Bethesda

Xbox chief Phil Spencer has given the strongest hint yet that Elder Scrolls VI won't be coming to PlayStation. Since Microsoft bought Bethesda Softworks owner ZeniMax Media earlier this year, questions have been swirling around platform exclusivity for ongoing franchises, such as Elder Scrolls, Doom and Fallout.

Spencer previously noted exclusivity would be decided on a "case-by-case basis." He later said Microsoft would "continue to invest in communities of players" and that "there might be things that have either contractual things or legacy on different platforms that we'll go do." Still, he was adamant that the ZeniMax/Bethesda deal was largely about "delivering great exclusive games."

Now, in an interview with GQ to mark the 20th anniversary of Xbox, Spenser strongly hinted that, like next year's Starfield, Elder Scrolls VI will be locked to Xbox consoles, PC and Xbox Cloud Gaming. “It’s not about punishing any other platform, like I fundamentally believe all of the platforms can continue to grow,” he said. “But in order to be on Xbox, I want us to be able to bring the full complete package of what we have. And that would be true when I think about Elder Scrolls VI. That would be true when I think about any of our franchises.”

That won't exactly inspire confidence among, say, Skyrim fans that they'll get to play Elder Scrolls VI on PlayStation and Switch. In any case, with Bethesda's focus on Starfield, it might be a while before it divulges more details about the next Elder Scrolls game.

Niantic's 'Pikmin Bloom' mobile game starts rolling out

 

Niantic

Pokémon Go's creator has a new augmented reality mobile game, and this time, it's all about Pikmin. Niantic is now rolling out Pikmin Bloom worldwide, starting with Singapore and Australia where it's already live. Similar to Pokémon Go, you'll have to go out and interact with the real world enjoy the game. It's really more of a fun and colorful companion for daily walks or hikes, though, since it doesn't have battles and doesn't have the incentive of catching rare monsters like Pokémon Go does. 

In Pikmin Bloom, you'll find seedlings when you walk that you can pick up and grow into plant-like creatures that'll follow you around. The more you walk, the more Pikmin you can pluck and the more Pikmin will follow you around. Onscreen, you're depicted as a Mii avatar, with a bunch of creatures walking behind you and making more flowers bloom along your path. You'll also be able to collect items on your walks, including clothes Pikmin can wear and fruit you can feed your creatures to make flowers bloom on their heads.

Niantic CEO John Hanke said in the game's video announcement that the flowers the Pikmin make can be viewed by other players, so you can create shared gardens with your neighbors. Pikmin Bloom is now live for Android and iOS in Singapore and Australia, and it will be arriving in more countries and regions "shortly."

Facebook will invest $150 million in VR learning experiences

 

Wander (Parkline Interactive, LLC)

Virtual reality can be a powerful teaching tool, but it's only as good as the content available for the medium. Facebook is looking to grow the availability of content for VR learning as part of its efforts to shift its focus on the metaverse, and it has created a US$150 million fund to achieve that goal. The social network has announced that it's spending that much to reach its VR learning goals over the next three years at its Connect 2021 event. 

Since Facebook is hoping to build a robust ecosystem for learning in the metaverse, it plans to do more than just create immersive educational experiences. Part of the money will go towards training augmented reality and virtual reality creators, so they can make their own experiences. Facebook is working with Unity to teach people the skills necessary to create educational VR content — mainly, it's using Unity's "Create with VR for Educators" tool with Quest 2 devices to teach nonprofits and educational institutions. In addition, it's working with several educational institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, as well as non-profits to create immersive experiences for them.

Finally, Facebook says it's taking steps towards increasing people's access to educational VR materials. After all, all that work will go to waste if nobody ends up using them to learn new things.

Mark Rabkin, VP of Oculus, said in a statement:

"VR isn’t all fun and games. If you’ve ever traveled the world with Wander, explored Japan with Tokyo Origami, or admired the heavens in Titans of Space PLUS, then you know that VR can be a powerful tool for education as well...A lot of work exists between where we’re at now and where we see the metaverse in the future. We’re excited, and we hope you’ll come with us on the journey."

Zelda-like 'Death's Door' heads to PlayStation and Switch on November 23rd

 

Acid Nerve, Devolver Digital

Death's Door, one of the best indie games to come out earlier this year, is heading to PlayStation consoles. During Sony's State of Play presentation on Wednesday, Devolver Digital announced it will release the Zelda-like action-adventure game on November 23rd, allowing PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 fans to experience it. After the event, Devolver said the game would come to Nintendo Switch on the same day. 

Released this past summer on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, Death's Door is the latest project from Acid Nerve, the studio behind 2015's Titan Souls. You play as a crow whose job it is to collect souls for a bureaucratic organization called the Reaping Commission Headquarters. In addition to The Legend of Zelda, it has a lot of similarities to From Software's Dark Souls. The game has earned praise for its art direction, music and gameplay. If you pre-order Death's Door on PlayStation before its November 23rd release date, you'll get Titan Souls for free. 

'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' is coming to VR on Oculus Quest 2

 

Rockstar Games

One of the most-loved entries in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series is coming to VR. On Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a port of 2004's GTA: San Andreas is in development for the company's Quest 2 VR headset. "This new version of what I think is one of the greatest games ever made will offer players an entirely new way to experience this iconic open world in virtual reality," Zuckerberg said during the event.

Zuckerberg didn't say when Quest 2 owners can expect to play the game. The blog post the company published after the event also didn't provide many other details either. "This is a project many years in the making, and we can’t wait to show you more of it," the company said. Whatever form the final product takes, it's likely to look a lot like the Resident Evil 4 remake Facebook and Capcom released last week. Expect the company's Oculus Studios division to rework various elements of the game to make the PlayStation 2-era game more practical and comfortable to play in virtual reality.     

The latest 'Valorant' hero is Chamber, the dapper sniper

 

Riot Games

Valorant players are getting another hero to use in Riot's free-to-play shooter. As described by character producer John Goscicki, Chamber plays the "gentleman assassin" role, a Sentinel-class character who "bunkers down, and holds a location by getting frags.” He can do this through a skill and weapon set that includes a trap that scans for enemies, a heavy pistol and a sniper rifle that can take enemies out with one perfectly-placed shot. Chamber will go live in Valorant with Patch 3.10 on Nov. 16. 

Riot Games

Given that his abilities are focused around "highly lethal, pinpoint accuracy," as Goscicki says, they wanted his style to match. "A person like that would care about the finer things in life as well—from the cut of his vest, to the color of the threading, and how shoes would bring the whole outfit together." If that description speaks to you, Chamber might be an agent worth trying out.

That patch comes a few weeks after Riot is set to release the Valorant Episode 3, Act III Battlepass, which goes live on November 2nd and will be available for 10 weeks. It comes with five free and nine paid "Marquee Items," and the pack itself costs 1,000 Valorant Points, the game's in-game currency. According to Riot associate art director Sean Marino, the Battlepass is focused on bringing some fall holiday vibes to the game. Given that one of the items Marino mentioned is meant to fit in with Halloween, it's a little bit of a bummer that this doesn't launch until after the holiday. But hey, why limit Halloween to just one month?

VR hit 'Blade & Sorcery' comes to Oculus Quest 2 on November 4th

 

Warpfrog

Blade & Sorcery has been a strong showcase for VR, but it has a drawback: its PC-only nature has meant occasionally tripping over wires while you fight your fantasy battles. Thankfully, that won't be an issue for long. Warpfrog has unveiled Blade & Sorcery: Nomad, a stand-alone game coming to the Oculus Quest 2 on November 4th for $20. The basic concept remains the same — it's a "sandbox" brawler with immersive swordplay and magic — but the developers are taking advantage of the freedom that comes with a stand-alone headset.

The familiar Sandbox mode is now fine-tuned for room-scale VR. There's also a Dungeons mode that challenges you to fight through "semi-procedurally generated" chambers. In 2022, there will also be a mode with progression that rewards frequent play.

This probably won't get you to spring for a Quest 2 by itself. It might tip the balance if you were already curious about titles like GTA: San Andreas, though, and it may serve as a good introduction to what VR can do. If nothing else, it shows what's possible when you aren't tied to a computer.