Tag: gaming

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That leaked Skull and Bones gameplay video is real

It seems Skull and Bones still exists.

Since its reveal back in 2017, not much information about the Ubisoft pirate title has appeared, though it’s clear the game has undergone a troubled development cycle. It’s also important to note that developer Ubisoft Singapore is under investigation for issues tied to workplace harassment, discriminatory pay and more.

As first reported by Kotaku, a recent video leaked via Reddit user ‘Wesam_L’ offers the best look at the pirate title yet. Based on the leaked footage, Skull and Bones seems to borrow elements from Ubisoft live-service titles like The Division 2, and 2013 third-person pirate action game, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.

In the leaked video, a voiceover outlines how the game’s “infamy” system works. This stat is increased by taking down fellow pirates, uncovering treasure and completing contracts. Some contracts seem to be multiplayer-focused and can be played with other human players.

The video also outlines how the player will upgrade their ship with scavenged materials throughout the game and states that ensuring your crew has food, water and ammo prevents mutiny. There also seem to be segments where the player leaves their ship and visits pirate encampments and towns. It’s believed that previous versions of Skull and Bones didn’t allow players to leave their ship.

The footage has since been removed from Reddit.

Ubisoft confirmed to Kotaku that the leaked footage of Skull and Bones is legitimate. The official Skull and Bones Twitter account also tweeted a brief clip of the title following the footage’s leak (its first tweet since September 2020).

A source that spoke to Kotaku says that Ubisoft plans to release Skull and Bones by the end of 2022.

As a fan of all things pirates and boats, I’m cautiously optimistic for Skull and Bones. Based on what I saw in the brief video, it seems like the pirate game I’ve always wanted. However, given the title’s tumultuous development cycle, there’s a strong possibility that it won’t end up being a game worth playing.

Image credit: @skullnbonesgame (Screenshot)

Source: Kotaku, Reddit (Wesam_L)

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Mobile Syrup

New PlayStation Plus’ classic games are starting to leak

The release of Sony’s new PlayStation Plus on June 22nd is fast approaching.

While we finally know how much the service will cost in Canada, it remains unclear what retro titles will make their way to the higher tiers of the subscription service. However, thanks to Reddit user ‘the_andshrew‘ uncovering a PSN leak that even includes game thumbnails, we have an idea of what titles are coming to the new PlayStation Plus’ various subscription tiers.

Most of the titles that have appeared so far come from publisher Bandai Namco, including Tekken 2 and Mr. Driller for the PS2 and Ridge Racer for the PSP. PSOne titles Worms Armageddon and Worms World Party also leaked recently.

PlayStation Plus’ $21.99/month ‘Premium’ tier includes access to roughly 340 additional titles across the PSOne, PS2, PS3 and PSP, while the $17.99/month ‘Extra’ tier only offers access to a library of roughly 400 PS4 and PS5 titles.

It’s unclear when Sony plans to reveal the official list of titles included in the refreshed PlayStation Plus that aims to better compete with Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, but an announcement will likely appear in the next few weeks.

Source: Reddit (the_andshrew) Via: Eurogamer, Gematsu

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Mobile Syrup

Call of Duty’s Ricochet anti-cheat now prevents cheaters from seeing opponents

Raven Software and the Call of Duty development team are releasing new anti-cheat measures.

As the kernel-level Ricochet system continues to evolve, it’s now hitting Call of Duty: Vanguard. With that, the teams have announced that a new cloaking countermeasure is also rolling out.

The new cloaking “mitigation” makes it so that any player known to be cheating is unable to see opponents while in-game. Thanks to the cloaking anti-cheat measure, all honest players are invisible to the hacker. This even extends to sounds made by footsteps and notifications created by bullets. This measure aims to make it so the hacker gets frustrated and stops cheating altogether. Additionally, the leaderboard no longer displays hackers who face a ban.

A Ricochet update blog post published by the Call of Duty team confirms that cheaters will still be visible to regular players. Theoretically, this could be a somewhat humorous way for those players to grief cheaters. In a similar fashion, the Ricochet system includes a damage shield mitigation technique that prevents cheaters from dolling out damage to opponents.

The Call of Duty teams continue to monitor and bans known cheaters daily and in bulk. During the most recent wave of bans, 54,000 accounts were prohibited from playing. Though they are consistently monitoring the landscape and utilizing Ricochet, the development teams encourage players to use in-game reporting tools as well.

Last year, Ricochet hit Call of Duty: Warzone as a kernel-level driver. The anti-cheat is only active when the game is running. In theory, this decreases any risk of interruption or issues with other games and software. However, it’s not a guaranteed solution to hackers using auto-aim bots and wallhacks to gain the upper edge.

Image credit: Activision

Source: Call of Duty Via: Engadget

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Mobile Syrup

Warcraft mobile game to be revealed on May 3

Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed that it will formally unveil its Warcraft mobile game on Tuesday, May 3rd.

Those interested can tune into the presentation at 1pm ET/10am PT via a livestream on Blizzard’s website. Further details on the game have yet to be confirmed.

Earlier this week, Blizzard revealed more from its mobile action-RPG Diablo Immortal, including a surprise announcement that it’s also coming to PC. The game is set to hit all three platforms on June 2nd, with the PC version coming in full-featured beta form.

Parent company Activision Blizzard has previously confirmed plans to bring all of its franchises to mobile, so it was only a matter of time for the likes of Warcraft and Diablo to make the jump. What’s less certain, however, is what will happen at the company in the coming months.

The publishing giant is facing various lawsuits and other repercussions related to allegations of a toxic “frat boy” work culture. It’s also in the midst of being acquired by Microsoft, although Wall Street is skeptical the deal will be approved. And at the centre of all of that is Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who has been accused of trying to cover up incidents at the company. Reports suggest that he’ll depart after the acquisition is finalized, but Microsoft has claimed it “hasn’t discussed” Kotick’s future with the company.

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Activision Blizzard stockholders approve Microsoft acquisition

Activision Blizzard, developer and publisher of Call of Duty and Overwatch, reveals that its stockholders approve of Microsoft’s acquisition bid. The proposal, which would see Activision Blizzard under the Xbox Game Studios banner, saw more than 98 percent of the shares voting in favour of the proposal.

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $95.00 per share. The $68.7 billion USD (roughly $85.96 billion CAD) deal would see tentpole franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and more owned by Microsoft. The acquisition also folds in a laundry list of studios including Blizzard Entertainment, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, Treyarch and more.

Microsoft expects the deal to close by the end of its fiscal year ending June 30th, 2023. However, one step to securing the deal was gaining approval from Activision Blizzard stockholders. During the Activision Blizzard Special Meeting of Stockholders, the votes were cast in favour of the acquisition.

“Today’s overwhelmingly supportive vote by our stockholders confirms our shared belief that, combined with Microsoft, we will be even better positioned to create great value for our players, even greater opportunities for our employees, and to continue our focus on becoming an inspiring example of a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive workplace,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard.

A report detailing the results from the Special Meeting will come in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Form 8-K by early next week.

Previous reports claim Microsoft plans to make future Activision titles multiplatform. This includes Call of Duty in some capacity, as Xbox head Phil Spencer confirms. However, some games and content will be exclusive to Xbox consoles and platforms.

Activision Blizzard continues to be investigated over sexual harassment claims. Kotick is also being investigated after reports allege turned a blind eye to the supposed “frat-boy culture” within the company. While Kotick’s future within the company has not been officially confirmed, he is expected to step down.

The next step in the Activision Blizzard acquisition is to receive the approval of the Federal Trade Commission and antitrust enforcers. However, Wall Street is currently betting the deal may fail. If the merger passes, Microsoft will become the third-largest video game company.

Image credit: Microsoft

Source: Activision Blizzard

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Mobile Syrup

Sony is building a game preservation team for PlayStation

Sony is reportedly building a game preservation team. The division likely comes off the heels of the new upcoming PlayStation Plus platform, though exact details on the team are sparse.

Garrett Fredley, a former build engineer for mobile developer Kabam, is joining Sony for its game preservation team. In a Twitter post first spotted by Video Games Chronicle, Fredley announced the role.

“Today is my first day as a Senior Build Engineer at @PlayStation,” the engineer wrote. He goes on to explain that he is one of the “initial hires for the newly created Preservation team.”

Fredley later followed up with a video from GDC 2019 in which he discusses game preservation and the work he did with EA. He also states that his “work is similar, although larger in scope.”

As expected, Fredley didn’t reveal exactly what this new team is working on. However, as the division’s title suggests, it likely ties back to preservation. Sony hasn’t always been a pioneer for game preservation in the past. While classic PlayStation games are available through PlayStation Now, more support is always welcomed.

In the near future, Sony’s revamped PlayStation Plus subscription service will offer new tiers. These include perks such as access to classic PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP titles. While many supported games (which are largely unannounced) will be downloadable, PS3 games are only available to stream.

Last summer, Sony shuttered the PSP storefront and initially aimed to close the PS3 and Vita marketplace. However, due to the reception of the community, those plans were put on ice.

The narrative surrounding Sony and game presentation has slowly shifted over the past few years. Back in 2017, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan made a comment regarding older Gran Turismo titles on previous PlayStation consoles. “The PS1 and the PS2 games, they looked ancient, like why would anybody play this?” Ryan has since clarified that the quote was in respect to making contemporary games feel modern. However, the messaging turned the heads of those hoping Sony would take game preservation more seriously.

The extent of game preservation greatly differs between different console manufacturers. For example, Microsoft offers extensive backwards compatibility across all generations, including the original Xbox, and game preservation has been a focal point for the company for many years. Nintendo, on the other hand, only offers select titles from NES, SNES, and N64 as a part of the Nintendo Switch Online service.

Image credit: PlayStation

Via: Engadget 

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Xbox and Bethesda announce Games Showcase on June 12th

Even though E3 is cancelled this year, there’s still a lot of gaming news just around the corner.

Microsoft has confirmed plans to hold an Xbox and Bethesda games showcase on Sunday, June 12th at 1pm ET/10am PT. The event will feature announcements from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Microsoft’s partners.

Microsoft says the show will be available on Xbox’s Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, and the event will offer “news and updates about games coming to Xbox this year and next, upcoming releases on Xbox Game Pass, and more.”

It’s likely the showcase will offer a glimpse at anticipated Bethesda titles like Starfield, along with Arkane’s Redfall, Undead Labs’ State of Decay 4 and maybe even The Initiative’s Perfect Dark.

Regarding other upcoming gaming events, Summer Game Fest is also set to return this year in June.

Image credit: Xbox 

Source: Xbox 

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Mobile Syrup

Valve’s latest Steam Deck update improves battery life, adds lock screen

The Steam Deck might not be perfect, but it’s hard not to be impressed by how rapidly Valve is pushing out updates to the handheld.

The latest update to the portable adds a feature that ensures battery life won’t deplete if the console is left idle or not used for an extended period. Steam Deck battery life can range anywhere from two to four hours depending on how resource intensive the game you’re running on the handheld is.

Other new features include a smartphone-like lock screen with pin code entry, localized keyboards, multiple window switching, new quick access to many tools, an updated achievements page and more. Compatibility with USB-C docks and SD card docks has also been improved, which is a good move on Valve’s part, given compatibility has been pretty spotty in my experience.

Finally, Valve also mentions that it’s improved the overall stability of the Steam Deck. For the update’s full notes, follow this link.

Despite its issues, I’ve really enjoyed my time with Valve’s Steam Deck so far. It’s a handheld in a league of its own in terms of power, but you also need to be willing to be a bit of a beta tester. That said, I have been able to get Xbox Cloud Gaming and emulators with Emu Deck up and running on the handheld.

Check out my in-depth look at the handheld for more on the Steam Deck.

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Mobile Syrup

Overwatch 2 players notice Kim’s Convenience reference on new Toronto map

While the player-versus-environment portion of Overwatch 2 isn’t ready yet, the game’s player-versus-player closed beta is up and running, and some players have noticed a very Canadian🇨🇦 reference on Toronto’s ‘New Queen St’ map.

On the map, you’ll notice a ‘Kay’s Convenience’ store that looks strikingly similar to the Kim’s Convenience storefront.

In case you were unaware, Kim’s Convenience is more than just a store featured in a CBC sitcom. It’s an actual storefront on Queen St. East in Toronto, so it’s great to see this easter egg in the Overwatch 2 map.

The Overwatch 2 Beta is now available for PC players. If you weren’t invited to the beta via email, you can still watch Overwatch players on Twitch to get guaranteed access to the beta.

At the time of writing, more than 1.4 million viewers are watching Overwatch on Twitch, which is the most viewership the game has attracted in years.

Several Canadian players have dusted off their keyboards to stream the new beta, such as retired Overwatch League players like ‘XQC’ (who previously leaked that he had the Alpha access) ‘Surefour,’ ‘Seagull’ (these three players were once part of the Canadian national Overwatch team) and players like ‘KarQ’ (Toronto Defiant), Pokimane, Warn and more.

Source: @RetrogradeMikey

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Over 10 million people have used Xbox Cloud Gaming: Microsoft

Microsoft says more than 10 million people have used its Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming service.

The company revealed the figure during its Q3 2021 earnings call. It’s a notable statistic since public data into the game streaming landscape has largely been unavailable. Historically, Microsoft has only offered random stats like “20 percent of Cloud Gaming players use touch controls,” and even less is known about user habits for Google Stadia. (Nvidia GeForce Now, meanwhile, offers a free trial that includes in numbers)

That said, Microsoft didn’t provide any further details about Cloud Gaming’s audience, so it’s hard to gauge ongoing success. All we really know is that Game Pass — the $16.99 CAD/month ‘Ultimate’ tier of which is required for Cloud Gaming — hit 25 million subscribers in January. No data on monthly active users of Cloud Gaming has been provided, nor did Microsoft clarify what constitutes a single stream (i.e. ‘x’ number of minutes).

We don’t even know how many of these 10 million-plus people are existing Game Pass members. That’s because Game Pass has had a “$1 for your first month” introductory offer for a while now, meaning it’s unclear how many people may have signed up, tried out streaming and later cancelled.

Still, unlike, say, Google’s beleagured Stadia service, Microsoft has been positioning Cloud Gaming as merely an option, rather than its core gaming platform. On top of Cloud Gaming being available on iOS, Android, Xbox consoles and PC, consumers can still purchase Xbox/PC games physically or digitally as normal. Xbox is also still positioning Cloud Gaming as a beta as it plans to expand the service to other platforms, like TV apps and Roku-esque streaming sticks.

In related news, Microsoft confirmed that Xbox hardware revenue was up 14 percent in Q3, although it warned that future performance could be affected by Chinese production shutdowns.

Via: The Verge