News
8 CommentsMinecraft sales hit 122M copies
Minecraft continues to sell at a mind-boggling pace: Developer Mojang has now sold 122 million copies of the sandbox exploration game across all platforms, the Microsoft-owned Swedish studio announced today.
Microsoft’s previous milestone was 100 million copies, which Minecraft reached in early June 2016. That means that a whopping 22 million people bought a copy of the game in the last nine months. Asked by Polygon, a Microsoft representative clarified that although the company has been allowing owners of the original Java-based PC/Mac version of Minecraft to get a free copy of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition, Microsoft does not include those redemptions in its sales calculation.
“The 122M units is paid units to players only,” the spokesperson told Polygon.
Mojang also announced today...
Cover Story
Issue
26
February 27, 2017
What the game industry thinks of Nintendo’s Switch
We talk with third-party developers and industry executives about what to expect.
Read moreNews
10 CommentsStardew Valley is good but not perfect, creator says one year later
It’s been one year since Stardew Valley was released, and to mark the occasion, developer Eric Barone reflected on the past 12 months with some thoughts on the phenomenally successful game, some explanations on its long development time and some early concept art.
Barone said the game, which was originally called Sprout Valley, went through quite a bit of “polishing.” In essence, Barone decided to rework almost every aspect of the game, including the sound design, the crafting system and the mines. He also added numerous items and places that weren’t in Sprout Valley.
“I ended up re-doing nearly all the art several times,” Barone wrote. “I redid the [vast] majority of the soundtrack. I expanded the NPC’s way beyond anything you’d see in the 2012 version. I made the map way bigger and...
News
1 CommentOut of the Park Baseball’s cover contest says the hell with it, vote for 11 guys
Fan-voted covers for sports video games have been a thing for about seven years now, with that trend waning somewhat lately. Few have been as in touch with their community as what Out of the Park Baseball 18 is doing with its.
The sports management simulation, which last year acquired group licensing entitling it to every Major League Baseball player's likeness (in addition to all the clubs), is doing an 11-man lineup, with a manager, for its cover.
While there are some big namers on the ballot (Manny Machado of Baltimore, Jose Bautista in Toronto, Clayton Kershaw of Los Angeles) it's charming to see rookies like Trea Turner for Washington and Nomar Mazara of Texas among the choices, too. Nine of the 20 players were All-Star selections, so this isn't simply a popularity contest.
M...
News
8 CommentsTerraria tops 20 million copies sold
Terraria developer Re-Logic has now sold more than 20 million copies of the sandbox game, the studio announced today.
Re-Logic actually hit the milestone before the end of 2016, the company said. Terraria debuted in May 2011 on Windows PC, meaning that it took about five and a half years for the game to reach the 20 million mark. According to Re-Logic, 8.5 million of those 20 million copies were sold in the 18-month period between June 2015 — the release of the version 1.3 update, a significant one — and the end of 2016.
“The entire team would like to say a massive THANK YOU to all of you for making all of this possible,” Re-Logic said in a news release. “It has been a pleasure to have all of you along on the journey thus far, and we are really looking forward to continuing down that...
News
15 CommentsFTL creators' next game is turn-based strategy meets Pacific Rim
Into the Breach is Subset Games’ follow-up to FTL: Faster Than Light, the beloved space sim from 2012. The team announced the game with a trailer, above, which shows off its turn-based strategy gameplay.
Into the Breach is set on an apocalyptic version of Earth in which alien creatures have decimated much of humanity. The player is tasked with protecting what’s left of the world, with the help of some giant fighting robots.
The tactical game uses a combination of strategic planning and randomly generated boards for a different challenge each session, according to Subset Games’ website. There’s also mech customization involved — and time travel.
Still early on in development, Into the Breach will launch on Linux, Mac and Windows PCs “when we feel it’s ready,” the developer said. Further...
Deals
17 CommentsNew Star Wars Humble Bundle offers a great deal for charity
A new Star Wars-themed Humble Bundle gives fans of the nearly 40-year-old franchise a great deal on more than a dozen (mostly classic) PC games, while also supporting charity.
The Star Wars Humble Bundle 3 includes classics like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter for just a dollar. But for less than $20, bundle buyers can snag a total of 15 games and their expansions, all of which can be redeemed via Steam.
Here’s a breakdown of the latest Humble Bundle:
Pay $1 or more
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds and Clone Campaigns expansion
Pay more than the average (currently about $10)
Star Wars: Battlefront 2
Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars...
News
2 CommentsWe Are Chicago, a game about living in a tough neighborhood, will be out on Feb. 9
We Are Chicago, a Windows PC narrative game based on the life of a young man living in a tough neighborhood, will be released on Feb. 9.
Along with the launch date announcement today, developer Culture Shock also released a trailer for the game, which has been in development for four years. In We Are Chicago, protagonist Aaron tries to protect himself and his loved ones from violence. It's a story-game with Telltale-style dialog options.
Some of the game's developers were raised in Chicago's South Side. They also interviewed different people living in the neighborhood. You can find out more here.
News
44 CommentsGabe Newell is doing an AMA today so you can ask him about Half-Life 3
Valve boss Gabe Newell is doing an AMA this evening where you can ask where the hell Half-Life 3 is, what happened to Half-Life 3, is Half-Life 3 still in development, and when is Half-Life 3 launching.
Newell may not answer that — Valve has clammed up about Half-Life 3 for nearly a decade. Regardless, even though Newell is (and others at Valve are) famous for answering random crap sent to his email, doing an AMA is significant for Valve. It may portend some kind of announcement, but no guarantees.
In all seriousness, this would be a good time to talk about esports and Dota 2, especially in light of the huge update that landed last month. Valve also is a partner in the HTC Vive headset and has been entangled in a messy "skin gambling" scandal in Counter-Strike. Any of these would be...
News
6 CommentsShovel Knight gets a name change, new modes and a Switch release
Shovel Knight is heading to the Nintendo Switch, developer Yacht Club Games announced. But when it launches on the platform later this year, the retro-style platformer will arrive with a new name, as well as a long-requested feature.
A release date hasn’t been announced yet. Instead, the developer detailed all the content Switch owners — and current Shovel Knight fans — can look forward to when the port launches.
The entire Shovel Knight saga will come to Nintendo Switch under a new name: Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. That set will collect Shovel Knight and its two expansions, Plague of Shadows and the upcoming Specter of Torment, into a complete package. Anyone who currently owns the game on PC, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will automatically get the Treasure Trove collection in their...
News
1 CommentNight in the Woods launching in late February
Night in the Woods, the Kickstarter-funded adventure game from Infinite Fall, will be released Feb. 21, the studio announced today.
Infinite Fall first informed Night in the Woods’ Kickstarter backers, sending out a backers-only update with the release date. In the post, which was obtained by Polygon, the studio said, “We are excited and actually almost done which is kind of nuts.”
The three-person development team added that their “grueling final testing/polish period gets rolling next week.”
Infinite Fall
Infinite Fall announced the release date for Night in the Woods with this artwork.
A date of Feb. 21 doesn’t quite meet the window of “somewhere in the first part of February” — the time frame that Infinite Fall gave last month, when it announced it had to...
News
3 CommentsVampire DLC bringing creepy fiends to The Sims 4
The Sims 4 is definitely taking a darker turn with its Vampires Game Pack, due out on Jan 24.
Players can take on the form of vampires, with special abilities, such as turning humans into vampires, and moving around using different forms. Vampires are powered by "plasma" which can be purchased, grown or harvested from human characters.
The Sims 4 is an open-ended life simulation for PC in which characters work, socialize, procreate and acquire goods. Previous expansions and game packs focused on relatively tame themes, such as outdoor adventures, fine dining and spooky costumes.
Vampires do not thrive in sunlight, so publisher EA has added a creepy new world to the game, called Forgotten Hollow, where nights last longer. Players can also try to raise their own families of vampires....
Best Games
62 CommentsBest PC games for new owners
You just got a new PC, packed full with terabytes of storage space, a top-of-the-line graphics card and more RAM than is legal in most countries. Congratulations, and welcome to the gaming platform that has the most choices across the widest variety of games.
But maybe all that choice is too much? Perhaps you find yourself paralyzed with indecision? Allow us to help. We've put together a list of some of the most must-play games on the PC, both recent and classic.
A couple notes before we get started. First, this list is not necessarily focused on stuff that will push new hardware to the limits. Certainly some of the games on here are gorgeous on their max settings, but some have retro stylings; some can even be run on a mid-level laptop. The point is to share the best and most...
Explainer
7 CommentsHow to protect your gaming accounts with two-factor authentication
Cybersecurity is of paramount importance these days, considering our ever-increasing dependence on cloud-based services. We store more and more data online, often for convenience but often because there is no other option, and we trust giant corporations to safeguard our sensitive private information — passwords, addresses, credit cards, Social Security numbers and more.
But paradoxically, our reliance on these systems is increasing exponentially even as our faith in them is dropping. It seems like reports of massive hacks are coming more and more frequently.
To hear our next president tell it, we live in challenging times.
Cybersecurity is of paramount importance
“I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly,” said President-elect Donald Trump last Wednesday, speaking to...
News
31 Comments5 Steam alternatives you can trust
If Steam is down, there is no reason to fret!
The internet is filled with alternative services worth throwing your wallet at. Each have their own unique advantages, deals and community. Whether Steam is down or you’re looking to try out a new service, here are five you can check out:
GOG.com
GOG.com
Some of your favorite AAA game franchises are on on GOG, like the Witcher and Walking Dead games, in addition to some of your favorite developers like Bethesda, Double Fine and more. Not only that, they regularly sell games in easy-to-buy, discounted bundles.
Origin
Origin
If you’re in the market for AAA games, Origin has you covered. Huge titles like Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2, FIFA 17 and the Mass Effect franchise are all one click away. Like...
Deals
12 CommentsSteam Winter Sale: Best deals on new games
The annual Steam Winter Sale is on right now, which means there’s a ton of cheap games to sift through and spend all that holiday money on. But with price cuts offered on hundreds of games, figuring out what’s worth buying can be a challenge.
We’re digging through the discounts to find some of the seasonal event’s best deals. If you need to catch up on the year’s biggest games, keep reading — Steam has many of them at some pretty stellar prices, just in time for Game of the Year season.
As always, feel free to pitch in with any other Steam Winter Sale highlights you find in the comments below.
Stardew Valley ($9.99, 33 percent off)
Chucklefish Games
The most common refrain heard this year — this very, very trying year — was “fuck 2016.” That’s precisely why Stardew...
News
27 CommentsSteam Winter Sale 2016 is now live
Valve just launched Steam’s annual Winter Sale, offering a wide variety of deals alongside the kickoff of voting for the first-ever Steam Awards.
The Winter Sale runs from now until 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 2. Here are some notable deals available now:
Hyper Light Drifter for $11.99 (40 percent off)
Cities: Skylines for $7.49 (75 percent off)
Doom for $19.79 (67 percent off)
Stardew Valley for $9.99 (33 percent off)
Just Cause franchise sale (up to 75 percent off)
Mortal Kombat XL for $13.59 (66 percent off)
Street Fighter 5 2017 Deluxe Edition for $47.28 (57 percent off)
Tom Clancy’s The Division for $24.99 (50 percent off)
Voting in the 2016 Steam Awards also went live today. For the next 24 hours, Steam users can vote on the first of 12 awards — today’s category is the “Villain...
News
9 Comments2016 Steam Awards finalists go all the way back to 2006
The finalists for the first-ever Steam Awards are in, and it’s clear that the Steam community still loves plenty of older titles that may not have gotten their due back in the day.
Valve did not restrict the field of potential nominees to games that debuted in 2016. As such, the majority of nominated titles were released prior to this year, including veritable classics like 2011’s Portal 2 and more niche titles such as 2013’s Euro Truck Simulator 2.
The Steam community’s memory stretches even further into the past, with one of the nominees — Facepunch Studios’ Garry’s Mod, a Half-Life 2 mod that became a stand-alone product — having been released a decade ago, in November 2006. And another game on the list is Age of Empires 2: HD Edition, a 2013 remaster of a game that debuted all the...
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