PSA: How To Get Early Access To Steam New User Interface


The big UI overhaul is coming to Steam in the next few weeks, but if you are just too excited and don’t want to wait, you are in luck. As it turns out, the new interface is already publicly available thanks to some assets dropped in the Chinese Counter Strike: Global Offensive launcher.

You can get your hands on an early version of the launcher by following the steps below. Keep in mind that the interface is going to look a bit ugly right now as many developers have not yet uploaded assets to fit in with the new box design on the library page. On the other hand, it appears that the new interface has dumped the random Rock Paper Shotgun articles that you all loved seeing spammed in your game news feeds.

MMO Fallout can confirm that this works, the images included in this article were from my own test.

Amazon Game Studios Suffers Layoffs, Cancellations


Amazon Game Studios confirmed this week that it has laid off dozens of employees in a report published by Jason Schreier of Kotaku.

Affected employees have been told that they have 60 days to seek new positions within Amazon or they will receive a severance package upon dismissal. An Amazon spokesperson stated to Kotaku:

“These moves are the result of regular business planning cycles where we align resources to match evolving, long-range priorities. We’re working closely with all employees affected by these changes to assist them in finding new roles within Amazon.”

Amazon began building its gaming division in 2014 and so far the company has yet to produce much of anything. The layoffs accompany the cancellation of multiple unannounced titles.

NM: Grab Enter the Gungeon Free on Epic Game Store


Epic Game Store has unveiled their next free title: Enter the Gungeon. Available at no cost outside of downloading and using the Epic Game Store, Enter the Gungeon will be available until June 20 after which the free game will be Rebel Galaxy. Add it to your account now, keep it forever.

It should be noted that the Epic Store edition is notably missing platform achievements as the client does not currently support them. Enter the Gungeon does have in-game achievements.

Source: Epic Games

Knights Chronicle Celebrates Anniversary With Events


After a year of what has been described as enthusiastic fan support, mobile RPG Knights Chronicle is celebrating its 1-year anniversary with a slew of content. Starting today, players can enjoy new labyrinth dungeons. Choose your heroes carefully though, as you won’t be able to re-join in on other labyrinths until they are refreshed.

Events surrounding the update include:

  • New Awakenings for Electra and Edwin – Both Electra and Edwin can now be awoken by using growth materials and a six? version of either hero to achieve increased statistics, a new Awakened Passive skill upon reaching max Awakening level, and a new in-game appearance.
  • First-Year Anniversary Event – By playing the newly added ‘Blizzaria’ Advent Dungeon, players can acquire ‘1 Year Anniversary Summon Tickets’, which can be used to summon individual Heroes.

Knights Chronicle features classic turn-based role-playing gameplay, a beautiful Japanese animation-inspired art style and a compelling story showing the same standard of quality as console and PC RPGs. The game also sports standout features, including real-time party play where fans can form parties of up to five members to challenge multiplayer dungeons, explosive 3D-animated skills that demonstrate the game’s flashy and gorgeously detailed visuals, and over 100 heroes for players to choose from.

Source: Knights Chronicle

Battle Royale Comes To Lineage II: Revolution


Battle Royale is coming to Lineage II: Revolution, because of course it is.

Netmarble this week announced that the popular mobile MMO will receive a 25-player battle royale mode. Utilizing one of four battle royale specific characters, players will engage in combat and avoid penalty zones that apply debuffs. Players can also acquire exclusive skills from NPCs and various buff zones on the map, all in the effort to become the sole survivor.

Lineage II: Revolution players will also have access to the following events and items:

  • Sailor Costumes – Costumes that transform players into sailors are now available through the in-game Shop. Players will receive a Hat and Outfit, both of which increase Combat Power (CP) once owned.
  • Water Gun Weapon Costume – Cool off during the summer with the Water Gun Weapon Costume, now available in the in Shop. This also increases CP when owned.
  • In-Game Events – Netmarble is celebrating today’s new Battle Royale update with special events, such as:
    • Bingo events, where players earn points to complete an in-game bingo board by completing missions, for special rewards;
    • Attendance events, where Heroes receive prizes by logging in every day for up to fourteen consecutive days;
    • The Megakurin Web Events, where players collect stamina to evolve their Kukurin mount to receive various rewards for each evolving step.

Source: Netmarble Press Release

Black Desert Hits PS4 This Year


Black Desert is continuing to expand its reach into the gaming world, and this week Pearl Abyss took the opportunity at E3 to announce that the game will launch in just a few months on Playstation 4. Originally launched on PC, Black Desert expanded onto the Xbox One earlier this year. Pre-orders are set to begin on July 2 with early access to the full game and additional rewards.

“Our team has been working diligently to make Black Desert the best that it can be, and we’re finally ready to reward our patient player base,” said Kwangsam Kim, Lead Producer of Black Desert at Pearl Abyss. “If you’ve been looking for a open-world action MMORPG on the PS4 with deep personalization to fit your gameplay experience, we encourage you to pre-order this July.”

Pearl Abyss has promised an optimized user interface as well as 4k support for Pro owners. In addition, Black Desert Mobile will launch in 2019 worldwide for iOS and Android platforms.

More information in the weeks to come.

(Source: Pearl Abyss Press Release)

The Outer Worlds Announced For October 25


Private Division and Obsidian Entertainment have announced that The Outer Worlds will be coming to PC and consoles on October 25. The RPG emphasizes player choice, companion stories, and endgame scenarios wrapped in a neat package of science fiction, aliens, laser weapons, and big monsters.

“When I found myself contractually obligated to work with Leonard, we decided to make the game we always wanted,” said Tim Cain, Co-Game Director at Obsidian. “A game where player agency matters, and allows you to approach any situation however you’d like. Because it’s your story. And, because we haven’t figured out how to contractually oblige you to play how we want you to. Yet.”

The Outer Worlds will be available on Windows Game Store and the Epic Game Store for one year, after which it will be made available on other digital platforms.

“All kidding aside,” said Leonard Boyarsky, Co-Game Director at Obsidian, “Tim is truly honored to be working with me again on a game that focuses not only on a player-driven story, but also on establishing a new universe that is fun for players to explore with depth, humor, and corporate approved action.”

More information, as well as where to pre-order, can be found at the official website.

Ubisoft Announces UPlay Subscription Service: $14.99/mo


What more could we ask for from E3 2019? If your answer is Ubisoft launching its own version of EA Access, your oddly-specific wish has been granted.

Ubisoft today announced Uplay+, a subscription service coming to PC in September and for the absolutely monetary cost of $14.99 per month, you can get access to over 100 PC games including all of Ubisoft’s new launches. Yes, that means getting access to the upcoming Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and Watch Dogs: Legion the day they hit store shelves. Where Uplay+ sets itself apart from EA Access for instance is that the service promises to offer the most premium version of each game, meaning you won’t need to pay for DLC or expansions.

If you are still on the bench, people who register now will be able to get a free month once the service goes live on September 3. No purchase necessary.

Phantasy Star Online 2 Heads Westward on Xbox and PC


Phantasy Star Online 2. Most of you have probably given up hope of this 2012 title ever coming to the west, but those who kept up their hopes have been handsomely rewarded. Today’s E3 conference brought the announcement that Sega will finally be bringing the MMORPG to the west.

Players of PSO2 become a member of a research expedition called “Arks,” which belong to a fleet of interplanetary cruising ships, setting out to a research a variety of different planets. Visiting places for the mission (quest) always evolves into a fresh and surprising adventure, including auto-generated maps, sudden events, and a Multiplayer Party Area, where up to 12 players can play together simultaneously.

PC and Xbox gamers will finally be able to get their hands on the free to play title in 2020 with crossplay between the two platforms.

Microsoft Releases Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Details Ahead of Conference


Xbox Game Pass is coming to PC systems, according to Microsoft and you don’t even have to wait for today’s conference to get more details. While there is sure to be more on display later this afternoon, Microsoft has already started rolling out its Ultimate Game Pass and you can actually get your hands on it now.

The Ultimate Game Pass costs $14.99 per month, but you can grab the first month for $1, and it combines Xbox Live and Game Pass in one handsome bundle. Alternately, if you just want the PC Game Pass you’ll be glad to hear it comes at a discount. $5 compared to the Xbox Game Pass being $10. This is also available for a $1 introductory price.

But Connor, I hear you asking, what if I’m a jerk like you and literally just renewed my Xbox Live for six months two days ago? Do I need to wait until December to make this worth it? The good news is that no, you don’t have to do much. Just spend the $1 for the ultimate game pass and your existing membership in both Live and the Game Pass will be converted to the Ultimate Game Pass time. So in my case, I spent $1 for the upgrade and now my membership doesn’t renew until January as the six months I had on Live and whatever days I had in the game pass were automatically converted in.

Beta information for the PC game pass will no doubt be in today’s conference as well as information on games coming to it.