The Tekken series is renowned across the world, and Tekken Tag Tournament is one of the most memorable titles in the series.

Why is it so special? Well, you can switch characters mid-combo, giving the 3D fighting formula a nice kick in the pants; but funnily enough, it only took Namco two months to develop the game (according to Tekken steward Katsuhiro Harada).

“The project took 5 minutes to plan and only 2 months to develop (arcade version)," said Harada recently on social media. Harada says the game "made a considerable profit" because the cost was low. To add more context, Tekken 3 was completed, and then management at Namco "ordered [Harada] to release" a 3.5 version "within six months." At the time, the team was working on a prototype for Tekken 4, which was eventually released on the PS2.

Harada is now the Chief Producer of fighters at the company, and the General Manager of the O??riginal IP g??ames projects at Bandai Namco.

The PS2 development of Tekken Tag Tournament got weird

As for the PS2 version, Harada notes: "The port to the console version had to be done in time for the launch of the PS2 due to the lack of memory on the [PS1,]" Harada said. "The PS2's specs at the time had too much room for drawing processing, and the 3D modelers were baffled by th??e number of polygons, which was even more than enough to place many mobs in the battle stages, so they elaborately created even the teeth in the characters' mouths."

Tekken Tag Tournament, as a result, had characters rarely opening their mouths because of a resolution problem. The PS2 fighting game is now 23 years old and released to glowing reviews. According to Metacritic, GameSpot gave a 96/100 score. "Graphically, the?? game has take??n a very large leap, and the arcade version of the game looks downright ugly by comparison," said the reviewer.

Looking forward, Bandai Namco will be releasing Tekken 8 ??early next year.?? It's the beginning of a new era without Heihachi in the picture. It will also include a new Arcade Quest mode.

-

The post Tekken Tag Tournament was developed in just two months?, Ha??rada says appeared first on Destructoid.

Given the current hype surrounding Starfield, you're never too far away from a discussion of all things related to Bethesda, including The Elder Scrolls 6. We all know that it's likely years until the Skyrim follow-up? sees the light of day, bu??t at what stage of development is it currently at?

According to an interview on the Spanish website Vandal with Bethesda's head of publishing Pete Hines, the studio has actually started work on TES6 proper. Right at the very end, when asked about whether the upcoming RPG was still in t??he concept phase, Hines confirms that development on the game is underway.

//youtu.be/OkFdqqyI8y4

However, there's always a proviso. He goes on to say that it's in "early development" (according to translation by GameSpot) which pretty much confi?rms what many of us suspected anyway.

Probably won't hear much else for a long while

A little further up in the interview, Hines makes it clear that while there have been people working on TES6, the focus for Bethesda right now has been Starfield. As such, it's possible that resources may shift to the long-awaited Elder Scrolls game once the latter is out, though that's pure speculation on ??our part.

It's?? nice to know that development has begun, even if it's still in the early stages. However, there's a good chance we won't hear much about it for a while. But then, we have sort of grown accustomed to that by now.

It's been five years since the studio announced The Elder Scrolls 6, originally showing the above teaser footage at E3 2018. We've heard pretty much nothing since, but hopefully things will move a little quicker soon after Starfield's launch.

The post The Elder Scrolls 6 is now in ‘early development,’ Bethesda confirms appeared first on Destructoid.

Just when you thought the game couldn't look more promising

On Sunday night Square Enix hosted a Final Fantasy XVI pre-launch celebration stream. Early in the stream, fans were presented with two special video clips, featuring some of the high-ranking personnel connected to both developer PlatinumGames and to Square Enix' RPG franchise Kingdom Hearts.

The first was fro?m Plati??numGames Inc. President and CEO/Studio Head Atushi Inaba.

"PlatinumGames was graced with the opportunity to develop a part of Final Fantasy XVI. We'd never had an experience to work on a title in this manner, so it certainly took us by surprise when we were first approached. But the development staff �myself included, were all extremely excited for this opportunity, saying things like, 'it's the Final Fantasy' and 'we'll never get another chance to work on Final Fantasy.' So we gladly accepted this opportu??nity and made? it happen.

Takahisa Taura, who worked with Square Enix previously on NieR: Automata, led the development?? staff and the team on the PlatinumGames side. He powered through thee development as leader of the team, and I'm confident that the part we handled ended up being a high quality content.

We were able to work on Final Fantasy XVI with excitement as creators, but we only partially handled the development, so we're also looking forward to playing the content as individual fans, just like those that are watching this video. And so, I am looking forward to enjoying the fantastic world of Final Fantasy XVI as both a creator and a fan.

Our sincerest congratulations!"

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNXD3J3vmqw

Immediately following the first clip, a second was played featuring the Co-Director of Kingdom Hearts IV, Tai Yasue.

"Hello everyone! I'm Tai Yasue, Co-Director of Kingdom Hearts IV. I'm happy to announce that, in fact, the Kingdom Hearts development team had a part in developing Final Fantasy XVI! We joined forces on the battles and such, but to be honest, it came as a surprise when?? the idea was initially brought to us. It seemed like a ??daring idea!

It's already hard to achieve a scale of this level while being an action-ba??sed game. And, it felt even crazier hearing their plan to join forces with development teams that each have different creative methods. I mean, even if it's coming fro??m Naoki Yoshida, the man with an asteroid named after him, we were thinking about politely declining...

That being said, as we got to know more about the game's plan and story, the entire team wanted to make this work, no matter what. Although it was a wild undertaking, there was ultimately s??omething to gain through its development.

Now, Final Fantasy XVI's release is right arou??nd the corner. In a sense, it's been developed in an unconventional way, but in part, because of that, we feel it's shaped up to deliver an exceptional experience, so please give it a go! Thank you!"

So there we have it. Creative Business Unit III, PlatinumGames, and the Kingdom Hearts team all worked together to make Final Fantasy XVI happen. Yoshida went on to point out that the production scale of the game was so massive, and with a new action combat system, he felt they couldn't reach the intended scale without the fellow studios' assistance. For spoiler reasons, he declined to point out exactly what elements of FF XVI t?hey worked on, b??ut assured fans we'd know after launch.

As if I wasn't already extremely excited for FF XVI, this makes me even more so. NieR: Automata is one of my favorite games of all time, and it nothing else had a stellar combat system. And while Kingdom Hearts III may n?ot have been th?e best game in the series, it was still great and the combat was fun.

If you want to try out Final Fantasy XVI for yourself, a demo just released earlier today. Otherwise, th??e game launches on PlayStation 5 on June 22.

The post P??????????????????????????latinumGames and Kingdom Hear??ts team assisted with Final Fantasy XVI appeared first on Destructoid.

Players will be able to go solo or collaborate

Electronic Arts and Maxis are working on the next generation of The Sims. Currently dubbed "Project Rene", the next entry in The Sims franchise ??is confirmed to be in early development.

As shown during today's Behind The Sims Summit stream, Maxis is currently in "very early" stages of creating the next Sims game. The project title, Rene, was chosen to represent the team's "renewed commitment" for a bright Sims future.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmm6h6bHD3o

We see some experimentatio?n the team has been working on with its creative tools, for building and decorating specifically. Ther??e's the ability to change patterns, colors, and shapes as players decorate and build in-game.

Collaboration seems to be a big focal point for this new Sims. Players will be able to play solo or collaborate with each other, and w??ill be able to play across s??upported supported devices.

No more information was given, as it sounds like Project Rene is still a ways out. Maxis says it will continue to share more informa??tion on development as it goes along.

A new world of Sims

As for currently available Sims products, today marks the launch of The Sims 4 base game as a free-to-play title. Players can now jump in on?? PC??, Mac, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIBBm7tWs_U

More is in store, too. Maxis says it's still adding new content, in the forms of packs, kits, free updates, and Sims Delivery Express drops, for the forseeable future. Some early expansion content was also teased in today's stream, and the team conf??irms that infants will be arriving in early 2023.

The Sims is also partnering with Overwolf for?? an official mod destination in CurseForge. Modders will not be required to m??ove over to or use CurseForge, but it's meant to provide a "supplementary experience" to existing avenues for modding. It also provides a moderated mod platform.

The post The next generation of The Sims is?? currently in development appeared first on Destructoid.

The streaming giant is officially working on its own games

After years of sitting atop the throne of online streaming services, Netflix has been in somewhat of a decline recently, despite the popularity of shows like Stranger Things. Netflix told us a while ago that it was going to be entering the games space, but now it's doubling down �the company just announced that it will be opening its very own internal games studios to create its own projects.

The studio is set to be established in Helsinki, Finland, which "is home to some of the best game talent in the world," and Marko Lastikka will be serving as the studio director. Netflix is bui?lding this new studio "from scratch," and will be its second studio in Helinski along with Next Games. Night School Studio and Boss Fight Entertainment round out the lineup of stu?dios that are now under the Netflix umbrella.

We can't expe?ct anything to come out in the next year or two, because Netflix is still "building the foundation" of?? the games studio right now. Looks like we're gonna have to continue to be patient to see what Netflix is planning on the interactive front.

This is a huge step for Netflix considering it's a realm that other streaming platforms haven't really tried yet. Amazon has had its fair share of interactive projects, including New World, but they have struggled to get off the ground. After the success of titles like Bandersnatch or the newly-released indie interactive narrative series We Are OFK, there's a preced??ent of fans really e??njoying media that falls squarely between TV and games.

It's a whole landscape that not many have ventured into, b??ut I could see it as a whole new way to open up interactive storytelling to audiences who have never tried them before. My dad couldn't get the hang of a Telltale game to save his life, but he could handle something with simple choices no problem. It sounds like Netflix is also gearing its development toward more traditionally interactive games as well, but if anyone is going to fill that gap ??in the market, it's them.

The post Netflix announces new internal games studio appeared first on Destructoid.

Looks like it will be worth the wait

In an industry where constant reinvention is the name of the game, Inflexion Games' "shared world survival crafting game" Nightingale seems like it will bring a fresh experience to players... when it's eventually out. While the studio initially estimated that the game would be out by the end of 2022, Inflexion has just announced that Nightingale will now be releasing in early access s??ometime in the "first half of 2023."

In the announcement tw??eet from the studio, they also promised to give "more game and development updates from th?e team" soon.

The letter from Inflexion stated two main reasons for Nightingale's delay, one of which is the usual allowanc?e of extra time for the developers to polish and tighten up the gameplay, th?e world, etc.

The second reason is that the studio is upgrading the game's engine to Unreal Engine 5, which was originally going to happen later, but "after reviewing the potenti?al UE5 has to offer, [they] decided on upgrading now rather than waiting until after release." It sounds like that was the right move, and will make things smoother once the game is shipped.

//twitter.com/??PlayNightingale/status/1557743737203486721

Of course, game delays are pretty common these days, which has been in large part because of the pandemic, and also just because it's more acceptable now to try and mit?igate any crunch the team might have to go through. That's why? I try not to let game delays bum me out anymore �it usually means a healthier work-life for the developers, plus I have a big enough backlog of games to get through as it is.

Considering Inflexion was founded by former BioWare boss Aaryn Flynn, I think we should ha??ve a lot to look forward to wh??en the game finally hits the market.

Like I said, the gameplay sounds pretty unique, and the Victorian visuals pull my eye more than most games I've seen this year. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for Nightingale, whenever its release may be.

The post Survival crafting ?fantasy ga??me Nightingale delayed to 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Company culture at Rockstar has also been changing

Grand Theft Auto 6 could see a female protagonist at the lead. A new report from Bloomberg drops several details on the upcoming GTA, alongside? a general shift in Rockstar's culture.

According to people familiar with the game who spoke with Bloomberg, the next Grand Theft Auto will?? have a playable female protagonist. She'll be Latina, and part of a pair of leads in a Bonnie and Clyde-style story.

It's also planning to grow over time, it seems. Original plans for Grand Theft Auto 6 called for large swaths of both North and South America. But Rockstar has reportedly pulled back a bit, and ??cut the map down to a fictiona?l version of Miami and the surrounding area.

The expanse won't end there, though. According to Bloomberg, Rockstar plans to continually update the new GTA over time. This includes adding new missions and cities on a regular basis, in hopes of reducing crunch in the final months. The world will still be large though, reportedly containing more interior locations than previous Grand Theft Auto entries.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkkoHAzjnUs

A new Rockstar

As Bloomberg's report details, this seems like part of a larger shift at Rockstar to address reports of crunch and hard work hours. Rockstar's Dan Houser had to walk back comments on Red Dead Redemption 2's hours. And Rockstar's had reports of rough working conditions stretching back quite a few years.

Things seem to have changed, though. One employee described modern Rockstar to Bloomberg as a "boys' club transformed into a real company." Morale is reportedly higher than ever across the company. More producers have reportedly been added to track schedules and avo??id overtime.

Development may be stretching out a bit longer for the next Grand Theft Auto, though. Those who spoke to Bloomberg didn't know of an expected date for Grand Theft Auto 6 and said they expect the game is at least two years away. But with the success of GTA Online and the continued popularity of Grand Theft Auto V, the extra time seems like it coul??d be a good thing all around.

The post Grand Theft Auto 6 will?? reportedly have a playable female protagonist, and add more cities over time appeared first on Destructoid.

But we won't see it at this year's PDXCon

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has been a pretty troubled development. It's been delayed, lost leads, changed hands, and more. Today, we did get some reassurances that Bloodlines 2 is still in development, though we may not be seeing the results of that ?as soon as some would like.

Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester recently responded to concerned Bloodlines 2 fans on Twitter. Wester assured that Bloodlines 2 is in development, and more will be revealed when they are ready. He reiterated?? the statement on his timeline, with a follow-up: "The game is in good hands and we loo?k forward to showing you more when the team and the game is ready."

//twi??tter.com/TheWesterFront?/status/1549347601421668354

Whose hands those are is still one major question. In February 2021, Paradox announced that it was taking developer Hardsuit Labs off Bloodlines 2, and that it would n??o longer make its then-planned 2021 launch.

Prior to that, Bloodlines 2 was announced with some excitement and original Bloodlines writer and designer Brian Mitsoda on the project. It even showcased almost 30 minutes of gameplay in 2019. Then the project was delayed, citing the need for more time to deliver a proper Bloodlines successor.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEYGez6JLZ8

Mitsoda later left the project, alongside creative director Ka'ai Cluney and senior narrative designer Cara Ellison. The project was delayed, and after Bloodlines 2 moved out, Hardsuit Labs faced a round of layoffs. While development is now proceeding, Paradox is declining to name the studio th?at's currently working on it, so they ??can "focus fully" on game development.

The night carries on

After all that, Wester's comments indicate Bloodlines 2 is still in the works. We'll have to wait for more details, it seems, and wait a while longer at that. When asked if fans would get a peak at the project during this year's PDXCon, which runs September 2 through 3, Wester said not this time.

It's nice to know the project's still alive, though it seems like it's been quite the journey for all involved. In comments made last October, Wester even said that Bloodlines 2 was almost cancelled. But apparently a pitch came in that was convincing enough to keep the Vampire game afloat. Hopefu?lly we'll see what that is soon ??enough.

The post Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is in ‘good hands,’ Paradox CEO says appeared first on Destructoid.

Making crossplay more accessible

There's nothing more annoying t?han going to play a game with a friend, only to realize that you can't play together because you own the game on different platf??orms �it's a struggle we've all had to deal with at one point or another. Thanks to Epic's new free release of PC crossplay tools for developers, though, we're one step closer to eliminating the blues that come with platform-exclusive play.

According to a blog post on the Epic Online Services website, they're delivering "a single set of services for game development on any engin?e, any store, and any platform" that are "proven to scale in some of the largest games."

These tools allow for a ton of features on the Epic Games Store, like being about to merge friends lists between Steam and the Epic Store, sending game invites across stores, account linking, self-updating crossplay improvements when games are installed, and? a plug-and-play SDK, which basically means that developers can pick and choose which tools they want to implement with their g??ames, and leave everything else.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLnCx_KMPi0

Senior Director of Online Services at Epic Games Simon Allaeys shared his thoughts o?n the new feature in a press release:

“Crossplay gives all friends the opportunity to come together and create fond memories across interactive ??experiences. We are in the fortunate position to drive change in the industry with crossplay tools for all developers and we believe that connecting friends and communities will take the gaming industry to its next major growth spurt and its next billion players."

While these new tools are debuting on PC with Steam, Epic has plans to expand them to other PC game stores, as well as macOS and Linux, and eventually crossplay with consoles and mobile platforms further down the line. Developers can get started on implementing crossplay into their games by going to Epic's developer portal and downloading ?the Epic Online Services SDK 1.15.

Even with the solid lineup of free games that the Epic Games Store releases every month, it still struggled to encroach on Steam's territory??. Maybe this is Epic rolling over, but I prefer the more optimistic take that this is just a sign that the kids are finally playing nice.

The post Epic releases free PC crossplay tools fo??r developers appeared first on Destructoid.

Everybody's 1-2 Switch may not be for everybody

Rumors have circled before about a potential 1-2 Switch follow-up from Nintendo. Today, a new report e??merged that claims it is real, but it's also not testing well.

Fanbyte reports, via sources familiar with the project, that Nintendo has been developing a sequel to 1-2 Switch. The title eventually settled on Everybody's 1-2 Switch, and rather than make its predecessor redundant, it reportedly looked to smart??phones, inspired by the Jackbox games.

According to Fanbyte's sources, several different minigames including musical chairs an??d Bingo. Yet when it play-tested, it apparently didn't play-test well.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpHDJRGuL7w

Feedback was reportedly brutal, with Everybody's 1-2 Switch failing to capture attention or keep people playing. Employees within Nintendo reportedly voiced concerns that publishing it would damage Nintendo's reputation as a developer. Yet publishing plans continued, and sources told Fanbyte there are even empty game boxes for it sitting around, waiting for Everybody's 1-2 Switch to finish development.

The report leaves off on a question mark, as it's unclear what will happen with the sequel. Some sources?? told Fanbyte that Nintendo won't be dissuaded from a $60 retail launch, while others are apparently suggesting making it a Nintendo Switch Online bonus for higher-tier subscribers. The only thi??ng that seems clear is that it won't get shelved.

Switch off

Nintendo's motion-control party game 1-2 Switch was a launch title for its Switch console, and it didn't receive a fantastic reception. Granted, it was up against the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But the $60 price tag seemed like way too much at the time, and 1-2 Switch has since faded out. Other games, like the indie hit Snipperclips, and later on Nintendo's Arms and Splatoon 2 seemed to grab the multiplayer segme?nt with a firmer hold.

Nintendo has, as of right now, announced no plans publicly for a 1-2 Switch follow-up.

//www.tiktok.com/@destructoid/video/7111400786034??248??965

The post Nintendo is reportedly working on a 1-2 Switch sequel, but having some?? trouble wi??th it appeared first on Destructoid.

Both Gearbox and Embracer keep growing

Though Tiny Tina's Wonderlands just launched, it sounds like e??ven more is in the Gearbox pipeline. Gearbox has nine games currently in development that it denotes as AAA.

This news arrives via Embracer Group's latest financial report, covering the fourth quarter and full year running April 2021 through March 2022.?? It's a pretty extensive report, covering a lot of companies due to how massive Embracer is at this point.

In the Gearbox section, the report says the company plans to keep on growing, with nine AAA games currently ?in development.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gJgj2ngCyA

Gearbox itself is made up of several different studios at this point. There is Gearbox Software in Texas, but also Gearbox Studio Quebec, Montreal, Cryptic Studios, and the recently acquired Lost Boys Interactive.

Gears are turning

There are a few games being published by Gearbox at the moment, including Homeworld 3 and Hyper Light Breaker. But what these projects might be is a bit nebulous. AAA is a general concept, so it could honestly range all over the place. Gearbox did announce that a new Tales From the Borderlands is on the way, so that's a possibility.

In other Gearbox areas, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is not the only recent launch. Have a Nice Death rolled out not too long ago, and the excellent roguelike survival shooter Risk of Rain 2 also released its Survivors of the Void expansion. With Lost Boys now under th??e umbrella too, it looks like a lot is in the works for Gearbox.

Embracer in general has been expanding, too. The massive group recently picked up several studios from Square Enix, bringing Crystal Dynamics, ?Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal into the Embracer fold. The report indicates it plans on using the properties obtained through that deal; Embracer says it sees "a great potential" in not just sequels, but remakes, remasters, spinoffs, and transmedia projects. It's not done yet, but Embracer expects the deal to close sometime between July and September.

The post Gearbox has n?ine AAA games currently in developmen??t appeared first on Destructoid.

A train station that looks more real than real life

It feels like every few years, we all marvel at the new game graphics that are coming out and wondering to ourselves, "how could it get any better than this?" Somehow game devs still manage to one-up themselves every time, because I find myself yet again speaking those same words in awe and a little bit of existential dread. You see, I am quite afraid of the uncanny valley, and we have crossed so far into it that game graphics are indistinguishable from reality, thanks to Unreal Engine 5. We've seen some seriously convincing faces, but this is the first ??environment I've seen that has my jaw on the floor.

A short video surfaced? yesterday on the r/gaming subreddit that featured an abandoned train station �it looks inconspicuous at first, which made me wonder what the big deal ??could be about this train station. The shaky camera pans around toward the tracks, and then suddenly everything switches to nighttime, and you realize that this entire thing is a digital rendering of a train station in Unreal Engine 5. I'm sorry, what now?

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/ulvnuo/the_generation_of??_games_after_current_one_is/

The way the light streams down the stairs, the way the fluorescent lights shine in the puddles on the ground, the way the flashlight bounces off the rusted metal walls, it'??s all just a little bit too convincing for me. I've seen some really great graphics over the years, but this is the first time I've truly seen a video of something rendered in a game engine that I truly could not distinguish from real life or not.

So this train stati??on is really impressive, but what does it mean for games using Unreal Engine 5 moving forward? These are easily the most impressive photorealistic graphics I've ever seen, but this was just a short, most likely pre-rendered video.

??Would our consoles and PCs really be able to run something this advanced without melting through our furniture? Time will only tell, but one certainty still remains �I'm gonna stick to my stylized art styles, because this stuff gives me the heebie-jeebies.

The post This video of Unreal Engine 5 has crossed into th??e uncanny valley appeared first on Destructoid.

A report on Hangar 13 claims a Mafia prequel is on the way

It looks like the Mafia series is looking further back to the past. A new report from Kotaku indicates that a new Mafia game is in early development at Hangar 13.

The report, which also covers studio head Haden Blackman's departure from the studio after seven years, says a new Mafia is in "ve??ry early" development according to a source familiar with the plan?s.

This game, reportedly code-named Nero, is expected to be a prequel to the Mafia trilogy. It's set to be made in Unreal Engine 5, rather than the Mafia III engine used for the Definitive Edition.

Kotaku also reports that alongside Blackman, Matthew Urban is also departing. Urban was Hangar 13's chief operating officer. The report indicates some more are looking for the ?door following those departures. 2K declined to comment on the report.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKbJm44NZXg

Back to the golden oldies

Hangar 13 has been in a strange position for a while, ever since shipping Mafia III. Though it sold pretty fast at launch, reception was divisive. Several new projects were spun up and canceled afterwards, including the code-name Volt that was cut after a significant chunk of chan?ge had already been put into i?t.

Nick Baynes looks to be taking the lead at Hangar 13 now, as development on the Mafia prequel is underway. Baynes was previously the head of Hangar 13's Brighton studio in the UK. Blackman, meanwhile, is off to pursue a new endeavor.

According to Kotaku's report, Take-Two has been making use of Hangar 13's developers to assist on other games, like the recently launched Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. With this reported new Mafia prequel, it's hopeful that Hangar 13 will get something of its own out there. I'm definitely open to a new Mafia game from this studio, either way.

The post A new Mafia game is reportedly ??in very early development appeared first on Destructoid.

Haunted Chocolatier is changing the game, literally

After the massive success of his debut title, Stardew Valley, fans of Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone have been waiting with bated breath for any and all updates on his next project, a similarly quaint-looking title called Haunted Chocolatier. As someone who has personally put way too many hours into Stardew, the promise of a whole new title to dive into is enough to keep me going until its release. Any small detail he gives? away feels like a victory, which is why the news that his n??ewest title will have boss fights is all the more exciting.

Barone appeared in a recent livestream from Reason Studios where he was discussing some of the music he is currently working on for Haunted Chocolatier. One of the tracks he shared was called "bee boss," whi??ch is likely still a working title, and featured buzzing sounds like you would expect to hear from a bee. Barone may not have come out and said an?ything about bosses in the game specifically, it's probably pretty safe to assume that they're going to be there.

Barone has stated in previous interviews that while Haunted Chocolatier is set in the same universe as Stardew Valley, the game will be quite different and isn't tied down to a "particular concept" as it is being developed. There weren't any real boss battles at all in Stardew, meaning big changes to the more minimal combat systems we're used to seeing from Barone's first game. There's no way to know for sure until Haunted Chocolatier is out, but from what we know so far, it seems like Barone is really growing a lot as a? developer? considering these new additions.

We still don't know how much longer Barone plans to take developing Haunted Chocolatier, but in the meant?ime, we can watch the teaser trailer over again and drool over what's to come.

The post ConcernedApe hints that there will be boss fights in Haunted? Chocolatier appeared first on Destructoid.

I was just shocked to hear Skull & Bones is still holding on

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for pirate media. I might be a more casual fan than most, but when it comes to swashbuckling adventure, I'm always down. That's why I've been quietly listening to news of Skull & Bones over the past five years, and although I'm still quite skeptical of how the game will turn out, I'm holding out hope that it will deliver the pirate adventure I've been craving since Sea of Thieves.

After a long stretch of radio silence, Ubisoft updated us last month with their financial report, letting us know that the game is still in development, and apparently, that it's going quite well. I'll believe it when I see it, though, because Ubisoft Singapore, the studio helming Skull & Bones' development, has had its fair share of controversies come to light over the past few years, from workplace toxicity to sexual harassment claims.

In spite of all of that, Skull & Bones has somehow survived development hell and continued forward, so much so that Ubisoft has announced they're looking for playtesters to try out the game in something they're dubbing the Insi??der Program, an "on-goin??g live testing initiative."

//twitter.com/skull??nbonesgame/status/1501603730956947465

Applications are open for everyone, and based on the website it looks like pretty standard fa??re as far as beta testing goes �they want players? "testing and reporting issues, bugs, or just general feedback."

Personally, I think branding a playtest is kind of a weird choice, bec??ause players usually jump at the chance to be a part of beta testing in the first place??.

At the risk of sounding a bit conspiratorial, part of me worries that this is a slippery slope of usi??ng hype and fandom to get free labor. This is all speculation, of course, but there's something about the specifics of wanting fans who have an interest in game development, as well as wanting them to have "plenty of time to allocate to testing and reporting issues" that makes me feel ic??ky, because that's what QA is for.

It's certainly a gray area, but I wouldn't put it past Ubisoft to try and pull something unsavory. Stay vigilant, Skull & Bones hopefuls.

The post Ubisoft wants Skull & Bones playtesters, but be wary appeared first on Destructoid.

There is another top-level departure at the developer, though

BioWare has another update on the current status of both Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Both are progressing, but alongside t??heir updates, there's also another high-level departure at BioWare.

Today's blog confirms that Dragon Age executive producer Christian Dailey is leaving the studio. Dailey joined the team in 2018 and worked on the Anthem overhaul project. When Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah retired from the company, Dailey took lead on the upcoming Dragon Age game.

"The games industry is ever-changing though and sometimes folks want to go and try ?new things–we understand, but we will miss him as a friend and as a colleague," wrote BioWare GM Gary McKay.

The update reaffirms the team that's still in place for the next Dragon Age as well. Mac Walters, who led development on the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, is production director. Corrine Busche is game director, and Benoit Houle is director of product development. McKay says he will also be "working more closely" with the Dragon Age team.

//twitter.com/ChristianDai??ley/status/1496??554266315665408

As for the project itself, the update reaffirms that Dragon Age is "right in the mi?ddle of Production." The blueprint was completed last year, acc??ording to McKay.

He also notes the ongoing word on Star Wars: The Old Republic, which just launched an expansion, and the next Mass Effect. Announced at The Game Awards, the new Mass Effect is being led by Mike Gamble, and the team is? currently prototyping new ideas and experiences.

It sounds like these projects are still a ways off. A recent report from Jeff Grubb on his show GrubbSnax indicates it's still about ??18 months away, th??ough it's in good shape.

The post BioWare confirms next Dragon Age is ‘right in the middle’ of production appeared first on Destructoid.

It's still alive!

After the success of the first Dead Island game, players expected and looked forward to a sequel relatively soon. Instead, we've gotten radio silence for the better part of ten years. Dead Island 2 was first announced at E3 in 2014, and has been in development hell for around a decade. We finally got an update last week though, bringing to a close the years-long silence we had been enduring from Deep Silver, the game's developer. At an earnings presentation last week from Deep Silver's parent company, Embracer Group, we finally got some information that could point to a launch for Dead Island 2 as early as 2023, as reported by VGC.

The comment in question came from the event's host: “It [Dead Island 2] very clearly is [still alive], and I at least expect the relea??se this financial year, or sorry next financial year, I should say. So, is that reasonable, and what can we expect from ?a title that has been in development for probably 10 years or so?"

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST262ZbNcos

Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors responded that the company does have an "unannounced AAA project" that the host thought might be Dead Island 2, but that he couldn't comment further. For context, the company's financial year ends on M??arch 31, 2023. It's a cryptic comment at best, but it's also the first we've heard of anything about the game for years. I understand why Wingefors had to deflect, but he also can't blame us for wanting any bit of information we can get about a game we've been looking forward to for this long.

For a long time, fans had given up any hope for the game, and thought that plans for its release would slowly fizzle out. Techland developed the first Dead Island game, so naturally they planned to make the sequel. After deciding to focus their attention on Dying Light, however, Dead Island 2 was going to be helmed by Yager Development, who are best known for creating Spec Ops: The Line. Sumo Digital took over after a while, but Dead Island 2 finally landed with Dambuster in 2019, a stu??dio owned by Dee??p Silver.

The post Dead Island 2 could launch next year appeared first on Destructoid.

They grow up so fast

Stardew Valley is one of my most-played games of all time, so when I heard a few years ago that its creator, Eric Barone �or as the fans know him, ConcernedApe �was working on a new project, I was over the moon. Now that we've had an official preview of the game, that anticipation has increased tenfold. After hearing about the hell he went through to create his first game, a feat he accomplished all on his own, I was pleasantly surprised to hear he was ready to go another round with Haunted Chocolatier.

Stardew itself is obviously a great game, but one of the things I find most interesting about the buzz surrounding it is this mythos that fans have attached to Barone. This is likely because he's done quite a ??few things to endear us to him.

For one, creating the art, music, code, and everything else you could imagine for one game is insanely impressive, and something only a few have managed to do themselves. I like to think that this alone bolstered? him a lot o?f respect.

Then in Jason Schreier's book Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, which chronicles the behind-the-scenes happenings in various games' development, he devoted an entire chapter to how Stardew Valley was made. This gave the already cult-like following that Stardew had a greater insight into the passion that Barone brought to ev?ery aspect of the game's creation, and it just snowballed fr?om there.

After Stardew blew up, I wouldn't be surprised if Barone let it get to his head, which is something that can happen to spotlighted?? creators in the games industry.

But from everything I've seen, he's remained super humble and cares that issues with the game are taken care of. On more than one occasion, he's been known to fix a bug that a fan has brought up to him on Twitter within two hours (which is in part beca?use he's a one-man development t?eam, but it's amazing that he does it all the same).

Something else that I think is unique about the situation Barone is in is that his socials are not some faceless marketing account that's completely detached from development �instead, he can tell us firsthand how it's going, what he did to fix a bug, etc. This level of one-on-one interaction isn't something many developers can ac?hieve. If he's just one guy, we can talk to the artists, the composers, the programmers, and the director all at once.

He can also see what the community is talking about, and what changes they might want, and implement them himself without all the red tape. I bet, too, that because he pays such close attention to how Stardew Valley is received and talked about, he'll have a good sense of how to make Haunted Chocolatier even more refined than Stardew right off the bat.

So personally, I'm really rooting for Barone. He seems like a genuinely kind person who wants to make games because he loves them. If you need any more convincing, just go take a look at how wholesome the Stardew Valley subreddit is. All of this is basically just to say that while I am super excited to get a whole new game from Barone, I'm equally as excited to see how his development ??skills have improved over the past dec??ade or so.

From a side-by-side comparison of screenshots from Stardew Valley versus Haunted Chocolatier, we can already see a difference in how polished the visuals are, let alone how it will feel to play. Something else I think is cool is how we can still see Barone's style, even with a whole new game. Of course Haunted Chocolatier looks quite different from Stardew (I for one ?am very interested to see a more urban setting), but through a?ll of the new bells and whistles, we can see the fundamental components of Barone's signature style.

It's familiar, yet novel at the same time.

Stardew is already a game that has an intricate set of mechanics and systems, and they work so well together that players can enjoy the experience for hundreds of hours. From the looks of it, Haunted Chocolatier has plenty of staples from Stardew's design that we love, like gift-giving and foraging, for example, so I can imagine that the implementation of new mechanics on ?top of what already works will only heighten the?? experience.

So many of the choices developers make in big franchises that make us go, "why would they keep implementing this same awful design choice year?? after year," is usually because there are way too many cook?s in the kitchen.

Barone's severing of ties with publisher Chucklefish tells us that he's not willing to compromise on what he wants for the game, which only gives me hope that he's dedicated to making the game as fun as possible, without any other ult??erior motives.

Because developing games is such a collaborative experience, this is such a rare opportunity to continue seeing one man's impact on the games industry. Watching the trailer for Haunted Chocolatier fe??els so nostalgic and yet so refreshing at the same time, and the cynic in me wonders if somethi??ng like this would be possible at a studio of any decent size.

Stardew Valley will forever be a classic, but there's something refined about Haunted Chocolatier that I find intriguing. It has style, it has atmosphere, and it feels like it has a newfound maturity. Barone knocked it out of the park with a lighter, more whol??esome feel, so his take on the darker, haunted aesthetic is one I look f?orward to.

The post Haunted Chocolatier preview shows ConcernedApe’s evolving style appeared first on Destructoid.

The Tomb Raider reboot could have been quite different

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have been celebrating 25 years of Tomb Raider this year, and today, they showcased something a little different. A few videos shed light on Tomb Raider: Ascension, the project th?at eventually became the 2013 reboot, and how different it could have be??en.

Tomb Raider: Ascension was the name for a project that would eventually become 2013's Tomb Raider. In a new video highlighting early footage from Ascension, you can see both the si??milarities and stark contrasts from Lara's eventual journey across Yamatai.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIIUPeClBTU

It is very, very survival horror. Rather than gruff dudes with guns, Ascension's Lara is dealing with supernatural monsters. The first part of the footage is all set in a cave, dimly lit by the glow of Lara's torch. Later, she can be seen lighting creatures ablaze with an improvised flamethrower, using her bow, and even riding a horse as a massive monster gives chase. Am I wrong, or did that part have some Shadow of the Colossus vibes?

As the YouTube description notes, Tomb Raider: Ascension took Tomb Raider deep into the survival horror side of things. It was made during the exploratory phases of what would eventually become Tomb Raider (2013). And it was through Ascension that the team h??oned in on both an origin story premis??e.

You can also see the familiar camera angles, animations, and other aspects that made Lara's new adventures stand out. Two other videos were also uploaded, showcasing branding for Ascension and some early Ascension concepts. It's a surprisingly transparent look at how much work went into Ascension, and fascinating to see just how the Tomb Raider reboot emerged from this project.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvlz2aEnTYY

Of course, it's not hard to look at this and dream a little wistfully about a survival horror Tomb Raider game. It would fit really well, especially w?ith where the reb??oots left off with Lara. And while there are supernatural aspects to these games, one that focuses even more heavily on the scary monsters could be cool.

If anything, I'm just trying to stay hopeful for more Tomb Raider. With Crystal Dynamics working away on both Marvel's Avengers and now assisting on Perfect Dark, and Eidos Montreal closing in on the launch of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, who knows when that day might come. But in the meantime, this Ascension ??footage gives us some fascinating insight into the process behind the reboot, and some interesting "what-if's" in the process.

The post Ea??rly footage of Tomb Raider: Ascension imagines 2013 reboot as?? a survival horror game appeared first on Destructoid.