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Assassin’s Creed: Mirage ESRB Rating and Summary Surfaces, In-Game Purchases and More Mentioned

The Assassin’s Creed: Mirage ESRB rating and summary has surfaced, and what’s listed is exactly what players of the franchise should expect.

The ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) has rated AC: Mirage as “M” for Mature, and references Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Strong Language. Furthermore, it also confirms that the game will feature microtransactions, which is to be expected from an Assassin’s Creed game by now.

 Assassin’s Creed Mirage ESRB Rating Summary
This is an action-adventure game in which players assume the role of a thief/assassin battling a secret order in ancient Baghdad. Players explore open-world environments while performing missions (e.g., searching for items, battling enemies) and using stealth to kill human targets. Players use swords, daggers, arrows, and a concealed blade to kill soldiers, fellow assassins, and boss characters in frenetic melee-style combat. Fights are highlighted by screams of pain and frequent blood-splatter effects. Cutscenes also depict instances of violence: a bound prisoner stabbed slowly through the chest; a victim assassinated by hanging. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” appear in the game.

Even the summary seems to be par for the course for the franchise’s past games, which is good news, no?

Barring any setbacks, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage will be released this October 12 on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Twitter Down and Logging Users Off This July 16

It seems Twitter is acting up, as multiple Twitter down reports have surfaced this July 16, and what’s more, it seems to be logging people off.

Twitter Down and Login Issues Status for July 16:

First-hand, we can verify that Twitter indeed had server issues a few minutes ago (both on mobile and PC), and it logged off multiple accounts for the staff. We are not certain whether this is a regional thing, but it’s clear people in different parts of the world are experiencing the outages.

Down detector has seen a massive spike in reports recently too:

So far, the official Twitter Support account has not mentioned or acknowledged any issues, but if we do spot anything, we’ll update the article. For those wondering if it’s your internet, device or whatnot that’s causing issues, it’s not. It’s indeed Twitter that’s having issues.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Sony Signs “Binding Agreement” With Microsoft to Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation (Update)

Following Microsoft’s win against the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) over the Activision-Blizzard acquisition, which means that there’s no stopping the acquisition, Sony has now signed a new Call of Duty deal with Microsoft.

This was revealed today by Xbox head boss Phil Spencer who announced that Sony and Microsoft now have a “binding agreement” to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation.

Vice Chair and President of Microsoft Brad Smith also shared his thoughts on the matter, and said that from day one, Microsoft has been committed to addressing the concerns of regulators, platform, game devs and consumers. The company will remain focused on ensuring Call of Duty remains available on more platforms for more consumers than ever before.

No specifics of the deal has been shared, though we’re assuming it might be similar to the 10-year deal Microsoft inked with Nintendo back in February. Having said that, we’re not expecting any PlayStation-exclusive anything to come out of this. Don’t expect timed exclusive game modes, maps or whatnot to be part of it, though we could be wrong.

Once we know more details about the deal, we’ll let our readers know.

Update: Axios has gotten confirmation that the Sony Call of Duty deal is for 10-years, which is the same deal Nintendo made.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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BattleBit Remastered Console Version Not Off the Table, Progression Gaps to Be Filled With New Weapons, More Revealed in AMA

With BattleBit Remastered now a certified muti-million seller, the developers aren’t resting on their laurels, as the just held an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit, where they talked about a BattleBit Remastered console port, progression gaps, the development process of the game, and loads more.

Read on for the complete AMA below with all answers supplied by TheLiquidHorse, which is a verified BattleBit Remastered dev.


BattleBit Remastered AMA Q&A:

Q: Are you still planning on adding FaceIt anti-cheat to the game?

A: yes, but we are working a lot with faceit to remove all the painful things and make it as easy to run as EAC

Q: Did you build the networking and server architecture from scratch? Have you created the matchmaking system yourself or is it a 3rd party solution?

A: everything was build from scratch, there is no suitable solution out there for what we are doing

Q: What are the dev team’s thoughts on the pacing of unlocks? Some classes at present could go 10s of hours without seeing new weapons. Would splitting XP into levels per class, rather than an overall profile level, address this?

A: we will definitely revisit the progression down the line and fill the gaps with new weapons

Q: Any plans to keep this running on the steam deck? Or this won’t be possible with the planned switch in anti-cheat?

A: we still plan to support EAC and Steamdeck Users, dont worry we will keep you all in mind

Q: Were you guys expecting this kind of popularity or this is even beyond your wildest dreams?

A: not at all, this is just wild. i don’t even think anyone of us has realised what we actually have done now

Q: Will we be able to change our ADS FOV at some point?

A: we are considering it

Q: Any plans on encouraging more roles being picked? Everyone plays medic because it has fast leveling. I would like to play medic, because I enjoy playing the role in other games, but each squad is 80% medics, so I don’t feel useful at all.

A: yes, we will give all other roles a buff down the line and make them more viable in combat

Q: Any insight on new maps?

A: id recommend taking a close look to the update feed this weekend

Q: What are a couple of lessons you’ve learned from your time working on Battlebit when it comes to approaching challenges?

A: the more you fuck around, the more you find out

Q: Do you think there is anything that the Battlefield devs could learn from you?

A: we are just some newbies in this field, the devs prob know things way better then we do. What happened in the last few years there wasn’t their fault, i think they would still be able to deliver an absolute stunner of a Battlefield if they would have the time and freedom

Q: This game is freaking awesome, love it to the last bit, i so badly Wish for balaclavas or masks tho!

A: more armors are coming down the line

Q: any plans on a ghillie suit?

A: there is one as sniper, at least partially

Q: Stupid question, is there a way to turn down the friendly indicators? The fact that I can see all 128 on my team, even though the player is too far away for me to see, makes it too busy for me to have much fun.

A: We know of this but all attempts to introduce an option for this tanked the performance. Maybe in the future

Q: One of the greatest things that I’ve seen that’s rather unique about this game is the way people are acting. I’ve found people are a lot more positive, forgiving, and willing to just roll with rp. Any idea why the community developed like that?

A: we actively ban people that bring the heavy slurs to the table, i think that helps a lot already

Q: Any ideas to encourage more team/squad play rather than zerg?

A: Milsim Gamemode will definitely enforce it, but for the casual side there will be only slight changes to encourage it more

Q: I am loving Battlebit right now! I’m curious, is it possible to have a larger mode than 254 players or is that the max the game and servers can handle?

A: our server infrastructure sadly wouldn’t support that

Q: Any chance we’ll get servers in South Africa? Your net code is great btw – somehow playing effectively with 200 ping!

A: not from official side for now

Q: Great game, absolutely having a blast. The weekly communications are great and you guys seem to really be building the game you wanna build.

A: much love for your support <3

Q: What games inspired you to make this? Obviously Battlefield is a big one but I feel I can also see some inspiration from Red Orchestra/Rising Storm games so I’m curious to see which shooters inspired you

A: Battlefield, Squad, Insurgency, HLL, Ace of Spades ….basically anything FPS, they all have some great things to them

Q: Mod Support?

A: We will allow some degree of modability with the community servers, but a full steam workshop is not possible. The game was never build for it

Q: With how wildly successful the game has become, what are you planning to spend all the money you’re making on? Any bright orange Lamborghinis in your future?

A: the game.

​Majority of it will stay with the game, we will only take a small portion to make this a living now. I’m a big car enthusiast but sportscars will still remain a dream

Q: Love the game! One thing I’m missing is vehicles in the practice range, is there anything coming on that front? I find the helicopter controls a bit hard to get a grasp on and I feel bad crashing and burning in public lobbies. I’d love a way to practice them in a way that doesn’t annoy other people lol.

A: Vehicles were made completely server side, bringing them to the local shooting range requires a total overall. This is sadly a little beyond our scope currently

Q: Maps are great but with the current voting system we see the same maps, any idea to increase maps? Perhaps offer less maps per vote? Or put them in buckets so lesser played maps get a chance to be played

A: we will address this in the future

Q: Any plans to make armor more viable? As it stands health is king because it can be regenerated infinitely while armor is completely gone after a few hits. This leads to a medic meta.

A: there will be an overhaul down the line

Q: ETA on loadouts in menus?

A: not yet sadly

Q: Congratulations on your success. Is there any takeaways that other indy developers can adopt for their games? Did you engage in many twitch streamers or you tubers to promote the game or has the growth in sales been more organic and based more on word of mouth or media?

A: all word of mouth.

If you work with streamers, just be open, cool and available. that already works wonders.

About making games: don’t make multiplayer games as your first one

Q: Are there any plans to add music/sound effects to the main menu?

A: yes, the track is already done, just lacking the time in implementing it

Q: Any thoughts or plans for a gun master/gun game mode in the future?

A: gun game is in the game, but only in the 16v16

Q: What is the reaction of you & your team selling 1.8+ million copies of the game?

What do you think separates BattleBit from AAA titles like CoD & Battlefield? Your team has surely showed there is success to be had from indie teams competing against multi million dollar franchises.

A: it is pretty insane, i think just the fact that we don’t take our self to serious helps with this

Q: Which class and weapon is your favourite? Nerf Vector? 😉 (also I would really like a minimap)

A: im a Sniper and i love the REM700

Q; I love the game, my only real complaint is the steep, steep grind wall to get functional unlocks. I’ve got 25 hours in, and weapon unlocks have been painfully slow. I got literally all the functional unlocks for the AK-74 before I even unlocked the next rifle in the list. Is there any plan to tweak the grind at all?

A: yes, we will fill the gaps with new content

Q: Any idea if Battlebit will get a Mode like Battlefields 1 “Operations” Mode you know “Frontlines” with better maps , huuge reinforcement vehicles for the attackers and stuff ( not the weird massacred mode they name “Operations” in BFV )

A: we are definitely planning to introduce more gamemodes in the future

Q: At what point in development did you really think “holy shit we got something here”?

A: pretty much after our playtest blew up, but still to this day cant really put my finger on what it is exactly

Q: Will there be more factions added?

A: the option exists, but the effort is massive and only suitable far down the line

Q: Do you have any plans to add a melee attack into the game?

A: theres the sledgehammer

Q: Any fix for HUD on teammate tag? Seeing 100+ gets easily confusing and annoying to see.

A: all options to fix that, that we came up with so far, just tanked the performance. Still at the drawing board to find a good solution

Q: Do you have any opinion on what the Battlefront games do right vs do wrong and how that allows Battlebit to grow? Or do you see Battlebit’s success as an independent event, seperate from anything to do with similar games?

A: i would never say that we do things better and our success is because of someone else misery.

Our goal at any time was to create a fun game that we would enjoy playing.
we are just glad that there is so many that also enjoy what we did

Q: What weapons are you guys planning to add in the near future?

A: secret 🙂

Q: A mini map is in the near future maybe? Love the game btw. Do wish it was more colorful but it’s still a freaking blast! Thank you for it and this

A: Minimap is not planned

Q: Will there be official controller support?

A: controllers dont have enough buttons for all inputs. so we will stick with partial for now

Q: How long will we be waiting for a hardcore mode?

A: a while, there is still some other things we want to push out before that

Q: Curious if you guys are planning on doing anything with interiors? Some interiors looks very flat due to the lack of lighting and it messes with depth perception.

I’m assuming no dynamic lighting so performance doesn’t tank?

A: yes, down the line they will get a touchup

Q: Hey there, I emailed you the other day but figured I’d ask here. I’m the director of Amid Evil VR and we brought the original game to VR for New Blood Interactive. Any chance you’d let my team bring your game to Quest, SteamVR, and PSVR2? We’re big fans and have been playing the hell out of BattleBit daily!

A: we dont plan to bring the game to VR, this would just be something for the sake of making money. There would be no enjoyment in playing VR. its just to much chaos

Q: I know this is /pcgaming but I have friend who only use consoles who i’d love to play with. Do you have any plans to eventually port this to consoles?

A: right now not really, for us the experience matters. Currently we wouldn’t be able to deliver the same experience on console, until we are at this point we wont see a console release.

Q: Will the game ever come to consoles?

A: possibly, but that will take a while still

Q: When is the KRISS Vector getting removed from the game?

A: never, but nerf might be a thing soon

Q: From a technical standpoint, what’s server optimization been like for you

A: hell

Q: Love the game! Could we get the ability to bind free look separately from the right click in the Little Bird? Currently I can’t spool up the guns and turn at the same time.

A: already on our to-do list


In case you didn’t know, a new game update was released last week, which you can read about here.

Once the studio reveals anything new about BattleBit Remastered, we’ll let our readers know.

Source: Reddit

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Star Wars Outlaws: One Planet Size Equivalent to 2-3 Zones in AC Odyssey, Locations All “Handcrafted”

Just last month, Ubisoft finally showed off their big budget, single-player Star Wars game titled “Star Wars Outlaws.” If you’re wondering how big each planet size is in the game, wonder no more, as Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment has spilled the beans.

Speaking in the latest issue of EDGE magazine (issue #387), Creative Director Julian Gerighty  shared some new details regarding Star Wars Outlaws, with one of them confirming that each planet in the game is big enough that traversing it — even with high-speed vehicles — will feel like a “journey. In comparison, the size of one planet might be about equivalent to two or three zones in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey.

Another thing Gerighty confirmed is that each location is “handcrafted,” and that the studio has not procedurally generated an entire planet.

Here are more details straight from Gerighty:

  • Focusing on “full freedom of approach” when it comes to encounters.
  • Exclusive quests, vendor prices, locked off areas can be accessed by the Reputation system. If you’re not in a faction’s good side, they can send people to chase you down, monetary punishment is also part of it/
  • Players will not have “total free rein” in terms of travel, you won’t be able to freely fly above the planet, and there will be set landing and take-off areas.
  • Nix (alien companion of protagonist Vass) can be directed by players to attack enemies, activate out-of-reach buttons, cause distractions, pick up heavy weapons from fallen foes, Massive says Nix is like a cross between Watch Dogs’ spiderbot, BioShock Infinite’s Elizabeth or like BD-1 from EA’s Star Wars Jedi games.
  • Each planet was designed to be big enough that traversing will feel like a “journey even on a vehicle that’s fast moving.
  • One planet equivalent to two to three of the zones in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
  • Locations are all “handcrafted” and there are no procedurally generated entire planets
  • Vass’ ship Trailblazer inspired by toys of the 1970s and was made to be “very, very simple.”
  • Game is set between Empire and Jedi, so Massive can emulate that “feel.” The studio has been developing tech which “emulates some of the lenses of the 1970s.”
  • ND-5 droid (Vass’ companion) design lifted from prequels.

Star Wars Outlaws has no firm release date yet outside of “2024” and it’s set for release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. You can check out actual gameplay of it, right here.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage Haptic Gaming Suit Announced, Will Let Players “Feel” the Game

If you ever wanted to not just play as an assassin in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, but even feel what it’s like, peripheral maker OWO has you covered, as a tie-in with the franchise has been announced with the Assassin’s Creed Mirage haptic gaming suit.

Officially called the OWO Haptic Gaming System Assassin’s Creed Mirage Edition, it comes with the base game and the following items:

  • OWO Skin
  • OWO Device
  • x20 Gel pads
  • Charging cable
  • Storage puch
  • Game code

Per OWO, here’s what to expect:

It’s time to change your fate!
Now, you will not impersonate Basim, you will be Basim. Use your uncanny skills to avoid being seen while seeking justice.

Get your exclusive Assassin’s Creed: Mirage Special Edition now. This offer includes a digital copy of the game, which you will be able to play on PS5, Xbox Series X or PC.

Using the OWO System, you will be able to feel your precise movements when you take down your targets. But beware! They are out to get you. Don’t let your enemies get too close or you will feel the consequences.

No price or release date has been shared just yet, but given the tech inside the suit, don’t expect it to be cheap. Mind, you can also use the suit for other games aside from AC Mirage, so it’s not a one-trick pony.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage comes out October 12, 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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New Destiny 2 Xur Location Today July 14, 2023 (And What Xur Is Selling)

The kooky merchant Xur has returned to Destiny this Friday with yet another selection of Exotics, Engrams, and Legendary gear on sale. If you’re wondering where he’s at or what he’s selling, look no further: MP1st’s new Destiny 2 Xur location today, July 14, 2023 post details both his location and full inventory until the next Weekly Reset.

Note: No Trials of Osiris this week since Iron Banner is live until the 18th.

Update: Xur’s on his cliff at the Winding Cove in EDZ and is carrying Vigilance Wing, An Insurmountable Skullfort, Fr0st-EE5, and Crown of Tempests.

New Destiny 2 Xur Location Today July 14, 2023 (And What Xur Is Selling):

Xûr, Agent of the Nine

A peddler of strange curios, Xûr’s motives are not his own. He bows to his distant masters, the Nine.

Location

European Dead Zone (EDZ) > Winding Cove > on his cliff

Exotic Weapons

Name Type Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4
Vigilance Wing Kinetic Pulse Rifle
Hawkmoon Kinetic Hand Cannon Smallbore Surplus Smooth Grip
Dead Man’s Tale Kinetic Scout Rifle Arrowhead Brake Flared Magwell Fourth Time’s the Charm Composite Stock

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Exotic Armor

Name Type MOB RES REC DIS INT STR Total Cost
Fr0st-EE5 Hunter Leg Armor 4 6 25 10 6 15 66 23 Legendary Shards
An Insurmountable Skullfort Titan Helmet 11 11 11 12 2 15 62 23 Legendary Shards
Crown of Tempests Warlock Helmet 19 6 8 2 15 15 65 23 Legendary Shards

Exotic Ciphers

Name Description
Xenology Complete Vanguard playlist activities, or win matches in Crucible or Gambit. Extra progress is awarded for more challenging activities and for succeeding with clanmates.

Engrams

Name Description Cost
Exotic Engram An engram with a predestined outcome. Contains a new Exotic if any of the possible rewards remain to be collected. Preview contents for possible rewards. 97 Legendary Shards

Legendary Weapons

Name Type Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4
Whispering Slab Kinetic Combat Bow Tactile String // Elastic String Compact Arrow Shaft // Straight Fletching Quickdraw Unrelenting
Deafening Whisper Energy Grenade Launcher Volatile Launch // Hard Launch High-Velocity Rounds // Implosion Rounds Killing Wind Wellspring
Recurrent Impact Heavy Machine Gun Polygonal Rifling // Smallbore Extended Mag // Alloy Magazine Firmly Planted Headstone
Royal Chase Energy Scout Rifle Arrowhead Brake // Full Bore Tactical Mag // Extended Mag Grave Robber Multikill Clip
No Reprieve Kinetic Shotgun Extended Barrel // Fluted Barrel Appended Mag // Steady Rounds Triple Tap Snapshot Sights
Lonesome Kinetic Sidearm Extended Barrel // Full Bore Armor-Piercing Rounds // Ricochet Rounds Rapid Hit Slideshot
Far Future Energy Sniper Rifle Corkscrew Rifling // Hammer-Forged Rifling Appended Mag // Extended Mag Auto-Loading Holster Demolitionist

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Legendary Armor

Name Type MOB RES REC DIS INT STR Total Cost
Gensym Knight Gauntlets Titan Gauntlets 6 10 16 2 15 15 64 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Plate Titan Chest Armor 2 6 25 21 2 10 66 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Mark Titan Mark 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Helm Titan Helmet 2 25 6 10 21 2 66 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Greaves Titan Leg Armor 2 18 11 20 10 2 63 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Gloves Warlock Gauntlets 12 7 14 15 10 6 64 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Robes Warlock Chest Armor 6 10 16 15 6 10 63 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Bond Warlock Bond 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Hood Warlock Helmet 12 14 7 11 2 20 66 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Boots Warlock Leg Armor 14 7 10 11 2 20 64 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Grips Hunter Gauntlets 6 6 20 14 2 14 62 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Cuirass Hunter Chest Armor 6 20 6 6 18 7 63 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Cloak Hunter Cloak 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Casque Hunter Helmet 11 10 10 10 20 2 63 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer
Gensym Knight Strides Hunter Leg Armor 10 21 2 14 6 10 63 50 Legendary Shards & 1000 Glimmer

What’s a Xûr?

Xûr, Agent of the Nine, is a curious vendor who randomly appears in a Public Sector on one of the Worlds. Xûr sells Exotic equipment (as well as Engrams and Legendary equipment), only accepting Legendary Shards as payment.

TL;DR: He’s the Santa of Destiny and every weekend’s Christmas. Sometimes he brings you what you want, sometimes he brings you coal. Mostly it’s coal.

When does Xûr visit?

Xûr returns every Friday at 17:00 UTC and departs at Weekly Reset (Tuesday 17:00 UTC). If you would like to see all the live conversions of Time Zones, please follow this link here.

(Thanks once again, /r/DestinyTheGame!)

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Salman Haider Zaidi

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Starfield and Indiana Jones Were Forecasted to Sell 10 Million Copies on the PS5

If you thought we had enough leaks from the FTC v Microsoft court documents, I would say otherwise. According to a court filing that has surfaced recently, it has been revealed that Microsoft forecasted that Starfield and Indiana Jones would sell over 10 million copies on PS5.

This comes directly from Xbox’s Chief Financial Officer, Tim Stuart, who testified that the forecasted PS5 sales of the upcoming Starfield and Indiana Jones were more than 10 million before the games were made exclusive to Xbox.

Find the full filing below:

Microsoft Gaming CFO Tim Stuart testified that when Microsoft evaluated exclusivity of ZeniMax games in December 2020, despite having more than 10 million units forecasted for both Starfield and Indiana Jones on PlayStation, Microsoft believed it could offset losses incurred from taking ZeniMax games exclusive through upside to Game pass and increased console sales. Stuart (Microsoft) Hr’g Tr. 965:15-967:22; PX4376 at -001. Mr. Stuart testified that Microsoft needed fewer dollars in the short term to make up for the financial impact of exclusivity of ZeniMax games on Microsoft.

starfield indiana jones ps5

Xbox believed that the loss in sales from the PS5 versions could be recouped by selling more Game Pass subscriptions and selling more consoles. FTC has already lost this case against Microsoft but the plethora of information doesn’t seem to stop just yet.

Starfield was announced as an Xbox exclusive all the way back in 2021, and is due to launch later this year on September 6. However, it was only during the FTC v Microsoft court hearings that unveiled Indiana Jones has become exclusive to Xbox and will be shipping day one on Xbox Game Pass.

Thanks, stephentotilo!

Ibrahim Kabir

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CMA Delays Its Final Order for the Microsoft-Activision Merger Due to “Special Reasons”

After winning its case against the FTC in the US for its merger with Activision, Microsoft was quick to turn its attention towards the UK regulators. Microsoft and CMA decided to mutually pause the CAT Tribunal hearing scheduled for this month, the UK regulators have revealed that they have taken an extension on the final order till August 29.

Initially, the final order was due on July 18, which is the termination date of the acquisition, but it has been delayed to August 29. The CMA cites undisclosed “special reasons” that have caused them to make this decision. The regulators also say that they are working on resolving this as soon as possible, and in “advance of this date.”

Find the full update below:

The statutory period for the CMA either to accept final Undertakings or make a
final Order currently ends on 18 July 2023. The CMA considers that there is insufficient time remaining in the statutory period for full and proper consideration of Microsoft’s submission on the proposed Order. As such, the Inquiry Group considers that there are special reasons to extend by six weeks under section 41A(2) of the Act the period for the discharge of its duty under section 41(2) of the Act. The revised period will therefore end on 29 August 2023. However, the Inquiry Group aims to discharge its duty as soon as possible and in advance of this date.

Microsoft has reportedly been in talks with the CMA in order to get their approval of the deal and is working on offering some sort of small structural remedy that will appease the regulators. This is the reason why the CMA has agreed to pause the litigation for now and has taken an extension on its final report.

Currently, the termination date for the Microsoft-Activision merger stands at July 18, which is just in a couple of days. We will have to wait and see if they renegotiate to extend this date, or if they have another plan in mind.

Source: CMA

Ibrahim Kabir

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Payday 3 Will Require a Constant Internet Connection

Payday fans, we have some not-so-great news to share. It seems like Payday 3 will require a constant internet connection, even when you’re playing solo. This news comes straight from one of the developers who answered a fan’s question.

Find the full Q&A below:

Question: Will Payday 3 have an offline mode? Like playing solo?

Answer: Uh… no. You will be able to play it by yourself, but I do believe you will have to have a connection in order to play (inaudible).

You can watch the full clip directly from the dev here:

This is a change to the series, as Payday 2 did in fact feature an offline mode that did not require an internet connection. Hopefully, the devs will have more to share as to why this decision was made in the first place, or better, they reverse this decision.

In a recent dev diary, it was revealed that Payday 3 will feature Payday’s original cast with two new heisters, in New York. The game will feature new changes in the heists, including trading your hostages. Software giants, the dark web, surveillance, and cryptocurrencies will also be present in Payday 3.

Payday 3 releases September 21 on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. It will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.

Thanks, DANNYonPC

Ibrahim Kabir

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Genshin Impact Update 3.81 for July 14 Released for Tech Fix on PlayStation

Genshin Impact update 3.81 was released on PlayStation platforms and this doesn’t add any new content, but was released to fix a specific technical issue. Check out the new Genshin Impact update patch notes for July 14 below.

Genshin Impact Update 3.81 Patch Notes:

Here’s the announcement from miHoYo on what got fixed:

Dear Travelers,

A version update for PS4™ and PS5™ was released at 2023/07/14 15:00 (UTC+8). This was to fix an issue where the screen would go black after “WARNING: READ BEFORE PLAYING” appeared, preventing users from launching the game on certain HDR-enabled PlayStation® devices. The post-update game version is 3.8.1.

That’s about it. There doesn’t seem to be any gameplay-related changes or any new content, which is understandable given  we just got the big 3.8 patch earlier this month.

Source: Reddit

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Genshin Impact Update 3.810 Launches This July 14 (Update)

Developer mihoYo has released Genshin Impact update 3.810 today for the PS5 version of the game. Read on for what’s new in the Genshin Impact patch notes for July 14.

Genshin Impact Update 3.810 Patch Notes | Genshin Impact Update July 14 Patch Notes:

Update: Here’s what got changed according to the studio:

Dear Travelers,

A version update for PS4™ and PS5™ was released at 2023/07/14 15:00 (UTC+8). This was to fix an issue where the screen would go black after “WARNING: READ BEFORE PLAYING” appeared, preventing users from launching the game on certain HDR-enabled PlayStation® devices. The post-update game version is 3.8.1.


Sadly, it looks like mihoYo has not released any patch notes for this PS5 version of Genshin Impact today. This isn’t the big 4.0 update that will be available for all platforms this August 16. It’s possible today’s patch is just for bug fixes or something minor for the PS5 only.

Anyway, we will update this post as soon as we can if mihoYo decides to post proper patch notes for today’s PS5 update for the game. The last update to come to the game was version 3.8 and this included loads of new content and more.

Keep it locked at MP1st for more updates about Genshin Impact in the near future.

Update: Patch notes have been added.

Source: Reddit

Damien Seeto

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Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Update 1.13 Strikes Out This July 14

Konami has released Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel update 1.13 (PS5 version 1.013) today for all platforms. This is tagged as version 1.6.0 by the developer and it includes some gameplay enhancements. Check out the Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel July 14 patch notes down below.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Update 1.13 Patch Notes | Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Update 1.013 Patch Notes | Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel v1.6.0 Patch Notes:

The patch notes were revealed on the game’s official Steam page. You can read the full details down below.

The following updates have been made
– Card activation effects during duels have been added.
– Added summon effects for special summons.
– The Duel Live function has been enhanced.
– UI of various functions has been improved.

That’s it for the patch notes. If any other info is revealed about the game, we’ll be sure to update this post as soon as we can. Keep it locked at MP1st for more updates about Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel in the near future.

Source: Steam

Damien Seeto

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Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Update 1.13 Released for July 13; Brings Major Fixes and Balancing in Version 1.120

Team Ninja has released Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty update 1.13 (PS5 version 1.013), which is what the devs call the version 1.120 patch. This is out on all platforms and addresses several major bugs, as well as some balancing adjustments. Read on for the Wo Long patch notes for July 13 (July 14 for those outside the US).

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Update 1.13 Patch Notes | Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Update 1.013 Patch Notes | Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Update Version 1.120 Patch Notes:

Adjustments

  • Made changes so that, if one of the two Hidden Tomes made available by defeating a boss had already been acquired, the likelihood of the boss dropping the second Hidden Tome will be higher.

  • Made changes so that enemies’ movements during battle will pause while the notification about obtaining Hidden Tomes is displayed.

  • Made upward adjustments to the duration of the Wizardry Spell Frozen Shot and the proportion of Ice damage bound to the weapon.

  • Improved the camera behavior when locking on to Bingcan.

  • Made changes so that a UI indicating that an affinity took place would be displayed when using the Five Phases to make talismans produced by the General of Heaven’s Illusion disappear.

  • Improved the visibility of Demonized Dian Wei’s Critical Blow, in which he shoots projectiles.

  • Made upward adjustments to the accessory drop rate increase granted by the special effect Drop Priority (Accessories).

  • Made changes so that the special effects Cestus Damage Increase and Cestus Spirit Damage Increase may be applied to cestuses.

  • Made upward adjustments to the potential rarities of drop items within treasure chests in the following battlefields from “Extra Story 1: Battle of Zhongyuan”:

    • Main battlefield “A Solitary Resistance”

    • Main battlefield “Sons of the Yellow Heaven”

    • Main battlefield “In the Name of Elai”

    • Sub battlefield “A Requiem for the Deceased”

Major Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that made it impossible for the player to progress if their Co-op team disbanded while a tutorial including videos was open on their screen.

  • Fixed a bug that allowed players to go outside the bounds of the current stage from certain locations in some stages.

  • Fixed a bug in which character and stage models would no longer be displayed after accepting a Co-op invitation from the Travel menu.

  • Fixed a bug that would sometimes cause the screen to go dark just after using the Travel function to begin a mission.

  • Fixed a bug that enabled players to break Oil Pots with some Wizardry Spells from Phases other than the Fire Phase.

  • Fixed a bug that prevented players from locking on to Bingcan when it appeared.

  • Fixed a bug that prevented damage from being dealt by the second blow of the Fatal Strike sequence when performed against Huodou.

  • Fixed a bug occurring in the sub battlefield “Beyond the Heavens,” in which some Divine Beasts would not perform their attack sequence when Summon Divine Beast was activated.

  • Fixed a bug that granted the special effect Dual Halberds Damage to cestuses.

  • Fixed a bug in which Bingcan, despite having been set to the status of a leader, would not yield appropriate levels of drop rewards in some battlefields.

  • Fixed a bug occurring during Co-op sessions in the sub battlefield “An Everlasting Regret,” that prevented players from obtaining clear reward items if they had not been the one to open the treasure chests containing said items.

  • Made alterations so that players can now discard duplicates of non-discardable equipment with the same name so that they possess only one remaining piece.

  • Fixed a bug in which the value displayed for the special effect Max Equipment Weight was higher than the actual value granted.

  • Fixed a bug that caused the copyright to be displayed twice in the Photograph menu.

  • Fixed a bug that occurred if the player was defeated in a certain way in the sub battlefield “Tactical Exercises,” which would cause the information above the boss’ head to remain even after the player returned to the battlefield.

  • Fixed other minor bugs.

PlayStation®5/PlayStation®4 Versions

Additional Features

  • Made changes so that blocked players will no longer be displayed in the search results when matching on the same platform.

    • Adaptations for cross-platform matching are planned for future patches.

PlayStation®5 Version

Major Bug Fixes

  • Alleviated lagging when the network is online.

PlayStation®4 Version

Major Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that would sometimes cause the game to crash after loading when running the PlayStation®4 software on the PlayStation®5 console.

Steam®/Microsoft Store Versions

Major Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that would sometimes prevent the mouse selection operations from working properly after opening the Titles menu.

  • Fixed other minor bugs.

Xbox Game Pass

Major Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that occurred when playing the base game without having purchased the add-on content “Battle of Zhongyuan,” which would cause the incorrect save data to be generated, making it impossible for players to resume the game.

Source: Team Ninja

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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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Crash Team Rumble Midseason Update Announced; New “Sticky TNT” Power Teased

A Crash Team Rumble Midseason Update has been announced in a recent dev blog. The update will focus mostly on bugfixes for the game while also setting things up for next season.

Here’s the full quote concerning the update taken from the dev blog:

Before all of that though we have another update dropping in the next few weeks that we call the Midseason Update. This update is primarily focused on bug fixes for issues that are live, and to tee up our events for the second half of this season. Keep your eyes out for the patch notes dropping in the not-too-distant future, there are a ton of great fixes in there both large and small!

Also announced for release later this season is a new power called “Sticky TNT,” which will be released during the game’s next “big meta-shifting event.”

When used, this crate acts like an explosive game of hot potato! When one player has the crate attached to them the crate will count down, and they have to pass it to another player to avoid getting blown up!

With Season 1 still very much underway, Toys for Bob seems to have plenty of content in store for Crash Team Rumble players before the season’s end on September 11.

Source: Toys for Bob

Carlos Perez

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Battlefield 2042 Next Update Out Next Week, Will Touch on ADS Sensitivity and Dozer’s Shield

While Battlefield 2042 players got the big 5.1.0 patch earlier this month, the studio has announced that the Battlefield 2042 next update is due for release next week.

The server-side update will tweak Dozer’s Shield bash and the issue regarding Aim Down Sight (ADS) sensitivity that surfaced from patch 5.1.0.

Battlefield 2043 Next Update Details:

As you can see, Dozer’s Shield Bash range has been reduced significantly which should be welcome news for players annoyed at how far it can reach. No word yet on when it’s out, but once it it is, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.

If you haven’t turned the game on recently, the Arkangel Directive event is now live! You can check the schedule, rewards and other details of it here.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Black Desert Online Player Count Resurges Up 335% Globally Following Recent Expansion Launch

It’s common for live service games, and MMOs in particular, to do pretty well whenever a new expansion drops, as both new players and old veterans alike join the game once more to try out fresh content. This is the case with Korean developer Pearl Abyss’s Black Desert Online, with Black Desert Online’s player count resurging following the release of the recent “Land of the Morning Light” expansion.

Here are some stats relating to Black Desert Online’s player uptick, as provided via a press release:

  • In the last month, Black Desert Online witnessed a 267% increase in new players and a 335% in returning players globally, based on Pearl Abyss’ internal analytics.
  • In one week on SteamBlack Desert Online reached number 13 ranking, jumping 50 spots in the U.S. Top Sellers category and hit its highest peak of 33,546 concurrent players in two years (33,859 players in July 2021).
  • In Europe the following countries surged into the Top Sellers category: Belgium: 4; Norway: 5; Germany: 8; Spain: 9; France: 12; Netherlands: 13; UK: 14; Finland: 14; Sweden: 15; and Austria: 17.
  • In the last two weeks on streaming platform Twitch, Black Desert Online catapulted into the top 10 Trending Games bracket with 5,007,728 hours viewers watching (a 118.9% increase over the last two weeks), and a peak of 53,978 viewers (a 73.2% jump over the last two weeks), according to Twitch stats and analysis site, Sullygnome.

Black Desert Online’s latest expansion is pretty solid, with gorgeous graphics and a “pleasant focus on narrative” that draws players in. You can read more about our thoughts on the expansion in our review of Land of the Morning Light, where we gave it an 8/10 score.

Carlos Perez

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Bungie Wins Lawsuit Against Harasser, Guilty Party Changed With $500,000 Fine

Bungie just won in court today against a Destiny 2 player who had harassed several employees at the studio. The Bungie lawsuit resulted in the Court finding the harasser liable for almost $500,000 in damages relating to investigation and protection costs, among other things.

Paralegal Kathryn Tewson, who worked on the case, posted a Twitter thread detailing the victory against the harasser. Of note, the case concluded with the court recognizing a new tort relating to the harassment received by Bungee employees.

The recognition of a new tort will, in theory, pave the way for similar cases like this in the future to be more successful, with the goal of holding like-minded harassers accountable for their actions.

The court win against the harasser was met with positive responses, many of which came from game devs across the industry, such as Halo’s senior community manager at 343 Industries, John Junyszek.

With proof that game studios are now able to hold trolls accountable for their actions, some may now think twice before harassing and sending threats over video games.

Carlos Perez

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Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC 5 Ground Battle Stage Revealed in New Trailer

Publisher Bandai Namco and developer CyberConnect2 have released a brand new trailer for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC 5 titled “The 23rd World Tournament.” The trailer unveils the new Ground Battle stage in the upcoming DLC.

Watch the Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC 5 Ground Battle trailer right here:

Unleash your power in a new stage, “Ground Battle ” of Dragon Ball Z Kakarot’s DLC 5! Experience intense fights with unique rules in the World Tournament. Master epic moves, defeat your foes, and rise to victory!

Relive the story of Goku in DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT! Beyond the epic battles, experience life in the DRAGON BALL Z world as you fight, fish, eat, and train with Goku. Explore the new areas and adventures as you advance through the story and form powerful bonds with other heroes from the DRAGON BALL Z universe.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. A release date for DLC 5 has not yet been announced.

Ibrahim Kabir

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Enshrouded Gameplay Trailer Explores the Building and Terraforming Possibilities

Keen Games has unveiled a new gameplay trailer for its upcoming co-op survival-crafting RPG Enshrouded. Enshrouded gameplay trailer gives players a deeper look at the game’s building and terraforming capabilities.

Watch the latest Enshrouded gameplay trailer right here:

Thanks to the game’s custom engine and voxels, players can build their bases as simply or as elaborately as they desire, and they can even shape out the land which surrounds their base. This deep dive showcases the various tools and approaches that the developers have added so players can maximize their creative freedom when building in Enshrouded.

Apart from building, players can decorate their crafts utilizing the 100+ props including trophies that slain bosses drop. Different categories of furniture are not limited to being just cosmetic, but also give players a stronger buff when they’re off to slay the next boss in the game.

To find out more about the game’s building and customization mechanisms, make sure to check out the roughly three-minute-long gameplay video posted above.

Currently, Enshrouded is coming to PC only via Steam into Early Access sometime this year.

Ibrahim Kabir