GamingNews

Free 'Mario Kart 8 Deluxe' update lets you choose what power-ups appear during races

December 8, 2022
At its core, Mario Kart is a game about trolling your friends. So what better way to ratchet up the hijinks than by allowing players to decide what power-ups spawn during races? Nintendo has released a free update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe that adds custom item selection for offline VS races and select online modes. Want to be a monster and force blue shells on all your friends? Go right ahead.
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Xbox thinks its game soundscapes can lull you to sleep

December 8, 2022
Mindfulness app Calm has a couple new audioscapes to help people relax and drift off, and they’re both from first-party Xbox games. Starting today, folks with a Calm Premium membership can chill out to the ocean vibes of Sea of Thieves or the ambient alien noise of…
GamingNews

PUBG Mobile hits $9B in lifetime consumer spending

December 7, 2022
Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit Next 2022? All sessions are now available for viewing in our on-demand library. Click here to start watching. PUBG Mobile has reached a new milestone, crossing $9 billion in total consumer spending. According to Sensor Tower, App Store and Google Play users have installed PUBG Mobile 1.1 billion times and spent $5.2 million per day on average. PUBG…
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Microsoft vows to bring 'Call of Duty' to Nintendo consoles

December 7, 2022
Microsoft vows to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo and to continue making it available on the latter’s consoles for 10 years if its Activision Blizzard acquisition pushes through. Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming’s CEO, has announced the company’s commitment on…
GamingNews

Twitch rival Kick revives revenue split debate, gambling controversy

December 7, 2022
Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit Next 2022? All sessions are now available for viewing in our on-demand library. Click here to start watching. Tyler ‘Trainwreck’ Niknam, one of Twitch’s top streamers, announced he would be moving to a new service called Kick.com and joining as a “non-owner adviser and non-exclusive broadcaster.” He explained that the move was driven by…
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Fortnite Chapter 4 debuts with Unreal Engine 5.1

December 6, 2022
Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit Next 2022? All sessions are now available for viewing in our on-demand library. Click here to start watching. Fornite Battle Royale Chapter 4 arrived today, and it makes use of Unreal Engine 5.1, Epic Games announced. The debut…
GamingNews

Xbox will start charging $70 for some Series X/S games

December 6, 2022
Microsoft has confirmed it will increase the prices of some of its first-party Xbox games to $70 starting in 2023. Specifically, major games built for Xbox Series X/S will cost $10 more in the US, including Starfield, Redfall and Forza Motorsport. Regional price increases…
GamingNews

Quality assurance staff at Microsoft's ZeniMax Media are moving toward unionizing

December 6, 2022
Microsoft’s pledge to stay neutral in unionization efforts is about to be tested in a big way. On Monday, quality assurance staff at ZeniMax Media went public with the news that they’re working to form a union. The approximately 300 workers involved in the effort want to be represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA). That’s the same union that recently helped QA staff at…
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