News

News

Xbox One and PS4 "a generation ahead of the highest end PC" – EA CTO

Xbox One and PS4 "a generation ahead of the highest end PC" – EA CTO

EA’s chief technology officer Rajat Teneja says that the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are a generation ahead of the best PCs on the market.

“Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have adopted electronics and an integrated systems-on-a -chip (soc) architecture that unleashes magnitudes more compute and graphics power than the current generation of consoles,” wrote Teneja in a post on LinkedIn.

“These architectures are a generation ahead of the highest end PC on the market and their unique design of the hardware, the underlying operating system and the live service layer create one of the most compelling platforms to reimagine game mechanics.

“Our benchmarks on just the video and audio performance are 8-10 times superior to the current gen,” he wrote.

“The compute capabilities of these platforms and the data transfer speeds we can now bank on, essentially removes any notion of rationing of systems resources for our game engines.”

News

US Square Enix president Mike Fischer has quit

US Square Enix president Mike Fischer has quit

Mike Fischer is no longer president and CEO of Square Enix North America.

As reported by Polygon, Square Enix has confirmed that Fischer quit earlier this month.

He had been in the role since July 2010.

News

Atari to auction all IP piece by piece

Atari to auction all IP piece by piece

After failing to find a buyer for its entire back catalogue, Atari will auction its IP piece by piece.

In January Atari filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and since convened with about 180 potential buyers only to receive 15 unsatisfactory bids for its entire catalogue.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Atari will hold auctions over four days in July, and is seeking a minimum of US$22.2 million (AU$22.9 million) in total.

News

Dead Island studio announces free-running zombie title Dying Light

Dead Island studio announces free-running zombie title Dying Light

Dead Island studio Techland has announced another zombie title: Dying Light.

The Polish studio said the game was a free-running zombie survival title with a day/night cycle.

Zombies are slow in daylight, but their numbers and strength increase at night.

News

“Microsoft did not target the highest-end graphics” – Xbox One engineer

“Microsoft did not target the highest-end graphics” – Xbox One engineer

A Microsoft engineer says the company purposefully didn’t aim for the highest possible specs on the Xbox One.

Speaking in a video touting the power of the Xbox One, Microsoft’s silicon development general manager Greg Williams told Engadget that Microsoft's engineers “purposefully did not target the highest-end graphics”.

"We targeted more as a broad entertainment play and did it in an intelligent way," he said.

News

The indies react: No self-publishing on Xbox Live hands money to competitors

The indies react: No self-publishing on Xbox Live hands money to competitors

Destructoid has gathered a number of developer reactions to the news that Microsoft won’t allow self-publishing on the new Xbox Live.

It's worth noting that Sony, Nintendo, and Valve all allow self-publishing on their respective game distribution platforms.

Brian Provinciano, creator of Retro City Rampage:

News

Need for Speed: Rivals announced by EA

Need for Speed: Rivals announced by EA

EA has announced Need for Speed: Rivals, the latest entry in the long-running racing franchise.

Rivals is in development at Ghost Games – EA’s newest studio – in partnership with Burnout and Need for Speed: Most Wanted developer Criterion Games.

The game will run on EA’s Frostbite 3 engine, and capture “the adrenaline and intensity of the street’s ultimate rivalry between cops and racers, in a stunning open road environment”, according to EA.

Players that manage to avoid the police will accumulate Speedpoints, which may be used to unlock new cars and items, but which will make them a more valuable target for the cops.

Gamers will also be able to play as the police, and work together to nab racers and earn promotions within the police force.

News

Battlefield 4 release date announced

Battlefield 4 release date announced

Battlefield 4 will be available from October 31, DICE has announced.

The game is confirmed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC.

“Powered by the advanced Frostbite 3 engine, Battlefield 4 delivers a genre-defining all-out war experience brought to life with unmatched visual and audio fidelity, superior character animations, and dynamic destruction that ensures no two matches are alike,” said DICE.

News

Triple-A development "fundamentally broken" – former Trion Worlds GM

Triple-A development "fundamentally broken" – former Trion Worlds GM

The current model of triple-A game development is fundamentally broken, according to former Trion Worlds general manager and CCO Scott Hartsman.

Speaking with Massively, Hartsman made it clear that he was talking about the system rather than companies or individuals.

“I don't know of anyone who's hired with the intent of treating people disposably. No one ever wants that, even the companies frequently perceived as ‘evil’,” he said.

News Index


Command & Conquer will "wash the stain of C&C 4 away"
Command & Conquer will "wash the stain of C&C 4 away"
NEWS Erase and replace.
PC
Strategy: Real Time
Colonial Marines co-developer TimeGate files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Colonial Marines co-developer TimeGate files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
NEWS Up to NZ$58 million in debt.
Cat memes in Scribblenauts trigger lawsuit
Cat memes in Scribblenauts trigger lawsuit
NEWS Business Cat to lead defence.
PC, WiiU, 3DS
Strategy: Real Time
1
Capcom cuts back outsourcing, cancels games
Capcom cuts back outsourcing, cancels games
NEWS Restructure halves projected income.
Castle of Illusion reimagining coming this year
Castle of Illusion reimagining coming this year
NEWS Mickey, pre-Epic.
Classic sci-fi action-adventure Flashback gets Unreal Engine remake
Classic sci-fi action-adventure Flashback gets Unreal Engine remake
NEWS Happy twentieth birthday.
360, PS3
Chrome experiment turns web pages into playable Marble Madness-style game levels
Chrome experiment turns web pages into playable Marble Madness-style game levels
NEWS Navigate GP in an all-new way!
Counter-Strike co-creator's latest game in open beta
Counter-Strike co-creator's latest game in open beta
NEWS Another free-to-play multiplayer FPS.
PC
Action: First-Person
Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3 to feature multiplayer
Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3 to feature multiplayer
NEWS A first for CD Projekt Red.
PC
Company of Heroes 2 gets release date
Company of Heroes 2 gets release date
NEWS Winter is coming.
PC
Strategy: Real Time
Call of Duty co-creator Jason West left Respawn last year [Updated]
Call of Duty co-creator Jason West left Respawn last year [Updated]
NEWS Studio co-founder has possibly retired.
Console Diablo III may not require Internet connection
Console Diablo III may not require Internet connection
NEWS No crossplay with PC.
PC, PS3, PS4
RPG: Real Time
Colonial Marines development not outsourced – Gearbox
Colonial Marines development not outsourced – Gearbox
NEWS Demiurge, TimeGate, Nerve all contributed.
PC, 360, PS3
Action: First-Person
Civ V lead designer outlines the problems with modern strategy games
Civ V lead designer outlines the problems with modern strategy games
NEWS Difficult, interesting decisions scarce.
Crusader Kings II's Old Gods expansion promises a holy war
Crusader Kings II's Old Gods expansion promises a holy war
NEWS We will fight the heathens.
PC
Strategy
Cyberpunk 2077 engine gives RPG triple-A shooter fidelity – CD Projekt Red
Cyberpunk 2077 engine gives RPG triple-A shooter fidelity – CD Projekt Red
NEWS Some big claims within.
PC
Crytek picks up core Vigil Games team for new US studio
Crytek picks up core Vigil Games team for new US studio
NEWS Future of Darksiders IP still unknown.
Chinese government may lift console ban
Chinese government may lift console ban
NEWS Outlawed since 2000.
Classic Capcom arcade games coming to XBLA and PSN this June
Classic Capcom arcade games coming to XBLA and PSN this June
NEWS Company celebrates 30 years in business.
CD Projekt RED outlines Cyberpunk 2077 setting
CD Projekt RED outlines Cyberpunk 2077 setting
NEWS An open-world non-linear dystopian nightmare.
PC
Costs halt Age of Empires Online content production
Costs halt Age of Empires Online content production
NEWS No further expansion planned.
PC
Strategy
Capcom not porting released games to Wii U
Capcom not porting released games to Wii U
NEWS No DmC, either.
Countdown timer appears on Major Nelson's blog
Countdown timer appears on Major Nelson's blog
NEWS New Xbox announce at E3?
Capcom celebrates 25 years of Street Fighter and Mega Man with an 8-bit crossover
Capcom celebrates 25 years of Street Fighter and Mega Man with an 8-bit crossover
NEWS Free, glorious.
Crysis 3 PC specifications revealed
Crysis 3 PC specifications revealed
NEWS Upgrade time.
PC, 360, PS3
Action: First-Person
Console game distribution should seek to emulate Steam – Beat Hazard creator
NEWS Cheaper, easier, better sales.
Curiosity players express themselves with carvings of their tackle
Curiosity players express themselves with carvings of their tackle
NEWS Two million attack the block.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II to have live streaming of matches via YouTube
Call of Duty: Black Ops II to have live streaming of matches via YouTube
NEWS An eSports initiative.
PC, 360, PS3
Action: First-Person
Capcom scaling back outsourced games
Capcom scaling back outsourced games
NEWS If you want something done right...
Crysis 2 headlines November PlayStation Plus line-up
Crysis 2 headlines November PlayStation Plus line-up
NEWS Vita content incoming.
PS3, Vita