Author Archives: 1080Partners

Minecraft is for adults only in South Korea

Minecraft has become an adults-only title in South Korea, as reported by The Korea Herald.

Mojang Studios’ popular sandbox game is recommended for ages 12 and up by South Korea’s Game Rating and Administration Committee, but the paper reports Microsoft recently informed South Korean users that they would need Xbox Live accounts — which are restricted to those 19 and older — to continue playing.

The move appears to stem from the 2011 “Cinderella law,” which prohibited children from playing games between midnight and 6 am. Rather than add that kind of screening functionality to Xbox Live, Microsoft changed its policy in 2012 to mandate users be at least 19 years old.

Despite that, Minecraft has until recently allowed users to sign in with their Mojang accounts, sidestepping the need for age verification.

In response to Minecraft now only being for adults, users filed an online petition against the “shutdown law” to the office of the president.

“Korea’s game market is at the risk of being the world’s only place where Minecraft is labeled as an adult game,” the petition said.

As of this writing, Microsoft representatives had not responded to a request for comment.

Update, July 7, 2021: A Microsoft representative responded to a request for comment, saying, “We are proceeding with the global migration of Mojang accounts to Microsoft accounts for Minecraft: Java Edition including for our players in South Korea. We’re working on a longer term solution for existing and new players under the age of 19 in South Korea and will have more to share on this later this year.”

Source: Gamesindustry.biz

New Nintendo Switch console has OLED screen

Nintendo has revealed a brand new Switch console – the Switch (OLED model).

The OLED model promises to add new features to the Switch, including a seven-inch OLED screen and an Ethernet port to improve online connectivity. It’ll also feature enhanced audio, a wider, adjustable stand, and 64gb of internal storage.

The Switch OLED model is slated for release on October 8th, the same launch day as Metroid Dread, and will be priced at $349.99

The announcement follows speculation regarding an upgraded Switch console that emerged last month. Initial reports from Bloomberg suggested that the console could launch as early as September this year, with an announcement expected during this year’s E3 event.

It also aligns with Bloomberg’s earlier reports that new Switch console will have a seven-inch OLED screen – an increase in size on the current Switch’s 6.2 inch display.

As of May 2021, Nintendo has sold nearly 85 million Switch and Switch Lite units worldwide.

Source: Gamesindustry.biz

eBay will prohibit some adult games

A new eBay policy will see restrictions placed on the sale of content deemed to be overtly sexually explicit.

The new rules apply to adult films and magazines, nudist publications and adult anime that display explicit content, as well as films and video games with an X, XXX, or R18 rating.

While ratings and content controversy has consistently plagued the games industry — particularly for violence — a very low number of games have actually been classified as the above for sexual content in the last 30 or so years.

Ratings differ slightly depending on the country and body they’re assigned by. In the UK, R18 is the highest rating given by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). This rating is different to the BBFC’s standard 18 rating, and the sale of content classified under this rating is limited to licensed sex shops.

In Europe, games are rated by the Pan European Game Information (PEGI). PEGI’s highest rating is 18. For context, Grand Theft Auto V is classified as 18 by both bodies.

The Entertainment Software System (ESRB) decides ratings for video games in the US. The ESRB’s Mature 17+ rating (M) is the equivalent of an PEGI 18 rating; Grand Theft Auto V falls under this category in the US.

ESRB’s Adults Only (AO) category covers more extreme sexual and violent content, similar to the BBFC’s R18 rating.

The most notable content restriction in video games was Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which was hit with an Adult Only rating upon release in 2004 due to its ‘Hot Coffee’ minigame that displayed characters engaging in sexual intercourse.

While this minigame was never actually publicly implemented, players could activate it with a mod, earning San Andreas an AO rating. The game was patched to remove Hot Coffee, and the rating was subsequently dropped back to Mature.

However, while eBay’s new policy will likely not affect AAA games or studios, it will have a knock on effect on a smaller community of gamers that are already at odds with censorship.

Prohibiting the safe sale of these titles — many of which are harmless despite sexually explicit inclusions — may inevitably lead to more underhand transactions.

Source: gamesindustry.biz

Ten million heroes… and counting!

The Minecraft Dungeons community has reached ten million players across all supported platforms! Ten. Million. Players. I don’t think any of us at Mojang Studios could have ever imagined that the community of our dungeon-crawler passion project would grow to this point. Since the launch of the game in May 2020 across Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Xbox/PC Game Pass, you have made the game into everything it is today. We’re grateful and thrilled to be creating this game alongside you all!

So, what have all ten million of you been up to? Well, the Arch-Illager has been defeated a casual 5,934,629 times. That’s nearly as many times as the Arch-Illager has beaten me, so I’m glad everyone collectively avenged me. The most shocking fact of all might be that you spent a combined total of 1141 YEARS in camp! I tried to ask my boss if I could go camping until 3162 and he laughed in my face. Most impressively though, the Redstone Monstrosity has been beaten a total of 7,044,521 times! Of course, there were 19,511,994 attempts to best the Redstone Monstrosity, but hey… practice makes perfect.

All those impressive stats may seem impossible to grasp, but behind those astronomical numbers are each and every one of our players. To celebrate reaching this monumental milestone, we’re releasing a new cape and a pet for our players. It’s a small way to say thank you for being the best community out there (and saving the Overworld over and over again). These items will be available in your inventory on February 24 as part of the free game update releasing on the same date.

Minecraft.net

Sony working on new VR set

Sony today confirmed it is working on a completely new virtual reality headset for the PlayStation 5.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, PlayStation SVP of platform planning and management Hideaki Nishino said the new headset will improve on the PS4’s PSVR headset in “everything from resolution and field of view to tracking and input.”

The PS5 headset will feature a new controller using some of the technology in the PS5’s DualSense controllers, as well as a simpler single-cord setup for users.

As for when the headset will hit shelves, Nishino only said it wouldn’t see release this year. In an interview with GQ Magazine published today, PlayStation head Jim Ryan said that PS5 VR dev kits “are about to go out.”

The original PSVR launched in 2016. Sony confirmed it had sold 5 million headsets by the beginning of 2020.

gamesindustry.biz

Take-Two is in talks to buy Codemasters

Codemasters today informed investors that it has been in discussions with Take-Two for a sale of the company, and has received a non-binding offer to acquire the company for 485 pence per share (120 pence of that would be paid cash, the rest in Take-Two Interactive shares).

Codemasters closed the trading day yesterday at 435 pence per share, making the offer price a bit more than an 11% premium.

Currently, Codemasters market cap values the company at £662.98 million ($873.12 million), but Take-Two’s offer would value it at £739.19 million ($973.48 million).

The deal would be conditional on Take-Two completing due diligence and the recommendation of the Codemasters board of directors, which at the moment intends to recommend unanimously that all Codemasters shareholders accept the deal.

However, discussions are ongoing and Take-Two has not yet made a final offer, and details such as the cash-stock ratio of the deal may still be amended.

Take-Two has until December 4 to decide whether it will make a binding offer or not, although that could be extended with approval from regulators. The publisher did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Via www.gamesindustry.biz

EA sued over loot boxes inside of games

Electronic Arts is facing more legal action over its use of loot boxes and other randomised monetisation mechanics. The latest is a class action lawsuit filed in Canada on September 30 by joint plaintiffs Mark Sutherland and Shawn Moore.

According to the filing, shared by gaming and esports law blog The Patch Notes, Sutherland is a British Columbia resident who purchased loot boxes in the Madden NFL series of games while Moore hails from Ontario and spent money on the same monetisation model in EA’s NHL games.

The pair assert that the Criminal Code of Canada prohibits unlawful gaming, betting, lotteries and games of chance.

Since EA does not hold a gambling license in the region, it is accused of operating “an unlicensed, illegal gaming system through their loot boxes.”

The lawsuit is filed on behalf of Moore, Sutherland and any other Canadian customers who purchased, directly or indirectly, loot boxes in almost every EA game that contains loot boxes.

There is a list of over 60 titles that stretches beyond the usual suspects of FIFA, Madden and other sports franchises to include Battlefield, Mass Effect, Need for Speed, Dragon Age and Plants vs Zombies games as well.

The suit even targets mobile games such as Command & Conquer: Rivals, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and WarFriends, with a note that there may be other titles containing loot boxes the plaintiffs have yet to become aware of.

“The senior officers and directors of [Electronic Arts] were at all times fully aware of the unlawful nature of their enterprise and took active steps to carry it out,” the filing reads.

The lawsuit is seeking, among other things, damages for Moore and Sutherland under the Competition Act and a declaration that EA has contravened the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act.

Earlier this year, Electronic Arts was targeted by a similar class action lawsuit in California, which claims the Ultimate Team mode in its sports games — and the associated loot boxes — violate the state’s gambling law.

Via gamesindustry.biz

Cyberpunk 2077 will have the best cars

Many different classes of vehicles will be featured in Cyberpunk 2077, from cheap, basic four wheels to high-end hypercars and heavy machinery.

Creators of the game, CD Projekt Red studios said that all cars will be different and each will have their own speed, sound, and features. That applies not just to different classes of car, but individual vehicles as well, which may be missing various parts depending on where you find them and who’s been driving them. Vehicle summoning will work in basically the same as it does in Witcher 3.

Sony presents its new Playstation 5

SAN MATEO, Calif., June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Innovation and creativity collide this holiday season, as Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) revealed new details for PlayStation®5, including the next-generation console’s design and a deep lineup of brand new games coming to the platform. In a livestream event today reaching millions of gaming fans, SIE showed the PS5™ hardware for the first time, with its bold, two-tone design marking a radical departure from previous PlayStation consoles. PS5 will launch in two options: a standard model with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive, and a digital model without a disc drive, offering unprecedented choice at launch to gamers.

Today’s livestream also provided fans with a first look at the new games that will define the next generation of gaming on PlayStation 5. Across dozens of titles, most of which are launching as console exclusives or full exclusives on PS5, the world’s most talented developers showcased the potential of the hardware, which will unlock rich experiences for gamers, bringing them deeper into extraordinary game worlds than ever before.

“With PlayStation 5, we are making a significant leap to deliver a truly new generation of transformative play experiences that will redefine expectations for what games can be,” said Jim Ryan, President and CEO of SIE. “Worlds will be richer and more beautiful, they’ll captivate your senses in ways you didn’t think possible, and you’ll be able to experience them much more seamlessly, with lightning fast loading. Today’s showcase is just a glimpse of what’s to come in the next generation, and we want to thank our community for taking this journey to PS5’s launch with us.”

One of the biggest series of all time, Grand Theft Auto, will be coming to PS5, thanks to the close partnership between SIE and Rockstar Games. Enhanced and expanded versions of Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online will launch on PS5 in the second half of 2021. With a range of technical improvements, visual upgrades and performance enhancements, GTAV & GTA Online will take full advantage of the PS5 hardware and its new features, making the game more beautiful and more responsive than ever. In addition, a new standalone version of Grand Theft Auto Online will also be made available, with access to all PS5 owners for free within the first three months of the title launching. Once the entitlement is claimed, the game is theirs to keep, and with a PlayStation Plus membership, PS5 owners will be able to play GTA Online as much as they want. Finally, starting today, all GTAV PS4 owners will get GTA$1,000,000 every month until the PS5 version of the game launches in 2021.

Additionally SIE Worldwide Studios and the industry’s top publishers and developers unveiled a lineup of PS5 titles that demonstrate a depth and breadth of unique experiences. Some of the first-party PlayStation Studios exclusives included: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games), Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital), and Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games).

Reveals from third-party publishers included blockbuster franchises such as NBA 2K21 (2K, Visual Concepts) and Resident Evil™ Village (Capcom), as well as brand new IP launching on PS5 as console exclusives, such as DEATHLOOP™ (Bethesda) and Project Athia* (Square Enix/Luminous Productions). New titles from independent developers, such as Stray (Annapurna/ Blue Twelve Studio) and Bugsnax (Young Horses), demonstrated the diversity of content coming to the platform.

SIE also announced a slate of new PS5 accessories to enhance the gaming experience, including:

PULSE 3D™ wireless headset – offering 3D audio support and dual noise-cancelling microphones;
HD Camera – featuring dual 1080p lenses for gamers to broadcast themselves along with their epic gameplay moments;
Media Remote – a remote control with built-in microphone to navigate movies and streaming services with ease; and
DualSense™ Charging Station – for convenient charging of two DualSense™ Wireless Controllers.
SIE will announce pricing and additional details for PlayStation 5 at a later date.

For more information, or to watch the stream on-demand, please visit: https://blog.us.playstation.com.

PS5 Games from SIE Worldwide Studios and second-party partners

Astro’s Playroom (Japan Studio)
Demon’s Souls (Bluepoint Games / Japan Studio)
Destruction All Stars (Lucid Games / XDEV)
Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital)
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games)
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
Returnal (Housemarque / XDEV)
Sackboy A Big Adventure (Sumo Digital / XDEV)
PS5 Games from third-party publishers and developers

Bugsnax (Young Horses)
DEATHLOOP (Bethesda)
Ghostwire™: Tokyo (Bethesda)
Godfall™ (Gearbox Publishing / Counterplay Games)
Goodbye Volcano High (KO-OP)
Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online (Rockstar Games)
HITMAN 3 (IO Interactive)
JETT : The Far Shore® (Superbrothers)
Kena: Bridge of the Spirits (Ember Lab)
Little Devil Inside (Neostream Interactive)
NBA 2K21 (2K, Visual Concepts)
Oddworld Soulstorm™ (Oddworld Inhabitants™)
Pragmata (Capcom)
Project Athia* (Square Enix/Luminous Productions)
Resident Evil™ Village (Capcom)
Solar Ash (Annapurna Interactive / Heart Machine)
Stray (Annapurna / Blue Twelve Studio)
Tribes of Midgard (Gearbox Publishing / Norsfell)
The Pathless (Annapurna Interactive / Giant Squid)
*Working title

About Sony Interactive Entertainment
Recognized as a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is responsible for the PlayStation® brand and family of products and services. PlayStation has delivered innovation to the market since the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994. The PlayStation family of products and services include PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR, PlayStation™Store, PlayStation®Plus, PlayStation™Video, PlayStation™Music, PlayStation™Now, and acclaimed PlayStation software titles from SIE Worldwide Studios. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, SIE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation and has global functions in California, London and Tokyo.

“PlayStation,” “PS5 ,” and “DualSense” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.s

Apple launching Arcade service

Apple has revealed more details about its upcoming premium game service, Apple Arcade, including confirmation the subscription will launch on September 19, 2019, for $5 a month.

First announced back in March 2019, Apple stated the subscription service for iOS was “unlike any other” service and would feature “over 100 groundbreaking new games where storytelling and design are pushed further than ever before”. One subscription will unlock the entire catalogue across 150 counties, and all games will be available – without ads or in-app purchases – to download to your device. Up to six family members are able to share a single subscription.

At the time, Apple said it “will be partnering with a variety of high-profile studios and publishers” including Annapurna Interactive, Bossa Studios, Cartoon Network, Konami, Lego, Mistwalker, and Ustwo Games, and reported it would be “contributing development costs” to some of the games on its new service.

“We are so excited to launch Apple Arcade on the App Store. A curated selection of over 100 new and exclusive games from many of the most innovative game developers in the world is the perfect complement to the App Store’s existing massive catalogue of games,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

“We think customers of all ages are going to be delighted that a single subscription gives the whole family unlimited access to the full catalogue of amazing Apple Arcade games, all without any ads or additional purchases, while knowing every game must meet Apple’s high privacy standards.”

Via www.mcvuk.com