Microsoft Can Now Ban Xbox Accounts for ‘Offensive Language’
An update to Microsoft's Terms of Service is rolling out in May for Xbox, Skype, and other services that the company provides, which can result in account suspension and bans for the use of "offensive language" as well as "fraudulent activity."
The new Services Agreement goes live on May 1, with section 5 of the summary of changes referencing amendments to the Code of Conduct.
"In the Code of Conduct section, we’ve clarified that use of offensive language and fraudulent activity is prohibited. We’ve also clarified that violation of the Code of Conduct through Xbox Services may result in suspensions or bans from participation in Xbox Services, including forfeiture of content licenses, Xbox Gold Membership time, and Microsoft account balances associated with the account."
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Final Fantasy XV Director Opens New Square Enix Studio
Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata has opened a new studio to work on AAA games, Luminous Productions.
Luminous is a new global studio within Square Enix, with its offices based in Tokyo. The studio aims to "utilize innovative technology and creativity to change the future of gaming and entertainment".
While it's not clear exactly what Luminous has been created to achieve for Square Enix, we can learn more from its numerous job listings.
On the Luminous website, listings say that the company is looking for talent to work on "AAA class games". A 3D character artist listing mentions working on "Human, monsters and asset creation of weapons and small items", which implies that the new studio won't be straying too far from Final Fantasy's subject matter.
Guardians of the Galaxy Has a New Skrull Easter Egg
A Skrull-based Easter egg has been discovered in Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time, four years after the film's release. But director James Gunn is teasing fans by saying that another has yet to be discovered.
The Skrull Easter egg pops up during Stan Lee's cameo with the text next to him reading "Excelsior!" in the Skrull language.
Stan Lee’s cameo in guardians. Two things. Firstly, the circled alien text spells ‘Excelsior!’ Secondly, that’s the SKRULL LANGUAGE! Haven’t seen this spoken about anywhere else. @JamesGunn @MarvelStudios pic.twitter.com/IHRE5LGwoO
Limbo, Inside Dev Playdead Possibly Teases Next Game
Limbo and Inside developer Playdead has possibly teased its next game once again.
The studio handed out postcards at GDC this year asking developers to join its team to possibly work on its new project. The postcard features a bleak, muted image (via Twitter) similar to the first piece of concept art Paydead shared earlier this year for this mysterious game.
"If you are creative, passionate and looking for a new challenge, please visit us at GDC’s South Hall, Booth #135," Playdead tweeted earlier this month. You can check out the new concept art below.
7 Reasons to Jump Into World of Tanks 1.0
World of Tanks 1.0 is now live across the game’s North American, European and Asian servers, bringing with it a raft of new improvements and 29 completely reworked battlefields. Whether you’re a die hard, lapsed player or newcomer, here are six reasons to get on board with the latest evolution of the massively multiplayer online tank shooter.
Eight years seems like a mighty long time between the initial release of a game and it’s 1.0 overhaul, but according to Alexander de Giorgio, Regional Publishing Director for Wargaming APAC, the reality is that World of Tanks is a game that’s been in constant motion and evolution since it first launched in 2010. “We see World of Tanks as a living thing,” says de Giorgio. “It's been going now as a service to players for eight years, and that means a constant stream of updates, of new content, of new game modes, and sometimes things that didn't work, which we had to roll back. This is a constant experience of running a game like this, and so in that kind of mindset, eight years is like nothing. It just kind of comes along, it just happened.”
Hearthstone Dev Imagines a World Without the Big Game Hunter Nerf
Speaking to Blizzard at GDC about its upcoming Witchwood expansion, I asked Hearthstone senior game designer Dean Ayala to take a trip down memory lane and imagine what Hearthstone would be like had they not decided to nerf one of its most notorious cards: Big Game Hunter.
Initially only three Mana, Big Game Hunter lets you instantly kill a minion with seven or more attack, and that power single-handedly pushed a huge amount of big minions out of the meta as a result. Two years ago, its mana cost was increased to five and its rain of terror ended, fundamentally changing Hearthstone for years to come. But what if it hadn’t?
Warframe Dev Says More Grind Doesn’t Mean More Profits
When a game with microtransactions, especially a free to play game, introduces a new item or system that takes an exceptionally long time to complete, there’s always one reaction you can count on: people calling it a cash-grab.
People will say that clearly the developer only made it so grindy because then more people will have to pay for it, and thus the game is making more money. But according to Warframe developer Digital Extremes, not only do particularly grind-heavy items not make more money, they sometimes even make less.
Speaking at GDC last week, Digital Extremes Live Ops and Community Producer Rebecca Ford said that more grind doesn’t mean more profits for Warframe. Ford’s panel was about some of Warframe’s biggest ‘hit’ and ‘miss’ moments over its five-year history, one of which she said was a resource called Oxium that angered players for being overly scarce at its release.
Why Justice League Ditched Superman’s Black Costume
Despite teases ahead of Justice League's release, Superman doesn't wear a black suit in the film, and costume designer Michael Wilkinson has revealed why that is.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Wilkinson said the idea of including the black suit in Justice League fascinated the filmmakers. In the Death and Return of Superman story, the superhero sports a black outfit after being resurrected, and this is the direction Zack Snyder and the rest of the creative team wanted to go with at first.
"When we were prepping Justice League, at first it seemed that it might be a logical choice for the look of Superman when he's resurrected," Wilkinson said. "Zack is extremely respectful and passionate about the depiction of Superman in comic books and graphic novels, and traditionally when he is resurrected, he is in the black suit."
Captain Marvel: Every Character Confirmed
As much as MCU fans are looking forward to the impending release of Avengers: Infinity War, there's also a great deal of hype building for next year's Captain Marvel movie. At long last, Carol Danvers is taking flight and giving the MCU its first female-led superhero movie.
Marvel has been playing things pretty close to the vest so far, but we do have some idea of the major characters appearing alongside Carol herself. Check out our slideshow below to learn which actors and characters have been confirmed for this new addition to the MCU.
Captain Marvel is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and is scheduled to hit theaters on March 8, 2019. Be sure to check out this first look at Brie Larson as the titular superhero and then find out why the film is being billed as an action-comedy.