Guitar Hero Live Developer Acquired by Ubisoft
Guitar Hero Live and DJ Hero developer FreeStyleGames has been acquired by Ubisoft.
According to a blog post from Ubisoft, the formerly Activision-owned studio will work on AAA games "in close collaboration" with other Ubisoft studios, such as Grow Home developer Ubisoft Reflections. As part of the purchase, FreeStyleGames will be renamed Ubisoft Leamington.
FreeStyleGames suffered layoffs last April, nearly six months after the release of Guitar Hero Live. The studio would go on to assist Raven Software on the development of Call of Duty Online, Activision's free-to-play shooter in China.
The Discovery: Netflix Releases Trailer for New Sci-Fi Movie
Netflix has released the first trailer for its upcoming science fiction movie The Discovery.
The film, which debuts on Netflix on March 31, stars Robert Redford, Jason Segel, Rooney Mara, Riley Keough, and Jesse Plemons and is set in a world where the afterlife has been scientifically proven, and as a result more and more people start committing suicide to get there. The trailer shows off The Discovery's dark tone, the tenuous relationship between Jason Segel and Rooney Mara, and the new messed up world they live in.
The Discovery is directed by Charlie McDowell (The One I Love, Dear White People), and written by McDowell and Justin Lader (The One I Love).
Other new upcoming Netflix content to look forward is the horror comedy Santa Clarita Diet starring Drew Barrymore, which premieres on February 3, and Marvel's Iron Fist, which debuts on March 17.
Horror Game Perception Coming to PS4
Perception, the horror game developed by former Irrational and Visceral employees, is coming to PlayStation 4, The Deep End has announced.
Although no release date for Perception is known, the game will be published by Feardemic, "a new publishing label focused on bringing players unique psychological horror games," according to a post on the PlayStation Blog.
Perception will have you play as a young blind woman named Cassie Thornton as you navigate through a creepy 18th-century mansion in Massachusetts. Players will find their way around by tapping Cassie's cane to “see” via echolocation while trying not to make too much noise that will attract the Presence, a ghostly force that haunts the mansion.
IGN’s Most Anticipated Multiplayer Games of 2017
Whether exploring a massive world, climbing a competitive ladder or simply sharing a laugh over something ridiculous, good multiplayer always boils down to presenting players with a worthy platform to interact with each other. To that effect, these are the ten multiplayer games coming in 2017 that we can’t wait to experience with a friend. As an added stipulation, gameplay footage or a trailer of the game in question must exist prior to the publishing of this article in order to be considered.
Star Wars Spinoffs We Want: Underworld
The success of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has proven what most of us knew all along: There’s a vast appetite for more live-action adventures in the Star Wars universe even with tales that fall outside of the main saga. Disney and Lucasfilm may have rendered the Expanded Universe stories non-canon, but the franchise still has an incredibly expansive mythology that’s only getting bigger.
Han Solo’s standalone film is already lined up for 2018, followed by Episode IX in 2019, but we currently have no idea about which Star Wars anthology movie will follow that in 2020. At one point, Fantastic Four director Josh Trank was slated to helm an untitled Star Wars film -- possibly about Boba Fett -- but we haven’t heard much about that project since he and Lucasfilm parted ways.
Yes, Ben Affleck Has Seen the Sad Affleck Meme
Hey, remember that video where Ben Affleck looks like he's just remembered the death of a treasured family dog while Henry Cavill talks about Batman v Superman and Simon and Garfunkel softly plays? Ben Affleck saw that.
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Affleck responded to a question about what he learned from making Batman v Superman in unexpected fashion:
“It taught me not to do interviews with Henry Cavill where I don’t say anything and they can lay Simon and Garfunkel tracks over it, that's one thing I learned.”
Aside from avoiding meme stardom, it sounds as though it may have set Affleck up for (probably) his next job, taking over starring in, co-writing and directing The Batman. With no mega-blockbusters under his directing belt, and only a few up his acting sleeve, it seems BvS had a profound effect:
A New Warhammer Video Game’s on the Way – Necromunda
A new turn-based tactical RPG set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe is in the works, courtesy of Focus Home Interactive and Rogue Factor.
The title, dubbed Necromunda: Underhive Wars, reunites developer Rogue Factor and publisher Focus Home Interactive after the two collaborated on Mordheim: City of the Damned.
Much like how Mordheim: City of the Damned is based on Games Workshop's classic tabletop game Mordheim, Necromunda: Underhive Wars will serve game adaptation of Necromunda. As such, the game is being created partnership with Games Workshop.
"We are delighted to welcome Necromuda: Underhive Wars to the catalogue of great games based on our worlds and settings," Games Workshop head of licensing Jon Gillard said. "Rogue Factor and Focus Home Interactive made a wonderful Mordheim: City of the Damned game and having done such a great job they're clearly the right people to realize the nightmarish world of Necromunda."
Creepy Platformer Little Nightmares Gets a Release Date
Little Nightmares will release on April 28.
The game is an eerie mix of PT’s lighting mixed with platforming, all from the perspective of a child lost in a dreamy (nightmare-y?) setting, meaning everything feels slightly off or larger than it should be. We went hands-on with Little Nightmares at Gamescom if you’d like a closer look at the weirdness contained within.
The story follows the tale of Six, a young girl trapped in The Maw. Six must navigate the darkness while attempting to survive the attentions of its monstrous residents in the hopes of finding an exit. Each room is described as a ‘cell’ from which Six must use her surroundings to escape from.
At the helm of Little Nightmares is Tarsier Studios, who you might know from the Vita version of Little Big Planet. The team also worked on Tearaway alongside Media Molecule.
Utawarerumono Is Part Anime, Part Strategy RPG
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and its sequel, Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth, are both coming west to PS4 and PS Vita this year.
The games feature an active strategy RPG system, as well as a visual-novel style story that unfolds over the course of 40 to 50 hours, according to Atlus.
Mask of Deception follows the story of Haku, who awakens in the wilderness without his memory. He's rescued by Kuon, a girl with animal ears and a tail. They team up and eventually find themselves "dragged into the political machinations of the mighty nation of Yamato."
Story details for Mask of Truth are due "at a later date." Mask of Truth will release with English text and the original Japanese audio.
DICE 2017: Overwatch Director to Deliver Opening Keynote
Jeff Kaplan, the director of Blizzard's popular multiplayer shooter Overwatch, will deliver the opening keynote at the 2017 DICE Summit, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has announced.
In addition to Kaplan's presentation, titled "Overwatch: How Blizzard Created a Hopeful Vision of the Future," several other talks will be held at the event. Insomniac Games CEO and founder Ted Price, as well as Marvel Games creative director Bill Rosemann and Magic Leap's Graeme Devine have all been added to the list of confirmed speakers for the 2017 DICE Summit.
As detailed by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, here's a brief overview of what Devine, Price and Roseanne will each discuss: