We Happy Few was an experiment for developer Compulsion Games, and not an entirely successful one. The studio is open-eyed about its weaknesses, though, and talking openly about how it could apply the lessons learned to future projects.

“Things feel like they’re gonna get a lot easier for us to succeed,” Compulsion founder Guillame Provost told US Gamer. “If we don’t make something much better than the last game, then something is uber-wrong with my direction for the studio.”

He said part of that also involves learning from colleagues at other studios and exploring best practices across developers.

“Our animation director, our technical director, our game designers are all kind of starting to plug into all the game directors and their peers at all the other studios,” he said. “We’re not going to all start making games that look like each other as a result, but we’re going to be able to leverage each other’s knowledge and experiences better.”

Finally, he suggested the studio is at work on a new franchise, saying “there’s a hunger in the studio to apply all the knowledge that we’ve acquired to a new universe.”

We Happy Few released its final piece of episodic story last month, prompting the studio to look back with a making-of documentary on the way. The initial reviews were poor, including GameSpot’s own 4/10 review.

“There’s a clear lack of direction that We Happy Few is never able to shake, which wastes its intriguing setting,” Alessandro Barbosa wrote. “It does manage to weave each of its three stories cohesively into a larger tale, but it’s also one that’s never critical enough to earn the right to repeat “happiness is a choice” any chance it can. There are just too many hurdles to overcome to enjoy We Happy Few, and not enough Joy in the world to cast them aside.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/we-happy-few-studio-expects-next-universe-to-be-mu/1100-6472322/

Stardew Valley has received a major update on consoles this week, with the 1.4 patch finally arriving for the Switch, PS4, and Xbox One versions of the game. The PC version received update 1.4 on November 26, and has since received additional bug fix patches specific to that release. The patch’s arrival was announced by developer ConcernedApe on Twitter.

Update 1.4, which was talked up a lot in the lead-up to its release, introduces a bevy of changes to the beloved farming game. There’s a huge list of things that have changed, but there are some clear highlights. A new movie theater is unlocked near the end of the game, and there are new 14-heart events for every spouse, plus other events with the rest of the game’s cast. There are also lots of new items and clothes to wear, plus a new co-op map, Four Corners. You can also add fish ponds to your farm now.

New mine content has been added too, including “a quarry mineshaft dungeon with new Haunted Skull and Sludge monsters.” Perhaps the funniest change is that ex-spouses will no longer show up at your wedding, or treat you normally during festivals.

Literally hundreds of other changes have come to the console versions of the game now. These changes are expected to come to the mobile version of the game too; sadly, the PlayStation Vita version will not be receiving additional content.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/stardew-valleys-14-update-is-live-on-switch-ps4-an/1100-6472316/

Winter sales are popping off for pretty much every games retailer out there, including GOG and Green Man Gaming. And now Ubisoft’s own store has kicked off its winter sale, which discounts not only its games but also its various series’ merchandise and clothing. Anyone who shops on the Ubisoft Store can get an extra 20% off their purchase with promo code EXTRA20–this code is valid until December 19 at 8 PM PT / 11 PM ET.

All of Ubisoft’s latest and most popular games are on sale, including the recently released Ghost Recon Breakpoint, The Division 2, and Rainbow Six Siege. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Origins are discounted, as are Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Far Cry 5, and Far Cry New Dawn.

The discounted merchandise, on the other hand, spans across almost every Ubisoft franchise–most notably Rainbow Six Siege, Assassin’s Creed, Ghost Recon, and Watch Dogs. My personal favourite is from the Six Collection: an Operator jacket that features velcro that you can affix your go-to Siege operators’ emblems to.

You can see our selection of the best deals below, but if you want to see all of the winter sale’s offerings, head over to the Ubisoft Store. Prices do not reflect the discount received from the EXTRA20 promo code. Some items are marked for clearance, which means you won’t be able to return them and get a refund–and of course, sizes are limited.

Ubisoft games deals

Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition | $9.90 ($30)

PC only

All of Rainbow Six Siege’s various editions are on sale, but if you’re just getting started, you should pass on the standard edition and go for at least the Deluxe edition. The Deluxe gets you the entire base game, in addition to Year 1’s eight DLC operators. You also don’t have to grind to unlock the base operators, as they’re all instantly unlocked from the get-go.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint | $24 ($60)

Available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC

Ghost Recon Breakpoint receives a winter sale’s discount of $24. Its special editions are also on sale.

The Division 2 | $15 ($60)

Available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC

The Division 2 is one of the best action RPGs of 2019, featuring a huge campaign and exciting endgame. $15 is a steal for The Division 2, but its special editions are also discounted.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey | $24 ($60)

Available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is the latest game in the series, and it’s currently discounted to $24 on Ubisoft.

Far Cry New Dawn | $16 ($40)

Available for PS4 and PC; Xbox One sold out

Far Cry New Dawn released earlier this year. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic open world set after the events of Far Cry 5.

Far Cry 5 | $15 ($60)

Available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC

If you didn’t play last year’s Far Cry 5, then it might be a good place to start before heading into Far Cry New Dawn. It’s currently $15 at the Ubisoft Store.

Ubisoft merchandise deals (* indicates clearance item)

Rainbow Six Siege

• Operator jacket — $86.65 ($130)
• Spetsnaz Operator hoodie — $72 ($90)
• US Nationals official hoodie — $40 ($60)
• Pro League esports snapback hat — $27 ($30)
• Pro League three-way gamer bag — $72 ($80)
• Pro League esports jacket — $90 ($100)
• Defender sweater — $49.79 ($60)

Assassin’s Creed

• Connor long sleeve shirt – Assassin’s Creed Legacy — $30 ($40)
• Altair long sleeve shirt – Assassin’s Creed Legacy — $30 ($40)
• Altair hoodie – Assassin’s Creed Legacy — $60 ($90)
• Spartan hero hoodie – Assassin’s Creed Odyssey — $60 ($90)
• Generation hoodie – Assassin’s Creed Legacy — $70.19 ($90)
• Elise sweater – Assassin’s Creed Unity* — $25 ($70)
• Aguilar jacket – Assassin’s Creed movie* — $89.30 ($190)
• Medjay sweater – Assassin’s Creed Origins* — $30.10 ($70)
• Bayek hoodie – Assassin’s Creed Origins* — $35 ($90)
• Desmond Miles hoodie (white with eagle)* — $40 ($70)
• Desmond Miles hoodie (black with eagle)* — $40 ($70)
• Connor’s belt – Assassin’s Creed III* — $30 ($60)
• Bayek’s shield belt – Assassin’s Creed Origins* — $19.80 ($60)
• Canvas backpack – Assassin’s Creed Origins* — $25.20 ($60)

Ghost Recon

• Cole D Walker figurine — $42 ($60)
• Reversible Nomad hoodie — $39.60 ($90)
• Polar fleece jacket — $42 ($60)
• Ghost cargo pants — $35 ($50)
• Ghost backpack — $40 ($60)
• Nomad t-shirt — $15 ($20)
• Wolves t-shirt — $15 ($20)

Watch Dogs Legion

• Dedsec cap — $24.89 ($30)
• Keep Calm and Resist t-shirt — $15 ($20)
• Dedsec scarf — $16.59 ($20)

The Division 2

• Agent backpack — $40 ($60)
• Agent shirt — $40 ($50)
• Agent pants — $40 ($50)
• Agent vest — $30 ($60)

Far Cry

• Crewneck sweater – Far Cry New Dawn — $30 ($60)
• Highwaymen beanie – Far Cry New Dawn — $10 ($20)
• Far Cry New Dawn t-shirt — $15 ($20)

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/huge-ubisoft-sale-discounts-games-and-merch-for-ra/1100-6472315/

State of Decay developer Undead Labs is opening a new studio. Currently unnamed, the new studio will be located in New Orleans, Louisiana and will be partnered with a broad-discipline game development academy.

“Game development needs a bigger base, where the know-how, grit, and ideas of even more people can find their way to the public,” Undead Labs writes in a blog post. “As a small-town guy himself, [Undead Labs studio head and founder Jeff Strain] is dedicated to opening a new studio and a partnered broad-discipline game development academy in New Orleans, Louisiana. With the support of Xbox and Microsoft, Jeff’s going to continue in his role as studio head at Undead Labs while also building opportunities to bring in people who might not otherwise consider a career in the game industry.”

During E3 2018, Microsoft announced it had acquired four studios and established another in order to get the ball rolling on new first-party titles for Xbox One and Xbox Series X (then codenamed Project Scarlett). Undead Labs was one of the four studios that had been acquired, alongside Forza Horizon’s Playground Games, We Happy Few‘s Compulsion Games, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice‘s Ninja Theory. The newly created studio is called The Initiative.

Since then, we’ve slowly learned what each of these five studios is doing for the Xbox brand. Playground Games is hard at work on a brand-new game, rumored to be Fable 4. Compulsion Games finished up We Happy Few with one final expansion, We All Fall Down. Ninja Theory is developing the multiplayer-focused Bleeding Edge for Xbox One and PC, and single-player-focused Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II for Xbox Series X and PC. The Initiative has accrued a large amount of notable talent and is in the playtesting phase of its new game. Undead Labs hasn’t officially revealed what it’s working on, though the aforementioned blog post does seem to suggest the studio is working on the next State of Decay.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/state-of-decay-dev-undead-labs-announces-new-studi/1100-6472312/

Apex Legends is closing out a huge 2019 with the announcement of the Global Series, a new esports program where players from all over the world will compete against each other for a $3 million prize pool. Registration will open in January, and qualifiers will happen online. The Global Series will be played across the PC version of the game.

Players who qualify during the online rounds will move onto one of 12 live events, and eventually the top players from over 60 countries will compete in the Apex Legends Global Series Majors. The first three of these will see 100 three-person squads competing against each other, and the fourth will be the grand finale, where just 60 players will compete.

The winners of the Majors will be dictated by the Match Point system used in the Apex Legends Preseason Invitational earlier this year. This system has players scoring points for both kills and match placement, competing to hit a certain threshold to pass through to the next round.

The first online tournament will begin on January 25, 2020, and registration will open up earlier that month. The first Major will be held at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Virginia, and will run from March 13 to 15, 2020.

Apex Legends recently launched its Holo-Day Bash event, coating the game world in festive cheer until January 7, 2020. It’s also one of our top ten games of 2019.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apex-legends-global-series-is-an-international-tou/1100-6472311/