Zephyrnet Logo

Tag: Microsoft Gaming

Top News

Wake Up Wall Street (SPY) (QQQ): Risk-off trade may fade, but limited catalysts exist until next week

Here is what you need to know on Wednesday, December 7: Equity markets gave up more ground on Tuesday as investors continued to brace...

Will Ark 2 be Xbox Exclusive?

Ark 2 is set to be one of the biggest releases of 2023, following on from the hugely popular survival...

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision ‘likely’ to face FTC lawsuit, report says

Microsoft’s chances of completing its $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard look a little slimmer this week. Citing three sources familiar with the matter,...

[post title is not defined]

Today the European Commission announced the extension of its deadline for the merger review of Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard King by...

The DICE 2021 Winners Revealed: It Takes Two Wins Game Of The Year

The 25th annual DICE awards have officially wrapped up and after months of speculating which games would come out on top, we now have our list of winners.

Taking home the ceremony's prestigious Game of the Year award was none other than Hazelight Studio's It Takes Two, a quirky, cooperative adventure game all about a divorce gone terribly wrong. It Takes Two also won Game of the Year at the 2021 Game Awards, a pretty impressive accomplishment for the small studio.

Other big winners include Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which took home awards for Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Outstanding Technical Achievement, and Family Game of the Year, Marvel's Guardian of the Galaxy (Adventure Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Story), and Returnal (Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design and Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition).

In addition to announcing the various award recipients, the show also honored multiple industry leaders. Those recognized include NetherRealm Studios Ed Boon, the 2022 Hall of Fame inductee, as well as Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.

You can see all the categories, and their nominees, below. The winners are printed in bold.

2021 DICE Awards Nominees

Winners in bold

Game of the Year

  • It Takes Two
  • Deathloop
  • Returnal
  • Inscryption
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

  • Deathloop
  • It Takes Two
  • Inscryption
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • The Artful Escape

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

  • It Takes Two
  • Deathloop
  • Loop Hero
  • Inscryption
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Call of Duty: Vanguard
  • Deathloop
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Call of Duty: Vanguard
  • Deathloop
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Character

  • Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
  • Deathloop - Colt Vahn
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits - Kena
  • Life is Strange: True Colors - Alex Chen
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - Rivet

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

  • Returnal
  • Deathloop
  • It Takes Two
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Psychonauts 2

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

  • Returnal
  • Forza Horizon 5
  • Halo Infinite
  • It Takes Two
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Outstanding Achievement in Story

  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Before Your Eyes
  • Inscryption
  • Psychonauts 2
  • The Forgotten City

Outstanding Technical Achievement

  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Battlefield 2042
  • Forza Horizon 5
  • Moncage
  • Returnal

Action Game of the Year

  • Halo Infinite
  • Deathloop
  • Metroid Dread
  • Returnal
  • The Ascent

Adventure Game of the Year

  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Death's Door
  • It Takes Two
  • Psychonauts 2
  • Resident Evil Village

Family Game of the Year

  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise
  • Cozy Grove
  • Mario Party Superstars
  • WarioWare: Get it Together

Fighting Game of the Year

  • Guilty Gear: Strive
  • Melty Blood: Type Lumina
  • Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

Racing Game of the Year

  • Forza Horizon 5
  • F1 2021
  • Hot Wheels Unleashed

Role-Playing Game of the Year

  • Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
  • Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
  • Shin Megami Tensei V
  • Tales of Arise
  • Wildermyth

Sports Game of the Year

  • Mario Golf: Super Rush
  • FIFA 22
  • NBA 2K22
  • Rider's Republic
  • The Climb 2

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

  • Age of Empires IV
  • Gloomhaven
  • Griftlands
  • Inscryption
  • Loop Hero

Online Game of the Year

  • Halo Infinite
  • Back 4 Blood
  • Call of Duty: Vanguard
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
  • Knockout City

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

  • Lone Echo II
  • Puzzling Places
  • Resident Evil 4 VR
  • Song in the Smoke
  • Yuki

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

  • Lone Echo II
  • Demeo
  • I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar
  • Resident Evil 4 VR
  • Song in the Smoke

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

  • Unpacking
  • Death's Door
  • Inscryption
  • Loop Hero
  • Sable

Mobile Game of the Year

  • Pokemon Unite
  • Behind the Frame
  • Fantasian
  • League of Legends: Wild Rift
  • Moncage

How To Judge Microsoft’s Activision Acquisition

So here we are. Now that the storm has settled (a bit), it's worth discussing the big news. Of course, Microsoft’s announced acquisition of Activision Blizzard has sent shockwaves through the industry, an acquisition that somehow dwarfs the company’s previous mega-acquisition of Bethesda.

The post How To Judge Microsoft’s Activision Acquisition appeared first on TheXboxHub.

Call Of Duty’s “New Generation” Teased As Coming Soon By Infinity Ward

Call of Duty: Vanguard has only been out a few months, but Infinity Ward is wasting no time teasing its own game expected to arrive this year--in very vague terms. The Modern Warfare studio posted a very short message that is sure to get the community in a collective investigation to uncover its secrets.

With just two lines, the official Infinity Ward Twitter account confirmed a "new generation" of Call of Duty would be coming soon, telling fans to "stay frosty." This isn't a Wendy's reference, but a sign to keep alert for any more news.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare released back in 2019 to positive reviews, reuniting us with past characters--albeit in a rebooted canon--and introducing a few new ones. It was heavily teased that a sequel was coming, and reports said it would be focused on Colombian drug cartels. This would be a big departure from 2009's Modern Warfare 2, which was almost entirely focused on a conflict between Russian ultranationalists and the joint task force from the original game. That being said, the conflict in the 2019 game takes some huge deviations from the original Modern Warfare, so it's entirely possible the cartel rumor is true.

The new game is expected to launch in 2022, following Activision Blizzard's annual release cycle. Whenever it does release, it will still be available on PlayStation consoles. It sounds from Infinity Ward's tweet that the game may not release on Xbox One or PS4, but Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed he wants to keep the series available on non-Xbox systems, and Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard is still pending regulatory approval. The next three games in the series will reportedly still be on PlayStation, with the future after that being unclear.

Phil Spencer to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 25th Annual DICE Awards

Xbox CEO Phil Spencer to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th Annual DICE Awards.

The Games Industry Reacts To PlayStation’s Big Bungie Acquisition

The video game industry reacts to the news that Sony is acquiring Bungie, the creators of Destiny and Halo, with takes ranging from optimistic to cautious.

The Entire Raven Software QA Unionization Timeline: The Story So Far

From the layoffs to the strikes to the forming of Activision Blizzard's first union, here is everything you need to know about the ongoing Raven Software QA unionization story.

Activision Blizzard won’t recognize Raven Software QA workers’ union

Quality assurance workers at Raven Software, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, a unionization push with the Communication Workers of America (CWA). The group,...

Latest Intelligence

spot_img
spot_img