Month: July 2018

Electronic Arts has commented on the ever-popular topic of cross-play, and it sounds like the company is enthusiastic about doing more in the space going forward. During a recent earnings call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked directly if Battlefield V or other EA games will feature cross-play functionality between systems. Wilson said cross-play is an “important part of our future development profile,” though he stopped short of confirming anything.

Cross-play between consoles exists for some Xbox One and Nintendo Switch games such as Rocket League and Minecraft. However, Sony has yet to connect its PlayStation 4 with any competing consoles. Whatever the case, Wilson said he expects that in 3-5 years, a “great portion” of gaming will exist in the cloud, and will thus be technically capable of being played on any device you may own, though politics between platform-holders may complicate issues.

“We have a vision on a 3- to 5-year time horizon where a great portion of game experiences will exist in the cloud and be pushed to every device you own,” Wilson said. “And the game experience you have won’t be measured by local CPU or GPU, but will be measured by screen size and session time you have and will drive tremendous liquidity in a market.

On the more immediate horizon, Wilson teased that EA is looking at some of its “key franchises” for cross-play support.

“We’re looking at key franchises in terms of how we should deliver cross-platform way … in a similar way that Fortnite has, especially … some of our titles have a broad and diverse player base,” he said. “Households typically have one console, so the ability to bring PC to console and console to mobile into that play experience can bring families together, can bring friends together. And we think it’s an important part of our future development profile, both in terms of mobile games that we have today moving up per se to console and PC, and console and PC games being playable in mobile. And I expect more from us on that front in the future.”

With regards to gaming services being available in the cloud, EA recently acquired GameFly’s Israel-based streaming outfit to help in its streaming and cloud efforts. We also learned during EA’s earnings call that the company may develop its own Fortnite-style free-to-play battle royale game.

For lots more on everything you need to know about cross-play, check out GameSpot’s new video featured embedded above.

At the 2018 Television Critics Association summer press tour, Netflix released four new character sizzle reels for their upcoming animated series, Disenchantment, which premieres on the streaming provider on August 17.

Disenchantment comes from the creative minds of Simpsons creator Matt Groening, and Futurama writer/co-executive producer Josh Weinstein. The story is set in the medieval world of Dreamland, where three unlikely companions encounter all manner of fantastical creatures like ogres, sprites, and trolls.

The odd trio includes Princess Bean (Abbi Jacobson), a demon named Luci (Eric Andre), and Elfo (Nat Faxon), an adventurous elf who leaves his optimistic land behind in search of some real-world experiences. You can check out the footage below.

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Third-party peripheral company PDP has announced a series of stylish Nintendo Switch controllers modeled after the classic GameCube button layout, for use with the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The series of three controllers feature different color schemes and emblems to signify some choice characters: red for Mario, blue for Link, and yellow for Pikachu.

The button layout is identical to the original GameCube’s, with a few minor Switch additions like the Home and Capture button. A detachable C-Stick can be swapped for a full-size analog stick, depending on how devoted you are to the old GameCube look. Nintendo has already announced its own official GameCube controller as well, and originals will still work, but those require a separate adapter. The PDP ones, by contrast, have a 10-foot USB cable to plug directly into the Switch like any other USB controller.

PDP hasn’t announced a release date, but does say on its product page that these will be available in time for the holiday season. That will presumably make them available in time for the Smash Bros. Ultimate release date on December 7.

Smash Bros. Ultimate earns its name with a chock-a-block roster of every playable character to have ever appeared in a Smash Bros. game before. It’s also going to be coming alongside some new Amiibo to collect and train up. For more details, check out our pre-order guide.

For Honor is heading into its seventh season much sooner than you might be expecting. The seasonal update, which is called Storm and Fury, will launch simultaneously on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on August 2.

Storm and Fury will introduce a brand new map, some hero reworks, and a ranking system update. And for those of you who appreciate battling in style, the launch of the season will also introduce a permanent 30 percent discount on all battle outfits.

The new map is called Secluded Keep. It was once owned by a lord and is now a highly desired outpost. You’ll be able to play it in Tribute, Skirmish, Elimination, Brawl, and Duel. Two major heroes are seeing some changes based on feedback. The Warden and Valkyrie are getting updates to improve versatility and efficiency.

As for the ranking system, there are several changes coming. The first is two new divisions for the most ferocious of fighters: Master and Grand Master. In addition, there will also be a new leaderboard to track progress. Want to climb higher and higher in the ranks? With this update, you’ll be able to take on ranked duels outside of tournaments, and tournaments will now rotate every weekend.

Outside of this update in August, For Honor is in headlines for another reason. For Honor is headlining August’s Games with Gold. On August 16, you can pick up the full game free of charge with a Xbox Live Gold membership.

With Doctor Who heading into its eleventh season, we take a look back at every Doctor from the BBC show’s 50-plus year history.

From Shazam! to Aquaman, from Grant Morrison’s next DC Comics adventure to the return of a beloved Star Wars property and beyond, these are the most noteworthy announcements that came out of Comic-Con 2018…

At long last, a premiere date has been revealed for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the Riverdale sister series coming to Netflix. As revealed at the TCA press tour, the first season of Sabrina will bow on October 26, just in time for Halloween. The streaming service previously ordered two seasons.

The news was delivered by an army of blonde witches, handing out bloody red candied apples and chanting, “Something wicked this way comes,” as the lights went out. Then the lights came back, the witches spun around, revealing the release date printed out on the backs of their high school varsity jackets.

Sadly, no footage of the series was shown during the surprise presentation. Given that the show will arrive in just a few months, though, that will likely change soon.

According to an official synopsis of Chilling Adventures, the series “imagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature–half-witch, half-mortal–while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.”

The series comes from Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and stars Kiernan Shipka, Miranda Otto, Lucy Davis, Ross Lynch, and Michelle Gomez, among many others. While it’s expected to be set in the same universe, a crossover may not be so easy. While both shows hail from Warner Bros. TV, Riverdale and Sabrina are airing on different networks.

Of course, it’s always possible that somewhere down the line they can cross each other’s paths. In the meantime, get ready for the arrival of Sabrina Spellman and her bewitching friends on October 26.

Netflix has announced the premiere date for their spooky Sabrina the Teenage Witch reimagining, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, at the streaming network’s Television Critics Association summer press tour presentation.

The supernatural series will debut just in time for a Halloween binge on Oct. 26, launching globally with a 10-episode first season.

Starring Mad Men alum Kiernan Shipka in the titular role, Sabrina “imagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.”

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