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Shenmue 3 Dev Responds To Concerns Over Epic Store Exclusivity
During E3 last week it was confirmed that the long-in-development crowdfunded game Shenmue III will release on PC as an exclusive to the Epic Games Store at launch.
Some people got upset about this because the studio, Ys Net, had originally said the game would be available on Steam. The game is still coming to Steam, but not until 12 months after its release on the Epic Games Store. Now, developer Ys Net has responded to the outcry, but only in a preliminary way.
In a post to the game’s Kickstarter page, Ys Net said it hears the concerns of fans. Representatives from the studio were in Los Angeles for E3 where they showing off the game, but when they return to home base they’ll look into how to “find a way forward” as it relates to explaining to fans that their faith in the studio can be upheld.
“We want to make sure that the Backers are aware that we are listening to their concerns,” reads a line from the update. “We kindly ask all our fans to have some patience, we are currently at E3 demoing the game and need to get back to our respective offices to assess the situation and together find a way forward to justify the trust you placed in us.”
In 2015, more than 69,000 people contributed $6.3 million to fund the development of Shenmue III on Kickstarter. Saints Row publisher Deep Silver later came aboard as a publisher.
Shenmue III was among the titles that Epic announced as being timed-exclusives for the Epic Games Store. Another title was Untitled Goose Game from Australian developer House House. The studio said Epic made an offer that gave them a unique sense of stability in an industry where that is far from a guarantee.
Shenmue III is also coming to PlayStation 4. The Shenmue III release date is set for November 19. A new trailer was released during E3; check it out in the video embed above.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shenmue-3-dev-responds-to-concerns-over-epic-store/1100-6467821/
Cyberpunk 2077 Has Multiple Endings; Photo Mode Not Confirmed Despite Previous Statement
Like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt’s ambitious upcoming RPG Cyberpunk 2077 has multiple endings. Quest director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz confirmed this in an interview with YongYea at E3 2019.
The Witcher 3 had three major endings. Which one you arrive at depends on the choices you make during the campaign. Tomaszkiewicz did not say how many endings Cyberpunk 2077 will have apart from confirming there will be multiple ways the story can end.
Also in the interview, Tomaszkiewicz confirms that players can go through the entire campaign without using any augmentations besides the two that are automatically assigned to you during the Prologue. The rest of the augmentations are optional.
The developer also confirmed that CD Projekt Red is considering adding a Photo Mode, though it is “hard to tell” if it will happen. CD Projekt Red is considering it “seriously,” Tomaszkiewicz said. This is a big difference from September 2018 when the developers said they were planning for Cyberpunk 2077 to have a Photo Mode.
Tomaszkiewicz added that the studio is also not committing to a level cap for Cyberpunk 2077 just yet.
According to CD Projekt Red founder Marcin Iwinski, the studio is now in the polishing phase of development for Cyberpunk 2077. This is the most challenging part of the development process, Iwinski said, adding that he expects the team to be able to deliver “some amazing bells and whistles graphically” when the process is finished.
Cyberpunk 2077 launches on April 16, 2020, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. For more on the game–which features Keanu Reeves in a lead role–check out GameSpot’s preview of the new gameplay CD Projekt Red demoed at the show, as well as a look at its story.
More E3 News:
- Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 teased
- New Xbox console, Scarlett, revealed
- Xbox Scarlett details: 8K, 120 FPS, SSD
- Elden Ring is From Software and George RR Martin’s new game
- Cyberpunk 2077 release date announced
- Final Fantasy VII Remake release date announced
- Marvel’s Avengers revealed
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/cyberpunk-2077-has-multiple-endings-photo-mode-not/1100-6467820/
PS4/Xbox One Cross-Play: Fortnite Boss Talks About The “Contentious Discussions”
Sarah Needleman’s new profile of Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney for The Wall Street Journal covers a wide variety of topic about the Fortnite boss’s life and career. Among those are how Epic convinced Sony to finally allow cross-play, how much the man is reportedly worth, how much money Fortnite makes from microtransactions, what food he likes best, and lots more. The full report is well worth a read, and we’re highlighting a few of the big points.
Starting with cross-play, WSJ reports that Sweeney spent six months in 2018 calling and emailing the leadership at PlayStation and Xbox to try to convince them to unlock cross-play. The conversations were intense, it seems.
“An effort in international diplomacy,” Sweeney said. “Given the long-term rivalries, it was a series of contentious discussions.”
Microsoft and Nintendo started allowing cross-play in Fortnite and other titles beginning in June 2018, but Sony held out.
After cross-play support went live between Xbox One and Nintendo Switch for Fortnite, WSJ reports that Sweeney shared data with Sony that apparently demonstrated that cross-play “dramatically” increased engagement. This might have been part of what contributed to Sony eventually unlocking cross-play.
In September 2018, Sony finally agreed to cross-play, beginning with Fortnite. “It was one of the greatest moments in Epic’s history,” Sweeney said. “I was pleased and tired.”
Moving on, the piece also reveals that Fortnite has generated $3.9 billion in revenue from microtransactions, according to numbers from research firm SuperData. Sweeney himself is worth $7 billion, according to the Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.
He’s been wealthy for a long time; by the age of 30 he owned a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. People who didn’t know him thought he was a drug dealer, he told WSJ.
He’s now 48, and he says he lives a “fairly simple life,” noting that he is single, unmarried, and has no kids. He enjoys spending his down time hiking. Related to that, he has spent hundreds of millions of dollars buying up land (more than 45,000 acres so far!) in his home state of North Carolina for conversation efforts.
Also in the piece, Sweeney says his favorite food is fried chicken from Bojangles because “it strikes the perfect balance between tasty food and time commitment.” He also said he enjoys the fact that Epic Games is in North Carolina because it’s far away from the influence of “Silicon Valley groupthink,” according to WSJ.
Read the full WSJ report here.
Fortnite almost didn’t exist. Epic’s former director of production, Rod Ferugsson, said recently that he would have canceled Fortnite had he stayed at Epic.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4xbox-one-cross-play-fortnite-boss-talks-about-t/1100-6467819/
