Start every weekday morning with Words About Games’ round-up of the latest news from in and around the games industry.
This morning – The next Call of Duty will be set during World War II, Microsoft announce their May 2017 Games With Gold line-up, Cliff Bleszinski believes that the AAA business model is unsustainable, Stephens College becomes the first all women’s school to offer eSports scholarships, The Sexy Brutale has shipped with manuals that are printed backwards and Ninja Theory discuss the odds of a sequel to Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
The next Call of Duty takes place during World War II – Activison have confirmed that the next instalment in the Call of Duty franchise will be set during World War II. The game, titled Call of Duty: WWII, is being developed by Sledgehammer Games, whose last game was Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The studio is made up of former Visceral Games employees, who are best known for developing Dead Space. A full reveal of Call of Duty: WWII is set for April 26.
(via Twitter)
May 2017 Games With Gold announced – Microsoft have announced May’s Games With Gold entries. On May 1 Xbox Live Gold members will be able to download Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. On May 16 Lara Croft & The Temple of Osiris and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga will become available. All four games will be playable on Xbox One, with Force Unleashed II and Lego Star Wars available to Xbox 360 owners.
(via Xbox Wire)
Cliff Bleszinski believes AAA model is nearly unsustainable – Boss Key founder and Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski has expressed his belief that the current AAA business model is nearly unsustainable “unless you’re an Activision, 2K or Sony.” He made these comments during the Reboot Develop conference in Croatia, adding that consumers are hesitant to take a chance on new IP and would rather buy franchises they’re familiar with at a $60 price point.
(via Games Industry)
Stephens College now offers eSports scholarship – Stephens College in the US has become the first all women’s school to offer an eSports scholarship. The college is sponsoring a varsity eSports team and has already begun recruiting an Overwatch team for Fall 2017.
(via ESPN)
Some Sexy Brutale manuals have been printed backwards – Badland Games have confirmed that some of the physical copies of The Sexy Brutale have shipped with manuals printed backwards. The publisher has noted that this is a misprint and has offered exchanges to anyone who has been affected. Badland have also offered digital copies to anyone looking for a replacement.
(via Badland Games blog)
Ninja Theory play down chances of Enslaved 2 – Developer Ninja Theory believe that a sequel to 2010’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West are slim thanks to the success of Horizon: Zero Dawn. Speaking with Game Informer, creative director Tameem Antoniades said that the decision to make a sequel is out of their hands (the IP is owned by Bandai Namco), but that it wouldn’t make sense to greenlight a sequel thanks to the similarities to Horizon.
(via Game Informer)
WORDS ABOUT GAMES 