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The first look at 'Star Wars Battlefront,' a familiar multiplayer feast
With a new film on the horizon, there's a wave of excitement attached to the Star Wars franchise that hasn't been felt since the months leading up to the release of Episode I. Part of Disney's new plan for the $4 billion series includes a slate of new video game experiences over the course of a 10-year partnership with Electronic Arts.
League of Legends studio CEO headlines DICE summit
Riot Games CEO Brandon Beck is the opening keynote speaker at the 2015 DICE summit in Las Vegas, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences announced in a press release this week. Beck founded Riot, the studio behind League of Legends, in 2006. He's poised to take the DICE stage on Wednesday, February 4. Also scheduled to talk at DICE is Monolith Design Director Michael de Plater, CastAR co-founder Jeri Ellsworth, Ubisoft's New IP Editorial Director Tommy Francois, Funomena CEO Robin Hunicke, and Twitch COO Kevin Lin, among others. See the full lineup in the below press release. DICE runs from February 3 - 5 at the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas. The talks and 2015 DICE Awards will be streamed on twitch.tv/dice from February 4 - 5. [Image: Riot]
2015 DICE Award nominations led by Shadow of Mordor
The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for this year's DICE Awards, recognizing a total of 56 games. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor received nine nominations, including the Game of the Year award. The other Game of the Year nominees are Destiny, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Far Cry 4 and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. Far Cry 4 received seven nominations, one being for Action Game of the Year. Destiny and Hearthstone each had six nominations, whereas Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Monument Valley received five apiece. The 18th Annual DICE Awards ceremony will be held at the The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas following the 2015 DICE Summit, which runs from February 3 through February 5. The event will be livestreamed on DICE's Twitch channel, starting at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT). Head past the break for a partial list of nominees; the full list can be found on AIAS' website.
Ex-DICE leads found Fugitive Games, build space survival sim
Ben Jones, previously lead designer of the Battlefield Premium service at DICE, and a team of former DICE, Capcom and Sony America developers have formed Fugitive Games, and their first project is an open-world space survival simulator called Into the Stars. In Into the Stars, players are the captain of a ship exploring a huge solar system to find a new home for humanity. Players oversee the details of ship management, including choosing unique resources, modules and personnel to take on the journey. Into the Stars is single-player, it features crew permadeath, and it's in development for PC and Mac, running on Unreal Engine 4. The score comes from Jack Wall, the composer behind Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Fugitive Games is seeking $85,000 on Kickstarter to build Into the Stars, and it's up for voting on Steam Greenlight. On the Kickstarter campaign page, Fugitive explains the decision to seek crowdfunding with the following message: "We've been involved in the Kickstarter community for several years now, so when it became clear that we required additional funds to complete this project, we knew just where to turn. The reality is that we simply can't provide the high level of polish, quality audio and compelling score this game demands with our existing resources. Though we could potentially turn to publishers to fill this void, we'd much rather deal directly with gamers like you who can help shape the experience into something truly special!" [Image: Fugitive Games]
DICE promises more Battlefield 4 DLC, surveys classic maps
Battlefield 4 developer DICE doesn't know when to stop Battlefieldin', as the game's latest map pack "Final Stand" won't be the last piece of content for the first-person shooter. "With Battlefield 4 Final Stand released, we hope and believe that you will enjoy it together with the rest of the game for a long time," the developer wrote in a blog this week. "However, there is one thing we want to assure you: There is more content coming for Battlefield 4." While DICE did not specify what it had in store for further DLC, it did acknowledge the "many requests of re-creating classic Battlefield maps within the Battlefield 4 universe." The developer opened a poll to the public to see which maps from the previous games in the series would be most popular among fans, available here. The next entry in the series, Visceral Games' Battlefield Hardline, was delayed to March 17, 2015. [Image: EA]
Hit List Q&A: Nathan Vella, co-founder of Capy
In the "Hit List" from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the video game industry's top talents describe their current gaming addictions, their most anticipated releases and more. This week: Nathan Vella, co-founder of Capybara Games. Nathan Vella is co-founder and president of Toronto-based independent game developer Capy (short for Capybara Games). Perhaps best known for collaborating on Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Capy also recently developed Super Time Force and has created many other games for consoles, handhelds, PC and mobile. Vella is presently working on Below, Capy's upcoming game about exploration, survival and discovery. At the upcoming D.I.C.E. 2015 Summit in February, Vella's will explore the rewards of collaboration, and he'll share key lessons on why and how it works best.
Battlefield 4 Premium members make a Final Stand next week
Battlefield 4 Premium members will receive the game's final map pack, the appropriately-titled "Final Stand," on November 18, publisher EA has revealed. The DLC, which features the weaponized wintry wonderlands of Russia, will contain four maps, detailed below. Operation Whiteout is a mostly-outdoors fragfest, with a harsh blizzard rolling across the tundra. Hammerhead lets players fight across a submarine base, while Hangar 21 sets the war in a secret military base. Giants of Karelia takes place in a rural village and is the only map of the pack not bathed in snow, instead featuring a lush, green landscape. As many of these maps feature secret military installations ridden with prototype technology, there are new weapons, weapon add-ons, gadgets and vehicles to try out. If you look close enough, you might even spot some references to the technology and factions that would come to dominate the wars of Battlefield 2142. As usual, Battlefield 4 Premium members will receive the content two weeks before non-Premium players. [Image: EA]
Second chance for a week-long free Battlefield 4 trip on Origin
If you missed it the first time, EA PC portal Origin is offering a week's worth of free Battlefield 4 game time once more. EA didn't say how long this second-time-around offer will be available for, just as the publisher didn't for Titanfall back in August. For the record, you can still test-drive Respawn's mechs for 48 hours - the offer's not gone away - so read into that what you will. If you claimed your Game Time the first go around, sorry, there are no do-overs. As before, your 7 days or 168 hours or 10,080 minutes or 604,800 sec... sorry, got a bit carried away there. So, your week of Battlefielding won't start until the moment you launch the game. Just remember, it's not a week of in-game time, but of real-world time. So once you start the game, 7 days later or 168 hours later or... Let's just end this here by noting EA's extra incentive is double XP between November 6-10 for everybody, including Game Time newbies. Also, your XP and all your other progress carries over into the full game if you choose to buy it. [Image: EA]
DICE producer admits Battlefield 4 woes damaged fan trust
Almost a full year after its launch, DICE LA producer David Sirland has admitted that the glitches that long plagued Battlefield 4 damaged the public's perception of what was once a highlight of the first-person shooter genre. "I can absolutely say that we lost [player] trust in the game's launch and the early parts of the year," Sirland told Gamespot. "We still probably have a lot of players who won't trust us to deliver a stable launch or a stable game." Like EA CEO Andrew Wilson, Sirland is quick to offer assurances that Battlefield 4's woes were an isolated issue that will not be repeated: "I am certain that [Battlefield 4's problematic debut] won't be repeated because we've changed the way we work." Sirland offers few specifics, but key to this shift is a new transparency in the Battlefield development process while more attention is being paid to fan input. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen. Specifically, it remains to be seen once EA launches Battlefield: Hardline, an open-world cops and robbers shooter now slated to appear at some point in 2015. According to Ian Milham, creative director at developer Visceral Games, unlike Battlefield 4, this one will actually work. [Image: EA]
Dice cuts the crap to change the way you buy concert tickets
While you might own every single release your favourite band has put out, nothing beats going to see them live. If that's something you do regularly, you know that you'll not only have to fight it out with any number of like-minded fans to get your ticket, but you'll also have to run the gauntlet of booking via one of the major ticketing providers, which often includes submitting captchas, paying any number of booking fees or printing fees and running the risk that you won't come away with what you actually wanted.
Payday devs poke fun at Battlefield Hardline similarities
Only the blind could deny similarities between upcoming cops-versus-robbers shooter Battlefield Hardline and the extant Payday franchise of cops-versus-robbers shooters, but to ensure that absolutely everyone is in on the joke, Payday 2 developer Overkill Software has decided to spoof EA's game in its latest DLC announcement. Though the "Gage Assault Pack" is a pretty typical addition - it features four new guns, four melee weapons, four masks, four materials and four patterns - its unveiling has a decidedly familiar aesthetic. From the font to the wheelchair-bound fellow who seems to have contracted whatever horrible disease makes the soldiers of Battlefield glow with an eerie incandescence, the DLC's page is directly modeled after Battlefield Hardline's promotional materials. Overkill even created background music for the page that's legally distinct but undoubtedly sounds like the bombastic Battlefield Hardline score. Moving past the cute homage, which Overkill describes as "tipping [its] hats to a fellow Swedish game developer," the Gage Assault Pack will reach Steam on September 4 and will feature a $5 price tag. For more details visit the Overkill Software website. [Image: Overkill Software]
EA Gamescom '14 Liveblog on Joystiq
The EA presentation at this year's E3 reflected an unexpected turn for the publisher, almost as if the powers that be had hit the reset button on multiple projects. Star Wars: Battlefront, Mirror's Edge and Mass Effect were shown only in early stages – far from being completed. The snippets and behind-the-scenes framed EA's claims of rethinking development to be more active, playtested and considered. At Gamescom this week, we'll see whether EA sticks to that message, and whether its teams at BioWare and DICE are ready to show more of their upcoming projects. Follow the news and announcements with u, right here, this Wednesday at 10AM CEST (4AM ET, 1AM PT, 9AM UK).
September's Battlefield 4 update strengthens its core
The next update for Battlefield 4 is targeted for September, and focuses on core gameplay improvements, Dice revealed this week. Soldier movement in the game is being tweaked so it "closely matches the one in Battlefield 3, but without compromising the visual fidelity." Dice said the changes will make it easier to escape "undesirable firefights." The update will also clean up and "de-clutter" the game's HUD to "only show what is important." This will involve giving players more options to select what they want to see on the screen in battle. The developer also focused on tuning vehicle and weapon balance and making revives easier to use. For instance, when reviving other players, a sound effect will play when the defribrillator paddles are fully charged. Dice also made improvements to the Rush, Obliteration, Obliteration Competitive, Capture the Flag and Carrier Assault game modes. Remember, those that don't have Battlefield 4 yet can play the game for free for one week through Origin. [Image: EA]
Play Battlefield 4 free through Origin for one week
Origin is offering Battlefield 4 for free on a limited basis as part of its Game Time program. Players who want to dive into the PC game have until next Thursday, August 14 to add it to their libraries on the game distribution platform. The one-week, full game trial won't begin until players download the game for the first time, so there's no rush to play it immediately before next Thursday. EA first announced the Origin Game Time program in June. It kicked the free trial service off with Titanfall, which was free to play for 48 hours. Battlefield 4 isn't the only game that's free for Origin users, as Wing Commander 3 is free for players to download until September 2. Unlike Battlefield 4, the space combat game is the latest in Origin's "On the House" games that stay in your library at no extra cost. [Image: EA]
Battlefield Hardline's story makes good cops bad cops
We can't uphold or defy the law in Battlefield: Hardline until 2015, but thanks to San Diego Comic-Con, we can get a sense of what will unfold in its single-player content right now. According to Polygon's report, Hardline's story follows a pair of straight-shooting cops as they're set up by another group. As a result of being framed, they land in prison, faced with fighting their way out before settling the score with the people who put them there. Polygon notes a video shown to panel attendees depicted urban environments, as well as a scene following Hardline's lead cops as they storm a cocaine warehouse in a desert-like area. A crime lord named Roark owns the facility, and given his profession and choice of locale, we can't imagine he's receptive of any stop-ins from local law enforcement. Eugene Byrd (Bones), Kelly Hu (Arrow) and Benito Martinez (The Shield) will have significant roles in Hardline's story, with Mark Rolston (The Departed) playing Roark. Wendy Calhoun, co-producer of Justified, is serving as a narrative consultant, with The West Wing editor Bill Johnson working as Hardline's performance director. [Image: EA]
Battlefest starts this weekend with bonus Battlefield 4 XP
Just in time for the July 15 debut of Battlefield 4's Dragon's Teeth DLC, EA kicks off Battlefest, a month-long promotion designed to reward those loyal virtual soldiers who've stuck with the shooter despite its infamous track record. Battlefest begins on July 12 with a two-day, double experience point bonus for all players. From there, EA will offer new content on a weekly basis, including free camo unlocks and Community Missions that force players to work together to reach a formidable goal. Assuming players complete the mission, everyone who logged into Battlefield 4 during the event will receive a free Gold Battlepack. Finally, EA is launching a month-long stunt competition. If you've got awesome footage of ramping a motorbike off a pile of rubble into a helicopter like some poorly planned Die Hard sequel, send it in to EA. The top three most impressive clips will be awarded what EA calls, "a massive prize." [Image: EA]
Battlefield Hardline's next beta hits all platforms this fall
The Battlefield Hardline beta is dead, long live the new Battlefield Hardline beta. As the first test run on PlayStation 4 and PC came to an end, Visceral Games' Steve Papoutsis revealed players can have another go this fall, and this time on "all announced platforms," i.e. PS4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The news comes shortly after EA CEO Andrew Wilson admitted the haphazard launch of Battlefield 4 was "unacceptable," although he stopped short of saying similar issues will never happen again. With two public betas, there will be pressure on Battlefield Hardline to deliver a smoother ride when it launches on October 21. For Joystiq's early thoughts on Hardline watch our video preview, in which Ludwig ponders if Visceral can deliver the series its first really solid single-player campaign. [Image: EA]
Battlefield: Hardline does not point to annualized franchise, EA says
Last October, EA and DICE released Battlefield 4. This October, EA and Visceral Games are bringing the cops-and-robbers action of Battlefield Hardline. It's a move that brings to mind the way Activision handles its annual Call of Duty games, shifting developers year-to-year. So does that mean the Battlefield franchise will go the way of its biggest competition and become annualized? EA Studios executive vice president Patrick Soderlund told Polygon that's not necessarily the plan. "It doesn't necessarily mean that we need to annualize Battlefield and that's the way it's going to be forever and ever," Soderlund said, explaining that Hardline exists because the heads of DICE and Visceral wanted to make it, not because they were pushed to. "The EA that I'm trying to help build isn't an EA that needs to annualize everything," Soderlund said. This isn't the first time the topic has come up; shortly before Battlefield 3 made landing in 2011, executive producer Patrick Bach expressed his doubts that the series would become a yearly release. "I think that would dilute the vision of the franchise," he told GameSpot. "You will eventually kill the franchise by doing that." [Image: EA]
Battlefield 4's Dragon's Teeth adds guns, places to shoot guns
Battlefield 4 Premium subscribers have two content packs to go before their $50 helping of content is finished, with Dragon's Teeth serving as the next leg of their tour. EA hasn't specified which week of the summer we can expect this content, but a new listing details what we can expect from it. Like the previous content pack, Naval Strike, Dragon's Teeth will add four maps to Battlefield 4's multiplayer playground: Propaganda, a map with towering statues of despots, Pearl Market, a square split between alleyways and rooftops, Lumphini Garden, a space filled with personal-watercraft-friendly canals, and Sunken Dragon, which lets forces fight in a floating restaurant or just drain the lake it's presumably floating in. Dragon's Teeth's loadout will offer five weapons that are "all-new" to Battlefield 4, as well as a bullet-blocking ballistic shield that serves as a gadget. The remotely-operated and armed R.A.W.R. ground vehicle will serve as a new Battle Pickup, while a new game mode called Chain Link will have players linking capture points to win matches. If you need something to aim for with this new content beyond opponents, Dragon's Teeth will bring along 10 additional assignments, which reward completing specific feats with unlocks. A price isn't listed in Dragon's Teeth description, but previous content packs are priced at $15, or you can with go the one-and-done purchase of a Battlefield 4 Premium membership. If buying multiplayer content for a game with a notoriously awful reputation for functioning properly concerns you, or if you've long since given up on trying to get into a match, it might be worth one final attempt: Battlefield 4 received a netcode-improving patch earlier this month. [Image: EA]
Report: Battlefield Hardline to spawn novel beta for Xbox One
The cops versus robbers multiplayer beta test of Battlefield Hardline is currently exclusive to the PC and PlayStation 4, but Xbox One owners can expect a beta of their own at some point prior to the game's retail launch. "We will have a beta on on all platforms before release," DICE general manager Karl-Magnus Troedsson is quoted as saying by Total Xbox. "But it won't be this beta on Xbox. It's not going to be the same version, just to be clear." Troedsson offered no further information on how the Xbox One beta might be different from the ongoing test, nor any word on when it might appear. Battlefield Hardline is slated to hit shelves on October 21, leaving a little over four months for the beta test to commence on Microsoft's hardware. Those Xbox One owners who are suddenly fidgeting anxiously, dreaming about the moment they'll finally be able to live out their virtual dreams of starring in a Michael Mann heist film, should pass the time by poring over at our video preview of Battlefield Hardline. [Image: EA]
