Video Link: http://youtu.be/pjC1v7rORrE
“The Order: 1886” Delayed to 2015:
The PlayStation exclusive steam-punk game “The Order: 1886” has been delayed to 2015. Ready at Dawn’s game director Dana Jan said in a statement that the delay was;
“…not necessarily a material problem, but I think there’s always this point in any development where you look at what you’ve got and you look at the potential of it and you start to talk about where you’re going to compromise, and how are you going to finish, how are you going to protect the vision?”
Jan also said that they wanted to;
“…make the least amount of side-quest as possible and really polish and set a new bar for PlayStation games and just games in general and I think it’s really great to get that opportunity to push it a bit more.”
No new defined release date has been said but Ready at Dawn conformed that the game will be at this years E3.
EA Closes Mythic Entertainment:
EA has announced that they have closed the Virginia based Mythic Entertainment to “concentrate mobile development in our other studio locations.” Mythic made its name making online games starting with “Dark Age of Camelot” and “Warhammer Online”, but after their most recent release, the panned by critics and players mobile re-boot of “Dungeon Keeper”, it is a not surprising fate. EA also said in the statement:
“We are working with all impacted employees to provide assistance in finding new opportunities, either within EA or with other companies via an upcoming job fair.”
Here’s hoping they all get back on their feet quickly.
Nintendo Making A GameCube Controller Adapter:
Last week, I said that Nintendo was making a “GameCube inspired” controller as they where no longer back-compatible with the WiiU. But added with the release of information of the upcoming “Super Smash Bros. Invitational” tournament at this years E3 came the news that they are making a USB GameCube adapter for the WiiU. This, on comparison with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, keeps Nintendo the only console that is backwards compatible.
PR Stunt Gets The Bomb Squad:
A promotional stunt for the now released “Watch Dogs” went south in Australia which lead to the bomb squad being called. Ninemsn, a Australian online publication called the authorities when a black safe that had anonymously received started to beep. The safe was delivered with a note simply saying that they should check their voice mails, which the reporter didn’t have. After trying to open the safe with a code came with the note, which didn’t work, the safe started to beep. So they called the police who got the bomb squad. The Bomb squad opened the safe only to find a copy of the “Watch Dogs”, some swag, and an embargo time. It turns out that the safe was sent by Ubisoft as a stunt. Ubisoft said in a statement:
“Unfortunately, the delivery to Ninemsn didn’t go as planned, and we unreservedly apologize to Ninemsn‘s staff for the mistake and for any problems caused as a result. We will take additional precautions in the future to ensure this kind of situation doesn’t happen again.”
Steam Controller Delayed:
The release of the Steam controller for the long-awaited Steam box has been delayed to some time in 2015. In a post of the Steam Community website, Eric Hope said:
“We’re now using wireless prototype controllers to conduct live playtests, with everyone from industry professionals to die-hard gamers to casual gamers. It’s generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we’ll be able to make the controller a lot better. Of course, it’s also keeping us pretty busy making all those improvements. Realistically, we’re now looking at a release window of 2015, not 2014.”
This hasn’t perturbed the the companies releasing their “Steam Machines” which will soon be shipped. The controller was originally slated for a November release.
The Ruins Of THQ:
The collapse of THQ at the end of 2012 and the saga that continued into 2013 shocked many. So seeing what they left behind is just as said. A Redditor going by ‘Soulessgingr’ is part of a company who has moved into the old THQ building. It turns out that the thunderous crash that was chapter 11 bankruptcy a lot of stuff was left behind. Posters and awards to routers and TV’s where left behind. ‘Soulessgingr’ took some pictures and posted them here (Imgur: http://imgur.com/a/uGfco).
Steam Data – $15:
A report published by British newspaper the Guardian claims to have seen Steam users data on sale for as little as $15 on a Russian dark web forum. How does the criminal underground get hold of Steam data? Some people just give it to them. People who use 3rd party hacks or pay for people to hack achievements are the primary victim. The other sort of victim are those who unintentionally trade on spoof ‘Steam Marketplace‘ trading websites. So the best advice is to be wary of where you are trading, only trade on official Steam/Valve websites, and don’t hack or bot your games.
Full Article: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/30/steam-valve-password-hack-stolen-botnet-malware
The Next “Battlefield” Goes ‘Cops & Robbers’:
The Next “Battlefield” title is set to have a more ‘cops and robbers’ vibe then previous titles. The new title called “Battlefield: Hardline”, was announced after an update to Battlelog (Battlefield’s online network) was ‘data-mined’ which led people to find new assets for the upcoming game.
Soon after the announcement, some leaked game footage was found. This led EA to respond that the build in the video was over 6 months old and the current build (un-leaked) build is better. Soon after that, the person who leaked the footage said he had been fired, also saying “I’ve learned the [hard] way what happens when you don’t respect the nda [Non-Disclosure Agreement].”
Other “Battlefield” News:
In other “Battlefield” related news, “Battlefield 3” is currently available for free via Origin’s ‘On The House‘ system. The new system has already seen “Dead Space” being released for free. The service was started in March which lets Origin users download a full game for free, to keep.
Meanwhile in “Battlefield 4”, a micro-transaction system has been unveiled.
“Bronze, Silver and Gold Battlepacks will be available for purchase at Origin.com, Battlelog.com, through the in-game store, at Xbox Live Marketplace and at the PlayStation Store. Pricing will be $1 for Bronze Battlepacks, $2 for Silver Battlepacks, and $3 for Gold Battlepacks.“
What you get in each pack is random, with the higher packs having giving better items, but the system is programmed not give items that you already have. Items vary from weapons and gear to XP boosts.