Ben Lamoreux, Author at Gamnesia

Retro Studios is Mass-Hiring for Metroid Prime 4

Last December, Retro Studios went on a hiring spree, recruiting people to five open positions in a short period of time. A month later we would learn why: Metroid Prime 4 is starting over from scratch, and Retro is in charge. With development effectively rebooting, there’s no telling how long it will take for the much-anticipated game to arrive, but Retro is looking to speed that process up with an even bigger round of hiring.

Earlier today, Retro tweeted out that they’re looking for “world-class developers to join the Metroid Prime team on our journey in developing Metroid Prime 4.” Clicking through to their website reveals numerous job listings covering everything from artists to engineers. The full list of openings is as follows:

Source: Retro Studios

News

Psyduck and Snubbull Arrive at Build-A-Bear

Just a few weeks ago, we reported that Build-A-Bear Workshop was teasing a future Detective Pikachu collaboration. Those plans still haven’t been fully unveiled, but in the meantime Build-A-Bear just announced some other Pokémon collaborations. Starting today, Psyduck and Snubbull are available at Build-A-Bear, both in-stores and online.

Those who order online can get an exclusive bundle for either Pokémon for $65.
Psyduck comes with a Psyduck raincoat, a Luxury Ball hoodie, a 6-in-1 Psyduck sound, and a Build-A-Bear Workshop exclusive Psyduck Pokémon Trading Card Game card. Snubbull’s bundle includes a Snubbull vest, a Snubbull bow, a 6-in-1 Snubbull sound, and a Build-A-Bear Workshop exclusive Snubbull Pokémon Trading Card Game card.

Alternatively, you can head to your local Build-A-Bear Workshop in person. Snubbull and Psyduck will cost $32 as standalone products, and you can also purchase their various accessories individually. The standalone plush dolls also come with their respective trading cards.

News Nintendo Nintendo Switch

Nintendo CEO Says There Are No Plans for an E3 Hardware Reveal

For months now, the video game industry has been buzzing with rumors of new Switch hardware. These numerous, often contradictory reports tend to agree that a cheaper “Switch Lite” model is on the way, and some believe a “Switch Pro” could also be on the horizon. With E3 less than two months away (and Bloomberg claiming a new Switch will launch that same month) many anticipate a reveal, but they may be disappointed.

Following the publication of Nintendo’s 2019 earnings release, President and CEO Shuntaro Furukawa issued some additional information. On the topic of new Switch hardware, he reaffirmed Nintendo’s tradition of always working on new hardware ideas internally but said he had nothing to announce. Additionally, he stated that Nintendo has no plans to make such an announcement at this year’s E3.

Does this mean the alleged Switch Lite isn’t coming after all, or is Nintendo simply waiting for a more optimal time to unveil it? There doesn’t seem to be any consensus on the new model’s launch window (Summer, Fall, and vague “2019” dates have all been proposed), but it’s possible that Nintendo’s just not ready to show it off yet.

Source: Sam Nussey (Reuters)

News Nintendo Nintendo Switch Wii

Smash Ultimate Passes Brawl as Top-Selling Fighting Game of All Time

Nintendo launched Super Smash Bros. Ultimate last December to glowing reviews and record-setting pre-order numbers, and it quickly reached 12 million sales and shipments before the end of the year. Nintendo’s popular crossover fighting game has continued to sell well through the first three months of 2019, and according to the new data in Nintendo’s earnings release, it just achieved two major milestones.

With nearly two million more units shipped over the past three months, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate now stands at 13.81 million units sold. That number is impressive by itself, but it’s even more amazing in context.

As pointed out by Stealth on Twitter, this means Ultimate has officially passed Super Smash Bros. Brawl (13.30 million units sold, per Nintendo) as the top-selling game in the franchise. The possible exception to this would be if you consider the Wii U and 3DS iterations of Smash to be one game. Nintendo lists them separately in sales reports, so we treat them as such.

Seeing as Brawl was previously the highest-selling fighting game of any franchise, this also gives Ultimate the title of most popular fighter. With just four months under its belt, that’s an unbelievably fast start! Switch should continue to sell millions more units for years to come, so Smash Ultimate will just keep setting the bar higher and higher.

Sources: Nintendo, Stealth, Twinfinite

News Nintendo Nintendo Switch Retro

Nintendo Switch Has Officially Passed N64 in Lifetime Sales

Nintendo just published its earnings release for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2019. That means the last 12 months of sales data is in the books, including updates on hardware totals. Nintendo’s latest numbers show that Switch sold another 2.46 million units last quarter (January – March), which brings its lifetime total to 34.74 million.

If you’re familiar with the sales performance of Nintendo’s past consoles, you know that number marks a major milestone: Nintendo Switch has passed Nintendo 64’s lifetime sales. Nintendo’s flagship console in the late ’90s sold 32.93 million units in its lifetime, and it took Switch just two years to beat that mark. Switch still trails Nintendo 64 when it comes to software units sold, though. The classic console moved 224.97 million units of software, and Switch software sales are at 187.52 million. Switch still has a long life ahead of it, of course, so it will certainly close the gap in due time.

When compared to Nintendo’s most successful home consoles of all time, Switch still has a long way to go. Wii is still the champ with 101.63 million units sold. If we factor in handhelds (Switch is portable), DS dominates with 154.02 million sold. Those are tough numbers to match, but Switch’s pace of 17 million per year is impressive in its own right.

Source: Nintendo

Mobile Platforms News Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour is Getting a Closed Beta Next Month

Last January, Nintendo announced plans to develop and release a Mario Kart game for mobile devices. The upcoming mobile racer, dubbed Mario Kart Tour, was originally planned to launch on March 31st, but Nintendo announced its delay at the start of this year, almost exactly one year after it was first announced. Mario Kart Tour is now expected to launch sometime this Summer, but some lucky gamers will get to try it out in the very near future.

Nintendo recently opened up
a Japanese website where fans can register for a chance to participate in an upcoming beta for Mario Kart Tour. Applications can be submitted from now until May 8th, and the beta itself will kick off on May 22nd. The beta will apparently be available in both Japan and the United States, but no other territories have been confirmed. At this time it seems only Android devices will get the beta, though perhaps that will change at a later date. The full release is still expected to come sometime this Summer.

Source: Nintendo (via Japanese Nintendo)

News Nintendo Nintendo Switch

Super Mario Maker 2 Launches June 28th

One of the most entertaining experiences on last generation’s Wii U was Super Mario Maker. A simple-to-use interface let players imagine, create, play, and share their own custom Mario levels, and countless masterpieces were generated. Unfortunately, Wii U was a commercial flop, greatly limiting Super Mario Maker‘s reach.

Nintendo is remedying that fact with Super Mario Maker 2 on the much more successful Nintendo Switch, and as of today, we know when to expect it. Nintendo has just announced via Twitter that Super Mario Maker 2 launches on June 28th. That’s just a few weeks after E3, so we’ll likely see plenty about the game at the big convention.

Nintendo typically doesn’t release many games during the Summer months, but 2019’s Summer line-up is stacked. In addition to Super Mario Maker, Switch owners can look forward to Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order on July 19th, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses on July 26th. That’s one heck of an exclusive trio!

Source: Nintendo

News Retro

Japanese Gamers Vote Chrono Trigger the Best Game of the Past 30 Years

Video games have come a long, long way in the 30 years since the 8-bit days of NES and Game Boy. Gaming hardware evolved rapidly, new genres and styles of play emerged, and video games entered the mainstream like never before. Thousands of incredible adventures have been released in the past three decades, but which ones are the best?

Popular Japanese publication Famitsu recently set out to answer that question by polling their readers. After tallying votes from more than 7,100 Japanese fans, Famitsu narrowed it down to the top three. In first place, SNES classic Chrono Trigger reigns supreme with 230 votes. The runners-up are both much more modern titles. In fact, they both released in 2017. With 209 votes and 205 votes, respectively, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Nier Automata took second and third.

Did Famitsu’s readers make a good call, or are there games more deserving to be called the best in three decades? Let us know your all-time favorites in the comments below!

Source: Famitsu (via Japanese Nintendo)

News Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 4 Trailers Videos Xbox One

New Dragon Ball FighterZ Trailer Shows Off GT Goku

Last month we learned that Goku is coming to Dragon Ball FigherZ… again. The latest iteration of the popular Super Saiyan is his child-like form from Dragon Ball GT. This new arrival is set for May 9th on all platforms. In the meantime, publisher Bandai Namco just put out a new trailer that shows off GT Goku in action, including his Super Saiyan 4 form.

Click above to watch!

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News Trailers Videos

Go Behind the Scenes of Detective Pikachu with Its Stars

Are you feeling oversaturated by all the Detective Pikachu trailers Legendary has been dishing out in recent weeks? How about a change of pace! The latest promotion for the first big, live-action Pokémon movie is less of a trailer and more of a behind the scenes featurette… although it does feature plenty of scenes from the movie. Stars Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, and Kathryn Newton all chime in to give their thoughts on Detective Pikachu ahead of its release.

Click above to watch!

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News Nintendo Nintendo Switch

Switch Hits 8 Million Units Sold in Japan Alone

Nintendo Switch is on a hot streak right now, outselling its 2018 numbers every single week in Japan thus far in 2019. Back in January, we reported that Switch passed 7 million units sold in Japan alone and that it was closing in on PlayStation 4 in that region. Although it hasn’t quite passed up Sony’s console yet, it’s likely to do so in just one or two more weeks. In the meantime, Switch just hit another milestone in Japan.

According to the latest sales data, Switch moved another 40,000 units in Japan last week (easily enough to top the charts), bringing its grand total to just over 8 million. That means Switch has sold over 1 million units in Japan alone since early January. It now trails PlayStation 4 by just over 33,000 sales, so it should eclipse it next week.

We also know that Switch has been the top-selling hardware in the US for the last four months in a row. These stronger than expected sales worldwide over the past few months should boost Switch’s life total considerably. Nintendo infamously lowered their hardware target from 20 million to 17 million earlier this year, but they’ve since been outselling all projections. They’ll likely still fall a bit short of the 20 million target, but they might be closer than previously thought. Nintendo will release their year-end financial data soon, as they’re meeting with investors and reporters over the next few days.

Source: Resetera

News Nintendo Nintendo Switch

Bloomberg Claims the Switch Lite is Launching in June

Over the past few months, we’ve reported on numerous claims that Nintendo is preparing to launch new hardware in the near future. Some of these reports have contradicted each other on key details, but they’re largely in agreement that Nintendo has a smaller, cheaper version of the Switch planned for 2019. According to the latest scoop, this time from Bloomberg, the alleged Switch Lite is coming even sooner than previously thought.

In a Bloomberg article detailing
Nintendo’s recent stock surge (triggered primarily by the news that Nintendo plans to release Switch in China) and its impact on short sellers, the rumored cheaper Switch model was discussed. Bloomberg noted that they have two sources confirming its existence, and they went on to say that one of those sources provided them with a release window of late June.

Although not officially confirmed, Switch Lite is one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry. It almost certainly exists, but which report contains the correct details? Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei
issued their own report just last week, but their sources report a Fall release window rather than June. Other reports have settled on a vaguer “2019” window. There has also been confusion over whether or not this device will be able to dock and play on a TV. Bloomberg did not comment on this contested detail, but they did state that they are unaware of any plans for a more powerful Switch model.

This rumored “Pro” model has been circulating in tandem with the “Lite” rumors, but Nikkei believes it’s actually the next generation of Switch (rather than a half-generation step) and that it’s only in the very early stages of experimenting. Others have claimed that it’s a Pro model launching in 2019, and Bloomberg doesn’t believe it exists at all. E3 can’t come fast enough!

Source: Bloomberg

News Nintendo Switch Trailers Videos

SteamWorld Quest Gets an Early Launch Trailer

Image & Form’s SteamWorld series has been going strong for nearly a decade, and their latest game is just around the corner! SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech (a play on the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh) combines role-playing and deck-building set in a hand-drawn world where an ancient menace awakes. You can get your hands on SteamWorld Quest on April 25th, but the launch trailer is available now.

Click above to watch!

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News

Square Enix Announces Their E3 2019 Presentation

The E3 schedule is starting to fill up! We’re less than two months away now from one of gaming’s biggest events, and despite the absence of Sony (for the first time ever) and Electronic Arts, it should still be a busy week packed full of announcements. Nintendo, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Bethesda are all holding conferences, and the always-amusing Digital Devolver showcase is returning as well.

The latest company to confirm an E3 press event is Square Enix. The popular Japanese developer/publisher/RPG factory will hold their show on June 10th at 6:00 PM Pacific / 9:00 PM Eastern. Square Enix is promising “an exciting lineup of titles,” but no other details have been given at this time. The event will be livestreamed, so you can tune in and enjoy no matter where you live.

Source: Square Enix

News Trailers Videos

Minecraft’s Village & Pillage Update is Out Now

Even though Minecraft is a decade old, Microsoft is committed to releasing new content for it on a regular basis. These steady updates keep players engaged, and that’s a huge part of why such a simple game has maintained its popularity for a decade. The latest update just hit today, and Microsoft is advertising it as the biggest update to villages yet.

The Village & Pillage update brings “new villages across different biomes, with job sites, buildings, designs, and construction opportunities. Earn the villagers’ trust and explore a refined trading system, with brand new ways to exchange items.” But it’s not all fun and games! There’s also danger in the form of Pillager Outposts. These are heavily armed enemy fortresses, and some Pillagers will even roam the overworld looking for a fight.

Source: Microsoft

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News Nintendo PC Retro Trailers Videos

Modder Releases Super Mario Land in Color

Several years after Mario came to dominate the NES, Nintendo decided to give players the opportunity to take his adventures on the go. The result was 1989’s Super Mario Land, an immense success that would blossom into a popular franchise. All these years later, Super Mario Land still has dedicated fans, and some of them decided to give the game an update that adds an important element not available on Game Boy: color.

Modder toruzz has released a completed version of the game re-made with color and dubbed Super Mario Land DX. This mod was officially finished and uploaded on April 22nd, one day after Game Boy’s 30th anniversary. Not a bad way to celebrate! You can check out the launch trailer above, and if you like what you see, there’s a link to follow through to play the game for yourself.

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News

Minecraft Movie Delayed by Three More Years

Minecraft has been one of the most popular video games in the world for years, with over 150 million copies sold. It’s been a decade since it debuted, and it still appears on the top 20 sales chart in numerous countries on a regular basis. Naturally, Microsoft would love to capitalize on that success with a major motion picture. They’ve been trying to get the project rolling for years with no success, and it recently hit another major setback.

As we reported last year, the planned release date of May 2019 was axed in August of 2018 when It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney backed out of his writer/director role. At the time it was unclear where the project would go from there, but Microsoft recently shared a major update.

Peter Sollett (best known for directing Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist) will be taking over as director, and Microsoft has also recruited Warner Bros. as a partner. This latest iteration of the film features “the story of a teenage girl and her unlikely group of adventurers. After the malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, they must save their beautiful, blocky Overworld.”

Microsoft also announced a new release date for the Minecraft movie. It’s now expected to launch on March 4th, 2022. That’s about three years away from the previous release date, but it gives Sollett lots of time to figure out the direction he wants to take it. Hopefully, it’s worth the long, long wait.

Source: Microsoft

News Nintendo

Nick Chavez Promoted to Nintendo’s Senior VP of Sales and Marketing

One week ago today, longtime Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime officially retired. Reggie’s departure leaves Nintendo of America in the hands of the aptly-named Doug Bowser, but that creates a chain-reaction of position need. With Bowser moving up to the role of President, who will take over as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing?

Today we learned the answer is Nick Chavez. Nintendo’s new VP made the announcement via
a short, humorous Twitter clip that plays off the name of his boss. Chavez has been at Nintendo for over nine years, working his way up from Director of Consumer Marketing to Senior Director to Vice President of Marketing before finally landing his current job.

His marketing experience goes back much further, however, as he also had a nine-year stint doing similar jobs for Yahoo. With nearly two decades of experience, he should be a fantastic fit as Bowser’s number two in the Americas.

News Trailers Videos

Detective Pikachu Reminds Us It’s a Wonderful World

Legendary Entertainment is keeping their foot on the pedal when it comes to advertising Detective Pikachu. They’ve been pumping out trailers left and right over the past few weeks, and today another sneak peek dropped, courtesy of Ryan Reynolds. The latest look at the upcoming Pokémon movie features shots of the film’s many adorable monsters in their natural habitats set to the tune of “What a Wonderful World.” It all ends with an emotional moment between Detective Pikachu and Tim.

Click above to watch!

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News Nintendo Nintendo Switch Videos Wii U

Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule Castle Has Been Recreated in Minecraft

The ever-popular
Minecraft has given over 100 million players worldwide the ability to bring their imagination to life. Countless new creations have been built over the years, but many prefer to create replicas of existing structures instead, and when seriously talented and dedicated people get involved, the results can be astounding.

In that spirit, Nintendo and Microsoft commissioned Team Kyo to build Breath of the Wild‘s Hyrule Castle. The team was given instructions to create the castle as it would have looked prior to Ganon’s rampage. This incredible project took the team of 13 players (painstakingly comparing screenshots) around two months to complete. I’d say the end result was worth it!

Source: Nintendo (via Resetera)

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Written by

Ben Lamoreux