Items tagged with Epic Games
Fortnite is a widely popular battle royale-style game, even surpassing Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, which arguably popularized the genre. Given its popularity, the game has been brought to the majority of today's modern gaming platforms including the PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS and even macOS. However, two platforms that have been left out of the mix so far have been Android (support is coming this summer) and the Nintendo Switch. We're learning today that it might not be long before the Nintendo Switch version of the game is made available. Leaked materials purportedly show a rundown of Nintendo Switch games that will be on display at E3, and Fornite is prominently featured....
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As if inspired by an episode of Jackass where Johnny Knoxville and the gang participate in outrageous stunts. Epic Games is adding a shopping cart to Fortnite, its incredibly popular battle royale shooter that now has more concurrent users than PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG). And no, the carts are not for shopping, of course, but for riding around the map with room for two. The new rideable shopping carts are being rolled out with the latest patch, version 4.3. You can "ride solo or grab a friend to cover you as you roll around the map together." Players can push a cart around the landscape, and if you're seated as a passenger, you can fire at enemies. The new rideable shopping carts will...
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PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite, the two most popular battle royale shooters on the planet, have been locked in a battle for concurrent player supremacy for nearly a year. Now the two may have to duke it out in court. That's because PUBG Corp., a subsidiary of Bluehole, has filed a lawsuit in South Korea against Fortnite developer Epic Games over alleged copyright infringement. The lawsuit arrives as PUBG has seen its number of concurrent players on Steam cut in half, going from more than 3 million users in December of last year to around 1.5 million users currently. Meanwhile, the last update from Epic Games had Fortnite peaking at over 3.4 million concurrent players, which the game...
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Epic Games has gone official with all the details of the V4.2 content update and it brings something that fans have been clamoring for: jetpacks. Jetpacks are part of a new item type coming to Battle Royale called Backpacks, not to be confused with Back Bling. Backpacks are gameplay items that can’t be purchased as cosmetics. Another key difference is that Backpacks fill an inventory slot just as if it were a weapon or consumable. Backpacks are Legendary rarity items and are found in Treasure Chests. Only one backpack can be carried at a time and if you pick up a different backpack while wearing one, it will be switched out automatically with the one currently equipped. When the backpack...
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It’s hard to believe it, but the original Unreal is 20 years old today… yes, twenty years old. The game was originally released on May 22nd, 1998 by GT Interactive and was of course the first to use the famed Unreal engine. If you’re getting on up there in age, you can likely recall fanboys proclaiming their love for either Unreal or Quake II, and the enthusiast community’s delight in eking the best framerates out of modern (at the time) Intel Pentium and AMD K6-2 processors, along with early standalone graphics accelerators. Epic Games is celebrating the 20th anniversary of this pivotal game by making Unreal Gold Edition free for all on Steam. The game...
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Fortnite is the biggest game on the planet right now, and developer Epic Games sure knows how to keep the hype train steaming along. Today, Epic announced that Marvel super-baddie Thanos is coming to the game for a limited time crossover event. Thanos will appear in a new game mode called “Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup”, which will have 100 players scavenging the map for the Infinity Gauntlet with all six Infinity Stones. With the Infinity Gauntlet in hand, you'll be able to "power up" into Thanos to crush all opponents. So how did we arrive at this epic crossover? It turns out that Avengers: Infinity War directors Anthony and Joe Russo are big fans...
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When it comes to Fortnite, it's been a season of teases and leaks, with plenty of speculation thrown into the mix, especially in regards to the comet streaking through the sky. We can put all that to rest now—Epic Games has released the Fortnite: Battle Royale Season 4 Battle Pass, which arrived with a literal bang as shards of a massive comet crashed onto the map and altered the landscape. "Discover gravity-defying Hop Rocks and find new ways to play. Jump in and witness the aftermath of the impact while you level up your Battle Pass and earn all new loot. The Season 4 Battle Pass is here sporting 100 tiers of awesome new rewards, including new cosmetic items, emotes and Sprays," Epic...
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Epic Games has announced that the v3.5 patch for the Fortnite is now available for all to download and that the most anticipated feature is likely the new Replay mode. This mode brings a bunch of settings that allow you to capture your most memorable moments, highlights, and cinematics. Epic says that it will be hosting a contest that allows players to win "phenomenal prizes" using the Replay system. There is no specific date for that contest, all Epic says is "very soon." Survive the Storm mode has returned and players who survive in the mode will be able to claim rewards. A useful new item has landed in the game in the form of the Port-a-Fort. That new item is a portable fortification that...
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Fans of Fortnite who are sad at the ending of the Sniper Shootout Event have a new limited time event they can partake in and this mode blows the bejeebers out of stuff. The new event is called High Explosives v2 and it is part of the v3.4 content update. This mode removes all non-explosive weapons and turns off friendly fire. Wait times for the first four storms have been reduced (1:50), meaning they arrive in 20/30/30/30 seconds. There are plenty of supplies to make blowing stuff up a ton of fun; Epic says that 50% more consumables will spawn along with 100% more materials. There is also a 50% chance of dropping a Legendary Guided Missile. Other improvements to gameplay for the mode include...
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Now is your chance to pounce if you have been itching to get your hands on one of the most popular games of 2018. Epic Games’ Fortnite is available for free on iOS -- for everyone. Epic Games initially released an invite-only beta test to prevent its servers from being overwhelmed. Invites were sent to players as the servers were able to increasingly handle more action. Players were able to invite up to three friends to join their squad while others were able to join a waitlist. Fortnite managed to surge to number one in the iOS App Store despite its limited availability during this beta period. Fortnite is almost identical to the Battle Royale mode that is available for PC...
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The gap between real-life scenery and digitally produced visuals is continually shrinking, and one day we might not be able to tell the difference between the two. Working in that direction is Epic Games. Using its Unreal Engine, the development studio has created a digital human called Siren with realistic graphics and facial animation that is remarkably similar to that of a real human. "One thing we’ve been interested in over the years is digital humans. Two years ago we showed Senua, the Hellblade character. To this day, that’s pretty much state of the art. But we wanted to see if we could get closer to crossing the uncanny valley. She was great, but you could see that the facial...
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We are still waiting for our invite to participate in the fun of playing Fortnite on iOS, but in the meantime, there are plenty of others who have the chance to check it out. So many, in fact, that it has become the top most downloaded iPhone game in the US, and the second most downloaded app across all categories. So, how is it faring? Surprising well, it seems, though the real question is how mobile players are going to fare against their advantaged PC gaming brethren. It seems counter intuitive to play a game like Fortnite on a mobile screen, trading a keyboard and mouse combination for taps and touch gestures. But dang it all, Epic Games has apparently figured things out. The general consensus...
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If the idea of playing a battle royale shooter on your mobile device sounds appealing, then you should know that Fortnite is available on iOS. Unfortunately, it is an invite-only affair at the moment, with Epic Games having sent out a batch of invitations last night. Even so, Fortnite is proving immensely popular on iPhone and iPad devices—it's already the top most downloaded iPhone game in the US. That's according to Sensor Tower, an app tracking firm that shared its data with GamesBeat, a division of VentureBeat. According to that data, Fortnite is only the most popular iPhone game in the US right now, it is also the second most downloaded app across all categories. The game is faring...
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Fortnite is an incredibly popular multiplayer sandbox survival game, which also means that it has a big red target painted on its back due to its huge install base. Fortnite's vulnerability to attacks has become more visible in recent weeks as players began discovering that their accounts had been compromised. Apparently, hackers have found a way to infiltrate Epic Games accounts and rack of hundreds of dollars (or more) in purchases using an attached credit card through PayPal. Luckily for some of the Fornite victims, that have been able to obtain direct assistance from Epic Games. "Have to give Epic some credit. Someone logged in to my account and bought the Ultimate upgrade (had PayPal tied...
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Fortnite is bringing its cartoony visuals and battle royale platforms to mobile, and specifically to iOS and Android (in that order). When it arrives on mobile, Fortnite will support cross-platform play, allowing Xbox One, PC, Mac, and mobile users to play with and against one another. What about the PlayStation 4, you ask? Cross-platform play is being introduced to the PS4 version as well, except where it matters. Sony continues to be a buzzkill when it comes to cross-platform gameplay between the PS4 and Xbox One. That is unfortunate, though par for course when it comes to Sony and Microsoft letting their rivalry stand in the way of what consumers have been clamoring for. If you ask Microsoft,...
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You could see this coming from a mile away, but development studio Epic Games has decided to pull the plug on Paragon, its moderately successful multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) title and focus on Fortite, its hugely successful battle royale game. To soften the blow, Epic Games said it will be issuing full refunds to every player who ever purchased Paragaon on any platform, they just have to request it. "It’s with heavy hearts we’ve decided to close down Paragon. We truly appreciate everything you’ve put into Paragon. We received many passionate ideas for where to take the game; the outpouring of thoughtful suggestions is another testament to this incredible community,"...
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Most of us hate cheaters (well, unless you're a cheater), as they can ruin some of our favorite games with their spoils. Game developers often try to mitigate the effectiveness of cheaters by closing loopholes and patching up bugs that can be taken advantage of by unscrupulous players. In the case of Epic Games, it went a step further with legal action (citing copyright infringement) against two people that used Addicted Cheats' aimbotting services -- which can be had obtained for between $5 to $15 per month – to wreak havoc in Fortnite. “In using cheat software to modify the game’s code in this way,” said Epic in its original complaint against the two defendants. “[The...
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It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but do not tell that to Bluehole, developer of the popular last-man standing game PlayerUknown's Battlegrounds. After Epic Games announced it was building a similar "Battle Royale" mode for its game Fortnite with a reference to PUBG as inspiration, Bluehole issued a statement voicing concern and threatening legal action. "We've had an ongoing relationship with Epic Games throughout PUBG’s development as they are the creators of Unreal Engine 4 (UE4), the engine we licensed for the game," Bluehole VP and executive producer Chang Han Kim stated in a press release. "After listening to the growing feedback from our community and reviewing...
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When people think about Unreal Engine, they probably picture some of the industry's hottest game titles that have been built around it. If you need a quick reminder, that list includes a couple of notable series: Gears of War, Batman: Arkham, Mass Effect, BioShock, Ark: Survival Evolved, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, and Rainbow Six series, not to mention Unreal Tournament - to name just a few. Regardless, what you might not know is that Unreal Engine can be used for much more than games, and that's a message that Epic is hoping to get out there. The company's major target right now is with architecture, because its engine is perfectly suited for that kind of use - especially...
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Who is selling the most VR headsets? Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney claims that the HTC Vive is outselling the Oculus Rift by a two-to-one margin. Sweeney offered this speculation in an interview with Glixel’s Chris Suellentrop regarding the future of VR. Oculus and HTC have not confirmed these numbers, and Sweeney did not provide a source for his information. Some have estimated that half a million VR headsets have been sold to date. Why would the HTC Vive, however, be outperforming the Oculus Rift? According to Sweeney, Oculus’ “walled garden approach” to software is deterring potential consumers. He stated, “When you install the Oculus drivers, by default you can only use the Oculus store....
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Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney isn't a fan of what Microsoft is doing with Windows 10, and specifically its effort to promote the Windows Store by pushing the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) model. We already know this, but lest anyone think Sweeney has cooled off since the last time he raked Microsoft over the coals, he had more to say on the matter, accusing the Redmond outfit of being sneaky in its attempt to overthrow Steam. "There are two programming interfaces for Windows and every app has to choose one of them. Every Steam app - every PC game for the past few decades - has used Win32. It's been both responsible for the vibrant software market we have now, but also for malware. Any program...
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Both Microsoft and Sony are on a path to shake things up in the console world by releasing upgraded systems with more powerful hardware equipped for gaming at 4K Ultra HD. Their plans represent a deviation from the traditional console cycle in which several years lapse in between brand new machines, and if you ask Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney about it, he'll tell you it's the "best of both worlds." Taking a view of the changing landscape from Sweeney's perspective, porting over the upgrade cycle of a PC to the console world is nothing but a good thing, one that ensures the latest hardware (peripherals) and games remain relevant for the entire seven year period (and beyond, really) in between major...
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