Battlefield 1 In the Name of Tsar will Deliver the Most Extensive Expansion Pack in the History of the Franchise
DICE Announces Eight All New Maps Set to Launch Throughout the Summer
SYDNEY, Australia – June 11, 2017 – Today during Live @ EA PLAY, DICE revealed new details for Battlefield ™ 1 In the Name of the Tsar, which will expand the global conflict to the largest front of World War I. In the most extensive expansion pack* to date, players will battle it out on six new maps and join the fight as the Russian Army, including the Women’s Battalion of Death. This marks the first time that fans can play as a female character in Battlefieldmultiplayer. In addition to this, Battlefield 1 In the Name of the Tsar will deliver 11 new weapons, 6 new maps, more Operations, more vehicles including the massive Ilya-Muromets Heavy Bomber, a brand new game mode called Supply Drop, new persistence, new ways to customize your play style and more.
To further give the community more of what they want, a revolution is coming to Battlefield 1 – monthly updates, new maps and in-game events throughout the summer, leading up to the launch of Battlefield 1In the Name of Tsar. In addition to the 6 maps included in Battlefield 1 In the Name of the Tsar, 2 other new maps are set to launch, along with the continuation of Premium Friends, allowing Battlefield 1 Premium Pass owners to bring their friends to play alongside them on Premium maps until Gamescom in August. At Gamescom, DICE will also unveil a competitive experience in Battlefield 1, based on feedback from the Battlefieldcommunity.
The first new map to come to Battlefield 1 for Battlefield 1 Premium Pass owners over the summer will be Nivelle Nights in June followed by Prise de Tahure in July. Both are extensions of Battlefield 1 They Shall Not Pass. In Nivelle Nights, players will engage in close quarters infantry combat through a vast network of trenches, while in Prise de Tahure, French troops desperately try to hold onto re-captured heights in the Butte-de-Tahure region. In conjunction with the release of Prise de Tahure, Premium Trials will begin, allowing all players to try maps normally only available to Battlefield 1 Premium Pass owners.
Later this year, players will further expand the battle with amphibious warfare in Battlefield 1 Turning Tides set to launch in December, followed by the most infamous battles of the Great War in Battlefield 1 Apocalypse, available in early 2018.
Fans attending EA PLAY 2017 will have the chance to go hands-on with the Lupkow Pass map from the upcoming Battlefield 1 In the Name of Tsar and experience the 64-player mayhem first hand. For more information on Battlefield 1, including the Summer of Battlefield and upcoming Battlefield 1 In the Name of The Tsar expansion, visit www.battlefield.com/games/battlefield-1/in-the-name-of-the-tsar .
EA PLAY 2017 is taking place at The Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California, and is open from today, June 10 through Monday, June 12. For all the updates from EA PLAY 2017, visit www.ea.com/eaplay2017/ or follow Electronic Arts on Twitter (@EA) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/EA/).
*Requires Battlefield 1 for applicable platform (sold separately), all game updates, internet connection, and EA account.
“Josef and his team at Hazelight represent everything that EA Originals stands for,” said Patrick Soderlund, Executive Vice President of EA Worldwide Studios. “They are a small and very talented group with a vision and passion for a game that is truly unique in the video game industry. A Way Out is going to surprise people with its innovative co-op gameplay and the way it tells an emotional story solely through these two characters.”
“This game is going to bring a co-op experience unlike anything you have ever seen before,” said Josef Fares, Writer and Director at Hazelight. “The idea for A Way Out came when me and a friend tried to find a story driven co-op game that wasn’t a drop-in/drop-out experience. We simply could not find a game like that. We’re also bringing an innovative look into how to tell the story of both these characters. Players will be immersed in the game with the way we change the display from a full screen experience seamlessly to different cinematic split-screen formats. By focusing on the two characters in different ways, it opens up a huge variety of gameplay, as we really wanted to avoid repetitions so they will get to know the characters through very different situations.
The story of A Way Out begins in prison with two separate inmates, Leo and Vincent, who don’t know each other. While their individual stories progress, players will have to build a relationship based on trust as they break both men out of prison into the world beyond. This co-op only experience is meant to be played together with a friend on a couch or online.
A Way Out is being developed by Hazelight and will be available as a digital download in early 2018 on PC via Origin, Xbox One and PlayStation® 4. For more information on the game, head to http://www.awayoutgame.com .
Bandai Namco announced during the Microsoft E3 2017 press conference that they are planning on bringing Dragon Ball FighterZ to the Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4 in early 2018 worldwide. The game is being developed by Arc System Works and will feature the 2D fighting mechanics that appear to be similar to what was featured in the latest Guilty Gear game and transfer all of the characters’ signature moves into the game.
Dragon Ball FighterZ will feature 3 vs. 3 battle mechanics and feature advanced 3D character models that look and feel as if they are ripped straight out of the Dragon Ball anime series. A closed beta for the title will be held on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 sometime before the end of summer though exact details are still to come.
Microsoft has announced that they finally have a release window for Undead Labs’ State of Decay 2. The title will be released on the Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs in spring 2018 though at the moment no price tag has been set. The developer describes the game as taking place 18 months after the zombie apocalypse, the military abandons a refugee camp in small-town America. Those left behind must band together to survive the fall of civilization and the rise of the undead.
You can check out the gameplay trailer for State of Decay 2 and at launch it will support 4K UHD, HDR, Xbox One X Enhanced, and be an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
Unless you pay almost no attention to the rise of popular PC games you’ve probably heard that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, a game that pits 100 people together in a battle royale style environment while scavenging for armor, weapons, health kits, and vehicles until there is only one, or one team, left standing, is the current hottest game since it was released back in March.
Well during Microsoft’s E3 2017 press conference it has been announced that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds will be released as a console launch exclusive for the Xbox One in late 2017. You can check out the announcement trailer for the game below.
After taking some time off from the series, Ubisoft has kept the next entry in the Assassin’s Creed series a secret that basically everyone has heard about. Now during Microsoft’s E3 press conference it has finally been made official that Egypt will be the setting for Assassin’s Creed: Origins. During this reveal we were shown that the game will now feature RPG style mechanics with various weapons having different stats and the player character leveling up over time.
You can check out both the announcement trailer as well as the gameplay that was shown during the conference below and be sure to keep an eye out for Assassin’s Creed: Origins when it is released on October 27th.
During the Xbox E3 2017 press briefing Deep Silver and 4A Games revealed that they are working on a brand new Metro game called Metro Exodus. The title will be launching in 2018 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC and it will take players outside of the ruins of Moscow as they embark on an epic, continent-spanning journey across post-apocalyptic Russia and journey through vast, non-linear levels and follow a thrilling story-line inspired by the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky that spans an entire year through spring, summer and autumn to the depths of nuclear winter.
You can check out the reveal trailer for Metro Exodus below.
After revealing that their new console will be called the Xbox One X Microsoft continued their E3 2017 press conference by revealing that Turn 10 Studios is working on getting Forza Motorsport 7 released on October 3rd where it will be available for both Windows 10 and Xbox One. At launch the game will feature 700 cars including the largest assortment of Ferraris, Porsches, and Lamborghinis ever as you attempt to master over 30 famous environments with race conditions that change every time you race.
Forza Motorsport 7 will support native 4K and 60 frames per second on the Xbox One X. You can check out the announcement trailer below.
To kick off their E3 2017 press conference Microsoft unveiled that the Project Scorpio is now called the Xbox One X and will be released on November 7th. The console will support 4K and HDR, as well as Dolby Atmos sound and 4K UHD Blu-ray playback and will support all Xbox One accessories and games at launch and will even “enhance” the features of previous Xbox One games with faster load times and better fidelity.
According to the company the specs are as follows: 6 Teraflop GPU clocked at 1.172 Ghz, 12GB of GDDR5 memory, and 326GB of memory. Presently no price tag has been announced but we will update this article as it is revealed.
Update: The price for the console has been announced at $499.99 USD.
ARK: SURVIVAL EVOLVED CONTENT UPDATE V258 AVAILABLE NOW FOR XBOX ONE, A GIGASAUR-WORTH OF NEW CONTENT… FIVE NEW CREATURES, A MOTORBOAT, WORKING TOILET, AND PAINTING FEATURES!
(Note to Editors: Content update will be available for PS4 on Monday, June 12)
Seattle, WA – June 9, 2017 – The dino-obsessed development team at Studio Wildcard today released a massive content update for the Xbox One versions of ARK: Survival Evolved. Players that can’t get enough of finding and taming new creatures will find five more beasties to track down on land, or in the water via the brand new speedy new motorboat! With this update, 100 creatures have now been officially released into the base game (not even counting bosses or specialized variants!), and the custom per-pixel painting feature has been added for structures, survivors, and creatures. Head to the island today and see if you can get your hands on the new speargun, maybe take a well earned break on the interactive toilet, or whip out your paintbrush and draw some wildly inappropriate graffiti on your base’s walls or sleeping tribemate’s face!
Check out the v258 spotlight trailer to get a first-hand look at the new content and creatures now!
In ARK update v258, Survivors have become more civilized and procured their own version of indoor plumbing. ARK players can now go to the toilet when their characters are ready to defecate, and by doing so they’ll get a special ‘refreshing’ buff which will grant them an experience boost! Plus with all the dangers recently found in the ARK seas, Survivors can now speed along in a gas-powered metal motorboat, or craft a powerful Harpoon gun which can be used in underwater adventures!
The v258 Patch for Steam ARK players includes:
– New Weapon: Harpoon Gun
– New Dino: Hyaenodon
– New Dino: Hesperornis
– New Dino: Megatherium
– New Dino: Megalania
– New Dino: Yutyrannus
– New Vehicle: Gas-powered speedy Motorboat
– New Structure: Interactive Toilet
– 2 New Hairstyles
– More Explorer Notes
– More UI Overhauls
– Direwolf Pack Feature
– Primitive + Update
– Memory reductions, texture memory & mesh optimization.
– Greater Achievement set (various cosmetics, hairstyles, & emotes unlocked as you get Achievements)
– Per-Pixel painting feature added for Structures, Survivors, and Creatures
New ARK Creatures in v258 Hyaenodon Dirus – Hyaenodon is a carnivore most often found traveling in packs across the mountains and tundras. Before engaging, it determines if the payoff for a fight is worth the risk of injury. Hyaenodon often prefers not to fight unless there is already weakened prey or a fresh carcass nearby. Despite being too small to ride, Hyaenodon are still popular pets. Their intelligence means they train well, and their natural pack mentality makes them excellent hunting dogs. Their ability to quickly recover health by consuming raw flesh off the bone ensures they can take punishment yet continue to fight, and they can efficiently preserve meat in specially-crafted saddle-bags.
Megatherium Formipavor – One of the larger mammals on the Island. Despite primarily being a herbivore, a typical Megatherium is very intent on consuming the Island’s many insects. It is particularly adept at removing their insides without damaging much of the shell, maximizing extraction of chitin. The otherwise slow and peaceful Megatherium becomes faster and aggressive in the presence of these creatures.
Megalania Muruspede – Found throughout the Island’s complicated cave networks. Reaching up to three meters long, it can traverse vertically up cave walls with little difficulty thanks to its powerful claws. Like other Varanidae, Megalania is a venomous creature. Its poison is slow-acting but will drain the victim’s effective strength and health until death unless cured by a rare antidote. The rare ability of Megalania to effortlessly climb sheer environmental walls makes it a highly sought-after mount. While it is by no means the fastest, strongest, or toughest mount, the manner in which it can effortlessly scale mountains, clamber up barricades, hide in trees or upside-down, ensures it will always have a place in any tribe’s stables!
Hesperornis Avenatantes – A medium-sized, fish-eating bird, common in the rivers and lakes of the island. It would be about two-thirds the height of a human if it stood tall, but it rarely does. Hesperornis spends most of its time gliding along the surface of the water, where it is much more maneuverable. It can easily hunt down fish and other small water-dwelling creatures. Hesperornis is primarily kept for the eggs it produces after consuming much fish. Every so often it will lay a golden egg which tribes often desire for the dietary needs of their tames, as it has proven to greatly assist in the training of all creatures, especially those which are too small to be ridden. Yutyrannus Saevus – It is believed to be related to the Tyrannosaurus rex, but it is noticeably different upon first glance. Feathered creatures are not necessarily viewed as dangerous predators in the same light as other theropods. It is also the only creature I’ve seen to consistently induce a state of panic in opponents with its roar. Upon hearing it, most creatures in the area will flee for safety. A domesticated Yutyrannus can be a powerful offensive or defensive addition to war parties. Yutyrannus can be trained to develop a confidence-boosting Battle-Cry which counteracts enemy attempts to induce fear, while also bolstering the resolve of allies, and may even draw wild Carnotaurus to its aid.
ARK: Survival Evolved is in development for Xbox One via the ID@Xbox program, Steam Early Access and PlayStation®4. The game is currently playable in on all three platforms, which includes Oculus Rift VR support and an integration of Steam community features such as Steam Economy and Steam Workshop for custom maps and mods. Players can host private/LAN servers and have access to a custom-built version of the Unreal Engine 4 Editor for creating mods. The world of ARK is designed to be modder-friendly and ever-expanding!
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ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD
Studio Wildcard was co-founded in 2014 by industry veteran Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, former Technical Art Director at Microsoft Game Studios, with the mission of bringing AAA quality to ambitious indie productions that are designed for core gamers. With combined 25 years of industry experience across multiple independent and studio-backed titles, Jeremy and Jesse have teamed up with other veteran developers for Seattle, WA-based and Gainesville, FL-based development studios that also include distributed team members across multiple continents. Wherever talented, driven developers may reside, Studio Wildcard intends to seek out and work with them!
