gaming
Niantic Responds to Concerns Over ‘Pokémon Go’ Rolling Back Some COVID Safety Features
Pokémon Go has responded to user concerns following its recent announcement that the game would be rolling back some features introduced during the pandemic — specifically, an update that allowed players to interact with in-game objects from an increased social distance. Game developers had increased the range in which players, called Trainers in the game, can interact with Gyms, Pokéstops and other Pokémon. The distance was widened from 40 meters (131 feet) to 80 meters (262 feet) to encourage social distancing, though developers announced the removal of this feature last week. Game players recently penned an open letter to Niantic encouraging them to reconsider the decision. Published to Twitter by a user named @LeekDuck, the letter asks developers to reinstate the increased social dista...
Krafton Officially Changes Name of ‘PUBG’ to ‘PUBG: Battlegrounds’
Krafton has officially changed the name of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, commonly known as PUBG, to PUBG: Battlegrounds — its full name now technically PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds: Battlegrounds. According to reports, the name change was done under the radar in July. “Krafton is actively expanding the PUBG brand through a variety of new experiences set in its universe,” the publisher told PC Gamer. “Rebranding PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds to PUBG: Battlegrounds is the first step in us realizing this vision. Additional titles in the franchise will carry the PUBG name, as you see with our upcoming game, PUBG: New State.” Sources add that New State will be a mobile game set in the future, while horror title The Callisto Protocol will be connected to the franchise. Further details of ...
Xbox Publicly Testing a Night Mode To Ease the Strain on Your Eyes
Microsoft is now publicly testing a night mode for Xbox, finally bringing a feature that’s long been on smartphones to the console world. According to reports, the new night mode will help you dim your screen as well as the power button on the console and the lights on your controller. You’ll also be able to turn on blue light filtering and disable HDR to reduce stunningly bright scenes, all of which help to reduce the strain on your eyes, especially when playing in low-light environments. You’ll be able to toggle these features on and off manually but also set automatic timers so they kick in at a specified time automatically. The feature is now being tested by those in the Alpha Skip-Ahead group, but it’ll probably getter a wider release once the features have been finetuned. Elsewhere i...
Text Message Interview: SMLE and Athena on Their New Collab Bursting Onto Rocket League
The release of Athena‘s debut single “Eternal” alongside Grammy-nominated duo SMLE marks another seminal moment for the connection between dance music and gaming. One of the foremost streamers of Rocket League and a member of the prominent esports organization Team Envy, Athena described the situation as “unreal” in an exclusive EDM.com text message interview between herself and SMLE. Athena recapped her experience previewing the new single for her fans on stream, and having her expectations blown away by the reaction. “They’re all freaking out going crazy,” she said. “Didn’t expect it at all.” The artists also react to seeing their post-apocalyptic, Mad Max-inspired makeovers in the new official music video for ...
Sealed Copy of 1985 ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Game Sells for Record $2 Million USD
A sealed copy of a 1985 Super Mario Bros. video game sold for a record $2 million USD, making it the most expensive video game sale ever. Rob Petrozzo, one of the founders of the collectibles site, Rally, confirmed the news to The New York Times on Friday, saying that an anonymous buyer who is “making big bets in the video game space” has snapped up the pristinely-preserved collectable. Punks, X-Men, Declarations, and some news… ?A NEW WORLD RECORD on Rally? …w/ the $2,000,000 sale of our 1985 Super Mario Bros., marking the HIGHEST PRICE EVER PAID for a video game of any title. Read more in todays New York Times (cc: @nytimes): https://t.co/mJzEcVMXuQ pic.twitter.com/segsfw6Jw9 — Rally (@OnRallyRd) August 6, 2021 According to the site, the factory-sealed #85MARIO bears a 9.8 out of 10...
Ariana Grande Is Taking Over ‘Fortnite’ This Weekend: Inside The Rift Tour
Over the past several years, the music industry has opened its eyes to gaming as a new way to connect with fans and drive revenue. In-game performances offer multiple revenue streams to artists, from up-front payments to virtual goods and a streaming spike for the artist’s music that tends to follow an in-game show. Compared to “Astronomical,” Grande’s performance is less visually chaotic, with fewer scene changes, and has an expanded focus on the player experience. In Grande’s world — which looks like if the Lisa Frank brand were an entire planet — players aren’t just watching the show, but actively participating in it, a key element that will be part of future experiences, according to Phil Rampulla, head of brand at Epic Games, Fortnite‘s parent company. “You’ll ...
Behind the HYPE: How ‘GTA V’ Became One of the Most Influential Video Games Ever
Grand Theft Auto V has cemented itself as the most popular video game of the 2010s. With 140 million units sold to date, the sought after video game took the industry by storm upon its release in 2013 and to this day, continues to wield influence that extends beyond the gaming sphere, materializing in current fashion, music and pop culture realms. Several years after its debut, GTA V has maintained its relevance with a slew of ongoing features and collaborations that are still being integrated into its gameplay experience. Alongside evergreen references woven into the game’s storyline, such as allusions to the Fast & Furious franchise and the early aughts Sopranos series, brands and artists have tapped into its enduring impact to launch their own projects within the game. Berlin-based ...
Nintendo Struggles To Maintain Growth Following Exceptional ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Frenzy
Despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic hitting most of the economy massively across 2020, Nintendo was one of the rare companies that actually saw growth in the period, achieving record profits and sales largely caused by increased Switch and Animal Crossing: New Horizons sales thanks to people being socially distanced and stuck at home. In light of this, the company is now finding it difficult to maintain that trend, seeing a decline in financial results in 2021. Drops occurred across both software and hardware sales, with the former seeing a 10.2 percent decrease while the latter suffered a more significant 21.7 percent decline. Sales of the Nintendo Switch Lite were hit the hardest, dropping by a whopping 56.7 percent compared to the same period last year, although regular S...
A ‘Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ Fan Create a Google Maps Experience for Hyrule
A diehard Zelda fan has now created a Google Maps experience for one of the franchise’s most beloved titles in recent years: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Building the interactive map as part of his computer science studies, YouTuber Nassim‘s Software re-created the entire Hyrule with a top-down view in a web browser much like Google Maps. You can then zoom in gradually with pins located at various landmarks in the game, all the way down to the Street View of those locations. To make things even cooler, you’ll also be able to navigate through the in-game world using pointers exactly like Google Maps’ Street View function, allowing gamers to relive their adventures in Hyrule while waiting for the long-anticipated sequel. For those interested in checking out Hyrule throu...
Guile and Cammy of ‘Street Fighter’ are Coming to ‘Fortnite’
Continuing on its spree of bringing pop-culture icons into the game, Epic has now tapped Street Fighter to introduce Cammy and Guile into Fortnite. On the Guile front, the war veteran dons his classic green outfit from the original Street Fighter II, while Epic offers a variant skin named Glistening Guile, depicting him in a beach-ready outfit complete with aviators. He also gets a K.O. Back Bling to accompany his combat antics. As for Cammy, she takes on the classic Delta Red outfit with a variant edition offering a more tactical look, including a sleek black vest and camo pants. Her special Back Bling comes in the form of a Borealis Backer. If you’re interested in grabbing both characters, they’ll be available in the Cammy & Guile Bundle, which includes both their additiona...
Nintendo Switch Outsells PS3 and XBOX 360
Nintendo Switch has now outsold popular gaming consoles, PS3 and Xbox 360. The news comes from Nintendo’s financial data, revealing that the console has sold just over 89 million units. The newly released figures make Nintendo Switch the seventh most-sold gaming console of all time. The PS3 has sold 87.4 million units and the Xbox 360 has sold 84 million units. What makes this accomplishment for Nintendo more impressive is that the console debuted in 2017, reaching this figure in just under five years. By comparison, the PS3 and Xbox 360 figures come from an 11 year period. Nintendo Switch is slated to outsell the Nintendo Wii, which currently holds the number six spot with just over 101 million units sold. If this happens, Nintendo Switch will become Nintendo’s best-selling gaming console...
Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Season Five of ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ and ‘Warzone’
Call of Duty shared a cinematic trailer for the upcoming Season 5 for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone on Tuesday, unveiling several additions to both games. Most notably, within the new Black Ops Cold War season, players can now become a “Double Agent” in an investigative multiplayer mode that assigns players to sabotage a given mission across five new maps. Elsewhere, the classic Demolition mode has returned in-season, allowing teams to go face-to-face in all-out battle at an active bombsite, and there’s also a new low-cost scorestreak weapon, the Flamethrower, which shoots a steady flame within a close range. Additionally, new Zombies content, including a new perk, a field upgrade and a support weapon, and new Outbreak content, including a new region, objective, ta...
