KeenGamer gaming news is a series of articles designed to bring you the hottest gaming and pop culture related news. Each news is presented in a bite-sized format and will lead you to the original source of the news if you want to find out more details.
Microsoft Set to Aquire Zenimax Media for a massive $7.5 billion
Microsoft just leveled up straight to the endgame
If you thought buying a PlayStation 5 was a no-brainer – think again. Microsoft potentially jumped miles ahead of its competitor by entering into an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, best known as the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. This incredible shake-up will result in Microsoft growing from 15 to 23 creative studio teams which will pave the way for an impressive next generation from Xbox. Coming in at $7.5 billion, it’s one of the largest gaming acquisitions, far surpassing Microsoft’s acquisition of Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion, and just for context, even larger than Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.05 billion.
This means that Microsoft is set to have franchises like the Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, and Dishonored for the next-gen race just to name a few. Another great news for Xbox owners is that plenty of future games from these and other franchises will probably appear on the highly affordable Xbox Game Pass. To check the full details of this deal and the full lists of studios and franchises Microsoft is getting under its belt, check out our original news coverage.
Crash Bandicoot 4 will have cooperative and competitive multiplayer
As if Crash wasn’t fun enough they went in and added multiplayer
Crash Bandicoot 4 is soon upon and we got some juicy new information, courtesy of IGN Spain. As it turns out, Crash 4 will feature a rather substantial multiplayer component with both competitive and cooperative local multiplayer modes. The cooperative mode called “Pass N. Play” lets up to 4 players take on a level from Crash 4 together. The two competitive modes four players can battle it out or race as Crash, Coco, Fake Crash, and Fake Coco. It seems like a great addition to what already seems to be a big, fun game that will let the players further test their platforming skills. For more information and a look at the multiplayer, check out our original news coverage.
Doom Eternal is Coming to Xbox Game Pass
Get ready to rip and tear at a fraction of the price
Id Software’s fast-paced demon-slaying first-person shooter, Doom Eternal, is coming to Xbox Game Pass following news of Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media. This is probably only a taste of things to come and we can definitely expect more games owned by the publisher to land on the Xbox service. It had humble beginnings, but with more and more triple-A experiences like Doom becoming available, it’s becoming one of the best subscription gaming services out there. It seems like it will be an integral part of next-gen consoles and a massive draw for anyone that’s on the fence about which console to ultimately buy. For more information on the Xbox Game Pass, Doom Eternal, and Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax, check out our original news coverage.
Resident Evil Village could come to Current-gen Consoles
Don’t give up on current-gen hardware just yet
It’s not game over for the current generation of consoles just yet. While there won’t be any exclusive high-profile releases on older hardware, plenty of publishers are deciding on making their games cross-gen to maximize profits. One such title could be the upcoming Resident Evil Village as Capcom is reportedly “looking into it”. This was revealed during Capcom’s showcase at Tokyo Game Show by the game’s producer Tsuyoshi Kanda. While he didn’t make any promises since Village is being developed with next-gen hardware in mind, he went on to say that they would love to make the game available to those not immediately making the generational leap.
If it happens, some compromises will have to be made as the vision of the game requires and makes full use of the power and speed of the Xbox Series X and the PS5. It would most certainly be a smart move as many gamers are content to wait for a price drop or more advanced variants of the console to come out later in their life cycle. For more information on Resident Evil Village and the possibility of it coming to current-gen consoles, check out our original news coverage.
Metal Gear Solid Games Are Finally Available on PC
“What took you so long?”
For the first time in over a decade, Konami has digitally ported some of its classic titles like Contra, Castlevania, and titles from the Metal Gear franchise to the PC. The latter include MetalGear, MetalGearSolid & Metal Gear Solid 2 which are some of the most genre-defining titles when it comes to tactical espionage and stealth. What’s even better is that the games released over on GOG so they are reasonably priced and completely DRM free. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of Konami re-releasing some of its older titles to the nostalgia hungry PC audience. This will mostly depend on how these releases do commercially but seeing as they are real classics that you have had to play at least once in your life – we wouldn’t worry too much. For more information on the Konami classics coming to the PC, check out our original news coverage.
Leon and Claire are coming to Netflix
The new Netflix original animated series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness was revealed with a teaser trailer that was first leaked and then quickly released officially. The teaser didn’t reveal much in terms of plot but it’s known that the series will focus on two fan-favorites – Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Fans of the franchise can rejoice as this is the second recently announced Resident Evil series which indicates Capcom is going all-in on the horror franchise. The success of Resident Evil 3 Remake as well as the hype for upcoming Resident Evil: Village probably had something to do with that. To check out the full trailer and find out more information on Infinite Darkness, make sure to check out our original news coverage.
NieR Replicant Remaster is Releasing in April 2021
Maybe Replicant isn’t as abstract as Automata
Back when the NieR franchise wasn’t about supermodel androids, there was NieR Replicant which was an action-adventure about an “unyielding protagonist” called Nier. Seeing as the original game had a limited, Japan-only release in 2010., many gamers didn’t get the chance to play it. Thankfully, Square Enix decided to create a remastered version titled Nier Replicant ver. 1.22 and originally didn’t specify the release date. This changed during Tokyo Games Show, however, when it was announced that it would be coming to current-gen consoles on April 23, 2021. This entails the PS4, Xbox One, and PC with no word on if the game will be available on the PS5 or Xbox Series X. Until we get more concrete information, be sure to visit our original news coverage to find out more about the game and see it in fully remastered action.
