Arrowhead Game Studios’ CEO Johan Pilestedt recently revealed that stats in Helldivers 2 are a lot more complicated than the interface would lead players to believe. Early versions of the game provided players with much more detailed information on each weapon’s performance. However, developers thought it was too complex for the average player.

Weapons in Helldivers 2 have 46 hidden stats

Weapons in Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 have four visible stats: Damage, Capacity, Recoil, and Fire Rate. However, Pilestedt described these as “guidelines” that don’t give a full picture of the weapon’s performance. He revealed on Twitter that there are actually 50 stats in all. Many of these reflect characteristics of the weapon’s ammunition rather than the gun itself.

In addition to the visible stats, each weapon in Helldivers 2 has a hidden Ergonomics score, which initially appeared alongside the other four. This number represents how unwieldy the gun is and governs things like how long it takes to aim down the sights.

The stats screen also originally had a second page providing additional information. These include Reload Time, Fire Modes, Magazines, and Muzzle Velocity in meters per second. Helldivers 2 also originally had a graphic showing how the weapon’s Recoil affects its bullet spread. Even this was a simplification, with Recoil being a combination of 14 hidden values.

In another tweet, the Helldivers 2 developer explained the mechanics behind Armor Penetration. “Armor pen is a value between 0 and 10,” he clarified. “If the AP is equal to the enemies [sic] armor value the damage is 50% if the AP beats the armor you do 100%. If AP is less than the AV the bullet ricochets.” However, even he doesn’t remember what everything does, saying, “I don’t know what the light AP condition is. I think it might be if AP is 2 or less. But honestly I don’t know either.”

He described how Arrowhead attempted to strike a balance between providing information and overwhelming Helldivers 2 players with too much of it. However, Pilestedt acknowledges they may have gone too far in the other direction. “Yeah,” he wrote, “in retrospect it might have been a bad call.”

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Gran Turismo 7’s Update 1.43 is out now, introducing a variety of new content. The latest update adds three new cars, three World Circuit events, a new Café Menu item, and a new Scapes backdrop.

Gran Turismo 7 gets two sports cars and a retro hatchback

Polyphony Digital announced Gran Turismo 7’s new update with a trailer and a post on the official PlayStation blog. The most prominent features are the three new cars. These are the Audi TTS Coupé ’09, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR GSR ’06, and Renault R4 GTL ’85. Players can purchase them from Brand Central or the used car dealership.

Gran Turismo 7′ Audi TTS Coupé is a high-performance version of the 2009 Audi TT sports coupé. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR GSR is an upgraded version of the Lan Evo, featuring improved aerodynamics and other refinements. The “MR” stands for “Mitsubishi Racing,” a label Mitsubishi gives to its highest-performance sportscars. Finally, the Renault R4 GTL is the most retro addition in this update. The 1985 French hatchback was the first of its kind and earned a reputation as a “car of the people.” It also goes well with the update’s Cité de Carcassone Scape, which adds a French mountaintop castle to photo mode.  

The update also lets Gran Turismo 7 players with a Collector level of 43 or higher unlock the Lamborghini in Café mode. Meanwhile, the game’s new events are the Sunday Cup Classic, European Clubman Cup 600, and Japanese Clubman Cup 550. The first two take place on the Tsukuba Circuit in Japan, with the third utilizing California’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

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Sony has reportedly canceled a Twisted Metal live service game that was in development at UK-based studio Firesprite, per a report from Bloomberg.

In a recent article from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier detailing Sony’s plan to layoff 900 employees in its gaming division and closing down PlayStation London, it was noted that Firesprite — who will also suffer layoffs — was working on a Twisted Metal game of some sort.

Not too much was revealed about the game other than it being dubbed a live service game, however.

Twisted Metal game was reportedly in the works for years

In a memo sent to staff about the layoffs, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst seemed to allude to game cancellations, saying that “sometimes, great ideas don’t become great games. Sometimes, a project is started with the best intentions before shifts within the market or industry result in a change of plan.”

Rumors of a Twisted Metal game being in the works have been floating around for two years now, with many reports mentioning that Firesprite was working on a new title in the series as a possible PSVR2 game. Many had suspected that the game was being worked on to release alongside the ongoing television series, which originally premiered on Peacock in 2023.

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Sony has teased that it is beginning to look into allowing PlayStation VR2 owners to access games on the PC, potentially bridging the gap between the formerly exclusive device and PC.

In a recent post on the PlayStation Blog detailing some of the games coming to the PS VR2 this year, Sony teased that they were working on PC support for the headset.

Sony hopes to have more updates soon

While Sony didn’t confirm much, it did say it hopes to have things up and running at some point this year.

“We’re pleased to share that we are currently testing the ability for PS VR2 players to access additional games on PC to offer even more game variety in addition to the PS VR2 titles available through PS5,” reads the post. “We hope to make this support available in 2024, so stay tuned for more updates.”

Prior to this update, Sony had kept their virtual reality device anchored to the PlayStation console family, though fans have been trying to get the latest VR system to work on PC since its launch. It’s unclear exactly what a PS VR2-to-PC connection would allow, however, so fans will have to wait for a more detailed update from Sony to get some answers.

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After weeks of rumors and reports, Bethesda confirmed on Wednesday that Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush will be coming to PlayStation 5 next month, bringing a former Xbox exclusive to its rival console.

Hi-Fi Rush will arrive on PlayStation 5 on March 18, 2024. The release date was confirmed via a video from Bethesda LATAM’s YouTube channel, which briefly shared a video revealing the news before quickly setting it to private (via The Verge).

The video’s description mentions March 19 as a release date, but the video itself points to March 18 as the official release date. Bethesda has not officially confirmed the release as of yet.

Hi-Fi Rush, three other games joining PS5, Nintendo Switch

News of Hi-Fi Rush coming to PlayStation 5 was first reported earlier this month. After Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer revealed that four Xbox exclusives would be going to other consoles, The Verge reported that the four games set to release on the PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch were Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded.

The report went on to mention that Microsoft is also planning to launch Sea of Thieves on non-Xbox platforms later this year. While a Nintendo Switch release of Pentiment was announced at the publisher’s February Direct, no other titles have been reported to move as of now, but Warren notes other first-party titles are also under consideration.

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The co-op third-person shooter Helldivers 2 is proving to be a massive hit on PlayStation 5 and PC. However, some fans are clamoring for a player-versus-player mode in addition to its cooperative PvE action.

Unfortunately for them, the game’s creative director clarified players must look elsewhere for a PvP experience.

Helldivers 2’s creative director says there will “never” be a PvP mode

Johan Pilestedt is the CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios and the creative director of Helldivers 2. Fans on Twitter recently asked if the studio could add a PvP mode. However, Pilestedt quickly shot that idea down, arguing that such a mode was bad for the community.

“We’ll ‘never’ add a PvP-mode,” said Pilestedt. “This is to reduce toxic elements from the community.” He added, “We want an environment that’s supportive, fun and where we all are fighting on the same side!”

In a subsequent tweet, Pilestedt denied the accusation that the studio was “scared” of adding PvP to Helldivers 2. Arrowhead simply does not want to invite the kind of toxic fanbases that PvP shooters can develop. Pilestedt sees this toxicity as inevitable in competitive games and wants Helldiver 2 to remain a cooperative experience.

“We make games for people that just want to have a challenging time with friends but in a PvE setting,” he said.

He also rightly pointed out that gamers have plenty of options when it comes to PvP shooters. He suggested that people waiting for a Helldivers 2 head-to-head mode would be better off playing Escape from Tarkov.

Some fans will no doubt be disappointed by Pilestedt’s statements. However, Helldivers 2 is a fantastic PvE game, and maybe that’s all it needs to be.

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Last week, Sony Group announced that it’s cutting its PS5 sales forecast while highlighting a major problem: its PlayStation division’s operating profit. Despite record revenues, Sony’s gaming business is experiencing low profit margins, leading investors and analysts to express concerns. To make matters worse, the reduced PS5 sales forecast cost Sony $10 billion in stock value.

What’s going on with PS5 sales and PlayStation’s profit?

Despite a higher price tag than what the PS5 launched with, Sony set an ambitious sales target for the console and as of December 31, 2023, the PS5 is slightly behind that target. As a result, Sony cut down its forecast while announcing that it expects PS5 sales to slow down as it enters the latter part of its life cycle.

As reported by CNBC, the news caused Sony’s shares to come tumbling down, wiping billions off of its stock. However, it’s the PlayStation profit margins that are a bigger problem than slowing PS5 sales. Sony acknowledged as much when CFO Hiroki Totoki said that PlayStation needs to improve its profit margins.

“Their [PlayStation’s] revenue on digital sales, add-on-content, digital-downloads are at all time highs, and yet their margins are at decade-lows,” Jeffries’ equity analyst Atul Goyal told CNBC. “This is just not acceptable.” Analyst Serkan Toto pointed out that games like Spider-Man 2 are costing too much to make, resulting in a “significant impact on their gaming margin” despite robust sales.

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Sony has been increasingly willing to put its first-party games on PC, and that trend shows no sign of slowing down. According to the company’s chairman, Hiroki Totoki, Sony sees excellent potential for further expansion into the PC gaming market.

Sony to invest in more multi-platform games

Sony recently revealed there will be no new games from major existing IPs this year. However, the same conference also confirmed the company’s more significant investment in multi-platform first-party games. “In the past,” Totoki explained, “we wanted to popularize consoles, and a first-party title’s main purpose was to make the console popular. This is true, but there’s a synergy to it, so if you have strong first-party content – not only on our console but also other platforms, like computers – a first-party [game] can be grown with multi-platform, and that can help operating profit to improve, so that’s another one we want to proactively work on.”

The company’s investment in PC gaming isn’t new. The the God Of War, The Last of Us, and Horizon franchises receiving PC ports. Sony released Helldivers 2 for PlayStation 5 and PC last week, and it was a major hit on both platforms.

Totoki sees cross-platform titles as a way to boost the net profits of Sony’s gaming division. As discussed during the conference, PlayStation’s increased income isn’t leading to an equally increased bottom line. Totoki attributed this underperformance to increased console manufacturing costs while keeping consoles affordable enough that the price doesn’t hurt sales. While Sony is working on reducing costs, releasing more first-party games on PC should help boost the company’s bottom line.

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Tekken 8 is the new release to make the biggest impact in the January 2024 PlayStation Store downloads chart. While it’s not the only new January game to enter the chart for PS5, it’s the only title to break into the top 5, beating The Last of Us Part II Remastered by a significant margin. Meanwhile, not a single new game hit the PS4 charts.

PS5 and PS4 PS Store top downloads in January 2024

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III took the top spot in the PS5 downloads chart in North America, although it only reached third place in Europe. Perpetual best-seller Grand Theft Auto V remains in the top spot in Europe and came second in North America. Tekken 8 is the best-selling new release, coming in at #4 in North America and #5 in Europe.

Other new releases to enter the PS5 sales chart include The Last of Us Part II Remastered at #11 in North America and #10 in Europe, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown at #19 in North America and #13 in Europe. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth broke into the North America chart at #14 but missed the Europe chart. Finally, Granblue Fantasy: Relink hit the North America chart at #18 but also missed the Europe chart, something that’s quite an achievement for a game that was only in early access until February 1.

These are the top PlayStation Store downloads for PS5 and PS4 for January 2024:

PS5 US/Canada top downloads

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
2. Grand Theft Auto V
3. Madden NFL 24
4. Tekken 8
5. NBA 2K24
6. Baldur’s Gate 3
7. EA Sports FC 24
8. Hogwarts Legacy
9. Gran Turismo 7
10. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
11. The Last of Us Part II Remastered
12. Hell Let Loose
13. UFC 5
14. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
15. Mortal Kombat 1
16. God of War Ragnarok
17. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
18. Granblue Fantasy: Relink
19. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
20. ARK: Survival Ascended

PS5 EU Top Downloads

1. Grand Theft Auto V
2. EA Sports FC 24
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
4. Hogwarts Legacy
5. Tekken 8
6. Baldur’s Gate 3
7. Gran Turismo 7
8. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
9. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
10. The Last of Us Part II Remastered
11. UFC 5
12. It Takes Two
13. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
14. NBA 2K24
15. ARK: Survival Ascended
16. Cyberpunk 2077
17. The Crew Motorfest
18. Elden Ring
19. Need for Speed Unbound
20. Assassin’s Creed Mirage

PS4 US/Canada Top Downloads

1. Minecraft
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
4. Need for Speed Heat
5. Batman: Arkham Knight
6. Grand Theft Auto V
7. theHunter: Call of the Wild
8. Mortal Kombat X
9. EA Sports FC 24
10. NBA 2K24
11. A Way Out
12. Injustice 2
13. Gang Beasts
14. Hogwarts Legacy
15. Overcooked! 2
16. Call of Duty: Black Ops III
17. God of War III Remastered
18. Resident Evil 6
19. God of War
20. CarX Drift Racing Online

PS4 EU Top Downloads

1. EA Sports FC 24
2. Minecraft
3. Need for Speed Heat
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
5. A Way Out
6. Grand Theft Auto V
7. Hogwarts Legacy
8. Need for Speed Payback
9. Batman: Arkham Knight
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
11. theHunter: Call of the Wild
12. Mortal Kombat X
13. CarX Drift Racing Online
14. Battlefield V
15. Gang Beasts
16. WRC 7 FIA World Rally Championship
17. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
18. Goat Simulator
19. Star Wars Battlefront II
20. Resident Evil 6

The post Tekken 8 Is Biggest New Release in January 2024 PS Store Downloads appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Following reports and rumors last week, The Verge is reporting that Microsoft plans to release two former exclusives, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment, on both the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. More games are also reportedly under consideration.

In a recent report, The Verge’s Tom Warren notes that both the 2023 rhythm-based action game and the 2022 Obsidian Entertainment-developed RPG would be making their way to rival platforms.

The report goes on to mention that Microsoft is also planning to launch Sea of Thieves on non-Xbox platforms later this year.No other titles have been reported to move as of now, but Warren notes other first party titles are also under consideration.

Microsoft’s lack of Game Pass growth has company contemplating other strategies

The move is obviously a huge one for Microsoft, who plans to address their business plan going forward later this week on an episode of the Xbox podcast. According to Warren, though, the move comes as Microsoft has failed to grow its Xbox Game Pass subscription count.

While the company originally had a goal of 100 million subscribers by 2030, things have stalled for the streaming service, a move that occurred due to a variety of factors, including the delay of Starfield and the lackluster response to 2022’s Redfall. According to recent analyst estimates, Game Pass is somewhere around 33 million subscribers, which puts them at just around 33% growth in two years.

The Verge’s report also suggests that Microsoft could look to show more of its hardware hand going forward. Rumors of a handheld device and new console have been making the rounds, although no official status was given by Microsoft.

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