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Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 4 adds classic Marvel heroes and powers
As expected, the juggernaut battle royale is introducing a new season based on the Marvel universe. If you buy the game’s new Battle Pass, you’ll be able to unlock iconic character skins such as Iron Man, Storm, Doctor Doom, Groot, Mystique and She-Hulk. All players will also be able to use super powers such as Doctor Doom’s Arcane Gauntlets, Groot’s Bramble Shield and Silver Surfer’s Board throughout each winner-takes-all match.
Apple court filing claims Epic's 'Fortnite' setup is like shoplifting
"If developers can avoid the digital checkout, it is the same as if a customer leaves an Apple retail store without paying for shoplifted product: Apple does not get paid."
Engadget Podcast: Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review and Fortnite v. Apple
This week on the Engadget podcast, we dive into a review of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Epic's war with Apple and Facebook's inability to take on Tiktok.
Major news organizations join the fight against Apple’s App Store fees
News sites have joined Epic and Spotify in fighting Apple’s high App Store commissions (via the WSJ). A group representing the New York Times, WSJ and other major publishers wants Apple to reduce the 30 percent cut it currently takes on first year subscriptions. “The terms of Apple’s unique marketplace greatly impact the ability to continue to invest in high-quality, trusted news and entertainment particularly in competition with other larger firms,” said Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next (DCN).
Epic Games asks court to stop Apple pulling its developer tools next week
Epic Games has filed yet another lawsuit against Apple.
Epic Games offers ‘Fortnite’ discounts if you bypass Android and iOS app stores
Epic Games is offering 'Fortnite' discounts for players who make in-app purchases outside of the App Store and Google Play Store.
Cars are coming to 'Fortnite'
At long last, Epic Games is adding regular old cars to Fortnite. The aptly-named Joy Ride Update will introduce four vehicles -- the Islander Prevalent sedan, Victory Motors Whiplash sports car, OG Bear pickup truck and Titano Mudflap six-wheeler -- for you to cruise around the map with friends." As long as the car isn't booted, the keys are already in the ignition," the development team explained in a blog post today.
Epic Games Store adds support for community-made mods
Epic is finally adding a mod manager to the Games Store.
2016 indie hit 'Hyper Light Drifter' is free in the Epic Games Store
The Epic Holiday Sale is still going, and today's daily free game is Hyper Light Drifter. The top-down action RPG was crowdfunded a few years ago before it was eventually released in 2016, and now you can try it out yourself for zero dollars. Hyper Light Drifter's 88 Metacritic score and list of awards won indicates it's at least worth your time among the slew of retro 2D games that fill digital store shelves. Plus, now is a great time to try it out before Heart Machine drops its next game, Solar Ash Kingdom, which features "wild high-speed traversal" and massive enemy encounters in a surreal world. Epic's free offer lasts through 11 AM ET on Saturday, although if you miss out or just prefer to fill your Steam library, it's available there for $10, 50 percent off the usual price, until January 2nd.
Epic Games Store celebrates the holidays with 12 free games
Fancy a few extra games to play over the holiday season? Start logging into the Epic Games Store. The deep-pocketed Fortnite developer is celebrating the festive season with 12 free games between December 19th and January 1st, 2020. A new offering will pop up each day -- the first was the excellent turn-based strategy title Into the Breach, by FTL: Faster Than Light developer Subset Games -- and be available to download for 24 hours. (If you can't get to a computer, they're also redeemable through a mobile browser.) Once they're in your library, you'll be able to play them forever just like the weekly giveaways that Epic has been offering since June. In addition, the company is offering everyone a $10 'Epic Coupon.' There are a few restrictions -- the game has to be priced above $15, and it can't be used for in-game purchases, DLC or season passes -- but otherwise you can spend it however you like. As soon as your order goes through, Epic will give you another $10 coupon that you can be spent on a different game. Not a bad way to catch up on the platform's best PC exclusives, which include Borderlands 3, Control, Detroit: Become Human, Journey, John Wick Hex, Metro Exodus, Shenmue 3, The Division 2, The Outer Worlds, Observation, Outer Wilds, Untitled Goose Game, Wattam and What the Golf?
'Fortnite' will soon offer an Annual Pass with exclusive items
It looks like Fortnite is getting an annual battle pass. As reported by Fortnite News, data miners have found files that point to this new option in the v11.30 update, released today. The salient info reads: "Purchase the 2020 Annual Pass and receive all upcoming 2020 Fortnite Battle Royale: Battle Bundles and 7 Annual Pass exclusive cosmetics. Battle Bundles unlock 25% of content in each Battle Pass instantly upon release."
Epic Games Store revamp helps you find trending titles
The Epic Games Store still has a lot of work left if it's going to match some players' expectations, but there are signs of progress. Epic has launched a redesigned storefront that lets you see what games are trending, filter releases by genre and otherwise track down the title you're looking for. It should also load faster thanks to local caching, so it won't be quite as glacial as it has been in the past.
'Fortnite' finally nerfs the hated B.R.U.T.E. mechs
With the debut of Fortnite season X a few weeks ago, Epic Games added some superpowered B.R.U.T.E. mech suits to its battle royale game. According to the company, its mechs were intended to help level the playing field, but many high-level and even more every day-type players complained that they were just too powerful. Epic responded initially by limiting their appearances during the game's competitive mode, and added a new weapon, the "junk rift," that could help players fight back against them. That still wasn't enough to make players happy, and now changes are live across all platforms for Fortnite that have significantly depowered the B.R.U.T.E. by reducing the number of missiles it fires, how fast it fires them, the radius of the explosions caused by its weapons, and reduced spawning rates. Also, now players can't pick up materials while stomping or dashing through the environment.
Epic's latest store update brings cloud saves to more games
Epic has rolled out cloud save support for a slew of new titles in its store. The latest update has the feature included for 17 different games, including World War Z and Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter. The game developer began expanding cloud saves last month and hopes to unveil more titles in the future
Epic vows to support 'Ooblets' studio following exclusivity harassment
Indie studio Glumberland, developer of cute and quirky life simulator Ooblets, announced its decision to sign a PC exclusivity deal with Epic Games last week. It essentially secured the company's future, but it has also become the target of widespread harassment as a result of locking its PC title to the Epic Games Store.
Epic Games Store cloud saves roll out for two games
Cloud saves are making their way onto the Epic Games Store, but they're only available for a couple of games so far. The first titles to support the feature are Moonlighter and This War of Mine, which are currently available for zilch via Epic's rotating lineup of free games.
Epic acquires social video app Houseparty
Epic, the creator of Fortnite, is acquiring popular video chat app Houseparty. Popular mainly with teens, the three-year old social video app is like a mix of Snapchat and FaceTime. It allows group chats of up to eight users and private conversations, or "side-texts" which disappear after 24 hours.
'Shenmue 3' will be an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC
Surprise! The PC version of Shenmue 3 is now an Epic Games Store exclusive. That means the crowdfunded sequel, which was originally unveiled as part of Sony's E3 press conference in 2015, won't be sold through Steam or any other PC-centric storefront. "In looking for the most enjoyable experience on PC, it was decided together with Deep Silver after much discussion that the Epic Games Store would be the best distribution platform option," developer Ys Net said in a Kickstarter update. For now, it's unclear if backers who wanted the Steam version will be offered any kind of refund, or forced to accept the Epic Games Store version. The Epic deal doesn't affect the game's PlayStation 4 version, however. Still, the move is bound to rile some players who dislike the Epic store and its ever-growing lineup of exclusives -- some temporary, others permanent -- including The Division 2, Metro Exodus and Outer Wilds. If none of that bothers you, good news -- Ys Net also released a new gameplay trailer today. It shows series protagonist Ryo Hazuki practicing his martial arts and, later, battling a group of drunken thugs. Shenmue 3 is currently scheduled to come out on November 19th. The game been delayed many times, however, so we wouldn't be surprised if it slipped into early 2020.
Fortnite's new weapon is a storm in a bottle
One of the great things about battle royale games like Fortnite is that no two matches are the same. Random generation ensures that lobbies include different players, varying weapons spawn in known locations and -- perhaps most importantly -- the storm area moves in random patterns. This forces gamers to adapt their strategy each match to ensure they stay in the right areas, and equip the right tools to survive. For its latest Fortnite update, Epic Games is giving players a little more control over some of that randomness. Today, it introduced the Storm Flip, a throwable item that creates a zone that can either create a safe area in the storm, or deal storm damage to those who think they're holding a comfortable position.
Epic Mega Sale loses two pre-order titles on day one
Yesterday, Epic launched a "mega sale," offering games at up to 75 percent off and additional $10 credits for purchases over $14.99. It looked like Epic was preparing to go head-to-head with the Steam Sale, which is scheduled to arrive at the end of June. But by the end of the day, fans noticed two titles mysteriously vanished from the Epic Store, and the price of another seemed to increase.
