“One of the things we’re very aware of is the need for the balancing to be right. After running some recent tests, we found that PC players were 4.5% more efficient at killing skeletons than Xbox players, and this feels close enough that it’s something we’ll continue to monitor. However, PvP between platforms, or more importantly device input, is the big focus point for us as a Design team, and already we’ve been working closely with the Game Experience team to change the way the guns work to be better balanced for cross play. We’ve put in a bunch of telemetry around this, and with the change to guns it’s made them feel tonally so much more fitting, as previously they felt more like laser weapons than ancient plundered-and-pillaged gunpowder-driven blunderbuss

There is plenty of other content mentioned in the post as well, several of which are cosmetics. Not only will island and ship cosmetic chests be available but more customization options for the pirate generator will be added. Some of these include scars, tattoos, hair color, makeup, skin color, and several oth

This is certainly going to strike a lot of hardcore Mega Man fans the wrong way, but the past fourteen or so months have been pretty bad for Keiji Inafune. From the change in Mighty No. 9’s art-style to the failed Red Ash Kickstarter, which took place in the middle of the development of another partially crowd funded title, to the countless delays for the Mega Man spiritual successor, we’ve seen a member of video game royalty sully his good name a little bit. ReCore, the Armature Studios Xbox One exclusive that we actually know next to nothing about, is yet another Inafune project, and the hope here is that it fits in with Microsoft’s new consumer-first messaging. If ReCore turns out to be another slightly shady situation, it could be the beginning of the end for this once-powerful developer. The real hope here is that ReCore winds up being an incredible new IP for Microsoft to focus on going forward, as the Xbox platform won’t be able to rake in that Halo cash forever.

Microsoft has officially announced that Rare’s multiplayer pirate action game Sea of Thieves will feature cross-play between Xbox One and PC. The announcement came during today’s Xbox Gamescom livestream, which included some new trailers, a few announcements, and concluded with the launch of Xbox One X pre-orders. But cross-play for Sea of Thieves could be the biggest surprise, with the game’s closed technical alpha implementing the feature, effective immediat

For now, though, Rare will continue with the development of Sea of Thieves in preparation for its forthcoming launch. There’s plenty to do, and Rare seems like they’re adding new ideas as fast as they can come up with them. The studio just revealed how players can now get sick and vomit into a bucket, then use the bucket as a weapon against friends (or alli

Even though Rare Replay was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2015, it’s been far too long since Rare has made a game that feels truly aligned with its original development vision. Yes, the masterminds of yesteryear have moved on from the heralded development studio, but when we got a glimpse of Rare’s next project, it’s hard not to feel that awesome blend of nostalgia and novelty that this UK-based developer seemed to capture so well.

According to Rare, the studio wants to offer a balanced experience that’s equal in almost every facet. In practice, that means a game with full feature parity, but more than that it means an equal playing field from day one. So Rare also says they’re planning on launching Sea of Thieves day and date on both console and PC, with launch still on track for early 2

There are definitely some major questions about Sea of Thieves maps|https://Seaofthievesfans.com/ of Thieves, especially when you consider that Rare is not a studio that has ever put together an online game that feels truly cutting edge, but if everything hits, Microsoft’s investment in this legendary studio could be totally worth it. The real goal here should be to find a way to make a charming, deep online version of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag , considering that may be the best pirate game we’ve ever received.

Considering the fact that Sea of Thieves will be a shared open world, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the game offer players opportunities to build abodes and other buildings, and work together with friends and strangers to create and protect entire villages. Additionally, considering the game is focused on pirates, and pirates need ships, it’s very likely players will need to purchase a boat either alone or with others in order to set sail. There may also be ways for players to gather materials to build or upgrade those ships, making them more capable pirates and thie

This isn’t the first time that Rare has talked about cross-play for Sea of Thieves , however. Earlier this year, when Rare first activated the closed alpha on PC, the team decided to try out cross-play just to see how it felt. Executive Producer Joe Neate called the experience “magical,” explaining that it led him to question why any game would split player bases. But questions about balance and fairness prevented Rare from making it official straight away, however the more the studio considered cross-play, the more it realized there was no good reason not to include