Technology

Microsoft Flight Simulator was always planned to come to Xbox consoles as well as PCs, and now Microsoft has finally given a timeframe for its release. It’ll launch at some point in summer 2021 and will be available on Game Pass from day one. Notably, it sounds like the title won’t be coming to the Xbox One, One S, or One X — it’s described in the trailer as “coming to the all-new Xbox,” with Series S and Series X logos. That would make Microsoft Flight Simulator the first next-gen-exclusive Xbox Game Studios title; the company has pledged to bring other upcoming games like Halo Infinite to the older machines for the time being. Microsoft Flight Simulator can be very demanding on PCs, so it may well not have been practical to get it running on the original Xbox One’s limited hardware. Micr...

Disney just made a deluge of announcements at its 2020 Investor Day, including updates on new Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney Animation studios projects, as well as updates on Disney Plus and Disney’s other streaming services. Here’s everything you need to know from the event: Disney Plus Series WandaVision, the first Marvel Studios show coming out on Disney Plus, got a new trailer ahead of its upcoming January 15th release date. The Falcon and the Winter Solider also finally got a full trailer, along with a March release date. A first look at Loki, Disney’s highly anticipated short series based on Tom Hiddleston’s god of mischief character. The show also got a May 2021 release date. Image: Disney Hawkeye is premiering on Disney Plus in “late Fall 2021.” The studio also confirmed that Hailee...

Indie developer Innersloth revealed its fourth map, The Airship, for the online social deduction game Among Us during The Game Awards on Thursday, following the game’s win for best multiplayer title of the year. The Airship features new tasks for players to accomplish, and is far more elaborate than previous maps, including ladders and elevators that players will need to use to access different areas of the ship. The new map will also offer players multiple spawn points following a meeting, to allow them to avoid grouping up (and avoid being easily picked off by any imposters.) The map, first teased last month by the official Among Us Twitter account, features a greater level of color and detail than the existing maps the game has had since its quiet June 2018 release, two years before it ...

At the 2020 edition of The Game Awards, developer Epic revealed the latest character to join the cast of Fortnite: Master Chief from Halo. The news isn’t a huge surprise, as his inclusion was leaked a few days ago. The good news: he’s available tonight. Epic also revealed that characters from The Walking Dead will be in the game this season as well. It’s been a busy few weeks for Fortnite. December kicked off with a season-ending event starring Galactus, which ushered in a new season featuring new characters like The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda. Epic also just launched a new subscription service, called Fortnite Crew, with exclusive in-game items for a monthly fee. [embedded content] You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should b...

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is going to be coming to HBO Max on the same date as its theater release, and the director is not happy. He’s written an article for Variety blasting Warner Brothers and AT&T, saying that the the move to release movies on streaming on the same day as in theaters is “a desperate attempt to grab the audience’s attention.” “With this decision AT&T has hijacked one of the most respectable and important studios in film history,” he writes. “There is absolutely no love for cinema, nor for the audience here. It is all about the survival of a telecom mammoth, one that is currently bearing an astronomical debt of more than $150 billion.” He’s not alone in his anger at WB and HBO Max — last week Christopher Nolan, director of Tenet, also complained about the mov...

The Federal Trade Commission announced it would sue to block Proctor & Gamble’s purchase of razor and body care company Billie on December 8th, citing P&G’s existing dominance in the wet razor market. Billie originally launched in 2017 but has grown since, likely prompting P&G’s interest and the FTC’s concern. Like Dollar Shave Club (but aimed more at women), Billie tried to pitch its razors as a cheaper direct-to-customer alternative to the pricier razors sold at retail. It proved successful, and investors were interested. But if P&G added Billie to its existing brands Gilette, Joy and Venus, it could have eliminated one of its fastest growing competitors, something the FTC feared would lead to consumers paying higher prices. This isn’t the first time the FTC has stopped a...

The Mass Effect franchise isn’t done just yet, according to a strange new teaser at The Game Awards. In a short clip, a hooded figure uncovers a piece of equipment bearing the game’s N7 logo from the snow. The teaser closes with words “Mass Effect will continue.” On Twitter, BioWare said that the next game is now in “early production.” Bioware’s beloved space series wrapped its original trilogy with Mass Effect 3 in 2012. Curiously, the teaser appears to feature Liara — or, at least someone bearing a strong resemblance to her — one of the game’s Asari shipmates and possible love interests. Asari live for hundreds of years, however, meaning any future games don’t necessarily have to take place during the Shepard era of the trilogy. The last in the series, Mass Effect: Andromeda — a game fea...

There weren’t any bombshells on the scale of last year’s Xbox Series X reveal, but the 2020 edition of The Game Awards was still packed with news and trailers. There were game reveals like Perfect Dark and Open Roads, more characters for Fortnite and Super Smash Bros., and a lot more. If you missed the show, or just need a refresher, here are the biggest moments. Master Chief comes to Fortnite [embedded content] As has been long-expected, Epic revealed that Halo star Master Chief is coming to Fortnite. He’s available today, and joining him later this season will be characters from The Walking Dead. Among Us gets a new map [embedded content] The breakout social hit Among Us is getting a bit bigger. At The Game Awards the development team revealed a brand-new map, which should give you even ...

One of the most interesting musical performances at this year’s Game Awards was from an unknown pop group called OFK. The twist? Not only is it a virtual group, but next year they’ll star in a new game. The performance was the first reveal of We Are OFK, an interactive series that’s slated to debut next year. It sounds sort of like a documentary series, except for a fictional band, with a premise that’s a mix between the Gorillaz, K/DA from League of Legends, and Sayonara Wild Hearts. Here’s the description: We Are OFK’s visuals, interactivity, and music tell a story of the creative process of music making, and all the shit that gets in the way. The virtual band will debut a new single in each episode, with an accompanying interactive music video. Find yourself immersed into the lives of f...

Disney is moving a couple of its 2021 movies to Disney Plus and seemingly removing them from theaters in an effort to bolster its streaming service. Peter Pan & Wendy and the live-action adaptation of Pinocchio are heading to Disney Plus as streaming originals, Disney Studios head Sean Bailey announced tonight at a streaming event. Disenchanted, a sequel to the studio’s 2007 film, will also debut on Disney Plus alongside Sister Act 3. More are likely to be announced as Disney figures out its plans moving into 2021. Unlike Warner Bros., which announced its moving every one of its films in 2021 to a hybrid release, appearing on HBO Max the same day they land in theaters, Disney is only moving a number of titles. These live-action titles Pinocchio, and Peter Pan & Wendy will skip thea...

Nintendo just unveiled the identity of the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter as the opening announcement of The Game Awards: it’s Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. That’s right, if you just can’t wait for the next part of Final Fantasy VII Remake to come out, you’ll be able to see Sephiroth and Cloud do battle right there in Smash Bros. Sephiroth is the third character available from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s second Fighters Pass, following the addition of Min Min from Arms in June and Minecraft mascots Steve and Alex in October. The Fighters Pass costs $29.99 for six characters — three of which remain a mystery — or you can pay $5.99 for each individually. The first Fighters Pass costs $24.99 and includes Joker from Persona 5, a Dragon Quest Hero, Banjo and Kazooie from Banjo-Kaz...

Microsoft’s The Initiative, a secretive studio the company opened in Santa Monica back in 2018, has revealed its first game: a new Perfect Dark title. The announcement, made via a trailer that debuted during The Game Awards on Thursday evening, marks the return of the iconic shooter Rare shooter series, which hasn’t seen a new release since the 2005 prequel Perfect Dark Zero. It also confirms longstanding rumors that The Initiative would be reviving Perfect Dark for the first time in more than 15 years. Little is known about the new game, like whether it’s a full reboot of the series or a sequel to the original 2000 classic. What we do know is that the game will be released for Xbox consoles and likely also on PC, but with no concrete release window whatsoever. But The Initiative did post ...