Steam Tops Concurrent User Record With 9 Million Players
Steam broke its peak concurrent user record over the weekend when more than 9 million users logged in at the same time.
According to Steam’s usage statistics page, the figure peaked at 9.06 users around 13:30 a.m. PT. Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Team Fortress 2 are currently the top three played games on the platform, respectively.
Steam recently surpassed user records in early January with a figure of 8.5 million.Prior to that, the platform hit 7 million users over Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2013.
Four New Circuits Confirmed for Project CARS
Slightly Mad Studios has revealed the latest international race circuits that have been officially added to Project CARS’ growing roster of tracks.
Four new tracks have been locked in from the United States, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. They include California’s Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point Raceway/Infineon Raceway and home to one of only two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series road course events per season) and Willow Springs International Motorsports Park (the oldest permanent road course in the US), plus Belgium’s world-renowned Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (one of the jewels in the F1 calandar) and the Czech Republic’s Brno Circuit (which hosts MotoGP, WTCC, and DTM events, and many more).
Warner Bros. Cancels LEGO: The Hobbit’s Five Armies DLC
LEGO: The Hobbit will not receive the expected downloadable expansion based on the final instalment of The Hobbit trilogy, publisher Warner Bros. confirmed, leaving its story unresolved.
"The LEGO: The Hobbit video game gives LEGO and Middle-earth fans a fun, new way to experience the legendary adventures of Bilbo and company as told in the first two films of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy," the publisher said in a statement issued to GameSpot. "The game provides an excellent set-up for the concluding chapter of Peter Jackson’s film, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. There are no plans to develop DLC based on the final film of the trilogy.”
Tabata: Final Fantasy Type-0 Was Almost Cancelled
It's mere days away from its long-awaited western release, but director Hajime Tabata has revealed there was a time when Final Fantasy Type-0 was in danger of being cancelled.
Speaking with IGN, Tabata explains he was simultaneously working on the development of both Final Fantasy Type-0 (then called Agito XIII) and Parasite Eve II sequel The 3rd Birthday. According to him, balancing both was a difficult task.
"The 3rd Birthday and Final Fantasy Type-0 are the titles that were in development at the same time," Tabata said. "In regards to cancelling, we actually came really close when management gave me direct orders to focus on developing The 3rd Birthday, requiring me to step away from developing Final Fantasy Type-0 for about a year."
GTA Online Stability Patch Released for Xbox Consoles
Rockstar Games has announced an update is now available for the Xbox versions of GTA Online.
The patch is said to improve the game's stability, as well as address a few other minor fixes for both Grand Theft Auto Online and Story Mode. The update became available last Friday on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, but is now live on Xbox One, and Xbox 360.
The Heists patch was also released for GTA Online just last week, introducing new modes of gameplay—"massive, multi-layered, 4-player co-operative missions that encourage players to work together and make the most of their individual strengths, and a team’s level of communication and coordination can make or break each mission."
Life is Strange Episode 2 Release Date Revealed
The second episode of Dontnod’s episodic drama Life is Strange will drop March 24.
The news comes via Life is Strange's official Twitter account, but was first announced during an on-stage demonstration at the UK's EGX convention.
Episode 2: Out of Time was originally scheduled to go live on March 13, but it was delayed. While no specific reason was given for the delay, the developer assured us that the game was "on track".
Life is Strange is a story-driven game focused on a young woman who can bend time - check out IGN's review of its first episode.
Telltale’s First Super Show Partner Won’t Be Lionsgate
During a panel at SXSW today, Telltale Games revealed that its first "Super Show" -- the combination of a traditional television show and interactive entertainment -- will not be done in conjunction with Lionsgate.
Lionsgate recently made a "significant investment" in Telltale, and Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer joined Telltale's board of directors. When the partnership was announced February 24, Lionsgate said the investment will allow "the two companies to explore opportunities to co-develop existing and original IP into episodic games and television."
Telltale previously announced its first original IP would be developed as a Super Show. Telltale CEO Kevin Bruner called it the "most ambitious thing the company has ever done." However, no details have been revealed about the project so far.
Better Call Saul: “Bingo” Photo Preview
Jimmy McGill took a back seat to Mike Ehrmantraut's story last week. He (and we) learned about Mike's past, but now it's time to get back to business. "Bingo" sees Jimmy meeting with potential new clients and showing off a roomy office space. Well, anything's a step up from his room in the back of the nail salon. Jimmy's dreaming big. He's also going to be cashing in a favor from an unlikely ally. See a couple of photos from the episode in the below gallery.
Better Call Saul: "Bingo" Photo Gallery:
Watch "Bingo" on Monday, March 16th, at 10:00pm ET/PT on AMC.
Amy Ratcliffe is a writer for IGN TV. You can follow her on on Twitter at @Amy_Geek and IGN at alratcliffe.
Howard Stark Could be AMC’s Preacher
A new rumour places Marvel's very own Howard Stark, Dominic Cooper (Agent Carter), as a frontrunner to star in AMC's Preacher TV series, based on the cult 1990's Garth Ennis-Steve Dillion comic.
According to The Tracking Board (via /Film), Cooper is the "top pick" to star as Reverend Jesse Custer, who -- in the comics -- becomes merged with a supernatural entity that give him powers of persuasion, and embarks on a journey to find God (who has since abandoned heaven), with his ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and an Irish vampire named Cassidy.
Furious 7: New International Trailer Reveals More Action-Packed Plot
Universal Studios has released a new international (Korean) trailer that gives fans a deeper look into the plot line of the upcoming, action-packed Furious 7, the latest in the Fast & Furious film franchise. Check it out below.
Spoilers ahead.
In Fast & Furious 6, Han was killed by Ian Shaw (Jason Statham), brother of Owen Shaw—a revenge killing as Han was one of the members in Dominic Toretto's (Vin Diesel) family that brought down Owen. At the end of the film, Dom receives a phone message, which says, "You don't know me, you're about to..."
It's clear that in Furious 7, the call was from Ian, who now plans to finish off the rest of Dom's family, who join together to take on the other Shaw brother.