Despite being one of the top-selling sports games worldwide, I rarely mention EA’s FIFA franchise in VGQH. This week’s news about FIFA 14 is a little different though, as it could have strong implications for other titles. This is one of the few titles this year that EA will be releasing on both the current and next generation consoles. However, because the release date for the game (september 27th) comes before the new consoles (November-ish), hardcore fans have some decisions to make. Do they wait and buy for One/PS4? Do they buy right away and worry about next gen next year? Or do they buy it, then lose all of their Ultimate Team progress when they upgrade? EA’s making the decision easier, since you won’t actually lose that progress. Your Ultimate Team data will transfer from 360 and PS3 to XBox One and PS4, respectively. Also, the Ultimate Team Auction Houses will not be separated by generations (though Microsoft and Sony platforms will be separated from one another, of course). That means you can buy and trade players with next gen users, even if you haven’t bought the new console yet. Many of you may not care about these features in this particular game, but what does it mean for cross-generational franchises like inFamous or Mass Effect? Will we be able to transfer our data from Commander Shepard’s tale onto the new boxes and have our decisions set up the next game? This had been discussed earlier, but at the time it sounded like no one was sure how this would work, if at all. Early reports from Microsoft and Sony indicated direct data transfer wouldn’t be possible.
Nonetheless, Bioware has stopped short of confirming that they’re doing something similar for Dragon Age III: Inquisition, but they’ve certainly implied it. Producer Cameron Lee says previous decisions (but not necessarily data) “will absolutely come across.” Writer Patrick Weeks confirmed “the goal is that you can have an equally rich experience no matter which platform you’re playing on.” But neither of those statements say exactly that your save data will get moved. A prologue comic, similar to what we’ve seen in the last two Mass Effect titles could accomplish the same goals. It’s interesting to note that in both of these examples the games are published by EA. Could the mega-publisher have its own tricks they haven’t disclosed? Possibly using Origin? Inquisition is coming to next-gen this Fall, presumably at or near the console launches.
Deep Silver and Volition have revealed the details on the Saints’ Row IV Season Pass. It will include two extra mission packs and the Rectifier weapon, an anal probe to “get the ‘inside’ information from your enemies as you save Earth from a dangerous alien infestation.” One of the mission packs has been confirmed as the “Enter the Dominatrix” DLC originally planned for the third game. It’s said to be a playable, behind the scenes mockumentary. Which sounds bizarre, but also awesome. The game release August 20, 2013; the first DLC is coming in September, and the second piece will be “late 2013.” Both the game and Season Pass are available for pre-order now.
Speaking of Season Passes, all of the planned DLC included in the bundle for Borderlands 2 has released. But they’re still planning more add-on content. This has led to speculation that we would see another pass for the continued support. That will not be the case. The continued DLC will be sold on an individual basis, with no bundling discount currently planned. According to a representative at Gearbox, “Through the course of our grand experiment, we’ve also learned that fans are happy with an a la cart menu for DLC because they can pick and choose the content that they most want to buy and really customize their Borderlands 2 experience.” Despite that statement, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a discount bundle once they’ve moved on from the game.
Microsoft is continuing to hear and react to criticism of their policies. The latest change will be to allow for self-publishing indie games on XBox One. Previously, Microsoft required all games to be published by themselves or approved third parties. This led to a few famous breakdowns in publishing and marketing in the 360 era, and prompted Oddowrld’s creator, Lorne Lanning, to say he wouldn’t be taking games to Microsoft because of the hurdle. Microsoft’s Marc Whitten has confirmed the policy change and promises details soon: “Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development. That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox Live. This means self-publishing. This means Kinect, the cloud, achievements. This means great discoverability on Xbox Live. We’ll have more details on the program and the timeline at Gamescom in August.”
Despite reversing course on self-publishing and numerous other concepts for the XBox One, Microsoft has confirmed they are not planning to release a lower-priced console without the Kinect. Despite multiple stories from reliable sources, including one of our own, Microsoft told Kotaku they “have no plans to introduce an Xbox One without Kinect. [They] believe in Kinect and the value it brings to both games and entertainment, and believe $499 is a great value for what consumers receive with their Xbox One.” It’s hard not to believe they may still change their minds. Microsoft isn’t exactly standing firm on too many things these days. As I mentioned in Zombietron’s article, I’m inclined to side with Microsoft on this one, despite having little interest in the Kinect.
What’s the one word you would never use to describe Activision Blizzard as a publisher? “Indie,” of course. Maybe not. No, they aren’t suddenly publishing games developed in garages by small teams. But they are now, technically, independent. An $8.2 billion deal was made this week, resulting in the company buying itself from Vivendi. A group of investors bought 439 million shares from Vivendi for $5.83 billion. Another 172 million shares are being purchased by insiders, led by CEO Bobby Kotick and Co-Chairman Brian Kelly, for $2.34 billion. Kotick and Kelly also pitched in $100 million of personal funds. Independence is not complete, however; Vivendi retains 12% of the company’s shares. Of the deal, Kotick said “The transactions… will allow us to take advantage of attractive financing markets while still retaining more than $3 billion cash on hand to preserve financial stability.” Congratulations on being filthy rich.
In addition to the previously announced Deathstroke DLC, GameStop will have an exclusive pre-order bonus for Batman: Arkham Origins. The bonus will include two new challenge maps that take place within Black Mask’s facility. Unlike the Deathstroke DLC, and similar add-ons from previous games in the series, this will not add Black Mask as a playable character. The game releases October 25th, but you can pre-order now to get your bonus levels.
A launch title for the XBox One has been delayed into 2014. According to Microsoft, Rare needs a little extra time to polish Kinect Sports Rivals. What was that? Did you say “meh?” Of course you did, it’s the generic but mandatory “sports” game with spotty motion controls. I’m afraid Rare and Microsoft just lost about half their sales. The only reason most people would have bought this is because it would be one of the few titles available at launch.
With the release of Martian Manhunter next week, the Season Pass for Injustice: Gods Among Us will be complete. But that doesn’t mean the DLC is ending. According to Ed Boon, more fighters are on the way and the “Next one is a big fan favorite request.” So who’s it going to be? I’m hoping for Krypto.
How many people actually buy strategy guides anymore? With the accessibility of online guides it seems like only collectors would have any real interest. Which may be why Brady Games is offering a pre-order bonus for their Grand Theft Auto V Strategy Guide. The guide will come in two different variations. The Signature edition is what you expect: paperback, mission details, plenty of pictures, collectible locations, etc. The Limited edition has all of the same content but it’s also hardback and has an extra lithograph print and approximately 30 pages of additional illustrations. The pre-order bonus for either edition is another lithograph print showing the three playable characters suiting up for a job. The guides will be available when the game launches, September 17, 2013.
That’s it for this week. Enjoy your last weekend in July.