Recap!

Weekly Recap: Star Wars Battlefront 2, April NPD, Disney Infinity Canceled

Did you step away this week? Here is a roundup of all the big news and some stories you may have missed.

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More Battlefront

EA made it official this week, announcing that Star Wars Battlefront 2 is in development and pegged for release in 2017. The company said it hopes to launch at least one new Star Wars game every year for the next three or four years. [Full story]

PS4 On Top

The NPD Group made its month announcement this week about physical sales from the past month in the United States. The PlayStation 4 was again the top-selling console of the month, while Dark Souls III was the No. 1 best-selling game. For more, check out these stories: hardware, software.

To Infinity And….

Disney Infinity is no more. The House of Mouse announced this week as part of its latest earnings report that it was cancelling Disney Infinity and closing developer Avalanche. The company is taking a $147 million hit as a result of the shut down. Additionally, Disney will no longer make games internally at all, but instead license its games out to other studios, like Electronic Arts. [Full story]

Not This Year

Mass Effect: Andromeda, the latest entry in BioWare’s spacefaring RPG series, will not make it out this year as previously expected. The game is now due to arrive in early 2017, BioWare announced this week. The delay was necessary to give the team time to “deliver everything the game can be and should be.” [Full story]

Incredible

DICE environment artist Simon Barle has created Bloodborne’s Hunter’s Dream location in Unreal Engine 4–in his spare. The results are incredible.

Even Arby’s

Even fast food chain Arby’s is psyched about the next Pokemon games. This week, after the game’s release date was announced, Arby’s shared this cool photo:

Huge Update

Ubisoft’s team-based tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege received a huge new update this week that made a number of fixes and balance adjustments; oh, and it also added unicorns. Really. Full patch notes.

Big Sale

The PlayStation Network is currently hosting a big sale on games from Ubisoft and Focus Home, among others. The deals are good for all major platforms, including PS4, PS3, and PlayStation Vita. Here is a roundup of some of the best deals.

What Could Have Been

Some footage of an unannounced and unreleased Star Wars RTS has emerged online. The untitled project would have had stylized visuals and was based on the classic-era Star Wars films. Take a look.

Everything Eventually Gets Remade in GTA 5

Battlefield 1’s trailer was really cool and ultra-popular. Now, it’s been remade in Grand Theft Auto V, where it can be appreciated in a sillier light. Have a look.

Free DLC Alert

Free DLC alert. EA Sports has added a new course, Banff Springs, to Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. Additionally, the update fixes some bugs and adds new audio lines for some PGA Tour golfers. Full patch notes here.

Like A Phoenix

Prey 2 might be announced at E3 2016, according to a new report from Kotaku. The first version of the game was essentially tossed out, so we’re expecting to see basically Prey 2.0.

Microsoft Nixed It, Apparently

According to former Lionhead Studios developer John McCormack, the developer wanted to put a black woman on the cover of Fable III–but Microsoft nixed the idea.

“They were going, ‘You can’t have a black person on the cover, and you can’t have a woman. And you want a black woman,'” McCormack told Eurogamer. “And I was like, ‘Yes, I do, because it’s about be whatever hero you want.’ [Microsoft said], ‘No. It’s a white guy. That’s just the way it is. We know what sells and that’s fucking it. Stop the arguing.’ I was like, ‘Fuck you!’ That was a huge fight.

“They said, ‘What’s the most unsuccessful Disney film?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ They went, ‘Princess and the Frog. Work it out.’ I was like, ‘Fuck you, man.” I hated it.

Dated

The Banner Saga 2’s console versions finally have a launch date. The game will launch on PS4 and Xbox One on July 26, Stoic and publisher Versus Evil announced this week. A new trailer has also been released. Check it out here.

Success!

Consortium sequel The Tower’s Fig crowdfunding campaign wrapped up this week. It raised a total of $348,538 from 3,046 backers. The developers only asked for $300,000, meaning it was a big success. The Tower is now Fig’s fourth successfully funded game. You can read more about it here.

Coming Soon

Time Machine VR, a new exploration adventure game, will launch on May 19 for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, developer Minority Media announced this week. You play as a time-travelling scientist who is tasked with going back to the Jurassic era to face dinosaurs who to find the answer for a plague that is destroying earth in the modern day. You can get the name now, an Early Access version, on Steam.

Sneak Peak

Want a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Warcraft movie? Director Duncan Jones filmed himself on Periscope walking around the set, showing off props, and more. You can re-watch the video here.

Stumped (Kinda)

Stephen Colbert is something of a wizard when it comes to his knowledge of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. But now, he’s finally been stumped. Actor Ryan Gosling recently appeared on his show and asked him a question that Colbert had no answer to. You can probably imagine there is some trickery going on here. Watch the full video here to find out how it went down.

Lego Dimensions Expands

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment this week released three new fun packs for its toys-to-life game Lego Dimensions. They are for characters include Bane (DC Comics), Slimer (Ghostbusters), and Lego Ninjago. These are Wave 5 Fun Packs. You can learn more about these and others at the Lego Dimensions website.

Say Hello to Riley

The crowdfunding campaign for robot security device Riley, described as the “world’s smartest home companion,” is entering its final hours. The Indiegogo campaign has already cleared its $50,000 goal (funding stands at more than $163,000 right now), but you still have time to make a pledge, as the campaign ends later today. Head to the Indiegogo page here to learn more.