Nintendo News: Nintendo Details DLC Coming to Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia for Nintendo 3DS

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The upcoming Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia game, which launches exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on May 19, is a massive game filled to the brim with content. For players who want to extend their adventure even further, five major DLC packs are coming to the game starting on May 19, adding more maps, dungeons, characters and items.

The upcoming Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia game, which launches exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on May 19, is a massive game filled to the brim with content. (Photo: Business Wire)

• Season Pass (May 19, $44.99, 22 pieces of content): The Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Season Pass includes all five DLC packs as they release. By purchasing the Season Pass, fans who want to receive all DLC will save more than 30 percent compared to purchasing all 22 pieces of content on their own.
• DLC Pack #1 – Fledgling Warriors Pack (May 19, $7.99, three pieces of content): Ideal for early- to mid-game adventurers, this pack includes a new dungeon (The Astral Temple) and two new maps, great for gaining more items, money and experience points.
• DLC Pack #2 – Undaunted Heroes Pack (May 25, $9.99, three pieces of content): In addition to a new dungeon (The Inner Sanctum), this pack also includes two challenging new maps that stronger, more seasoned heroes will want to tackle.
• DLC Pack #3 – Lost Altars Pack (May 25, $14.99, 10 pieces of content): The mysterious dungeons included in this pack hold the power to upgrade characters to exclusive classes that don’t appear in the main game.
• DLC Pack #4 – Rise of the Deliverance Pack (June 1, $12.99, four pieces of content): Discover the previously untold history of Valentia in this Prologue pack. Complete with new story content and additional voice acting that details the rise of the Deliverance in Zofia, this collection of challenging maps includes new support conversations between selected heroes, as well as the ability to take command of a character players won’t be able to control in the main game.
• DLC Pack #5 ($5.99, two pieces of content): More information about this final DLC pack will be revealed in the future.

All of these packs, as well as the individual components included in each pack, can be purchased separately, giving players the flexibility to buy as many or as few as they want.

While Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia features all this great paid DLC, free downloadable content will also be released for the game after launch for a limited time, starting on May 19. The first free content is a special gift from Goddess Mila and can be obtained when playing the game. For more details about the game’s DLC, visit http://fireemblemechoes.nintendo.com/dlc.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia launches for Nintendo 3DS on May 19 at a suggested retail price of $39.99. A limited-edition bundle for the game will launch on the same day at a suggested retail price of $59.99. Also launching on May 19 are the Alm and Celica amiibo figures, available only as a set at a suggested retail price of $24.99.

For more information about Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia visit http://fireemblemechoes.nintendo.com/.

The legendary voice actress joins Madman Anime Festival Brisbane line-up.

Wednesday, May 3rd 2017.Madman Entertainment are thrilled to announce that prolific Japanese voice actress, Yuko Miyamura, will be joining the guest line-up for Madman Anime Festival Brisbane – taking place at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, June 10th – 11th, 2017.

Yuko Miyamura is best known for voicing Asuka Langley in the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series and Evangelion films – arguably the most popular anime property of all time.

Yuko has also voiced characters in over 1000 TV episodes, OVAs, animated feature films, and video games. Her anime roles include Aisha Clan Clan in Outlaw Star, Casca in Berserk, Kazuha Toyama in Detective Conan/Case Closed and Alyssa Searrs in My-HiME.

Yuko’s gaming credits include voicing Chun Li and Rose in the Street Fighter Alpha and EX series’, Larxene in the Kingdom Hearts series and her acting roles include the iconic ‘Training Video Presenter’ in Battle Royale.

In addition to being a very talented voice actress, Yuko Miyamura is an actress, J-pop singer, and director of audiography.

While releasing Jpop albums and continuing her acting work, she also runs Voice Acting workshops – designed to give aspiring actors expert tips and training, as well as an insider’s perspective on the industry.

Yuko Miyamura is very excited to meet her fans at Madman Anime Festival and is looking forward to enjoying the festival, greeting and performing for everyone!

Guests confirmed for Madman Anime Festival Brisbane also include voice actress, Cherami Leigh (Sword Art Online, Fairy Tail), and Cosplay Stars both international and local – Ying Tze (Malaysia), Orochi X (Australia), Pinky Lu Xun (Australia), and Katyuska Moonfox (Australia).

Tickets to Madman Anime Festival Brisbane are on sale now from: http://www.animefestival.com.au/

Over 30k kills per minute in Dawn of War III’s apocalyptic first weekend

Dawn of War III was released on Thursday! Since then, the non-stop battle has been raging. Our global network of fans have been busy diving back into the dark and brutal universe they know so well. To that end, we’ve collected some cool stats that shed light on how our fans are enjoying Dawn of War III.

So far, players have waged war in 1,464,424 matches across our campaign, skirmish and multiplayer modes. Our fans have quickly racked up a colossal amount of collective playtime, which currently stands at 889,520 hours. Put another way, that’s 101.5 years!

The Blood God is exceptionally pleased with the astronomical body count, which sits at 176,544,050 total units killed. That’s over 30,000 deaths a minute over the course of four days! It does not get more Warhammer 40,000 than that.

As all 40k enthusiasts know, it’s not a proper war unless you look good doing it! Players have used the army painter to create 179,111 custom colour schemes.

Interestingly, the favourite unlockable Elite for Eldar players is Jain Zar, who’s been deployed 112,895 times. She embodies the Eldar style of play – strike fast, hit hard, and then withdraw before taking damage.

Weirdboy Zapnoggin is the unlockable Ork Elite of choice. He’s already been called to action 137,843 times, suggesting Ork players find his devastating ranged abilities a useful complement to their melee heavy armies.

Players are making good use of the Space Marines’ resilience to hold out before bringing in end game behemoth Imperial Knight Solaria. The near indomitable walker has already seen 180,335 deployments!

Keen Eldar strategists have used the Avenger Shield doctrine, which enhances the shields of Dire Avengers, on 100,888 occasions. These players are undoubtedly looking to get the best from their early troops and secure vital resources.

Kunnin’ Ork Kommanders have to make good use of scrap. Maybe that’s why Healin’ Scrap is such a popular doctrine with 54,446 selections. If you gotta deal with scrap, it might as well heal ya!

Space Marine fans really value the Tip Of The Spear doctrine, which allows them to create a bastion on the frontlines by reinforcing troops and healing Elites at Listening Posts. This selection can make a well organised Space Marine force extremely difficult to break down, which is probably why it’s been used 118,790 times.

We’re incredibly excited to have released the third instalment in this iconic franchise. During the next few weeks, we will be showcasing tonnes of content like strategy tips and amazing plays that our fans are going to love. If you don’t want to miss out, make sure you’re following us on social media.

Twitter: @DawnOfWar                             Facebook: Dawn of War

Wargaming Addresses World of Tanks Players’ Major Concerns in Latest Update

The game gets an improved matchmaker, new SPG mechanics, and Tier X light tanks

May 3, 2017 — Wargaming has released Update 9.18 for World of Tanks, bringing fundamental changes to the game. The dev team started on their quest to evolve the game’s core by tackling some of the most heated issues the project has today. With this update, they introduced the new, template-based matchmaking system, made comprehensive changes to artillery, and revised light tank lines, stretching them to Tier X.

The improved matchmaker assembles teams choosing from a set of server-based algorithms—templates—so that both camps always have the same number of vehicles at the top/middle/bottom of the list. It also limits the number of SPGs per side to 3 at the most and significantly reduces the instances of map duplications. Together, these new rules and restrictions are designed to foster an engaging gaming experience where it’s almost impossible to predict the battle outcome and every player gets to contribute to it.

“9.18 is one of the most significant updates ever introduced, both in terms of the importance of the issues it tackles and sheer scope of fundamental changes it simultaneously brings into the game,” said Thaine Lyman, World of Tanks Product Director. “It’s been a massive quest for the team. We are thankful to players who pitched in to help us improve the core gameplay aspects. We’ll continue refining these newly introduced features, while also working on further improvements that fundamentally push the quality of the game forward.”

The newly implemented stun mechanic transforms SPGs into long-range support fire vehicles that can now debilitate enemy tanks, affecting factors such as their reload speed. Instead of inflicting critical damage, SPGs now play in close cooperation with the team. They set the attack direction and support their fellow tankers from afar.

Finally, light tank branches were stretched to Tier X, which marked the introduction of the regular ±2 tier spread for them. Five nations (USA, Germany, France, U.S.S.R., and China) were reinforced with new Tier X vehicles and went through a series of balance tweaks to make them suitable for ±2 battles. Boasting excellent speed and decent firepower, topped with superior scouting abilities, light tanks are now more capable than ever in augmenting their teammates and making a decisive impact on the battle.

For more information on Update 9.18, visit the official game portal:

• worldoftanks.com

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About World of Tanks

World of Tanks is a team-based massively multiplayer online action game dedicated to armored warfare of the mid-20th century. Throw yourself into the epic tank battles of World War II with other steel cowboys all over the world. Your arsenal includes over 500 armored vehicles from the United States, Germany, the Soviet Union, France, Great Britain, Japan, China, Sweden and Czechoslovakia carefully detailed with historical accuracy.

About Wargaming

Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher and one of the leaders in the free-to-play MMO market. Founded as a privately held company in 1998, Wargaming has shipped over 15 titles. Currently, Wargaming is focused on its team-based MMO war series dedicated to the mid-20th century warfare that includes the armored World of Tanks, the flight combat World of Warplanes, and the naval World of Warships. The three intertwined titles form a common gaming universe integrated within the portal www.wargaming.net.

As part of its multiplatform line-up, the company has introduced World of Tanks on Xbox and World of Tanks Blitz on mobile platforms, Windows 10 PCs and Mac OS X. Launched in 2014 and 2015, World of Tanks on Xbox introduced epic tank-on-tank battles to console gamers and offers the first cross-platform gaming experience between Xbox 360 and Xbox One. In 2016, Wargaming released World of Tanks for PlayStation®4, continuing its console campaign.

Official website:

• http://www.wargaming.com

REVISIT THE DYSTOPIAN WORLD OF NIER: AUTOMATA IN ALL-NEW DLC AVAILABLE NOW

SYDNEY, 3^RD May 2017 – Fans have yet another reason to revisit the dystopian world of NieR: Automata™ with the launch of the game’s new downloadable content, titled “3C3C1D119440927”, from today. Now available for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and STEAM®, the add-on content includes three new colosseums to challenge and additional sub-quests yielding exciting rewards, including:

• Costumes from the previous Japanese release, NieR: Replicant, including the “Revealing Outfit” for 2B, “Young Man’s Outfit” for 9S and “Destroyer Outfit” for A2
• Records adding special music tracks to the player’s jukebox
• New equipment and cosmetic accessories, including hairspray that allows you to change the color of 2B and A2’s hair
• Masks with unique “on equip” effects
• Special bullets that change the appearance of enemy bullets

Players will also have the opportunity to battle Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda and PlatinumGames CEO Kenichi Sato in epic boss battles via the DLC’s new colosseum challenges.

The critically acclaimed NieR: Automata has shipped more than one million physical and digital copies worldwide.  Developed in collaboration with PlatinumGames Inc., it delivers a masterful mix of action and RPG gameplay. Players battle as androids 2B, 9S and A2 in order to reclaim the world for their human creators and uncover long-forgotten truths.

NieR: Automata is available now for the PlayStation®4 and Steam across Australia & New Zealand.

Related Links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NieRGame
Twitter: @NieRGame
Official Page: http://nierautomata.com

CALL OF DUTY WORLD LEAGUE (CWL) PRESENTED BY PLAYSTATION®4 CWL CHAMPIONSHIP HEADED TO ORLANDO

Biggest Call of Duty Competition of the Year with USD$1.5 Million at Stake Coming to Amway Center August 9 – 13 

Total Prizing for 2017 CWL Tops USD$4 Million

May 3, 2017 – The year’s premiere and definitive Call of Duty competitive event, the Call of Duty World League Championship, is coming to the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, August 9 – 13. For the first time on the East Coast, CWL Champs will offer fans the chance to see the top 32 teams in the world compete for a prize pool of USD$1.5 million as part of the largest CWL season-long prize pool to date of USD$4 Million.  Top teams already are battling it out in the CWL Global Pro League to earn a shot at an automatic berth in the grand finale of the Call of Duty World League year, CWL Champs. Through week two of the Pro League, Team EnVyUs (NA), Splyce (EU), Mindfreak (APAC), Evil Geniuses (NA), FaZe Clan (NA), and Rise Nation (NA) have punched their ticket for the first 6 spots in Orlando.

“The CWL 2017 season is already shaping up to be the biggest one yet,” said Rob Kostich, EVP and general manager of Call of Duty, Activision. “The live events all over the world, including Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, Paris and Sydney have been incredible, and the Global Pro League has already featured intense match ups with teams going after the big Stage 1 prize purses.  So, the CWL Champs in August becomes even more fitting as the culmination of the best that Call of Duty esports has to offer this year. We can’t wait for Orlando.”

With three weekends remaining in Stage 1 of the Global Pro League, 8 additional professional teams will descend on the MLG Arena in Columbus, Ohio, to continue the CWL competitions.  In addition to the USD$700,000 payout, the teams will be competing for seeding heading into the Stage 2 contests starting in June in Columbus, Ohio.  Teams in Stage 1 competition hail from North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

The remaining groups and schedule for Stage 1 contests:

• eUnited, Luminosity Gaming, Millenium, Epsilon – May 5 – 7
• OpTic Gaming, Red Reserve, Enigma6 Group, Elevate – May 12 – 14
• Playoffs of the top eight teams (top two in each group) – May 21 – 23

At the CWL Champs, the 32 best teams worldwide will compete in pool play, with the top half advancing into the Championship double-elimination bracket for their share of USD$1.5 million event prize pool. In addition to the Global Pro League, teams will have one last chance to qualify for the CWL Championship with regional LANs in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. More details, including ticket information will be announced soon.

For those interested in attending the remaining weekends of exciting Call of Duty World League competition in Columbus, tickets are on sale now at mlg.tv. Fans can also catch all of the matches streamed live on mlg.tv/callofduty.

Call of Duty World League Presented by PlayStation®4 is proud to partner with Major League Gaming Corp. as the North American tournament operator and broadcast partner for the upcoming season.  Through MLG’s proven live streaming capabilities and technology, MLG.tv will help to deliver the CWL Pro League across mlg.tv/callofduty.

For the latest intel on the Call of Duty World League Presented by PlayStation®4 and for live broadcasts check out: http://www.callofduty.com/cwl, tv.majorleaguegaming.com/channel/cwl, www.youtube.com/majorleaguegaming, or follow @CODWorldLeague on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company.  More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

ABOUT AMWAY CENTER

The Orlando Magic served as the developer of the Amway Center, which hosts major national events, concerts and family shows.  Opened in the fall of 2010, the facility is owned and operated by the City of Orlando on behalf of the Central Florida community. The Amway Center was designed to reflect the character of the community, meet the goals of the users and build on the legacy of sports and entertainment in Orlando. The building’s exterior features a modern blend of glass and metal materials, along with ever-changing graphics via a monumental wall along one facade. A 180-foot tall tower serves as a beacon amid the downtown skyline. The 875,000 square foot, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified building features a sustainable, environmentally-friendly design and unmatched technology, including 1,100 digital monitors, the tallest high-definition video board in an NBA venue and multiple premium amenities available to all patrons in the building. Amway Center was recently honored with TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ 2013 Customer Experience Award and named SportsBusiness Journal’s 2012 Sports Facility of the Year. For more information about the Amway Center, visit www.amwaycenter.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the features of MLG.tv and the expected dates, features and events of the CWL, including the Global Pro League and the CWL Championships are forward-looking statements, that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

THE GUNDAM MECHA EXPERIENCE COMES TO PS4™ FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER FIGHT, TAKE ACTION AND COMPETE

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment announces today that a new game based on GUNDAM, one of the most well-known and established Mecha Experience and animation brands, is back with GUNDAM VERSUS that is set for release in 2017 on PlayStation®4 in Australia and New Zealand..

World famous giant robot series and notorious head-to-head smash hit series, GUNDAM VERSUS, is coming for the first time for home console, this time built from the ground up exclusively for the PlayStation 4 system. Battle in explosive online two-versus-two and three-versus-three team battles in this all-new title built from the ground up for the PlayStation 4 system. Each playable Mobile Suit comes equipped with its own weapons systems to learn and master along with new mobility options that allow for advanced strategy to evade and outwit opponents.

In battle you as a player will be allowed to go all out with blazing and lighting fast melee action in a robust selection of Offline and Online game modes. New quick actions bring more technical and strategic gameplay options. Call upon Striker support characters to assist you in the heat of battle. Enhance your experience choosing between two different Burst Systems: Blaze Gear and Lightning Gear, each with their fighting characteristics that enhance melee combat, augment lock-on range and more!

Players will also be able to beat the best player on Earth with the Online Matchmaking now deployed on worldwide servers.

Starting from today fans will have their say on the front cover by voting for their favourite visual among 4 exclusive GUNDAM VERSUS artworks, the most voted one will end up as the front cover of the game.

GUNDAM VERSUS will be released in 2017 for the PlayStation®4 system

To learn more about BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe’s other products go to: http://www.bandainamcoent.com or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoEU or join the conversation at https://twitter.com/BandaiNamcoEU.

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About BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S. part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content for platforms including all major video game consoles, PC and mobile.  The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN™, TEKKEN™, SOULCALIBUR™, DARK SOULS™, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, Dragon Ball, GALAGA™, RIDGE RACER™ and ACE COMBAT™. For more information please visit www.bandainamcoent.eu

バンダイナムコエンターテインメントヨーロッパは、コンソールビデオゲーム、PC、モバイル等のあらゆるプラットフォームで展開をしている世界的な販売、開発を担う会社である。また、バンダイナムコエンターテインメントヨーロッパは、パックマン、鉄拳、ソウルキャリバー、ダークソウル、ナルト、ナルト疾風伝、ドラゴンボール、ギャラガ、リッジレーサー、エースコンバット等の業界トップクラスの作品を手掛けている会社としても有名である。