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Razer closes its game store after 10 months
Razer is learning a hard lesson about the challenges of launching a game store. The hardware giant is closing the Razer Game Store on February 28th at 4AM Eastern as part of "realignment plans." It'll still honor pre-orders and notes that games will still work as long as you have their Steam or Uplay keys, but you won't have access to those keys once February is over. From March onward, you'll only get games from Razer through its reward programs.
Harmonix's answer to 'Beat Saber' is a VR rhythm shooter
Beat Saber has become something of a hit in the rhythm game scene thanks to its clever VR mechanics, and the veterans at Harmonix clearly want to offer their own response. They've unveiled Audica, a VR-only title where you blast the notes instead of slicing or tapping them. You're testing both your aim and your knack for keeping time, really. The soundtrack includes tunes from "some of the world's most popular electronic artists" (no Rock Band-style jams here), and you'll naturally compete against others on global leaderboards.
Switch owners can play 'Assassin's Creed III Remastered' May 21st
Assassin's Creed is coming to the Switch for the first time, although it might not be in the way you were anticipating. Ubisoft has revealed that Assassin's Creed III Remastered will be available on Nintendo's multi-mode console on May 21st. Aside from any possible visual touch-ups (i's not certain how much of an upgrade you'll see on Switch), this is mostly a way to catch up on everything that happened in this era of the AC franchise: you'll get all the solo downloadable content as well as Liberation. While it probably isn't your first pick for an Assassin's Creed port (Black Flag, please?), it does mean you can fight the Templars while you're on the bus.
'Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening' gets a second life on Switch
Nintendo had a giant surprise waiting at the end of its latest Direct show: it's remaking The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Switch. The company shared precious few details, but the brief gameplay demonstration showed that it would preserve the top-down perspective of the Game Boy original. This isn't a Breath of the Wild-style reimagining of the series, then, but it might be ideal for anyone wishing they could play the classic action RPG once again. You can expect it to reach Nintendo's system sometime in 2019.
'Apex Legends' racks up 25 million players in its first week
For a game that was announced and launched just a week ago, Apex Legends is doing well for itself. Respawn has revealed that its stab at the battle royale genre now has over 25 million total players, and had "well over" 2 million simultaneous players during the weekend. That's still a far cry from Fortnite's numbers (Epic's shooter has over 200 million players and 8.3 million concurrent), but it's a huge figure for a title that boasted 10 million players just a few days earlier.
Activision offers 'Guitar Hero Live' refunds after songs vanish
Activision appears to be learning a hard lesson about the risks of tying a music game to a subscription service. The publisher has launched a "voluntary refund program" for Americans who can prove they bought Guitar Hero Live between December 1st, 2017 and January 1st, 2019. You can make a claim until May 1st, 2019. While Activision didn't say why it was offering refunds, it's likely tied to the end of the game's Guitar Hero TV streaming music service. The company shut down GHL's streaming component at the end of 2018, shrinking the song library from 484 songs to the 42 tracks on the disc -- you suddenly weren't getting what you paid for.
'GTA Online' cheat creator ordered to pay $150,000 in damages
Game publishers are still using lawsuits to take down cheaters, and their latest move could deal a particularly serious blow. A court has ordered Florida resident Jhonny Perez to pay $150,000 in damages (and $66,869 in attorney fees) for creating and sharing Elusive, a paid cheating tool for GTA Online that allowed infinite money and other cheats. Perez allegedly violated Take-Two Interactive's copyright, disrupted gameplay balancing, threw off its in-game purchase model and soured the experience for honest players.
'Crackdown 3' multiplayer test begins February 7th on Xbox and PC
You won't have to wait until February 15th to see if Crackdown 3 is worth its protracted development process, although you might want to temper your expectations. Microsoft is launching a stress test for the game's Wrecking Zone mode at 3PM Eastern on February 7th (installations are available at 12PM) to see how well its cloud-based destruction fares in real-world conditions. It's "not a beta," Microsoft emphasized -- this is about collecting data and feedback based on a slice of the finished game. You'll be limited to the Agent Hunter mode on one map, but there will be multiple play sessions, including two on the 7th and others on the weekend.
Planet-shaping survival game 'Astroneer' launches tomorrow
After years in early access releases and a fair amount of buzz, Astroneer is almost here. The finished version of System Era's survival sandbox title arrives February 6th on Windows PCs and Xbox One, and it might be intriguing even if you've burnt out on the genre. The central allure remains the ability to reshape its procedurally generated planets with your mining tool. You can dig tunnels (as deep as your oxygen supply will allow), carve pathways and otherwise remake the world to harvest resources and lay out your base.
'Battlefield V' didn't sell as well as EA hoped it would
Video game sales were particularly cutthroat last holiday, and it appears EA's Battlefield V was one of the casualties. The publisher lowered the outlook for its revenue this quarter after revealing that its sales in the last quarter of 2018 "did not perform to our expectations." While it didn't explicitly blame BFV for the shortfall, that was undoubtedly the company's flagship game -- it otherwise relied on sports titles and the mobile-only Command & Conquer Rivals. The firm wasn't shy about acknowledging "intense competition" as a factor.
A battle royale game is coming from the creators of 'Titanfall'
Rumors have swirled all weekend of Titanfall creator Respawn developing its own battle royale game, and... well, they're true. Geoff Keighley and pro player Myth have confirmed the existence of Apex Legends, a last-one-standing game to be unveiled and released on February 4th. They're not saying more at this stage, to no one's surprise, but esports consultant Rod Breslau understood it would be a free-to-play game with classes, up to 60 players in total, three players per team and no Titans -- sorry, folks, you won't pilot a giant robot to victory.
Xbox Live will soon connect players on Android, iOS and Switch
You've had a degree of access to Xbox Live beyond Microsoft's platforms for a while, but usually just to chat with friends or see what they're playing -- deeper hooks are reserved for its own games. Soon, though, that support will become more substantial. A Microsoft session at the upcoming Game Developers Conference (noticed by Avers) mentions that Xbox Live will soon have a cross-platform developer kit that integrates the service into Android, iOS and Switch games. You'd have your achievements, clubs, friends list and "more" while on the move, and could pick up on some experiences where you left off.
The sequel to the Bill Murray movie 'Groundhog Day' is a VR game
After 26 years, the hit Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day has a sequel... but it's not a movie at all. Sony Pictures Virtual Reality, MWM Immersive and Rime developer Tequila Works have unveiled Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son, a VR game for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and Vive. You play Phil Connors' son (appropriately, Phil Connors Jr.) as he encounters a time loop just like his dad, and will remain stuck repeating the day until he "learns the true value of friends and family." As you might imagine, though, the interactive aspect throws a new wrinkle into the story.
Nintendo's Wii Shop Channel shuts down today
It's a sad day for loyal fans of the original Wii. As promised back in 2017, Nintendo is closing down the Wii Shop Channel as of January 30th. It lost much of its usefulness after March 26th of last year, when you could no longer add Wii Points and thus buy games, but you're now losing options to buy games with existing points, re-download digital titles or transfer content from a Wii to the Wii U. It's not quite like downgrading your system to the offline-only Wii mini, but it's close.
Xbox One 'black screen' issue prevented consoles from starting up (updated)
We hope you didn't take the day off for an extended Xbox game session. Microsoft has acknowledged widespread reports of Xbox One consoles suddenly failing. In many cases, the systems start up to a black screen that makes them unusable. There have also been issues with sign-ins, title updates and unresponsive Guides.
EA stops selling 'FIFA' currency in Belgium due to loot box law
When Belgium declared that loot boxes were illegal and amounted to gambling, EA didn't react well -- it not only defended the practice, it refused to honor the law and insisted its practice was legal. Authorities saw things differently, however, and EA is backing down. The publisher is halting sales of the FIFA series' in-game currency (FIFA Points) in the country by January 31st after "further discussions with the Belgian authorities." Footie fans can still use any points they have left after that moment, but they'll otherwise have to earn content the old-fashioned way.
BioWare addresses 'Anthem' VIP demo glitches
The Anthem VIP demo didn't exactly launch according to plan between flaky connections and neverending loads, assuming you can even log in. However, BioWare has at least heard players' cries. In an update, the studio's Chad Robertson said the company was addressing the chronic issues with this first wave of public previews. It's continuing to "apply fixes" to connection problems (some of which might wait for the open demo), and believes it has addressed most issues where a "specific combination" of pre-order perks and demo access prevented people from getting in. Robertson warned that it was "difficult" to resolve the infinite loading screen issue and that it might not be fixed before the VIP weekend was over.
'Fortnite' eliminates blind loot boxes in its PvE mode
Epic Games has kept paid blind loot boxes out of Fortnite's signature battle royale mode, but now it's clearing them out of the cooperative Save the World mode, too. As of the 7.30 update, Epic has ditched V-Buck Llamas in favor of X-Ray Llamas that show you what you'll get when you shell out 50 V-Bucks. You won't spend real money on a set you don't want, in other words. If you don't like what's on offer (and aren't prepared to earn it through gameplay), you can wait until the following day.
The online conference that might change video games for good
Language is a tool, and just like any tool, it has equal capacity to inflict both good and bad on the world. Language is a beautiful, human thing; the connective tissue that transfers culture, knowledge and critical information across borders and generations. It's also a means of segregation and detachment, erecting invisible walls among neighbors and strangers alike, impeding coexistence on a global scale.
PlayStation Now game streaming expands throughout Europe
PlayStation Now still isn't widely available around the world, but Sony aims to fix that. It's expanding the game streaming service to Italy, Portugal and Spain in Europe in the near future, as well as Nordic countries like Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. There's no mention of a firm release date just yet. However, would-be players can register for a PS4 beta test due to start in early February.
