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Microsoft Outlines Plans to Make Call of Duty Games Compatible with the Switch

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Microsoft Outlines Plans to Make Call of Duty Games Compatible with the Switch

As part of its 10-year agreement with Nintendo, Microsoft outlines how it would bring Call of Duty to Nintendo Switch games.

Microsoft details its plans to bring Call of Duty to the Nintendo Switch in a document submitted in an effort to persuade the UK’s Competition and Market Authority regulator to approve the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Since Call of Duty has only recently been available on Nintendo hardware, it would be difficult to bring current games to the Nintendo Switch. But Microsoft would have to work hard over the next ten years to make it happen if its acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes through.

The most recent Call of Duty game to be released on a Nintendo platform was about ten years ago. Since 2013, when Call of Duty: Ghosts was ported to the Wii U, Activision Blizzard has not made a commitment to a Nintendo platform. Microsoft, however, signed a legally binding agreement to bring Call of Duty games to Nintendo platforms going 10 years into the future in order to convince international regulators to approve its acquisition.

A summary of Microsoft’s plans to port Call of Duty to the Nintendo Switch is included in a filing to demonstrate to the CMA that the company is committed to upholding the terms of the agreement. In the beginning, Microsoft states that Call of Duty is available in two formats: free-to-play Warzone releases and buy-to-play Call of Duty releases. Microsoft states that Call of Duty: Warzone’s engine is optimized to work with a “wide range of hardware devices,” including various PC hardware, in light of this. It is therefore more than adaptable enough to function on Switch.

Microsoft claims that it is confident that buy-to-play Call of Duty releases will also be within the company’s power to port to Nintendo Switch given Activision’s extensive history of optimizing and porting games to numerous different consoles with varying levels of power. To demonstrate that the Switch is more than capable of running high-performance online multiplayer games, it makes reference to games from other publishers that have been ported to the system, such as Apex Legends and Fortnite.

Activision made the decision to stop releasing Call of Duty games on Nintendo hardware for a variety of reasons. However, one of those reasons is not the inability to port Call of Duty to Nintendo hardware. Activision is more than capable, but Microsoft’s perseverance is what will make it happen.

The significance of bringing Call of Duty to Nintendo consoles is one matter that is not covered. Nintendo wasn’t even viewed as PC, PlayStation, and Xbox’s equal competitors in some regulatory reporting. In light of this, bringing Call of Duty to Nintendo probably wouldn’t increase competition, at least not in a way that regulators would consider sufficient to approve the acquisition. It is unclear how Microsoft’s contract with Nintendo for Call of Duty will affect the UK’s CMA.

Source: Microsoft Response to CMA (via The Verge)

Player of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Finds Fix for Corrupted Save Data Problem

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Player of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Finds Fix for Corrupted Save Data Problem

One player may have discovered a workaround for the bug that resulted from a recent Pokemon Scarlet and Violet update that corrupted saves.

The corrupting save data error problem that is currently plaguing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has a potential fix, according to one player. The games have been plagued by numerous issues ever since their release, ranging from performance issues that some Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players haven’t seen any improvement on to somewhat strange glitches and bugs that are ruining the entire gameplay experience.

Game Freak has been working to release fixes to improve the performance of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet after experiencing numerous issues. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s recent 1.2.0 update, which was supposed to fix bugs and add new features, has revealed to players that it instead introduced a risky save corrupting error bug. Players who attempted to link their save files with Pokemon GO, one of the newest features added in the most recent update, started experiencing this bug.It would indicate a corrupted save file, rendering it unreadable, when they attempted to use the postcard feature to acquire Vivillon or even to pre-order the upcoming DLC and earn its bonus. If the game was digital, they would have to either delete it and reinstall it or play on a new Switch profile.

However, it appears that the error might have a fix. The user TragGaming posted a fix for the corrupted save data on the r/PokemonScarletandViolet forum. The gamer first cautions readers in the post that this is only for the “Save data is corrupted” error, not the “Save data not recognized please turn off Nintendo Switch” error, and that they should double-check that the Switch they are using to play the game is the primary Switch.After that, they advise players to check to see if their copy of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet isn’t simply crashing, which has been an issue for some of them. Next, they advise creating a new Switch account or using an existing one, playing a fresh save file on that account until the player can save, then quitting the game immediately after saving and switching back to the primary account. The player ought to be able to sign in and start playing as usual by loading the Pokemon game there.

On three different saves on two different Switches, they claimed that this worked for them. However, they don’t know what makes it work or even why the data becomes corrupted in the first place. Since the bug has caused players to lose hundreds of hours’ worth of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet save data to erasure, many players have been waiting for a fix like this.

Game Freak has not yet announced whether or not the problem will receive a formal fix. All the players can do is wait and hope that the next Tera Raid doesn’t hit Pokemon Scarlet and Violet before an official fix is released.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.

Source: Dexerto

A strange bug in Warzone 2 penalizes players for sniping

A strange bug in Warzone 2 penalizes players for sniping

Players of Call of Duty: Warzone 2 are experiencing an odd bug that prevents them from sniping, though it’s unclear how widespread the issue is.

A strange bug in Call of Duty: Warzone 2 prevents players from sniping. Sniper builds are very common in Activision’s popular battle royale first-person shooter because the developer’s nerfs to weapons like the Crossbow make headshots the only reliable one-hit kill. Unfortunately, players are powerless to prevent sudden game crashes during long-range combat.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2 was created by Infinity Ward and Raven Software with assistance from other Activision divisions, and it was released in 2022 to generally favorable reviews. Warzone 2 is free to play with or without its parent game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, despite the fact that it is technically a part of that title. Warzone 2 offers a number of improvements over the original Call of Duty: Warzone, including new maps, game modes, and other content. Unfortunately, there are a few strange bugs among them.

The title of a post by Reddit user Kenja Time reads, “I know the devs hate snipers, but this is a bit excessive. A brief video of them playing Call of Duty: Warzone 2 can be found in the post. They quickly identify a different adversary peeping around a cement wall far below from a vantage point high above the Al Mazrah map of Warzone 2. When the player positions his crosshairs over the target’s head and releases the trigger, the screen briefly goes black and an error message appears. The video then cuts to a player-on-player sniper duel, but as they both fire, Warzone 2 disconnects once more.

It’s clear that it’s not just a coincidence because Kenja Time’s game disconnected at least twice. Additionally, they are not the only Call of Duty: Warzone 2 player experiencing this issue. A similar disconnect occurred during SoCaLove’s livestream on March 5, and the streamer also attributed the problem to a sniper glitch. Another user who posted about their experience during a Warzone 2 DMZ match on the Call of Duty: Warzone subreddit.


When Kenja Time suggested that Raven Software was purposefully disconnecting players who use sniper rifles, he was undoubtedly joking. It’s still a strange glitch, though, and it’s not clear why some Call of Duty: Warzone 2 players are having this issue. The number of players who are having the same problem is also unknown. All of the reported occurrences, though, appear to be restricted to Warzone 2’s Al Mazrah map, which is the setting for the game’s DMZ and primary battle Royale modes. It is hoped that researchers will find this bug’s origin as soon as possible.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Resident Evil 4 Remake’s Boats Might Be Far More Interesting

Resident Evil 4 Remake's Boats Might Be Far More Interesting

The boat sections in the original Resident Evil 4 were not particularly noteworthy, but it appears that the remake will give them more weight.

The absence of boat rides in the first Resident Evil 4 is something that is easily forgotten, but it appears that Capcom is addressing this by allowing the player to explore the water more in the sequel. The RE name has managed to maintain its reputation for releasing ground-breaking entries in the survival horror genre. It was one of the most significant series that defined survival horror gaming, continuing where Alone in the Dark left off. It’s difficult to believe that the franchise is still active after so many years.

Capcom’s flagship horror IP is still going strong with remakes, remasters, and fresh installments. With so much to look forward to in the remake of Resident Evil 4, not to mention the ninth installment said to be in development, the studio is doing all it can to keep this universe alive and well. One of the most eagerly anticipated games of 2023 is about to be released, and fans can’t wait to replay one of the best games in the series and check out the updates.

For example, the Resident Evil 4 remake is aiming for a more Metroidvania mindset in terms of exploration, according to a recent GameSpot video. This can be seen, for instance, in the game’s boat sections, which will give Leon and the player more non-linearity. Riding boats in the original 2005 release only enabled loading screens and access to the Del Lago boss battle. Now, players will be able to direct themselves into new areas, some of which will be locked off but which can be reached by resolving simple puzzles. At the 1:11 mark, the topic of these new boat sections is covered.

Even though some fan requests, like the elusive Hook Man, won’t be included in the Resident Evil 4 remake, it appears that there will be enough modifications to make the game more appealing to today’s gamers. But it looks like the developer has been able to strike a nice balance, so hopefully this won’t be to the detriment of those who also want to feel a little bit nostalgic.

The upcoming Resident Evil 4 event, which will air on March 9 at 2:30 PM PST, will be watched by many eager fans. There isn’t much longer until the game launches, and many people are interested to see how this remake of one of the most well-known RE games will fare in the contemporary era. It should be a huge success if the remakes of RE2 and RE3 are anything to go by.

Resident Evil 4 releases on March 24 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Source: Andrew Heaton

The remaining budget for Sony’s acquisitions is running out

The remaining budget for Sony's acquisitions is running out

The majority of the budget designated for strategic investments, such as the purchase of game development studios, has already been spent, according to Sony.

Sony’s announced acquisition budget, which is expected to last until 2024, only has a small portion left. The Japanese business declared in May 2021 that it had set aside the equivalent of about $18.39 billion for “strategic investments” across the board. This included a push by Sony to increase the number of PlayStation Plus subscribers as well as the potential purchase of development studios.

In that vein, many will recall that this resulted in a number of significant game studio acquisitions by Sony in 2021, including Returnal developer Housemarque; Bluepoint Games, the studio behind the well-received Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus remakes; as well as the lesser-known Firesprite, Nixxes Software, and Valkyrie Entertainment. In 2022, a few more studios, including Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios and Bungie for $3.7 billion, were brought under the PlayStation brand.

Sony’s recent Morgan Stanley web conference revealed that only $5 billion of its initial $18 billion budget allocation is still available. Up until 2024, this money will be used to support investments and acquisitions; following that, additional funding is anticipated. The $5 billion figure is significant, though, as it effectively puts to rest a number of rumors that have been circulating about Sony buying a number of game studios.

There have been several substantial acquisitions rumored to be taking place, particularly over the last year or so. This appears to be influenced in part by the ongoing debate surrounding Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Sony is rumored to be in the process of acquiring Take-Two Interactive, Square Enix, Capcom, Konami, Epic Games, and Square Enix at any given time.

To put the figures in perspective, Take-Two Interactive’s market value currently hovers around $20 billion, while Square Enix’s market value as of March 2023 is $5.57 billion. Only CD Projekt Red and perhaps Konami fall under or on that $5 billion budget of the top studios Sony is rumored to be eyeing. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Japanese company will acquire any of those larger developers anytime soon. It also means that there is still a chance that another, smaller studio acquisition announcement will be made before the year is out.

The numbers also highlight the vast difference in gaming acquisition budgets between Microsoft and Sony. ZeniMax Media and its well-known studios, like Bethesda, were purchased by Microsoft for $7.5 billion in 2021. That figure seemed astounding until Microsoft announced its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard less than a year later. Acquisitions and exclusivity are handled slightly differently by Sony and Microsoft. PlayStation continues to be intent on maintaining exclusivity of blockbuster franchises that should make its ecosystem the more alluring one, in contrast to Xbox, which currently appears focused on acquiring parent companies and all of their golden goose subsidiaries.

Source: Resetera

New Character Momoka Is Revealed by the Genshin Impact Leak

New Character Momoka Is Revealed by the Genshin Impact Leak

In the upcoming update 3.7, Genshin Impact is expected to add a new Geo character to the playable roster.

The appearance of a brand-new character named Momoka, who is scheduled to appear in the upcoming months, was revealed by a Genshin Impact leak. With each new update, game developer HoYoverse continues to expand the cast of characters that can be controlled, with five-star Pyro user Dehya being the most recent addition.

She won’t be the only new character in Genshin Impact version 3.5; a four-star character by the name of Mika will also be added to the second banner cycle alongside Shenhe and Ayaka, according to the official live stream event for this update. The long-awaited catalyst user Baizhu and the well-known Sumeru architect known as Kaveh will both be new characters in the upcoming update 3.6, according to the game’s social media accounts.

Momoka is a new character that will debut in update 3.7, according to a recent post on the well-known Genshin Impact Leaks subreddit. Momoka will be connected to the Inazuma region, so the main plot may return to the Electro country, according to earlier leaks. She will be a new five-star Geo character, according to rumors, making her the first character to have this element and rarity since Itto, who was released back in December 2021.

Many fans express their appreciation for both her overall design and the addition of a new Geo character to HoYoverse. Many fans questioned whether HoYoverse would be able to make her fit the current meta because she is also anticipated to be a sword user with the ability to provide shields.

Six new elemental reactions, none of which include Geo, have been introduced with the advent of the new Dendro element, further increasing the element’s isolation from other elements. Only one elemental reaction—Crystylize—can be triggered by Geo, and it offers a respectable shield when a player picks up elemental shards from the ground. It only functions in specific team competitions because it cannot obstruct any other elemental reactions.

Despite the fact that many players shy away from using Geo in their lineups, recent Spiral Abyss reports in Genshin Impact have shown that some Geo users, like Zhongli, have an extremely high pick rate. Zhongli’s kit is packed with utility, though, which is the main reason why players choose him. Fans wish Momoka had a similar toolkit so she could be as adaptable as possible.

Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5, and a Switch version is in development.

Source: Hajrudin Krdzic

A Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 player achieves an impressive triple kill with a single bullet

A Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 player achieves an impressive triple kill with a single bullet

During a kill confirmed match, a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 player impressively kills three targets with just one shot.

An impressive triple kill was achieved by a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 player using a shingle shot. Activision has added new maps, weapons, features, and game modes to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Warzone 2 in their Season 2 updates.

Many Call of Duty players have shared videos showcasing their impressive skills ever since the release of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 in 2022. As an illustration, one Warzone 2 player successfully killed two opponents at a distance of approximately 173 meters with the JOKR during a battle royale match. A Modern Warfare 2 fan now displays a clip of a breathtaking triple kill achieved with a single shot.

In a game of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Bocian320, a Reddit user, obtained a triple kill using the SA-B 50 Marksman Rifle. In the video, the player encounters three opponents who appear to be advancing from different directions and converging in one area. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Bocian320 takes advantage of the situation to fire a single shot from the SA-B 50 Marksman Rifle, instantly eliminating all three foes. The poster even includes a slowed-down version of the clip that pans in on the players to show Bocian320’s quick reflexes and pinpoint accuracy.

Many users in the comments section also mention the timing of the shot, with Bocian320 being praised for his skill. The perfect alignment of all three opponents is not a coincidence, though, as the video demonstrates that they were vying for a dog tag during a kill match, which was confirmed in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Unfortunately for them, Bocian320 was in the ideal situation and equipped with the ideal weapon to eliminate all three of the adversaries with a single shot.

The match is being played on Crown Raceway, one of the best maps in the game, even though Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s core 6v6 game modes offer a respectable selection of maps. Activision has added four more maps to the final tally since the official release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and some players also rank Farm 18 and Mercado Las Almas among the best maps in the game. It will be intriguing to see which maps are included in upcoming updates given that some fans have criticized Activision for releasing too many remakes of Modern Warfare 2.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Source: Parth Bagaria

Executive Producer is lost in an ongoing League of Legends MMO project

Executive Producer is lost in an ongoing League of Legends MMO project

The executive producer of the eagerly anticipated League of Legends MMO has announced their departure from Riot Games, creating a new obstacle for development.

The news that Riot Games’ League of Legends MMO’s executive producer has left the company may worry gamers who are eager to explore the mysterious world of Runeterra. The game that inspired it is still going strong, with the most recent patch for League of Legends bringing significant changes to contentious Champion Yuumi, even as the MMO spin-off faces an uncertain future.

A multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA, game called League of Legends by Riot Games was first released in 2009 and is largely based on the Warcraft III custom map Defense of the Ancients. League of Legends, which places players in control of one of more than 100 distinctive Champions and places them in isometric 5-v-5 online battles, quickly gathered a devoted following of players attracted by the game’s addictive gameplay.Due to the game’s enduring success, many spin-off titles have been produced, including the upcoming action role-playing game The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story and the highly regarded Netflix animated series Arcane, which is set in the League of Legends universe. 2020 saw the announcement of a League of Legends MMO, but information on its progress has been hard to come by ever since.

Greg Street, a game developer, recently announced his resignation from Riot Games in a new thread on Twitter. Street was serving as the executive producer and vice president of the League of Legends MMO, which was still under development. Street had previously worked as the lead systems designer on Blizzard’s MMO World of Warcraft. In an attempt to reassure players that the League of Legends MMO was “in good hands,” Street gave a “combination of personal and professional considerations” as the reason for leaving Riot Games. He also said that he felt comfortable handing over development to new leadership.

Hey internet. Thanks for all the support over the past few months while I was afk

I am back now with some big news to share: I have decided to step down from my role at Riot Games

— Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) March 7, 2023

Street concluded his thread by saying that he would be playing the mysterious MMO with Riot’s fans when it is released, despite no longer being involved in its development. Fans of League of Legends and former coworkers praised Street in their replies to the Twitter thread that announced his departure from Riot Games, thanking him for his contributions to the game and wishing him luck in his future endeavors. One response stated that they were no longer interested in the League of Legends MMO now that Street was leaving, demonstrating just how highly regarded Street was by some gamers.

The League of Legends MMO may never be released, according to Greg Street himself, but based on his parting remarks, it sounds like the game will still be released eventually. But it’s unclear what shape it will take now that one of its key designers has left.

The League of Legends MMO is currently in development.

Source: Christopher Castellaw

Pokemon fan makes Lugia’s paradox form

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Pokemon fan makes Lugia's paradox form

Concept art for the paradox form of Lugia, one of the franchise’s legendary Pokemon, was created by a talented Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fan.

One Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fan imagined what the paradox form of the legendary Pokemon Lugia would look like in concept art. The fanbase of the Pokemon franchise will probably be very interested to see what inventive community members come up with on their own, given that there are only a small number of pocket creatures that can be found in this special form in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Long-time video game players probably always look forward to the fresh ideas developers bring to each new title they release. One of the features that makes Pokemon Scarlet and Violet special for the Nintendo Switch in 2022 is paradox forms, and the community seems to be having a lot of fun with it. Many creative fans have been imagining and creating their own artwork that features other pocket creatures in their Pokemon Scarlet and Violet paradox forms since only a certain roster of Pokemon have these special features.

User pandaga posted a piece of art on Reddit that features the legendary Psychic/Flying-type Pokemon Lugia. Lugia is depicted in the work of art almost on all fours, with distinct spikes and pointed fins on various parts of its body. “Lugia, Silver Tempest,” was the name the artist had chosen for their interpretation of the legend. The artist claims that they were influenced by the Pokemon TCG set that was made specifically to include Lugia. They thought it was too cool to pass up and that it seemed to complement the artwork perfectly.

Lugia from pandaga will be a far cry from the typically svelte-appearing Pokemon for some fans. The Lugia, on the other hand, seems like it would blend in well with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s current roster given that paradox forms have more archaic features. Comments on the Reddit thread praised the artist’s vision and even sparked debate about what kind of Lugia this paradox form would take on in the game. Others also noted how the shape and the body spikes of the artist’s pocket creature strongly resembled the Tigrex and Rathalos from the Monster Hunter series.

The Pokemon franchise has been featured in other fan works created by pandaga, according to their Reddit profile. One of their works highlights Trainer Red and his Pikachu, while another highlights Professor Sada from Pokemon Scarlet. Hopefully the artist will be motivated to create more paradox form Pokemon fan art in the future with their version of Lugia serving as just the beginning.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on Nintendo Switch.

Source: Luie Magbanua

Shark surfing is an option in Sons of the Forest

Shark surfing is an option in Sons of the Forest

Fans of Sons of the Forest have reported a few bugs since the game’s early access release, including this one that renders boats unnecessary.

There will undoubtedly be some bugs because Sons of the Forest has been released in early access, and one player has found a bug that lets them surf on the back of a shark. The Forest 2, an independent game by Endnight, has so far been one of the most popular horror game releases of 2023. This eerie survival game demonstrates that there is a lot of support for the smaller studios, even though it is competing with Alan Wake 2 and the remake of Resident Evil 4.

Sons of the Forest fans have taken advantage of exploits to speed through the game’s ending while the developer is still working on it. These methods will probably eventually be patched out. Almost all early access games are notable for their long list of bugs and incomplete content, but that just means that early adopters will have a lot of fun with them.

For instance, a recent article from The Gamer mentions Reddit user Repelation who demonstrates that you don’t need a boat to go surfing on Sons of the Forest’s waters. The ability to ride a shark to travel a short distance across the ocean is shown in a brief clip from their playthrough. It has been noted, though, that players are unable to control the predatory fish, so riding one is more for fun than for purposefully discovering new places. Nevertheless, it does appear to be amusing, even though it might not last long.

Endnight Games has sent out a few hotfixes for Sons of the Forest since its release, aiming to iron out a few kinks. With the game still in development, it’s understandable that the studio would try to push out as many updates as possible to address the more visible flaws. This means that, at least for the time being, shark surfing may be possible, but it may not last.

Sons of the Forest is regarded as a great survival horror game, whether due to people’s fondness for Kelvin or the fact that there are some amusing exploits. It will be interesting to see what happens once the full release is available. Who knows, maybe Endnight will decide to keep the ability to ride the backs of potentially dangerous sea creatures.

Sons of the Forest is out now in early access for PC.

Source: The Gamer