 |
|
|
|||||
Netflix has been revamping its games division in recent months, including making adjustments to the library of titles that it offers subscribers at no extra cost. The company has canceled release plans for six games that were previously bound for iOS and Android through its platform. As first reported by What's On Netflix, the company will no longer bring Thirsty Suitors, Compass Point: West and Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game to its library. Nor will it offer three titles from Klei Entertainment: Don't Starve Together, Lab Rat and Rotwood. A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the decision to Engadget, noting that nixing the planned additions was "just a natural part of adjusting our portfolio as we learn more about what our members like." Tales of the Shire, a cozy life sim game featuring hobbits, is still coming to Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S next month. Action RPG Thirsty Suitors received positive reviews when it debuted on PC and consoles in 2023. As for Don't Starve Together, that was a co-op expansion to Don't Starve, a hit survival game from 2013. Netflix has been retooling its games division after bringing in a new leader for the department last summer. It has removed several games from its library and it emerged in October that it had shut its AAA studio, which was dubbed Team Blue. Meanwhile, Leanne Loombe an executive who helped bring the likes of Hades and Grand Theft Auto to Netflix's library while leading second- and third-party development and publishing efforts recently became the head of games at Annapurna Interactive following an exodus there. Meanwhile, Netflix aims to add more high-profile mainstream games to its catalog the WWE 2K series is on the way later this year. Other areas of focus include its well-known franchises, narrative-driven games, party and couch co-op titles and games for kids, per a recent earnings call.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflix-scuttles-plans-to-add-six-previously-announced-games-to-its-service-192946233.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Proving that truly no IP is safe from modern reboot culture, Ataris Breakout is back. The upcoming version of the simple 1976 brick-smashing hit rotates the playing field by 90 degrees and adds auto-scrolling, neon effects, power-ups and local co-op. In other words, Breakout Beyond is the Tetris Effect formula applied to the Led Zeppelin-era arcade classic. The original Breakout was a product of dramatically more limited 1970s hardware, but its simplicity was part of its magic. Rows of bricks sat up top, a player-controlled paddle lived down below and a ball (actually a square, thanks to 70s graphics) bounced in between. Move paddle, hit ball, smash bricks, wow bellbottom-wearing arcadegoers. The core formula moving a paddle to bounce projectiles against bricks remains intact in Breakout Beyond. But the games landscape perspective, while better suited for todays televisions and monitors, may be hard for old-school gamers to get used to. Ditto for auto-scrolling, as this version pans left-to-right toward a goal rather than simply requiring you to break all the bricks on a fixed screen. Atari Visually, the new versions ball is more like a comet, with a long neon tail trailing off behind its round head. Seizure-inducing effects abound. And there are multiple balls to contend with, not just one. (However, Super Breakout, the original games direct sequel, had two modes with extra balls.) Like Tetris Effect, Breakout Beyond introduces combos, rewarding you with intensified visual and sound effects for stringing together streams of broken bricks. You can also break special blocks that unlock power-ups: bombs that clear out everything from a set radius, a force field to shield the ball and a freakin laser cannon that lets you blast bricks out of your way, a la Space Invaders. The game supports two-player local co-op so you can smash bricks with a couch buddy. It has 72 levels and an optional focus mode that slows down time (at the expense of higher scores). Breakout Beyond will arrive later this year for PC, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, PlayStation 5/4 and Ataris rebooted VCS console. Theres no pricing info yet. You can check it out in the trailer below and learn more on Ataris product page. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ataris-breakout-is-getting-a-side-scrolling-reboot-175410378.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Xbox just announced the new titles that will be available for Game Pass this month, and its a good list. Theres a big day one release, an indie gem and, of course, a newish Madden title. Lets get to it. The big news? Avowed is a day one release for subscribers. We knew Obsidians upcoming fantasy epic would come out on February 18, but now we know itll be instantly available for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass users. This is a first-person action RPG from the company that brought us Fallout: New Vegas, so its a pretty big deal. Its a spinoff of Pillars of Eternity, though set in a new land. Another Crabs Treasure is a unique soulslike that trades in the genres typical grimdark aesthetic for a bright, cartoon-like color palette. However, its still tough as nails. You play as a crab trying to get its shell back. The game was already available for Ultimate subscribers, but on February 5 it drops for Standard users. Madden NFL 25, not to be confused with the Madden 25 that actually came out in 2013, is EAs latest football sim. You know the drill here: Its a Madden game. The title will be available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on February 6. Far Cry New Dawn is available right now for all Game Pass tiers. This 2019 FPS fell under the radar a bit, but its a solid entry in the franchise. Its also set after a nuclear apocalypse, which is always a fun time. There are also some more games coming to Game Pass Standard that used to be locked behind an Ultimate subscription. These include Starfield and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on February 5.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/februarys-game-pass-additions-include-avowed-and-madden-nfl-25-164313670.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||