Irdning, Austria — Publisher Toplitz Productions announced today a planned November 12, 2019 release date for their game studio
simulation Mad Games Tycoon. The game, which Toplitz will publish for PC (Retail),
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch™, asks players to manage the challenges of launching a
game company — starting out as an indie studio and working their way up to
becoming a major player in the ‘biz. Aspiring studio heads will do more than
just play games all day, as they’ll need to manage day-to-day logistics —
including hiring new programming talent and renting office space — and
then craft games everyone will want to play. As business booms, they’ll need to
think about building their own game engines, cutting licensing deals, and even
creating next-generation consoles.
Features of Mad
Games Tycoon include:
Start a Game Development
Studio and develop and market games in any combination of over 15 genres
with nearly 200 sub-categories
Explore over 40
technologies (e.g. graphics, sound, control) and create your own game
engines as a basis for your games, or license them to other development
houses
Produce a
next-generation game console that puts everything else on the market to
shame
Set up your studio –
from the proverbial backyard garage without heating – to modern
skyscrapers with server farms for your grand-scale MMO’s
Expand your workforce –
hire both “green” programmers and development legends – then staff
departments like testing, marketing, sound, and graphics with the best
people
Mad Games Tycoon challenges players to go from a garage-based two-person game development team to a mega-business based not only on games but engine development and console creation! Aspiring development superstars will need to hire the right people to craft amazing games, while handling all the logistics of a real-world studio, from making deals to license the hottest IPs, to renting the right-sized office space for a growing super-studio.
About
Toplitz Productions
Toplitz Productions is an Austrian publisher and
developer with one goal – to offer consumers games that feature “Heart and
Soul”. The company is comprised of veteran game developers and executives and
collaborates with multiple studios throughout the world. Featuring a mix of
sports, strategy, adventure, and simulation games, Toplitz’s titles can be
found on PC and major console platforms, offering something for every type of
player.
Keep up with all things related to Toplitz Productions
and Mad Games Tycoon
by following the company on Twitter, Facebook, their official website, and Instagram.
Sega is continuing with their series of music videos that focus on introducing the characters in Project Sakura Wars and this time around the company has released a video focusing on the character named Huang Yui. The song she performs is called “Niji no Kanata” and is sung by the character’s voice actress Sumire Uesaka.
Similar to past videos, this music video gives us a look not only at the character, as well as some gorgeous animated scenes, but also a bit of a preview of their various skills and the design of their mech. Currently Project Sakura Wars is set to be released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan on December 12th with a Western release already confirmed for sometime in 2020 and you can check out the new video below.
Idea Factory International has announced that the company is planning on releasing Azur Lane: Crosswave on PC now alongside the previously announced PlayStation 4 version of the game. The release window for both versions of the game remain the same as it is set for sometime in early 2020.
In Azur Lane: Crosswave players will have access to over twenty five playable characters and over thirty support characters where they can battle through four different game modes: Story, Extreme Battle, Photo, and Episode Mode with the story mode following a seven new chapters that welcome the new characters Shimakaze and Suruga.
Unlike the mobile game it is based off of, the game will also allow players to properly control, aim, and fire at incoming battleships, aircraft carriers, and other enemies. Depending on the character’s subtype, players can dash to evade attacks or activate defensive shields, unleash torpedoes or aircrafts, and switch-on character-specific special attacks.
November 5 – World of Warships: Legends is releasing an exclusive retail version—the Firepower Deluxe Edition! This will be the first full retail release from Wargaming, a publisher known primarily for its free-to-play online-games. To support this venture, they have partnered with Gearbox Publishing, one of the largest retail game publishers in North America, to bring World of Warships: Legends to physical stores. This version is an opportunity for the game to reach new players and markets by providing additional access to game content in stores.
The collectible Firepower Deluxe Edition of World of Warships: Legends will have a bunch of premium content for both new players and fans alike. It comes with a giant bundle of month of premium account time and in-game currency, as well as four premium ships: Iwaki, Kamikaze, Texas, and Arizona. This content will provide players with a more exciting experience through unique ships and boosted progression, without disturbing game balance.
World of Warships: Legends is a fully-adjusted console version of World of Warships, built from the ground up to feature fast, more intense gameplay. The game has attracted fans around the world and has two million active players. Players battle on the high seas with legendary warships from the early and mid-20th century, using giant cannons and torpedoes to destroy their opponents.
The Firepower Deluxe Edition will be available in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand on November 15. It will be available for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at EB Games, for AUD$69.95.
About World of Warships: Legends Experience epic naval action in World of Warships: Legends, a massively multiplayer online game where you can master the seas in history’s greatest warships! Recruit legendary commanders from maritime history, upgrade your vessels and stake your claim to naval supremacy with or against players around the world in thrilling and immersive battles.
World of Warships: Legends brings the online naval action loved by millions to home consoles for the very first time, alongside a host of content and features exclusive to the console experience.
Official website: https://wowslegends.com/
About Wargaming Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 4500+ employees and offices spread all over the world. Over 200 million players enjoy Wargaming’s titles across all major gaming platforms. Their flagship products include the massively popular free-to-play hit World of Tanks and the strategic naval action game World of Warships.
Official website: www.wargaming.com
About Gearbox Publishing Founded in 2016, Gearbox Publishing was established with the goal of helping developers around the world bring their products to market while retaining their unique creative visions. The mission began with the critically-acclaimed Homeworld Remastered Collection for PC, and has since been followed by many partnerships that include Epic’s Fortnite, tinyBuild’s Hello Neighbor, and Compulsion Games’ We Happy Few. Gearbox Publishing remains committed to its mission to entertain the world and become the most developer-friendly publisher in the industry.
TIME TO BUST A MOVE WITH JUST DANCE® 2020,
AVAILABLE TODAY
Sydney,
AUSTRALIA–
November 5, 2019 – Today, Ubisoft announced that Just Dance® 2020,
the latest installment of the #1 Music Video Game Franchise Of All Time*, is
now available worldwide for the Nintendo Switch™ system, the Wii™ system,
PlayStation®4 Pro and PlayStation®4 computer
entertainment systems and the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X.
Just Dance 2020 will also launch on November 19 on Stadia, the new generation
gaming platform from Google.
Players
can “Bangarang” to 40 hot new songs, with access to over 500+ more with a free
one-month trial of Just Dance® Unlimited**, the dance-on-demand
streaming service, included with every copy.
The new
Just Dance 2020 tracklist includes:
I Don’t Care – Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber
Old
Town Road (Remix) – Lil
Nas X Ft. Billy Ray Cyrus
7 rings – Ariana Grande
Taki
Taki – DJ
Snake Ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna, Cardi B
bad guy
– Billie Eilish
Kill
This Love –
BLACKPINK
I Like
It –
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
Talk – Khalid
High
Hopes –
Panic! At The Disco
God Is
A Woman –
Ariana Grande
Con
Altura –
ROSALÍA & J Balvin Ft. El Guincho
Con
Calma –
Daddy Yankee Ft. Snow
The
Time (Dirty Bit) –
Black Eyed Peas
Soy Yo – Bomba Estéreo
365 – Zedd & Katy Perry
Rain
Over Me –
Pitbull Ft. Marc Anthony
Everybody
(Backstreet’s Back) –
Millennium Alert
FANCY – TWICE (트와이스)
Into
the Unknown – Disney’s
Frozen 2 (available on November 22***)
Baby
Shark –
Pinkfong
Keep In
Touch – JD
McCrary
Get
Busy –
KOYOTIE
Só
Depois Do Carnaval – Lexa
MA ITŪ – Stella Mwangi
I Am
the Best (내가제일잘나) – 2NE1
Skibidi
– Little Big
Bangarang
– Skrillex Ft. Sirah
Bassa
Sababa –
Netta
My New
Swag (我的新衣) – VAVA Ft. Ty. & Nina Wang
Just An
Illusion –
Equinox Stars
Stop
Movin’ –
Royal Republic
Tel
Aviv – Omer
Adam Ft. Arisa
Ugly
Beauty (怪美的) – Jolin Tsai (蔡依林)
Vodovorot – XS Project
Bad Boy – Riton & Kah-Lo
Sushi – Merk & Kremont
Policeman
– Eva Simons Ft. Konshens
Fancy
Footwork –
Chromeo
Fit But
You Know It – The
Streets
Le Bal
Masqué – Dr.
Creole
Always
Look on The Bright Side of Life – The Frankie Bostello Orchestra
Infernal Gallop (Can-Can) – The Just Dance Orchestra
Just
Dance 2020 celebrates a decade of bringing people together with exciting new
content including:
All
Stars Mode:
Players can immerse themselves in 10 years of Just Dance with the
brand-new All Stars mode**. Players will travel across 10 Just Dance
planets and dance through the most iconic songs and universes of the
franchise to unlock an exclusive song at the end of their journey. This
online feature requires a high-speed internet access.
The Return of Co-op Mode: Players can team up with their friends for more
fun in co-op mode. Co-op mode brings players together to combine scores
and rule the dance floor.
A More
Personalized Experience: The enhanced recommendation system** enables players to choose
among a personalized offering of their most-loved Just Dance content. In
addition, they can create their own playlists to customize their Just
Dance parties.
In
addition to the fresh new content, classic Just Dance features including Sweat
mode and Kids mode will return to Just Dance 2020!
Just
Dance 2020 is even more accessible with theJust Dance® Controller
App**, allowing players to use
their smartphone to navigate in-game, track and score their moves. Up to six
players can play with their phones simultaneously. The application is available
for free on iOS and Android.
For the
latest information on Just Dance 2020, the Just Dance Controller app, or Just
Dance Unlimited, please visit: justdancegame.com.
Follow Just Dance on Twitter @JustDanceGame
and use hashtag #JustDance2020.
* Source: NPD, GfK & GSD – August 2017
** Available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 system, Stadia
and Nintendo Switch™
The free Just Dance Controller App enables players to
use their smartphone to play the game without any peripherals or added console
cameras. The app transforms the player’s smartphone into a motion sensor that
tracks the accuracy of their moves and allows them to navigate through the
game.
ABOUTUBISOFT
Ubisoft is
a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and
services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s
Creed, Far Cry, For Honor, Just Dance, Watch Dogs,
Tom Clancy’s video game series including Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six and The
Division. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and
business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming
experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones,
tablets and PCs. For the 2018–19 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of
€2,029 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com/.
When it was announced that longtime WWE games developer Yukes would be stepping away from the franchise many fans were excited to see if this may mean a change for the better in future entries as it left only Visual Concepts, a team with quite a history of sports games under their belt, in sole control of the property. With this change occurring in August however, WWE 2K20 was left in the lurch and unfortunately rather than taking the time to get a handle on things the game was instead ushered out the door as a completed product. As a result, Visual Concepts takes a series that has already been dazed and confused over the past few years and manages to slam it through a table straight to the floor in what may be the worst game in the series since its inception.
Story
This time around players are presented with a new double storyline in MyCareer as players will create their own male and female wrestling pair that, while named whatever the player chooses, are nicknamed Tre and Red respectively. The story centers rather oddly as a flashback as the pair reminisce about their rise to stardom through the WWE while attending their induction to the WWE Hall of Fame. After creating a notebook of their dreams in high school the pair have used it to chart their course through the company all the way from an awful cafeteria fight in high school to Wrestlemania years down the line that sees the pair taking on unaging wrestlers in pursuit of their goals.
Despite the large team of writers that WWE manages to squander on their weekly television broadcasts it is hard to believe that the writing in MyCareer could be any worse but WWE 2K20 manages to pull it off as Red, the core focus of the storyline, is as hot headed as her nickname sounds while Tre is a butt of most jokes and the pair rarely ever actually have fights together as a pair, leading to our lead characters being presented as fairly unlikable characters in an incredibly poorly written storyline. The only saving grace is that current WWE stars are presented in a great light and thanks to the fact that this is a video game, there are plenty of fantastical elements that work much better in regards to some of the more “mystical” characters that enter the story.
Outside of the core storyline of MyCareer players will also have the option to play through the Showcase Mode that follows the story of the Four Horsewomen of the WWE, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Bayley with the game featuring numerous interviews with the women and some blurry replays of various matches that players can then partake in while hoping to avoid any game breaking bugs or crashes. It is also worth noting that the other touted feature which is loudly advertised in the game’s main menu and starting screen, WWE 2K Originals, is completely inaccessible with the story locked immediately behind launch DLC.
Gameplay
There is a saying that when something isn’t broke, don’t fix it but rather than subscribe to that saying Visual Concepts instead chose to break what was previously working in an effort to match up with the rest of what was broken in their release of WWE 2K20. Rather than making things more streamlined the wrestling gameplay has been reworked to only appear more complicated than it was before and longtime fans will notice that many of the standard controls have been remapped to separate buttons. While this does make countering attacks easier as players no longer need to worry about the triggers, pressing Y to counter moves takes some getting used to while using signatures and finishers now requires two buttons to be pressed at the same time. Along those same lines there are now numerous move variations and targeting systems that make use of the trigger and shoulder buttons to allow for separate grapples that used to flow together much easier and even lifting moves, one of the”new” features that returns often glitches out far more often than it actually works.
Paybacks, limb targeting, stamina, and overall damage still work the same as usual however the same targeting issues that have plagued the series for many years remain an issue and non-responsive controls are exasperated thanks to the numerous inputs required for certain moves. Along those same lines players will need to struggle with AI that rarely finds a middle ground between simply laying there and taking a beating and countering with no chance for a comeback regardless of the difficulty setting and sliders, that is of course if it doesn’t spend half the match wandering around the arena when entered into anything more complicated than a singles or tag match, and be prepared for tag partner AI to be just as bad.
Players will find that they still have a plethora of options available to them as WWE 2K20 does feature probably one of the most robust rosters of wrestlers in recent memory, though some do remain locked behind in-game currency purchases, as well as many different match types to take part in. Standard play and Universe mode work the best in regards to long term play while the game’s online matches are absolutely atrocious as not only do they take quite a bit of time to load in but suffer from massive amounts of lag no matter how great the connection between players appears to be. If the match manages to hold together through the initial minutes of lag these online matches begin to work well enough but the initial struggle is hard to get through, especially in matches with more than two players.
Outside of these standard play modes there is the aforementioned Showcase Mode that sees players take part in more structured story matches that follow the Four Horsewomen but the problem in this mode is twofold. Not only does their more structured nature, with various story events that players can trigger by completing certain objectives, lead to matches with a slower pace but the lack of a proper move list for wrestlers can make triggering certain events a more tiresome experience than it should be as some events do not happen unless a certain move is performed. Add this to the fact that crashes and bugs that make a match impossible to complete remain a problem in this mode it also makes Showcase matches feel more like a race against the clock than the opponent in the ring.
Another major mode in WWE 2K20 is MyCareer mode and unfortunately this mode is filled with probably the most problematic aspects of the entire game. Not only are players given a very limited creation aspect at the beginning of the mode to create both their male and female wrestlers but nearly everything is locked behind the game’s in-game currency. Most moves, pieces of clothing, and even hairstyles are locked behind card packs that players will need to purchase in the hopes of getting a move or piece of clothing they might like, or they can be purchased outright at an extreme premium if you’re desperate. Even taking part in various “Tower” matches to unlock special gear or to help level up your limited pair of wrestlers rarely feel worth the effort simply due to how poor the reward systems are.
That isn’t to say that everything about WWE 2K20 is bad, as the game does occasionally have moments where it shines and a match can go off without any issues. These moments are few and far between and even then players will need to wait through some fairly significant load times for nearly every sequence. This only makes the aforementioned constant bugs that require a match restart or flat out crashes to the Xbox Home all the more frustrating.
Visuals & Audio
Generally when a game is released year after year the character models for returning stars tend to improve but whether it was due to the transition from Yukes to Visual Concepts or something else, WWE 2K20 looks like a massive step back instead when it comes to the wrestlers. Only a few select wrestlers look similar to their real life counterparts but for the most part many of the wrestlers look like they were simply created in the “Create a Superstar” and in a few cases even worse than that as some wrestlers even appear to feature the same exact face model with only their hair styled differently.
Thankfully at least the in-game arenas and the pyros used for entrances look rather amazing and a few of the “spots” where special OMG moments can be performed are acceptably brutal. It is odd however that some of the video footage that is shown of real matches, both old and newer, somehow are presented worse than they look even when shown through the WWE Network streaming service. The game’s soundtrack features all of the tracks that players have come to expect from the series and all of the wrestlers’ entrance themes are presented in their proper glory. As far as the commentary goes the most recent patch does appear to have fixed the commentators from glitching into talking about random body parts while the voice work from the actual wrestlers is surprisingly well handled and remain one of the best parts of the game’s story modes.
Overall
It is rather unclear just what happened behind the scenes at Visual Concepts and what Yukes took with them when they left but what is clear is that WWE 2K20 is a game that shouldn’t have been released. While the company may have been aiming to keep to their annual release schedule the result is a wrestling game that falls short in each aspect over its previous releases and manages to be a technical mess at almost every turn. With a mediocre storyline, gameplay that feels like a step back, and graphics we’ve seen better of since many years ago, Visual Concepts needs to put some serious effort into the next game to even hope of drawing fans back.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Farm ‘Em All in New Trailer for Farming Simulator 20, Coming December 3
to Nintendo Switch, iOS & Android
PARIS — Nov. 4, 2019 —Farming Simulator 20 will let you farm on the go like never before, and the new Gotta Farm ‘Em All Trailer showcases just some of the huge variety of farming activities you’ll be able to take on to become the greatest farmer ever.
Farming
Simulator 20 will
feature products from John Deere, the largest agriculture machinery
company in the world. There are also tons of gameplay additions — new
machinery and crops like cotton and oats, as well as a whole new North American
environment to explore and develop, livestock like pigs, cows, and sheep
to look after, and even your own horses to tend to and ride!
With over 100 faithfully reproduced farming
vehicles and tools, Farming
Simulator 20 will provide hours of farming fun on the go or at home
when it launches on December 3 on Nintendo Switch and iOS and Android
devices. Pre-order
now!
Red Bull
Fight or Flight Grand Final winners head to USA
Over a
thousand players across the country took part in Red Bull Fight or Flight
4
November, 2019 – PUBG squad Team Immunity, with players hailing from Brisbane,
Gold Coast and Sydney, took out the inaugural Red Bull Fight or Flight Grand Final at
Carriageworks in Sydney on Saturday night.
Over
1,000 players competed in Red Bull Fight or Flight, powered by OMEN,
across three qualifiers, including a live event at PAX Australia, a national
online qualifier and a last chance qualifier at Carriageworks, making it the biggest
amateur PUBG esports tournament in Australia to date.
Team
Immunity – featuring Vasili ‘vasili’ Varipatis, Nathan ‘Chung1E’ Chung,
Nicholas ‘Nick101’ Elliott and Jesse ‘Insight’ Spencer – beat out 255 other
PUBG teams for the title and scored a prize valued up to $30,000, including an
all expenses paid trip to the PUBG Global Championship Grand Finals in
California, from 23 – 24 November, as well as four OMEN 15 gaming laptops and
top of the line OMEN peripherals.
Vasili
‘vasili’ Varipatis, In-Game Leader of Team Immunity, shared that the unique Red
Bull Fight or Flight PUBG settings, which makes the blue zone shrink faster and
deal more damage, made the game more challenging.
“The
Fight or Flight settings were really exciting and definitely moved a lot faster
than we are used to. After the first game we were a bit worried as Justice had
a really big win, so we had to change our game plan and become a lot more
aggressive. In the second game we definitely had a bit of luck with the circle
shrink, and in the third game we just pushed it over the line,” said Varipatis.
“It’s
awesome to win. We can’t wait to go to America to cheer on the other guys from
Oceania who are competing in the event and watch some of our idols play. Maybe
we’ll learn a thing or two as well.”
Joshua
Inman, Operations Manager at ESL Australia, representing Red Bull Fight or
Flight, said the tournament has been a success.
“Red
Bull Fight or Flight has given hundreds of players the opportunity to play like
a pro on stage and the high-octane custom in-game settings have definitely
challenged amateur and seasoned gamers alike. We’ve had really positive
feedback from players and the wider gaming community about the tournament. It’s
been great to work with Red Bull and OMEN to support amateur esports in
Australia, ” said
Inman.
Amateurs
and fans who want to level up their PUBG game, can check out Kritikalmotion’s
PUBG Boot Camp series on the Red
Bull Gaming YouTube channel.
Watch
the Red Bull Fight or Flight Grand Final for a limited time on Red Bull Twitch.
Pre-purchase Descent of Dragons card pack bundles and unlock a golden Legendary card, a Deathwing Warrior Hero, and bonus features† in Hearthstone: Battlegrounds—an all-new eight-player game mode
Receive
all five versions of Galakrond—the mightiest dragon in Warcraft® history—free when the new
expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s free-to-play digital card game launches
on 11 December*
SYDNEY,
Australia—2 November, 2019, The Year of the Dragon—Blizzard Entertainment today unveiled Descent
of Dragons™, a high-flying 135-card expansion for its smash-hit
free-to-play digital card game Hearthstone®. Hatching on 11 December,
the epic conclusion to Hearthstone’s first-ever year-long story line
will arm players with draconic firepower—including the ability to transform
into Galakrond, the mightiest dragon in Warcraft® history.
The
Year of the Dragon beganwith Rise of Shadows™, where
players were introduced to the League of E.V.I.L., a shadowy organisation led
by the notorious Archvillain Rafaam. In Saviors of Uldum™,
the villains threatened to unleash a world-ending plague, but players joined up
with the League of Explorers to save the day. Now, in Descent of Dragons,
the forces of good and evil will settle things once and for all with the help
of dragons—lots and lots of dragons.
The League of E.V.I.L. plans to
bring doom to Azeroth by resurrecting Galakrond—the father of all dragons—who’s
playable in different forms in Hearthstone as a set of five new Hero
cards. Available to the five “E.V.I.L.” classes—Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock,
and Warrior—Galakrond takes on a form appropriate to the corresponding class,
each with a unique Battlecry and Hero Power.
Cultist minions and spells with the
new Invoke keyword will trigger the effect of Galakrond’s Hero Power.
Invoking multiple times upgrades Galakrond into his two increasingly stronger
forms, the mightiest of which is Galakrond, Azeroth’s End—which comes into play
with a quadruple-strength Battlecry and a powerful claw attack. Hearthstone
players who log in when Descent of Dragons swoops in* will
receive all five Galakrond Hero cards free.
Heroic Druids, Hunters, Mages,
and Paladins can cower in the face of Galakrond’s might, or they can bravely
prepare to face their doom by completing the new Sidequests, which
provide a variety of accessible early-game goals and rewards.
“We love constantly exploring new
ideas with Hearthstone, from telling an epic year-long story to
introducing fun new ways to play,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard
Entertainment. “Descent of Dragons embodies that value—we think players
will have a blast with all of the new cards as well as the new gameplay
mechanics we’re introducing with this expansion.”
Until launch, players can
pre-purchase two different Descent of Dragons card pack bundles: a
60-pack bundle, which includes a Descent of Dragons-specific golden
Legendary card and the Shattering card back; and the massive 100-pack Mega
Bundle, which includes those bonuses and the new Deathwing playable
Warrior Hero. These bundles are available for $66.95 AUD and $109.95 AUD
respectively; one of each can be purchased per account.
Prepare to Enter the
Battlegrounds
At BlizzCon® 2019, Blizzard
unveiled Hearthstone:Battlegrounds, an all-newway to
play. Hearthstone: Battlegrounds is a raucous eight-player auto-battler
featuring 24 unique Heroes, in which players will recruit minions,
strategically position them, and watch as they battle for supremacy.
This free game mode is designed as a
standalone experience that uses Hearthstone as a foundation, but it does
not require building or maintaining a card collection. Hearthstone:Battlegrounds
will be available to everyone when it enters open beta on Tuesday, 12 November.
An early access period will be available from 6-12 November for everyone who
attended BlizzCon, purchased the BlizzCon Virtual
Ticket, or pre-purchased either of the Descent of Dragons bundles.
Beginning with Descent of Dragons,
everyone will receive free access to Hearthstone:Battlegrounds.
While nonessential for play, Hearthstone players will be able to unlock
optional bonus features when they acquire card packs from the most recent
expansion (starting with Descent of Dragons). † This includes
free packs, those acquired with in-game gold, or those purchased with real
money. At 10 packs, players unlock comprehensive stat-tracking in Hearthstone:
Battlegrounds (slated for release following beta testing); at 20 they can
choose from three different Bosses instead of two at the start of each match;
and at 30, players unlock the ability to playfully communicate with their
opponents using a visual emote system.
To learn more about Descent of
Dragons, fly over to www.descentofdragons.com,
and be on the lookout for more information regarding Battlegrounds soon.
Prepare to Cross into the Realm of the Dead in World of
Warcraft®: Shadowlands
Otherworldly wonders
and challenges await playersas they journey through the realms of the afterlife and gain
new power from the Covenants that rule there
Brave the hazards of
Torghast, Tower of the Damned—an ever-changing dungeon for solo players and
groups of up to five—and claim legendary treasures
Available for
pre-purchase in the Blizzard
Shop starting today, with multiple options offering
multiple entry points and more benefits
SYDNEY, Australia—2 November, 2019 AEDT/NZDT—Sylvanas Windrunner, fallen leader of the Horde, has pierced the veil between Azeroth and the realm of the dead, setting in motion a series of events that threatens to upset the cosmic balance between life and death. Blizzard Entertainment today revealed World of Warcraft®: Shadowlands, the latest expansion for the company’s acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, in which Azeroth’s heroes will confront the wonders and horrors of the afterlife as they deal with the consequences of Sylvanas’ actions.
World of Warcraft players entering the fabled Shadowlands
will find the realms of the dead in upheaval. Under the normal order, departed
souls were delivered to a realm appropriate to the lives they led, but now, all
souls are being funnelled into the Maw, where the most wicked are
damned to suffer for eternity. As they seek to right the cycle and uncover the
extent of Sylvanas’ designs, players will forge bonds with the Covenants who
hold domain over different planes within the Shadowlands:
The mysterious NightFae
of Ardenweald, who fiercely defend the spirits of nature from those
who would deprive them of rebirth.
The cunning Venthyr of
Revendreth, who feast on the souls of the prideful and vain in a
gothic realm of opulence and torment.
The warlike Necrolords
of Maldraxxus, who forge the undead armies that serve as the first
line of defence for the Shadowlands and honour those who seek power and
glory in battle.
A host of new features and
activities await players in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. When they
cross into the realm-between-realms, players will be able to:
Explore
the Realm of the Dead: For the first time ever in World
of Warcraft, players will cross into the Shadowlands and experience
the wonders and horrors of the afterlife across five new zones—the
gleaming fields of Bastion, the scarred battlefields of Maldraxxus,
the eternal twilight of Ardenweald, the opulent keeps of Revendreth,
and thehorrific Maw.
Claim
a Covenant’s Power: Players will be called upon to
forge a bond with one of four Covenants that rule Shadowlands’ new
zones, setting the tone for their journey through the expansion with a
full Covenant Campaign. As they level up, they’ll get new abilities
based on their choice, including class-specific abilities for each
Covenant—as well as developing Soulbinds with specific Covenant
members, which grant them access to that character’s specific traits and
bonuses.
Ascend
the Tower of the Damned: At the heart of the Maw lies Torghast,
Tower of the Damned, a cursed otherworldly prison where the wickedest
souls in the universe are locked away. Highly replayable and inspired by
roguelike games, heroes are invited to explore its ever-changing halls and
chambers and do battle with the minions of theJailer, Torghast’s
vile ruler. Those who brave its trials can claim legendary treasures and
help free the heroic spirits wrongfully trapped within.
Every
Level Is Meaningful: Shadowlands
will introduce a new levelling system, meant to provide a meaningful sense
of advancement with every level achieved.Current max-level
characters will begin Shadowlands at level 50 and work toward the
new level cap of 60.
A
New Army of the Dead Rises: To combat Sylvanas’ assault on
Icecrown, Bolvar Fordragon— the revered former paladin who took on the
mantle of Lich King to keep the Scourge at bay—has raised heroes from
among all the peoples of Azeroth to bolster the Death Knights of Acherus.
With Shadowlands, pandaren and all allied races will now be able to
become Death Knights.
Improved
Character Customisation Options: A host of new appearance
options for all races will be made available to players when they create
new World of Warcraft characters (or alter existing ones at the
in-game barber shop).
Pre-purchase Options
World
of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available for pre-purchase
digitally from the Blizzard Shopstarting today, with three different
options all designed with player preference in mind. The Base Edition of Shadowlands
is available for$59.95 AUD / $64.99 NZD, providing a new lower entry
point compared to previous expansions. The Heroic Edition ($89.95 AUD / $97.49
NZD) includes the expansion; a level-120 character boost; and the Ensorcelled
Everwyrm mount, which provides access to a questline through which players
can earn the Vestments of the Eternal Traveler transmogrification set. The
Epic Edition ($119.95 AUD / $129.99 NZD) includes the Anima Wyrmling pet;
the Wraithchill cosmetic weapon effect; the Eternal Traveler’s
Hearthstone, designed with a unique visual effect; and 30 days of game
time, in addition to all the contents from the Heroic Edition.
All
bonuses from the Heroic and Epic Editions are unlocked immediately upon
pre-purchase. In addition, pre-purchasing any edition of World of Warcraft:Shadowlands will open the ability for players to create pandaren and
allied race Death Knights once the Visions of N’Zoth content update for
the current expansion, Battle for Azeroth™, arrives in the
coming months.
