The future of Super Smash Bros. hangs in the balance as Masahiro Sakurai contemplates what's next.
In an interview with Japanese publication Famitsu which IGN has independently translated, Sakurai spoke about the development of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and how it could or couldn't continue without him.
"I’m not thinking about a sequel,” Sakurai told Famitsu following the release of Sora, the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character. And while Sakurai says he was never thinking about a sequel during development, he also "can't say this is definitely the last Smash Bros."
But even if a team decides to develop a new Smash Bros. game, Sakurai admits that he "can't see any way right now to produce Smash Bros. without me."
Super Smash Bros. is Nintendo's ambitious fighting game series that pits iconic Nintendo characters against each other. In recent entries, Super Smash Bros. has brought in famous guest characters like Ryu, Cloud, and most recently Sora.
Nintendo traditionally has had a Super Smash Bros. entry for every one of its major consoles since the Nintendo 64. However, what direction will the series go after the Nintendo Switch's lifecycle? Will there continue to be new entries and characters, or will Ultimate simply be ported over and over again?
For now, though, Sakurai is taking a much-deserved rest.
Just because Sakurai announced the end of his involvement with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. doesn't mean he will stop making other games in the future. He was the designer for Kid Icarus: Uprising on Nintendo 3DS, after all.
Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series has found its Fire Lord. Daniel Dae Kim, who's known for appearing in Lost and Hawaii Five-O, will play Ozai, the ruler of the Fire Nation and father to Zuko and Azula, in the live-action adaptation.
Kim has previous experience in the world of Avatar, voicing General Fond in one episode of the original show and a video game adaptation.
“I do have the power. I have all the power in the world!”
Netflix’s live action Avatar: The Last Airbender has found its Fire Lord Ozai: Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Hawaii Five-0) pic.twitter.com/9zYxVuiSLo
Netflix says Kim is joining the series as a regular, and says his character, "demands everyone live up to his impossible standards, especially his teenaged son, Prince Zuko. Ozai’s drive to conquer and unite the world under firebender rule is a family burden—he believes that it’s his destiny to finish a war started by his ancestors."
We learned the main cast for Netflix's Avatar earlier this year, which includes Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, and Dallas Liu as Zuko.
Netflix first announced the live-action adaptation in 2018, when Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino were on board to helm the series. However, the original creators left last year due to creative differences with Netflix. Now, Albert Kim is serving as the project's showrunner, alongside The Lego Movie's Dan Lin, Walker's Lindsey Liberatore, and Swamp Thing's Michael Goi.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
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Marvel's Avengers hasn't had the warmest reputation since it launched last year, but now we've got some words from Square Enix's president about its own internal reception.
In Square Enix's annual report for 2021, president Yosuke Matsuda says that Marvel's Avengers was an ambitious GaaS (Games as a Service) release. However, Avengers was not as successful as the company would have liked.
"We overcame a variety of unexpected difficulties in the final phase of the game’s development, including needing to transition to work-from-home due to the pandemic. We were able to surmount these challenges and release the game, but it has unfortunately not proven as successful as we would have liked," Matsuda says. Matsuda said Square Enix would learn from its experience with Avengers and work to produce games that "mesh with the unique attributes and tastes of our studios and development teams."
"Nonetheless, taking on the GaaS model highlighted issues that we are likely to face in future game development efforts such as the need to select game designs that mesh with the unique attributes and tastes of our studios and development teams," said Matsuda. "While the new challenge that we tackled with this title produced a disappointing outcome, we are certain that the GaaS approach will grow in importance as gaming becomes more service oriented."
While Matsuda doesn't outright say it, it looks like he thinks that Crystal Dynamics's pedigree and particular skillset just didn't mesh well with the GaaS service model of Marvel's Avengers. After all, the studio is best known for single-player games like its Tomb Raider reboot. The developer is also working with The Initiative on the Perfect Dark reboot, another presumably single-player game.
As if this revelation wasn't bad enough, yesterday Crystal Dynamics removed paid XP boosters from the game's in-game marketplace after fan backlash, apologizing that it didn't listen sooner.
George Yang is a freelance news writer for IGN
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Update: According to a Bloomberg report, the unannounced game in question was being developed by Mafia 3 studio Hangar 13 and was code-named Volt.
The report goes on to say that the game had been in development since 2017, and had troubles with reboots, technological hiccups, and COVID-19. The studio's employees will met to discuss next steps on Thursday.
Original story:
Games get canceled all the time, and while we occasionally hear about them via official announcements or reporting, more often they are canceled before they ever reach the news. We got a rare glimpse into the process during Take-Two's earnings today, which revealed that an unannounced game cancellation cost the company $53 million.
The company cites the cancellation in its earnings as part of an "impairment charge," which in releases like these means that the company had assets that it now finds are unexpectedly worth a whole lot less than they previously valued them at. For example, say GameStop buys a lot of amiibo, expecting to sell them for a certain amount of money. Then, sudddenly, Nintendo cancels amiibo support for its games and no one wants to buy those amiibo anymore. GameStop might report an impairment charge on its amiibo for the amount of money it expects to lose by putting them on heavy discount just to get them out of its warehouse.
In Take-Two's case, this effectively means that it spent about $53 million on a game it was making, but no longer expects to be able to do anything sellable with the things it spent that money on.
When reached for comment, Take-Two declined to give further detail as to what the canceled game was. Though the earnings indicated the title was unannounced, one possibility is that it could have been the long-hoped-for Bully 2, though there's no evidence to confirm this. Another possibility is Agent, a Cold War espionage thriller that did get originally announced at E3 2009. Its website was shut down just last month without any explanation. It also appears to have been deleted from Rockstar's games section on its website, and its trademark was abandoned in 2018.
Whatever the case, $53 million is a hefty amount to lose on a game, even if it is just a fraction of what the company makes in a quarter (in this case, $985 million in net bookings). It's also a not-insignificant chunk of what it takes to make some of Take-Two's biggest titles. Borderlands 3, for instance, is said to have cost around $95 million to make, plus $140 million for its DLC — though it was reportedly massively over budget.
Whatever it was, Take-Two still has plenty more games on deck for the next few years, and has repeatedly given guidance that it's ramping up game production, including on "immersive core" releases similar to 2K sports titles and GTA 5. So even if we've lost one game we never knew we had, there are many, many more games queued up to take its place.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
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PlayStation 5 doesn’t just improve your gaming lifestyle with gorgeous graphical upgrades, it also rounds out your experience with breathtaking 3D sound. The new PS5 console’s appropriately monikered Tempest 3D Audio feature is a spatial audio technology designed to envelop you in a squall of surround sound. That’s right; instead of adopting an existing 3D audio technology like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, Sony created its own. And, it’s supposed to expand its support over time.
At the moment though, Tempest 3D Audio’s full sound prowess only works on a few gaming headsets. The good news is the technology should work on any headset compatible with the console, which leads us to the best PS5 headsets. Beyond compatibility with (or better yet, optimization for) the console, the best PS5 headset must also offer excellent sound quality, a clear mic, a comfortable fit, and great gaming features. And, it doesn’t hurt if it looks great on your head as well. You also need to like what you’re hearing and do so comfortably as well. For the best PS5 headsets, here are our top picks:
TL;DR – These are our picks for the Best PS5 Headsets:
If there’s one PS5 headset that can truly paint pictures with sound and the assistance of Sony’s Tempest Engine, that would be the Sony Pulse 3D. After all, Sony did design the headset specifically to give gamers that full 3D audio experience that the PS5 is capable of, fine-tuning it for its 3D audio tech. In fact, this headset was launched alongside the console so they are a match made in sonic heaven. It’s got a few other aces up its sleeves as well. It’s sleek, light and very comfortable. It’s got a good quality mic. And, it’s got a pretty affordable price tag.
It has its share of shortcomings – the 12-hour battery life will frustrate those who abhor having to charge their devices constantly. It could also be built more robustly and have a few more features like a top-quality mic, better noise isolation and even a better fit for glasses-wearing gamers. Even Bluetooth connectivity would have been nice. However, seeing as it is the first of its kind, it’s already a great headset with everything any PS5 player needs to get started.
If full Tempest 3D Audio support isn’t your top priority – the feature works on most headsets compatible with PS5, anyway – then the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is your best bet. It sits at the same price point as the Sony Pulse 3D, but instead of you paying for the Tempest fine-tuning, you’re paying for other features instead. Among those are Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing tech, which enhances all the sound details critical to your game, and the ProSpecs feature, which lets you comfortably wear the headset with your glasses on. There’s also that convenient flip-to-mute mic and longer battery life of 15 hours.
There’s a bit more clamping force on these than other PS5 headsets, it’s a bit bare on connectivity options, and the construction is mostly plastic. But, it certainly makes up for those with its nice features, affordable price, and great performance. Plus, if you’re tired of the same all-black gaming peripherals, its white option pairs well with the PS5.
As SteelSeries’ more affordable offering in its Arctis line, the Arctis Prime is a bit trimmed down on features and sticks to the essentials. However, it hasn’t lost that signature Arctis sound we love and even audiophiles can appreciate. What the Prime lacks in frills, it makes up for in solid construction, breathable comfort, decent noise isolation, and naturally, great sound.
It’s the best budget option, therefore, for PS5 gamers who just aren’t completely sold on wireless peripherals. Plug that 3.5mm jack to your PS5 gamepad, and you’re good to go – not to mention it also takes advantage of that 3D audio goodness. Granted, some folks would prefer more features on their headsets, but those who prefer a more back to basics approach, it’s a winner.
4. SteelSeries Arctis 7P+
Best Wireless PS5 Headset
Shelling out a bit more cash might be worth it for those gamers who take their audio seriously and like to dabble in just about any console or gaming system. The SteelSeries Arctis 7P+ works with just about any system – not to mention both USB and USB-C transmitters – so you can have one headset to rule them all. It also has up to 30 hours of battery life, essentially beating Sony’s own offering. Naturally, being an Arctis headset, it boasts good sound quality, solid build quality, and great comfort – as well as the line’s ClearCast bidirectional retractable mic.
Oh, and did we mention it comes with full Tempest 3D AudioTech compatibility? That’s right. This wireless PS5 headset will give you the full experience when it comes to the PS5’s coveted 3D audio immersion. So yeah, while this is a bit on the pricier side, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth. Strangely enough, however, this might not be as good for music listening. But, we’re here for gaming, aren’t we?
Razer’s hat in the PS5 ring is all about immersion. The Razer Barracuda X is among the very few full adopters of Sony’s Tempest 3D AudioTech and it also offers THX Spatial Audio support for a 7.1 surround sound experience. Basically, whether you're playing on your PS5 or PC, this headset will put your right in the middle of the action. Just know that the THX Spatial Audio feature requires a paid app to activate, but it’s a one time fee for a lifetime of immersive gaming.
There are other things we love about the Barracuda X as well – besides that funky 80s-esque moniker. It’s got a decently long battery life, is lightweight, plus a sleek and minimalist design that lets it pass for a regular pair of headphones. Pull out that detachable mic, and no one’s going to look at you weird when you’re on the plane or on a bus.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 is how luxurious it is to wear, like you’ve just wrapped around your head a cloud. It’s thanks to its cooling gel-infused plush memory foam ear pads. But, that’s not the only thing that makes this headset comfortable. Its ProSpecs design makes it possible for glasses-wearing gamers to enjoy their game in comfort as well. Performance-wise, it boasts great sound, up to 20 hours of battery life, and Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing features. It also supports virtual 7.1 surround sound through Windows Sonic.
At this point, we might as well just make a bulleted list of its skills… Adding to its versatility is its compact USB wireless dongle. It comes with Bluetooth as well so you can pair it with your PC quickly and without fuss if you want to switch between platforms.
The Audeze Penrose isn’t perfect. In fact, its initial fit has given us headaches. Quite literally. Its sound, however, is simply impeccable, hitting audiophile-level quality that we rarely ever see on gaming headsets. Some of Arctis’ high-end offerings might come close, but the Penrose still slays them all. So, if you’re more discerning about your sound, this might just be the PS5 gaming headset for you. As long as you’re ok with paying a premium, that is, as it doesn’t come cheap.
You might be able to take comfort in the fact that it offers a lot of features, however. Multi-platform compatibility and multiple connectivity options add to its value. Then you factor in that terrific mic and the fact that you can use it for media consumption as well, and you’re getting a high return on investment. Just make sure to break it in.
To use the Astro A50 with your PS5, you’re going to need a few things and plug a bunch of cables on a bunch of ports on three different devices: your PS5, the A50 base station, and the Astro HDMI adapter for PS5. Don’t worry; the setup is pretty straightforward. It’s just a bunch of steps. So, why even bother? Well, excellent sound, Dolby surround sound processing, and Game:Voice balancing are only three of the many reasons. The Astro A50 is among the best gaming headsets out there, and that’s true for PS5 gaming as well.
It’s also among the most comfortable – seriously, we could wear this for hours and not notice that it’s there – and one of the most versatile. In fact, if you already own the latest model, all you need to do is get that HDMI adapter and you’re all set. Got both PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles? Just get an additional Astro A50 charging base for Xbox Series X/S as well and you can share one headset across the two consoles.
Michelle Rae Uy is a freelance tech and travel writer, part-time production editor, and a full-time traveler from Los Angeles, California. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles, London and the rest of the world. Follow her on Instagram @straywithRae.
