The first time we thought about creating Symmetry was during one evening when we played a board game called “K2,” in which the main goal was to ascend the mountain summit and bring the whole team back to the base safely. Once we mixed the concept with our love to sci-fi themes, we could begin our work.

At first, we gave the game a working title Furnace, a while later it was changed to The Last Day. It was only in pre-alpha development stage that we came up with the name Symmetry, that really stuck with us and was a perfect fit.

Before the first public display of the early Symmetry version, which happened on Poznan Game Arena in 2016, we decided that we’re going to leave the fate of our project in people’s hands. If they’d like it, we would continue to work on it. If not, we would close the project down. We were very humbled and lucky that we had such incredibly positive feedback from that trade fair show. It really boosted our morale and from that point on, we had no doubts about the direction of development.

In the early stage, all the graphics assets were in vectors, which enabled us to launch Symmetry in 4K without any quality loss at all. In the end, we had to work on bitmaps, as some shaders had to be added up.

We had many interesting and fun moments during the development of the game. I remember this one time I was talking out in public on my phone, coming back from our publisher office where we conducted Symmetry gameplay tests. I called my colleague Daniel and I told him what bugs we still encountered. “Hey, man, the dead body is lying underneath the fridge, while the person standing next to it is waiting to eat it up.” Suddenly I noticed people all around me got really perplexed and alarmed, giving me highly disturbed looks.

In our studio, each person is a fan of a different gaming genre. In the end, I think this is what allows us to create a unique production, as every one of us is bringing something interesting to the table. It really is an extraordinary moment for us, to see our first console title come to a release!

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

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Source: Xbox Blog
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Jump aboard this weekend and take part in a Sea of Thieves Scale Test ahead of the launch on March 20th. This weekend’s Sea of Thieves Scale Test is open to all Xbox Insiders on Xbox One and Windows 10 PC! (in regions where Sea of Thieves is available)

The Scale Test starts Friday, February 23rd 12pm GMT (4am PST) and ends Sunday, February 25th at 10am GMT (2am PST).

To participate, just download the Xbox Insider Hub from the Store on Xbox One or a Windows 10 PC and follow these steps:

1. Launch the Xbox Insider Hub.
2. From the main landing page, select Insider content from menu to the left.
3. Under Games, select Sea of Thieves or Sea of Thieves Scale Test.
4. Select Join.
5. Wait to be redirected to the Store, then download and play Sea of Thieves!

The goal of this is to test work done since the Closed Beta and try to hit a higher number of concurrent players than ever before! Therefore, expect there may be periods of interruption in game or some features may not work as intended.

Features will be similar to the Closed Beta and voyages will be limited to the Gold Hoarder trading company.

Read more at https://www.seaofthieves.com/news/scale-test

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

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Season 3 of Fortnite Battle Royale has launched an all-new space-themed Battle Pass! We also released our massive v.3.0.0 update which includes a whole slew of new features and improvement that every Victory Royale seeker will appreciate.

With v.3.0.0, all Xbox One and Xbox One X players will now be able to experience Fortnite at 60 fps! Players will now default to buttery smooth framerates and visuals tuned specifically for Xbox One and Xbox One X. If you want to play with an even higher level of graphics, you can toggle the 60 fps feature as a trade-off. Providing a smooth experience while maintaining a high level of graphics will continue to be our goal with this feature as we iterate!

We’ve also been in the lab hammering away at some building improvements which will change the way you craft your way to that Victory Royale. With Turbo Building, you’ll now be able to continue building stairs as you run towards combat and hold down your primary fire button. Our new Material Swapping option allows you to continue building when you run out of one material type by auto-switching you to the next available material. For a deeper dive on all of our building improvements, you can read our dev blog.

V.3.0.0 also marks the launch of our Season 3 Battle Pass. If this is your first time jumping into Fortnite, now is the perfect time as the new Season 3 Battle Pass brings a ton of Weekly Challenges and cosmetic loot to unlock.

What is the Battle Pass?

The Season 3 Battle Pass features over 100 items and cosmetics you can use in-game to stylishly rack up those Victory Royales. Space Outfits, Skydiving Effects, Gliders and more are available to unlock as you progress through the season.

What’s different from Battle Pass Season 2?

So, what’s different about the Season 3 Battle Pass? There are now 30 more tiers in Season 3 (100 total), and with more tiers comes more loot. This season also features new Weekly Challenges. These replace Season 2’s Daily Challenges and allow you to play on your schedule since Weekly Challenges unlock and stack as the season progresses.

Even though we added 30 tiers, you’ll still be able to complete the Season 3 Battle Pass in the same amount of time as the Season 2 Battle Pass (typically 75-150 hours). Don’t have the time? You can always purchase tiers for 150 V-Bucks each.

What is Fortnite Battle Royale?

100 players. One giant map. A battle bus. Fortnite building skills and destructible environments are combined with intense PvP combat. The last commander standing wins.

Never played a Battle Royale game before?

Here are some helpful tips as you hop in for the first time!

• Building is your best friend
  • Unique to Fortnite and a great way to stay alive!
• Hiding can be a strategy
  • Plenty of bushes, plenty of hiding spots
• Have fun
  • Above all else and most importantly!

The Battle is Building, see you in Season 3!

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

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Source: Xbox Blog
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Calling all Gun Gale Online Players! It’s been a long time coming, but Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is finally available on Xbox One. In the newest video game of Reki Kawahara’s fan-favorite franchise, you will venture into the futuristic world of Gun Gale Online, a dangerous landscape fraught with peril like supersonic flying bullets, quick photon swords, and powerful rocket launchers. With interactive environments and challenges to conquer, you’ll need to be tactful and strategic to complete your story. Let’s FullDive into the best parts of Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet.

Your Heroic Tale  

Yup, that’s right Kirito fans – the story isn’t about our favorite Beater player anymore.  Jump in to Fatal Bullet and you’ll be greeted by a full in-depth character customization palette, where you can create your avatar from head to toe. Guy or girl, tall or short, hair highlights or tattoos and cat whiskers, character customization has never been this fun!

Plus, it’s not just how you detail your character, but every choice and response you give in-game will change how the story progresses. Meet new and familiar faces, then take them with you out in the field to strengthen your party and relationships. Choose who will be your companions in battle, and be sure to include certain people in your party who might aid you in ways unforeseen. And of course, just because you’re not Kirito doesn’t mean you can’t show Death Gun how dual-wielder fights in Gun Gale Online. Start-up Kirito Mode and you’ll have a whole new story to jump into with Kirito as the main character.

Dimps – Unreal Engine 4

One of the coolest features about Fatal Bullet is that the environments are completely interactive. While you’re facing off against mechanical scorpions or flying Valkyrie-esque robots, you’ll need to look around your surroundings for the best location for your attacks. By using your UFG (also known as your Ultimate Fiber Gun) you can utilize all these surroundings and fixtures to your advantage. This is in large part due to the game being developed by our great partners at Dimps, with the power of Unreal Engine 4. With these dynamic environments, snipe your opponents from above or below, or use grappling repels and power slides to gain the advantageous position.

Online PvP and PvE

And what’s best about Fatal Bullet? Well it’s set in an MMO, so playing with your friends of course! If you’re feeling collaborative, then jump into a PvE mission with your friends where your party needs to strategize together to defeat powerful bosses like the Angry Berserker! As you progress through the game, you’ll also unlock the chance to go up against stronger monsters online which might even offer new types of rewards for you to strengthen your character. If you’re feeling competitive, then PvP might be more your speed where you must compete against your opponents to deal the most damage to a strong monster.

But be warned, you and your opponent will still be able to attack one another, so watch your six. Plus, make sure to watch your status in our online ranking system; we’ll always be looking for the strongest Gun Gale Online player in Fatal Bullet to join our party.

And there you have it! Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is now available on Xbox One so make sure to suit up for your and challenge your friends online. The world is yours, and while bullets fly heavy and fast, a photon sword might just be able to stop them in their tracks. Link Start!

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

Related:
Retro-Future Survival Management Game Symmetry Now Available on Xbox One
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Source: Xbox Blog
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This week’s news includes the announcement of Games with Gold for March, dogs dressed up like game characters, the launch of Age of Empires Definitive Edition, and much more.

Source: XBOX YouTube
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Inspired by Serial Experiments Lain, this gravity-defying 3D Platformer takes you on a surreal trip through a twisted virtual network. Uncover the secrets this world tries to hide from you: an artificial intelligence named Fumiko!

Source: XBOX YouTube
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After seven months working closely with the feedback of our dedicated Xbox Game Preview users, we’re excited to not only announce Fable Fortune is graduating with version 1.0 from Game Preview to a full release — and the game will be free starting today, February 22 for Xbox One and Windows 10.

We’ve been celebrating amongst our established Founders with a little event we’ve called the Road to Release, but we’re very excited to welcome in new swathes of Heroes! To keep the festivities going, we have a packed line-up of special launch events extended out to everyone who logs into the game throughout the first 10 days of card-based frivolities:

• Many Happy Returns: Log-in each day to receive a free Card Pack from Thursday, February 22 to Saturday, March 3
• Double XP: All players receive double experience towards Hero levels from Thursday, February 22 to Thursday, March 1
• Wild Cards: A celebration co-op boss debuts from Friday, February 23 to Monday, February 26 with exclusive rewards
• Rebel, Rebel: Renegade Leader — a new Epic Card Set to shake up the metagame — is available as a log-in bonus from Thursday, February 22 to Thursday, March 1
• Double Silver: The day after Double XP ends, all players will receive double silver from Friday, March 2 to Monday, March 5

Beyond this, the Version 1.0 build is the debut of a glut of new features, optimizations, and improvements to the game from our last release. It’s joining the core of our PVP leagues, co-op events, and single-player, story-focused Heroic Tales.

It doesn’t just stop there, though! Within the coming months, there will be a new 3D arena playing host to a PVP season, a new co-op boss, and additional chapters added to Heroic Tales. There’s never been a better time to seek your Fortune and leave your mark on Albion.

Keep your eyes on our in-game newsfeed, Facebook and Twitter communities for further Fable Fortune updates. Until then, we’ll see you in the Crucible!

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

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