Sony: Negative Xbox One response a "very useful source" for PS4

The backlash surrounding Microsoft's controversial (and since-reversed) DRM policies was a "very useful source" for Sony in its PlayStation 4 marketing planning, Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said in the latest issue of Famitsu (via Polygon).

"There were lots of people who gave their opinions on that issue to my Twitter account before E3," Yoshida said. "It's not that our hardware policies are decided strictly based on user reaction like this, but when we were thinking about what we had to bring across and how to bring it across, it was a very useful source."

Sony capped of its E3 2013 briefing earlier this month by declaring that the PS4 would play used games without limitations and would not require an Internet connection. This announcement, from SCEA CEO Jack Tretton, drew a rousing applause at the time.

SCE Japan Asia president Hiroshi Kawano further explained in Famitsu that the response to the PS4 has been positive all round--from consumers to developers.

"As of now, I feel like we're getting a very positive response. For this system, we made a list of what people expected from us, debating over each point, with user feedback forming the main basis for the list," Kawano said. "The software makers are also telling us that they feel like they really make some fun stuff with it. A new platform always provides the basis for new forms of play, so I'd like to see it connect to a revitalization of the marketplace."

Kawano also addressed PS4 pricing for Japan, saying this information will come during a "full announcement" sometime in the future. Elsewhere around the world, the PS4 will retail for $399/€399/ £349.

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Analysts predicts Battlefield 4 sales to hit 14 million

Despite competition from Call of Duty: Ghosts, DICE's Battlefield 4 will sell 14 million units upon launch later this year, according to Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia. The analyst revealed the prediction today in a note to investors that was focused on Activision Blizzard.

In the note, Bhatia explained that both Battlefield 4 (October 29) and Call of Duty: Ghosts (November 5) can "coexist successfully" despite releasing just one week apart.

Bhatia also predicted that one-third of all Battlefield 4 sales will come through PC, while just 10 percent of Call of Duty: Ghosts' overall units will be sold through PC.

"The Battlefield series resonates particularly well with the PC gamers while Call of Duty tends to do well on consoles," Bhatia said.

Battlefield 4 producer producer Patrick Bach said earlier this month that competition is good for consumers and that his title will emerge as the "best game" this holiday.

Elsewhere in the note, Bhatia downplayed potential concerns for Activision Blizzard investors related to Grand Theft Auto V, saying that game's release date (September 17) is sufficiently far enough away from Call of Duty: Ghosts, which should "limit overlap."

He also predicted that the Skylanders series will remain the market leader in the toys-to-life genre, despite competition from Disney Infinity. And though World of Warcraft is losing members, Bhatia said the game still has "plenty of life and many years of strong free cash flow still left."

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Battlefield 4 Second Assault DLC remakes four BF3 maps

DICE has released details of its second premium DLC pack for Battlefield 4, which will launch later in the year for current and next-generation platforms.

The Second Assault DLC, which was announced at Microsoft's E3 2013 press conference, will feature four "fan-favourite" Battlefield 3 maps redesigned for Battlefield 4's Frostbite 3 engine. DICE also says the quartet of maps will be "enhanced to include new multiplayer features from Battlefield 4."

No more specifics about the content were revealed. In a Reddit thread, Battlefield 4 gameplay designer Alan Kertz said "[Operation] Metro and Caspian [Border] are runaway favorites" in popularity.

Battlefield 3 received a similar expansion in December 2011, Back to Karkand, which remade four famous Battlefield 2 maps--Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Wake Island 2014, and Sharqi Peninsula--in the Frostbite 2.0 engine. The Back to Karkand DLC was offered free to customers who preordered Battlefield 3.

Customers who preorder Battlefield 4 get free access to the China Rising expansion pack at launch, which adds four new maps, new vehicles, and new equipment.

Battlefield 4 DLC will be released first on the Xbox One.

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Browser-based Xbox Music launching next week - Report

Next week, Microsoft will launch a browser-based version of Xbox Music, sources have told The Verge. Xbox Music, which offers a Spotify-like streaming service, is currently available through Xbox 360, Windows 8, and Windows Phone 8.

The rumored browser iteration of Xbox Music will reportedly be available at music.xbox.com, though that URL currently does not resolve to anything.

Xbox Music for the web will reportedly work in the same was Spotify and Google Play Music, allowing users to stream music and manage playlists through a browser.

Streaming Xbox Music is free thanks to advertising support, while an ad-free option is available for $10/month. The service launched in October 2012 and boasts a library of over 30 million songs from numerous prominent labels.

In addition to the arrival of Xbox Music for the web, The Verge has heard from sources that Microsoft plans to refresh its Xbox Music app for Windows 8.1. Updates include a new two-panel interface and support for music files from SD cards, among other things.

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Limbo hitting iOS next week

Playdead's black-and-white puzzle platformer Limbo will launch for iOS devices next week, the Danish developer announced today. The game will be available for $5 on July 3.

Limbo for iOS devices will feature an "amazing touch-based experience" and is compatible with iPad 2 (and higher), iPad Mini, iPhone 4S (and higher), and the latest generation of iPod Touch.

The game sells for $15 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita, while the PC/Mac version is available for $10.

Playdead said in a statement that its ambition has been to bring Limbo to as many devices as possible. This model is paying off for the developer, as the company also announced today that the game has sold 3 million units across PS3, Xbox 360, Steam, Mac, and PS Vita.

Limbo puts players in the shoes of a small child who must find his way through a black-and-white world, filled with puzzles and dangerous, often deadly, obstacles.

The game won critical acclaim upon release, which was followed by a small avalanche of award nominations that yielded multiple Interactive Achievement Awards and a Game Developers Choice Award.

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Ken Levine gives update on BioShock Infinite DLC

Irrational Games boss says studio has been working on expansion since game shipped in March; "game development takes time."

Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine has provided an update on the status of BioShock Infinite's downloadable content.

"DLC Update: We are working on it--have been since the game shipped," Levine wrote on Twitter today. "Things are going well, but plz understand: game development takes time."

Asked if he could give any hints or release any screenshots, Levine said, "We can't until we can. Sorry."

The first DLC for BioShock Infinite is rumored to add a new AI companion character to the game.

BioShock Infinite's $20 DLC season pass includes three expansions for the first-person shooter, said to provide "hours" of additional gameplay and include new stories, characters, abilities, and weapons.

For more on BioShock Infinite, check out GameSpot's review.

By Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.

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Codemasters brings Colin McRae Rally 2.0 to iOS

Update: Colin McRae Rally has been released on Apple's New Zealand app store, which traditionally suggests a worldwide release tomorrow. The game is based on Colin McRae Rally 2.0 and includes 30 rally stages alongside the Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, Lancia Stratos and Colin McRae's Ford Focus. The app requires a minimum of an iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to run.

Original story: UK developer Codemasters has said it will announce its latest project tomorrow.

The developer has released artwork of rally legend Colin McRae's iconic Ford Focus, suggesting the new title will be rally focused. The typography from the new artwork is reminiscent of the cover for classic PlayStation title Colin McRae Rally 2.0, suggesting a possible revival of the iconic rally racer for a modern platform.

"Working on a new thing to announce tomorrow, bringing back lots of memories. Will hint soon with usual subtlety," added Codemasters' communications director Rich Eddy on Twitter.

Codemasters' latest racer, GRID 2, was released in May. GameSpot awarded the game a score of 8.5 in its review.

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Avalanche boss to devs: "Without passion you will fail"

Avalanche Studios founder Christofer Sundberg has a message to studio leaders: success comes from passion.

As part of a wide-ranging GamesIndustry International feature on studio growth, Sundberg warned of the perils of putting aspirations for money ahead of making great games.

"In terms of nurturing the studio, I'd like to encourage studio heads to not lose touch with games development, which was probably (hopefully) the reason they started their studios in the first place," Sundberg said. "I know it's easy to get detached as the budgets and projects grow, as bigger publishing partners and investors join, but without the passion for game development you will fail."

"Finally, everyone wants to make money, but I have always said that the day we start focusing on being a business rather than a game development studio, we've lost our soul and our right to exist," he added. "Passion for games is everything. If you find yourself flat broke (I've been there) and still feel motivated to create the game of your dreams, you're a winner."

Sundberg made headlines recently for saying most games today are too short and that's why they are traded in.

The latest project from Sundberg and Avalanche Studios is Mad Max, which will be released in 2014 published by Warner Bros. The car combat-focused game does not feature any multiplayer.

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PS4 Interface - Official Demo

Connected, with a C. The user interface looks great to buying things. lol Let's hope that whole it'll load games you'll like ahead of time doesn't go too far. PSN has a long way to go to catch up to Xbox Live, party system being the biggest. You can text all you want but I'd rather be in a voice chat group imo.

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Titanfall "not gunning for Call of Duty" says Zampella

Respawn Entertainment was founded by Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampella and is staffed up by a slew of former Infinity Ward developers, but the company's new game Titanfall is not aiming to take down Activision's juggernaut shooter series.

That sentiment comes from Zampella, who told GamesIndustry International that Respawn's ambition for Titanfall is to do "something different."

"Honestly, we're not shipping the same time as them. We're going for something different. We're not gunning for Call of Duty. We're doing our thing," Zampella said. "The important thing is to make sure what we're doing is fun. I'm OK with Call of Duty being big. I helped create it, so I'm proud to see it's something so big that it goes beyond me."

Titanfall is an online-focused multiplayer shooter that will not feature a traditional single-player campaign like the Call of Duty games have.

Zampella said making a strictly multiplayer game was an adept appropriation of resources, because in his experience "people spend hundreds of hours in the multiplayer experiences versus 'as little time as possible rushing to the end' [in single-player."

Titanfall launches during spring 2014 exclusively for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. Meanwhile, Call of Call of Duty: Ghosts arrives this November.

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Sony has no plans for PS3 price cut

With the PlayStation 4 on the horizon, some gamers may have expected Sony to announce a price cut for the aging PlayStation 3. Such a measure is not happening, at least not yet, according to United Kingdom PlayStation marketing director Fergal Gara.

"There's no plans as yet," Gara told GamesIndustry International. "The PlayStation 3 is a system where it hasn't been particularly easy to get the costs down."

Gara explained that Sony is examining opportunities for a price cut, but whatever the case, he believes the console will appeal to consumers as an "entry level" machine in the years to come.

"We continue to look at opportunities, there may or may not be any more, I genuinely can't answer to that," he continued. "But it will certainly be a more keenly priced machine in relative to PlayStation 4. It will sit there as a viable entry level machine for years to come. It will be different by territory as to how long its life is. There's still a lot of love for PS3."

The PS3 currently retails for $300, while the PS4 will begin at $400 later this year. Sony will launch a special Grand Theft Auto V PS3 bundle when the game launches on September 17.

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Infinity Ward split on whether the Call of Duty dog dies

Call of Duty: Ghosts developer Infinity Ward is split on whether Riley, the game's dog companion, should die during the course of the game.

"You know what's funny about that is, we were all watching the Xbox One reveal event in our theater," said Infinity Ward's senior community manager Tina Palacios in an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun.

Riley has become something of a cult favourite since his original introduction as part of the Xbox One reveal event in May. After the initial reaction online--both positive and negative--Activision and Infinity Ward further detailed the canine companion as part of Activision's pre-E3 event for Call of Duty: Ghosts.

"We didn't expect any of this at all," added Palacios, adding that after the community response "the studio became divided. Half of them said, 'Ok, the dog absolutely has to die.' And then the other half--I'm on this half--said, 'Whoa, no way! People love him.'"

"It's a constant debate, but we do have an answer."

Palacios adds that while Riley's hi-tech arsenal--flip-up camera, an earpiece, and two vibrating devices--might sound implausible, Infinity Ward has grounded the dog's equipment in reality.

"We actually had a couple Navy SEALs come in with their dogs that served in combat in Iraq," she said. "When we met them, they did have the same type of gear on, and they had cameras on their backs. Their trainer has a camera on their arm, so when they throw a dog into a building or into a room or over a wall, they can see what's going on. If they're far away, they can also give them instructions with a collar that vibrates on each side."

Call of Duty: Ghosts will be released for current and next-generation platforms in 2013. For more on the game, check out five things GameSpot noticed during the Call of Duty: Ghosts E3 demo.

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Assassin's Creed IV a launch title for Xbox One and PS4

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag will be a launch title for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Ubisoft game director Ashraf Ismail told ElderGeek in a new video interview.

"We are launch titles for those platforms," he said.

The Xbox One launches this November, while Sony has yet to provide a release window for the PS4 beyond sometime this holiday season.

The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U versions of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag launch in North America on October 29.

Ismail also revealed that the the PC version of the game will launch "a few weeks after" the current-generation console iterations.

"We're working hard on the PC version," Ismail said. "It's one of the main platforms we work on in the office. For our PC fans, don't worry. The game on PC looks phenomenal."

Every entry in the core Assassin's Creed has come to PC, though in each case, the PC version launched after the console iterations.

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Ubisoft CEO says Rayman Legends on Wii U wouldn't "sell enough"

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said the once-exclusive Wii U version of Rayman Legends wouldn't have been able to shift enough copies to be successful, which is why the French publisher delayed the title alongside developing Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Vita versions.

"What happened was that we saw the Wii U was not going to sell enough," said Guillemot in an interview with VentureBeat. "The game is going to be fantastic, and we didn't want those creators to wind up in a position where even after making a fantastic game, they didn't sell well enough."

"We decided that we had to come out on enough machines that players can try it out on any one that they have, and give more time to both improve the game on the Wii U and create versions for the other consoles."

Despite news of the delay angering hordes of Nintendo fans anxious for promising new software on the Wii U, Guillemot thinks Ubisoft made the right call. "I think it was the right decision for gamers and for the team. My role is to make sure that the team is happy with the quality of the work they do and the reach they can have. The quality is there now, because they had more time. They've expanded the possibilities of the game. It's much bigger content-wise. We have new bosses in key levels and so on. The experience is much more complete."

As an apology to Wii U owners, Ubisoft released the game's Challenge mode for free as an attempt to soothe the wait for the game. Rayman Legends will be released on August 30 in Europe, and September 3 in North America.

"I think it will be one of the best games we've ever done," concluded Guillemot.

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Bungie trademarks "Become Legend"

Destiny developer files two trademark applications for slogan used in marketing material for upcoming online shooter.

Bungie has filed two trademark applications for "Become Legend," the slogan used in marketing material for the studio's new online shooter Destiny.

The applications were filed June 13 with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and cover computer game software and alternate reality and online games.

Bungie previously filed trademark applications for Glimmer, Fallen, Hive, Cabal, and Vex related to Destiny.

Destiny launches in 2014 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. The developer recently acknowledged the lack of Destiny for PC is "painful" for gamers.

Game of Thrones and Elf actor Peter Dinklage voices Destiny's Ghost character, described as an "interactive companion."

By Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.

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Miyamoto says devs should avoid games that "look and feel the same"

Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto has spoken out in a new interview with Time to say developers should avoid leveraging the power of new consoles to make games that "look and feel the same" and instead key in on creating unique experiences.

"From my perspective, with regard to the more powerful hardware systems, to me what still remains incredibly important is the developers maintaining a focus on creating unique games because if all that everyone does is uses the enhanced power to create more and more games that look and feel the same, then all that it becomes is a competition about the power of the hardware rather than the uniqueness of the experience," Miyamoto said. "That, to me, is where developers should be devoting their effort."

The Wii U is Nintendo's first high-definition platform, and the company is bringing its tentpole franchises to the platform, including new entries in franchises like Mario Kart, Zelda, and Donkey Kong.

The system has gotten off to a slow start, selling 3.45 million units worldwide thus far. Nintendo has acknowledged it is to blame for the sluggish adoption, but believes sales will pick up when marquee titles arrive this year and into next.

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