Welcome to Nintendo Voice Chat! This week, Kat Bailey is joined by Peer Schneider, Rebekah Valentine, and special guest Imran Khan to talk about how Xbox’s huge Activision acquisition impacts Nintendo moving forward. Hear the panel discuss the potential fate of franchises like Overwatch and Crash Bandicoot on Switch, and the crazy scenario where Microsoft tried to go after Nintendo 20 years ago. Plus, some quick Nintendo sales news, Banjo-Kazooie coming to Nintendo Switch online, and a whole lot more.Timecodes:00:00:00 – Intro00:01:09 – Activision Blizzard impact on Nintendo00:24:29 – Nintendo sales numbers00:39:52 – Banjo-Kazooie on Switch00:51:00 – News undown00:56:04 -…
It’s been nearly five whole years since the pioneering PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds first appeared on Steam and popularized the idea of pitting 100 players against each other until only the best (or last) among them survives. Since then, the original battle royale has been locked in a fight for relevance against the many games it inspired, and only now has it dropped its entry fee and joined the ranks of its free-to-play competition. Now that the novelty has worn off, in some ways PUBG has been left wanting compared to newer and more innovative battle royales, but its unique focus on…
In the wake of Microsoft’s blockbuster acquisition of Activision Blizzard, some Call of Duty devs are reportedly eager to move away from the annualized released schedule that has defined the series for much of its existence.In a new article that provides an overview of Activision Blizzard’s internal reactions to the acquisition, Bloomberg reports that “high-level employees” have discussed ditching Call of Duty’s current release schedule. Currently, Activision continues to put a new Call of Duty every year from a rotating series of studios — a strategy that has proven an awkward fit since the release of Warzone.These developers are said…
There are a lot of questions still left to be answered following Microsoft’s announcement that it will acquire Activision Blizzard. But with everyone involved keeping details close to the chest, some details are beginning to emerge, including Phil Spencer’s excitement to dive into Activision Blizzard’s library of retired franchises.Speaking briefly with The Washington Post Spencer avoided talking about the future of ongoing blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft under Microsoft. Instead, Spencer spoke about the overlooked franchises Activision owns that Microsoft will get access to.“I was looking at the IP list, I mean, let’s go!” Spencer…
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Students from Warsaw University in Poland have created a fully detailed, to-scale map of The Witcher universe’s continent, and it’s a doozy that shows off the scale of Geralt’s adventures from Kaer Morhen to Skellige and beyond.Ever wondered how far it is from Beauclair to Novigrad or where exactly is Vengerberg? Check out this map of the world of The Witcher prepared by students of Warsaw University! 🗺️High res: https://t.co/VmO22mned6 pic.twitter.com/XHAdYMhw1d— The Witcher (@witchergame) January 20, 2022 Here’s a more accessible version of the same map.The map reads a lot like any other professionally designed map, just you know, with…
The future of Call of Duty hangs in the balance following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which will bring the massively popular first person shooter series under the Xbox umbrella along with a handful of other franchises. The move is raising questions about how Microsoft will handle Activision Blizzard’s extensive list of properties – whether they will remain on platforms like PlayStation 5 or become entirely exclusive to the Xbox.Microsoft has already shown some of its hand with the Bethesda acquisition, which was completed close to a year ago. Microsoft opted to honor Bethesda’s previous deal with PlayStation, keeping Deathloop…
Developers of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga can now see light at the end of the tunnel due to the game’s new release date, but a new report sheds light on how developers dealt with extensive crunch at TT Games to get the game out the door. A new report from Polygon details the issues within TT Games, sharing the accounts of over 30 current and former employees, many of whom say calls for change within the studio have been mostly ignored. “It was a very soft-spoken blackmail,” one former employee told Polygon, saying the vibe was that “‘If…
Brace yourself: it appears extremely likely that if Microsoft’s purchase of Activision-Blizzard becomes final, within a couple of years PlayStation gamers will never see another Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo, or Tony Hawk game, nor any potential Warcraft or StarCraft console games. Yes, Microsoft has so far declined to state that outright as of yet (based on Sony’s history, it’s hard to imagine it wouldn’t have already done so if it had made such a purchase), but if we look at Microsoft’s history and its motives in throwing around tens of billions of dollars to acquire studios and entire publishers…
When things go bump in the night, the solution is to shoot said things with a massive shotgun filled to the muzzle with salt. Or a spectral energy cannon. Or a shoulder-mounted harpoon. And when your poltergeist pest is little more than ectoplasmic sludge on the floor, you can vacuum it up and consider the spook exorcized. That’s business as usual for Midnight Ghost Hunt, a ghostbusting PvP game from new studio Vaulted Sky Games.After playing a handful of matches with the developers, though, I’ve found that blasting spirits is just one of Midnight Ghost Hunt’s many ideas. Its 4v4…