Ubisoft, a leading game developer and publisher, will unveil a new story trailer for its anticipated game Star Wars Outlaws next Tuesday, April 9, at 9 AM Pacific Time (6 PM Central European Time), two months before the planned Ubisoft Forward event. This early reveal is fueling rumors of a possible imminent release for the game.
Star Wars Outlaws, developed by Massive Entertainment, is capturing the attention of not only Star Wars fans but also gaming aficionados. Ubisoft's previous releases, like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6, indicate that the company typically releases trailers shortly before the game's official launch, hinting at a potential near-future release for Star Wars Outlaws.
Given the significance of May 4 as Star Wars Day, an early release of the game would seem fitting, yet for major releases, an extensive marketing campaign is usually required. Furthermore, the recent classification of the game in countries such as South Korea, Australia, and Brazil suggests that the project is ready for launch.
PC specifications have been confirmed: Star Wars Outlaws will support advanced NVIDIA technologies, including DLSS 3, RTX Direct Illumination, and Ray Traced Global Illumination, ensuring a high level of visual fidelity and performance.
The gaming industry often encounters surprising discoveries, and a recent experiment conducted by a Dota 2 enthusiast, known as Kuroyukihime1, exemplifies this. The player found that new accounts in the popular MOBA game Dota 2 exhibit significantly higher frames per second (FPS) compared to older accounts. This observation has piqued the interest of both the gaming community and the developers at Valve.
According to Kuroyukihime1, he noticed that playing on a new account resulted in an FPS rate of around 197 frames per second, whereas his main account only showed about 118 FPS with identical graphic settings. This discovery has sparked discussions in gaming communities and forums, where gamers have been actively debating the possible reasons for this discrepancy.
A Valve employee, known as JeffHill, expressed his surprise and interest in this phenomenon. He requested Kuroyukihime1 and other players to provide additional data and testing results so that the developers could investigate this issue more thoroughly. There is a theory that the difference in FPS may be related to the inventory's content of in-game items, such as skins, which are absent on new accounts.
In light of this discovery, the Dota 2 community and players of other Valve games, including CS GO and Counter-Strike 2, have begun to more rigorously explore how inventory and other account elements can affect game performance. This research opens new avenues for understanding game mechanics and optimizing performance.
"Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2", developed by Ninja Theory and anticipated in 2024, continues to garner attention. According to IGN's Simon Cardy, the game promises an engaging and dark journey, reminiscent of PlayStation Studios' projects in quality. It stands out for its narrative depth and serious treatment of themes like familial trauma and mental health, drawing parallels to "God of War Ragnarok", yet distinctly different.
Ninja Theory has greatly enhanced the gameplay, making the combat system more intuitive and realistic. In "Hellblade 2", each sword strike feels heavy and significant, emphasizing a strategic approach to dodging and parrying. The combat scenes are designed to immerse the player fully in Senua's confrontations with her foes.
The game features one-on-one battles and a cinematic approach to combat, where the expertly captured motion by Ninja Theory plays a crucial role. Approximately 70 hours were spent recording combat movements, promising a high level of animation and engagement in the gameplay.
"Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2" is set to be a significant continuation of Senua's story, showcasing a new stage in the evolution of the gaming industry through advanced motion capture technologies and enhanced game world realism.
IGN France recently faced backlash over a game preview that criticized the design of Stellar Blade's main character, questioning the designer's understanding of female appearance. The backlash was swift, with gamers highlighting the character's basis on a real model, challenging the publication's critique.
Following the uproar, IGN France edited the controversial passage but stopped short of acknowledging a factual mistake, maintaining the stance that their original comments were misunderstood. The modification did little to quell the discontent, leading to further accusations of incompetence and bias.
Consequently, IGN France issued a formal apology to SHIFT UP Corporation, the developers behind Stellar Blade, insisting that they had no intention to offend. However, the gaming community remains dissatisfied, feeling that the publication has not fully owned up to its misstep. The incident underscores the importance of careful editorial standards and respect for the work of game developers.
Newzoo's research reveals a stark contrast in game age preferences between PC and console gamers. In 2023, it was found that approximately 80% of gaming time on PC was dedicated to titles older than six years, whereas Nintendo Switch users favored more recent releases with an average game age of 3.9 years. Xbox and PlayStation games averaged ages of 7.2 and 7.4 years, respectively.
Long-standing service games like Fortnite, Roblox, The Sims 4, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, League of Legends, Valorant, and Rocket League dominate the PC gaming landscape, maintaining strong market positions thanks to their enduring popularity.
Conversely, Nintendo Switch gamers show a preference for newer titles such as The Legends of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Hogwarts Legacy, indicating a trend towards fresher releases among this group. The study highlights the varied gaming preferences across platforms, possibly influenced by the diversity of available games and updates for different systems.
Electronic Arts and DICE have announced that Battlefield V will integrate the EA Anticheat system this week, stepping up the fight against cheaters. Already in use in Battlefield 2042, the anticheat system is expanding to Battlefield V. EA emphasizes that its proprietary anticheat system effectively counters modern cheats, especially those operating at the kernel level of the operating system.
EA Anticheat is designed to activate only when the game starts and shuts down completely after the game ends. If all games using EA Anticheat are uninstalled, the system will also be automatically removed. The activation of the new protection system in Battlefield V is scheduled for April 3, requiring players to restart the game to apply the updates.
Information from a LinkedIn profile suggests that the adventure action game Marvel's Blade, developed by Microsoft and Arkane Studios Lyon, is being built on the Void Engine. This detail was found in the resume of Nyasha Karata, a senior programmer at Arkane Studios, mentioning the use of C++ in the game's development. Karata is involved in crafting gameplay mechanics and systems, collaborating with the design team to implement their creative visions.
Additionally, the LinkedIn profile of Dana Nightingale, the campaign director for Marvel's Blade at Arkane Studios Lyon, indicates that the game's development began in January 2022, with Nightingale leading the level design team. While the use of Void Engine, which was previously used for Dishonored 2 and Deathloop, has not been officially confirmed, there is no evidence of a switch to alternative engines like Unreal Engine 5.
The semiconductor industry is projected to achieve a monumental leap, with transistor counts in chips, including GPUs, anticipated to hit the trillion mark by the decade's end. This advancement promises to deliver substantial performance enhancements, vital for the progressing AI era.
Experts, including those from companies like TSMC, are already on the path to this goal, viewing it as a critical stride toward the future. The 3D SoIC technology is deemed essential in facilitating this increase in transistor integration, enabling multiple chips to be combined on a single interposer.
Presently, leading-edge chips like NVIDIA's Blackwell GPU architecture boast 208 billion transistors. This figure is expected to quintuple in the next decade.
Innovations such as 3D Heterogeneous Integration will allow for over a trillion transistors, leading to significant performance jumps in the future. The semiconductor industry is evolving beyond mere node reduction, injecting substantial innovations across various tech segments.
After a development journey of 4-5 years, "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" has emerged as a standout title in the first quarter of 2024, earning its place among gamers despite not being classified as AAA. In an interview with MP1ST, representatives from DON'T NOD clarified that while often compared to AAA titles, "Banishers" proudly stands as a well-crafted AA game, as evidenced by its 85% positive feedback on Steam.
The game has garnered affection for its expansive world and substantial content, offering players an exploratory freedom distinct from the linear narratives of games like "Life is Strange" or "Tell Me Why." The decision to embrace an open-world format was aimed at enhancing the player's experience, allowing them to uncover the mysteries of New Eden at their own pace.
Pride resonates through DON'T NOD’s comments about delivering an exceptional experience, regardless of the AA classification. The extensive development period for "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" has culminated in a product that not only fulfills the studio’s vision but also enriches the gaming landscape, proving that dedication to quality transcends category labels.
The diminishing financial benefits of partnering with Xbox Game Pass and Epic Games Store (EGS) are prompting a reevaluation of strategies in the gaming industry. Developers previously keen on exclusive deals and listings in subscription service catalogs are facing reduced payments.
At the Games Developer Conference 2024, the minds behind Slay the Spire and Darkest Dungeon expressed their views on the current market situation, noting a significant deterioration in funding conditions. They highlighted not just the decreased profitability of exclusive releases but also the instability of long-term agreements.
Discussions at the conference revolved around budget cuts, negotiation failures, and the cessation of project financing. This trend signifies the end of the "gold rush" era when EGS and Game Pass deals promised substantial revenues.
The current market scenario is forcing independent developers to seek alternative financing sources or accept less favorable terms. The market shift is expected to lead to a reassessment of business models for many indie studios.
