Weekly Retro: 5.21 - 5.25

God of War sales have surpassed 5M global sales within it’s first month of release.
A team comprised of former Wolfenstein and Bulletstorm devs has opened up a new studio named Neon Giant where they hope to make a large impact for Swedish game development.
Peripheral maker Scuf Gaming have revealed a PlayStation 4 Pro controller with the following features:
- Side-mounted right and left ‘Sax’ buttons – designed to fit the natural placement of a player’s fingers and provide additional configurability
  - Removable faceplate – makes it easy to change thumb sticks & personalize the controller
  - Advanced audio control for wired connection – a simple swipe of the audio touch bar adjusts the volume while players can keep their hands on the controller
  - Removable vibration modules – players can reduce the weight of the controller and lessen hand fatigue
  - Paddle control system with four removable back paddles
  - A quick-access remapping switch
  - Customizable thumb sticks with 3 different heights in either a concave or convex configuration
  - Adjustable Hair triggers
  - Trigger stops and extenders
  - Choice of D-pads
  - Interchangeable magnetic faceplate

Nintendo has applied for a new N64 trademark, leading many to speculate a new Nintendo 64 Classic is on the way just like the NES and SNES Classics we have now.
Nintendo is now selling a cheaper Nintendo Switch SKU in Japan only. The new unit does not include a dock, Joy-Con Grip, AC adapter, or HDMI cable and is priced at 24,980 yen compared to the original’s 29,980 yen.
Capcom announced Resident Evil 7 for Switch, which would be an incredibly impressive addition to the Switch’s third-party library if not for a giant catch—it’s a Japan-only release for now, and it doesn’t actually run on the Switch hardware at all. Biohazard 7 Resident Evil Cloud Version (yes, that’s the name) works by streaming the game from Capcom’s servers to your Switch, the same way cloud gaming services like PlayStation Now and GeForce Now operate. The game released this past week and costs 2,000 yen (or $18) for a 180-day “ticket;” there’ll also be a free 15-minute demo.

State of Decay 2 has seen over 1M players within the fist two days of it’s mobile release.
Microsoft has replaced Xbox Feedback with Xbox Ideas, a program with a narrower focus but (hopefully) more impact. It revolves around the concept of one- to three-month “Idea Drives” where Microsoft collects suggestions, picks the concepts it likes the most, and then asks you to vote and comment on your favorites. victors will end up on the Xbox Insider blog. Microsoft will even have a suggestion box for the Idea Drives themselves, in case you’d rather suggest a general area of interest.

Ubisoft announced their games lineup they’ll be showing at this year’s E3 and they include the following:
- The Division 2
  - Beyond Good and Evil 2
  - For Honor
  - Skull & Bones
  - Starlink: Battle teas
  - Transference
Popular British game critic John Bain aka TotalBiscuit has sadly passed away at age 33 from cancer. Our condolences to his family and friends.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise, but it’s incredibly irritating nonetheless. Apple approved and then swiftly rejected Valve’s Steam Link app for iOS citing “business conflicts with app guidelines” as the reason. If approved, the app will allow players to stream their PC games to their iPhones and iPads on their home network, something we wish PlayStation and Xbox could do. Hopefully if Valve’s app gets approved it will pave the way for the other two platforms as well. Android users can (of course) use the app with no issues.
Best Buy has discontinued it’s popular Gamers Club Unlocked program, giving me no reason whatsoever to fixit the company’s brick and mortar stores. Those with active accounts will have them until they expire with no option to renew.
GTA V has hit 95M in sales across all platforms to date, because of course it has.
Epic Games announced it will be providing $100M in esports prizes for the 2018-19 season via multiple prize pools for competitive play. No details beyond that have been announced, though Epic says they are coming in the weeks ahead.

Weekly Retro: 5.21 – 5.25