News

Nintendo Releases New Fighter For ‘Arms’

Published

6 years ago

November 16, 2017

Anthony DiMoro

Nintendo Switch has unveiled a brand new fighter for the fighting game Arms this week. The addition of the new fighter brings their roster of fighters to a total of 13.

The version 4.0 update adds Misango, a new stage named Temple Grounds and three new Arms: Scorpio, Glusher and Skully. Misango doesn’t come alone, he is joined by a spirit companion who aids him in battle and can absorb the spirit by charging via dash or jump or by guarding for a period of time and it will convert the spirit into a “small pillar of spiritual energy” which can be used as a defensive weapon.

According to the game:

Absorbing the spirit is where things get a bit more complicated: see, the spirit rotates through three different colors in order—red, yellow, and blue—and which ability Misango obtains from the spirit depends on what color the spirit is at the time it’s absorbed.

If Misango absorbs the red spirit, he’ll don a mask with a small set of horns, which gives him the ability to resist flinching like Mechanica or Master Mummy. If he absorbs while it’s blue, he’ll get a mask with some wings, which gives him better mobility. And this one’s my favorite: if he absorbs the yellow spirit, he gets this spiky-looking mask and the ability to automatically block all incoming blows for a short period of time upon activating his rush combo (yeah, it’s hecka buff.)

Console

Microsoft Unveils Xbox Developer Sustainability Toolkit

Published

3 months ago

March 22, 2023

Anthony DiMoro

Xbox has officially unveiled the Xbox Developer Sustainability Toolkit which is aimed to help creators reduce energy consumption and measure carbon emissions during game development processes.

The Xbox Developer Sustainability ToolKit includes resources that include:

Power Monitor tools
Certification reports
Power consumption dashboards
Best practices

Ubisoft and 343 Industries were named as early users of the Xbox Developer Sustainability ToolKit with 343 Industries able to reduce energy use by 15% without impacting the player experience at all.

Ubisoft and Xbox are co-developing an energy-efficient eco-mode for users.

You can check out the full report right here.

Business

Epic Games Store Hits $820 Million in Player Spending During 2022

Published

3 months ago

March 22, 2023

Anthony DiMoro

Epic Games has officially released financial data related to it’s growing marketplace on PC, showing that $820 million was spent on the Epic Games Store during the 2022 year, and promised support for third-party subscription services and new ‘content hubs’ to help companies promote their titles.

According to the data:

The numbers

Total users of Epic Games Store PC: 230 million (up 19% year-on-year)
Epic cross-platform accounts: 732 million
Daily active users peak: 34.3 million
Monthly active users: 68 million (up 10%)

Total spending, incl. Epic’s games: $820 million (down 2%)
Spending on third-party games: $355 million (up 18%)
Free games claimed: 700 million
Number of new PC releases: 626
Total library of PC games: 1,548 (up 68%)

Epic Games stated on it’s blog that more PC games launched during the 2022 year than in any year prior.

Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5, Rocket League, Genshin Impact, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands were among the most popular titles related to player engagement and player spending, and Epic Games looks to deepen their focus in 2023 as they aim to improve the store launcher’s performance.

Epic Games also aims to add support for subscription services from third-party publishers and live service products by the end of the 2023 year, adding that they are also working on ‘content hubs’ which will be separate from product pages and will enable publishers to “share information with users in a robust editorial format.”

Business

California Judge Dismisses Gamers Lawsuit Filed Against Microsoft

Published

3 months ago

March 22, 2023

Anthony DiMoro

A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that the group of 10 plaintiffs “[lacked] allegations” in their lawsuit filed last year that claimed Microsoft’s ownerships of Activision Blizzard would harm consumers and competition in the video games market, according to a filing shared by Reuters.

While US District Judge Jacqueline Corley dismissed the case, she also gave the plaintiffs 20 days to refine their lawsuit and resubmit it, and the group’s lawyer, Joseph Saveri, said that there are plans to officially submit an amended lawsuit with “additional factual detail” that will address the judge’s concerns.

It marks a victory for Microsoft, but their battles are far from over as they still face a hearing over the Federal Trade Commission’s legal complaint, which is currently slated to take place in August of this year.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard originally expected the transaction to be complete by June 30, 2023.