Join the Leaders Making Gaming’s Next Big Deals. GamesBeat NEXT brings 500+ executives, CEOs, founders, and investors to San Francisco, November 2–3, to shape the future of gaming, entertainment, and AI. Connect with industry leaders, forge strategic partnerships, and close deals that move business forward. Be in the room. Get your ticket.
Welcome to another GamesBeat weekly roundup! This time, we got a better look at the Nintendo Switch thanks to an 3D model, Minecraft is coming to Apple TV, and the PlayStation 4 is getitng some new, fancy controllers from third parties.
Enjoy, and have a great weekend!
Pieces of flair and opinion
- The DeanBeat: Why video game companies — and all of us — need to think more about A.I.
- The Nintendo Switch secrets that may sit inside Nvidia’s Shield
- Why Nintendo’s stock fell after the massive hype for the Switch debut
- Nintendo Switch CG model gives the new console an up-close look
- Nintendo Switch uses cartridges, but not like the N64
News
- Steep’s open beta will let you hit the slopes early
- Minecraft is launching on Apple TV this year
- Pokémon Sun and Moon reveals the final forms of Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio
- Nintendo to unveil Switch console’s price and details on January 12
- Super League Gaming raises $5 million for its movie theater esports business
- PlayStation 4 will get Elite-style controllers from Razer and Nacon
- Oculus and Kaleidoscope set up DevLab to foster new VR experiences
- Hearthstone Championship Tour evolves for 2017
- Ubisoft researcher scouted Watch Dogs 2 by hanging out with hacktivists in SF and DefCon
- Microsoft’s Remix 3D lets you share and print 3D creations from Minecraft and Paint 3D
- Triseum unveils calculus educational game Variant: Limits
- PlayStation Network is down
- Nintendo won’t sell Switch at a loss; plans to ship 2 million units in March
- The Pokémon Go effect: 3DS sales up 19% as the mobile megahit stirs up fan excitement
- Pokémon Go and Mariners sale are the only bright spots in a weak Nintendo quarter
- Cuba’s self-proclaimed first indie game seeks crowdfunding
- The Witcher 3’s Gwent card game launches closed beta test
- Blizzard uses a Facebook Messenger chatbot to tease Hearthstone’s future
- Amazon opens a new game engine team location in Austin
- World of Warcraft: Legion’s biggest patch yet is now live
- Live.me has processed $1 million in virtual gift payments for streamers in 7 months
- How The Oatmeal’s Bears vs Babies card game scored $1.4 million in a week on Kickstarter
- November Xbox Live Games with Gold: Monkey Island, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, and more
Mobile and social
- Kongregate adds Steam to its web and mobile portfolio with Splashy Hero
- Sensor Tower: Pokémon Go’s Halloween treat helps it reclaim No. 1 top-grossing spot
- King shutters Heroes of Honor developer Nonstop Games in Singapore
- Bravely Default studio brings its old-school touch to a new mobile RPG for DeNA
- Germany’s Gameforge doubles down on PC games as it lays off mobile staff
- Pokémon Go’s ghosts are out for the Halloween event
- NetEase’s push from China continues with mobile strategy game Immortal Conquest
- Livestreaming app Mobcrush raises $20 million
- The Walking Dead mobile game No Man’s Land is adding content for the show’s new season
- Pokémon Go’s first in-game event celebrates Halloween
- EA tries to go as broad as possible with FIFA Mobile
Previews, reviews, and interviews
- Titanfall 2 gradually eases players into Grunt combat
- HyperX Cloud Stinger is an amazing $50 gaming headset
- Ghost Invasion is a HoloLens game that turns you into a ghostbuster
- Privacy author Violet Blue helped Ubisoft capture San Francisco’s hacktivism in Watch Dogs 2
- Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs 2 game director tells us how to take on the surveillance state