No, Assassin’s Creed Shadows Isn’t Getting a Battle Pass
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No, Assassin’s Creed Shadows Isn’t Getting a Battle Pass

Ubisoft has clarified that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not getting a battle move amid rumors that the Animus Hub, the rebranded Assassin’s Creed Infinity set to accommodate all future video games within the franchise, will characteristic paid content material.

The Animus Hub staff posted on the Assassin’s Creed Reddit to appropriate leaks claiming the hub would include paid rewards for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, main many to imagine a battle move type system was being carried out.

“It has come to our consideration that wrong rumors have been circulating on-line concerning the upcoming Animus Hub (ex-codename Infinity),” Ubisoft mentioned. “We needed to take this event to make clear that each one the rewards out there within the Animus Hub will likely be totally free.”

The submit went on to make clear “there aren’t any paid subscriptions or paid battle passes featured within the Animus Hub” and “gamers could have entry to common content material and missions at no additional value.” Extra particulars will likely be revealed nearer to the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which was just lately delayed from November to February 14.

Windows

From the Sonic Movies to Amazon’s Like a Dragon Drama Collection: How Sega Is Bringing Its Games to the Screen

Sega has discovered nice success with its collection of Sonic the Hedgehog motion pictures – a lot in order that it has impressed the firm to extra actively pursue big- and small-screen diversifications of its treasure trove of sport franchises. Subsequent up is Like a Dragon: Yakuza, an Amazon Unique collection based mostly on the first sport in the beloved collection, which launches on October 24 – and Sega has plans to do much more.

Throughout Gamescom Asia, IGN Japan sat down with Justin Scarpone, World Head of Transmedia at Sega, whose resume contains 17 years working with video games and leisure at Disney and who joined Sega in April 2024. From diversifications of Shinobi and Golden Axe to early forays into the theme park house, Scarpone gave us the lowdown on Sega’s plans to attain new audiences away from the sport console.

“The Like a Dragon franchise is one in every of our core pillars,” Scarpone stated when requested how the new collection was conceived. “We launched a live-action movie years in the past, however I feel the new collection happened initially via conversations between the Amazon Studios of us and our Like a Dragon studio, and it grew to become a cross-Pacific venture the place you had expertise in each the US and Japan engaged on the venture. It’s clearly filmed in Japan, with Japanese expertise, however leveraging a few of the creativity that an abroad perspective brings. So it is a distinctive venture for us.”

Streaming TV has been a nice dwelling for episodic dramas set in Japan, with Shogun breaking information in awards season and Tokyo Vice displaying surprising sides of Japan’s (fictionalized) felony underworld. Scarpone stated the success of those exhibits has been encouraging as Amazon prepares to launch the new Like a Dragon collection.

“Like a Dragon is a very Japanese story, nevertheless it’s additionally very common,” he stated. “And one in every of the variations between the earlier live-action movie and this new drama being proven on Prime Video is that in the years since the movie got here out, the Like a Dragon collection has develop into very a lot a international franchise. We’ve got a global group who’re contemplating from day one how to make a compelling story set in Japan with common themes that resonate in several cultures.”

He says that the dev group at Ryu ga Gotoku Studio have been supportive of the Prime Video present, which is partly based mostly on the authentic sport however will inform its personal authentic story.

“(Masayoshi) Yokoyama has been fairly supportive of this collection,” stated Scarpone. “As a really inventive particular person, he is seeing a very attention-grabbing interpretation of the IP he lives and breathes, and he is very pleased with the high quality and the output. I feel he is excited to see any person else’s perspective on it.”

We’ve got a global group who’re contemplating from day one how to make a compelling story set in Japan with common themes.

The Like a Dragon sport collection has a setting that balances heavy crime suspsense drama with extra humorous themes tied to gameplay. The Amazon present appears to be leaning extra towards the former, however when condensing a sport with a storyline that’s dozens of hours lengthy into a TV present, it should be troublesome to select which parts to embrace and which of them to miss.

“In the format of a collection the place you will have about 5 hours of storytelling, how will you inform a compelling, thrilling, dramatic and concise story?” Scarpone contemplated. “A few of the video games in the collection you may play for over 80 hours, which supplies you a lot extra flexibility to weave in different elements of the characters than you will have in a condensed, linear format. So I feel the director, the actors and the screenwriters of the Amazon present wanted to make a judgment name on how to inform the greatest story inside the confines of that point.

“The sport collection advanced over time, so if this Amazon collection had been to have a sequel, I feel we might additionally experiment. The collection hopefully can be a good start line in that format, and possibly there will be extra in the future.”

Sega’s Sonic renaissance

Sega has had enormous success with the live-action outings for its mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. Since 2020, Paramount Footage has launched two hit motion pictures and a TV spinoff, with a third film touchdown in December and including Keanu Reeves to its voice forged.

“We’ve got seemingly come to consider this era of the final decade or in order the renaissance of Sonic,” Scarpone informed us. “There have been a lot of stops and begins to strive to carry Sonic to the silver display – it did not occur in a single day. However as soon as we had been locked in and dealing on the first movie, that was actually Sega’s entry level into transmedia, and considering of Sonic as a franchise, and the means corporations like Disney and Common and Warner Brothers have all the time finished it for many years.

“We’re providing new tales and new methods to expertise the characters in several media. And so with Sonic, the movie actually expanded what Sonic might be in the eyes of the followers – and possibly a lot of individuals inside Sega as effectively.”

Certainly, in an interview with IGN in 2022, Sonic Frontiers director Morio Kishimoto informed us the success of the Sonic motion pictures had impressed him and Sonic Staff whereas making the video games.

Sega additionally has a number of different display diversifications of its video games in the pipeline, together with variations of collection which were dormant for many years. One is Shinobi, which has each a sport and a live-action adaptation in the works. The movie is being produced along with Common, which made the smash-hit Tremendous Mario Bros. Film, and directed by Sam Hargrave. Scarpone confirmed to us it’s nonetheless in the “early stage” of improvement.

As we reboot a few of these franchises, it is essential for us to actually work on the story, to replace it for youthful generations.

Basic collection Golden Axe can also be coming again, each as a sport and as an animated collection for Comedy Central. A Streets of Rage film has additionally been introduced, with a script by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad.

Of those diversifications of older Sega franchises, Scarpone stated, “Our core pillars are franchises like Sonic, Like a Dragon, Persona and Offended Birds, however our so-called Legacy Initiative is absolutely thrilling as a result of, whereas these tales have a basis, we’ve a lot extra new storytelling to work on, which is absolutely cool. As we reboot a few of these franchises, it is essential for us to actually work on the story, work on the lore, to replace it for youthful generations who weren’t even alive when the Sega Genesis was round.”

Scarpone additionally confirmed that Sega has a number of different display diversifications in the early phases of improvement, however wouldn’t share which video games these unannounced tasks are based mostly on simply but.

And it doesn’t cease at display diversifications. Lately, Nintendo has had nice success with its theme parks at Univeral Studios, whereas different video games resembling Monster Hunter and Resident Evil have been reimagined as wonderful theme park points of interest in Japan. Sega is an outdated hand on this enterprise, with its Joypolis and different leisure centres. Scarpone stated Sega is eager to develop on this, providing the instance of its upcoming collaboration with the Kai Tak Sports activities Park mall at present below building in Hong Kong.

“Inside that advanced, we’re going to have Sonic Stadium, which is a vacation spot for households and youngsters specifically, as a ticketed space the place you could be immersed in the world of Inexperienced Hills and Sonic and associates.

“What Nintendo has finished with Common Studios is the gold commonplace, and we’ve comparable aspirations. Points of interest are one other format to inform our tales and delight our followers, and we actually need to be in that house. We’re not launching our personal standalone theme park, however we’re wanting into completely different partnerships.”

Daniel Robson is Chief Editor of IGN Japan. Comply with him on twitter right here.

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Horizon Zero Dawn Remaster Comparison Shows Big Visual Upgrades

Edward M

At solely seven years outdated, Sony’s Horizon Zero Dawn did not look like an apparent option to get a brand new remastered version. Regardless, Horizon Zero Dawn Remaster is just per week away, and a trio of gamers have taken it upon themselves to create an in depth comparability between the unique model and its new improve.

Reddit customers Lanny16_I_think, Nixxes, and Guerrilla compiled the comparison and painstakingly used an early copy of Zero Dawn Remaster to match up with pictures from the sport’s first incarnation. In every occasion, the remaster added noticeable enhancements past the graphics that made the world of Aloy appear extra alive and actual than earlier than. Test it out within the pictures under, captured by Lanny16_I_think on PC.

For instance, this city sequence within the unique Zero Dawn is noticeably missing in NPC characters and has a distracting orange tint to the colours.

Aloy arrives in a town from the original version of Horizon Zero Dawn.
Aloy arrives in a city from the unique model of Horizon Zero Dawn.

The remastered model considerably will increase the background NPCs and removes the orange tint, revealing a way more vibrant setting.

Aloy's arrival in town in Zero Dawn Remastered.
Aloy’s arrival on the town in Zero Dawn Remastered.

The Reddit thread additionally included a take a look at the remaster’s vastly improved pores and skin textures, in addition to the plush background particulars. Nonetheless, a number of the pictures from the unique Horizon Zero Dawn do not replicate the intent of the title’s developer, Guerrilla Video games. In a put up on X, Guerrilla Video games Studio Artwork Director Jan-Bart van Beek famous that the screenshot proven under displays a mistake within the recreation’s lighting operate.

In a later post, van Beek explains that the sport makes use of a system referred to as autobot to make screenshots in 1000’s of the sport’s places at totally different occasions of the day. However he additionally notes that “checking the outcomes remains to be a human effort.”

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will hit PC and PlayStation 5 on October 31. Gamers who have already got the unique Horizon Zero Dawn can get the PS5 improve for $10.

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Ubisoft can also be ditching its principal paid content material mannequin of releasing a Season Pass with two principal, paid enlargement drops within the yr after launch. The fake “early entry” interval that sees publishers cost gamers extra to play on the precise launch date as an alternative of three days later has additionally been scrapped.

Releasing myriad items of downloadable content material totally free will maybe carry some Assassin’s Creed followers again on-side in what’s in any other case been a significantly tough pre-launch marketing campaign for Ubisoft.

Points started as some followers expressed frustration with inaccuracies within the sport’s depiction of Japan, main the event staff to challenge an apology and say the sport will not be supposed to be a factual illustration of historical past however as an alternative “a compelling, historic fiction.” This regardless of artwork director Thierry Dansereau telling IGN that Ubisoft regarded to make Shadows as “genuine as doable to match historic occasions” simply two months prior.

Concern was additionally raised when the developer used a flag from a Japanese historic re-enactment group in paintings for Assassin’s Creed Shadows with out permission. Ubisoft apologized for doing so however refused to take away the paintings from the aforementioned and presumably already printed artbook out there within the Collector’s Version. The historic re-enactment group mentioned this was not adequate, however Ubisoft hasn’t publicly acknowledged it since.

One more controversy got here as collectible determine maker PureArts eliminated an Assassin’s Creed Shadows statue from sale over its “insensitive” design.

All this comes as followers are already annoyed by the delay to the sport, which places Assassin’s Creed Shadows in additional direct competitors with PlayStation’s Ghost of Tsushima sequel, Ghost of Yotei. That is additionally anticipated in 2025 and is one other open-world motion journey sport set in Feudal Japan.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot maintained confidence, nevertheless. “There’s a lot of house for very high-quality video games, and people two video games can promote very effectively,” he mentioned within the firm’s newest earnings name. “The main focus is to actually be sure that we ship a improbable expertise with this twin protagonist strategy and two totally different and complimentary gameplays.”

Assassins Creed Shadows certainly options two protagonists, stealthy murderer Naoe and savage samurai Yasuke. The sport’s story will weave between the 2 however gamers can in any other case swap between them at will as they discover Ubisoft’s open-world tackle Japan.

It can additionally start a new modern-day story, maybe linked to the Animus Hub, as Ubisoft admitted it is “struggled to search out its footing” with that features of Assassin’s Creed in recent times.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll speak about The Witcher all day.

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