General Gaming News II: Steam Helpdesk Site Leak

[6souls]

Rumor: Multiple Dino Crisis Titles getting REmakes, RE Spin-Off Coming in 2021, No REmake for 4
https://twitter.com/AestheticGamer1/...65160160849921

Rumor: Two Silent Hill Titles in Development Not at Konami, a Reboot & a TellTale/Until Dawn-style
https://twitter.com/AestheticGamer1/...71472751947776 | https://twitter.com/AestheticGamer1/...71729913106433
https://twitter.com/AestheticGamer1/...72586503274496 | https://twitter.com/AestheticGamer1/...87064094826496
https://twitter.com/AestheticGamer1/...87446636290049 | https://twitter.com/AestheticGamer1/...88015031623680

This is the RE3 leaker.

[Cantih]

They need to do Code Veronica before RE4

[Nitsuki]

They need to do Code Veronica before RE4

This is all i ask for

[6souls]

Atari Shifts to Real Estate, Developing eSports Hotels

Spoiler: show

Atari, a trailblazer in the gaming industry, is pioneering an exciting new concept: a unique lodging experience combining the iconic brand with a one-of-a-kind video game-themed destination. Atari Hotels level up hotel entertainment with fully immersive experiences for every age and gaming ability, including the latest in VR and AR (Virtual and Augmented Reality). Select hotels will also feature state-of-the-art venues and studios to accommodate esports events.

Ground breaks later this year in Phoenix for their first project. Additional hotels are planned for Las Vegas, Denver, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose.

[Draylo]

Def code veronica, 4 doesnt need any remake.

[6souls]

Asian Publisher Garena has Acquired Phoenix Labs (Dauntless)

Sea Limited (“Sea” or the “Company”), a leading global consumer internet company, today announced that its digital entertainment arm, Garena, has acquired Phoenix Labs, an acclaimed independent games development company and the studio behind the popular cross-platform co-op action RPG, Dauntless. The teams intend to work together to continue building Phoenix Labs’ world-class development team, supporting the growth of Dauntless, and exploring new opportunities in global markets and on mobile. The transaction closed in recent days.

Jesse Houston, CEO and co-founder of Phoenix Labs, said, “Our partners at Garena have been our most steadfast supporters since the early days of Phoenix Labs, and we are excited to join forces with a global games leader. With this next step, we’re able to ensure that we can provide the best possible experience for Dauntless players around the world. We’re extremely excited about what the future holds for Phoenix Labs, as we continue to support our ever-growing Dauntless community and explore future games.”

Forrest Li, Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sea, said, “We couldn’t be happier to welcome Phoenix Labs to the Garena family. Over the last few years, we have watched Phoenix Labs mature into one of the best development teams in the business and launch a hugely exciting title in Dauntless. We also know that they share our mission of making great games, creating the best teams, and putting players first. Our skills sets are highly complementary, and we see many exciting opportunities ahead that our teams can explore together.”

Phoenix Labs was founded in Vancouver in 2014 by veteran game executives with a track record of working on some of the world’s best-known game franchises. It now has a team of more than 100 developers with decades of experience in building world-class AAA games across its offices in Vancouver, Canada, San Francisco, and Seattle, Washington. The studio launched its debut title Dauntless, a cross-platform co-op action RPG, in 2019.

Headquartered in Singapore, Garena is a global leading games developer and publisher. It had more than 320 million quarterly active users in the third quarter of 2019. Its self-developed title, Free Fire, is one of the world’s most popular mobile games and was the most downloaded mobile game globally in 2019 according to App Annie. Garena was one of Phoenix Labs’ earliest investors and has supported the growth of the company and the development of Dauntless over the last several years.

Following the acquisition, the existing management team at Phoenix Labs will continue to run the studio. In addition to bolstering Garena’s in-house content creation capabilities, the partnership allows Phoenix Labs to tap into Garena’s global network and unique strengths in mobile games and community building. The companies will work together to continue adding new features to Dauntless and explore new growth opportunities in markets such as Asia and Latin America, and on mobile.

[6souls]

Platinum Games Teaser Site - Four Announcements - One Revealed
https://four.platinumgames.com/

Wizards of the Coast Announces a New Studio to Focus on a Sci-Fi RPG - Archetype Entertainment

Archetype Entertainment is a game development studio in Austin, Texas led by industry veterans from BioWare and other AAA studios. Founded in 2019, Archetype is an autonomous division of Wizards of the Coast. We are assembling a world-class team to build a multi-platform roleplaying game set in a new science fiction universe.

At Archetype, we believe there will always be a place for story-driven roleplaying games that put the player at the center of an epic personal narrative with impactful choices. We are building games that represent the diversity of our audience. We also believe that game studios should empower top developers and challenge them with ambitious projects that are shaped by a strong, clearly communicated creative vision.

“Archetype is a chance for us to build the type of roleplaying game that we love to play. Video games are a uniquely interactive medium. They allow us to give the player powerful choices that have real consequences on how the story unfolds.”

​— James Ohlen, Head of Studio

“The tremendous opportunity and challenge we have in building a new world-class game studio isn't lost on us. We're leaning on the experience and talent of our entire team to create what we believe will be the next generation of acclaimed, narrative-driven roleplaying games.”

— Chad Robertson, General Manager

Located in Sunny Austin, TX

We chose Austin because it is a great place to live and work. Austin is the capital of Texas and is a fast-growing city with a vibrant music scene, cosmopolitan culture, a world-class university, and scenic rolling hills. It was recently voted the #1 place to live in America for the third year in a row — based on affordability, job prospects, and quality of life.

Amplifier Game Invest (Mutant: Year Zero) Opens it's First NA Studio - C77 Entertainment

The new game development studio, C77 Entertainment in Seattle, is the latest addition to the Amplifier Game Invest portfolio and an expansion onto the North American market for the company. The team will focus on big-action experiences for PC and console players.

“We found an opportunity to set up a new studio together with Mattias Kylén and Kenny Magnusson. Their unparallelled experience paired with their vision and passion made it really easy to push the start button”, says Per-Arne Lundberg, CEO of Amplifier Game Invest.

The creative vision of C77 Entertainment is set down by Mattias Kylén and Kenny Magnusson; two Swedes with a long history in the AAA-industry, having worked on several award-winning titles.

“The support provided by Amplifier Game Invest and the Embracer Group is not only financial but includes marketing, publishing, business operations, payroll, HR and legal. They have been fantastic in providing this infrastructure. For a highly creative group like C77 Entertainment, who are not traditional entrepreneurs, this is a dream come true”, says Mattias Kylén, CEO, C77 Entertainment.

The 6-person strong core team of C77 Entertainment have worked together before on blockbuster AAA-titles, and they are joining forces with Embracer Group and Amplifier Game Invest to deliver explosive games building on an original IP.

“Moving into the North American market not only increases our potential to attract the best teams available for acquisitions, but also expands this model where we found the company and give the developers solid financial incentives as employees. Exciting times ahead”, says Per-Arne Lundberg, CEO of Amplifier Game Invest AB.

C77 Entertainment will be a fully owned subsidiary to Amplifier Game Invest AB, joining the ranks of several Game Development companies already part of the Amplifier family.

https://www.c77.live/

[6souls]

Rockstar VP Dan Houser Exits the Company

After an extended break beginning in the spring of 2019, Dan Houser, Vice President, Creative at Rockstar Games, will be leaving the company. Dan Houser’s last day will be March 11, 2020. We are extremely grateful for his contributions. Rockstar Games has built some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful game worlds, a global community of passionate fans and an incredibly talented team, which remains focused on current and future projects.

https://ir.take2games.com/node/26571/html

[6souls]

Facebook Ad Leaks the Announcement of an Endless Runner-Style Crash Bandicoot Mobile Title Developed by King (Candy Crush)
https://www.dualshockers.com/crash-b...le-game-rumor/

[6souls]

2K Opens a Studio in Silicon Valley - 31st Union

2K announced today that 2K Silicon Valley, the label’s wholly-owned development studio founded in February 2019 and led by video game industry veteran Michael Condrey, will officially be known as 31st Union. Alongside revealing its new state-of-the-art development facility, branding and core values commitment to further establish its identity, the studio also announced plans to expand its presence internationally, beginning with a European location based in Spain.

“31st Union is off to an incredible start with a passionate and talented team, an intentioned culture that champions inclusivity and greater representation, and an ambitious and inspired new IP that we’re extremely excited about,” said Michael Condrey, President at 31st Union. “Our name and studio represent the spirit of California in its rich diversity of thought, art, music, innovation and cultural representation that have defined the current golden age of entertainment and technology here in Silicon Valley. In revealing our new identity and announcing the expansion of our operations, we’re shifting into an exciting next phase of growth to include more voices and bring our vision to life around the globe.”

“We’re creating a development environment focused on a single new IP where passion is at the center of it all,” said Tyler Michaud, Head of Strategy at 31st Union. “We believe diverse perspectives and experiences are crucial to creating a truly global entertainment experience with a deep connection to passionate fans.”

31st Union will be the fourth 2K-owned game development studio with multiple locations around the globe. In December 2019, Cloud Chamber announced studio locations in Novato, Calif. and Montreal, Quebec, while in June 2018, Hangar 13 opened its third location in Brighton, UK, which joined that studio’s offices in Czech Republic and Novato. In addition, Visual Concepts currently maintains offices in multiple locations around the world.

“We’re pleased to see the team at 31st Union continue to expand and scale internationally,” said David Ismailer, President of 2K. “We’ve seen the benefits of this approach across 2K, from broadening recruitment efforts and attracting the best talent to having more diverse perspectives contributing to the creative process. We’re optimistic the Spain studio will have a positive impact for 31st Union and look forward to sharing more about its new IP in time.”

https://www.thirtyfirstunion.com/

[6souls]

Need For Speed IP Returning to Criterion After Four Mediocre to Disappointing Releases from Ghost Games/EA Gothenburg

EA told GamesIndustry.biz that: "The engineering expertise in our Gothenburg team, some of whom are architects of the Frostbite engine, is vital to a number of our ongoing projects, and they would remain in that location."

As for the Ghost Games creative team, EA is looking to transfer many of the staff to positions at Criterion and other places within the wider organisation. However, 30 roles remain at risk. "Outside of the engineers and those that we plan to transfer to other positions, there would be 30 additional staff in Gothenburg, and we would hope to place as many of them as possible into other roles in the company," EA tells us.

However, EA says it has struggled to attract the right talent to Gothenburg to work on the series. By contrast, Criterion is based in Guildford, which is one of the UK's biggest game development hubs.

Criterion is known for creating the Burnout series of video games, and had previously developed two Need for Speed titles: 2010's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and 2012's Need for Speed: Most Wanted. However, in 2013 the studio downsized with many employees moving to Ghost Games (a UK Ghost Games team currently exists within Criterion's offices). At the time, Criterion was to begin working on new projects, including a cancelled extreme sports game.

"With a strong history and passion for racing games and vision for what we can create, the Criterion team is going to take Need for Speed into the next-generation," EA stated.

"Ghost Games have helped to bring some great Need for Speed experiences to our players. Consistently delivering that at AAA levels means we need teams with diverse skills in locations where we can continually support them and bring in new team members to join. Despite our best efforts to establish an independent development group in Gothenburg over several years, it's become clear that the breadth of talent we need to maintain a full AAA studio is just not available to us there. Criterion can also provide the consistent leadership that we need to continue creating and delivering new Need for Speed experiences for a long time to come.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...k-to-criterion

[Kaisha]

I had to look up wtf was Criterion's last game even, and it was Most Wanted from 8 years ago. Cripes EA put them on the helper-studio back burner for quite awhile, assuming any of the core talent remains still.


And even then, some folks didn't like how their take on NFS Most Wanted was basically Burnout Paradise 2, so I don't know what they'd do for a new NFS if they wanted to reinvent the wheel any. I know I'd be content with another Burnout game with a NFS skin though.

[Tokitoki]

My cousin and I used to play the Burnout games for HOURS back in the day to unlock all the cars. There were definitely sleepovers due to refusing to turn the thing off.

[6souls]

https://gamefragger.com/multiplatfor...shooter-a18542
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/video...of-fox-a173310
https://twitter.com/therealcliffyb/s...43359376871426

Boss Key Productions (Cliff Bleszinski) & 3D Realms each has Aliens games in development that were canceled with Fox merged with Disney. Boss Key's game was an FPS where the player would control a grown up Newt as he infiltrates a Weyland-Yutani facility on a Half-Life-like adventure. Ripley would have served as his "Cortana" throughout the journey. 3D Realms was developing a 1P-4P PVE Shlooter FPS. It would be set on a planet hosting multiple Alien Queens and the unlucky colonists and marines would be tasked in eliminating them.

[6souls]

Platinum Games Teaser Site - Four Announcements - One Revealed
https://four.platinumgames.com/

https://www.dualshockers.com/platinu...101-bayonetta/

Next reveal on February 27th.

[Corrderio]

C'mon Bayo 3, Astral Chain 2, or Metal Gear Rising port!

[Kaisha]

What's weird for me is the VR headset prompt from my browser on their teaser website. Either just part of the web package they used for that site (since it doesn't appear on their main), or possibly a hint of something to come? It currently does nothing with a headset despite giving it permission though, plus I'd find it weird since that doesn't seem like something that'd be up Plat's alley given the niche nature of the device.

[Prothescar]

The thought alone of playing a platinum game in vr makes me motion sick

[6souls]

China has Banned the Mobile Game Plague Inc.

We have some very sad news to share with our China based players. We've just been informed that Plague Inc. “includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China” and has been removed from the China App Store. This situation is completely out of our control.

Plague Inc. is a huge critical and commercial success. Eight years old and with over 130 million players, it’s the #1 strategy/simulation game worldwide and has been the most popular paid game in China for many years. Plague Inc. stands out as an intelligent and sophisticated simulation that encourages players to think and learn more about serious public health issues. We have a huge amount of respect for our Chinese players and are devastated that they are no longer able to access and play Plague Inc.

It’s not clear to us if this removal is linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that China is facing. However, Plague Inc.’s educational importance has been repeatedly recognised by organisations like the CDC and we are currently working with major global health organisations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19.

We are working very hard to try and find a way to get the game back in the hands of Chinese players - we don’t want to give up on you - however, as a tiny independent games studio in the UK, the odds are stacked against us. Our immediate priority is to try and make contact with the Cyberspace Administration of China to understand their concerns and work with them to find a resolution.

Nothing is changing outside of mainland China: we will continue to support and update both Plague Inc. and our newest game Rebel Inc. on all platforms whilst also working hard to try and find a way to bring Plague Inc. back to players in China.

We will share more information about our efforts to support the fight against COVID-19 soon.

https://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/n...hina-app-store
https://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/n...virus-outbreak

[6souls]

"Killing dreams

Murdering hope

Fighting the righteous

Bullying the weak"