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Metroid Prime Samus Aran
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Doublejump Digest: January 27, 2019

This week in gaming: Nintendo reboots Metroid Prime 4, EA’s servers can’t keep up with Anthem players, Ubisoft embraces its LGBTIQ fans, and more!

In the spirit of keeping our readers up to date with what’s happening in the video game industry, the Doublejump Digest is a brief collection of the major news stories from the past week. Keep an eye out for the Digest every Sunday night, and head on into the archive for news from weeks gone by!

FROM DOUBLEJUMP:

  • John celebrated the release of the Resident Evil 2 remake with a discussion about why every game should be Resident Evil 4.

MAJOR NEWS:

Nintendo restarts Metroid Prime 4’s development, dismisses need for Switch price cut:

In a surprise video update, Nintendo’s Shinya Takahashi announced that the company has completely rebooted the game’s development and has recruited original Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios to take over development duties.

Given the severity of the reshuffle, fans should not expect to see Metroid Prime 4 released before the end of the year, but here’s hoping that we see a new trailer at this year’s E3 at least.

In related news, Nintendo President Shuntaro Fukuwara told The Sankei News (via GamesIndustry.biz) that the company does not see the need to discount the Switch’s retail price to meet its 20 million unit sales projection by the end of this financial year. Furthermore, he also dismissed the notion that the company was thinking about a successor for its popular hybrid system.

EA servers go down during Anthem’s VIP demo launch:

Almost as soon as BioWare launched its “VIP demo” event for its upcoming multiplayer game Anthem, publisher EA’s servers went down and resulted in eager players facing login issues across PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. As of this writing, EA has since fixed the “main issue impacting the Anthem VIP demo on PC and PS4”, but Xbox One players are still out of luck.

Ubisoft will change Assassin’s Creed Odyssey DLC ending:

Community Manager UbiPhobos took to the company’s official forum to announce that it will be changing the game’s Shadow Heritage to not force players into heterosexual relationships to complete the story. The publisher faced backlash from players and LBTIQ rights group GLAAD for its decision to require players to enter into a heterosexual relationship”regardless of whether or not the relationship was romantic in nature. This is a departure from the main game’s campaign that embraced same-sex relationships.

Report: Netflix is developing a Resident Evil series:

Deadline has reported that Netflix is currently “searching for a showrunner“ to adapt Capcom’s popular horror game franchise as a limited series. According to the report, Constantin Film, the production house behind the Resident Evil film adaptations is leading the project, but neither Capcom nor Netflix have confirmed the rumour as of this writing.

Epic begins work on fixing Fortnite’s low-FPS fire rate glitch:

Epic Games has noted that it is “investigating a fix” for an issue where Fortnite’s weapons shoot approximately 5.2 percent slower when the game runs at 30 frames-per-second versus at higher frame rates. This puts Switch and slower PC users at a distinct disadvantage during matches, with Digital Foundry confirming the issue following its discovery on Reddit.

NOTABLE GAME RELEASES:

  • Resident Evil 2 (PC, PS4, and Xbox One)
  • SMITE (Switch)

VIDEOS AND TRAILERS:

Resident Evil 2 – Launch Trailer:

Here’s another brilliant – and thoroughly unsettling – look at one of the more hotly-anticipated remakes in recent memory.

Days Gone – World Video Series: Riding The Broken Road:

This two-and-a-half minute video gives viewers information about the game’s open roads, and the Drifter Bike’s myriad uses.

Metro Exodus – Weapons Trailer:

Two and a half weeks out from the game’s release, we learn more about the weapons available to Artyom as he makes his way across the post-apocalyptic wasteland once known as Russia.

JUMP Force – Story Mode:

BANDAI NAMCO’s incredibly ambitious crossover even allows players to create their own hero and fight alongside their favourite characters to save the world… Now that’s cool.

WRC 8 – Reveal Trailer:

Bigben Games reveals a World Rally Championship simulator that it calls “the most intense WRC experience yet.” It certainly looks the part!

Far Cry New Dawn – Story Trailer:

Ubisoft gives us a new look into the twists and turns to be expected in the battle against a newer, bigger threat when New Dawn lands on February 15.

ANNO 1800 – Closed Beta Trailer:

The closed beta opens this coming Thursday and will end next Monday – be sure to get involved and see what you can look forward to!

INDIE SPOTLIGHT:

OlliOlli is coming to Nintendo Switch:

Roll7 and Good Shepherd Entertainment are bringing the legendary franchise to Nintendo’s latest console on February 14, with OlliOlli Switch Stance including both OlliOlli and its sequel, OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood in one neat little package. That’s 50 levels, 250 challenges, well over 100 tricks to pull off, a number of different game modes and one hell of an experience.

Pikuniku is available now:

Sectordub and publisher Devolver Digital have released their “absurdly wonderful puzzle-exploration game” on Nintendo Switch and PC. The game’s cute, playful little world plays host to a dystopian adventure where players will “overcome struggles, uncover a deep state conspiracy and start a fun little revolution”, either alone or with a friend in custom-designed cooperative levels. Sectordub also worked with award-winning artist Kirsten Lepore and musician Calum Bowen on this adorable launch trailer:

OTHER NEWS:

  • A streamer raised more than US$300k for a UK transexual awareness charity: Eurogamer
  • Axiom Verge is Epic Games Store’s next free title: GameSpot
  • Fate/Grand Order has been downloaded more than five million times: DualShockers
  • Check out the new skins featured in Overwatch’s 2019 Lunar New Year event: YouTube
  • PUBG Corp. is testing a “Lite” version of PLAYERUNKOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS for slower computers: GameSpot
  • Here are the first nominees of the 2019 GLAAD Media awards: Official
  • Farming Simulator 19 is the latest game to get its own Esports league: Engadget
  • A professional Esports player beat a former Formula 1 driver at the Race of Champions: Techly
  • Yakuza Kiwami is headed to Steam next month: Polygon
  • A developer has used the DMCA to take its game down from Steam: GamesIndustry.biz

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