Change is in the air at Sega, as the company is readying itself for not only an organizational restructure but also a new role for Yakuza series director Toshihiro Nagoshi. Having been involved in the Yakuza series since its inception in 2005, Nagoshi will step down as chief creative officer of Sega and will become its new creative director.A veteran of Sega whose career dates back to the mid-1990s and the company’s arcade days, Nagoshi's new role will formally begin on April 1, 2021. Sega's upcoming restructure is also designed to "integrate corporate functions and administrative operations" and "accelerate global business" according to its announcement. This will essentially allow Sega to streamline its various divisions so that it can make quicker decisions.Sega has been through some big changes over the last few months. With the COVID-19 pandemic having a massive impact on social gatherings, Sega's arcade and amusement facilities businesses were hit hard. Sega Sammy, the company that owns Sega, announced that it would sell the majority of its shares in its Sega Entertainment division to Japanese amusement rental business Genda Inc. after business in its arcades "declined remarkably" and resulted in "a significant loss."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently filming in Australia, and now some photos from the set have leaked. The images, which were posted on social media, show off Chris Hemsworth as Thor--in a vest very similar to Thunderstrike's--Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Karen Gillan as Nebula.Thor's look, at least in this scene, appears to be modeled after the Thor: Thunderstrike comic. Thunderstrike is a character created in the late-80s where supporting character Eric Masterson merged with Thor and took over the role for 30 issues. He also had a sweet goatee. However, the implications for Love and Thunder are unknown at this point. You can check out the images below, but remember that we don't know any of the context about the scenes and more.Check out these first looks from the set of 'THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER' featuring Thor, Kraglin, Nebula and Star-Lord!(Via: @DailyMailUK | #ThorLoveAndThunder) pic.twitter.com/aYceSfR7W7 — MoviesMatrix 🍿 (@MoviesMatrix) February 1, 2021The fourth main Thor movie is filming at the Disney-owned Fox Studios Australia lot in Sydney, with the local government providing millions in subsidies for Marvel to shoot there. The movie giant already filmed the MCU movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in Sydney.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Just like its first year--which we detailed in our Year 1 recap--Apex Legends Year 2 (February 4, 2020 - February 3, 2021) was a transformative period for developer Respawn's battle royale game. The final days of Year 2 will see the start of Season 8: Mayhem, which adds playable character Fuse, remakes Kings Canyon for a third time, and implements the 30-30 Repeater, a bolt-action rifle, to the general loot pool. But before that arrives, it's worth looking at just how much Apex Legends has evolved in the past year."I think a big part of [Year 1] was just actually getting comfortable with and getting to learn what it is to make a live service game and build a relationship with the community," team director Steven Ferreira told me when talking about how Respawn's strategy for Year 2 was informed by the battle royale's first year. "And that was always the plan, but like any well-laid plan, it's not really real until you actually get into it, and then things change. I think that first year was definitely figuring out what was the right balance in terms of how much content could we actually make in a healthy and sustainable way."He continued: "How much content was the community looking for? What types of things were they looking for? How did it influence our creative process in terms of making sure that we weren't locking things in so early that we couldn't react to the community's feedback, season to season? So I think we've really started to hit a stride and hit a sweet spot in terms of being able to find a balance of what we're building, how we build it, and in a way that feels like a partnership almost with the community and including them in that process as well."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Marvel has released a mid-season trailer for its kooky, stylish new smash hit WandaVision. The episodic Disney+ extension of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a weird (in a good way) mash-up of sitcoms past and present while also in the margins hinting at some pretty weird (in a strange way) conspiracies taking place in the MCU. Check out the new trailer below to learn what further questions we should all be asking while we all keep watching. Episode 4, which aired last week, offered some answers, a few clues, and the beginning of some of the questions broached in the trailer above. With five more episodes to go through to March 5, so far it's been kicking off MCU Phase 4 with an exciting bang.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

February is Back History Month and Microsoft is celebrating in a variety of ways across games and the wider Xbox ecosystem. For the duration of the month, Microsoft will highlight the efforts of Black and African American developers and personalities and help raise money and awareness for important causes."We believe that small actions from members of the Xbox community can lead to lasting change in the industry, such as speaking up to report and callout racist remarks, learning about Black history and culture, and empowering Black-owned businesses and inclusive creators," Microsoft's Q Muhaimin and James Lewis said in a blog post."By amplifying Black voices, partnering with more Black creators, and continuing to address racial injustice, we strive to contribute to real change in our industry. We are committed to supporting Black audiences across the globe through programs that focus on issues relevant to them," the statement goes on to say.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A new character is coming to Apex Legends in Season 8, and we now know a lot more about his abilities, thanks to a new trailer from Respawn. This Legend is the explosives expert Fuse, and his kit is very much designed to fit that specific niche. We've got the full details on the kit below.First, Fuse has a passive ability called Grenadier that allows him to stack an extra grenade per inventory slot. His robotic arm also allows him to fire grenades faster, further, and with more precision than other Legends. His tactical ability, Knuckle Cluster, is a cluster bomb that deploys a large number of small bombs that explode into the air. Finally, his ultimate ability is The Motherload, a mortar that bombards a large area in a wall of flame.In terms of where he fits in the existing meta, Fuse seems to be a very offense-oriented character, similar to favorites like Bangalore and Wraith. His abilities will allow him to quickly flush out or finish a trapped team. However, his explosives can also be used as area denial by strategic players, especially in concert with more defense-oriented Legends like Wattson or Gibraltar.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Move over GameStop--Costa Rica-based online sportsbook and casino Bovada is currently taking bets on who will play Harry Potter in the live-action TV series that is reportedly being discussed over at HBO Max. Bovada is taking bets on specific actors and also the hypothetical future actor's age range.As of this writing, the odds are looking most favorable for James McAvoy (X-Men: Apocalypse) or Tom Hiddleston (Avengers: Infinity War), and also an actor between the ages of 30 and 40. The current dark-horse bets are a teenaged actor between the ages of 13 and 16, and also for Daniel Radcliffe himself to reprise the role. Given how early days the series is, literally anything can happen at this point--but it's best to temper expectations as The Hollywood Reporter recently indicated that the series is, as of this writing, only being discussed in "early-stage exploratory meetings."Something the series--and Harry Potter fans alike--will have to contend with is the fact that author J.K. Rowling has since the series of books and films concluded proven to be a controversial figure. Rowling remains a powerful steward of her franchise, despite becoming polarizing with recurring comments about gender and identity.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A new Max Raid event is now underway in Pokemon Sword and Shield. All February long, certain Fighting- and Psychic-type Pokemon will be appearing more frequently in Max Raid dens across both games, including Gigantamax Machamp and Gigantamax Orbeetle.Specifically, players will be more likely to encounter Machamp, Lucario, Falinks, Gothitelle, Reuniclus, and Orbeetle in Max Raid Battles this month. As previously mentioned, Gigantamax forms of Machamp and Orbeetle will also be appearing more frequently. Gigantamax Pokemon are typically incredibly rare to find outside of events like this, making this a good opportunity to add them to your collection if you haven't yet.Before the new event Pokemon can begin appearing in your game, you'll first need to refresh your Max Raid dens. You can do so either by activating the Y-Comm to connect your game online, or by going into the Mystery Gift menu and selecting Get the Wild Area News. This Max Raid event will run through February 28.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Reboots and revivals continue to be very popular, and now the next potential one has been revealed. It's been reported that the famous NBC TV show Frasier could get rebooted for the new ViacomCBS streaming service, Paramount Plus (formerly CBS All-Access).According to Variety, the new show isn't very far along. Right now, the show is only an idea, and the supposed discussions are described as being in the "very early stages." Separately, TV Line's report about the show said the idea would be for Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, and Peri Gilpin to return in some way. The site also reported that, should the project get the green light, filming could start this summer.Variety reported that Grammer has been lobbying for a revival for a while already but it's been tough sledding because of, you guessed it, money.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Respawn has released the full patch notes for Apex Legends Season 8: Mayhem, which starts tomorrow. The new season introduces new playable character Fuse, the 30-30 Repeater assault rifle, and map changes to Kings Canyon.All things considered, Season 8 doesn't make nearly as many game-changing adjustments as the past few seasons have. But Apex Legends just had a transformative second year.Of note, however, is an additional change to Wraith. Her hitbox has been slightly adjusted, with her upper torso, waist, thighs, and shins becoming slightly wider to better reflect the overall shape of her body. It should make her ever so slightly easier to hit, a welcome nerf in comparison to simply weakening her abilities again.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

More limited-time seasonal items are now available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. From now until February 14, players can order two special Valentine's Day items: a chocolate heart and a heart-shaped bouquet.Both items can be purchased from the Seasonal tab in Nook Shopping, and they cost 1,200 bells apiece. A couple of other seasonal items are also still available until February 3, including a football rug and cheer megaphone to celebrate the Super Bowl.The new seasonal items arrived as part of Animal Crossing's January update, which also added the Festivale event to the game. That takes place later this month, on February 15. As part of the event, Pave the dancing peacock will visit your island, and you'll be able to catch different colored feathers and exchange them for rewards.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Fallout: New Vegas mod The Frontier was in development for a long time, but it was only up for less than two weeks before concerns about its inappropriate content resulted in its development team temporarily removing it from Nexus Mods. Now, the mod has returned, but some elements of it are missing due to the controversy.A new post from project lead "tgspy" explains the situation thusly: the mod was taken down due to a team member posting "inappropriate content involving anthropomorphic minors" on their personal art page, as well as the negative feedback to some of the mod's more questionable elements, such as the ability to have sex with lizard-people. Some of those elements have been removed from the mod, including the ability to make one of the characters your "slave."Haven't played Fallout Frontier yet but I am absolutely astounded by this one character just being a surrogate for the writers barely-disguised fetishes pic.twitter.com/pi4UOl2X9p — C-Gay-Y (@seinfelddahog) January 21, 2021If the lizard people were the main draw for you, do not fear: though they are "locked" in the current build, the team will soon add a file that will allow you to experience them first hand if you so desire. The team has also removed several characters' worth of voice acting, since the contributors involved no longer wanted to be associated with the mod. Those characters will be re-voiced in the future. Though it was previously stated that this new version would be the final build of The Frontier, it now seems that the project will be released on Steam at some point in the future.Info from Gamespot.com

It's no secret that RPGs have certain standard mechanics when it comes to gameplay, but developer High Level Studios is looking to buck that trend with its new title Void Arena, an RPG that will not have character leveling up or skill points.Those familiar with RPGs, whether they're Western or JRPGs, know that a core part of the gameplay loop for these titles is having your character/s complete different tasks or quests to gain more experience and level up. By leveling up, you're able to make your characters stronger and they can usually gain access to better equipment and abilities as they advance. Changing this progression scale would really shake the RPG genre up, and that's exactly what High Level Studios is aiming to do."One of the core pillars of our game is 'unique progression experiences'," Sad_Gandalf, owner and operator of High Level Studios, said in an interview with TechRaptor. "Something that we are really after is making your decisions feel as if they are directly driving the growth of your character. With this said, we veered away from a path where your character's main form of progression was dictated by some arbitrary numbers in a spreadsheet. Instead, your character progresses mainly through exploring the world and learning new skills while also both finding powerful gear and the materials necessary to create it themselves."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Apple AirPods Pro are a quality pair of earbuds, and if you've wanted to snag yourself a pair at a good price, you'll be happy to know that their Black Friday price is back for a limited time. Right now, you can buy the Apple AirPods Pro for $190 at the Amazon-owned store Woot, down from their regular price of $250. This deal is only valid for the next two weeks or while stock is available; however, if stock runs out at Woot, Amazon and Walmart both have the AirPods Pro for $200. Best Buy also has refurbished AirPods Pro for $170 for today only. Apple AirPods Pro $190 (was $250) AirPods Pro come with three different sizes of silicone ear tips and boast 4.5 hours of listening time in addition to 24 hours of battery life in the wireless charging case. The earbuds themselves feature sweat and water resistance in addition to a capacitive touch sensor that lets you control music, answer calls, and more. $190 at Woot $200 at Amazon $200 at Walmart The touch sensor also lets you switch between the AirPods Pro's two different sound modes. Active noise canceling allows you to block out sound, while the transparency mode makes it easier to hear your environment. This is particularly helpful if you're running, cycling, or doing another activity where hearing cars or people is paramount to safety.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Universal Studios Japan's Super Nintendo World was originally scheduled to open on February 4 before being delayed indefinitely due to COVID, and hardcore Nintendo fans still hope to check out its take on Peach's Castle in the flesh someday. However, let's face it: this in-progress Minecraft recreation of it is as close as most of us are going to get over the next few months.Planet Minecraft's Dippy22 has been working on a one-to-one build of the park since late December, and the project is around 45% complete. This isn't the first time that Dippy22 has worked on a project like this: the Minecrafter previously created a hypothetical version of the park based on leaked models and concept art earlier in 2020. They also worked on a 1:1 recreation of Earth, which is a major undertaking to say the least.We previously saw Shigeru Miyamoto himself walk around Super Nintendo World back in late 2020, complete with a warp pipe and the Super Mario 64 castle music, which certainly inspires nostalgia in gamers of a certain age. Super Nintendo Land is scheduled to come to Universal's Singapore, Orlando, and Hollywood parks, each with unique rides, but we don't know when those projects are scheduled to begin.Info from Gamespot.com