The instructions also note that the default name for your console is “Xbox” but you can change the name in case you have multiple consoles in one house.

The Google Assistant support follows Xbox Skill support for Alex and Microsoft’s own Cortana. Aside from being a convenience feature, Microsoft promotes voice support as an accessibility feature. The company has been promoting its accessibility recently, most notably with the creation of its adaptive controller.

Microsoft recently debuted new hardware bundles, including Forza Horizon 4 bundles and an upcoming one to accompany the Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order release.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-gets-google-assistant-support/1100-6470186/

Microsoft’s newest big-time exclusive, Gears 5, released in September and it enjoyed a record-breaking release. However, not everyone is happy with the game, with some voicing concerns over its microtransactions and in-game economy. Now, the head of Gears 5 studio The Coalition has responded.

Responding to someone who voiced concerns about the prices of items and the grinding it takes to earn them without spending money, Fergusson said the in-game economy is a work in progress. Fergusson pointed out that Gears 5 has a “completely different” economy compared to Gears of War 4 because the new game gives away its new DLC maps and more for free.

“We’re learning as we go,” he said. “This is a completely different economy from Gears 4 (removed Gear packs) so it will take a little time to work through any issues. Our first attempt is not our last and we will continue to evolve until we get it right.”

In another tweet, Fergusson said Gears 5 offers “way more” free content than Gears of War 4, and the developer is planning to release even more free extra content down the road. Some of the upcoming free DLC will include more maps, characters, and skins.

“We’re learning and improving as we go. There’s no magic wand here. Even small changes take time to create content and design skills and Ultimates,” Fergusson said in yet another tweet.

Gears 5’s in-game virtual currency is called Iron, and players can buy it in various allotments with corresponding prices. The Iron can be spent on things like XP boosts for 1-30 days, World Flags for player cards, weapon skins, emotes, marks, executions, and more. Gears 5 adopts a Fortnite-style rotating system whereby certain items are only available for a limited time, which in turn encourages players to buy the content before it leaves the store.

• I’m Still Waiting On Gears Of War’s Story To Grow Up

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gears-5-boss-responds-to-microtransaction-concerns/1100-6470184/

Ubisoft is one of the biggest video game publishers in the business. It owns some of the industry’s biggest franchises, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, and Far Cry. But just how big are those series? The company has now updated its Facts & Figures page with new numbers that speak to the enormity of Ubisoft’s biggest properties.

As spotted by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, Ubisoft’s numbers show the latest sales figures through June 2019. While they may be a bit out of date by now, they still speak to the size and scale of Ubisoft’s most prominent franchises.

The numbers and other statistics are as follows:

• Assassin’s Creed: 140 million+ copies sold; 95 million unique players
• Rayman: 40+ different game releases on 20+ different platforms
• Far Cry: 50 million+ copies sold since Far Cry 2; 79 million Far Cry game sessions played since Far Cry 5
• Just Dance: 70 million+ copies sold; 120 million+ players; 2.5 billion+ songs played; 80 billion kilocalories burned
• Rabbids: 20 million+ copies sold
• For Honor: More than 21 million players worldwide
• Ghost Recon: 30 million players since 2001; 10 million players for Ghost Recon: Wildlands alone
• The Division: 20 million players; fastest-selling new IP for Ubisoft ever
• The Crew: 21 million players since 2016
• Rainbow Six Siege: 50 million players
• Splinter Cell: 30 million+ copies sold
• Steep: More than 1.2 billion kilometres of trail covered; 5.6 billion jumps
• Watch Dogs: 36 million+ unique players

Ubisoft’s next big game is Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, which launches on October 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For lots more on that game, check out GameSpot’s breakdown of pre-loading, file sizes, server start times, and more.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-many-copies-assassins-creed-far-cry-and-other-/1100-6470181/

Just like Grand Theft Auto V, it appears that Rockstar’s newest game, Red Dead Redemption 2, also will not receive any single-player expansions. Lead online producer Katie Pica told VG247 that Rockstar is completely committed to working on Red Dead Redemption 2’s online mode.

Pica added that the new Red Dead Online content has single-player sensibilities, but in an online environment. “We’re 100% focused on online right now, because like I said, there’s just so much to do, and we’re just hoping to bring everything that a player can love about single-player into the online world, and fleshed out,” Pica said.

Red Dead Redemption 2’s latest content release was the massive Frontier Update, which introduced the first of the “Roles” that players can take on in Red Dead Online. The first roles include Bounty Hunter, Trader, and Collector. You can read more about the update in GameSpot’s coverage here.

Going back to the VG247 interview, Red Dead Online producer Tarek Hamad said Rockstar as a company remains committed to single-player games. Rockstar is known for its story, and the story modes in GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 were celebrated. “We all love single-player games, and Red Dead Redemption 2’s absolutely massive story and equally massive epilogue are hopefully evidence of that,” Hamad said.

“The team’s ambitions for Red Dead Redemption 2 were sky high in every way, and when we are building worlds of that scale, the single-player experience almost always leads the way,” Hamad added. “Our ambitions for our online games are just as high, and with Red Dead Online we are continuing to build and expand to match the world we created for Red Dead Redemption 2’s story, not just with the roles but other activities, new random events, characters to meet, new ways to engage with the world and further inhabit your character, as well as trying to improve the overall experience.”

Explaining why GTA 5 did not get any single-player DLC, Rockstar issued a similar-sounding statement years ago. “We did not feel single-player expansions were either possible or necessary, but we may well do them for future projects,” Rockstar design director Imran Sarwar said.

The new expansions for GTA Online and Red Dead Online are free, but the online modes make money from microtransactions, which can be lucrative.

In other news, Rockstar recently launched its own PC store, which has yet again fuelled the rumours and speculation that Red Dead Redemption 2 may come to PC.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/it-seems-red-dead-redemption-2-wont-get-single-pla/1100-6470174/