Crunchyroll has announced a team up with Twitch Prime to offer more anime-focused rewards for Twitch Prime subscribers. Starting today, 30 days of free Crunchyroll Premium will be offered to all Twitch Prime subscribers. This offer ends on June 16, so act while you can."While we constantly focus on delighting Crunchyroll fans, we also feel it's our responsibility to continue to proliferate the popularity of anime to new audiences," Crunchyroll head of partnerships Eric Berman said in a press release. "We pride ourselves on working with like-minded, fan-focused partners and are excited to offer all Twitch Prime members a free pass to Crunchyroll right in time for the huge spring anime season."You can watch anime on Crunchyroll for free, but having a Premium subscription unlocks certain perks. The best one is getting all new episodes of every simulcast anime about an hour after they air in Japan, which is usually a whole week before non subscribers get it. A subscription removes all ads from every anime on the site as well, and unlocks specific discounts on items in the Crunchyroll Store. You get a 50% discount on home video titles within the first week of their launch, for example, and a 10% discount on apparel.A little over half of the anime we recommended in our eight must-watch Spring 2019 anime series list are on Crunchyroll. Of the eight, the action-packed shonen Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, harem romantic comedy We Never Learn: Bokuben, slice-of-life Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu, classic remake Fruits Basket, and sports anime Cinderella Nine are all on Crunchyroll.Saga of Tanya the Evil is also on Crunchyroll, so this Twitch Prime deal offers a chance to catch up on the series ahead of the release of the sequel movie. In our Saga of Tanya the Evil - The Movie review, I wrote, "Provided you've watched Season 1 of the anime, [Saga of Tanya the Evil - The Movie] is a satisfying continuation to one person's desperate struggle to one-up a god by ending a worldwide war, only for her to learn the price for her hubris. It introduces far too many characters to keep track of, though, opens on a scene that definitely didn't need to be included, and squanders most of its battles with incessant chit-chat from all those involved. But watching Tanya outsmart her opponents with sadistic glee is enjoyable fun, and her final fight with Mary is the best the anime has ever looked."Anime isn't all you can get with a Twitch Prime subscription. For May 2019, all Twitch Prime subscribers will get five specific PC games for free. You have until May 31 to download them, but once you do, they're yours to keep forever. In order to own a Twitch Prime subscription, you need to be an Amazon Prime member and then link your Amazon account to your Twitch account. Sign up for Twitch Prime »How to link an existing Amazon Prime account to Twitch »Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo Switch's NES library continues to grow little by little. May's free NES games are now available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. This month brings three more classics to the hybrid console, as well as a special save state for one of last month's games.Joining the lineup this month are Clu Clu Land, Donkey Kong Jr., and Vs. Excitebike, a two-player version of the classic racing game. Rounding out the new games is an SP version of Star Soldier, which was added to Switch's NES library in April. This version starts players off on stage 8 with a powered-up starship.#NES games have been added to Nintendo Entertainment System - #NintendoSwitchOnline! Play as Donkey Kong’s son and rescue your dad in Donkey Kong Jr., race with two-player split screen in VS. Excitebike, and recover your stolen gold bars in Clu Clu Land!https://t.co/6Essu4Gof0 pic.twitter.com/ZusjUWs5jZ — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 15, 2019The NES library is one of the perks Switch owners get for subscribing to the Nintendo Switch Online service. It launched back in September 2018 with 20 games and has been updated every month since with new titles. In addition to the aforementioned Star Soldier, April brought Punch-Out and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels to the service, while March's additions consisted of Kid Icarus and StarTropics.Individual NSO subscriptions run for US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6 for one month, US $8 / £7 / AU $12 for three months, and US $20 / £18 / AU $30 for one year. If you're interested in trying the service, you can grab a free year of NSO from Twitch Prime. Nintendo also offers a Family Membership, which covers up to eight Nintendo Accounts across multiple systems, for US $35 / £31.49 / AU $55. Other benefits for subscribing include the ability to play Switch games online, cloud save data backup for most games, and exclusive offers such as Tetris 99, which is free to download for NSO members.Speaking of Tetris 99, the puzzle game recently received its first paid DLC. It costs $10 and introduces two offline modes, CPU and Marathon. Even those who don't have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription can download the DLC, but you'll need a membership in order to play Tetris 99 online against other players. The game's third Maximus Cup competition also takes place this week, from May 17-19. Players who rack up at least 100 points during that time will unlock a new theme based on the original Game Boy Tetris game.Info from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft is making big plans for the coming year. The company revealed during its latest financial earnings that it still has three more unannounced triple-A games coming within the next fiscal year, teeing up a likely set of E3 2019 reveals. Each of them is slated for release by March 31, 2020.Though the company was relatively quiet in its financial report on plans for these three games, it did drop a few intriguing clues. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said during the investor Q&A that each of the games are full-priced releases. The studio also seemed to suggest that the games will be different genres, calling them each "unique experiences" that occupy different spaces in the market. The Q&A also narrowed the release window to Q4, which suggests they'll release between January and March of 2020.The three unannounced games were part of a slate of four games total coming in the fiscal year, one of which was announced last week: Ghost Recon Breakpoint. That game is a followup to Ghost Recon Wildlands, but offers a host of new mechanics and options.Another possible game on Ubisoft's slate could be the next Assassin's Creed, which is rumored to take place in the Viking era. However, that game is said to be coming in 2020, and Assassin's Creed games usually target a fall release, which would put it outside these fiscal year plans. We also learned today that Skull and Bones, the pirate combat game, has been delayed.That leaves at least two games unaccounted for in the next year. Those could include franchises like Watch Dogs or Splinter Cell, experimental one-offs like Steep, or even another partnership with Nintendo like Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Ubisoft says we'll hear more about these games soon, which likely means during Ubisoft's E3 press conference.Info from Gamespot.com

The Xbox Store had a great offering of Xbox One game deals last week, and the digital store is keeping the ball rolling this week with another solid batch of deals. Here are the best discounted games to grab on Xbox One right now:First up is a collection of "Super Saver" deals up to 85% off some Xbox One games, including Tomb Raider's Definitive edition for $6 and Sleeping Dogs' Definitive edition for only $4.49. The complete first season of Life Is Strange is available for only $4, and you can grab Deus Ex: Mankind Divided for $4.50.Golden Week may have ended, but you can still find deals on Japanese-developed games for Xbox One. SoulCalibur VI, which released last October, is 67% off right now; you can pick it up for $19.80. Final Fantasy XV's Royal edition is marked down to $25 from $50; Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is now $15 instead of $60; and Valkyria Chronicles 4 is discounted to $30 from $60.May 17 marks 10 years since block-building phenomenon Minecraft was released, and as one of Microsoft's biggest games, the store is celebrating with a sale. The base game was recently added to Xbox Game Pass, where members can play it for free. As a bonus, you can get three months of Xbox Game Pass for only $1 right now. For non-members, Minecraft's standard edition is on sale for $10. The Minecraft Starter Collection, which includes the Greek Mythology Mash-up, Texture Pack, two skin packs, and 700 Minecoins, is discounted to $20 from $30. Meanwhile, the Master Collection, which includes the base game, 1,000 Minecoins, the Starter Pack DLC, and Creators Pack DLC, is available for $40 instead of $50.As usual, these deals are available through next Monday, May 20 (with the exception of the Minecraft deals, which run through the following Thursday, May 23).SHOP THIS WEEK'S XBOX ONE DEALS »See some of the best game deals below, and visit the Microsoft Store to see everything available at a discount this week.Aven Colony -- $9.89Battle Chasers: Nightwar -- $7.49Dead or Alive 6 -- $48Deus Ex: Mankind Divided -- $4.50Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 -- $15Everspace -- $7.49Final Fantasy XV - Royal Edition -- $25Final Fantasy XV Season Pass -- $7.50For Honor -- $10Get Even -- $7.49Life Is Strange 2: Episode 1 -- $4Life Is Strange - Complete First Season -- $4Minecraft -- $10Minecraft: Starter Collection -- $20Minecraft: Master Collection -- $40Murdered: Soul Suspect -- $3My Hero One's Justice -- $30Octahedron -- $6.49Rayman Legends -- $5Shenmue I & II -- $19.49SoulCalibur VI -- $19.80Steep -- $9.90Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition -- $4.49Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition -- $6Valkyria Chronicles 4 -- $30Info from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft has released the full patch notes for the latest update to The Division 2, Title Update 3. The major piece of content included in the update is Operation Dark Hours, The Division 2's first raid, but new features, apparel, and quality-of-life changes are included in Title Update 3 as well.Operation Dark Hours is an eight-player raid available for those who've reached World Tier 5 and defeated Tidal Basin. The raid sends you and your team up again the Black Tusks, who have taken over the Washington National Airport. "Teamwork, collaboration, and adaptation will be necessary to defeat the Black Tusk," The Division 2 community manager Johan LindholmMore wrote in the Title Update 3 patch notes. Operation Dark Hours is scheduled to go live tomorrow, May 16 at 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM BST.Ubisoft has announced that the first teams to complete Operation Dark Hours first will receive limited-time prizes. The very first team will have their team photo displayed in The Division 2's White House for all other players to see. Any team that completes the raid between May 16-23 will receive a cosmetic arm patch. If you can't pull together an eight-person team in time--which is a likely possibility considering the raid won't have matchmaking--you'll still be rewarded with a clan banner icon and a trophy just for completing the raid at any point in the future.For Year 1 Pass owners, Title Update 3 adds the first two Classified Assignment missions. Completing them allows you to hear the stories behind the fall of DC prior to the start of The Division 2's campaign and also unlock backpack trophies. Title Update 3 also includes The Division 2's second Apparel event, which adds new outfits, masks, emotes, and weapon skins to the game.The full patch notes for Title Update 3 can be viewed in the link above. We've gone ahead and listed the highlights below. The Division 2 is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.The Division 2 Title Update 3 Patch NotesCommendationsAdded new Commendations for Operation Dark Hours. Removed the following Commendations.28 Days Distinction - Record 672 hours (28 days) of time in-game.Distinguished Service Ribbon – For 30 consecutive days, on each day play for at least 1h and complete 1 mission.Supreme Response Distinction - For 7 consecutive days, on each day complete 4 main missions and rescue 5 civilians.Year One Merit - Play on 14 days per month, on a total of 12 months.Division Service Merit - For a total of 100 days, on each day play for at least 1hour and deliver 20 resources to control points.Developer comment: We removed these Commendations as we felt that they were not delivering a great experience for players. Often times you could miss out on your daily login or lose your streak with no error of your own. We’re adding different Commendations that still let you show off your dedication towards the game, without the login requirements. For those players that have already earned the above-mentioned Commendations they will remain visible as completed.Added a new vanity patch reward for all players as compensation for any lost time due to the above changes.Added five new Commendations Full Deck Distinction – Acquire all Snitch Cards.Distinguished Service Distinction – Complete 30 hours of service.Supreme Response Distinction – Complete all main missions and Strongholds on Hard difficulty (or above).Control Point Takeover Merit – Take over 50 Heroic Control Points.Invasion Service Merit – Complete 10 Invaded Strongholds.Changed Peacock Award to specifically use the ‘Jumping Jacks’ emote.Changed Mission Discovery Merit Commendations to track when a player collects loot from loot boxes, not opening the loot boxes. This will ensure that all players that are in a group can earn this Commendation when playing the respective missions.CraftingIncreased the base cap for Receiver Components and Protective Fabric crafting materials by 200, meaning that their caps now start at 350 and end at 600 with all material capacity perks.Inaya al-Khaliq in the Base of Operation is now a Crafting Vendor, she can be found next to the Crafting Bench in the White House. Added Specialized and Superior Skill Mod Blueprints to her stock.Added an extra weekly Blueprint to her stock.Moved crafting Blueprints from the Base of Operations vendor to her stock.Note: While Inaya will have a variety of Blueprints available, there are still other sources in the game like Settlements and Control Points.All exotic items upgraded through crafting will get the maximum Gear Score of the current crafting bench tier.GearBonus Armor granted on blue attributes gear significantly increased.Armor percent can now be found as Defense Attribute rolls.Health percent can now be found as Defense Attribute rolls.Gear sets Hard Wired Now grants Skill Damage instead of Shock Duration.Ongoing Directive Now grants special ammunition into any weapon, including the weapon currently equipped.Now grants special ammunition on any kill, not just weapon kills.True Patriot Decreased debuff cycle from 4 seconds to 2 seconds.Increased damage dealt to nearby targets when Full Flag is active to 50%.IconsThe Confidential Gear Set intel item now has a project icon to better reflect its use.LootLoot containers will now reset at a preset time of day. Control Point reward container will now also reset with this daily timer.Improved quality and quantity of Drone Helicopter loot.Slightly reduced the quality of items from Clan Caches.Cabinet loot containers now have a chance to contain Dark Zone keys.Increased ammunition drop chance from enemy NPCs to limit situations where players would run out of ammunition during prolonged fights on higher difficulty activities.Dark Zone contaminated loot does not drop below player's average Gear Score and will guarantee Gear Score 500 when the player has reached 500 Gear Score.Heroic difficulty Mission bosses, Stronghold bosses, Bounty bosses and Heroic Control Points reward containers will guarantee Gear Score 500 when the player has reached 500 Gear Score.Loot now skews more towards the top end of its allowed Gear Score, resulting in fewer items below a player's average Gear Score, and items that do drop below it will be closer to that average more often.Increased the rewards for daily Hard and Challenge mission Projects and they will guarantee Gear Score 500 when the player has reached 500 Gear Score.MissionsNew feature: Post Mission Activity Summary After completing missions, players may opt to look at an activity summary showcasing their performance in that activity and allowing an expanded look at a variety of detailed statistics.Bank Headquarters Reduced difficulty for solo players.Roosevelt Island Reduced difficulty for solo players.ModsHive users can now find +healing on the Experimental Blend mods.Hive users can now find +radius on the Network Firewall mods.New mods: Auxiliary Skill BatteryAuxiliary Skill Batteries fit in Skill mod slots and grant Skill Power.NPCUpdated RC Blade to fix various issues. Elite Medic's Pulse Grenade has been changed.No longer applies disrupt.Reduced Impact radius.The grenade impact radius should now be easier to see.Decreased damage of Veteran, Elite and Named NPCs.Greatly decreased melee damage of all Tank NPCs.Moderately decreased melee damage of all non-Tank NPCs.Decreased Thrower NPC’s accuracy with grenades. They are no longer professional baseball pitchers or cricket fielders.Slightly decreased damage of Elite/Named War Hound.Civilian Control Point Officers now wear pants.Civilian Control Point Officers now wear protective body armor. Safety first.Civilians with fully upgraded Settlements now wear combat harnesses and have slightly more health.Upgrading a Settlement now slightly increased Civilians' damage.NPCs will now be slightly less defensive while in cover and being aimed at by a player.Decreased likelihood of NPCs using ladders in combat.Decreased likelihood of NPCs using special navigation out of combat.Civilian NPCs will now stay further away from players in cover, lessening the chance of them taking a player’s preferred cover location. We get it, you're very protective of your favorite cover spot.Civilian Hostages are now more protective of their lives.Fixed issue with many explosives causing extreme amounts of threat, confusing NPCs.Fixed various sliding issues with NPCs following recovery from a Status Effect.Enemy NPCs should no longer be able to stagger players with a melee attack if the player has a Ballistic Shield equipped.Drone Helicopter Increased health.Increased damage.Improved movement.Decreased Outcast Suicide vest explosion radius.Lowered NPC damage and health above normal difficulty.Increased variety of NPCs at higher difficulty levels.Open WorldImplemented various UI and audio improvements to Living World activities.Control Points Control Point difficulty is now more clearly communicated, using regular difficulty names in addition to Alert Level.Approaching enemy patrols and convoys are now signaled more clearly during Control Point Takeover.The Civilian Officer will now revive downed players during Control Point takeover and judge you silently.Players can now select the civilian takeover icon on the map as a respawn option during Control Point takeover. The option is disabled after the enemy leader joins the fight.Players can now fast travel to civilian convoys and takeover squads from the map.Black Tusk now send War Hound Convoys carrying gear and weapons to Tidal Basin when the mission is available.Info from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft is planning to increase the pace of its content updates for its upcoming slate of games. Asked if content drops are rapid enough to compete with Fortnite during an investor Q&A, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said the company is ramping up its efforts. He specifically named Rainbow Six Siege and the upcoming Ghost Recon Breakpoint as examples, but signaled this is a broader strategy going forward."It is something we have been working on in the last 24 months. Our teams are getting organized to come more regularly with content and lots of our games are going to come with drops of content and events on a more regular basis," Guillemot said. "Rainbow Six is increasing its content drop speed a lot already and you will see that this year. Ghost Recon Breakpoint will see content drops on a regular basis because they will also have the PVP, the co-op, and the campaign."So you can expect all the products, and not only Rainbow Six, having content drops regularly. It’s the new trend now in the industry and those drops are making lots of people come back to the games and also spend money in them."Guillemot didn't go into further detail, but that may be that some of Ubisoft's release plans are still under wraps. The financial statements and investor call also revealed three more triple-A games are in development, all releasing by March 31, 2020. Those are said to represent a broad range of game types, as Ubisoft said they're each "unique experiences." Ubisoft also announced that its pirate ship combat game, Skull and Bones, is delayed past the March of 2020 and won't be shown at E3.Rainbow Six Siege is known for making a dramatic turnaround with live content after a somewhat rocky launch. Ghost Recon Breakpoint appears to be adopting the strategy of regular content updates as well, after Wildlands continued introducing special episodes long after launch. Even single-player games like Assassin's Creed Odyssey have become notable for their wealth of post-launch content.Ubisoft has been shifting towards a live game model for some time, and Guillemot's comments didn't necessarily commit to updating with the frequency of Fortnite. The studio behind Apex Legends, a battle royale competitor with Fortnite, has explicitly stated it isn't aiming for weekly content drops to maintain a healthy studio culture. It isn't clear exactly how frequent Ubisoft intends to update its games, but it will be some degree more than the current pace of Siege.Info from Gamespot.com

The long-awaited conclusion to Game of Thrones is just a few days away. Season 8, Episode 6 premieres this Sunday, May 19, marking the end of both this abbreviated season and the show overall. Following the preview trailer that debuted right after Episode 5, HBO has now released photos from the next episode--but they're a bit different than usual. Spoilers ahead.HBO is usually quite reticent to spoil the upcoming episode with its previews; these aren't exactly modern movie trailers giving away major story beats and moments. The brief Episode 6 teaser kept the specifics to a real minimum, and now the preview photos are doing the same. They don't give away anything that wasn't already in the trailer, and just as notably, HBO has only shared a mere two images, which is far less than we typically see. Clearly, the network wants whatever is coming to be a surprise (although this does nothing to deal with the possibility of leaks, which have been a problem all season long).The first of the two photos features Tyrion, who can be seen standing amongst the rubble in King's Landing. He doesn't look particularly pleased, just as you'd expect; he put his support behind Daenerys and believed in her, and he even put his life at risk to free Jaime in the hopes of preventing a massacre of innocents in the city. Dany opted to go Mad Queen instead, and now Tyrion is faced with having to live with this reality that Varys tried to stop.The second photo matches up with a shot from the preview trailer. Dany, standing victorious on the edges of the burning city, faces away from us with her back to the camera as her army stands in formation all around her. If there was any question about how many troops she had remaining after Episode 3's battle, it looks like she's doing just fine in that regard.Her troops appear to be in full support of her, and we know from the preview trailer that the Dothraki in particular seem pleased with the outcome of the battle. But we still haven't seen Dany's face in Episode 6, or really, since she made her fateful decision to destroy the city. Seeing if she has any remorse will have to wait for this Sunday, though it's too late to undo her actions. Queen of the Ashes might be the best she can hope for at this point.In the meantime, we have Episode 6 theories about where things in the finale and an Episode 5 breakdown. But with the way things have already played out, we know Game of Thrones exists in its darkest timeline.Info from Gamespot.com

The next WWE PPV is days away. Money in the Bank is coming on Sunday, May 19. The MITB match card is stacked, featuring numerous title defenses and two eight-superstar ladder matches where the winner receives a title match contract. There are numerous ways to watch this event, and we're breaking them down for you.This year's event takes place at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and the main card begins at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET / 12 AM BST (May 20) / 9 AM AET (May 20), with a Kickoff Show starting one hour prior on WWE's YouTube page. Normally, there is at least one match on pre-show, so you'll probably want to watch.There are two ways to watch. The first is the traditional route, ordering the event through your local cable or satellite provider. This is the pricier way to go. DirectTV has the event listed at $55, and other providers will be around the same price for the PPV. Considering some areas of the United States don't have access to high-speed internet, this is the only route for them to go.If you are lucky enough to live in a part of the world with high speed internet, you can watch MITB on the WWE Network. The streaming service costs $10 and gives users access to live events and thousands of hours or content including matches and original programming. However, if you're new to the service, you can sign up for one month free. You can watch MITB for free, then cancel afterwards if you like, and your total spent to watch this WWE would be zero.The WWE Network is available a variety of ways. You can use your gaming consoles, streaming devices, your computer, or certain smart TVs to access the service. Check out the full list of ways to watch the WWE Network below, but keep in mind you will have to download a WWE app to your device to access the service.Consoles:PlayStation 3PlayStation 4Xbox 360Xbox OneCompatible Devices:Mobile DevicesAmazon Kindle FireAndroid DevicesApple iPhones & iPadsComputers ‐ PC & MacWindows 10 DevicesSmart TVs:LG Smart TVPanasonic Life+Screen Smart TVSamsung Smart TVSony Internet-Connected TVStreaming Devices:Amazon Fire TVApple TVGoogle ChromecastRokuSamsung Blu-ray PlayerSony Blu-ray PlayerTiVoMake sure to come back to GameSpot on May 19 for live coverage and a review of the show. For more on MITB, check out our predictions for the event, 13 Facts About The Match, and Every Money In The Bank Winner.Info from Gamespot.com

While Apex Legends is free-to-play for all PS4 owners, including those without PlayStation Plus, those who are subscribed to Sony's premium membership program can get additional perks at no cost. A new Apex Legends Play Pack is available now in the PlayStation Store, and it's exclusive to PS Plus members.The newest Play Pack includes new customizations for Lifeline and Mirage, namely two characters skins and two banners. It also comes with two weapon skins for the Eva-8 and R-99. To claim the Play Pack bonuses on PS4, just go to the Apex Legends store page, click into the Add-Ons section, and add the Play Pack to your cart. You can "complete the purchase" for free, and afterward, you'll be able to find the new skins and banners when customizing your Legend.Get the free Apex Legends PlayStation Plus Play Pack »Apex Legends released just over three months ago and quickly climbed to 50 million players, a huge milestone for the free-to-play battle royale game. EA recently confirmed Apex Legends is coming to mobile, and more info about future plans for Apex will be unveiled during EA's pre-E3 show in June, including the upcoming Season 2 Battle Pass.And speaking of free things, be sure to check out May's PS Plus free PS4 games, which subscribers can download and keep as long as they claim the titles this month.Info from Gamespot.com

The battle between the Epic Store and Steam continues to grow hotter, with a plethora of developers choosing the former over the latter because of the 88/12% revenue split and exclusivity deals with Epic. While enticing to some, Terraria developer Re-Logic has vowed not to make its games Epic Store exclusives.According to a tweet by Re-Logic's vice president Whitney Spinks, nothing the indie studio develops will ever be exclusive to the Epic Store. Spinks goes so far as to say the studio won't "sell our souls" but is sympathetic to those who opt for the guaranteed cash from an exclusivity deal. Whether this Since there seems to be confusion- No Re-Logic title will ever be an Epic Store exclusive. There is no amount of money we could be offered to sell our souls. — Whitney Spinks (@Cennxx) May 14, 2019Spinks was responding to concerns from Terraria players about the studio making an appearance at the PC Gaming Show at this year's E3, which is scheduled for Monday, June 10 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Because the Epic Store is involved with the PC Gaming Show, fans thought either Terraria or whatever Re-Logic is working on next may get the Epic Store exclusivity treatment. Spinks has otherwise dispelled this by saying, "There is no amount of money we could be offered to sell our souls."This news is in stark contrast to the multitude of games skipping Steam. Big titles, such as Detroit: Become Human (as well as other Quantic Dream games Beyond: Two Souls and Heavy Rain) and Metro Exodus, have chosen to forgo Steam for the Epic Store. Ubisoft's recently-released The Division 2 and newly-announced Ghost Recon Breakpoint are opting for Epic Store exclusivity. Even Mike Bithell, developer of Thomas Was Alone and Volume, is placing John Wick Hex on the Epic Store exclusively.Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said that if Steam changes its revenue shares, the Epic Store will alter its exclusivity policy. "If Steam committed to a permanent 88% revenue share for all developers and publishers without major strings attached," he said, "Epic would hastily organize a retreat from exclusives (while honoring our partner commitments) and consider putting our own games on Steam."Info from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft has released a new trailer for one of its two new Operators coming to Rainbow Six Siege in Operation Phantom Sight. The new trailer (which can be watched above) showcases Danish Jægerkorpset Operator Nøkk and teases her unique gadget ability.The trailer begins with identifying Nøkk as an Attacker before cutting to an underground location. Though the video occasionally glitches out, the shimmering outline of a person can be seen. It appears as if Nøkk has some form of cloaking technology, which makes her nearly invisible save for a Predator-like outline. Later on in the video, Nøkk stops moving and completely disappears, which may imply that she can go fully invisible while going prone or remaining motionless. The trailer ends with a close-up of Nøkk, but her hood shrouds her face from view.In a blog post, Ubisoft revealed additional details surrounding Nøkk and announced Operation Phantom Sight's full reveal will occur May 19, during the Pro League Finals in Milan (which takes place May 18-19). "[Nøkk's] gadget is just the icing on the cake for an already dangerous operative," the post reads. "The HEL, which she worked on to improve with specialist Grace 'Dokkaebi' Nam, makes Nøkk nothing short of a ghost, and leaves her opponents looking over their shoulders."Ubisoft first teased Operation Phantom Sight's new Operators with a tweet (seen below) that showcased one sneaking up on the other. We now know the one doing the sneaking is Nøkk, and the yellow glow in her hand is her HEL gadget. The image of the two Operators is structured like a yin-yang symbol, with Nøkk shrouded in darkness and the other Operator looking towards the light. So perhaps, just as Nøkk is someone who uses her glowing yellow gadget to hide in the shadows, the other Operator use his glowing blue gadget to bring attention to--illuminate, if you will--the position of Operators geared towards stealth.Look carefully... what do you see? pic.twitter.com/Twzquc6HBR — Rainbow Six Siege (@Rainbow6Game) May 13, 2019In Rainbow Six Siege's latest update, Ubisoft reversed the effects of friendly fire. The hope is that the update curbs the game's team-killing problem. Thanks to the update, shooting an ally will now cause all the damage you deal to be inflicted on yourself. The effects aren't immediate, so accidentally shooting a teammate won't net you any punishment. However, continuing to shoot a teammate will cause the reverse friendly fire to take effect. The update affects all primary and secondary weapons, as well as direct hits from most unique Operator weapons and gadgets. Explosives are affected too, although there are several exceptions. It's not the final version of the system, according to Ubisoft, and patches are already planned for the next season as part of Ubisoft's new policy to push out game updates more regularly.Rainbow Six: Siege is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.Info from Gamespot.com

The third Guardians of the Galaxy movie isn't coming out anytime soon. It doesn't even have a release date. However, we know for sure that writer/director James Gunn is back on board after being fired and rehired by Disney's Marvel Studios. Before he heads back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though, Gunn is making The Suicide Squad for DC Entertainment.Still, that doesn't mean he's not thinking about what's to come of the Guardians. In an interview with Deadline that explores his firing, Gunn shares what sounds like the aspect of Guardians Vol. 3 he's most excited about, and that's Rocket's (Bradley Cooper) story."I relate to Rocket and I feel compassion for Rocket, but I also feel like his story has not been completed," he explained. "He has an arc that started in the first movie, continued into the second and goes through Infinity War and Endgame, and then I was set to really finish that arc in Guardians 3. That was a big loss to me—not being able to finish that story—-though I was comforted by the fact that they were still planning to use my script."While the Guardians movies--and much of their roles in the larger MCU--have been among the most comedic moments in the franchise, these characters also haven't shied away from telling serious and sometimes heartbreaking stories. Whether it's Gamora's (Zoe Saldana) relationship with her father and sister, or Drax (Dave Bautista) mourning the deaths of his family at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin), there's plenty to feel for in those movies. And while Rocket is, perhaps, the funniest piece of the puzzle, his story has also been a harrowing one.Beginning with his genetic enhancement, which is called being "torn apart and put back together over and over again and turned into some little monster," the character has been a tragic one. And his relationship with Groot (Vin Diesel) makes him an incredibly sympathetic figure.While Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) losing Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in Avengers: Infinity War was seen as the movie's most emotional moment, Rocket watching Groot turn to dust and blow away, at which he offered a mortified "No..." is heart-wrenching.Given that Gunn wrote the script for Vol. 3 before he was fired, he's clearly known where Rocket would end up for some time. Now it'll be interesting to see what resolution looks like for a character that has been put through so much.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not have a release date. However, there is a slew of Marvel dates on the upcoming Disney slate of films.Info from Gamespot.com

The Division 2's Title Update 3 is now live on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Not only has the patch brought new features, apparel, and other tweaks to the loot shooter, it'll kick off the game's first Raid, Operation Dark Hours, tomorrow, May 16. However, it appears you'll need to manually squad up with other players if you're hoping to tackle it.During the latest State of the Game stream, Ubisoft confirmed that the Operation Dark Hours Raid will not feature matchmaking, contrary to what it has said in the past. Community developer Hamish Bode read a prepared statement about the topic: "We decided to not include matchmaking, as we don't think this would make a good gameplay experience for random groups. The Raid will test your ability to communicate well, have a good build set up, and will require great teamwork to beat encounters."The publisher shared additional details about how Raid groups are formed on the official Division 2 website. The overall eight-player team is comprised of two traditional four-player parties. Moreover, the player who creates the Raid group will be the leader, which means that player is the only one who can initiate the Raid. You don't need to have a full eight-player team to begin the Raid, but Ubisoft notes the challenge will not scale to your team's size. All players will also need to be at least level 30 and have reached World Tier 5 to participate.Operation Dark Hours goes live at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST. The first team to complete the Raid will earn a special reward: their team photo and names will be displayed in The Division 2's White House. Those who complete the Raid by May 23 will receive a commemorative Arm Patch, while everyone who clears it after that date will earn a clan banner icon and a trophy in their clan space.In addition to Operation Dark Hours, Title Update 3 has added two new Classified Assignment missions for Year 1 Pass owner. It also introduced an assortment of new outfits, masks, emotes, weapon skins, and more to the game. You can find the full Title Update 3 patch notes on the Division 2 website.Info from Gamespot.com

In terms of Batman villains, Ra's Al Ghul may not be as famous as someone like The Joker, but he's definitely no slouch. One of the few enemies to ever learn Bruce Wayne's identity, Ra's has been a near constant threat for decades, always toeing the precarious line between full-blown supervillain and deadly rival--a dynamic that makes him the perfect candidate for a featured role in DC's Year of The Villain event, which showcases some of the world's most iconic evildoers in a brand new light.Batman Vs. Ra's Al Ghul #1, courtesy of DC ComicsStarting this August, Ra's will star in a new six-issue miniseries written and drawn by his co-creator, comics legend Neal Adams. The story will focus on a Gotham City under siege by terrorists with Ra's apparently offering his "help" to the officers of the GCPD. Additionally, a mystery uncovered by Boston Brand, otherwise known as Deadman, leads Bruce straight into the sights of the Demon's Head himself.To help celebrate the launch of the mini-series, DC will also be re-releasing a "facsimile edition" of Batman #232, which will reprint Ra's now-iconic first appearance in "The Daughter Of The Demon" in its original format.Both Batman Vs. Ra's Al Ghul #1 and the Batman #232 facsimile edition hit shelves August 21. Info from Gamespot.com

In what can only be called tradition at this point, Steam's 2019 Summer Sale dates have leaked. The Steam Database Twitter account initially spotted the date on a Chinese Steam community page, SteamCN, and reportedly confirmed the date with multiple sources. If the leak is accurate, Steam's Summer Sale will go live on June 25 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 5 PM GMT (and June 26 at 3 AM AET) and last for about two weeks.In the past few years, start dates for the Summer Sale fell between June 21 and 23, so the reported 2019 date doesn't stray far from precedent.It's likely this year's sale will bring back the Steam trading cards and mini games of previous years. Last year's game was Summer Salien, a browser game where you traveled the galaxy to rescue games that had been abducted by aliens. You could earn XP and unlock new abilities, and defending certain planets gave you the chance to win the corresponding game for free.Steam has even more reason to pull out all the stops for this year's Summer Sale, as the Epic Games Store is apparently gearing up to hold its first big store-wide sale. News of the Epic Mega Sale first leaked on a Fortnite message board and was later confirmed by Epic Games, which tweeted that more details are coming soon. The Epic Games Store continues to pick up exclusive PC versions of major titles, such as The Division 2 and Borderlands 3, but there's no question Steam still has the greater volume and diversity of games that make its Summer Sale such a huge event for PC gamers.We'll update this piece as soon as Valve has confirmed dates for the Steam Summer Sale, but it's safe to assume it'll kick off near the end of June as usual. That leaves you some time to start prepping your wallet for one of the biggest game sales of the year. Info from Gamespot.com