Weekly Recap: Xbox One Sales Up 1000%, Assassin's Creed Could Skip 2017, Destiny 2 on

[Administrator]

It's the weekend again...here's a roundup of the week's biggest stories and some you might have missed.
THE BIG STUFF:

The Xbox One is on a roll, especially in the UK, it seems. The latest weekly numbers came in, and Xbox One sales rose by nearly 1000 percent week-over-week. The launch of the FIFA 17 Xbox One bundle might have had something to do with it. PS4 sales were up as well, but only by 22 percent. When comparing the launch weeks for the Xbox One S and PS4 Slim, Microsoft's console enjoyed sales that were more than 300 percent stronger than Sony's. [Full story]
Kotaku published a big report on Destiny 2 this week. Among other things, it's reported that the sequel, which has been confirmed for 2017 but is not yet officially announced, will come to PC in addition to Xbox One and PS4. It's also claimed that the game may not support your existing characters, since Bungie apparently wants it to feel like a completely new game. [Full story]
Ubisoft may not release new Assassin's Creed and Far Cry games in 2017. VP Tommy Francois said this week that both Assassin's Creed and Far Cry games are in development but the company is not committed to releasing them in 2017.
"We believe Alpha for these games needs to be one year before release," he explained. "We're trying to achieve that. That's super f***ing blunt, I don't even know if I'm allowed to say this. This is the goal we're going for: Alpha one year before, more quality, more polish. So if this means biting the [bullet] and not having an Assassin's game or a Far Cry [in 2017], f*** it." [Full story]
THE OTHER STUFF:

League of Legends is finally on console...sort of. The game came out for Tencent's new console in China recently. Get all the details here at Rift Herald.
Gang-battle game Smash + Grab came out on Steam Early Access this week. Check out a trailer below, while you can learn more and pick up a copy here on Steam with a 15 percent discount.
ESPN FC has a wicked cool feature up now that dives deep into the science (and subjectivity) of how EA's FIFA's ratings are decided. Read it here.
Curious about WWE 2K17's Universe mode? This in-depth blog post covers just about everything you might want to know.
New crowdfunding site Fig announced its newest campaigns this week. Make Sail, a physics-based boat construction and sailing game, is live now with a $50,000 target. The other game is called Trackless. It's a "mysterious text-based adventure" title. The campaign will begin on Fig on October 11, but for now, you can learn more at the title's website.
In other news about Fig, the site finally has been granted qualification by the SEC to allow people to buy "game shares." Now, non-accredited investors can back a project and enjoy a share of the profits if the game is successful.
We don't often get too excited about ESRB rating descriptions, but the organization has now posted its description for The Last Guardian. You can read it here.
It's always a mixture of sadness and intrigue when we hear about cancelled games. We learned this week that EA was working on, or at least planning, The Saboteur 2. Get all the details here.
Here's a cool interview that Blizzard director Jeff Kaplan gave to BusinessInsider where he talks about the origins of Overwatch and a lot more.
Microsoft's news site has put out a great feature that talks all about how Gears of War 4's IT services work. If that sounds dull, don't believe it--it's actually a pretty good read.
In the run-up to BioShock: The Collection's launch last month, 2K asked fans to send in their ideas for Vigors. Ernesto Moreno's "Parasite" idea was so good that 2K actually produced it. Get all the details on the story at the 2K blog.
Maybe it's not so big a surprise, but scientists have now confirmed that if what happened in The Last of Us actually happened in real life, we'd be dooooomed. Get all the details here at IGN.
Bethesda has announced a $5 Starter Pack for The Elder Scrolls Legends to help you get...started faster. Here's everything it comes with:

• 10 packs of cards at a special price, including one guaranteed Legendary card
  • Standard pricing for card packs is $2.99 for two packs and $7.99 for seven packs
  
  
• An exclusive in-game Player Title: "The Founder"
• Three exclusive premium alternative art cards

Have a wonderful weekend!


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