90°

Why Hitman 2 Should Have Been Episodic

The episodic release structure for 2016’s Hitman, made the game one of the best Hitman titles in the franchise's venerable history. Here, OnlySP discusses why that decision was so brilliant, and why IO Interactive may have made a mistake in reverting back to a single release for Hitman 2.

1978d ago
WitcheRivia1978d ago

Hitman 2 is just a standalone DLC expansion for the 1st game. It really would've been no different than the developers releasing more episodic DLC for the first game. The only thing that has changed is the marketing.

Sgt_Slaughter1978d ago (Edited 1978d ago )

No, just no. Stop.

We DON'T need more bad business practices like Episodic releases. That's just awful thinking.

Hitman was great because the game itself was great. The Episodic release part turned away many players until Complete Editions came out (myself included)

80°

Rockstar Games Founder's New Studio Is Working On AAA Open World Action Adventure Game

Rockstar Games founder Dan Houser's new studio, Absurd Ventures, is currently working on a AAA open world action adventure game.

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twistedvoxel.com
porkChop14h ago

I'm really curious to see what he's going to do. It seems like a GTA-style game, but I wonder how it'll differentiate itself.

Goodguy012h ago(Edited 2h ago)

A new studio making a AAA game. Yea, that'll go well. I still think new studios should only make small games for a few years to build up teamwork and trust within.

shinoff21831h ago

That's a good point but if they have the talent it may not be needed

Mr_cheese31m ago

And the industry experience like this guy clearly does

anast2m ago

If it weren't one of the founder's of one of the most prolific open-world game studios, I would agree.

120°

Hypercharge Unboxed Dev Saddened By Claims It'll Be 'Dead' Without Xbox Game Pass

One of the big Xbox releases heading our way in May 2024 is the long-awaited Hypercharge Unboxed, which is finally bringing its "first and third-person shooter action figure game" to Xbox consoles on Friday, May 31st.

Sadly, ahead of launch, the game's official Twitter (or "X") account has been highlighting the "trolls" who are claiming that because it's not launching on Game Pass, Hypercharge Unboxed is already set up for failure on Xbox.

helicoptergirl1d 7h ago

It's horrible what people will say, but the truth might be harsh. There is a good chance it might not do well on Xbox if it's not on GamePass. There is a strong possibility that is the case. We'll see.

When it launches on Playstation in the future you can rest assured it will sell much better. The devs have confirmed it's coming to Playstation in the future.

"It is built in the Unreal Engine 4. The game was released on the Nintendo eShop on January 31, 2020 and on Steam on April 27, 2020. The development of Hypercharge: Unboxed for the Xbox platform was officially announced on July 16, 2022, with the developers also confirming future support for the PlayStation."

ZeekQuattro1d 6h ago

I remember having this on my radar years ago for the Switch but never pulled the trigger on it. Crazy it's still not on PlayStation yet.

northpaws21h ago

And that's the problem of GamePass.

JEECE21h ago

Unfortunately once people are conditioned to expect to get something as part of a subscription they already pay for, they are unlikely to buy it a la carte. Some games, including this one, now look like "Gamepass Games" to a huge chunk of the Xbox audience. Maybe this game will buck that trend, and I wish them luck, but I'd imagine they'll have a rough go trying to sell this game on Xbox.

shinoff218320h ago

Hopefully their game not selling on Xbox doesn't stop them from bringing it to ps. I can't imagine why a developer would go Xbox first if their not on gamepass. Good luck to them though.

JEECE20h ago

Yeah I can't figure that out either. I mean I understand why you go there first if you get a Gamepass payday, but if you are just trying to sell copies it doesn't make sense. Fewer users overall, and a smaller percentage of those users are willing to buy indie games a la carte.

Jingsing18h ago

Yeah, I can't understand it either unless there is some deep routed fan-boyism from the developer, which isn't very clever if you are trying to make a living. Fatshark is a perfect example of a developer sending their games to die on Xbox and they kept doing it.

Jingsing18h ago

British guy saying Xbox is his dream console doesn't really sit right does it. 5 generations of PlayStation in the UK and you haven't figured out what console is going to make you the most money. That is the mistake you've made.

JEECE9h ago

I wonder how old he is and when he got into gaming. For a certain segment of gamers, it can be difficult to overstate how influential the Xbox 360 was.

Jingsing4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

Fair, but by the end part of the 360 it was a pretty much a damp squid and then they've had two terrible generations of consoles after the 360 and still sticking with Microsoft and calling it your dream console at this point is for the birds. His game launched on Switch first now Xbox. It seems he has some preference for all platforms before PlayStation regardless of financial outcome. That isn't to say they won't do a PlayStation release. Also the UK was pretty much instrumental in launching PlayStation from a software perspective.

90°

Epic Games Faces $1.2 Million Fine Over "Unfair Practices," Plans to Fight Back

Epic Games is facing a $1.2 million fine by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets over "unfair practices" in the Fortnite shop.

Sciurus_vulgaris1d 13h ago

It might be cheaper to simply pay the fine. Fighting said fine could cost millions due to court and lawyer fees. Fortnite generates well over a 100 million in each month, so Epic has plenty of cash.

franwex1d 6h ago (Edited 1d 6h ago )

But if they did pay it, then they are basically admitting that they did something they weren’t supposed to be doing. If they fight it, they may win and continue to have a sense of urgency for their micro transactions thus making more money long term.

Goodguy0122h ago(Edited 22h ago)

Meaning more suits to follow from others if they don't fight as well.

Not a fan of Epic nor fortnite and their micro transactions. But the game is heavily supported and is free to play, all store items are completely cosmetic.

1d 4h ago
Furesis1d 1h ago

I'd fight back too. These are kinda meaningless reasons to fine someone like really for THAT. It's like they just wanted to make money or something.

Sephiroushin15h ago

There is a law for something, but even if its stupid follow it because if you break it you pay for it; if they knew they cant place a “buy now” in NL then just dont do it!