News:: Raw Fury wants to help indie developers with Steam Direct

With the announcement that Steam Greenlight will soon be replaced by a new system called Steam Direct, many independent game developers were upset by the news that trying to get your game on Steam will require an up-front payment. The price point has yet to be determined, but Valve said it could be anywhere between $100 and $5,000 per game submitted. Although the application fee would be refunded eventually, some developers have said that even a modest fee would be a major setback, preventing them from being able to submit their games under the new system. 

Fortunately, there may be another option for developers who don't have room in their budget for the submission fee. Raw Fury has volunteered to assist select developers, covering the cost of their application for Steam Direct. In a statement on Raw Fury's website, the company explained the reason behind the decision:

Most of us have been The Little Guy, most of us know the struggle that comes with it... [W]e’ve decided to try to financially support some developers that are doing amazing things but might struggle with Steam Direct if the fee ends up being on the expensive side like $1000 or above by paying the fee for them. We wouldn’t ask for any stake in games we support in this way, we’d just pay the fee upfront and give the dev team a high five.If the game is successful enough we’d ask for the fee to be paid back BUT ONLY BECAUSE we’d use those same funds to continue this effort for other devs and restart the dev cycle of life. So, to begin this initiative, we’ll curate and limit the number of games we’ll support and see how this plays out.

Raw Fury has been publishing games for independent developers since 2015 and Kingdom. More recently, it's published titles like GoNNER, Kathy Rain, and the upcoming Tormentor X Punisher. It's worth noting that indie developers would not be required to sign with Raw Fury under this arrangement.

"The indie community has been so kind to us and we want to give back since we're fortunate enough to be in a position to do so." said David Martinez, a representative of Raw Fury. "There could be some real gems that never make it to Steam because of this barrier to entry (assuming the price is high—we'll all have to wait and see) so we want to help those devs out."

_{[Hamza Aziz, employed at Raw Fury Games, previously wrote for Destructoid. As always, no relationships are factored into this article.]}

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News:: VA-11 HALL-A gets a free Prologue Redux update

VA-11 HALL-A has been a pretty big hit for developer Sukeban Games. The game may not be known around the world, but it has garnered a dedicated fan following on Steam. That isn't too shabby for a relatively low-key visual novel about bar tending. If any of our readers fancy themselves fans of the title, they'll be happy to learn the game just received a free update in the form of a prologue chapter.

Dubbed the "Prologue Redux" update, VA-11 HALL-A now includes the previously released prologue to the game with the Steam version. Wait, previously released? Yeah, apparently this opening hour came out back in 2014 and the response to that is what shaped the final product of VA-11 HALL-A. This prologue had been promised as part of a future update to the Steam version, as well.

According to a post by the game's artist over on the Steam forums, "the prologue episode was a small three-chapter release meant to be a test to gauge interest, get some money to fund development, and a bonus for pre-ordering all at the same time." It sports all of the features from the main game, which includes visuals in the style of the main story and a new soundtrack.

To grab the update, you just need to login to Steam and let the program do its thing...which means just wait for the automatic update to apply. After that, you can select the prologue from within the game and you're good to go!

VA-11 HALL-A now includes "redux" prologue chapters [PC Gamer]

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News:: Check out Mario Sports Superstars' super short opening movie

I'm a huge fan of Mario sports games. My first Nintendo 64 game was Mario Tennis, and I've been stuck to its various forms through the years (even the super disappointing Wii U version). Nintendo always puts out quality sports games, and now they're all going to be available in one package. 

The opening movie for Mario Sports Superstars shows off its five offerings: tennis, golf, baseball, soccer (finally!), and horse racing. I was all in way before I saw the horsey races in action, and now I can't wait for this. 

Mario Sports Superstars releases on Nintendo 3DS March 10th in Europe, March 24th in North America, and March 30th in Japan. 

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News:: Tracer kicks off the Overwatch Nendoroid line

Before this breaks down into a thread of replies about who from the Overwatch cast we most want to have in toy form -- is it too late? Am I already out of time here? -- I just want to point out that this upcoming Nendoroid figure of Tracer comes with articulated hair. It's pretty dang good:

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News:: Stop trying to get your significant other into gaming

[Lamenting your lack of a nerdy significant other on this, the most romantic of holidays? Well, don't! Spieler Dad is here to tell us why it's best to keep your separate hobbies and interests as they are, in tact, without trying to lure them to the dork side. Wanna see your work on the front page? Get out there and write something! - Wes]

It’s almost Valentine’s Day [Editor's note: It is Valentine's Day!] and you know what that means? Articles about how to get your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, or wife into games. Take it from me, an expert in gaming and relationships, that there is nothing more overrated than gaming with your significant other. You should just be happy to have someone that will touch your genitals (FOR FREE) and lets you game in peace alone.

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News:: GOG's Valentine's Day sale is for lovers and savers

A popular internet opinion among internet opinion-havers is that Valentine's Day is bad, but, I'm here to tell you that actually it's good. More specifically, the aftermath is good. Even if you aren't treated to some sensual plowin' on the most romantic day of the year, you get to partake in discounted chocolate and (maybe) discounted champagne on February 15. A lot of people really like chocolate; I very much like champagne.

DRM-free PC games seller GOG is getting an early start on offering cheap stuff. Its From Wishlists, With Love sale just began today. This promotion has more than 70 of GOG's most oft-wishlisted games on sale, sometimes up to 90 percent off. Some obvious highlights are Witcher 3: Game of the Year Edition for $25, Psychonauts for $1, Darkest Dungeon for $12.49, Day of the Tentacle Remastered for $5, and Dying Light: The Following -- Enhanced Edition for $30. There's plenty more, though.

If you're interested but hard-up for time to peruse, don't worry. GOG's sale runs for six days, up until February 20. You have plenty of opportunity to check it out; it doesn't have to be today, The Day of Lovers.

But, if you're the chance-taking type, you may want to head over to the contest that GOG's helping us out with. To commemorate the sale, GOG hooked us up with 270 game keys to give away to our readers. There's probably one for you in there, you just have to try. Remember: You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.

From Wishlists, With Love [GOG]

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News:: Battlefield 1's Winter Update brings ribbons and higher level caps

Aside from They Shall Not Pass, an upcoming Battlefield 1 expansion, DICE has also been toiling away on the game's Winter Update. I don't like seeing the "W" word this time of year -- no more snow, please! -- but I do like the sound of higher rank caps for the various classes and the return of ribbons.

Under the new update, out today, you'll have more incentive to keep playing the same old stuff. You can take your class ranks from the current cap of 10 all the way up to 50, and every 10 rankings will net you a Battlepack. Additionally, ribbons will award bonus XP and "promote good teamplay and playing the objective," something that is always worth reinforcing, and there's a 25,000 XP reward for getting 500 kills with any (or all!) of the eight primary weapons.

DICE is also adding map voting for rent-a-server players and the ability for admins to kick or ban players on their server right through the in-game UI.

Miscellaneous fixes and tweaks abound in the full patch notes, including my personal favorite line, "Improved cavalry victim experience," which is an amusing way of saying that you shouldn't be killed by saber-wielding cavalry from "multiple meters away." I usually just run and hide!

Battlefield 1 Winter Update [Battlefield]

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News:: Apocalypse Now ditches Kickstarter and goes for its own crowdfunding site

In case you weren't aware, Apocalypse Now is being adapted into a video game. Just last month, the developers launched a Kickstarter campaign to get funding for the eventual 2020 release of the game. Be it due to the lack of funding or no real faith in the platform, the creators have since jumped ship from Kickstarter (despite still having the campaign running...) and are seeking funding through their own website, Apocalypsenow.com.

As noted on the Kickstarter page by the developers, "When we launched this campaign, we made a mistake. We forgot that many of you have been disappointed by overreaching games and overreaching promises. We had stopped paying attention to the Kickstarter world, when we put our heads down and went to work on this full-steam about 18 months ago — first with documents and then with prototypes. Because we went upriver, we did not remember that those of you who love games and those of you who love Apocalypse Now would immediately treat the announcement not with excitement, but with concern."

As of the time of writing, the Kickstarter campaign has only reached around $173,000 of a $900,000 goal with nine days left. Since the campaign is listed as all or nothing, I'm guessing American Zoetrope and Erebus LLC have realized the futility of sticking to Kickstarter. The website was once an oasis for indie projects, but has received a cynical tone in more recent years due to numerous failed projects and poorly received final products.

Apocalypse Now game cancels Kickstarter to crowdfund on its own site [The Verge]

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News:: Here's a way to farm gold in Nioh that's fast, easy, and lucrative

If there's one thing I could use more of in Nioh, it's gold. Gold is where it's at.

It's true that you can play normally and boost your gold-grabbing efforts with stat-boosting equipment, your choice in guardian, or the achievement-esque title system. That all helps for gold dropped by enemies. But there's a better, faster way to amass funds for your costly blacksmith purchases: "A Request from Ginchiyo." It's a sub-mission accessible early on, in the game's first map region.

YouTuber and streamer Oroboro outlines the mission's gold-run route in the video above, but the short of it is you're after a specific chest that can appear in a few locations, there's an optimal path that doesn't require any fighting, and you can clear the mission in a couple of minutes once you know the layout and spawn points. The reward is 12,000 gold normally, or a ridiculous 111,400 gold on "Way of the Strong," Nioh's new game plus mode. From personal experience, this method is a godsend.

I've only cleared Nioh's first region on Way of the Strong, so I can't speak to other potential gold-digging opportunities later on (Oroboro claims it's "still the best gold farming method," which I firmly believe). That said, the run is very very doable and quick, even taking into account load times to and from the mission. Master the tried-and-true "claw" method of holding your gamepad and just run like hell.

If you're working toward that "Regular Smith Customer" Trophy for making 60 requests at the blacksmith (it's my last one!), this is the way to go about that. Hitting 60 takes for-ev-er. You can earn some free "points" to put in a request for discounts and other perks by simply going through all of the dialogue with Senji Tome, but for the rest, you're looking at spending 200,000 gold at the blacksmith's just to gain a single request point, and eventually, that already steep amount starts to climb.

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News:: Disney and YouTube punish Pewdiepie over jokes, claim anti-Semitism

Disney and Maker studios have cut ties with YouTube star Pewdiepie (Felix Kjellberg) entirely on the grounds that several of his videos have featured anti-Semitic content, including two Indian men that Kjellberg paid to hold up signs saying "Death to all Jews." Maker explained "Although Felix has created a following by being provocative and irreverent, he clearly went too far in this case and the resulting videos are inappropriate."

YouTube, who is relatively more lenient than Disney, soon thereafter cancelled his YouTube Red show "Scare Pewdiepie" and removed him from the safe-content "Google Preferred" advertising program.

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News:: GOG gave us 270(!) games to give away, come win a free game

You know what the big bummer about contests is? You always have a chance to win, but that chance is usually fairly low. Even if only 50 people entered, you'd still have like a 10 percent chance of winning if there were 5 prizes. The odds are rarely in your favor.

I aced my freshman year statistics class so I feel comfortable making the following assertion: The more prizes in a contest, the higher the probability (statistics term) is that you will be a winner. So, if we had something insane, like, I don't know, 270 games to give away, you'd have fairly decent odds of getting a free game. 

That's a mighty convenient example because, as it turns out, we have exactly 270 games to give away. In honor of its Valentine's Day sale, GOG gave us 270 codes to give to our readers. TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY. Here's the breakdown:

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News:: Path of Exile's Fall of Oriath update has me wanting to reinstall the game

I'll readily admit that I bounced off of Path of Exile when I first tried it in 2013. I played it when it was in open beta, and the overwhelming skill tree and muddy aesthetic didn't gel with me, so I shelved it. After playing a preview of the upcoming update, The Fall of Oriath, I can see that I was a hasty butthole to dismiss it and I'm downloading it as we speak.

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News:: Sephiroth is getting his Kingdom Hearts outfit in Dissidia Final Fantasy

It may be a fool's errand to write about small updates to a Japanese arcade game but, like writing "Mrs. Antonio Banderas" in my middle school dream journal, I write this hoping I'll get my hands on it in the future. Anyway, shown off during a Dissidia Final Fantasy live stream (and spotted by KH13), Square Enix revealed that Sephiroth is getting his outfit from his brief boss fight in Kingdom Hearts (much like in Duodecim 012's DLC). You can see him in action at the 36:55 mark..

Also of note is a new stage based on Final Fantasy II called "Pandaemonium." It'll be updated into the arcade release on the 16th. Thankfully it looks different from the version of it in the PSP titles. 

Boy, do I want this to get a home console release soon. Make it happen and take all my money, Square Enix. 

A Kingdom Hearts version of Sephiroth has been revealed for Dissidia Final Fantasy [KH13] 

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News:: The SoulKeeper VR has a lot of potential in a relatively untapped space

VR didn't catch on as much as some hardware manufacturers and developers would have liked. The kits are just so pricey, and so niche, considering that they need high-end PCs to run.

But another barrier to entry is the current game selection. There's a lot of great stuff out there (particularly on PS4), but it's tough to really identify as many "system sellers" in the VR realm as there are on PC and consoles. The SoulKeeper VR isn't quite there yet, but it's a step in the right direction.

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News:: The Strong Museum will open a 'Women in Games' exhibit in 2018

"Women have indelibly shaped every aspect of the history of video games, and that story needs to be better documented and told."

That's Jon-Paul Dyson, director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games at The Strong museum in Rochester, New York. This week, The Strong revealed its plans for a Women in Games initiative that aims to document the contributions of women in the fields of computer science and video games. Women are already included in The Strong's existing exhibits and archives, but Dyson says their work has been "underappreciated" overall.

Source: The Strong

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News:: 'Rocket League' blasts into 4K with PS4 Pro support

With the launch of the PlayStation 4 Pro in November, Sony promised a more powerful console with a boost in framerates and resolution pretty much across the board. Of course, that shiny new hardware doesn't do much good if the games themselves don't support those 4K resolutions. Now, with the impending release of the PS4's 4.50 system update, some of the biggest titles are ready to officially support the Pro in all it's 4K Ultra HD glory.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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News:: Senran Kagura: Estival Versus joins predecessor on Steam this March

With Senran Kagura Bon Appétit! and Shinovi Versus hanging out on PC, Estival Versus told itself it was too cool for them since it was on PlayStation 4. But then little Estival-chan got pouty about being left out so she has decided to join them on Steam this March, 2017. 

Estival Versus-chan is quite shy though, so she's bringing her DLC characters Sun Ce, Lu Bu, and Guan Yu from Battle Vixens (Ikki Tousen) along with her. The port to PC is being chaperoned by Marvelous Entertainment and Tamsoft themselves so the transition goes smoothly, including "Steamworks support including Steam Achievements, leaderboards, cloud saves, and trading cards."

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News:: 'Outlast 2' is all about documenting your own mental breakdown

Philippe Morin wants to break your brain. As a creator of the grotesque, critically acclaimed horror series Outlast, he delights in dissecting the psychology of terror and dreaming up new nightmares for video game fans.

Just look at Outlast 2. Morin's latest project -- due out for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this spring -- promises to play with the idea of isolation in unexpected ways. The game throws players in the middle of the sprawling Northern Arizona desert, but the setting isn't designed to generate the feeling of freedom. If Morin gets his way, this vast environment will make players feel claustrophobic, crushed by all the open space and consumed by fear of the horrors it might be hiding.

"This time we could afford to pursue a little more thoroughly the psychological layer," Morin says. "Internally what we've been saying is, the first Outlast was meant to take away your physical integrity and the second Outlast will take your mental integrity."

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News:: Let it Die hits two million downloads

GungHo Online has announced that worldwide, Let It Die has hit the two million download mark. Given the massive installbase of the PS4 and the fact that it's free helped, but that's still an impressive number for a niche game with a kickflippin' Grim Reaper named Uncle Death.

The team managed to hit this mark in roughly two months for the US and Europe, though the Japanese edition only just launched on February 2. Interestingly enough that version had a minimum spending limit of $1 to ensure that players were old enough to access it.

This news is just making me wish there was a full retail version that unlocked everything. I mean, a Let it Die action romp in the same style as say, Shadows of the Damned? I'd take it. I like Let it Die a lot in theory, but I don't play it as much as I want to because of how grind-inducing it feels at times.

Let it Die [GungHo via Gematsu]

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News:: New Rocket League PS4 update enables 60 FPS on base model and the Pro

It seems like Hot Wheels DLC won't be the only update coming to Rocket League this month. Just revealed over on the PlayStation blog, Rocket League on PS4 will be receiving a Pro update that enables 4K support. Along with that, 60 FPS will be coming to both the base model and the Pro for all game modes (split-screen included!). That probably took quite a bit of optimization, but it is nice to see.

Along with that comes further reminder of this month's DLC and a mention of something called the "Player's Choice" crate that contains community selected items for your car. Apparently more stuff is on the way for 2017, so it will be interesting to see where Rocket League goes next. If these updates keep coming in, I may have to finally buy the game instead of mooching off of my PS Plus freebie.

Rocket League: PS4 Pro Support Coming February 21 [PlayStation Blog]

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News:: I created a black character in Trio of Towns. What happened next will shock you

I am several hours in the deliberately slow and joyful beginning of Story of Season: Trio of Towns, and while I’m having a pleasant time with the game, there is one oddity that continues to stick out like a sore thumb. As with previous games in the series, you’re able to create your own farmer using the limited character creator. I made myself a black female character as I’m wont to do. She has cocoa skin, black hair, brown eyes; a beautiful black woman the game doesn’t seem to recognize as such. It’s nothing big, but the graphic depictions of my character on the lower screen map and in all the menus have her as a blonde haired, blue-eyed white girl, which probably would explain why her entire family at the beginning of the game was nothing but a bunch of crackers. I guess she’s adopted.

I get these games don’t exactly have the biggest budgets and in the grand scheme of things it really doesn’t matter, but it struck me as odd nonetheless. It also provided me a great excuse to use that click-baity headline.

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News:: Fire Emblem Echoes will only have English voiceovers

Following in the footsteps of Fire Emblem Fates, the upcoming Echoes (a remake of the second game) will also only provide English voiceovers.

It's a tad different from the Fates situation, mind. For that game not only was the prospect of having dual audio massive (since it was basically three whole games in one), but they also ran into a major issue with one of the Japanese singing voiceovers, and found themselves unable to reach a licensing agreement overseas.

Then again, Echoes will be the first main game to showcase full voice acting throughout the entire adventure. Really, I'm just glad it exists, and that people are playing this series more than ever. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will be out on May 19 in the west, with two new amiibo to boot.

Fire Emblem Echoes [Nintendo]

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News:: Massive Switch dev kit leak proves console is powered by two hamster wheels (Fauxclusive)

Just weeks before it’s set to hit stores, an unidentified developer leaked a boatload of information about the Switch dev kit issued by Nintendo, confirming reports the handheld-console hybrid is in fact powered by two hamsters in hamster wheels.

The information was uploaded to NeoGAF yesterday and since then, thousands have browsed the post, learning new facts about the Switch such as that it's inoperable for people born on February 29 and game card sizes vary from 1 GB all the way up to still-not-enough-gigabytes-to-hold-the-next-Grand-Theft-Auto. Brian Provlov, who was first to report info dump, said the leak is giving consumers some much-needed information before the system launches.

“There are so many news things we’re learning about the console from this leak, including how you’ll communicate with other Switches,” Provlov explained. “With this system, you’ll actually connect a string to your unit, and then have your neighbor connect the same string to their unit, thus giving you the ability to talk back and forth so long as you hold it up to your ear.”

Other information confirmed in the leak includes having the ability to access public Wi-Fi despite not having a browser at launch and that the Switch will drop the much-maligned Friend Codes for an easier to use smoke signal system.

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News:: Sony made a PSVR music video you can move around in

When it comes to the immersive visuals virtual reality offers, the audio needs to be equally as compelling. That includes having the sound adapt to your movements as you navigate a scene or event. To show off what its PlayStation VR setup is capable of, Sony enlisted violinist Joshua Bell to record a 360-degree virtual reality studio session. With adaptive audio and positional tracking, the company offers the ability for you to "step inside" the venue a lot more realistic.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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News:: I wonder how definitive a Cave Story Switch port would be

Tracking down all of the different versions of Cave Story has been frustrating, to say the least. They all seem to have one feature that the other one's don't, but maybe this possible Cave Story Switch port will be the one port to rule them all.

Well, I said "possible" because Nicalis, as teasy as ever, hasn't confirmed the game yet despite giving us box art on Twitter. Since they're putting basically everything else on the Switch, it does make a whole lot of sense to port over one of the most popular indie games of all time.

Throughout the parade of ports, I've always gone back to the good old PC original, which is still, by the grace of God, free. Imagine if EA bought the rights, haha.

Nicalis [Twitter]

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News:: Dodge Beyoncé's haterz in the 8-bit game 'Lemonade Rage'

If you've ever dreamed of being Beyoncé for a day, you're in luck. A small group of game designers created Lemonade Rage: an 8-bit adventure where you dodge haterz, bullshit and Illuminati conspiracists to smash cars, fire hydrants and good hair ads. It's basically the video game version of Beyoncé's video for the song "Hold Up" where she strolls down the street doing damage with a baseball bat. The more mayhem you cause, the more lemons you earn for lemonade.

Via: FACT, Pigeons & Planes

Source: Lemonade Rage

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News:: How Content ID and Party Hard's music screwed both YouTubers and TinyBuild

Video game YouTubers and indie developers exist in a sort of symbiotic circle. The YouTubers are always looking for the next underground viral hit (Five Nights, Hello Neighbor, Minecraft, et al), and indie developers could earn a strong following off those initial five minutes of fame, turning that into a successful follow-up game or even just a long tail for their primary release. As is the case with the mainstream press and developers of all stripes, that back-and-forth is understood but generally unspoken. But if one side goes off the reservation, like when a game developer starts hitting YouTubers with Content ID claims or when a YouTuber demands money in exchange for coverage, that never works out well for both sides.

In the case of Party Hard, a game from Ukranian developers Pinokl Games and published by indie label TinyBuild, the conflict between developer and YouTuber was not really instigated by either side. For once, this is not a case of bitter game developers trying to censor unflattering criticism. It's just a case of YouTube's Content ID system scraping up against the realities of independent game development, with Let's Players' caught in the middle.

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News:: 'Forza' is a billion-dollar success story for Microsoft

Microsoft has revealed that its flagship racing franchise has now made over a billion dollars at retail. With last year's well received Forza Horizon 3 shifting over 2.5 million copies in a couple of months, the nine- game racing franchise has slowly cemented itself as one of the strongest brands in gaming. Given Xbox's smaller userbase this generation and the emergence of new rivals like Project Cars, Forza's dominance is a fairly impressive feat.

Source: Xbox

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