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Doublejump Digest: November 18, 2018

This week in gaming: Sony drops a bombshell, the Xbox One’s future looks more interesting, Telltale starts pulling games, 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:

MAJOR NEWS:

Sony is skipping E3 2019:

A Sony Interactive Entertainment representative has told Game Informer that the company will “not participate in E3 in 2019” and will instead focus on “new and familiar ways to engage [the PlayStation] community”. When asked whether the company would hold a press conference or similar event near E3, PlayStation Senior VP of Communications Jennifer Clark denied that it had any plans to host anything “around E3”.

Report: Microsoft is working on a disc-less Xbox One:

According to Thurrott, “people familiar with the company’s plans” have told the outlet that Microsoft is planning to release an Xbox One that excludes a disc drive, and it may be released as soon as next year. The same sources also claimed that the system will not be part of the “Project Scarlett” family of systems that will be designed around game streaming. The company will also reportedly introduce a “disc-to-digital” service that will allow console owners to convert their physical games into digital titles tied to their accounts.

Microsoft: Xbox Game Pass has millions of subscribers, improves game sales:

In more concrete Microsoft news, the company’s executive vice-president of Gaming Phil Spencer told LevelUp (via ResetEra) that the Xbox Game Pass program has accumulated “millions” of subscribers since its June 2017 release. Furthermore, Spencer also noted that the subscription service has led to increased Xbox game sales due to the increased exposure of having more Xbox owners playing new games with friends and streaming them online.

Telltale removes games from Steam as it closes down:

Business consultancy Sherwood Partners has confirmed to GameDaily.biz that it has been tasked with handling Telltale Games’s liquidation processes while a former Telltale employee claims that their health insurance is set to expire on November 30, 2018. More worryingly – to fans at least – it appears as if some of the company’s games, included the original season of The Walking Dead, are no longer available for purchase through Steam.

Stephanie “Hex” Bendixsen will host the Australian Game Awards:

Organiser Trade Media has announced that the popular Australian gaming personality will host the inaugural Australian Game Awards in Sydney next month.

Don’t expect an N64 Classic anytime soon:

Speaking with Kotaku’s Stephen Totilo, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed that the company is not currently developing a classic version of its first 3D console. He did not, however, rule out the possibility of one being released in a few years’ time.

He explained that Nintendo released the first two Classic systems to tide the company over from the Wii U’s final years to the first few of the Switch.

“We were clear when we did the first two Classic series that, for us, these were limited time opportunities that were a way for us as a business to bridge from the conclusion of Wii U as a hardware system to the launch of Nintendo Switch,” he explained. “That was the very strategic reason we launched the NES Classic system.”

EA enlists original developers for the Command & Conquer remasters:

EA Producer Jim Vessella has taken to the series’s official subreddit to reveal that the publisher has partnered with Petroglyph Games to develop the upcoming 4K remasters of Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Command & Conquer: Red Alert. The studio was founded by developers from the series’ creator, Westwood Studios.

NOTABLE GAME RELEASES:

  • Battlefield V (PC, PS4, and Xbox One)
  • Fallout 76 (PC, PS4, and Xbox One)
  • HITMAN 2 (PC, PS4, and Xbox One)
  • Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! (Switch)
  • Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! (Switch)
  • Spyro Reignited Trilogy (PS4 and Xbox One)
  • Sunset Overdrive (PC)

VIDEOS AND TRAILERS:

Darksiders III – Fury’s Apocalypse Trailer:

Woah. Who else completely forgot that this game was coming out this month?

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – Golden Joystick Awards Trailer:

Strangereal is such a great name for a fictional game setting.

ONE PIECE WORLD SEEKER – Release Date Trailer:

Expect to join Monkey D. Luffy and friends in a new adventure on March 15, 2019!

Just Cause 4 – Deep Dive:

Here’s a pretty extensive overview of the latest Just Cause experience.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Play for free November 15th-19th:

Ubisoft is celebrating Rainbow Six Siege’s 40M player milestone with a free weekend!

OTHER NEWS:

  • God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 lead The Game Awards nominations: Gamasutra
  • Star Citizen’s crowdfunding campaign has passed the US$200 million mark: Eurogamer
  • SMITE is coming to Switch next year: Eurogamer
  • It looks like the H1Z1 Pro League is set to close down: ESPN
  • A US couple has been fined US$12M for distributing Nintendo game ROMS:Eurogamer
  • Seon-woo “Infiltration” Lee has pulled out of the Capcom Cup following allegations that he abused his ex-wife: Kotaku Autralia
  • Tyler Barriss has pleaded guilty to charges of “swatting” that led to a death: NPR
  • Warframe players will be able to bring their PC accounts to Switch: Kotaku Australia
  • Astro Gaming has announced a PS4 take on an “elite controller”: The Verge
  • Fighting EX Layer is heading to PC later this month: DualShockers
  • Stardew Valley’s iOS release brought in US$1 million during its first weeks: GamesIndustry.biz

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