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Respawn Boss To Lead EA DICE LA Studio
Vince Zampella, co-founder of Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order developer Respawn Entertainment, will head up EA DICE’s LA-based studio, the Los Angeles Times reports. Under Zampella’s leadership, EA plans to expand the outfit and have it release an “original” game.
Up until now, the LA-based DICE studio has primarily been responsible for providing support for DICE Stockholm, developer of the Battlefield franchise. According to the LA Times profile, the office will remain separate from both Respawn and DICE Stockholm under Zampella’s leadership, but will “probably” be rebranded to establish its own identity.
“We will probably rebrand,” Zampella says. “We want to give it a new image. We want people to say, ‘This is a destination you can go and make new content.’ I think they’ve kind of gotten the branding that they are the support studio for DICE Stockholm. I think rebranding is important for showing people, ‘Hey! Come work here. We’re going to do some amazing things.'”
While he leads the LA DICE office, Zampella says he will remain on as head of Respawn. Meanwhile, Jedi Fallen Order director Stig Asmussen will lead Respawn’s narrative-driven branch, Chad Grenier will oversee Apex Legends, and Peter Hirschmann will helm a VR Medal of Honor game for Oculus Rift called Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Zampella teases “there might be more” projects underway at the studio as well.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is slated to release in 2020. The game is set in World War II and has players assume the role of an OSS agent who’s charged with subverting and fighting back against Nazis. In addition to a multiplayer mode, the game will feature a single-player campaign that is estimated to last 10-12 hours, along with mini documentaries produced in cooperation with World War II veterans.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/respawn-boss-to-lead-ea-dice-la-studio/1100-6472474/
STALKER 2 Will Use Unreal Engine, Epic Games And Steam Status To Be Determined
In a tweet from the official Twitter account for the STALKER game series, developer GSC Game World officially announced that it is using Unreal Engine 4 for the upcoming sequel STALKER 2. The previous games, which are several years old at this point, used the proprietary X-Ray Engine that allowed those games to stand out visually at the time with stunning lighting, shadows, and weather, but it seems that Unreal will make things simpler for the devs.
GSC Game World stated that “UE was the most suitable choice for us.” Its statement continued, “It gives the opportunity to make the game you wait for with the atmosphere of tension and mystery, the flesh and blood of the STALKER universe.” The team also mentioned that mods factored into the decision, saying, “Unreal Engine harmonizes well with our goal to make modding more easy and accessible.”
For those unaware, Unreal Engine is owned and developed by Epic Games. Questions about Epic Games Store exclusivity naturally begin to pop up in light of the engine announcement, but GSC Game World addressed the speculation rather bluntly. It stated, “Yes, we know what you are thinking about, but this announcement has nothing to do with platforms or digital stores. We will talk about this later.”
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is powered by Unreal Engine: pic.twitter.com/RdDWr4yYj3
— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) January 2, 2020
Very little is known about the game at the moment, though it’s likely to build on the open first-person shooter/RPG hybrid foundation of the original games. Back in March of last year, the official STALKER 2 website was updated with key art and foreboding atmospheric music. A full STALKER sequel was planned in 2010 and was eventually cancelled in 2012; this upcoming STALKER 2 is a separate project. STALKER 2 is said to launch sometime in 2021.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/stalker-2-will-use-unreal-engine-epic-games-and-st/1100-6472473/
Pokemon Go: Last Chance To Catch Virizion
Pokemon Go is kicking off the new year with a variety of events this month, including the return of the Legendary Pokemon Heatran. Before it arrives, however, you still have a little time left to catch the current Legendary, Virizion, but you’ll need to act fast as it leaves the game on January 7.
Until then, you can encounter Virizion in five-star Raids. As usual, you’ll first need to team up with other players and battle the Legendary Pokemon before you can earn a chance to catch it. Virizion is a dual Grass/Fighting type, which makes it especially vulnerable to Flying Pokemon like Zapdos and Lugia. Fire, Ice, Poison, Psychic, and Fairy types also have an advantage over Virizion.
Once Virizion leaves Raids, the aforementioned Heatran will take its place until February 4. Heatran was previously available in Pokemon Go, but this time around, you’ll have your first chance to capture its Shiny form. You can read more details on the official Pokemon Go website.
In the meantime, Pokemon Go’s Hatchathon event returns for another year from January 2-16. During that time, you’ll be able to hatch party hat-wearing versions of Pichu and Wurmple, while party hat Pikachu, Raticate, and Wobbuffet will appear in the wild and Raids. You’ll also earn extra Stardust, Rare Candies, and other rewards like the Unova Stone when you walk certain distances.
On top of that, a new Research Breakthrough reward is available this month. Each time you achieve a Research Breakthrough in January, you’ll encounter a Lapras that knows Ice Shard or Ice Beam, making this the first time you can get the Pokemon with those moves since 2018.
Finally, January 2020’s Community Day is set for Sunday, January 19, although Niantic has not yet revealed this month’s featured Pokemon. You can catch up on more Pokemon Go news below.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-last-chance-to-catch-virizion/1100-6472471/
