GTA, Red Dead Parent Company Is Making Lots Of Money From Microtransactions

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Microtransactions continue to be big business for the parent company of Rockstar and 2K Games. Take-Two Interactive announced on an earnings call that revenue from “recurrent consumer spending” grew 32 percent during the quarter ended September 30.

In total, revenue from recurrent consumer spending accounted for 37 percent of Take-Two’s total revenue during the period ($857.8 million).

Recurrent consumer spending includes all manner of “ongoing consumer engagement,” including virtual currency, add-on content, and in-game purchases.

During an earnings call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said the online modes for Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V continue to grow in terms of revenue. It’s an impressive achievement for both titles, but especially GTA Online considering it is more than six years old.

Take-Two intends to have some kind of microtransaction system in every game that it releases.

Take-Two is riding high of late. For the latest period, the company pulled in $857.8 million in revenue, which is up 74 percent from $492.7 million during the same period last year. The company also shared that revenue from digital sources jumped by 72 percent and reached $615.8 million (compared to $358.4 million during the same period last year).

Revenue from digital sources made up 72 percent of Take-Two’s total revenue for the quarter, which emphasizes how the industry is shifting away from physical and toward digital.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-red-dead-parent-company-is-making-lots-of-mone/1100-6471281/

New Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Maps, Mode Arrives This Friday

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Publisher Activision announced some new post-launch content for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, including new maps and the return of a popular game mode.

Activision tweeted the news, stating that all Modern Warfare players will be able to enjoy this Friday’s content for free. The game’s Ground War and traditional Multiplayer modes will get new maps, Krovnik Farmland and Shoot House respectively. Further, developer Infinity Ward is finally adding Hardpoint, a franchise mainstay game mode. There’s no additional information on either maps or Hardpoint.

Modern Warfare recently launched on October 25 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and the first-person shooter secured the number one spot on the US PS4’s best-selling games list. Some of the game’s guns are apparently bugged, though, including a handful of rifles and the double-barreled 725 shotgun. Modern Warfare’s multiplayer co-director, Joe Cecot, confirmed on Twitter that a “weapon tuning” update is on the way. These changes are part of a large update Infinity Ward has been talking about for quite some time and will include bug fixes and balance tweaks, stability improvements, and more.

In other news, Modern Warfare has seen some criticism for its “Highway of Death” reference. Infinity Ward’s narrative director, Taylor Kurosaki, addressed the controversial direction the game’s campaign takes. “I think you could probably find many instances of the words ‘highway of death’ being used in a lot of cases,” Kurosaki said.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-maps-mode-arrives-/1100-6471279/

New The Outer Worlds Update Coming Next Week, Full Patch Notes Listed

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Obsidian Entertainment has announced a new patch is scheduled to release for The Outer Worlds next week. In a blog post, Obsidian social media manager “Shyla” released the full patch notes and wrote, “[Obsidian] will continue to work on updates and patches.”

“This patch is currently in the testing phase and as long as no other issues occur during this time, we hope to release it to you all sometime next week,” Shyla wrote. “Please be aware that this can change, but we are working hard to make this timeline and things are looking good thus far.”

This upcoming update, Patch 1.1.1.0, primarily addresses several bugs in The Outer Worlds, but it also implements a few gameplay changes too–the most notable of which is an increase in font size for subtitles. It may not seem like much, but The Outer Worlds’ subtitles are currently very small, and it can be difficult to see them if you’re not right next to your screen. The full list of changes is below.

The Outer Worlds Patch 1.1.1.0 Bug Fixes & Gameplay Changes

  • The crashing issue in Tartarus
  • Increase Font Size – Conversations/Subtitles
  • Muffled sound effects occur at random times for players on the PS4
  • Companions dying and failing companion quests on modes other than Supernova
  • Unable to finish “Radio Free Monarch”
  • Trophy “Not the Best Choice” fails to unlock properly

In GameSpot’s The Outer Worlds review, Edmond Tran wrote, “I finished The Outer Worlds wanting more, eager to jump back into the world to see extra things. It’s not a short game, but it’s one packed with such a steady stream of wonderful characters to meet, interesting places to explore, and meaningful, multi-layered quests to solve, that it didn’t feel like there was any room to get tired of it. I wanted to rewind the clock and do everything in a completely different way. The Outer Worlds is consistently compelling throughout, and it’s a superb example of how to promote traditional RPG sensibilities in a sharp, modern experience.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-the-outer-worlds-update-coming-next-week-full-/1100-6471278/

Rocket League Music Pack Drives Into Beat Saber

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Beat Games has announced a new music pack for its lightsaber-focused rhythm game, Beat Saber. Called Rocket League x Monstercat, the new music pack includes six songs from Psyonix’s game about supersonic acrobatic rocket-powered battle-cars.

The six new songs take place in a Rocket League-inspired environment and also transform your normally Jedi and Sith-colored lightsabers into the vibrant blue and orange of Rocket League’s default team colors. The pack includes Tokyo Machine’s “Play” and “Rock It,” Stephen Walking’s “Glide,” Slushii’ “Luv U Need U,” Dion Timmer’ “Shiawase,” and Slushii and Dion Timmer’s collaboration: “Test Me.”

The new pack is available in all versions of the game for purchase right now. You can buy the pack at the links below.

Where To Buy Beat Saber: Rocket League x Monstercat Music Pack

Beat Saber is a VR game where you swing lightsabers to slice through approaching blocks to the rhythm of different songs. It’s one of GameSpot’s top VR games of 2018–we love the absolute bangers that fill its ever-expanding list of tunes and that the game provides a fun way of doing a brief workout.

In GameSpot’s Beat Saber review, Alessandro Barbosa wrote, “Beat Saber is an exhilarating rush and an exhausting game to play in the best way. It has great music that is more varied than you might expect, complemented by smartly designed levels that marry their complex patterns perfectly to the beat. It’s difficult to get bored of Beat Saber, especially thanks to its extensive campaign that pushes you to get better with each step up in difficulty.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rocket-league-music-pack-drives-into-beat-saber/1100-6471273/

GameStop Pro Day Sale Launches Friday With Deals For PS4, Switch, And Xbox One

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We’re now just a few weeks away from the biggest shopping event of the year, but while other retailers are already releasing Black Friday ads, GameStop isn’t ready to show its hand. Instead, the games retailer is launching its last Pro Day sale of 2019, an event exclusive to PowerUp Rewards Elite Pro and Pro members in the US. The sale will kick off this Friday, November 8, and run through Sunday, November 10, with hundreds of discounts on games, consoles, and accessories.

The latest Pro Day sale has some decent deals, but know that you’ll find better prices on some of these products during Black Friday in just a few weeks. If there’s anything you’ve got your eye on, we suggest comparing its Pro Day price against the Black Friday prices seen at Target, Best Buy, and other stores that have already released ads. For example, you’ll find Borderlands 3 for $35, Control for $25, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle for $15, Resident Evil 2 for $15, and Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (Master Edition) for $35 during Black Friday, cheaper than what GameStop is offering during its Pro Day sale.

Then again, some of these Pro Day game deals might be worth taking advantage of now. The Division 2 is only $15, the lowest price we’ve seen. Mortal Kombat 11 is on sale for $30, Persona 5 is $15, MLB The Show 19 is $20, Tetris Effect is $10, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is $25 (the same price it will be at Best Buy during Black Friday). If there’s a game on your wishlist and you spot it for cheap during GameStop’s Pro Day sale, it could still be worth grabbing–after all, the best deals will sell out fast on Black Friday (or even on Thanksgiving).

GameStop is also offering a console bundle for this Pro Day sale. If you buy a new Xbox One, you’ll get a free copy of either Resident Evil 2, Monster Hunter World, or Devil May Cry 5 in addition to 50,000 bonus points ($50 rewards cash) for your GameStop account. If you buy a new PS4, you’ll get a free copy of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and the same 50,000 bonus points offer. If you need to buy a new PS4 or Xbox One, however, you might want to hold off until Black Friday, which already has some nice PS4 and Xbox One bundles lined up for cheaper.

The Pro Day sale also includes a buy one, get one free offer on all T-shirts, which is quite nice, and buy two, get one free on over 100 Amiibo. GameStop’s large collection of toys and collectibles are on sale too, including the Gears 5 Collector’s Edition Jack Drone, which is down to $150 from $200.

You can check out more deals from this year’s final Pro Day sale below and see the full offering of deals at GameStop.

GameStop Pro Day Sale 11/8-11/10

Games

Consoles

Accessories

Apparel and collectibles

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-pro-day-sale-launches-friday-with-deals-f/1100-6471261/

X019 Inside Xbox Livestream: When It Starts And Where To Watch

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Microsoft’s annual celebration for all things Xbox will begin next week. Taking place in London, X019 will see the announcements of brand-new “surprises,” according to an Xbox blog post. The entire event will be streamed, so you can watch it via the links below.

The Inside Xbox X019 livestream begins on November 14 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 9 PM BST, which is November 15 at 7 AM in Australia. That’s likely when most of the major reveals will occur, though X019 continues through to November 16–all of which will be streamed on Mixer.

Where To Watch X019

In that aforementioned blog post, there’s mention that X019 will see the world premiere of hands-on gameplay for “the biggest and best new games.” There will also be panels featuring the “best creative minds from [Microsoft’s] Xbox Game Studio teams.” It’s nothing concrete, but X019 may see the new gameplay reveals for several games scheduled for 2020 and beyond, as well as teases for the games being made by some of the studios Microsoft acquired back in 2018.

Two hours into the stream, the Xbox Wireless Controller – DPM X019 Exclusive controller will go on sale. Only 1,000 controllers have been made, so if you want one, you may want to bookmark its product page in the Microsoft Store. The controller retails for $100 USD.

There hasn’t been much teased about the announcements expected at X019. If the event plays out anything like last year’s X018, then X019 will see new footage of upcoming games, release date reveals, and announcements of DLC or expansions for existing titles. X018 also saw Microsoft announcing additional studio acquisitions. The major highlights of last year’s event were the reveal of Crackdown 3’s release date, the announcement of 16 new games coming to Game Pass (some of which still haven’t come out yet), and Microsoft’s acquisition of InXile Entertainment (the studio behind Wasteland) and Obsidian Entertainment (the studio behind the recently-released The Outer Worlds).

Given the approach of next-gen consoles–both Microsoft’s Project Scorpio and Sony’s PS5 are scheduled to release during the holiday season in 2020–it’s possible that Microsoft will announce additional details about what it has planned for the next generation. With Sony confirming its next-gen console will be called PlayStation 5, as unsurprising as that is, maybe Microsoft will use X019 to announce the official name of Project Scorpio.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/x019-inside-xbox-livestream-when-it-starts-and-whe/1100-6471272/

Black Desert Online Publisher Teases Three New MMO Games

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Black Desert Online publisher Pearl Abyss has teased a handful of games ahead of the G-Star 2019 Expo in Busan, South Korea, which is scheduled to kick off on November 14.

All three titles–Crimson Desert, DokeV, and Plan 8–are brand-new MMOs from the Korean studio. VG247 reports having seen them recently, though Pearl Abyss will reveal all three games via livestreams on both the company’s official Twitch and YouTube channels during G-Star 2019. The streams begin on November 13 at 8 PM PT / 10 PM CST / 11 PM ET and at 4 AM BST on November 14.

Crimson Desert is billed as an open-world fantasy MMORPG where you play as one of three tribes fighting to survive and dominate a continent called Pywell. The founder of Pearl Abyss, Dae-il Kim, and two developers from RYL Online, Eter Lee and Jason Jung, have been building the project since 2018.

DokeV is a collective MMORPG meant for all ages. Black Desert Online’s former animation director Sang-young Kim and former game design director Suh Won Choi are at the project’s helm, but not much else is known about the colorful title.

Plan 8 is said to be an MMO shooter that puts you in control of an exosuit. Not much else is known about the project, though a trailer is scheduled to go live on November 14. Black Desert Online’s former environmental art director Seung-ki Lee is leading the development of Plan 8, alongside Counter-Strike‘s co-creator Minh Le.

Pearl Abyss has already set up a website for each game, letting you subscribe for more information coming out of G-Star 2019 and beyond.

G-Star is Asia’s largest video game exhibition, taking place between November 14-17 this year. The showcase will feature 36 countries and nearly 700 exhibitors from around the world.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/black-desert-online-publisher-teases-three-new-mmo/1100-6471276/

Two More Free PC Games Are Available Right Now

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The Epic Games Store is offering another pair of free games though its service this week–Nuclear Throne and Ruiner. To claim your freebies, just login with your Epic Games account and then add them. After that they’ll be yours to keep.

Nuclear Throne is a stylized roguelike with top-down shooting action, and it’s received generally positive reviews on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. Similarly, Ruiner is a top-down (though isometric) shooter set in the cyberpunk future of 2091.

“Ruiner creates a future teeming with interesting concepts, fascinating people and hidden despair,” wrote David Rayfield in GameSpot’s review. “But it is the combat which stands front and centre. Through the endless bodies that fall by your hand, the grim layers of the story peel away to divulge a few surprises about the meaning of life, death and revenge. It is a revealing journey that’s well worth taking but it is apparent from the opening scene to the mysterious finale, the only thing that is pure and absolute in the world of Ruiner is murder.”

Both games are only free for a limited time, so you’ll want to grab them quickly. They’ll be up for grabs until November 14, at which point they’ll be replaced by The Messenger.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/two-more-free-pc-games-are-available-right-now/1100-6471274/

Fortnite Hidden N Location: Where To Search Hidden N In Lowdown Loading Screen

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Chapter 2 of Fortnite rolls on with another batch of challenges to complete in the hit battle royale game. This week’s set is called The Lowdown, and as has been the trend this season, if you complete enough of the tasks, you’ll unlock a special loading screen that contains a clue pointing to another hidden letter that you’ll need to find for a later challenge. This week, you’ll need to search for the hidden N found in the Lowdown loading screen. If you need help finding it, we’re here to show you where to go.

Where Is The Hidden N Location?

As the challenge states, the clue that will lead you to the hidden N’s location is somewhere in the Lowdown loading screen, which you’ll unlock after completing eight of this week’s challenges. The loading screen in question shows a group of characters having a clandestine meeting inside what looks to be a hangar. The N can be seen in background on the left side of the screen, above a walkway.

The hangar depicted in the loading screen is actually one of the EGO outposts that are scattered around the island. Specifically, it’s the one just southwest of Holly Hedges–that’s where you’ll need to go to retrieve the letter.

No Caption Provided

How To Complete The Challenge

Once you know where the N is hidden, you’ll need to trek to the EGO outpost near Holly Hedges and actually collect it. Enter the hangar, make your way up the walkway, and the letter will appear above a barrel, just as in the Lowdown loading screen. Interact with the N when prompted to collect it and complete the challenge.

As usual, there’s one caveat before you can find the letter–you’ll first need to unlock its corresponding challenge, which means you’ll need to complete all the other missions in the Lowdown set before the N will appear on the map. Most are straightforward but will likely require the aid of a partner, so be sure to attempt them in squads. Two of the challenges also involve visiting EGO outposts, so check out our EGO outpost locations guide for help with those.

Three more hidden letters still remain before you can spell out “FORTNITE” and unlock this season’s special skin. If you need help tracking down any previous letters, you can find maps and guides leading you to the rest in our ongoing Fortnite Chapter 2 challenges roundup.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-hidden-n-location-where-to-search-hidden-/1100-6471266/

Death Stranding Items Added To Days Gone In New Patch

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In celebrating the launch of Kojima Productions’ first title, developer SIE Bend Studio has confirmed that Death Stranding customization items are coming to Days Gone‘s bike in a new patch.

The Days Gone team tweeted the announcement with a video showing off the new equipment. The video, below, features the BB gas tank, as well as another tank inspired by Death Stranding’s world. SIE Bend also states that other Death Stranding customization options, including decals and a frame paint, are also available in Days Gone’s patch.

SIE Bend has not outlined what else is included in Days Gone’s 1.6 patch, but the studio confirmed that it is available to download now on PlayStation 4. Death Stranding launches on November 8 for PS4.

The development team has been toiling away at Days Gone since its April 26 launch. Recently, additional difficulty modes and a New Game Plus were added. A couple of months after release, SIE Bend pushed out free DLC in the form of an added Survival mode with challenges centered around the bike, horde, and combat.

Despite its mixed reception and our own review handing the game a 5/10, Days Gone snagged the number six spot on the US best-selling PS4 exclusive to date in September.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/death-stranding-items-added-to-days-gone-in-new-pa/1100-6471268/