Author Archives: 1080Partners

DragonBall creator, Akira Toriyma has passed away

Akira Toriyama was born in 1955 and became a manga artist at 23. Primarily known for his works in Weekly Shōnen Jump for works such as Dr. Slump, his biggest claim to fame would be Dragon Ball. First published in 1983, Dragon Ball would explode into a cultural phenomenon, spawning a massively popular multimedia franchise with multiple manga volumes, a successful long-running anime, several films, and a litany of merchandise. Dragon Ball has become one of the most influential mangas of all time and would also become a massive fixture in video games, with dozens of titles across a variety of platforms.

Upcoming games based on Toryiama’s work include Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, the next entry in the Budakai Tenkaichi series, and Sand Land, an action RPG launching on April 26 based on his 2000 manga.

Toryiama would also lend his distinct art style to video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. Six years ago, Game Informer editors current and former got together to talk about Toriyama’s influence on the game industry.

Via Gaminformer

Games from TV and Movies, what gamers want

Just under half of gamers surveyed in Deloitte’s annual Digital Media Trends study want to see more games licensed from other screen properties.

GamesBeat reports the survey results show 45% of the 1,197 gamers surveyed wish more of their favourite movies and TV shows were adapted into video games.

The Deloitte report also explored how consumers’ interactions with one type of entertainment affect how they engage with other forms of media. For example, 44% of gamers decided to play a specific video game after watching certain TV shows or movies.

49% of gamers say they often discover new music while playing video games.

The study also looked at how video games provide more than entertainment to users, especially in terms of social interaction. 40% of Gen Z (people born 1997-2009) and Millenials (1983-1996) respondents say they socialise more via video games than in the physical world.

49% of these two age brackets also they feel better about their self-image in video games, and 73% said experiencing success in video games boosts their self-confidence.

By comparison, only 19% of Gen X (1966-1982), Boomers (1947-1965) and Matures (1946 and before) feel better about their self-image, while 47% have more self-confidence after experiencing success in games.

When Deloitte drilled down into the habits of 515 committed gamers compared to 439 casual gamers, it found that 62% of the former say meeting up with friends in video game is an important way for them to spend time together (compared to 29% of casual gamers).

Via Gamesindustry.biz

Evil Dead will release a Game of the Year edition

Publisher Saber Interactive and developer Boss Team Games will release Evil Dead: The Game – Game of the Year Edition for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on April 26, the companies announced. This release also marks the game’s first appearance on Steam.

Here is an overview of the Game of the Year Edition, via Saber Interactive:

This new edition of the blockbuster co-op player-versus-player / player-versus-environment multiplayer action experience bundles the full base game with a hoard of content from six downloadable content packs and more, including the upcoming downloadable content “Who’s Your Daddy.”

Evil Dead: The Game

Available on April 26 as part of Evil Dead: The Game – Game of the Year Edition or as a standalone purchase, the downloadable content “Who’s Your Daddy” features new surprises for the Survivors and Demons inspired by the STARZ series Ash vs Evil Dead, including:

New Survivor – Brock Williams: Ash’s old man himself, Brock is immune to knockbacks and has several auras he can unleash to help his squadmates. These auras change dynamically based on how many Williams family members are on the team.
New Demon – Schemer: Based on the notorious demon boss Baal, the Schemer is a trap specialist who confuses Survivors with illusions. His Meat Puppets inflict increased damage with a variety of attacks based on the fear levels of the Survivors.
New outfits for Ash, Amanda, and Pablo.

Additional downloadable content included in Evil Dead: The Game – Game of the Year Edition feature a range of bonus playable Survivors and Demons with unique powers and abilities, as well as tons of cosmetics to customize your experience.

Inspired by the iconic horror, humor and action of the long-running Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead: The Game brings the franchise’s biggest names together in a pulse-pounding battle with the forces of darkness, brought to life with off-the-wall gore and visuals. Work as a team of four Survivors to kick Deadite butt and banish the vile Kandarian Demon—or become the Demon yourself, using its powers of possession to stop the good guys and swallow their souls!

Play as your favorite characters from every era in the franchise—with even more Survivors and Demons released after launch. Use your wits and a wide variety of weapons to survive the night in standard four-versus-one multiplayer, single-player missions, and the new fast-paced Splatter Royale mode for up to 40 players, with full cross-play between consoles and PC.

A Switch version of Evil Dead: The Game is also planned for release, but has yet to receive a release date.

Via gematsu.com

Sony just wants to see the world burn

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan reportedly said that Sony is not interested in making a deal with Activision or Microsoft.

Activision exec Lulu Cheng Meservey reveals why Sony hasn’t accepted Microsoft’s 10-year Call of Duty deal. According to Meservey’s latest Tweet, Jim Ryan had stark words for both Microsoft and Activision regarding any sort of deal: “I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.”

SIE’s Jim Ryan allegedly said this during the closed-door hearing with European Commission regulators on February 21. These hearings were not public, and Microsoft is believed to have swayed EU regulators with recent access remedy offers.

Shortly after the hearing, Microsoft held a press conference in Brussels where it announced 10-year Call of Duty licensing deals with Nintendo and NVIDIA and promised to bring the $31 billion franchise to 150 million more people, a figure that represents the combination of the Nintendo Switch and GeForce Now platforms.

Meservey’s revelation comes after the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority antitrust agency published two new documents from both Microsoft and Sony. In these documents, Sony makes controversial arguments including Microsoft’s potential willingness in degrading or deliberately downgrading Call of Duty’s performance on PlayStation consoles.

The Activision communications executive commented that Sony was unwilling to sign a new post-merger agreement “on far better terms than Sony would ever get from [Activision].”

Sony has yet to respond to the quote, however it is possible we’ll see more statements made to larger video games news outlets as the merger continues close scrutiny by worldwide regulators.

Via Tweaktown. Read more here

Game Pass misses growth target for second year running

Microsoft has missed its growth target for Xbox Game Pass for the second year in a row.

Earlier this week, the company shared its latest financial results, including a hardware revenue growth of 13 percent and PC Game Pass subscriptions increasing by 159 percent year on year.

However, that still wasn’t enough to meet Microsoft’s targets, according to a new financial filing (reported by Axios).
Microsoft targeted a 73 percent growth rate for Game Pass for its fiscal year ending 30th June 2022. Instead, it managed just 28 percent growth.

The previous fiscal year had a target of 48 percent growth, but instead the company managed 38 percent. That followed an over-achievement the year before.

Axios reports the target was tied to performance incentives for Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and other top executives.

The news follows comments from Xbox head Phil Spencer that Game Pass is profitable despite declining growth, which he said is “mainly because at some point you’ve reached everybody on console that wants to subscribe”.

Game Pass as a whole now accounts for around 15 percent of Microsoft’s overall Xbox content and services revenue, though Spencer admitted the price may increase in the future.

“We’ve held price on our console, we’ve held price on games and our subscription. I don’t think we’ll be able to do that forever… I do think at some point we’ll have to raise some prices on certain things, but going into this holiday we thought it was important to maintain the prices,” he said.

Although Microsoft doesn’t report specific numbers, “over 25 million Game Pass subscriptions” have been delivered according to this latest report. The same number was given in January this year.

Beyond the natural declining growth mentioned by Spencer, a lack of big Xbox exclusives compared with Sony and Nintendo is perhaps a further reason for these missed targets.

Via Eurogamer

No Man’s Sky, a classic is out on Switch

No Man’s Sky is finally out on Switch today alongside the new Waypoint update, which brings the game up to a new 4.0 version. This update is live on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Switch, and PC as of today.

As for what to expect, Waypoint is best described as a major overhaul to No Man’s Sky geared toward making the game easily tailored to players, regardless of the experience they’re trying to get out of it. If you want something more relaxing and casual, you can do that. If you want a more challenging experience, the Waypoint update lets you do that too.

“Access the universe of No Man’s Sky from anywhere in update 4.0 Waypoint, launching for the first time on Nintendo Switch, and overhauling fundamental elements of gameplay including game modes, inventory size, and usability, milestones, journey cataloging, and much more,” the No Man’s Sky Waypoint blog post reads. “Tailor every aspect of the game to your unique playstyle with custom game modes. Launch into the action quickly with an existing difficulty preset, or tinker with everything from economy to combat challenge to survival difficulty to perfect your experience.”

Waypoint is bringing a lot of changes to No Man’s Sky. Alongside game mode customization, there are also new seamless auto-saves, the launch of trade rockets, a new inventory overhaul with streamlined item management, unique Switch rewards, and so much more. Be sure to read the entire Waypoint blog post for all the details.

Via Gameinformer

Teenage Ninja Turtles, back from the 80’s

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge features modernized gameplay rooted in timeless classic brawling mechanics, brought to you by the beat ’em up experts at Dotemu (Streets of Rage 4) and developer Tribute Games, in partnership with Nickelodeon. Bash your way through gorgeous pixel art environments and slay tons of hellacious enemies with your favorite Turtle, each with his own skills and moves – making each run unique! Choose a fighter, use radical combos to defeat your opponents and experience intense combats loaded with breathtaking action and outrageous ninja abilities. Stay sharp as you face off against Shredder and his faithful Foot Clan alone, or grab your best buds and play with up to four players simultaneously!

History

With Bebop and Rocksteady assaulting Channel 6 and stealing super gnarly devices to support Krang and Shredder’s latest twisted plan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge sees the Turtles battling across a righteous range of timeless TMNT locations. From Manhattan and Coney Island, to city rooftops and dank sewers, help the fearsome foursome trounce Foot Soldiers, Triceraton Warriors, and Rock Troops all the way to Dimension X!

Features

• Gnarly game design takes you back to the ’80s
• Beautiful full-color pixel art graphics
• Old-school gameplay enhanced with super-fresh mechanics
• Up to six players simultaneously
• Play with iconic TMNT characters, Master Splinter, April O’Neil and vehicles in diverse gameplay options
• Radical new story mode
• Four Turtles’ original voice actors from the 1987 cartoon
• Absolutely bangin’ OST composed by Tee Lopes

Season 2 of Minecraft Dungeons is here!

ANNOUNCING LUMINOUS NIGHT!

Time to shine in Minecraft Dungeons’ second Seasonal Adventure!

Grab all your spare torches! Flashlights! The $5 disco ball you haven’t used since that awkward school dance in sixth grade! The Dungeons team has inexplicably removed several light bulbs in the Mojang Studios offices, and it’s likely your fuse box’s next! While this sinister prank left us all in the dark for a while, we now know it was part of a much darker scheme (or maybe theme?) – a new update!

We hope you’re allowed to stay up until the wee hours, because Luminous Night, Minecraft Dungeons’ second – and possibly darkest – Seasonal Adventure will launch on April 20 with a plethora of luminescent features. Explore the Tower by night, full of new, fresh floors that include everything from mysterious murals and perplexing puzzles to the wildfire – a fiery foe that may prove too hot to handle for even the most seasoned adventurers! Tread lightly, as it prefers its opponents well done!

Just like the previous season, there are plenty of new rewards to earn – rewards that look particularly stylish during the night. Skins, capes, emotes, and flairs will light up your surroundings with a luminescent light, while new adorable pets such as the ministrosity and abomination will light the fire in your heart. You might also appreciate the new quality-of-life features coming, such as the highly anticipated storage chest that will bring order to your chaotic inventory.

For more nitty-gritty information and deep dives into the upcoming update, make sure to keep your eyes glued to the Minecraft Dungeons site – or put that disco ball to good use with a celebration dance. Stay tuned – your Seasonal Adventure continues in Luminous Night!

Minecraft Dungeons celebrates 15 million players

Minecraft Dungeons is approaching its second birthday after release, and has perpetually grown since with new updates, DLC, and constant post-launch support from Mojang Studios and Double Eleven. On Tuesday, Mojang revealed that its Minecraft spin-off ARPG has impressively surpassed 15 million players, a new milestone for the title. Starting today, players can participate in the limited-time Festival of Frost event to celebrate the accomplishment.

It has been nearly exactly one year since Minecraft Dungeons crossed 10 million players, and it’s clear Mojang Studios had no intention of stopping there. Since then, the game has released three new DLC expansions and multiple major free updates, including the recent Cloudy Climb update. Now, Minecraft Dungeons boasts of over 15 million players across platforms, warranting the new Festival of Frost event.

The Festival of Frost starts today, Feb. 8, and will last until Feb. 22. During the event, The Tower will be outfitted with frozen-themed floors, players will be confronted with a variety of themed challenges and missions, trials from the earlier Chills and Thrills event will be featured again, and the “Iceologer Cape” cosmetic item will be gifted to any player that logs in during the event.

Alongside the Festival of Frost event and the announcement of 15 million players, Minecraft Dungeons is securing a new patch update across all platforms, which includes a decent chunk of bug fixes and general improvements.

Minecraft Dungeons is available on various platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Minecraft Dungeons has dramatically evolved from the game it was at launch, with a plethora of updates under its belt and more to come. It’s one of the best Xbox games you can play right now, and the Ultimate Edition includes everything you need to get started.

Via Windowscentral

Ascend to the clouds in Minecraft Dungeons

TOPPLE THE TOWER!
Rise to the challenge in Cloudy Climb—Minecraft Dungeons’ first Seasonal Adventure, featuring seasonal-exclusive rewards and a new, mysterious tower.

EARN YOUR JUST REWARD
Play through familiar missions and time-limited challenges to unlock free seasonal rewards.

ASCEND TO NEW HEIGHTS
Prove your worth by climbing the Tower—a mysterious and replayable structure that puts your skill to the test through several floors of challenging content. Are you strong enough to reach the top?

ENJOY PREMIUM REWARDS WITH THE ADVENTURE PASS
Enrich your Cloudy Climb experience with the Adventure Pass! Get access to an additional reward track for the first Seasonal Adventure—featuring exclusive pets, skins, emotes, flairs, and well-stitched capes!