gaming

The FIFA 22 Global Series is just around the corner, and to kick off the international esports phenomenon, EA Sports is now hosting a FIFA 22 Challenge, bringing some of football‘s biggest stars together with the video game franchise’s best competitors in a one-day, 2v2 tournament. Building on the event’s success from last year, EA Sports has now upped its game, inviting eight top-tier footballers to join the tournament, including Chelsea’s Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi, Wycombe Wanderers’ Adebayo Akinfenwa, Liverpool’s Diogo Jota, Paris Saint-Germain’s Layvin Kurzawa, Juventus’ Weston McKinnie, FC Barcelona’s Pedri Gonzalez, and Manchester City’s Ferran Torres. Each of these players will pair up with a FIFA esports pro to go head to head in 2v2 battles, employing the h...

Renowned video game developer Square Enix is now diving deeper into the mobile gaming industry with the launch of a new studio in London. Aptly named Square Enix London Mobile, the new endeavor focuses specifically on creating “high-quality, free-to-play mobile games” that tap into some of its parent company’s massively popular IPs. To begin with, the studio will be working on two new titles based around Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and the Tomb Raider franchise. While information regarding the former remains scarce at this point, the game is currently being worked on alongside Vancouver’s Navigator Games, the studio behind other titles such as Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast. As for Tomb Raider Reloaded, the mobile game will allow fans to play as Lara Crof...

Three years after the game’s original release on PlayStation, Santa Monica Studio has finally announced the release date for God of War‘s PC edition: January 2022. Coming to both Steam and the Epic Games Store, the new version will offer better visuals overall with 4K resolution support and unlocked framerates as well as both NVIDIA’s DLSS and Reflex technologies. The game will now run on 21:9 ultrawide screens with full compatibility with PlayStation’s DualShock 4 and new DualSense controllers on top of your typical mouse-and-keyboard setup, the latter of which will also receive custom mapping options. As expected, Santa Monica Studio has also included bonus content for the release, which includes an Exile’s Guardian Shield Skin, a Buckler of the Forge Shield Skin, a Shining Elven So...

Ahead of RazerCon 2021, gaming peripheral expert Razer has now unveiled two new microphones built for streamers. Spearheading the new lineup is the Seiren V2 Pro, a premium microphone designed for the more dedicated streamers out there. Capable of capturing the depth of powerful vocals, its high pass filters, and analog gain limiters ensure that your viewers will be able to focus solely on your commentary without distractions from unwanted background noises. 20Hz frequency response provides coverage for a full range of audio, while its 24-bit rate offers superior dynamic range and precision in your recordings. For those looking for something a little more casual, Razer is also launching the Seiren V2 X, a smaller option created for those just getting into the streaming world. Just like the...

Continuing their League of Legends Esports global partnership, Riot Games and Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will be presenting the 2021 World Championship winning team with custom-fitted championship rings. Putting an Esports spin on the prestigious championship tradition familiar to sports fans around the world, the set of rings will mark the momentous victory after a highly contested season. Crafted by GOOD ART HLYWD, each ring is made from 18-karat white gold and set with a brilliant custom cut sapphire jewel to reflect the iconic blue and silver of the coveted Summoner’s Cup with distinct features and markings unique to the 2021 LoL Esports season. Each team member will receive a personalized championship ring complete with their summoner name and team tricode displayed on the cu...

The Pokémon company has released a new trailer for the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Rather than the typical gameplay footage, the eerie video uses found footage, following a videographer in his exploration of the Hisui region. While it’s basically impossible to actually see anything in the grainy footage, the videographer narrates his encounter with an unknown Pokémon. He muses that the Pokémon is neither a Growlithe and Vulpix and describes it as having yellow eyes, white fur and a red-tipped tail. Then, the mystery Pokémon begins to approach him and presumably attacks him before the video cuts to a staticky black screen. Pokémon Legends: Arceus will launch for Nintendo Switch around the world on January 28. The game takes place in the Hisui region before the events of Pokémon D...

Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto has now joined Electronic Arts as game director. Taking to Twitter to announce his new position at the gaming giant, Lehto revealed that he will be opening a new studio in the Seattle area. While no specific titles have been mentioned, he did say that the new studio will focus specifically on first-person games, leading many fans to believe that Titanfall 3 could finally be on the table. Best known for his tenure at Bungie from 1997 to 2012, Lehto was one of the co-creators of the massively popular franchise Halo whilst holding his Creative Art Director position at the company. After working on Halo: Combat Evolved and creating Master Chief himself, he went on to participate in every other title in the series from Bungie before 343 Industrie...

Microsoft is now gearing up for the launch of its Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition with a handful of new aircraft and locations you can visit. Coming this November, the new version of the game adds five new aircraft to its roster, including the title’s first fighter jet: the F/A-18 Super Hornet. You’ll also be able to pilot the eVTOL VoloCity, the Pilatus PC-6 Porter, the CubCrafters NX Cub, and the Aviat Pitts Special S1S while you visit eight new airports spanning across Germany, Switzerland and the United States. Planes and airports aside, those who purchase the game will also get to experience a series of new features including new missions and tutorials, an updated weather system, a developers mode replay system, as well as early access to DirectX 12. The best thing of ...

Microsoft saw huge success last year with its Xbox Game Pass subscriptions no doubt largely thanks to social distancing regulations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but as the world begins to recover, the company has been hit with a massive decrease in subscriber growth. According to a new financial statement from the tech and gaming giant, Xbox Game Pass subscription numbers grew by just 37.5% over the course of 2021, falling significantly short of the originally expected 47.8%. The figures look even more dire when compared to last year’s performance, which saw almost 86% growth despite a 71% internal target. While the relaxation of social distancing rules may have played a part in the decline in subscription rates, IGN points out that the main appeal of Xbox Game Pass is day-one access t...