Join independent journalists and industry decision-makers at GamesBeat NEXT, returning to San Francisco November 2–3. The event brings together 500 executives, founders, investors and tech leaders shaping the $200 billion interactive economy for candid discussions on gaming, entertainment, technology and AI, plus executive networking and opportunities to build partnerships and close major deals.
Welcome to another GamesBeat weekly roundup! It was a big week for the gaming world, with Nintendo revealing its new system, the portable-console hybrid Switch. Also, video game voice actors begin striking, we review Battlefield 1, and the Star Control series finally makes its return.
Enjoy, and have a great weekend!
Pieces of flair and opinion
- The DeanBeat: Nintendo aims for the gaps in the game business with the Switch
- Nintendo Switch: Everything we know so far
- Why I can’t wait for Red Dead Redemption 2
- Nintendo Switch: Our first impressions of the hybrid console unveiling
- Nintendo NX: our last-minute wishes before the reveal
- Nintendo is running out of time for an NX launch in March
- GamesBeat and Bots showcase VentureBeat’s new Channel Strategy
News
- The voice actor’s strike is underway in video game business
- Hearthstone gets new quests, and Murlocs are a bit different now
- September 2016 NPD: NBA, NFL, FIFA, and NHL top the sales chart
- Microsoft’s Xbox revenue declined 5% last quarter despite winning some U.S. market share from Sony
- Pick a Hearthstone Championship Tour winner for BlizzCon, earn some free cards
- Nintendo Switch: Analysts dig the concept but worry about processing power
- Nintendo Switch’s first games: New Mario, Mario Kart, NBA 2K, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Watch the Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer right here
- Nvidia gets back into console chips with custom Tegra for Nintendo Switch
- For Switch, Nintendo is partnering with From Software, GungHo, and more
- Nintendo wants everyone to buy a Switch — from esports fans to 3DS diehards
- Nintendo NX is Nintendo Switch, a home-portable hybrid launching March 2017
- CastAR adds former Sony PlayStation marketing chief as CMO
- Nintendo will reveal the NX console with a 3-minute ‘Preview Trailer’
- Doom’s fast-paced arcade mode is part of a free update
- Pornhub’s 360-degree videos now work on PlayStation VR
- Valve fights back in skin-gambling battle with Washington state
- Video game software sales estimated to hit $98 billion by 2020
- Stealth Bastard developer Curve Digital brings in VR specialist as new studio head
- Hearthstone Arena: crazy stats from 157 million hours of playtime in 2016
- Prey clip details an alternate timeline where JFK survives his trip to Dallas
- Watch Dogs 2 delayed 2 weeks on PC
- Star Control: Origins revives the beloved sci-fi franchise
- Red Dead Redemption 2 is official, coming in 2017
- Baobab Studios raises $25 million to make VR animated entertainment
- Heroes of the Storm will launch a new weekly Brawl mode and hero, Samuro
- Watch Civilization VI’s launch trailer
- NPD: 28% of U.S. population ages 13 to 54 purchase extra video game content
- Hearthstone’s Heroic Tavern Brawl ditches wacky rules for competitive play and insane rewards (update)
- Rockstar Games teases a second Red Dead announcement
- How the Philadelphia 76ers plan to grow esports with Team Dignitas
- Actors group could start strike against video game publishers on October 21
Mobile and social
- Pokémon Go is the fastest mobile game to hit $600 million in revenues
- China dethrones U.S. as its iOS app revenue hits record $1.7 billion in Q3
- Finland’s Seriously launches clicker adventure Best Fiends Forever on mobile
- Mastermind Studios launches Battle Bash strategy game on iMessage
- Playdigious unveils playable game demos in mobile ads
- DeNA shutters U.S. offices as the early leader in mobile gaming retreats to Japan
- Nielsen: Mobile games live and die on how fast developers can crank out new content
- Kabam receives $800 million bid for its best asset: its Vancouver studio
- Candy Crush Saga is becoming a game show for CBS
- Plants vs. Zombies Heroes enters the mobile digital card game arena
Reviews, previews, and interviews
- Walking the line between historical accuracy and fun in Battlefield 1
- Razer’s 4K Blade Pro keeps its slim figure even with an Nvidia GTX 1080 GPU
- Watch us play Eagle Flight: Ubisoft’s VR bird simulator
- Battlefield 1 delivers memorable moments from the horror of World War I
- Watch us play Accounting: A Rick & Morty-tinged VR nightmare for HTC Vive
- Mafia III has a gripping tale about racism in 1968, but bugs and weak gameplay hold it back
- Battlefield 1 impressions: World War I’s Battle of Cambrai has intense tank combat
- Battlefield 1 multiplayer impressions: It’s tough to survive in your first match