This week in gaming: Pokémon dons a sword and shield, Fortnite borrows Apex Legends’ ping system, a game streaming contender emerges, 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:
- New contributor Zack Goutzoulas made his Doublejump debut by reviewing Kingdom Hearts III, which he found to be “a fun adventure, but one not worth replaying for some time.”
MAJOR NEWS:
Nintendo unveils the eighth-generation Pokémon games:
Late this week, Nintendo and publisher The Pokémon Company announced two brand new Pokémon games – Sword and Shield – that will be exclusive to Nintendo Switch. The announcement trailer below revealed that the games will take place in the new Galar region and also introduced the new starter Pokémon: Grookey (Grass), Scorbunny (Fire), and Sobble (Water).
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are slated for release later this year.
Fortnite now features Apex Legends-like ping system:
With this week’s release of Fortnite Battle Royale’s eighth season, developer Epic Games introduced its own version of Apex Legends’ context-aware ping system to the game. While it is not as visually distinctive, it does give players a chance to communicate better with others without using voice communication.
In related news, Rainbow Six Siege Game Director Leroy Athanasoff told Stevivor that developer Ubisoft Montreal has considered improving the game’s ping system to be as versatile as Apex’s.
“It’s been a while since we’ve talked about the ping system. In [multiplayer online battle arena games], it has already been around for a while, and they do that super well, but for a top down game it is very different,” he explained. “With Apex [Legends] I think [that Respawn Entertainment] did an insanely good job with the implementation. And, obviously, we are looking at it. Of course, we wouldn’t take it word for word.”
He later clarified that Siege players should not expect to see an improved ping system anytime soon, but that when Ubisoft Montreal does implement it, the developer aims to “try and set a new benchmark”.
Intel and Tencent are joining forces for a game streaming service:
Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad has reported that Intel and Chinese media giant Tencent are partnering to develop a cloud-based game streaming service named Instant Play. The service is reportedly designed to work in a similar way to Google’s Project Stream and Microsoft’s xCloud, which would allow users to play AAA games on low-powered devices provided they have a stable and fast internet connection. Ahmad added that Tencent and Intel are set to present their joint project at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco later this month.
Dying Light’s developer is shutting down its Polish studio:
Techland CEO Paweł Marchewka has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that, following “months” of lengthy market analysis, the Polisher developer will be shutting down distribution in its home country by the end of the year.
“I have personally made sure to take care of the affairs and future careers of the members of our Polish distribution department who will be leaving Techland,” he added. “Severance packages they will receive are both above the industry and the Polish employment legislation standards. I would like to thank the whole team for the many years of great work together.”
Marchewka also noted that these departures will not affect the development of the company’s main upcoming release, Dying Light 2.
Report: Modern Warfare 2’s campaign is up next for a remaster:
European ratings board PEGI posted and quickly took down a listing for an unannounced title named Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, indicating that Activision Publishing may be set to announce the game alongside this year’s new Call of Duty title. Neither Activision nor Infinity Ward (which is expected to be making this year’s game) have commented on the removed listing as of this writing.
EA to unveil Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order next month:
Lucasfilm has confirmed that EA and Respawn Entertainment will reveal their upcoming Star Wars action title at next month’s Star Wars Celebration fan event. A special panel for the game is set to take place on April 14 Australian Eastern Time, with the game’s story following that of a Padawan who survived Order 66 – the mandate that called for the extermination of the Jedi Order.
NOTABLE GAME RELEASES:
- Dead or Alive 6 (PC, PS4, and Xbox One)
- DiRT Rally 2.0 (PC, PS4, and Xbox One)
- Trials Rising (PC, PS4, and Xbox One)
VIDEOS AND TRAILERS:
Devil May Cry 5 – Final Trailer:
We’ve only got a few days to go!
Destiny 2 – Season of the Drifter:
Bungie lays down what players can expect to see over the next three months.
The Division 2 – Year 1 Trailer:
Massive Entertainment plans on releasing its first eight-player Raid in the upcoming game.
Overwatch – Baptiste Origin Story:
From orphan to combat medic. Meet Baptiste.
The Division 2 – Enter the Dark Zone:
The horrors of war continue to be distilled in these dangerous areas.
Judgment – Localisation Trailer:
It looks like language is no barrier for this eagle-eyed lawyer.
INDIE SPOTLIGHT:
Ape Out has broken out of its cage:
This Devolver-published love letter to classic designer Saul Bass is out now on PC and Switch!
OTHER NEWS:
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered and The Witness are March’s free PlayStation Plus games: EU PS Blog
- THQ has apologised for hosting an AMA on 8chan: Waypoint
- Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance lead March Games With Gold offering: Xbox Wire
- Nike has signed a sponsorship deal for League of Legends Esports in China: DualShockers
- Skybound has cancelled OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead shooter: GamesIndustry.biz
- Roblox now boasts more than 1 billion hours of engagement per month: Pocket Gamer.biz
- Atlus U.S.A. is petitioning fans regarding bringing the next Persona the Switch: DualShockers
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s Game Director has taken over as Cyberpunk 2077’s Design Director: DualShockers
- Numskull Designs has announced plans to enter the game publishing business: Gamasutra
This article was originally published on Doublejump. If you enjoyed what you’ve read, you can support the site further by following us on social media, becoming a Patron, and/or purchasing some merchandise!