Game developer Hi-Rez Studios announced that its hero shooter Paladins will arrive on the Nintendo Switch on June 12th. It will launch next week as a $30 Founders Pack that includes all current and future champions, with a free-to-play version coming later in the summer. But the studio claims the Switch version will run at 60 frames per second and support cross-play with the Xbox One edition.
Playing the Nintendo Switch in portable mode is incredibly convenient, but the short battery life can leave users wanting. Today, Anker announced two new battery packs that are optimized for fast charging the Nintendo Switch. One is a $70, 13400mAh pack that provides up to 10 hours of additional play time. The other allows for 15 additional hours of play time with a 20100mAh battery, retailing for $90. Both devices look quite sleek, like all of Anker's products, and are branded with the Nintendo Switch logo.
An already thin library of Xbox One exclusives for 2018 just lost one more entry, as Microsoft confirmed that the Crackdown 3 release is scheduled for February 2019. Following a rumor from Kotaku yesterday, Microsoft said in a statement given to Windows Central that "To ensure we deliver the experience they deserve, Crackdown 3 will be launching in Feb 2019. We look forward to sharing more on Crackdown 3 this Sunday during the Xbox E3 2018 briefing."
Facebook hasn't been shy about its plans to challenge game streaming services like Twitch, Mixer and YouTube Gaming, and it's taking that effort to its next logical step. The social site recently started testing a dedicated gaming video portal (appropriately shortened to fb.gg) that highlights both live and pre-recorded footage based on the games, creators, pages and groups you follow. It'll also put the spotlight on eSports competitions and game-related events, and mobile gamers will see a section for Instant Games. The experience will no doubt seem familiar if you've used rival services, but it's hard to complain when you can find a Fortnite stream that much faster.
2016's Hitman refresh from IO Interactive was a watershed moment for the long-running assassination and stealth game series. Even as the developer was essentially cut loose from Square Enix, it retained ownership over the franchise, signing a new publishing deal with Warner Bros. Now the company is ready to launch the next iteration in the popular stealth series. Hitman 2 will be released for PlayStation, Xbox and PC on November 13, 2018.
If you've caught the '80s nostalgia bug after Stranger Things, this could be the game for you. It's 1989. Machines have taken over rural Sweden, and it's unclear how or why. And it's up to a group of young adults to stop them. That's the gist of Generation Zero, an open-world shooter announced by Just Cause and Mad Max developer Avalanche Studios just a few days before E3 kicks off.
After being pushing the game into next year, Sony has announced when its zombie apocalypse game, Days Gone, will be released. Come February 22nd you'll be able to pick the PlayStation 4 game up at your favorite retailer (or download it online). To celebrate the news, Sony dropped a new trailer, rife with cougars, motorcycles and hostile human survivors. If that sort of thing is up your alley, or, if The Last of Us' themes and characters were a little too subtle for you, maybe you'll want to give this a shot early next year. Based on our early impressions of the game, though, it sounds like Sony delaying the game was for good reason.
Whether you're a fan of Ratchet and Clank or more of a Resistance person, or you're just looking forward to this year's Spider-Man title, you've got to admit that Insomniac Games makes some pretty great stuff. Now Insomniac and Oculus Studios have released a trailer for a brand-new VR game, Stormland.