Ubisoft has announced that Season 4 of The Division 2's Warlords of New York expansion will go live on December 8 alongside Title Update 12 for all platforms. The latest update includes a new rogue agent to hunt, improvements to The Summit, and quality-of-life enhancements.The headlining feature of Title Update 12 is specifically for owners of the Warlords of New York expansion: The start of Season 4. The new season of content sends players to hunt Faye Lau, a former commander that held a rather prominent role in the first The Division game. Players must first kill off her subordinates, four ex-Division operatives recruited by the major enemy faction Black Tusk, before they can pinpoint Lau's exact whereabouts. Of course, taking Lau and her accomplices out will reward players with a bevy of gear and weapons.Warlords of New York expansion owners will also get access to additional pieces of equipment once Title Update 12 drops next week. There are new seasonal outfits and gearsets (like the Rigger, which focuses on faster deployment and lethality of skills), skill variants (such as Achilles Pulse, a scanner that reveals enemy weak points), and three more Exotics (the Capacitor assault rifle, Scorpio shotgun, and Waveform holster) that players can earn in-game.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Microsoft has purchased the esports tournament organizing platform Smash.gg, according to the banner on the front page of the platform's website."Since we started in 2015, our goal has been to build active esports scenes around the games people love to play," Smash.gg's website reads. "Today we're excited to take the next step in that journey by joining Microsoft to help strengthen our existing relationships and explore new opportunities. Smash.gg will continue as a self-service esports platform available to tournament organizers from all game communities."It's unclear what this means for Microsoft and Smash.gg, though there is a possibility the two could collaborate on an official application or organize tournaments around popular Xbox games like Halo and Killer Instinct. Microsoft hasn't publicly commented on the acquisition.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Fortnite is no stranger to crossovers with other franchises, and the next one has--as is often the case--already leaked. With Season 5 underway, it looks as if a character from a major PlayStation franchise will be showing his face in the battle royale game in the near future: God of War's Kratos. If a leak is to be believed, Kratos will be getting a Fortnite skin, although exactly when it's coming and how you'll get it--or indeed, its very existence--have yet to be confirmed.Popular Fortnite leaker HypeX tweeted out an image of Kratos, saying that he'll be added to the game "soon." It hasn't been confirmed by Epic Games yet, but HypeX has a notable track record of leaking credible Fortnite news early. It's unclear how soon the skin will be released or if it might be an exclusive to PS4 and PS5 in some fashion. Season 5 will run for the next two-plus months.Kratos will be a skin soon! (Reposted for a better image) pic.twitter.com/S6lgYMcGJR — HYPEX (@HYPEX) December 2, 2020More hunters are supposed to be added as Season 5 plays out, so Kratos could be added as part of a new set of characters at any point in the season. He will most likely be available in the item shop for around $20 (with a back bling and other cosmetics included). That's been the price of other recent characters like Ghost Rider, Venom, and Daredevil, although it's worth noting that those tied into last season's theme and weren't a part of one specific platform's IP.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Developer Undead Labs has announced that State of Decay 2 on Xbox Series S and Series X has been optimized, alongside the launch of some other year-end updates and content.State of Decay 2 players on Xbox Series S and Series X can now enjoy the benefits of the newer hardware. This includes faster load times, improved world and shadow detail, and other graphical enhancements. Both consoles will also run at 60 fps and up to 4K resolution.A feature coming to all State of Decay 2 players is Lethal difficulty, which further reduces the resources in the open-world, makes enemies hit way harder, and increases the deadliness of blood plague. Lethal difficulty also causes plague hearts to grow faster, and there's no guarantee of safety after one has been destroyed. Furthermore, the special "freak" zombies, malformed zombies that take on unique attributes and characteristics, have been replaced with a souped-up blood plague variant. Of course, Lethal difficulty settings can be mixed and matched with Custom difficulty, so players can fine-tune their State of Decay 2 experience.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A few days ago, Larian announced in a Baldur's Gate 3 pre-patch update that players would have to restart their campaigns from the beginning if they updated their game to the latest patch. Considering the game is in early-access, this isn't exactly a surprise. Now that patch is out and Larian took to Steam again to explain everything in Patch 3, now called Inspiration, Freedom & Pacifism. The first change Larian noted is that going forward, players will be able to gain more experience rewards for avoiding combat situations, whether that's through dialogue or exploration and environmental puzzle-solving. Another notable behavior change is that of your companions. Larian noticed that companions tended to drop approval ratings relatively easily, even if they weren't actually involved in a given situation. To fix that, companions have been tweaked to focus on the bigger picture while still maintaining their personal beliefs. They also won't be able to disapprove of situations they're not present for. Arguably one of the most exciting changes coming with Patch 3 is that certain dialogue sequences with particularly harsh skill checks have been rebalanced so it's not quite as easy to be locked out of content based on a bad roll. Instead of failing an entire encounter based on one bad roll, your odds of succeeding on that roll have instead been adjusted to be a bit more favorable.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

You've probably seen pretty much everyone you follow online posting their 2020 Wrapped info from Spotify, detailing everyone's stats for time listened, top artists, genres, podcasts, and more. Well gamers, we haven't been excluded from the trend. This year, Spotify recorded an almost 55% increase globally in streaming from game consoles, both Xbox and PlayStation, as revealed in a special Wrapped that highlights what those users were listening to this year.Video game soundtracks did particularly well, unsurprisingly. Minecraft, Doom, and Death Stranding all had their soundtracks in the top streamed category this year, and the soundtrack for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 spiked more than 316% once the game launched.If you don't currently have a Spotify Premium subscription but do have a Game Pass Ultimate membership, you can get a free three-month trial of the music service.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Fortnite's new season brought a ton of big changes to the battle royale with the addition of a new bounty system, a Mandalorian skin, and new game mechanics. It also brought a number smaller changes that players have been sifting through. Epic Games doesn't include patch notes anymore, so players have to find out about most changes themselves."I love that we are finally getting lore for a lot of the skins like Burger Boss and Bunker Jonesy," said Redditor JackBoyEditor about how NPCs interactions with players change depending on what skin they're wearing. "Somebody has to go around wearing one of The Seven to see their reactions."One of Fortnite's NPCsSeason 5 introduced a bounty system where players can start missions given to them by one of 40 different NPCs scattered across the map. Some NPCs will have special dialogue if they interact with players using specific character skins. Kit, for example, will purr if you talk to him while wearing the Meowscles skin.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Actor Hugh Keays-Byrne, known for his starring roles in both Mad Max and Mad Max: Fury Road, has died at the age of 73. The cause of death for the Australian actor has not yet been disclosed. Filmmaker Ted Geoghegan shared the news via social media, calling Byrne "an unsung hero of Aussie cinema… [and] an absolutely wonderful human who fought very hard for environmental and humanitarian issues." Filmmaker Brian Trenchard-Smith, a friend of Keays-Byrne's, reported on Facebook that the actor died in the hospital.Hugh Keays-Byrne, an unsung hero of Aussie cinema, has passed away at age 73. I'm continually floored that he played Toecutter, the central antagonist of 1979's MAD MAX *and* Immortan Joe, the central antagonist 2015's MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Thanks for all the entertainment, sir. pic.twitter.com/55W99w3wzq — Ted Geoghegan (@tedgeoghegan) December 2, 2020In addition to actor Mel Gibson and writer-director George Miller, Keays-Byrne shares the distinction of being synonymous with the long-running and still-enduring Mad Max franchise. In the original 1979 version, Keays-Byrne plays the merciless terrorist Toecutter who ruled the outback with his motorcycle gang; in 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, he again played a villain--Immortan Joe.In the many years between, Keays-Byrne made a name for himself as a versatile actor outside that cinematic universe, starring in films such as 2000's Farscape, 1989's The Blood of Heroes, and 1974's Stone. Mad Max: Fury Road stands as the actor's final role.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Jeff Goldblum has revealed that Jurassic World: Dominion has perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly been "tweaked" to better fit the pandemic--and hopefully sometime soon the post-COVID--era. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor divulged that the sequel to the 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has been massaged a bit to reflect the reality that events in the film are taking place with a pandemic in the recent rear-view mirror.At the very least, Goldblum indicates, it's his character, scientist Dr. Ian Malcolm whose dialogue has been changed a bit to evoke the "fragility of our species and the global cooperation that's needed and the foundation in science that is needed and the ethical use of science that's needed to unite us… as a family and reach our potential and to do right by ourselves and this glorious planet." He also says changes were made to make themes in the movie both "right for now" and "nourishing for now."And Goldblum being Goldblum, he also mentioned in passing that working on the original Jurassic Park back in 1993 was a "delicious experience."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The home where J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings--20 Northmoor Road in Oxford--is currently up for sale, and a dedicated group has launched a campaign to buy it and turn it into a center where fans of Middle-earth can visit to celebrate the author's life and works.A charity has been established that is seeking to purchase the house for $6 million USD. In a new video, some of the cast members from across the fantasy series, including Ian McKellen (Gandalf), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli/Treebeard), and Martin Freeman (Bilbo) speak about their appreciation for Tolkien and Middle-earth, calling on fans to donate to help purchase the home.Unlike other writers of his stature, there is no centre devoted to J.R.R. Tolkien anywhere in the world. Yet. @ProjNorthmoor https://t.co/pzMg8Yk2t2 pic.twitter.com/jx2r5MVbcw — Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) December 2, 2020J.R.R. and Edith Tolkien moved into the home in 1930, and it was in that home that Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

This week, a group of Destiny fans released the 1.0 version of their pen and paper RPG system modeled on Dungeons and Dragons 5E and modified to work with the classes and world of the Destiny series. Dungeons and Destiny has been in the works for two years, and is "almost a complete overhaul of the entire [5th Edition] system," according to Reddit user GoodGameKitty, one of the creators.To fully capture the feel of Destiny, the D&Destiny creators altered and added quite a bit. The 1.0 release includes nine character classes from both the original Destiny and Destiny 2: Gunslinger, Nightstalker, Sunbreaker, Voidwalker, Defender, Bladedancer, Striker, Sunsinger, and Stormcaller. Each of these classes also has three unique archetypes. The Stasis classes introduced in the new Beyond Light expansion for Destiny too are also scheduled to be added once the Bestiary of the Wilds and Architect's Guide supplements have also reached 1.0.The races that populate Destiny will also be present in this ttrpg, with racial attributes for the three branches of humanity (human, Exo, Awoken) and the five alien species (Cabal, eliksni, Vex, psion, krill). Every race has two or three variations you can choose from. And of course, Destiny wouldn't be complete without an arsenal of space aged weapons, vehicles, and items. D&Destiny boasts 14 firearms and combat bows, and has a weapon upgrade system that allows players to select their own weapon perks, including melee weapons. There's a brand new section covering equipment your Guardian might need or encounter like jumpships and patrol beacons.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With Season 11 of The Walking Dead still looming over the horizon--and also a series spin-off--it's a bit of a surprise that AMC has announced the first-ever The Walking Dead Holiday Special, slated to debut December 13 on the network's streaming platform AMC+.According to Deadline, the hour-long event will feature cast members gathering virtually to reminisce over the series' history to date, and also offer a peek into the future with a table read from an upcoming Season 10 episode. It may be more expedient to say who will not be participating, but among those expected to make an appearance are: Lauren Cohan, Melissa McBride, Josh McDermitt, Khary Payton, Eleanor Matsuura, Cooper Andrews, Cassady McClincy, Lauren Ridloff, Cailey Fleming, Emily Kinney, and IronE Singleton.Walking Dead Universe COO Scott M. Gimple and showrunner/executive producer Angela Kang will also be present. The Walking Dead Holiday Special will be hosted by Chris Hardwick, perennial after-show host for the network.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Warner Bros. interfered with Peter Jackson's filmmaking on The Hobbit, and it led to a lesser product in the end compared to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. This is according to actor Jed Brophy, who has known Jackson for 30 years and has appeared in many of his movies over the decades, dating back to Braindead and running through The Hobbit.In an interview with Kiwi Talkz (via ScreenRant), Brophy said one of the issues with The Hobbit was that non-creative studio bosses from Warner Bros. got in the way."They get in the way. They want to be 'creative,"" Brophy said using air quotes in regards to these people. "Let the creatives do the job, man. Your job is to find the money and then sell it. Don't get in the way of an auteur. I may be speaking out of turn here, and probably, if those people find me I'll get slammed, but I think Warner Bros. kind of got in the way of Peter on The Hobbit. I think they got in the way of him being able to do what he does well."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Wildfire, a slow-going platformer where fire is your best friend, launches on consoles this week. Its bite sized levels require you to find the best way to get from one point to another while completing various missions.The Sneaky Bastards-developed stealth sidescroller originally launched on Steam in May and is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One on December 3. It'll cost $14.99 on all platforms.There's a good variety of mission types. Wildfire puts you in the shoes of a villager who's town is burnt to a crisp by a "villainous force" of strange Amazonian women. You must find and saved your friends who have been captured by completing short, Celeste-like levels that are connected by an overarching narrative.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Animal Crossing: New Horizons received its big winter update a couple of weeks ago, and its companion NookLink app has now gotten an update of its own. Nintendo has added a handy new Catalog function to the mobile service, letting you more easily track all the items you've obtained in the game.Through the newly added Catalog function, players can quickly look up furniture, clothing, and other items that they've acquired in New Horizons. The feature displays information about the items, including which color/design variants players have obtained, how much the item costs to purchase from Nook's Cranny, and whether or not it can be customized. The Catalog function also has a section displaying your 20 most recently acquired items in the game.[Announcement]NookLink for #AnimalCrossing: New Horizons has been updated! Now you can use your smartphone to search for and check items obtained in #ACNH with the Catalog function pic.twitter.com/xJh2DPVs4S — Isabelle (@animalcrossing) November 30, 2020NookLink is part of the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app. In addition to allowing voice chat for compatible games, the app offers game-specific services for a couple of other first-party titles. Splatoon 2 players can use the SplatNet 2 feature to track their stats, see map rotations, and order in-game items, while the Smash World service for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate lets players view and share screenshots and videos.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com