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Xbox head Phil Spencer says Covid-19 will cause delays in 2021
Xbox head Phil Spencer has been talking about the impact of Covid-19 on the games industry, and his message is basically: 'don't worry, everything will mostly be fine'. He says he feels "pretty good" about games that are due to come out this summer and autumn, while those that are further away will see "some impact, but they'll be able to react". It makes sense…
The long list of cancelled events keeps pushing deeper into the year, with the Tokyo Game Show now cancelling its September expo due to the pandemic. The organisers are planning to run an online event instead. TGS is more of a public show than the marketing-o-rama that is E3, but it does tend to bring a few announcements and other goodies each year. Capcom and…
Square Enix are selling 54 Eidos games at a steal, for charity
Stuck for things to play this weekend? After offering their exhaustive JRPG lineup at a pittance last week, Square Enix have this week gutted the price of their Eidos Anthology bundle on Steam as part of their "Stay Home & Play" campaign - offering 54 PC classics, contemporary bangers and bizarre curiosities for just under 30 quid, in aid of charities affected by the Covid-19…
The Overwatch League’s Vancouver Titans have dropped their entire roster mid-season
Looks like there's trouble in paradise at the Overwatch League, as the Vancouver Titans have released their entire team roster right in the middle of the 2020 season. In a letter to fans they explain the decision stemmed from issues with the League's online matches, after homestands were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This unfortunately put the team in a weird position, being based…
Like everything else, Evo is not going ahead as usual this year. The fighting game championships will not invade a Las Vegas resort for a weekend at the end of July, with that event now cancelled and tickets getting refunded. But Evo 2020 is evolving, and will go online this summer. It surely won't be the same but, even as a casual spectator, I'm still…
Tributes to Soldier voice actor Rick May appear across Team Fortress 2
Last month, the voice behind Team Fortress 2's Soldier, Rick May, passed away at 79, after contracting Covid-19 during rehabilitation from a February stroke. This week, Valve's vibrant battlefields grew a little sombre, as an update brought official tributes to the voice actor across TF2's farms, forts and fighting pits.
Feature: Game jams for indoor-types
When you're cooped up inside all day long (for forty-five days and counting), making a game can make for a good distraction. There have been more than a few quarantine-related game jams, each with their own themes and concepts. Isolation, social-solidarity, and "stay home" are common, and when the historians look back at the prolific game dev output of 2020 it won't be too hard…
Every year, the best Dota 2 wizards from all the lands gather to determine which of them can best defend an ancient rock garden - but probably not this year, you'll be surprised to hear. The tenth iteration of The International has been delayed due to the pandemic: "likely" to 2021, say Valve.They're still going to start selling The International Battle Pass soon, with 25%…
After optimistically delaying EGX Rezzed 2020 from March to July due to Covid-19 concerns, the organisers have now outright cancelled this year's event. With the new coronavirus pandemic still running hot, the London games show from our corporate siblings will instead return next year. Folks who bought Rezzed tickets can transfer their ticket to the bigger EGX, which is still scheduled for September, or they…
Dozens of game companies have banded together to offer a free video game to NHS staff, with over 85,000 keys up for grabs in all. That's sweet, that. I've received a wee peek at the giveaway and seen its lineup includes big-name desirables like Doom Eternal, Dreams, and Fifa 20, and games for platforms including PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Vita, Android, iOS, and…
Saddle up, Samurai. Total War: Shogun 2 is blowing the battle horn—or bashing the giveaway gong, rather. This week you can snag the war strategy sim set in feudal Japan for free because Creative Assembly (and everyone else) would like you to stay home and play video games if you're able instead of frolicking about in public during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Alongside the giveaway,…
This Minecraft map attempts to simulate social distancing during a pandemic
Are all you kids out there still playing Minecraft? Let's hope so, because some folks have made a Minecraft map to teach you younguns about how social distancing and healthcare services work together to beat a pandemic. It sounds a bit corny off the cuff but it does look pretty neat, actually, and although it's not a scientifically-accurate model, it might actually help teach some…
Another game giveaway joins the fray amidst the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, imploring you to stay home and do your warring indoors. You can have as many strategic samurai battles as you like if you grab Total War: Shogun 2 next week while it's free for keepsies. Some other Total War games will join it on the front line, going on sale for a week instead of entirely…
Death Stranding’s PC launch is delayed to July, now Kojima Productions are working from home
Kojima Productions today announced they've delayed the PC launch of Death Stranding by six weeks, pushing it back to July 14th. With the company offices closed by the pandemic, and working from home evidently causing a few hiccups, they're taking a little more time to get it right. Ah go on, I'll wait.
English Premier League players are competing in a Fifa 20 tournament this week
With the football off thanks to the pandemic, the English Premier League is turning to Fifa 20 to settle rivalries. Starting today, the ePremier League Invitational knockout tournament will see 20 Premier League players (well, and a few fans) throwing down in Fifa, leading to a final on Saturday that'll even be shown on Sky Sports. Many sports have been running similar virtual competitions in…
Corona Relief Done Quick raised $400,000 with speedrunning this weekend
Over the weekend, dozens of speedrunners whizzed through 50-odd video games in a bonus Games Done Quick to raise money for charity. In total, the Corona Relief Done Quick event raised $400,774.60 (£320k) for an American charity providing personal protective equipment and medical support in these trying times. That's pretty great! And it produced a whole lot of solid speedruns you can still watch in…
With calendars wiped clean by the ongoing lockdown, another two virtual games events have announced plans to fill in the gap with showcases on Steam for the public to play demos and hear developers. Valve and Geoff Keighley's official Steam Game Festival will return in June, and it's probably no coincidence they're claiming dates previously held by E3. And the Polish games conference, Digital Dragons…
Unofficial World Of Warcraft server briefly simulated their own (educational) pandemic
Last weekend, World Of Warcraft private server Elysium planted a single, awful seed. Server organisers coated one in-game item with a highly infectious virus. Within 24 hours of first infection, it had spread to over 7,000 players. This was Pandemic in Azeroth, an attempt from one fan project to deliver actionable real-world advice on surviving the Covid-19 pandemic to World Of Warcraft's fantasy denizens.
World Of Warcraft’s double-XP buff will now last until the next expansion’s pre-patch
Did this whole "being stuck inside" thing get you reinstalling World Of Warcraft again? No? Well, I'm proud of you. If you did fall back into the MMO (or never left), however, the next few months should be smooth sailing indeed. Blizzard this week announced that the Winds of Wisdom double-XP buff has been extended, and will now run until the pre-release update for WoW's…
Gamescom cancelled, will be an online-only event as Germany blocks public gatherings
Chalk another one on the board, team. Gamescom 2020 has been added to the illustrious list of events called off due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, nestled alongside the likes of E3 and GDC. But look on the bright side - while the Koelnmesse might be silent this August, Gamescom organisers this week announced plans to replace the on-site show with an entirely-online digital event.
