Undead Labs' open-world zombie survival, State of Decay, was met with a long-awaited sequel State of Decay 2 . A gory gameplay trailer was retrofitted in the announcement, running in 4K in addition to a sprinkle of an additional element where players can expect to make decisions in order to secure the survival of their gr

Rare's Short Haul trailers are just one way the developer is continuing to communicate with its audience, whether they're excited for Sea of Thieves or not. There are several other short video series that are ongoing, like the Inn-side Stories series or one-offs created for special events, like Talk Like a Pirate Day. Perhaps this extensive amount of developer-to-player communication is another strategy to help bring players closer to the experience that Sea of Thieves maps|https://seaofthievesfans.com/ of Thieves will provide . Perhaps in knowing Rare, players will better know their ga

"When we talk about visual effects in games, we normally mean particles. That's what we're using to create all of the cannon effects for example, like the different explosions. You want to give the player strong feelings when they're playing the game... You should just feel like you're really part of this beautiful wor

While all this should be taken with a grain of salt, it's easy to see why a Rare and Microsoft would be gearing up for an open beta. With the hype surrounding the game right now thanks to the closed-beta and high twitch viewership, not to mention a limited edition controller set to be released, the studios would want to keep riding this high up until the game's release and an open-beta could go a long way towards t

It wasn't too long ago that Bandai Namco announced Code Vein . However, with its announcement, details of which platform it would be coming to was unknown. Until today, at least. Code Vein has been announced for Xbox One, with an enhanced version coming to the Xbox On

Previous episodes in Sea of Thieves ' Short Haul trailer series include " Creating Clouds ," " Aboard the Ship ," and " Instruments ." Each explores an example of how Sea of Thieves tries to bring the player closer to the world in which they're playing. Instruments talks about how players can add their own soundtrack within the game through gameplay, but how it's also influenced by social aspects of the game . Creating Clouds shows how Sea of Thieves is using an ever-present object in virtually every game -- clouds -- in a new way to add depth to the experience. It's unexplored territory, which pirates would appreci

Microsoft opened up the press conference by showing a reel that intimately showcased the company's newly engineered Xbox console officially revealed as Xbox One X by head-honcho Phil Spencer, with excited applause from eager attendees. __ Technical specifications were furnished, confirming Microsoft's eager direction to bring the company's most powerful console to your home with a multitude of games that will undoubtedly take advantage of it's hulking hardw

Specific examples of visual effects cited within Sea of Thieves ' trailer include cannon explosions and how cannon balls crash into ship hulls, as well as the spray of water as a ship parts the sea. Andreas Oberg, the VFX Lead at Rare, describes these effects in detail regarding how they're used to create a more visceral and engaging experience for players. Andreas describes it thusly within the trai

The closed beta for Sea of Thieves has come and gone and despite server issues on day one , it's safe to say it was quite the success. With interesting co-operative gameplay and fun cartoonish art style, Microsoft and Rare's pirate adventure seems to be winning gamers over. Now, if the rumors are to be believed, those who missed out on the closed beta may soon be getting a chance to captain their own s

The addition of harpoon guns brings some exciting possibilities for underwater combat and maneuvering: it's a great shark deterrent (as it's likely gunpowder-based weapons won't be usable under water post-beta), and also brings the possibility that pirates will be able to attach themselves to opposing ships via the harpoons and potentially sneak up the sides. Of course, that's not the only new weapon to watch out for. The boarding axe, heavy sword, rapier, flintlock pistol, and blunderbuss will also be featured in the full version of Sea of Thiev

Whether it ends up happening or not, it doesn't seem like players are going to be forgetting about the game anytime soon. Despite much criticism pointed towards Microsoft's first party games Sea of Thieves has always proven to be a bright spot in the public eye, especially with the game set to feature cross-play between Xbox and PC , a step most gamers would agree is in the right direction. It's now all up to Microsoft and Rare to ensure smooth sail

Andreas goes on to describe how visual effects are all about bringing the entire experience together, a key facet of what will make Sea of Thieves more than a typical pirate game. As an online multiplayer game with a heavy reliance on character customization and progression, player investment in the character and world is an obvious priori