Tag: Netease
News FragPunk Dev Apologises For Making Fun of Spectre Divide Shutdown
Poor form
In a situation you don't see very often, mainly for solidarity and decency reasons, Bad Guitar Studio (FragPunk) has publicly apologised to Mountaintop Studios (Spectre Divide) after mocking the imminent shutdown of its debut title. Bad Guitar said its since deleted comment, which took the form of a Captain America meme (thanks,
News Marvel Rivals' March Update Has Arrived, Clone Rumble and Cosmic Adventure Now Live
Let's get ready to rumble
Marvel Rivals latest update is now live, introducing some needed adjustments to its pantheon of heroes, as well as adding the Clone Rumble mode and Galacta's Cosmic Adventure special event. Of course, there is a laundry list of bug fixes and optimizations to look forward to. Galacta's Cosmic Adventure will allow players to...
News FragPunk Delayed on Consoles at the Last Minute, Was Due Out Tomorrow
PS5 players will receive compensation
FragPunk, the latest online multiplayer shooter from Chinese publisher NetEase, has been indefinitely delayed on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S just 24 hours before it was scheduled to release. While the PC version will still launch as planned on Thursday, 6th March 2025, the console editions will be held back because...
News Quantic Dream Responds to Recent Layoffs at Parent Company NetEase
NetEase "hasn't wavered in its global expansion plans"
Quantic Dream, the developer behind Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human (amongst others), has responded to the recent round of layoffs at NetEase as the publisher pulls back from its Western video game endeavours. A wholly-owned subsidiary of NetEase, and having spent years working on Star Wars...
News Flying Heroes Are Menacing Their Landbound Marvel Rivals
Look! Up in the sky
It seems like those pre-update fears about Human Torch's devastating abilities may have been well founded; Marvel Rivals players, since the mid-season one update last week, have been scanning the skies nervously, fearing the inevitable aerial assault of the growing list of flying heroes. It's only natural that new characters...
News Yakuza Creator's Next Game Will Be Sent to Die As NetEase Implodes
Not good news
Back when Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi left SEGA and signed up with NetEase, it was expected he’d have the resources required to make the next big thing. After all, the Chinese juggernaut was on an outrageous spending spree, with money seemingly no object at all. Now it sounds like his next game will be sent out to die...
News Marvel Rivals Passes 40 Million Players as NetEase Reports $2.9 Billion in Net Revenue
Superior numbers
It's hard to escape Marvel Rivals these days, and if it seems like everyone is playing NetEase's mega-popular game, it's probably because they are. More than 40 million players have fired up the free-to-play hit, and the developer reports it made a superhuman $2.9 billion in net revenue; not bad, considering it was only released on...
News Human Torch Already Has Marvel Rivals Players Calling for a Nerf
Johnny Storm has yet to be added to the game
In a seemingly unprecedented situation, hyper-engaged Marvel Rivals players are already calling for a nerf to Human Torch's high-flying, flame-slinging abilities, despite the character not even being added to the game until tomorrow, 21st February, alongside Ben "The Thing" Grimm. Even if you are...
News Marvel Rivals Trailers Distract with Human Torch, The Thing Gameplay
“It's clobberin' time!”
Hot off the news that NetEase just laid off the US support team for the ridiculously successful Marvel Rivals, the marketing machine continues to roll forward relentlessly. Get a look at both Human Torch and The Thing in gameplay reveal trailers, as well as an overview of the upcoming Central Park map, set to arrive on...
News Marvel Rivals Maker Reassures Fans PS5 Hit Will Not Be Affected by Layoffs
NetEase investing more into game
Not even instantly becoming one of the most popular live-service games on the market is enough, apparently, as now a support studio that worked with NetEase on Marvel Rivals has been laid off. To be clear: this seems to be a USA-based team that's been supporting the main NetEase development studio, and not the game's...
News Marvel Rivals Immediately Walks Back Controversial Mid-Season Rank Reset
"Flame on!"
Marvel Rivals has done an immediate about-face, walking back the mid-season rank reset it announced yesterday in the face of fan furore. Developer NetEase had initially said that with the second half of season 1 arriving on 21st February, players' competitive ranking would be dropping some four divisions; that's no longer the case. Not...
News Human Torch, The Thing Will Join Marvel Rivals Next Week in Season 1 Update on PS5
Fantastic
Human Torch and The Thing will round out the playable Fantastic Four heroes in Marvel Rivals when they arrive in the game next week, on 21st February 2025. Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman launched alongside the beginning of Season 1 back in January, and now the other two members of the squad are turning up as part of a mid-season...
News Suspicion as Marvel Rivals Dev Accused of Planting Fake Hero Leaks
Land mines for data miners
Currently enjoying an enormous player base, the surprisingly sticky Marvel Rivals is presently sitting pretty, the envy of many in the industry. Fan hype is high, as is anticipation for future heroes. But in a fascinating situation, some in the community have become convinced that developer NetEase is responsible for the...
News Marvel Rivals Turns Its Hand to Soccer in Spring Festival Event on PS5
Ballin'
Fresh from its time-limited Splatoon-inspired winter mode, Marvel Rivals is now turning its attention to soccer – or Lucio Ball, depending on your preference. A new mode for Spring Festival, available from 23rd January, will see you get your Rocket League on, as you try to score past your opponents using a variety of moves and tackles. It...
News Spider-Man Will Soon Reunite with Insomniac's Iconic Advanced Suit in Marvel Rivals
White spider costume coming soon
Naturally, Spider-Man is among the large (and growing) cast of playable characters in Marvel Rivals. His default look in the hero shooter is quite traditional, but you'll soon be able to switch it up with a new outfit coming to the game soon. If you prefer the look of Spidey's suit in the Marvel's Spider-Man series,...
News The Invisible Woman's Marvel Rivals Super Power Exposes Quickplay Bots
Armor Wars
The Invisible Woman, AKA Dr Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards, has developed a new superpower beyond anything Stan Lee or Jack Kirby could ever have imagined: exposing the bots being secretly dropped into Marvel Rivals' Quickplay matches, bolstering struggling players by giving them an easy win. We covered the admittedly conspiratorial...
News Marvel Rivals Will Grow Rapidly with a New Hero Being Added Every Month and a Half
Assemble
Hero shooter smash hit Marvel Rivals already has dozens of playable characters to get to grips with, but the developer is far from finished adding to the roster. In a recently published interview with Metro, director Guangyun Chen has described the team's aim for post-launch support, and it sounds like new heroes will arrive with...
News Yakuza's Kiryu Actor Stars in Action Platformer Rusty Rabbit This April on PS5
Happy Easter
Rusty Rabbit, a side-scrolling action adventure from NetEase and Nitroplus, is coming to PS5 on 17th April, 2025. While there's an English version of the release date trailer, we've embedded the Japanese one, because the Japanese dub stars voice actor Takaya Kuroda in the lead role — best known in the West as the deep voice of Kazuma...
News Marvel Rivals' First-Month Revenue Shows Sony Should Continue to Pursue Live Service on PS5, PC
NetEase has a golden goose on its hands
Marvel Rivals has seemingly captured a large swathe of players in the live service space, and Chinese developer NetEase has revealed the staggering amount of cash brought in during the game's first month: $136 million, according to estimates, with $36 million of that coming from China alone.Outlet GameLook has...
News Marvel Rivals Fans Swooning Over Its New Season 1 Skins
Wolverine! Scarlet Witch! Loki!
Marvel Rivals is eating Overwatch 2's lunch right now, and it's seemingly about to double down on that domination with the launch of Season 1 this Friday. NetEase has uploaded a trailer documenting the season's Battle Pass content, and a lot of the skins you can unlock have players excited. See them in action in the...
News Mister Fantastic's First Marvel Rivals PS5 Gameplay Looks, Well, Fantastic
Strategist Susan Storm also showcased
Here’s our first look at Reed Richards, better known as Mister Fantastic, in Marvel Rivals. The Duellist character will debut as part of Season 1, which is scheduled to launch later this week, on 10th January. We now know that Mister Fantastic will be joined by The Invisible Woman initially. The pair will be...
News Marvel Rivals' First Proper PS5 Season Starts 10th January
And here's the first trailer
After a brief primer season, Marvel Rivals will get underway proper from 10th January on PS5. As previously teased, Eternal Night Falls will feature the Fantastic Four, although it’s still unclear how all four new characters will be rolled out. Some claim they’ll all be there from day one; others argue there’ll be...
News Marvel Rivals Dev Apologises After Mistakenly Banning Players for Cheating
Vows to make tackling proper cheaters a top priority
Marvel Rivals developer NetEase has apologised after mistakenly banning players wrongly flagged for cheating. The action has since been reversed, and the studio says tackling legitimate cheaters remains a priority. On Discord, NetEase apologised for the affair (thanks, IGN), assuring players it...
News The Fantastic Four Are Coming to Marvel Rivals on PS5, And They Look Freakin' Fabulous
They're cooking
When you’re on top of the world like Marvel Rivals right now, you may as well just go for the freakin’ jugular. How about the Fantastic Four for Season 1 for starters? As is the case with almost all the characters in the NetEase game, the quad squad look incredible, with a full trailer due on 6th January at approximately 8AM...
News Conspiratorial Marvel Rivals Report Suggests Bots in Quickplay Always Part of the Plan
Add bots, ???, profit
Marvel Rivals is just about the hottest free-to-play game short of the eternal Fortnite right now, drawing over 20 million players in just two weeks, and developer NetEase must move quickly to retain them. According to a fairly conspiratorial report, bots are allegedly being added to Quickplay matches, on the down low, to make...
News Marvel Rivals Is Truly Unstoppable As It Tops 20 Million Players
In just two weeks
They said free-to-play live service games are dead, and then Marvel Rivals and Infinity Nikki said no. The former has now topped 20 million players across all platforms, reaching the milestone in just two weeks. That’s prior to Jeff the Land Shark bringing his seasonal Splatoon mode, too. <related ids
News PS5 Superhero Smash Hit Marvel Rivals Is Splatoon Now
Sure, why not?
In service of its live service ambitions, Marvel Rivals has been looking to a Nintendo favourite for inspiration. Beginning 20th December, ahead of the holiday season, NetEase is adding an all-new mode to its superhero sensation, where Jeff the Land Shark will be, well, engaging in a spot of Splatoon. The seasonal mode will be...
News Stylish Free-to-Play Shooter FragPunk Confirmed for PS5, Launches March 2025
The card is mightier than the gun
NetEase has confirmed its stylised free-to-play FPS, FragPunk, is also heading to PS5. Initially revealed at this summer's Xbox Showcase, FragPunk is a 5v5 competitive shooter in which players can use special cards to transform the rules of combat. At the start of each round, players can activate Shard Cards that...
News Marvel Rivals Is Off to a Heroic Start with 10 Million Players in First Three Days
A kind of Magik
Marvel Games and NetEase have announced a meaty milestone for their multiplayer shooter, Marvel Rivals. The game has attracted over 10 million players in its opening three days. The news comes via official posts on social media: Of course, it should be noted this is a free-to-play title, significantly lowering the barrier to...
News Former Blizzard Boss Slams Marvel Rivals, Comparing It to Horizon-Like Light of Motiram
Immitation, flattery, etc
Not everyone enjoyed the full release of Marvel Rivals, it seems, with former Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra comparing the game to Tencent's egregious Horizon rip-off, Light of Motiram. He went so far as to call the popular hero shooter "Overwatch Marvel Rivals" in a since-deleted tweet.
News Open World PS5 Game Ananta Looks Absolutely Insane in Latest Trailer
Kitchen sink feeling left out
NetEase's upcoming free-to-play gacha game, Ananta — previously called Project Mugen — is looking incredibly promising in this brand new gameplay trailer. The game is an urban open world action RPG, set in large cityscapes that are yours to explore as one of various playable characters. The main thing you'll be...
News Marvel Rivals' Premium Battle Passes Won't Expire Once Purchased on PS5
Our hero
If you're waiting for the launch of Marvel Rivals on PS5, you may be pleased to learn that the premium battle passes you buy will not have a time limit, as confirmed in a recent dev blog. The free-to-play multiplayer hero shooter launches 6th December, 2024, and as with most games of this type, it has a couple of ways for fans to spend...
News PS Plus Members Get Free Cosmetics for Marvel Rivals on PS5
PS5 Pro support! Exclusive Spider-Man skin! DualSense
Marvel Rivals may be a free-to-play game available on most modern platforms, but Sony wants you to play it on the PS5. As part of a PS Blog post, it’s announced a slew of added incentives for those playing on the current PlayStation console. Perhaps most notable of all, PS Plus members will...
News Marvel Rivals' Slick as Hell New Trailer Is Here to Hype You Up for Launch on PS5
Out later this week
Marvel Rivals, the free-to-play (super)hero shooter from NetEase, is set to arrive on 6th December on PS5, and it's hard not to get swept along by its ultra-stylish launch trailer. It's not exactly representative of how the game plays, but this cinematic animation oozes style. Focusing on the large roster of characters available...
News Massively Promising PS5 Gacha Project Mugen Renamed Ananta
A rule-breaking open world awaits
The massively promising urban open world game Project Mugen has been renamed Ananta, and it’ll receive a new trailer on 4th December. The game was originally announced for PS5 and PS4, but now only references Sony’s current console on its website. <related ids="156292"> Those with
News Marvel Rivals Goes Gold Ahead of PS5 Launch, Expect It to Explode
(Over)watch out for it
Marvel Rivals is ready for release on 6th December, as the game has officially gone gold. The hero shooter has a shot at becoming one of the biggest games on the planet, with its familiar characters pairing with a well-established gameplay formula. <related ids="170887"> While the industry has not been kind to...
News Another Former Mass Effect Dev's New Studio Is Facing Financial Woes
World's Untold is "pausing operations"
In a strange bookend to the week, it seems another former Mass Effect senior developer's new undertaking is feeling the current industry pressure. Worlds Untold, established by NetEase Games and led by ME trilogy writer Mac Walters, is "pausing operations" until sufficient funding can be found. Walters re
News Hawkeye Joins Massive Marvel Rivals PS5 Launch Roster
Five more heroes to be revealed
NetEase Games has confirmed that Hawkeye will be part of the Marvel Rivals character roster when the upcoming PS5 title launches on 6th December 2024. He's the 28th superhero of a launch lineup that'll have 33 characters in total, so a further five are still to be revealed in the next couple of weeks. Our Marvel...
News 33 Characters Confirmed for Marvel Rivals PS5 Launch
Six more to be revealed
NetEase Games has announced its superhero-focused take on Overwatch, named Marvel Rivals, will release early next month with an impressive launch roster of 33 playable characters. 27 have been revealed so far, leaving a further six to be confirmed for the 6th December 2024 launch. All will be playable for free on release...
News Game Size Not as Important as It Used to Be, Says Yakuza Creator
Rather, it's about how you use the content
Yakuza/Like a Dragon creator Toshihiro Nagoshi says the era of games needing to be as big as possible is fast coming to an end. With the nonstop onslaught of game releases fighting for players' limited free time, Nagoshi says it's only natural that games will be judged less harshly on their size as the...
News NetEase Execs, Employees Arrested on Alleged Money Laundering and Bribery Charges
Marvel Rivals, Destiny: Rising developer embroiled
Nine staff members from the Chinese conglomerate NetEase have been arrested on charges of money laundering and bribery. Those detained include two of the company's executives: NetEase Games' general manager Xiang Lang and esports lead Jin Yuchen. Picked up by Chinese language outlet Leifeng and...
Mini Review Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered (PS5) - A Hella Good Update
A dish best served hella remastered
It’s been a long time since Shadows of the Damned dropped — 13 years, in fact. The game industry has changed substantially in that time, but a good game is still a good game. And that’s what we’re lucky enough to encounter here with Shadows of the Damned Hella Remastered. Narratively, this gonzo world...
News Visions of Mana Dev Basically Shut Down Just as the RPG Releases
Chinese companies having doubts over Japan
Ouka Studios, the Tokyo-based team that just brought us Visions of Mana, is reportedly on the brink of being closed down. To be clear, the new Mana title is published by Square Enix, but Ouka Studios — the game's primary developer — is a subsidiary of Chinese colossus NetEase. The outfit was first...
News Floatopia Could Surpass Animal Crossing on PS5
NetEase is going all in
Considering the unprecedented success of Animal Crossing, we’ve never quite understood why more developers haven’t tackled the concept – especially as there’s no real alternative on PlayStation, beyond Disney Dreamlight Valley. It seems like NetEase has finally picked up the mandate – and in many ways, Floatopia...
News Lara Croft Continues Her Tour of Other Titles in Naraka: Bladepoint on PS5
Royale rumble
Lara Croft is one of those characters that’s quite comfortable appearing anywhere, whether it’s Fortnite or Dead by Daylight. It’s not massively surprising to see the buxom British adventurer appear in Battle Royale game Naraka: Bladepoint, then, where she’ll feature as an alternative skin for existing character Matari...
News They Finally Made an Animal Crossing Clone for PS5
Well, kinda
Disney Dreamlight Valley is about as close as you can get to Animal Crossing on PS5 right now, but Floatopia looks even closer. The game, announced by NetEase during Gamescom Opening Night Live, promises all of the “beloved” elements of life simulation games: farming, fishing, logging, and decora
News Marvel Rivals Will Make All Future Superheroes Free on PS5
Captain America and the Winter Soldier arrive
Look, let’s not beat around the bush: Marvel Rivals is going to be huge. Unfathomably huge. Let’s consider the facts: it’s free-to-play, it features some of the most recognisable characters on the planet, and it’s pretty fun. The closed beta test was already massive, but once this opens up to the...
News PS5 Hero Shooter Hit Marvel Rivals Will Reveal New Characters and More at Gamescom
Rivals cool
If, like millions of others, you’re still enjoying the Marvel Rivals closed beta, then you’ll want to pay attention to Gamescom Opening Night Live for the reveal of new characters and content. Host Geoff Keighley confirmed that there’ll be key updates during the German convention’s opening salvo, and you can find out when to...
News Shadows of the Damned 2 Possible if PS5, PS4 Remaster Sells Well
Depends if people want it
A follow-up to PS3 fan-favourite Shadows Of The Damned is something Suda51 would consider making if the upcoming PS5, PS4 remaster of the original sells well enough, the creator has said. If "enough people really want it" and sales are high, then a sequel is "something we would at least consider working on in the future,"...
News You Won't Believe Marvel Rivals' New Playable Character on PS5
This ain't clickbait
Look, we’re all familiar with the Internet: sometimes websites write needlessly dramatic headlines to catch your attention. But we’re really not exaggerating with this one: how many of you had Jeff the Land Shark on your Marvel Rivals bingo card? Okay, we know technically this character leaked so some of you may have already...
