THE BIG STUFF:

Witcher 3 Dev Responds to Graphics Downgrade Concerns: In a interview with Eurogamer, key developers from the Polish studio frankly acknowledge that the visuals for the final game–released this week to high praise–don’t exactly match a video shown during the VGX awards show two years ago. They also explain why.

Need for Speed Open-World “Full Reboot” Hitting PS4, Xbox One, and PC This Fall: After a week of teases, Electronic Arts formally announced a new Need for Speed game this week. The game, called Need for Speed, launches this fall for new-gen consoles and PC. We spoke with Marcus Nilsson, GM of developer Ghost Games, about the project. Click through the link above to get the full story.

GTA 5 Ships Nearly 52 Million Copies: Rockstar’s open-world action game reached yet another sales milestone this week. The new number comes after the release of the PC version in April.

THE OTHER STUFF:

President Obama, who seems to enjoy The Witcher, has joined Twitter. This comes after six years in office. By comparison, Michelle Obama has had a Twitter account since 2013. What’s on Obama’s mind? Follow him here to find out:

Chicago-based developer Above and Beyond Technologies has announced that its Kickstarter-funded MMO, The Repopulation, will officially launch for PC in Q4 this year. The game promises a level of player freedom “unparalled in MMORPGs.” An in-development version of the game is currently available through Steam Early Access for $15.

Here’s a juicy, but pretty sketchy, rumor. Japanese website Gamestalk has obtained what appears to be a promotional image for Shenmue 3. Logos for Sega and Square Enix (??) appear in the image, along with…well, check it out for yourself.

NOVA’s Evolution Lab has released a new video game that aims to teach children (or really, anyone else) about the theory of Evolution. It features an interactive digital tree of life and more. Play it here.

Did You Know Gaming’s next video has arrived, this one focusing on Sony’s Ratchet & Clank series. Watch the video below to learn a lot about the PlayStation franchise.

PC gaming company Razer this week announced that it worked with Chinese authorities to nab two people for illegally selling counterfeit Razer products in China. Per a press release: “Haikui Lin and Ping Gong were each committed to a year in prison and fined 140,000RMB, in addition to a 150,000RMB fine paid to Razer.”

Are toys-to-life games like Skylanders and Amiibo a passing fad or here to stay? The Wall Street Journal dug into the issue this week as part of an excellent feature. Read it here.

EliteGamerLive, which aims to be the NCAA of esports, has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for its development and expansion. Head to the Indiegogo page to get all the details and to support the campaign.

Here is a video of 49 floppy disks playing various theme songs, including the Tetris theme song Not much else to say here.

If Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic action game The Last of Us were set in Tokyo, it might look this this. Check out this incredible concept art from a current Ubisoft Osaka artist.

A Minecraft player who chose the name “MojangSucksDick” faced justice as Mojang changed his name to “NoWeDont.” Good stuff, Mojang. Get the full story here.

Whether or not anyone asked for it, it’s happening. It was announced this week that the Adventure Time and Puzzle Quest franchises are coming together for a new crossover game. Stay with me…The game is called Adventure Time Puzzle Quest. It’s a match-three puzzle game that features the characters (and accordingly, the humor) of the popular Cartoon Network animated TV show. The free-to-play game launches this summer worldwide for iOS and Android devices.

Image credit: TouchArcade

At the request of competitive players, Riot has introduced a new “Hide Eye Candy” option to popular MOBA League of Legends. As its name suggests, this disables elements like butterflies, dragonflies, and water wakes. Get the full scoop over at Riot’s website.

Nintendo was victorious in a patent suit involving the Wii Balance Board, the Japanese game giant announced this week. Two years ago, two companies, Ithaca Ventures and Ithaca Development sued Nintendo. They claimed the Wii Balance Board infringed on their patent. However, Nintendo said the suit was meritless, and Ithaca eventually withdrew its case. Get the full story here.

This is some of the best Pac-Man themed trolling I’ve ever seen. Such dedication!

Have a lovely Memorial Day weekend!