Tech Modders News

Halo 4 cover art released, new enemy types revealed

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:54:50 +0000

It is a good day for Halo 4 fans; check out the game’s cover art and marvel at some mysterious new enemies. Microsoft released a set of 32 images which Halo Waypoint users pieced together into the image below; Microsoft has since confirmed that this is Halo 4′s cover art. Nice. Meanwhile, AllGamesBeta posted a photo of the back of a box of halo action figures, showing two mysterious new enemy types – the Crawler and the Watcher. 343 Industries had hinted heavily that Halo 4 will see diversification of enemy types. The anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive drops during November.

Source: http://www.vg247.com...types-revealed/

Activision pays $42 million to Infinity Ward Employee Group

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:54:15 +0000

Activision has paid out $42 million to the "Infinity Ward Employee Group," which sued Activision in 2010 seeking profits from Modern Warfare 2. A source speaking to Polygon said that the payment was not a settlement; rather, Activision's discovery phase (for its own lawsuit against former Infinity Ward leads Jason West and Vince Zampella) found no evidence that the Employee Group members were complicit in the breach-of-contract issues for which Activision is suing, and so Bobby Kotick and Activision agreed to pay them. That group sought $75 million to $125 million, plus punitive damages. IWEG attorney Bruce Isaacs told Polygon that "although it is a meaningful payment it is only a small portion of what we are seeking in litigation." And it is still going forward with said litigation. Isaacs said the payment was a "cynical attempt to look good before the jury trial."

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/activision-pays-42-million-to-infinity-ward-employee-group/#comments

Ex-IGNer Tina Palacios replacing Bowling as Infinity Ward community manager

Sun, 13 May 2012 06:58:25 +0000

When Call of Duty's main public face, Robert Bowling, left his longtime spot as creative strategist at Infinity Ward earlier this year, he left a tank-sized hole in the studio. Though she's small in stature, ex-IGN/1UP community manager Tina Palacios aims to fill that spot in the coming days, IGN reports. Palacios is taking up the job of "senior community manager" at Infinity Ward – the studio that created the Modern Warfare series, but is most recently known for a nasty legal battle involving its former creative leads. "I can't say what my official duties are yet," Palacios told us. "But I definitely want to bridge the gap between devs and fans – making sure their voices are heard." There'll be some adjustment of course, she admitted. "The amount of comments I'll receive will probably be much larger than I've experienced at IGN or 1UP, but I'll still do my best." We imagine it won't be too long before we hear more from her. Say, oh, seven to eight months from now? Just a guess.

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/ex-igner-tina-palacios-replacing-bowling-as-infinity-ward-commun/#comments

Rumor: Kinect-enabled Internet Explorer browser coming to Xbox 360

Sun, 13 May 2012 06:57:54 +0000

Good news: the Xbox 360 will finally have a web browser in the near future, according to a Verge source. Bad news: It's Internet Explorer. The source tells The Verge that the new web browser is based on Internet Explorer 9, and features Kinect functionality, allowing users to search with voice input just like the Bing search tech used in the current dashboard. Users will also be able to browse the web without talking to it, reportedly.

Source: http://www.joystiq.c...box-3/#comments

Modern Warfare 3 getting free 'Face Off' mode, non-free Content Collection 2

Sun, 13 May 2012 06:55:07 +0000

A new way of murdering your friends and/or strangers is coming to the Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 3 on May 15, in the form of "Face Off" mode. Face Off has been designed for 1v1 or 2v2 firefights, with its four maps built specifically for small, close-quarters battle between a small number of soldiers. The two free maps launching with the new mode, Aground and Erosion, take place on a beached ship on the coast of Scotland and on the Italian coast during a volcanic eruption, respectively. PlayStation 3 and PC dates for Face Off have yet to be determined. A new Content Collection is also on its way, available to Call of Duty Elite subscribers on May 15 and everyone else (with an Xbox) on May 21. Content Collection 2 includes three new multiplayer maps (Sanctuary, Foundation and Oasis), as well as two new Spec Ops missions (Iron Clad, Kill Switch) and the other two Face Off maps, Getaway and Lookout. As per usual, PS3 and PC dates are indeterminate, but everyone is welcome to take a peek at the new jams courtesy of IGN's trailer

Source: http://www.joystiq.c...ntent/#comments

Black Ops 2 Logo Allegedly Leaked Including Debut Trailer Release Date

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:12:05 +0000

Another Call of Duty: Black Ops leak! This time, it seems to be the official logo for Treyarch’s upcoming Call of Duty title, Black Ops 2, including a potential release date for its debut trailer. Call of Duty 9 has suffered a number of leaks recently, including confirmation of its name, Black Ops 2, along with a release date as well as some multiplayer information that we got a hold of earlier. This time, YouTuber CoDInform was able to catch what looks to be Black Ops 2′s logo which we’ve included above as the featured image. Three reasons it could possibly be legitimate: First, it looks professional; Second, it was removed from the official Call of Duty website upon discovery; Third, if you look at the date in this image, 04.28.12, it happens to be the exact date of two years earlier that the original Black Ops reveal trailer was released. On top of this, the original URL linking to this image read ‘http://www.callofduty.com/bo2/images,’ which happens to be a similar URL used for Modern Warfare 3 images: ‘http://www.callofduty.com/mw3/images.’ If it does turn out to be fake, at least this one was rather well researched. So, props to whoever created it. If it is real, expect a reveal trailer of Black Ops 2 this month on the 28th!

Source: http://mp1st.com/201...r-release-date/

What the heck is XboxFL? Only Microsoft knows

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:26:19 +0000

Rumors about a new Xbox console being revealed at E3 this June for a late 2013 launch have already been officially denied by Microsoft. However, the rumors and speculation have begun yet again, thanks to a discovery that Microsoft has secured the domain name rights to some new URLs with a rather mysterious address. Fusible reports that Microsoft has bought the rights to the XboxFL.com and the XboxFL.net domain names. It has even secured the rights to the XboxLF.cz domain, which is used for Czech Republic-based sites. So the big question is, "What is Xbox FL or XboxFL?". Earlier this week, the anonymous Microsoft info leaker known as "MS Nerd" posted on Reddit that Microsoft was working on a much smaller version of the console that would launch in late 2013. Some have speculated that the XboxFL name is somehow connected. However, there's been no confirmation of such a hardware product and many believe that this rumor has no real basis in fact. The XboxFL domain name registrations are, however, very much of a real thing. If you type in XboxFL.com in your web browser it redirects you to the Bing website. That still doesn't really solve the riddle of what "FL" could stand for. Naturally, Microsoft has yet to comment on these new domain name filings.

Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/what-the-heck-is-xboxfl-only-microsoft-knows

Assassin's Creed 3 pre-orders set to break Ubisoft records

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 06:15:05 +0000

Ubisoft sent out a press release today boasting massive pre-order numbers for Assassin's Creed 3, stating it's on track to be the highest pre-ordered game in the company's history. Ubisoft claims pre-orders for Assassin's Creed 3 in its first three weeks reached ten times the pre-order numbers earned by Assassin's Creed Revelations in the same stint. People must really be pumped to do some virtual canoeing. By E3, which takes place June 5 to 7 in LA, Ubisoft expects pre-orders to exceed total life-to-date pre-orders for Assassin's Creed Revelations in the US, the current Ubisoft record holder. The franchise isn't showing any signs of slowdown, even though Revelations was met with reserved critical reception.

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/29/assassins-creed-3-pre-orders-set-to-break-ubisoft-records/#comments