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Disney’s massive deal to buy the majority of Fox’s assets and franchises–including The Simpsons, Family Guy, Deadpool, and X-Men–for around $71 billion is nearly completed. Fox and Disney announced in their own press releases that the acquisition is expected to become effective at 12:02 AM EST on March 20.

“This is an extraordinary and historic moment for us–one that will create significant long-term value for our company and our shareholders,” Disney CEO Robert Iger said in a statement. “Combining Disney’s and 21st Century Fox’s wealth of creative content and proven talent creates the preeminent global entertainment company, well positioned to lead in an incredibly dynamic and transformative era.”

Disney said buying Fox’s franchises will allow Disney to “provide more appealing high-quality content and entertainment options to meet growing consumer demand; increase its international footprint; and expand its direct-to-consumer offerings.”

Some of the “direct-to-consumer offerings” Disney has in the pipeline include ESPN+, and Disney+, along with its continued investment in Hulu.

Here is a specific rundown of what Disney gets in its Fox acquisition:

• Twentieth Century Fox
• Fox Searchlight Pictures
• Fox 2000 Pictures
• Fox Family
• Fox Animation
• Twentieth Century Fox Television
• FX Productions
• Fox21
• FX Networks
• National Geographic Partners
• Fox Networks Group International
• Star India
• Fox’s interests in Hulu, Tata Sky, and Endemol Shine Group

After the buyout, Fox will still live on, but in a more limited capacity. Fox is creating a spinoff unit that will continue to operate the Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Sports, and the Fox Televisions Stations Group, along with the cable networks FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes, and Big Ten Network.

Even before the Fox buyout, Disney was primed for a massive 2019 with movies alone. The company already released Captain Marvel from its Marvel division, while Avengers: Endgame is coming next month. Some of Disney’s other major film releases in 2019 include Dumbo, Aladdin, Lion King, Frozen 2, and Star Wars: Episode IX.

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Overwatch’s new hero, Baptiste, is out now for everyone on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Baptiste had been available on Overwatch’s PTR for a while now, but he’s finally available for everyone on every platform. Like Overwatch’s other post-release characters, he’s free.

Baptiste is Overwatch’s 30th hero. A combat medic who serves as a support class in Blizzard’s hero shooter, his primary weapon is the Biotic Launcher, which is a burst-fire rifle that fires three rounds at a time. His secondary fire heals allies.

He is also capable of jumping extra high thanks to his powerful Exo Boots. Additionally, Baptiste wields an “Immortality Field” that creates a field that keeps his allies alive, while he also has an “Amplification Matrix” that doubles damage and healing effects.

Check out the video in the embed above to see Baptiste in action.

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The NPD Group has released its US sales report for February, revealing the best-selling hardware and software for the month and providing an overall health update on the industry.

Starting with game sales, BioWare’s Anthem was the best-selling title of the month, beating out other new releases like Jump Force, Far Cry New Dawn, and Metro Exodus.

Anthem enjoyed the second highest launch-month sales in BioWare’s history, only behind 2012’s Mass Effect 3. It is now 2019’s second best-selling game, trailing only Kingdom Hearts III. One caveat to mention with Anthem is that PC digital sales are not included. Publisher Electronic Arts has not shared any hard sales data for Anthem.

Also notable on the software side is that Metro Exodus debuted at No. 8; it was outsold by a number of 2018 games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Red Dead Redemption II. Still, Exodus’ first-month sales were the highest in franchise history, eclipsing the first-month sales of Metro: Last Light by almost 50 percent, according to the NPD. As with Anthem, PC digital sales for Metro Exodus are not included.

In total, February software spending in the US across console, portable, and PC games reached $457 million, which is up 15 percent. Year-to-date, spending stands at $896 million, and that’s up 10 percent compared to last year.

You can see the best-seller charts for February 2019 at the bottom of this post.

Moving to hardware, the Nintendo Switch was February’s best-selling platform. It is also the highest-selling system of 2019. Also notable is that Nintendo posted its highest February month for hardware sales since February 2011. Across all platforms, hardware spending dropped 12 percent year-over-year to $277 million.

February 2019 US Sales

Top 20 Games All Platforms

1. Anthem^
2. Jump Force
3. Kingdom Hearts III
4. Far Cry New Dawn
5. Red Dead Redemption II
6. Resident Evil 2
7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
8. Metro: Exodus^
9. NBA 2K19
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^
11. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
12. Mario Kart 8*
13. Grand Theft Auto V
14. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
15. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
16. Minecraft#
17. Super Mario Party*
18. Rainbow Six Siege
19. Madden NFL 19^
20. Spider-Man

2019 Year-To-Date Top 10 Games

1. Kingdom Hearts III
2. Anthem^
3. Resident Evil 2
4. Jump Force
5. Red Dead Redemption II
6. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^
8. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
9. NBA 2K19
10. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

All Platforms 12 Months Ending February 2019

1. Red Dead Redemption II
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^
3. NBA 2K19
4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
5. Madden NFL 19^
6. Spider-Man
7. Far Cry 5
8. God of War
9. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
10. Mario Kart 8*

February 2019 Xbox One

1. Anthem
2. Jump Force
3. Far Cry New Dawn
4. Red Dead Redemption II
5. Kingdom Hearts III
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
7. NBA 2K19
8. Resident Evil 2
9. Metro: Exodus
10. Grand Theft Auto V

February 2019 PS4

1. Anthem
2. Jump Force
3. Kingdom Hearts III
4. Red Dead Redemption II
5. Resident Evil 2
6. Metro: Exodus
7. Far Cry New Dawn
8. NBA 2K19
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
10. Spider-Man

February 2019 Nintendo Switch

1. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
2. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
3. Mario Kart 8
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
5. Super Mario Party
6. Super Mario Odyssey
7. Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu
8. Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee
9. Splatoon 2
10. Minecraft

February 2019 3DS

1. Yo-Kai Watch 3
2. Etrian Odyssey: Nexus
3. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey
4. Pokemon: Ultra Sun
5. Pokemon: Ultra Moon
6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
7. Super Smash Bros.
8. Super Mario Maker
9. Mario Kart 7
10. Super Mario 3D Land

* Digital sales not included

^ PC digital sales not included

# Minecraft digital sales on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One included

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At Google’s GDC 2019 keynote, company VP Phil Harrison revealed a new cloud gaming streaming service called Stadia. During the presentation, Harrison also unveiled a new controller specifically designed for Stadia. The floor model that’s currently being displayed at the show, as confirmed by GameSpot’ sister site CNET, has the Konami code engraved on it. You can see the engraving in the tweet below.

According to Polygon, you can go to Stadia’s website and actually input the Konami code with your computer keyboard to find a cool Easter egg: a 3D model of the new controller. You can spin the controller around on your screen in order to get a better idea as to how it’s shaped. For those who don’t know, the full Konami code is up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, start. You only need to input the first 10 keys, however, to see the controller model on Stadia’s website.

The Konami code engraving isn’t the only unique aspect of Stadia’s controller. It also comes with a share button that allows you to upload footage straight to your YouTube channel. Another button allows you to ask Google Assistant a question at anytime. Stadia’s controller links to the platform via Wi-Fi as well.

During the Google keynote, the company described Stadia as a platform meant to unify players, spectators, and developers. So, for example, you’ll be able to watch a YouTube trailer for a game and then, if you want, just start playing said title via cloud streaming within a few seconds. Stadia will feature cross-platform support as well, allowing you to play with others regardless of system. As Stadia will support cloud saves for game state and save files, it should have cross-platform progression for specific games as well.

At launch, Stadia will stream games up to 4K HDR at 60 FPS, and Google has scheduled plans to increase that threshold to 8K resolution. Stadia is scheduled to release sometime this year and will be supported across several platforms, including desktops, laptops, TVs, tablets, and phones. In an interview with GameSpot, Ubisoft chief executive officer Yves Guillemot said that Stadia should be viewed as a platform that exists alongside consoles and PCs, and not a replacement. For now, anyway.

You can read up on how cloud gaming works if you have additional questions about it, and also see which companies are making the largest strides and investing the most time and resources behind it. We’ve collected all of the Google gaming news announced during the GDC keynote too–including the reveal that Doom Eternal will release on Stadia. We’ve captured gameplay of Doom Eternal on Stadia as well if you want to know what it looks like.

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Google announced its cloud gaming platform, Stadia with an in-depth presentation detailing the tech and its features. The idea promises to open up high-fidelity gaming to everyone regardless of whether they can afford a gaming PC or console. Still, some areas of the US have low broadband penetration, which is why Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot says the platform is likely to be used alongside consoles and PCs, not as an outright replacement–at least for the time being.

“You have to look at Stadia as complementary,” Guillemot told GameSpot during an interview at GDC. “If you get internet you play on the machine that gives you a chance to experience your game. What’s good in this industry, either you play on the mobile or you play on PC, and now it’s starting to be the same game. I think this is a way to play differently depending on where you are as well.”

He said Ubisoft recognizes that quality internet isn’t available everywhere, but that the studio will be able to “scale the game to the quality of the internet experience.” He also suggested that 5G, the next generation of cellular communications tech, could be a big boon and that cities will have to compete with each other for it.

“I think 5G has to come fast, but what we see is there will be lots of possibilities to use it,” he said. “So if cities are really putting 5G, the oldest cities will have to react quite fast if they want keep all the people they have in cities. So this, I think, is going to push 5G a lot.”

Ubisoft partnered with Google last year for Project Stream, a practical test of the tech used ultimately used in Stadia. That allowed testers to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for free, but they needed a 25 Mbps connection. That benchmark may give us an idea of what to expect for optimum performance when Stadia launches later this year. Guillemot also shared thoughts on how Ubisoft could price its games for Stadia.

To catch up on the news surrounding Google’s cloud platform, read all we know about Stadia. Plus check out why cloud gaming is the next big thing, which companies are investing in cloud tech.

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It’s nearing four years since Castle Crashers made the jump to current gen with a remaster on Xbox One. It’s been even longer since San Diego-based developers, The Behemoth, launched the side-scrolling beat-em-up on last generation’s hardware. Now, in celebration of the game’s 10th–going on 11th–year on the market, the studio has announced that Castle Crashers is re-re-releasing, this time for Nintendo Switch and PS4.

In a Twitter post, The Behemoth stated Castle Crashers Remastered, the version of the game that launched on Xbox One back in September 2015, is making its way to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Unfortunately, no release date accompanied the announcement.

The developers penned a blog post on its official website detailing the announcement. Castle Crashers Remastered for Switch and PS4 will contain the Back Off Barbarian mini-game, all previously released DLC, and various gameplay improvements and performance updates. This re-release will also run at 60 frames per second and feature textures much improved over the original game’s. Essentially, it’s the Xbox One version of the game and more.

For the Switch version, Castle Crashers Remastered utilizes the system’s HD Rumble feature and four-player local Joy-Con support. So you, your friend, and your friend’s friend can play on one system using multiple Joy-Cons. PS4 owners who purchase the game will see the color of their controlled character displayed on the controller’s lightbar. Who doesn’t love a pink lightbar?

The Behemoth co-founder Dan Paladin gave some very specific reasons why this remaster is happening. It boils down to game preservation, a hot-button topic in the industry. “When we make games we want them to stick around,” Paladin wrote in the blog post. He also notes that “higher resolutions, higher framerates, chances to make tweaks, and better overall quality” are “very satisfying.”

At the end of the post, Paladin confirms that the studio is working on a new game. As of right now, it’s codenamed “Game 5.” There’s no other information on this title, but Paladin ensures the studio will “have more information on this later in the year hopefully.”

In our initial Castle Crashers review, we said the game is “an absurdly hilarious romp you won’t soon forget.”

Castle Crashers Remastered is available now on Mac, PC, and Xbox One. If you happen to have a PS3 or Xbox 360, you can play it there, too.

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Google has finally given the world its first look at its big video game initiative: Stadia, an ambitious cloud gaming platform that will allow players to stream games across smartphones, tablets, computers, and TVs. The company has already announced a handful of third-party titles coming to the platform, but it’ll also be venturing into game development with its own internal studio.

During its Game Developers Conference presentation, Google announced the formation of Stadia Games and Entertainment, a first-party studio that will develop titles exclusively for the platform. No projects have been announced just yet, but Google revealed the studio will be led by Jade Raymond, a former studio head at Ubisoft and EA.

We first learned that Raymond was hired by Google last week, when she announced she was joining the company as a vice president. At the time, her exact role was unclear, but her hiring further signified Google was making a serious attempt at entering the video game space.

Few other games have been announced for Stadia at this juncture, but Google also showed off Assassin’s Creed Odyssey–which was the same game the company used for its Project Stream test last year–running on the platform. We also got confirmation that Doom Eternal is coming to Stadia, as is a new game from Star Fox co-creator Dylan Cuthbert’s studio, Q-Games.

Google says it will share more details about Stadia’s launch lineup this summer. The platform is slated to launch later this year and will initially be available in the US, Canada, the UK, and “most of” Europe. You can read more about how cloud gaming works and check out all of the Google gaming news from today’s event.

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