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GTA 5 Arriving To PS5, Xbox Series X|S Later This November

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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According to Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S will be released on November 11, 2021. GTA 5 is one of the most popular video games of all time, so fans have been waiting for its current-gen update with bated breath.

The fact that Grand Theft Auto 5 was the first game announced at Sony’s PS5 launch, rather than any of its own first-party titles, demonstrates how popular the game is. GTA 5 was released during the PS3 and Xbox 360 console generations, and as of 2020, it was already grossing millions of dollars every year. It’s the second best-selling video game of all time (behind only Minecraft), and it’s still going strong after nearly eight years on the market.

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According to the official Rockstar Games website, the upgraded version of Grand Theft Auto 5 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S will be available on November 11. GTA Online will also be available as a standalone game, with PS5 owners having three months of free-play when it launches.

It’s also uncertain what GTA 5’s current-gen upgrades will entail. On the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the game would undoubtedly have improved graphics and loading times, but Rockstar has yet to detail or show how the latest versions of the game relate to older ones.

It’s still uncertain if those who already own the PS4 and Xbox One editions of the title can have free access to the current-gen versions. Customers are usually informed ahead of time that they can have free access to both previous and current-gen versions of a game, but Rockstar has yet to announce this.

Rockstar may be anticipating millions of dollars in extra revenue for GTA 5, so gamers will have to pay again for the new generational updates despite paying the maximum price for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions in 2014.

GTA 5 is already better on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S hardware, due to the SSDs that reduce the game’s previously long load times. Mods for the PC version of GTA 5 also greatly improved the graphics’ consistency and could easily be combined with official Rockstar tools on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Versions of the game optimized for current-gen hardware could look and play much better. November is still one of the busiest months in the gaming calendar, but some of the more recent releases will be vying for attention with a juggernaut that debuted in 2013.

Samurai Shodown Finally Arriving To Steam Along With New DLC Character

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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The PC iteration of the new reboot of the Samurai Shodown series was curiously absent from the lineup when it was announced in June 2019. SNK revealed that the PC version of the 2D gunfighter will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store, following the release of the NeoGeo Collection on the same service, prior to its original release.

Fans who have been waiting for the arrival of Samurai Shodown on Steam since SNK’s exclusivity agreement with Epic Games ended should now expect the title shortly. Along with the announcement of Samurai Shodown’s Steam version, a familiar face was unveiled as the game’s next DLC character, who will be released on the same day.

SNK revealed over the weekend that Samurai Shodown would be released on Steam on June 14, about a year since it was first made available on the Epic Games Store. The unveiling of Shiro Tokisada Amakusa, the official third DLC character from Season 3 of Samurai Shodown, following Cham Cham and Hibiki Takane from The Last Blade game, was the second big announcement. Just two DLC characters remain to be revealed after the reveal, with the last one reported to be a guest character from the Guilty Gear franchise.

Amakusa will be remembered by veteran Samurai Shodown fans as the final boss of the first Samurai Shodown in 1993. He has been a playable character in nearly every game in the main series since Samurai Shodown 3 and one of the game’s key characters. With the addition of Amakusa to the 2019 game, he becomes the second-to-last warrior from the original Samurai Shodown. After Samurai Shodown 6, the only remaining character is Genan, who has yet to feature in a modern Samurai Shodown game.

The lack of a gameplay trailer is the most unusual aspect of Amakusa’s sudden announcement, particularly for such a significant and well-known character in the series. Characters like Hibiki Takane were previously heavily marketed in the run-up to their debut. With Amakusa’s release less than a month out, some fans believe the announcement was made in connection with the Steam release rather than on its own, and that a gameplay trailer will be released shortly.

Another point of contention among fans is the lack of a netcode rollback announcement, including the PC and console models’ reputations among players for shady online play. With SNK’s latest announcement that King of Fighters 15 will be net coded, many players are requesting that many other SNK titles be changed as well.

The subtle differences between gaming and iGaming and how they are related

By
PVP Team
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While both the terms sound the same, gaming and iGaming are completely different industries. The former refers to traditional video games while the latter refers to any online game that’s dependent on odds, chance, and usually involves money.

Over the last decade, both gaming and iGaming industries have seen explosive growth. And even though there are clear lines dividing them (such as the use of real money), we have seen the two influencing each other over time, with each mimicking some elements of the other.

In this article, let’s look at the subtle differences between the two and how they can also be related. And lastly, how it can impact the marketing strategy for the leading iGaming firms.

How gaming and iGaming are different and similar

The primary difference between online gaming and iGaming is that gambling is involved in one of them. So while online gaming covers recreation multiplayer games, iGaming covers online casinos, poker sites, bookmakers, etc.

However, in recent years, we have seen a shift in the gaming industry where new elements like “loot boxes” promote gambling. However, online games still do not use “real money” in the sense that all elements in the game can be purchased for an in-game currency that can be bought for real currency.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have seen the iGaming world take cues from the gaming world and create mechanisms and gameplay elements that are inspired by it. For example, online slots have become increasingly complex over the years, and gaming technology like VR and AR are working their way into online casino games.

In many ways, the lines have started to blur between what can be considered gaming and what can be considered iGaming for the players at least. However, the catch is that iGaming regulations are usually much more strict than gaming regulations which means we are likely to see the divide continue in the near future in the legal sense.

How the similarities can help iGaming in emerging markets like India

India is a country filled with diversity. For example, the mobile gaming market in India is estimated to be worth $3 billion by 2023. However, when it comes to iGaming, the market remains unregulated which prohibits local companies from engaging in the industry but allows international online casinos to do so.

Since the market is already used to mobile gaming, it is not a stretch that they might be interested in iGaming too since there are some glaring similarities. In the last few years, we have seen some of the biggest international casinos entering the Indian market.

Branded games based on popular video games like Street Fighter and Rambo can be used to lure first-time players along with offering them incredible bonuses. Since the gaming infrastructure is already there, iGaming brands want to capitalize on them. Whether they succeed or not, only time can tell but the growing market size is definitely a good sign for both the industries in general.

Rainbow Six Siege Operation North Star Confirmed

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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Rainbow Six Siege was released in 2015, but developer Ubisoft has continued to fund the competitive shooter since then. Rainbow Six Siege has earned new operators, reworks, and maps with each seasonal upgrade and more to come with the announced Operation North Star.

The second season of Rainbow Six Siege’s Year 6 roadmap, Operation North Star, will be released later this year, with two more set for later this year. Ubisoft unveiled a brief guide at the start of Year 6, which began with Rainbow Six Siege Operation Crimson Heist, to give fans an idea of what to expect during the year.

The roadmap did not provide much detail, but it did reveal that the operator for Operation North Star would be from the Nakoda Nation. The Nakoda are indigenous people from Canada and the United States who now live in Western Canada.

Although Ubisoft’s announcement of the event provides no additional detail, Rainbow Six Siege is prone to leaks in the run-up to new content releases. Rainbow Six Siege Operation North Star has proved to be no exception, with information about the season leaked as early as last month.

So far, the leaks have largely centered on specifics about the current operator, alleging that they would be a protector codenamed Thunderbird. They’ll be a three-speed character with a SPAS-15 or Spear.308 main weapon, a Q-919 or Bearing-9 sidearm, and either impact grenades or C4 as a secondary weapon.

Since the leaks haven’t revealed the operator’s special talent, gamers will have to wait until the official unveiling to find out. With the launch of its previous campaign, Rainbow Six Seige set new concurrent player records, so Operation North Star will certainly attract a sizable crowd.

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While no official release date for Operation North Star has been announced, given that Rainbow Six Siege seasons usually last a little over three months, it should arrive in early June. The announcement comes after some players and content developers have called for a boycott of Rainbow Six Siege due to what they say is a widespread cheater and hacker epidemic.

Ubisoft has yet to respond to the boycott or provide any further information about the situation. Fans will hopefully be able to experience Operation North Star when it is released shortly.

Twitch Reveals Big Change To Subscription Prices

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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Twitch will begin carrying out updates in the coming months to alter subscription rates depending on the user’s location. This would effectively lower the cost of Twitch subscriptions in most countries, but it will also impact streamers’ overall earnings.

One of the most popular ways Twitch streamers make money is by subscriptions. Fans can pay for their preferred channels on a monthly basis at various tiers, and they can even pay the streamers directly. Twitch Partners keep 50 percent of the monthly fee, while the platform keeps the remaining 50 percent.

Subscribers get perks such as special emotes in exchange. A Twitch membership costs $4.99 at Tier 1 because although both nations are paid the equivalency of USD, $5 in one country isn’t worth the same as $5 in another.

Twitch intends to change the price of subscriptions, including current subs, new paying subs, and gift subs, proportionally to the cost of living in most countries in the future. Mexico and Turkey will be the first countries to be hit by this move on May 20, with a Tier 1 sub costing 48 pesos, $2.42, 9.90 Turkish Lire, or $1.19, respectively.

The reasons for these updates, according to Twitch, are dependent on both user input and statistics. Twitch says in a blog post about the move that “we’ve learned from fans everywhere that it’s not equally affordable” to fund Twitch streamers with subs.

This price strategy has reduced the number of people who can subscribe to their favorite Twitch streamers. According to Twitch, the percentage of users with subscriptions in Europe and Asia is about half that of North America, and in Latin America, the number is about 80% smaller.

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These updates will be available to users in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe in Q3 2021. Twitch included a connection to all countries with price model adjustments at some point in the blog post.

One disadvantage of this new pricing model is that Twitch streamers with subscriptions all over the world, especially in North America, will see their incomes impacted. Pokimane’s fans in Mexico, for example, will now spend just 48 pesos to subscribe to her at Tier 1, implying that she will only receive $2.42 from them rather than $4.99. On the other hand, Twitch predicts that as the service becomes more affordable around the world, more people will pay.

Genshin Impact On Nintendo Switch Delayed Because of Hardware Issues

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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According to a recent article, Genshin Impact will be released on Nintendo Switch this year but will be delayed due to hardware issues. MiHoYo revealed plans to release a Nintendo Switch version of Genshin Impact before the game’s release last September. However, in the months since then, the developer has yet to provide an update on the Switch version.

In September 2020, Genshin Impact, an action RPG, was released as a free-to-play game on PC, PS4, and mobile platforms. It soon grew in popularity, amassing a huge player base and attracting millions upon millions of dollars.

Thanks in part to miHoYo’s continued help in the form of gradual fixes and massive content upgrades, the trend hasn’t slowed down. Version 1.5, the most recent of these upgrades, came in late April, bringing with it a free PlayStation 5 upgrade, Diona and Noelle Hangout Events, and many more. Although all of these additions keep players busy, one question remains unanswered: where is the Nintendo Switch version?

The Switch version of Genshin Impact will “actually [release] sometime this year,” according to Genshin Report, a Twitter account unaffiliated with the brand. The Genshin Impact leaker also claims that problems caused by “weaker hardware” are to blame for the long wait.

This isn’t the first time a paper has cited Switch hardware as the source of the issue, according to DualShockers. Another stumbling block seems to be eShop usability, as well as questions about how to execute microtransactions on the web better.

The paper seems to provide at least a partial reason for why Genshin Impact’s Nintendo Switch port is taking too long to arrive. However, as usual, all gossip and conjecture can be taken with a grain of salt.

Fans of Genshin Impact are hoping for more than just an update on the game’s imminent Nintendo Switch debut. About the fact that the free-to-play title’s Version 1.5 patch was recently published, players are still waiting for information on the 1.6 upgrade.

Premature leaks, it turns out, have reportedly raised some questions about what’s coming up. Ayaka may eventually become a playable player, according to one leak, and miHoYo may be planning to release character skins, according to another. When the developer intends to discuss all of the above is currently unknown.

PlayStation Store Extended Play Sale Features Hundreds Of Games

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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Sony is currently running a major PlayStation game sale. The occasion follows the company’s latest decision on the PlayStation digital marketplace. Sony announced plans to shutter the digital stores for the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita in March, but after public outcry, the company reversed its decision. The PlayStation 5 became the fastest-selling console in US history in April, both in terms of units shipped and dollars.

Fans of the Playstation also ask for more access to the company’s massive back catalog of classic games. Sony is sometimes slow to respond to these requests, as evidenced in its neglect to make next-generation consoles backward compatible with the popular PlayStation 3 system. However, with more recent games constantly going on sale, Sony’s game system has provided fans with plenty of opportunities to enjoy themselves.

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Until May 26, Sony is running an Extended Play Sale on the PlayStation Store (via GameSpot), with discounts on 432 games and DLC. Destiny 2, Mortal Kombat 11, and FIFA 21 are all on offer right now for up to 75% off.

The multi-week sale encourages players to complete their DLC collections for their favorite games or pick up games they’ve been eyeing for a while. The vanilla and deluxe editions of Little Nightmares II are now included in the current ‘Deal of the Week,’ as of this date.

While the Extended Play Sale does not include any newer updates, it does include games that take a significant amount of time to finish, which may justify the sale’s name. Players can easily spend tens of hours playing games like Warhammer Vermintide II, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition Digital Deluxe, and The Yakuza Origins Digital Bundle. If players immerse themselves in the open world and the wealth of side content available, any game in the Monster Hunter series can easily exceed 100 hours of playtime.

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With the latest success of Playstation 5, Sony should be able to maintain its current sales trend. However, it remains a questionable choice for the company to refrain from allowing gamers to enjoy PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 games on newer generation consoles, which would probably enhance the attractiveness of deals like the Extended Play Sale.

On the other hand, the current wave of discounts still gives fans of nearly every genre something they can enjoy, especially if they enjoy titles that take time to complete. Gamers should look at the catalog of discounted games to see if anything appeals to them.

New Call of Duty Warzone Ban Wave Caught 500,000 Cheaters

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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Since its launch in March, Call of Duty: Warzone has been banned by 500,000 players. Despite Activision’s attempts to suspend hundreds of thousands of matches, Warzone has a significant hacking epidemic that has only gotten worse over time. Activision seems to be pleased by these figures, but it isn’t doing anything to deter cheaters from appearing in the first place.

TimTheTatMan, a Twitch streamer, has recently seen an influx of hackers on his channel. One player also went so far as to track him down until the end of the session, then killing him. A Warzone hacker was banned live on his broadcast in the middle of a game after one of his squadmates tweeted Activision and developer Raven to ask them to block hackers from their stream. Many other players, however, are unable to summon a personal ban hammer.

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Last week, Raven Software announced that it had blocked 30,000 players in a single day, bringing the cumulative number of bans in Warzone to over half a million. While it is commendable that more is being done, it does not seem that anything is being done to address the problem.

The free-to-play Call of Duty spin-off recently surpassed 100 million subscribers, and it’s fair to assume that a significant portion of that figure was made up of suspended players who created new accounts so that they could cheat.

Random Warzone players have confirmed permanent bans despite no misconduct, indicating that the treatment of bans has been unpredictable. So, if unknown players get stuck in the crossfire, half a million bans may not be a good idea.

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In any case, since it is free-to-play online, someone who is disqualified will just create a new account and only lose any weapon classes. Guns aren’t going to make or ruin their experience with a hacker who can just kill a player with ease anyway, so it’s not much of a punishment.

For a long time, fans have demanded harsher penalties for cheaters, as well as Activision’s commitment to preventing cheating in the first place. With over half a million Warzone bans, Activision should realize that this is a bigger problem and that the figure isn’t even anything to brag about.

If the game is to be continued for several years and to be an enduring forum, something more than slaps on the wrist can be done to get rid of the toxic players. If this trend continues, rule-abiding Warzone players are likely to abandon the game.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl To Have Presentation This June

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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The release dates for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as Pokémon UNITE, have been speculated for a new Pokémon Presents to be released in June. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are scheduled for release on the Nintendo Switch in late 2021, while Pokémon UNITE, a free-to-play MOBA, has yet to be announced.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are long-awaited remakes of the Generation IV Pokémon series, first released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl haven’t been seen in any video, but they tend to be faithful recreations of the original titles, right down to the chibi-style sprites on the overworld.

It’s unknown if they’ll have content from Pokémon Platinum, mechanics from Pokémon Sword and Shield (such as Dynamax and Gigantamax forms), or entirely new content not included in the original games.

After the games were first released, the Pokémon Company hasn’t disclosed any new details regarding Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but that could change soon. KeliosFR, a Nintendo and Pokémon leaker, announced on Twitter that a Pokémon Presents event will take place in “early June” and will confirm the release dates for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as Pokémon UNITE. There’s no update on Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which is also slated for a 2022 release on the Nintendo Switch.

Kelios has expected activities in the past, such as the Nintendo Mini Partner Direct in July 2020. They also expected that a Pokémon Direct would take place on Pokémon Day in 2021, but that wasn’t necessarily the most difficult prediction to make, with or without insider knowledge. For the time being, this new leak should be considered speculation before it is proven.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are expected to be published in the fall of 2021, making them the Switch’s major holiday names for that year. In the second half of 2021, the Switch’s calendar is bare, and fresh Pokémon remakes will undoubtedly count as this year’s machine sellers.

Meanwhile, since Pokémon UNITE is a smartphone game, it could be published at any time, and even shadow-dropped during the Pokémon Presents broadcast. However, after the lukewarm reception of Pokémon UNITE in 2020, it appears that Pokémon fans are most looking forward to the forthcoming return to Sinnoh.

Sony Patents Own eSports Betting App

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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According to newly found records from 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment has patented its own eSports betting scheme. Sony has not deployed the device (and has not revealed any intentions to do so) as of this writing, however by keeping the patent, the firm is holding on to the prospect.

This is the newest Sony foray; just a few weeks ago, it was announced that Sony had invented an AI that could imitate player action. The video game industry has been extremely aggressive in recent months, with a number of high-profile acquisitions and trademarks dominating the news cycle, and it appears that this trend is continuing.

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Sony recently filed patents for its own proprietary eSports betting platform, according to Patent Scope (via VGC). According to the patent, the app must calculate the chances of one or more bets based on prior data from professional athletes and/or clubs, and then show those bets to players.

“Simple bets on one side or the other winning the simulation; overall and individual point scores; over-under bets,” according to the patent, or “a vast variety of more complex bets, such as whether a character will be ‘killed’ in the next X minutes.”

Sony’s network will embrace and pay out a variety of currencies, including cash and cryptocurrency, as well as gaming properties, digital rights, and virtual currency. The full patent contains even more detail that demonstrates how far Sony’s propositions will go, providing bettors with a plethora of options to wager on, adding to the increasingly growing wave of eSports betting.

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After the patents were first awarded (in 2019), a study alleging that eSports betting was triggering a gambling problem among young people has been released, but the phenomenon continues to be prevalent across various professional gaming tournaments. Gambling in and around video games has become increasingly profitable, much to the chagrin of gamers.

For example, it was discovered in April that EA was encouraging FIFA players to purchase more loot boxes at the detriment of the game’s other modes. That story was just one such example, but in reality, the practice is present in other franchises as well.

Several jurisdictions around the world have launched inquiries into loot boxes and video game gambling in general, while others, such as Belgium, have outright outlawed loot boxes and other types of gaming gambling. Perhaps this growing backlash is why Sony hasn’t used its eSports betting site yet, but who’s to say it won’t change in the future?

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