Private Division, the publishing subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, has acquired OlliOlli series developer Roll7.
As reported by MCV UK, the publishing label purchased the London-based developer for an undisclosed sum. Roll7 is currently working on its latest installment of the OlliOlli series, OlliOlli World, which is set to be published by Private Division this winter.
In a statement, Executive Vice President and Head of Private Division Michael Worosz spoke positively about the publisher's relationship with the BAFTA award-winning studio. “We’re thrilled to welcome Roll7 to the Private Division family,” said Worosz. “As a team passionate about action sports ourselves, seeing how Roll7 combines the thrill of competition with the zen of achieving flow-state in a videogame is remarkable, and we can’t wait to show the world this phenomenon with our release of OlliOlli World this winter.”
Private Division was initially set up by Take-Two to publish games from independent developers, and has previously brought out The Outer Worlds, Disintegration, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey and more. It previously agreed a deal to publish new games not just from Roll7, but Moon Studios (Ori & the Blind Forest) and League of Geeks (Armello).
Following Roll7's acquisition as part of the Private Division label, studio Co-CEO Simon Bennett spoke fondly about their work together so far. “Private Division has been an incredible publishing partner for OlliOlli World, and we’re elated to continue to grow as a studio as part of the label,” said Bennett.
“Private Division has empowered our amazing team to raise the bar on our creativity and scope for OlliOlli World. Joining the label puts us in a great position to continue to grow and to set our sights on achieving our ambition to become a pre-eminent global videogames developer.”
The official announcement trailer for OlliOlli World was revealed back in April. For more on the upcoming 2D skateboarding game, make sure to check out our hands-on preview, which discusses level variety, what's been kept from previous installments of the series, and the game's charming art style.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Battlefield 2042 isn't being fully released until this Friday, but many of those playing early haven't been pleased with the release version. Server issues, unexpected gunplay quirks, glitches, and UI design have been singled out for criticism by many in the community.
Battlefield launched last Friday as an EA Play trial, as well as offering the full version to those who've paid more for special editions or the EA Play Pro subscription. Unfortunately, many players found the new game to be unplayable because of an error when loading into servers, with Battlefield's support Twitter account acknowledging the issue. Almost a full day later, the account said the problem had been "significantly reduced", but many players reported requesting refunds within that time.
Gunshot Bloom
Perhaps the most consistent issue for players right now is the level of gunshot "bloom" to the game – a term for how shots will deviate from your exact crosshair aim, often used as a way to promote precision burst of fire rather than constant trigger-holding. While Battlefield games (like many shooters) have used bloom to some extent before, the level to which shots deviate in 2042 has caused a huge amount of discussion among players since the full version arrived.
For many, the amount of bloom now turns landing shots into as much a matter of luck as skill, a point of huge frustration for many players. You can see examples of the effect in the videos below:
Glitches
We'll get the big one out of the way first – hovercrafts can essentially climb buildings and fly, and are seemingly strong enough to be able to take down helicopters in a head-on collisions:
It's a common enough sight that flying hovercraft have begun to become a meme among the community, with some going as far as to say that they should be kept as-is for comedic value alone.
Unfortunately, it's far from the only glitch being reported. One particularly serious problem sees players getting downed and becoming unable to be revived, but also unable to die and respawn. The only meaningful way out of the issue is to be either fully killed by an enemy (which can be difficult in a chaotic 128-player match), or to quit the match entirely.
The UI for the game, both inside and outside of matches, has been criticised by many players. Some issues revolve around overblown complexity, with gun customisation receiving the brunt of criticism here. Others revolve around a lack of information compared to previous games, from the game not indicating how many players are being waited for before a match begins, to making it a more fiddly experience to choose a spawn point.
In-game, many have complained about opaque HUD elements that can inadvertently cover up parts of the screen in tense situations, while large pop-in banners that indicate who has majority control of areas in matches have been criticised since the game's beta.
With Battlefield 2042's full launch coming up this week, many players will be hoping to hear DICE or EA comment on the issues and perhaps promise changes in an early patch. So far, there's been no official word on players' concerns – we've contacted EA for comment.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
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Facebook is running a great promotion on its incredible set of Portal devices. You can currently save up to £90 on brand new Portal video-calling devices, such as the Portal+ and Portal Go.
The headline deal for this promotion, however, is definitely on the base Portal device, down to just £79 in the Black Friday sales (see here). This is down from the list price of £159, bringing the savings up to a remarkable £90. This is a limited time deal, and will expire by the end of the Black Friday offers on November 30.
AD: Save Up to £90 on Facebook Portal Devices
Portal devices are all about immersive video calling, including Smart Camera tracking that will keep you on screen and in focus throughout a video call. It works with most video calling apps such as Zoom, and you can use it to call others who don't have a Portal device as well.
This Black Friday promotion even includes free two-day delivery and free returns, so this is a risk-free opportunity to try out one of Portal's best products on offer.
A supposed casting sheet for a Daredevil project at Marvel Studios has seemingly leaked online, further fuelling rumors of Matt Murdock's appearance in the MCU.
ComicBook.com picked up on a tweet from @RPK_News1, aka industry scooper Daniel RPK, showing a screenshot of what appears to be a talent grid for an upcoming Daredevil project at Marvel Studios. The grid doesn't contain any crewmember or cast member names, nor does it state whether the project is a movie or a series.
Daredevil reboot rumors started swirling in the wake of the property reverting from its multi-year tenure at Netflix, where the series lasted for three seasons before being cancelled in 2018, back to Marvel Studios. The switch of ownership saw fans reignite their #SaveDaredevil campaign to plead with Kevin Feige to bring the show back.
Writer and actor David Hayter stirred up even more speculation with comments about the rumored reboot at MCM London Comic Con. "They're doing a reboot of Daredevil" he said. "I loved the first way they did it, but there's certain things that I would want to adapt from the Frank Miller run on Daredevil that really meant a lot to me."
However, Hayter later clarified his comments in a tweet that confirmed he has "no inside information whatsoever" on the rumored Daredevil reboot. "No, I did not 'confirm' a Daredevil reboot," he wrote in the tweet. "I mistakenly thought I'd read in the trades that it was happening, and I would love to see it. (And yes, I'd love to write it.)"
Tom Holland has said the cast and crew are treating No Way Home as the "end of a franchise," and it certainly seems like they are set to go out with a bang when the film hits theaters on December 17. Holland will star alongside Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, with Zendaya and Jacob Batalon also returning as MJ and Ned.
Lucasfilm and Del Rey are capping off 2021 with the conclusion to another major Star Wars trilogy. Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy Book III – Lesser Evil is the final chapter in author Timothy Zahn's latest sci-fi epic. This book completes Zahn's examination of Thrawn's career in the Chiss Ascendancy before "defecting" to the Empire and becoming one of the galaxy's most feared military leaders.
As with the previous two books in the series, IGN can debut an exclusive excerpt of Lesser Evil ahead of its release. But first, a little background info is in order.
At this point in the series, the Chiss Ascendancy is hurtling toward all-out civil war, and Thrawn himself will have to dig deep into a conspiracy surrounding the Chiss' First Ruling Family. The fallout of his actions here may just give fans new insight into why Thrawn ultimately leaves the Chiss for the Galactic Empire.
This excerpt is taken from one of the recurring "memory" sections in the book, featuring a flashback to a young Thrawn and his friend Thrass before the main events of the novel.
Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy Book III – Lesser Evil will be released in print, eBook and audiobook formats on Tuesday, November 16. If you want to check out our previous Thrawn Ascendancy excerpts, here's Book I: Chaos Rising and Book II: Greater Good.
