Articles by Jennifer Locke

The global pandemic has forced developers to adapt their work pipelines and finish games from home. This has led to multiple delays.

This year began with a slew of high-profile game delays, most notably Cyberpunk 2077 and the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but then COVID-19 struck and and threw the games industry through a loop. We’ve compiled a list of every game that’s been delayed into 2020 and beyond. Some of these games have been delayed indefinitely while others have release windows or a final release date.

We’ll continually update this list as more games are delayed.

Marvel’s Avengers
Cyberpunk 2077
Death Stranding
Dying Light 2
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered
Ghost of Tsushima
Gods & Monsters
Iron Man VR
The Last of Us Part II
Minecraft Dungeons
Rainbow Six Quarantine
Skull & Bones
Star Wars Episode I: Racer
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Wasteland 3
Watch Dogs: Legion

Games delayed in 2020

Marvel’s Avengers

Marvel’s Avengers was supposed to…

Respawn is giving Apex Legends the attention it deserves to compete with the best battle royales out there.

What you need to know

Respawn has opened up a new studio in Vancouver.
This studio will focus entirely on Apex Legends, its popular battle royale title.
The Vancouver-based location looking to expand to up to 80 employees.

Respawn is expanding its reach by opening up a new studio in Vancouver, Canada to focus entirely on Apex Legends. This announcement was confirmed by Respawn COO Dusty Welch to GamesIndustry.biz and coincides with the studio’s 10th anniversary.

The team over at Respawn Vancouver, conveniently located near EA’s Vancouver campus, will be led by Head of Operations Henry Lee and Team Director Steven Ferreira. Lee spoke about how excited he was for the move.

When you look at Vancouver, it’s one of our [EA’s] biggest studio locations. And Vancouver is full of talented people in the games industry, so there was a natural fit with Steven coming on board with…

This pair of earbuds became the perfect partner when I went outside for walks.

I’ve always preferred headsets to earbuds because the latter never felt secure in my ears. For years, they would all too frequently fall out or fit uncomfortably — leading me to only use wired pairs. Despite manufacturers improving the ergonomics over time, I still didn’t really care for earbuds. Then, I had a chance to try out the SYNC Pro true wireless earbuds from SOUL Electronics. I don’t know if I’d personally choose them over a good headset, but they virtually eliminated all of my previous problems with earbuds.

The SOUL SYNC Pro offer up to 150 hours of battery life thanks to a 3000 mAh portable charging case, and they feature Qualcomm aptX and AAC codecs, an IPX5 water-resistant rating, dual microphones, and Bluetooth 5.0. Some of these features are par for the course and what you’d see on other competitors, but the battery life afforded by its charging case is nearly unprecedented.

I’ve been …

Let’s all pour one out for the ghost of E3 as more and more developers announce their own showcases.

What you need to know

In lieu of an E3 showcase since the event was cancelled, Ubisoft is hosting its own digital showcase on July 12.
This showcase is set to feature “exclusive game news, reveals, and more.”
Ubisoft did not name any particular games that are set to be shown.

After E3 was cancelled this year due to the pandemic, Ubisoft announced that it was exploring alternative methods to reveal what the company has in store for us. We now know that we can expect such an event on July 12. The publisher announced that Ubisoft Forward will be a fully digital showcase featuring game news, reveals, and more.

Save the Date! Join us July 12 for Ubisoft Forward, a fully digital showcase with exclusive game news, reveals and more 🎉 Stay tuned… #UbiForward pic.twitter.com/JLYEyF1YnL— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) May 11, 2020

This takes place about a month after E3 was initially planned…

Best answer: No. At least not yet. Televisions that officially support 120Hz are incredibly expensive right now since the technology hasn’t been widely adopted yet. However, you can get gaming monitors that support up to 144Hz for much cheaper in comparison.

Perfect for desktop: Sceptre 24-inch Curved 144Hz Gaming Monitor ($155 at Amazon)
Big screen: Samsung 55-inch Q80R ($1,298 at Amazon)

What does 120Hz mean?

In regards to televisions and monitors, hertz (Hz) is the frequency at which a screen redraws a scene in one second. When you see a television labelled as supporting 60Hz or 120Hz, it means that the refresh rate of the screen is 60 or 120 frames per second (FPS). The higher the refresh rate, the smoother movement looks. That doesn’t always bode well for movies or TV, but it works well for games.

A frame rate up to 120FPS would mean games run smoother than ever. You;ll notice less choppiness during fast-paced scenes with a lot of movement onscreen. This can make or break…

Best answer: Supposedly, yes. PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan told CNET that the console would support 4K at 120Hz, but a direct quote was not given in the interview. This interview also took place in June 2019, so any number of things may have changed since then.

Take it to the next level: Sceptre 24-inch Curved 144Hz Gaming Monitor ($155 at Amazon)
For the living room: Samsung 55-inch Q80R ($1,298 at Amazon)

What does “frames per second” mean?

What you see as movement on-screen is actually static images displayed in quick succession, thus portraying movement to your eyes (because the human brain is weird like that). Think of it as the technique used to render stop motion. The amount of images displayed in one second is your “frames per second” frequency.

30FPS means 30 frames are being displayed across the screen in a single second. The higher the number, the smoother the movement tends to look.

On a television, the refresh rate of your screen is measured in hertz (Hz), which is h…

A repeated pattern of racist remarks means nothing, apparently.

What you need to know

Felix Kjellberg, known by his YouTube handle PewDiePie, has signed an exclusive streaming deal with YouTube.
This comes three years after the platform cancelled his YouTube Red series over anti-Semitic remarks.
What are consequences? YouTube doesn’t know her.

Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg, one of YouTube’s most popular creators, has signed an exclusive streaming deal with the company. Remember when just a few years ago YouTube cancelled one of his original series over anti-Semitic remarks? YouTube sure doesn’t, I guess.

“YouTube has been my home for over a decade now and live streaming on the platform feels like a natural fit as I continue to look for new ways to create content and interact with fans worldwide,” PewDiePie said in statement. “Live streaming is something I’m focusing a lot on in 2020 and beyond, so to be able to partner with YouTube and be at the forefront of new product features …

The leaks weren’t coming from the inside, apparently.

What you need to know

The Last of Us Part II suffered major plot leaks the other day.
Rumors pointed towards a disgruntled Naughty Dog employee leaking it.
Sony has identified the leakers and confirmed they were not affiliated with Sony or Naughty Dog in any way.

Fans were taken by surprise last week when someone had apparently leaked the entire plot and ending to The Last of Us Part II, complete with gameplay footage. Rumors initially began to swirl that the leak came from a disgruntled Naughty Dog employee over pay disputes, but that appears to have been false. Sony confirmed in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz that the parties responsible for the leak did not work for Sony or Naughty Dog in any capacity.

Sony has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that it has identified the primary individuals responsible for the leaks earlier this weeks, saying they were not affiliated with Sony Interactive Entertainment or Naughty Dog, a…

Our first look at Assassin’s Creed Valhalla promises a bloody tale.

What you need to know

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was unveiled yesterday in a livestream with graphic designer BossLogic.
Ubisoft has now released the first trailer for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
It is set to release holiday 2020.

Ubisoft didn’t make us wait long for a full reveal after that initial teaser yesterday. The world premiere trailer is a whopping 4-minutes long, and it paints a beautiful, if bloody, picture of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Welcome to the land of Vikings.

Everything we know about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set to release holiday 2020 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, PC, and Stadia.

PlayStation 5

PlayStation 5: Everything we know so far
PS5 vs. Xbox Series X: How they compare
PS5 Specs: What’s in the next-gen PlayStation
Will PS4 games work on the PlayStation 5?

…

Get ready to raid some villages and conquer new lands.

The next Assassin’s Creed was revealed by Ubisoft through a livestream where graphic designer BossLogic worked some magic to create artwork for the game. As previous rumors suggested, it does take place during the time of Vikings. If the world premiere trailer is anything to go by, it promises a lot of bloody battles. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, with support from 14 other studios around the world.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Setting
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Story and characters
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Gameplay
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Release date and platforms

Viking raids

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

$60 at Best Buy

Conquer new lands for glory and honor

After endless wars ravage Norway and resources are scarce, you’ll lead your clan to the shores of England in the hopes of finding a new home. But not everyone is keen on having Vikings around, and King Alfred of Wessex will d…