HHW Gaming
Page: 6
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Activision / Activision
The new Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was officially announced by Activision just after the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday, June 9, and it’s going back to the 1990’s. While the nostalgia might be in effect right now, the game is dropping October 25.
Source: Activision / Activision
Developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign is being touted as a “spy action thriller” and will be set during the Gulf War.
Per Activision:
In true Black Ops fashion, the fictional story builds on the history of the time, thrusting you into a strange and clandestine conspiracy where a shadowy force has infiltrated the U.S. government. Anyone who resists is branded as a traitor, forcing players to go rogue for the first time to fight the very machine that created them. Nothing is what it seems, and the truth may be hard to fathom, drawing you ever deeper into intrigue, distrust, and mind-bending psychological revelations. This is true, signature Black Ops style.
While we’re sure the campaign will be cool, those into COD strictly for the multiplayer action should be pleased. Some of the multiplayer content that will be available at launch includes 16 brand-new Multiplayer maps on and new “innovations” that include Omnimovement (which lets you sprint, slide and dive in any direction) and Intelligent Movement and larger enemy hit zones as well as new HUD optimizations and a plethora of new weapons and accessories. And for those that know, the return of Theater Mode and Classic Prestige.
You can check for more details about the multiplayer in the clip below via Black Ops 6 Direct.
[embedded content]
Watch the reveal trailer, featuring the OG President George Bush, President Bill Clinton, Saddam Hussein and more below. And yes, you can get your early access in order over at the Black Ops 6 pre-order editions and benefits blog.
[embedded content]
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Carlo Paloni / Getty / Abubakar Salim / Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
Surgent Studios founder and creative director of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Abubakar Salim addressed the constant harassment he and the studio have faced since releasing the game.
The video game industry still has a long way to go regarding diversity and inclusion.
People like Abubakar Salim are working hard to show that Black and Brown people have a place in the game’s business with the release of his game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau. However, there are still issues that must be dealt with, and Salim decided to speak about those challenges he and his studios have had to deal with.
Friday, Salim posted a five-minute video on his personal X/Twitter account to speak on the constant harassment that he admits he didn’t want to address initially.
Salim says he has dealt with claims that he didn’t “deserve the opportunit[ies]” he got at the beginning of his career, adding, “No, it was simply because I’m Black, and I’ve turned my other cheek and just kept doing my thing.”
Before dropping his game, Salim was best known for his acting roles in Assassin’s Creed Origins and roles in MAX’s original series Raised By Wolves and season two of Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon.
Salim states in the video that he could brush off some of the comments, but “when there’s a constant barrage of them, it’s exhausting.”
[embedded content]
The actor/video game developer says the harassment reached a “fever pitch” once his game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, came to the forefront and became a focal point of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) harassment campaigns.
Per IGN:
“Don’t get me wrong, there’s been so much amazing and beautiful support for this game. The fact that it’s inspired so many people and touched, you know, so many lives, it was one of our goals from the outset — to have this positive impact, right?” Salim says. “But at the same time, we are being faced with constant targeted harassment from people who see diversity as a threat. From people who look across the vast landscape of modern media and decide that anything that doesn’t speak to them or centers around them is unnecessary and inauthentic.”
“And look,” he continues, “there’s always a reason why diverse stories can’t exist. You know, it’s always either we’re doing it the wrong way or it’s just there to tick boxes and it’s just beginning to feel like there is no right way. You know, these exclusionary rules continue to stack up and the goalposts continue to shift until, you know, me, my studio, people who look like us, just sit down, be quiet and just accept the fact that you’re outsiders. But I won’t do that.”
“If there are people who aren’t like you in a game, I want you to know that game is still for you,” Salim continues. “You know, if the characters are a different race or a different gender or you know, a different ideology or different perspective, that doesn’t mean the game isn’t for you. It can still be for you.”
Salim Counters The Harassment By Lowering The Price Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Game On Nintendo Switch
The game dev was determined to make his game accessible to as many people as possible, setting it at an affordable $20 price point across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
To combat the harassment, Salim announced that he lowered the cost of the game to less than $15 on the Nintendo Switch, thanking Nintendo for “acting fast on this.”
“I’m working with the team in bringing this discount to all platforms, and it’s gonna start from now to until the end of June because, you know, it just means so much to me, man,” he says.
Salim continues, “I believe this is just one way that I can show you how serious I am about this,” he says. “Games are for everyone. Diverse games, they’re not about taking something away from you. They’re about adding something new because there’s room for all of us.”
X Rallies Behind Abukar Salim
Following the release of his video, the gaming communities rallied behind Salim, offering him plenty of support and applauding his courage and commitment to pushing diversity in the gaming space.
“This is the message we all need to hear,” Kinda Funny and Gamertag Radio cohost Parris Lilly wrote.
Senior editor Alyssa Mercante added, “So grateful for your work, your vision, and your voice, and to consider you a friend.”
“Black gamers have been playing as non-Black characters in games for so long and enjoy those games, us included. But there is nothing wrong with us also wanting us to be represented fairly and authentically in the medium. What we’re finding here is these detractors don’t want the exact same experience that Black gamers have had to endure for a majority of the history of gaming,” Black Girl Gamers wrote.
We hear at HHW Gaming stand with Abubakar Salim and will continue to ensure we shine a spotlight on Black and Brown game developers like Salim, Xalavier Nelson Jr., and others.
You can see more messages of support sent to Salim in the gallery below.
3. In the face of racism and harassment we continue to have go higher. His decision was admirable.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: PlayStation / State of Play
Everyone owes Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grub an apology. He was absolutely correct — no surprise — that Sony is holding an event this month ahead of Summer Game Fest and the Xbox Games Showcase, but it will be the smaller State of Play.
On Wednesday, Sony confirmed it will have a State of Play presentation on Thursday, May 30.
Immediately, the company tempered expectations, announcing it would be a 30+ minute presentation that would provide “live updates on PS5 and PS VR2 titles, plus a look at PlayStation Studios games arriving later this year.”
Let The Speculation Begin
No one knows precisely what games PlayStation will show or what the company’s announcements will be, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate.
The announcement of this upcoming State of Play follows news that a new Astro Bot game is on the way, with sites like IGN speculating that the game could be part of the presentation.
We could also get our first peek at the PS5 Pro console and announcements about God of War: Ragnarok coming to PC, continuing Sony’s campaign to strengthen its presence outside the PS5/PS4 ecosystem.
There is also a tiny chance (we hope) to see more of Insomniac Games’ highly-anticipated Wolverine game, a possible look at the leaked Venom game, or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 DLC.
Oh, the possibilities.
We will still head into this State of Play with the lowest expectations: Sony usually holds onto the more significant announcements for its PlayStation Showcase events.
Still, gamers and PlayStation fans are hoping we will get some significant announcements, even though Sony already told us not to expect any significant releases for the remainder of 2024.
Again, we have to wait and see; until then, you can see reactions to tomorrow’s State of Play in the gallery below.
1. Jeff Grubb was right
2. Immediately
3. Consider us all hyped
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Activision / Treyarch / Raven Software / Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 rollout did not start smoothly, but Xbox hopes to keep the landing when the game releases later this year.Microsoft is having one hell of a year, and this latest booboo is just another moment that Phil Spencer is probably sitting in his gaming chair with his hand on his forehead.
Spotted by The Verge’s Tom Warren, the company that now owns Activision and the COD franchise accidentally revealed the worst-kept secret: the next installment, Black Ops 6, will be on Xbox Game Pass, with a link to a dead Xbox News Wire post.
Whoever accidentally hit send on that push notification is in big trouble because the accidental reveal came before today’s teaser trailer reveal and the official announcement from Xbox, confirming what we all knew was going to happen with Call of Duty games.
There Are Some Famous Faces In The Black Ops 6 Teaser Trailer
The teaser trailer doesn’t show any gameplay—Xbox is definitely saving that for the big June 6 showing at the upcoming Xbox Showcase in Los Angeles— but it didn’t have plenty of famous faces in it.
In typical Black Ops fashion, the trailer features past world leaders like former US President Bill Clinton and the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, allegedly the main antagonist of Black Ops 6.
This isn’t the first time a Black Ops game has featured a prominent political figure; John F. Kennedy was in the first game, and notorious Presidental Op Ronald Reagan was in Black Ops Cold War.
Per Sports Keeda, Black Ops 6 will allegedly center around the Gulf War and will continue to revolve around the franchise’s main protagonists, Frank Woods, Alex Mason, Jason Hudson, and Russell Adler.
We will find out soon enough.
The trailer below shows more reactions to Black Ops 6 coming to Xbox Game Pass.
1. Gamers are happy
2. Xbox fans finally got something to celebrate about
3. Will this really shift the COD player base?
6. Salute to this guy
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Albert L. Ortega / Getty / Atari
It took a while, but Atari finally came out on top in its competition with longtime rival Intellivision.
For those who are only familiar with Sega and Nintendo, or Xbox and PlayStation going at each other, there were two video game companies vying to be in people’s homes, Atari and Intellivision.
Atari and Intellivision launched dueling consoles, the Atari 2600, and Intellivision.
Intellivision was developed by Mattel Electronics and introduced to the world in 1979. Its console sold about 5 million units by 1990.
Thursday, May 23, one of the most storied rivalries in the video game industry ended when Atari announced it had acquired Intellivision.
Atari announced that it would acquire its longtime rival and the 200 games in its library.
Atari wrote in a press release, “Atari will seek to expand digital and physical distribution of legacy Intellivision games, potentially create new games, and explore brand and licensing opportunities.”
The Intellivision Amico Is Not Part of The Acquisition
The Verge reports that the acquisition does not include the Intellivision Amico, the new console Intellivision announced in 2020 that it was working on and that led by infamous “liar” and legendary video game composer Tommy Tallarico.
The website notes that Intellivision will rebrand itself and grant licensing rights to the new company, allowing Intellivision games to be on the console.
[embedded content]
“We look forward to our expanded collaboration and the prospect of bringing a broad array of new titles to the Amico family gaming platform,” Intellivision CEO Phil Adam said in the press release.
Atari now specializes in retrogaming, launching mini retro versions of its classic consoles and releasing its classic games on modern consoles. It also owns Digital Eclipse, a studio that specializes in retro gaming.
We are curious to see the fruits of this acquisition.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Marvel Studios / Apple Vision Pro / Marvel’s What If…? An Immersive Story
Marvel Studios dropped the first trailer for Marvel’s What If…? An Immersive Story, giving people who spent nearly $4,000 on the Apple Vision Pro a reason to turn it on.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to wield the power of the Infinity Stones, make sling ring portals, and cast mystic spells like Doctor Strange?
Well, Marvel Studios is giving you that feeling thanks to the power of the Apple Vision Pro.
The Disney-owned studio dropped the first trailer for Marvel’s What If…? An Immersive Story, which, for some bonehead reason, will live exclusively on the Apple Vision Pro, you know, the $3,500 headset not that many people in the world have.
Adapted exclusively for Apple’s high-end headset, the video game version of the animated Disney+ series will take users on a mixed-reality adventure, allowing them to experience the multiverse shenanigans that happen in episodes of the show.
Lile the Guardians of The Multiverse, players will team up with The Watcher and get help from our favorite Sorceror Supreme, Wong, to take down “dangerous variants.”
Vision Pro users will be taken from their living rooms or gaming caves to familiar and new Marvel locations and interact with characters from the Marvel Studios lexicon.
No controller is necessary to enjoy this experience; all you need is your eyes and hands to get into the action. Spatial audio will also aid in immersing you into the world of Marvel’s What If…?.
Marvel’s What If…? An Immersive Story Release Date & Cost
Surprisingly, you won’t have to wait long to experience this app. It will arrive on May 30 and be FREE but for a limited time.
You would think the free price tag would be forever since you already dropped rent on the Vision Pro.
We are curious to know if this will remain an Apple Vision Pro exclusive or eventually find its way onto the fully capable Meta Quest 3 headset.
You can ponder What If…? (see what we did there?) and watch the trailer below.
[embedded content]
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Rockstar Games / GTA 6
We don’t have an exact date for when we will return to Vice City in GTA 6, but the window for the highly anticipated game’s release did narrow a bit.
Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive, revealed in its Q4 2024 earnings report that Grand Theft Auto 6 will arrive in fall 2025.
While that’s not an exact date, it’s a slight update from the more vague “coming 2025” release window.
“Our outlook reflects a narrowing of Rockstar Games’ previously established window of Calendar 2025 to Fall of Calendar 2025 for Grand Theft Auto VI,” Take-Two Chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick said in the report. “We are highly confident that Rockstar Games will deliver an unparalleled entertainment experience, and our expectations for the commercial impact of the title continue to increase.”
In an interview with Variety, speaking on the game’s fall 2025 release window, Zelnick added, “I think we’re going to leave it there for now.”
GTA 6’s Rollout Marred By Leaks
Gamers shouldn’t be surprised by the vagueness. Rockstar Games plays it very close to the chest for its games, especially Grand Theft Auto.
Information about the game in the form of leaked materials hitting X, formerly Twitter timelines, September 2022.
Then, the game studio had to release GTA 6’s trailer earlier than planned when a bunch of crypto dweebs leaked it.
The trailer confirmed that the game will feature two male and female protagonists and take us to Leonida, the GTA equivalent of Florida, and we will spend most of our time in Vice City, the game’s take on Miami.
With any news regarding GTA 6, the reactions are pouring in. Some are excited that we seem to be getting closer to a release date, while others want to know the EXACT day we can expect to boot up the game.
With this game, we want Rockstar Games to take its time and deliver a game on the same level as GTA V.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Challenge accepted
4. A perspective we can get behind.
12. Now why would you say that?
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: picture alliance / Getty / Phil Spencer
The video game world is still reeling after word hit the e-streets that Xbox closed Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog game studios under the Bethesda Games umbrella. Now, gamers are focusing on Xbox chief Phil Spencer and his leadership, or lack thereof. Should Phil Spencer be fired? Is it time for him to go? That’s what many are calling for to happen after this recent round of studio closures and the absorption of one into ZeniMax Online Studios.
While many blame the practice of companies like Xbox and PlayStation acquiring game studios, some also feel that Spencer’s feet should be held to the fire.
Kotaku’s Zack Zwiezen proclaimed in an article that “It’s time to stop giving Phil Spencer a pass,” pointing out the many “bad decisions Spencer has made during his time as CEO and contradictory statements.
Per Kotaku:
In October 2020, shortly after Xbox announced its plans to consume Bethesda, Spencer told Kotaku: “This deal was not done to take games away from another player base” and added that Xbox wants “more people to be able to play games, not fewer people to be able to go play games.” Yet, in March 2023 Redfall director Harvey Smith said that Microsoft stepped in after buying Bethesda and canceled a PS5 port of the vampire hunting co-op game. Starfield shipped only on Xbox and PC. And despite a few Xbox games—like Grounded and Sea of Thieves—jumping ship to PlayStation and Switch, future big titles like Indiana Jones won’t be multiplatform.
Xbox’s boss has also talked a big game about giving developers the freedom to make what they want to make, explaining in a May 2023 interview with Kinda Funny: “When a team like Rare wants to do Sea of Thieves, when a team like Obsidian wants to do Grounded, and Tango wants to go do Hi-Fi [Rush] when everyone probably thought they were doing The Evil Within 3. I want to give the teams the creative platform to go an push their ability, push their aspirations.”
The article states that Spencer says the right things, but even when those studios get to make the games they want, and if they are critical successes, there is still a chance they will suffer the same fate as these latest studios.
Social Media Reactions
Social media hasn’t been kind to Spencer either, and that’s totally understandable because we are all tired of hearing about these layoffs while people in offices continue to line their pockets with cash while game developers have to figure out how to make ends meet.
Former PS I Love You XOXO co-host and head of Pen To Pixels Janet Garcia also called out Spencer for his comments that have now “aged like milk,” pointing out his penchant for trying to be transparent, something people appreciate about Spencer, leaves him open to these contradictory moments.
“Yeah so many of Xbox’s comments are aging like milk rn. This is the danger of selling the “good guy” narrative. It only works when you do “good” things. That said this is also why PlayStation and Nintendo don’t talk to anyone anymore. They’re like nah I’m not gonna play myself,” Garcia said on X, formerly Twitter.
Former Blizzard President Mike Ybarra Comes To Phil Spencer’s Defense
Former president of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Ybarra tried to empathize with Spencer, writing on X, “I know this hurts him [Spencer] as much as anyone else.”
Ybarra continued, “I’m not trying to defend the decisions. I think we all get ourselves into situations that are tough and unexpected (certainly I have). It’s part of the job, as is the accountability for the outcomes. But he’s a good human and he cares deeply for the creative process and developers. That’s my first hand experience in working closely with him for 8+ years and knowing him for 24+.”
Unfortunately, folks were not trying to hear it and didn’t hesitate to tell Ybarra he was wrong.
What a sad state of affairs.
Hopefully, we will hear from Spencer in his own words about this latest decision.
Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Oh wow.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Christian Petersen / Getty / Xbox
The video game industry is in turmoil, and you wouldn’t think that’s the case because of the quality of games we have been getting. While we, as gamers, are enjoying a spoil of riches, developers continue to lose their jobs at a ridiculous clip.
Xbox is navigating choppy waters as it shifts its business model, putting some of its biggest exclusive titles on competitive consoles.
One of those titles was the beloved Hi-Fi Rush from Tango Gameworks, one of the many studios Xbox acquired when it acquired Bethesda Game Studios.
In a stunning turn of events, Tango Gameworks is one of four studios, including Arkane Austin, the developer of the massive flop Redfall, Alpha Dog Studios, and Roundhouse Games, which have been closed by Xbox, IGN reports.
Xbox is one of the many video game companies that have been unable to avoid the massive layoffs in the industry. The Microsoft company started the year by laying off almost 2,000 employees, which led to then-Blizzard president Mike Ybarra leaving.
Now comes the news of a new round of layoffs due to significant studio closures under the Bethesda umbrella.
Per GameRant:
Xbox has decided to shut down Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Studios, and Tango Gameworks, with Roundhouse Games also effectively shutting down by being “absorbed” by ZeniMax Online Studios. In an email from Matt Booty obtained by IGN, it was explained that these shutdowns are about “prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games.” Arkane Austin worked on the 2017 Prey game and Redfall, Tango Gameworks was known for The Evil Within and the critically-acclaimed Hi-Fi Rush, Alpha Dog Studios was working on the Mighty Doom mobile game, and Roundhouse Games was primarily serving a support role at the time of its closure.
Arkane Austin’s demise could directly result from the disastrous launch of Redfall. Reviewers immediately deemed it a critical flop due to its broken state and abandoned it despite some quality-of-life improvements.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Arkane Studios confirmed the Austin studio’s closure, telling gamers who bought the Hero Pass of the premium Bite Back edition or Bite Back upgrade will be eligible to receive the value of the upgrade.
Arkane says Redfall serves will remain online, but there will be no further updates.
Tango Gamework’s closure is the biggest surprise due to Hi-Fi Rush’s success following its surprise drop on the Xbox Game Pass and, most recently, its newfound popularity on the PlayStation 5 console.
What a spooky time to be a developer in the video game industry.
You can see reactions to the sad news in the gallery below.
1. No lies detected
2. This is also true
3. We’re old enough to remember the push for Xbox to gobble up more studios.
8. Cold world
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Arrowhead Game Studios/ Sony Interactive Entertainment / Helldivers 2
Well done Helldivers. PlayStation is now saying whoops, after gamers made it loud and very clear that they did not rock with the PSN linking requirement to continue playing Helldivers 2 on Windows PC via Steam.
After destroying all the goodwill Arrowhead Game Studios built with Helldivers 2 and its fantastic spin on a live service genre, PlayStation finally admitted they f*cked up by requiring PC players to get a free PSN account.
The decision came after two days of Helldivers 2 players expressing their anger on social media and flooding the game’s Steam page with negative reviews that also hit other PlayStation titles after Steam delisted the popular shooter in 177 countries.
Via PlayStation’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, the company wrote:
Helldivers fans — we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking update. The May 6 update, which would have required Steam and PlayStation Network account linking for new players and for current players beginning May 30, will not be moving forward.
We’re still learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable. Thanks again for your continued support of Helldivers 2 and we’ll keep you updated on future plans.
What Possibly Led To PlayStation’s Reversal
The fallout from the dumb policy led to Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt expressing his frustration on X. “Waking up to the sunshine of yesterday replaced with a dreary drizzle and shivering winds makes me reflect on how I spent my time those rare few moments when all was perfect,” Pilestedt said.
On Sunday, before PlayStation decided not to proceed with mandatory PSN linking, he noted his company was “talking solutions” with the company, which ultimately led to PlayStation’s change of heart.
He also took some blame on the matter as well, saying he was not completely “blameless,” adding they “didn’t talk about it enough” regarding account linking.
The review bombing and harassment of Arrowhead’s community managers and developers likely aided in PlayStation’s policy reversal.
We’re happy people can spread democracy again and continue the fight to liberate Super Earth.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. For real, they were innocent in the matter.
2. Exactly
3. PlayStation pay attention
8. Only losers do things like this.
9. Lol, chill
10. We do too.