Archived News:
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2021 Happy Birthday Qtest (1996)
BioWare Ends Anthem NEXT Project [8:03 pm ET] – Share – 42 Comments
An Anthem Update on
the BioWare Blog announces that the efforts to save Anthem
revealed a year ago will cease, and they
are no longer working on the Anthem NEXT update to resurrect the
multiplayer action/RPG. They do say the current version of Anthem will remain
available. This means the
report Bloomberg from a
couple of weeks ago turned out to be accurate in predicting the company was
in the process of deciding the game's fate. BioWare's Christian Dailey explains
that the stress of working remotely during COVID-19 factored into the decision
to give up on the game. He says BioWare's focus going forward will be the next
Dragon Age and Mass Effect games while continuing support Star
Wars: The Old Republic:
In the spirit of transparency and closure we wanted to share that we’ve made the difficult decision to stop our new development work on Anthem (aka Anthem NEXT). We will, however, continue to keep the Anthem live service running as it exists today.Continue here to read the full story.
Since Anthem’s launch, the team has been working hard to continually improve the game, releasing multiple updates that brought with them a variety of improvements and introduced new content to play. Towards the end of 2019 we expanded on that effort and started working on a more fundamental restructure of the game.
During the development we’ve provided updates revealing some of the team’s work through blog posts and conversations with you on social media and it’s been inspiring for us to see the positive reactions and feedback. I’ve been incredibly proud of the work the team has been doing, and excited to see and play each new build of the experience.
2020 was a year unlike any other however and while we continue to make progress against all our game projects at BioWare, working from home during the pandemic has had an impact on our productivity and not everything we had planned as a studio before COVID-19 can be accomplished without putting undue stress on our teams.
Cyberpunk 2077 Patch Delayed [8:03 pm ET] – Share – 13 Comments
A series
of tweets from CD PROJEKT RED announce that the release of the promised
version 1.2 patch for Cyberpunk 2077 is delayed until the second half of
next month. This is part of the Fallout of the
recent breach that lead
to the theft of the source code for the sci-fi RPG. According to
Bloomberg's Jason Schreier that some employees remain unable to log into
CDPR's network since the ransomware attack. Here's what the company says about
it:
While we dearly wanted to deliver Patch 1.2 for Cyberpunk 2077 in the timespan we detailed previously, the recent cyber attack on the studio’s IT infrastructure and extensive scope of the update mean this unfortunately will not happen — we’ll need some additional time.
Our goal for Patch 1.2 goes beyond any of our previous updates. We’ve been working on numerous overall quality improvements and fixes, and we still have work to do to make sure that’s what you get. With that in mind, we’re now aiming for release in the second half of March.
It’s not the news we enjoy sharing, but we want to make sure we launch this update properly. Stay tuned for more information as the time draws closer. Thank you for your continued patience and support. 3/3
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos Released [8:03 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
Team17 is going rogue with the announcement that Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
is now available for Windows
on Steam as well as for Switch. This is a throwback action/adventure for one
to four players that lives up to its title with some modern roguelite elements.
The Launch Trailer
takes a look at gameplay and you can experience it for yourself with the
playable demo. Here's the pitch:
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos takes players on a journey across the land of Tasos and into the depths of challenging, procedurally assembled dungeons located throughout the world. Gems earned during dungeon runs can be used to rebuild your home town of Intori, which in turn grants access to upgrades that can improve your warriors as well as unlocking other classes and equipment.Continue here to read the full story.
Players can help each other out in co-operative play, either locally or online, but those who take on the challenge will have their experiences tailored to them, with puzzles and challenges scaling depending on the number of players. Each hero can be customised, along with a selection of classes, all of which have their own abilities and benefits in gameplay, and players wanting a taste of the action can try a free demo on Steam and Nintendo Switch right now.
On Steam Controller Support [8:03 pm ET] – Share – 4 Comments
A
post on Steam explains how Valve is helping developers and publishers to
better understand their audience by providing new reporting on what sort of
controllers are being used in their games. This comes in a new
Steamworks Sales & Activations dashboard for Steamworks partners. Here's a
bit on the significance of controller support:
Let’s start with some figures for a sense of scale: 48 Million players have used a controller in a game on Steam, with about 10% of daily game sessions being played with a controller. Of course, that controller usage isn’t distributed evenly across all kinds of games. Many RTS games, are hard to play with a controller of any kind and tend to have a much smaller percentage of players using a controller (frequently below 1%). In contrast, many sports and fighting games see over 70% of sessions played with a controller, while racing and skating games can easily have over 90% of players using a controller. On the action and adventure fronts, most 3rd person adventure games see 40-50% of players using a controller, and the majority of FPS games are solidly in the range of 7-8%.
On Sale [8:03 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
- Humble Software Bundle- Learn Front-End Web Development (pay what you want and help charity).*
- Humble Books Bundle- Unf*ck Your Life by Microcosm (pay what you want and help charity).*
*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.
Evening Metaverse [8:03 pm ET] – Share – 7 Comments
- GameStop stock soared and trading was halted. Then Reddit crashed.
- Facebook bowed to demands from Turkey to block one of its military opponents.
- SEC halts trading of iced tea company that pivoted to blockchain.
- Seagate Unveils Lyve Cloud Built to Store, Activate, and Manage the Massive Surge in Data. Thanks Hypothermia.
- YouTube will expand parental controls for tweens and teens.
- Tor Browser version 10.0.12. Thanks ConsoleGenRL and Ant.
Evening Tech Bits [8:02 pm ET] – Share – 10 Comments
Thanks ConsoleGenRL and Neutronbeam.
- President Biden Wants To 'Review' A Cause Of PS5, Graphics Card Shortages.
- AMD To Unveil Next Radeon RX 6000 Video Card On March 3rd.
- RTX 3060 is Just 10% Faster Than Its Predecessor In Synthetic Tests.
- NVIDIA Expects To Earn $5 Billion Revenue This Quarter Following Record Revenue In Q4 & FY 2021.
- Microsoft slashes Windows 10 long-term support by half.
- GIGABYTE Releases the AORUS WATERFORCE X SERIES AIO Liquid Cooler. Thanks Hypothermia.
- Autodesk spends $1 billion to acquire Innovyze.
- 89% of IT pros feel 'immense pressure' at work.
- Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21322.
- Winamp Community Update Project Preview Build #7170 Changelog.
- NSFW Mousepad Gets A Surprising Number Of Pre-Orders.
Evening Safety Dance [8:02 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
- Why company security isn't just an IT problem.
- More than 6,700 VMware servers exposed online and vulnerable to major new bug.
- Google funds Linux kernel developers to work exclusively on security.
- Clop ransomware gang leaks online what looks like stolen Bombardier blueprints of GlobalEye radar snoop jet. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
etc., etc. [8:02 pm ET] – Share – 2 Comments
Into the Black [8:02 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
Last Link of the Day:
Tiny
Baby Stoat Has The Best Reaction. Now everybody's going to want one!
Standalone Call of Duty Zombies Rumor [12:33 pm ET] – Share – 4 Comments
A tweet
from Tom Henderson says a separate Call of Duty zombies game is in
the works (thanks
GameRant). Tom is an ongoing source of such details who has been called
"credible" by no less credible source
Reddit. Further support for the plausibility of his information can be
inferred from the fact that his Twitter account
was recently suspended for sharing Battlefield 6 information, so this
comes from his new account.
Here's word:
There is a separate Call of Duty zombies project in early development, that is currently not connected to any title.
Valheim Passes 4 Million Players [12:33 pm ET] – Share – 33 Comments
A
post on Steam announces the meteoric success of Iron Gate's Viking survival
game continues, as Valheim has now surpassed four million players just 22
days following its launch. Here's word:
When Valheim first hit Steam Early Access just three weeks ago, we hoped that all the hard work our small team put into the game these past three years would get the attention it deserved.Continue here to read the full story.
Little did we know just how much Valheim would resonate with all four million of you.
That’s right! Three weeks into Early Access, and we’ve hit another milestone, four million brave souls embarking on the most dangerous feat in over a thousand years of Viking history - trying to make Odin proud.
Days Gone PC Features and Specs [12:33 pm ET] – Share – 10 Comments
A Steam Listing
is now online for the
just announced PC
edition of Days Gone. They outline what to expect from this version of
the action/adventure, as well as some PC-specific features: "PC features include
ultra-wide monitor support, unlocked framerates and improved graphics (increased
level of details, field of view, foliage draw distances)." They also outline the
game's system requirements, which includes a recommendation of an SSD:
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
MINIMUM:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bits
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K@3.3GHz or AMD FX 6300@3.5GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 (3 GB) or AMD Radeon R9 290 (4 GB)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 70 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD for storage and 16 GB of memory is recommended
RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bits
Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K@3.5GHz or Ryzen 5 1500X@3.5GHz
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (8 GB)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 70 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD for storage is recommended
Geneforge 1 – Mutagen Released [12:33 pm ET] – Share – 13 Comments
Geneforge 1 – Mutagen is now available, offering the latest fantasy RPG
from indie developer Spiderweb Software. The Windows and macOS editions are
available through the
Epic Games Store,
GOG.com, or
Steam,
and they promise an iPad version will come later this year. This complete
remaster of Geneforge from 2001 was made possible by
a
Kickstarter that allowed them to expand upon the original.
This trailer provides a look at the modernized edition of the game, which
still maintains Spiderweb's throwback style, and if you want a hands-on sample,
there's a playable demo on the
Spiderweb Website.
Here's the pitch:
Geneforge 1 – Mutagen is one of the most open-ended role-playing games available. Choose between a host of rival factions. Use magic or your deadly pets to crush your enemies. Or, use trickery, diplomacy, and stealth to win the game without ever attacking a foe. Destroy the final boss, or switch sides and join him. Fight alone or create your own army of custom-made mutant monsters.Continue here to read the full story.
In Geneforge 1 – Mutagen, enter the world of the Shapers. The Shapers are wizards with the awesome power to create life. Need a servant, or a pet, or a tool, or a mighty beast to fight and die for you? The Shapers create it, and it totally obeys you. Usually.
PAYDAY 2 Gets Jiu Feng Smuggler Pack [12:33 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
A new Jiu Feng Smuggler Pack is now available
on Steam for PAYDAY
2, the Windows and macOS heist sequel. This comes along with a version
203 update for the base game, and
this post has the details on the DLC and a full changelog for the patch.
Here's word on the pack:
San Francisco, a port that bridges between the east and the west and the home turf of the smuggler Jiu Feng. He brings a brand new DLC with lots of contraband that reflect this duality. He starts off his offer with 3 new weapons. The Mosconi 12G Tactical Shotgun, a powerful weapon when used up close and personal against any ill-advised opponent. The AK Gen 21 Tactical Submachine gun, one or two firearms, perfect firearm handling escalating situations abruptly and with a barrage of bullets. The Crosskill Chunky Compact Pistol one or two little get-out-of-trouble free cards to keep in your sleeve when the cops are after you and the neighbourhood is starting to look unfriendly.
However Jiu Feng is a business man and he knows a good business deal starts with a good offer so he brings even more to the table. 20 new weapon colors that take inspiration from both sides of the great ocean. He even has one extra weapon color for you that you will be able to try out right away for free.
Unity 2020 Gaming Benchmark Report [12:32 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
Unity announces the release of their 2020 Gaming Benchmark Report, saying
this reveals how the pandemic changed player behaviors. They say this is free on
their website, but the
link they provide doesn't seem to be live just yet. In the meantime they
offer some highlights:
Key insights include:
- New content, new revenue: Creating new content to delight and engage players should still be a top priority for game developers. On average, large new content updates for live multiplayer games resulted in peak concurrent user spikes of over 11%.
- Making cross-platform, multiplayer games will be key to success: Success in 2020 was derived from experiences that spanned all platforms, unlocking the ability for players to come together no matter what system they owned. As we move into 2021, 96% of developers surveyed believe scalable cross platform solution is critical to the success of a multiplayer game.
- The weekday is the new weekend: More people are now playing games during the week: while gaming has historically been an activity that many reserve for the weekends, the difference between weekday and weekend gaming in 2020 increased by 52% in weekday’s favor.
- Lockdown didn’t create a downturn for mobile games: Mobile players are driving more revenue for game developers than ever, with day one in-app purchase increasing at the start of lockdown in March and maintaining throughout the year. Overall mobile game ad revenues in 2020 grew by more than 8%, first- day IAP purchases rose by over 50% compared to 2019.
Thunderful Acquires Headup [12:32 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Thunderful announces the acquisition of German game publisher and developer
Headup (thanks
Gamasutra). Here are the financial details: "Thunderful will pay EUR 5
million in cash upfront. In addition, Thunderful will pay an earn-out component
subject to Headup’s performance in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The earn-out
consideration is capped at EUR 6m and consists of 2.5 million EUR in newly
issued Thunderful shares with a clawback mechanism as well as future payments of
EUR 3.5 million in a mix of cash and shares. The total maximum consideration of
the acquisition is thus EUR 11 million." Here's Headup's résumé:
Over the past decade, Headup has time and again (2012, 2013, 2017, 2019) won the category "Best Game Publisher" at the German Developers Awards. Among the successes are the game series Bridge Constructor, Trüberbrook which won the title Best German Game 2019, and the Mega Grant winner Pumpkin Jack. Over the years, Headup has published an extensive catalogue of games and also collaborated with well-known game developers on unique special editions of titles such as LIMBO, The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy, QUBE and Terraria.
Headup is currently developing an unannounced game based on a world-renowned IP. They are also involved in several production and publishing projects. All in all, the Headup projects will strengthen Thunderful's existing pipeline in 2021 and beyond.
Oracle Trials in Session [12:32 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Oracle Trials is now available
on Steam,
offering a 2D platformer for Windows which, despite the title, has nothing to do
with the Oracle Law Firm. Those who
recall the abs-of-steel epic 300 will be pleased to learn this allows you to
play as King Leonidas, though
this
game trailer has no sign of the sultry sexiness of the oracle in the film.
Madness? This is Sparta!:
Oracle Trials challenges you to play as King Leonidas on a mission to regain the stolen power of the ancient Oracle and defeat the Evil Phalanx tribe. Featuring an Ancient Greek theme full of gods, demi-gods, spirits and heroes, you are the only hope for success! Each level within the game takes you back in time shedding nuggets about Oracles as you play. Collect gems to achieve the highest possible score and fight to ultimately restore peace by overcoming evil foes.Continue here to read the full story.
Oracle Trials is 2D arcade-action at its best and is just the beginning of a new series of games with a mission-pack in the works offering even more platforming fun. With its pure gameplay, intuitive controls and cute and adorable cartoony vector art graphics, fans of the genre will instantly feel at home. Fight a variety of fierce enemies as you play, overcome obstacles such as lava, swamps, and spikes, and jump on opponent heads to reach otherwise unapproachable locations with bonuses! Treasure chests can be found and must be unlocked, but be wary of levers triggering various expected – and quite unexpected – effects!
Nigate Tale Announced [12:32 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Developer Hermit Games and publisher 2P Games announce Nigate Tale is
coming to Early Access in Q2 of this year bringing an anime dungeon crawler
inspired by Isekai. There's a chance to play this before then, however, as they
are accepting applications
on Steam
to the closed beta. Here's a previously released
trailer,
and here's the un-spellchecked tale of the Tale:
In Nigate Tale you play as Roy, a young passionated craftsman that loves engeneering and living adventures. One day, you were flying in your airplaine when a strange cloud sucked you into a strange, unknown world inhabited by strange magical creatures. After crashing in the sewers of a castle, the only way out lies in exploring every corner of this ever-changing fortress to find all the missing parts. Your exploration will allow you to piece together the secret story of the castle and its owner, unveiling the thousands-years-old miystery that trapped it out of time and space.Continue here to read the full story.
But your mission won't be easy at all! You'll have to fight your way out of the labyrinthic corners of this dangerous place, full of monsters, traps and all kinds of hazards. As if you were stuck in a neverending loop, Roy will reappear in the same starting point every time you die. The path never will be the same, but you will have the advantage of the experience, your loot and new allies that will make your path easier to walk.
Morning Multiplex [12:32 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Morning Consolidation [12:32 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
- The epic-sized PlayStation Indies promotion comes to PlayStation Store.
- Star Wars Republic Commando launches on PS4 this April.
- Retrace- Memories Of Death Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
- Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart Of The Forest Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
- Active Neurons 3 - Wonders Of The World Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
- Sir Lovelot Is Now Available For Digital Pre-order And Pre-download On Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
- Marvel's Avengers PS5 And Xbox Series X Graphic Enhancements Detailed.
- Star Wars Republic Commando is coming to PS4 and Switch.
Morning Metaverse [12:32 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Morning Tech Bits [12:32 pm ET] – Share – 17 Comments
- HP to acquire HyperX for $245m.
- Rumor: NVIDIA might launch a new GeForce RTX 3060 “Ampere” GPU with 6GB VRAM.
- How Much Does Mining Spoil The Graphics Card? Video. Thanks DSOGaming.
- Fry's Electronics suddenly went out of business. Thanks RedEye9.
- Pre-NDA Zotac RTX 3060 Torn Down By Crypto-YouTuber.
- Spot: Boston Dynamics condemns robot paintball rampage plan.
- Intel claims your PCIe 4.0 SSD will run faster on Rocket Lake than an AMD system.
- Apple buys a company every three to four weeks.
- M1 Mac Users Report Excessive SSD Wear. Thanks Slashdot.
- BBC Micro at 40: How it inspired a generation of coders.
Hardware Reviews [12:32 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
- Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact chassis review - Guru3D.
- Case: Fractal Meshify 2 Compact Case Review - PCTestBench.
- Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 Case Review - ThinkComputers.org.
- Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact Review- Understated Excellence - Tom's Hardware.
- Keyboard: Kinesis Gaming TKO Tournament Keyboard Review - TechPowerUp.
- Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Master Motherboard Review - TweakTown.
- Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z490 Vision D Motherboard Review - TweakTown.
- Mouse: Cooler Master MM720 and MM711 Gaming Mouse - Overclockers Club.
- Mouse: Dream Machines DM6 Holey Duo Review - TechPowerUp.
- SSD: Patriot P210 2TB 2.5'' SSD Review - Mad Shrimps.
etc. [12:32 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Out of the Blue [12:32 pm ET] – Share – 38 Comments
It's hard to believe a year has passed already, but today marks the first
anniversary of the launch of
our supporter
program. This gives me an opportunity to once again thank all of you who
have chosen to participate. Your generosity goes a long way to ensure
the viability of this site amid the ups and downs of the display advertising
market, and I cannot express my appreciation enough. I would be remiss in not
express appreciation to everyone else, as well. Your loyal readership is the
foundation of the site, and has been an inspiration for me to continue to love
what I do for 25 years and counting. Thank you all.
Obituary: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet and founder of City Lights, dead at 101.
Obituary: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet and founder of City Lights, dead at 101.
Well-Supported Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.Story
Science
Thanks Max.
- There's a rare yellow penguin on South Georgia island, and biologists can't quite explain it.
- Ancient tree tells chaotic tale of Earth’s magnetic field reversal.
- How did dogs get to the Americas- An ancient bone fragment holds clues.
Media
- Koala thriving after dentist makes him a prosthetic foot. Thanks RedEye9.
- Husky Doesn’t Want To Come Inside. Thanks Acleacius.
Follow-up
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