Archived News:
Electronic Arts has closed down the EA Mythic studio in Fairfax, Virginia,
reports
GameInformer, where they indicate this is the end of the road for Mythic
Entertainment, the Dark Age of Camelot developer they
acruired in 2006. The studio's big project
for EA was Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, which has already shut
down, and their last game was the heavily criticized mobile, free-to-play reboot
of Dungeon Keeper. Oddly, one of the most prominent features on the
still-live Mythic
Entertainment website is word that they are hiring. Game Informer has a
statement on the closure from EA: We are closing the EA Mythic location in
Fairfax, Virginia, as we concentrate mobile development in our other studio
locations,” a representative told us via email. “We are working with all
impacted employees to provide assistance in finding new opportunities, either
within EA or with other companies via an upcoming job fair.
Kalypso Media announces that the retail edition of Tropico 5 is being delayed
due to a manufacturing issue. The digitally distributed version came out
last week, when word was to expect a boxed
version in North America on June 3rd. Now word is June 17th is when to expect
this, so pass along the news to anyone you know camped out in front of GameStop
waiting. Word is: "Fans and consumers who pre-ordered Tropico 5 for retail will
be glad to know that the teams are working hard to solve the manufacturing issue
and that they will receive the complete Tropico 5 retail package on this date."
Steam News announces a
66% off sale is underway for
PAYDAY 2, coinciding
with a free-play weekend for the co-op heist sequel. The sale ends Monday at
1:00 pm EDT and the free weekend concludes Sunday at 4:00 pm EDT. Here's a
refresher on the game: Up to four friends co-operate on the hits, and as
the crew progresses the jobs become bigger, better and more rewarding. Along
with earning more money and becoming a legendary criminal comes a new character
customization and crafting system that lets crews build and customize their own
guns and gear.
How to Hack a Car:
Phreaked Out (Episode 2) continues to explore the real world implications of
the kind of hacking exploits featured in Watch Dogs, Ubisoft's just-released
action game. Here's word: "Information security researcher Mathew Solnik gave us
a first-hand demonstration on how to wirelessly send commands to the car and
remotely tell it what to do. With a little over a grand and about a month of
work, Solnik found time outside of his full-time job to reverse-engineer a car's
computer system to make it ready for a takeover." While we're at it, we'll
note a couple of clips related to the games reveal, one
comparing the E3 2012 reveal to the PC release and the
other a
spoof E3 reveal trailer using the release version of the game. Continue here to read the full story.
- Among the Sleep on
Steam. Save 10%.
- Europa Universalis IV on
Steam. Save 75%.
- RPG Maker VX Ace on
Steam. Save 75% -
Free weekend currently underway.
- Sniper Elite 3 on
Steam. Save 20% on
prepurchases.
- Vendetta Bundle on Bundle
Stars.
Activision offers details on the Invasion DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts,
saying this will launch exclusively for Xbox One on June 3rd before coming to
other platforms for the military shooter sequel, presumably about a month after that. They offer
this trailer from the
pack, and the following overview of its contents: "Call of Duty: Ghosts Invasion
delivers four new multiplayer maps from unique locales around the world, each
with hidden secrets and unique Field Orders. Invasion also includes "Episode 3:
Awakening," the next thrilling chapter in Extinction's four-part episodic
narrative taking players deep into an alien underworld to discover the truth
behind the Cryptid attack." Here are further details: Invasion's four new
small-to-medium-sized multiplayer maps feature the fast-paced gameplay Call of
Duty fans crave, each one donning a distinct look, feel and unique killstreak.
"Departed" is a medium-sized map set in a rural Mexican town during the Dia de
los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. The colorfully decorated streets,
vendor carts and storefronts provide ample cover for run-and-gunners, and
players that complete the map's unique Field Order will unlock the Death
Mariachi killstreak. Armed with dual-wielding pistols, the Death Mariachi
settles scores, with each kill turning enemy players into another member of the
band, and a temporary squad mate.
Continue here to read the full story.
The
Roberts Space Industries website announces a delay to the release of the
Arena Commander module, which
was supposed to go out to
Star Citizen backers today. There was a simpler time 12 days ago when
this seemed feasible, but it turned out to be too ambitious, as they note there
are at least two show-stopping "blocker" bugs among the remaining issues with
the module. They offer a complete list of the bugs they are chasing, and word is
there will be daily progress reports until Arena Commander is released: It
would be foolish to release an unstable build, even if pre-alpha for the sake of
meeting an internal deadline. This is the power of the crowdfunding that made
Star Citizen possible: a publisher would make us ship tomorrow regardless of the
current build quality… but as you are all focused on quality rather than a
financial return for shareholders we are able to take a few more days to deliver
something that is stable.
I know that’s not the news you wanted to hear tonight. No-one would like to see
the community get their hands on Arena Commander more than I would.
This is what can happen with an open development process, especially when we are
sharing code and content long before one normally would in traditional
development. But I don’t think you would want it any other way! The Star Citizen
team feeds off of your incredible enthusiasm and your energy for the project…
and we want more than anything to see what happens when you get into space.
In order to keep our backers as informed as possible, I’m asking the production
team to provide DAILY updates for the community until Arena Commander V0.8
ships. This will be the raw stuff: lists of bugs and other information to tell
you the current health of the build. You will see the same information I do, and
you will be able to follow as we resolve each “blocker” preventing the build’s
release.
Preorders for Battlefield Hardline are already being offered
Amazon.com and Origin as either a $59.99
standard edition or a $69.99
deluxe edition, with Origin showing a fall 2014 release and Amazon listing a
December 31, 2014 release date for the just-announced shooter sequel (thanks
MP1st). Just because they are selling the deluxe edition, however, doesn't
mean they are ready to reveal what you get for your extra ten dollars, as they
say: "Check back on June 9 at 1pm PDT for more information and videos from
Battlefield Hardline, including a more detailed description of the bonus content
included in the Digital Deluxe edition." There is also an update on
The Battlefield Blog where DICE's Karl Magnus Troedsson promises continued
support for Battlefield 4 in light of development of the new
game: Let me tell you about a few ways we’re going to continue to improve
the BF4 experience.
Continued Support: There are dedicated BF4 teams in Stockholm,
Uppsala and LA that will continue to address any issues that might occur. But
more importantly will also look to make significant additions to the game.
Netcode Patch: We are also working on a major update to the
Battlefield 4 netcode.
Community Test Environment: We launched and are planning to expand
our Community Test Environment. You can see the CTE as our labs environment in
which we’ll continue testing out new additions, improvements etc. before we go
live with them. We’re expanding the CTE program to give more and more players
the chance to test new additions.
More Features: Other features rolled out recently such as Squad
Join, Rent-A-Server and Loadout Presets, many which have been directly requested
by you in the community. This trend will continue.
The games we develop are services. We focus on taking care of the games post
launch, delivering new content to those of you who want it and always working
hard to increase quality of play. We also continue to work hard to keep
investing in areas where you tell us you see opportunities for improvements and
new features. Yes, we’re very excited to partner with Visceral on the
development of Battlefield Hardline, but ongoing work to refine and enhance BF4
remains a top priority.
EA announces a
delay to the FIFA 14 Ultimate Team: World Cup launch for Windows and
consoles, as well as the console-only World Cup Kick-Off mode for the
association football/soccer sequel (thanks
CVG). Word is: To ensure the best possible experience, we have
decided to delay the launch of FIFA 14 Ultimate Team: World Cup
(PC/PS3/PS4/360/XB1) and the World Cup Kick-Off mode (XB1/PS4).
Knowing that our players have been so excited for these new modes made it a
tough decision. However, as we progressed through final testing we encountered
unforeseen issues that would affect all users who downloaded the update, so it’s
important to address them first before release.
Our team is currently working hard to have the update ready to release in the
coming days.
On Thursday evening (EU time) we will keep you updated on our progress. Be sure
to follow @EASPORTSFIFA for further updates on FUT World Cup and World Cup
Kick-Off.
Redbana Philippines is now accepting signups for a second round of closed beta
testing for Football Club Manager (aka FCManager), their upcoming
association football/soccer game not to be confused with Football Manager from
Sports Interactive and SEGA. Those interested are invited to apply on the
FCManager Global website for the testing,
and they say the second beta will involve server stability issue resolution, bug
fixes and new "secret" events.
Zero Point Software announces that owners of the deluxe Spearhead version
of Interstellar Marines are now entitled to access early beta versions of
upcoming builds of the throwback shooter. The game is available via Early Access
on Steam, which we
thought was all about access to such development builds, but they specify this
relates to the Spearhead edition, which is more than twice the cost of the
standard version. "We’re also really pleased to be giving something back to
those players who have invested a little extra in Interstellar Marines,"
explains Kim Haar Jørgensen, Creative Director. "As an Early Access game we rely
completely on the feedback and support of our amazing community. To be able to
give our Spearheads early access to new updates is one way we can repay them for
the awesome support and encouragement they continue to provide to us." They say
they have already released a beta update for Spearhead owners to test, saying it
will expand and enhance the new Deadlock game mode.
Steam
now offers Monochroma, the new "cinematic" puzzle/platformer from Nowhere
Studios, with the game carrying a 10% discount for the next week. Here's word on
the game, which is always in colorblind mode: Monochroma offers a deeply
visual, intellectual and emotional experience. The game has a unique approach to
storytelling without using any written or spoken words. Therefore it requires
the player to be actively involved to understand the narrative. The story itself
becomes part of the puzzle. Gameplay, visuals and the very limited color palette
are used in an expressionist way to help telling the story. The player will find
lots of references to other movies, books and games in the dystopian world of
Monochroma. The challenge of the game is to make the player think about himself,
his role in the society and the system we're living in.
GOG.com is now selling
SimCity 4 Deluxe
Edition, a DRM-free version of the 2003 installment in the urban
planning series, a stark contrast from the more recent SimCity reboot, which
launched with DRM that required always-on play (though this requirement was
eventually lifted. Word is this includes the Rush Hour expansion and is
75% off for the next three days: "Sim City 4™ Deluxe Edition--including the Rush
Hour expansion pack--promises countless hours of tinkering with an urban
ecosystem to series veterans and newbies alike. Don your building hats, and get
the game for $4.99 within the first 72 hours post-release (regular price:
$19.99), completely DRM-free on GOG.com."
An
updated forum thread on the Epic Games website now offers patches for
Unreal Tournament 3 to save the multiplayer shooter from the fallout of the
imminent shutdown of GameSpy
services. They have client and server patches, and while they note the
Steam version of the game will update automatically, they also say the manual
patch will work for the Steam edition as well as the retail version. There are
some follow-up posts noting that stat tracking is gone (saying, "Gamepsy will
not share that tech with Epic"), and that saved games and friends lists will be
gone after patching. Thanks
BeyondUnreal.
I'm hitting an interesting point in my reading of the A Song of Ice and Fire
series, as I started reading after last season of Game of Thrones ended with the
intent of reading up to the point where the show ended. The complication is how
they stopped last season in the middle of book three, which right now leaves me
sort of right at the moment of truth, except it's not so cut-and-dried, as I
have already read a few things before seeing them due to differences in how the
story is being shown versus written. This gray area is probably a slippery slope
that will lead to me just reading on past the show, to which I'm sort of
resigned.
R.I.P.:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Manchester United owner Malcolm Glazer dies at 85.
|
Twitter 
