The 5 Biggest Announcements From GDC 2019
Breaking down barriers was a common theme among this year's biggest Game Developers Conference announcements. Google aims to do so on a grand scale, theoretically removing hardware barriers with its Stadia streaming platform, while smaller barriers of exclusivity were torn down in the forms of Cuphead and Quantic Dream's PlayStation library.
With the final day of GDC upon us, we've decided to revisit the week that was and compile a list of the conference's most exciting stories. From the unveiling of Google's gaming initiative to surprise game reveals, here are the five biggest announcements from GDC 2019.
Google Stadia Unveiled
Inarguably the biggest news out of this year's conference was the official announcement of Google Stadia. During its hour-long presentation earlier this week, Google officially detailed its gaming initiative, outlining a platform built for gamers, developers, and streamers alike.
Google Exec on Why First-Party Is Foundational to Stadia
Before Phil Harrison even joined Google, he wanted to ensure the company had its own game development studio for its inevitable entry into the industry.
I spoke to Harrison after the Google Stadia GDC 2019 reveal, specifically discussing Google's decision to open a first-party studio (rather than say, acquire other, existing companies or rely solely on third parties.) He told me that creating a first-party studio was a key factor of his choice to join Google.
was a decision I made before I joined Google. I said to Google, 'This is a fundamental of being in the game platform business,'" Harrison explained. "And I said, 'I know this is a different muscle than Google has historically had."
Google Exec on Why First-Party Is Foundational to Stadia
Before Phil Harrison even joined Google, he wanted to ensure the company had its own game development studio for its inevitable entry into the industry.
I spoke to Harrison after the Google Stadia GDC 2019 reveal, specifically discussing Google's decision to open a first-party studio (rather than say, acquire other, existing companies or rely solely on third parties.) He told me that creating a first-party studio was a key factor of his choice to join Google.
was a decision I made before I joined Google. I said to Google, 'This is a fundamental of being in the game platform business,'" Harrison explained. "And I said, 'I know this is a different muscle than Google has historically had."
God of War’s Script Was Rewritten After a Year of Development
In a presentation given during GDC 2019, God of War director Cory Barlog revealed how he actively approached the game as a continuation rather than a reboot, that the game’s script had been rewritten after a year of work, and how he continuously pitched the game during the course of development.
Before writing the game, Barlog wanted to establish that SIE Santa Monica wasn’t rebooting the series, but expanding upon it. He compared the mythologies that exist in God of War to "galaxies spread throughout a complete universe,” saying they all “exist together concurrently, and they are simply separated by geography.” Using that as a basis, he had to figure out how to describe this game, wanting to stay away from calling it a reboot.
Does Google See Stadia Competing With PlayStation and Xbox?
As we learned at the Google Stadia reveal earlier this week, Google's new gaming platform isn't a game console but rather a streaming service. But despite that, as one console generation ends and we look ahead to the next PlayStation and Xbox, does Google see its new platform as competing with them?
I spoke to Google's Phil Harrison about just that, wondering if Google launching Stadia this year, while most speculation has made us expect next-gen consoles next year, meant Google saw Stadia as a direct competitor. More than anything, it seems Google is more concerned with Stadia creating "a bigger opportunity" for the industry at large than trying to supplant other platforms.
Supernatural to End After Season 15
The CW's wayward sons will carry on no more: Supernatural is ending after Season 15, stars Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins announced on social media Friday. Warner Bros. Television and The CW confirmed the news shortly after.
Executive producers Andrew Dabb and Robert Singer released a statement following the stars' announcement: “Firstly, we would like to thank all the people who have been involved with the show both in front of and behind the camera. For us it has been an experience of a lifetime. The support we have had from both Warner Bros Television and The CW has been incredible. We'd like to give special thanks to Jensen, Jared and Misha for making this journey so special. It is now most important to us to give these characters that we love the send off they deserve.”
From Bloodborne to Sekiro to Armored Core: Every IGN FromSoftware Review
FromSoftware has a long legacy of killing you. Killing you softly, killing you quickly… however you want to slice it (or be sliced), this team is just great at killing you. But the secret is that’s why we love the Tokyo-based developer and Hidetaka Miyazaki, the mastermind behind its meteoric rise as one of the world’s premier developers. Though FromSoftware has been making games for decades, notably including a mech-ton of Armored Core games, it's the brutal but rewarding action-RPG formula pioneered by Demon's Souls a decade ago that most reliably delivers, time and time again.
With my review of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice now complete, we can look back over nearly four dozen reviews and 22 years to highlight the highs and lows of the studio's best work. Flip through the slideshow below, then vote for your favorite!
What to Expect from PlayStation’s State of Play Showcase
As Sony's event is set to happen today at 2 pm PT/5 pm ET, we're republishing our preidctions expectation piece, which you can read below.
And of course, be sure to check back to IGN throughout the event for coverage of all the big announcements.
Sony has announced its foray into the world of Nintendo Direct’s and Inside Xbox’s with State of Play, a new live broadcast debrief on PlayStation’s upcoming games.
Sony’s initial announcement of State of Play promises new trailers, new games, and new footage on upcoming PS4 and PSVR games. So, with that vague description in mind, it’s of course time to speculate.
Nintendo Releases List of Top 10 Best-Selling Indie Games on Switch
Nintendo has revealed a list of the Top 10 best-selling indie games on the Nintendo Switch of all-time.
In a presentation by Nintendo at the Game Developers Conference, which IGN saw, it was confirmed that games such as Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley, and Undertale hold the title of best-selling indie games on the Switch.
The full list is as follows, but keep in mind that Nintendo did not reveal an actual ranking of these games or how many units of each were sold;
- Celeste (Check out IGN's Celeste review)
- Dead Cells (Check out IGN's Dead Cells review)
Game of Thrones: Catch Up Before Season 8 with Season Recaps
Update: If you need a quick catch up on the previous seasons of Game of Thrones, watch our season video recaps, plus check out our Season 8 premiere review.
Game of Thrones: Season 8 is right around the corner, which means you might be busy rewatching the past seven seasons of the hit HBO series just like we are (ahem). But don't worry: If you don't have the time to rewatch 76-ish hours of quality television, though, you're in luck, because IGN has been busy working on recap videos of all seasons to serve as an efficient plot summary of Seasons 1-7.