Steve Smith, Author at Gamer Empire https://gamerempire.net/author/steve-smith/ Everything Gaming Sat, 17 Dec 2022 10:05:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 https://gamerempire.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cropped-Gamerempire-logo-black-n-orange-512-150x150.png Steve Smith, Author at Gamer Empire https://gamerempire.net/author/steve-smith/ 32 32 Blizzard Reveals Diablo IV Limited Collector’s Box https://gamerempire.net/blizzard-reveals-diablo-iv-limited-collectors-box/ https://gamerempire.net/blizzard-reveals-diablo-iv-limited-collectors-box/#respond Sat, 17 Dec 2022 09:58:02 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=37202 Blizzard Entertainment is releasing the Diablo IV Limited Collector’s Box to celebrate the Diablo IV launch date announcement of June 6, 2023. The collector’s box is available on the Gear Store but sadly does not include Diablo IV as part of the bundle.

The Diablo IV Limited Collector’s Box comes with a variety Diablo themed goodies, including:

  • The Candle of Creation
  • An Occult Mouse Pad
  • The Cloth Map of Sanctuary
  • The Pin of the Horadrim
  • The Diablo IV Collector’s Edition Art Book – which has over 300 pages of Sanctuary and its heroes’ concept art
  • Two fine art prints – Matted, with a size of 18.54″ x 10.79″

You have to act fast as there are only limited quantities available for preorder. The actual Diablo IV Collector’s Box will ship on or before June 30, 2023, and will cost $96.66.

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Roblox Stock Falls 15.7% In One Day After Key Metrics Report https://gamerempire.net/roblox-stock-falls-15-7-in-one-day-after-key-metrics-report/ https://gamerempire.net/roblox-stock-falls-15-7-in-one-day-after-key-metrics-report/#respond Sat, 17 Dec 2022 09:37:05 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=37205 Roblox stock fell 15.7% on Thursday after it released its November Key Metrics report. Roblox estimated bookings (revenue) were $222 million and $225 million for the month. While that puts it up 5-7% year-over-year, the company grew 22-24% during the same time in November 2021.

Roblox said the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro and British pound took a toll on its business. It estimates a reduction of 4 to 5% due to this.

Roblox had 56.7 million daily active users, which is up 15% year-over-year. Those users spent 3.9 billion hours engaged with the platform, which was up 10% year-over-year. Roblox estimated its revenue was between $190 million and $193 million, up 1-3% year-over-year.

Another stat that caused Roblox stock to tumble was the average bookings per active user was between $3.92 and $3.97, which was down 7-9% year-over-year.

While users were up, they typically spent less on in-game items. It will be interesting to see what the next Roblox Key Metrics report shows. Hopefully, this isn’t the start of a new trend.

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Maplestory X BLACKPINK Collaboration Out Today, December 8 https://gamerempire.net/maplestory-x-blackpink-collaboration-out-today-december-8/ https://gamerempire.net/maplestory-x-blackpink-collaboration-out-today-december-8/#respond Thu, 08 Dec 2022 09:16:32 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=36968 Nexon released a teaser announcing a collaboration between MapleStory and BLACKPINK. The teaser shows members of BLACKPINK discussing MapleStory’s fashion and proposing their own ideas for in-game fashion.

The group is set to debut its designs on December 8. There will be two episodes released in addition to the teaser. Episode 1 releases on December 8th, and episode 2 releases on December 13.

You can watch the teaser below.

BLACKPINK is a K-pop band from South Korea. They are known worldwide, even hitting number 1 on Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart.

The first episode is already out, where the group participates in a series of Maplestory design challenges.

You can find out more on their official site.

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GPU Shipments Down 25% Year Over Year in Q3 2022 https://gamerempire.net/gpu-shipments-down-25-year-over-year-in-q3-2022/ https://gamerempire.net/gpu-shipments-down-25-year-over-year-in-q3-2022/#respond Fri, 02 Dec 2022 16:01:17 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=36743 Jon Peddie Research shows year-to-year GPU shipments are down 25% across all platforms. Desktop graphics are down 15.43%, and notebook GPUs decreased by 30%, which marks the biggest drop since the 2009 recession. Dedicated desktop GPUs decreased by 33.5% from the last quarter. PC CPU also decreased by 19% year-over-year.

Overall, GPU shipments decreased by 10.3% from the last quarter. AMD shipments were down 47.6%, NVIDIA’s shipments decreased by 19.7% and Intel’s rose by 4.7%. AMD saw its overall market share drop by 8.5%, NVIDIA’s decreased by 1.87%, and Intel (a newcomer to the dedicated GPU space) saw its market share rise by 10.3%.

While a drop was expected, it decreased by a wider than-anticipated margin. Some of it can be explained by the shutdown of crypto mining, distribution, and manufacturing issues, as well as the anticipation of a new generation of AMD graphics cards.

Q3 is normally the biggest quarter for GPUs, so this trend may continue into Q4. With decreased shipments, companies may offer sales to entice people to buy their latest cards. The best time to buy a gaming GPU may be upon us.

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Nintendo Switch Sports Adds Golf in the Latest Update https://gamerempire.net/nintendo-switch-sports-adds-golf-in-the-latest-update/ https://gamerempire.net/nintendo-switch-sports-adds-golf-in-the-latest-update/#respond Fri, 02 Dec 2022 15:55:23 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=36739 The latest update to Nintendo Switch Sports adds Golf to its already sizeable catalog of sports to play.

You can play through 21 different holes with your friends in local play or compete against other players in Survival Golf. Up to 8 players can participate in Survival Golf, and the player who makes the most strokes each round is eliminated.

Golf joins a variety of other sports on Nintendo Switch Sports. The game lets you play soccer, volleyball, bowling, tennis, badminton, and now golf. You use the Joy-Con controllers to play each sport. Allowing you to get moving and truly enjoy the feel of each sport.

Golf is available now as a free update on the Nintendo Switch.

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Supercell Announces the Books of Clash, a Graphic Novel Series Based on Clash of Clans & Clash Royale https://gamerempire.net/supercell-announces-the-books-of-clash/ https://gamerempire.net/supercell-announces-the-books-of-clash/#respond Sat, 19 Nov 2022 14:02:21 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=36206 Supercell formed a new team to bring its characters and worlds to life outside of its games. The new team is called Entertainment & Partnerships and is releasing an 8-volume series called the Books of Clash that is set in the world of Clash of Clans and Clash Royale.

The Books of Clash series was created by the award-winning and NY Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang. As a Clash fan, Supercell couldn’t help but love his pitch for the series.

“My kids and I have been Supercell fans ever since we first played Clash of Clans many, many years ago. We’ve always loved not just the game mechanics, but also the characters and the world. I am so thrilled to be a part of the team that gets to flesh out those characters and that world! I can’t wait to show graphic novel fans what we’ve built.”

Gene Luen Yang

Volume 1 will follow a Hog Rider named Terry and his Hog Pim Pim. Volume 1 is the beginning of their adventures together, but Supercell promises legendary battles, unlikely friendships, and unforgivable family betrayals.

You can find a free sample and pre-order Volume 1 at BooksOfClash.com.

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Sableye Has Been Added to Pokémon Unite https://gamerempire.net/sableye-has-been-added-to-pokemon-unite/ https://gamerempire.net/sableye-has-been-added-to-pokemon-unite/#respond Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:59:30 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=36211 The darkness pokemon, Sableye, brings its creepiness and stealth to Pokemon Unite (available on iOS, Android, and the Nintendo Switch).

This ghost-type pokemon can be yours for 12,000 Aeos coins or 575 Aeos gems at the Unite Battle Committee shop. Sableye will on be obtainable with Aeos gems for the first seven days of its release.

After every third attack, Sableye’s basic attack gets boosted, dealing damage while decreasing its opponent’s speed. If Sableye happens to be in stealth at the time of the boosted attack, it will also apply a fear effect. This forces opposing pokemon away from it.

This pokemon has the Prankster Ability, which increases its movement speed. It will exit stealth whenever it attacks.

Game Moves

Level 1 and 3 Moves

  • Thief
  • Astonish

Moves at Level 4

  • Knock Off
  • Shadow Sneak

Level 6 Moves

  • Feint Attack
  • Confuse Ray

Unite Move

  • Phantom Ambush – this attack has Sableye shoot light from its eyes. If the opposing pokemon is looking at it, they will involuntarily prepare to return to base. If they take damage before returning to base, they will stay there, unable to act for a period of time. If the pokemon isn’t facing Sableye, it will have its movement speed decreased for a short time.

Strong Against: Tsareena

Tsareena is a powerful Melee pokemon thanks to its Trop Kick and Stomp attacks. Sableye’s Knock Off is an effective way to lock down Tsareena and keep it from stacking Attack Weight early on.

Weak Against: Cramorant

Cramorant is a strong ranged pokemon that gives dark pokemon problems. In particular, watch out for Air Slash or Dive which can make life difficult for Sableye.

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Among Us VR Is Now Available to Play on Meta Quest https://gamerempire.net/among-us-vr-is-now-available-to-play-on-meta-quest/ https://gamerempire.net/among-us-vr-is-now-available-to-play-on-meta-quest/#respond Sun, 13 Nov 2022 20:35:32 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=36000 Among Us VR is out now for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro for $9.99. Rebuilt from the ground up, Among Us VR was developed by Innersloth LLC, Schell Games, and Robot Teddy.

To take advantage of the unique aspects of playing the game in VR, the developers transformed Among Us from a third-person to a first-person game.

The team understands that Among Us can take some time to play and spend a lot of time testing and getting the settings just right. They wanted to ensure players remained comfortable while in a VR environment for an extended period of time.

“We definitely did a lot of tests of various approaches to problems, even as fundamental as locomotion. We explored third-person movement, we explored teleporting, and we explored stuff that we were concerned might be a barrier. Among Us is a game that can take a while to play, and playing for a while in VR can cause discomfort for some people.”

Among Us VR Design Director Michal Ksiazkiewics

The developers expect Among Us VR to develop its own community. They will listen to its user base and allow the game to develop into its version of the game.

Among Us is a game based on deception. Players assume the role of either a crewmate or an imposter. Crewmates must complete a set of tasks on a spaceship to get it ready for its departure. The imposter tries to sabotage the ship and kill the crew. Crewmates win if they complete all their tasks or discover the imposter. The impostor wins if they can avoid detection and eliminate the crew.

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Sony and NCSoft are Reportedly Making a Horizon MMORPG https://gamerempire.net/sony-and-ncsoft-are-reportedly-making-a-horizon-mmorpg/ https://gamerempire.net/sony-and-ncsoft-are-reportedly-making-a-horizon-mmorpg/#respond Thu, 10 Nov 2022 09:30:47 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=35885 Sony and NCSoft may be looking to expand the Horizon franchise with the development of a new MMORPG. According to MTN (picked up by VGC), NCSoft is actively recruiting people for the project, with an internal name of “Project H”.

So far, NCSoft has been tight-lipped about the development of the game. The South Korean company stated (through Google Translate) that “It is difficult to confirm information about unpublished projects that are currently under development.” Sounds like Sony has this locked up pretty tight, but not denying it outright makes me all the more hopeful.

Horizon: Zero Dawn was developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony in 2017. The game launched to critical acclaim, and it went on to win multiple awards. You play as Aloy, a young warrior who is an outcast from her tribe. The game has you navigate a world ruled by deadly robots.

As the developer behind Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, NCSoft is capable of turning Horizon into a high-quality MMORPG. This new Horizon game is very early in development and has a long road ahead of it. Here’s to hoping NCSoft is able to capture the magic from the original game.

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Gaming Profits at Sony Fall Nearly 50% As PS5 Hits 25 Million Sales https://gamerempire.net/gaming-profits-at-sony-fall-nearly-50-as-ps5-hits-25-million-sales/ https://gamerempire.net/gaming-profits-at-sony-fall-nearly-50-as-ps5-hits-25-million-sales/#respond Sun, 06 Nov 2022 14:18:48 +0000 https://gamerempire.net/?p=35498 At its latest financial results, Sony announced that the PlayStation 5 has reached 25 million units shipped. This is the same number that Sony had shipped during the same period last year. Sony also said gaming profits are down this year.

For the first half of the fiscal year 2022, Sony sold 5.7 million units. With the holiday season getting underway, Sony still believes it can reach its target of 18 million units sold by the end of March 2023.

While the Game & Network Services division saw revenues increase to $4.88 billion. Sony saw gaming profits fall significantly by 49% or $284.6 million. Sony said the profits decline was due to an increase in game development and acquisition costs. It was also partially due to the impact of foreign exchange rates.

The Game & Network Services division lowered their expected forecast by 12% due to lower-than-expected sales of third-party games. It also lost nearly 2 million PlayStation Plus subscribers since June.

With games like God of War Ragnarok launching soon, Sony may see a strong holiday season.

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