Category Archives: Games

Games, Gaming, News

Tencent Games added to US’ enterprises blacklist

Tencent, the Chinese tech and gaming giant, has recently been blacklisted by the United States Department of Defense. The DoD added Tencent to its list of “Chinese Military Companies” due to alleged ties to the Chinese military. This move is part of the broader U.S. government effort to restrict business with companies linked to the Chinese military.

In response, Tencent has stated that its inclusion on the list is a “misunderstanding”. The company emphasized that it is neither a military company nor a military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base. Tencent’s spokesperson told The Verge mentioned that the listing has no impact on their business but that they will work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstandings.

Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business. We will nonetheless work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstanding.

It’s definitely a significant development, especially considering Tencent’s vast influence in the gaming industry, owning stakes in companies like Riot Games (League of Legends), Epic Games (Fortnite), and many others.

Breaking, Games, Gaming, News

EA yet adding more challenges on video games preservation

Electronic Arts (EA) recently announced plans to sunset several games by 2025, which has sparked a debate about the challenges of video game preservation. This move is part of a broader strategy to focus on fewer, more profitable titles and franchises.

However, it raises concerns about the loss of cultural and historical artifacts within the gaming community.

The sunsetting of games like Madden NFL 23 and F1 22 from platforms like Xbox Game Pass and EA Play highlights the impact on accessibility for players. Additionally, the shutdown of several mobile games, including The Simpsons: Tapped Out and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, further emphasizes the growing trend of game discontinuation.

Here is the complete list:

Console and PC Games:

  • Madden NFL 23
  • F1 22
  • Battlefield 2042
  • Apex Legends
  • Dragon Age 3
  • Skate
  • Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Mobile Games:

  • The Simpsons: Tapped Out (January 24, 2025)
  • Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (January 16, 2025)
  • Blood & Glory: Immortals (January 29, 2025)
  • Contract Killer: Sniper (January 29, 2025)
  • Deer Hunter Classic (January 29, 2025)
  • Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores (January 29, 2025)
  • Eternity Warriors 4 (January 29, 2025)
  • Frontline Commando 2 (January 29, 2025)
  • Frontline Commando: D-Day (January 29, 2025)

This situation underscores the importance of efforts to preserve digital games, as they are an integral part of our cultural heritage. Organizations and communities dedicated to game preservation face an uphill battle in ensuring that these digital experiences remain accessible for future generations.

Games, Gaming, News

Stellar Blade studio felt gracious on its success

Shift Up, the developer behind the popular PS5 action game Stellar Blade, has gifted all of its employees a PlayStation 5 Pro and a $3,400 bonus. The studio, which has around 300 employees, held an event in Seoul to present these gifts.

This generous gesture is a way to thank and encourage their talented team, especially after the commercial success of Stellar Blade.

The studio’s representative mentioned that the bonuses were intended to motivate the existing talent at the company.

Stellar Blade has sold over 1 million units worldwide, and the studio is considering releasing a PC version of the game in 2025, along with the exploration on the possibility of developing a sequel, which of course, it doesn’t sound a bad idea if they can recreate the elements that led Stellar Blade being a success in 2024.

Shift Up is a South Korean video game developer and publisher, founded on December 2, 2013, by Kim Hyung Tae after his tenure at NCSoft was over. The company is known for creating popular games like Goddess of Victory: Nikke and Stellar Blade.

Games, Gaming, News

15th birthday of Bayonetta officially acknowledged

PlatinumGames has announced that they will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Bayonetta series with a year-long event starting from January 2025. The original game was released in Japan on October 29, 2009, and worldwide in January 2010.

In their announcement, PlatinumGames expressed their gratitude to fans for their support over the past 15 years. They mentioned that they have been able to bring joy to many people through the series and are excited to continue creating games that surprise and delight their fans.

As part of the celebration, PlatinumGames has planned several surprises and will be sharing updates on their social media channels and official website. They have also released limited-edition items like a Bayonetta music box and monthly wallpapers for fans.

It’s an exciting time for Bayonetta fans, and many are speculating about possible new game announcements or ports of previous titles.

Games, Gaming, News

Minecraft 2 is in development but not from Mojang

If I can name an early gaming surprise from 2025, I would say Markus “Notch” Persson, the original creator of Minecraft, because has recently announced his plans to develop a spiritual successor to the beloved game, which he’s dubbed “Minecraft 2.”

This announcement comes after a poll on social media where fans overwhelmingly voted in favor of a new Minecraft-style game over his other project, a traditional roguelike dungeon crawler.

Notch shared his thoughts on social media, explaining that he’s considering creating a new game similar to Minecraft but under a different name to avoid legal issues.

He emphasized that he wants to avoid infringing on Mojang’s work and Microsoft’s success with Minecraft. The new game will be a spiritual successor, meaning it will capture the essence and gameplay style of Minecraft without directly using the same name or assets.

Notch sold his studio, Mojang, to Microsoft in 2014 for $2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since then, he hasn’t been directly involved in Minecraft’s development. Over the past decade, he has raised eyebrows with several public comments on social media that were seen as homophobic, racist, and in some instances, supportive of conspiracies.

These events led to him becoming distanced from the gaming community and not being invited by either Microsoft or Mojang to the 10th-anniversary celebrations of Minecraft. However, his recent return to game development has sparked excitement among fans who consider the past controversies just that—a thing of the past.

Games, Gaming, News

Arrowhead Studios is busy and not just Helldivers 2

In a recent post on X, Johan Pilestedt, the creative director of Helldivers 2, revealed that he’s already planning Arrowhead Game Studios’ next game. With just minutes to go before 2025, Pilestedt shared his excitement and curiosity about what fans would like to see in the studio’s next project.

Since its release in February 2024, Helldivers 2 has been a massive hit, becoming PlayStation’s fastest-selling game launch ever.

The game sold over 12 million copies across PC and PS5 in its first 12 weeks, surpassing even God of War Ragnarök. The success of Helldivers 2 has allowed Arrowhead to continue updating the game and even hinting at a potential “Helldivers 3” in the future.

Fan Input

Pilestedt is actively seeking fan feedback and speculation on what the next Arrowhead game should be. He mentioned that he is working on the high concept for the new game but is eager to hear what fans envision. Some fans have suggested ideas like a remake of Smash TV or an on-rails aircraft game similar to Star Fox.

While Helldivers 2 continues to receive updates and new content, Arrowhead is already looking ahead to their next big project. Pilestedt has shared that the studio has conceptualized several ideas, including some that never made it to the final stages. This openness about the studio’s creative process has excited fans and given them a glimpse into the potential future of Arrowhead’s games.

Breaking, Games, Gaming, News, Playstation, Xbox

Two Myths About Black Myth: Wukong Debunked

I guess that timing is something to be decided internally despite the convenience of it and final Game Science, the developer behind the popular action RPG Black Myth: Wukong, has recently clarified the reasons behind the game’s delayed release on Xbox platforms.

The game, which has been a massive success on PC and PlayStation 5, has not yet launched on Xbox and it was finally confirmed by its developer that is due to technical challenges with the Xbox Series S, which in retrospective is not a good narrative for Microsoft and its quest of Xbox Series S to be taken as important as Series X.

The main issue stems from the Xbox Series S’s limited memory. The console has 10GB of shared memory, which is lower than the Xbox Series X’s 16GB. This has caused significant optimization challenges for Game Science, leading to memory leaks and performance issues

Initially and at the same situation when Baldur Gate 3’s Xbox version, Microsoft suggested that the delay was due to internal quality concerns and denied any inherent limitations of the Xbox platform.

However, Game Science’s director, Feng Ji, recently contradicted this by explicitly blaming the Series S’s memory limitations

Despite the delays, Game Science is committed to ensuring that the game meets their quality standards before releasing it on Xbox. They are working on optimizing the game to provide a smooth and enjoyable experience on all Xbox models.

There was speculation that the delay might be due to an exclusivity deal with PlayStation, but Feng Ji’s recent statement has put those rumors to rest. The primary issue remains the technical limitations of the Series S.

Indeed, Xbox fans have expressed disappointment over the delay, as they have been eagerly awaiting the game’s release on their platform. The situation highlights the ongoing challenges developers face when creating graphically intensive games for different console hardware.

Business, Games, Gaming, News

Hideo Kojima confirm setback due the SAG-AFTRA Strikes

Saying good-bye to 2024, Hideo Kojima revealed that the development of his highly anticipated games, OD and Physint, has been internally delayed due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes. Of course, this development is going to left fans eagerly awaiting updates on these more or less mysterious projects and probably the wait could be longer than expected.

For a reminder and starting with OD, short for “Overdose,” is an upcoming horror game developed by Kojima Productions in collaboration with filmmaker Jordan Peele.

The game aims to explore the concept of testing one’s fear threshold and what it means to “OD” on fear.

The project was first announced during an Xbox event and is expected to be an Xbox exclusive. The game stars notable actors like Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier, but unfortunately, the SAG-AFTRA strike has halted the scanning and filming processes, causing delays in the game’s development.

As for Physint, or a play of the words “physical intelligence,” is an upcoming stealth action game being developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

This game marks Kojima’s return to the action espionage genre since his acclaimed Metal Gear series.

The project is described as a “next-generation action espionage game” and aims to blur the lines between cinema and video gaming. The collaboration with Sony hints at a deep integration of resources, including Columbia Pictures.

However, the SAG-AFTRA strike has also impacted the casting process for Physint, leading to further delays.

Despite these setbacks, Kojima remains optimistic about resuming work on both games in 2025. Fans of Kojima’s innovative storytelling and unique game design can look forward to more updates as the situation progresses.

The SAG-AFTRA strikes have had a significant impact on the gaming industry. The strike, which began on July 26, 2024, was called after more than 18 months of unsuccessful negotiations with some of the largest video game companies.

The main issues at stake include consent, compensation, and transparency around the use of AI in video games.

Games, Gaming, News, Playstation

Sony knew Astro Bot long-term Playstation benefit

Evidently, despite claiming not to have a major launch for 2024, Sony and PlayStation Studios achieved unexpected success with the surprise announcement and release of Astro Bot. This established a new IP star, the first original PlayStation IP since LittleBigPlanet and its success, including winning The Game Awards’ Game of the Year title. This success suggests that PlayStation’s dormant IPs might receive a renewed focus and potentially benefit from a similar long-term strategy.

In a detailed interview with Famitsu, PlayStation co-CEO Hermen Hulst discussed Sony’s openness to reviving its classic game franchises.

Hulst emphasized that PlayStation aims to offer a broad range of experiences by leveraging both its first-party studios and external developers. He highlighted the importance of PlayStation’s extensive IP portfolio and the company’s goal to publish games by the world’s best creators.

Of course, Hulst took the opportunity to praise the success of Astro Bot, which has sold 1.5 million copies in its first nine weeks. He noted that nearly 40% of those sales came from players who were either purchasing a PlayStation game for the first time or for the first time in two years.

This success has contributed significantly to the expansion of the PlayStation community, attracting younger players and families.

Hulst also reflected on the legacy of PlayStation’s classic IPs, mentioning titles like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and God of War as major inspirations for the company’s future direction. He acknowledged the challenges of the live-service model, referencing the infamous launch and quick shutdown of Concord this year.

Overall, Hulst’s vision for PlayStation involves a balance of honoring its rich history while continuing to innovate and collaborate with top developers to create new and exciting gaming experiences.

Games, Gaming, News, Xbox

26 years of Halo gems went unhidden

Christmas Day brought an unexpected surprise to the Halo community: a massive data leak revealing a treasure trove of unreleased content, development builds, and internal documents spanning nearly three decades of the franchise’s history.

The leak, believed to stem from a collaboration between Halo Studios and the Digsite modding team, has sent shockwaves through the community. Digsite, renowned for their work in recovering lost or discarded content from Halo games, appears to have gained access to a wealth of previously unseen materials.

Early reports suggest the leaked data includes:

  • Unfinished game builds: Offering a glimpse into the evolution of classic Halo games, showcasing features that were cut or altered before release.
  • A long-lost third-person demo: A fascinating artifact that sheds light on an early, unexplored direction for the franchise.
  • Internal documents and concept art: Providing unprecedented insight into the creative process behind the Halo universe, from initial brainstorming to final implementation.

The impact of this leak is still unfolding. For hardcore fans, it’s an unparalleled opportunity to delve deeper into the history of their favorite franchise, uncovering hidden gems and gaining a newfound appreciation for the development process. However, the leak also raises concerns about data security and the potential misuse of unreleased materials.

Halo Studios has yet to officially comment on the situation. As the community continues to sift through the leaked data, one thing is certain: this event will have a lasting impact on the Halo universe, forever changing the way fans interact with and understand the iconic franchise.