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A new Hot Sale is underway on GOG.com,
conceptually offering relief from the cold spell that many of us are enduring.
The heat the DRM-free marketplace brings comes in the form of discounts as high
as 90%. Actually, they are offering one 100% discount, as
this includes one of their signature freebies: You can pick up a copy of
DISTRAINT: Deluxe
Edition completely gratis for the next two days. Here's word on the sale
and the giveaway: JAN 23 - GOG.COM’s HOT SALE is here to warm you up with
deals you cannot miss. The DRM-free storefront hand-picked more than 100 offers,
featuring some of the bestselling games from the recent Winter Sale and
introduced the highest discount on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt GOTY. On top of
that, there’s a free game to be claimed by anyone who is a GOG.COM user.
Get DISTRAINT for free for the next 48 hours, till January 25, 2:00 PM UTC! To
celebrate the release of the psychological horror adventure series on GOG.COM,
you can claim the first part from the main page banner. And if you want to
follow Price’s next adventures, DISTRAINT 2 is currently 20% off.
Crytek announces they are collaborating with Improbable to create a AAA game
that combines Improbable's SpatialOS platform and Crytek's CRYENGINE as well as
a full SDK to support other such projects: We wanted to follow up on our
recent blog post about our commitment to open development and our work with
Improbable on an integration between their SpatialOS platform and CRYENGINE.
Crytek is happy to join Epic Games and Improbable in reaffirming our commitment
to giving game developers the best combination of engine and games technology,
supported by empowering standards that work for everyone.
Crytek is committed to making solutions available to its developers that allow
them to create unique interactive experiences, while respecting their freedom of
choice of tools and services.
With that in mind, Crytek is planning to work closely with Improbable to create
a
fully-featured SpatialOS Game Development Kit for CRYENGINE for its
forthcoming titles. Progress has already been made on this, and CRYENGINE
developer Automaton has created its own open source integration with SpatialOS
for its forthcoming 1000-player battle royale title
Mavericks: Proving Grounds.
A
post on Gamasutra from last week that we missed at the time offers another
opportunity to marvel at the high finances of Star Citizen, and the
phenomenal
crowdfunding surrounding the upcoming space game(s) (thanks
PC Gamer). Word is the recent burn rate of the project is about $4 million
per month, so they are making use of the over $200 million they've raised so
far. Here's part of the summary: According to the document, CIG has spent
$193.3 million since 2012, with $14.23 million left in reserve. About $48.8
million of that was spent in 2017, putting the company’s most recently reported
monthly spending at about an average of $4 million.
Revenue sources were split into three main categories, including Kickstarter
pledges, subscriptions, and "other" income from partnerships with hardware and
software vendors. Based on the graph provided, it doesn't seem like the company
has been able to keep steady since 2014, after its initial explosion in revenue
upon launch at the end of 2012 and into 2013.
This is pretty interesting, as Star Citizen is still in development but has
already brought about $200 million in revenue for the company. Apparently, only
one percent of that was due to traditional crowdfunding.
VentureBeat reports a startup called Network Next is taking advantage of net
un-neutrality by creating what they call "an internet fast lane for online
games." They report the company has raised $4.4 million for this, and has
already signed on a first client, Rocket League developer Psyonix. Here's
a bit on what they are promising: The internet is broken for games, and
the Santa Monica, California-based company wants to change that. The global
network has been optimized to deliver static and streaming content, not
interactive, real-time applications like online multiplayer games that require
high performance and the lowest latency possible. (GamesBeat will be holding a
session on multiplayer gaming during the Game Developers Conference in March).
“We believe that game traffic should be prioritized above other internet traffic
and could not be more thrilled to partner with investors who share that belief,”
said Glenn Fiedler, the CEO of Network Next and a 20-year veteran of game
development, in a statement. “With this new investment, we’ll be able to grow
our team and continue the development of our technology, which will ensure that
we can deliver on our vision.”
Network Next’s technology is integrated into the game and stiches together a
fast lane across the internet. It partners with game developers to specify their
performance requirements and Network Next’s technology finds the fastest, most
consistent route for each player, delivering a better gaming experience.
Producer's Letter on the EverQuest Website celebrates the upcoming 20th
anniversary of EverQuest, the venerable MMORPG that was so addictively popular
back in the day that it earned the nickname EverCrack (thanks Ken). The letter,
written by Executive Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale, has more perspective
on the state of 20th century computing at the game's debut in March 1999: "EQ’s
launch feels a world away now, lest we forget dial-up modems, Y2K panic, CRT
monitors, 640x480, open-book medding, corpse runs, lost corpses, ninja looting,
guild drama, dawn of DKP, and so many other moments." Word is they still have
plans for new content and servers, as well as an IRL celebration they say is
likely to come this summer: In this anniversary year, let’s live the
legacy of EQ and turn it up to 20, and focus on what has made this game great –
you, the community.
Our anniversary events in game in March include a brand new land, raids, and
rares with a story about preserving our past, and it’s free.
We are aiming at two new progression servers with two approaches – one hardcore
and one ultra-casual. Rules will be coming soon as we sort them out over the
coming weeks with both new servers launching around the anniversary on March 16.
We also want to celebrate with you IRL! We’re working on pulling together an EQ
fan event so we can hang out with you, our honored guests. Timing for that event
is likely to be summer, but I’m hoping to announce more details on
timing/location in March for those who want to plan ahead with your own family,
guildies, and friends and join us!
This trailer for
Far Cry New Dawn highlights the story in the upcoming installment in the Far Cry
series of first-person shooters. Can they claim the sh*t is real when they spell
it with an aster*sk like that? Read on and view the clip to decide for yourself:
Sh*t just got real. Face off against the ruthless highwaymen and their
leaders the Twins as you fight to survive in a dangerous post-apocalyptic
frontier. Form unexpected alliances, build a deadly arsenal of makeshift weapons
and gear using the remnants of the old world to survive against all new threats.
Far Cry New Dawn will be available on PS4, Xbox One and PC on February 15th,
2019
Continue here to read the full story.
Ubisoft offers a new trailer from
For Honor as a harbinger of the Year of the Harbinger, which is the title of
Season 3 for the melee combat game. The new season begins on January 31st, and
the new clip promises a deep dive into what to expect. For more, they offered
details on this last month and they are
planning a livestream tomorrow on
Twitch. The description of today's video is especially brief: "Since launch
we’ve added 10 new heroes, 2 new game modes, tons of events, and we’re just
getting started. Welcome to the Year of the Harbinger." Continue here to read the full story.
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong is now available for Windows and macOS
on
Steam, carrying a 15% launch discount. This comedic, physics-based puzzle
game explores the macabre ponderings of about anyone who has ever sat in a ski
lift contemplating the potential for disaster they represent. A
new trailer ably
illustrates this, and the announcement has all the details on what's changes
since Early Access: When Ski Lifts Go Wrong combines the joy of
mechanical engineering with the mischievous pratfalls of sending hapless winter
sports enthusiasts to their doom. To accompany this commercial launch, new
summer environments have been added to the game, bringing the total level count
to over 100. The added content also includes new vehicles such as the motorbike
and bicycle, additional music, new achievements, Steam trading cards and bug
fixes.
Continue here to read the full story.
Link of the Day:
Cockatiel sings "Another One Bites the Dust." Come for the song, stay for
the Freddie Mercury action figure.
As noted last night, the VIP demo for
Anthem begins on Friday for preorder customers and EA Access subscribers,
and will open to all a week later on February 1st. To allow players to maximize
the experience, the demo is now available for pre-download on all platforms.
Naturally enough the PC edition is available through
EA's Origin
service. Another
recent post explains
differences between the demo and the full game, and
this prior post also talks about what to
expect: We conduct playtests to ensure the key systems and technology
that power the game will hold up when we launch. For this one specifically, we
are focusing on load balancing and scale testing our servers and matchmaking. We
will be focusing the time windows of the playtest to give you the best
opportunity to experience a slice of the game with others. We will also shut
down the servers and games multiple times without notice and bring them all up
again. This playtest is all about the group experience and the dedicated
servers. We’ve focused the content on what is outside of Fort Tarsis to give you
a chance to enjoy that experience. We’ve purposely built a small slice of the
game, so we can look at those things while you play and enjoy the game.
Therefore, the content in this playtest is about a month old and isn’t
reflective of how the game looks and performs today or how it will at
launch.
Publisher 2tainment announces a February 21st release date for Bannermen,
Pathos Interactive's medieval real-time strategy game that was
crowdfunded through Kickstarter.
"2tainment is always looking for great games and great developers, and we’ve
found both with Bannermen and Pathos Interactive," says Alexander Wagner,
Product Manager. "We think fans of RTS games will appreciate Pathos’ fresh
approach to the genre and are excited for the upcoming release of the game." To
celebrate the news they offer a
new trailer
highlighting the game's campaign, though this features Ken Burns-style, still
image animations, rather than gameplay, which is odd with the game due next
month (you can see early versions of the game in action in
this teaser from over
a year ago). Here's more: Developer Pathos Interactive and publisher
2tainment GmbH today announced a February 21, 2019 release date for their
real-time-strategy (RTS) title Bannermen on PC via Steam. The game combines
classic RTS elements such as base-building and resource management, with unique
new environmental magic. These special spells allow players to summon lightning
strikes, tornadoes, volcano outbursts, and more deadly nature-based effects
which not only turn the tide of battle, but can change the face of the game
world itself. Bannermen features four game modes and an expansive game world for
the taking!
Bannermen takes place in the realm of Valtoria, a low-fantasy medieval world
ravaged by decades of war, starvation, and natural disasters. Players take on
the role of Lord Berrian trying to recapture his kingdom’s former glory, finding
and rallying bannermen to battle against a host of tribes and the dark Lord
Karthor. By utilizing nature powers — a core feature of Bannermen — players can
leverage natural phenomena such as lightning strikes to electrocute armies, take
advantage of dust storms that limit vision to sneak past enemies, and much more.
With a fully story-driven campaign, each mission contains varied gameplay and
challenges designed to push the narrative forward. Bannermen also provides
online multiplayer modes with matchmaking and ladders.
Continue here to read the full story.
Sonar Beat is now available
on Steam for
Windows and macOS, offering a rhythm game where you defend your submarine with
the power of music. There are also versions for iOS and Android for those on the
go. The release trailer
offers a look and listen, and the announcement has more details: "In Sonar Beat,
you play through a radar interface using your sensor cone to detect enemies
approaching the center. You must destroy each enemy at the precise moment that
your sensor gets in contact with it. If you fail, the enemy will come closer by
and you will ultimately lose." Continue here to read the full story.
A new trailer for
The Spy Who Shot Me (aka "The spy who shot me™") shows off this a retro-styled first-person shooter for
Windows that's currently in Early Access
on
Steam. As the trailer shows, this is a real throwback, paying homage to Goldeneye with graphics that would look right at home on an N64 in 1997.
Publisher/developer Retro Army Limited says this is nearing the end of its Early
Access run and should be released fully in a few weeks: "The Spy Who Shot Me™
was launched in Early Access back in April, 2018, and it will remain like that
for a few weeks more. The full version of the game will contain new areas, side
objectives, more difficulty levels and many other secrets." Continue here to read the full story.
The everyone wants in on the action edition:
Congrats to the
newest members of the baseball Hall of Fame, Mariano Rivera, Edgar Martinez,
Roy Halladay, and Mike Mussina. Rivera made history by becoming the first
nominee to receive 100% of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of
America. Thus ends the theory that it would be impossible to get the
hyper-opinionated group that comprises the BWAA to completely agree on anything.
Actually, there was a grand tradition of intentionally not electing anyone
unanimously, and I'm not sure why they broke with that this time. That's okay by
me though, as long as they stick to their guns an continue to shun known
cheaters like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, who did so much to erode my
affection for the sport.
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