Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Xbox Series X
The ESA has officially canceled this year’s E3 Expo
After concerns over the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) caused the cancellation of this year’s Game Developers Conference and South By Southwest, many assumed that the Entertainment Software Association would follow suit and cancel the 2020 E3 Expo as well. Today, they did just that, with an announcement on their official website:
After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry – our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners – we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles.
Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.
The ESA is looking to coordinate an “online experience” for the publishers and developers still interested in making major game announcements this June. While it’s unknown which companies are currently planning to participate in this digital event, further details will be announced soon at E3Expo.com.
Finally, the ESA promised that the E3 Expo will return in 2021 with “a reimagined event that brings fans, media, and the industry together in a showcase that celebrates the global video game industry.”
Microsoft reveals more specs and features of Xbox Series X including Quick Resume for multiple games
Microsoft continued their slow rollout of the Xbox Series X today on Xbox Wire with an in-depth informational post about some of the console’s technical specifications and new features.
While the Xbox Series X will obviously sport advanced video processing capabilities, the most exciting new feature might be the revelation that it’ll give players the option to pause the action in multiple games and pick them up later with Quick Resume. But don’t worry, if you’re more interested in the Xbox Series X’s internal hardware, Microsoft is ready to discuss GPU performance, Variable Rate Shading, and DirectX Raytracing:
Next Generation Custom Processor: Xbox Series X is our most powerful console ever powered by our custom designed processor leveraging AMD’s latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures. Delivering four times the processing power of an Xbox One and enabling developers to leverage 12 TFLOPS of GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) performance – twice that of an Xbox One X and more than eight times the original Xbox One. Xbox Series X delivers a true generational leap in processing and graphics power with cutting edge techniques resulting in higher framerates, larger, more sophisticated game worlds, and an immersive experience unlike anything seen in console gaming.
Variable Rate Shading (VRS): Our patented form of VRS empowers developers to more efficiently utilize the full power of the Xbox Series X. Rather than spending GPU cycles uniformly to every single pixel on the screen, they can prioritize individual effects on specific game characters or important environmental objects. This technique results in more stable frame rates and higher resolution, with no impact on the final image quality.
Hardware-Accelerated DirectX Raytracing: You can expect more dynamic and realistic environments powered by hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing – a first for console gaming. This means true-to-life lighting, accurate reflections and realistic acoustics in real time as you explore the game world.
The consolemaker is also heavily focusing on the new Xbox ecosystem that’ll debut alongside the Xbox Series X, which includes backwards compatibility for games for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and the original Xbox. Xbox One accessories, such as controllers and other peripherals, will also be compatible with the Xbox Series X. Microsoft is even embracing Cross-Buy with their next console (though they call it Smart Delivery), promising that players can “buy a game once” to be sure they’re getting “the best available version for whichever Xbox console they choose to play on”:
Four Generations of Gaming: Our commitment to compatibility means existing Xbox One games, including backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, look and play better than ever before. Your favorite games, including titles in Xbox Game Pass, benefit from steadier framerates, faster load times and improved resolution and visual fidelity – all with no developer work required. Your Xbox One gaming accessories also come forward with you.
Smart Delivery: This technology empowers you to buy a game once and know that – whether you are playing it on Xbox One or Xbox Series X – you are getting the right version of that game on whatever Xbox you’re playing on. We’re making the commitment to use Smart Delivery on all our exclusive Xbox Game Studios titles, including Halo Infinite, ensuring you only have to purchase a title once in order to play the best available version for whichever Xbox console they choose to play on. This technology is available for all developers and publishers, and they can choose to use it for titles that will be release on Xbox One first and come to the Xbox Series X later.
Xbox Game Pass: In addition to games from across four generations of consoles, our leading game subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, will continue to have our first party games, like Halo Infinite, included at their launch. We look forward to millions of you experiencing the Xbox Game Pass portfolio and immersing yourselves in a deep library of high-quality games, playing those you love now and also discovering your next great adventure.
Microsoft will launch the Xbox Series X sometime this Fall, and they’ve promised to unveil more details about the console between now and this year’s E3 Expo in June.
Posted in News, Xbox Series X
Xbox Scarlett will officially be known as Xbox Series X
Rather than wait until early next year to host their own special reveal event, Microsoft used last night’s Game Awards ceremony to officially announce that their next-generation console will be known as the Xbox Series X.
We don’t know why Microsoft decided to go with a name that’s so similar to the currently-available Xbox One X, though I suppose we should have expected shenanigans like this from a company that decided to use Xbox One as the name of their third major console.
Naming controversy aside, the Xbox Series X looks like a pretty impressive piece of technology. It’ll include backwards compatibility for all three previous generations of Xbox hardware, as well as a funky PC-like case design, and a new controller that features a Share button and “an advanced d-pad derived from the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller.”
Xbox Wire has more details about what’s happening under the hood, including confirmation that the Xbox Series X will support visuals up to 120 FPS and with 8K resolution.
From a technical standpoint, this will manifest as world-class visuals in 4K at 60 FPS, with possibility of up to 120 FPS, including support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and 8K capability. Powered by our custom-designed processor leveraging the latest Zen 2 and next generation RDNA architecture from our partners at AMD, Xbox Series X will deliver hardware accelerated ray tracing and a new level of performance never before seen in a console. Additionally, our patented Variable Rate Shading (VRS) technology will allow developers to get even more out of the Xbox Series X GPU and our next-generation SSD will virtually eliminate load times and bring players into their gaming worlds faster than ever before.
The Xbox Series X will launch in Fall 2020, and Microsoft also promised that “the largest and most creatively diverse lineup of Xbox exclusive games in our history” will also be available next year, lead by 343 Industries’s Halo Infinite.
Posted in News, Xbox Series X
Tagged Game Awards 2019, Halo Infinite
Cloud Chamber is 2K’s newest internal studio and their first project is BioShock 4
The best news to arrive in our inbox this morning is that 2K Games has finally confirmed that BioShock 4 is officially in development. However, the bad news is that the project is just getting off the ground and that it’ll likely be in development “for the next several years.”
While we didn’t learn anything substantial about the next entry in the BioShock franchise today, 2K did share that the game is currently in the works at a brand new internal studio known as Cloud Chamber. The Cloud Chamber team will be split across two locations, San Francisco and Montreal, and Kelley Gilmore (formerly of Firaxis) will head up the joint effort from her home base in California.
“We founded Cloud Chamber to create yet-to-be-discovered worlds – and their stories within – that push the boundaries of what is possible in the video game medium,” said Gilmore. “Our team believes in the beauty and strength of diversity, in both the makeup of the studio and the nature of its thinking. We are a deeply experienced group of game makers, including many responsible for BioShock’s principal creation, advancement, and longstanding notoriety, and honored to be part of the 2K family as stewards of this iconic franchise.”
“As we continue growing our product portfolio, we remain inspired by opportunities to invest further in our valuable IP, great people and their collective, long-term potential,” added 2K’s President, David Ismailer. “BioShock is one of the most beloved, critically praised and highest-rated franchises of the last console generation*. We can’t wait to see where its powerful narrative and iconic, first-person shooter gameplay head in the future with our new studio team at Cloud Chamber leading the charge.”
With a multi-year development schedule ahead of it, BioShock 4 is most likely in development for the PC and one or both of the next-generation console platforms.
Posted in News, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Tagged BioShock 4
EA Sports cancels NBA Live 20
Executives from Electronic Arts delivered a pretty hefty amount of announcements during the company’s most recent quarterly financial report yesterday. But they also (once again) put the kibosh on this year’s entry in the NBA Live franchise.
NBA Live 20 was expected to launch during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend in February, but now EA Sports has confirmed the basketball sim was canceled. The publisher shared a few more details about the cancellation on their official website:
For the past few years we’ve been making real progress with NBA Live, but we’re still not where we want to be. So with continued support from the NBA and the NBPA, we’ve been working on something new and meaningfully different – an experience that operates at the pace of culture, and will change the way you can play, connect and create in basketball.
We’re excited by what we’ve built so far, and yet we know the world is changing. New platforms are coming that will bring social connection, accessibility and player creativity to the fore. In a future of new possibilities, players shouldn’t be content with a game built for today’s realities and based on what we know to be possible, we feel we can go so much further with the new design.
That mention of “new platforms” is telling, as EA Sports plans to bring their next NBA experience (which may or may not be released as NBA Live 21) to “leading edge platforms” like the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett. A release date for this new project wasn’t announced, but we should learn more about it sometime next year.
Posted in News, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Tagged NBA Live 20
EA: Multiple unannounced games coming in 2020, next Battlefield scheduled for 2021, and Dragon Age 4 is in the works for 2022 (or later)
Executives from Electronic Arts had a lot to talk about yesterday during their latest quarterly financial report. So let’s dive right in…
CEO Andrew Wilson kicked things off by confirming that the next game in the Battlfield franchise is being prepped to launch sometime during the company’s 2022 Fiscal Year (which runs from April 1, 2021 – March 30, 2022) for the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett. In the meantime, developer DICE will spend 2020 creating updates and new content for Battlefield V:
Our Battlefield franchise and its community are also a major focus for us, and we’ll add new content and new ways to play Battlefield V in FY ’21. Targeting new innovation that will be enabled by next-gen platforms and a growing install base on the new consoles, our next Battlefield game is set for FY ’22.
With one of the company’s strongest developers taking an extra year to polish their next game, you might be wondering what EA has on tap for 2020. Thankfully, COO Blake Jorgensen used his portion of the presentation to fill in the gaps.
Jorgensen said that EA has multiple unannounced titles scheduled for release in 2020, including a pair of games from the publisher’s EA Partners program, and possibly at least one remaster (which would release alongside the already-announced Command & Conquer Remastered). He also talked quite a bit about Apex Legends, and confirmed that EA’s shooter will be coming to “new platforms and mobile” in the near future. While it’s possible he’s referencing the Switch in that quote, he’s more likely referring to the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett.
Looking further out, Jorgensen even mused about the status of Dragon Age 4. According to the executive, fans shouldn’t expect the next entry in BioWare’s acclaimed RPG franchise to arrive before EA’s 2023 Fiscal Year (which begins on April 1, 2022).
Finally, Andrew Wilson came back around to comment on the recent decision by the NCAA to allow college athletes to receive monetary compensation for their name or likeness. While many fans are hoping this means that EA will resume production on the NCAA Football franchise, Wilson would only say that the company is watching the situation closely:
With respect to NCAA Sports in general, yes, we have been in that business before as well. We saw the news today as did you, said by the NCAA Working Group. That news today was new to us. We’re still digesting it. We would anticipate that there is still a number of things that would have to happen over the coming years before we will be able to get back into that business, but certainly we’re watching closely.
EA’s next major releases, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Need For Speed Heat, will both be released in November.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Tagged Apex Legends, Battlefield V, Command & Conquer, Dragon Age 4