Archived News:
Texas-based developer TimeGate Studios has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection in Texas Southern Bankruptcy Court, reports
Polygon, where they say they have seen the relevant court papers. They say
the Section 8 developer and Aliens: Colonial Marines codefendant
has fewer than 50 creditors and somewhere between $10 million and $50 million in
liabilities, which presumably includes the $7.35 million in compensatory damages
they owe SouthPeak Interactive after
recently losing an appeal of
their court case over Section 8. TimeGate, who just
last month announced a minimalist shooter called Minimum, has not yet
commented on the situation.
Epic Games has launched a public version of Epic Citadel, their engine
demo, as a web-based application that requires no plug-ins to run, as it is
built on standards-based technologies like HTML5, WebGL, and JavaScript. As such
it should run in any browser, though for the moment it seems to favor
Firefox Nightly version 23 or above,
because with all that talk of standards and lack of plug-ins, it also makes use
of "optimizations for asm.js,
a
highly-optimizable subset of JavaScript pioneered by Mozilla, whose
performance can rival native code." The
Unreal
Engine website has further details on this.
Joystiq has a confirmation from Gearbox that the next DLC pack for
Borderlands 2 is titled Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, and it's
coming to the role-playing shooter sequel on June 25. The title was revealed
when Anthony Burch
accidentally revealed it through the Twitter, attempting to rectify this by
deleting the Tweet, but apparently people read this stuff, and it was spotted by
Stealthy Box before it went away. Gearbox also confirms this will be
included with the Borderlands 2 Season Pass, or can be purchased for $10.00.
The Bethesda
Blog puts out the call for beta testers, saying they are opening a new
Bethesda Play Test Lab in the Dallas, TX offices of id Software. They say the
first tests will kick off in the coming weeks, and that players will get the
chance to see games before they are released, and possibly get some swag out of
the deal. Word is: "We are looking for people of all skill levels who enjoy
playing games. We’re interested in your feedback, whether you are a person that
only plays games once in a while or the hardcore gamer that plays everything. If
you’re over 18 and in or around the Dallas area, apply at
playtest.bethsoft.com.
Trion Worlds announces that players have created more than one million accounts
in Defiance since the launch of
the open world shooter one month ago today, less specifically adding that "TV
viewers are tuning in at record cable numbers for the first two episodes" of the
related TV show. They offer some stats from the game's first month, saying more
than a half-billion hellbugs have been killed, 50 million miles have been
driven, and Ark Hunters have engaged in triggering and battling back over one
million Arkfalls.
IGN Video offers a Spies vs. Mercs reveal trailer from Tom Clancy's
Splinter Cell: Blacklist, using gameplay and cinematic footage to show off
the asymmetrical multiplayer in the stealthy sequel. Continue here to read the full story.
The Bethesda
Blog now features a new "Journey to Coldharbour" trailer from The Elder
Scrolls Online, Betheda's upcoming MMORPG. Word is: "We’re taking you
straight to Molag Bal’s realm in this new video. Watch it to get a glimpse of
Coldharbour and some of its inhabitants and to learn more about this malevolent
Daedric Prince’s plans for Tamriel—and your soul." Continue here to read the full story.
The
Might & Magic Heroes 6 Website announces the
Shades of Darkness standalone expansion is now available for Might &
Magic Heroes VI, the turn-based strategy sequel. To celebrate the news, we
have
some screenshots and the
game's launch trailer,
and here's word: A century after the tragic events of Might & Magic
Heroes VI, that determined the heroic fate of a dynasty, Shades of Darkness
recounts, in two original campaigns, pivotal moments in Ashan’s darker history
that will define the future of a decadent underground people and decide the
survival of the dying cult of the Spider Queen. Determine the fates of two
legendary factions; the Dark Elves of Dungeon and the Necromancers of
Necropolis.
Continue here to read the full story.
The Team Fortress 2 blog
has word that the Team Fortress 2 Steampipe conversion is complete, and
the next time users log into the teamplay shooter their installation of the game
will be converted, something that could be a lengthy process even on fast
machines. They note that this is a one-time procedure, after which the game will
operate and update more efficiently. This is a process all Valve's source engine
games are undergoing, which will result in these games no longer sharing any
code. For server operators, there is no automated conversion process, so the
game will have to be reinstalled, but the good news is that server installations
are now much smaller, as they no longer include textures and audio data.
This FAQ has answers to burning questions about this and discusses known
issues.
Counter-Strike co-creator Minh "Gooseman" Le will take to reddit today
for an Ask Me Anything session to discuss his career, and his new first-person
shooter, Tactical Intervention. This will take place at 3:00 pm EDT
today, and this page
offers full details.
Steam News announces
that Project Mayhem is now known as Operation Payback, as their
recently
revealed program to provide a way for the community to remunerate
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map authors for their efforts is now in
place: “Operation
Payback” marks the first of an ongoing series of limited-time updates aimed
at giving a well-earned financial reward to some of CS:GO’s most popular and
prolific mapmakers. For a limited time, you can buy a pass half-priced for
$2.99. That’ll get you unlimited access to a Classic Casual map group featuring
seven of the highest-voted Workshop Maps. Invite your friends (even if they
don’t have a pass) and enjoy uninterrupted low-ping play on official servers—all
while rewarding CS:GO’s top-voted virtual mapmakers with real money. Buying a
pass also gets you a one-of-a-kind challenge coin, upgradable by playing and
viewable wherever your avatar is shown. “Operation Payback” will be live from
now until July 31st, and it’s currently half-priced,
so get in there!
And remember: “Payback” is just the beginning. Future Operations will highlight
all-new collections of popular maps. So stay tuned, keep mapmaking, and keep
upvoting!
We started getting reports a few days back about some sort of odd redirect when
visiting this site using mobile phones. It took a bit to track down, but a
couple of you provided some detail that helped work things out. This has now
been addressed, so hopefully this is the last of it, but if you are still
experiencing this or any other odd behavior of the sort, please let me know.
Sincere apologies for the problems, and thank you for whatever patience with the
situation you were able to maintain.
R.I.P.:
Chris Kelly, half of Kris Kross rap duo, dies.
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