Mokka Studios

12/02/2021

EA acquires Glu Mobile for $ 2.4 billion
[𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒: 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒]

Electronic
Arts Inc. said Monday it is acquiring Glu Mobile Inc. aimed at growing an area
of business in which the videogame giant has had mixed success.
The operation will be concluded on June 30th for the sum of 2.4 billion dollars and will allow Glu Mobile to continue to operate independently.
Nothing should change as far as the company's 800-plus employees are concerned, so the transition should take place in an almost transparent manner.
EA's interest in Glu Mobile is motivated - in the words of EA CEO Andrew Wilson - by the desire to invest in the gaming platform that has the fastest growth rate in the world, namely the mobile one. With this acquisition, in fact, EA will be able to strengthen its presence in the sector by bringing within it a team that has different experience in the field, even if we are certainly not talking about milestones in the sector.
Mr. Wilson added that Glu will be able to build games based on EA's intellectual property and take advantage of its marketing expertise and global presence to grow.
Original article : https://www.marketwatch.com/story/electronic-arts-to-buy-glu-mobile-in-24b-deal-2021-02-08

06/02/2021

𝐄𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐤: "𝐈 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐇𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬".
[𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒: 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒]

Visionary billionaire Elon Musk announced on Clubhouse - the social media that only uses voice messages - that he has a monkey with a wireless device in his brain that can play video games using his mental abilities. "He's a happy monkey," said Musk, CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc. and a supporter of several other futuristic projects, including Neuralink Corp., a startup focused on developing a brain-computer interface. He said the related monkey videos would be released soon, possibly in about a month. Musk, who is known for his various interests, was questioned about the latest developments at San Francisco's Neuralink, which was unveiled in 2017. As for Neuralink's future, Musk said: "I want to be clear: the first applications will only be for those with severe brain damage." Musk even speculated on using this technology to also back up the memory of a dying human, so that he could transfer his memories to a new human body or mechanical body.

23/01/2021

𝗘𝗨 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳
𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗲: "𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹"
[𝓉𝒾𝓂ℯ 𝓇ℯ𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃ℊ : 1 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝓊𝓉ℯ]

The European Commission has decided to fine the company Valve, owner of the online gaming platform for PC "Steam", and five video game publishers Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax 7.8 million euros for violating EU antitrust rules.
Between 2007 and 2018, these companies imposed a regional lock on some titles offered for sale. This move did not allow consumers to reap all those benefits given by the EU Digital Single Market.
The geo-blocking practices involved approximately 100 PC video games and prevented consumers from activating and playing those games on physical media or in download. The Commission has concluded that the illegal practices of Valve and the five publishers partitioned the EEA market in violation of EU antitrust rules.
Gabe Newell's video game giant has already confirmed that it intends to appeal the decision, releasing a long statement regarding its position on the matter.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/it/ip_21_170

Highlights, press releases and speeches

14/05/2020

Mafia II Remastered vs Original Screenshots Comparison
The description reads:
Includes main game and all DLC releases. Part two of the Mafia crime saga – 1940’s – 50’s Empire Bay, NY Remastered in stunning HD detail, live the life of a gangster during the Golden-era of organized crime. War hero Vito Scaletta becomes entangled with the mob in hopes of paying his father’s debts. Alongside his buddy Joe, Vito works to prove himself, climbing the family ladder with crimes of larger reward, status and consequence.
Golden-era Drama: Inspired by iconic mafia dramas, be immersed in the allure and impossible escape of life as a wise guy in the Mafia.
Empire Bay, NY: Post-World War II Empire Bay, NY, a city sprawling with opportunity and where organized crime thrives on the booming industries of post-war America.
The Complete & Remastered Favorite: For the first-time ever experience the Mafia II crime drama all in one package and presented in stunning HD detail.
Source: http://thisgengaming.com/2020/05/13/mafia-ii-remastered-vs-original-screenshots-comparison/

14/05/2020

Epic Games CEO on PS5: “Absolutely Phenomenal”; Storage “Blows Past Architectures Out of The Water”
Today, during the Unreal Engine 5 PS5 reveal within the programming of Summer Game Fest, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney talked about the PS5.
Sweeney praised the PlayStation 5 calling the hardware “absolutely phenomenal” providing an “unprecedented” amount of graphics power, while the storage architecture “blows past architectures out of the water.”
He defined the storage solution “far ahead” of the current highest-end PC.
“The hardware that Sony is launching is absolutely phenomenal. Not only an unprecedented amount of graphics power, but also a completely new storage architecture that blows past architectures out of the water, and it’s so far ahead of even the state-of-the-art in the highest-end PCs you can buy.”
According to Sweeney, the features coming with Unreal Engine 5 including Full Global Illumination enable a much wider variety of games to have a dynamic response to light, including large scale open worlds with day/night cycles and transitions from indoor to outdoor.
He argued that this new-generation technology with Unreal Engine 5 that Sony is empowering with PlayStation 5, will “enable entirely new game experiences that we can’t even anticipate yet.”
Also, he added that he believes the ability of the hardware and engine to stream massive amounts of content as you go through huge environments is going a much greater impact on gaming that people are expecting right now. Sony’s storage system is “absolutely world-class” and “not only the best in class in consoles but the best in any platform.”
Source: https://twinfinite.net/2020/05/epic-games-ceo-on-ps5-absolutely-phenomenal-storage-blows-past-architectures-out-of-the-water/

14/05/2020

Unreal Engine 5 Reveal Makes Old Square Leak Seem More Legit
The new Unreal Engine 5 reveal may shed light on an older Square-Enix leak that many discredited for having mentioned Epic's new engine.
The recent unveiling of Unreal Engine 5 by Epic Games has given players a never before seen look at what might be coming for Next-Gen consoles like the PS5. Interestingly enough, the confirmation that the engine is coming to Next-Gen consoles may shed some light on a number of leaks related to the release schedule of Square-Enix's current and Next-Gen titles.
According to a leaker from Reddit, the release schedule for Square-Enix's upcoming games, including the next episode of Final Fantasy 7 Remake may be seeing a significant impact from the current situation with COVID-19. The leak was widely dismissed when it first appeared last month, due in large part to the fact that Unreal Engine 5 hadn't been confirmed yet, with many readers assuming that the engine wouldn't be ready for the release of Next-Gen consoles.
With the unveiling of Unreal Engine 5, and the news that the PS5 demo is playable, some are taking an all new look at some of those previous claims with the idea that the engine may already be in the hands of some developers. Both a Final Fantasy project and Kingdom Hearts project were mentioned in the leak, with plans to be developed under Unreal Engine 5 and release for the PS5 and Xbox Series. Now that the engine has been announced, much of this information shouldn't come as a shock for either of the projects slated for the new software, as Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts titles have previously been developed in Unreal Engine 4.
Source: https://gamerant.com/square-leak-game-final-fantasy-unreal-5/

14/05/2020

Darwin Project Development is Shutting Down
The developers of the battle royale game Darwin Project announce that development is ending and servers will be shutting down.
The battle royal wars have claimed another victim, it seems, as indie game Darwin Project's development is ceasing. Scavengers Studios announced today that Darwin Project's "decreasing playerbase" over the past few years means it can no longer sustain itself. Darwin Project's servers will remain up through the rest of 2020.
Don't let Darwin Project's official release date of January 2020 fool you. Darwin Project has been available in Early Access since March 2018. The game at that point was fully playable and Darwin Project players have fully enjoyed it over the years. That said, no one likely expected the game to shut down and for the servers to eventually be shut off so quickly.
Darwin Project didn't settle for being just another battle royale game. Its inspired design featured a unique 11th player named the Show Director that "controlled" each match. The Director was able to influence the game in exciting ways, ensuring that every round of Darwin Project is different than the last.
While Darwin Project's developers are shifting to other projects, that doesn't mean that the game isn't worth checking out. Darwin Project remains free-to-play across PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And matches will continue to be run so long as the servers stay on through 2020.
Source: https://gamerant.com/darwin-project-development-end/

13/05/2020

GTA Online Glitch Lets Players Break Into Franklin's House
Players uncover a recent bug in GTA Online that allows them to break into the house of a character from the single-player campaign.
As the multiplayer element of a hit open-world game, Grand Theft Auto Online has built on the setting its base game has set up. While GTA Online's most recent missions have focused on continuing storylines for NPCs like Gerald, a newly discovered bug in the game is allowing players an unintended look into one of its protagonists' lives.
Because GTA Online is meant to be a separate experience from GTA V, there is no direct mention of the three playable characters from the main campaign. Although the characters' houses are still in the world, they are inaccessible. However, Reddit user Preflipped discovered that players can use the Up-N-Atomizer gun in order to glitch into Franklin's house.
n a video, Preflipped manages to leap onto the left wall bordering Franklin's property. Players must then balance on it until they reach the garage. By walking over to the house's ceiling from there, using the gun on the roof by the solar panels will make the player's character fall backwards and clip into Franklin's house. Upon entering, Preflipped demonstrated that the house looks exactly as it does in GTA V. However, outside of seeing what the house looks like, GTA Online's bug doesn't let you do much else.
Source: https://gamerant.com/gta-online-glitch-enter-franklin-house/

13/05/2020

Destiny 2 Picked the Worst Time to Launch the Felwinter's Lie Quest
Destiny 2's latest event that launched the hunt for the Felwinter's Lie shotgun may not have come at the best time for the game.
A new event appeared in Destiny 2 today, and judging by initial reactions, fans are not excited for Bungie's latest attempt to keep players engaged for the long run. The latest event comes in the form of a brand new quest that promises to gift players the Felwinter's Lie shotgun, a powerful weapon from the original Destiny that has often been held up as one of the best shotguns in the game.
In standard fashion for this type of referential gear, Felwinter's Lie has returned to Destiny 2 through a fairly extensive quest that requires the community to contribute together to reach a huge milestone. As a result of this milestone, and the way that it forces players to participate in the Seraph Tower public events that were recently introduced as part of Season of the Worthy.
One of the most prominent complaints about the Felwinter's Lie quest is tied to a recurring issue that players have had with the events like Seraph Tower, Blind Well, and Escelation Protocol in Destiny 2. The main issue is that it is difficult to get a whole party together for these types of events, which often require 6 players in order to be completed at their highest challenge levels. This unfortunately leaves most players to rely on random chance to get the right amount of players, seeing as how raid parties large enough to complete the task on their own can't launch into the instance at the same time, nor is there a reliable source of matchmaking to find the additional players.
Source: https://gamerant.com/destiny-2-felwinter-lie-quest-seraph-tower/
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13/05/2020

Get Ready to Grind into Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2
Ready to shred again? The original birdman Tony Hawk and Vicarious Visions, the studio behind the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, have come together to bring back Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2, radically remastered for PlayStation 4. Dropping in this September 4, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2 is all about bringing back the original levels, skaters, tricks, modes, and songs from the iconic soundtrack, as well as amping up the experience with new ways to play including online multiplayer.
As you can see from the comparison screenshots, there have been an incredible number of improvements to the remastered game. Released on the original PlayStation back in August 1999, the series’ first title helped lead the way in the gaming industry’s shift to 3D gameplay. This was thanks to Sony’s advancements in geometry technology with PlayStation, and the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater set the standard for the genre.
“It was incredible to play the original games on PlayStation back in 1999 and to see the overwhelming response from the PlayStation community, so I’m excited to bring the game back to all the hardcore THPS fans on PlayStation again this year.” said the legend himself, Tony Hawk. But what’s in store for this ground-breaking remaster?
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2 will feature the full original roster of pro skaters from the turn of the 21st century. That includes Steve Caballero, Geoff Rowley, Bucky Lasek, Elissa Steamer, Kareem Campbell, Andrew Reynolds, Bob Burnquist, Eric Koston, Rodney Mullen, Jamie Thomas, Rune Glifberg, Chad Muska… and of course, Tony Hawk.
Source: https://blog.us.playstation.com/2020/05/12/get-ready-to-grind-into-tony-hawks-pro-skater-1-and-2/

13/05/2020

Thursday’s State of Play is All About Ghost of Tsushima
Hey folks – just a quick note that we’re finalizing a special episode of State of Play airing this Thursday, May 14 at 1:00pm Pacific Time // 4:00pm Eastern Time on Twitch and YouTube.
The episode will be focused entirely on Ghost of Tsushima, coming to PS4 July 17. You’ll get an extended look at new gameplay footage, including exploration, combat and more. The current cut is clocking in around 18 minutes, give or take.
And just to be clear — there won’t be any PS5 news or updates in this episode, just a big, beautiful look at Sucker Punch’s PS4 open-world epic.
Don’t miss the Twitch and YouTube broadcast this Thursday. See you then!
Source: https://blog.us.playstation.com/2020/05/12/thursdays-state-of-play-is-all-about-ghost-of-tsushima/

13/05/2020

"Common 60FPS is not a mandate" on Xbox Series X, says Microsoft
A Microsoft representative has clarified why Xbox Series X "standard output" is not 60 frames-per-second.
Following up with a Tweet in which he stated that 60 frames-per-second will be the "standard output" on Xbox Series X, Xbox Games Marketing head Aaron Greenberg explained that this threshold is not a mandate for developers working with the hardware, so we shouldn't expect all games to necessarily meet it. .
In a statement made to The Verge, Microsoft also said that 60 frames per second is not the "standard output" for Xbox Series X, since "it is up to individual developers to determine how they leverage the power and speed of Xbox Series X.” We've also reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update this story if we hear back from them. .
In better news, the Xbox Series X can support up to 120 frames per second, should a developer so decide that its game demands that super fast frame rate. Like Greenberg says, it's ultimately up to the studios, and not Microsoft, where the average framerate will lie on Xbox Series X. .
If all this sounds confusing, just know that Microsoft plans to keep us all entertained with a splurge of next-gen news every month, as part of its newly revealed Xbox 20/20 campaign. If we're lucky, we'll soon get to see the likes of Halo Infinite, Watch Dogs Legion, and more running on the box, allaying any concerns about framerate performance for the future of video games. .
Source: https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/common-60fps-is-not-a-mandate-on-xbox-series-x-says-microsoft/