Square Enix revealed sales for its Octopath Traveler series have eclipsed 4 million copies sold.Both entries in the mid-size RPG franchise just launched on Xbox Game Pass, with 2023's Ocotopath Traveler II making its debut on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. The original game also just released on PlayStation 4 and 5.With this, nearly the entire series is available on current consoles, save for the mobile game Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent.Octopath II sold 1 million copies in three and a half months, and the first game sold 3 million in a little over four years. This milestone stops at June 2023, so it's unclear how much either has sold since then.
The Video Game History Foundation has recovered and released the potential first-ever TV commercial for a Nintendo system in the US and outside Japan overall.Per the VGHF, it found the 16mm commercial through game historian Chris Kohler in an online auction. According to him, the handheld is the Mego Time-Out. The commercial dates back to 1980, and it can be watched below.The Time-Out came about through a licensing deal between Nintendo and US toy company Mego. In the US, Mego released four early Game & Watch systems identical to the originals, but with its logo and new "Time-Out" branding.Four games for the handheld were made: Toss-Up, Fireman Fireman, Flag Man, and Exterminator. Toss-Up is the only one in the promo, presented as a sports game so good, athletes will play it …
The Video Game History Foundation has recovered and released the potential first-ever TV commercial for a Nintendo system in the US and outside Japan overall.Per the VGHF, it found the 16mm commercial through game historian Chris Kohler in an online auction. According to him, the handheld is the Mego Time-Out. The commercial dates back to 1980, and it can be watched below.The Time-Out came about through a licensing deal between Nintendo and US toy company Mego. In the US, Mego released four early Game & Watch systems identical to the originals, but with its logo and new "Time-Out" branding.Four games for the handheld were made: Toss-Up, Fireman Fireman, Flag Man, and Exterminator. Toss-Up is the only one in the promo, presented as a sports game so good, athletes will play it …
Microsoft recently unveiled its plans to bring its AI program Copilot to its Xbox and PC games.During its Microsoft Surface and AI event, the tech giant showed off how the AI tool could be applicable to games. Per Windows Central, the presentation featured Minecraft with the tool directly embedded in the game.Players can use Copilot to ask things like "How do I craft a sword?," at which point the tool helps them find the needed components. It basically works like an always-on game guide, or the PlayStation 5's non-AI powered help system.Minecraft is the first game to have Copilot integrated within it, but it sounds like it'll ultimately be put within other games. It's unclear if this is being done with first-party Xbox titles to begin with.While Copilot was formall…
Microsoft is making many high-profile cuts at the ZeniMax branch of Xbox Game Studios. Today the company emailed employees to let them know that it is closing Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, and Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Games.Wisconson-area developer Roundhouse Studios (which has served as a support studio to other arms of ZeniMax) will also be absorbed into The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios.Word of these closures comes from IGN, which reviewed an email sent by Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty to staff early this morning. Tango Gameworks has confirmed on Twitter that it is ceasing operations."These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster…
The Fallout games are becoming popular again, thanks to the new TV adaptation. Per SteamDB, individual player counts for Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76 all doubled days before its April 11 premiere, then during the weekend.Of the three, Fallout 4 had the most players at a peak of near-83,500 players on April 14, then Fallout 76 (39,455) and New Vegas (19,300). As of April 15 (today), Fallout 4 has nearly 68,000 players.Fallout 76's April 14 count is actually its highest ever on Steam. It came to the platform in April 2020, nearly two years after its PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One release in 2018.By comparison, Fallout 4 and New Vegas' numbers are well behind their all-time peaks. The former opened to nearly 473,000 players on Steam in 2015, and the latter just ove…