“Friction” is the word tech companies now use to acknowledge software and hardware pain points — typically at the point they’re planning to reduce or eliminate them. As the enemy of smoothness, friction is the collection of factors that keep an experience from being effortless, fun, or “magical” in Apple parlance; Polaroid cameras famously demonstrated […]
South Korean game publisher Pearl Abyss said that its highly anticipated Black Desert Mobile is available for preorder on iOS and pre-registration on the Google Play Store. The open-world action massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a free-to-play fantasy title launching in Southeast Asia, North America and Europe in December. What’s unique about this mobile
Pearl Abyss’ Black Desert Mobile is ready for pre-order on iOS and Android Read More »
Two of the biggest esports organizers in the world, ESL and Dreamhack, announced today that they are entering into a “comprehensive epsort measurement agreement” with Nielsen, the data-tracking firm. “The agreement will further advance research standards in esports and provide greater confidence to brands and properties that are considering making investments in the esports industry,”
ESL and Dreamhack team up with Nielsen for better esports tracking Read More »
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II – Jedi Outcast launched today on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. This is a re-release of the 2002 PC, Xbox, and GameCube adventure that doesn’t include the multiplayer. But that’s not the only thing developer Aspyr left out of the Switch and PS4 ports. The studio also didn’t include the
Jedi Knight II doesn’t have inverted look controls on Switch … yet Read More »
Of all the technologies that are coming to affect gaming, 5G — which brings much faster wireless broadband speeds to smartphones and other devices on mobile networks — is one of the biggest. But it’s also in some ways unpredictable in terms of its impact. It could introduce more cloud-based services, such as the Hatch
How 5G will change the game industry and spur innovation Read More »
I reviewed the Sega Genesis Mini earlier this week, and I love this micro-console homage to the 16-bit masterpiece. But that wasn’t the only Sega-themed retro event of the week. The Dreamcast celebrated its 20th anniversary on September 9. The Dreamcast is one of my favorite systems ever, but I struggled for most of the
The RetroBeat: The Dreamcast needs its own micro-console Read More »
The summer slump for gaming brands continued in August, with the industry’s estimated total spend coming in around $3.6 million, down from July’s $6.2 million. Xbox surpassed longtime frontrunner Nintendo to claim 30.7% of the industry outlay, followed by Rockstar Games with 28.8%. GamesBeat has partnered with iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution
Xbox rolls over Nintendo to lead a sleepy August for gaming industry TV spend Read More »
The new mobile game Pokémon Masters made $26 million in its first seven days, according to mobile market analyst Sensor Tower. That estimate does not include China. Pokémon Masters came out on August 29. While many Pokémon experiences center around capturing and collecting pocket monsters, Masters focuses on the franchise’s trainers and gym leaders. You
Sensor Tower: Pokémon Masters makes $26 million in first week Read More »
Turkey has become a productive hub for games studios with companies like Gram Games and Peak Games. And now Instabul-based Recontact wants to put the place further on the map as the producer of cinematic mobile games — which Recontact calls its “cinematographic” style. I sat down recently with Simay Dinc, cofounder and producer at
How Turkey’s Recontact will put cinematic games on the map with London title Read More »
Sales of Red Matter on Oculus Quest have already surpassed the game’s lifetime sales on Rift, according to the developer Vertical Robot. The Rift version of the game launched 15 months ago. It currently has 172 ratings on the Rift store, averaging 4.4 stars. The Quest version is now at the No. 1 spot on the
Red Matter’s Oculus Quest sales eclipse its Rift sales in just 1 week Read More »
