Overkill’s The Walking Dead Failed To Meet Quality Standards, Contract With Rights Owner Terminated

A new Walking Dead game from Payday developer Starbreeze Studios, Overkill’s The Walking Dead, released back in November–and it was a major disappointment. Now, Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman’s media company, Skybound, has ended its contract with Starbreeze for the game, citing the poor quality of the game.

In a statement, Skybound said it worked hard with Starbreeze since 2014 to create a unique and compelling Walking Dead FPS, but it didn’t work out.

“As of today, we have terminated our contract with Starbreeze Studios and will discontinue all efforts on Overkill’s The Walking Dead,” Skybound said in its statement. “Our creators and their stories are the core of Skybound, and since 2014 we have worked hard to expand the world of The Walking Dead into an exceptional co-op action FPS.”

While Overkill’s The Walking Dead did not work out the way Skybound would have wanted, the company said it continues to be dedicated to making more Walking Dead video games.

“We did our best to work with Starbreeze and resolve many issues that we saw with the game, but ultimately Overkill’s The Walking Dead did not meet our standards nor is it the quality that we were promised,” Skybound said. “We are exceedingly sorry to our fans and share their disappointment in the game. We remain dedicated to providing our fans with the most premium quality content we can offer, and will continue to look for alternative video game options for the IP.”

Overkill’s The Walking Dead launched in November for PC. The game was also announced for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with publisher 505 Games handling the publishing of the console editions. As of last week, the console editions were still planned for release, but it’s not clear if today’s announcement. We’ve contacted Starbreeze and 505 to get more details.

This is just the latest blow for Starbreeze as a company. Back in November, Starbreeze admitted that sales of Overkill’s The Walking Dead were lower than expected, and as a result, the company would undergo a restructuring of its business. As part of this, Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson resigned from the company, while other members of the Board of Directors also left.

In December, Starbreeze’s offices in Sweden were raided, with authorities seizing computers and other documents from the premises.

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Fortnite For Nintendo Switch Won’t Run At 60 FPS

The popular battle royale game Fortnite can struggle to maintain a solid frame rate on all platforms in certain scenarios, but the Nintendo Switch edition, at least at one point, had the toughest time maintaining a smooth frame rate in action-packed battles. During a recent Reddit AMA, someone asked Epic if the studio would be able to get Fortnite’s Switch edition running at 60 FPS. It’s not going to happen.

“I’m afraid that is not in the cards,” a developer said.

Not only that, but Epic doesn’t plan to bring back video capture for replays on Switch, the developer said. Video capture was dropped from Fortnite’s Switch edition last year in a move that Epic said was undertaken in an effort to try to improve overall performance. While client-side replays aren’t expected to come back to Fortnite, Epic said it is planning to introduce server-side replays sometime down the road.

In other Fortnite news, Epic recently said it’s considering allowing respawns, and we might learn more during the soon-to-start Season 8. We also recently learned that Epic is planning to update and improve the game’s sounds, while the developer is also looking into measures to help prevent accidental purchases. Not only that, but Epic is working on a new single-occupancy vehicle to be added in the future.

Fortnite Season 8 starts on February 28, and it seems the new season will have a pirate theme. Epic will presumably release a new Battle Pass with the season, and one of the skins has possible been revealed. Notably, this is Fortnite’s first new season since the launch of competitor Apex Legends.

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Black Ops 4’s Operation Grand Heist Update Out Now On Xbox One And PC

Treyarch has rolled out another update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Following its arrival on PS4 last week, the big Operation Grand Heist update is now live on Xbox One and PC, bringing a new character, maps, weapons, and more to both platforms.

First, the update adds a new Specialist for multiplayer and Blackout modes: Outrider. She can be unlocked in Tier 1 in the Black Market, and just as in Black Ops 3, her weapon is the Sparrow, which can fire explosive arrows. Her Hawk drone can also tag any enemies in its sights.

The update also brings three new weapons for multiplayer: the Switchblade X9 SMG, Rampage full-auto shotgun, and Cha-Ching money bag melee weapon. These likewise can be unlocked through the Black Market. Black Ops Pass holders also get access to two additional multiplayer maps, Lockup and Casino.

Elsewhere, the island in Blackout has been expanded with a new area, Ghost Town. Its aboveground portion is based on the Outlaw map, while the caverns below ground are inspired by the Zombies map Buried. Black Ops Pass holders also get access to another new character, the Zombie gorilla Cosmic Silverback.

Rounding out the update is a new Gauntlet for Zombies mode as well as new Featured Playlists in multiplayer, including One in the Chamber. Players have three lives and a single bullet in this mode; when they shoot an enemy or hit them with melee attacks, they’ll earn another bullet and 100 points. You can read the full patch notes on Reddit.

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Apex Legends Update Removes Twitch Prime Bonuses From Scofflaws On PC

Respawn has released a new patch for its free battle royale game, Apex Legends. This update only applies to the PC version and fixes an exploit that allowed players to get the Apex Legends Twitch Prime Pack without a Prime membership.

Like other Twitch Prime freebies, the aforementioned Apex Legends pack is only intended for those who have Amazon Prime. It contains five Apex Packs–Legends’ equivalent of loot boxes–as well as the exclusive Omega Point skin for the lovable robot Pathfinder, but players were able to get it by modifying the advanced launch options in Origin.

“With this update, the Omega Point Pathfinder skin will be removed from any accounts that obtained it using the exploit,” Respawn said. It’s unclear if the Apex Packs that were also acquired through the exploit will likewise be removed.

If you do have Prime but still haven’t claimed the free Apex Legends pack, you can do so by clicking on the crown-shaped Prime Loot icon on Twitch’s website. The pack is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but you can only redeem it once, and only on the first platform you log into with your linked EA Account. You can read more in the FAQ.

Apex Legends surprise launched earlier this month and has quickly proven to be a hit, surpassing 25 million players in its first week. It’s also received positive reviews. GameSpot gave it a 9/10 in our Apex Legends review and called it a “competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses.”

If you’re new to Apex Legends, be sure to check out GameSpot’s guides roundup for helpful tips and strategies for each of the game’s playable Legends. Respawn has also said it is looking into complaints about the game’s hitboxes.

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This Week’s PS4 Deals Include Far Cry New Dawn, Red Dead 2, GTA 5 (US Only)

In this week’s PlayStation 4 deals, the Critics Choice sale continues, offering discounts on games that are critically acclaimed, like Red Dead Redemption 2, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Battlefield V, and Grand Theft Auto V. Bandai Namco’s sale is still ongoing as well, offering to chance to snag anime-inspired games like Dragon Ball FighterZ, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, and Digimon World: Next Order.

For PlayStation Plus members, you have dozens of great games to choose from at low prices. Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition, Just Cause 4, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and many more are listed as PS Plus Specials right now if you want to play them.

There are also plenty of other discounted games in the PlayStation story right now. Here are the highlights:

Far Cry New Dawn Ultimate Edition, which includes Far Cry New Dawn, Far Cry 5, and the latter’s season pass that comes with three DLCs and Far Cry 3, is discounted at $91 (originally $130).

The Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition and Megalodon Shark Card bundle is over 50% off at just $52 (originally $120).

Battlefield 1 Revolution Edition and Battlefield V Deluxe Edition are on sale in the Battlefield World War bundle, priced at $40 (originally $100).

FIFA fans will be happy to see that FIFA 19 Ultimate Edition has dropped from $100 to $40. FIFA 19 Champions Edition is also selling for $32 (originally $80).

If you haven’t picked up Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, the gorgeous JRPG’s deluxe edition is slightly cheaper this week at $56 (originally $80).

Check out more of our picks for this week’s discounted games below, and see the full list in the PlayStation Store.

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Pokemon Day Nintendo Direct: What Can We Expect?

Nintendo has announced a new Nintendo Direct focusing on Pokemon. The presentation falls very conspicuously on Pokemon Day, February 27, the annual celebration marking the release of the very first Pokemon game. That paired with the previous announcement that the next big generation of Pokemon is set for release on Nintendo Switch this year means we can expect big things–but maybe not quite everything.

Nintendo Direct Details

The Nintendo Direct presentation will begin on February 27 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM GMT (1 AM AET on February 28). The annnouncement promised “roughly seven minutes of new information.” You can watch the stream right here on GameSpot.

What Can We Expect?

Seven minutes isn’t much, but Nintendo can pack a lot into a Nintendo Direct presentation. For example, the most recent Nintendo Direct that aired on February 13 was about 35 minutes and covered new information or announcements about roughly 20 games. It was tightly packed, giving less than two minutes apiece to its two biggest announcements: Super Mario Maker 2, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. By comparison, seven minutes focusing on a single franchise is quite a bit of time.

The next Pokemon game for Nintendo Switch has already been announced as coming in the latter half of 2019. Last year’s Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee were announced alongside the 2019 release date. While they were well-received, the timing of their announcement left many fans to assume they were a stopgap measure in the meantime. There is a chance Nintendo will devote some time to a smaller surprise-release like Pokemon Picross, but it’s safe to assume that the presentation will at least begin to unwrap Generation 8, the next full iteration of Pokemon.

Just how much it will show of Gen 8 is difficult to tell, however.

When Nintendo debuted Pokemon X and Y, its first trailer showed the three starters and quite a bit of footage showing off the new fully rendered 3D graphics for the 3DS. When it came time to show off Sun and Moon, however, it kicked off the Pokemon Day festivities with a teaser trailer that celebrated the history of the series, and gave the names of the upcoming games, but showed absolutely no footage. The closest fans got were brief snippets of sketches. The release date trailer, which didn’t release until the following May, finally showed environments and the three starters.

That teaser-trailer for Sun and Moon was largely regarded as disappointing, and came before Nintendo had established a reputation for presenting lengthy deep-dives into games as Nintendo Direct presentations. The teaser for this year’s presentation also shows three Pokeballs, arranged in a manner similar to when players choose their starter in each game.

It seems likely, then, that Nintendo will learn from past mistakes and show off some of the Pokemon waiting in Gen 8, most likely the three starters. We may also hear what this set of games will be titled, and a release date. There is some chance that Nintendo plays its cards extremely close to the vest and shows nothing but a very vague tease, but it’s hard to imagine how that would fill seven minutes of its usually fast-paced Nintendo Direct style. Either way, we’ll know soon enough.

For more on Pokemon 2019, check out our roundup of what we’d like to see. Plus, if you’re a connoisseur of fine cinema, you should definitely watch the latest trailer for future Academy Award winning film Detective Pikachu, and check out all the new Pokemon we spotted.

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