Tag: steam

Battlefield 2042 Coming to EA Play, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in Time for Season 3

Battlefield 2042 is coming to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. In a development update blog post, EA confirmed that starting with Season 3, its multiplayer shooter will be included as part of its own subscription service, which also comes packaged with Xbox’s high-tier gaming subscription plan. The publisher has not unveiled a release window for the next chapter, but hopes to rope in wary players, who’ve avoided the game since its troubled launch in late YEAR. In December, EA has planned free access periods across all major platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.

“We’re proud of the work that we’ve done over the past 12 months and so if you haven’t jumped in yet, starting in Season 3 we’ll be introducing Battlefield 2042 into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and making the game available for subscribers with EA Play,” the post reads.

With Season 3, developer DICE will reintroduce Classes to Battlefield 2042, placing Specialists within defined roles that see them equipped with a unique set of gadgets, suited to specific situations on the field. Similar to past entries in the franchise, Classes are divided into four types: Assault is equipped with a med pen, the Engineer has a repair tool, Recon players carry an insertion beacon, and the Support types have a defibrillator at the ready, for quick revivals. This will be deployed as part of Update 3.2, scheduled for the early part of 2023, which falls during the latter half of the aforementioned Season 3 multiplayer component.

For those who can’t bothered with EA Play or Game Pass Ultimate, EA has also confirmed a free trial period across all platforms, hoping to bring boost the player base for Battlefield 2042. The game was received poorly by fans and critics alike at launch, due to the slew of glitches, rendering issues, and underuse of map segments. EA cut down development costs on several iconic aspects such as destructible environments and a campaign segment, while not bothering to iron out bugs before launch.

Here are the details for the free Battlefield 2042 trial period:

  • PC (Steam): From December 1, at 11:30pm IST/ 10am PT through to December 5, 11:30pm IST/ 10am PT
  • PS4, PS5: From December 16, at 9:30pm IST/ 8am PT through to December 23, 9:30pm IST/ 8am PT
  • Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X: From December 1, at 1:30pm IST/ 12:01am PT through to December 5, 1:29pm IST/ December 4, 11:59pm PT

EA also plans to introduce a new Specialist soon, alongside a new battle pass, events, changes to the Battlefield Portal, and several quality-of-life improvements. Battlefield 2042’s “Manifest” and “Breakaway” maps are also getting reworked in season 3, with the latter receiving a “massive overhaul.”

In September, EA established Ridgeline Games, a new studio dedicated to the Battlefield franchise, that will focus on creating a proper campaign experience. The component has been lacking in recent entries, but will see a positive shakeup under Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto’s direction, who will lead the new Seattle-based team, composed of industry veterans. The publisher first spoke about building a new campaign-focused team for Battlefield, merely weeks after 2042’s launch, completely revamping their management. At the time, Vince Zampella, CEO, Respawn Entertainment — known for Titanfall and Apex Legends — was put in charge of the series, aiming to build a “connected Battlefield universe,” exploring new experiences and stories.

Currently, there is no launch window for Battlefield 2042 Season 3, but it will be out on EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate once that happens.

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Company of Heroes 3 Release Date Delayed to February 2023

Company of Heroes 3 release date has been delayed by three months. On Tuesday, Sega and Relic Entertainment announced that their upcoming war-themed, real-time strategy game has been pushed to February 23, 2023. The title was initially set to launch on November 11, but it requires more time for polish. As part of the announcement, the studio detailed a set of new features, based on community feedback, including changes to the map, improved voice lines, and a cleaner HUD. Company of Heroes 3 will be out exclusively on PC via Steam.

Unlike most AAA developers, Relic Entertainment is quite forthright about its reasoning for the delay. “There are still bugs to squash, pixels to polish, gameplay to adjust, and feedback to address,” the statement reads. On its official website, the studio has kept its community updated on all fronts of development — even adding a comment section for fans to react. Right from the get-go, community interaction has played a major role in shaping Company of Heroes 3 to its full potential. Dating back to the formation of a community council, three years ago, Relic Entertainment has kept top players from around the world in the loop, helping lay the foundation for the upcoming game.

“When we brought in our ten players, and sat them down, we put on the board: ‘Hey, what theatre would you guys want?’ And we all agreed that we wanted a new theatre, we didn’t want to revisit the Western Front or the Eastern Front,” executive producer David Littman told PC Gamer. “So really, the only two things left were the Mediterranean and Pacific. We put them both on the board, and it was just 10-0. Mediterranean over Pacific.” Members have been able to playtest Company of Heroes 3 to their hearts’ content, and offer valuable feedback.

Company of Heroes 3 tosses players into the Mediterranean, as they command ground, air, and naval forces to battle, and crush enemy lines. Pre-ordering the game — at Rs. 3,399 on Steam — grants access to the Devil’s Brigade DLC pack, which adds a slew of cosmetics inspired by the first commando units of World War II. With the aforementioned delay, Relic Entertainment has also detailed some much-requested changes to the game.

For starters, the Dynamic Campaign map in Company of Heroes 3 will feature UI improvements and a more aggressive AI, making encounters all the more challenging. Visual enhancements include shader and FX technology, which ensures that vehicles collect more dirt and grime with time, impact damage, scratches, and burn effects depending on your progression on the battlefield. Then there’s clearer mini-map information, better camera positioning, improvements to upgrade trees, clean HUD, and more. Further information will be shared on a weekly basis.

Company of Heroes 3 now launches February 23, 2023, exclusively on PC via Steam. Currently, there is no word on a tie-up between Relic/Sega and Microsoft that could bring the game day one to PC Game Pass.

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Cyberpunk 2077 Jumps to 85,000+ Active Players on Steam, Highest Since Initial Launch Period

Cyberpunk 2077 has hit its highest concurrent player count on Steam, since January 2021. As per the unaffiliated database SteamDB, CD Projekt Red’s latest made a comeback with 85,000+ active users on the platform, as of Monday. At launch — December 2020 — the game had over a million concurrent players, which soon fell off, thanks to numerous complaints regarding glitches and optimisation issues. The sudden surge in popularity could be attributed to the critical reception the new Netflix anime Cyberpunk Edgerunners received.

In collaboration with Studio Trigger, CD Projekt Red recently expanded upon its Cyberpunk 2077 universe, with the new anime, Cyberpunk Edgerunners. The 10-episode series was released on September 13, causing a positive turnout in the player count. This would be the second time the Polish developers have been able to increase game sales by capitalising on Netflix adaptations — much later since launch.

Previously, the studio saw similar results with The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, as the Henry Cavill-led live-action series dropped on Netflix, inspiring many players to jump back into the fantasy realm.

Cyberpunk 2077 has clearly seen a resurgence this year, with the developers spending the past 20 months, working on patches to fix game-breaking issues across PC and consoles. The game saw a disastrous launch on the PS4, involving atrociously low framerates and crashes, to the point where Sony had to delist the game from its online stores. It was eventually brought back in June 2021, but with a warning stating that the game was best experienced on the PS4 Pro and PS5. Since then, the title has seen several improvements, in addition to fresh content.

Cyberpunk 2077 PS4 Review: Blurry, Buggy, Broken

Earlier this month, in celebration of the anime launch, CD Projekt Red unveiled some in-game swag, including a shotgun from the anime and a Legendary jacket. Titled Patch 1.6, the update added three new gigs — Concrete Cage Trap, Desperate Measures, and Nasty Hangover. Cross-progression was also enabled across all platforms, letting you launch PC save files on consoles (or vice versa), and pick up from where you left off.

The Night City Wire broadcast also saw the reveal of Cyberpunk 2077’s first major DLC, Phantom Liberty. The expansion brings back Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, and sets your character, V, on a path to form an allegiance to the “New United States of America.” The teaser hinted at the rise of oppressive ruling in Night City, lots of dead government officials, combat using an electric whip, and a new mystery character. Further information on the same will be available closer to its launch in 2023. The expansion will be out on PC, Xbox Series S/X, and PS5.

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Yahoo, Paypal Blocked in Indonesia Over Failure to Comply With License Rules

Indonesia has blocked search engine website Yahoo, payments firm Paypal, and several gaming websites due to failure to comply with licensing rules, an official said on Saturday, sparking a backlash on social media.

Registration is required under rules released in late November 2020 and will give authorities broad powers to compel platforms to disclose data of certain users, and take down content deemed unlawful or that “disturbs public order” within four hours if urgent and 24 hours if not.

Several tech companies had rushed to register in days leading to the deadline, which had been extended until Friday, including Alphabet, Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and Amazon.

Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, a senior official at Indonesia’s Communications Ministry, said in a text message websites that have been blocked include Yahoo, Paypal, and gaming sites like Steam, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, and Epic Games, among others.

Paypal, Yahoo’s parent private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and US game developer Valve, which runs Steam, Dota, and Counter-Strike, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Epic Games could not be reached for comment.

Hashtags like “BlokirKominfo” (block Communication Ministry), Epic Games, and Paypal trended on Indonesian Twitter, with many writing messages criticising the government’s move as hurting Indonesia’s online gaming industry and freelance workers who use Paypal.

Pangerapan did not respond to a request for comment.

With an estimated 191 million internet users and a young, social-media savvy population, the Southeast Asian nation is a significant market for a host of tech platforms.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

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Street Fighter 6 Arriving in 2023; Characters, New Modes Revealed by Capcom

Street Fighter 6 is set to arrive sometime in 2023 on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. This announcement was made by Capcom during Sony’s PlayStation State of Play event on Thursday. Capcom is developing this game on the RE Engine, which has been previously used for titles like Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village, and Devil May Cry 5. In addition, the Street Fighter 6 gameplay trailer was also released that showcases the unique art style of the new Street Fighter game. The trailer reveals two new game modes and confirms four characters, including an all-new fighter.

Additionally, the PlayStation Blog post reveals Street Fighter 6 will arrive with the classic Arcade Mode, online matches, Training Mode, local versus battles, and more as part of the Fighting Ground along with two new modes — World Tour and Battle Hub. World Tour will allow players to create a custom avatar for a single-player experience with an immersive story. There will also be the Battle Hub, which will serve as a venue for online matches with unique communication and engagement options. Capcom is expected to reveal more details about these modes in the build-up to Street Fighter 6’s release.

The Street Fighter 6 gameplay trailer offers glimpses at these game modes. It also confirms that the fighting roster will see the return of Chun-Li, Ryu, and Luke. All of these characters have been redesigned for Street Fighter 6. Jamie, a new fighter, has also been confirmed whose fighting style is based on drunken boxing. The Street Fighter 6 trailer also teased the addition of another new fighter, Kimberly, near the end.

Capcom has introduced a Drive System with Street Fighter 6. Players will have to now manage a Drive Guage during the fight, which will allow them to execute five offensive and defensive techniques — Drive Impact, Drive Parry, Overdrive Art, Drive Rush, and Drive Reversal. Street Fighter 6 will also feature a Modern Control Type aimed at new or rusty players. This control scheme will allow players to pull off complex character moves with ease. For more experienced players, the Classic Control Type will be available too.

The Street Fighter 6 developer is also teaming up with popular figures in the Fight Game Community (FGC) to bring Real-Time Commentary feature to the game. FGC regulars, Vicious and Aru, have been confirmed to lend their voices for this feature.

Street Fighter 6 will be released sometime in 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC via Steam.

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