gaming
The Bloody Beetroots Produces Soundtrack for Motorbike Simulation Game
Pioneering electro house artist The Bloody Beetroots is taking his signature sound off the beaten path and onto a dirt one, producing the soundtrack for a new motorbike simulation game. In partnership with RaceWard Studio, RiMS Racing is being touted as the first motorcycling simulation title that combines gaming with real engineering and bike mechanics. According to a press release issued to announce Beetroots’ score, the game allows players to ride a variety of badass bikes and optimize their performance by swapping out parts and analyzing data in real-time. Those include the world’s eight most powerful European and Japanese motorbikes: Ducati Panigale V4 R, MV Agusta F4 RC, Aprilia RSV4, BMW M 1000 RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000R, Honda CBR1000RR, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR,...
‘Diablo II: Resurrected’ Open Beta Is Arriving August 13
Blizzard Entertainment has just released the official date for its Open Beta test. Planned for the Early Access weekend, gamers who pre-ordered Diablo II: Resurrected or the Diablo Prime Evil Collection for any of the consoles — Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 — including PC will have early access to the game on August 13, 10:00 a.m. PDT. Public Open Beta weekend will take place a week later on August 20, 10:00 a.m. PDT. All players will be able to join in on the action with cross-progression between platforms. Even though it’s the Open Beta, there’s still plenty of action for fans as, on top of the Barbarian, Amazon, and Sorceress classes, the Paladin and Druid will also be added to the mix of characters, and up to eight friends will be able to get in on the mu...
‘Pokémon Go’ Developer Niantic Acquires 3D Scanning App
Niantic, the developer behind Pokémon Go, has acquired a 3D scanning app called Scaniverse, the company shared today. The purchase comes as part of the game developer’s plan to expand into augmented reality hardware and software. Niantic’s vision for its AR experiences includes a “dynamic spatial map of the world rendered from 3D scanned locations,” said Kjell Bronder, AR Group Product Manager, in the announcement. The developer has already begun crowdsourcing images from notable Wayspots — in-game sites of interaction for Pokémon Go players — including the Gandhi sculpture in San Francisco and Maneki-Neko shrine in the Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo. Scaniverse enables users to document, edit and share 3D content via a smartphone. The app’s addition to Niantic will contribute to making its “mul...
Xbox Announces Gamescom 2021 Stream
Xbox announced their upcoming Gamescom live stream. Usually, the yearly Gamescom event would occur in Cologne, Germany. However, this year Gamescom will be a completely virtual experience that will be available for fans all around the world. From the Xbox Stream, the gaming company will provide detailed updates about previously revealed Xbox Game Studios titles. Additionally, Xbox is set to discuss forthcoming gaming titles that are slated to arrive this holiday season, forthcoming releases to the Xbox Game Pass monthly subscription service and more. To continue the social experience that is typically present at Gamescom, Xbox will be hosting a special edition FanFest, allowing fans to connect with each other from around the globe and share in the news from the upcoming event. More details...
‘Axie Infinity’ Becomes the First NFT Game to Hit $1 Billion in Sales
Ethereum-based NFT game Axie Infinity has hit a record $1.1 billion USD in sales, setting a new record for the highest-grossing NFT project ever. The game recently made headlines by helping rural Filipino communities weather unemployment during the pandemic through its play-to-earn model. The active user base for Axie Infinity has grown exponentially from just over 108,000 daily active users in June to more than a million daily active users today. Data from DappRadar indicates sales of nearly $780 million in the last 30 days alone, with more than 1.4 million individual transactions. Axie Infinity is inspired by Pokémon and plays like a regular monster-battler in which every Axie has certain stats that determine their ability in combat. However, the cost of entry is higher than most games a...
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 ...
