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Welcome to another GamesBeat weekly roundup! This time, Blizzard developers give players tips for Heroes of the Storm, Pokken Tournament, is coming to Wii U, and we preview Super Mario Maker.
Have a great weekend!
Pieces of flair and opinions
- The DeanBeat: EA prospers by thinking about gamers
- Hearthstone: The Grand Tournament’s 5 most promising cards
- Multiplayer’s latest trend: Avoiding other players
- Turtle Beach shot my face with a beam of concentrated Michael Jackson
- Heroes of the Storm guide: a Blizzard designer’s tips for playing Kharazim, Rexxar, Artanis, & Infernal Shrines
News
- Pokémon fighting game Pokken Tournament coming to Wii U in spring 2016
- Batman: Arkham Knight’s getting an interim PC patch, due in ‘next few weeks’
- Watch Chatroulette users play the first real-life first-person shooter game
- Kerbal Space Program brings its NASA-simulating fun to Xbox One
- GOG on Dragonlance Gold Box games: ‘They’re coming’
- Oculus will release the update for its development kit next week
- Street Fighter V’s beta testing has begun in Europe, North America & Asia to follow later
- Blizzard says data-delivering Hearthstone API is coming soon
- Nvidia introduces an affordable 3D graphics card aimed at MOBA gamers
- THACO is back: Gold Box D&D games come to GOG
- Nintendo 2DS gets a $30 price drop, costs $100 beginning August 30
- Splatoon gets a new multiplayer map today — the urban Flounder Heights
- Xbox One may get backward compatibility with original Xbox games
- Can’t install Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta? Here’s the fix
- Hearthstone expansion The Grand Tournament launches August 24
- Use a stealth loadout in Modern Warfare? You may not appreciate Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing headsets
- Android creator Andy Rubin invests $15M in CastAR to build augmented reality gaming glasses
- Intel shows how we should celebrate gaming, not fear it
- Want to curb your cravings for sex and food? Play Tetris
- Xbox Live down intermittently for gamers on Xbox 360
- Developers focus on VR and luxurious mustaches at Siggraph 2015
- Heroes of the Storm Monk-adding patch is live now
- Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview for PCs, the first build since launch
- Trion World’s Trove passes 1 million active players — but it’s not a Minecraft clone, CEO says
- Intel to integrate its RealSense camera into gaming systems
- Xbox One August update starts rolling out with 1080p 60fps game streaming, achievement comparing, and more
- Splatoon transforms into a battle of Autobots vs. Decepticons
- Second Life creator Linden Lab starts testing its virtual-reality world: Project Sansar
- Scooby-Doo and the gang break into Lego Dimensions
- Hearthstone’s next Tavern Brawl gives you a chance to play with Grand Tournament cards
- Hob is the latest game from Torchlight developer Runic Games
- China’s iDreamSky pays $10M for majority stake in Silicon Valley game startup Rumble Entertainment
- Nathan Drake is no longer as shiny as a tan Toyota Camry in the PlayStation 4 Uncharted collection
- Gears of War Ultimate Edition trailer brings back ‘Mad World’
- New Game Plus comes to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Xbox One — PlayStation 4 and PC to follow
Mobile and social
- N3twork acquires Swedish game studio Nio Games as it returns to mobile gaming
- EA has a new partner for mobile game advertising in the $4B Latin American market
- Pac-Man 256 is out now on iOS and Android — it’s Crossy Road studio’s latest game
- LeapFrog launches its new 7-inch kids educational tablet
- 3D Realms, Gearbox, & Interceptor comment on Duke Nukem settlement
- Monster Strike makes a frightening $4.2M every day — while spending only a fraction on marketing
- Kids’ gaming makes up nearly 8% of mobile game spending worldwide
- Rovio reveals the key to Angry Birds’ success: brand partners
- Animal Jam brings its social network for kids to mobile
- Activision unveils Skylanders Battlecast free-to-play mobile card game
- Hearthstone on mobile could be losing Blizzard money
- Clash of Kings hits 65M downloads after a year
Previews and interviews
- Pac-Man 256 developer Hipster Whale on distractions, appealing to fans, and more
- Star Citizen maker says Intel’s Optane memory will be ‘revolutionary’ for gaming — and kill loading screens
- Hands-on: Intel’s RealSense cameras can easily plug your image into a Twitch livestream
- Double Fine, InXile, and Obsidian bigwigs create Kickstarter competitor for games — with equity for backers
- Jade Raymond’s journey to EA, Star Wars games, and a new Montreal studio
Reviews and impressions
- How Earthcore’s gentle, paywall-less monetization strategy is rewarded by its players
- RymdResa is the most tranquil roguelike you’ll ever play
- Watch our first impressions of Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s multiplayer beta
- Watch us play Super Mario Maker in our preview livestream
- Watch us play Galak-Z for the first time