By Jason Schreier @ Kotaku

Next year’s Call of Duty has gone through a major upheaval, as publisher Activision informed developers this week that studios Raven and Sledgehammer, which had until now led the project, will no longer be in charge. Instead, according to three people familiar with goings-on at the companies, Treyarch will lead development on a new Black Ops for 2020.

It’s a significant shift for Activision’s massive first-person shooter franchise, which is one of the most lucrative video game series on the planet. Every fall for the past 15 years, Activision has put out a new Call of Duty game, supported by a stable of different developers who rotated duties as required. Since 2012, Activision has followed a three-year cycle for its three lead studios: Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer.

Read on…

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

• EK Water Blocks Aims for Perfection – New Coolant Packaging and Three New Coolants
• Manli Announces RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti Gallardo Video Cards
• DIYPC Launches Its Rainbow Flash-V2 Chassis
• Sapphire Reps Leak Juicy Details on AMD Radeon Navi
• MSI X570 MPG Motherboards Leaked: Gaming Pro Carbon, Gaming Plus
• Lian Li Presents Bora Digital Addressable RGB Fans
• Kingston Introduces the Next-Gen KC2000 NVMe PCIe SSD
• XPG Retains Top Spot by Overclocking SPECTRIX D60G to 5738MT/s
• Silicon Power Releases Bolt B75 Pro Portable SSD
• COLORFUL Announces iGame G-One All-in-One Gaming PC
• Meet the X2 Abkoncore Ramesses 760 Full Tower Chassis
• Cooler Master Releases ASRock Branded Phantom Gaming Masterbox K500 Chassis
• Thrustmaster Announces Compatibility List of its PC Joysticks with ACE COMBAT７SKIES UNKNOWN!

Deep Silver and 4A Games today revealed the details of the downloadable content which will make up the Metro Exodus Expansion Pass.

There will be two major pieces of story-driven DLC for the game, following brand new stories from the world of Metro. Instead of Artyom, players will have the chance to see through the eyes of a brand new character and of one of the Spartan Rangers, the Aurora’s only American, Sam. Both of these will be available as part of the expansion pass, but will also be available for purchase separately.

A quick word of warning: if you have not yet completed the Metro Exodus campaign, the following contains spoilers.

Coming in Summer 2019, the first story that players will follow, The Two Colonels, is that of Colonel Khlebnikov, just below the surface, under the dead city of Novosibirsk, as he makes his way home to his son, Kirill, for New Year’s Eve.

But all is not well with the people here: the slime is further consuming the tunnels, mutant attacks appear to be on the rise and the precious ‘green stuff’ that protects the people from radiation poisoning is running low. In order to secure the survival of any of the people, those in charge may need to take drastic measures…

Following the journey and experiences of Khlebnikov during the last days of life in Novosibirsk, which Colonel Miller retraces a year later, players can expect the classic story-driven gameplay of the Metro series in this new linear chapter, complete with a brand new weapon, the deadly flame-thrower, claustrophobic environments, and the all-too-familiar hair-raising tension.

The second piece of DLC, Sam’s Story, coming to players in early 2020, is the brand new sandbox survival level based on Vladivostok. Sam, a US marine at the Moscow embassy before the bombs were dropped, has long dreamed of returning to his homeland, and maybe finding his family alive. The prospect seemed impossible in the darkened tunnels of the Metro, but when the Spartans discovered that Moscow was not the only city left alive after the war, holding out hope didn’t feel so foolish anymore.

Sam makes his way away from the Aurora in search of a way back to the USA, arriving at the remains of Vladivostok’s tsunami ravaged harbours, ruined industrial buildings, and crumbling residential districts. To complete his journey, Sam will discover that he needs every tactic he has learned so far to survive, as his surroundings prove to be far trickier than expected.

Players will forge Sam’s path through the sandbox survival landscape of Vladivostok, as they take a brand new journey across the wasteland of post-apocalyptic Russia.

Visit the official Metro Exodus website for more game information.

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

• EK Releases EK-Momentum ROG Strix Z390-I Monoblock for the Mini-ITX ROG Motherboard
• XIGMATEK Releases Poseidon RGB Mid-tower Case
• ASRock Announces the Z390 Phantom Gaming 7 and Z390 Phantom Gaming X Motherboards
• EVGA NU Audio – Free Software Update adds Nahimic 3D Audio for Gamers
• Ballistix DRAM Crushes World DDR4 Overclocking Record at 5726MT/s
• KLEVV Releases CRAS C700 RGB NVMe M.2 SSD
• GeIL Announces EVO SPEAR Phantom Gaming Edition Memory for SFF Systems
• Aqua Computer Unveils Farbwerk Nano, A Tiny USB-powered RGB Controller
• Scythe Announces the Fuma 2 Dual Tower-type CPU Cooler
• ASRock Grows Z390 Lineup With Budget-Conscious Phantom Gaming 4S

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the Open Beta of War Thunder’s anticipated World War mode is starting today. The new game mode gives players the opportunity to re-enact famous battles of World War II, to follow in history’s footsteps or change its course completely.

In game, these battles are organized in ‘Operations’, which are based on real world events and combat campaigns, such as the Battle of El Alamein or Battle of Vitebsk. Commanders of either side can move air- and ground armies on a strategic map, and when those armies meet, their clash is resolved by a battle session between players. Results of said battles can have significant effects on the outcome of the Operation, as the defeated side retreats and loses vehicles or even full regiments. An Operation can take up to two hours to complete, depending on the decisiveness of its battles.

Only Squadron Commanders, leaders of War Thunder’s player communities, can initiate the launch of a new Operation, but everyone is allowed to participate – both squadron members as well as the general playerbase. The list of available vehicles in each Operation is limited by historical context, meaning it is not possible to fly a jet fighter over the skies of El Alamein or ride a Japanese tank to battle at Vitebsk. If a player participating in the Operation has vehicles fitting to the historical context, he will be able to take his specific vehicle including crew and modifications. If a player does not own any of the required vehicles, he or she can still participate by receiving a vehicle in its basic modification. This means that participation is open to both veteran players as well war history fans that are still new to War Thunder.

Each operation consists of various battles with differing tasks and available vehicles. Modes include assault, defence, convoy attacks, cover missions as well as head-on confrontations featuring both ground and air forces. The vital link between battles is the strategic map, where commanders may e.g. send an air army to assist ground forces, making aircraft available for one side what previously seemed to be a ground battle only. The diversity of different mission types as well as the asymmetry between relative team power and objectives will open a new experience to players, offering an exciting alternative to War Thunder’s regular PvP battles.

View the War Thunder – World War teaser trailer HERE.

The World War mode is a season-based event, with the first already running until June 10, with the best players set to receive additional rewards. The full schedule of the season and more information about War Thunder is available on the games official website.

Source: Blue’s News

Steam now offers the release of Fighter Royale – Last Ace Flying, a flying combat action battle royale game from Axion Ventures that challenges players to be the last pilot standing. Or, you know, flying. This free-to-play game is set in the south pacific, and puts you behind the yoke of World War II era aircraft in battle for air superiority in an ever-shrinking airspace. This teaser showing off gameplay is over a year old, and their is a series of short clips on various aspects of the game on their YouTube Channel, but they are all from about 10 months ago. Here’s word on the game, including an unexpected Earth, Wind, & Fire pun:

FIGHTER ROYALE – LAST ACE FLYING is an arena style, air combat game of WWII dogfighting. You and up to 100 other players compete for supremacy in an expansive, 50 km world filled with opportunities to upgrade your plane and weapons, and tangle with other pilots. As the game progresses, the air combat space slowly shrinks, forcing players into close proximity and resulting in wild and unpredictable dogfights until eventually only one pilot remains: The Last Ace Flying!

The stage for this bogie wonderland is a South Pacific themed island chain, filled with volcanoes, narrow canyons, steep cliffs, military installations and an armada at sea gunning for you is designed to increase the intensity of the dogfights. Take out a bomber sortie or torpedoing an enemy battleship- the game world is full of juicy air, ground and sea targets- but the real challenge will be the other player pilots, and the innovative shrinking combat space ensures that players can’t simply avoid conflict- as the combat zone gets smaller you must engage the enemy to survive.

This isn’t just a dogfight… this is Fighter Royale!

More game info is available at the Fighter Royale – Last Ace Flying website.

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

• Patriot VIPER GAMING Launches V550 and V551 Optical Gaming Mouse
• In Win 928 Super Tower Case Launched
• DIYPC Introduces Modern Style Casing The Rainbow Flash-R1 Chassis
• Thermaltake Unveils Level 20 RGB Razer Green Gaming Keyboard
• ASUS Boosts GTX 1660 Ti Lineup With New Evo Series Graphics Cards
• ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AC2900 Gaming Router Available Soon (WIFI 5)
• HP to Introduce Omen X 25, Omen X 25f 240 Hz, 1080p TN Panel Monitors
• ASUS Launches the AiMesh AX6100 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System
• HP Launches World’s First Dual‐Screen Gaming Laptop

Independent developer and publisher Rebellion is celebrating today’s release of Sniper Elite V2 Remastered with a stunning new launch trailer.

Showcasing gripping gameplay, revamped visuals and new features, the trailer highlights the improvements fans old and new can look forward to in Sniper Elite V2 Remastered.  Today’s release is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered takes players to Berlin, 1945, and the heart of World War 2. As veteran sharpshooter Karl Fairburne you must use skill, patience and cunning to prevent the unthinkable. Your mission is to go behind enemy lines and prevent the cataclysmic Nazi V2 rocket technology from falling into the hands of the Red Army. Deadly aim and a stealthy approach are vital as you find yourself trapped between two armies in a race against time.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered amplifies the original’s iconic sniping and advanced ballistics with a host of improvements and added extras. In addition to impressive 4K and HDR support on available platforms, the game features stunning remastered visuals, from overhauled assets to modernized rendering and much more.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered also adds a versatile new photo mode that lets you pause and move the action frame-by-frame for that perfect X-ray Kill Cam shot. You can also play the campaign and multiplayer modes as one of 7 new characters from Rebellion’s Zombie Army series. And now multiplayer is expanded for up to 16 players online across all modes.

On top of all this, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered includes all the DLC ever released for the game including the iconic “Assassinate the Führer” mission, making it incredible value-for-money.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is now available on digital platforms across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC, including Steam and GOG. Physical editions are available from Friday 17th May on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is priced £29.99 across all platforms. Steam and GOG users who already own the original Sniper Elite V2 can upgrade to Sniper Elite V2 Remastered for just £6.99.

Visit the official Sniper Elite website for more game information.

Ubisoft has announced that “Operation Dark Hours”, the first eight-player raid in Tom Clancy’s The Division franchise history, will go live for all The Division 2 players globally on 16th May 5pm BST. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is available on the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

With “Operation Dark Hours”, Ubisoft introduces the toughest of all challenges to date. “Operation Dark Hours” will test the teamwork and ability of the most experienced agents who have reached World Tier 5 and defeated Tidal Basin. Operation Dark Hours will bring Agents to Washington National Airport, controlled by the Black Tusks who are using it to fly in even more soldiers and supplies. Capturing the airport will strike a significant blow to their operations. Players will discover that the technology available to the Black Tusk is even more advanced than what they have had to face so far.

Players will take on some of the games’ most challenging bosses yet. In a team of 8 players, agents will have to work closely as a team to execute their strategy in order to overcome these tenacious opponents. The Raid will reward players with exclusive loot, such as new gear sets, an exotic weapon and other unique rewards.

The first team to complete “Operation Dark Hours” after it goes live will be forever immortalised in-game by having their team photo and names displayed in The Division 2’s White House for all players to see. All other players that complete “Operation Dark Hours” between 16th May and 23rd May will receive a commemorative Arm Patch, while players who complete the raid after those dates will be rewarded with a clan banner icon and a trophy in their clan space.

Fans can follow the race to the by checking out “Operation Dark Hours: Race to a World First” Twitch Rivals Program at https://www.twitch.tv/twitchrivals beginning at 5pm BST.

Watch the Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Raid Trailer- Operation Dark Hours HERE.

More game information can be found on the official Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 website.

Source: TechPowerUp!

Just in time for the release of Bethesda’s open-world first-person shooter Rage 2 (find our performance analysis here), AMD has released their latest installment of the Radeon Adrenalin 2019 edition drivers for their graphics cards to make the most of the game. Indeed, AMD claims an improvement in game performance of up to 16% on the Radeon VII relative to last month’s 19.4.3 drivers, and this is in addition to added support for the big Windows 10 May 2019 update and instruction tracing for AMD’s GPU Profiler version 1.5.X.

The new Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.5.1 drivers are available online at the AMD driver download page.