This announcement comes shortly after EA’s acquisition of Codemasters, which is hard at work on its upcoming GRID Legends. The studio recently also shipped F1 2021, which received great reviews and has been enjoying solid sales.

Xbox has now hit its stride with Xbox Game Pass, which seems to be growing larger by the day to such a degree that fans consider it to be the quintessential part of owning an Xbox console. The upcoming Halo Infinite also wrapped up its first flight test, which has been well-received by fans all around the globe.

https://twitter.com/EAPlay/status/1422240783772573696

Electronic Arts has confirmed that it reached an agreement to acquire Codemasters. The deal is for $1.2 billion with the latter’s shareholders receiving approximately $7.98 per ordinary share. EA’s offer comes at the last minute when Codemasters was initially slated to be acquired by Take Two Interactive for £750 million (roughly $980 billion).

Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson stated that, “We believe there is a deeply compelling opportunity in bringing together Codemasters and Electronic Arts to create amazing and innovative new racing games for fans. Our industry is growing, the racing category is growing, and together we will be positioned to lead in a new era of racing entertainment. We have admired Codemasters’ creative talent and high-quality games for many years.

“With the full leverage of EA’s technology, platform expertise, and global reach, this combination will allow us to grow our existing franchises and deliver more industry-defining racing experiences to a global fan base. We are pleased that both our Boards of Directors are recommending this transaction, and we look forward to welcoming such an exciting and talented team to the Electronic Arts family.”

The publisher also believes that Codemasters’ expertise with the Formula One, DiRT and other franchises along with EA’s Need for Speed and EA Sports brands will enable “our teams to innovate further.” It also believes that it can “accelerate” the developer’s performance with its “deep expertise in live services operations, game analytics and technology.” Resources like localization, art and motion capture, quality verification will also be made available to Codemasters from EA’s side. Of course, having the global publishing and marketing resources of EA is also expected to help expand the market for the developer’s titles.

The acquisition is expected to be done by Q1 2021, unless another publisher swoops in to stake its own claim (cue Microsoft with the last second run-in). It seems unlikely but stay tuned for more details on that front regardless.

The future of Google’s gaming streaming service, Stadia, is a mystery. While it hasn’t gotten off to a very good start, Google says it’ll take some time, so we’ll just have to wait and see where that falls. In the meantime, you’ll at least be able to experience some free games, and in March we get quite the treat of three different titles as Google announced.

First up is Codemasters’ GRID, the racing game that straddles the line between racing sim and arcade action. The Stadia version actually includes an exclusive 40 player Endurance Mode.

Then we get two separate games from the SteamWorld franchise. The first is SteamWorld Dig 2, where you embark on a fantastical spelunking adventure, and SteamWorld Quest, a card-battling game that takes you through the world of the fantasy series.

All three games will be available to Stadia Pro subscribers starting at the beginning of next month on March 1st.

GRID was a pretty fantastic reboot of the racing series that was a great reinvention of the franchise that brought it back to its roots. The game launched on consoles and PC earlier in the year, and it’s also going to be a launch title for Google’s Stadia service. Right now, things aren’t looking too hot for Stadia, but that version of GRID has a pretty wild exclusive mode either way.

It was announced earlier that the Stadia version of GRID would have an exclusive mode that would only be possible on the service. Now they’ve released a trailer for the mode. It will feature races with up to 40-cars with up to four different classes and playable in both Free Play and Multiplayer. It’ll be a race of endurance in long form races with time limits up to an hour. Check the trailer out below.

GRID is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia and PC. You can read our review of the race through here.

After initially announcing 12 games for the launch of Stadia, Google has added 10 more titles to the list. These include games like Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle, Final Fantasy 15, GRID, Metro Exodus, NBA 2K20 and RAGE 2. Also, Stadia Pro subscribers will receive Samurai Shodown along with Destiny 2: The Collection.

Other titles that have been confirmed for the service include Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Red Dead Redemption 2, Mortal Kombat 11 and the last three Tomb Raider games. Other games like Borderlands 3, Darksiders Genesis, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 and Ghost Recon Breakpoint are still slated to release this year. Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see.

There’s no denying that Google has its work cut out for it with Stadia. The company recently confirmed that several major features like family sharing, the Achievement UI and Buddy Pass system won’t be available at launch. Stadia also won’t work with existing Chromecast Ultra devices – only with those provided in the Founder’s Pack and Premiere Edition. Stay tuned for more information – Stadia launches tomorrow in 14 territories worldwide.

Tonight Google Stadia announced that its launch lineup for Tuesday has increased to 22 games from the 12 announced last week. pic.twitter.com/1SIfhPBkuC

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) November 18, 2019

Codemasters rebooted the GRID franchise earlier in the year. The racing title came back in a big and bold way to consoles and PC, but a Google Stadia version is on the horizon. While it doesn’t seem to have made the list of launch titles, it will be coming to service sometimes before the end of the year. And the developers are using the power of Stadia to give the game a near exclusive feature.

In an interview with Wccftech, Mark Green, Development Director, said that they will be using the computing aspect of Stadia to deliver a better simulation of the big world. He seems pretty excited about it, and as he was mulling over he mentioned the Stadia version of GRID would have an exclusive mode that features 40 cars.

“Development on any new hardware is always equal parts exciting and interesting. Perhaps the area with the biggest difference was the streaming, but also the ability of Stadia to talk to other Stadia so quickly transforms some ideas around multiplayer – for example developing a whole new mode for GRID Stadia which has 40 cars on track at the same time, something that just isn’t possible with other hardware.”

GRID is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, with the Stadia version coming by the year’s end. For our review of the game, take a look through here.

Google has announced all of the titles that Stadia, its game streaming platform, will launch with. A total of 12 games will be available with 14 more titles coming by 2019 end. The list includes big names like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Destiny 2: Collection, Mortal Kombat 11 and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Check out the full launch line-up below:

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft)
• Destiny 2: The Collection (Bungie)
• GYLT (TequilaWorks)
• Just Dance 2020 (Ubisoft)
• Kine (Gwen Frey)
• Mortal Kombat 11 (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
• Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (Square Enix)
• Samurai Shodown (SNK)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Square Enix)
• Thumper (Drool)
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Square Enix)

Titles that are slated to arrive for the service before the year is out include:

• Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle (Koei Tecmo)
• Borderlands 3 (2K Games)
• Darksiders Genesis (THQ Nordic)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (Bandai Namco)
• Farming Simulator 19 (Focus Home Interactive)
• Final Fantasy 15 (Square Enix)
• Football Manager 2020 (Sega)
• Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (Ubisoft)
• GRID (Codemasters)
• Metro Exodus (Deep Silver)
• NBA 2K20 (2K Games)
• RAGE 2 (Bethesda Softworks)
• Trials Rising (Ubisoft)
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood (Bethesda Softworks)

It’s worth noting that those who purchased the Founder’s Edition of Google Stadia will receive a three month subscription to Stadia Pro. This enables playing Destiny 2: Collection, which includes the latest expansion Shadowkeep, at no additional cost. Though free games will be added to the service overtime, customers will still need to buy games to play them.

Releasing on November 19th, Stadia’s main selling point is the lack of any dedicated hardware and the ability to play games anywhere. Google also promises that games on Stadia will feel faster and more responsive than they would on local hardware in the coming years. Head here for 12 things you need to know about the service before picking it up at launch.

FIFA 20 is, unsurprisingly, continuing to assert its dominance on sales charts. Having already accrued over 10 million players worldwide, the game is still on top of weekly sales charts in the UK for the week ending October 12, as per UKIE. Meanwhile, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, which debuted in second place last week, has retained its place in the charts as well.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has seen a boost in sales, moving up from seventh place all the way up to No. 3. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Gears 5, which has been stuck to the fourth spot for some weeks running now, is still right there, at No. 4. The only new entry in the top 10 this week is Codemasters’ GRID, slotting in at No. 5.

There were a couple other notable new releases last week as well, but they’ve failed to break into the top 10 (or even the top 20). Sony and PixelOpus’ new PS4 exclusive Concrete Genie has come in at No. 35, while Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair comes in at No. 31.

You can check out the full top 10 below.

1. FIFA 20
2. Ghost Recon Breakpoint
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
4. Gears 5
5. GRID
6. Minecraft
7. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
8. Borderlands 3
9. Grand Theft Auto 5
10. Sea of Thieves

GRID’s driving system strikes an impressive balance between keeping the sim elements that make it realistic while allowing for the arcade racing aspects that allow you to create unforgettable moments. Finding the podium requires your attention on accelerating, braking, and turning to avoid unwanted contact and track penalties. You can rewind and fix your mistakes, but doing so is limited on the normal difficulty and can’t fix all of your problems. With that said, it’s not technical in its requirements to the point that it becomes overbearing. You’ll usually be able to bounce off walls with relative ease, and damage can affect your car and racing ability to different extents depending on your difficulty level.

"As you complete each event, you’ll find yourself making seemingly negligible progress."

The career mode is streamlined compared to previous games in the series to a disappointing effect. Your career begins with a small tutorial before you’re given an overwhelming menu of events to compete in. There are six unique series of events, and each culminates in a final Showdown, which ultimately take you to the GRID World Series to reign above all. Though the option to choose any event you’ve unlocked at any time is a good way to change the pace and allow you to do whatever you prefer whenever you want, the sheer number of races and events is overwhelming. One event can range from as low as 1 race to as many as 4 races, and each showdown requires 10 completed events to unlock.

The most fun races are the fastest ones with the highest stakes, which, even in events with multiple races, fly by. Some of the slower, more contained races, such as the truck series, though, are more tedious, especially when you find yourself competing in four overly long races per event within them. There’s not much of a balance between the two of them, and it feels like there should have been more of a focus on the street racing and high-stakes races that lead up to the showdowns instead of the repetitive slower races.

As you complete each event, you’ll find yourself making seemingly negligible progress. When you start your career, you can see every event you will have to complete. You know the ultimate goal from the start, but every event makes you question whether the effort is worth it, especially when you get done with a slow four-race event. Once you’ve grasped each series’ characteristics, you’ll settle into a rhythm of doing similar events on tracks that you’ll get very familiar with, and the racing can only hold off the tedium for so long. After some of the best races, your 20-25 hour career will feel manageable, but in a lot of other cases, it’ll feel like you’ll never get there.

"Making a nemesis causes them to act more aggressively toward you, and their attitudes can carry between races within events."

What makes the racing unique are the AI systems. You have teammates that can be paid as little or as much attention as you’d like, which will slightly affect their attitude toward you during the race. There are some benefits to being a good teammate, like higher bonuses and better racing partners, but it’s up to you how you want to treat them. If you decide to drive recklessly and hit other cars frequently, you’ll find yourself making a lot of nemeses as part of the new Nemesis system, which explicitly shows when you’ve angered another driver with your actions.

Making a nemesis causes them to act more aggressively toward you, and their attitudes can carry between races within events. It’s an interesting system that adds both a personal aspect to the racing and an emotional investment in beating a rival, but it often feels exploitable. I would often have the opportunity to bump off a rival and use them as a wall to accelerate past before their nemesis AI could kick in, leaving them in the dust and forgetting about them. Some problems with the AI show up in this system, especially when your nemeses begin to act aggressively toward you even though their actions hurt them as well. Some of the regular AI can be a bit wonky as well, making unrealistic decisions that a human wouldn’t make or ramming you into a wall without cause and for no ultimate benefit. They’re part of an AI system that feels generally realistic with occasional missteps, but the missteps stand out when they hurt your race experience.

The multiplayer experience is a much more digestible one, and it’s a well-crafted online racing system. You can customize your cars and race both online and offline, with a mix of humans and AI bots. I never experienced noticeable lag, and the options to race, customize, and tune my cars make it a highly personalized experience. The online takes what is good about the driving and AI from the career and puts it into your hands to manage and organize, which allow it to take a best of both worlds scenario that you can enjoy regardless of skill level and without the tedious structure.

"There’s a lot to like about GRID, especially in its beautiful environments and unique, yet flawed Nemesis system, and the online is a continued bright spot."

Visually, GRID continues to be a beautiful series, especially when it comes to the environments and weather effects Codemasters has integrated into the game. Races take place at all times of day and in all seasons, and each has its own stunning characteristics. I’ll never get tired of racing through the rain or seeing the summer sunset, especially with blasting fireworks in the background. The cars and damage effects are less impressive, though the sound design continues to be excellent. In my playtime, I only encountered a few stutters and a single crash, and the game performed excellently within races, both online and offline.

GRID isn’t pushing many boundaries in its presentation or gameplay, but it’s a well-crafted racing experience that’s bogged down by its lack of structure and overly long career. When I had the chances to race, drift, and make enemies, I found myself getting emotionally invested in the races and feeling satisfied with victories, but in the middle of that is a lot of less exciting racing that often feels like it’s going nowhere. There’s a lot to like about GRID, especially in its beautiful environments and unique, yet flawed Nemesis system, and the online is a continued bright spot. The racing gameplay is fine-tuned to appeal to any sort of racing game fan, but the moments that make it shine are lessened by the numerous tedious and repetitive events you’ll have to fight through to get there.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is more or less the biggest game of the month. Though more of a reboot than a straight sequel, we see the return of Captain Price. New characters like Farah, a rebel leader; CIA officer Alex; and police sergeant Kyle Garrick also figure in the story. With Spec Ops missions, larger multiplayer battles in Ground War, no “traditional” season pass and cross-platform multiplayer, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare looks to be yet another hit in the franchise when it releases on October 25^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Of course, time will tell how the post-launch support pans out.

GRID

Another reboot coming later this month is GRID from Codemasters. As a return to roots for the franchise, GRID will once again see players racing across different disciplines and events to quality for the GRID World Series (thankfully, you don’t have to win every single event to qualify). New additions include 400 AI drivers, each with their own driving styles which can lead to rivalries and the creation of Nemeses. You even face off against Fernando Alonso, two time Formula One World Champion, in Career Mode. GRID is out on October 11^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep

The next paradigm shift for Bungie’s shared world shooter franchise, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep returns to the Moon for battles against the Hive and an army of Nightmares. While it seems the Darkness is closer than ever, Shadowkeep will keep players occupied with a number of other changes. Armor 2.0 will lets you choose your own perks on gear; Seasonal Ranks provide a tiered battle pass-like system for earning cosmetics and other rewards; and a new raid will be going live on October 5^th. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is out on October 1^st for Xbox One, PS4 and PC along with its free-to-play version Destiny 2: New Light.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint

The follow-up to Wildlands, Ghost Recon Breakpoint sees Nomad and the Ghosts investigating the Auroa archipelago after drone manufacturer SkellTech goes dark. When their helicopters are shot down, it’s Nomad versus the Wolves led by Cole Walker, a former Ghost. Part looter shooter, part tactical stealth, part shared world live service title…Ubisoft is stacking a number of hats on Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Hopefully, it all coalesces into a polished open world experience when it launches on October 4^th worldwide for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

The Outer Worlds

Obsidian Entertainment is finally back in the FPS/RPG driver’s seat with The Outer Worlds. You awaken as a passenger on a colony ship with most of your brethren in hibernation. Megacorporations have colonized the Halcyon Cluster and it’s up to you to investigate what they’re really after. You’re essentially a blank slate who can interact with different factions, meet and fight alongside companions, arm yourself with a variety of weapons and decide what direction the story goes in. Those hungry for a new Fallout title that fulfills these promises, complete with Obsidian’s signature writing, should check out The Outer Worlds – it arrives on October 25^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville

Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville follows EA’s new strategy of sudden releases which started with Apex Legends. However, it’s actually available in paid early access with new content added each week. For those who don’t buy it, October 18^th marks the day of the game’s launch. Either way, if you’ve played Garden Warfare, then Battle for Neighborville offers more of the same. Choose from 20 classes, six being brand new, and partake in Team Deathmatch or fulfill objectives in Turf War. Perhaps the coolest new addition is the ability for several players of the same class to combine together, Voltron-style. Hopefully that and other weirdness will carry the game past its first month of launch.

WWE 2K20

So it’s a new WWE 2K title. If you’ve played one of the virtual fake fighting titles, you’ve played them all, right? Except WWE 2K20 isn’t co-developed by Yuke’s – instead, Visual Concepts is fully in charge this time. How this will affect the overall gameplay remains to be seen but there’s a new Showcase mode revolving around the Four Horsewomen, a female MyCareer story and the return of 2K Towers. Hurray? WWE 2K20 arrives on October 22^nd for PC, Xbox One and PS4.

Luigi’s Mansion 3

Nintendo has been on fire lately, releasing at least one high profile exclusive on the Switch each month. August had Astral Chain, September had Link’s Awakening and October has Luigi’s Mansion 3. Basically, Luigi, Mario, Peach and a bunch of Toads travel to the Last Resort hotel for a vacation. Unfortunately, King Boo traps Mario and the others, which means Luigi has to suit up for the rescue. Using the new Poltergust G-00, which allows for slamming ghosts and creating Gooigi to traverse through impassable objects, Luigi’s Mansion 3 looks to be an excellent action-adventure and worthy follow-up to the series. It’s out, conveniently enough, on October 31^st.

MediEvil

The PS4 may not have a ton of high-profile games out this year but it does have an eagerly anticipated remaster this month with MediEvil. Developed by Other Ocean Emeryville and releasing on October 25th, MediEvil once again puts players in the skeletal frame of Sir Dan as he seeks to save the kingdom from his nemesis Zarok. With completely revamped visuals and 4K resolution support on PS4 Pro, MediEvil looks to be another blast from the past that’s worth getting into.

Concrete Genie

The other PS4 exclusive releasing this month is Concrete Genie. Developed by PixelOpus, it focuses on Ash, a young artist in the downtrodden town of Denska. After bullies rip out the pages of his sketchbook, Ash embarks on a journey to retrieve them. He also finds a way to bring his creations to life, breathing new life into Denska. Avoiding the bullies and restoring any artwork they may ruin is also a key component of the story. Releasing on October 8^th, Concrete Genie isn’t a long game but should more than make up for that with its emotional impact and aesthetics.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

After the ill-fated Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power and a bunch of other new IPs, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince returns to the 2.5D platform puzzler format of legend. Terrible monsters are manifesting from Prince Selius’s nightmares so it’s up to our heroes – Amadeus the Wizard, Zoya the Thief and Pontius the Knight – to save the day. Explore ruins and tombs and play solo or in co-op with up to four players, combining different talents and skills to surpass obstacles. With a new combat system and challenges, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince could resurrect the series. It’s out on October 8^th for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition

No, you haven’t entered a time loop. CD Projekt RED is indeed releasing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition on October 15th but it’s for the Nintendo Switch. That means all of the base game’s content and updates along with Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine is included. It may not boast the sharpest resolution or visuals but as one of the best open world RPGs ever made, it’s a darn fine adventure to have on the go.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3

Nihon Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes series is one of the more underrated RPGs out there, offering compelling stories to go with its excellent turn-based gameplay. There’s good news Trails of Cold Steel fans – Trails of Cold Steel 3 is out on October 22^nd for PS4. Localized by NISA, it sees Rean Schwarzer as a military professor eventually caught up in a conspiracy that could threaten the entire country. Concerns for the localization aside, every JRPG fan should look into the sequel and prep for the inevitable release of part four in the West.