November was another big month for video game hardware. Nintendo Switch outsold the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in terms of dollar sales, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. But this wasn’t just a win for Nintendo. It turns out that all three major systems came away feeling good from the Thanksgiving holidays. “For […]
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The video game industry in the United States was flat year-over-year in November, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. U.S. consumers spent $2.693 billion on hardware, software, and accessories. In November 2017, that number was $2.706 billion. Overall, the month was still strong considering it had a tough comparison to last year. “Gains in […]
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Path of Exile may be in for a Betrayal, but it’s not coming from its players. A studio spokesperson from Grinding Gear Games said today that the free-to-play online action-role-playing game set a new mark for concurrent players. The Betrayal expansion launched December 6 on PC, and Path of Exile reached about 189,000 players. Two-thirds of them […]
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Presented by Intel It seems foolish for any developer to compete with battle royale giants Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. But the rising popularity of Ring of Elysium proves that the crowded genre still has some room for new challengers. Out for free on PC via Steam Early Access, Ring of Elysium takes place on the […]
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Even Master Chief, the hero of the Halo universe, needs a guardian. And Bonnie Ross, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and head of 343 Industries, has been doing that job for more than a decade. For her work on the Halo franchise and her promotion of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education for women, under-represented minorities, and children, Ross […]
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Bonnie Ross is the Halo boss, and for that, she is being inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. Ross is the 23rd recipient of the prestigious award from the peer-run body, the AIAS. She is one of the rare women honored by the industry for her achievements in the […]
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PUBG Mobile made about $32.5 million in revenue in November, according to market analyst Sensor Tower. This is the battle royale’s best month on mobile yet. That $32.5 million is up 44 percent compared to October. PUBG Mobile previous best month was in August, when it earned $25.7 million. November didn’t just beat the record — it […]
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is already a huge hit in the U.S., with the fighting game selling over 3 million copies in just 11 days since its December 7 debut. This is according to Nintendo and industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. This makes Ultimate the fastest-selling Switch game in the U.S. yet, along with the fastest-selling installment ever […]
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Switch has become the fastest-selling console of this hardware generation in the U.S., according to Nintendo and industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. The home console/portable hybrid has sold 8.7 million machines in its first 21 months, the period from its launch in March 2017 through November 2018. That tops the U.S. performance of its two competitors, PlayStation 4 […]
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Zspace has dedicated itself to “spatial content,” and today it is unveiling a laptop targeted at kids that lets them easily interact with augmented reality or virtual reality content. The company will show the device, which is available now, at the CES 2019 trade show event in January. The Sunnyvale, California-based company said the laptop […]
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Atari and Animoca Brands have teamed up to make blockchain versions of Atari‘s classic RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch and Goon Squad games. Blockchain, the secure and transparent technology for verifying digital transactions in decentralized networks, is coming to video games. RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch has more than 19 million downloads and is part of the popular RollerCoaster […]
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Battlefield V developer DICE is updating its military shooter to undo a big change that upset fans. In an attempt to make the game more appealing to new players, the studio increased the time-to-kill (TTK) for each weapon. Put simply, it weakened guns so people could survive for longer in Battlefield V multiplayer. DICE said […]
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One of my favorite headsets ever was the Turtle Beach Elite Pro. Specifically, I dug the Elite Pro PC Edition that had the built-in USB connector. By swapping out the included mic for a noise-cancelling upgrade, I had a really decent headset that was excellent for communicating and even for recording voice. The Elite Pro […]
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Japan’s FreakOut Holdings has acquired Playwire, an internet video company that provides free and paid video players for independent video publishers. Tokyo-based FreakOut Holdings is a digital advertising company that was founded in 2010 by Yuzuru Honda. It now has subsidiaries in 16 countries throughout the Asia Pacific region, and it offers programmatic advertising technology that expands […]
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GamesBeat Summit 2019 will take place in Los Angeles at the Two Bit Circus, a “micro-amusement park” that’s like an arcade meets Ready Player One in the Arts District. And now, we’re ready to name our next three speakers for the event taking place April 23 and April 24. Register now and get early bird pricing […]
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Supermassive Games is bookending the year in VR in much better form than it started. The Until Dawn developer’s first two games of 2018, PSVR’s The Inpatient and Bravo Team, have all but been forgotten following an unexpectedly lukewarm reception that led the team to vow it will do better in the future. Rest assured; Shattered State […]
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The first unboxing video for Google’s 6DOF controllers hit the Web as the first wave of developer kits appear to be shipping out. VR and AR developer Alex Coulombe posted the following video showing the complete contents of the developer kit, including AAA batteries and a charger for them as well as the controllers, the “tracking faceplate” […]
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Osterhout Design Group (ODG) may be dead before mass shipping its R-9 augmented reality glasses, with an asset sale planned for January focused on the AR company’s patent portfolio. I left a voicemail on ODG’s listed phone line, sent an email, and spoke briefly on the phone with a representative of Hilco Streambank, which describes the […]
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Most gamers dream about being Ninja, a video gamer who became the No. 1 social “influencer” in sports — beating out Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Lionel Messi and LeBron James – by playing Fortnite, earning on average $400,000 to $500,000. That’s the crest of the Leisure Economy, or the economic change that comes as people get paid […]
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A couple of weeks ago, European esports organization Team Vitality has raised €20 million, or $22.7 million, in an investment from entrepreneur Tej Kohli. That was part of a larger commitment by Kohli, through his Rewired GG fund, to invest €50 million, or $57 million, in esports startups. Team Vitality said it believes the investment was the […]
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