It’s the weekend again, and that means it is the time of week when we take a fond look back at the top five news stories from July 8th to the 13th!
Welcome to the Weekly Wrap-Up.
After a wonderful weekend away for a holiday, I’m back – and what a week the industry had. Below you’ll find a brief summary of the stories, but if you are itching for more, just click on the hyperlink to read the full stories. Feel free to let us know if you agree or disagree with our choices; if you have suggestions for future entries, feel free to email me at jeremy.tyler@bagogames.com.
Enjoy!
Number 5
Both PS4 And Xbox One Sell Out At Amazon
Continuing the growing trend of big retailers running out of PS4 or Xbox One stock, now Amazon have joined the ranks, and have released a statement to make everyone worry whether or not they will receive a console at launch.
The company has confirmed via Twitter that both the PS4 and Xbox One release day editions have completely sold out. The tweet reads:
“The PS4 & Xbox One release day editions are sold out. You can still pre-order the Standard Editions, we just can’t promise a delivery date”.
In addition to this, it is unclear if the “day one editions” will be replenished.
Number 4
GameStop Stops Online PS4 Preorders: SOLD OUT!
GameStop is now no longer accepting preorders for Sony’s next generation console, the PS4, through its website, saying that it has “currently sold out” of units.
Gamers can register to be put on a waiting list of sorts, receiving an email from the US retailer when the console comes back in stock, although it is not stated how long this is expected to be.
Speaking to Game Informer, a GameStop spokesperson said: “due to high demand for the system, GameStop is not currently taking additional store reservations for the PlayStation 4.″
Number 3
PlanetSide 2 Adding Battle Islands for Close-Quarters 48v48 Gameplay
PlanetSide 2 is getting a new set of Battle Islands that will put two teams of 48 players up against one another in an attempt to emulate the series’ live game, but with a small(er) area to fight it out in. The first of the new areas, Nexus, has recently been shown and advises players to ‘beware of ambushes in the frozen canyon, intense infantry action in the ice cave and fierce tank battles in the alpine forest.’
If you were worried about all the gear and weapons that can be found in the rest of the world, don’t worry, because they will be available in the Battle Islands as well. The Battle Islands will also be integrated into the PlanetSide 2 live game soon, as it prepares for the E-sports side of things.
Number 2
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus Announced for PlayStation 3
The news that Insomniac teased earlier today, and the two mystery images we’ve seen were all building up to the announcement of a new Ratchet & Clank game, titled ‘Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus.’
Coming to the PlayStation 3 later this year, Into the Nexus sees titular heroes Ratchet and Clank returning in a new story that serves as an epilogue to the Ratchet & Clank Future titles – Tools of Destruction and A Crack in Time – complete with new planets to explore, crazier weapons and zero gravity.
Number 1
Julie Larson-Green is the New Head of Xbox
Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer revealed the company’s ‘far-reaching realignment’ today, which includes the creation and restructuring of the various divisions within the company, as well as new leaders for each of these groups. With Don Mattrick now at Zynga, Microsoft’s Julie Larson-Green will be the lead of the newly created Devices and Studios Engineering Group, which is in charge of hardware development and ‘studios experiences including all games, music, video and other entertainment.’
Meanwhile, the Operating Systems Engineering Group, headed by Terry Myerson, will focus on OS development and core cloud services.
Honorable Mentions
This week was bursting with exciting news, and the news staff and I found it hard to narrow it down to the usual five stories:
- Mysterious Image Revealed by Sony
- Best Buy Raises GameStop’s lack of PS4 Stock by Selling Out of Xbox One Preorders
- Apple Reveals Most Popular Apps to Mark 5 Years of iTunes
If you missed out on the big news items this week, you can check out our weekly podcast and get an audio update of this week’s madness from our podcasting team.
Listen to us as we discuss all manner of things, from the serious to the not-so-much. We guarantee this episode will make you shake your fist at times and nod your head at others!