Epic and Apple Are Fighting Over A Naked Banana (Agent Peely)

Epic vs Apple has just entered its second week and with it comes to my personal favorite leak of the entire court proceedings, the naked banana discussion.

Apple decides to cross-examine a screenshot of the in-game lobby of Fortnite that included Agent Peely, which is basically a banana in a tuxedo. Here's the hilarious breakdown of the discussion from The Verge.

Apple attorney: We have in front of us a new set of images, and what is this screen showing?

Weissinger: This is your matchmaking lobby.

Attorney: And we have a large yellow banana here, don’t we? In a tuxedo?

Weissinger: Yes. That is Peely.

Attorney: And that’s Peely, did you say?

Weissinger: Yeah.

Attorney: And in fact, in the tuxedo, he’s known as Agent Peely, correct?

Weissinger: That’s correct.

Attorney: We thought it better to go with the suit than the naked banana, since we are in federal court this morning.

the “naked banana” line could have possibly been a funny joke by Apple's attorney however last week, Apple claimed Epic hosted porn by allowing users to install Itch.io which includes "so-called adult games” whose descriptions were “not appropriate for us to speak in federal courts,” calling them “both offensive and sexualized.” Firstly, I personally don't see how Epic is accountable for another storefront just because it's accessible via their store. Also, they're using a banana to prove their point, it’s both ironic and hilarious.

Epic’s attorney, later on, decided to revisit Peely during her own questioning of Weissinger:

Epic attorney: A little bit of a digression. We talked about Peely? Our banana? Remember that?

Weissinger: I do.

Attorney: And there might have been an implication that to show Peely without a suit would have been inappropriate. Do you recall that?

Weissinger: Yes.

Attorney: Is there anything inappropriate about Peely without a suit?

Weissinger: No, there is not.

Attorney: If we could just put on the screen a picture of Peely — is there anything inappropriate about Peely without clothes?

Weissinger: It’s just a banana, ma’am.

Epic Vs Apple is one of the biggest lawsuits to happen in the world of gaming and it's shining a light on some of the shady tactics some of these companies use but it also has two companies argue over a naked banana, to quote Weissinger from the proceeds.

It’s just a banana, ma’am.

Gears 5 studio The Coalition Moves to Unreal Engine 5

In an open letter to the Gears community, the Coalition confirmed they will be moving to Unreal Engine 5 for its future projects.

they wrote the following "As we look to future games, we’re excited to start shifting our resources to next-gen development using Unreal Engine 5,"

"Gears of War has always been at the front of Unreal Engine development – as a breakout 720p title for Xbox 360 through last year’s 120FPS multiplayer update for Xbox Series X|S – and we’re excited to continue that tradition by developing on UE5 for multiple new projects in the coming years."

However, this news does have a sour note with Gears 5 will only continue to get new content with Operations 7 and 8. The two new Operations will include new characters, new maps, and new special events. They also teased some store updates and promised it will have "exciting new content."

For the future, however, The Coalition warns that shifting to a new engine is a "big undertaking" and it could be a while before we see anything new from the studio by saying "we want to be clear that we will not be announcing any new projects or titles for some time."

Lastly, the studio confirmed after speculation on Reddit that the new IP they're working on won't be a Star Wars game.

EA Teases Battlefield 6 reveal for June

EA and DICE are seemingly teasing a reveal for Battlefield 6 coming next month according to the game's official Twitter account.

In an extremely brief teaser, they tweeted "Words that rhyme with Soon: June. Boom." My guess would be that the game will show up at E3 2021 and i think it'll be available on Xbox Game Pass. Notable the EA Play addition on Game Pass Ultimate shows on the app to claim by 02/06/2021 which could mean when EA Play leaves the service but that's speculation. Hopefully, I'm wrong on that one but it wouldn't surprise me if EA Play was removed from Game Pass Ultimate and then Ubisoft Plus is added.

Ubisoft Games Are Now Known As "Ubisoft Originals"

Ubisoft will now be branding all it's games made by internal studios as "Ubisoft Originals".

when Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy's The Division: Heartland last week the new name was attached but now we know exactly what that means.

a Ubisoft spokesperson told Eurogamer today that, "Moving forward 'The Ubisoft Original' mention is attached to all of Ubisoft's games created in-house by our talented developers."

This brand-new change could be a way to define Ubisoft made games from other games they publish, maybe it's just publishing games from outside studios or a way to make games in collaboration with other companies like they did with Nintendo for Mario X Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

PlayStation expect PS5 shortage to continue into 2022

Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki has recently said that the shortage of PS5 consoles will likely continue due to the demand even if they manage to boost their current output of the supply.

"I don't think demand is calming down this year and even if we secure a lot more devices and produce many more units of the PS5 next year, our supply wouldn't be able to catch up with demand," Totoki told investors, Bloomberg said.

"We have sold more than 100m units of the PlayStation 4 and considering our market share and reputation, I can't imagine demand dropping easily," he added.

On a more positive note, Sony recently confirmed they've sold 7.8m PS5 consoles during its last financial year to 31st March. It hopes to sell at least 14.8m during the current financial year

I'm personally own a PS5 and I don't think it's currently worth rushing out and buying but I think that'll change with the launch of Ratchet And Clank: Rift Apart.

The Yakuza Series will continue to be a turn-based RPG for the forseeable future

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has seemingly confirmed that the Yakuza games will continue to use the turn-based RPG mechanics from Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

in an interview with IGN, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa confirmed the change would be permanent, saying: "The Yakuza series has been transformed into a turn-based RPG. On the other hand, over the years, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has accumulated resources and know-how of making flashy and exhilarating action games that are effortless to enjoy. We decided that we should let our signature action gameplay live on through Lost Judgment"

I personally welcome the change and I feel it fits better with the themes of the Yakuza series. Yakuza Like A Dragon was a breath of fresh air that showed that you don't need a single overpowered protagonist to steer the ship of the story but more so it can be a joint effort. That's can only be a good thing as RGG Studio makes some of the most compelling characters in games to date. That and they can do wacky stuff like Majima running down the side of a skyscraper for a special attack.

Lost Judgment Announced By SEGA

Ryu Ga Gotaku Studio has announced a sequel to Yakuza spin-off Judgment in the form of Lost Judgment coming in September.

The game will follow the main character from the first game detective Takayuki Yagami as he is thrown into a new murder investigation that begins on the streets of Kamarocho but will eventually take him to the Ijincho distrct of Yokohama. (the location of Yakuza Like Dragon)

Players will have to search for clues, chase down criminals and deliver the delicious dish of justice in the form of Tak's Fist.

Investigations return with the usual tailing, chasing and cross-examining suspects, however, Tak gets some additional tricks that include new stealth moves, wiretapping, and acrobatic skills.

On the punching side of things, Tak has gained a brand new fighting style in the form of the Snake, where it's described as using the foes moves against them. Crane and Tiger style also both return but let's be real, we're all gonna use the new fighting style.

In regards to the story, players will go undercover at a local high school, and it looks to be where you'll get to experience the side missions which have formerly been renamed in Lost Judgment to School Stories. They will apparently be just as wacky as prior games with mini-games that range from dancing to controlling battle robots.

Lost Judgment will be launching globally on September 24, 2021, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4

The Division: Heartland Announced By Ubisoft

Ubisoft has announced a new free-to-play game set in The Division universe called The Division: Heartland.

Red Storm Entertainment who developed the original Division game will be heading up development but the game will be standalone from the main series. The Division: Heartland is currently planned to release on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in the 2021-2022 release window.

Sadly details are on the slim side but Ubisoft did say that it will be an "all-new perspective on the universe in a new setting", though.

There are some details on more future projects set in the Tom Clancy The Division universe though, a roadmap of what's to come is located in the below image.

Sega, Square Enix, Bandai Namco and Gearbox confirmed for E3 2021

E3 has announced a ton of new additional partners who will be showcasing their games at E3 2021 from June 12 to June 15.

The latest companies who have signed up for the show include Sega (who plans to announce something Judgment related tomorrow), Square Enix who's currently developing Final Fantasy XVI, Gearbox, and Bandai Namco who are currently publishing Elden Ring.

They'll also be joined by XSEED Games/Marvelous USA, Freedom Games, Devious Eye Entertainment, Turtle Beach, Verizon, and Binge.

No specific details were given on what possible games will be at the show but we won't have to wait much longer with E3 happening next month.

E3 2021 will kick off on June 12 at approximately 8 pm UK time and will be hosted by Greg Miller, Jacki Jing and Alex 'Goldenboy' Mendez.

Nintendo Announce Game Builder Garage

Nintendo has announced a new game coming to Nintendo Switch next month called Game Builder Garage.

The game is a collection of tools and interactive lessons that will teach players some programming skills led by colorful creatures known in the game as Nodon.

Players will have to use different Nodon which have their own functions and connecting them together will give players the ability to create games. the game features lessons and activities to teach key game development skills.

Once players are comfortable with the tools, they'll get the option to go into Free Programming mode to bring their creations to life.

In addition, you'll be able to share your creations with friends and the community online with a unique code. You'll be able to swap between the programming screen and the games to see how they were made.

You'll also be able to plug in a USB mouse to the Nintendo Switch dock to use help make your games.

Game Builder Garage is set to launch on the Nintendo Switch on June 11.

Gamescom 2021 Is Now An All-Digital Event

Gamescom has announced that this year's show will be changing its original plans of being a hybrid show of physical and digital components and will now be entirely online this year.

In a press release, Chief Operating Officer Oliver Frese discussed the decision by saying "Together with the game – The German Games Industry Association, we have put all our energy into making Gamescom 2021 in a hybrid format possible for fans and industry alike. However, even though the hybrid concept was very well received by the partners, we had to recognize that GamesCom still comes too early for many companies in the industry due to the required planning reliability."

Gamescom will kick things off with the Opening Night Live broadcast on August 25 hosted by Geoff Keighley, with viewers being able to virtually "attend" the online show over the following days via a relaunched Gamescom Now hub and Gamescom Epix campaign to take place over social media.

PlayStation files trademark for Sunset Overdrive

Sony has seemingly filed a trademark for Xbox exclusive Insomniac Games Sunset Overdrive. The trademark was filed at the US Patent and Trademark on April 26 but sad,y there were no details regarding a possible sequel or remake.

Interestingly enough, this was shortly followed by a leak that suggests that a remake of Sunset Overdrive is on the way in the form of Sunset Overdrive Refreshed Edtion coming in the fall to PS4 and PS5. That’s not all the leak contained though, it also had listed a new project called Sunset Apocalyse coming to PS5 in the future. Recently the game director of the first game rejoined the studio after working at Microsoft, that could also be a sign of more fuel added to the rumor fire.

I personally hope the series gets to live on in some capacity even if that means a PlayStation exclusive, fingers crossed it isn’t platform exclusive and Sony does right by the players of that first game.

Halo Infinite confirms multiplayer cross-play

Xbox has announced that the upcoming Halo Infinite will have multiplayer cross-play and cross-progression on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

in a post on the Xbox Wire which is titled 'Continuing Our PC Gaming in 2021 and Beyond', they announced that cross-progression will allow players to have access to their unlocks/customization regardless if you're playing on a console or on the PC. The PC version of Halo Infinite will also include support for ultrawide and super ultrawide screens, triple keyboards, a "wide variety of advanced graphics options" and more.

Later on in the post, Xbox's Matt Booty also confirmed that the company plans to bring several Xbox Series X|S enhancements to the PC, including DirectStorage technology which means games can load faster, and even the console's Auto HDR feature which has given developers the ability to bring graphical upgrades that weren't possible for "1000s" of older DirectX based titles.

Lastly, Microsoft announced it will be making changes to the developer revenue share for games sold in the Microsoft Store, and from August 1, the net revenue developers will earn from sales will increase from 70% to 88%.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to get dedicated Xbox Series X|S and PS5 releases

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is going to be getting a full Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 release later on in the year.

The news was announced on the official Star Wars website during the reveal for the annual Star Wars Day celebrations on May 4. Details on the game are planned to be revealed at a later date, it looks like that these versions will include a more improved upgrade to the previously released "optimisation" patch that the game recently recieved. The new versions will be a free upgrade to those that own the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions.

I personally hope that the game comes with something more than just a makeover, maybe a DLC expansion or the prospect of addtional content coming to the game at a later. It's a fantastic game that deserves some cool add-on content, so hopefully EA and Respawn Entertainment are on it.

Toys for Bob now working on Call of Duty: Warzone

Toys for Bob is seemingly going to be working on Call of Duty: Warzone for the foreseeable future.

The developer announced they were "proud" to be supporting the Call of Duty: Warzone development team for the release of Season Three, and hinted they "looked forward to more to come" in an official tweet, however, it's not been confirmed if this is a permanent move.

Sadly it doesn't look like the move was completely amicable, as GamesIndustry.biz said that this announcement does come with the departure of many of the developers at the studio who worked on Crash Bandicoot 4 and Spyro: Reignited Trilogy.

The former character designer Nicholas Kole retweeting the announcement and calling it "the end of an era."

In a follow-up response to another user, Kole said that "everyone I interfaced with and worked along was let go" though made it clear it wasn't a "total shuttering" of the studio. On a side note, Kole left the studio back in January.

This isn't the first time that Activision has moved a prolific game studio into a support role for another studio. Vicarious Visions who worked on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Remake has been moved to support Blizzard on future projects like Overwatch 2.

It's a shame that Activision is moving some amazingly talented developers to support other studio's work but it shows that the company is focusing on multiplayer games rather than releasing new games or remastered titles.

IO Interactive possibly working on a new fantasy IP exclusively for Xbox

Hitman and Project 007 developer IO Interactive are working on a new fantasy IP with Xbox according to some recent rumors.

According to Windows Central, the new project will be a fantasy RPG which is apparently currently under the codename of 'Project Dragon' and will have a medieval setting with dragons. The game could also feature a 'connected world' with multiplayer and will be published by Xbox Game Studios.

Eurogamer has also claimed to have heard of the project but added that the game is still some years away. Lastly, some Job listings were posted on IO's website for a Lead Multiplayer Network Programmer which could be tied to the project but nothing has been confirmed

Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout's Xbox And Switch Versions Delayed

Mediatonic has announced that the upcoming release for Xbox and Nintendo Switch versions of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout will no longer launch in the Summer.

the announcement came from the game's official website, where the studio discussed its recent purchase by Epic Games by saying it offered "so many new opportunities" but also they said, "We've realized that our previously announced Summer 2021 Switch and Xbox release schedule is unfortunately just too soon for us to include all of the tasty new features we're working on."

on a positive note, the team confirmed that the delay will give them the chance to add additional features, which they promised would include crossplay so that Xbox and Nintendo Switch players can play with those on PlayStation 4 and PC.

PlayStation Plus Games For May 2021 Announced

Sony has revealed the upcoming free games for PlayStation Plus in May 2021.

The aforementioned upcoming games go as followed:

Wreckfest (PS5)

Battlefield V (PS4)

Stranded Deep (PS4)

All three of the games will be available to download on the 4th of May, after the past few months of amazing games coming to the service. It seems PlayStation is taking their foot off the gas a little but hopefully, they'll field some deep picks for June 2o21. (I'm not sorry for all the bad puns)

Resident Evil Re:Verse Won't Be Available At Launch of Resident Evil Village

Capcom has confirmed that the multiplayer mode for Resident Evil: Village called Resident Evil Re:Verse won't be coming to the game until later in the summer.

No launch window for the mode was confirmed so players assumed it would be launching alongside the game in May similar to Resident Evil 3 remake multiplayer mode called Resident Evil: Resistance.

However, it currently states on the official website that Resident Evil Re:Verse is scheduled for launch in "Summer 2021" although those who purchase Resident Evil: Village will still get the game for free when it eventually goes live.

Knockout City coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate And EA Play

EA has confirmed that the upcoming dodgeball game Knockout City will be available via EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at launch in May.

in a post where EA celebrates the beta hitting one million downloads for the recent open beta weekend. They confirmed the game will be coming to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier subscription, this also means it'll be available for players on PlayStation and PC via a standard EA Play membership as well.

I played the recent demo and I came away from it lukewarm, I enjoyed aspects of the game but I also found the matchmaking overly frustrating. Every match I played over the course of the beta weekend had one team with fewer players than the other which made it extremely one-sided.

Knockout City will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on May 21.

Additionally, the game will have access to cross-play across all platforms.