The name of Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox console–currently codenamed Project Scarlett–will reflect the console’s capabilities, with no connection to the company’s previous Xbox releases. That’s according to Xbox head Phil Spencer.

In an interview with Stevivor at this year’s X019 event in London, Spencer said it hasn’t been difficult naming Microsoft’s upcoming console, even if the Xbox 360 and Xbox One follow a vastly different naming convention compared to, say, Sony’s sequel-like approach to each PlayStation release.

“Our naming convention has been around what we think the capabilities are,” Spencer explained. “Xbox 360 was about the entertainment experience around the box and the box being in the center of that entertainment experience. Xbox One, if you remember our branding early on, was ‘always on input, all in one’. Those names were really built around the purpose of the box. I don’t feel like I need to follow in their footsteps because they’re kind of self-contained.”

So Project Scarlett will have a name that’s wholly its own, with no obvious connection to its predecessors. It remains to be seen what that name will be, at least until Microsoft is ready to officially unveil the console ahead of its projected Holiday 2020 release. If the name is reflected in the console’s capabilities, however, Spencer has already expressed Microsoft’s desire to ensure that each game runs smoothly and loads quickly on Project Scarlett.

“I think the area that we really want to focus on next generation is frame rate and playability of the games,” Spencer said in an interview with GameSpot following this year’s E3. “Ensuring that the games load incredibly fast, ensuring that the game is running at the highest frame rate possible. We’re also the Windows company, so we see the work that goes on [for] PC and the work that developers are doing. People love 60 frames-per-second games, so getting games to run at 4K 60 [FPS] I think will be a real design goal for us.

“The thing that’s interesting is, this generation, we’ve really focused on 4K visuals and how we bring both movies through 4K Blu-ray and video streaming, and with Xbox One X allowing games to run at 4K visuals will make really strong visual enhancements next generation. But playability is probably the bigger focus for us this generation. How fast do [games] load? Do I feel like I can get into the game as fast as possible and while it’s playing? How does it feel? Does this game both look and feel like no other game that I’ve seen? That’s our target.”

Xbox 60 perhaps? No, that’s bad. But you never know. No one was expecting Xbox One when it was first announced. Maybe Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud will factor into the name? It’s easy to speculate. Either way, we’ll know for sure in the next 12 months.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-scarletts-name-will-reflect-its-capabilities-/1100-6472060/

The UK’s general election takes place this Thursday, December 12. It’s been described as the most important vote in a generation, too, after almost a decade of austerity, and the Brexit deal still up in the air. To encourage gamers to vote in such a pivotal moment for the country, video game presenter and voice actor, Elle Osili-Wood, has founded the Gamechangers Giveaway and received support from all across the industry.

The giveaway includes over 200 video game prizes that voters can win by tweeting a picture of themselves outside their polling station with the hashtag #GamechangersGiveaway. Triple-A studios like Activision, Bethesda, and Ubisoft have been joined by indie developers such as Frontier, Spilt Milk Studios, and Raw Fury; PR agencies Indigo Pearl, Dead Good Media, and Renaissance PR; plus EGX and Insert Coin Clothing, in backing the campaign.

The grand prize winner will net over 200 games, plus other gaming goodies.

One winner will take home over 20 games, tickets to EGX Rezzed, a £50 voucher for Insert Coin, a Dungeons and Dragons kit, plus a range of game merchandise. “It’s never been more important to vote–it’s time to step up and be a gamechanger,” said Osili-Wood. “With 85% of UK adults under 35 regularly playing video games, gamers are a significant demographic in the upcoming election, so I’m thrilled to see the games industry come together to get out the vote.”

By voting and participating in the giveaway you could win the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Planet Zoo, Rage 2, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Prey, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, and plenty more.

The Gamechangers Giveaway will go live on December 12 when the polls open. You can follow along on Osili-Wood’s Twitter and the hashtag #GamechangersGiveaway.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/uk-voters-can-win-free-games-by-voting-in-this-wee/1100-6472059/

The term “choose your own adventure,” despite being used to describe a broad genre of interactive fiction, is actually a trademarked term owned by Chooseco, as some indie game makers are discovering. Reports are suggesting that game makers who use the term to describe their games on popular indie store itch.io are receiving cease and desist notifications.

The site’s creator is warning game makers on Twitter that indie games that use the term, even innocuously, are being targeted for copyright infringment. The game they cite, Purrfect Apawcalypse, refers to itself as “an apocalyptic dog dating choose your own adventure game” on its page.

The game has been removed from itch.io for the time being. It’s not just indie developers getting caught up in this either, with Netflix recently facing a trademark lawsuit after using the term to describe Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Netflix is alleged to have pursued a license for the “choose your own adventure” branding, but was unsuccessful.

It does not seem that the problem stems from the style of gameplay, but developers, at least for now, are unable to use the specific phrase “choose your own adventure” without permission from the license holder.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/indie-games-receiving-takedown-notices-over-phrase/1100-6472058/

Fortnite is full of dance moves and costumes based on memes and properties, but every now and then developer Epic Games runs into trouble when content in their game is accused of being taken from elsewhere. In court documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, details have emerged of a new legal scandal involving one of the game’s dance moves and a pumpkin head costume.

The strange detail here, though, is that Epic actually bought the rights to the dance–but they’ve been accused of copyright infringement over the effect of pairing the dance with certain costume elements. Furthermore, Epic Games are actually the plantiffs in this case, seeking to have the court declare that they are not committing infringement.

Matthew Geiler, who responded to the lawsuit through his company Sick Picnic Media, sold Epic Games the rights to the dance in the video below for $10,000. Geiler believes that Epic Games is using his likeness without permission, though, as the Halloween ‘Fortnitemares’ event allowed the player to dress their character up in a pumpkin head and performing the dance with it on.

The argument put forward by Epic Games’ lawyer, Dale Cendali, is that there are no similarities between the jack-o-lantern costume available to players and Geiler’s own, and that the concept of a person with a carved pumpkin for a face did not originate with Geiler, and is essentially public domain. Because of this, the elements of Geiler’s video beyond the dance do not warrant copyright protection.

Epic Games has good reason to be careful, as they’ve been sued before over dance routines. Suits were filed by “Backpack Kid” and Alfonso Ribeiro, among others. All of these suits were eventually dropped. Epic Games seeks a judgment of non-infringement plus legal costs. You can view the full lawsuit filing in The Hollywood Reporter’s original article.

A special Fortnite announcement is anticipated during this week’s Game Awards.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-epic-games-is-in-court-after-paying-10k-f/1100-6472055/