At the 2016 IAB Digital Content NewFronts, Activision Blizzard Media Networks (ABMN) announced the launch of new content, broadcast experiences and distribution partnerships for its MLG.tv streaming platform.
MLG.tv debuted its Enhanced Viewing Experience at the event, a High-Definition video stream with a built-in algorithmic system that provides viewers with match statistics, up-to-the-minute leaderboards, and situational insights based on the competition they are watching.
Steve Bornstein, Chairman of Activision Blizzard Media Networks and Former CEO of ESPN took the stage to introduce the network’s host, veteran broadcaster and retired professional gamer Chris Puckett. As host of MLG.tv’s daily ESR broadcast, Puckett will be producing up-to-the-minute premium highlights, interviews and news segments for a new generation of sports fan.
ABMN will launch this content and more during the MLG Anaheim Open, a two-day Call of Duty: Black Ops III tournament set to kick off on June 10th. The MLG Anaheim Open will also be the inaugural event as part of a deeper collaboration with Facebook.
Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios today announced plans to bring Star Trek Online, the free-to-play MMORPG based on the Star Trek franchise, to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in Fall 2016. At the console launch, Star Trek Online will offer over six years’ worth of content, including over 130 featured episodes that build upon classic Star Trek stories and series as they play alongside a cast of Star Trek actors including Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), Michael Dorn (Worf), Tim Russ (Tuvok) and more.
In addition to the countless hours of content, Cryptic Studios has also made considerable updates to the game engine to offer upgraded visuals and an enhanced user experience for console. Learning from the recent launch success of Neverwinter on Xbox One, the Star Trek Online team has created a control scheme that allows players to navigate both the space and ground combat with ease.
Bandai Namco reveals a new trailer for One Piece: Burning Blood ahead of the game’s release later this month. This trailer highlights multiple online play modes, giving fans a closer look at Pirate Flag Battle, which allows players to join a pirate crew and sail across the seas to claim victory at different famous locations in a massively multiplayer online territory building campaign. The trailer also shows off Ranked Matches and Player Matches where players can challenge friends or other online-players in drag-out fights and battle for victory in order to ascend online ranks for bragging rights.
Capcom announced that Monster Hunter Generations will launch on July 15th for the Nintendo 3DS. Fans of this latest installment of the action RPG series can purchase the New Nintendo 3DS XL Monster Hunter Generations Edition, also launching on the same day for $239.99 CAD. The New Nintendo 3DS XL Monster Hunter Generations Edition comes in a blue hue and features artwork of the game’s Fated Four, an elite group of powerful new monsters. The game will need to be purchased separately from the new hardware.
Square Enix and Milestone today announced that Valentino Rossi: The Game will be released on July 26th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam.
Valentino Rossi: The Game will feature more than 90 riders from the official 2016 MotoGP roster, with 18 official tracks and historical tracks from previous seasons. Players will get a unique perspective of the motorcycle grand prix world as they follow Rossi’s legendary career in a series of challenges from his debut in 1996 up thru the 2015.
More than just a MotoGP game, players will experience the world of Valentino Rossi with all-new expanded game modes dedicated to the career of the 9-time World Champion, including special 2-wheel and 4-wheel drift, rally, flat track, and R1M-only challenges.
Valentino Rossi: The Game will be available for download and at retail for $49.99. The Day One Edition will also be available and includes the Real Events: 2015 MotoGP Season Pack.
The first Elusive Target has appeared in Hitman. Elusive Targets are part of the live content being published for Hitman in-between episodes and represent a new game mode debuting for players. The Elusive Targets are specially crafted, unique targets, which come with particular rules:
As this is the first Elusive Target, Io Interactive wanted to let players know in advance, however there may not be so much warning next time so keep your ears close to the ground, visit the forums or follow Hitman on social media to ensure you don’t miss out.
Stoic and Versus Evil today announced that Banner Saga 2 will launch on July 26th on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One via the ID@Xbox self-publishing program. Banner Saga 2 recently released on PC.
Indie French developer Insane Unity today announced that they are developing a large scale real-time strategy game for PC, Win That War! Scheduled for release in 2017, Win That War! is a RTS game with solo, multiplayer and MMO campaign modes set in a procedurally generated retro sci-fi universe. Players will work with and against each other in uneasy alliances between three corporate factions, each of which seeks control of the galaxy. Starting today, players can download the demo at the game’s newly launched Kickstarter page to see if they want to join the battle for universal domination before committing any hard-earned dollars toward the game’s promise. The demo offers an early look at a single player training match plus a multiplayer match mode for up to 8 human players, both set in a single desert biome and without implementation of the game’s MMO features and full planetary view.
Natsume, in partnership with Natsume Atari, announced Wild Guns: Reloaded for the PlayStation 4. A remake of the classic SNES shooter, Wild Guns: Reloaded will feature two new characters, 1-4 player mode, classic and new stages, and new boss enemies and special weapons. Wild Guns: Reloaded will be available this fall.
In the Disney Art Academy, now available exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS, you can use a wide variety of tools to learn to draw more than 80 Disney and Pixar characters in 2D. By setting your own pace through multiple easy-to-follow lessons, characters like Mickey Mouse, Nemo from Disney Pixar Finding Nemo, Elsa from Disney Frozen, Buzz Lightyear from Disney Pixar Toy Story and Simba from Disney The Lion King come to life on your Nintendo 3DS screen.
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