The Game Awards 2019 was filled with exciting moments, but undoubtedly the biggest was the unveiling of Microsoft’s next-generation console. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer appeared on stage to debut the console to the world and officially name the console formerly known as Project Scarlett as “Xbox Series X.” It was a major moment for the Xbox and the industry as a whole. But why did Microsoft choose to do this at The Game Awards instead of at E3 2020 or one of its own events, like the recent X019?

Speaking to GameSpot in an exclusive interview, Spencer said The Game Awards champions the kind of creativity that Xbox also seeks to highlight. As such, the show’s purpose aligns with the vision the company has for Series X.

With this in mind, it only made sense to give creators and fans a look at the future of gaming on Xbox in a venue where games and creativity are being celebrated.

“The Game Awards is a stage, that for us, is where we celebrate the best of our industry’s creative capability, and that is fundamentally why we built this console,” Spencer explained.

“It isn’t an ego thing for us. It wasn’t about what we need. It was really about how can we enable the next most creative, most award-winning, most played, most loved games to get created. And getting to do that [with] this announcement on that stage just felt like the right place to go do that, in the celebration of great games.”

Looking ahead, Spencer said that E3 would remain a major milestone in the story of Xbox Series X, especially given the success of other recent events.

“I think back to E3 2019, I love that event. The fan energy, Keanu [Reeves], all of that stuff was awesome. The launch of Gears, the launch of Outer Worlds, the launch of Project xCloud, seeing the continued growth in Game Pass, X019 in London was fantastic a month ago. I just feel like we’re in a good spot right now. I feel strong[ly] about where the platform is as we roll into 2020 and the portfolio of games that are coming look so amazing. I’m really, really excited about E3 2020. That’ll be a big beat for us and we expect that to be really important.”

During The Game Awards, viewers got to take a look at Xbox Series X, which looks to be an incredibly powerful, unconventionally designed console. Spencer outlined his vision for the console and also showed off its potential with a demo of a sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.

Before the show, GameSpot sat down with Spencer and Xbox partner director of project management Jason Ronald to see the console and talk at length about the hardware. You can read more about it in our Xbox Series X feature and watch us breakdown everything we learned.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-xbox-series-x-was-revealed-at-the-game-awards/1100-6472193/

The fifth annual Game Awards is officially underway and the announcements are just beginning. Tucked into the show was a brand-new trailer for Amplitude Studios and Sega’s upcoming turn-based strategy game, Humankind.

The latest trailer, below, is only the second one following Humankind’s announcement during Gamescom in August 2019. It provides insight into the 4X (Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate) turn-based strategy game, including some new features like the addition of an avatar creator. The trailer also showcases the game’s land and naval battle systems.

But the headlining feature of the new trailer is the inclusion of an avatar creator, which is a “persistent” part of the Humankind experience. According to a press release, your created avatar will “evolve visually over the course of the game according to the way you play, the achievements you earn, and the way you develop your cultures and civilizations.” You can unlock custom looks for your avatar by leveling them up through a “meta-progression system” and take them online to compete against your friends and enemies in multiplayer matches.

Amplitude said “much more” information will be divulged next year, but no approximation as to when these announcements will be made was provided. For now, check out some new Humankind screenshots below.

Humankind is slated to launch on PC in 2020. We saw a demo of the turn-based strategy game in October 2019, where we said, “Amplitude maintains that there’s a lot of affection for humankind in Humankind, and we’re curious to see where it takes us, complete with the triumphs and foibles of our own history.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-humankind-gameplay-trailer-revealed-at-the-gam/1100-6472160/

With the holidays right around the corner, GameStop has revealed its Game Days Sale, which starts on December 15 and is a good chance to grab any last-minute gifts. There are deals on everything from the Nintendo Switch and a great PS4 Slim bundle to some of the best games that came out this year. The sale even includes recent releases like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and Death Stranding.

The Game Days Sale runs from December 15 until December 25, and the deals are available both in stores and online with free shipping over $35. GameStop is open on December 24 from 8 AM to 8 PM local time but will be closed on the December 25. However, if you’re shopping online and want your items to arrive before Christmas, then it would be best to order sooner rather than later.

We’ve collected some of GameStop’s best deals from the Game Days Sale below, but you can check out the full slate on December 15 at GameStop.

Video game console deals

Nintendo Switch with a $30 GameStop gift card | $300

Available December 15-21 only

PS4 Slim (1TB) Only On PlayStation bundle | $250 ($300)

Available December 15-25

Xbox One X special edition NBA 2K20 bundle | $350 ($500)

Available now

Video game accessory deals

Astro C40 TR PS4 modular controller | $180 ($200)

Available December 15-25

Xbox One wireless controllers | $10 off

Available December 15-25

Astro A40 wired headset + Pro Gen 2 MixAmp | $200 ($250)

Available December 15-25

PS4:

Xbox One:

Xbox One Plantronics RIG 800LX wireless headset | $130 ($150)

Available December 15-25

Steelseries Arctis 5 PUBG Edition wired gaming headset | $70 ($100)

Available December 15-25

Razer DeathAdder Elite gaming mouse | $40 ($70)

Available now

Corsair K70 RGB gaming keyboard | $110 ($160)

Available now

Get three $12 Funko Pop vinyl figures for $25

Available December 15-25

Video game deals

PS4:

• Borderlands 3 — $40 ($60)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — $50 ($60)
• Days Gone — $20 ($40)
• Death Stranding — $40 ($60)
• The Division 2 — $12 ($60)
• Ghost Recon Breakpoint — $20 ($60)
• Grand Theft Auto 5: Premium Edition — $20 ($30)
• Judgment — $30 ($60)
• Kingdom Hearts III — $20 ($60)
• Madden NFL 20 + FIFA 20 — $40 ($60)
• Metro Exodus — $20 ($40)
• Mortal Kombat 11 — $30 ($60)
• NBA 2K20 — $40 ($60)
• Need For Speed: Heat — $40 ($60)
• The Outer Worlds — $40 ($60)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 — $40 ($60)
• Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition — $20 ($40)
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — $45 ($60)
• The Witcher 3: Complete Edition — $20 ($40)
• WWE 2K20 — $30 ($60)

Xbox One:

• Borderlands 3 — $40 ($60)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — $50 ($60)
• The Division 2 — $12 ($60)
• Gears 5 — $40 ($60)
• Ghost Recon Breakpoint — $20 ($60)
• Grand Theft Auto 5: Premium Edition — $20 ($30)
• Kingdom Hearts III — $20 ($60)
• Madden NFL 20 + FIFA 20 — $40 ($60)
• Metro Exodus — $20 ($40)
• Mortal Kombat 11 — $30 ($50)
• NBA 2K20 — $40 ($60)
• Need For Speed: Heat — $40 ($60)
• The Outer Worlds — $40 ($60)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 — $40 ($60)
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — $45 ($60)
• The Witcher 3: Complete Edition — $20 ($40)
• WWE 2K20 — $30 ($60)

Switch:

• Assassin’s Creed III Remastered — $30 ($40)
• Collection of Mana — $25 ($40)
• Crash Bandicoot: N-Sane Trilogy — $30 ($40)
• Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster — $25 ($50)
• Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age — $25 ($50)
• Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle — $20 ($60)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 — $50 ($60)
• Mortal Kombat 11 — $30 ($60)
• Overwatch: Legendary Edition — $25 ($40)
• Saints Row The Third: The Full Package — $20 ($30)
• Team Sonic Racing — $20 ($40)
• The Witcher 3: Complete Edition — $50 ($60)

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/black-fridays-popular-ps4-bundle-is-back-in-gamest/1100-6472168/

The best-selling games and hardware for November 2019 in the United States have been revealed, and there are no surprises. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare continues to dominate while the Nintendo Switch remains the best-selling console of the month and the year.

The NPD report for November confirms Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as the best-selling game of the month, a position it has held since launch in October. It is 2019’s best-selling title, and also the best-selling game of the trailing 12-month period ending in November.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order launched in November, and it finished the month second behind Modern Warfare. After its first month on sale, Fallen Order rocketed up the charts to become the ninth best-selling game of 2019. Its first-month sales are the second-best in Star Wars history, only behind 2015’s Star Wars: Battlefront. Also of note is that Fallen Order represents the best launch-month for any game from Respawn in terms of dollar sales.

Pokemon Sword and Shield also debuted in November, and they finished No. 3 and No. 5 on the best-seller charts. The Double Pack, which contains both games, finished at No. 4. If all versions of the game were combined, Sword and Shield would have actually finished No. 2 during November.

“These titles combine to achieve the highest launch month dollar sales of any Pokemon release in U.S. history, topping the previous launch month high set by Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon,” NPD said.

Digital sales for Nintendo games are not tracked by NPD, so Sword and Shield might have charted higher if this was the case.

Another November release, Hideo Kojima’s timed PlayStation 4-exclusive Death Stranding, finished No. 7 during its launch month. The game launches on PC in 2020.

Also of note for November was that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate became the best-selling fighting game of all time in the United States. It surpassed Super Smash Bros. Brawl to set the new record.

Total spending on video game software in November fell 13 percent to $926 million.

Moving to hardware, the Switch repeated as the month’s best-selling console, and it continues to be the best-selling system of 2019. The PS4 and Xbox One are entering the end of their lifecycles, so it’s no surprise they are slowing down in sales as players look forward to the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett in 2020.

Total spending on hardware in November fell 26 percent to $891 million. With hardware, software, and accessories combined, total spending on video games in the US during November reached $2.3 billion, which is down 19 percent.

Best-Selling Games Of November 2019 (US)

All Platforms

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order^
3. Pokemon Sword*
4. Pokemon Sword and Shield Double Pack*
5. Pokemon Shield*
6. Madden NFL 20
7. Death Stranding
8. NBA 2K20
9. Need for Speed: Heat
10. Luigi’s Mansion 3*

2019 Year-To-Date All Platforms

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2. NBA 2K20
3. Madden NFL 20
4. Borderlands 3
5. Mortal Kombat 11
6. Kingdom Hearts III
7. The Division 2
8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
9. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order^
10. Anthem

12 Months Ending November 2019 All Platforms

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
3. NBA 2K20
4. Madden NFL 20
5. Red Dead Redemption II
6. Borderlands 3
7. Mortal Kombat 11
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
9. Kingdom Hearts 3
10. The Division 2

November 2019 PS4

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
3. Death Stranding
4. Madden NFL 20
5. Need for Speed: Heat
6. NBA 2K20
7. FIFA 20
8. The Outer Worlds
9. Spider-Man
10. Borderlands 3

November 2019 Xbox One

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
3. Madden NFL 20
4. NBA 2K20
5. Need for Speed: Heat
6. FIFA 20
7. Borderlands 3
8. Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
9. Red Dead Redemption 2
10. The Outer Worlds

November 2019 Nintendo Switch

1. Pokemon Sword*
2. Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield Double Pack*
3. Pokemon Shield*
4. Luigi’s Mansion 3*
5. Mario Kart 8*
6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
8. Just Dance 2020
9. Ring Fit Adventure*
10. Super Mario Odyssey*

*Digital sales not included

^Steam sales not included

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/top-10-best-selling-us-games-of-november-revealed-/1100-6472180/

The Game Awards take place live in Los Angeles this evening, and in addition to 10 game reveals, the show will hand out awards to some of 2019’s best games.

The nominees for Game of the Year this year include Control, Death Stranding, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Resident Evil 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and The Outer Worlds. Nintendo’s mascot fighting game was released in December 2018, but it falls within the award show’s timeframe for consideration.

You can see the full list of categories and nominees below. We’ll update this post as the show goes on by bolding the winners as they’re announced. The Game of the Year award is expected to be announced last.

The Game Awards begin at 5:30 PM PT / 7:30 PM CST / 8:30 PM ET on December 12 (and 1:30 AM BST / 12:30 PM AEST and on December 13) and can be streamed here on GameSpot and on Mixer, Twitch, YouTube, and elsewhere.

The Game Awards 2019 Full Nominees List

Game of The Year

• Control (Remedy/505 Games)
• Death Stranding (Kojima Productions/SIE)
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Bandai-Namco/Sora/Nintendo)
• Resident Evil 2 (Capcom/Capcom)
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software/Activision)
• The Outer Worlds (Obsidian/Private Division)

Best Game Direction

• Control (Remedy/505 Games)
• Death Stranding (Kojima Productions/SIE)
• Resident Evil 2 (Capcom/Capcom)
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software/Activision)
• Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital/Annapurna)

Best Narrative

• A Plague Tale: Innocence (Asobo/Focus Home)
• Control (Remedy/505)
• Death Stranding (Kojima Productions/SIE)
• Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
• The Outer Worlds (Obsidian/Private Division)

Best Art Direction

• Control (Remedy/505)
• Death Stranding (Kojima Productions/SIE)
• Gris (Nomada Studio/Devolver)
• Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo/Annapurna)
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software/Activision)
• The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Grezzo/Nintendo)

Best Score/Music

• Cadence of Hyrule (Brace Yourself Games/Nintendo)
• Death Stranding (Kojima Productions/SIE)
• Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom)
• Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix)
• Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo/Annapurna)

Best Audio Design

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward/Activision)
• Control (Remedy/505)
• Death Stranding (Kojima Productions/SIE)
• Gears 5 (The Coalition/Xbox Game Studios)
• Resident Evil 2 (Capcom)
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software/Activision)

Best Performance

• Ashly Burch as Parvati Holcomb, The Outer Worlds
• Courtney Hope as Jesse Faden, Control
• Laura Bailey as Kait Diaz, Gears 5
• Mads Mikkelsen as Cliff, Death Stranding
• Matthew Porretta as Dr. Casper Darling, Control
• Norman Reedus as Sam Porter Bridges, Death Stranding

Games for Impact

• Concrete Genie (Pixelopus/SIE)
• Gris (Nomada Studio/Devolver)
• Kind Words (Popcannibal)
• Life is Strange 2 (Dontnod/Square Enix)
• Sea of Solitude (Jo-Mei Games/EA)

Best Ongoing Game

• Apex Legends (Respawn)
• Destiny 2 (Bungie)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Best Independent Game

• Baba Is You (Hempuli)
• Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
• Katana ZERO (Askiisoft/Devoler Digital)
• Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital/Annapurna)
• Untitled Goose Game (House House/Panic)

Best Mobile Game

• Call of Duty: Mobile (TiMi Studios/Activision)
• GRINDSTONE (Capybara Games)
• Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo/Annapurna)
• Sky: Children of Light (Thatgamecompany)
• What the Golf? (Tribland)

Best Community Support

• Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
• Destiny 2 (Bungie)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Best VR/AR Game

• Asgard’s Wrath (Sanzaru Games/Oculus Studios)
• Blood & Truth (SIE London Studio/SIE)
• Beat Saber (Beat Games)
• No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
• Trover Saves the Universe (Squanch Games)

Best Action Game

• Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
• Astral Chain (Platinum Games/Nintendo)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward/Activision)
• Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom/Capcom)
• Gears 5 (The Coalition/Xbox Game Studios)
• Metro Exodus (4A Games/Deep Silver)

Best Action/Adventure Game

• Borderlands 3 (Gearbox/2K)
• Control (Remedy/505 Games)
• Death Stranding (Kojima Productions/SIE)
• Resident Evil 2 (Capcom)
• The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Grezzo/Nintendo)
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software/Activision)

Best RPG

• Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix)
• Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (Capcom)
• The Outer Worlds (Obsidian/Private Division)

Best Fighting Game

• Dead or Alive 6 (Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo)
• Jump Force (Spike Chunsoft/Bandai Namco)
• Mortal Kombat 11 (NetherRealm/WBIE)
• Samurai Showdown (SNK/Athlon)
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Bandai Namco/Sora/Nintendo)

Best Family Game

• Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Next Level Games/Nintendo)
• Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Super Mario Maker 2 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Bandai Namco/Sora/Nintendo)
• Yoshi’s Crafted World (Good-Feel/Nintendo)

Best Strategy Game

• Age of Wonders: Planetfall (Triumph Studios/Paradox)
• Anno 1800 (Blue Byte/Ubisoft)
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems/Koei Tecmo/Nintendo)
• Total War: Three Kingdoms (Creative Assembly/Sega)
• Tropico 6 (Limbic Entertainment/Kalypso Media)
• Wargroove (Chucklefish)

Best Sports/Racing Game

• Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (Beenox/Activision)
• DiRT Rally 2.0 (Codemasters)
• eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 (PES Productions/Konami)
• F1 2019 (Codemasters)
• FIFA 20 (EA Sports)

Best Multiplayer Game

• Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
• Borderlands 3 (Gearbox/2K)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward/Activision)
• Tetris 99 (Arika/Nintendo)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft)

Fresh Indie Game

• ZA/UM for Disco Elysium
• Nomada Studio for Gris
• DeadToast Entertainment for My Friend Pedro
• Mobius Digital for Outer Wilds
• Mega Crit for Slay the Spire
• House House for Untitled Goose Game

Content Creator of the Year

• Jack “Courage” Dunlop
• Benjamin “Dr. Lupo” Lupo
• Soleil “Ewok” Wheeler
• David “Grefg” Martínez
• Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek

Best Esports Game

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
• DOTA2 (Valve)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• League of Legends (Riot Games)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)

Best Esports Player

• Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf (Immortals, Fortnite)
• Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (SK Telecom, League of Legends)
• Luka “Perkz” Perkovic (G2 Esports, League of Legends)
• Oleksandr “S1mple” Kostyliev (Natus Vincere, CSGO)
• Jay “Sinatraa” Won (SF Shock, Overwatch)

Best Esports Team

• Astralis (CS:GO)
• G2 Esports (LOL)
• OG (DOTA2)
• San Francisco Shock (OWL)
• Team Liquid (CS:GO)

Best Esports Event

• 2019 Overwatch League Grand Finals
• EVO 2019
• Fortnite World Cup
• IEM Katowice 2019
• League of Legends World Championship 2019
• The International 2019

Best Esports Coach

• Eric ‘adreN’ Hoag (Team Liquid, CS:GO)
• Nu-ri ‘Cain’ Jang (Team Liquid, LOL)
• Fabian ‘GrabbZ’ Lohmann (G2 Esports, LOL)
• Kim ‘Kkoma’ Jeong-gyun (SK Telecom T1, LOL)
• Titouan ‘Sockshka’ Merloz (OG, DOTA2)
• Danny ‘Zonic’ Sørensen (Astralis, CSGO)

Best Esports Host

• Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
• Alex “Machine” Richardson
• Paul “Redeye” Chaloner
• Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez
• Duan “Candice” Yu-Shuang

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-game-awards-winners-revealed-here-tonight/1100-6472169/