Oddworld: New ‘n’ Taste won’t be coming to Xbox One or Xbox 360 and series creator Lorne Lanning has had some choice words for Microsoft and their policy of not allowing developers to self publish on Xbox 360 and their next-gen Xbox One.

In an interview with Eurogamer at E3, Oddworld Inhabitants boss Lorne Lanning criticised Microsoft’s publishing policy and refused to “sell out” the franchise that he has created.

“There are those who are looking at next quarter’s profits, and maybe one of these big guys looks like that’s all they’re doing right now,” he said.

“If they’re looking at the world that way, you’ve got the obvious, enormous titles. They’re going to be the big revenue generators. If the company’s purely about profit, profit and profit, they’re looking at those, and then they’re looking at the little guys saying, ‘oh, they only make this much.’ They’re not interested.”

“There’s one party that’s making it very clear they’re not interested,” Lanning said. He then revealed that New ‘n’ Tasty has been granted a license to release on Xbox One, but the game needs a oublisher other than Oddworld Inhabitants.

“For Xbox One they’ve granted us a license for New ‘n’ Tasty! but they still say you need a publisher. We don’t have a publisher so we’re not officially on the platform, even though we’re compatible, even though we’ll be ready to do it. Period. Why do we need a publisher when we self-finance our games, we build our own IP, we manage our own IP and we’ve turned nearly two million units online as indie publishers sold – not free downloads? Why? What’s wrong with us?”

“It’s a different level of perspective. Is it ridiculous? I guess it depends on what seat you’re sitting in. But I think right now Wall Street is seeing something else that’s ridiculous and we’re seeing it reflected in public companies’ stock values.”

“Who’s in touch with their audience? And who seems out of touch with their audience? All we know is we’ve tried to get our games on their platform and we can’t do it – and I even helped them release the box.”

Lanning went on to praise Sony’s self-publishing energy on PSN, before reiterating that Oddworld would never “sell out” for profits that would be possibly made from getting a publisher to get their game on Xbox Live.

“I’ve had people tell me, ‘dude, just go up there, you’re losing millions of dollars.’ You know what? Oddworld wasn’t built on selling out.”

New ‘n’ Tasty! will launch on PlayStation 3, PS Vita, PlayStation 4, Wii U, PC, Mac and Linux.

Fallout publisher Bethesda reportedly showed something called “Fallout 4″ to a handful of select media outlets at E3 last week.

Strategy Informer has it from Bubblenews, that a 37 second clip was shown behind closed doors. The game will reportedly takes place in Boston, along with Arlington Cambridge and Somerville.

If the rumour is to be believed, the game is in development for PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.

The game won’t ship until late 2015, which seems like a life time away.

Take this rumour with a the smallest grain of salt possible.

CEO Yves Guillemot has revealed to Kotaku that Ubisoft have three Assassin’s Creed games concurrently in development. This is to keep it feeling “appealing and fresh”.

It’s a safe bet to assume that one of the three games is this year’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, while the others are more likely the 2014 and possibly the 2015 titles.

You’ll be pleased to hear that Ubisoft

 “are making sure the teams who are creating the different iterations have enough time.  Two years, three years, so that they can take risks and they can change the concept enough so that it can be appealing and fresh.”

Assassins Creed has come into some criticism in the past and If they happen to be developing all three games simultaneously, it will be hard stop the criticism should one of those titles happen to be a disappointment. 

 “Really, what we see is that we can have the capacity to regularly come with innovation.  That is, for me, the formula: if you can really change the game on a regular basis and bring in innovation your fans want a product very regularly. Our job is to make sure the teams have enough power, enough energy and enough time to take the necessary steps to create a high quality game.” 

Let’s hope they succeed in that goal with Black Flag.

Microsoft’s Don Mattrick has gone on the defensive to defend the cost of Microsoft’s introduction to next-gen.

Speaking with bloomberg, Mattrick defended the price tag insisting the firm is delivering “thousands of dollars of value” to consumers, adding “I think they’re going to love it”:

 ”It’s a lower number than some of the analysts had forecasted. We’re over-delivering value against other choices I think consumers can get. Any modern product these days you look at it [and] $499 isn’t a ridiculous price point. We’re delivering thousands of dollars of value to people, so I think they’re going to love it when they use it.”

E3 this year saw Microsoft and Sony reveal the cost of their machines with Microsoft’s Xbox One setting you back €499, and the PlayStation 4 will setting you back €399.

The Witcher dev CDPR has official confirmed they’ve opened a brand new studio in Krakow.

Releasing a statement to gamasutra, MD Adam Badowski confirmed that the news coincides with their “strategy outlook” which appeared online in March, and will see the studio manned by just 20 people.

The studio will focus on developing two smaller “premium” titles which will offer roughly 20 hours of gameplay each.

Expect more details as the weeks roll on.

Eidos Montreal has released a new presentation video for Thief 4 which shows the game running on the PS4.

The video sits down with Thief 4′s producer Stephane Roy and shows a solid amount of gameplay including some inventory items, plenty of stealth and much more. To date, gameplay for the title has been in short supply, so hit play and get your fill.

Thief 4 releases in 2014.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ_QZdmTRDY

Microsoft has revealed the pricing structure behind Killer Instinct which is headed to Xbox One this fall.

The game will release as a free title to all — with the first base character Jago unlocked. If you wish to expand your list of playable characters though, the firm has confirmed you’ll have to pay a fee for each character you’d like, or alternatively pay a lump some to unlock a whole bunch of them.

The confirmation comes coupled a recent appearance on the Jimmy Fallon show (seen below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNX576Dg07Q

Hitman developer IO Interactive has announced that almost half of its staff are to go as the company realigns its position in the industry to meet the “changing and challenging market.”

Revealing the new to GI.biz, a rep for the studio released a statement that confirms the studio, from this point onwards, will “resolutely” focus on the Hitman franchise – and the pre-production of the next Hitman game:

“The studio will focus resolutely on the future vision for the Hitman franchise and is in pre-production on a new AAA Hitman project. However we have taken the difficult decision to cancel other studio projects and initiatives at IO and reduce the workforce in this studio, which will impact almost half of the employees currently at IO, as we make internal adjustments to face the challenges of today’s market.”

The statement goes on to thank the team members for their hard work to date, and asks for any studio looking for additional talent to contact IO directly to try assist in relocating those affected:

“For those affected, we are extremely grateful for the hard work which they have contributed, and where it’s possible and appropriate to relocate staff to open positions at other studios within the group, we will try to do so. We are also reaching out to other companies for outplacement opportunities. We sincerely wish them well in their future careers. If you are part of a company that is looking for additional development talent, please contact us directly at info@ioi.dk”

TGL wishes all those affected the very best going forward.

Eiji Aonuma has spoken about Zelda for the Wii U claiming the visual element to the title will “be something new.”

Speaking to Nintendolife, Aonuma responded to questions surrounding what we can expect from the visuals when we finally see the next entry for the franchise:

“The thing about Zelda is we want everything to be unique, whether it’s the graphical presentation or the gameplay. It has to be something you can’t see anywhere else. We wouldn’t want it to be ultra-realistic because you can see that elsewhere. But I can’t say that it’s going to be cartoony-realistic like you mentioned, the fantastic presentation that we’ve already done in the past. It will be something new.”

Nothing is currently known about the title, but with Wii U sales lower than expected, we’re gonna’ guess there will be a reveal sooner rather than later.

The latest Irish video game charts are in and they reveal The Last of Us is top of the pile.

Naughty Dog’s title has stormed the net with stellar reviews with TGL callling it a “harrowing masterpiece”, and now it sit top of the charts. Following on from it is the usual suspects like FIFA 13 and Luigi’s Mansion.

The biggest changer this week is the drop made by Fast & Furious: Showdown which has dropped from sixth to fourteenth.

What did you pick up?

Thanks, CT

The ESRB has revealed their age gate for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.

Developed by 2K Marin, and releasing this August, the game will release wuth an “M” for mature audiences and feature violence and some fairly foul language to say the least.

Here’s how it breaks down:

“This is a third-person shooter in which players assume the role of a CIA agent, William Carter, who battles aliens in 1962. Players control Carter and his team through squad-based combat missions, exploring sites and killing aliens and human enemies. Characters use a variety of futuristic firearms, as well as pistols, rifles, machine guns, and explosives in combat. Cutscenes also contain instances of violence: characters shooting each other at close range; an alien getting shot, with pieces of its skull broken up into pieces. An interrogation sequence allows players to choose to use force or not: if selected, Carter punches and shoots the alien while demanding information. The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “c*nt” can be heard in the dialogue.”

In April, the game was confirmed to have experience an overhaul to say the least.

CDPR has sent TGL some brand new screens from The Witcher 3.

Direct from E3, the new screens show off some stunning set pieces, monsters to slay, the new dynamic weather effects, bustling villages and much more from the title which is expected to release sometime next year on PC, Xbox One and the PS4.

Check them out and tell us what you think of them.

EA has confirmed there’s Visceral is not currently working on another Dead Space title.

Speaking to Eurogamer at E3, EA Games Label boss Patrick Söderlund confirmed that while there’s no active development ongoing, gamers can expect something else “very exciting”:

“Is that team working on a Dead Space game today? No they’re not. They’re working on something else very exciting. You have to think of it from that perspective. Is it better to put them on the fourth version of a game they’ve done three previous versions of before? Or is it better to put them on something new that they want to build, that they have passion for?”

Reports emerged in March this year that suggested the series was on hold due to the poor sales of Dead Space 3 – something EA categorically denied.

According to a report from Kotaku, the QTE events in Crytek’s RYSE title complete themselves – even without player input.

The report reveals details of gameplay and goes on to confirm how the quick-time events successfully complete themselves, regardless of whether of not the player hits the required button combination.

Questioning a rep from Crytek, the site was told the reason the game completes the events is because the dev doesn’t “want the player to feel frustrated.”

We’d guess this would change before the title is published, or will it?

Since the first trailer to Ground Zeros and when the internet worked out that The Phantom Pain was indeed Metal Gear Solid V, the Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain hype train has been running without brakes. However, while so far the fan reaction has been incredibly positive, there has been one aspect of the next Metal Gear Solid game that has upset its fanbase- the recasting of Snake from David Hayter to Keifer Sutherland. Of course, not all of the fanbase is upset, and while Keifer has plenty of supporters out there, the fan backlash to him voicing Snake has been overwhelming. And while the matter does seem to be put to bed, many fans feel that Hideo Kojima is pulling the wool over our eyes, and that this entire supposed recasting of Snake is merely a ruse.

Here’s 5 reasons why David Hayter might return for The Phantom Pain

Before it was announced that David Hayter wasn’t returning, he posted a poll on his twitter. The question asked was “How would you react if I didn’t play Snake in the next Metal Gear?”, with the results coming in at “Sad/Angry 64%, No Big Deal 12% and Would not Buy 24%” Fans speculated that he was up to something, and a little under a month later he posted a statement on twitter that can be found here.

However, while the statement seems heartfelt and rather genuine, the timing of it was a little suspect. He posted it on April 1^st, and while fans have since asked him if it was an April fools joke, he has stood behind it being the real thing. Who knows, but this kicked off the theory that a Hayter-less Metal Gear Solid is possibly a ruse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5IVOs5Pxh8

Cast your minds back to the original trailer for The Phantom Pain, long before we suspected it was actually a Metal Gear Solid title. The character who has his face bandaged who helps Snake- known only as Ishmael- is clearly voiced by Keifer Sutherland. Konami hasn’t changed this since either, and they have showed him in the GDC Fox Engine video. So what does this mean? Well, there’s a few possibilities. Either Keifer Sutherland is voicing both Snake and Ishmael- which can be heard in the GDC Fox Engine press conference, or he is just voicing Ishmael and someone else is eventually voicing Snake. Then again, this is assuming that Ishmael isn’t in Snake’s head, and is actually real and not a hallucination much like those “who don’t exist”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSfajBs2nyQ

This is an odd one here. After a number of trailers shown, there is one thing we haven’t seen yet- Snake speaking on-screen with the voice of Keifer Sutherland. There have been only two parts in which we’ve actually heard his voice, once from behind his head when he’s freeing Kaz in Afghanistan, and once more off-screen at the end of the E3 trailer. Many fans have made the mistake that Snake’s voice can be heard throughout the E3 trailer, but rather we are hearing both Revolver Ocelot and Kaz’s voices.

So after all these trailers, the announcement that Keifer Sutherland- a big Hollywood name- is voicing Snake, we haven’t actually seen him speak on screen. That’s pretty crazy, if you ask me. Konami have this huge name attached to their project, but have yet to show him in action? There must be some kind of misdirection going on here, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-c1a5c55-8

This certainly isn’t proof, but they are two interesting references that something- whether it involves the David Hayter or not- is going on. In a recent interview with Hideo Kojima on Gametrailers that can be found here, the interviewer asks Kojima at the end, “Given your reputation, should fans believe everything you’re saying, and like, are you doing a little bit of misdirection?”, to which Kojima pulls a smirk, and the frame freezes as the Metal Gear Solid theme plays. Keep in mind that the executive producer of Gametrailers is Geoff Keighley who, as we are now aware (1.50), was in on the original The Phantom Pain ruse right from the beginning. Could Gametrailers still be in on something with Kojima and are directly teasing it to us?

Additionally, before E3 on the KP Alert podcast (Episode 2) which can be found here, they talked mainly about the recently announced news that Keifer Sutherland was voicing Snake. When speaking about the voice over/mocap sessions, one of the team says (at 13.24) , “We started with VO and facial. Keifer came in a little early and we got started on it, did a few scenes and ummm… some… some things there too. Almost let it slip there“, to which everyone else laughs. Let what slip? Perhaps Keifer is doing the motion/facial capture and David Hayter is doing the voice of Snake? Who knows, but it seems like even Konami is desperately wanting to tell us something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Bu1lDD2So

Finally, one of the most compelling pieces of info that Hayter is up to something. Since his statement saying farewell to the Metal Gear Solid fans, and his disappointment in not returning to the role, he has tweeted some rather cryptic messages.

First off is a message his posted leading up to E3:

 Which was followed up by this tweet a few days later:

Which was then followed quite recently with this, Hayter arriving at E3 a little late to the party…

This has led many fans to believe that a reveal may be coming soon, just not yet. Additionally, here’s a tweet that hasn’t gained much traction, but I found it to be one of the more interesting tweets he has sent out:

Made-up fueds? Interesting to say the least, eh?

In the end, we still don’t know, but I personally believe that Kojima has one more ruse up his sleeve. Time will tell, but during the next Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain trailer, I wouldn’t be completely surprised if it cut to Snake from the original Ground Zeroes trailer, he looks to the camera, and whips off his night vision goggles to the sound of David Hayters voice saying, “Kept you waiting, huh?” This outcome would deliver a terrific motion/facial capture performance from a seasoned actor, with the icing on that cake that is Snake’s voice, his one and only voice.

Make it happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyE0UabtLn0

]]> http://www.thegamingliberty.com/2013/06/5-reasons-why-david-hayter-might-return-for-the-phantom-pain/feed/ 0