PC Game News

Valve today announced Steam Trading Cards, a new rewards program for customers.

“Released in beta today, Steam Trading Cards allows customers to earn Steam rewards for playing the games they love. Those who participate will receive game-specific trading cards that can be collected to earn rewards such as game badges, profile backgrounds, emoticons, coupons, and more.

The group of titles participating in the Steam Trading Cards beta includes Don’t Starve, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Team Fortress 2, Portal 2 and Half-Life 2. The service will expand over the coming months to include many more titles on Steam.

For more information on Steam Trading Cards visit http://steamcommunity.com/tradingcards/“

Activision today announced Call of Duty: Ghosts, the next installment in the series that will run on a new engine developed by Infinity Ward.

“Call of Duty: Ghosts ushers in the next generation of the franchise. The new title delivers a riveting all-new gameplay experience built on an entirely new story, setting and cast of characters, all powered by a new, next generation Call of Duty engine that redefines the series for the next generation.

“We are consistently thrilled with the overwhelming response received from critics and consumers alike to the Call of Duty series, which has firmly established its home on the Xbox 360 with the game’s largest and most engaged community,” said Don Mattrick, president of the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft. “With Call of Duty: Ghosts, we have no doubt that our longtime partners, Activision and Infinity Ward, will raise the bar higher than ever before for this incredible franchise.”

Call of Duty: Ghosts will release on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC on November 5. “

Valve today announced “Operation Payback” for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which adds seven top-voted community maps to the official servers until July 31st. Players purchase a pass for $2.99, which goes to the third-party map makers.

“Available from now until July 31st, 2013, “Operation Payback” is a collection of seven top-voted Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) community maps hosted on official servers and available to play with the purchase of a pass. Since its launch in February, the CS:GO Maps Workshop has amassed over 1,400 community-made maps. “Operation Payback” offers the CS:GO community a chance to play seven of the highest-voted Workshop Maps through the uninterrupted low-ping play of official servers – all while rewarding the makers of CS:GO’s top-rated virtual maps with real money. Buying a pass also lets players bring their friends along to any “Operation Payback” match. Contributors will also get to show off their support with a one-of-a-kind challenge coin, upgradable by playing and viewable wherever their avatars are shown. For a limited time players can buy a pass for only $2.99 (USD).”

Gearbox Software today announced that it was the highest bidder for the Homeworld franchise from THQ.

“Brian Martel, Gearbox Software’s Chief Creative Officer, has great love and respect for Relic’s brilliant, fun and innovative game and personally spearheaded the acquisition.

Brian intends as first priority to direct Gearbox’s interest to preserve and assemble the purest form of the original acclaimed and beloved games, Homeworld and Homeworld 2, with the intent of making them accessible on today’s leading digital platforms.

Please visit the Gearbox Software Forums to share with us and Brian what you think should be done with Homeworld moving forward. And, please try to get our attention if you have capability and interest to join the effort in developing or enabling Homeworld’s future.”

Bethesda today announced that the company is moving on from Skyrim development to focus on their next project. There will be a few minor updates but no additional DLC.

“For the last year and a half we’ve been working on new content for Skyrim; from the game updates, Creation Kit, Steam Workshop, Kinect support, to DLCs. Parts of our team have also been in pre-production on our next major project, and that game is at the point where it requires the studio’s full attention to make it our biggest and best work yet.

Even though we’re moving on, we’ll still have minor updates to Skyrim as needed. We’ve invested so much of ourselves into Skyrim and will never truly say goodbye to it.

We loved hearing your stories, your in-game triumphs, and your suggestions. One thing stuck out to us through those emails, letters, and postings. And that is – video games matter. They’re as important to you as they are to us. It’s not just about entertainment, it’s about your time. And you chose to spend it with our game.

Thank you again for all your support. We hope you stay engaged in the gaming community here and elsewhere. Keep spreading the word. Games are the world’s best entertainment because they can do what other forms cannot – fill you with the wonder of exploration and the pride of accomplishment. We look forward to sharing our next adventure with you.”

A new trailer for Dishonored: The Kinfe of Dunwall was released today, giving viewers a look at the DLC that’s set to release next week.

“In Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall take on the role of Daud, the legendary assassin who killed the Empress. This second add-on pack for the award-winning first person action game from Arkane Studios gives you a new perspective on Daud, and access to his weapons, gadgets, allies and supernatural abilities.

After assassinating the Empress, and forever changing the fate of Dunwall, you embark on a search for redemption. The Outsider reveals the key to your atonement, but who—or what—is Delilah? Accompanied by the Whalers, your loyal band of mercenary assassins, your search will take you through never-before-seen districts of Dunwall as you face off against new and terrible foes. Employ a unique arsenal that enhances Dishonored’s dynamic combat, mobility and stealth systems. In the struggle to hang onto the last shred of your humanity, the choices you make will ultimately determine your fate.”

TimeGate Studios today announced MINIMUM, an upcoming free-to-play shooter that will be moving into a closed alpha test on Steam on April 16th.

“We’ve been waiting for months to lift the curtains and show the world what we’ve been working on. What started as a beautiful artistic vision has blossomed into an exciting shooter that we’ve been pouring our hearts and souls into, and now we get to share our passion with all of you.

For us, MINIMUM is a different type of game. We’ve been on this journey of creativity and discovery and we’ve learned just how multi-faceted a world we were creating: this limitless, unbound opportunity that every member of our team contributed into. We’ve only scratched the surface so far, we know this. The trick has been to unhinge ourselves by not limiting ideas to any one person, but rather crowdsourcing ideas from the entire team. Now, the best way for MINIMUM to realize its potential, we believe, is to bring you – the players, the fans – to the development table with us.

This is our promise to you. We believe in MINIMUM, and want your Influence, your ideas and your creativity to steer us. Not only will we listen, as every other developer promises to do, but we are also creating a mechanism to empower you, just as our entire team is empowered. The fun, the heart of MINIMUM is no longer just ours, and we can’t wait to see where we collectively go from here.

So keep an eye out for MINIMUM’s Closed Alpha launch on Steam’s Early Access channel very soon. Until then, browse around our site, take in the info that’s available, and start chatting with us on the forums. We’re thrilled to have you here and can’t wait till you can play the game!”

The Consumerist has announced that Electronic Arts has achieved a second Golden Poo award for the worst company in America. Other finalists included Ticketmaster, AT&T, Comcast and Bank of America among others.

“Following last year’s surprise Worst Company In America victory by Electronic Arts, there was hope that the video game giant would get the message: Stop treating your customers like human piggy banks, and don’t put out so many incomplete and/or broken games with the intent of getting your customers to pay extra for what they should have received in the first place. And yet, here we are again, with EA becoming the first company to ever win a second Golden Poo from Consumerist readers.

After an astounding number of votes, Consumerist readers once again chose EA over Bank of America, with the video game company taking nearly 78% of the vote.”

Full results

Game Informer has word that Disney is closing LucasArts, the video game division of the recently acquired Lucasfilm. Current games in development, such as Star Wars 1313, may or may not continue.  Kotaku is reporting that around 150 people were laid off.

“After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games. As a result of this change, we’ve had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles.”

Sony Online Entertainment today announced that an open beta for Scars of the Awakened for EverQuest II has begun.

“In this latest update, residents of Norrath are called to journey deeper into the perilous continent of Velious. Players will march united under the New Combine army banner as they breach the majestic region of Cobalt Scar; ultimately crossing paths with its foreboding Awakened Legion and uncovering the deep secrets of Siren’s Grotto.

Scars of the Awakened features include:

• Cobalt Scar: An overland zone, including new quests and collections
• Siren’s Grotto: A new dungeon, including solo, group, and raid challenges
• New Tradeskill quest line
• New Tradeskill Apprentice recipes and daily tasks
• Class updates (based on player feedback)
• Contested PVP rewards

More information on the game update and instructions for beta participation can be found online here: https://www.everquest2.com/news/article?month=042013&id=51621.”

OGPlanet has announced the launch of Tactical Intervention, the new Minh “Gooseman” Le multiplayer game.

“After months (and months) of Beta Testing, Tactical Intervention has finally launched!
We are very excited to present Minh Le’s newest game to the world.
We are also grateful to those who have helped us come this far, especially those who participated in beta testing and gave us feedback.

We are still very open to your suggestions and comments, so feel free to voice your opinion on our forum or send us a help desk ticket should you have any trouble playing TI.

Thank you for your continued support of Tactical Intervention  and see you all in game!!”

A new project on Kickstarter is calling itself the successor of the Half-Life mod The Specialists, and with good reason, as it’s being developed by some of the same people.

“We need your help to finish the first version of the game, codename Boogaloo, by the end of the summer. This means at least two agent models, six weapons, six style skills, four to six levels and three stunts. This is a small feature set compared to a triple-A game, but we want to focus on a small feature set and make it the best it can be before we move on. Subsequent versions will feature more ways of being stylish, more stunts, more weapons, more maps, more agents, more style skills.

That’s a lot of work, but if we need to take time off from our jobs and schoolwork this summer to focus on the game then we can finish it. The date of delivery of the game (and all physical rewards) will be August 2013, or in other words, in six months. We already have a playable “beta” with all of the core mechanics in place, and to finish we need to fill in the gaps in the art and refine the design.”

Paradox Interactive today announced Magicka: Wizard Wars, an upcoming action PvP multiplayer game based on the Magicka series.

“This game will be the first title developed by Paradox North, a new studio within Paradox Interactive comprised of industry veterans with extensive experience in game creation and wizard staff repair. The development team at Paradox North is composed of former members of reputable Stockholm-based development studios both AAA and indie, and they all look really nice in robes.

In Magicka: Wizard Wars, two teams of four wizards each will go head-to-lightning-bolt on the field of battle, wielding a wealth of magic spells as players adapt their tactics on the fly in response to their opponents. In true Magicka fashion, victory will go to the team whose wizards can combine the craftiest casts – and who can avoid the most friendly fire. With short battles, persistent character progression, and plenty of laughter, Magicka: Wizard Wars is perfect for a few quick games to unwind after work – or a forty-hour binge over the weekend. Paradox promises not to judge.”

Valve today announced the addition of an experimental virtual reality mode for Team Fortress 2, which will support the Oculus Rift.

“Anyone with an Oculus Rift Developer Kit will be able to use their device to play all of Team Fortress 2 on the PC. All game modes and classes are supported with the new Virtual Reality mode.

“When we first played an early version of Virtual Reality mode in Team Fortress we were blown away by the immersion we experienced.”, said Joe Ludwig at Valve. “VR is just getting started, but it is going to have a big impact on gaming. This update will let us share that experience with more of the Team Fortress community.”

“Valve’s done an incredible job bringing Team Fortress 2 to virtual reality! TF2 is the most-played game in my Steam library, so you can imagine how excited I am to play it in the Rift with all of our backers,” said Palmer Luckey, Founder of Oculus VR, Inc.

In addition to gaining access to the new Virtual Reality mode, owners of the Oculus Rift will also be granted a unique Oculus Rift in-game hat. Steam codes to redeem for this item will be sent out by Oculus.”

Electronic Arts today announced that John Riccitiello will step down as CEO and member of the board effective March 30th. Larry Probst was chosen as the Executive Chairman to fill in until a new CEO is appointed.

“We thank John for his contributions to EA since he was appointed CEO in 2007, especially the passion, dedication and energy he brought to the Company every single day,” said Mr. Probst. “John has worked hard to lead the Company through challenging transitions in our industry, and was instrumental in driving our very significant growth in digital revenues. We appreciate John’s leadership and the many important strategic initiatives he has driven for the Company. We have mutually agreed that this is the right time for a leadership transition.”