Xbox One Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Assassin’s Creed Mirage will take about 20 to 30 hours to complete, according to Ubisoft Bordeaux, meaning it is a sliver of the size of the previous entry, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.Mirage lead producer Fabian Salomon spoke to YouTuber Julien Chièze on the conclusions of the internal playtesting that is currently happening at the developer. “It’s part of our process, we really want to get as close as possible to the players,” explained the producer (via PCGamesN).“The latest playtimes we’ve received average at around 20–23 hours,” said Salomon.

Activision Blizzard has confirmed that the next Call Of Duty game, widely believed to be Modern Warfare 3, will be revealed through a “limited-time event” in Warzone.Yesterday (July 27), Activision Blizzard shared a blog post outlining the contents of Warzone Season 5, which launches for the battle royale on August 2.Within the post, it was confirmed that Modern Warfare 2 antagonist Graves, presumed dead after one of the game’s closing missions, is still alive. As the leader of mercenary group Shadow Company, Graves will arrive in Warzone as a playable operator — while his mercenary group will seemingly be involved in the next Call Of Duty.“Drop into Call of Duty: Warzone to experience the worldwide reveal for Call of Duty 2023 in a limited-time event,” reads the blog.

Activision announced that Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg and 21 Savage will be playable Operators in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone in their fifth season of content.On the launch of Season 5, only Snoop Dogg will be available to play whereas Nicki Minaj and 21 Savage are scheduled to arrive at a later date. Minaj will be Call of Duty’s first-ever self-named female Operator, noted Activision, and 21 Savage’s in-game look is under lock and key at the moment.Snoop Dogg first entered the series in a Call of Duty: Ghosts Multiplayer Voice Pack to narrate the matches for players.

Fortnite revealed its latest crossover with Futurama, adding Bender, Fry and Leela skins in the battle royale as well as other references to the show.Bender’s Shiny Metal Raygun is a new mythic weapon that can be bought from the character stood on the edge of Mega City’s western pier. It offers infinite ammo as it fires plasma, however, the gun is vulnerable to overheating.There is also the Mammoth Pistol which is still accurate at long ranges and deals a hefty amount of damage at the expense of fire rate, making it an alternative to a sniper or marksman rifle.Bender, Fry and Leela’s skins are available in the in-game Item Shop for 1,500 V-Bucks or as a trio for 2,800 V-Bucks.

Turtle Rock Studios, the team made up of former Left 4 Dead developers who delivered Back 4 Blood in 2021, might be working on a sequel.Spotted by Games Radar, the California studio is seeking a senior combat designer for its upcoming game, focusing on a candidate who has experience “developing first person shooting and melee gameplay.”The applicant should also have a passion for “specifically FPS, Co-op, and Multiplayer games”. Obviously, this isn’t a lot to go on to determine whether or not this is a Back 4 Blood sequel.That being said, Turtle Rock Studio confirmed to fans that there will be no more Back 4 Blood content as it shifts its attention to the “next big thing”.

Destiny 2‘s forthcoming The Final Shape expansion might see Paul McCartney‘s original soundtrack for the game return, and players are extremely excited about that possibility.Per Reddit user AtlyxMusic, Bungie is said to be recording the live orchestra sections for The Final Shape‘s soundtrack in Nashville, Tennessee. Destiny 2‘s orchestrator Ella Rae Feingold also shared a photo of sheet music to her Instagram account, obscuring the names of those involved in the composition, but she left “P.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 appears to be the next entry in the series according to new branding for an energy drink that was circulated on social media site X.The images, that were shared by Call Of Duty specialist site Charlie Intel, show new Monster Energy boxes that featured Captain John Price and a logo for Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Call Of Duty games will be available to play on PlayStation, as announced by head of Xbox brand Phil Spencer in a tweet.“We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call Of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard,” said Spencer yesterday (July 16). “We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favourite games.”We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and @PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone patch has brought a crossover with The Boys, adding four playable characters and superpowers from the Amazon TV show.The crossover kicked off today yesterday (July 12), with The Boys‘ own Starlight joining Call Of Duty with an operator bundle. Homelander will then arrive on Sunday (July 16), while Black Noir will be added on July 20.Priced at 2,400 CoD points (£16.79) each, every bundle will also come with three Tracer Weapon Blueprints and their own finishing move, along with weapon cosmetics and a loading screen.Besides cosmetics, Warzone players will also have a chance to find the ‘Temp V’ field upgrade, which will grant users one of four random superpowers: Charge Jump, Electric Shockwave, Laser Vision, and Teleport.While Charge Jump “propels players across the map” without any fall damage, Electric Shockwave “sends a powerful electrical explosion that injures Operators and AI Combatants, as well as destroys vehicles and equipment”.Meanwhile, Laser Vision lets players hover in the air and fire laser beams from their eyes, and finally, Teleport lets players warp into the sky.You can check out all four powers in action below:This is the latest in a string of crossovers for The Boys.

Assassin’s Creed Codename Red, an upcoming Assassin’s Creed title set in Japan, will be launching next year according to one Ubisoft employee’s post.In a LinkedIn post spotted by Access The Animus, a member of Ubisoft’s business development and brand partnership team shared that they are looking for sponsorship partners for Assassin’s Creed Codename Red.While no release date or official title for Assassin’s Creed Codename Red has been confirmed, the post suggested that it will be launching in 2024.“We are seeking sponsoring partner for this title Assassin’s Creed Codename Red for next year [sic],” it reads.

Microsoft has prevailed in the court case against its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, where it had to defend the impact it would have on competition in the video game industry.Video Games Chronicle spotted that today (July 11), the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction was not necessary. The FTC had asked for the injunction in order to let its in-house court discern the full effects that the acquisition would have on the consumer.“Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision has been described as the largest in tech history.

Researchers found that this has occurred as a secondary impact of digital game distribution becoming the preferred route for releasing games. As a result, the “classic” games in this study are games released prior to 2010 which was denoted to be the year when digital game distribution “started to take off”.

The Boys has been confirmed as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 1, through a TikTok comment exchange on the Amazon Prime show’s official account.Yesterday (June 10), Call of Duty‘s The Boys collaboration was announced, adding Homelander, Black Noir and Starlight as Operators in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.When a fan asked the official The Boys TikTok account if Homelander was also on his way to the newest Mortal Kombat title in the comments of the Call of Duty TikTok video, the account replied with “MK confirmed.”It is assumed that Homelander is planned to be part of a post-launch character pack, as The Boys‘ official TikTok account stated that the villain will be “available at some point” (via Eurogamer).(FYI) The Boys TikTok account confirms Homelander coming to Mortal Kombat 1 pic.twitter.com/ZedtKglP7P— Idle Sloth

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege player alleged of directing a SWAT unit to Ubisoft Montreal in 2020, has been sentenced in a Paris court.The Montreal Gazette reported that the 22-year-old has been sentenced to three years of community service, and that the ruling also comprises charges related to a DDoS attack on a French government office and on Mojang (the developer of Minecraft).In November 2020, the City of Montreal Police Service responded to Ouahioune’s phone call claiming that there was an ongoing hostage situation at the offices located in Montreal’s Mile-End neighbourhood.A correspondent for TVA Nouvelles alleged that the caller threatened to blow up the building if they were not paid a ransom of more than £1.5million ($2million). In response, employees barricaded themselves in rooms and fled to the roof while the tactical unit swept the building for the instigator.Ouahioune’s motivation for the incident was that he had been aggrieved by 80 bans from Rainbow Six Siege.

Electronic Arts has announced a new single-player Black Panther game from a team composed of developers who have worked on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Halo Infinite, God of War and more.The game is in the hands of Cliffhanger Games, a new triple-A development studio based in Seattle, Washington, and the studio is collaborating with Marvel Games.The aim of the currently untitled game is “to build an expansive and reactive world that empowers players to experience what it is like to take on the mantle of Wakanda’s protector, the Black Panther.” Additionally, the announcement coincides with the 57th anniversary of the character’s comic debut this month.Marvel Games and EA’s latest studio Cliffhanger Games are proud to announce a new, original, third-person, single-player Black Panther title in development! Read more now: https://t.co/kBS0MTsFbH pic.twitter.com/7aQEdYo7Qg— Marvel Games (@MarvelGames) July 10, 2023Studio lead Kevin Stephens – who came from Middle-earth developer Monolith Productions – expressed his excitement for the reveal in a press release and shed a little light on what comic book fans will look forward to in the final game. “We’re dedicated to delivering fans a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience, giving them more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game,” he said.“Wakanda is a rich Super Hero sandbox, and our mission is to develop an epic world for players who love Black Panther and want to explore the world of Wakanda as much as we do,” continued Stephens.“It’s an incredibly rare opportunity to build a new team around the values of diversity, collaboration, and empowerment.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.GamesRadar reported on the use of artificial intelligence tool ElevenLabs for these mods last week, and the response continues to rumble on. Twitter user Robbie92, who drew attention to those actors whose voices have been subject to this software, said that the actors have been “abused by the modding communities” through “AI voice cloning to create and distribute non-consensual deepfake pornographic content.”With the rise of AI voice cloning, voice actors are being abused by the modding communities.

Sega has now stepped back from its previously planned blockchain initiatives for fear of “devaluing” its strongest gaming properties, saying the technology is yet to show its maximum potential.In a new interview, the company’s co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi said that the move to blockchain might have been viewed as an interesting investment, but Sega’s motivation is to be ahead of the masses.“For the majority of people in the video game industry, what blockchain advocates say may sound a bit extreme, but that’s how the first penguin has always been,” he told Bloomberg, making a metaphor about risk-takers. “We should never underestimate them.”Nevertheless, Sega will be “[withholding] its biggest franchises from third-party blockchain gaming projects to avoid devaluing its content.” As a result, that doesn’t affect the present plans for Three Kingdoms and Virtua Fighter characters to be turned into non-fungible tokens or the newest Sangokushi Taisen blockchain game from developer Double Jump Tokyo.Sega is also “shelving plans to develop its own games in that [blockchain] genre, at least for now.” Utsumi continued to criticise play-to-earn games too, calling them “boring” and pointless for pulling the “fun” out of gaming.The company is not the only business to be dabbling in blockchain, NFTs and web3.

Microsoft has alleged that Sony is planning to launch a slim model of the PlayStation 5 before the end of the year, according to a court filing in the continuing case between the technology corporation and the Federal Trade Commission.IGN noted that the document’s argument is that the Nintendo Switch is a competitor to the Xbox Series consoles and the PlayStation 5, based on the upcoming handheld PS5.“PlayStation likewise sells a less expensive Digital Edition for $399.99, and is expected to release a PlayStation 5 Slim later this year at the same reduced price point,” claimed Microsoft. “Sony is also anticipated to release a handheld version of PlayStation 5 later this year for under $300.”Late last year, when Famitsu pressed Sony’s vice president Hideaki Nishino on the possibility of a console upgrade, he did not outright deny it.

EA Sports boasted that there will be an innovative level of immersion in its upcoming EA Sports FC, as well as offering fans a first look at the game and its features that aim to “blur the line” between virtual and real football.During La Liga’s Nueva Era showcase (via The Loadout), fans found out about the latest iteration of the HyperMotion V technology that forms the foundation of the players’ animations.EA Sports FC vice president David Jackson explained that the technology uses more than 590 million frames of real-world football game capture that then leads to the most advanced in-game animation that the studio has created in its history of sport simulations.In other words, that is 80 times the data that was involved in the development of FIFA 23.

Persona 3 Reload, the 3D remake of Persona 3 from 2006, has gotten a new trailer and set of screenshots out of this year’s Anime Expo convention, showing off Atlus‘ efforts to totally transform the original title.The trailer features the English voice cast for Persona 3 Reload for the first time, showing off Alejandro Saab as Akihiko Sanada, Suzie Yeung as Fuuka Yamagishi and Allegra Clark as Mitsuru Kirijo.Rounding out the rest of the cast is Aleks Le as the playable protagonist Makoto Yuki, Heather Gonzalez as Yukari Takeba, Zeno Robinson as Junpei Iori, Dawn M. Bennett as Aigis, Justine Lee as Ken Amada and Justice Slocum as Shinjiro Aragaki.Fans were treated to new screenshots of the game’s turn based battles and dialogues as well as renders of the characters Akihiko, Fuuka and Mitsuru.

Destiny 2 voice lines have now been added to the game.After the death of Destiny 2 voice actor Lance Reddick, it looks as though his final voice lines have now been added to the game by developers at Bungie.According to Destiny 2 developer Robert Brookes, he overheard those lines while playing the game just a couple of days ago.“Sobering moment listening to the final radio conversation in the HELM today,” he said on Twitter. “Pretty sure these were the last lines I ever recorded with Lance.”Sobering moment listening to the final radio conversation in the HELM today.

Planet Of Lana, developer Wishfully and publisher Thunderful have told NME that it was the right call to make the platformer a day-one Xbox Game Pass title.Planet Of Lana launched for Xbox and PC on May 23, and was available from day one on Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service — joining the likes of Redfall, High On Life, and Hi-Fi Rush in doing so.While there have been questions on whether Game Pass cannibalises the sales of games on its catalogue, Adam Stjärnljus — Planet Of Lana’s creative director and Wishfully’s co-founder — says it was the right choice for his team.“For us at Wishfully, being an indie studio releasing our first game, it has been invaluable,” Stjärnljus tells NME. “It lowers the entry bar for players to discover and try our game with a huge potential to bring over players that normally might not gravitate towards the puzzle platformer genre as well.

Sega has revealed Sonic Superstars, an upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog title that will blend the long-running series’ retro and modern-day identity.Set to launch this autumn, Sonic Superstars is a 2D platformer that will see players take on the villainous Dr. Eggman, who is attempting to turn the North Star Island’s animals into Badniks.“Join Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose on an adventure that takes ‘classic’ to another level,” reads a description for the trailer.

Blizzard Entertainment, for failing to bring Diablo 4 to her “favourite gaming system” — the Apple Mac.Seeing that Diablo 4 is said to be the fastest-selling game in Blizzard Entertainment’s history, it’s unsurprising that Goldberg has been swept up in the hype.According to her speech (via PC Gamer), she’s been a longstanding fan of the series. “There are a lot of terrible things happening in the world but what I’m about to tell you is not on any scale like that,” said Goldberg in a video posted to her Instagram account.

EA has unveiled two brand-new DLC (downloadable content) for The Sims 4, the Grunge Revival and Book Nook Kits.The Grunge Revival Kit is exactly what The Sims 4 players would expect from the name, as it features a variety of grunge-inspired styles, including worn textures, layered options, and bold accessories.The Kit is straight from the 90s, allowing players to create comfortable and stylish alternative looks. “Whether it’s rocking an old band tee or a baggy hoodie and faded jeans from the thrift store, these slouchy silhouettes are now yours to make new with styles for every frame,” the blog post reads.For players who are in love with books and creating cozy at-home libraries in The Sims 4, the Book Nook Kit is perfect.

Microsoft is teasing a new look at PlayGround Games‘ Fable at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 on June 11.A recent tweet from Xbox teasing the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase looks like it could be getting ready to share a brand-new look at the fantasy role-playing game Fable.The video shows an Xbox controller covered in glitter, with the person behind the camera following the colourful trail until it reaches a computer monitor teasing the upcoming event. All the while, whimsical music can be heard, leading fans to believe the mystery game will be Fable.You can check out the teaser below:Do you love ✨ GAMES ✨ as much as we do? Then you won’t want to miss the Xbox Games Showcase: https://t.co/YSurRjtzpn | #Starfield #XboxShowcase pic.twitter.com/O1qSlXHNmY— Xbox (@Xbox) May 30, 2023The teaser ends with the caption “seems important” and asks fans to tune in on June 11 to see what the news will be.Fable was announced back in 2020 with a cinematic trailer, and will be coming to Xbox Series X and PC.

Mojang Studios has announced that Minecraft‘s upcoming 1.20 Trails and Tales update will release on June 7.The developer shared details about update 1.20 back in October but has officially confirmed the release date, stating that all players can download the major patch next month for free across all platforms.A new blog post provides more information, where Mojang dived into the specifics.

NME‘s first Field of View, we talk about the phenomenon that is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and why the role-playing game is still being played every day — watch the full video above.Ten years have passed since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released and we’re still talking about it. We’re still talking about it because there’s still a lot of interest in it and a hell of a lot of people are still playing it… but why?The game was first released in 2011 and its re-release to multiple platforms over the years, including in eight distinct formats, has become a running joke in the community.

Convergence: A League of Legends Story has been confirmed, with the time-bending platformer set to launch later this month.Following its announcement in 2021, Convergence will launch on May 23 for Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox and PlayStation platforms.As for what it’s about, the game will follow League Of Legends champion Ekko through the city of Zaun, which was the setting of Netflix’s 2021 animation Arcane.The game will be a platformer with an emphasis on parkour and Ekko’s signature ability — just like in League Of Legends, the hero is equipped with a device that allows him to manipulate time.“Developed by Double Stallion Games, Convergence: A League Of Legends Story is a 2D action platformer with an incredible art style that focuses on tight dynamic combat and unique exploration opportunities afforded by Ekko’s ability to travel in space and time,” reads the game’s Steam page.In the latest trailer for Convergence, Ekko is shown time-travelling to meet a younger version of himself in an attempt to save Zaun from a “devastating future”. Besides Ekko, League Of Legends fans will be able to spot a number of returning characters from the game — including Jinx, Warwick, and Camille.Check it out below.Convergence will arrive just over a month after The Mageseeker: A League Of Legends Story, which was published by Riot Forge last month (April 18).Like Convergence, The Mageseeker is a League spin-off — though instead of following Ekko, it stars Demacian mage Sylas as he leads a rebellion against the kingdom.