Category: News

After providing a preview of their 60fps streaming service just last month, YouTube has officially announced the next step in their broadcasting expansion. YouTube Gaming, made up of both a brand new website and mobile app, will focus (naturally) on video games, only with an added emphasis on livestreaming.

According to Polygon, YouTube Gaming product manager Alan Joyce made sure to point out that, while normal video content is a major part of the product, streams will be “front and center.”

Much like the original service, YouTube Gaming will give users the opportunity to subscribe to streamers and be notified when they go live, though no word has been provided whether or not similar monetization methods will apply.

Basic streaming functionality has existed on YouTube in some form since late 2013, but this rather sudden push is a testament to the market’s explosion. Twitch, which was acquired by Amazon last August, has for some time been the frontrunner in the incredibly limited field, and is arguably the only real choice when it comes to third-party streaming platforms despite often glaring flaws.

Could YouTube Gaming finally provide Twitch with a worthy challenge? As of now, that’s hard to say, but the strides YouTube is making certainly inspire hope. Let’s cross our fingers some of the less savory aspects of their main service (e.g. faulty DMCA notices) don’t make the transition as well.

YouTube Gaming is scheduled to launch in the United States and the United Kingdom this summer.

Sources: YouTube Gaming, Polygon

In addition to providing a serious cash bonus to the main Guilty Gear prize pool at Evo 2015, developer Arc System Works and publisher Aksys Games are also prepared to host special qualifiers for ARC REVOLUTION CUP 2015 during the event, in cooperation with Mad Catz and Team St1ckbug.

As the world’s largest gathering of ArcSys competitors, ARC REVOLUTION CUP represents the best of the best when it comes to the studio’s airdashers, and the Evo 2015 qualifiers will give American teams the opportunity to earn an all expenses paid trip to Japan for this year’s tournament as well as some extra spending money thanks to an added $5000 for each game.

Only one spot apiece is available for Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- and BlazBlue: Chronophantasma EXTEND, so definitely don’t waste your time constructing the strongest three-player team you can for a chance to compete at this prestigious event. Due the possibility of overseas travel, there are some requirements for those that end up winning, so be sure to check out Aksys’ official announcement for more details.

Evo 2015 is scheduled for July 17-19, followed by ARC REVOLUTION CUP 2015 on August 15.

Source: Aksys Games

EXAMU’s latest visual novel-based fighting game, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel, will be coming to home consoles later this year. When it does, it will do so with at least one more character than it had in the arcade.

According to the latest issue of Dengeki PlayStation magazine, Homura from Marvelous Entertainment’s Senran Kagura series will be making an appearance as a guest character.

This isn’t the first time that Marvelous, who is publishing the console versions of the game, has pushed Senran Kagura related content onto a fighting game. Previously, as part of a deal with Tecmo Koei, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round saw special Senran Kagura-themed costumes add as part of a downloadable content pack. This is the first time, however, that an actual character from the series has been made playable in a fighting game.

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is currently set to launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 sometime later this year.

Source: Dengeki PlayStation via Hiro_1998, thanks to MikuruX for the tip.

Ah yes, the time has come. With June in full swing, Steam recently went live with their annual summer sale, discounting a variety of titles across all genres. Thanks to the recent explosion of fighters on PC, there’s sure to be a lot for our readers to look forward to.

The first fighting games to see markdowns come from SNK Playmore’s King of Fighters franchise. All three installments currently available on Steam have been discounted rather extensively, both separately and as part of a triple-pack.

Fans can grab King of Fighters XIII, King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, and King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition for only $9.79, representing a 72% markdown from the bundle’s normal $34.99 price point. Alternatively, if you already own one or two of the aforementioned titles, King of Fighters XIII can be purchased for $4.99, while King of Fighters 2002 and King of Fighters ’98 are available for $2.99 apiece.

These sales will be live until 10 PM PDT tomorrow, so be sure to take advantage as soon as possible.

Source: Steam

When a single player grows “too strong,” members of the fighting game community will often place bounties on their heads. No, not literal, “dead or alive” bounties, but rather cash incentives for defeating or even eliminating them during major tournaments.

With the biggest events of the year on the horizon, community veteran and veritable Marvel god Justin Wong of Team Evil Geniuses is offering up a bounty of his own, for himself, at Evo 2015. But that’s not all; Wong has wrangled in fellow deities Ryan “Filipino Champ” Ramirez and Tempo Storm’s Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez as well, and is set to present a cash prize of $300 to anyone who can knock just one of them out of the tournament. That means he could leave Las Vegas $900 lighter just from these bounties alone!

Of course, that’s easier said than done for a variety of reasons. As the reigning champion, Wong will be hard to beat as he goes for a double, especially with his ever-growing skill with Storm and “you have to it to believe it” Akuma comebacks. Ramirez, who walked away as Evo’s Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 champion in 2013, has returned from a short hiatus with impressive placings at Final Round 18, Northwest Majors 7, and SoCal Regionals 2015: Prelude I. And finally, Gonzalez is sure to be hungry for his first win after coming up short three years in a row; could he finally carry Morrigan to victory?

At the time of writing, this trio occupies the top three spots of our player rankings, positions they have held for quite some time. If there’s anyone to beat at Evo 2015 when it comes to Marvel, it’s definitely these three. Does anyone have what it takes? Do you?

Evo 2015 is scheduled for July 17-19. More details can be found here.

Source: Justin Wong

It’s time to get out the vote for GODSGARDEN #10! Keeping with the GODSGARDEN tradition, two spots each in the event’s Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- and BlazBlue Chronophantasma EXTEND tournaments have been reserved for the highest ranked compeitors in the player invitation vote.

The pages are listed in Japanese, but voting is quite simple. Each day, voters are allotted five up-votes (賛成, the green button) and one down-vote (反対, the red button). You can stack or spread your votes however you may like. Votes refresh each day, so if you want to see your favorite players make the finals, remember to come back each day and keep voting.

Below, you’ll find candidate listings for both games matched up with their respective voting pages. Voting ends on June 19 at 11:59 PM JST (7:59 AM PDT, 10:59 AM EDT), so be sure to make your voice heard over the next week and change.

GGXrd Vote Page

BBCPEX Vote Page

Source: GODSGARDEN

All the excitement surrounding Street Fighter V has provided a momentary lapse in Ultra Street Fighter IV coverage, but the developers are still working to make the title’s horrendous PlayStation 4 release a little smoother post-launch. This morning, a brand new patch dropped that corrects even more issues, including the input lag, audio quirks, and graphics bugs that plagued the port.

While there are a few outlying problems still to be addressed, Sony, Capcom, and third-party studio Other Ocean Interactive have acted quickly, apparently trying to make sure the game isn’t broken for long.

A full list of changes in this update can be found below, courtesy of MavFan. Give them a read and let us know how Ultra Street Fighter IV currently performs on PlayStation 4 in the comments.

Source: MavFan

A spokesperson from Capcom has been quoted as saying Street Fighter V will never stray from the platforms that have already been announced, according to details provided by Gamespot’s Tamoor Hussain.

“There will never be a Street Fighter V on anything but PlayStation,” Hussain said of his interaction with the company representative, quickly following up with, “and PC,” when prompted by his co-host. “Never ever.”

This “scoop” shouldn’t come as much of a shock to anyone who has been following this title, as Capcom has all but stated Sony is backing Street Fighter V’s creation, but it does give some of the more suspicious fans a reason to stop rolling their eyes in this age of limited exclusivity. Their partnership also extends to this year’s Capcom Cup, which has seen a massive expansion of its prize pool thanks to Sony’s involvement.

Street Fighter V is currently in development. You can find our hands-on impressions with an early build here.

Source: GameSpot