GamesBeat weekly roundup: Pokémon Go keeps going, and preparing for World of Warcraft’s Legion expansion
Welcome to another GamesBeat weekly roundup! Pokémon Go continues to take over the world, and the servers still struggle to keep the popular game running. Overwatch also released its first new hero, and we’re learning to like Cortana on Xbox One.
Enjoy, and have a great weekend!
Pieces of flair and opinion
The DeanBeat: A report from the stormy seas of gaming at Casual Connect
Karazhan: A primer for Hearthstone’s (fingers crossed) next adventure
GamesBeat 2016 panel to explore how to make the next Pokémon Go augmented reality game
See 5 classic video games transformed into a stop-motion film using odd items
Venture investors will show the way forward with game investments at GamesBeat 2016
Sequel creator Omar Siddiqui to reveal the new world of game bots at GamesBeat 2016
Above: Ana is Overwatch’s first new hero.
Image Credit: GameSpot
News
Overwatch is getting a $300,000 tournament, with finals broadcasting on TBS
Nvidia’s new $1,200 Titan X graphics card runs at 11 teraflops
June 2016 NPD: Interactive gaming-toy sales plummet 21% in June
Otoy gets cinematic VR to run on low-power PowerVR graphics chips
AMD’s growth in the second half coming from game console chips
‘Now you’re playing with power!’ NES Classic Edition gets nostalgic ad from Nintendo
Warframe hacked — 775K player email addresses now in cyberattackers’ hands
Metroid Prime: Blast Ball is available for free on the 3DS ahead of Federation Force
Nvidia can reduce VR graphics processing requirements by up to 3 times
Pokémon Go publisher agrees to do live-action ‘Detective Pikachu’ movie with Legendary
Plantronics Rig 800 has 24 hours of battery life for your marathon gaming sessions
Nebula Awards sponsor Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association now accepts video game scribes
SuperData: Esports is now a $892 million market, but growth is slowing
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 coming for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam in September
Games built on Unity reveal massive growth for BRIC, Samsung Android dominance, and more
MaxPlay nears closed beta for cloud-based collaborative game and VR engine
Extreme skier Matilda Rapaport dies in avalanche filming promo for Ubisoft’s Steep
Microsoft’s Xbox and gaming sales decline 9% on eve of Xbox One S release
Microsoft reports $22.6 billion in Q4 2016 revenue: Azure up 102%, Surface up 9%, and Phone down 71%
Overwatch servers slammed after release of new character Ana
Overwatch gets big July update: Here’s what’s new and different
Ubisoft’s Q1 revenues up 44% from last year at $153 million as Vivendi takeover lurks
Pokémon Go causes GameStop sales to jump 100% in some stores
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft encourages players to battle friends this week
Star Wars: The Old Republic is getting a new expansion later this year
Microsoft confirms 2TB Xbox One S launch for August 2, priced at $400
Deus Ex Breach offers an arcade-like mode for stealing corporate secrets
EA unveils Star Wars Battlefront: Death Star DLC for September
Above: Dots & Co. is the third game from Dots.
Image Credit: Dots
Mobile and social
Pokémon Go servers down again — app is experiencing ongoing connection errors
Diving into the Samsung app store: buff gods, a dull airport, and the solitaire abyss
Here are the apps that may be suffering from Pokémon Go’s popularity
Dots & Co. is the next mobile puzzle game from the makers of Dots
Apple could make $3 billion from Pokémon Go in the next 2 years
HelloVR unveils its MetaWorld for social virtual reality experiences
Sensor Tower: Pokémon Go has already passed 30M downloads and $35M in revenue
N3twork’s Neil Young believes $10 billion mobile game is inevitable
China surpasses the U.S. in iOS game revenue for the first time
Glu Mobile launches Tencent’s WeFire shooter as Rival Fire in the West
SGN chief bets on the rise of Hollywood franchises in mobile games
Pokémon Go servers down intermittently following Canadian release
Release of Pokémon Go delayed in France following attack in Nice
LureDeals is a startup that wants to turn Pokémon Go players into your customers
Kabam lays off 25 people at its San Francisco mobile game studio
Previews, reviews, and interviews
Monster Hunter Generations impressions: a small step forward for hunterkind
A closer hands-on look at the oppressive atmosphere of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex Go mobile puzzle game will have its own narrative and abstract graphics
How Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is balancing stealth, action, and story
Watch Dogs 2’s San Francisco brings out the playful side of the hacking series