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THQ Nordic announces 2 studio acquisitions, a new developer for Dead Island 2, and Saints Row 5 during a recent financial report
THQ Nordic CEO Lars Wingefors had a lot to share during his company’s most recent quarterly financial report, including a pair of new studio acquisitions, a new developer for Dead Island 2, and the existence of Saints Row 5.
The publisher already owns an extensive portfolio of internal developers, and it recently added two more to its stable: Gunfire Games (developer of Darksiders III) and Milestone (developer of racing titles such as MotoGP and Ride). According to THQ Nordic, Milestone has “five current games under development” while Gunfire is hard at work on Remnant: From the Ashes.
Wingefors also revealed that Dead Island 2 is still in the works within THQ Nordic, however it’s development is no longer being lead by Sump Digital. Instead, Dambuster Studios (the developer behind Homefront: The Revolution) has been assigned to work on the game. No release date was announced, so we’re probably still in for a long wait before we learn more about the sequel.
Finally, the executive confirmed that Volition has begun development on the fifth game in the Saints Row franchise. Again, it might be a while before we learn more about this one.
All told, Wingefors reported that THQ Nordic currently has 81 games in development, 47 of which have yet to announced.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Dead Island 2
Need For Speed Heat heads down to the Miami-like Palm City on November 8
Electronic Arts and Ghost Games unveiled the latest addition to the Need For Speed franchise this morning… Need For Speed Heat.
Need For Speed Heat takes place in the sun-drenched Palm City, an open world locale where players will be able to participate in the Speedhunters Showdown competition during the day. But at night, they can stake their Rep (and their bankroll) on the streets in a series of illegal underground races.
Soak in the same neon vibes that you might find in Miami Vice and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with the Reveal Trailer embedded above, and learn more about the game direct from the publisher:
Need For Speed Heat sends fans to Palm City, a brand-new open world where street racers have gathered to make their names known. By day, players compete in the Speedhunters Showdown, a sanctioned competition where they earn Bank to customize and upgrade their garage of high-performance cars. At night, players risk it all to build their Rep in underground races where a rogue police task force roams the streets, ready to take racers down and swipe all their earnings. The roads, the risks, and the rides never end in this street racer where a player can roll deep with their crew, build their garage full of hot cars, and make the city their nonstop playground.
“We’re delivering more options than ever before for players to be unique and make themselves known,” said Riley Cooper, the Creative Director at Ghost Games. “Our fans have been clear that they want more cars, more customization, and more challenges, and we’re tuning up on every aspect. From your character’s style to your car’s performance and your driving style, we’re fuelling everyone’s creativity with this new game.”
Electronic Arts will offer up an extensive Gameplay Reveal for Need For Speed Heat during the Geoff Keighley-hosted Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 19. Fans not in attendance at this year’s Gamescom will be able to tune in to a livestream of the reveal through their favorite streaming platform.
Need For Speed Heat will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 8.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2019
New trailer introduces Threaks’s top-down shooter Battle Planet: Judgement Day
Threaks is hard at work on a twin-stick shooter known as Battle Planet: Judgement Day, and the developer shared a closer look at the game today in a new trailer. Similar to Geometry Wars 3, Battle Planet: Judgement Day drops players down onto small planetoids and asks them to survive against a seemingly neverending alien force:
Your goal in Battle Planet: Judgement Day is simple: survive! Touch down on planets infested with deadly aliens intent on cutting your life short and blast your way around its rotating surface, taking out anything in your path quickly… or suffer a devastating demise. Team up with comrades-in-arms for some local-co-op split-screen action to make fast work of foes. Finish all the planets in a star system and jump to another with ever-more deadly foes. Lucky for you, your ship receives a steady stream of upgrades, making it more devastating and durable.
Battle Planet: Judgement Day will be released for the PC this September, with a PS4 and Switch launch to follow sometime this Fall.
2K is adding all 12 WNBA teams to NBA 2K20
2K Games has announced that all 12 teams from the WNBA will suit up in the NBA 2K franchise for the first time this year in NBA 2K20. WNBA matchups will be available in Play Now and Season modes, and players will be able to experience “gameplay animations, play styles, and visuals built exclusively around the women’s game.”
“Growing up, I always remembered watching male athletes on TV and playing as them in video games. Now, to have the WNBA be in the position we are and to have women featured prominently in NBA 2K20, we are allowing young girls and boys to have female athletes as role models,” said Candace Parker, a player for the Los Angeles Sparks. “The 2K team has done an amazing job of making sure to not just put women into the game playing men’s basketball, but I’ve seen first-hand the hard work they’re doing to make this as real and authentic as possible to women’s basketball. I’m proud to be a part of this team paving the way for the future.”
“For years, fans have requested the ability to play as some of their favorite WNBA stars,” said Jeff Thomas, the Senior Vice President of Development at Visual Concepts. “We’ve been working with the WNBA and their top players to modify our basketball simulation engine to replicate the WNBA on-court experience. We’re excited to roll out this new feature in NBA 2K20 because we know how important the WNBA is to the world of basketball.”
NBA 2K20 is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, and it’ll be released on September 6. The first trailer for the game featuring WNBA players has been embedded above.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD rolls into stores on October 29
Sega has announced that Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD will be released for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on October 29 (a PC release through Steam will follow later this Winter).
Originally released for the Wii in 2006, this new version of the game features improved graphics and optimized controls (but no motion controls, not even on the Switch):
About Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD revitalizes this classic title with updated graphics (480p > 1080p at 60fps) and optimized controls for each platform. Motion controls from the original Banana Blitz have been removed in favor of tightened analog controls, making it a breeze to jump in and start rolling through the game’s 100 levels.Features
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is Back in HD – Originally released on the Wii in 2006, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD reinvigorates the original game with 100 single-player stages, 10 multi-player mini-games, revamped control schemes, updated graphics, and more.
- Online Leaderboards – A first for the series, players can now compete with others around the world through online leaderboards for single-player Time Attack and the all-new Mini-Game Decathalon Score Attack modes.
- No Monkey Business – Play Your Way: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam. With uniquely optimized control schemes for each platform, everyone from first-time rollers to world-record holders can jump right in to the fun.
Sega also uploaded a brand new Gameplay Trailer for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD today, and it’s been embedded above.
Supergiant launches “The Big Bad Update” for Hades
Supergiant Games continues to tinker away at Hades, their roguelike dungeon crawler that was originally released in December, and the developer recently dropped the game’s sixth major update… “The Big Bad Update.”
“The Big Bad Update” finally adds a final boss to the game, as well new enemies, new story events, new environments, and new powerups. Here’s a look at all the highlights from “The Big Bad Update” as found on Supergiant’s official website:
Highlights From Hades’s “The Big Bad Update”
- Temple of Styx: An all-new, labyrinthine biome awaits at the very edge of the Underworld.
- Final Battle: There is no escape from the Underworld; at least not without a fight.
- Sinister New Foes: Beware of Gigantic Vermin, Satyr Cultists, and more; plus deadly new traps!
- Wrath Rework: Now you can call upon divine aid from Olympus much more often during battle.
- Pool of Purging: Rid yourself of the occasional unwanted Boon, in exchange for some coin.
- New Boons & ‘Duo’ Boons: The Olympians have a slew of powerful, new blessings on offer.
- New Story Events: More of the Underworld Prince’s story unfolds if you can reach the Temple.
- New Music: Not one but two blood-boiling new tracks to accompany the new setting.
Hades is now available in Early Access for the PC exclusively through the Epic Games Store.
Ghostbusters Remastered crosses the streams when it launches on October 4
After initially announcing it back in May, Saber Interactive has now shared the final release date for Ghostbusters Remastered with IGN. According to the developer, the game will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on October 4.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game was originally released in 2009 serves as something of an unofficial third entry in the film series because it was written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (it also features vocal appearances from original busters Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson).
Because of that pedigree, there are plenty of callbacks to Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, including a massive boss battle against the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, which you can get a glimpse of in the new trailer embedded above.
Gameplay Trailer for Nightwolf’s Mortal Kombat 11 debut (on August 13) is here
Mortal Kombat fans are decidedly mixed on most of the new fighters that were introduced in Mortal Kombat 3. But Nightwolf has managed to become something of a fan favorite over the years, and according to NetherRealm Studios, his addition to Mortal Kombat 11 is right around the corner.
The developer dropped a new Gameplay Trailer for the Matoka warrior today, and it gives players a closer look at his arsenal of weaponry, as well as his mastery of lightning and a trio of spirit animals:
Born as Grey Cloud, Nightwolf is a proud and fierce warrior dedicated to the cause of good and chosen by the Great Spirit to become the Matoka tribe’s champion and protector.
Kombat Pack owners on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One will be able to download Nightwolf beginning on August 13. All other Mortal Kombat 11 players will get their chance to select the fighter a week later as a standalone purchase for $5.99.