Starting in April, Xbox Live Arcade Games will break free of their current 200 Gamerscore cap and move to a cap of 400. The news comes from a blog post by Microsoft’s Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hryb. The new cap will serve as an option for new games and will also allow for up to 30 achievements.
Although this will be an option for now, in June this 400 Gamerscore cap will become mandatory for all new games. This increase will surely please those interested in the ability of raising their Gamerscore at a quicker pace.
Despite settling with Bethesda over the right to name their upcoming card game Scrolls, Mojang has lost the ability to use Scrolls as the name for any sequels. This news comes after Mojang’s infamous Notch went to Twitter to celebrate the initial legal victory.
“ZeniMax has licensed the ‘Scrolls’ mark to Mojang to be used solely in conjunction with its existing Scrolls digital card game and any add-on material it makes to that game,” a statement from Bethesda reads. “The terms of the settlement bar Mojang from using the Scrolls mark for any sequel to the current card game, or any other video game.”
If Mojang does intend to make another Scrolls-related title, they will have to come up with another clever title. Cardcraft anyone?
Ealier today an issue on Xbox Live was causing Gamerscores to be reset to zero. Microsoft responded to the issue quickly and took to their support page to tell users We are aware of the problem and appreciate your patience while we implement a solution.”
Later today Microsoft resolved the issue, posting the following on their support page:
“The issue that some customers were experiencing with zero Achievements and Gamerscores has now been resolved. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. You may need to log off and log back in for the information to be updated.”
This issue comes a day after Microsoft revealed that the achievement cap for XBLA games would be raised from 200 to 400.
An image of what appears to be unannounced Mass Effect 3 multiplayer DLC has hit the internet. Originally found via Facebook and spread across Reddit, the image apparently comes from an unknown player who reached a developer server for the game which unlocked “test DLC” for the game.
Some are wondering if the DLC in question is from the Mass Effect 3 action figures that are set to be released, but according to Bioware, those are supposed to include randomized DLC that could be anything from new characters to new weapons.
The fromer Playstation front-man Phil Harrison has switched sides, joining Microsoft as head of its European Games Studios. This news comes after the departure of Peter Molyneux, but Microsoft claims Harrison will not be taking Molyneux’s old job and that the hiring of Harrison is “completely unrelated to Peter’s departure.”
A spokesperson for Microsoft added:
““Phil will lead Microsoft Studios European organization, but will also influence the broader performance of IEB’s European business. We will continue to rely on our stable of first party developers as we determine if and when the Microsoft Studios Europe creative director vacancy should be filled”
Harrison has been known for switching positions often and never staying in a single job for too long. It remains to be seen if he will settle down with Microsoft.
Obsidian Entertainment is reportedly the latest studio to be hit with layoffs. The studio’s forums and Twitter messages are helping to relay the total damage from the layoffs, but much is still uknown.
A tipster wrote the following to Joystiq:
“Another project canceled, this time for a future next-gen project and the layoffs impacted that team, plus the existing South Park team. Approximately 20-30 people from all disciplines, including one person who started yesterday, as well as one who started last week.”
“We are always happy to talk about our announced projects, gaming and the industry as a whole. However, it is our policy to not comment on
stories regarding our staff,” Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart told Joystiq this afternoon.
Blizzard has announced that their hotly anticipated action-rpg Diablo III finally has a concrete release date. Those eagerly awaiting a trip to Sanctuary can pick up their copy when the game is officially released on May 15.
When released, the game will be available at retailers in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. It’ll also be available digital-only in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
Further localizations of the game will be available on June 7. These localizations will include Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, European Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Russian.
CBS Interactive, the partent of popular gaming site Gamespot has done it again with their acquisition of Giant Bomb. The purchase comes as part of a larger deal that sees Whiskey Media, Giant Bomb’s previous parent company, being purchased by BermanBruan. Most of Whiskey Media’s sites will transition along to BermanBraun while Giant Bomb and Comic Vine move to CBS Interactive.
Jeff Gerstmann has revealed that he will explain why he was fired from the site back in 2007 in a livestream later today (4pm PST, 7pm EST). The livestream will feature Gerstmann alongside Gamespot boss John Davison and will be broadcast live on both Giant Bomb and Gamespot.
As part of the purchase, Giant Bomb will now move to the Gamespot offices.
Back in 2010, Bioware Montreal was developing what was shaping up to be a standalone, competitive multiplayer first-person-shooter based in the Mass Effect universe. Titled Mass Effect Team Assault, this idea eventually became the third-person co-op multiplayer mode that shipped with Mass Effect 3.
This comes from a new documentary-turned iPad app The Final Hours of Mass Effect 3. According to the documentary,
“To create a standalone multiplayer experience in the Mass Effect universe that would mix the play styles of Unreal Tournament and Battlefield 1943 — and likely be released as a downloadable game.”
Beamdog has revealed that their Overhaul Games division will be taking the lead on development of Baldur’s Gate: Enahnced Edition. The project sounds like some sort of HD update. A specific release date and platforms are currently unkown, but we do now it will come sometime this summer.
A Beamdog representative has revealed to Joystiq that “This is the Enhanced Edition, it’s not a repackage. We have the original source code and are doing a significant update.”
The team behind the game are also planning “regular announcements every week with more details.”
The rumor wheel has been turning at an alarming rate these last few months over Microsoft’s next console. However, the company has decided to put a stop to the E3 announcement speculation early. In a statement to Kotaku, the console manufacturer made it clear that E3 2012 will not be the place for them to discuss their next console.
“While we appreciate all the interest in our long-range plans for the future, we can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon. For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360-and it’s the best year ever for Xbox 360.”
The statement goes on about how the Xbox 360 is having its best year yet. We are all eager to hear what Microsoft has planned for its next console, but we will have to wait until sometime after E3 to hear it.
The Official Nintendo Magazine has revealed the Japanese box art for the latest Pokemon games. Below are the boxes, which show off the new legendary Pokemon and what appears to be lightning and fire.
It is likely that we will see similar box art in North America. Pokemon Black and White 2 are currently set for release in Japan in June along with North America and Europe some time in the third quarter of 2012.
Blaze, the manufacturer of the new portable Neo Geo X have revealed the device’s price to MVC. According to the company, the current set price for the device is £500, but they are open to fan reaction over the idea of a price drop.
A price drop would be good considering the direct currency conversion to USD puts the device at $792.
