Category: Video Games

Lovely free Lovecraftian first-person parkourer Grimhook to become a “complete” game

“It almost feels like proof-of-concept for a first-person Prince of Persia game, with an ever-so-gentle dusting of Portal,” our Edwin said after playing free first-person platformer Grimhook when it launched in December. It’s a cracking little game, parkouring about with the help of supernatural powers and a grappling hook, but ends right as it feels like it’s getting started. I’d certainly be up for three hours of this, so how splendid to hear that the developers are planning to make a “complete” and fancier experience.

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Just 66 titles saw 80 percent of all playtime in 2023, most older games like Fortnite or GTA 5

The PC and console market grew by 2.6% to $93.5 billion in revenue last year, according to a new report by video games date company Newzoo (cheers, Kotaku!) That’s good, right? Growth is universally a good thing, otherwise all those nice, dead-eyed men in suits wouldn’t keep saying it was. You can’t just lie about growth, that’s a business crime. However, here’s some slightly more worrying news, depending on how much you value new ideas: Of all the game time that gamers spent gaming in quantifiable Big Year for Gaming 2023, just 20% of that time was gamed on games other than the 66 specific games mentioned in the report.

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Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Uniqlo Range Officially Announced

A Link to the Peng (sorry).

Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo has announced a new range of t-shirts based on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (thanks, VGC).

Launching in Japan on 26th April, 2024 at ¥1,500 (roughly $10 / £8) each, the range consists of six designs based on Nintendo’s sublime sequel to Breath of the Wild, which launched on the Switch in May 2023. No Western release for the range has been confirmed at the time of writing, but based on previous collaborations, we’re confident that Uniqlo will bring them over shortly after the initial Japanese launch.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Atari Buys RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Publishing Rights for $7 Million

Atari has bought the RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 publishing rights from Frontier Developments for $7 million.

Atari, which has a long-term RollerCoaster Tycoon licensing agreement with franchise creator Chris Sawyer, said it is now the sole publisher of all major titles within the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise, including Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic, Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, Rollercoaster Tycoon Deluxe, Rollercoaster Tycoon Joyride, Rollercoaster Tycoon World, Rollercoaster Tycoon Puzzle, and Rollercoaster Tycoon Touch.

The hugely successful Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 was developed by Frontier Developments, the UK studio behind Elite: Dangerous and Zoo Tycoon, and released in 2004. It’s available now on PC, Mac, iOS, and Nintendo Switch, but Atari said it plans to expand digital and physical distribution, and “explore brand and merchandising collaborations as part of a long-term plan to bring the franchise to new heights.”

“As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rollercoaster Tycoon with Chris Sawyer, I am really pleased that we can unite this important and successful title in the series with the rest of the franchise,” said Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari. ”This is going to create new opportunities for Atari as we continue the great work done by Frontier, and bring benefits to the fans of games across the Rollercoaster Tycoon franchise.”

The sale brings in much-needed cash for Frontier, which has struggled in recent years after a string of games failed to hit sales projections. In November, Frontier issued a trading update following poor launch sales of its real-time strategy game Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin. The studio has also suffered a round of layoffs.

In a trading update issued this week, Frontier said sales of its games since January have been “in-line with expectations”, with Jurassic World Evolution 2 and Planet Zoo leading the charge. The recent console release of Planet Zoo saw “strong player engagement”, with total sales up to and including the day of release greater than the sales achieved by Planet Coaster when that game came out on consoles in November 2020.

According to Frontier, publishing RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 generated $1.5 million in profit per year since the company acquired the rights in 2018. The $7 million sale is made up of $4 million of up-front cash and $3 million of deferred cash. “The proceeds of the disposal will be utilized by the Company for general working capital purposes,” Frontier said.

Frontier’s cash position grew to £23.4 million as of March 31, 2024, up from £19.9 million as of December 31, 2023. Cash received during that three month period included the $4m of up-front consideration due from the sale of the RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 publishing rights and the first tranche of the video games tax relief cash credit related to the FY23 UK tax returns, Frontier said.

As for the future, Frontier said it “remains comfortable” with its previous guidance. In a previous update, Frontier said it was refocusing on creative management simulation games (CMS). With this in mind, Frontier has confirmed three future CMS games, with one releasing in each of the next three financial years. Alongside this it will continue to develop and support its existing portfolio of games, including Elite Dangerous, F1 Manager, and Realms of Ruin.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Dead Cells custodians Evil Empire are reportedly working on a new Prince of Persia roguelike, out this year

Evil Empire, the studio responsible for the previous five or so years of updates to Motion Twin’s roguelite metroidvania game Dead Cells, are set to release a new roguelite set in the Prince of Persia universe “later this year.”

That’s according to Insider Gaming, who were told by sources that ‘The Rogue Prince of Persia’, as the game is rumoured to be named, will first release in Steam early access. It’s reckoned to have been in development for the last four years or so, and supposedly came about after a talk between Evil Empire and Ubisoft at GDC 2019.

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Nightdive’s Next Updated Retro Video Game Is Not One You’d Expect

Fresh from bringing back classics such as Star Wars: Dark Forces, Turok 3, and Quake 2, Nightdive Studios has announced its next restoration — and it’s a game no-one expected.

You’d be forgiven for having not heard of PO’ed. It was developed and published by Any Channel Inc. initially for the 3DO in 1995, with a PlayStation port released in 1996 courtesy of defunct publisher Accolade. In the game you play a chef who tries to escape an alien world. It’s very mid-90s video game!

Here’s the official blurb, courtesy of Nightdive:

Inspired by generational powerhouses Doom and Quake, the original PO’ed pushed first-person action games to new heights with its over-the-top, action-packed, fast-paced, explosive, ridiculous, bloody, smelly, scrumptious, adjective-filled, ultra-violent 3D gameplay. You play as a chef who crashes on an alien planet infested with extraterrestrial foes, using a menu of “household” weapons to deliver a dish best served cold (by dish, I mean revenge, just in case you were confused).

PO’ed: Definitive Edition is an updated version of the 1995 first-person space shooter, and it’s coming soon to PC and consoles. The Definitive Edition features updated visuals, antialiasing, increased frame-rate, redefined controls, and up to 4K 144 FPS performance, Nightdive said.

Here’s the list of PO’ed: Definitive Edition key features, from Nightdive:

  • A plate full of quality-of-life features to enhance the gameplay and fix bugs present in the original game (which can be toggled off)
  • Wet your whistle with widescreen support for the HUD and other on-screen graphics
  • A new delicious difficulty mode has been added for hardcore players
  • 15 appetizing achievements
  • A dash of localization support for English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish
  • Total freedom! Cruise on foot or fly with your jetpack through 25 wild 3D environments

PO’ed: Definitive Edition releases for Windows PC via Steam and GOG, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch in “the very near future.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Rose & Camellia Collection Brings “Slap-Fight Anthology” To Switch This Month

“Slap your way to the top of high society”.

Remember that game where a bunch of high society people were slapping each other? Well, it’s getting a local release on the Switch later this month.

Rose & Camellia Collection was previously revealed for Nintendo’s hybrid system during some Japanese broadcasts and now it will be making its way across to the eShop in North America and Europe on 16th April 2024 for $19.99 (or your regional equivalent).

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Rumour: New Prince Of Persia Game Reportedly Arriving “Later This Year”

“Developed by Dead Cells developer Evil Empire”.

Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia series enjoyed a successful return earlier this year thanks to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and it seems more adventures could be on the way.

According to a new “exclusive” from Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, Ubisoft is aiming to release a “roguelite” game “later this year” which is being made by Dead Cells‘ co-developer Evil Empire. It’s titled ‘The Rogue Prince of Persia‘ and would initially launch in Early Access on Steam.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Community Update April 2024 – Seeking Updates of the Morning

Hi there, Xbox Insiders!

The Fire Dawn

Welcome back to another monthly Community Update. Thankfully, this year’s April 1st landed on Monday, so you can rest assured knowing everything below isn’t an elaborate ruse. (But watch out for next year!) We have a couple of updates, as well as a new development we think will excite everyone; so, let’s dive in!

The Finisher

We’re happy to confirm that we are in the final stages of two different projects. This month should see the formal transition of release notes away from the Xbox Wire to their new home on the Xbox Support website! This has been a tremendous undertaking so that all Xbox users can find their updates in one central location. There will be a larger article forthcoming that outlines all of the changes along with links/hubs for this new setup. This change will also enable some of the future content we’re planning for this blog, so stay tuned!

The other conclusion we’re reaching this month is our “Get To Know The Team” articles. There are around a half dozen of these still to come, so expect those to come out throughout the rest of the month. It’s been a lot of fun getting to share more about the team, so we hope that everyone has enjoyed these chats with the Xbox Insider Team. (Yesterday’s was particularly fun to write. 😊)

The Pitch

Now, for an announcement of sorts. Over the past few months, we’ve been working in close partnership with the wonderful team over at Sumo Leamington on their preview for Stampede: Racing Royale, which launched late last week. If you haven’t seen it yet check this out!

In the near future, we’ll be hosting the first ever “community/developer plays” event exclusively for Xbox Insiders. Hop into the kart-battling mayhem of Stampede: Racing Royale and challenge the developers themselves to become the ultimate champion! More details about this event will be shared on socials for Xbox Insider and Stampede: Racing Royale. See ya there!

The Summit

One other community initiative we’ll be doing this month is over on the Xbox Insiders subreddit. There was a great thread last week that a lot of our community members were passionate about, so we’re following that up starting today with a “Community Talk Back” thread to discuss the topic in greater detail. Stop on by and share your thoughts with the team!

The Rise

And that’s it for April! We still have projects in various states of progress (baking, simmering, heating; we like our cooking analogies), but nothing quite ready to share further.

As always, I hope everyone enjoyed this installment of the Xbox Insider Program Community Update. If you want to chat about this—and everything else XIP—hop on over to the r/XboxInsiders subreddit or throw us a follow @xboxinsider.

Wynn/

The post Community Update April 2024 – Seeking Updates of the Morning appeared first on Xbox Wire.