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'PUBG Mobile' gets its first exclusive map
For the first time in two-year history, PUBG Mobile is getting an exclusive map.
Tencent's new blockbuster US game studio is led by a 'GTA' veteran
Tencent is expanding its footprint outside of China by launching a US studio devoted to 'AAA' games, with a Rockstar veteran at the helm.
India has banned TikTok, WeChat and many other Chinese apps
The government cited citizen concerns over privacy and data security.
The next 'Don't Starve' game is a mobile title from Tencent
'Don't Starve: Newhome' adds to the survival gaming saga -- if you're willing to play on a phone.
Sony Pictures signs on for 'Crossfire' movie based on the popular FPS
While the Crossfire name won't register as one of the most popular shooters for some US gamers -- no, it's not related to the board game with the tiny metal balls -- the free-to-play tactical first person shooter is extremely popular in China and South Korea. In operation for over ten years, it claims a player base of over 650 million plus lifetime revenue of over $10 billion, and producer Neal Moritz (Fast & Furious series, S.W.A.T., Preacher, The Boys) has been developing a film adaptation since 2015. Now Variety has announced that Sony Pictures will partner on the flick with Korean game developer Smilegate and China's Tencent Pictures.
'Bayonetta' developer is the latest to throw itself at Tencent's feet
Chinese gaming giant Tencent has its fingers in the pie of yet another well-known developer. PlatinumGames chief Kenichi Sato has confirmed that his company took a "capital investment" from Tencent as part of a "basis for partnership." Sato didn't say how large the investment was, but he promised that this would have "no effect" on Platinum's independence or structure.
The Nintendo Switch finally launches in China on December 10th
As expected, Nintendo will officially launch the Switch console in China on December 10th in partnership with Tencent. It will sell as a bundle for 2,099 yuan ($298) with a copy of New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. In addition, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Oyssey are now available to pre-order, and "additional first party games are being prepared for the China market later," Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad wrote on Twitter.
Tencent reportedly wants to develop its own games with Nintendo characters
Tencent has eyes on building Nintendo-style games with Nintendo characters, at least according to the Wall Street Journal. It quotes an unnamed Tencent official saying the company wants to "expand from China" by building console games for the US and Europe. Rather than push its own ideas an IP, however, Tencent will try and become a household name here by piggybacking on Nintendo's.
'PUBG Mobile' Payload Mode adds helicopters and airstrikes
PUBG on your phone is about to get decidedly more lethal. Tencent has introduced a promised Payload Mode to PUBG Mobile on Android and iOS that adds both aerial combat and the means to defend yourself. You can fly in attack helicopters to wreak havoc on the ground, and fight back with rocket and grenade launchers as well as a minigun. You can also draw on airstrikes to level the playing field.
Safari in iOS sends some Safe Browsing data to Tencent (updated)
Apple's Safari browser has long sent data to Google Safe Browsing to help protect against phishing scams using its Fraudulent Website Warning feature, but it now appears Chinese tech giant Tencent gets some information as well. Users have discovered that iOS 13 (and possibly versions starting from iOS 12.2) sends some data to Tencent Safe Browsing in addition to Google's system. It's not clear at this stage whether Tencent collects any information outside of China -- you'll see mention of the collection in the US disclaimer, but that doesn't mean it's scooping up info from American web surfers.
Blizzard halves 'Hearthstone' pro's suspension over Hong Kong protest
Three days after Blizzard handed down a year-long ban to pro Hearthstone player 'Blitzchung,' aka Ng Wai Chung, the company has walked back its decision. In a letter to fans Blizzard president J. Allen Brack stated that they decided since he played fairly, he is entitled to his winnings, which had been stripped after he called for the liberation of Hong Kong during a postgame interview. The suspension for Blitzchung and the Taiwanese shoutcasters who were interviewing him is now six months, as "a consequence for taking the conversation away from the purpose of the event and disrupting or derailing the broadcast." According to Brack, this is the company not trying to take sides and that its relationships in China -- namely Tencent's ownership stake in the company -- had no impact on the decision. It remains to be seen how this move will go over in China, where a response to the NBA's statement regarding a Hong Kong support tweet by Daryl Morey saw the league's games pulled from TV and signage taken down. Meanwhile, for the many gamers angered by Blizzard taking action against one of its esports players, claiming that "Every Voice Matters" while also insisting that its games "are not a platform for divisive social or political views" will be difficult to take seriously.
Riot urges 'League of Legends' pros to keep quiet on 'sensitive' issues
Riot is trying to keep its hands clean after Blizzard banned a pro player for supporting Hong Kong protests on-camera. The League of Legends developer's esports head John Needham has issued a statement saying that Riot has "reminded" pro players and hosts to avoid discussing "sensitive issues" during broadcasts, including politics and religion. It argued that personal views should stay "separate" as there was no way they could be "fairly represented" in the space of a game tournament. There's not enough room for the patience and subtleties these subjects require, the studio said.
Epic says it won't ban players for political speech
Epic is using Blizzard's ban on a Hong Kong protest supporter to tout its own stance on political speech. The developer told The Verge in a statement that it "wouldn't ban or punish" a Fortnite player or creator simply for expressing "views on politics and human rights." Fortnite World Cup players shouldn't worry about losing their winnings for using their on-camera time as a pulpit. Of course, whether or not this merits praise is another matter -- it really just announced that it's doing what many people hope it would do, and it would be more surprising if the company joined Blizzard's chorus.
Blizzard bans 'Hearthstone' pro for Hong Kong protest support
The esports world is finding itself embroiled in a political dispute. Blizzard has banned pro Hearthstone player Ng Wai Chung (aka Blitzchung) for a year after he voiced support for Hong Kong protesters in a post-match interview. The statement allegedly violated rules forbidding players from saying something that "offends a portion or group of the public" or "otherwise damages" Blizzard's image. The developer is also kicking Chung out of the Grandmasters, eliminating his winnings from the tournament and halting work with the casters who conducted the interview despite their attempts to distance themselves from the statement.
Google, Intel and Microsoft form data protection consortium
It's common to secure data when its sitting put or flying to its destination, but not so much when you're actually using it -- there's still a risk someone could peek at your content while you work. Industry heavyweights might help keep your info secure at every step, though. Google, Intel, Microsoft and seven other companies have formed the Confidential Computing Consortium to help in "defining and accelerating" open source tech that delivers truly private data access. Ideally, data will always be encrypted or otherwise limited to whoever is meant to be looking.
Tencent's own battle royale game has hackable zombies
At first glance, Synced: Off-Planet looks like a battle-royale blend of Left 4 Dead, The Division and World War Z. When Tencent Next Studios debuted the game at NVIDIA's Gamescom 2019 press conference, social media lit up with comparisons to these existing franchises. Some comments wrote off the game as a cheap clone, while others were intrigued by the idea of a new, yet familiar-looking shooter. "You can argue it looks like World War Z and The Division," Next creative director Clark Jiayang Yang said the day after Synced's reveal. "But to be honest, having so many players -- we have 48 players in a round and 1,500 AI zombies in the same place. That's something that in any other games we haven't really seen before."
Chinese video-game censorship doesn't end with 'Devotion'
By all accounts, Devotion was a great game. That sentence has to be in past tense, and the opinion has to be second-hand, because Devotion was only available to play for one week earlier this year. But apparently, it was a twisted and masterful psychological horror title inspired by games like PT, but steeped in Taiwanese superstition. Devotion landed on Steam in February and it quickly earned thousands of positive reviews. And then China got involved.
Tencent is at the center of Nintendo's Switch launch in China
After announcing that it would bring the Switch to China, Nintendo has revealed some details about how it will work and the role of its partner, Tencent. The Chinese tech giant will help Nintendo build simplified Chinese language versions of previously announced games like Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Tencent will also provide cloud services for the Switch Online service in China and modify the eShop to work with its widely-used WeChat Pay system.
Qualcomm-Tencent collaboration will include 5G gaming phones
Qualcomm and Chinese giant Tencent have announced they will cooperate on a range of projects, including a 5G gaming device.
Tencent adds age-based playtime limits to ‘League of Legends’ in China
In the face of pressure from the Chinese government, Tencent and Riot Games have added age-based time limits to League of Legends in China, Polygon reports. Minors now get booted from the game after two hours of play, and the companies use China's national ID numbers -- which are used to make accounts -- to verify ages. Supposedly, the new rules are an attempt to curb gaming addiction.