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Daily Briefing: Monday 21st June
🕑 Added 2021-06-21 13:01:06 +0000 UTCSony want more cross-play
In a new interview with Axios, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said that Sony "support and encourage cross-play" on their platform, and that the number of games that support it will "continue to grow" beyond those big titles like Rocket League, Fortnite, and Minecraft. Ryan also asserted that Sony's policies on cross-play are "consistent" with other big games companies.
- That last statement is particularly interesting as Epic Games' Tim Sweeney recently claimed that Sony are the only platform-holder that actively charge a fee for cross-play. Either Sweeney's claim was less than accurate or Ryan is trying to say that other companies follow a similar strategy. Of course, Sony can barely keep their cross-play policy consistent with themselves so who even knows.
EA set to revive an "established IP"
EA's newest Play Live show will air next month and, according to GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb, they'll be announcing a revival of an established legacy IP. Grubb wasn't for giving too much away, though more and more of his leaks appear to be shots in the dark these days anyway, with his only clue being "we're going to see it...if we're not dead first."
- The game is reportedly in the works at EA's Motive studio, which underwent a bit of a rebrand last year following the release of Star Wars: Squadrons. Motive's new mission is to make games that "empower players to create, experiment, live and share their own unique stories" and they were working on "several unannounced projects" alongside Squadrons, so watch this space.
Doug Bowser responds to Switch Pro rumours
The Nintendo Switch Pro never actually made an appearance at E3 despite countless rumours to the contrary, but that just means that the speculation is still ongoing. Presumably noticing this, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser told The Washington Post that the company are "always looking at technology."
- Bowser went on to say that Nintendo won't look at technology for its own sake, though, emphasising that any investigations are geared around specifically how technology can "enhance a gameplay experience." That's a whole lot of words without actually saying anything substantial, but surely an upgraded Switch would provide the kind of gameplay enhancements Nintendo are looking for?
FIFA 21 is showing lootbox contents for a limited time
As part of a new update, all packs in the FIFA Ultimate Team Store have been replaced with new Preview Packs - which allow players to see the contents without having to pay. Once the contents have been revealed, players can decide whether to buy using coins or FIFA Points, or just leave it - with a refresh timer giving players a limited period of time to change their mind before the pack is replaced with a new one.
- It's an encouraging move from FIFA - one of the leading purveyors of lootboxes and manipulative monetisation practices - though it is a shame that it took mountains of governmental, legal, and community scrutiny to make the whole process a bit more transparent. It isn't even a permanent change either - the Preview Pack scheme looks set to experience around mid-July - but with any luck this current iteration is a trial for the real thing.
