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CultureXbox Live Has Been Down For Over 5 Hours (Update: It’s Back)
Update (9:47 p.m. ET, 02/25/2021): Shortly after Kotaku first reported on Xbox Live’s outage, the service appears to be back up and running. You’re welcome! Our original story follows below. Trying to get some gaming in this lovely Thursday night? Well, if you’re on Xbox, that’s too bad, because various functions of Xbox Live have…
By Ian Walker Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureSony’s Illustrious Japan Studio Is Basically Done For
Japan Studio, a branch of PlayStation’s development efforts once responsible for everything from Shadow of the Colossus to Gravity Rush to Ape Escape, has been downsized to oblivion by Sony, with only the team responsible for Astro’s Playroom remaining, alongside a few other staff. Responding to an initial report by VGC, a statement issued by…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureEarly Bugsnax Idea Had You Skinning And Butchering Them
Look, we knew Bugsnax was a cute game with a dark heart, but this is particularly bleak. The game’s developers have been sharing some early, ditched ideas for the game on Twitter today, like the fact it was originally an on-rails experience: And, uh, that you would “have to peel and dismantle their bodies before…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureSquare Enix Announces Two More Final Fantasy VII Games
Just after wrapping up Sony’s media show this evening with some Final Fantasy VII x PS5 news, Square Enix announced that there are two more Final Fantasy games coming, both based on the Final Fantasy VII universe. First up is Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier, which is a “battle royale game set in Midgar…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureEverything Sony Announced During Today’s PlayStation State Of Play
Here’s everything Sony announced, revealed, or otherwise discussed during today’s PlayStation State of Play broadcast. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is getting some PlayStation 5-exclusive upgrades when it launches on March 12. These include faster loading times, DualSense features like improved haptics and adaptive trigger usage, and enhanced 3D audio. Players will also be…
By Ian Walker Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureFinal Fantasy VII Remake Gets PS5 Version With New Story Starring Yuffie
This summer, Final Fantasy VII Remake is getting a PlayStation 5 upgrade with all sorts of graphical bells and whistles—and also a new “episode” starring a Final Fantasy VII character who didn’t appear in the game previously: Yuffie Kisaragi. Square made the announcement as part of today’s State of Play Sony event. The new PS5…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureBaldur’s Gate 3‘s ‘Biggest Patch Yet’ Is Now Live
I rue every day that the complete Baldur’s Gate 3 experience isn’t out yet, but we’re getting there. Today, developer Larian dropped the fourth patch for the Divinity: Original Sin 2 sequel/Baldur’s Gate sorta-sequel, which it calls its “biggest patch yet.” Standout features include the druid class, loaded dice to keep you from critical failing…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureTwitchTwitch Removes Amazon’s Anti-Union Ads After Furious Streamer Response
Earlier this week, it came to light that Twitch was running ads in blatant opposition to the Amazon warehouse worker unionization effort in Bessemer, Alabama. Streamers, who had no say in whether or not these ads appeared during their broadcasts, were outraged. Today, Twitch has removed the ads, saying that they never should have run…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureAfter Anthem‘s Failure, Dragon Age 4 Will Reportedly Be Single-Player Only
We praise dancing in the Chantry y’all! According to a report from Bloomberg, EA is allowing BioWare to ditch “all multiplayer components” originally planned for the latest game in the Dragon Age series. EA is a company known for its dogged insistence on adding multiplayer and microtransactions to every one of its games, pushing its…
By Ash Parrish Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureMarvel’s Avengers Adds ‘What Am I Doing With My Life’ Armor
Square Enix’s weekly Marvel’s Avengers blog post went live this morning. That said, there isn’t much to talk about besides the game’s silly new Iron Man outfit, so let’s do that. Seriously, just look at this thing. I wouldn’t bat an eye if someone told me Tony skinned a Furby for the helmet. It looks…
By Ian Walker Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureDestiny 2 Is Sunsetting Sunsetting
Bungie announced today it’s getting rid of Destiny 2‘s most beleaguered mechanic: sunsetting. Starting in Season 14, new weapons will no longer have an expiration date. “This is a big change for Destiny and one that we did not make lightly,” assistant game director Joe Blackburn wrote in a sweeping new State of Destiny post…
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureReport: Chat Logs Reveal Pervasive Racism In Top World of Warcraft Raiding Guilds
Two raiding guilds in the upper tiers of World of Warcraft’s North American ladder, Clout Gang and Instant Dollars, have come under fire for using racial and homophobic slurs. First reported by PC Gamer, an Imgur album containing screenshots of Clout Gang’s Discord and in-game chats was posted in the r/WoW subreddit showing members using…
By Ash Parrish Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureDestiny 2‘s Next Big Expansion The Witch Queen Delayed To 2022
Destiny 2 has gotten a big expansion every year since it released, but 2021 will be different. Bungie announced today that The Witch Queen, originally planned to launch in the second half of this year, will be delayed until 2022 due to its size and ongoing issues around working from home during the covid-19 pandemic.…
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsBlack Ops Cold War’s Large-Scale ‘Outbreak’ Mode Shakes Up Zombies
Season Two of Black Ops Cold War arrives today, with a new 6v6 multiplayer map, new weapons, more challenges to complete, and another 100-tier battle pass to grind. It also brings the most unique Zombies experience we’ve seen in a while, in the large-scale “Outbreak” Zombies mode. As a part of Black Ops Cold War’s…
By S.E. Doster Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureDefiance Is Shutting Down (Yes, That MMO Based On The Show)
Defiance and Defiance 2050 will shut down on April 29, Trion Worlds announced on Steam yesterday. Both games will be downloadable and playable until that date. The decision to shutter both games came down to financial sustainability, with Trion World concluding that “both games could no longer sustain themselves.” Starting today, players will no longer…
By Zack Zwiezen Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureCourt Orders Valve To Hand Over Data On 436 Steam Games To Apple
Apple has been asking a bunch of companies to give it confidential information in its ongoing legal battle with Epic Games over how much money each company gets to collect off of Fortnite skin sales on the iPhone. Yesterday, a California magistrate judge ordered Valve to comply with one of these requests and hand over…
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureDestruction AllStars, Originally Planned As A $70 Game, Will Sell For $20
Destruction AllStars, the PlayStation 5-exclusive derby game, will soon sell for $20, developer Lucid Games announced today—a $50 price drop from the game’s original sticker price of $70. Last September, during a digital showcase, Sony announced that some PS5 games would cost $70, a notable increase over the long-standard price point of $60. One of…
By Ari Notis Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureCall Of Duty Is Getting Too Big For Your Base PS4, Activision Warns
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare/Warzone and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War are now so big, Activision is telling base PS4 owners they may no longer be able to fit both full games on their console’s hard drive. Call of Duty: Warzone’s season two update is live, and it’s another hulking 17GB on PS4…
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureThe Pokémon Company announced a video livestream over on its YouTube channel on February 26 starting at 10:00 a.m. ET. Who knows what will be shown in it, but this week marks the series’ 25th anniversary, and the company is putting on a concert with Post Malone on Saturday to celebrate
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsBravely Default 2 Is Another Fun But Flawed Old-School JRPG
Bravely Default 2 is a trip, man. Going in, I thought I knew exactly what this game was, and it turns out I pretty much did—except for all of the tiny moments that occasionally delight, and just as occasionally elicit big, heaving sighs. Every time the familiar old-school JRPG wins me over it follows that…
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021