THE BIG STUFF:

THE ORDER: 1886 DEV SAYS “INTERNET IS THE NEW PLAYGROUND FOR BULLIES”: It was a busy week for news surrounding PlayStation 4 game The Order: 1886. In the wake of controversy surrounding the game’s debatably short length, developer Ready at Dawn spoke out multiple times to defend the game, ultimately saying, “The Internet is the new playground for bullies.” What do you think about the drama? Let us know in the comments. Further Coverage: Does Game Length Matter?

PS4 CAN ACHIEVE PS2/WII-LIKE SUCCESS, STUDY SAYS: A new report released this week by research company Strategy Analytics predicts that the PlayStation 4 will sell around 80 million units by 2019, compared to about 57 million systems for the Xbox One. Strategy Analytics has high hopes for the PS4 in the long-run, saying the console “is on path to reproduce the success of the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii.” With more than 150 million systems sold to date, the PS2 is the best-selling home console ever.

THE LAST GUARDIAN STILL IN DEVELOPMENT, SONY ASSURES: No, Sony’s long-in-development PlayStation game The Last Guardian has not been canceled. After Sony abandoned the game’s trademark this week, the company spoke out to confirm that this was an administrative error. The game remains in development, but there’s still no word on when we’ll see it next or if it’s become a PlayStation 4 game.

THE OTHER STUFF:

Today everyone knows Markus “Notch” Persson as the billionaire game designer who created Minecraft. But before that? All those years ago? He was a cute little baby just like (most) of us. Check out the picture at right of an adorable baby Notch, which comes from his sister.

All EA Access members can pick up Battlefield 4 expansion Second Assault free through February 28. That’s just over a week away. Don’t miss out! Download it now before you forget.

The Pokemon series inches closer to total world domination this week, as The Pokemon Company officially released match-three game Pokemon Shuffle. The game is available to download now through the eShop for Nintendo 3DS.

Is it freezing cold where you are? Are you buried under a mountain of snow? If that’s you, or if you just don’t feel like doing much of anything else this weekend, here’s an idea: play Call of Duty. Sledgehammer Games has announced another DoubleXP weekend for Advanced Warfare. It’s good all weekend long, so get to it!

Hotline Miami 2 is getting a tie-in comic book series. Developer Dennaton Games and Devolver Digital have announced a partnership with “Italian art collective” Dayjob Studio for a five-issue digital comic book series based on Hotline Miami. The first and second issues are available right now through Steam. The comic series will dive into the events of the first game and also talk more about some of the new characters for Hotline Miami 2, which launches in March.

Indie developer Skyshine Games and publisher Versus Evil announced this week that the Kickstarter-funded post-apocalyptic roguelike game Bedlam will launch for on Steam this summer. Haven’t heard of Bedlam? The game “tasks players to command a motley crew of badass humans, mutants, robots, and cyborgs as they navigate the treacherous wastelands in search of the rumored utopia of Aztec City.”

eSports, eSports, eSports. The United Kingdom is getting its first dedicated eSports arena, it was announced this week. Eurogamer reports: “VUE cinemas has partnered with Gfinity to transform part of the Vue Fulham Broadway multiplex into a dedicated 600 person eSports venue to be called the Gfinity Arena.” It is set to open in March

Brink developer Splash Damage has announced big plans to beta test its upcoming free-to-play shooter Dirty Bomb. Beginning today (check your email!), Splash Damage is inviting more than 100,000 people to take part in a closed beta test that will run this weekend on PC. Another stress test will take place March 6-9. Did you get in?

Could Predator DLC be coming to Mortal Kombat X? That’s exactly what’s happening, according to a new report from Videogamer. The site has heard from a source that not only will the Predator be added as a playable character, but also Colonel Al Dillon. Actor Carl Weathers, who played Dillon in the movie, has reportedly given the go-ahead for his likeness to be used in the game. The DLC is rumored to launch in June.

Are you a rage-gamer?. When you miss an easy headshot in Halo or shank a shot in FIFA, do you sometimes just lose it?. If that’s you, here’s something to try to keep your temper in check. This guy puts a dog shock collar around his neck so that every time he flips out, he gets a shock. As it turns out, he also gets shocked when he laughs. So I’m not really sure what the point of this is. But it’s a fun watch!

WWE 2K15 fans, this one’s for you. 2K Sports on Tuesday announced the release of new DLC for the professional wrestling game. Now available is the “Hall of Pain” expansion, which introduces new playable characters including the 2011 versions of Mark Henry, Big Show, Kane, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, The Great Khali, and more. The expansion also adds new arenas. Get it today on all platforms for $10 or through the WWE 2K15 DLC pass.

Pardon my enthusiasm, but THEY ARE MAKING A ‘SETTLERS OF CATAN’ MOVIE. The classic board game, which has sold 22 million copies and is immensely popular in my household, this week saw its film and TV rights sold to Producer Gail Katz (The Perfect Storm, Air Force One). What would a Settlers of Catan movie or TV look like? Who knows, but I’m excited to find out.

Retailer GameStop has announced a “Disney Infinity Day.” Today only (February 21), all US GameStop stores will offer a range of deals on Disney’s toys-to-life franchise, including a buy one get one free offer for all figures. Hot damn. See a full list of deal below.

• Purchase the GameStop exclusive Rocket Raccoon Collector’s Edition ($19.99)
• Buy one get one free on all new Disney Infinity Interactive game figures (free figure must be equal or lesser value)
• $20 off Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 edition starter pack $54.99 (reg. $74.99)
• $30 off PlayStation 3 12GB Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 edition system bundle $169.99 (reg. $199.99)
• 50% off all accessories

Intriguing-looking indie game Hand of Fate, which was funded through Kickstarter and developed by Australian outfit Defiant Development, launched this week. You can get it today for PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One for $20. What’s it all about? Hand of Fate is set in a cabin on the edge of the world…It’s a deck-building card game that’s part choose-your-own-adventure. Interestingly, it also switches into third-person during sequences where you battle against terrifying mythical creatures. Check out a trailer above to learn more.

Paradox Interactive this week announced that the latest expansion for its empire building strategy game Europa Universalis IV will be released on February 26. That’s the day the El Dorado add-on–the game’s fifth expansion–arrives for PC. According to Paradox, the add-on brings “greater depth to the New World as your European explorers and conquistadors seek wealth and glory in South and Central America.”

Do you play the Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance? If you do, you’ll probably be happy to learn that a new, time-limited Spec Op campaign, called Spec Op 24, is now available. In this new campaign, Thor has mysteriously disappeared and users can play as Beta Ray Bill, who, with his Stormbreaker hammer, will face off against the threat.

Boston-based indie developer Otherside Entertainment this week announced that original Thief voice actor Stephen L. Russell will be providing voice acting for the studio’s upcoming Kickstarter-funded role-playing game Underworld Ascendant. Russell also worked on Thief II, System Shock 2, Fallout 3, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Underworld Ascendant has 12 more days to reach its $600,000 target. Visit the Kickstarter page here.

Oh my word, this is good. The folks at Ultimate-Guitar.com have discovered a video of some guy who created a guitar pedal that sounds like an ’80s video game. No more word are required. Just check out this video and enjoy.

Virtual reality has plenty of gaming applications, but what’s so exciting to some is the ways in which it might impact other industries and organizations. One such group that could stand to benefit from VR is organized religion. This great story from Hypergrid Business spells out the ways in which religious leaders are eyeing VR as a tool to help make the church more accessible and, in turn, popular.

More DLC is now available for LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. Players across all platforms (consoles and PC), can now buy the Bizarro World Pack, which introduces new characters such as Batzarro, Bizarra, and Lantern GreenZarro, among others. Get it today for $3.

Not sure about whether or not you want to buy the upcoming over-the-top Xbox rollercoaster game Screamride? You’re in luck, as Microsoft this week launched a demo for the game on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. You can download it now.

Are you addicted to Smash Bros.? Do you want to go inside the mind of its creator? Now you can, as Game Informer has published a series of “journal entries” that game director Masahiro Sakurai wrote to chronicle the development of the recently released Wii U and 3DS games. The feature is fascinating, and includes an array of interesting morsels of news, such as how Nintendo had Ice Climbers in the Wii U version running, but they proved too technically challenging, and Nintendo ultimately had to scrap them. Read the full story here.

According to a new report from Sports Illustrated, the 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar during November and December, not June and July as it normally is. What’s this got to do with video games? EA normally releases World Cup-themed FIFA games during World Cup years. But if the tournament takes place in November and December, that will only boost EA’s all-important holiday revenue even more. On the other hand, summer is typically a slow month for new releases, and revenue from FIFA during World Cup years is likely something EA sees as a major positive during an otherwise slow month. What do you think?

Deal alert! Square Enix and Humble Bundle have teamed up for the Square Enix Humble Bundle. Pay what you want to get Hitman: Absolution, Supreme Commander 2, and Hitman Go. Pay more than the average to unlock Thief, Murdered: Soul Suspect, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Or pay $15 to get everything plus Tomb Raider (the reboot) and Sleeping Dogs. As always, you get to decide where your money goes–to developers, to charity, or to the Humble Bundle organization itself. Check it out here.

Few childhood puzzle games are more cherished than Zoombinis. Itcould get a modern rework, if this Kickstarter becomes a success. Have kids? Teach them core skills with this casual Android and iOS game!

Have a great weekend!