Tuesday gaming news, part two:
Mafia: The Old Country is getting an open-world mode, which is weird because it already has one
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/mafia-the-old-country-is-getting-an-open-world-mode-which-is-weird-because-it-already-has-one/
Mafia: The Old Country isn't great, but you know what? Its rendition of 1900s Sicily is sun-drenched, citrus-scented, and very nice to look at. The problem is that the main game just treats it as a series of roads to cart you between dull missions and the game's exploration mode—squirrelled away in its chapter select—really only exists to let you go and collect old newspapers you forgot to grab in the main game. There's nothing to do in it.
So I suppose it's good news that the legitimate businessmen over at 2K have announced that—in return for fans' 'love and loyalty'—the game is soon to get a new Free Ride mode. So, um, another exploration mode. But this one's different: 2K promises "new activities and gameplay, arriving free for all players in the coming months."
If you're having a bad day, here's a pick-me-up: A bunch of Riot higher-ups had to talk about 'what the word goon meant' at a leadership meeting
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/if-youre-having-a-bad-day-heres-a-pick-me-up-a-bunch-of-riot-higher-ups-had-to-talk-about-what-the-word-gooning-meant-at-a-leadership-meeting/
Mondays—who needs 'em. I'm not having a particularly great one, myself. But I'm enjoying it far more now, as I've just found out that a bunch of Riot's big bosses had to get up on stage at a leadership meeting and figure out what "gooning" meant.
You can already earn 24 exclusive items for Battlefield 6's launch, but I'm afraid you'll have to play Battlefield 2042 to get them
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/road-to-battlefield-6-event/
After two incredibly successful beta weekends, Battlefield 6 is hot on the horizon. While the BF6 beta challenges already gave us plenty of exclusive rewards to grind for that carry over into the full game, EA has just launched the Road to Battlefield 6 event, which hands out even more goodies. The catch is that you'll be playing the maligned Battlefield 2042 instead of the shiny new BF6 to add these ones to your collection.
Phasmophobia dev says there are 'plans for 1.0' and doesn't rule out a sequel: 'It would be a fun challenge to see if we could do another one'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/phasmophobia-dev-says-there-are-plans-for-1-0-and-doesnt-rule-out-a-sequel-it-would-be-a-fun-challenge-to-see-if-we-could-do-another-one/
Phasmophobia is one of those games that shows early access at its best. It first released in September 2020 and had the core ghost-hunting experience nailed from the start, but it also felt a little like a proof-of-concept: There weren't too many maps, the environments leaned heavily on asset packs and soon felt a little samey, and there were all sorts of rough edges.
The game's success allowed solo developer Kinetic Games to focus on improving all of these aspects and begin building a team to do so. The five years since have seen Phasmophobia receive regular updates, both large and small, which has gradually transformed the look and improved nearly every element while keeping the heart of what makes it special: having the bejesus scared out of you with friends.
The latest update has revamped the Grafton Farmhouse map, and Phasmophobia art director Corey J. Dixon sat down with IGN to discuss the game's journey here and what lies in the future. Towards the end of the chat Phasmophobia's early access status is addressed, with Dixon basically saying a final release is on the horizon, though avoiding any specific timeframe.
Game publisher caught using AI-generated influencers in ads says they were submitted by TikTok users, will investigate 'irregularities' with the social media app
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/game-publisher-caught-using-ai-generated-influencers-in-ads-says-they-were-submitted-by-tiktok-users-will-investigate-irregularities-with-the-social-media-app/
Nexon says it has discovered "certain irregularities" in a recent ad campaign for its gooner-looter-shooter The First Descendant, and is now "we are conducting a thorough joint investigation with TikTok to determine the facts."
A quick refresher course: It came to light over the weekend that a recent series of ads for The First Descendant, in which anonymous streamers blabbered about the game's new season above clips of gameplay, did not feature real streamers at all but rather AI-generated people. At a quick glance the videos aren't obviously off, but the more you watch, the worse they become.
DICE lead responds to criticism that Battlefield 6 beta maps were 'not how Battlefield should be,' urges everyone to 'go play some smaller/medium maps in BF3 and BF4 to get a good example of the intensity curve'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/dice-lead-responds-to-criticism-that-battlefield-6-beta-maps-were-not-how-battlefield-should-be-urges-everyone-to-go-play-some-smaller-medium-maps-in-bf3-and-bf4-to-get-a-good-example-of-the-intensity-curve/
By all reasonable metrics, the Battlefield 6 beta was a resounding hit. Not only is BF6 already very fun based on the handful of maps and modes we got our hands on, but the two-weekend playtest period broke records for the series on Steam.
The beta wound down this morning with players clamoring for its October 10 launch day, but not without reservations. Among longtime fans, the loudest criticism surrounded map size: The beta lacked a truly big map that captured classic Battlefield chaos.
DICE lead producer David Sirland has been the one to field these complaints over the last few weeks. After the first beta weekend, Sirland assured folks that 'large maps exist' in BF6, but the studio chose to test small ones to show it could handle the "full-octane" chaos of CoD.
>> Coincidentally, or not, a dataminer has shared images of BF6’s large maps.
Analyst says EA plans to milk Battlefield for everything it's worth: 'Their goal is three studios making Battlefield on a 3-year basis, so they can get to Battlefield annually'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/analyst-says-ea-plans-to-milk-battlefield-for-everything-its-worth-their-goal-is-three-studios-making-battlefield-on-a-3-year-basis-so-they-can-get-to-battlefield-annually/
One of the prevailing impressions of the Battlefield 6 beta, which wrapped up today after two gangbuster weekends, was that Battlefield has finally caught up to Call of Duty. It has its snappy gunplay, it has its attachments, and it will eventually have its free-to-play battle royale mode.
EA believes anything CoD can do, it can do better—but what about annualized releases? According to longtime industry analyst Michael Pachter, that's exactly what Battlefield Studios, a four-studio collaboration between DICE, Ripple Effect, Criterion, and Motive, is working toward.
>> The idea didn’t felt right, and then I read “Pachter” and I understood why.
Not content with making three WW1 first-person shooters already, the creators of Verdun and Isonzo are now making a Gallipoli FPS
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/not-content-with-making-three-ww1-first-person-shooters-already-the-creators-of-verdun-and-isonzo-are-now-making-a-gallipoli-fps/
BlackMill Games has been making World War 1 shooters for over a decade now, first with Verdun, and then with Tannenberg and Isonzo. Now it's making Gallipoli, which will shift focus to the Middle Eastern theatre, to dramatize the battles between the Triple Entente and the Ottoman Empire.
Dune Awakening promises an endgame overhaul and says communication has been bad because developers had 'state mandated' vacations
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/dune-awakening-promises-an-endgame-overhaul-and-says-communication-has-been-bad-because-developers-had-state-mandated-vacations/
Dune Awakening developer Funcom has issued a new update with its roadmap and future plans for the MMO. Oddly enough it begins with a mea culpa: "I apologize if people feel the communication around issues with the game has been lacking; we are focused on improving this. With a percentage of the team having their well earned (and state mandated) vacations, customer service and the community team have not always had access to developers who can answer their every question."
Disney Dreamlight Valley is making some significant changes to Star Paths ahead of its next update to make it more engaging for 'those who play week over week'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/disney-dreamlight-valley-is-making-some-significant-changes-to-star-paths-ahead-of-its-next-update-to-make-it-more-engaging-for-those-who-play-week-over-week/
Ahead of the new Emotional Rescue update, Disney Dreamlight Valley has announced that some significant changes are being made to its current Star Path format. As detailed on the Disney Dreamlight Valley blog, these changes are being made to help make the Star Path feel more accessible for every player, regardless of where they are in the valley and how much progress they have made within the game.
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