Electronic Arts‘ “Skate.” will launch an in-game collaboration with the X Games this month.
Running July 21 through Aug. 25, the adrenaline-fueled X Games will transform the virtual stadium in EA and developer Full Circle‘s “skate.” virtual stadium with X Games-inspired challenges and tasks designed to drop players right into the action of a live event.
“X Games has always been about giving the world’s best skateboarders a stage to push what’s possible,” X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom said in a statement. “Bringing that experience into ‘skate.’ lets millions of players compete on an authentic X Games League course, represent their clubs, and experience the intensity, progression and creativity that define our sport. It’s a natural extension of what we’re building.”
The game developers worked closely with the X Games team to capture the intensity of their sporting events, according to Deran Chung, Full Circle’s senior creative director: “From the layout to the flow of each line, this was about translating a real-world competition experience into something players can explore and make their own.”
The news comes on the heels of growing ratings and viewer engagement for the new X Games League, which reached over 12 million U.S. linear across ESPN and ABC. The San Van experience kicks off in “skate.” three days before the XGL Summer League championship event in New Orleans, the first of its kind for the X Games.
See more gaming news from this week in the roundup below.
David Beckham is making his “Fortnite” debut in the Icon Series starting Friday, July 17 at 8 p.m. ET, as shown in a new trailer.
To celebrate the former soccer player’s legacy, players will be able to compete in the David Beckham Icon Cup, with top finishers winning the full David Beckham Bundle. The Item Shop will feature the following:
“‘Fortnite’ creates new and exciting ways to connect with fans around the world,” Beckham said in a statement. “It’s been great working with them to create something that celebrates my career on and off the pitch.”
The first look at “Kill Block,” the new “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4” game was released at Fanatics Fest.
The multiplayer battleground game launches Oct. 23 and takes place at the West Bridge Advanced Military Training Facility, which features battleground reconfigurations before every match.
The logline reads, “Welcome to the West Bridge Advanced Military Training — codenamed Kill Block — an off-the-books facility specializing in modular Multiplayer battlegrounds centered on reconfiguring combat layouts. Designed as a live-fire training environment, Kill Block maps reconfigure between matches, forcing players to reassess sightlines, routes and combat spaces.”
“Kill Block” also features expanded gunfight experiences, which includes 3v3 and 10v10 modes. Most of the map sections are new, while others are inspired by locations throughout Modern Warfare history. Over 500 configurations are possible.
Mariumittu Games and Annapurna Interactive have launched “D-topia,” a new narrative-driven sci-fi adventure exploring the aftermath of artificial intelligence creating a utopian society.
Gamers will play a resident maintenance worker, known as a Facilitator, that is tasked with resolving issues within the D-topia resident facility. An official game synopsis reads: “The Facilitator must tackle fun logic-based puzzles to resolve mechanical issues and keep the facilities running smoothly, while meeting the many vibrant residents, each with their own unique story and personal struggle. Your decisions matter in ‘D-topia,’ with branching paths and narrative implications based upon player choices.”
“’D-topia’ explores a future that may not be as far away as it seems, with many of its settings and ideas inspired by possibilities that could one day become reality,” Marumittu Games founder Hiroco Shiino said in a statement. “In this world known as ‘Paradise’, we invite you to reflect on what happiness truly means, what we struggle with, what we seek, and what it means to keep thinking and taking action for ourselves and for others. We hope you’ll enjoy the journey while discovering your own answers along the way.”
The game is now available for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. Watch the launch trailer below.
“The Sims 4” is bringing a slew of content improvements for the next Base Game Update on July 21.
Additionally, the next Quality of Life update will be available in September with a focus on improving Sim autonomy.
Saber Interactive announced Steve Allison as chief business officer.
Allison has over 30 years of executive experience in the games industry, including leading companies like Accolade, Atari, Midway and Telltale. Most recently, he was vice president at Epic Games, where he led the formation and launch of the Epic Games Store and Epic’s third-party publishing.
In this role, Allison will be a leading member of the executive team and manage publishing, marketing and other revenue opportunities. He will report directly to CEO Matthew Karch.
“I have been extremely impressed with what Matt, Andrey and Anton have built over the years,” Allison said. “Saber’s strength is the talented studios that build high-quality games at 30-50% the cost of industry norms. The upcoming slate is exceptional with “Space Marine 3,” “Jurassic Park,” “Turok,” “Hellraiser,” the upcoming “John Wick” game and several unannounced projects that we can talk about very soon. It’s an honor to join Matt and the team as Saber enters this transformative period.”
Saber Interactive is the global video game studio behind “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2,” “SnowRunner” and “World War Z.”
ByteRockers’ Games announced a new partnership with Elysium Games to publish cyberpunk detective thriller “Neo Berlin 2087,” where players will be able to switch between first- and third-person views while having the option to choose player dialogue and tactical playstyles.
The partnership was announced during a celebration combining science and interactive entertainment at Zeiss-Großplanetarium in Berlin, which also featured a live play session of ByteRockers’ “Exovia” projected onto the planetarium’s dome. ByteRockers’ CEO Maik also appeared in a fully operational astronaut suit to accompany the space game.
Also announced at the celebration was “Rosaby Roots,” a plant shop simulator from Let Them Trade developer Spaceflower. The atmospheric horror project “Lavender Fields” was also revealed and will by developed by Alchemical Works while being signed to the ByteRockers publishing portfolio.