It's been a few weeks since Microsoft last rolled out a new batch of backwards compatible games for Xbox One, but that dry spell has finally been broken. The first set of BC games of 2019 has been revealed, and it consists of three Xbox 360 titles spanning various genres.This week's additions are Battlestations Pacific, Fuel, and Rayman Raving Rabbids. Battlestations Pacific is a 2009 military action game that mixes aerial dogfights, naval combat, and real-time strategy. Fuel--also originally released in 2009--is an arcadey open-world racer, while Rayman Raving Rabbids is a silly minigame compilation starring the titular characters.If you still have a physical copy of these titles, you can now simply pop their disc in and play them on your Xbox One. If you've previously purchased them digitally, you'll find them automatically waiting in the Ready to Download section of the console's My Games and Apps tab.More than 400 Xbox 360 games are now backwards compatible with Xbox One. In 2017, Microsoft rolled out the first batch of original Xbox games to the BC library as well--although these have been added much more sparingly. You can see the full list of Xbox One BC games here. We also have recommendations on the best Xbox One BC games to play.Along with the new BC games, a new set of Xbox One game deals is now available in the Microsoft Store. From now until January 14, you can find discounts on Battlefield V, Darksiders III, For Honor, and a number of other titles. You can see the full list of game deals here.Info from Gamespot.com

The online arena combat PC game Blast Zone Tournament normally sells for $20 on Steam. It has just dropped to free, where it will stay between now and January 16. This free period, which gets you the full game to keep and play forever, comes alongside the announcement that Blast Zone Tournament will come out of Early Access--and also land on Xbox One and PS4--on February 28. Anyone who plays games on a Windows PC would do well to grab it now while it's free.Blast Zone Tournament bears more than a little resemblance to the Bomberman franchise. You play as a bomb-throwing character who runs around single-screen arenas trying to explode your opponents. Victory Lap Games has packed in a lot of features, including a single-player campaign, cross-platform multiplayer, 10 multiplayer modes, 283 multiplayer levels, and character customization.The campaign is comprised of 240 challenges that can earn you costumes to dress up your character. The multiplayer modes support up to 32 players simultaneously for battle-royale matches. Once the game launches on consoles, you'll be able to play cross-platform between PS4 and PC and between Xbox One and PC.It's a good time to be a frugal PC gamer. You can also head over to the Epic Games Store to grab What Remains of Edith Finch for free between now and January 24. You can also hit the Humble Store to get A Story About My Uncle for free between now and January 12. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, you can snag 11 free games from Twitch all month long.Info from Gamespot.com

BioWare Edmonton has announced new job postings for an upcoming Dragon Age game, and one of the roles hints the game will include multiplayer. The job is for a franchise technical director, and it's possibly to work on the Dragon Age title first teased during 2018's The Game Awards.According to the job posting, first noticed and reported on by Gear Nuke, BioWare is looking for someone to be "the most senior engineering lead on the game team and a key member of the Dragon Age franchise leadership." The franchise technical director will "build and mentor the engineering team, build and execute the game technology plan, and define and direct the development process." They also need to have "experience developing multiplayer games."Dragon Age Inquisition, the third and most recent game in the fantasy role-playing game franchise, is the only title in the series to have multiplayer. In Inquisition, the multiplayer mode has you and up to three others making your way through one of three dungeons that are each filled with increasingly difficult computer-controlled enemies. As you and your team progress, you unlock more powerful weapons and abilities. This progress does not tie back to the main campaign though. Perhaps BioWare is planning to further develop this mode for the next Dragon Age game. However, the developer could just as easily be creating a brand-new mode as well.BioWare hasn't released much information on the new Dragon Age, but the studio has been teasing another entry to the beloved franchise in the past few months. Executive producer Mark Darrah has confirmed the new game has been in the works for "quite a while" and that it is being made by "core" Dragon Age veterans who also worked on Jade Empire and Baldur's Gate. BioWare boss Casey Hudson has also teased more Mass Effect is on the way too.Info from Gamespot.com

CES is the annual showcase of the latest high-tech wizardry and consumer products that are coming to revolutionize your life. But it's also a showcase of some truly bizarre gadgets ranging from the hyper-specific to the just plain strange. GameSpot sister site CNET has rounded up these oddities with some truly remarkable finds. Maybe you could use the Orii, a bone conduction ring that broadcasts sounds through your finger and into your ear. Or you could get some exercise with a Verde treadmill, which generates power for your home to trim down your energy bills. Or you can heat your food with the GoSun solar cooker, a sunlight-powered oven.Some seem a bit impractical or unnecessary. The Monit smart diaper sensor can tell you if your baby's diaper is dirty, which isn't that handy considering if it is, you'd have to take it off and change it anyway. And it's difficult to envision a proper use for the Hyundai Elevate, a concept car with legs that can climb over barriers up to five feet, outside of an Inspector Gadget cartoon. You can see those strange ideas, along with several more, at the CNET gallery, or check out the full scope of CNET CES coverage for much more tech news.CES also has a lot to do with video games, of course, from new processors and TVs to VR headsets and more. Check out our full GameSpot coverage of CES 2019.Info from Gamespot.com

We're giving away The Art & Making of Aquaman books to three (3) lucky fans. Entering into our Instagram giveaway below is easy -- just like and follow for a chance to win! View this post on Instagram🔥GIVEAWAY! We're giving away The Art & Making of Aquaman Books to three (3) lucky fans. ------ To enter: 1. Follow @GameSpot + @insighteditions 2. Like this post 3. Tag your friends in separate comments below to gain additional entries 👇 (Max 5 friends) ------ Giveaway ends January 15 at 11:59 PM PT. Three (3) winners chosen. USA only, void where prohibited. Good luck! Rules: https://bit.ly/2FkYENE ------ #GameSpotGiveaway #GameSpot #Giveaway #Giveaways #Sweepstakes #VideoGames #free #Aquaman #Aquamanmovie #Marvel #Avengers #AvengersInfinityWar #AvengersEndGameA post shared by GameSpot (@gamespot) on Jan 10, 2019 at 12:13pm PST The Art & Making of Aquaman Book GiveawayOfficial Sweepstakes RulesNO PURCHASE OR WIRELESS DEVICE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD OR AGE OF MAJORITY, WHICHEVER IS OLDER IN YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE, AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. IF YOU ARE ACCESSING THIS SWEEPSTAKES VIA YOUR WIRELESS DEVICE, DATA RATES MAY APPLY.Administrator & Sponsor: GameSpot, a Division of CBS Interactive, Inc. ("CBSI"), 235 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94105.Prize Provider: Insight Editions, 800 A Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 Sweepstakes Entities: CBSI & Insight EditionsTHIS SWEEPSTAKES IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED OR ADMINISTERED BY INSTAGRAM.1. Acceptance of Rules. By entering "The Art & Making of Aquaman Book Giveaway" (the "Sweepstakes") operated on the CBSI social web site accessible at the domain "instagram.com/GameSpot" (the "CBSI Service"), you hereby accept and agree to these official rules (the "Official Rules") of this Sweepstakes and the decisions of the Administrator in connection with this Sweepstakes, whose decisions are final.No purchase, entry fee or use of wireless device is necessary to enter or win. If you are a wireless service subscriber and have a smartphone, tablet or other wireless device that allows you access to the Internet, you may also enter the Sweepstakes via any of those devices during the Promotion Period (as defined below). If you chose to access this Sweepstakes via any of those wireless devices, you may be charged message and/or data rates according to the Terms and Conditions of your Service Agreement with your wireless carrier. Participants should contact their wireless carrier for information on rate plans and charges, if any, related to your participation in this Sweepstakes.2. Eligibility. This Sweepstakes is offered and open to persons who are: (a) Registered Users (as defined below); (b) legal residents of the United States; and (c) at least 18 years old or age of majority, whichever is older in their state of residence, at the date of entry in this Sweepstakes. For purposes of these Official Rules, "Registered User(s)" means a person who has successfully completed the registration form, obtained a user identification, an associated password on the social website Instagram. There is no fee associated with becoming an Instagram Registered User. Employees, directors, and the immediate family members of the Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, advertising and promotion agencies and legal and financial advisors are not eligible to participate in this Sweepstakes. For purpose of the foregoing, "immediate family" means parents, spouses, children, siblings or any members of the same households of such employees and directors. This Sweepstakes is void in all U.S. territories and possessions and where prohibited by law.3. Entering the Sweepstakes: To enter the Sweepstakes, if not already, become a Registered User (as specified above), and enter, during the Promotion Period (as defined below), via any one (1) of, or all three (3) of the ways set forth herein:1. Follow @GameSpot + @insighteditions2. Like the post related to the Sweepstakes3. Tag your friends in separate comments on the CBSI Service. Participants may receive a maximum of five (5) entries to the Sweepstakes via this entry method; one (1) per each unique friend tagged.Limit of seven (7) entries per person during the Promotion Period.4. Promotion Period. The Sweepstakes begins on January 10, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time ("PT") and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on January 15, 2019 (the "Promotion Period").5. Prizes. The Sweepstakes will award three (3) prizes (the "Prizes"). Each Prize consists of one (1) "The Art & Making of Aquaman" Book. Each Prize has an approximate retail value ("ARV") of Forty-Five Dollars (US$45.00). Total ARV of all Prizes to be awarded in this Sweepstakes is One Hundred Thirty-Five Dollars (US$135.00).6. Prize Restrictions. No assignment, transfer, conversion to cash or cash redemption or substitution of a Prize is permitted, except Administrator reserves the right to substitute a Prize with a prize of comparable or greater value, should a Prize or part of a Prize become unavailable. Prize is solely for personal use and may not be used in conjunction with any other promotion. All Prize details are at the sole discretion of the Sweepstakes Entities.7. Odds/Drawings/Winner Notification. Odds of winning a Prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. On or about January 16, 2019, the Prize drawings will be conducted at random by Administrator, whose decisions are final and binding in all respects. The potential Prize winners (the "Winners") will be notified by Administrator, via a message to their Instagram Service account. Potential Winners will be asked to provide their personal information, such as their name, physical address, date of birth and phone number in order to confirm eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. Administrator will select up to two (2) alternate Winners per Prize. If no contact has been made with the alternates after a reasonable effort has been made during three (3) business days from the first notification attempt to the last alternate, such Prize will not be awarded.8. Prize Taxes. All federal, state, local and other tax liabilities arising from this Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, winning a Prize, will be the sole responsibility of each Winner.9. Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release and Publicity Release. Winners may be required to complete, execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release, and where lawful, a Publicity Release (collectively, the "Release Forms"), as well as a W-9 tax form within five (5) days of notification of winning. Failure to return Release Forms timely, or if a Prize notification or a Prize is returned as non-deliverable, or if a Winner is found not to be eligible or not in compliance with these Official Rules, may result in disqualification with an alternate Winner selected in accordance with these Official Rules.10. Publicity Release Terms. Except where prohibited by law, a Winner's acceptance of a Prize constitutes permission for the Sweepstakes Entities to use Winner's name, photograph, likeness, statements, biographical information, voice, and address (city and state) worldwide and in all forms of media, in perpetuity, without further compensation.11. Improper Conduct. Administrator, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participation in or use of any or all portions of this Sweepstakes, and refuse to award a Prize, if a Winner engage(s) in any conduct Administrator deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the Sweepstakes or detrimental to other entrants of the Sweepstakes. Such improper conduct includes, without limitation, falsifying personal information required during entrant registration or Prize claim, violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating entries through methods such as automated computer scripts or any other programming techniques, allowing others to use entrant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating entries, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise tamper with the computer programs in connection with this Sweepstakes. Winners agree that Administrator may void a Prize or any part of a Prize that a Winner may have won and/or require the return of a Prize or any part of a Prize that a Winner may have won as a result of such improper conduct. Winners further acknowledge that any forfeiture of a Prize and/or return of a Prize shall in no way prevent Administrator from pursuing other avenues of recourse, such as criminal or civil proceedings in connection with such conduct. WARNING: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, EACH OF THE SWEEPSTAKES ENTITIES RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.12. Integrity of Sweepstakes. If, for any reason, the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned by reason of infection by computer virus, worms, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which Administrator, in its sole opinion believes could corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Sweepstakes, Administrator reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Sweepstakes and select the Winners from entries received prior to the action taken or in such other manner as Administrator may deem fair and appropriate.13. Lost or Corrupted Entries. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, lost, late, incomplete, corrupted, stolen, misdirected, illegible or postage-due entries or mail, if applicable; or for any computer, telephone, cable, network, satellite, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, unauthorized human intervention, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, or the failure to capture any such information. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by registration information submitted by end users or tampering, hacking or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Sweepstakes, and assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to the Sweepstakes.14. Damaged Property. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, injury or damage to any entrants or to any other person's computer or property related to or resulting from participating in this Sweepstakes or downloading materials from this Sweepstakes.15. Sweepstakes Errors. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with errors and/or ambiguity: (a) in the Sweepstakes; (b) in any related advertising or promotions of this Sweepstakes; and/or (c) in these Official Rules. In the event of any ambiguity(s) or error(s) in these Official Rules, Administrator reserves the right to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes or to correct any such ambiguity(s) or error(s) without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Sweepstakes.16. Prizes and Winners. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you/entrant hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, the selection and announcement of the Winners, the distribution of the Prizes, the acceptance/possession and/or use/misuse of any part of a Prize and/or any injury or damage to any entrant's or third person's property related to or resulting from any part of a Prize or any part of this Sweepstakes.17. Release and Indemnity. Each entrant in this Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, the Winners, hereby releases and agrees to hold harmless the Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies and their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to person, including death, and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of a Prize, participation in this Sweepstakes and participation in any activity related to this Sweepstakes.18. Limitation of Liability. IN NO EVENT WILL THE SWEEPSTAKES ENTITIES, THEIR PARENTS, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES AND RELATED COMPANIES, THEIR ADVERTISING OR PROMOTION AGENCIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS, BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SWEEPSTAKES OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE SWEEPSTAKES. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.19. Disclaimer of Warranties. THE SWEEPSTAKES AND PRIZES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.20. Identity Disputes. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of the winner based on an email address, the winning entry will be declared made by the Authorized Account Holder of the email address and/or wireless phone number submitted at time of registration into Instagram and/or entry into the Sweepstakes. For purposes of these Official Rules, "Authorized Account Holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational, institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.21. Binding Arbitration. The parties waive all rights to trial in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Official Rules and/or this Sweepstakes. Any controversy or claim, arising out of, or relating to, these Official Rules and/or this Sweepstakes shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in the State of New York, in the City of New York and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered into any court having jurisdiction thereof.22. Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This promotion is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and Administrator in connection with this Sweepstakes, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A., without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof, and any matters or proceedings which are not subject to arbitration, as set forth in Section 21 of these Official Rules and/or for entering any judgment on an arbitration award, shall take place in the State of New York, in the City of New York.23. Winner's List/Official Rules. For the name of the Winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope for receipt by January 31, 2019 to "Winner List, The Art & Making of Aquaman Book Giveaway" 1401 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. For Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the above address marked "Official Rules: The Art & Making of Aquaman Book Giveaway" for receipt by January 31, 2019. Residents of VT may omit postage on the self-addressed envelope. The name of the Winners may be posted, and the Official Rules will be posted on the CBSI Service (i.e. GameSpot.com).Info from Gamespot.com

Everyone likes free stuff. Right now, just for signing up for the Humble Bundle newsletter, you can get a free copy of the game A Story About My Uncle, which normally sells for $15. (You can still get it even if you're already signed up--just click the button). Make sure to grab your copy soon, because this freebie is only available while supplies last between now and January 12.A Story About My Uncle is a story-driven first-person platformer. The narrative is delivered as a bedtime story by a father to his daughter. As for the gameplay, you spend most of your time running and jumping over pits between floating islands, using a grappling beam for assistance. There's no combat, so all of the challenge comes from executing your landings and properly aiming your grapple beam.On GameSpot's sister site Metacritic, A Story About My Uncle currently has a rating of 73 out of 100, which places it in the "mixed or average" category. That's not bad, but even so, you don't have anything to lose if you're looking for a new game to play.This isn't the only PC game you can get without spending money at the moment. Also available free for a limited time via Steam is a Bomberman-like arena combat game called Blast Zone Tournament. Over on the Epic Games Store, you can grab What Remains of Edith Finch for free. And finally, if you're an Amazon / Twitch Prime member, you have 11 free PC games waiting for you between now and the end of January.Info from Gamespot.com

Update 2: Unity has now responded with a blog post of its own that disputes Improbable's account of the situation and states emphatically, "Improbable's blog is incorrect."Unity offers a detailed breakdown of what's happened over the past year-plus, though it starts out by clarifying, "Projects that are currently in production or live using SpatialOS are not affected by any actions we have taken with Improbable. If a game developer runs a Unity-based game server on their own servers or generic cloud instances (like GCP, AWS or Azure), they are covered by our EULA. We have never communicated to any game developer that they should stop operating a game that runs using Improbable as a service."It goes on to explain the background of the situation, claiming that despite discussions between the two sides, "Improbable chose an approach which doesn't involve partnering with Unity, but instead involves making unauthorized and improper use of Unity's technology and name in connection with the development, sale, and marketing of its own products. More than a year ago, we told Improbable in person that they were in violation of our Terms of Service or EULA. Six months ago, we informed Improbable about the violation in writing. Recent actions did not come as a surprise to Improbable; in fact, they've known about this for many months."Unity explains that, two weeks ago, it turned off Improbable's Unity Engine license keys, saying it didn't take the matter lightly but that Improbable had "left us no choice. This was the only course of action to protect the integrity and value of our technology and Unity developers.""We believe that even though Improbable is violating our EULA, game developers should never pay the price for that," Unity said. "We have been clear with Improbable that games currently in production and/or games that are live are unaffected, and we would have expected them to be honest with their community about this information. Unfortunately, this information is misrepresented in Improbable's blog."Unity's blog post goes on to provide further details and discuss changes to its EULA. You can read about that in full here. The original story follows.A dispute between Unity and the developer of the middleware SpatialOS is impacting developers. Studios have had to pull their games due to the conflict, and SpatialOS developer Improbable has strong words for Unity's approach.In a blog post, Improbable explained that a change in Unity's terms of service puts SpatialOS games in breach of the license terms. In fact, it suggests that Unity clarified directly to the company that the change in the TOS was specifically to disallow services like theirs to work in the Unity engine. It says Unity also revoked the license due to another breach in an unspecified manner. Other engines remain unaffected.[Update 1: Improbable has now published another blog post in which it accepts some of the blame alongside Unity but suggests the problems are deeper and could have involved any company. It proposes that the games industry "might need to consider making some changes which hugely increase the rate of innovation and the collective success we could all experience." It doesn't outline any specific solutions, instead seemingly seeking to initiate a dialogue on the subject.]Going forward, Improbable says it is attempting to negotiate with Unity, and is offering development support to those who use the SpatialOS tech in the meantime, including opening an emergency fund. It's also looking into moving to a different engine as a last resort."This is an action by Unity that has immediately done harm to projects across the industry, including those of extremely vulnerable or small scale developers and damaged major projects in development over many years," the company said. "Games that have been funded based on the promise of SpatialOS to deliver next-generation multiplayer are now endangered due to their choice of game engine. Live games are now in legal limbo."All customers who entered into a relationship with us and Unity previously did so on the good faith understanding that the terms they signed up to, sometimes years ago, would allow them to be successful and not carry additional charges."Indie developers like Spilt Milk and Vitor de Magalhaes have made announcements on Twitter of their projects going on hiatus, pending a resolution to the conflict.Info from Gamespot.com

Bungie will assume publishing rights of the Destiny series from Activision, the developer announced today. This will mark the end of a 10-year contract established in 2010, which saw Activision help Bungie to launch its first post-Halo project after it gained its independence from former owner Microsoft.The process of transitioning Destiny's publishing from Activision to Bungie has already begun, according to a post on Bungie's website. There's no word on any immediate impact on Destiny 2, but it's likely development on the game's post-launch content will continue as previously announced. The PC version--which operates using the Activision-owned Blizzard Battle.net launcher--will "still receive full support on BattleNet and we do not anticipate any disruption to our services or your gameplay experience," Blizzard confirmed.In a statement, Activision said, "Today, we're announcing plans for Bungie to assume full publishing rights and responsibilities for the Destiny franchise. Going forward, Bungie will own and develop the franchise, and Activision will increase its focus on owned IP and other projects. Activision and Bungie are committed to a seamless transition for the Destiny franchise and will continue to work closely together during the transition on behalf of the community of Destiny players around the world."Both Destiny and Destiny 2 have been uneven games, delivering a mixture of highs and lows, with Bungie often correcting mistakes and offering dramatically improved experiences with post-launch expansions. Destiny 2 in particular has been maligned by some for its use of microtransactions and the Eververse store. While it's difficult to separate decisions made by Bungie versus Activision, some players worried that the latter's influence on the game had resulted in the heavy push of Eververse.Reports have surfaced in the past about development issues with the series, as Destiny 2 was said to be rebooted at one point. Signs of possible strain between the companies' relationship became public last year following the release of the Forsaken expansion in September. Despite being received much more warmly than the base game, Activision publicly stated that it had been a commercial disappointment. This in turn led to Destiny 2 director Luke Smith responding on Twitter, saying, "We are not disappointed with Forsaken. We set out to build a game that Destiny players would love, and at Bungie, we love it too. Building Destiny for players who love it is and will remain our focus going forward."In Bungie's new statement regarding the split, it stated, "With Forsaken, we've learned, and listened, and leaned in to what we believe our players want from a great Destiny experience. Rest assured there is more of that on the way. We'll continue to deliver on the existing Destiny roadmap, and we're looking forward to releasing more seasonal experiences in the coming months, as well as surprising our community with some exciting announcements about what lies beyond."Thank you so much for your continued support. Our success is owed in no small part to the incredible community of players who have graced our worlds with light and life. We know self-publishing won't be easy; there’s still much for us to learn as we grow as an independent, global studio, but we see unbounded opportunities and potential in Destiny. We know that new adventures await us all on new worlds filled with mystery, adventure, and hope. We hope you'll join us there."The news provides no indication of what Destiny's future might hold; Bungie appears to be fully dedicated to it and can perhaps have more freedom in how it handles Destiny 2 and beyond. But we also know part of Bungie is looking elsewhere, as just last year it received $100 million in funding from NetEase to work on non-Destiny projects. Bungie is a massive company, allowing it to work on multiple projects at once, and it insisted the Destiny franchise will "grow for many years to come. Our commitment to that world is not diminished by this announcement."Info from Gamespot.com

In one of the bigger gaming news stories so far in 2019, Bungie and Activision announced that they are breaking up. Going forward, Bungie will self-publish the Destiny franchise, with Activision instead focusing on its own series like Call of Duty.It's big news, and many people from the video game industry reacted. Xbox boss Phil Spencer weighed in, as did Nick Chester of Fortnite studio Epic Games. Many more people commented on the news as well, and you can see a roundup of takes below.As part of the breakup, Bungie gets full control of the Destiny intellectual property. The transition from Activision to Bungie has already begun, and the two say they will "work closely" to ensure a smooth transition.In addition to ongoing support for Destiny, Bungie is making new games. Last year, it got $100 million from Chinese company NetEase for non-Destiny projects that have not yet been announced. This is sure to be an ongoing story, so keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.Industry Reacts To Destiny BreakupPhil Spencer (Head of Xbox):Looking forward to a very bright future working with one of my favorite independent studios on one of my favorite franchises. Excited to see how they continue to grow and evolve Destiny. — Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 10, 2019Jason Schreier (Kotaku reporter):At today's meeting announcing the news, Bungie staff cheered loudly. Can't over-emphasize how happy they are not just to get away from Activision, but to have a game that they now own completely. Imagine a Destiny free from Activision's restrictive annualized schedule! — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) January 10, 2019Manveer Heir (Mass Effect developer):I remember when I quit Raven Software, an ATVI studio, after they canceled a game and put the studio on CoD support. Someone asked the COO “where is ATVI going to make new IP from if all the studios are just helping call of duty” and his answer was “we have Bungie for that” 😬 https://t.co/K90yNoPJx6 — Manveer aka King Curry Thunder (@manveerheir) January 10, 2019Nick Chester (PR boss at Epic Games):Self-publishing a game at this (or any!) scale is HARD. It’s not a switch you flip. Bungie will have to learn a lot, grow in new ways, and they may stumble. We did and still do. But when they come out the other side, the game and its players will see a huge benefit. — Nick Chester (@nickchester) January 10, 2019Mark Rein (Epic Games president):Wow, congratulations @Bungie ! https://t.co/9WFVS3Xhas — Mark Rein (@MarkRein) January 10, 2019Sergey Galyonkin (SteamSpy creator):Destiny was always meant to be a game-as-a-service like WoW but for some reason, they decided to go with semi-annual releases instead of supporting and updating the original game. Hopefully, now Bungie can focus on that. — Sergey Galyonkin (@galyonkin) January 10, 2019Devolver Digital (indie games publisher):Hey, what’s up. — Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) January 10, 2019David Dague (Bungie Community Manager):Some of my fondest memories of working on Destiny include the amazing adventures we’ve had with Activision at events all around the world. To my friends at that company, thank you for working with us to bring together this amazing community that we will continue to serve. — DeeJ (@DeeJ_BNG) January 10, 2019Rami Ismail (Vlambeer Co-Founder):Holy shit @Bungie is indie as fuck — Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) January 10, 2019Cliff Bleszinski (Gears of War designer):Bungie splits with Activision.Y'all knew what you signed up for from the get go.Still, glad y'all got the rights back.Now? Self publish. Control your...Destiny? pic.twitter.com/LHB4wXHR43 — Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) January 10, 2019 Info from Gamespot.com

Say what you will about the state of the DC Extended Universe films, but Aquaman is continuing its box office domination around the world. The film, which stars Jason Momoa, has been the number one movie in theaters since its December 21 debut and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is set to stay in the top slot again this weekend.Based on estimates, this weekend will also see the film cross the $1 billion worldwide mark, making it the first DC Entertainment film to do so since 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, which ended it's run with an impressive $1.084 billion at the box office.While it's global box office success hugely eclipses the other entries in the DCEU--the next highest-earning movie is Batman v Superman at $873 million--it's still not the most domestically profitable film for the franchise. That honor goes to Wonder Woman, which earned $412 million at the domestic box office. To compare, Aquaman's domestic haul currently sits at $268 million, per Box Office Mojo. That number also leaves it trailing behind Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad in North America. Of course, that just goes to show the international appeal of Aquaman, which has already earned over $700 million overseas.Given the success of Aquaman, it's hard not to think about what's next for the DCEU. Shazam is the next DCEU character heading to theaters. Unlike Aquaman--who debuted in Justice League--this will be the first time the character is seen on the big screen. Will audiences still flock to theaters to see what the team behind the movie has come up with? You'll find out on April 5, when Shazam premieres.Info from Gamespot.com

At CES 2019, GameSpot's sister site, CNET, saw and occasionally tried several new pieces of technology that could change the way people play games in the future. Below, we've gone ahead and highlighted the ones that stand out the most, but you can also head over to CNET's CES hub to browse through everything.Some folks showed up to CES with pieces of third-party tech that allow you to play Nintendo Switch in new ways. The first is something that people have been asking Nintendo to make for a while: a means of charging Switch Joy-Cons while playing with them. Both Xbox One and PS4 controllers can be charged while in use, as can wireless mice and keyboards on PC, but Switch Joy-Cons will only charge while docked. GameSir also showed off a portable mouse and keyboard combo that can connect to Switch, which would probably be helpful for playing shooters like Fortnite and Splatoon 2, should Nintendo decide to update them with supportVR had a pretty heavy presence at CES this year as well. HTC unveiled two new headsets, one of which, the Vive Cosmos, is specifically built for gaming. The other, called the Vive Pro Eye, isn't designed for games just yet, but it supports impressive eye tracking technology. The company also announced Infinity, which is a new subscription model for Viveport that offers unlimited access to select VR titles for less than their full retail price. Holoride showed off a brand-new VR experience where you wear a headset while riding in the back of a car, allowing you to swiftly travel through worlds of fantasy or moments in history while on road trips. CNET also tried out Cyber Shoes, which allows you to feel like you're running in real life while playing VR, as well as a foot controller that should help make PSVR more accessible for those with a motion disability. CNET got to try out Oculus' new VR headset too, called Quest, which promises full motion and no cables.Square Off is robotic chess with Harry Potter-like magic ♟ pic.twitter.com/zqKA9xoU2S — CNET (@CNET) January 10, 2019There were also just your typical pieces of new tech at CES. We always expect to see new laptops each year, many of which have the specs to be used as gaming computers. Spherical gaming chairs aren't a stranger to CES either, although CNET notes the Predator Thronos is probably the best of what they saw.AMD also had a fairly big year at CES. The company announced its third-generation Ryzen CPU and new Radeon VII GPU. Xbox boss Phil Spencer also came up on stage during the AMD keynote and hinted the partnership between Xbox and AMD would continue into the next console generation.Info from Gamespot.com

Anyone concerned that Bungie ending its publishing arrangement with Activision for Destiny would mean Destiny 2 will be removed from Battle.net can breathe a sigh of relief. Blizzard has confirmed that Destiny 2 will continue to receive "full support" on Battle.net going forward.Destiny 2 and its extra content remains available to buy on Battle.net, and it appears it will not be removed from the store, at least not yet.Destiny 2 will still receive full support on BattleNet and we do not anticipate any disruption to our services or your gameplay experience. https://t.co/FFOE1iae3R — BlizzardCS (@BlizzardCS) January 10, 2019Destiny 2 was the first non-Blizzard game to be released on Battle.net. It was followed up by Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, which, like Destiny 2, was published by Activision. Both titles skipped Steam and other digital PC stores in favour of launching through Blizzard's digital PC store.Given that Bungie is taking over publishing responsibilities for the Destiny franchise going forward, it would appear that Bungie will get to decide where it sells its games in the future; this could theoretically include Steam or the newly launched Epic Games Store.For more on the big Destiny news, check out GameSpot's coverage through the stories linked below.Bungie Splits From Activision, And It's Keeping DestinyDestiny Split: Industry Reacts To Bungie Breaking Up With Activision Info from Gamespot.com

A new set of Season 7 challenges has arrived in Fortnite, providing another opportunity to level your Battle Pass up and unlock rewards. As usual, if you manage to finish all of the objectives from a given week, you'll also complete a related Snowfall challenge, netting you a special loading screen that hides a clue to a free Battle Star or Banner waiting somewhere around the island.The loading screen you'll get depends on how many weekly sets of challenges you've completed. Once you've finished six weeks' sets, you'll unlock the one pictured below. It depicts a character wearing the Durrr Burger onesie standing at the titular eatery, burger in hand. This time, the clue can be found on the chalkboard in the lefthand corner of the image, which features a drawing of a Banner floating about the Crown of RVs--the same spot you needed to visit to complete Week 1's dancing challenge.The Crown of RVs is located south of Paradise Palms, at the edge of the map near the desert village. Your best bet for finding the Banner is to glide to the area at the start of a match and make your way to the crown-like formation. As teased, the Banner will appear at the top. Collect it and finish the match, and you'll be able to use the Banner as a swanky profile icon.We've marked the Banner's location on the map below to help you find it. You can also watch us collect it in the video above to show you exactly where you need to go. However, as always, the Banner will only appear on the map if you've completed the necessary number of challenges and unlocked the aforementioned loading screen; you won't simply be able to waltz over to the right spot and find it unless you've done the required work.You have until the end of Season 7 to complete any outstanding challenges; if you need help, you can find tips in our Season 7 challenge roundup. We've also put together guides on where to find all of this season's other free Battle Stars and Banners below.Fortnite Season 7 Snowfall Challenge GuidesFortnite Secret Battle Star Location: Week 1 Snowfall Challenge GuideFortnite Secret Banner Location: Week 2 Snowfall Challenge GuideFortnite Secret Battle Star Location: Week 3 Snowfall Challenge GuideFortnite Secret Banner Location: Week 4 Snowfall Challenge GuideFortnite Secret Battle Star Location: Week 5 Snowfall Challenge GuideFortnite Secret Banner Location: Week 6 Snowfall Challenge GuideInfo from Gamespot.com

One of the biggest surprises to emerge from The Game Awards last month was Mortal Kombat 11, the next installment in the long-running fighting series. Developer NetherRealm unveiled the title with a brutal trailer, and now series co-creator Ed Boon has given us a glimpse at its cover.Boon revealed the game's cover artwork on his official Twitter account. Much like Mortal Kombat X's cover, it's very minimalistic, featuring a single character: series mainstay Scorpion, who appeared in the game's reveal trailer alongside another MK veteran, Raiden. You can take a look at the art below.NetherRealm hasn't announced many details about Mortal Kombat 11 yet, but based on its reveal trailer, it appears the series' trademark gore is very much intact. The developer has also teased the game will feature a "time bending story," which was hinted at in the trailer; after Raiden dispatches Scorpion, another Scorpion--dressed in the character's classic garb--appears and continues the fight.Fans will get their first extended look at Mortal Kombat 11 on January 17, when NetherRealm broadcasts a reveal event on Twitch. The game is scheduled to launch a little later this year, on April 23. It's coming to PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and those who pre-order a copy will receive Shao Kahn as a playable character.PS4 and Xbox One owners have an added incentive to pre-order the game, as doing so will get you access to a pre-launch beta. The test will be held for those two platforms sometime in March, although further details have yet to be announced.Info from Gamespot.com

Activision and Bungie made a big announcement today when the companies confirmed they were splitting up, with Bungie getting the Destiny franchise going forward. While Destiny 2: Forsaken might have failed to reach Activision's commercial sales expectations, it still means that the publisher is losing a revenue stream.So it's no surprise, then, that Activision Blizzard's stock price dropped dramatically after the news was made public. Investors were seemingly spooked at the idea of Activision Blizzard losing a revenue-contributor.The company's share price fell by almost 7 percent in after-hours trading today on the New York Stock Exchange. The news was released after the stock market closed, so it'll be intriguing to watch the share price tomorrow when the market opens.In 2015, Activision Blizzard's stock price reached a new all-time high, and it grew higher still, before dropping in the past year. In March 2018, one analyst firm downgraded Activision Blizzard's stock rating, saying the company was facing a "combination of worries" that could affect its stock price.In a Securities & Exchange Commission filing, Activision Blizzard said it doesn't expect losing Destiny to have a significant impact on revenue or operating income in 2019. However, losing a franchise as big as Destiny will surely have an impact on Activision Blizzard's bottom line in some capacity. Activision Blizzard next reports earnings on February 12, and it's likely we'll learn more at that time.It's been a time of change for Activision Blizzard lately. In addition to losing Destiny, Activision Blizzard CFO Spencer Neumann recently left to join Netflix, while Blizzard CFO Amrita Ahuja left the company to take a new job at Square (the mobile payment company, not Square Enix).For more on the big Destiny news, check out the stories linked below.Bungie Splits From Activision, And It's Keeping DestinyDestiny Split: Industry Reacts To Bungie Breaking Up With ActivisionDestiny 2 Will Stay On Battle.Net After Bungie's Split From ActivisionBungie's Destiny 2 Plans "Unchanged," New Update Details Coming FridayInfo from Gamespot.com