4-26-2019

Overwatch Workshop will let players to script custom modes, heroes – Polygon
In a developer update posted Wednesday, game director Jeff Kaplan shared details on the upcoming Workshop mode. Kaplan describes the Workshop as a “scripting mode that will allow you to make custom game modes within the custom game browser.” Players will have access to some of the same tools as the developers and programmers to make “whatever they could come up with, wherever their imaginations would take them.” The Workshop will also come with a Workshop Inspector, which is a custom debugger that will allow players to test their project and see why certain errors may be happening. Kaplan said he hopes that this allows players to pursue their game development dreams with an easy starting point. “Maybe you’ll realize that you, too, could be a game developer someday, and you can make really cool stuff,” he said. The Workshop will be available for both PC and consoles. More details about the Workshop are available at the Overwatch website.

Fortnite’s second Avengers crossover launches today – The Verge
Fortnite’s v8.50 patch arrived Thursday, and as expected it delivered the game’s second Avengers tie-in to coincide with the release of Avengers: Endgame. The new limited-time event randomly assigns you to either the Hero team or Team Thanos, and depending on which side you’re on you’ll get to either fight with the Avengers’ signature weapons or be transformed into Thanos himself. There are also multiple weapons from the film’s protagonists available to fight with that can be found in chests across the map. These include Thor’s axe, Captain America’s shield, Hawkeye’s bow, and Iron Man’s repulsors. Unlike Fortnite’s standard Battle Royale matches, in this Avengers mode you’ll respawn until you or your opponents complete the mission objective. Hero team is tasked with destroying Thanos’s army and defeating the man himself, while Thanos’s team will need to find the six Infinity Stones and kill their remaining opponents. The new game mode is available to play starting Thursday.

Epic says it will stop store exclusives if Steam offers a better cut
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says that the company will end the practice of securing exclusive game releases for its store if Valve, the company behind Steam, matches Epic’s revenue share for developers and publishers. Calling Steam’s 30 percent cut on game sales and the platform’s market dominance “the #1 problem for PC developers, publishers, and everyone who relies on those businesses for their livelihood,” Sweeney said in a back-and-forth exchange on Twitter that Epic could back away from the unpopular practice of signing Epic Games Store exclusives. “If Steam committed to a permanent 88% revenue share for all developers and publishers without major strings attached, Epic would hastily organize a retreat from exclusives (while honoring our partner commitments) and consider putting our own games on Steam,” Sweeney said. “Such a move would be a glorious moment in the history of PC gaming, and would have a sweeping impact on other platforms for generations to come,” Sweeney added. “Then stores could go back to just being nice places to buy stuff, rather than the Game Developer IRS.”

BioWare delays Anthem features, including its Cataclysm event
BioWare said on Tuesday that it’s delaying major features for Anthem, including the limited-time Cataclysm event that was expected in May, as it prioritizes other fixes, like bugs, stability, and “game flow.” “We set aside time for this work, but the reality is there are more things to fix and improve than we planned for,” BioWare said in an update posted to the game’s subreddit. “While this is the best thing to do for the game, it means some items from the calendar will be delayed.” BioWare has described Anthem’s seasonal Cataclysm events as the game’s “most ambitious and challenging content.” They’ll feature “time-limited world events that cause physical manifestations to occur, extreme weather, incursions of dangerous enemies and new mysteries to solve,” according to the developer. “The Cataclysm is an important addition to the game and it’s currently a big focus for the team,” BioWare said on Reddit. “The Cataclysm will bring new challenges and rewards and pushes the story of Anthem forward. As our work continues, we will share more with you in May.”