Confirming rumors, Activision has officially announced that Call of Duty: Warzone will get a brand-new map later this year, presumably around the time that Call of Duty: Vanguard launches this November. This is not a modest redesign of the existing Verdansk that has been in place since the game launched in March 2020 but instead is an all-new environment.Raven Software, which is leading development on Warzone, is spearheading development of the new map. This map uses the same technology as the rest of Vanguard, which means it runs on the upgraded version of the IW engine. The benefit here is that the game's guns and mechanics should feel and operate the same when switching between Vanguard's other modes and Warzone. This is a key difference between Warzone and Black Ops Cold War, which run on different engines and have different features and functionality.All battle pass content earned in Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare, Vanguard, and Warzone will carry forward to the new Warzone map. Additionally, all Rank and battle pass progress from these four games will be applied together.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Season 2 of The Witcher is still four months away from arriving to Netflix, and fans of the series want to know if there will be more of the main series coming. As of right now, the answer is unknown, but recent partnership with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Netflix makes The Witcher a good horse to bet on--no offense, Roach.During the TCA summer press tour, Hissrich was asked if there was a Season 3 of Witcher coming. "There has been no formal renewal," she said. "In fact, right now my focus is on Season 2. We have this airdate now; we are going to launch on December 17. There is still a lot of work to be done in post production. So I'm back and forth between Los Angeles and London completing that, and that is just honestly where all of our focus is right now because we need a great Season 2, if we have a hope of having a Season 3."Earlier in the day, Netflix announced a new creative partnership between Hissrich and Netflix where she will write and produce scripted series content for the streaming service. She'll be continuing work on The Witcher, along with serving as executive producer on The Witcher: Blood Origin and The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

As suspected, Call of Duty: Vanguard will have an open beta, but apart from confirming its existence, that's all we know. The announcement came as part of the official reveal of Vanguard on Thursday through an in-game Warzone event.Everyone who pre-orders Vanguard will get early access to the beta, but there is no word yet when it will begin or what content it will include.MP will feature:☑️ Diverse areas ☑️ New Gunsmith systems☑️ New Champion Hill mode 🚩☑️ That guy off-mute blasting music in the background☑️ Teammates not playing the objective☑️ Did we say 20 maps?☑️ And much much more. MP details and Open Betas coming soon! — Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 19, 2021According to a previous leak, Vanguard will have alpha and beta tests available on all platforms, but PlayStation owners are getting special treatment. The leaks have suggested that an alpha test for Vanguard will run August 27-29 on PlayStation consoles.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty: Warzone is getting a brand-new map later this year, featuring a new environment and a new anti-cheat system from developer Raven Software. You might be wondering what might happen to any of your previous battle pass unlocks or store purchases when the change happens.The good news is that this content--including progression-based unlocks and items purchased with real money--will move forward with you, Activision has announced. There will be universal progression between Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, Vanguard, and Warzone. So ranking up in one game, whether that be standard rank progression or battle pass XP, also applies to the others.Additionally, your Warzone loadout can be made up of weapons and content from across Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard. For Vanguard specifically, the content will come to Warzone when the new map launches later this year. We don't know exactly when that'll be just yet, however.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

It's official: Bungie announced that Destiny 2 is partnering with anti-cheat service Battleye for a "soft launch" next season. The company took to Twitter to confirm the new measure against cheaters and told players to tune in for more info at the upcoming Destiny 2 showcase on August 24, which coincides with the launch of Season 15.Prior to the announcement from Destiny 2's Twitter account, leaked screenshots of Destiny 2 support pages mentioning Battleye were circulating online. The Verge's Tom Warren also seemed to confirm the rumors, leading players to be even more certain that Destiny 2 devs are taking action to implement a more effective way to catch cheaters than the game's currently beleaguered in-game reporting.Our partnership with BattlEye will soft launch next Season. Just another step toward a level playing field for all.Learn more on 8/24: https://t.co/P3UimOS4vk pic.twitter.com/vyrPp8yU57 — Destiny 2 (@DestinyTheGame) August 19, 2021Battleye is an anti-cheat service active in a lot of other popular games, like Fortnite and Rainbow Six Siege. When the soft launch occurs, players will likely need to download the Battleye software that will run alongside Destiny 2.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

AMC Studios announced plans to open a writer's room where they will explore adapting Anne Rice's supernatural horror trilogy Lives of the Mayfair Witches into a TV series for AMC and AMC+.Lives of the Mayfair Witches follows Rowan Mayfair, a neurosurgeon who discovers she is the heir to a family of witches and is thrusted into facing a dark presence that plagues her family with her newfound powers. Lives of the Mayfair Witches will be the second book from Rice to be adapted into a TV series alongside Interview with the Vampire which is greenlit for a 2022 release. Both The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair series have sold over 150 million copies worldwide.AMC Networks acquired the rights to 18 titles of Rice's works in 2020 to develop for TV networks and streaming services, with Rice and her son, Christopher Rice, serving as executive producers.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Following the announcement of Call of Duty: Vanguard, Activision has announced when we can expect to learn more, and it won't be long. More footage of the World War II shooter's campaign will be revealed at some point next week, Activision said."More campaign footage coming VERY soon. Like maybe next week. But what do we know," Activision said on Twitter, basically confirming the reveal for next week.This year's all-digital Gamescom event takes place next week, and Activision is among the companies confirmed to attend the show, making it a likely bet that we'll see more there.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Peacock has released the first official trailer for Frogger, the game show that is--as you can likely guess--a live-action real-life version of the popular arcade and video game. The show also finally has a release date revealed by the clip: September 9, with new episodes airing every Thursday.The Frogger TV show was filmed in Australia--presumably as it's safer to produce there compared to other countries due to the pandemic--and has 13 hour-long episodes total coming this fall. Actor and comedian Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl, Happy Endings) will host the Frogger TV show for Peacock with contestants competing to be named "America's finest Frogger." (Even though, again, it was filmed in Australia.) His co-host is Kyle Brandt of Good Morning Football. Check out the clip below, froggy-style.The show's official synopsis reads in part: "Audiences and contestants alike will be transported into a wild, whimsical Frogger world, filled with all the simple but challenging elements of the mega-hit from Konami. Contestants from across the country will test their talent in a competition requiring skill, strength, strategy, and problem-solving smarts." The winner gets a cash prize of $100,000.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

It's almost time for the biggest party of the summer. WWE SummerSlam airs live on Peacock on Saturday, August 21. While the event is stacked with matches, including Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg and Roman Reigns vs. John Cena, there's another match that has a huge chance of stealing the show. WWE Raw Women's Champion Nikki ASH will be defending her title against former champions Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair.Appearing on GameSpot's professional wrestling podcast Wrestle Buddies, the current champ didn't shy away from admitting how big of a hurdle this match will be. "They're both formidable, they're both powerful," she said. "I'm going into this match as the Raw Women's Champion and I'm also going in as the underdog because I'm the smaller competitor."This isn't the Nikki Cross of old, though. Earlier this year, she embraced a new character that she dubbed Nikki ASH (almost superhero). She began wearing a cape and a mask, embracing the inner superhero she thinks is inside all of us. Don't expect her to start exhibiting superpowers like WWE's original superhero, The Hurricane, though.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Though the Nintendo Switch is relatively affordable compared to other consoles, some of the best Switch games consistently hover around the $50 to $60 mark, meaning you can easily rack up the costs when building up your Switch library. Though it's hard to avoid spending money on games entirely, there are plenty of free Switch games available to download on the Nintendo eShop. These can be a great option if you're on a budget or if you just want to try out some new games commitment-free, and many of them are just great games, plain and simple. Whether you're looking to save money or just interested in discovering some new games without breaking out your wallet, here are 10 of the best free Switch games available on the eShop right now. For more recs, check out the best Switch games for kids and great Switch multiplayer games.The following list is organized alphabetically and not ranked. Note that some games require Nintendo Switch Online, which we've indicated below.BrawlhallaBrawlhallaReleased on Switch in 2018, Brawlhalla is a free-to-play platform fighter with over 50 playable fighters, or "Legends." For the most part, your goal is to send your opponent flying off the stage, similar to Super Smash Bros., with them becoming more susceptible to being knocked off as they receive more damage. Up to eight players can join in locally or online, making this a great party game if you've got extra Pro Controllers or Joy-Cons lying around. Brawlhalla has nearly two dozen different modes that let you experience different types of matches and rules, some of which can only be experienced on a rotating basis as the Brawl of the Week. On top of that, nine free-to-play characters are rotated in every week, and you can play online to earn gold and unlock even more Legends, so there's a ton to experience in Brawlhalla without spending a dime. However, you must buy a Legend (or purchase the All-Legends Pack DLC) in order to permanently keep them, so if you end up getting into the game long-term, you probably will end up spending some money (like most free-to-play titles on this list). Still, as a free download, Brawlhalla is worth checking out if you're looking for a new fighting game on Switch.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty: Vanguard has been officially revealed and it looks like it could require less storage than the most recent games in the series. Over on the Microsoft Store website, the Xbox Series X|S version of Call of Duty: Vanguard is listed as only requiring 95 GB of storage, although this might be missing some required content packs.The two previous Call of Duty games have had the option to uninstall portions of the game, like the campaign, to make the file size smaller, which is possibly where the 95 GB file size comes from. If viewed in the Microsoft store on an Xbox Series X, the file size is listed as 90 GB without the content packs. The content packs may need to be installed to play certain modes in Vanguard, increasing the overall install size. The full size for the Ultimate and Cross-Gen editions--which include the content packs--are listed at 270 GB of storage, although this appears to be counting the beta, Xbox One version, and Series X|S version, only one of which you'd likely have installed at a time. The web page lists Vanguard's upcoming beta as a 50 GB install.The Xbox One Version of the game takes up 70 GB, but again, that also doesn't include the content packs. Call of Duty games have had large file sizes in recent years, with last year's Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War currently taking 215 GB of storage on Xbox Series X. In addition to that Warzone is its own install, adding to the amount of storage Call of Duty requires.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

If you didn't think it was possible, developer Bethesda Game Studios is re-releasing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and it's even introducing a new piece of content. This 10th Anniversary Edition of the game will be available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.10 years of content isn't all that's in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 10th Anniversary Edition. There is also a brand-new mechanic that's been added to the open-world action-RPG: fishing. Yes, fishing will be included as a free mini-game when Skyrim's 10th Anniversary Edition drops on November 11.The 10th Anniversary Edition of the game comes with other new features, but Bethesda didn't outline these during the latest QuakeCon virtual event. One thing Bethesda noted, however, was that Skyrim's 10th Anniversary Edition will include some new content from the Creation Club.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Fans have known for a while that Arkane's upcoming PlayStation 5 timed console exclusive Deathloop would include a PvP mode, but what exactly that all would entail has been kept under wraps. Thanks to a new QuakeCon panel, new details on how PvP will work in the time loop focused shooter have been revealed, including the fact that there will be rare loot in store for players who manage to defeat an invader.Players looking to go on the hunt will take on the role of Julianna, who can choose to invade a random player or a friend currently playing Deathloop. Julianna can choose her weapons and powers from a hub area before going hunting in search of the game's main character, Colt.While Julianna can be deadly, she does have one disadvantage as an invading player-- the inability to respawn. While Juliana will only get one chance at taking out her target, those playing as Cole will be able to come back to life a limited number of times using his reprise ability. This lets Cole play a little more aggressively than his female assassin counterpart, with Arkane saying Juliana may want to employ traps and other tools to stay out of harm's way.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Creating a seasonal ladder character in Diablo 2 often meant having access to powerful, exclusive items that could only be obtained in ladder play. As detailed by Blizzard in a new forum post, that won't be the case in Diablo 2: Resurrected.In Diablo 2's upcoming remaster, formerly ladder-exclusive unique items, runewords, and recipes will be included in non-ladder multiplayer and single-player for the first time. Ladder seasons usually last around six months and require new characters to be created, and there are ladders for both normal and hardcore (permadeath) characters. Characters are converted into non-ladder characters at the end of each season."We understand these items complement prominent builds and playstyles cherished by the community," Blizzard writes. "Furthermore, we have heard the community ask to include these items into the single player experience for quite some time. Now players playing solo can also partake in the metas that have become popularized from the original multiplayer Ladder experience. Furthermore, single player will now also include access to the Pandemonium Event and Uber Diablo content."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Actress Dominique Thorne will have her live-action debut as the armored superhero Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The news was revealed in an interview with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige at ComicBook.com."We're shooting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, right now, and the character of Riri Williams, you will meet in Black Panther 2 first," he teased. “She started shooting, I think, this week before her Ironheart series.”Thorne was announced to play Williams in a standalone Disney+ TV series during a Disney Investor Day event in December 2020. It was later reported that Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer) would write the series.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com