Gamescom will take place this year, according to the event’s organizers, but whether or not that event will be exclusively digital or not is still under review.
Gamescom is one of the largest video game conferences in the world and unlike other events in the space, namely E3, it hasn’t yet announced a cancellation or postponement of its 2020 show as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The companies behind the show, Koelnmesse and the German Games Industry Association, otherwise known as Game, jointly posted a statement Tuesday to let consumers and developers alike know that Gamescom will take place in some form this year.
“Millions of fans worldwide are excited about Gamescom 2020,” Game Managing Director Felix Falk said in a statement. “That is why we are determined to celebrate the latest news, announcements and world premieres together with the community again this year at the end of August. In view of the corona crisis, we are now expanding all digital formats at full speed so that gamescom 2020 can at least take place digitally in any case.”
Falk said fans can expect Opening Night Live and the Gamescom Now Portal to return as the event determines how to expand its digital strategy. Gamescom will still take place from August 25 to August 29 with the Devcom Developer Conference still set for August 22 through August 24.
A mid-May evaluation will take place to determine how Gamescom can move forward with its usual Cologne-based presence, if at all.
“If an on-site event is possible, there will also be more information at that state with regard to which changes need to be made in order to fully ensure the health of all visitors,” the statement reads. “This has been arranged with the largest exhibitors, therefore all gamescom plans are continuing at full speed.”
PUBG has unveiled its April Fools’ joke ahead of schedule this year, and it’s a doozy. Fantasy Battle Royale is a third-person squad-based gamemode where you play as classes from D&D-esque fantasy games, like a wizard or a barbarian. However, since you can’t exactly find chainmail on Erandel, these classes are creatively-assembled from what they could find lying around–for example, the paladin’s shield is a trash can lid, and the barbarian’s sword is a repurposed saw.
According to the announcement, these matches will be fast and furious, with the so-called “blue-zone” moving much faster than in regular matches. These classes each have special weapons, too, with the paladin’s Mendingstar healing your allies when you whack them, and the barbarian’s Kick-Ash Longsword increasing your movement speed with every hit. The special Fantasy Battle Royale event will run from April 1 to April 7.
In the announcement, PUBG Corp noted that the deeply-felt impact of the coronavirus crisis caused it to consider whether or not to go ahead with this lighthearted mode. While the team ultimately decided to proceed with it, they did make all of the exclusive items for this mode earnable through play alone, as the mode bestows “gold” that you use to buy this limited-time loot. You can also buy them in the regular shop.
While video games can truly immerse you in their expansive worlds with swelling soundtracks and stunning graphics, board games offer a different kind of immersion. Whether you’re playing a cooperative game where your group is working toward a common goal or a competitive game where each player has secret strategies and interests, many board games have a way of sucking you into their worlds with their gorgeous artwork, vivid writing, and role-playing aspects that have you take on the identity of an individual character. In fact, many of the best board games feature campaigns that must be played over a dozen or so sessions, giving the group a real feeling of camaraderie and lasting memory.
Whether you’re taking on a multi-session strategy campaign or a light-hearted family game, there’s nothing quite like gathering around a table with friends or family to break out a new board game. If you’re new to tabletop, you may not realize just how vast the world of board games is, spanning every genre from horror and military strategy to fantasy and even romantic comedy. There’s a great game out there for any occasion, whether you’re playing with people who don’t play board games regularly or meeting up with some tabletop pros.
To help you discover some new board games for your collection, we’ve rounded up some of the best board games that have been played and recommended by our resident tabletop enthusiasts. Whether you’re looking for a fun and easy-to-learn party game, a role-playing game, or a heftier strategy game, you’ll find a board game here you’re sure to love.
Wasteland 3 has been set for a May 19 release date on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but the difficulties introduced by remote work caused by the COVID-19 outbreak has pushed the game back to late summer. In a development update posted on Twitter, studio head Brian Fargo said that it will now release on August 28, 2020.
“As with most companies, we moved to a work-from-home environment some weeks ago, and that’s of course introduced new challenges that many of us throughout the world have been learning to manage,” Fargo said. “We’ve been excited to see the Wasteland 3 Beta so well received, but the reality is that with these new logistical challenges our release was going to be impacted.”
He said the extra time will allow the studio to react to beta feedback, and generally optimize and polish the game. In particular, he said the extra time will allow for extra work on the co-op experience. “We’re pouring our hearts into this game, and the last thing we want is to have anything but an amazing launch for a product we truly believe in.”
Epic Games is offering a $1 million reward to the first person who can prove that a commercial smear campaign targeted at Houseparty, a social network Epic owns, has been put together.
Houseparty is a “face-to-face” social network that allows users to group video chat and play games together. Epic Games purchased Houseparty last year. Originally reported by the BBC, Houseparty believes it’s under attack by a “paid commercial smear campaign” meant to harm the company.
Wanting to discover if that’s really the case, the company has offered a $1 million bounty to the first person to provide evidence that such a campaign is taking place.
We are investigating indications that the recent hacking rumors were spread by a paid commercial smear campaign to harm Houseparty. We are offering a $1,000,000 bounty for the first individual to provide proof of such a campaign to bounty@houseparty.com.
This bounty for evidence comes after a a slew of online rumors that allege the Houseparty app exposes vulnerabilities to personal information found on other services like Netflix and Spotify. BBC reported that several Twitter users posted screenshots claiming to show that after downloading the Houseparty app, they were locked out of things like Netflix, Spotify, and personal bank accounts.
The Houseparty app does not request access to personal information on your phone like you’d find after downloading something like Facebook, which requests access to your phone’s microphone and camera. Epic Games has since released a statement on the matter declaring that no evidence has been found.
“We’ve found no evidence to suggest a link between Houseparty and the compromises of other unrelated accounts,” an Epic Games spokesperson told BBC. “As a general rule, we suggest all users choose strong passwords when creating online accounts on any platforms.”
Houseparty’s popularity has risen with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising from an average of 130,000 downloads a week in February to two million a week in March, according to BBC.
It’s crazy to think that we’re already a quarter of the way through 2020, and the new month has another batch of video games to feast on. April brings us some sizzling hot remakes: the survival horror outing Resident Evil 3, the sword-slashing tale of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and the reimagined retro RPG Trials of Mana. Movie fans can also get a taste of nostalgia with Predator: Hunting Grounds, and the Gears of War crowd gets a new strategy-heavy campaign with Gears Tactics.
Resident Evil 3 — April 3
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Resident Evil 3 is getting the same treatment as 2019’s Resident Evil 2 remake, which is appropriate since the two games overlap. RE 3 sees Jill Valentine exploring a zombie-filled Raccoon City, where she and other S.T.A.R.S. agents are being hunted down by the nasty Nemesis. That’s just the single-player component–this remake also includes Resident Evil Resistance, an asymmetrical multiplayer mode. Four players control survivors, while a fifth mastermind tries to take them out with zombies, Lickers, Tyrants, and all sorts of tricks and traps.
In a joint statement to Gamesindustry.biz, German industry association game and Gamescom venue Koelnmesse said it’s possible there still could be an in-person event. Gamescom will be held as a digital event from August 25 to 29 at the bare minimum, and the organizers will make a decision in May to determine if it will take place in its normal home of Cologne, Germany. Regardless, they’re preparing to expand digital coverage to reach more viewers.
“If an on-site event is possible, there will also be more information at that stage with regard to which changes need to be made in order to fully ensure the health of all visitors,” the organizers added.
Sports are canceled. It’s a massive bummer for millions of people looking to root for their favorite team or sports player to win the match/game/fight, but there is another way to get your sports fix in this time of sportslessness. ESPN+ has thousands of hours of sports-related content to help scratch that sports-itch (you should get that looked at, by the way).
If you’re having sports-withdrawals, I recommend getting yourself set up with an ESPN+ subscription. There’s just so much there. It’s almost overwhelming. Today I’m going to make a personal recommendation for you to check out some of the classic boxing matches available on-demand.
Boxing has mostly been overshadowed by the rapid rise of mixed martial-arts. In fact, ESPN+ has thousands of UFC matches, as well as exclusive pay-per-view events, so if you’re a UFC fan, you won’t be disappointed. But today I want to recommend checking out the classic boxing available to stream on ESPN+.
Foreman vs. Ali: The Rumble in the Jungle
Image: Wikipedia
Muhammad Ali is the greatest boxer of all time, and his fights are legendary. There’s the Thrilla in Manilla, pitting Ali against Joe Frazier in the Philippines and is largely considered one of the best boxing matches of all time. Then there’s Ali/Liston 2, a controversial fight from 1965 that produced one of the most iconic sports photos of all time. Those should also be watched (basically all the Ali fights are worth checking out), but Rumble in the Jungle hits the sweet spot for length of watch and seeing Ali in peak form.
He employed his legendary “rope a dope” technique, and for much of the fight it looks as though Ali is headed for an embarrassing loss, as he’s literally up against the ropes for much of the match. However, it was a calculated strategy to wear down Foreman, focusing his hits where they would maximize energy loss and minimize points scored. Once Foreman is sufficiently tired, Ali springs into action and it’s amazing to watch.
Tyson vs. Spinks
Image: Wikipedia
Where Foreman vs. Ali was a battle of calculated strategy, Tyson vs. Spinks is a match of pure brutality. At the time of the fight, both Mike Tyson and Michael Spinks were undefeated. Tyson had possession of three belts: World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, and the International Boxing Federation, but Spinks was considered the lineal boxing champion. At the time, the purse was the largest ever offered for a professional boxing match, with Spinks guaranteed a $14 million prize just for showing up.
What’s most interesting about this fight, to me, isn’t that it lasted a mere 91 seconds before Tyson’s brutal onslaught sent Spinks to the mat, but rather you can see in Spinks’ eyes he’s already lost before Tyson even made it to the ring. As Tyson’s industrial entrance theme rattled the Atlantic City Convention Hall, more noise than song, Spinks looked like a man questioning whether or not $14 million was worth taking a flurry of devastating punches from one of the sport’s fastest, hardest-hitting, and most brutal ringsmen to ever lace up a pair of gloves.
A minute and a half after the bell, Spinks earned his $14 million, and never fought again.
Boxing is just one small part of the overall ESPN+ package, and while there are dozens of famous historic matches to watch from legends like Rocky Marciano and even Jack Dempsey, there’s a ton of modern coverage, too. That’s in addition to the 30 for 30 documentaries, original shows, rebroadcasts of NHL hockey, MLS and other professional leagues, E60 segments and more. If you’re jonesing for sports right now, an ESPN+ subscription is just $4.99 a month, or you can bundle it with Disney+/Hulu for $12.99. It’s a treasure trove of sports content.
