Kingdoms of Amalur Dated, Microsoft Buying Warner IPs?

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Return to Amalur this September

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, the remastered version of 38 Studios’ 2012 ARPG, is out for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 8th.

THQ Nordic promises stunning visuals and refined gameplay, but there’s also a bunch of new content coming. A new expansion named Fatesworn will launch in 2021, and if the re-release is a success that’s probably not the last DLC.

Choose your destiny: There will be three different versions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning: Standard Edition, Fate Edition (includes the expansion), and the Collection’s Edition – which has its own trailer.

Time For A Quick Daily Quiz?

Which engine was used in Shadow Warrior, Duke Nukem 3D and Blood?

• The Photex engine
• The Build engine
• The SCUMM engine
• id Tech 1

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today’s issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.

Daily Fact

Mortal Kombat has had many masters

Could Mortal Kombat become an Xbox exclusive? It’s not impossible, and it’s not the first time the franchise changes owner. The original Mortal Kombat games were published on console by Acclaim, before Midway acquired the publishing rights.

Then Midway went bust, and Warner Bros. Interactive rehomed both the development team and the publishing rights. Now Netherrealm and the Mortal Kombat rights are back on the market, and whoever decides to buy them will be the proud owners of one of the oldest and best-known franchises in the business.

Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss today’s fact.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2

COVID-19 takes its toll on the team behind Final Fantasy VII Remake

2020 has been the year of COVID-19, wreaking havoc on everything from the esports events to the Tokyo Olympics – and Final Fantasy Remake Part 2! Game Director Yoshinori Kitase told The Guardian that the game was already behind schedule.

Fortunately, Kitase doesn’t think the pandemic will have a major impact on the development schedule: “At this current time, the team are still making the next game via remote working. Our performance will temporarily drop below 100% efficiency because of this, but I do not think there should be a big impact in the long term.”

• Final Fantasy VII Remake sold 3.5 million copies in its first three days on sale
• Final Fantasy VII Remake is a timed PlayStation 4 exclusive until April next year

High hopes: “I sincerely hope that Final Fantasy VII Remake can provide those who are forced to endure the stress of living under lockdown a moment of relief and enjoyment in these trying times.”

Warner Looking to Sell Games Division

Microsoft rumoured to be interested in buying AT&T’s gaming division

Rumour has it that Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Take-Two and EA are interested in buying Warner Bros. Interactive.

Parent company AT&T wants around $4 billion for their games division, and that kind of price tag severely limits the possible bidders. Microsoft has been on an acquisition spree for the past few years, and also recently said they’re happy with their current line-up

• Microsoft already bought Double Fine, Ninja Theory and Obsidian Entertainment over the last few years
• IP rights are not included in the sale, though it’s probably possible to strike a deal

Whatcha buying, stranger? Warner Bros. Interactive comprises TT Games, Monolith and NetherRealm as well as a clutch of internal studios spread across the world. Don’t be surprised if a Chinese poultry company appears from nowhere to snap up the whole lot!

What Else Happened Today?

• Pokemon Go is still growing after four years and according to Sensor Tower the game has made over $3.6 billion since launch
• Blood, bunnies and wisecracks in Shadow Warrior 3 teaser offering a glimpse of Flying Wild Hog’s next game, with more to follow on the July 11th Devolver Direct 2020 stream
• Latest Animal Crossing update makes griefing easier according to players on ResetERA since visitors can swim around your fences
• Ubisoft publishes schedule for Ubisoft Forward stream complete with location-based timezone calculator. Expect gameplay from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion and more on Sunday.
• Relive Sega’s golden age of arcade games with the Astro City Mini, a miniature Astro City arcade cabinet with 39 games for around $120

DailyBits Deals

Today’s Gaming Deal Highlights

There are so many great deals now that it felt wrong not to share some of them ahead of the weekend’s bargain extravaganza.

Sega Genesis Classics (Nintendo Switch) $23.99 @ Amazon

Wargroove (Nintendo Switch) $22.96 @ Amazon

Final Fantasy VII: Remake (PS4) $49.94 @ Amazon

Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age (Nintendo Switch) $25.10 @ Amazon

Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster (Nintendo Switch) $29.99 @ Amazon

Saints Row IV (Nintendo Switch) $24.99 @ Amazon

Dead Cells (PS4) $18.93 @ Amazon

Code Vein (Xbox One) $19.99 @ Amazon

XCOM: The Board Game (Board Game) $31.64 @ Amazon

Razer Kraken Headset (PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch) $57.19 @ Amazon

If you buy any of these games by following our links, DailyBits will earn a small commission, so thanks in advance! Saturday will bring a massive list of over 40 deals, so stay tuned!

DailyBits Weekly Giveaway

The Great Perhaps for Switch

You have a chance to nab a code for The Great Perhaps on Nintendo Switch if you refer DailyBits to a friend! Use our widget to start earning referrals, which you can build up throughout the year to increase your chance of being selected.

The Great Perhaps will be available on the eShop for $9.99 or £8.99, and we’ve got some codes to hand out this week, just in time for the release on Friday July 10th. This week’s giveaway is only open to US regions.

The Great Perhaps tells the story of an astronaut returning to Earth and finding it destroyed by natural disasters. You discover an unusual artifact in the ruins, allowing you to see glimpses of the past and travel back in time.

Flit between between post-apocalyptic Earth and the vibrant days before disaster struck, and face the dangers presented by both to discover why the world ended – and how to bring it back.

Quiz Answer - Did You Get It Right?

Which engine was used in Shadow Warrior, Duke Nukem 3D and Blood?

Answer: The Build engine!

If you played PC games in the 90s, then you have probably played (and loved) a game powered by the Build engine.

Created by prodigal programmer Ken Silverman in the early to mid nineties, Build was a 2.5D engine with a user-friendly level editor featuring support for voxels and room-over-room level layouts.

Build enjoyed considerably success in the late nineties powering games like Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior and Blood, but did you know there are still commercial games made with the engine? Last year’s Ion Fury was developed using the Build Engine.

If you never had the pleasure of enjoying a Build game, you can get the original Shadow Warrior for free on Steam – if you can bear the horrible puns and groan-worthy racial stereotypes.

Today’s issue of DailyBits was written by Gavin Herman, Erlend Grefsrud, Christian Vaz, Ken McKown, and Jamie Davey.