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'Hogwarts Legacy' on Switch just got hit with another massive delay
‘Hogwarts Legacy’ developers just announced that the Nintendo Switch version of the open-world wizard simulator is getting another significant delay, all the way until November 14th from July 25th. Additionally, this is not the first time the Switch version of the hit game has faced a delay.
'Contraband' is an Xbox exclusive from Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios
On Saturday, we got our first look at Contraband, the next game from Just Cause series developer Avalanche Studios.
In case of emergency: The tech that might save you
Nature is beautiful, but it can also be unpredictable and dangerous. Here's the gear that might save you when you're spending hours hiking, camping or adventuring outdoors.
Cybercrime network 'Avalanche' shut down in global sting
A mammoth cybercrime network known as Avalanche has been shut down, following a four-year investigation by German police and a coordinated strike by Europol, the FBI and agencies in many other countries. With a name like a Bond movie title, Avalanche was a sprawling cloud-based network that cybercriminals could rent, using it to distribute malware, ransomware, run phishing campaigns and launder extorted or stolen money.
It's no surprise that Disney shut down its gaming division
No one should have been surprised by Disney's announcement that it was canceling the Disney Infinity series and shutting down its video game business. However, when the news went live, Twitter immediately lit up with shock. My phone buzzed with questions and incredulity from friends. Hell, even I gasped when I read the blog post. The surprise was justified. Disney Infinity was a respectable and adored franchise in the toys-to-life category, and its developer, Avalanche Software, was held in high regard. Infinity entered the fray in 2013, two years after the original toys-to-life series, Skylanders, debuted. Financially, Infinity single-handedly turned around Disney's gaming division, Disney Interactive.
'Mad Max' the game has crazy cars, murder and a story
The "Savage Road" story trailer suggests that there's a deeper tale behind all of the desert-drenched road rage and creative killing in the Mad Max video game. Apparently, that story is about a dude looking for a car, finding a car, kissing a lady and then destroying all of the evil men he can reach on four wheels. It's a slightly different narrative than the one in this year's film, Mad Max: Fury Road, and plot isn't the only way these two products diverge. We played a portion of Mad Max last week and found it to be fun as a car game but lacking in intrigue as a brawler: "In its translation to an open-world video game, Mad Max: Fury Road's unique charm's been traded in for monotony." Still, a video full of rampaging, spiky vehicles and bloodthirsty desert overlords gets our blood pumping every time. Watch the story trailer below. Mad Max is due on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on September 1st, with pre-orders open now.
Just Cause 3 is a retail box game, doesn't have microtransactions
No reason to fret, free-to-play police: Just Cause 3 will not be a free game with microtransactions, Avalanche Studios co-founder and CCO Christofer Sundberg said in a blog post. A few leaked screenshots made the rounds earlier in the week, and they showed what appeared to be a microtransaction system in a new Just Cause game. Avalanche announced Just Cause 3 yesterday and didn't provide pricing details, leaving folks to wonder. Wonder no more, Sundberg wrote: "Those leaked screenshots were taken from an ancient version of Just Cause 3. Like most games, this one went through an exploratory phase where we looked at different control schemes, different technologies, different business models. Those leaked screenshots show aspects of that process, and in no way reflect the game we are making today. To be perfectly clear: Just Cause 3 will be available in 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC. It will be distributed as a retail box and digital download. It is not a free-to-play game. It does not feature in-game microtransactions." Just Cause 3 will have post-launch DLC, which Sundberg said is "part of our ambition to support Just Cause 3 and its players for many years to come." [Image: Avalanche Studios]
Just Cause 3 hits PS4, Xbox One, PC in 2015
Just Cause 3 is in production from series developer Avalanche Studios, due out for Xbox One, PS4 and PC in 2015, according to Game Informer. The new game, at least in the beginning, takes place in a fictional Mediterranean archipelago ruled over by a dictator, and you'll get a wingsuit. The previous game in the franchise, Just Cause 2, launched in 2010, and Avalanche has been teasing a third installment almost ever since. A week after the release of Just Cause 2, Avalanche head Christofer Sundberg said, "We are absolutely interested in working with the Just Cause IP again." In 2012, publisher Square Enix registered the domain for JustCause4, despite there not being a Just Cause 3 yet. [Image: Avalanche Studios]
Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes review: Super friends
Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes is adorable. From the plucky way characters stride toward danger, to the fantastic, real-world figures that power their adventures, it's hard not to be enamored with the sequel. Each time I plop a new figure on the base and a hero emerges from its magical Disney dust (made up of money and acquisitions), I revert back to that little Canadian kid from the early 90s, spellbound by Saturday morning cartoons.
Just Cause 2 gets multiplayer mod on Steam December 16 [Update]
Avalanche Studios will launch a new mod for Just Cause 2 on Steam December 16. The mod brings online multiplayer options to the game, which originally launched in March 2010. Development on the mod first began in 2010, and the developer has since hosted multiple public beta tests of Just Cause 2's multiplayer. The final beta test is scheduled to begin this Saturday, December 7 and run until December 14, available through the multiplayer mod's site. Update: As a clarification, while the Steam page for the multiplayer mod lists Avalanche as the developer, an independent JC2-MP team created the multiplayer mod. The team restarted development on the mod in June 2012 and launched public beta tests one month later.
Avalanche teases Just Cause 3 announcement
Avalanche Studios founder Christofer Sundberg is being a coquet, teasing what appears to be Just Cause 3 – or a modern Mad Max game.Sundberg tweeted out the above image yesterday, which came a couple weeks after the same character model was teased in an action scene on a bike.Although Just Cause 3 is the natural assumption from the images – since the character model has similar features and accessories to series protagonist Rico Rodriguez – there is still the outlying possibility it's the Mad Max game. We've known that game had been in production at Avalanche under God of War 2 director Cory Barlog until early last year.Sundberg told Eurogamer at the time of Barlog's departure, "I can't comment on our project, but all I can say is that the projects we've been working on for the last two years and the one we recently started up in NY are sailing along like never before."
Disney reaches into the Toy Box with the new Infinity platform
The signs were all there in the rumors leading up to yesterday's big Disney Infinity reveal in Los Angeles. Disney's been working on a new gaming "platform," designed to bring all of its properties together in one IP spanning across multiple consoles and outlets. But the one note we missed was the most important: this game is connected to a series of real toys that interact with Disney's digital worlds, Skylanders-style.There are a few important differences, but the similarities between Activision's enormously popular toys-into-games platform and Disney's new Infinity initiative are quite striking. Both are inspired by smaller developers with big ideas: Toys for Bob on the Activision side, and Avalanche Software on Disney's, which developed the "Toy Box" idea in a much smaller form as part of the Toy Story 3 game. Both are big, expandable product lines with lots of options for console (and eventually mobile) titles, and both take retail-friendly physical toys and tie them directly into engagement-friendly video game experiences.Oh, and both franchises are probably going to make their owners lots and lots of money.%Gallery-176450%
Square Enix registers domains for 'Just Cause 4' despite lack of Just Cause 3
Just in case the Just Cause series is successful enough to get a fourth entry, Square Enix wants to make sure it can employ any necessary URLs. As such, the company registered URLs in a variety of countries for "JustCause4" via URL proxy registrant Corporation Service Company, as discovered by Fusible.Neither Square Enix nor Avalance Studios have said much about the Just Cause series as of late, though Avalance studio head Christofer Sundberg told Develop in early 2010 that a third entry in the series is very likely. It's also rumored that Avalanche has been working on a Mad Max-based game; we haven't heard about that project since September 2010. Beyond Avalanche's Stockholm-based studio, the privately owned Swedish company opened a New York City office in 2011 to work on an unannounced game only known as "Project Mamba."Regardless, with just a few weeks left until E3, it's likely we'll hear more about whatever Avalanche is working on sooner, rather than later.
Skier saved from deadly avalanche by airbag backpack
Considering the pain and loss she's just endured, you may have a hard time convincing professional skier Elyse Saugstad that she's a lucky woman, but it's true. Saugstad was tackling Tunnel Creek in the Cascade Mountains with a group of other experienced backcountry skiers, when a large sheet of snow broke loose from the side of the mountain. Elyse and three others were sent hurtling 3,000 feet down the slope, sadly, only she survived the ordeal. Her almost miraculous escape was thanks in large part to the inflatable airbag system she wore. The safety gear has been available for sometime in Europe, but it only recently started making a splash here in the US. The large bladders filled with nitrogen helped keep her near the top of the avalanche, making it easier for her to breathe once the snow had settled and easier for rescuers to find her. Hit up the source link for an interview with Elyse Saugstad.[Thanks, Aaron]
The North Face announces Avalanche Airbag Safety System (ABS) vest and pack, we go hands-on (video)
Imagine hitting the slopes for the ultimate free ride down the edge of a cliff. Now picture being caught in an avalanche with only a shovel to free you from hundreds of pounds of snow -- the odds don't look too good. The North Face hopes to change all that by integrating an Avalanche Airbag Safety System (ABS) into its tried and true backpacks with the launch of its ABS Patrol 24 Pack and ABS Vest, two new body-worn fixtures that inflate to protect your from falling snow much like the airbags in your car. Add two new fabrics into the mix, FlashDry and Thermoball, and it seems like we've come a long way since the days of working out in our college sweats. We go hands-on with pro snowboarder Xavier de Le Rue after the break to see how it works.%Gallery-139505%
Avalanche Software lays off 15 - 20 as Disney continues cuts
Utah-based Avalanche Software, developer of the much-praised Toy Story 3 game adaptation -- and not to be confused with Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios -- let go of 15-20 employees as of September 1. Publisher and parent company Disney Interactive confirmed the layoffs to Gamasutra in a statement: "Avalanche Software has completed a restructuring that resulted in the reduction of a small number of positions." Avalanche Software is the latest studio of Disney's affected in a months-long culling process at the Mouse House's game publishing arm, which has so far seen the closure of Propaganda Games, Black Rock Studios, and the cancelation of a Pirates of the Caribbean game. An unnamed employee affected by the layoffs guessed the current headcount to be around 170 (the company's LinkedIn profile indicates anywhere from 51 to 200 people are employed by the studio), making this month's staff reduction approximately 8 to 11 percent of staff. It's unclear what Avalanche is working on next, and whether this is the end of Disney's bout of "restructuring."
GM extends OnStar smartphone control to 14 more vehicles
Once solely slated for the Chevy Volt, the OnStar MyLink smartphone app has gained considerable ground -- last July, GM expanded the iPhone and Android remote domination over your horn, door locks, and real-time data to every 2011 automobile, and now it's reaching back through time to activate fourteen vehicles from 2010. As you'd expect, that's mostly a smattering of SUVs and crossovers like the Cadillac Escalade, Buick Enclave, GMC Yukon and Chevy Avalanche, though the Impala will also get the goods, and if you live in the lap of low-end luxury, you may be able to listen to Facebook updates on your 2010 Cadillac DTS or Buick Lucerne. Find the full list of compatible vehicles at our source link.
Toy Story 3: The Video Game: The Developer Diary
You probably don't want to write off Toy Story 3 just because it's a licensed title. We actually had a lot of fun with it and the latest dev diary above shows that Disney and Avalanche are committed to putting out a quality product. It's not simply a slapped together title attempting to cash in on the movie. There's an actual deep experience here, from the promising platforming shown in the video above, down to the unique character abilities and meticulously recreated environments. And let's not forget that "Toy Box" mode our inner child yearns for. Toy Story 3 launches on June 15 for pretty much everything.
Joyswag: Just Cause 2 (Xbox 360) [update]
Update: The contest is now over and two winners will be emailed, so keep an eye on your commenter-tied inboxes. We understand that, during the game flood this March, you might be forced to choose your battles (financially speaking) carefully, possibly to the detriment of a game like Just Cause 2. And while we respect your decision, we'd like to inform you politely that: A.) The game's (mostly) a lot of fun! Didn't you read our review? B.) We've got a couple of copies for the Xbox 360 that you're welcome to try and win by entering our week-long contest. All you've gotta do is let us know which of the many, many Just Cause 2 trailers was your favorite in the comments below. Next Wednesday we'll pull two of you at random and forward a copy for the Xbox 360! Does March seem a bit less stressful now? Good! Oh, and keep an eye out for us at PAX East -- we've got some JC2 swag to put in your eager hands. Leave a comment telling us which of the many, many Just Cause 2 trailers was your favorite. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). Limit 1 entry per person per day. This entry period ends at 12:01AM ET on Wednesday, March 31. At that time, we'll randomly select two winners to receive one copy each of Just Cause 2 for Xbox 360 (ARV: $59.99). For a list of complete rules, click here. What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here. %Gallery-78125%
Avalanche opens casual online studio Expansive Worlds
The Hunter (well, technically, the hunted) Having created massive worlds for the Just Cause series, Swedish developer Avalanche has formed a new studio called Massive Worlds focusing on games in the casual online space. GamesIndustry.biz (login required) reports that the new unit will (unsurprisingly) be developing games using Avalanche's in-house game engine -- the same engine that powers Just Cause 2 -- but hasn't announced any specific titles just yet. The company recently acquired full rights to the free-to-play online hunting sim The Hunter, which it co-developed with UK studio Emote. Further development of the game -- along with the rest of the studio's titles -- will be overseen by Stefan Pettersson, who joins Expansive Worlds as managing director. Prior to taking the job, Pettersson worked as a consultant and, at one point, a producer/designer at Avalanche. (We're sure that had nothing whatsoever to do with his selection.)
